poor betta rant

[FDStation152]

Well while the bettas would do better in much larger containers you have to look at it from a realistic standpoint. There aren't many stores that have the ability to lose a lot of valuable space for an individual inexpensive fish. In fact practically all store tanks are overstocked so practically none of the fish have the space they would like. I've bred bettas before and the males all ended up in individual jars until they were sold. why? because unless I could sell them for 100 bucks a piece I couldn't afford to give each individual male a few gallons of water. The cost of setting up 20 heated 10 gallon aquariums with proper filters and dividers goes well beyond the amount of money that can be made selling them. And there is also the issue of space. Its just the way it goes. Pretty much any fish you ever own will at some point in its life (from the breeding farms to the pet store) will have had to deal with living in over-crowded conditions due to simple economics. There are very few of us that would be able to afford to actually keep tropical fish if they were all housed in perfect conditions for their entire lives. Would you honestly pay 70 dollars for a betta if it was guaranteed to have never have lived in less than 3 gallons of heated and filtered water when you could buy one that was being kept in a cup for 3 bucks? Sorry to sound mean about it but I've bred fish for profit and thats kinda just how it goes. People including all of us buy fish atleast partially on the basis of price and the cost of housing all those fish is included in that price. While I might pay a little more for a fish that appears to have been kept in superior conditions I won't pay 20 times as much for that quality when I can get a reasonably healthy individual for less. While all those bettas might not be extremely happy they generally aren't sitting there festering with disease. If you don't like the way they are stored while they are being sold start paying more for em....heck shell out 100 bucks a pop for a male betta and I'll give them each their own 10 gallon tank. But when I'm getting less than a dollar for them when I sell em well then they're getting a jar.

[soco1125]

My LFS is 40 miles away. There was one closer, but I stopped going there because I was fed up with knowing more about fish (and other animals) than all the staff and manager put together. The one I go to now is small and crowded with rows of fish tanks and the prices are higher, but I think it's worth it. This store does not sell dyed fish, balloon mollies, parrot fish, etc. They do sell fish like oscars, piranhas, and arowanas but the owner is very conscientious about whom he sends his fish home with. Tanks are set up with gravel and live plants, have their own filtration, and the fish are kept at a reasonable number with other compatible species. Oh yeah, and most of the bettas are in the tanks... those that aren't still get their own large bowl with gravel and a plant. I'm really glad I made the switch and I hope more people do too. :)

[Melissa]

well it sounds like you have a good lfs there.