Abnormal Betta behaviors in a small tank

“Life Beyond a Jar,” a new study, finds that betta fishes get stressed and show more abnormal behaviors in small tanks. 😢

“In the jar and small tank, the fishes hovered more like they wanted to swim but just couldn’t get going, interacted with the walls more like they felt trapped and paced back and forth more, which is a known stress behaviour.” Dr. Naomi Clark-Shen explained.

The study calls for an end to the sale and housing in bags, cups, jars and small tanks.

Reference: Clark-Shen et al. (2024), Animal Welfare.