"rescues"

[SolomonFinch]

Wednesday night my husband pointed out a lone betta in a cup at Wal-Hell. We thought he was dead. The water looked like COFFEE it was so nasty and he was just on the bottom motionless.
I had decided I was never buying fish from chains any longer as it just perpetuates the very real issue of animal abuse. If we keep buying these mega stores products (fish), they are going to keep supplying the mistreated fish.
Normally I take it upon myself and clean the damn cups at the section's sink with the provided bottled betta water they sell there. I figure I'll pay for the water but not the fish.
This store had no sink in the fish section and I was tired. So we (ONE LAST TIME) bought him.
I had no time to acclimate, he couldnt even breathe. So Wednesday night I put him into a QT vase (I always have an empty cycled tank running but always QT first to save the hassle of tainting a clean tank in case something is wrong) with a heater. He did great, loved the heater and hammock...by yesterday morning he had built a bubble nest!
Last night while he built his nest, I watched him suddenly pale and die mid-bubble. I kid you not.
How terrible. What makes me mad is that he would have died either way but I didn't help at all because he is still marked as SOLD. He still turned a profit with his life.

[MiyuMikaelson]

I'm so sorry that he had to live like that.

I'm also thankful people like you make the end at least peaceful for them.

[SolomonFinch]

:)
just cannot believe how terrible stores are. if it were anything but fish it would be illegal.

[MiyuMikaelson]

Tell me about it! Luckily, for the last 2 months consistently my Wal*Mart hasn't been selling Betta Fish which is exciting. As well as my PetCo/Smart's have upgraded the cups they're in to almost double the size they used to be. So I mean, yay for improvements. Not all the way there yet, but progress at least.

[SolomonFinch]

That is great!
I am currently looking for an American breeder of bettas. I have had no luck, Aquabid seems to be all foreign fish...and I dont think I want to put a fish through that kind of shipping after all. So if you know of anyone (I live in NC) that would be great... google seems to have failed me with this search.

[MiyuMikaelson]

Definitely stalk some of the regulars here; in the Breeding sub-forum or the Classifieds. There's a good chance you'll find an American breeder with what you'd like. There's a lot of them preparing to breed and raising babies right now.
:)

(Niklaus, the one in my picture is my first Betta and I bought him from Bettaakapes in Thailand. ^^; )

[SolomonFinch]

Thanks :) I plan to start cycling a ten gallon this week to divide for 2 veiltail males to place in my bedroom... so stalk I shall :)

[Caii]

Sometimes I feel like stores purposefully put their betta fish in horrible conditions so that we'll buy them just to save them...

Still, I'm glad that you were able to make his last days probably the best he's ever had. Even if you gave the store a profit, you gave that little fish so much more ^_^

[SolomonFinch]

thanks caii.
i went into petsmart today to buy kitty food... and avoided tiny cups LOL my daughter checked though and reported everyone was clean LOL
I agree, especially for walmart....they figure, why clean it? either it will die or someone will get it....