I've seen a few places where they put a betta in a glass plant vase and then top the vase with some sort of water plant. Is this safe for the betta?

<_< No,it is not safe at all. Usually they're not big enough,and I can't even tell you how many betta's have died,either getting caught up in the plant roots-and not being able to come up for air :angry: or dying from filthy water & starvation because people were told that they didn't have to feed it.-that they'd eat the plants.It's pretty to see for about a second,& then you picture the rest and it's suddenly all ugly.

I wasn't plannin on actually doing it but I was just curious just cause i seen a few in my past.

I have only seen this on tv and not in person. In theory, if you had a big enough container, and some plants, and you fed the betta and changed the water, it would work. However, I think they plant things were marketed as kind of "self-sustaining", if I remember, which of course is going to produce a dead betta

LOL, my mom owns three of these. She made them herself. The vases are two to three gallon vases. She changes the water weekly, and keeps the roots trimmed down so the fish cant get caught up in them. Shes had one betta in a vase like this for over four years now, and he seems to love it. And yes, she knows to feed the betta food. You would have to be stupid to expect the betta to live off of the roots. When its taken great care of, its acctually really pretty. I still dont agree with it completly, but I guess it could be worse.

I get mad when I go down to the local craft store, and they have this tiny vases, with large roots, and theres no room for the betta to swim around, and they swear to their customers that they'll never have to change the water, and they never have to feed the fish.... the plant is all they need! :angry: Now that gets to me! They also are trying to make hermit crabs a new ARTSIE thing too...... GRR..... and they have like 30 small vases set up with these bettas in them, and now their even selling frogs to put in them, and guess what... they supposedly dont need fed either!

I hate it, I hate all of it. I can't stand watching fish, or any animal or person, or insect, or plant for that matter be mistreated. You can't always blame the consumer...americans are trained to mindlessly believe...at least that's what i think. I really hate when people buy pets and then eventually decide they dont really care...grrr.

You know what the bad thing is about 'betta vases'? It makes people think that betta's can live by eating the plant root. Betta's are carnivores, and they will not survive by eating plant roots. They need what I don't, MEAT.

The walk-in clinic in my city has a betta in a vase. When I was there months ago I was so angry and wanted to say something, but I didn't. Well, I was back for an ultrasound the other week and the betta in a vase was still there - I was amazed. The people were taking the plant out and feeding the betta like usual. They must have been cleaning the water well too for the betta to be so healthy. He looked great and I am sure it was the same bright blue betta I saw before.

What I am saying is, I don't really like them, but if you change the water often as not to raise the parameters and feed actual betta food the fish will be OK. I don't like the fact that they sell them in pet stores where people are practically clueless and the store just wants to make money and so they do not educate the buyers, but still... If the betta is being looked after right and the water changed regularly, then it is a beautiful thing to have in your home or office.

It is all about education and research!

Around here you see it all the time. They don't use 2 or 3 gallon vases either, they are usually very small. That's the first thing people will tell you, that they eat the plant. If you try and explain to them otherwise they don't want to believe you.

Unfortunately the majority of Betta's in vases don't make it.The two people who mentioned that it worked for them,or people they knew,are exceptions to the rule.....Most vases are too small-most are not cleaned often enough,most plants are not trimmed,and most Bettas don't get to eat real food.

I totally agree with you, Devs. It all happens because the people do not know any better. When they see something like that advertised in the pet shop, they think it is alright and it will work. It is extremely unfortunate.

Yeah,it's a shame......You walk into a pet store,and you assume the people that are going to talk to you at least know what theyre talking about. Crazy,huh???? I had this guy in Pets Supplies that use to work there. At first,I thought he was great.People would come in,want fish,etc. and he'd go through the whole 50 questions...size of tank/water params/stocking amounts/how big fish get..etc. It was almost annoying for me,because he grilled me on every thing I tried to purchase,but I held my tongue because I figured that in the long run,he would help the newbies with all his questioning... Last August,a new Pet store opened-"A Mom & Pop type store",and we went to check it out.I'll never forget it.It was August,temps were in the 90's.....hotter & sunnier than heck..We go into this place,& the first person I see,is this guy! He opened his own place! I thought that it was going to be a great-well cared for Pet Shop because he was running it. I was NEVER so WRONG in my life! Where do I begin????? Filthy tanks.....alligator's,turtles,including a huge Snapper that couldn't even turn around in his tank-he was stuck in one position!!!! Filthy bird cages.Huge amount of hermit crabs with no food water,etc. I could go on & on. I won't. I'll just say that the very worse part of that visit was two instances,the first,seeing that there was a concrete pond out back that had very high walls,and seeing hundreds of frogs trying to climb out of the water & only having 2 plants for all them to crawl on.The temps were horrible-no shade for those poor souls,and there was trash in the pond! Heather and I started throwing any thing we could find in there to help them. Water lettuce plants /Lily plants,that were for sale,etc. These poor souls were going crazy trying to get shade & also get out of the water a little bit.We then saw how many there really were,and there weren't enough of plants, so I threw in the top of the styrofoam cooler for them to crawl onto. If that wasn't bad enough, we were so disgusted that we decided to get the hell out of there,& that's when I saw the Betta's in the Vases......... Lined the length of the full sun window on a window sill stretching the length of the store....The Betta vases water was half gone-I never saw such green water in my life! Some you couldn't even see the fish in there, & the ones that you could see--you were now wishing you couldn't. Most were dead....They were literally being boiled to death from the temps/being in full sun,etc....I felt the water in one vase,and it was hot.....You could tell by the looks & the dust on the window sill,that they had not been looked at in a long time.....The worse thing I have ever seen in my life. Sorry,the post got so long---I will never use a Betta Vase......ever....

That is so sad. Is there someone to call and report conditions like that?