Saving Fish from Petstores - Good or Bad?

Hello guys
I am a new member to this forum and because I was curious I looked into many threads, especially about Betta Fish ( Because I have one too since almost two weeks soon) and I noticed something that people wrote in some of those Threads regarding where they had their Betta from!
They said that they "saved" their fish from really bad circumstances from a pet store to give it a better life and to make it happy!

Of course I think that that is a very honourable action, to save a living being, be it a fish or a dog, or a hamster or whatever but I personally think that you should not do it!
You should not choose a fish from a store with bad living conditions in order to save it because I learned that buying an animal in those stores just gives them more money to buy new fish and just keep them as bad. I can't just buy all of their fish and make them stop! In my opinion there should not go a penny into those stores because looking at the whole thing, its not helping at all.
Because of that I got my Betta from a family that didn't wanted it anymore and basicly sold it over a private online market.
I don't intend to attack or offend anyone who does not do the same, who bought or saved their fish in a pet store, you do you, I am only interested in a neat discussion about that topic and shared opinions.
What do you think? Should one save fish or other pets from a pet store?

 

I get the concept and don't disagree with it.
But it also doesn't change the fact that people who don't know its a bad situation will still buy the fish and fund the store. And unfortunately the ignorant outnumber the educated.

So I have no guilt saving something as my refusal will not change the situation.

 

I agree with MissNoodle (that seems to be a theme this morning). If someone wants to "save" a fish from a pet store, then he or she has accomplished that goal, but any other effect, good or bad, is minuscule.

 

The principle is honorable. People should do what feels right to them. I believe there is mental and physical health benefits by living consistent with your beliefs. When you act in conflict with your beliefs, it creates guilt and stress which is harmful. When you act congruously with your beliefs it promotes positive self . The accumulation of doing many small things that you believe are right has a bigger impact on health than you might think.

I "rescued" a Betta a couple weeks ago. I was at the pet store for some other supplies. One of the poor little guys caught my eye. His name is Dave and he has his own 10 gallon tank now.

I stocked my 40 gallon breeder tank with 20 feeder guppies. Rescued them from death row. I feel good about that however, when I have to send their children back to death row, I may not feel as good.

 

There is no local fish stores in my city, so Petco and Petsmart are the only options. That said, our local Petco is heavily controlled, well, locally. They get some rarer fish in at times, and actually know what they’re talking about. I think it’s important people understand that you’re potentially funding a bad service, but there’s another question to ask: do the animals currently in Petco or Petsmart deserve to die for us to prove a point? That’s what will happen if no one buys them. They didn’t ask to be made, and they aren’t any less deserving of life than a fish from a local seller.

I think it’s important for both arguments to exist. People can argue against the undesirable conditions these chain stores keep their pets in, while other people can rescue them. The people who need to stop buying from them, are those who don’t know what they’re actually buying.

 

My way of thinking might be a very german one Over here we have VERY strict guidelines for keeping pets in general compared to other countries. Those guidelines are made by our veterinarian association and they are partially a part of our law when it comes to pet keeping. A lot of stores stick to them not because they are forced to ( they are forced to very basic conditions regarding pet care because its only temporary) but because they get boycotted otherwise! We for example had a pet store in our town that had their pets in terrible conditions, they hat bunnies and mice and rats and hamsters that were breeding all over the place, they had fish that swam in tanks next to their dead tank mates and birds in cages so small they couldn't fly. Cases of dead pets stacked up and when a good pet store with good care and appropriate cage and tank sizes and hygiene opened in the next city, that store was bankrupt within half a year.
This might be a very extreme example not all stores that disappeard were that filthy and bad
But there are lot of people who have a very strict view on where they want to get their pets from and how to prevent mass breeding which will cause more harm than not saving a single animal.

I can absolutly understand that people get a pet from a not so good store if there is no alternative around and if it wouldn't bring any benefits not to do so. Its really interesting to see differnt opinions on this and the explanation why they think different

 

My way of thinking might be a very german one Over here we have VERY strict guidelines for petstores and keeping pets in general compared to other countries. Those guidlines are made by our veterinarian association and they are partially a part of our law when it comes to pet keeping. A lot of stores stick to them not because they are forced to ( they are forced to very basic conditions regarding pet care because its only temporary) but because they get boycotted otherwise! We for example had a pet store in our town that had their pets in terrible conditions, they hat bunnies and mice and rats and hamsters and mice that were breeding all over the place, they had fish that swam in tanks next to their dead tank mates and birds in cages so small they couldn't fly. Cases of dead pets stacked up and when a good pet store with good care and appropriate cage and tank sizes and hygiene opened in the next city, that store was bankrupt within half a year.
This might be a very extreme example not all stores that disappeard were that filthy and bad But there are lot of people who have a very strict view on where they want to get their pets from and how to prevent mass breeding.

I can absolutly understand that people get a pet from a not so good store if there is no alternative around. Its really interesting to see differnt opinions on this and the explanation why they think different

Germany can get a lot more done because it’s a much smaller country than the U.S. The United States has so many different ideas and colliding points of view that we can rarely evolve at a fast pace.

The U.S is definitely not the worst in animal rights, but we are definitely not the best. Germany actually probably is! Then places like Morocco exist.

I agree, a pet store like that should not exist, and I’m glad to hear Germans cared enough to eradicate that disgusting thing. I’m sad to say we have places like that here, but I do not give them my service. I would NEVER condone horrible conditions for animals even if it was my only option. I may rescue a single animal, but then I’d probably never return after that.

There’s actually a store here in my city that is constantly scrutinized for dog and animal abuse. They’re somehow still open, and it is very frustrating.

 

CrazedHoosier I feel like that you then think the same way as I do, we only learned a different standard of what is appropriate and what not which is totally fine because different standards in pet keeping does not mean that one is more perfect then the other. I guess you have to decide individually.

One thing I noticed as a good example, when I just cross the border from Germany to the Netherlands, petstores are vastly different. In my pet stores around we have tons of cages for hamsters and mice that are at least half a sqr meter big or bigger that one can buy, while in the netherlands those cages are tiny compared to ours. That's how big the difference is but I am sure that it doesn't mean dutch people keep their pets in an unhealthy way. Its just a very different standard.

 

I'm fighting this moral battle right now, timely post! I was in Petco last night grabbing dry goods, and saw a bag of baby ranchus they got in. I'm still debating if I'm going to go after work and potentially save one from a painful fishbowl death.

I normally agree with OP, and don't like being part of the "demand" side of supply and demand, because these places bring in more if something sells well. But the decision gets a lot harder for me when it's a long lived species like a goldy, and I have the space to save a baby.

Still haven't decided what I'm going to do on this one.

 

In the US, there are two main big box stores that people love to complain about: Petco and Petsmart. They complain, yet buy fish. They complain, but apply for jobs there. They complain, but take advantage of dollar-per-gallon sales. They complain, but decide to buy from a different same chain store at another location, still funding the corporation. Not one person do I recall swearing he or she never spending a single penny from either places again. It's like people whining about tech companies, and yet still using their platforms. What's the point?

 

In the US, there are two main big box stores that people love to complain about: Petco and Petsmart. They complain, yet buy fish. They complain, but take advantage of dollar-per-gallon sales. They complain, then decide to buy from a different same chain store at another location, still funding the corporation. Not one person do I recall swearing he or she never spending a single penny from either places again. It's like people whining about tech companies, and yet still using their platforms. What's the point?

Yeah, I don't have much choice. My only options without a long drive are 1 Petco, 2 Pet Smarts, and 1 Pet Supplies Plus.

 

Yeah, I don't have much choice. My only options without a long drive are 1 Petco, 2 Pet Smarts, and 1 Pet Supplies Plus.

There are always more options, they just may not be the easiest ones.

 

I found it to be a good option to search on the german version of craigslist(?!) I don't know whether its the exact same... but its basicly a market where private people can sell items and pets and basically everything! But I won't force anyone to do the same. I just feel most comfortable doing that

 

I buy fish from petco. Yep unless I'm driving 2 hours or buying online there is no other option. And yes I said buy. We buy fish we don't rescue or save fish from a pet store no matter if its a corporation or family owned.

 

Don't get me wrong, I buy fish from Petco too, and mine is pretty solid overall. But there's fish I think they shouldn't carry, because they're for more advanced hobbyists. Like goldfish, oscars, plecos. Those are the type of fish I avoid buying there. If those don't sell well, they'll fill those tanks with more livebearers or tetras instead, which are much more appropriate for that type of store. At least that's my outlook on it.

 

I say it doesn’t matter. If you buy a fish they’ll see they’re making money and buy more but you are still saving that fish, someone will buy that fish no matter what, might as well be someone who’ll give it a good home

 

I think the idea behind not supporting stores that don't treat their animals well is very intellectually sound... but it sort of all goes out the window when you see a sad little fishy & think you can give them a better home. At least it does for me!

 

In the US, there are two main big box stores that people love to complain about: Petco and Petsmart. They complain, yet buy fish. They complain, but apply for jobs there. They complain, but take advantage of dollar-per-gallon sales. They complain, but decide to buy from a different same chain store at another location, still funding the corporation. Not one person do I recall swearing he or she never spending a single penny from either places again. It's like people whining about tech companies, and yet still using their platforms. What's the point?

This. That is all I can say about it.
In a city not too far from here that I pass on my commute (and so sometimes make a stop), there are two LFS, one on the main street that is very large and specialised in fish and terrariums. And another in the parallel street behind it, much smaller and a non-specialised pet store.
The one on the main street has an enormous aquarium section, they are the second biggest store out of the dozen or so that I visit, plus they make an effort to stock many rare and unsual fish.
And to my enormous disappointment, that one is terrible. Whenever I have gone in there, there would be outbreaks of various diseases evident in a sizable portion of the tank. There would be dead fish floating here and there. Malformed inbred monstrosities, and so on. Which is mystifying to me, because the owner is sort of well-known for being connected to another, quality pet store in a different city, plus he breeds and sells fish himself to some of the large retailers. I just don't understand why his tank hygiene/quarantine is always so horrible.
The shop in the street behind it has problems attracting customers. Not only are they small, but they cannot compete with the better located, more specialised, more knowledgable (this is just bizarre, but true), and better stocked store.
And yet -- their fish are well. The owner is friendly and helpful, though not as expert as the guy that runs the main store, somehow she takes much better care of the fish than the guy that runs the store on the main street. They also stock a ton of secondary products, including a wide variety of cheap, quality foods that are tailor-made with no additives.

So guess which shop gets my business? I have never bought a thing (neither fish nor products) at the shop in the main street, even though I like to peek at what they have. And I never will. They don't need my support anyway.
It is different for the shop in the back street. They need every bit of patronage they can get, and they can have mine.

You vote with your wallet, it is that simple. If you are impressed with the quality of a particular shop, go out of your way to purchase other goods there as well (like food, nets, heaters, media, meds, etc.) instead of buying everything online just because it is 5% cheaper.
(Not saying you need to pay a premium for everything. I don't buy my tanks/set-ups new ever, because of the 200% price difference. But paying $1.20 for something that you can get for $1 online, is that such a big deal to help keep a favoured store in business?)

 

In the US, there are two main big box stores that people love to complain about: Petco and Petsmart. They complain, yet buy fish. They complain, but apply for jobs there. They complain, but take advantage of dollar-per-gallon sales. They complain, but decide to buy from a different same chain store at another location, still funding the corporation. Not one person do I recall swearing he or she never spending a single penny from either places again. It's like people whining about tech companies, and yet still using their platforms. What's the point?

Yeah.
Complaining does pretty much nothing.
Buying from the store is actively counterproductive.
Applying for a job there is also actively counterproductive.
Buying from another location owned by the same company... that one has a little wiggle room. If you're actively avoiding locations that're actively abusing their animals except for doing what you can within the law to deter would-be customers from buying their either and making it very clear to the corporation that the reason X abusive location isn't doing so well is the abuse then you might be doing something decent dependent on how effectively you deter would-be customers and how callus the company is. Otherwise you're still counterproductive.
Actively boycotting the entire company because of their bad practices would be helpful.

This got into economics a bit... if this is too political someone let me know and I'll not post more like it.

 

Well your really not saving a fish your buying it. Sorry just the truth. Most of those threads end very quickly with the fish dying. So all that was saved was the owners losses. I say if a sick fish inspires you to get it don’t and look for a healthy one you may be able to keep alive. Remember most people who buy these bettas are beginners.
Snowwhite I was just in Germany and did try to visit some fish stores but they are not like American stores. Most closed by 5pm and were closed for the weekend. Did find one that was like our Petco/PetSmart. It was a chain store that sold all pet needs but had around 30 tanks. All of which were in perfect condition. Wish I could have found some fish stores can only imagine what they would have looked like.

 

Almost every single time I have "rescued" a betta from a pet store, the fish almost looked dead in its cup to the point that the manager realized it would not be profitable and as such gave it to me for free. So the store made no profit from it, and often times the worker and/or manager I approached even seemed a little ashamed to realize their conditions were so bad, and promptly visited the other fish after I started heading out.

The one time a store didn't let me take a sick betta home was because they were an LFS with a store policy of "no sick fish leave the store" and the store owner released the sick betta into a huge blackwater tank (that had no other fish in it) when I pointed out the sick fish. I really appreciated this action and decided they were a store worth supporting anyway.

 

I think the notion of rescuing the fish from a bad pet store is a kin to sending ransom to the kidnapper for the hostage ?

 

Almost every single time I have "rescued" a betta from a pet store, the fish almost looked dead in its cup to the point that the manager realized it would not be profitable and as such gave it to me for free. So the store made no profit from it, and often times the worker and/or manager I approached even seemed a little ashamed to realize their conditions were so bad, and promptly visited the other fish after I started heading out.

The one time a store didn't let me take a sick betta home was because they were an LFS with a store policy of "no sick fish leave the store" and the store owner released the sick betta into a huge blackwater tank (that had no other fish in it) when I pointed out the sick fish. I really appreciated this action and decided they were a store worth supporting anyway.

This is the definition of saving a fish. Good for you and that was a good manager. Few and far between. Hope you were able to save some that you brought home.

 

86 ssinit We have bad stores in germany too but they are not open for a long period if time because almost no one will go there and buy something. Good stores out number the bad ones.

coralbandit I wouldn't compare it to ransom money because kidnappers usually don't kidnapp over and over again by using the ransom money. They usually do it once, take the money and head of to a better life... I guess slavemarket that invests money (from you buying slaves to save them) into new slaves xD But at the end of the day those fish are... well fish and not humans. That does not mean that they deserve to life in bad conditions at all and that you shouldn't do your best to give them a nice life . I guess people just think differently about what that means!

SM1199 Getting a fish for free when its not as healthy as it should is awesome from a store I actually got my second hamster for free in a store because of that, took care of its health and it was all good again

 

The issue here is the economics of the situation. Buying anything from any company with bad business practices supports those bad business practices. This applies to pretty much everything in our economy.
As has already been pointed out in this thread one person deciding to shop elsewhere because of these practices will have a minuscule effect upon the business as other customers will likely buy their product.
The thing I wonder about is why the debate is ranging from 'do nothing' to 'support them anyway'.
There may be others but the ways off the top of my head to have an effect upon these companies would be to either press the government for new regulations prohibiting their bad business practices and if you get that keeping an eye out for violations or you could take a more direct approach in boycotting the business and protesting their practices. If you reduce their overall sales by a significant enough figure they'll change just to prevent further loss of profit.

 

I know even I complain about my local petco but its more of a knowledge thing and not on the condition of their tanks. Honestly their tanks look very well kept as does their bettas. Even their feeder minnow tank I have rarely seen a dead fish in it and with what a 1000 if them in there its expected.

Hahaha boycott petco. Goid luck with that. At the rate their buying up other companies pretty soon they will have no competition.

 

Almost every single time I have "rescued" a betta from a pet store, the fish almost looked dead in its cup to the point that the manager realized it would not be profitable and as such gave it to me for free. So the store made no profit from it, and often times the worker and/or manager I approached even seemed a little ashamed to realize their conditions were so bad, and promptly visited the other fish after I started heading out.

The one time a store didn't let me take a sick betta home was because they were an LFS with a store policy of "no sick fish leave the store" and the store owner released the sick betta into a huge blackwater tank (that had no other fish in it) when I pointed out the sick fish. I really appreciated this action and decided they were a store worth supporting anyway.

Excellent work, glad to hear you've figured out a way to save some fish and not support the practices responsible for the fish needing saving in the first place.

 

I know even I complain about my local petco but its more of a knowledge thing and not on the condition of their tanks. Honestly their tanks look very well kept as does their bettas. Even their feeder minnow tank I have rarely seen a dead fish in it and with what a 1000 if them in there its expected.

Yes, some chain pet stores are very well kept.

Also, it sounds like a lot of you guys really hate capitalism. Maybe that should be what we try to take down, as these problems don’t just stop at fish stores. Tons of people still eat and support KFC, McDonald’s, and Burger King even though they’ve been shown through video evidence to abuse their animals before brutally killing them.

Remember not to shop at Walmart, Kroger, Target, and many other chain stores, too, as they are scrutinized for the same thing. If the only store you have to get food from is Walmart, then just starve. It’s not that difficult to understand.

 

Hahaha boycott petco. Goid luck with that. At the rate their buying up other companies pretty soon they will have no competition.

Yeah... we really do need to strengthen our anti-trust laws.

 

This is the definition of saving a fish. Good for you and that was a good manager. Few and far between. Hope you were able to save some that you brought home.

I've done it three times, all at separate stores with different workers. The first betta looked like a dead leaf and made a very dramatic recovery (below), and I had him for quite a while through numerous moves. He developed such a personality, too. He eventually slowed down over the course of a week or so - no symptoms or pathology, just seemed like age caught up to him - and seemingly peacefully died in his cozy, heated planted tank after I had him for close to a year. The other two partially recovered and had a few good months but eventually the permanent damage from irreversible ammonia poisoning caught up to them.

Honestly, I think most store workers would just say "okay" if you have the guts to approach them and say "Hey, look, this fish obviously isn't doing great. I have established tanks and medications at home, and I can give him a chance if I can take him home for free." At least, that's what I've done, and I've never had any trouble at all.

 

Yes, some chain pet stores are very well kept.

Also, it sounds like a lot of you guys really hate capitalism. Maybe that should be what we try to take down, as these problems don’t just stop at fish stores. Tons of people still eat and support KFC, McDonald’s, and Burger King even though they’ve been shown through video evidence to abuse their animals before brutally killing them.

Remember not to shop at Walmart, Kroger, Target, and many other chain stores, too, as they are scrutinized for the same thing. If the only store you have to get food from is Walmart, then just starve. It’s not that difficult to understand.

I love capitalism. Competion keeps prices down. And these big chains can keep prices down since they control every part of their system from the warehouse to the trucking to the store itself. Yea I'm not going to starve. Latly I have been using my amazon prime as its meant to be used. Bought a bed, sheets, tid pods, gargage bags. Its weird not having to go to a store anymore.

 

Yes, some chain pet stores are very well kept.

Also, it sounds like a lot of you guys really hate capitalism. Maybe that should be what we try to take down, as these problems don’t just stop at fish stores. Tons of people still eat and support KFC, McDonald’s, and Burger King even though they’ve been shown through video evidence to abuse their animals before brutally killing them.

Remember not to shop at Walmart, Kroger, Target, and many other chain stores, too, as they are scrutinized for the same thing. If the only store you have to get food from is Walmart, then just starve. It’s not that difficult to understand.

Hate capitalism? Maybe, I at very least hate how the primary driving force of capitalism, the profit motive, leads these companies to be abusive. I've already mentioned it on this thread but our Anti-Trust laws need to be strengthened. It should never be the case that there simply isn't other options.

 

Every time I see this question I think of a story I see on social media from time to time about an elderly gentleman feeding starving/stray dogs being asked why he bothers. What difference does it make? his answer according to the story is, ‘it made a difference for that one’

I totally understand not wanting to buy fish from petstore, and support the machine but I also think it doesn’t really change the fact that the fish are still being sold often to people who haven’t bothered to research proper care.

I see it as an education issue more than anything, but I think people are wising up too. I’ve seen major improvements at my local chain pet store in the past year.

I was actually taken my surprise with one of my last betta purchases when the cashier advised I buy a filter lol I already had one but it’s the first time anyone noticed lol.

The age of internet connected fishkeepers/social media I think means a rise in better educated newbies meaning chain stores might have to actually do better at fishkeeping or risk loss of sales

 

I've done it three times, all at separate stores with different workers. The first betta looked like a dead leaf and made a very dramatic recovery (below), and I had him for quite a while through numerous moves. He developed such a personality, too. He eventually slowed down over the course of a week or so - no symptoms or pathology, just seemed like age caught up to him - and seemingly peacefully died in his cozy, heated planted tank after I had him for close to a year. The other two partially recovered and had a few good months but eventually the permanent damage from irreversible ammonia poisoning caught up to them.

Honestly, I think most store workers would just say "okay" if you have the guts to approach them and say "Hey, look, this fish obviously isn't doing great. I have established tanks and medications at home, and I can give him a chance if I can take him home for free." At least, that's what I've done, and I've never had any trouble at all.

View attachment 633989

Wow, did he ever perk up. What medications did you use ?

 

Hello guys
I am a new member to this forum and because I was curious I looked into many threads, especially about Betta Fish ( Because I have one too since almost two weeks soon) and I noticed something that people wrote in some of those Threads regarding where they had their Betta from!
They said that they "saved" their fish from really bad circumstances from a pet store to give it a better life and to make it happy!

Of course I think that that is a very honourable action, to save a living being, be it a fish or a dog, or a hamster or whatever but I personally think that you should not do it!
You should not choose a fish from a store with bad living conditions in order to save it because I learned that buying an animal in those stores just gives them more money to buy new fish and just keep them as bad. I can't just buy all of their fish and make them stop! In my opinion there should not go a penny into those stores because looking at the whole thing, its not helping at all.
Because of that I got my Betta from a family that didn't wanted it anymore and basicly sold it over a private online market.
I don't intend to attack or offend anyone who does not do the same, who bought or saved their fish in a pet store, you do you, I am only interested in a neat discussion about that topic and shared opinions.
What do you think? Should one save fish or other pets from a pet store?

Applause applause applause.

I've started a thread earlier about this issue.

"Rescued fish" means money for these shops and replacement of fish to take the place.of these poor fish.

 

Hello guys
I am a new member to this forum and because I was curious I looked into many threads, especially about Betta Fish ( Because I have one too since almost two weeks soon) and I noticed something that people wrote in some of those Threads regarding where they had their Betta from!
They said that they "saved" their fish from really bad circumstances from a pet store to give it a better life and to make it happy!

Of course I think that that is a very honourable action, to save a living being, be it a fish or a dog, or a hamster or whatever but I personally think that you should not do it!
You should not choose a fish from a store with bad living conditions in order to save it because I learned that buying an animal in those stores just gives them more money to buy new fish and just keep them as bad. I can't just buy all of their fish and make them stop! In my opinion there should not go a penny into those stores because looking at the whole thing, its not helping at all.
Because of that I got my Betta from a family that didn't wanted it anymore and basicly sold it over a private online market.
I don't intend to attack or offend anyone who does not do the same, who bought or saved their fish in a pet store, you do you, I am only interested in a neat discussion about that topic and shared opinions.
What do you think? Should one save fish or other pets from a pet store?

Save fish.. Pet stores tend to “sell” animals, which isn’t right. We rescued so many bettas, and a couple Siamese algae eaters. Definetly worth it.

 

I mean Petco alone has approx. 1500 locations and you have to imagine each one probably receive a few dozen bettas a month or so...imo it seems pointless to "rescue" the fish however honorable the principle may be...you just simply won't be making a dent in the actual problem but contributing to the stores revenue...as OP and others have stated.

 

I mostly agree with Snowwhite. I don’t think buying a fish from a chain store counts as saving them unless the fish is seriously ill (like going to die within the next few days or week) and in need of medical treatment. In this case, with proper treatment, you saved the fish from death, not really from the store.

I’ve found that you have to be the change you want to see in fish stores. A lot of places lack people with in depth fish knowledge and have drastic potential for improvement with a fish person present.

Personally, I have nothing against chain stores as long as they manage their fish care quality seriously. Some chain stores care for their fish better than local fish stores and some local fish stores care for their fish better than other chain stores. Pretty much all of the local fish stores near me, for instance, recommend bettas for vases or half gallon tanks, while the chains are pushing five gallons.

Here is my new betta, Lumos, who has recovered from ich contamination in a chain store that started when their most knowledgeable fish person left on vacation. The poor thing was so irritated, he was jumping out of the water of the cup and sticking to the side so that his head and gills were above water.

 

I have to admit I have been tempted to rescue fish throughout the years and have walked away until recently. Noticed 2 blood parrots in a tank, one was significantly larger than the other and was the aggressor. The other was beat up and just trying to get away. Pointed out the situation to the store manager and was told the fish should have been pulled and put in their hospital tank, she was upset that it hadn't. She wanted to know if I would like to have it and I said yes and so it was given to me free! This store is the only nice one in town and their fish are top notch and the only one I would recommend.

 

When I go to Petco I avoid the betta aisle. It makes me sad to see them.