Peterpiper

Let me start by saying that anyone that takes a fish from a place that is not giving the fish the right care is a champion in my books.
But are we just feeding the LFS by taking these fish, and leaving a empty tank or bowl so they can fill it with the next one?
Are we sending a message that we will buy your fish because you mistreat them, and in so doing we are making a demand for the fish, so to speak?

Lucy

You have a really good point.
However, unless there was a mass movement to boycott the store or the buying of a particular species, I'm afraid people would continue to patronize that store or buy that particular fish.

COBettaCouple

I know it may not drive a store out of business, but I won't support a business that carries dyed or tattooed fish no matter what.. and I certainly will recommend the same to people I know and if they do the same & so on, the word spreads locally to avoid that store.

Lucy

I do agree with you cobettacouple.
I'm so glad I have never seen a tatooed fish, that would really upset me.

COBettaCouple

I wish Big Al's would stop carrying them, then I'd do some ordering at their website.

sirdarksol

This has come up before.
I will never buy a betta from a store that stocks dozens of them in the little cups. If the store only stocks a couple in cups, I might rescue one. However, I usually only get bettas at places that keep the fish in peaceful community tanks or in breeder nets in the community tanks. Neither is ideal, but they are better than the cups. I actually will never go into a Petco because they actively spread the myth that bettas live in mud puddles in the wild.
Likewise, I just won't buy from a store that carries dyed fish.

In either case, buying fish form stores like this does indeed feed the problem. These places make their orders based on sales. The more bettas a particular Petco or Walmart sells, the more they will keep in stock. These stores almost always overstock, to allow their customers better selection, and this results in a large number of fish dying in the little cups.
I'm not saying that the people who rescue bettas are wrong to do so, but there are two sides to this coin, and I think that everyone needs to be fully aware of both sides. Believe me, I itch to buy a betta every time I go into PetSmart. I know that they are suffering in those cold, cramped little cups, but I feel that the long-term is the way to go in this issue. That's just my opinion, of course.

joycey1221

I believe that rescuing a betta who stands out to you is the way to go. Just, you also have to be considerate with who and why you are buying from a certain supplier.

Shawnie

I have decided, or so I say this over and over and I so need to stand my ground sometime, that I can only shop ONLINE for supplies n such...because I go into a pet store and get what I need then somehow, I ALWAYS end up in the betta section and Im sooooooooo guilty of taking home the sickest looking one...because yes, I think and know I can do better for it..but then I have the awful feeling of some other betta is going to take its place...I really am only ordering online since I got my "vase boys" as I will be the first to tell you, I have no strength stayin away from the betta's ..its a vicious cycle that never seems to stop either way

chickadee

While I do not necessarily have much right to talk here as I never do go to the petstores, not by choice but by necessity. I am pretty much homebound and do not have access unless someone takes me. So almost all my fish have been purchased online and through the mail. I do not know how they are cared for at the store but I do know they arrive healthy and perfectly happy to see me. BUT I also go by the principal in my life of TWO wrongs do not make a right and this may sometimes mean standing up for something even if it means it looks like you are backing down.

If walking into a store and seeing a fish mistreated and knowing you could do something about it and you do nothing is what you are talking about when you say boycott then that is wrong. If not going into the store period then that is perhaps different. If you are still doing business with that store for anything but yet saying that they are not "treating their fish well so I won't buy fish from them" then YOU are a part of the problem and not the solution. If you do not like the way stores are behaving then you do not do ANY buisiness with them if you are boycotting them. No fish food no decor not any gravel or playthings or tanks or anything. They do not make their money off the fish, they make it off the fish supplies. If you are still buying the supplies and equipment you are feeding the problem. So unless you are willing to go all the way with it then the talk of boycott and feeling good because you won't purchase fish from there is all talk, just talk. If you are going to go there to get everything else you need because it is cheaper and more accessible then do not talk boycott because you are still supporting the problem. My Walmart is not selling fish anymore but they still sell fish supplies, why? Because that is where the money is! I would not buy there even though it means I have to pay shipping and handling and more to purchase from Drs. Foster and Smith or That Pet Place.com Because they still DO sell fish in some Walmart stores and not wisely. And I will not order from Petco or Petsmart anymore either for the same reason. (nor will I frequent their stores any longer although I can think of one Petco that would not like to see me back or PetSmart either for that matter)
So let us not talk about boycotting stores and having fits about fish treatment and all as it is not going to do any good unless we are willing to totally quit buying anything from them at all and that is going to have to be a matter of personal choice and should be done quietly on an individual basis. Buy fish or do not buy fish but it is the supplies and equipment they make the money on and not the fish. Every time you purchase any of those you encourage the fish trade there.

Rose

Allie

Well said.
If you have the extra money to order online then do it. But say you are ordering off of aquabid, people should know who the actual breeders are and the ones who are just selling them. For example: nicebettas, chabba, gorgeous all breed there own fish to sell. All good looking healthy fish.
Where as The_sea_99 buys in bulk. All the betta on aquabid are much better quality than any lfs for sure.
I have decided that I am not buying betta from our lfs anymore. The longest I had one live for was a year.
It's pretty bad when our Walmart's betta are better quality than our fav lfs.

steveangela1

For me personally finances are tight in our family. I have 2 kids and my husband is a paramedic. I as a resp therapist only work part time to be a stay at home mom because my children need the time w/ a parent instead of a babysitter or daycare. Not to mention I am going to try to work on my RN degree online if possible, and I don't know how much that is going to cost. We pinch pennies for fish, and yeah we do have some expensive toys but its a save up and get just as my next tank will be (not to mention we are waiting on that magic deal on craigslist that comes around every couple of months). So, when I do buy fish supplies 9 times out of ten its when I go to the nearest city which is once about every 3 weeks on top of that its when either I have a drs appt or my husband and I have a "date night" , and yes it ends up being at petsmart. Ordering from foster and smith is a rare occasion because of the 9.99 shipping, unless there is a huge order and the 9.99 shipping is worth it I will not order from them.

We have planned to buy some fish from aquabid here soon, just because we want different breeds of cichlids than you can find in the petstores. Not to mention we don't like seeing the "mixed african tank" you don't know what you are getting and you are getting hybrid fish a lot of times.
Not to mention, if something hopefully not for a really long time happens to lucas betta I will prob order from aquabid for my next betta. We just don't have the money to pay the extra 35 dollars a fish to ship when we do buy fish.

pamd

I think *not* buying bettas from a place that abuses them will discourage that place from selling them if there are enough informed people out there. Fewer customers = fewer "replacement" bettas in cups. Even a heartless corporation like Walmart will stop selling little girls' blouses with glitter if they're not selling well. If they sell well, they'll stock more, at least one for every one they sell.

CEOs of major companies, at least most of the ones in the U.S., hold their titles and positions because they're market-driven. Their decisions are economically oriented, and have absolutely nothing to do with caring about living, beautiful creatures.

I would much rather buy from a responsible, caring breeder on Aquabid and help support his/her expense and great efforts. I sent a recent picture to my Candi's breeder about a week ago. He was obviously glad to see "our" little girl grown up, and wrote back like a very proud Dad. Could you get that from Walmart, Petsmart, or Petco? When I first was interested in her, he told me about her parents, her temperament, what foods she was used to eating, how she had been raised, etc., and also delayed shipping because, "we don't want to lose her." He refused an extra $5 that I wanted to pay him for holding her.

At the same time, I highly salute every person who has been brave enough and caring enough to rescue a betta from a cup and brought him/her back to life. I don't even look. I just can't stand it. Wimpy me, I know. And there are some gorgeous, gorgeous rescue bettas who belong to this forum, as well as their kindhearted, knowledgeable moms and dads.

Sunakire

It's a tough subject.

Most stores that mistreat their Betta's do not make a great profit on the Betta's alone. It's when people buy all the things they need for that said Betta at that same store. Thats where the big bucks come into play.

If you buy a mistreated Betta, it's best if you try to educate instead of just buying it and then taking off. These people can be very stubborn in their ignorance though.

While you may not be making a difference in the lives of all the other mistreated Betta's, you are making a huge difference in the life of the one you save.

However, just because you see a Betta that needs your help, that doesn't mean you should get it. If you do not have the proper funds for another Betta or time, if your Betta's happiness and health will be sacrificed, then don't get that Betta. Rescuing is not something to do on a whim, it requires money and time.

COBettaCouple

We've got Bettas from the evil cups at the stores, from US Betta breeders and from Thai. breeders.. all have made great little characters and are equally loved. I couldn't fault anyone for where they buy their Bettas, just love & spoil them is all I ask.