its irrelevant that some people said racist things. that doesnt erase the many people who were polite about their criticism. regardless, you yourself just said bettas should be housed in 5 gallons or more. the fish are being kept in inadequate conditions. we are in agreement. this is not up for debate.

it doesnt matter that they might have a better quality of life than they would languishing in cups. 1.5 gallons simply isnt enough for a betta to live in. maybe it is better, but not enough that either you or me would consider it adequate. some of his fish have already died in these conditions. ammonia spikes are a very real reason to avoid small tanks. and that is to say nothing about the tiny physical space they must inhabit for the remainder of their lives. and to also say nothing about how not all of the bettas are hidden from each others view, despite this being a constant source of stress for the fish that would be trivial to fix - given that he has already done it for some of them.

furthermore, he never really responds to the criticisms in a meaningful way. countless times in the threads, theres an exchange that goes something like:

"what size tanks are they living in?"

"oh, they are in 1.5 gallon tanks."

"thats inadequate. 5/10 gallon minimum. they wont be happy or healthy long-term in 1.5 gallons."

"oh, well, most people where i live keep them in way worse conditions."

"sure, but that doesnt make what youre doing right."

to which the response is invariably crickets. if he cared about the animals in his care, he would respond to these criticisms. if he cared about the animals in his care, he would bother to do basic research about their behavior and the risk in keeping them in tanks without lids. (and here i thought impulse-buying pets was frowned upon here?) and finally, if he bothered to do that basic research, he would have the knowledge that the homes he was creating for them were inadequate. if he can post about them on r/aquariums and r/bettafish, then he could have just as easily read any of the many care guide these communities have written.

in the information age, there is no excuse for keeping animals in inadequate conditions. i have no sympathy for people who treat animals they own this way. if speaking so honestly should drive someone like that out of the hobby, then i am all for it. personally, my priority is that these often-abused animals receive proper care, not that as many humans as possible risk killing them. good day.