Have you ever heard of.....?????

I don't know what to think about this, about how people feel that it's okay to put betta fishes into small little vases and say that they like it. Is that really true? In the pet stores they have little squares to put them in so that it's decorative. Why if people say that they should be in gallon aquariums, stores sell those little squares to put them in?
I'm so confused.

It must be easier to display lots of male Bettas in those glorified shot glasses. Bettas can breath air, but they also need to absorb oxygen through their gills. Those little shot glasses get pretty nasty and almost guarantee that you're buying a sick fish. Aquarium fish don't have large brains, but they do have sensory equipment, and being confined to one of those dirty little cups has to be torture.

A well maintained 2.5 gallon aquarium can keep a Betta healthy, and plants and decorations will provide enough hiding places to make him happy. Larger aquariums up to ten gallons are better and easier to maintain. Aquarium keeping, in my opinion, is all about providing a near ideal environment for the fish. Even if you want to make money from the hobby, an aquarist is obligated to take good care of the fish.

yes,rightly you said..

betta fish natural habitat is paddy fields of vietnam and related area. so they actually grow in the little puddles of water stagnant in these fields. and since they area very territorial there is one fish per puddle/pothole. therefore what u see in stores is not totally out of whack --what i wonder is how often is the water changed. in nature the water is stagnant but a little ecosystem in itself so is always good for the fish. so size may not be so important but the quality of water is. of course in aquariums and at home a slightly bigger tank wont hurt the beta!!

Bettas are native to rice paddies. It seems that they would have some inflow and outflow of water, but I'm not sure how often or how much. Wild male Bettas do not have the elaborate fins of the males developed for aquariums, and of course they're more adapted to their wild environment.