Why do stores keep Betta fish in small containers?

(07-25-2014, 07:17 AM)Treeca86 Wrote: I have kept 100s of Betas in glass decorative containers for years, they lived for years. I had one live for about 5 1/2 years in one. If your house is warm enough, the Betas will live just fine, mine sure did. The only problem I have ever had with Betas dying, is my Autistic son eating them straight from the bowls. I fixed that real quick, though, only lossed 5 out of 30 that way, until I explained in a way how nasty that is, and working God and Christ into it because he loves religion and God and Christ.
So someone who has kept 100s of Betas this way since I was 10 and will be 28 next week, I think my Mother, Evelyn, and I know what we are doing.

Excuse me, but I found it is hard to believe. Including that part "my Autistic son eating them straight from the bowls".

Where do you live? What is your usual room temperature? How often do you do water changes? How much water do you change? How often do you feed them?

Tropical fish species need more than just a certain temperature. They need stable water temperature. Any sudden fluctuation in the water temperature of more than 3F can be deadly to them. In a tiny body of water without a heater, it is hard to avoid large temperature fluctuations even if you live in a tropical area.

More importantly, there is nothing can be a substitute for a filter system. Do you know what ammonia is? Nitrogen cycle? Ammonia produced by the fish can build up quickly in a small container. Any trace of ammonia in the water is toxic to the fish. No amount of water changes can completely eliminate ammonia from the water since it is produced on a constant basis 24/7. In your decoration containers, the fish would be suffering from ammonia burn and sit in their own waste waiting for death to come.

Lets assume everything you said is true, including "100s betta", "lived for years", "one lived for about 5 1/2 years". Just how many of them lived for years? Under ideal conditions, every one of them should have lived for years. Out of your "100s betta", only one lived over 5 years while most of them should? It has said enough about how "ideal" their conditions were.

In concentration camps, a few people still can survive and live for a very long time while most will die in short term. Does it mean the conditions are right and people should be treated in such way?