What do you do when you see fish you want to rescue...

...but you have nowhere suitable to put them?

I was at Petco today, buying a heater for my cycling tank, and saw 2 of the most beautiful Bettas that should not be left to die in a tiny cup (no fish SHOULD be left to die in a cup, of course, but these two were unique looking and I was drawn to them). I wanted to take them home, but I have nowhere to put them. I briefly thought about getting 2 bowls and 2 bottles of "Betta Water" and leaving them there until I could get better accommodations. But then I remembered my cats, who would see that as a buffet dinner . I thought my kids would like to have their own fishies, but then I'd be out the cost of setting up 2 tanks, and while that would work long term that isn't an expense I was counting on right now. I also thought they should be able to pick out their own fish, though when I told them about these 2 they sounded interested.

Anyway, so what do you do if you see fish you want to rescue but you have nowhere to put them? Do you leave them? The last time I did this I found the fish I wanted to rescue dead in its cup a week later. That was so sad.

I know I need to just stop looking at them, and that would stop the madness, lol. Ugh!

 

That is a very hard question. I guess I would take them and fit them in later. But if I did that every time I would have a couple million fish!! I guess just leave them and hope for somebody that has room and really wants these fish to pick them up. Whenever I see fish in need I just ask for the manager and tell them that this is gross and to fix these fish up with some proper homes. I always come back a day later and if it has not changed I write a letter to the main office place.

 

Honestly, I try not to save animals in situations like that, simply because I always worry that by adding to a store's profit, I'm encouraging them to keep up the bad work. I feel your pain, though.

 

I find it very hard not rescue bettas. They are such beautiful fish and are kept in such terrible conditions. If it weren't for their aggression I would have a betta community. If I rescued every betta I saw, I would have WAY too many 2.5 gallon tanks around my house. Or a ton of divided 10 gallons or 20 longs.

 

I don't even look at the bettas, seriously. I put my hand up and walk right by them. I can't look

 

I don't even look at the bettas, seriously. I put my hand up and walk right by them. I can't look

that's what I need to do. I love bettas. they have a special place in my heart and I will probably always have at least one.

 

I don't even look at the bettas, seriously. I put my hand up and walk right by them. I can't look

That's what I should do, really. I halfway entertained the idea of rehabbing them and selling (or donating) them to the LFS, where I know they will be well cared for, but as someone else said I don't want to give that Petco any more of my money and support their bad betta habits. They had cleared their shelves of all but 4, and I thought maybe they were going to stock less of them. Nope.

Ugh, these two were so pretty. One was yellow and black, the other was a purpley iridescent with black "trim", for lack of a better word. So gorgeous. So sad.

 

I'm bad with all animals. When I check cragslist for pet stuff or specific pets (we just got two new kittens a couple months ago), I HAVE to use the search functions. I want to rescue every animal in the whole world that is hurting or improperly kept!! I have the total bleeding heart for animals

 

Our little male guppy is sorta a rescue.

I was going around to various stores, looking at female guppies. I wanted to stock eight or nine females before I even considered getting a male, so I was going around quickly sketching the ones I liked and making notes of the store/tank they were in and what day that store got their fish delivery.

The plan was to get the ones that I liked after they had been there at least a week, the day before the next delivery, when the chance of new nonsymptomatic problems was at it's minimum.

I was controlling the urge to impulse buy fish very well till I ran into this tiny 1" male lyretail guppy at a petco. He was in a tank with about 30 2"-3" swordtails who were using him as the tank whipping boy. The top of his tail was almost gone, the connection between the upper and lower half was torn and while you could see the odd collection of colors he had, they were pretty faded.

I asked about him. Their last lyretail batch had come in two or three months ago, sold very slowly so they did not get anymore. He was the last one left and had been in the tank with the swords for a few weeks (with new swords added every week).

Took him home. Brought home a couple girlfriends for him two days later.

He's probably a runt and will likely make my mutt guppies tiny and generally ruin the genetics in my tank... But I like the little guy anyway. His tail is looking better and he has colored up nicely. He still only has the two female guppies in there with him, but he makes up for the lack of a proper harem by making moves on the female mollies and platies that are twice or even triple his size.

 

I just walk away. I am forbidden from buying any more tanks and so I can't rescue anyone really. If I were single it would be a totally different story: BolivianBaby would have *nothing* on me!

I want to help but I can't. It's the lesser of two evils: stay in a crummy situation for awhile with the chance of a better life or come home with me and end up with incompatible tank mates and/or live in an overcrowded tank. So I leave them.

-Lisa

 

Well...
You can take my plan

I'm eventually going to start a fish store. Then I can rescue EVERY FISHY!!!

 

I went to Petco today and the two I fell in love with are still there! Ugh! They'd seriously be perfect for my kids (I'd secretly like the one for my DD best) but I don't want to get the kids their own tanks until Hanukkah. Think I can hide 2 Bettas for 5 months?

I think I've banned myself from going to Petco. Or maybe from the fish section; I still need to buy grass for the cats there. Oh wait, the LFS also doesn't sell snails, and I'll be buying some of those. Shoot. This is like dieting.

 

mmmm fish in need seem to find me!
My most recent pair of find me fish are 2 goldies one with a special tail, the fair came to town friends of mine went found one of the goldies dumped on the floor in his bag in the blazing sunshine and the other a kid gave them noticing they had the other, my friends knew I would have somewhere to fit these guys in. The find me fish before that were given to me from a LFS that was relocating a goby a flame tetra and a glass tetra, he knew I would find them somewhere and he didnt want to odd fish just getting shoved in anywhere.

 

DONT DO IT!!!!!!
If the betta dies, you will have lost money, that you could have spent on a fish that would actually be appreciated as it remained alive.