About a year ago, I decided that I wanted to buy a fish. I didn’t really think much about it, I’d had fish before and been pretty successful at it, so I went out and bought what I already knew I’d need: a plastic fish bowl, water conditioner, fish food, some rocks for the bottom of the tank, a plastic plant, a net, and the fish itself. I set up the bowl, plopped him in and felt pretty accomplished for the day. Little did I know.

Not long after bringing my fish home, I started to think I might like to get some real plants for his bowl. I thought they’d look pretty, so I started to Google “How to plant your fish tank,” for tips and ideas. One thing led to another, and I found myself on a betta fish forum, something I had never even dreamed would exist, and subsequently realized that everything I had for my fish was completely wrong. Betta keeping as a hobby is a very real thing, and as it turns out, the general public is severely misinformed when it comes to betta care. At first I didn’t believe anything I was reading. Bettas need heaters? Since when? At least a 5 gallon tank, but 10 is recommended? A filter? What happened to the shallow puddles they supposedly live in in the wild? Not only was what I had inadequate, but harmful. I learned that fish bowls are disorienting and potentially stressful for fish because they warp their view, making it difficult to see. The plastic plant I had bought could rip and tear at my poor fish’s fins. Even the flakes I’d bought weren’t considered good quality for my fish. Not only did the basic set up recommended by most betta care sheets include things I did not have, but it advocated against everything I did have.

As it turns out, the story about bettas living in shallow puddles is misunderstood. Bettas can withstand shallow puddles, because their natural habitat in Cambodia and Thailand has a tendency to dry up. However, their talent for jumping gives them the ability to move from one puddle to the next to find better living environments-- they aren’t bound to one tiny puddle, they can navigate through an entire system of them. So really, bettas aren’t meant to be stuck in one small puddle indefinitely. It’s recommended that bettas be kept in 5-10 gallon tanks, though they can be kept in tanks as small at 2 gallons. Bowls, vases, cups, bottles, and pretty much anything smaller than 2 gallons, are not sufficient and can be toxic to them when they have anything less then 100 percent water changes every other day. This has to do with water quality.

The nitrogen cycle, which is the biological process that takes place in aquariums, consists of different parameters like nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, water hardness, and pH. Biological wastes produced by fish and bacteria living in the tank due to dropped food and fish waste contribute to water quality, which is why filters are important. It’s important that a tank be “cycled,” most times even before the fish is introduced. “Cycling” is the process by which a natural, healthy cycle is set up in the tank that will grow bacteria that consume harmful ammonia and nitrites. If the tank is too small for the amount of waste produced by an organism, water quality is less stable. When water quality is poor, fish health is poor. Fish can develop illnesses from poor water quality, and poor enough water quality can kill them. Additionally, their natural habitat water maintains temperatures of about 77-83 degrees, and when kept without a heater, bettas’ immune systems are compromised and they can become lethargic. Poor care will also cause loss of color. In fact, inadequate care in general will cause all sorts of problems, from lethargy to causing the fish to be sick or grow parasites. Unfortunately for betta fish, they can endure a lot more than what is healthy for them, and that’s why most people are still pretty unaware of what they actually need.

Needless to say, I wasn’t expecting any of this when I bought my fish. I had no idea there was actual science involved in keeping a fish, or even considered that my fish would need anything other than water and food to survive. And of course, betta care goes beyond what I’ve described in this article. This is just a basic outline. For those curious about what else goes into betta care, there are countless articles and guides on the internet that are easy to find. There are even books published on betta care.

The moral of the story is: when you’re thinking about getting a pet, do your homework beforehand. Pet stores sell fish as easy pets so they can make a sale. But why would you want your fish living in an environment where he’s barely surviving, when he could be living in a penthouse aquarium suite?