# Betta Adoption Program



## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Ok so I've always wanted to do this and now I'm putting it into action. I'm starting a betta adoption program. Here's the link:

http://bettachat181.webs.com/bettaadoptionpage.htm

It's simple:
Step 1: You donate as much as you like (via PayPal)
Step 2: I buy fish using 75% of the donated money.
Step 3: I post fish for adoption.
Step 4: You adopt 

Some adoption fish might be included free with other orders.

If you're wondering what's going on with the other 25% of your money it's being used to maintain fish and buy new stock and supplies.

Adoption fish will be housed in 16 ounce cups (with holes in the bottom) custom modified for easy cleaning and cleaned once or twice a day. Fed everyother day (to minimize polution).

Large donations (over $20) will be used to make Betta Starter Kits. Just basic little temporary homes for bettas, with a 1/2 gallon jar with lid, gravel, a pack of live plants, and detailed instructions on maintaining it until a more suitable home is found.


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## JKfish (Apr 8, 2010)

Where are you buying your fish from?


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

JKfish said:


> Where are you buying your fish from?


 Tons of places. When I see one in bad conditions I buy, raise back to health, and adopt out to people who buy my bettas, who I know will take care of them.


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## Learn To Fly (May 15, 2010)

I might donate when I earn a little money. It's a great idea. I already said this but if we trade pairs I might also take a rescue 

Good luck!

Oh yeah, and did anything ever come of that pet store your brother was opening?


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Learn To Fly said:


> I might donate when I earn a little money. It's a great idea. I already said this but if we trade pairs I might also take a rescue
> 
> Good luck!
> 
> Oh yeah, and did anything ever come of that pet store your brother was opening?


 The fish store is just an idea. No guarentees yet.


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## BettaLover101 (Aug 20, 2010)

Great idea! I might donate once I can get some money.


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## JKfish (Apr 8, 2010)

Hmmm. Instead of buying, why not try to get the stores to give them to you for free or at a discount? Most petstores have a policy that doesn't allow them to sell sick animals for full price. Plus, when you buy the fish, (if from LFS) then you're really only supporting them keeping their bettas in bad conditions. You'll probably need the donations more for healing the bettas.


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

+1 to JKfish. I think your heart is in the right place but I think there are better ways to go about betta rescue than putting money into pet store pockets just so the fish you buy can be replaced with another.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

True, I never thought about that!! I'll jus ask them for a discounted price on them. 

I don't believe that it is ok to just leave them sitting on a shelf to die. That's why I'm doing this.


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## JKfish (Apr 8, 2010)

I know watching bettas rot in the cups is horrible, but you might want to consider first talking to the store manager about bettafish care. Sometimes explaining the pros of cleaner water in cups ( coustomers more likely to buy, healthy fish, etc.) will be enough To get the bettas in better conditions


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

I agree. While buying an individual will change the life of that particular betta, but next week there will be another there to replace it. It would be much better to simply talk with the management about your concerns and propose practical means of improving conditions for their fish. 

For instance, a few weeks ago I purchased a couple of fish from Petco, that _looked_ reasonably clean and healthy, but when I tested their cup water as I always do, instead of turning a shade of green after five minutes, the water turned nearly navy blue in a few seconds--off the charts high for ammonia. The next time I was there, I found a manager and told him my experience and how deeply disappointed I was in them for their shameless neglect. While this is not a perfect world and I expected some ammonia, there is absolutely no excuse for the readings I got. They needed to take the small amount of time to changing the cups more often, and that's all there was to it. 

He assured me that he would start testing the cups at random to make sure his employees were sticking to their schedule as they were supposed to, and sent someone to do it immediately. While there's no telling whether or not it will stick, there were a lot of fish in the display right then who desperately needed some water changes, and while I'm happy I took two out of that situation, it felt better to improve the conditions of the entire display with just a little 5 minute pep talk.

Personally, due to most store regulations they don't let the sick ones go for free. Not free = not happening. A discount means the store still makes a profit, so I'm not interested. I'm only interested in them losing money for sick fish. When I do a rescue, it's usually from someone on craigslist who can no longer keep their fish.


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## VioletTrauma (Aug 8, 2010)

thats the best idea ive heard =3 ill support! when i get money ill donate! =3


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## VioletTrauma (Aug 8, 2010)

Adastra said:


> I agree. While buying an individual will change the life of that particular betta, but next week there will be another there to replace it. It would be much better to simply talk with the management about your concerns and propose practical means of improving conditions for their fish.
> 
> For instance, a few weeks ago I purchased a couple of fish from Petco, that _looked_ reasonably clean and healthy, but when I tested their cup water as I always do, instead of turning a shade of green after five minutes, the water turned nearly navy blue in a few seconds--off the charts high for ammonia. The next time I was there, I found a manager and told him my experience and how deeply disappointed I was in them for their shameless neglect. While this is not a perfect world and I expected some ammonia, there is absolutely no excuse for the readings I got. They needed to take the small amount of time to changing the cups more often, and that's all there was to it.
> 
> ...


im glad you took those two outta that situation. and i hope that the dumb employees stick to their cleaning of the water. i wish the companies would lose money for sick animals of any kind. not just fish but all of them. they need to stop looking at them as money and as another life and sinscerely take care of them or they need better employees that actually care for the animals well being


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

I have tried to explain to them but when I come back it's even worse  Only one PetCo here is amazing with their bettas.


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## Duskdog (Sep 22, 2010)

VioletTrauma said:


> im glad you took those two outta that situation. and i hope that the dumb employees stick to their cleaning of the water. i wish the companies would lose money for sick animals of any kind. not just fish but all of them. they need to stop looking at them as money and as another life and sinscerely take care of them or they need better employees that actually care for the animals well being


Please don't be too hard on the employees themselves. I know it hurts to see bettas (or any animal) in unsuitable conditions, but I know for a fact that most of the problem at any retail establishment is serious understaffing. The vast majority of employees, particularly the career full-timers/management, honestly do care about animals, but with corporations working the way they do and the economy being the way it is, hours have been scaled back to almost nothing. At my particular store, it isn't unusual for there to only be two employees, including the manager-on-duty, working at any time -- and the manager is often doing double-duty as cashier for at least part of the day! The aquatics department alone is enough to be a 24-hours-7-days-a-week job, but even when the aquatics specialist is there, he's often the only employee or one of only two on the floor helping customers, recieving animals/orders, caring for animals, putting up tags, answering the phone, getting crickets, doing price checks, etc. as the cashier is only allowed to go so far from the register. Please do let management and corporate know whenever there's a problem so they can get on it (a lot of times it's not laziness, it's just things getting lost in the midst of a never-ending to-do list that only gets longer with each passing minute), but try to be as nice about it as possible. We honestly appreciate customers who calmly and sincerely explain their concerns. People who scream and rant and rave or call us lazy or throw obscenities at us (yes, it happens far more often than you'd think) DO get their concerns addressed immediately, but consider this -- stressed unhappy employees are not good workers, and nothing makes a barely-over-minimum-wage slave more stressed and unhappy than being screamed at.

While the problem of man-hours isn't likely to change, I'd like to see things change on a company-wide level in regard to bettas. I'd love to see the store do away with the teeny-tiny bowls, push some proper education, etc. Bettas suffer a bit because they're considered a "starter" fish that are low-maintenance and get people into the aquarium hobby, and I imagine that corporate worries that they'll lose that angle if betta care starts looking more expensive to customers, but I think they can be convinced if enough people speak up strongly but politely with facts to back it up. I'm management in one of the major pet store chains, yes, but in the grooming salon so my contact with the aquatics customers is limited. I'm trying hard to educate my fellow employees, though, and talk to customers about the true needs of happy healthy bettas when I get the chance. If I can even just convince them to go for a Kritter Keeper and a heater, or a wee little mini-bow, over a tiny bowl or cube, I feel like I've made some real progress.

MrVamp, I think it's awesome that you're rescuing bettas in need, but as some have said, the stores you're buying from don't distinguish between bettas bought as pets, as rescues, or out of pity -- all corporate sees are numbers sold and how much profit it equals. The same dilemma is what keeps puppy mills and backyard breeders in operation -- every unhealthy puppy sold, even if it's only sold by someone taking pity on the poor little thing, is monetary encouragement for them to breed and sell more.

Someone suggested Craigslist, and I think that's a good option, as there are usually people trying to get rid of bettas on my local list. You could also always check and see if Petco has any adoption bettas available. It's a long-shot, but Petco DOES take in abandoned animals (that is animals that people want to just get rid of -- they aren't bought from the customer, they're just taken in and housed until someone adopts them) to adopt out when they have the space. Fish aren't as common as small furry animals, but they do get them from time to time.

Even with all that said, I know it's hard to resist rescuing a betta who's obviously suffering or close to death, so I certainly can't blame anyone for giving in and buying one.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Hello, Duskdog and welcome to the forum.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Ya I've seen a lot of Criagslist ones and I'm always on there looking for tanks anyway LOL.


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