# Really? Really??



## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

http://www.amazon.com/Aqua-Cube-Betta-Aquarium-Gallon/dp/B002TRCVZO/ref=sr_1_84?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1312679467&sr=1-84

0.3 gallons for a betta? 

This is also only .3 gallons

http://www.amazon.com/USB-Desktop-Aquarium-Running-Water/dp/B004YD8Z6A/ref=sr_1_105?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1312679654&sr=1-105

I just don't get it..


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## Sarahlydear (Feb 21, 2011)

I was in WalMart yesterday and a lady tried to make a joke about not knowing which bettas were alive and I merely said yeah it's horrid and picked up a sick one, she quickly ducked her head and walked away with a "Why do you care, weirdo..." look. Some people are just insensitive and unaware and shouldn't be allowed to buy or make things or give advice about ANYTHING living.


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## hmckin20 (Jul 30, 2011)

i hate seeing these things... they sell in our local petstore and it's terrible. 

that second one.. omg. like the betta were a decoration or something.


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## crezelda (Dec 17, 2010)

i just went to a nerd gadget store,.... they were selling those with 2 dwarf frogs in them, and a teeny stick of bamboo....


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## Gizmothefreaky (Apr 10, 2011)

That usb tank is awesome! XD i would only put a Marimo ball in it though.  Yay for good luck while being a complete nerd. 

@Crezelda: WTH!? Those poor frogs!! I just lost my frogs due to illness and that makes my heart hurt to read that...  I almost want to ask where this store is, but i doubt it is anywhere near me... >.>


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## crezelda (Dec 17, 2010)

its a store in metrotown, in a city next to vancouver canada, so a coupple hours from you

they were like advertised as biocubes or something


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## Gizmothefreaky (Apr 10, 2011)

Only a couple hours you say...? >.>;; Nah.. I dont think i could pull that off... XD 

But that is so sad, those poor frogs...


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## crezelda (Dec 17, 2010)

not sure exactly the name...but pretty close to the one pictured here for 30-something dollars

edit oops: http://treeandtwigheirlooms.blogspot.com/2011/07/cruelty-in-cube.html


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## Gizmothefreaky (Apr 10, 2011)

Awwww.... So sad... I cant believe all of that stuff... ;^; poor things...


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

My boyfriend who loves fish and takes great care with tanks... doesn't view bettas "as real fish" he puts it, sadly. He tells me they can't die and can live anywhere, in anything. This coming from a man who went to Yale medical while still in his teens. It's a reputation they've had for years and one that isn't easy to escape from. 
I'm trying my best to work him out of that mindset though, I promise!


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

The store with the frogs, is it by any chance called Brookstone?


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## crezelda (Dec 17, 2010)

um i dont know... i'd have to go again..maybe mind games? i shoulda written it down >.<


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## NCBettaMom (Jul 24, 2011)

People are so not in the know about Bettas. I went to my sons grandmas house who had a Betta in a small vase with a bamboo plant. It was a gift at a wedding because it was a centerpiece on the tables(every table had one). The lady getting married told her not to feed the Betta that they eat the roots. I was appalled! They never fed it or took it out of vase to clean. She said it lived a couple of years. I was so sad over this. It's amazing how many people have no clue what to do or won't even bother to research it. I researched having a dog before I bought one! UH!


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## Sarahlydear (Feb 21, 2011)

I'm sad to say that when I was little we had a betta in a vase BUT we at least still fed it (one or two pellets a day) and did water changes! Now I over compensate with my new babies.  People need to have to sign a contract that says they are liable for jail time if they don't take care of ANY living thing they buy. Bet a lot of animals would be saved a lot of pain...


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## CrowntailTwitchy57 (Jun 25, 2011)

in the store Green Earth, the first link is called a BioCube and houses 2 African Dwarf frogs. They contain a rock and 1 stick of bamboo and sell for $30.

Pathetic.


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## EverythingNice55 (Jul 26, 2011)

WOAHHHHHH! Those are really small!!


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## Loralyn94 (Jul 22, 2011)

diablo13 said:


> The store with the frogs, is it by any chance called Brookstone?


Not sure if they are the only one, but Brookstone sold them for a while. Thankfully they are no longer able to do so.


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## crezelda (Dec 17, 2010)

i too admit i used to keep my betta in a small container, but i fed him, kept an eye on temperatures, and did water changes

i read on those frogs...apperantly HALLMARK was selling those cubes for awhile o.o


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Those poor little frogs! I nearly cried while reading it. =[ Nothing deserves to be treated so terribly. They are _living_ beings! The conditions that some creatures are kept in just breaks my heart.


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## Amphibianite (Aug 6, 2011)

SO I was at Walmart today and I saw those treadful .3 gal cubes, .5 gal cubs, a .5-1 gale tube, and other assorted small and inhumane "tank" Oh and their betas were in about an inch of water in their little cups....


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## NCBettaMom (Jul 24, 2011)

Why aren't they filling those cups up any farther. It's awful the small amount they put in there!


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## Amphibianite (Aug 6, 2011)

I know its horrible... Some of the cups were half full, so I am thinking the ones with less had been been evaporated which means they had not changed the water and had not added more for days.... Of course the newer and "nicer" bettas had "enough" water, like the three lovely crown boys... I was cursing my unemployment so I could buy at least 1gals just to get them out of there


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## Loralyn94 (Jul 22, 2011)

NCBettaMom said:


> Why aren't they filling those cups up any farther. It's awful the small amount they put in there!


Its horrible, i hate having to see them like that. They always look so depressed and sad. And when the cups are only half full or less the bettas have to flatten themselves out and almost lay on there side just to be fully covered by water! Bettas in pet stores anger me :evil:


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## Amphibianite (Aug 6, 2011)

I know I was standing there for five minutes contemplating if I should just fill the cups myself or find someone and demand they do it... in the end the time restriction I had forced me to go... I was feeling so sad for them, and I was loving looking at the three crown boys who where there.


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## NCPanthersgurl (Jul 13, 2011)

See what I don't get is why they'd spend all that when you can get an adequately sized Kritter Keeper for much less; a 2 gallon is like $10 and a 3 gallon is like $12. Ugh.


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## Amphibianite (Aug 6, 2011)

I don't even have the money to get those extra kritter keepers to buy those little guys. Once I get a job -_- I will be indulging the addiction and buying more.


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## Litlover11 (Aug 1, 2011)

Walmart is incredibly horrible when it comes to fish, they really shouldn't be allowed to sell them. I once talked to the manager at my walmart about the horrible conditions and their promotion of dyed fish (they sell fruit tetras). Her response? "I didn't know we sold fish". I even had to point out where the pet section was, and even then it was clear that she didn't care. I went there yesterday and I could count at least 10 dead fish and a tank full of fruit tetras. It is sickening what people can get away with when it comes to any animal with scales


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## NCBettaMom (Jul 24, 2011)

I went to PetSmart yesterday and saw female Betta in a tank! Together! that was the first I've seen that! They were sooo cute and a pretty yellow! It was the kind that looked like guppies. And the ones in cups had water filled all the way up!


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## ohhrats (Jul 30, 2011)

i saw females together yesterday in a LPS, sadly most of them were chewed up/dead.  but i've also seen them put together at petland discounts in the area. not sure if anyone else here is around a petland discount nearby, but their fish keepings make me nauseous as well. :/


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## ohhrats (Jul 30, 2011)

also stopped into a fish and reef store we have nearby yesterday. some of their bettas were in containers even smaller than the little bowls you see sold for them. i wanted to cry/buy them all. i ended up just walking out because i hate confrontation too much.


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## ForbiddenSecrets (Aug 15, 2010)

Oh I hate those things :/ I see them at wallmart all the time and sometimes petco. My desire to steal them almost outweighs my common sense in the matter actually. Kill their profit margin for those horrible things. However I'm not a thief so I've yet to do it. ^^;;


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## Amphibianite (Aug 6, 2011)

I say we create a huge fuss everyone send in letter after letter to the corps, just to see what happens...it cant hurt lol. Betta defenders unite


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## ForbiddenSecrets (Aug 15, 2010)

I really wish there was a way to ban anything under 1 gallon as inhumane. Even 1 gallon to me is small for a betta but at least its livable with proper care. 

Also passing that all fish must be labeled with the -proper- gallon requirement. Even if it's the minimum. Like goldfish really need to be relabeled and sold properly.


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## NCPanthersgurl (Jul 13, 2011)

Females can live together as long as there's plenty of hiding spaces and they're introduced properly.

That being said, proper acclimation is unlikely in a pet store. :/


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## mjoy79 (Jul 13, 2011)

Dang I could have 100 bettas in those .3 gallon tanks (if I didn't care about their wellbeing)!
I honestly used to keep my betta in small containers. At one point I had the 1 gallon with the clear divider and put 2 bettas in there. They were both dead within a couple weeks. At that point I realized they probably stressed themselves out too much and couldn't take it anymore. Then I learned about heating needs and space needs. I went from a 1 gallon for my red VT Chandler to now having him and 3 other males in seperate 2.5-3 gallon tanks plus a sorority in a 10 gallon. I have a 6.6 gal that I plan on putting in a giant PK in when I can find the purple salamander one that i want


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## HatsuneMiku (Jul 29, 2011)

last time i went to walmart i saw this

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Aqua-Culture-Betta-Cube-Aquarium-Kit-.3-gal/17177236

what's worse was .. there was this family there with one of them in their carts .. and the little tween that was with them was saying "oh i'll just put our betta in there" .. while she was picking 3 pearlscale goldfish .. and then said "and i'll put these in the bowl he's in now" ...


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## Vaughan06 (Aug 9, 2011)

:-(
So I went to Petco in search of a green Betta, and it was by far the saddest Betta experience for me yet. I looked at the Bettas first thing, and one was dead. I spent about 20 minutes roaming the Aquarium items, and then I came back, and 3 more had died. Beautiful Halfmoons, females... I noticed one bowl had so much water the air hole was blocked... it was terrible. I was going to rescue a white crowntail with blue edges, but I just don't have the means until my next paycheck. I hate to think that it won't last that long. When I left there were still some Bettas floating on their sides, barely swimming. I think I should investigate as to what they are being fed, or something to help them.

I work at Walmart with pets (how I got turned on to Bettas), and I treat the fish like gold. It is a shame.


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## Vaughan06 (Aug 9, 2011)

Mistress said:


> last time i went to walmart i saw this
> 
> http://www.walmart.com/ip/Aqua-Culture-Betta-Cube-Aquarium-Kit-.3-gal/17177236
> 
> what's worse was .. there was this family there with one of them in their carts .. and the little tween that was with them was saying "oh i'll just put our betta in there" .. while she was picking 3 pearlscale goldfish .. and then said "and i'll put these in the bowl he's in now" ...


WOW. I have honestly talked some sense into customers at Walmart when buying Bettas. One little girl had picked up 5 Bettas and stacked them while her parents were getting a tank. I asked her, "You do know they can't live together, right?". When she said no, I had to talk to her parents...


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## mjoy79 (Jul 13, 2011)

I was impressed with Petco the first time I went in there awhile back. But since then I've been disappointed. When I was checking out with a girl and a tank yesterday, the lady actually told me that I didn't need a heater. She said "bettas dont need heaters. Its in our betta care form". I said "yes they do, they're tropical fish". I said "they dont really need one right now, since its 100 degrees outside, but once it gets cooler a heater will be needed". I know from experience. I almost lost my oldest, Chandler, when it got to freezing cold temps in January. Petco hadn't been keeping up with water changes as much and I did see a dead one. This was at another location and they said they'd take care of it. I have a feeling the dead one was in the batch that my 2 girls that died last night came from too.


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

Our walmart here had a few dead fish in them... some of the other fish were chewing at some of the corpses. It seems like anytime I pass by the pet ile to look at the fish and the fish products, no one is attending to them! All the fish are so sad and depressed looking it makes me sad and depressed ;__;

The petsmart here seems okay, but they do have a problem with overcrowding their fish.. Especially the goldfish.. There were over a dozen goldfish in the same tank laying at the bottom either on the verge of dying, or already dead... I agree with Forbidden Secrets, it would be a fantastic idea for pet stores to label the minimum requirement for each fish! ^.^ But I'm assuming the main reason why any company avoids doing this is because it'll show how inadaquete the stores conditions really are. Not to mention it gets them out of being able to make a few quick bucks for people who want the fish because they like the way it looks, and not care about its well being so they go the cheap route and buy things like .5g tanks.. After all, "It looks cute!" -.-..... And of course, you have to worry about children that want fish because they look cool, and their parents want to please them and get the fish/tiny tanks to make them happy but not know or care enough about the fish that they're getting (ultimately just wasting money and a life or more)... but hey, apparently you can go to the pet store and by more, so it's okay! *cough* *choke *cough*

Also, I thought this was pretty depressing. While looking at the Petco site, while looking at tanks, they actually have a tab for bettas! Oh, it gets better! While they do have a few that are actually pretty good, about 25 out of 35 of them are 2gs or smaller.. Thirteen of those aquariums being .5g! Oh, and did I say the .5g are expensive as f***?

http://www.petco.com/product/103702/Betta-Treasures-Collection-Blue-Lagoon-Betta-Bowl-in-Black.aspx


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

Vaughan06 said:


> WOW. I have honestly talked some sense into customers at Walmart when buying Bettas. One little girl had picked up 5 Bettas and stacked them while her parents were getting a tank. I asked her, "You do know they can't live together, right?". When she said no, I had to talk to her parents...


It's people like you who need to work in the pet isle at walmart ^.^


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

mjoy79 said:


> I was impressed with Petco the first time I went in there awhile back. But since then I've been disappointed. When I was checking out with a girl and a tank yesterday, the lady actually told me that I didn't need a heater. She said "bettas dont need heaters. Its in our betta care form". I said "yes they do, they're tropical fish". I said "they dont really need one right now, since its 100 degrees outside, but once it gets cooler a heater will be needed". I know from experience. I almost lost my oldest, Chandler, when it got to freezing cold temps in January. Petco hadn't been keeping up with water changes as much and I did see a dead one. This was at another location and they said they'd take care of it. I have a feeling the dead one was in the batch that my 2 girls that died last night came from too.


Sometimes I get mad at people who work in pet stores and don't seem to know anything about what they should know.. but I also figured it's better to blame the company that they work for because they give bad information like that IN a PAMPHLET! Although, not really the full blame because its up to the worker to stay ignorant in that aspect or not, but the ignorance is understandable when it's expected the company would keep their employers well informed in order to do a great job.. At least she took the time to read the pamphlet so as to try to avoid bad advice.. but that obviously backfired xD


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## Amphibianite (Aug 6, 2011)

I have to tank today rather than rave.... Yesterday I was window shopping to find which story had what for what prices. So I knew where to go to get the items I need to finish my tank. I stopping into my only tropical LFS and of course the beta males where in the plastic cups. BUT it was true clear water very full, and they seems very happy. They were all brilliant bright colors and actually not dull, and dying. They all seemed super healthy and happy. This is a first for me to see bettas in cups and actually healthy and happy.
What is more I was taking to the lady there and she showed me the females who were in a 2-3 gal tank together with the African frogs. She told me she put them in there because one of her customers let her know she could put the females together. I explained to her about a sorority and how they need a bigger tanks and the rule of five or more and hiding spots and such. She really got it. I told her about this site and she is checking it out. Finally a store owner willing to educate themselves to take better care of their bettas... Will miracles never end?


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## mjoy79 (Jul 13, 2011)

Amphibianite said:


> I have to tank today rather than rave.... Yesterday I was window shopping to find which story had what for what prices. So I knew where to go to get the items I need to finish my tank. I stopping into my only tropical LFS and of course the beta males where in the plastic cups. BUT it was true clear water very full, and they seems very happy. They were all brilliant bright colors and actually not dull, and dying. They all seemed super healthy and happy. This is a first for me to see bettas in cups and actually healthy and happy.
> What is more I was taking to the lady there and she showed me the females who were in a 2-3 gal tank together with the African frogs. She told me she put them in there because one of her customers let her know she could put the females together. I explained to her about a sorority and how they need a bigger tanks and the rule of five or more and hiding spots and such. She really got it. I told her about this site and she is checking it out. Finally a store owner willing to educate themselves to take better care of their bettas... Will miracles never end?


awesome!:thumbsup:


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## crezelda (Dec 17, 2010)

some lps have the cups, but around here they seem to like to make a wall of tiny (but bigger than cups) cubes with lighting to show them off


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## mjoy79 (Jul 13, 2011)

crezelda said:


> some lps have the cups, but around here they seem to like to make a wall of tiny (but bigger than cups) cubes with lighting to show them off


interesting. do you have a pic?


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## HatsuneMiku (Jul 29, 2011)

the other day i went to a lfs with my bf .. and they had a 80 gal tank with like 5 male bettas in there and 10-12 female bettas .. with maybe 50 guppys and 50 mollies .. i was like O_O omg .. what are they all doing in the same tank !! .. 

while i was pulling my bf over to look at the tank and proclaiming that there's more then 1 betta in there .. and while we were there trying to count how many male bettas they put in the tank .. the owner happened to walk by and explained to us that it was ok for them to be together like that because the tank is so big and they each have their own territory and hiding places .. i don't know if that's true .. but all of the fish in that tank looked healthy and happy and none of the bettas were chasing each other or flaring or fighting with each other .. it was still an amazing sight to see ..


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

I've heard something like that, too, and it makes sense that if you give enough room for territory, then there shouldn't be any problems except for a few minor face-offs.. Otherwise, in the wild, I'm sure there would be wolves and tigers, and all kinds of territorial animals trying to chew each others faces off... >.>;;.. but so long as they have a decent amount of territory and food, they leave each other alone..


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## crezelda (Dec 17, 2010)

ive allways wondered how much tank room youd need to house 2+ males safely


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

xD Me too.. I guess now we both have a decent idea as to how much room is needed.


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## crezelda (Dec 17, 2010)

id imagine a 20g long might be enough if you have identical rescources on each end, with an empty " no man's land" in the center


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## ForbiddenSecrets (Aug 15, 2010)

I heard someone once say that 55 gallon tank was large enough for two - though I don't really feel like testing this theory. Someone else had two in a 39 who lived peacefully after a few days. Though I imagine if either of those two were particularly aggressive it really wouldn't matter how large the tank was. Problems would still happen.


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## crezelda (Dec 17, 2010)

i think once a certain size has been reached, extra size is less important than hiding spots/quiet places to make bubble nests ect

i wonder if a semi boundary like a wall of plant, or a wide open space with faster swimming schools would be a better " border". my guess is on the open space, as it would be less appealing to ether betta, causing them to stay within thier comfort zones, forming a territory


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## NCBettaMom (Jul 24, 2011)

I saw a Betta in a tank at Walmart! It was just 1 but, hey it was a happy 1. It was in with a goldfish. Couldn't believe it!


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## crezelda (Dec 17, 2010)

what are peoples views of bettas being kept in the main tanks, but in those tiny plastic "cages" on the side?


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

I think those things are torture devices.... It's got a bigger tank, but... it doesn't.. It's able to watch all the other happy fishes swimming about with their fins spread out, and it's stuck.... in a box... aaaallll alone.... ;__;


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## Vaughan06 (Aug 9, 2011)

Draug Isilme said:


> Our walmart here had a few dead fish in them... some of the other fish were chewing at some of the corpses. It seems like anytime I pass by the pet ile to look at the fish and the fish products, no one is attending to them! All the fish are so sad and depressed looking it makes me sad and depressed ;__;


 
Well, you have to remember that the Pet aisle isn't the only aisle we work in. Here, I not only work in the Pet section (which is 4 aisles), but I work with all Paper goods and Chemicals as well (brings a total of 7 aisles or 14 sections). With that being said, it is almost impossible, considering fish are the least bought out of them all, to spend the majority of time with them. 

What I do is finish my work in all of the other sections first. That way I can spend my last 2-3 hours cleaning/medicating/changing the water of fish. I check the tanks for dead fish about 4 times throughout my shift, so if one dies while I'm away, how can you expect us to know about it considering the amount of fish there?

For the record though, Walmart taught me NOTHING about the fish. All they taught me was to use nets to catch them and what temperature water to fill their bags with... :roll: I hated fish before I started working there, but the more I learned about them the more I cared.


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

Sorry, I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but I was just calling it as I saw it, as does everyone else I know that stops by to see the fish.. Just like pet stores like Petsmart, I get disappointed when they don't quite teach their employees about certain things when it comes to live animals, and I'm more mad at the comany itself for slacking off, not the employee (right now our Petsmart basically has a 'gas chamber' for their common goldfish because a few days ago when I went to check it out, there were over a dozen dead/about to die.. yesterday I went with a friend, same thing, but barely any fish in there and some looked like they had ick.. today, went with my sister, and about the same amount was on the bottom dead/about to die and they had stupidly restocked the tank). I believe I said in one of the posts that there should be more people like you working in that ilse because you, as you said, treated the bettas "like gold" as well as talked to the little girls parents about how to actually care for bettas before letting them go all out and find a slaughtered mess in a fish tank the next day... >.>... I already figured there were other things needed to be taken care of as an employer encharge of the fish tank side, which I can understand. I can easily find another employee and get them to help if needed, but by dead fish, I meant some of them were picked down to the bone by other fish, indicating that its been in there for quite a while... I just think if walmart took their fish isle a bit more seriously, they would get more business.. but all I usually hear about the walmart fish ilse is "Oh, don't buy your fish there. Buy them somewhere else 'cause Walmarts fish always look sick or dead." and again, I'm not trying to be insulting, especially with someone who does actually care about and for the fish... I just wish Walmart would take more initiative... It would be great for their business, the comstomer, and the fish themselves...


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## Vaughan06 (Aug 9, 2011)

I understand that, I was just bringing up the multiple tasks we have to do. 

On that subject though; I thought the people from the night shift were fighting fish or giving them to bigger fish to attack (because a few fish had severe injuries), so I told the first manager I seen and her response was, "Flush them immediately!"...

I wasn't going to flush live fish... so I filled a container and added some medicine to it and transferred the injured to it. Turns out, these severe injuries were caused by some form of ick/fungus... the medicine took it off and had them looking half-decent again. Unfortunately, they still passed.

My point though: It is unfortunate, but like the manager I found, she didn't care if the night shift had been fighting the fish, she was more interested in their looks for selling.


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

Yeah, as disappointing as it is, I'm really not surprised.... Sounds more like the manager and the douchebags that were probably fighting the fish need to be flushed imediately... -.-


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## CrowntailTwitchy57 (Jun 25, 2011)

well i have noticed that Walmarts in Canada have stopped selling fish altogether... at least Canadians have stopped the madness of the 1-inch of water given to a betta! hope it happens in America too! Oh and Green Earth are still selling the stupid BioCubes... It's so terrible they say that it teaches kids about wildlife in the commercials, but all it teaches them is how to cope with the death of a pet too soon


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## Momo x3 (Jul 9, 2011)

The WalMart here stopped selling fish too. I'm really thankful for that. Granted, the WalMart 20 miles away still sells them.. *sigh*.

My mini-rant for the day is in regards to Petsmart. A few weeks ago I went in prepared to buy a betta. I was looking around and found a beautiful dragon that was as lively and happy as could be. I was about to get him when I noticed a betta about 3 rows in with about an inch of water. He couldn't even extend his fins fully because he didn't have enough water! He was still flaring away at his neighbors and everything though! I decided to buy him instead and I'm so glad that I did  He colored up so beautifully and is now an orange crowntail that I get loads of compliments on!


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## crezelda (Dec 17, 2010)

yeah walmarts here in west canada dont sell fish ether, i remember when they did, and heard they stopped cause well they just weren't generating enough money with the ammount that died off ( and BC has a huge animal lover population, you should have seen us when that whistler sled dog scandal came out, all of bc was up in arms)


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## LaLaLeyla (Aug 17, 2011)

The second one looks kind of cool. 
It sucks its so small DX


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## Leeniex (Aug 14, 2011)

My niece told me today that every year a guy comes and sets up shop in front of the dorms selling bettas in tiny bowls, telling people they like to be in tiny, dirty containers. That makes my blood boil.


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## HatsuneMiku (Jul 29, 2011)

ok so this past weekend .. my bf and i decided to go petsmart hoping cus there's like 5 or so in my radius (less then 10 miles) .. and apparently every petsmart gets their "fish" shipment every friday (according to the lady we talked to) .. and .. is it just me .. or are the bettas like super tiny lately ? .. they can't be more then 3-4 months old .. some of them even look like they could still be fry's .. and colorless .. @[email protected] what's up with that? ..

isn't there any regulations where you can't sell a pet that's too young .. and not ready? .. like how puppies can't be sold until 8 weeks or something ?


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## crezelda (Dec 17, 2010)

im going along oregon coast, and a ton of tourst beach towns. im gonna have a fit walking by and seeing hermit crab stalls... you cant even breed hermit crabs in captivity; theyre ALL gathered in the tens of thousands from the wild to become disposable pets that often die within a year if not looked after properly, or 20+ years if done proper. and trust me, no hermit crab vender ive ever seen has close to what it takes to look after them proper.

that campus story sucks too... that guy must make a killing pandering "disposable" animals that are short lived, need little care, and take up little space for the pet lonely student .


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## sorrelhorse1 (Aug 12, 2011)

I agree with you, Mistress. I went today to a petsmart and a petco. All of the bettas seemed TINY! I saw several that looked so sad I wanted to buy them. But I just got "the look" from my hubby and I had to grit my teeth and put them back. The upside is he said he would build me an aquarium and stand as long as he can have a salt water tank!


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## HatsuneMiku (Jul 29, 2011)

LOL sorrel !! .. i'm sure that's the same "look" i got from my huni when i picked one up and said "OMG he's soo cute!!" .. and it was so tiny i swear it has to be illegal to be selling them that small .. he barely had any fins growing out .. i wish i could have taken a picture .. but the blue water makes it so hard to get one


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## Ashleigh (May 28, 2011)

I've seen tiny plastic kritter keepers less than a quarter of the size of the 0.3 ones on the first page. They were probably even smaller than the cups the petstores sell them in :l


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## Krys (Jul 28, 2009)

sorrelhorse1 said:


> I agree with you, Mistress. I went today to a petsmart and a petco. All of the bettas seemed TINY! I saw several that looked so sad I wanted to buy them. But I just got "the look" from my hubby and I had to grit my teeth and put them back. The upside is he said he would build me an aquarium and stand as long as he can have a salt water tank!


Then you tell him that for every salt water fish he buys, you get another betta xP


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## Krys (Jul 28, 2009)

But yeah. I have those .3 gallon cubes. My grandma bought me them for christmas... four of them. -facepalm-
I only use them when I have to clean the tanks. at least the cubes are bigger than a glass. I just wish I could take the light out and use it for my large kritter keeper... the light is SUPER BRIGHT.


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## Krys (Jul 28, 2009)

Good news, the lights pop right off with unscrewing two little screws. and they mount righ onto the walls of thin walled tanks.


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## jman828 (Aug 15, 2011)

Sarahlydear said:


> I was in WalMart yesterday and a lady tried to make a joke about not knowing which bettas were alive and I merely said yeah it's horrid and picked up a sick one, she quickly ducked her head and walked away with a "Why do you care, weirdo..." look. Some people are just insensitive and unaware and shouldn't be allowed to buy or make things or give advice about ANYTHING living.


Yes, that's so true and terrible.....some people just don't understand :evil:



hmckin20 said:


> i hate seeing these things... they sell in our local petstore and it's terrible.
> 
> 
> that second one.. omg. like the betta were a decoration or something.


It's so stupid how the companies will do *anything *for money....and they don't care if your bettas will die in there.....It's all about $$$ :evil:


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

I can't believe people sell fish like this. *vomits*


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## HatsuneMiku (Jul 29, 2011)

x_x pretty soon someone's gonna make a designer purse that can put a betta in it .. like how people carry around designer dogs .. god i hope that never happens


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## harrypotter (Aug 9, 2011)

Mistress said:


> x_x pretty soon someone's gonna make a designer purse that can put a betta in it .. like how people carry around designer dogs .. god i hope that never happens


unfortunately i have heard of that

this was the best i could find though, i know there are real purses with a little tank in the front for your betta


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

Oh god, are you serious? That's just overall a horrible idea to begin with -.- I'll admit, it looks cute, but that fish, hardy or not, is gonna die within a day >.< .... if not less! I have a mental image of some snooty woman buying a bag with a betta like this for their kid.. and the first thing they do is swing it around in circles over and over and lets go to "see the cute lil fishy fly!" ;__; Betta comes up dead, and the first thing I can hear coming out of the woman's mouth "Oh, don't worry, honey! We can buy you a new fishy to put in the bag ^.^ They don't cost that much, and they are just fish.. nothing important at all." ..... -.-;;;


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## HatsuneMiku (Jul 29, 2011)

speechless @[email protected]


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

*continues vomiting* 

Ugh, there are purses/bags like that.


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## sorrelhorse1 (Aug 12, 2011)

That's insane!!


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## Micho (Aug 22, 2011)

Won't like the bag tip and water will spill out? How would you even put that thing down, regardless that's just cruel to Bettas. >:

Anywho, my pet store doesn't do that great with Bettas either. There's a wall and there's like little tanks, with some rocks in them, they're probably only about 500ml give or take. Most of them don't move. 

I got Jake because he was the most vibrant, he was living in a big tank with some neon tetras, so he was lucky.


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## Litlover11 (Aug 1, 2011)

I know there were goldfish keychains sold in China during the 2008 olympics...sigh. It never ceases to amaze me how people can come up with such creative ways to abuse fish.


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## SnowySurface (Apr 25, 2011)

I will admit that the only reason why I upgrade from 1 gallon tanks is because I wanted to have my fishies in a tank that can completely cycle. I also have enough room to either add a tankmate once I decide on one. So, I am part of the "1 gallon is good enough people. Enough with 1 betta in 10 gallons." group. But there is such a thing as being ridiculous. No one can honestly believe it's possible to keep a fish in less than 1 gallon if they know anything about aquatic pets. 1 gallon per fish is one of the most basic rules that anyone who gets so much as a fish bowl should know. Even Petco is starting to push 1 gallon setups for bettas (they say it's perfect for bettas with the second bullet point). That's what I hate about these mini-bowls. they allow people who don't want to matain a tank to have a fish anyway. If someone can't handle an animals habitate, that person shouldn't adopt the animal. I'm tired of seeing fish used as decoration just because they're pretty and don't make noise. T_T


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

Yeah, that's pretty much the ironic point when it comes to beginners and small bowls.. The typical assumption is they assume with smaller tanks comes less responsibility.. Although, almost like they don't realize fish ALSO excrete waste, in actuality the person is supposed to changed the water more frequently and usually 100% water changes daily depending on the size... I wish I could push for a bigger sized tank than the 5g I'm gonna get.. Right now my new friend is chillin' in a 1.5g until then. But hey, the good thing is that it has two different hiding spots (both of which he loves ^.^), some real plants that are easy to maintain, and I'm most definately keeping up with water changes! He doesn't flare, but he sure is fearless and energetic >.>


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## harrypotter (Aug 9, 2011)

Draug Isilme said:


> Yeah, that's pretty much the ironic point when it comes to beginners and small bowls.. The typical assumption is they assume with smaller tanks comes less responsibility..


Yep! I was pretty clueless when I bought my fish and I decided to go with a 2 gallon so I didn't have to bother with a filter and all that other hard work stuff.... Little did I know :roll: :lol:


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

Heh, yeah.. When I was a kid, I made the mistake of thinking it was okay to stick them in a small vase.. No gravel or anything.. I overfed it, didn't have water conditioner, and the fish I did get only lasted for a few months.. I was the definition of a poor betta owner ;__; but I've definitely learned from my mistakes, and keeping active with my own research has taken me a long way from where I used to be ^.^ I feel awful for being a bad pet owner in the past.. but it was that combined with my love for animals that's brought me up to the point of knowing better and being MUCH more responsible than I used to be.


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

Draug isilme,

We've almost ALL been there. I used to have a goldfish in a .5-1 gallon bowl (I was 4-5 yrs old). I used to have a betta and 2 guppies in a 1 gallon tank thing. ;-; I feel so bad now. 

But now we're good pet keepers!


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

Oh lord >.>; Um..
Yeah, hurray for learning from past mistakes! ^.^


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## lordadamar (Aug 24, 2011)

This is a nice little setup I have ( 2 ) 

http://www.petsolutions.com/storefr...ium-kit/prodTetraWaterWondersAquariumKit.html

I also have this which is pricey but is very nice I use mine for my Crystal Red Shrimp and Boesemani Fry

http://www.petsolutions.com/storefr...-shrimp-aquarium-kit/prodFluvalShrimpKit.html

I also have 55 Gallon setup for my main Boesemani Colony


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## sorrelhorse1 (Aug 12, 2011)

I seen something similar to those the other day, but the one I was looking at was a 3 gallon. It was like 43.95 or close to.


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## lordadamar (Aug 24, 2011)

sorrelhorse1 said:


> I seen something similar to those the other day, but the one I was looking at was a 3 gallon. It was like 43.95 or close to.



I find its hard to beat Pet Solutions Prices most of the time, and if you catch them on sales and free shipping deals its even harder..

And once you buy from them once your on the catalog mail list, and its always fun thumbing through those.... lol


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## Thunderloon (Feb 6, 2011)

Check your state animal cruelty laws, about half the states don't exempt fish from the laws.

If it is in a store and abused it is a violation of the humane laws, whether pet, food, customer or employee.

I took the store manager over to look at the aquarium system and the betta cups and told him I could see probably ten thousand dollars in fines for abuse/neglect and that he needed to enforce reasonable ordering and care practices or remove the whole thing.

He did... the betta get water changes with additive, the tanks are only overstocked when the supplier slams the store. Its not Petco levels of care, but then Petco has four employees trained in fish by store policy and my friendly visits.


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## Litlover11 (Aug 1, 2011)

Wow, that is really awesome! I should check my state's laws and make a trip to walmart


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

xD Yeah, I'm gonna see if I can do that as well ^.^ Thanks for the info, Thunderloon!


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## lordadamar (Aug 24, 2011)

Litlover11 said:


> Wow, that is really awesome! I should check my state's laws and make a trip to walmart


Take a camera I wanna see the dumbfounded look on the walmart employees faces when you quote state laws


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## Litlover11 (Aug 1, 2011)

I think the manager would look pretty stupid if I started telling her that stuff. When I told her about the unethical practice of dyeing, since they sell fruit tetras, she looked at me like I was crazy. I hope she would listen though if I told her the law was being broken. If not, I could tell her bosses.


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## Litlover11 (Aug 1, 2011)

Never mind. The prevention of animal cruelty law in Indiana seems to specifically exclude "destruction of or injury to a fish" from the definition of animal abuse/fighting/neglect. Ugh. :-( Why do so many people see fish as completely inferior compared with other animals? They are one of the most abused animals in the pet industry, yet they have zero protection, at least in Indiana.


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## BettaGirl290 (Jul 29, 2010)

*shakes head* why do they even come up with this stuff? .03 and 3. gal. ? are you KIDDING ME?! o_o


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## fishy friend2 (Aug 28, 2011)

in texas where i live they sell fish at every walmart that is around me it really sucks to come in and see those poor fish


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## Potential4Evil (Aug 27, 2011)

thats the tank my boss has for her lil red betta, Wilson. No decor and 100% water changes once a week.


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

Sometimes I don't get bowls and tanks like that.. So empty and desolate.. To me, small bowls just look completely unappealing and tacky.. Especially combined with the fact that it's animal abuse, it becomes utterly disgusting..


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## Potential4Evil (Aug 27, 2011)

@Draug well she informed me the other day she was working on getting Wilson a 5gal after seeing the 1.9 gal i got for Chum-Fu


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

That's always good to know ^.^


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

Thats good. Tell her to burn the "heck- hole".


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