# really? you're going to give me the wrong information????



## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

sooooo... here's the story.

at our petsmart (that's only about 4 months old) we've been struggling with a few water problems and keeping certain fish alive. well we finally figured out the problem, it was copper (and chlorine but we already fixed that problem), and all of our fish in our system suddenly perked right up! yay! so i made the comment to a few coworkers. i said something similar to that all the fish in our system, but mostly the gouramis, were acting like my bettas do. you know, swimming along the glass, being really alert, playing around in the tank, like happy little fish. 

so here's where i got angry. after i said that they act like my bettas this certain coworker informed me that bettas don't move around much because they come from tiny little puddles in Thailand. :shock: of course i told him the correct information and that my bettas only stop moving if they're sick.

the reason why i got so angry was because this person is the one person that always informs me of when i do something slightly wrong and about all of these random facts i should know about fish. they've been with the company for over a year and they were telling me this ever so wrong information!?!??!!!! i wonder what else they're telling people about bettas...... :blueworry:

i mean sure, a lot of people don't really know the truth about bettas. but for someone who barks out information like they know everything sure doesn't know much.. :-?


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## cp6445 (Jan 14, 2012)

LOL those who act like they know everything usually know the least.

My betta never stops moving. We have to have 'bedtime'. Lights off, and into the floating log for rest.

If I moved as much as my betta I would burn every calorie I ate.

It's difficult to find a petsmart worker that knows about fish. Actually, it's difficult to find a vet that knows about fish. But yes, I agree, if you don't know, then don't advise. The most dangerous people are those that think they know..


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## Jrf456 (Jun 23, 2011)

I hate people like this.

A lady told me 5 goldfish would be fine for a 5g. :/

Another lady said 10 female bettas in a 5g.

Another lady told my mom not to buy a heater for the betta tanks in the winter time. >:/

Petco horrors D:


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

http://www.bettafish.com/member.php?u=33919cp6445: yeah i know right!? wish i could move that much! and it definitely is hard to find people that know a lot about fish. and i'm not saying i know a lot, i'm still learning. but i guess i know more than someone whose been working there for a year!

Jrf456: whatttttttttttt. those are crazy things to say.


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## MandiceP (Jan 7, 2012)

I work at a LPS and if I don't know the answer to something I openly admit it, then ask the customer if they mind if I look it up for them (so I can learn the answer) or I'll ask another coworker... If I were shopping at a store I'd rather someone do that then pretend to know the answer and make something up... What a jerk!


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## betta lover1507 (Aug 6, 2011)

a lady was saying to customers that females eat the males after spawning D: like what the heck? :v sorry just wanted to tell the story (it was at a petco)


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## Zappity (Oct 15, 2011)

That's like the guy at Petsmart telling me to only feed bettas MAYBE once a week >_< 
They give me the "Are you INSANE?" look when I tell them Mr. Bubbles has a 5.5gal tank x]


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## betta lover1507 (Aug 6, 2011)

it is just employee's don't care about the fish or any pet's, they just want there pay check >->


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

and i do the same, if i don't know the answer i'll ask someone else if they do or show them some of the books we have in the store that might have the answer.

but yeah, unfortunately many places just hire random people and then they're just expected to learn the minimum to do whatever it is they were hired for.

i guess i started out as a random person, but i actually have generally knowledge of animal care before i was even hired. AND i wanted the job to do exactly that, take care of animals, learn about animals, and teach people about them.

getting a paycheck for doing what i love doing is basically a bonus!!!


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## xjenuhfur (Jan 30, 2012)

I sounded like a crazy fish lady in petsmart today, one of the misinformed employees came up to me and asked me if I needed help, I to,d him no but told him that almost all of the Bettas on the shelf were sick or stressed out. He decided to tell me that a vet checks them everyday, psh. He said he would tell the vet and get treatment for them. I srsly almost died laughing. Then I pointed out a crown tail and the told me crown tails were male and veil tails were female. I almost throttled him. Needless to say, I got what I needed and had to leave.


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

xjenuhfur said:


> I sounded like a crazy fish lady in petsmart today, one of the misinformed employees came up to me and asked me if I needed help, I to,d him no but told him that almost all of the Bettas on the shelf were sick or stressed out. He decided to tell me that a vet checks them everyday, psh. He said he would tell the vet and get treatment for them. I srsly almost died laughing. Then I pointed out a crown tail and the told me crown tails were male and veil tails were female. I almost throttled him. Needless to say, I got what I needed and had to leave.



what!? vets check them everyday!?? well, i know a lot of petsmarts have in store vets, called Banfield. but i highly doubt they check all animals everyday. my store doesn't have an in store vet, so it's our job, the PET CARE associates job, to check the animals everyday, all day, and if they're sick/injured/whatever we get them the treatment they need, which is either a vet or the treatment we can give in the store if it's something minor. and this is including fish. that's why we have a QT tank and QT room. but unfortunately we don't have any fish specialist vets around.

i know of a petsmart that is close to a university that studies fish specific stuff and they do surgeries and specialized treatment for the fish of that petsmart. unfortunately, it's all about where you're located of who gets the best attention for their fish and who works at the store and knows how to treat them. :[


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

mine only stop moving if sleeping, or ill. which is why it worries me so much since Heavy's become a bit inactive. :T


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

> Then I pointed out a crown tail and the told me crown tails were male and veil tails were female.


ROFL!! Imagine him trying to sell dogs.

"The poodles are the females ..." :lol:


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

Luimeril said:


> mine only stop moving if sleeping, or ill. which is why it worries me so much since Heavy's become a bit inactive. :T



oh no! :[


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

the 2 LPS nearby are mostly uninformed but some are better informed but will still sell those death traps if the customer wants to kill the betta. one did educate a customer about a misinformed lady on goldfish. she wanted a 2.5g for a goldfish. long story short he told her life expectancy depends on care and proper tank size but she still bought the 2.5g and atleast 1 victim.


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## Silverfang (Mar 25, 2011)

I know at least one person who encourages the best. Upsold to a 5 gal, heater, lots of decor... I thanked her afterwords.


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## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

I was told by a petsmart employee that bettas are solitary and are WAY too agressive to have any tankmates. And, he said you could have pretty much any fish in a 10 Gallon. He said goldfish are good, but you have way less selection.


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

some people need to put some knowledge in their brains!!!!!!! 

i was told by a customer the other day that "bettas are a mean nasty fish who eat all other fish and are disgusting and don't know why anyone would want one." i tried to tell her otherwise but she continued to teach me her opinions..


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

I hate know it all's.



> ROFL!! Imagine him trying to sell dogs.
> 
> "The poodles are the females ..."


I used to think all the prettdy dogs were females and the ugly ones (bull dog looking breeds) were all males. Yeah


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## SnowySurface (Apr 25, 2011)

Tikibirds said:


> I hate know it all's.
> 
> 
> I used to think all the prettdy dogs were females and the ugly ones (bull dog looking breeds) were all males. Yeah


Same here. I liked watching a lot of movies with talking animals when I was a kid. The poodle would always be a prissy female and the bulldog would always be a macho man. I believed that until I found out where puppies come from. XD


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

I think I still subconsiously think all pretty dogs are female..thats may explane why my male is named bubbles...

There is a petco opening up here next week. I wonder what advice i'll get from them...


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## Kitty Whiskers (Sep 28, 2009)

MandiceP said:


> I work at a LPS and if I don't know the answer to something I openly admit it, then ask the customer if they mind if I look it up for them (so I can learn the answer) or I'll ask another coworker... If I were shopping at a store I'd rather someone do that then pretend to know the answer and make something up... What a jerk!


 That's the way it should be done. I'm glad you are willing to go look up the info to learn more about it for yourself and for others in the future. I know alot about Bettas and other fish, but I sure am still learning.


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## SnowySurface (Apr 25, 2011)

Some dogs look male and some dogs look female to me. Like, if I see a Great Dane, I'm going to think male immediately because of the size, droopy face, and the way they walk. With Chiz Tsu (spelling?) I think female because of size and the long flowing coat. I think that is what's interesting about bettas to me. The males are the really pretty ones with long flowing fins and bright colors and the females are the low key ones. If I was still a little kid I would believe male bettas are too pretty to be anything but girls. lol 

From my experience, Petco can be really good or really bad when it comes to fish info. All you can do is cross your fingers and hope for a really good one. -_-


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

^ i think this is why my fiance started calling my male bettas "tranny fish"


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## xjenuhfur (Jan 30, 2012)

I can't imagine a grown person being that dense though. But, I guess he's only there for his whatever an hour, he doesn't need to be educated. But he should.


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## xjenuhfur (Jan 30, 2012)

chrissylee13 said:


> ^ i think this is why my fiance started calling my male bettas "tranny fish"


What about peacocks?


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

haha probably! i think they look more girly than a betta. well unless the betta is pink. :]


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## MandiceP (Jan 7, 2012)

I love how most people call female peacocks "female peacocks" and don't realize they are really peahens! lol!

I ask people what their dog's name is when I meet it in the store and use that to determine male/female... unless it is a gender neutral name... In that case I flat out ask! LOL

I wish every LPS employee was like me. I feel like there are so many bad ones out there that people think I'm trying to hoax them when they come in. I just want what's best for the animals and to keep the people happy in the process. Le Sigh!


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

MandiceP said:


> I love how most people call female peacocks "female peacocks" and don't realize they are really peahens! lol!


i actually didn't know that.. but any information about birds isn't really my expertise. thanks for the info!! 



MandiceP said:


> I ask people what their dog's name is when I meet it in the store and use that to determine male/female... unless it is a gender neutral name... In that case I flat out ask! LOL
> 
> I wish every LPS employee was like me. I feel like there are so many bad ones out there that people think I'm trying to hoax them when they come in. I just want what's best for the animals and to keep the people happy in the process. Le Sigh!


and i totally agree with you there. i wish more were like me, and you! i feel like some people really think i'm lying to them just to get them to buy more stuff and when in all honesty, i just want whats best for the animals just like you!


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## SlinkyInk (Dec 31, 2011)

There is one employee at my local Petsmart that I trust with his knowledge, but he's the only one.

And it's funny about the dogs. I happen to have a very pretty dog and everyone thinks he's female! And you can't really tell by his name, Adzuki. So I just correct them. I can't resist, I have to share a pic of my puppy:


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## MandiceP (Jan 7, 2012)

chrissylee13 said:


> and i totally agree with you there. i wish more were like me, and you! i feel like some people really think i'm lying to them just to get them to buy more stuff and when in all honesty, i just want whats best for the animals just like you!


Lets start a "we really are knowledgeable and trying to help" support group! lmao I had a lady look at me like I had ten heads when I told her that her betta needed a heater... she was like "how much?" and I showed her our cheapest heater (it's like 25$) and she actually yelled at me that I was sucking money out of her and "those fish live fine in cups their whole lives..." :roll:


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

chrissylee13 said:


> ^ i think this is why my fiance started calling my male bettas "tranny fish"


Rofl!

It's so nice to hear from pet shop employees who are trying to make a difference, and it's also interesting to hear from their side of the counter. I hadn't really considered the kind of ignorance you guys must have to deal with from the pet-buying public sometimes. 

I just spent a few hours researching the betta industry in Thailand, and worldwide as well. It's a much bigger $ industry than I thought, including the fighting fish and betting rings. So maybe it's idealistic to expect things to change - but I truly believe the distribution of accurate information is the key to putting a significant dint in the neglectful treatment of pet fish. 

This forum does a brilliant job of teaching people better betta care, I am so glad I found it, and grateful for all the (sometimes very eye-opening) help.


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

slinkyink: your puppy is so cute!!!! :]

MandiceP: totally agree, we should! lol. oh, i get that crazy look every time someone asks me what they need for a betta and i say they need a heater. our cheapest is actually $15. i think it's a 10W meant for up to 5 gallons. it's specifically for bettas i believe. it's tiny. but sometimes people won't even pay that much.

Aus: agreed, that's why i try to tell as many people as possible about what and who bettas really are! lol. and i love this forum. i learn so much.


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## xjenuhfur (Jan 30, 2012)

omg cuteeee puppy! 

Anyway, I went to petsupermarket yesterday to pick up my ghost shrimp. And there was a woman there looking at the fish with her daughter, I got my shrimp, and noticed they had marimo moss balls. I knew they were good for the tank, and they were cheaper there than anywhere else I had seen, so on a whim I decided to get one. The woman with her daughter asked me what they were for, and to my surprise, the woman helping me answered her question, correctly! She actually knew what she was talking about! Most helpful pet store employee that was actually informed! (and she gave me an extra shrimp  )


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

the guys at Pet Lovers don't try to teach me anything about bettas. they know i pamper my boys and girls. i DO try to teach customers, though, if no one's there and they ask me. 

once, a lady wanted to buy goldfish for her daughter. me and the one guy were swapping facts back and forth, supporting each other's information. the lady didn't leave with anyone, but she learned bowls aren't' good. :V


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## SlinkyInk (Dec 31, 2011)

I am thankful for this site, I've learned so much about fish and taking care of them. I don't trust any of the employees at my Petsmart. They are just hourly employees looking for a job.


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

haha. geez. what good and bad times we have at pet stores.


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## xjenuhfur (Jan 30, 2012)

SlinkyInk said:


> I am thankful for this site, I've learned so much about fish and taking care of them. I don't trust any of the employees at my Petsmart. They are just hourly employees looking for a job.


I don't trust anyone either! I came to this site to do all of my research before I even bought my betta.


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

so i felt AWESOME the other day. and totally upped one on the fellow employee that lied to me. muahahaha! i love this site. <3


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## SilkySiren (Feb 21, 2012)

Good for you Chrissy for sticking to your guns & doing what you love. 
This goes for anyone working in a pet store that actually cares about the animals....Ignore the haters &
coworkers who feel the need to talk down to ya...they are just insecure sad people. Bleh!


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## frostynsnowflake118 (Jan 23, 2012)

i bought a female betta at my local petsmart the other day, and the lady asked me if i had everything i needed for her and i told her she was going in my sorority tank and she looked at me like i was nuts... especially when i told her that we had 5 girls in the tank already! I would think that petstores would cover basic animal care in their training... it would save them a ton of money in the long run


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## Thebettaqueen (Feb 20, 2012)

It's sad really. I was at Petsmart and this couple was going to buy this small critter carrier and a new betta. Me just standing around looking at the new load of bettas. ( Surprisingly my store actually takes care of them) I had to inform them about the proper care and fish tank. They gladly took my advise and picked up a 5 gallon tank and picked up a heater. Then, the employee decided I was giving out the wrong info and I told him, no. I have three bettas at home and I've looked up the right care and such. HE left me alone. It's horrible how people, who work at a pet store, no nothing.


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## a123andpoof (Apr 10, 2010)

This didn't happen with an employee but I was at petco yesterday and a woman was looking at the bettas and so I stopped and talked to her. I asked if she was going to get a betta and she told me she had 3 already and she kept them in heated 5 gallon tanks.
It always nice to find other people who care for their bettas and do the research regardless of what pet stores say! Should have asked if she knew about this site...


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## Thebettaqueen (Feb 20, 2012)

That's great to hear! I was thinking about going to my local petsmart and asking if I can place papers with information about proper betta care, since I've seen people talking about it before xD But I'm not sure if they'd do it. They're more into profit than animal care :/ I go in there and stare at the bettas, usually people would question me, but in this store it's like " You gonna buy one or what?" Sickens me. Though, like I said, their bettas are usually cared for pretty well..


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## a123andpoof (Apr 10, 2010)

Its so sad seeing how all these company's only see animals as profit.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

I was told a betta can fit in a large starbucks sized cup. Happily. And thrive. Happily.

Except Shiloh has to have his 20 gallon, El Dorado has to have his 10, Dally has to have his 1 gallon, The sorority inspected and welcomed all 7 guppies to their domain, Jekyll likes being with other fish, Conan has to be alone... :lol:

Betta lovers/experts up against "I got this job last year but really only sounds like I have been here for a week", misinformed employees.


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

yup, pretty much. 

it is sad though. unfortunately, i do agree, a lot of places only see animals as profits. luckily, i really feel like the store i work at genuinely cares, at least a good percentage, we try to fix the problems we're having with pets instead of saying "oh it was just a $15 hamster" or "oh it was just a fish". although, i feel like maybe i care too much sometimes. but, maybe that's why i am where i am.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

I had a 15.00 hamster. and 2 30.00 guineas. and 12 5.00 fish :lol: their price never matters to me hehe


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## Thebettaqueen (Feb 20, 2012)

I recently went to Petsmart.
To my surprise, they had new fish. Healthy crowntails. Young and flaring. Half moon bettas flaring too. It was sad really, knowing that these guys would end up ill or in an inexperienced home. I was temped to pick one of them up, but I ended up taking home my first female, who was sitting in the back of petco. Which was also fresh in stock. Sadly, I couldn't get her a heater yet. I wasn't going to bother my father anymore xD Anyway. I really hope to come across a petstore that actually cares for pets..


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## CarmanDirda (Feb 20, 2012)

Sadly, especially for store workers, wrong betta info is thrown out constantly. PetSmart for example has set standards they're told to tell the customers, and it's all so wrong.

They support the 4in x 4in boxes for the fish (with no heater or filtration) and worse. It's really awful. I don't know how these people expect the poor things to survive to a year of age most times.


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

i know right!?

i mean, i'm sure my store has learned what they've learned from older less caring petsmart employees. half the things i tell my coworkers about bettas they've never heard before. but anyways, i'm sure the things they were taught were done so that the tiny bowls/cubes would sell. but honestly, wouldn't you rather make $30-$40 on a 5 gallon kit plus another $15 on a heater and other $3-$5 plants/gravel and hide outs than a just a $10 cube and a .99 cent plant? honestly, if more places knew the right stuff they would make MORE money selling more expensive and LARGER tanks than a $10 one.


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

oh, and price of a pet doesn't matter to me either. i love them no matter if they were $1 or $60!! <3


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Some of my bettas were free :3 they also came with the well known phrase from this employee "you know he probably won't survive. You SURE you want HIM?" my reply: yep. :lol: Admiral didn't survive, but the others did. Shiloh did. (stares at the half flaring purple pirhana in the 20 gallon fish tank) x.x

Even my guineas are getting top care lol!

Actually I find now, if I had known earlier I would have upgraded to larger tanks, I would have skipped to larger tanks. You save money this way, have more space to create an environment (driftwood, live plants, learn about the cycle and have it thrive, fake plants, cool rocks, fake coral etc) plus you could potentially have more fish, or divide the tank safely without illness dropping on them. 

For instance I won't go for a 40, I'll skip to a 70 or 100 :lol: (don't tempt me!)


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

hahaha. so true. ugh, if only i had my own house. my future hubby is in trouble. xD


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Those cubes are actually a better option because they turn bettas into "low care-low cost-low commitment pets" since most people aren't willing to spend the right amount on betta. 
I find it funny how even highly experienced fish people still have a wrong concept of betta care. I know our fish store is run by huge exotic animal experts and they STILL sell betta in vases. The fish there always end up so horrible. It's the first store in my area that started selling halfmoons, dragon scales, ect, and they mislabel all the betta and sell them for ridiculous prices (adorable regular little betta marked "dragonscale" and sold for twice as much."


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## PaintingPintos (Dec 27, 2011)

Just to share my anger~
I have seen 5 full-grown Orandas (at least 6 inches long) packed into a 10 gallon tank. A Petco employee said that they had been donated and the manager wouldn't let the store get a bigger tank for the goldies. I was so mad. Their fins were frayed, their scales a little nipped off, their gills bright red, and they had some Ich.
Also, I was at PetSmart to buy some RCS for a Science Fair project of mine, and they were all just sitting in their tank, as if frozen, completely still. I thought they were scared for some reason so I came back 15 minutes later and they were still in the same position. I asked what was wrong and they told me that the RCS are supposed to do that, and aren't very active and will freeze up when living with fish because they don't want to be eaten. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Also, this really horrible pet store I only went to ONCE...
DC Pet Center. I hate it there. Betta fish stacked in hazardous locations on the front desk in USED BABY FOOD JARS. You could still see the glue from where the label was. The water was FILTHY. I was MAD. I COMPLAINED. 
And also I saw 7-8 budgies packed into a 12x12x12 canary cage. Filthy water, hardly any food. All huddled up, filthy feathers. Same deal with the cockatiels, though there were only 3. Sick, still. And poor guinea pigs were stuffed into a 15 gallon fish tank....how many in there? At least 7, but I could hardly tell they were huddled into such a huge mass. Not. Normal. I'm surprised the place is still open. This happened 3 years ago and my mom tells me that everything is the same. I hate that place.


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

well, of course "low-cost, low-care, low-commitment" pets are what people are looking for. but for any of you that have multiple pets or even work in a pet store know there is no such thing as an "easy" pet. honestly, if you want something easy, get a cat. i LOVE cats. and in my opinion, they're the easiest pet i've ever had.


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## bananafish (Feb 9, 2012)

chrissylee13 said:


> well, of course "low-cost, low-care, low-commitment" pets are what people are looking for. but for any of you that have multiple pets or even work in a pet store know there is no such thing as an "easy" pet. honestly, if you want something easy, get a cat. i LOVE cats. and in my opinion, they're the easiest pet i've ever had.


The older your cat lives, the less easy he becomes. My oldest will turn 19 next month. He's hyperthyroid, chronic renal failure, failing eyesight, arthritic hips... I always tells people all pets become "special needs" if they live long enough. :roll: But I love that cat fiercely, and he's still the sweetest boy. He just has to have stairs to get up on all the furniture, haha. :-D


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

oh yeah, of course, i know what you're saying. that's just the way it goes. nothing stays young and fit forever. about a year ago my oldest cat died at the nice old age of 18. all her teeth had fallen out.. she was becoming old and frail, which seemed to happen so fast to me. it was hard to see the kitty i grew up with leave me. :[


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

I think a large, cycled fish tank is easy to care for, it just takes a lot of time/money to get it established, but after that it's fine. Also easy going snakes are what I'd consider the "easiest" pets to care for, but they live a heck of a long time too. Though they aren't really a lot of peoples' favourite animals.. xD My ball python's been with me for 8 years and he is honestly my favourite thing ever. He barely poos (compared to my dogs, lol) doesn't eat a lot and I can go on a week long vacation and come back and he's still tame as a puppy dog. :3


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

i forgot about snakes haha i only care for them at my store. and they are pretty easy i agree. and so is a cycled tank. lots easier than a fish bowl.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

I found out by my bf, that an approximate 100 gallon tank of his......landlord? Has probably 50 goldfish who are huge! He says we can get one for free. I say... gimme a 100 and we'll put a FEW in. not 50. or 100. >.> I do things right haha


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

oh my gosh! wow. yeah thats crazy...


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## Thebettaqueen (Feb 20, 2012)

I was at the petstore yesterday..
And the woman, who was trying to sell another betta, was also giving out the wrong information! I 'asked' ( already knowing) If they needed heaters. She said NO. She said they came from the cold waters of Japan!! I was outraged. Then I said " But they're tropical." She replied with " Oh! They're labeled tropical because they can go with other tropical fish. It doesn't mean they need heaters :B" Obviously, being tropical means they need WARM WATER. Ugh. The stupid chick was ticking me off " They only need room temp :B" Ugh..


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## GuppyBetta (Mar 10, 2012)

Thebettaqueen said:


> I was at the petstore yesterday..
> And the woman, who was trying to sell another betta, was also giving out the wrong information! I 'asked' ( already knowing) If they needed heaters. She said NO. She said they came from the cold waters of Japan!! I was outraged. Then I said " But they're tropical." She replied with " Oh! They're labeled tropical because they can go with other tropical fish. It doesn't mean they need heaters :B" Obviously, being tropical means they need WARM WATER. Ugh. The stupid chick was ticking me off " They only need room temp :B" Ugh.


\


I'm sorry to resurrect this thread, but; "cold waters of Japan?" I'm beginning to wonder if bettas are smarter than some humans. :twisted:


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

I was at wally world looking over the females to see if I can't get a sick one on discount (I'mm all for saving a buck here or there) and this family came up and was like "how do we know which ones are which? how do we know if their sick?" I couldn't just stand there and look stupid so I helped them out. Come to fin dout someone at petco said they HAD to have fluval 5 gal for their betta otherwise they'd die. I immediately said that its not needed. Long story short I helped them figure out the right tank (turns out they had a 2.5 gallon at home collecting dust) and helped them pick a healthy fish.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Because bettas know all about brand, and if you choose a standard rectangle tank instead of a Fluval, your betta will know, and die just to tell you how cruel you are.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

They must live in the highest fashion. Or else they throw fits. xD


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

I know I giggled. Poor lady probably felt like a fool. She didn't believe the person at petco but they were so pushy about it


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

I'm glad I don't deal with pet stores anymore. I usually just buy things like filter cartridges, nets, thermometers etc. at Walmart. I really don't have time to deal with them. Ill help a customer but I don't deal with employees.


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

silly silly uneducated pushy employees. makes me glad that i know the things i do. that way no one can tell me otherwise and i can help other people. 

it was funny, the person i posted this thread about originally tried to tell me that i shouldn't have more than 2 females in my sorority i'm planning. and that the less females and less aggressive they will be towards one another.... O.O i quickly corrected him.


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

lol makes me almost want to get a job there and show them up


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

theres mom/pop small LPS downtown which isnt always 100% clean in apperance but it does get a 90% from me. their fish tanks arent exactly 100 clean but theres slight algea issues on the tank walls. the place isnt that bad but i found out its good points today. theres limited nutrafin and hikari products ie fish food and jungle brand meds. the clerk there had the misfortune of trying the ____fix products 1st hand on betta with deadly results. im glad they are atleast a bit educated (didnt do a full course questionaire to test them) but they have experince with various meds. they dont have any nutrafin ____fix medications  on sale there.

they dont have much choice on betta and betta care is decent but not exemplary. i did get full 234ml container (used old empty fish jar.) of jungle fungal infection med for $8 from them . they seem more knowledgble than the chain stores fish pet care lesson regimen. some of the chain stores here have knwlegble staff but the betta/fish department is on subpar as usual. she did say that maracyn products didnt work for her but she didnt specify to me which reasons she used it for at that time. they're more into API and jungle brand meds than the carp that nutrafin pushes on the market. unfortunately i still need to go to plattsburgfro jungle anti parasite pellets or order them.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

One day I really want to go into my local shops and ask advice about 'my first betta', just to find out what they are saying to people without experience.


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## LugiaChan (Mar 8, 2012)

1) I'm wondering if the pet stores give this information out so that they can profit from the medicine they give out for betta fish... 

2) I really want to know if they're truly profiting off smaller inventory things (I think you can stack up the $20 tiny betta plastic boxes in a 10 gal tank and it'd cost more thus more profit with the smaller tanks) PLUS they're easier to sell because people don't want to pay so much in a rough economy.

If you tell someone you need a large tank, filter heater and things- it's possible the sales will be down because of people's thoughts of "oh my gosh I have to afford all of this and take care of this and that? I want an easy pet" for the microwave society of people, they like cheap, fast, easy.



Anyone want to join in putting paper notes on shelves secretly with "Betta fish require 5 gal. tanks or more, with a heater and a filter: RESEARCH YOURSELVES!!! Bettafish.com

=) We can all join forces and start a movement! If someone doubts our information, smile and still love them but really just a few people and even one person can make all the difference in a positive direction.


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

haha that's a good idea!

if more people took the chance of having a single betta and caring for it how they should they would become addicts like us! lol. i think people are just so worried about not being able to have more than 1 betta fish in a tank. in all reality i think it makes them super awesome and really beautiful.

but ya know, i try my best to give out the right information on bettas at work. all i can do is tell the customers how they should be taken care of and let them decide. it's pretty half and half of who actually listens and who could care less.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

I myself consider every new person we set in the right direction on here a small victory :3


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## Thebettaqueen (Feb 20, 2012)

lvandert said:


> lol makes me almost want to get a job there and show them up


Same >3<


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## Litlover11 (Aug 1, 2011)

Honestly, I think they tell these people this stuff because they want the fish to die early. That way, the customer will keep coming in and buying more fish. One employee once told me that it was horrible that I was keeping my Betta in a 3 gallon and wanted to update to a 10 gallon. She insisted that he would be much happier in a quart bowl where he could barely move. Needless to say, I did not listen to her ignorant advice.


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## MollyJean (Dec 29, 2009)

What kind of reasoning could anyone have for that? Oh, wait, kids these days would rather be locked in their bedrooms then play outside.. I guess it makes sense. >.>


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## Zippy (Mar 18, 2012)

I just got my betta 3 days ago and I love him! I had one when I was really young, and I am excited to have one again. However, when my friend picked him out for me (at Petco!) the employee told him exactly what to get: Small tank (1 gallon), some stones, fake plants, food and water treatment. My little guy is now freezing in his tiny tank! My friend even asked the employee if it needed a heater or filter and the guy said nope, and that the food he got woul last "forever" because betta "don't eat much". As soon as I got Zippy I started looking into how to care for him, all it takes is a few minutes on Youtube or the internet.. I think it's perfectly acceptable to admit you don't know the answer to a question. Don't just spout off randomness, it can have very negative effects!!


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