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Bettas are exceptionally hardy, but no fish can take that treatment for long. Cups like that are susceptible to bigger and faster temperature changes than tanks are. Even if the cup was kept somewhere that excess light wouldn't stress the betta, and ammonia wouldn't build up (it never is), the changes in the temperature and the water chemistry are enough to shock a betta to death. It won't always be immediate, but any time a fish is in a cup or specimens container they are stressed. Stress lowers their immune responses and makes them less and less hardy. No fish should be put into a cup like this unless they are being moved from tank to tank, or they are being checked on/treated for an injury/disease. Stress in my experience is the #1 killer of aquatics, and keeping bettas like this gives them some of the worst possible chances of survival. If these fish were cared for, they would have filters, heaters, and at least 5 gallons to themselves. They would look and act healthier, and people would be more willing to buy them. Keeping them in cups ensures repeat customers when people who don't know any better buy them, have them pass away from a lack of proper care, and then go on to buy more and more bettas because theirs keep dying, and they haven't educated themselves on ethical care in betta breeding facilities and in pet stores.

@@The_hobbling_goblin im not even reading this your reacting like the woke mob

@@ohandanotheronebitesthedus6247 lol sure budy

@ohandanotheronebitesthedus6247 what's so woke about wanting peoples pets to survive for long enough to be enjoyable? I'm just trying to educate people so that they don't make a stupid mistake that gets their fish killed like I have done.

💀

Yeah but there are some fucking idiots who would release a salt water fish into fresh water and vice versa

These "puddles" are usually miles and miles long (so HUNDREDS of gallons). They don't require a bubbler, but they do need a tank with established biomedia as ammonia and excessive amounts of nitrites or nitrates can kill them. They also need heaters in most climates due to their temperature requirements. You cannot properly establish a cup or fit a heater in a cup and it cannot provide enough exercise and enrichment for a betta. I understand that this is a learning issue. Please use RELIABLE resources for information. You can find lots of PhD backed research on this with a quick search on Google scholar.

This is what alot of people get wrong they do not live in little puddles. They live in rice paddies and ponds which are much bigger than a cup of water.

I saw a YT where this betta collector found a betta taking care of his fry in an elephant's footprint! ​@@pablouchiha2473

Bettas jump through puddles to get into different rice paddies, or they try to swim between them but the water evaporates, cutting them off and leaving them to die in drying up puddles. These fish do not live in puddles, and will not survive or thrive long term in bowls, cups, or tanks smaller 5 gallons. They need tanks with filters, heaters, and decorations (live or silk plants) to hide in and explore. Bettas are very active when they are cared for properly, but they become lethargic when sick or improperly cared for. Unfortunately due to a lack of education, unhappy, lethargic bettas are often seen as normal.

Also, bettas do still need to use their gills. The labarynth organ allows them to breathe more easily in slow moving water, but it gets damaged when the air isn't humid enough. Bettas need tanks with lids to prevent jumping, and to keep the humidity high enough that they can use their labarynth organs safely. They need filters because of the nitrogen cycle. The fish produces waste through the digestive and respiratory systems, this waste releases ammonia. Bacteria in the filter eat this ammonia and produce nitrite as a byproduct. Both ammonia and nitrite are deadly to fish, luckily, there is a second type if bacteria involved. This one turned nitrite into Nitrate, which, at low levels, is safe for fish. More than 20ppm of Nitrate is also deadly for fish. As for heaters, bettas in their natural habitat rarely experience temperatures below 70f, ideally they should be kept in the high 70s or low 80s to keep them healthy. If this isn't possible without a heater, then you do in fact need one, unless you intend on freezing your fish to death.

“Save?” You mean take saltwater fish and release them into freshwater. Or add a new invasive species?

@@GunslingingGopher LOL 1) those are not "saltwater" fish. 2) nowhere in my comment did I suggest to "release a new invasive species... 3) there's this thing.... it's called a "joke".... Some people laugh, others get really serious and say silly things.... 4) There are other comments in this section that are far more suited to your frame of mind...

For real!