"Rescuing" a fish from a store is just like buying dogs from puppy mills. You think you are helping the fish, but really you are just making the store continue to breed the fish and keep them in these horrid conditions. Go to craigslist or petfinder or a shelter (yes, they have them for fish) if you want to ACTUALLY rescue a betta
I think people are doing it with good intentions...and some of the members actually speak out for the bettas and the conditions to the stores which I think is good. To be honest not everyone can afford to by bettas off of the internet and I have searched for bettas on ads before to adopt and there were none so you can't always find them that way. I have taken in bettas that people did not want anymore, I enjoyed doing that
Supporting the stores that take care of their fish are good like my LPS which is not a chain store and they take great care of their fish...everything is more expensive but their fish are always healthy and have clean environments. But sometimes people don't have those good stores to turn to which is unfortunate...like once I moved to university the LPS here is horrid yet I still wanted some bettas so I bought two ones that looked ill and revived them. Now they don't really have bettas as often because they don't sell fast there and just pass away...so they get way less and less often. They are starting to realize that the cleaner the fish are the more they sell though so they have improved a bit...
I think that people who "rescue" a sick fish from a store just have a soft spot in their hearts so they buy it, take it home and try to make it better and give it a good life.
I agree with DQ. I don't understand why you are attacking people that say that they 'rescued' a betta. Even if that's not your intentions, that's how I take it. There's really no need for it.
In my opinion, I don't really matter much in the betta world =S I try my best, and I HAVE made a difference, but it's because of something that I never foresaw. To be brutally honest, bettas will not be saved anytime soon. Why? Because they've been seen as decorative fish for far too long, and people believe that's all there is to it. No matter how much you preach, it's just easier for them to pick up a betta, plop it in a vase, and hope for it to do the best. Even if I protest, and stop buying, some other new person will just shrug and take the betta/bettas I had hoped to save. While I may not doing wonders for the entire species, I did save THAT one. Remember the old man and the starfish? If not, look it up. Like that old man, I may not have been able to save all of the starfish, but THAT starfish sure is happier. Its the same for the bettas. It's fighting a losing battle to just stop, and the stores probably say the same. The stores make far too much money off of bettas to give up what they're doing. Lets face it, people. It's easier to put them into cups and call them easy-to-care-for fish than to put them into individual 2.5 gallon tanks and say that they'll live forever off of only a bit of food, and no water changes. Plus, when the fish die, they'll make even more money when that person comes back for a replacement.
For me, I realize that I'm just another person to them. I'm sure they receive plenty of complaints from people like us, who care about the wellbeing of the fish, but just DON'T care. Sure, they'll make it seem like they're doing something, maybe by a bit bigger cup, but they're just trying to get us off their backs. Like puppy-stores and puppy-mills still exist, though they've been protested on and such, bettas in petstores will continue to live in horrible conditions. The best I can do is hope that the one I choose will live a long, happy life.
That's MY two cents, and it may not make a lot of sense. It was a little confusing writing it :P
I think I've seen this thread before. To rescue something is to save it from harm. It's not just a word associated with a shelter.
I'd gladly shove my high morals in a backseat to save a fish from a sad fate whether with my wallet or without. I think little fish lives are worth it. I guess I've just never been into the whole sacrifice a few to save the many outlook. If you don't care about the few, how can you care about the many? That's me though.
I think I've seen this thread before. To rescue something is to save it from harm. It's not just a word associated with a shelter.
I'd gladly shove my high morals in a backseat to save a fish from a sad fate whether with my wallet or without. I think little fish lives are worth it. I guess I've just never been into the whole sacrifice a few to save the many outlook. If you don't care about the few, how can you care about the many? That's me though.
If you don't care about the many, how can you care about the few?
Quote:
Originally Posted by JamieTron
I think people are doing it with good intentions...and some of the members actually speak out for the bettas and the conditions to the stores which I think is good. To be honest not everyone can afford to by bettas off of the internet and I have searched for bettas on ads before to adopt and there were none so you can't always find them that way. I have taken in bettas that people did not want anymore, I enjoyed doing that
Supporting the stores that take care of their fish are good like my LPS which is not a chain store and they take great care of their fish...everything is more expensive but their fish are always healthy and have clean environments. But sometimes people don't have those good stores to turn to which is unfortunate...like once I moved to university the LPS here is horrid yet I still wanted some bettas so I bought two ones that looked ill and revived them. Now they don't really have bettas as often because they don't sell fast there and just pass away...so they get way less and less often. They are starting to realize that the cleaner the fish are the more they sell though so they have improved a bit...
Yes, good intentions just as people who "rescue" dogs from puppy mills by purchasing them there. They want to save one dog, but with the money that the puppy mill owner gets from you buying that one dog, They can make many more, and put them in the same conditions because they realize people are indeed purchasing them. Same type of thing with pet stores
Quote:
Originally Posted by CodeRed
In my opinion, I don't really matter much in the betta world =S I try my best, and I HAVE made a difference, but it's because of something that I never foresaw. To be brutally honest, bettas will not be saved anytime soon. Why? Because they've been seen as decorative fish for far too long, and people believe that's all there is to it. No matter how much you preach, it's just easier for them to pick up a betta, plop it in a vase, and hope for it to do the best. Even if I protest, and stop buying, some other new person will just shrug and take the betta/bettas I had hoped to save. While I may not doing wonders for the entire species, I did save THAT one. Remember the old man and the starfish? If not, look it up. Like that old man, I may not have been able to save all of the starfish, but THAT starfish sure is happier. Its the same for the bettas. It's fighting a losing battle to just stop, and the stores probably say the same. The stores make far too much money off of bettas to give up what they're doing. Lets face it, people. It's easier to put them into cups and call them easy-to-care-for fish than to put them into individual 2.5 gallon tanks and say that they'll live forever off of only a bit of food, and no water changes. Plus, when the fish die, they'll make even more money when that person comes back for a replacement.
For me, I realize that I'm just another person to them. I'm sure they receive plenty of complaints from people like us, who care about the wellbeing of the fish, but just DON'T care. Sure, they'll make it seem like they're doing something, maybe by a bit bigger cup, but they're just trying to get us off their backs. Like puppy-stores and puppy-mills still exist, though they've been protested on and such, bettas in petstores will continue to live in horrible conditions. The best I can do is hope that the one I choose will live a long, happy life.
That's MY two cents, and it may not make a lot of sense. It was a little confusing writing it :P
puupy mills used to be much more common, and perfectly ok with the law, now they are illegal as are pony mills and rabbit mills. many states are now outlawing pocket pet mills also, but people who think as you do are making it immpossible for them to do the same with fish
Last edited by dramaqueen; 01-03-2010 at 07:30 PM.
I agree with DQ. I don't understand why you are attacking people that say that they 'rescued' a betta. Even if that's not your intentions, that's how I take it. There's really no need for it.
I am indeed attacking people who say that they "rescued" a betta from a petstore. You see, when they rescue that one betta, they are putting about 8 more bettas in that one bettas condition as petsores make enough profit off of one betta to do so. I would have argued against myself a couple years ago, as you are to me, but then I realized the truth
Well heck, we could go round and round on that all day. I'm entitled to care for them my way and you yours.
I don't disagree that we need to speak up when we feel it will make a difference while doing whatever we feel is right. I'm glad people feel they've saved a fish life. Half the world couldn't give two ... you know whats... about fish. If the people on this forum feel good about saving a life, bought or otherwise, I'm glad they actually care.
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
Similar Threads
