I Feel Really Sad For This Fish , How COuld They Do That To It???

Question

ok, well today i was at the petstore to check out the price of something and see theyre resident cat Bijou (AKA fat cat;]) and i was just leaving when smething caught my ee.. i went to the checkout.... a little betta in a tiny bowl, no more than 2 cups in it, with a small handful of white gravel on the bottom and a bamboo shoot in it.... he was so sad i thought he was dead... depressed, not moving and my heart broke... i asked the girl if he was even alive and she said 'oh , hes alive... som bettas just move and some dont' and i said to her 'weird, all my bettas move. she said 'well then you must know ho to pick them' and i said 'no, they didnt move in the cups, but after theyre in their tanks they move' and she didnt respond... i left then and felt sooo sad for the lil guy. my question is HOW could they do this? i know petstores are bad but this is possibly the SADDEST thing ive ever seen! any insight? opinions? even stories about poor petstore animals are welome!! =]

Answer 1

When I was a kid and my Mom got a betta and put it in a bowl, I remember inquiring about why they didnt need more water.  Next time we were at the pet store the owner told me they were transported in a few of tablespoons of water.

The fact is Bettas have Labyrinth organs (as do Gourami), and live actually in ditches and rice patties in Asia.  They have the ability to survive in water with low oxygen content...therefore, people keep them in small bowls.  It's somewhat decorative.

Bettas can live in small bowls for a while as long as the water is changed regularly.  They can live a a couple of years at the least if cared for.  I have one Betta that survived 4 years in a Bowl.  Now, I prefer to keep one in a 1 Gallon minimum with an airstone.  I have had Bettas (1 Betta per tank) in tanks before with mixed results.  One in a 10 gallon tank before...and he mostly stayed to the upper and middle part of one corner of the tank.  Yet in another instance, I have had one in a 18 Tall tank and he seemed more content with roaming the whole tank.  Either way, they lived about 2-3 years.  Most of the time I placed a Betta in a tank, mine seemed to have stayed in one area of the tank.

As cruel as it sounds, and as it may not be the best for them, it's not bad for them to live in a small area.  Yet, filtration is important for them to thrive.  As far as cruel...the cruelist thing I always see is Goldfish in bowls...with no filtration.  That's cruel since these fish put out huge amounts of waste and different types of Goldfish can grow to lengths of 2 feet.

Best of Luck!

Answer 2

i heard bettas dont need as big a tank as other fish.

but i dont believe any of that shiit.

Bettas are often kept in extremely small containers, a practice which many aquarists consider inhumane. This practice is due in part to practical considerations; few pet stores have the space or finances to display a large selection of male bettas except in small containers. However, many inexperienced fishkeepers continue to house bettas in small containers after purchase. A popular misconception is that wild bettas live in very small puddles, and thus are "happier" when kept in cramped conditions

i dont trust what any petstore says ever since my lizard died from not getting enough calcium. they told me only to feed her lettuce. IDIOTS

Answer 3

well allot of pet stores keep them in small cups because you cant put them in tanks together because they fight to the death.They don't really have long life spans either. I mean yes they are living animals and deserve respect but they are considered more of a temporary novelty type fish not the kind of fish you keep in a tank as a pet.

Answer 4

I feel the same way about them but  when you realize they generally live in mud puddles!

Answer 5

bettas aka chinese fighting fish are very aggresive and do fight other male bettas to the death they also are tank bullys and will pick on all other fish u put him in with

Answer 6

they cant really afford a tank per fish, because if their all in one tank together, they'll kill each other.  its sad, though, i must admit.  those fish are gorgeous.