living onditions for bettas

Question
QUESTION: I feel so bad for bettas when I'm at the pet store that I rescue them and currently own 18 of them each in their own 1 gallon tank. Viper lived for almost seven years in his tank, but now I'm hearing that it's cruel to keep them so confined, is that true?  Is one gallon of water to little?

ANSWER: Hi Stacey,
Bless your heart...and I am sure that your bettas feel the love you have for them.  It is cruel to keep bettas in small tanks, vases, etc. but I feel that you are an exception to the rule.  To keep a betta healthy for seven years, you must be doing something right.  

Here is some information on how to keep a betta healthy and happy...

A betta needs 5 gallons of water to be healthy, and happy.  
In their habitat the betta may live in shallow waters, but they have lots of room to swim.  
Keeping Bettas in small bowls, containers, vases etc, is cruel.  The Betta is one of the most mistreated fish on the market.
They need a heated tank.  Temperature should be 78-80 degrees.  They are tropical fish, and are cold under this temperature.  Cold bettas get sick, are miserable, and live unhappy lives. ( Always remember  when heating a tank, do this very very slowly..1 (one) degree every two days, as bringing up the temperature too fast would kill your Betta.)  The temperature should always be stable.  Fluctuating temperature is very bad for bettas, and any other fish.  
They should have a silk plant in their tanks, so that they can rest on the leaves  They also need a little tunnel or some knick knack that they can go through.   One teaspoon to five gallons of diluted aquarium salt may be added to his water, when a Betta is well.  
Aquarium salt helps them with stress, and helps with parasites.  However if a Betta is showing signs of a swollen tummy, salt should not be used.
They need a varied diet. This is very important.  Betta pellets one day, Betta Flakes the next, Daphnia the next, and bloodworms should be given once a week as a treat.
He should be given one well cooked frozen cooked pea a week, and on the day you give him the pea, he should fast.    
A betta is prone to constipation, and constipation leads to Swim Bladder Disease.  A pea a week keeps them from getting constipated.
They should have 2-3 small meals a day, and not one big meal.  We must remember that their tummy is the size of their eye.
Example:  2 pellets for one meal.
Water changes are very important.  Water changes must be made every week without fail with a good water conditioner such as Aqua Safe or Stress Coat.  There is also a conditioner made especially for bettas.   Never put two bettas in the same tank, they will kill each other...male or female.  The Betta male is a loner.  Females can be kept together in a big enough tank.
When treated well, a betta can live up to 8 years, if you buy him when he is very young.  (Unfortunately we do not know their age when we buy them at the Pet Store which is why some bettas die two or three years after we have bought them.
He's an intelligent little fish, and should be treated with kindness.
Too many vendors know nothing about the betta, and don't care...so don't give good information on how to keep them.
They are there to sell, and will say anything just to make a buck.  They send you home with your bought betta, telling you a small bowl is perfect, and bloodworms!  The poor customer thinks he has everything he/she needs, and then the fish gets sick, money is spent to cure him, and eventually the fish dies.   
This turns my stomach over.  Unfortunately there are no laws to protect fish.  
Bettas kept in small bowls, one gallon tanks, and vases, will get sick, and are very hard to cure in such little water.  They end up dying, and
that hurts the person who has grown so attached to them.  They don't deserve to be treated this way.
This is how a Betta should be treated.  If treated this way, you will have your friend for a long long time.  I have bred them, love them, and know what is good for them.
Lynda

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I do have several large fish tanks not currently in use they could very easily be made into betta apartments of approx. 5 gallons each but would mesh dividers keep them from injuring each other?  I have 18 male bettas and they are all very aggressive for their ages ranging in 2-5.  My mom works with stained glass and could easily cut several different materials for me, what would you recommend as a divider for them?

Answer
Hello Stacey,
You will have to find something that the Betta can't see through, as seeing other bettas all the time would only stress them, and make them sick.  I have never used dividers, so don't know too much about them.
Stained Glass would probably do the trick! Coloured acrylic sheets would be good also.
Ask another expert on this, they might have better ideas.  I would think that stained glass would be great...but just to be sure, ask someone else.
That will be a really nice set up, it will be beautiful to see.  I know how you feel, when I go to pet stores, it just about kills me to see all those poor bettas in little plastic cups.  I have lots too, but can't save them all.  I wish that something could be done to stop these people from selling them in cups.  We only see half of it.  So many die in transportation, and arrive in the smallest bags I have ever seen with just enough water to cover them. It is so cruel, and they don't care...as long as money is coming in, they just don't care.
Good Luck with your bettas..
Lynda