Betta shipping

[rdd1952]

I was in everyone's favorite fish store yesterday - Walmart. I went in to check the conditions of the tanks and get a copy of the letter to the president that was mentioned last week. The Pet Dept manager was there so I asked him about the condition of the tanks, cleaning, etc. He seemed to be concerned that they weren't any cleaner but said he was the only employee that worked that department and he didn't have enough time to do what needed to be done. He said he already got fussed at for spending as much time on them as he did. The tanks were in better shape than last week and thewater in the betta cups was cleaner.

Now to the point of this post. I asked why they didn't put more water in the cups since these are 16 oz cups with maybe 5 oz of water in them. He said that if he filled them up too much, there wouldn't be enough air left for them to breathe (he did know that they breathed oxygen from the surface) since the holes in the lid are so small. I mentioned how they were shipped and he said that all bettas that were imported from Thailand were "shipped wrapped in wet newspaper and not actually in water". Now I don't profess to being anything more than a newbie with a very limited knowledge of fish but have I missed something about bettas? I came home and immediately did a google search to see if I could find something on this anc came up empty. Where in the world would someone come up with something like that? If that is indeed true, then I have learned something today so I can go home and take a nap.

 

[Bettaman]

Well i think you have learned something and that is if thats the best manager they can find then they just as well close the store...just seem he was giving you excuses for not doing his job and being really thick about Betta care at the end of the day if he planned his day he could make time to clean the water and the said cups as a customer you should have not accepted his word its all a big farce to me or he just couldn't be bothered by the sounds of things......

 

[rdd1952]

As I talked to him, I was beginning to think he knew a little bit about fish. And then he dropped the bomb about the bettas in newspaper. He did not take kindly to my saying that his tanks were disgusting. I told him that a knowledgable fish keeper would never buy a fish from any of his tanks because they were so dirty. He said they weren't there to sell to fish keepers but to the general public. What an a** hole. Sorry, got carried away.

I also talked to the store assistant manager (the manager wasn't there). He told me what to do to file a complaint either against that particular store or about Walmart in general. He said to call their 800 number - 800-925-6278 and file the complaint. He said those calls all resulted in a letter to the president that was also referred back to the offending store.

 

[Rivermud76]

Well, from what I have read a lot of breeders in Thailand will leave their betas out of water for a short period of time while they perform the massive water changes their breeding operations require. However I seriously doubt they would ship fish in newspaper for the following reasons.

Bettas CAN breathe air directly from the surface but can also get oxygen from the water as normal fish do. In order to protect their finnage the newpaper would have to be more than wet to provide adequate moisture. Wet Newspaper is used as a filter and does not allow for the swapping of air so there would have to be an air pocket of sorts which would then make the newspaper worthless because it is no longer keeping the fish moist by touching the fish.

The reason given for not filling the water up any further is just moronic. First, the oxygen transfer and usage of a betta is miniscule. A beta doesn't need 11 ounces of air to survive in a cup with a lid. The lid may need to be burped once a day if the water is filled to the 12-14 ounce range but it will not suffocate the betta. Reasons for this include the oxygen content of the water and the actual oxygen use of of the betta.

The reason Wal-mart stocks it's fish in the manner they do and provides the service they do is because they cater to the general public. He was right when he told you this. Wal-mart carries sub par merchandise at extremely low prices because they buy in mulk quantities and sell from gargantuan stores. If walmart stocked high quality or even standard quality merchandise as other stores do their prices would be similar to say albertsons. As for the fish department, they treat it as any other department.. the average person who buys a fish from there knows next to nothing about fish. That's why you never see just tanks for sale you see tank setups. They know that most people will buy a ten or twenty gallon setup for their six year old kid who said the fish were pretty and has been begging for a pet.. mom doesn't want a puppy that the kid won't take care of so she buys a fish tank. Fish are cheap and if they die it's not a real big deal to her or the kid. Sorry thats just the facts about most people and fish. So, will Walmart change? No. Why would they, they aren't a true pet store. They cater to the poor and uneducated in every other facet of their store so why change just for fish?

 

[rdd1952]

I agree with you 100%. It's a shame though that they don't really care about the fish. To them, I guess like most people that aren't into keeping fish, they're "just fish". What difference does it make if they die.

 

[wuvmybetta]

uhhhm, I actually think he was telling the truth. A lot of the oversea breeders will wrap them in wet moss for shipping,so I would imagine newspaper works too. They probably have ways around the reasons that Rivermud mentioned.

You guys underestimate the powers of the betta fish

 

[rdd1952]

I would think the weight of the papers would be too heavy and crush them. anyway, if that is the case, then I am more educated now than I was. Of course, at my age, I figure my brain is full so I have to forget something in order to learn something new. I wonder what i just forgot. I hope it wasn't anything important.