# Sad, sad, sad PetSmart...



## Harley (Mar 20, 2011)

So I was in PetSmart today buying some stuff and saw that they had a bunch of brochures on a rack. I noticed one for Bettas so I decided to take one home. When I got home nd started reading, what a surprise I got. It mentions you can keep them in a 1 quart (1 liter) or larger bowl! That’s even smaller than the 1 gallon bowls members use here occasionally. For water changes it mentions performing weekly water changes for bowls. It states that if using a community aquarium, test water weekly and perform partial water changes twice a month (that’s pretty open ended). It also says if your Betta is in an un-heated bowl the room temperature should be at least 72F or 22C. I’m not sure that will necessarily transfer to the bowl though. My place is at about 25C and the bowl (before my aquarium) used to sit at about 70F. The sad thing is, this is meant to educate people!


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## Tisia (Mar 15, 2011)

the wal mart by me had a sign suggesting the cups they came in were good homes >_< I didn't see if last time I was in, wonder if they took it down or someone else did


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## lalalaura (Mar 25, 2011)

I went to Petsmart to ask if they had the betta bowl heaters and the first thing the girl told me was "bettas don't need heaters"... I just told her I wasn't asking if they needed heaters.. Needless to say, I never go back...


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## Johnificent (Feb 21, 2010)

@lalalarua... omg... that same thing happened to me :O i went to petco, and i couldnt find where the heaters were, so i asked this lady, and she saw i had that betta bow 2.5 tank in my hand, and she said, "bettas dont need heaters" dam.... i talked to her.... in a furious manner.... XDD


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## lalalaura (Mar 25, 2011)

Yeah, they are basically down selling people ... lol. 
Shouldn't they recommend heaters for bettas (since they need them) and it would get people to spend more money! DUhhhh


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## Johnificent (Feb 21, 2010)

i was thinking the same thing! hahahah XDD its weird how they say no heaters, but the aqueon betta kit says to buy a heater for your betta, so they're selling a product with the opposite of what they are saying, LOL


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## DoNotDeclaw (Apr 1, 2011)

lalalaura said:


> Yeah, they are basically down selling people ... lol.
> Shouldn't they recommend heaters for bettas (since they need them) and it would get people to spend more money! DUhhhh


I've always wondered about that, lol. People won't always listen to what you say, but if they do, big sale.


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

They might honestly think that. The aquatics expert at Petco flat out told me she thought I was killing my bettas by using heaters. I wanted to buy a heater and she kept trying to talk me out of it. Finally I said, I WANT a heater and I'm buying one. :/ My dog likes her though, so I always end up over there.


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## Burd (Apr 10, 2011)

DoNotDeclaw said:


> I've always wondered about that, lol. People won't always listen to what you say, but if they do, big sale.


Perhaps it was a spiteful employee? lol


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## Twilight Storm (Apr 14, 2011)

When I was in Pet Supplies Plus a younger girl was "helping me." It was before I found this forum. I do plan on giving her this website address when I am up in the area again since she said she owned some and a couple were pretty sick with things covered in a few threads here. 

This inspired me to find pet store employees who wouldn't mind passing on this website address to customers and maybe the life of the poor little guys stuck in the cups might improve? I have a feeling most employees won't really care, but a lot really do love all animals, and bettafish.com is pretty easy to remember.  Heck this site might even improve their sales getting the right set up for their fish from the beginning!

Edit to second everyone's similiar opinion I have  I started writing when Tisia's post was the last one


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## Pekemom (Jan 27, 2011)

> My dog likes her though, so I always end up over there.


So funny!! My dog likes it there, too!!!


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## nowzem (Apr 14, 2011)

When I went to Petsmart last week they told me that they only change the cups water twice a week. TWICE! In a friggin cup! At the pet store I worked at about 10 years ago, we changed their water daily! The girl also told me that once I got my betta home that I only needed to change the water once a month! She never asked what size tank or anything!


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## SnowySurface (Apr 25, 2011)

I also got bad advise when I first started with my bettas. I don't know how Luigi and Snowy survived the winter with no heater and monthly water changes. I checked my themometer last night and freaked a bit when I say the temp is about 72 during the day but drops as low as 65 at night. The sunlight was doing way more for my tank temp than I realized. I think my filter and water condictioners deserve medals for keeping my fishies alive through the winter. Especially since the sunlight was weaker and the temp dips had to be more drastic than now. >.< Thankfully, their heaters arrive tomorrow to prevent any future temp dips. I must have the most hearty, patient, and forgiving Bettas on Earth. <3


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## dazzlejazzle12 (Apr 14, 2011)

I was in petsmart the other day and I was buying one of those .5 gallon (or less) things they call "betta tanks". When I went to pay for it the lady said "Oh, do you have betta's at home?" and I told her I did and that he was in a 5 gallon tank with a heater and a filter and that the bowl I was getting was for when I was doing water changes. She looked at me like I was stupid and said "Betta's don't need heaters or filters. They like small homes and cold water." I mean... Really?


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## DarkMoon17 (Apr 16, 2011)

Petsmart (Petco to a lesser extent) is notorious for teaching its employees that bettas are puddle fish. If they were to tell people the truth; that bettas require tanks with heat and etc... they would sell fewer and make less money. THAT is why they teach their employees that bettas are cold water puddle fish. It isn't exactly out of stupidity, it is out of pure greed. I do know a number of educated employees who try their best to properly educate people without getting fired but well... It's just another way humans take advantage of other species :/


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## Tisia (Mar 15, 2011)

you know, it almost seems like the profits would probably end up pretty close to the same to me. sure less people would buy, but the ones that did would end up spending more on the bigger tanks with heaters and more decorations to fill them

oh, and less dealing with returns when people find out how insufficient those horrible little betta tanks are


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## DarkMoon17 (Apr 16, 2011)

Tisia said:


> you know, it almost seems like the profits would probably end up pretty close to the same to me. sure less people would buy, but the ones that did would end up spending more on the bigger tanks with heaters and more decorations to fill them
> 
> oh, and less dealing with returns when people find out how insufficient those horrible little betta tanks are


True, but you have to remember that the people Petsmart markets to are uneducated children/parents who are just looking for something to grab their kid's attention for a few weeks. Bettas are sturdy enough to survive just past the 14 day return policy too, so when the fish does die, the kid cries and parents go replace it. It's a win win for Petsmart. Most pet owners do not do proper research (the petstore employee knows best after all). There are far more irresponsible owners than there are responsible fish owners. 

Additionally, people are more willing to repetitively buy bettas if supporting them is cheap. If they just need to buy a jar for each betta then they can get 10 of them for minimal personal cost. Responsible owners will buy the 10 gallon tank and decor, but once the tank is properly set up and stocked, they don't buy much else (or buy things online) and the fish lives longer ( and does not need medicine) so it is not replaced. Not to mention that it is cheaper to buy complete fish set ups at walmart (or online, or craigslist: responsibile owners do more research on where to find _cheap_ things too) so petsmart doesn't necessarily benefit from responsible owners at all. 

This is all of course generalized. If you just sit in Petsmart for awhile and people-watch you can see it happen right in from of you repetitively. It's very sad.


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## Arashi Takamine (Mar 3, 2011)

The sad thing is this one employee at Petco I saw once was helping this woman and her daughter with goldfish they had like twenty comets they were asking questions and he didn't say anything, not: "Sorry I don't know." Or "Maybe ask someone else?" Sad thing is they had a clever way of transporting those pond fish. They brought a little basket to carry the bag in. Their Moor, Calico, and Ryukin tanks are pretty bad. They wiggle like betta's do when their flaring but they are bigger then my fist...They only keep six oranda's together in the thing at a time and their coy are really well taken care of. Sadly the woman who usually takes care of the betta's wasn't there and so many fish had fin-rot and were tailbiting that it pained me.


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## Blazer23 (Apr 21, 2011)

The day (i went to petsmart) I upgraded my bowl I asked if other fish can live with a betta. SHE SAID NOTHING CAN LIVE WITH A BETTA NOT EVEN SNAIL!


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## Ariel1719 (Mar 29, 2009)

I work at a pet store but we dont sell pets. I WISHH I worked in a store that had pets. Just so i could help educate STUPID ignorant people. I actually had a customer come in today and ask about betta's. He saw the dumb 1/2 gal 'betta bowl' we carry, but i showed him the 5 and 10gals we also have. He ended up leaving with a full 10gal setup for his one betta. He wont be cycling the tank but he said he does 100% changes once a week and 25% every other day. I was very pleased with his decision! Every time I go into my local petsmart, i try to help at least one person on bettas. There is always someone looking at 1gallon bowls. It often helps when i pull my phone out and show a photo or video of one of my happy betta's in a 2.5 or more gallon tank. Most people just think bettas are the sick and dying ones or are all they do is lay around.


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## Harley (Mar 20, 2011)

Ariel1719 said:


> I actually had a customer come in today and ask about betta's. He saw the dumb 1/2 gal 'betta bowl' we carry, but i showed him the 5 and 10gals we also have. He ended up leaving with a full 10gal setup for his one betta.


Good job! The owner and the betta will be happier in the end.



Ariel1719 said:


> Most people just think bettas are the sick and dying ones or are all they do is lay around.


That's because some stores like Walmart line their shelves with dead bettas who aren't cared for :evil: . Also its hard for a betta to move around much when they're stuck in a cup.


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## Ariel1719 (Mar 29, 2009)

Harley said:


> Good job! The owner and the betta will be happier in the end.
> 
> 
> 
> That's because some stores like Walmart line their shelves with dead bettas who aren't cared for :evil: . Also its hard for a betta to move around much when they're stuck in a cup.


I know it is disgraceful. I will 100% admit that when I was new to betta keeping (6 years ago, wow!) I also thought all they needed were those little 1/2 gal keepers. NOW that I have been here and kept many many betta's I WILL NOT house any betta in anything smaller then 2.5gal. They thrive and are so much more entertaining when they actually move around and show you their personality!


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## Landon21 (Mar 27, 2011)

thats awful..


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## TheKzv (Mar 20, 2011)

2 days ago, my little brother just bought a betta at petsmart. While I was off looking at some tanks, my dad decided to go ask an employee for help. :-?
She suggested that we buy the Marina 1/2 gallon tank with a divider so we could buy 2 bettas! :shock: 
Everytime she suggested a tank it was 1 gal or lower and it kept getting pricier and pricier. I heard them talking so I decided to go over with the 2.5 Top fin tank for $12. She said they needed a place smaller than that! As she left, I took the betta and the 2.5 gallon and paid for it MYSELF, and took my little brother out of the store lol :roll:


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## Harley (Mar 20, 2011)

TheKzv said:


> She said they needed a place smaller than that!


That's beyond dumb. Good for you for going with the 2.5g


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## scrappymj (May 3, 2011)

I went to pet smart and asked if my betta needs a heater in her tank, they told me no, but here i'm learning a lot 
MJ


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