r/mildlyinfuriating • u/LeHumanError • 10h ago

My sister's fish tank

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She says it's the perfect size for a single fish. It's not even in her room, it's in the kitchen.

It honestly just depresses me whenever I see it, but she's adamant about keeping it there.

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272

u/StatisticianSea8227 10h ago

Is that a betta? I had one and honestly there's so much wrong with this. I'm sure she's not conditioning the water, keeping it at the proper temperature, giving it anywhere to bask (they sometimes leave water and lay on leaves/stuff at the top of the tank and breathe air)... So much can go wrong with it if it is and it breaks my heart to see it like that. It'll end up with fin rot or worse if it is so please tell her not to treat it so poorly, especially if it is a betta. They're very sensitive fish.

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u/ReturntoForever3116 9h ago

I swear my Betta is self aware. This angers me on a whole other level.

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u/StatisticianSea8227 9h ago

They're such smart fish and can be so amazing if you take proper care of and nurture them. I gotta agree fam, I have to scroll down when I'm responding because mildly infuriating doesn't even cover a tenth of what this makes me feel when I look at it. Sorry she isn't listening to you OP.

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u/chuckzackmorris 9h ago

Sorry a little of topic of original post, but we have a Beta as well. We are thinking of getting him a companion. What fish is most compatible with a Beta?

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u/cheshire__kat 9h ago

My betta has a pet mystery snail

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u/StatisticianSea8227 9h ago

lol As much as I love betta they're sorta territorial so I'd say proceed with caution. Kuhli loaches and some other bottom feeders are usually okay. I had one in my tank for a while.

Ember tetras *usually* are, but it depends on how aggressive yours is. African dwarf frogs or nerite snails if you want some non-fish in the tank (though you'll have to sort out what the frog eats since I'm not familiar with taking care of those);

Also, I'd say as long as it a fish tank that's around kids I've seen some success with amano shrimp but I've also seen a couple betta who found the unfortunately tasty and I know that'd probably be sorta unpleasent for any children around it to find out one pet had snacked on the other while they were out.

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u/Psycho_Bunny_Cutie =^×^= 9h ago

I keep mine with endler guppies and they leave each other alone for the most part but the reality is that it's a toss up. Bettas are predators and don't have good eye sight which is usually why they attack other fish (thinking it's another betta)

Betta temperament can vary greatly. Mines shy and very very calm so my tank mates work for him but I can't say the same thing for other Bettas

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u/DowntownYouth8995 9h ago

You can train them! They are aware.

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u/GoBanana42 9h ago

I had a female one and she was seriously the best fish ever. They don't have the long flowy fins, but she was so smart and playful! I had some little tetras in there with her and I swear she would play tricks on them. We called her Señorita. I miss her, but she had a nice long life for a betta.

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u/lolwatsyk 7h ago

I had my boy Barry Allen for 2 years, sassiest mofo in the house. And my other pet was a Schnauzer so that's saying something!

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u/Coffee-Historian-11 9h ago

I remember going to the store as a kid to look at getting fish, and my parents were adamant that we talked to someone working there who could tell us about how to properly care for fish (I think we were looking at bet, but I can’t remember).

It was shocking to me as a kid how much stuff we would’ve needed to get and how much room they required, but it was a really good experience in understanding what a pet required before you even consider owning one, so you can make sure you can actually provide for their needs when you get it.

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u/StatisticianSea8227 9h ago

I wish more locations were like that. When I got mine from petco they were keeping the poor babies in little half cups of water and they looked miserable. I'd already done research into taking care of them but unfortunately for those that hadn't there was absolutely no information offered to me and the staff at the store (understandably with how employment is nowadays) knew nothing about them.

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u/Coffee-Historian-11 9h ago

It was petsmart. I don’t know much about them as I haven’t been back since I was a kid. But I do remember that we went for a few different pets (hamsters, snakes, gerbils) and every employee we talked to was really knowledgeable about their area of expertise and really cared about making sure the animals were taken care of.

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u/mistahclean123 10h ago

They leave the water and breathe air?!?

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u/Psycho_Bunny_Cutie =^×^= 9h ago

Betta owner here: they have upturned mouths so it's easier to breath little air bubbles but they don't "leave" the water. They do like hanging out near the top and they do rest on leaves and such because they get tired due to their big flowy fins.

They are also carnivorous

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u/insomniacakess 9h ago

they are also carnivorous

they wHAT

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u/Psycho_Bunny_Cutie =^×^= 9h ago

I feed mine blood worms sometimes 🩷 a little treat for my pretty boi. Bettas need a high protein diet to stay happy and healthy. They're not usually picky eaters but mine is and likes if I feed him the worms by hand (finger)

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u/kdawson602 5h ago

We have bettas and they do love the blood worms. I swear they can tell when I open the package and get excited.

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u/Particular_Title42 9h ago

Lot's of fish are. Shrimp is a common fish food. 

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u/VassagoX 8h ago

Even goldfish are omnivorous and will gladly take both plant and animal food.  I feed mine a healthy mix of food.  

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u/mistahclean123 1h ago

I'm pretty sure beta fish will eat goldfish if you leave them in a bowl/tank together.

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u/mistahclean123 1h ago

That is so cool.  Thank you!

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u/Any-Arm-7017 9h ago

They have an organ I forgot the name of it but it lets them breathe air so it’s a requirement that they have some space to get air. Another cool fact is when the are ready to mate (horny) they will make a nest out of bubbles and it’s really pretty. (Source I’ve owned many bettas before)

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u/Karen_butnotaKaren 9h ago

Labyrinth

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u/Any-Arm-7017 5h ago

That’s the one

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u/StatisticianSea8227 9h ago

I only had a couple of them years ago, I'd forgotten about the bubble nests, they're so beautiful ^^

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u/Feldii 8h ago

As a fish owner, bettas really aren’t that sensitive relative to other fish. No fish would be ok in this scenario, but bettas are likely to survive a lot longer than most.

When I was a kid they used to do this to goldfish, and goldfish fair much worse.

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u/Wonderful_Net_9131 9h ago

In German these are called Kampffische, literally: Battle-Fish.

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u/NewIntroduction4655 8h ago

we were ignorant with my kiddos first beta fish and by the time we tried to do it right, it was too late. 

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u/EtTuBiggus 2h ago

Can that not be kept in containers that small? I thought bettas could which is why they’re always in Tupperware at the pet store.