# poor betta rant



## sazzy (Oct 20, 2006)

my lfs had a male fighter in with juvinile parrot cichlids and juvinile oscars, the poor thing was terrified, i told the stupid girl that was the wrong tank and she shrugged her shoulders! 

there was also crabs in with guppys all of them had a grabbed killed guppy in its claws

im so angry about this, why work in a fish shop if you know nothing!


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## girlofgod (Aug 22, 2006)

this is a sad fact for alot of fish stores, especially chain pet stores,(and walmarts) because they are in it for the money, not for the care of the pets, most of the time. so most often they will hire inexperienced people just to sell the product. 

i know that not ALL pet stores are like this, and we even have some members on the site here who work in pet stores. it's your best bet to try to find a local fish supplier who's tanks are properly stocked, look clean, fish look healthy, etc and stick with them for purchases. 

good luck!
bri


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## joeshmoe (Aug 2, 2006)

you'll probly fined this in every shop, mine sells bettas in a tubaware box with blue died water. i would love to set up a rescue ting were u can fined good homes these lil guys


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## sazzy (Oct 20, 2006)

i felt so bad i was tempted to buy him, but he looked as though he wouldnt have lived long anyway?!


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## love_my_fish (Sep 17, 2006)

I couldn't believe that I recently saw small Pacus and Oscars being sold at a Wal-Mart. I have a friend that works at a Wal-Mart and she says that Wal-Mart is planning to stop selling fish altogether.


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## pleco_cory_fan (Oct 2, 2006)

In my other forum theres this person that homes oscars that have gorwn to big in her huge tank i really admire the work people do to try to save fish.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

sazzy said:


> my lfs had a male fighter in with juvinile parrot cichlids and juvinile oscars, the poor thing was terrified, i told the stupid girl that was the wrong tank and she shrugged her shoulders!
> 
> there was also crabs in with guppys all of them had a grabbed killed guppy in its claws
> 
> im so angry about this, why work in a fish shop if you know nothing!


I can't believe this.:blink: That girl knows nothing obviously.















Pet shops just sell fish for cash and practically will not care for the welfare of the fish. A lot of people just think they are disposable which is quite a sad fact.:blueworry:
Even our laws do not include fish against animal cruelty.:dunno:


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## MaiCarInMtl (Dec 19, 2006)

I really am surprised at how people are with fish. 

When I was looking to buy my betta, I went to a pet store and they were all in tiny little glass jars (with no lids!), hardly any water, in a dark corner, etc. The girl there was sticking her hand into the jar and touching the betta (who was probably terrified). **Note: she did not wash her hands before or after this and I saw her carrying around a rabbit just a few minutes later**

Depending on how confident I feel with my betta (I've only had him for just over a week now), I might try to rescue one here and there.


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## smilin_joe_cool (Dec 19, 2006)

I feel compelled to chime in as well. It seems that no matter which lfs my wife and I visit we see rows of little cups each with a single male betta in blue water. There are two however who at least make an honest effort at care; they use actual fish bowls. Although these are small they at least offer the betta room to move. I have to force myself not to look or I would want to rescue the lot.

I also get incensed whenever I see those small planters or quart sized betta tanks. The rationale usually seems to be that bettas originated in rice paddies so they are used to small, confined spaces. Surely I can't be the only person who has actually had to slog through rice paddies (while I was in the Army)? The average rice paddy is, in a word, huge. While rarely deeper than a foot or two they literally cover acres. These fish certainly developed to deal with low oxygen conditions like other anabantids however they certainly do Not come from small mud holes.

I realize we may be 'preaching to the choir' as it were but maybe, perhaps, someone will read this and decide to do the right thing. Treat their betta as a living fish rather than a desk ornament. (Nothing wrong with having an aquarium on one's desk mind you; just a turn of phrase.)


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## scottysgirl (Jan 10, 2007)

I guess I can gloat here--our lfs has bettas kept in bowls (large ones), with gravel, and fake plants.


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## FDStation152 (Jan 20, 2007)

Well while the bettas would do better in much larger containers you have to look at it from a realistic standpoint. There aren't many stores that have the ability to lose a lot of valuable space for an individual inexpensive fish. In fact practically all store tanks are overstocked so practically none of the fish have the space they would like. I've bred bettas before and the males all ended up in individual jars until they were sold. why? because unless I could sell them for 100 bucks a piece I couldn't afford to give each individual male a few gallons of water. The cost of setting up 20 heated 10 gallon aquariums with proper filters and dividers goes well beyond the amount of money that can be made selling them. And there is also the issue of space. Its just the way it goes. Pretty much any fish you ever own will at some point in its life (from the breeding farms to the pet store) will have had to deal with living in over-crowded conditions due to simple economics. There are very few of us that would be able to afford to actually keep tropical fish if they were all housed in perfect conditions for their entire lives. Would you honestly pay 70 dollars for a betta if it was guaranteed to have never have lived in less than 3 gallons of heated and filtered water when you could buy one that was being kept in a cup for 3 bucks? Sorry to sound mean about it but I've bred fish for profit and thats kinda just how it goes. People including all of us buy fish atleast partially on the basis of price and the cost of housing all those fish is included in that price. While I might pay a little more for a fish that appears to have been kept in superior conditions I won't pay 20 times as much for that quality when I can get a reasonably healthy individual for less. While all those bettas might not be extremely happy they generally aren't sitting there festering with disease. If you don't like the way they are stored while they are being sold start paying more for em....heck shell out 100 bucks a pop for a male betta and I'll give them each their own 10 gallon tank. But when I'm getting less than a dollar for them when I sell em well then they're getting a jar.


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## soco1125 (Jan 5, 2007)

My LFS is 40 miles away. There was one closer, but I stopped going there because I was fed up with knowing more about fish (and other animals) than all the staff and manager put together. The one I go to now is small and crowded with rows of fish tanks and the prices are higher, but I think it's worth it. This store does not sell dyed fish, balloon mollies, parrot fish, etc. They do sell fish like oscars, piranhas, and arowanas but the owner is very conscientious about whom he sends his fish home with. Tanks are set up with gravel and live plants, have their own filtration, and the fish are kept at a reasonable number with other compatible species. Oh yeah, and most of the bettas are in the tanks... those that aren't still get their own large bowl with gravel and a plant. I'm really glad I made the switch and I hope more people do too.


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## Melissa (Nov 28, 2006)

well it sounds like you have a good lfs there.


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