# Which betta myth ticks you off the most?



## ErinBBC (Apr 23, 2008)

These are all the myths that I have heard from pet store workers.


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## southafrica1001 (Nov 18, 2007)

i think the worst one in my opinion (all of those are bad) is that bettas can be put in a bowl with the plant bulb at the top and you never have to feed it, what a way to die, no food and no acess to the surface :evil:. but every hobby has a bad side i suppose, people just need to be re-educated


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## Flashygrrl (Jan 18, 2008)

Too bad you couldn't make the poll a check all that apply type poll.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

I picked the last one because if people really believe that their fish will only live for a few months, when it dies from one or all of the other myths listed they will not even question it and will make the same mistakes again!


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## Meatpuppet (Mar 1, 2008)

i picked the small bowl one. it seems to be the most popular commited crime in the un-educated betta keeping experience. plus i always like to think of how i would feel if im not only the betta but other pets too.


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## JMeenen (Apr 7, 2008)

I picked the last one as that seems to just confirm that they are selling them as "the disposable Pet"


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## brianl78 (Jun 25, 2008)

they only need to eat a couple of times a week( this is the one i picked i mean come on now how would you like it if you only eat a couple times a week.)


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## ErinBBC (Apr 23, 2008)

I forgot about the vase one or I would have put it on here....so many dumb myths, so few polling options


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## missfish1996 (Mar 5, 2008)

I picked the small bowls because there are so many people that believe this that it bothers me that we cant like teach all of them if that makes sense...


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## studioskim3 (Dec 2, 2007)

Flashygrrl said:


> Too bad you couldn't make the poll a check all that apply type poll.


HAHAHHA... agreed... but I voted that small spaces is livable as the worst... its like... can u live in ur bathroom? yes... but are u happy in there... most likely NOT... ppl make me mad... ignorant just makes me pissed! its even worse when you go on youtube... ppl will do ANYTHING to show off their "fighters"... there are ppl who has AMAZING tanks.... but 80% of the time, ppl put them in like a pint sized plastic cup and call it home... its really sad.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

All of them.


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## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

I chose the tiny dirty puddles one because that myth seems to be the root of almost all of it. It leads to the small bowls, minimal care, etc.


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## JMeenen (Apr 7, 2008)

I lkie your sand bottom...


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

All of them are pretty bad, but I'm going to defend the cold water myth a bit. Fish are cold-blooded creatures, so their metabolisms are dictated almost entirely by the temperature of their surroundings. When reading about aquarium fish in general, I've read that increased temperatures increase the metabolisms and ultimately shorten the lifespans of fish simply because they age quicker. A fish kept at cooler temperatures should require less food and could live longer.

However, all of this is ignoring other variables present. For example, a tropical fish kept at temperatures cooler than it requires will have a weakened immune system and be more susceptible to disease. So, odds are that if you keep your fish at lower temps than it needs it could die young due to any number of diseases. Not to mention that it also seems unnatural to artificially prolong the lifespan of a fish beyond what its body is designed to provide for.

I think the cool temp betta myth must have come from people who show bettas. I've read that many people keep their best show bettas at cooler temperatures to prolong their lives so that they can get more wins for the fish. Still unnatural if you ask me, though.


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## MelKurtonic (Feb 16, 2011)

_.. (tried deleting but don't know how)_


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## MelKurtonic (Feb 16, 2011)

ErinBBC said:


> These are all the myths that I have heard from pet store workers.


 
_I HATE petstore workers... this one self proclaimed "fish expert" told me that goldfished had to be housed by themselves because they give off too much amonia and yes goldfish are very wasteful fish and require frequent cleanings but they won't kill other fish if you take care of them properly and maintain their levels... She also told me that a tropical fish we were looking at (can't remember the name but they looked like orange cichlid from what I remember) was mild manored and could be kept with fantails which were significantly smaller than the fish... upon researching this online I found that cichlids are mildly agressive and that they would nip at the fantails or eat them if they were small enough... I was so enraged with this women I refuse to shop at the store when she is working..... Then this one crazy lady at pier 1 told us that we could stick the bettas in this really small bowl shaped like a fish because she had bettas that lived for 7 years in cramped spaces and that she liked putting them in together and watch them fight she also said that she would lay them in the sink with no water while she cleaned their bowls. _


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## MelKurtonic (Feb 16, 2011)

southafrica1001 said:


> i think the worst one in my opinion (all of those are bad) is that bettas can be put in a bowl with the plant bulb at the top and you never have to feed it, what a way to die, no food and no acess to the surface :evil:. but every hobby has a bad side i suppose, people just need to be re-educated


I saw that and was nervous about it because there was nowhere for the betta to breathe then was told that the betta breath from the plant because it oxygenates the water which still puzzled me because betta have a lung like mechanism in them and need to breathe fresh air or they'll soffocate


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## MelKurtonic (Feb 16, 2011)

missfish1996 said:


> I picked the small bowls because there are so many people that believe this that it bothers me that we cant like teach all of them if that makes sense...


Not only the small bowls but the fact that there is merchandise implying and encouraging the small bowls my neighbor has two male betta and they're in this tiny sectioned off bowl that isn't even a gallon between the two of them we went and got our own designer bowls from a craft store that were not only cool looking but provided our betta enough space to swim and play around, hide and relax. there is also the myth that you shouldn't put betta with plants because of some reason or another but after my research I found that betta love little hiding places such as plants. I have plants and ornaments and other cool betta "toys" in our betta tanks to keep them comfortable and relaxed


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## MelKurtonic (Feb 16, 2011)

sorry I'm posting so much I am a very enthusiastic new owner lol I absolutely love our betta and goldfish and want them to live as long as possible... my husband didn't understand the attatchment I had to these fish until he got his own betta to obsess over now he gets me lol


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## LolaQuigs (Mar 28, 2010)

Kim said:


> I picked the last one because if people really believe that their fish will only live for a few months, when it dies from one or all of the other myths listed they will not even question it and will make the same mistakes again!


This is what I thought too.


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## bettamaniac (Jan 6, 2011)

I picked the one where they only need to eat a couple times a week. A fasting is okay every now and then or a weekly fasting but for the fish to be eating only about 3-4 meals a week is terrible. And a lot of people would probably give them to little even for a regular feeling or start to feel bad, think their fish looks hungry, and go overboard with it. My second choice is the cold water one. Even if someone doesnt know that they are tropical fish you would think they would give the fish warmer water if it feels too cold.


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## Bettas143 (Dec 20, 2010)

OMG where is the ALL button. WANTED to pick them all guhhh.LOL


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## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

I heard from a petstore employee that you never have to feed Bettas because they eat their own poop...and because they eat their own poop, you never need to change the water either!
Not only that fact that this is just plain WRONG WRONG WRONG. But, how do they poop in the frist place to start eating poop? Do you not have to have something in your system to poop to begin with?


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## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

Oh yes, and I picked the "they only live a few months" because it makes people not question when their Betta dies after two months because they think it is natural. It causes them to never learn more about their care sense they think they are doing everything right.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

lol! This thread has been around as long as I have!


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

dramaqueen said:


> lol! This thread has been around as long as I have!


OMG! Hahaha! That's true.:rofl: This thread shall serve as a reminder of your join date.:notworthy:


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

I picked the "Live for a few months" option. I see soo many goddamn kids who either get Bettas or comets from their parents because they won't shut up about wanting a dog/cat/hamster/whatever.

Their parents compensate getting a dog/cat that will last for 20ish years and instead getting a fish in a teeny tiny tank (especially those 2 Gallon "goldfish starter kits") in hopes that it will die quickly so they won't have to spend any more money on it, and their kid will use the fish to tide themselves over from "OMG WANT A PET" syndrome


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

dramaqueen said:


> lol! This thread has been around as long as I have!



Oh god I just realized how old this thread is...fff I hope it wasn't me who revived it


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## BlackberryBetta (Feb 6, 2011)

Some pet store workers really tick me off because almost every word that comes out of their mouth is a lie. When you are commited to your fish it's so annoying sometimes because they always try to convince you that your setup is wrong or to add something else to the water or care for them differently....Ugh I get so mad sometimes!


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

all of them. totally. :/ i'm SO glad i never had to correct any pet store employees about betta care. i love Pet Lover's so much now. <3


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## BlackberryBetta (Feb 6, 2011)

Oh ya, I forgot about this day....here is a story:
So I was at my LPS a few days ago and this guy and his kid was coming to get some goldfish. I was was like "whatever" and kept looking around. I overheard his conversation with the sales person and he was like "we are on our 8th pair or goldfish and we can't keep them alive for more than a month. I was like whoah! Torture much? Ughhh that made me so mad I just wanted to go up to him and shout "ANIMAL CRUELTY! ANIMAL CRUELTY! What is your problem?" Anyways, I controled myself. LOL! Has anything like this happened to anyone else?


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

i helped educate a lady and her kids about goldfish one day. me and the guy who was working the fish department were just chatting the lady up, telling her about how they need larger tanks, more filtration, do best in pairs, ect. :d the lady thanked me and seemed so happy to get proper info.


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## BlackberryBetta (Feb 6, 2011)

Wow, lucky that she actually listened to you. I am so mad when I see people do that to animals. The sales person had no idea what they could possibly be doing wrong. He asked them if they were keeping the fish in water!


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

One time while I was at my LPS, the one cute guy who works there (lolol) is actually fairly knowledgable with fish.

This lady had a brand spanking new tank that she just set up, and she wanted to buy a boatload of new fish. The guy openly told her that she's stocking it too quickly too early and that the loach she wanted to buy is quite aggressive and needed more room.

Unfortunately this woman just got mad at him and said that she would take her business elsewhere >_>...what a witch


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## BlackberryBetta (Feb 6, 2011)

Wow, when people THINK they know something, they will never stop believing it!


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## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

BlackberryBetta said:


> Wow, when people THINK they know something, they will never stop believing it!


 That is very true!
I know quite a few people who would rather watch their pet die than take advice from me.


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## BlackberryBetta (Feb 6, 2011)

Ya that really makes me mad! People just can't admit their wrong sometimes. Ah well...There isn't really anythingt that we can do about it....


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## tsoto80 (Nov 26, 2010)

the one that ticks me off which is not there but should be is that it is okay to house females and males together anotherwords only males fight each other


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

It's ok. The subject is still relavent. lol


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## RiverStoneBetta (Feb 22, 2011)

BlackberryBetta said:


> Oh ya, I forgot about this day....here is a story:
> So I was at my LPS a few days ago and this guy and his kid was coming to get some goldfish. I was was like "whatever" and kept looking around. I overheard his conversation with the sales person and he was like "we are on our 8th pair or goldfish and we can't keep them alive for more than a month. I was like whoah! Torture much? Ughhh that made me so mad I just wanted to go up to him and shout "ANIMAL CRUELTY! ANIMAL CRUELTY! What is your problem?" Anyways, I controled myself. LOL! Has anything like this happened to anyone else?


Several times. The most memorable one was for my cousin's wedding. She decided to put bettas in little candle bulbs and float LIT tea lights on the surface of the water. Thankfully I got there early and promptly began screaming at her. She got mad and told me if I was so good at keeping bettas that I could just keep them. As much as I wanted to, I'm at capacity for bettas. So I went to the local pet store to buy Kritter Keepers, filled them up with bottled water and plonked them in. I sat at a table with 6 little bettas near the door (warmest place in the building) all night. When people started to leave, I managed to get them all homes with proper care. I still get updates from them sometimes. 

Bettas as wedding centerpieces infuriate me faster than bettas in a vase will.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

It's better than goldfish. Most people use goldfish as wedding centerpieces and not everyone can afford to adopt a goldfish that can potentially reach 8-10 inches on average.


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## RiverStoneBetta (Feb 22, 2011)

Lupin said:


> It's better than goldfish. Most people use goldfish as wedding centerpieces and not everyone can afford to adopt a goldfish that can potentially reach 8-10 inches on average.


Believe me, I know. I've had to rescue 2 feeders that hid in my friend's cichlid tank long enough that they couldn't be eaten. I've got them with my fantail Xerxes in a 15 gallon. I know it's overstocked, but I keep up with the water changes and maintenance. The nitrate reading skyrockets after just 2 days, so it's 25% water changes every other day. They're a pain in my rear, but they're great for relieving stress, and they're beautiful in their own right.


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## denaliwind (Feb 27, 2011)

southafrica1001 said:


> i think the worst one in my opinion (all of those are bad) is that bettas can be put in a bowl with the plant bulb at the top and you never have to feed it, what a way to die, no food and no acess to the surface :evil:. but every hobby has a bad side i suppose, people just need to be re-educated


Yeah, that's my biggest nightmare.  I'd rather see a Betta in a small tank that's regularly cleaned and fed well then one of those stupid, stupid 'Betta vase' things, _the plant consumes the poop and feeds the fish so you'll never ever have to clean the water of feed him_...! :evil: grrrrrrr


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## BlueHaven (Jul 17, 2010)

Well the first answer is just lack of info. 
The second answer is lack of info.
The third answer is just plain stupid. That's totally uncaring and trying to do what you want instead of what the fish needs. It is also lack of info. 
The 4 and 5 ones are lack of info.

I picked the 3 answer. 
lol


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