This is part of Old Man Metal's (daumco's) One Star's Too High Write-Off, which "showcases" the worst products you can find, whether it's a movie, book, CD, blow-up sex doll, G.W. Bush, or whatever..... anything that you don't think rates even one lousy star. You can find OMM's review and W/O description here.


My entry: Lee's Deadly... umm I mean Lee's Dual Betta Hex. This sprang to mind because I just recently read another review on this very same item, which reminded me of just how dumb it is, so here I am.

First, a short background lesson for those reading this who may not be familiar with bettas or with the hobby of fishkeeping in general. Betta splendens is a small colorful fish from southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, and that whole area) which is very popular in the pet world due to the male's bright colors and long flowing fins. An Anabantoid, or Labyrinth fish, it has a specialized organ similar to a lung, allowing it to go to the surface and breath the air. This gives it an advantage in living in non-aerated tanks or bowls. Another important fact to know is that bettas, especially the males, are very intolerant of each other. Two males, if kept together, will usually fight until one is dead. When they see each other they "flare"; that is, they puff out an area around their gills to make themselves look bigger.

OK, here's where the Dual Betta Hex comes in. It is a very small plastic container, perhaps 8 inches long and 4 inches wide, with a divider in the middle. The idea is that you can keep two male bettas right next to each other and watch them flare all the time. Cool huh?

No, not quite. Let me count the ways in which it is very uncool:

(1) You know what stress is? It's the body's way of dealing with harmful or dangerous situations. In moments of acute danger it is often called the "fight-or-flight" response. You know, that heart-pounding adrenaline-induced hyper-alert awareness you feel when your life is really in danger? Stress is a survival instrument; it's the body's way of telling you something is wrong and needs corrected. But over long time frames it's maladaptive and unhealthy. You may think it's fun to watch your two bettas try to get at each other's throats all the time while you relax on the couch, but for them it's no fun at all. All they know is that an enemy is nearby, and if it won't go away, then it must want to fight. After some time they may become accustomed to each other's presence, but they will always live with an added level of stress that they otherwise wouldn't have and don't need.

(2) Although bettas do better than other fish in dealing with small spaces, still this "tank" is ridiculously small. There is almost no room to even turn around, much less actually swim. Part of the joy of keeping a betta is watching it's beautiful fins flow while it swims around. Why would you keep it in a space where it has no choice but to just hang there in one spot?

(3) A small space means not much water, and it will become polluted very quickly. Nitrogenous waste will fast become very concentrated in this tiny volume. Ammonia, even low levels, damages fish even when it doesn't kill them.

(4) Even if you change the water very frequently, that brings its own problems. Too frequent water changes are stressful, unless you are matching the new water to the old carefully regarding temperature, pH, etc. Fluctuating water chemistry is dangerous for fish, and the smaller the tank, the harder it is to keep things stable.

(5) Your betta may get too cold in the Hex, since it is too small for any heater you can buy. Bettas should be kept in heated tanks in the mid-to-high 70's. They will survive down into the high 60's, but will be much less active. Mid and low 60's means death.

Add to this the pathetic plastic plants which won't stay "rooted", and the vision-warping angles of the Dual Hex, and you have a product not deserving of even one measly star.

But wait: someone protests! (Yes, they always do.)

I kept my two bettas in there and they lived just fine for almost a year!

Well that's not very impressive, considering their lifespan is more like 3 years. Anyone else?

I think you're overreacting. They're just fish.

Then why buy them as a pet? Buying a pet entails a certain level of responsibility for the animal's welfare, if not legally then certainly morally. If it's "just" a fish, why did you buy one?

I don't see how this would "stress" them out, I think that's just silly.

Imagine yourself living in a room with a thin plastic, transparent wall in the middle, and on the other side lives a bear. You don't know for sure if the bear could break the plastic wall or not. You don't know what it might do to you if it did. You just know you're scared to death of it and you want it to go away, but it won't. You can't sleep knowing it's there, and you cringe every time it moves. That's stress, and even simpler creatures feel it. In fact, prolonged stress is even more dangerous for simple creatures; at least humans have some ability to deal with it and alleviate it in various ways.

To close, no I'm not a PETA member, just an animal lover who believes that if you get a pet, you are responsible for learning its natural needs and providing for them as best you can. Lee's apparently has decided to cater to that portion of the public that doesn't feel any such responsibility, or doesn't know any better.

By the way, no I don't own a Dual Betta Hex. My own betta lives comfortably in 2 gallons of 77-degree water (thinking of upgrading to a 5-gallon tank).

Recommended: No