Just bought a betta, and people should be ashamed...

[Birdbabe]

The wallyworld here has stopped selling Bettas (YAY!) I really went off on the guy one time when I was in there, about how they were stacked upon each other and hardly any water, let alone clean water. Thanks for gettin the little guy, Im positive he will improve daily and be beautiful!

 

[KenDRAGON]

I remember, from working at a Petsupermarket, that we switched fish suppliers once.
We used to recieve all our bettas in these little individual bags with enough of the water they ship them in and cups came separately and we almost never had any casualties. The bags were really convenient because we could easily float them in our fishtanks so they could get used to the water temp, since that was the water we'd fill their cups with. Once we switched, however, this company sent them ALREADY IN THE CUPS with water, but these fish are shipped via truck and are in boxes, by the time we opened the boxes, and order of 40 fish would yield at least 10 dead ones because all their water would leak out of the cups. It was ridiculous.
I havent owned bettas in years but i still love them and i wont even look at them in walmart or places like that because the care is obviously so minimal.

(We switched back to our other vendors and complained about the bettas. As many faults as our store had, care of our fish was NOT one of them)

 

[Kia]

It is a myth that Bettas can survive in a bowl. They actually need a heater and do better in atleast a 5 gallon or up. They do not like currant (sp?) and if they have long fins certain plants will tear their long fins off and gravel isn't a good idea either. Thank you for taking in the Betta. I have 4 Bettas and have had them for going on a year. Life span is approx 2yrs. Mine love bloodworms and brine shrimp.

 

[KenDRAGON]

I wouldn't say it's a myth that they can survive in a bowl. I had one betta who lived successfully for over 2 years in a bowl and the rest lived about a year or so, although a filtration system is better and less cleaning to be honest. If you ARE going to house your betta in a bowl than you need to make sure you do regular and frequent water changes, but it can be done. And to say that someone has to have a 5 gallon tank for a betta is pretty outrageous because most people keep bettas by themselves. You could technically keep them with some other plain, docile fish, but most people get bettas, not only for the color, but for the fact that they are generally more low maintenance than other fish.

 

[wonderb]

It's pretty bad here at our Wal-mart and Petco. Thankfully, the nearest Petsmart is AMAZING with their fish department. All of the tanks are pristine, and the 3 people I've seen working in that area have been extremely knowledgeable about fish (and actually persuaded people to not get fish they shouldn't a pet store rarity!)

I worked at Petsmart in the fish (and reptile, rodent and bird) department. I was definitely that person saying "no way!" to people wanting to buy an oscar for their 10 gallon. That place wore me out.

 

[KenDRAGON]

Yeah, fish department is the worst. I remember once some kids dropped their chewed gum in our tanks



Also, i just saw your Olive sig, so cute!

 

[wonderb]

It really is. I mean, the people looking to buy the other animals were just as bad. It didn't help that the hamsters people wanted to buy for their little kids were extremely aggressive and untame, that our medium to large birds came unweaned and could technically be sold that way, that people would pick out ONE budgie that they wanted out of the whole huge flight and you'd have to catch that one without any others escaping. There were several times where we had birds we had been trying to sell flying in the rafters. I literally had to quit because going to work was so stressful and emotionally draining for me. I'm too sensitive I guess.

Credit to the adorable sig goes to Ming Ming. I love it! I think you need one with Pia!

 

[paperdragon]

Life span is approx 2yrs.

Actually, it's more like 4-5 with proper care. My nephew's betta is definitely NOT getting proper care, and it's around 3 years old now. I've seen a lot of people with bettas that lived to 6.

 

[KenDRAGON]

I'll have to post in the sig request section then
And i know exactly how you feel. I've had to sell rabbits to people that I'm 99.9% sure they purchased for food reasons, had baby guinea pigs pass away in my hands because they were getting sent to us with problems, had my thumb practically torn in half by a severe macaw that corporate sent us when they decide we should start carrying large parrots, and had someone almost steal a ferret.
catching parakeets, i must say, i was always very good at
working in places like petsmart and petsupermarket etc, is that deep down they are all corporate businesses and they care about the customer and the money. If the customer wants what they shouldnt have, but are willing to pay for it then who cares? You can have a whole store filled with animal caring employees, but if they dont sell like they're supposed to then they're fired so it doesnt really matter.

 

[AmberMuffinz]

Luckily our petsmart has the opening to the bird cages in a little walk in area that the employees are only allowed in, so if a bird got out it would just be in that room anyways!

That oscar thing also reminded me, sorry if I'm going off topic, but my mom and dad bought a baby oscar once - well I think she was given to them because she had a messed up lip and the people didn't think she'd make it. I'll tell you, we kept her in a huge tank and she lived for YEARS. She got huge too. One time we were at my aunts house and my mom and I came home to get more clothes and she was on the ground almost all dry I sat in the hallway bawling my eyes out and heard my mom scream that she was alive! She lived years after that too just fine, but jeebus I loved that fish. We always thought she was a guy too until she laid eggs lol.

 

[Mizzely]

And to say that someone has to have a 5 gallon tank for a betta is pretty outrageous because most people keep bettas by themselves.

I have to disagree with this. It's the same as saying that a cockatiel can live in a cage the size they often sell at Petsmart. We don't think its "outrageous" to give a small bird a flight cage, when they spend most of their day out of the cage, but its okay to give a betta a small bowl that they live in their whole lives because we don't have the room? Just because it is something that CAN be done doesn't mean it SHOULD be done. Bettas do much, much better in 5+ gallons, just as a cockatiel does much, much better in a larger cage, even if kept alone.

 

[cosmolove]

I actually just quit my pet store job and I absolutely HATED the fish. I wasn't allowed to say no. I could say things like it probably won't do well, or it could fight but if they customer still wanted it I had to shut up.

But most of my bettas live about 3-4 years if not more. I actually didn't have bettas for a while after my guys got old and died. I just recently got new ones. I have one that is about a year old and the rest are probably 7-8months, my newest one is a little younger but they def live longer than 2 years if properly cared for.

 

[AmberMuffinz]

Bowls really aren't good for any fish to be honest. There's not much air flow, it's too hard to regulate temperature because it's so small, some say the curved design really freaks the fish out cause they can't see out properly, and they are pretty small. I don't understand why they are still sold to be honest. Although I have seen some pretty bad things fish have been in. Commercials for that fish decoration show sickened me with the things they did

 

[KenDRAGON]

I agree and disagree with that. I mean, as i stated before, a 5 gallon or larger tank is obviously a far more suitable choice, but for some people they want just ONE fish and maybe they dont have the kind of space necessary for 5 gal. I dont see why it would be wrong to get a gallon bowl, or a 1.5 or 3 gallon tank which is far easier to find a place for in a house and is just fine for the fish to live in. I also think that fish and birds are two completely different creatures and to use that comparison is not completely accurate.
And as far as the cockatiel comparison goes, i dont think its wrong to keep a cockatiel in an appropriately sized cage(NOT always what is recommended at pet stores. i'm not saying to stick it in a "budgie" cage). i dont think you HAVE to have a flight cage for your cockatiel or youre not doing it right. I think it's absolutely wonderful to have a giant cage for your small bird, but the perosn who cant fit that into their home isn't necessarily doing bad by the bird.

 

[KenDRAGON]

Let me also say that Bettas are the ONLY fish i would consider keeping in a bowl, and nothing smaller than a gallon. I just can't really see the harm in keeping the fish in a bowl if you're feeding it properly, changing the water, and keeping it as healthy as possible.
I can see quite a few wont agree with that, but that's my position on it.

 

[KenDRAGON]

Also, congrats Erica, on quitting your petstore job. Quitting mine might be in the top 10 most satisfying days of my life.

 

[AmberMuffinz]

I agree and disagree with that. I mean, as i stated before, a 5 gallon or larger tank is obviously a far more suitable choice, but for some people they want just ONE fish and maybe they dont have the kind of space necessary for 5 gal. I dont see why it would be wrong to get a gallon bowl, or a 1.5 or 3 gallon tank which is far easier to find a place for in a house and is just fine for the fish to live in. I also think that fish and birds are two completely different creatures and to use that comparison is not completely accurate.
And as far as the cockatiel comparison goes, i dont think its wrong to keep a cockatiel in an appropriately sized cage(NOT always what is recommended at pet stores. i'm not saying to stick it in a "budgie" cage). i dont think you HAVE to have a flight cage for your cockatiel or youre not doing it right. I think it's absolutely wonderful to have a giant cage for your small bird, but the perosn who cant fit that into their home isn't necessarily doing bad by the bird.

I definitely agree with this. Neelix's cage is on the small side but I don't worry much about it because he's out a lot and has lots of things to do. I think a small rectangle tank is a lot better than a bowl though because there is a lot more air space. I don't know about it having to be five gallons though, I am not that experienced on bettas!


eta: http://finatics.hubpages.com/hub/why-fish-bowls-are-bad-for-your-fish

 

[cosmolove]

Although SPACE wise I somewhat agree with you (although I won't go less than a 2.5 gallon personally) its not just the space that's the issue..

In a bowl you will not get enough oxygen exchange, the bowl will be CONSTANTLY cycling, and it will fluctuate in temp too much. All of which can be very stressful for fish. The only reason bettas "can" live in a bowl is because they have an extra organ that allows them to also exchange air on the top of the surface. Not ideal for a betta to have to rely on that all the time, so there will be some stress just in that. The bowl will not be able to grow enough bacteria and sustain it to keep the ammonia down enough to be safe for the fish. Bettas come from very hot areas, they prefer their water to be around 78-82 degrees and it to stay relatively consistent. In a bowl it stays about 72 unless the sun is hitting it.

Now there are ways to make a bowl work, I've seen it be done but its not just simply a bowl, fish, water, and decorations. Its people taking the step adding the heater, hooking up some form of arrerator, doing weekly water changes and keeping up with it.

 

[cosmolove]

The space issue generally is due to them being very active fish. I mean there are many birds that need bigger cages just because they are a lot more active than others. Same with fish. So the size comparison between birds and fish is kind of a bad example.

 

[Mizzely]

I agree and disagree with that. I mean, as i stated before, a 5 gallon or larger tank is obviously a far more suitable choice, but for some people they want just ONE fish and maybe they dont have the kind of space necessary for 5 gal. I dont see why it would be wrong to get a gallon bowl, or a 1.5 or 3 gallon tank which is far easier to find a place for in a house and is just fine for the fish to live in. I also think that fish and birds are two completely different creatures and to use that comparison is not completely accurate.
And as far as the cockatiel comparison goes, i dont think its wrong to keep a cockatiel in an appropriately sized cage(NOT always what is recommended at pet stores. i'm not saying to stick it in a "budgie" cage). i dont think you HAVE to have a flight cage for your cockatiel or youre not doing it right. I think it's absolutely wonderful to have a giant cage for your small bird, but the perosn who cant fit that into their home isn't necessarily doing bad by the bird.

I'm not saying at all that a cockatiel HAS to be in a flight cage. I never said it was a perfect comparison, but they definitely deserve better than a bowl, for more than the space issues. I would say if you can't fit a 5 gallon tank in your home, a fish is not for that person, just as I would tell someone if they cannot afford or do not have the room for a bird cage suitable for the species that they should look into something else. A standard 5 gallon tank is 16" L by 8" W by 10" H. Not having room for a proper tank should not be an excuse.