Post by Carl on May 5, 2023 17:04:15 GMT -5
Here is a new article from our friend at "Aquarium Opinions"
aquariumopinions.com/stress-induced-betta-fish-tail-biting-myth-or-fact/
Here is a large snip of the article:
"In this article I will address the unfortunately very common myth of stress induced Betta Fish Tail biting.
I should noted that for decades this was considered a myth and proven to be just this, as all the scientific evidence showed that the causes of fin/tail damage in Bettas was due to:
Injury from objects in the aquarium or tank mates
Fin/tail infections, usually from Aeromonas
Or the closest to being correct would be Bettas that are very aggressive, usually seeing their reflection in the glass of the aquarium or bowl. This however is NOT stress induced tail biting
Further References as per fin rot and Aeromonas:
*Fin & Tail Rot in Bettas & other Fish; Treatment and Prevention
*Fish Aeromonas & Vibrio Disease | Septicemia | Pop Eye | Treatment
Where did this myth get started?
Social Media influencers on YouTube and Facebook are the main source for this mis-information.
Unfortunately everyone who kept a few Betta fish suddenly became experts. Then search engines, especially Bings terrible AI project picked up these people stating this myth as it was repeated over and over and suddenly false information that is provably wrong has become the truth.
What is worthy of note is that while many now believe this myth/falsehood, it is on the side of those who are claiming it is true to prove a long established scientific fact that Bettas do not bite their tails out of stress, NOT the other way around [that is not how science works]
To be clear, it is stress induced tail biting we are talking about, NOT a Betta fish [usually male], seeing its reflection and thinking this is another betta fish and then attacking itself.
What is worthy of note is that cold blooded animals do NOT bite or chew themselves out of stress or boredom like warm blooded pets such as your pet bird, dog, or cat.
One point I will make that is an opinion as to how a lot of this got started, is that many Betta fish keepers try and attach human emotions, or at least emotions that their other warm blooded pets have, such as their cat or dog, to their finned cold blooded pet.
I understand the attachment many have to their Bettas and other fish, and most certainly individual fish have personalities, but that does not change the science that fish do not get bored or stressed to the point that they bite themselves.
Do fish get stressed? Of course, but this is more a programmed response such as hiding from aggressive tank mates or even lowered immune response. But this is not an emotional response in the same way we humans respond.
What is also worthy of note is that I and many other long time professionals in my field such as aquarium keeping guru Carl Strohmeyer, have yet to be provided clear evidence of Betta stress induced tail/fin biting. ALL VIDEOS PROVIDED TO DATE SHOW BETTA AGGRESSION as pointed out earlier."
aquariumopinions.com/stress-induced-betta-fish-tail-biting-myth-or-fact/
Here is a large snip of the article:
"In this article I will address the unfortunately very common myth of stress induced Betta Fish Tail biting.
I should noted that for decades this was considered a myth and proven to be just this, as all the scientific evidence showed that the causes of fin/tail damage in Bettas was due to:
Injury from objects in the aquarium or tank mates
Fin/tail infections, usually from Aeromonas
Or the closest to being correct would be Bettas that are very aggressive, usually seeing their reflection in the glass of the aquarium or bowl. This however is NOT stress induced tail biting
Further References as per fin rot and Aeromonas:
*Fin & Tail Rot in Bettas & other Fish; Treatment and Prevention
*Fish Aeromonas & Vibrio Disease | Septicemia | Pop Eye | Treatment
Where did this myth get started?
Social Media influencers on YouTube and Facebook are the main source for this mis-information.
Unfortunately everyone who kept a few Betta fish suddenly became experts. Then search engines, especially Bings terrible AI project picked up these people stating this myth as it was repeated over and over and suddenly false information that is provably wrong has become the truth.
What is worthy of note is that while many now believe this myth/falsehood, it is on the side of those who are claiming it is true to prove a long established scientific fact that Bettas do not bite their tails out of stress, NOT the other way around [that is not how science works]
To be clear, it is stress induced tail biting we are talking about, NOT a Betta fish [usually male], seeing its reflection and thinking this is another betta fish and then attacking itself.
What is worthy of note is that cold blooded animals do NOT bite or chew themselves out of stress or boredom like warm blooded pets such as your pet bird, dog, or cat.
One point I will make that is an opinion as to how a lot of this got started, is that many Betta fish keepers try and attach human emotions, or at least emotions that their other warm blooded pets have, such as their cat or dog, to their finned cold blooded pet.
I understand the attachment many have to their Bettas and other fish, and most certainly individual fish have personalities, but that does not change the science that fish do not get bored or stressed to the point that they bite themselves.
Do fish get stressed? Of course, but this is more a programmed response such as hiding from aggressive tank mates or even lowered immune response. But this is not an emotional response in the same way we humans respond.
What is also worthy of note is that I and many other long time professionals in my field such as aquarium keeping guru Carl Strohmeyer, have yet to be provided clear evidence of Betta stress induced tail/fin biting. ALL VIDEOS PROVIDED TO DATE SHOW BETTA AGGRESSION as pointed out earlier."
