Each month we’ll share what we’re working on to improve betta fish welfare, from public education to pushing for better retail care standards. Betta Advocate Community We’re creating a more collaborative advocacy space – a way for people to feel more involved while expanding our educational content on betta fish care and welfare. This will include guest speakers, interviews, panels, and live Q&As. If you have relevant experience, a topic you’d like to speak on, or are intere

by Conner Tighe For a species like Betta splendens — a territorial fish wired to respond to environmental cues — glass surfing is often a reaction to something in the tank or the surrounding environment. Sometimes it’s a reflection that looks like a rival. Sometimes it’s unstable water conditions. Sometimes it’s a lack of cover or environmental security. And sometimes it’s chronic stress manifesting as restless movement. The key point is this: glass surfing is communication.

By Conner Tighe Why do we instinctively feel for a dog left in a hot car, but walk past a fish in a tiny container without a second thought? It’s not because fish don’t suffer. It’s because we don’t recognize their suffering. The animals we empathize with most tend to look, sound, and act in ways we understand — and fish live in a world that feels distant from our own. The “Empathy Gap” — A Real Psychological Phenomenon There’s a psychological reason fish often don’t stir the