# Those Listings that Make You Go: WHY?



## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

Just...just WHY?

People selling bettas with deformaties, rosetail, x-factor, waaaaay over priced, being sold as the wrong gender etc, are hardly NEW...but SOMETIMES, you just finding that ONE LISTING that just takes the cake.

This thread is for those.

Please follow the below rules:


Has to be an actual listing you see/have seen.

You cannot name the seller, or link to the fish. The purpose of this thread is not to harass sellers of these fish, but to help raise awareness, and so we can all have a laugh, and go "WHY?" together.

Once more: No harassing the seller of these fish. If you feel that they are making a mistake on accident, then feel free to very politely inform them that something is wrong with their fish, and maybe link them to some articles. This thread is not to promote harassment.

Now, I shall begin:








The description only says "Excellent Quality", I...I don't even know where to begin. Just...just why?
This poor, poor creature.









At first, I thought this fish was resting on the bottom with her tail in the air in a kinda cute position...but NOPE. 
That's her spine.








Poor girl probably can't swim well, if at all. :C
(Description only says; "Excellent").

But the one that takes the cake is THIS one:








He's being sold as a "Telescope" Halfmoon betta due to his bulging eyes much like a telescope gold-fish's.








This poor boy probably has severe pop-eye, and will lose his eyes, and it's being sold as a hot new gene, just...
...WHY?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Just to inject: There's nothing wrong with Rosetails. I've never had them be any less healthy than my HM or PK or any more prone to fin biting. IMO, these beautiful Betta do not deserve to be placed in the same category as the deformities shown above.


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## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Just to inject: There's nothing wrong with Rosetails. I've never had them be any less healthy than my HM or PK or any more prone to fin biting. IMO, these beautiful Betta do not deserve to be placed in the same category as the deformities shown above.


Sorry! I should clarify: The more extreme rosetails, and more particularly, over priced extreme rosetails, and I agree, rosetails are in no way as...SAD as the fish pictured above.


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

oh my word... yeah I have seen some breeders with very deformed bettas out there in the past. T^T poor things!


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## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

@Tree Very much so...I'm sad to say that the second one I posted is a spawn sibling to my Meringue...so I will likely either avoid breeding her, or breed her to a boy with a veeery long body and perfect spine, and be prepared to cull is I ever DO.
(I didn't check the seller's other auctions before buying her...I will make sure to do so in the future.)

Honestly though, we don't know...? Maybe the seller's hearts are in the right place, and the don't have the heart to cull deformed, but living fry, and just want them to go to good homes...? And maybe the third one just doesn't know much about betta illnesses?
But if not...that's just sad.


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

yeah you just never know really. kinda like puppy mills in fish form. T^T


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## DZIM (Oct 20, 2015)

I have to question the logic of people who sell fish in these conditions at a premium... it's obvious those fish aren't going to last very long. The buyers are going to be angry when that $50 betta dies in a month due to poor health. Why would a seller risk their reputation and business selling severely deformed fish? Do they actually think there's nothing wrong with them, or what? I don't get it.


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## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

@Tree INDEED! poor fishies...

...All we can really do is hope no one buys them, or that anyone who DOES puts in the time, effort, and extra care they need in for them.


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## DZIM (Oct 20, 2015)

Also, if that dumbo doesn't have popeye and his eyes actually naturally look like that, that's still a bad thing. Unless he's kept in a totally bare tank, he's going to be bashing his eyeballs on stuff and will be massively prone to infections, and will almost certainly go blind. That fish will be in poor health and agony for as long as it's alive. Cruel.


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## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

@DZIM I agree. It's cruel to both the fish, and the buyer, but since people are making money, I suppose that neither matters to them. onq


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## KaderTheAnt (Jan 19, 2017)

This is a real beautiful huh? And 16 dollars? That’s a completely fair price! 

(Much sarcasm is included)


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## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

@KaderTheAnt Oh dear! Is that ik or a growth on his forehead? And those poor fins are curling...poor boy. :c


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## KaderTheAnt (Jan 19, 2017)

I thought it was a gash of some sort... but yes, the curled fins and the head wound. If I didn’t have my hands full with trying to recuperate some bettas id definitely consider asking her to give me a discount so I could try and save his poor soul..


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## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

@KaderTheAnt That poor boy...that head wound is definitely infected. It's very sad, but we can't save them all.


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

is it just me or does this betta look deformed?


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## KaderTheAnt (Jan 19, 2017)

His tail seems to be a bit strange but I don’t see anything seriously wrong with him (IMO)


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

maybe its the way his body is arched when he flairs. lol still a pretty boy


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## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

@Tree I'd say he's a bit short-bodied, with un-even web reduction in tail. The combination thereof makes him look a bit...OFF.


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

ah understandable. 

ok ok I got one: 

what the heck!?


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## KaderTheAnt (Jan 19, 2017)

@Tree I see nothing wrong with him (sarcasm) oml what has happened to him!? That poor baby!..


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

do you think its a tumor? so sad!


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## KaderTheAnt (Jan 19, 2017)

I’m not the only one who sees something wrong, right?


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

That red dragon looks like a flower horn ciclid, oml. The yellow Bicolor Tree posted is pretty spoonheaded/short bodied, and the one Kader posted has a deformed spine. Ugh. Some people, it's just sad


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## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

@Tree Could be...or a weird pile-up of dragon scaling...either way, that can't be good for the fishy.
@KaderTheAnt I've actually seen QUITE a few girls like that on Ebay from one seller in particular?
Some have x-factor scaling, and all of them may me think that that breeder took "Females should have a straight top line..." WAY too seriously.
None of them look right. X'D


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## KaderTheAnt (Jan 19, 2017)

@ThatFishThough isn’t it! Why would people do this to poor fish. I hate to say it but some of these fish shouldn’t been culled a long time ago... 
@angeliza Yeah, she’s one of them and in my opinion the worst out of them. I’d hate to see what the males from that spawn turned out to be if the females are looking like that.


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

Kader, these fish shouldn't have even been bred in the first place. Now, I understand if it was one out of a hundred babies, but I would not breed the parents again nor would I continue to breed the siblings or the fish with the deformity. The popeye is also understandable, but instead of selling it, FIX IT! Treat it, at least try to help the poor fish.


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## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

@ThatFishThough I agree. Too many people are breeding deformed fish, and selling them for quite a bit of money.
The seller with the weird females for example has them priced anywhere from 20-40 dollars. Just a few makes sense, but so man of an entire spawn? They're knowingly breeding these and selling them.

Fish getting pop-eye, or the occasional spine issue makes sense...but illness should be treated, and fish with spine issues culled, or given to a home that can provide extra care. NOT sold online for high amounts.


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

Oh man.. that poor little girls spine!!! Alot of the in breeding in fish reminds me so much of cat and dog inbreeding to make these pets look "cute" and "young" but they are in bad health.


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## DZIM (Oct 20, 2015)

That guy with the big flowerhorn-esque lump on his head is so weird. He's still cute though. I'd take him for free.

Honestly, all of these fish should just be given away for free, though a few of them look like kindest thing to do would be to put them down. That girl on the first page with the horrifically deformed spine, for one... I actually ran across that fish while looking for a seller that produces blue mustards so I could buy one in a few months. Now I'm really conflicted about buying from that seller.


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## KaderTheAnt (Jan 19, 2017)

@DZIM uhhh yeah... I’d ask for a picture if you’re getting it from the same seller


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## DZIM (Oct 20, 2015)

KaderTheAnt said:


> @DZIM uhhh yeah... I’d ask for a picture if you’re getting it from the same seller
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The seller does have a lot of very nice looking fish, but if they're producing fish that are also hideously deformed, it makes me wonder how well-bred the nice looking actually ones are. There's always a chance they could have problems that won't manifest until later. I don't think I'll be buying from them at all.


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## KaderTheAnt (Jan 19, 2017)

Yet another one... why eBay...


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## AngelDemonWolf (Aug 16, 2017)

I got to meet once a breeder that got deform bettas (Don't got the picture) he put them up for adoption were you only had to pay for the shipping costs. 

Anyone have thoughs about this? I think it was pretty decent and fair.


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## DZIM (Oct 20, 2015)

AngelDemonWolf said:


> I got to meet once a breeder that got deform bettas (Don't got the picture) he put them up for adoption were you only had to pay for the shipping costs.
> 
> Anyone have thoughs about this? I think it was pretty decent and fair.


For me, it depends on how badly deformed the bettas are. If the deformity severely hinders the fish's quality of life, then it should be put down instead of given up for adoption. No sense in making an animal suffer needlessly. If the fish can still swim and eat comfortably, and the deformity doesn't cause them pain, then giving them up for adoption is a great idea as long as the seller isn't profiting off of them.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

KaderTheAnt said:


> View attachment 923834
> 
> 
> Yet another one... why eBay...
> ...


There's nothing wrong with that girl. Nothing wrong with scooping them out for a picture either. For me, it does get better pics in the water but nothing wrong with that.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Tree said:


> ah understandable.
> 
> ok ok I got one:
> 
> what the heck!?


And yep, that's hyperpigmentation. Just big pile of iridescence/scale buildup. Typically it doesn't hurt the fish since it's only on the outside of the body unlike a cyst protrusion which occurs on the inside and outside and can press against organs. This guy might get weighed down and likely it will fall off in time but it won't directly hurt him, as ugly as he is lol.


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## KaderTheAnt (Jan 19, 2017)

lilnaugrim said:


> There's nothing wrong with that girl. Nothing wrong with scooping them out for a picture either. For me, it does get better pics in the water but nothing wrong with that.




I thought it was just the picture but in both pictures she’s got the extremely straight spine, as does her siblings.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

KaderTheAnt said:


> I thought it was just the picture but in both pictures she’s got the extremely straight spine, as does her siblings.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


It's the way that they're being held. Most fish will straighten out like that when held. The other sister's spine is absolutely crooked and not nice looking, though it likely won't hurt her quality of life, she just shouldn't be a breeder fish is all. This fish, the second sister, does have a small kink but nothing bad. She'll arch more when she's swimming around and flaring. Again, she won't make the best breeder and especially seeing her sister, none of those fish would. But they still make good pets ^_^


Not all deformities are life-threatening, they may not look very nice and I do absolutely believe the seller should not advertise them as perfect or raise their price for "novelty", that's just being a bad human being. But, Double Tails are all deformed fish, Betta's don't naturally have double lobes to make two tails lol. But more often than not, many do have a bent spine and sometimes it can affect the quality of life when their spine blocks their intestines or presses against organs so it makes it hard to digest food. That's when you'd want to feed a special diet of mostly live foods and high quality pellets so he can use most of the nutrients instead of pooping it all out.


So, it's more about, "why" did they mark the price up for a clearly deformed fish, or why are they marketing this fish as special when it's deformed and not. Not so much about the fish being deformed. If they aren't marketing it as special or giving it a raised price then I don't think it's a bad listing, though it would be nice to mention that they aren't breeder quality and are only for Pet use, but they don't really do that either :-/


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Ran across this poor girl today. She's not totally blind but definitely clouded. It's said that banana leaves, the acidity helps low the thickness of dragonscales. I'm not sure exactly how true this is but if anyone took her home, it'd be worth a shot to try it. She's cute otherwise.


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

Aww, she's cute. I'd take her if I could get her at a discount, I think she'd be too blind to catch my RCS so she could go into the 5.5. Definitely adorable.


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