Hi, I am new here. I feel so awful when I go to the store and see all the bettas in the tiny little containers, I just want to rescue them all. Is that crazy? I think they are smart. I know though if I bought a lot of them it would just drive stores to order more of them, so I guess it is a catch 22. Does anyone keep lots of bettas in different tanks? I wish that I could but I don't have the space or money. I wish I could help these fish and have more of them though it's too bad that males won't live peaceably together.
A Betta Obsession
- Thread starter sjrose77
- Start date
I've got 4 females in together in a 15 gallon tank and 5 males housed in divided tanks and solo tanks.
I know the feeling of wanting to save them all. There are literally thousands of abused, neglected and homeless animals in this world and it's so sad. However, buying fish from a pet shop is a really bad way to rescue them as it just encourages the shop to sell more. If you have space and can get a fish for free or at a discount, you can do some good. It's easy to become overwealmed, though. At once time I had about 10 males and 9 females and that was so much work.
I know the feeling of wanting to save them all. There are literally thousands of abused, neglected and homeless animals in this world and it's so sad. However, buying fish from a pet shop is a really bad way to rescue them as it just encourages the shop to sell more. If you have space and can get a fish for free or at a discount, you can do some good. It's easy to become overwealmed, though. At once time I had about 10 males and 9 females and that was so much work.
dipsydoodlenoodle
Fish Gatherer
I agree with what assaye has said really
I saw a couple of gorgeous bettas at the weekend; one was a purple male with red and white butterfly fins he was about an inch long; I was so tempted but apart from only having a spare tiny tank; I vowed not to buy anything from this LFS again (they have really unhealhy stock); I also saw a red double tailed butterfly in another shop and I love the butterfly colouration but I don't have the space (it looked like he may have had fin rot
); and I saw the most gorgeous white female; if I'd saw her last week I'd have got her before my sorority got settled but it's too late now; however she didn't look too healthy . Oh I saw a gorgous white celophane male too; but his spine was sooo crooked; poor things
I saw a couple of gorgeous bettas at the weekend; one was a purple male with red and white butterfly fins he was about an inch long; I was so tempted but apart from only having a spare tiny tank; I vowed not to buy anything from this LFS again (they have really unhealhy stock); I also saw a red double tailed butterfly in another shop and I love the butterfly colouration but I don't have the space (it looked like he may have had fin rot
); and I saw the most gorgeous white female; if I'd saw her last week I'd have got her before my sorority got settled but it's too late now; however she didn't look too healthy . Oh I saw a gorgous white celophane male too; but his spine was sooo crooked; poor things 
silverrabbit
Fish Addict
Very easy to get addicted! I have had a fair few "rescues" - ie ones that have been returned to the LFS for being nipped/failed breeding stock, imported ones coming in with heavy fin damage and not suitable for general sale... generally they've all been from excellent stores who have either given me the bettas for free or for £1-2.
It really breaks my heart to see the bettas suffering in not so nice LFS's, especially the veil tails who seeem to be really neglected. But as you say, buying their stock only encourages them to buy more, so it's awful.
I have multiple divided tanks which work quite well for me and my current 9 boys and my sorority of 10 girls, and i'm planning another tank (just such addicteive fish), haha.
It really breaks my heart to see the bettas suffering in not so nice LFS's, especially the veil tails who seeem to be really neglected. But as you say, buying their stock only encourages them to buy more, so it's awful.
I have multiple divided tanks which work quite well for me and my current 9 boys and my sorority of 10 girls, and i'm planning another tank (just such addicteive fish), haha.
It's really hard for me to see them and not save them even though like you said it just encourages them to keep up their awful practice! So where do you get your bettas if you don't get them free or discounted? It just makes me sick, I dream about it a lot. I would like to have a tank full of females someday and some separate tanks for males. Maybe I should just stop looking at them at the stores. Do you ask the store if you can have a particularly looking bad one for free or discount?
silverrabbit
Fish Addict
Hmm, well when I buy them it's either from a breeder directly, or from my favourite shop where the fish are all looked after really well, and the bettas are in a filtered & heated betta barracks system, with indian almond leaves and everything. They have very good quality imported fish, but if they have suffered during shipping and need a lot of TLC to recover, they'll offer me the fish for next to nothing.
I have to stop going into the less nice LFS's now, as it breaks my heart, but I don't want to promote their businesses when I can travel 20mins more and buy a high quality, healthy fish for cheaper!
I have to stop going into the less nice LFS's now, as it breaks my heart, but I don't want to promote their businesses when I can travel 20mins more and buy a high quality, healthy fish for cheaper!
Let me add my own spin to the whole idea of "saving" bettas in those tiny containers. If you walk into a pet shop and they get their money from you for that fish in the tiny container, how does it look to them? It seems to me that it is a validation for them that presenting the fish to customers in that fashion is acceptable and will result in sales. OK, so what is the next move for a business oriented fish shop? I am sure that is an easy problem for anyone to solve. The obvious answer is that they should continue to present you, the customer, with fish who are housed in the tiny cups. For me the answer is simple. I will never be tempted to "rescue" fish in tiny cups because it means the next bunch that comes into the store will be treated the same way. By buying a fish from a tiny cup, I am encouraging the shop to treat the next batch the same way.
Now lets try another approach. I walk into a store that keeps their bettas in a more humane fashion, see one I like and buy it. The message to the shop is simple, presenting fiush who are housed humanely means sales, keep doing it. On the other hand, I walk into a shop who displays their bettas in tiny cups and never buy one. The message is simple, bettas in tiny cups never seem to sell as well. Unfortunately it takes far more than just me acting this way to actually make things change. As long as you continue to "rescue' fish from unacceptable situations, they will never notice that I failed to buy the stressed betta in the tiny cup. Instead they will have the reaction that someone, who knows what individual, bought a betta that as housed in a tiny cup. Unfortunately this means, from the shop's point of view, that tiny cups are just fine. If we don't all act in much the same fashion when faced with a betta in a tiny cup, the practice will continue.
Now lets try another approach. I walk into a store that keeps their bettas in a more humane fashion, see one I like and buy it. The message to the shop is simple, presenting fiush who are housed humanely means sales, keep doing it. On the other hand, I walk into a shop who displays their bettas in tiny cups and never buy one. The message is simple, bettas in tiny cups never seem to sell as well. Unfortunately it takes far more than just me acting this way to actually make things change. As long as you continue to "rescue' fish from unacceptable situations, they will never notice that I failed to buy the stressed betta in the tiny cup. Instead they will have the reaction that someone, who knows what individual, bought a betta that as housed in a tiny cup. Unfortunately this means, from the shop's point of view, that tiny cups are just fine. If we don't all act in much the same fashion when faced with a betta in a tiny cup, the practice will continue.
I discovered a really good LFS the other day and was pleasently surprised. their betta boys were in what i think are the betta barracks still small tanks but all sharing a filtration system with lighting that provided a little heat.
had had a terrible week so decided to buy one of the really pretty ones to cheer muself up as i did the girl was talking to me asking where he was to be kept. she pointed out that really they are to be kept in tropical tanks and they hated having them in the tiny ones. was really good to hear. We had a really good chat about them and she gave me a pot of hair grass.
had had a terrible week so decided to buy one of the really pretty ones to cheer muself up as i did the girl was talking to me asking where he was to be kept. she pointed out that really they are to be kept in tropical tanks and they hated having them in the tiny ones. was really good to hear. We had a really good chat about them and she gave me a pot of hair grass.
fry_forever!
Fish Herder
Yeah, unfortunately all the well-kept bettas are in stores quite far away from me. ...
BethK
Rattie tat tat
I buy my bettas from breeders or 1 specific LFS (they keep their bettas in very good conditions and nothing min. then a 30ltr). The staff at Aqua Splash Reptiles Ltd, care for all their fish, on a daily basis they are cleaning the tanks, water changes, checking fish health etc.
I personally wouldn't buy bettas from any other LFS now but from there, their females are £2 each and males £4.50. They only have VTs,a few DoubleTs and the occasional delta but their males are all bright, healthy looking and zip about the tanks non-stop. The females all tend to be PKs, with the occasional VT, 5 of my girls are from there and I've never had an issue with them. They aren't the most exciting colors about but for Thai imports, they are good. My LFS won't sell them as soon as they get them in, they quarantine them for 2 weeks before selling, if they don't look healthy enough, they quarantine them for longer, until they are up to a good standard.
I did learn the hard way with buying a betta from a LFS who hadn't been treating them well. I battle with finrot, on and off for 3 months from the first week with my male VT I brought, he died in the end. So now I am very picky!
I personally wouldn't buy bettas from any other LFS now but from there, their females are £2 each and males £4.50. They only have VTs,a few DoubleTs and the occasional delta but their males are all bright, healthy looking and zip about the tanks non-stop. The females all tend to be PKs, with the occasional VT, 5 of my girls are from there and I've never had an issue with them. They aren't the most exciting colors about but for Thai imports, they are good. My LFS won't sell them as soon as they get them in, they quarantine them for 2 weeks before selling, if they don't look healthy enough, they quarantine them for longer, until they are up to a good standard.
I did learn the hard way with buying a betta from a LFS who hadn't been treating them well. I battle with finrot, on and off for 3 months from the first week with my male VT I brought, he died in the end. So now I am very picky!
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