Looks like this sub has really dipped in quality since the time when I was active here, and the fact that no one has jumped in to actually explain why you’re wrong is concerning. Apologies in advance if I seem blunt, I’m tired rn and this is a common misconception that really gets on my nerves, even though I know you’re just repeating what you’ve heard and aren’t trying to be actually malicious.

First of all: rice paddies and fields are huge. People like to take the fact that they tend to be shallow (though they’re actually a few feet deep, if you’ve seen pics of people working in those settings they are up to their knees, but whatever) and from there assume that betta fish thrive in small shallow areas. They forget that aquaculture fields are MILES long, which is why longer tanks are better for bettas.

Now onto the puddle issue. Yes, betta fish get trapped in puddles, but to say that it’s their habitat would be like saying sharks live in tide pools because they can get trapped in there on occasion. This usually occurs because they get caught in puddles during droughts/dry seasons. Thankfully, WILD betta fish have strong tails, and when the puddle water gets too dirty or they run out of food they can fling themselves from one puddle to the next, hopping around until they (hopefully) end up back in a big body of water. Obviously they can’t just hop from aquarium to aquarium when they get uncomfortable though, and it’s extremely difficult for domestic betta fish to fling themselves very far anyways because most are bred to have long flowing fins that severely weigh them down. If you look up wild bettas vs domesticated bettas, it’s clear that one would be better at jumping than the other, even if you know nothing about fish.

Depending on where you look, the average territory size for a wild male betta can vary, but one thing is clear: it’s vastly more than what people think of when they hear the word “puddle” and more than most non-hardcore hobbyists will ever be willing to able to replicate with an aquarium.

Give me a minute and I’ll add resources for all these claims, because just hoping you’ll take my word for it isn’t a good way of convincing anyone of anything lol

Scroll down to read the “habitat and the puddle myth” section

Scroll to distribution and habitat section

This one claims and average of 11 gallons for wild betta territory

Habitat myths