[mathkid]

Hey all,

I see a lot of folks posting about what tank/materials to buy for their betta. And in stores, of course, there's all these horrible 1/2-gal unheated $12 betta kits...

Why don't they sell decent betta kits in the stores? They would necessarily be a little more expensive, but you would get value for it! How cheap do you think it'd need to be to convince those $12 buyers to get a proper setup instead?

For example, suppose Petco sold a $25 betta kit - 1 gallon, heated, etc. - do you think the $12-people would switch? What if you included all the hidden costs (often the kits don't come with decorations, or not enough, not enough food, water conditioner, etc)...

I guess my questions for you are:

1) What would you pay for a 1-gallon kit that included everything you need to keep a betta happy for 6 months (tank, soft decorations, water conditioner, water chemistry tests, heater, thermometer, food...)?

2) What would you pay for a 2.5-gallon kit, or a kit that included aquarium salt/epsom salt (basic meds)?

3) What about a "deluxe" kit that includes live plants or IAL and/or frozen food in betta-sized packaging? (No, I have no idea how logistics would work for something like that.)

-mathkid

 

[callistra]

I wouldn't pay for a 1 gallon kit. I paid under $10 for a 1 gallon glass bowl I use as a hospital tank in a heated room and that's all I'd pay for a 1 gallon.

I wouldn't ever pay for a kit that includes "basic meds" unless those meds happen to be Kanaplex, PraziPro and Metrozadinole... not likely. A 2.5g setup with good adjustable heater would run someone $10 for tank and $20 for heater.

5 gallon would be like $12-$15 tank and same price heater.

It's cheaper than people realize. They're just not well informed.

 

[mathkid]

You're right, of course =)

Well, imagine you're an uninformed shopper whose kid has been begging for a pet, and you're like "Fine, fine, you can get a fish. Those are cheap, right?" You go to the store, and the helpful super-informed worker tells you "Bettas are the cheapest! You don't even need any equipment!" So you're looking at the $10 and $12 cheapo kits while your kid goes and picks out a fish.

How would you need to position a decent betta kit to get these uninformed shoppers to say, "Well, that's still pretty cheap, and it looks like it'd be a lot nicer..."?

 

[Zero186]

I'm Fairly new into bettas and went with a 2.5 Mini Bow but wish I had visited the petsmart before I ordered it. because i could had done the same size and heater for half the price.

 

[scrap]

Yeah those cheap betta kits are actually pretty expensive sometimes. You can usualy find 5 gals with no lid for cheaper...they just need to find a way to make very cheap lids and reasonably priced heaters and they would have a nice little bundle for not too bad a price.

 

[julceyx3]

Why don't they sell decent betta kits in the stores?
People are cheap. Stores want to make money. "Lets slap a picture of a betta on the box of this cheap crap and the masses will buy it!"

Yep, I was one of these idiots that bought it. I also bought a sick fish. He lasted 2 days. Before he kicked it I went back to PetSmart planning to get the 2.5G Mini Bow. I just started research at the time and was unaware that wasn't really a good size either.

Luckily there was a helpful employee there and recommended that I get the TopFin 5.5G Starter Kit for the same price. 2 times the space, plus glass not plastic. The only downside was the filter made too much current but I added a baffle which helped A LOT. He ALSO recommended that I wait until they get their shipment in to get a new betta, out of the 20 cups on the shelf, 2 were swimming. I've decided to just wait until my tank is properly cycled before I buy another.

Why was it the same price but a way better deal? Marketing. I wasn't even thinking about regular aquariums. I was looking for the box with the betta.

 

[Bombalurina]

When I have my own petshop (yeah, yeah, in my dreams), I will make standard and deluxe kits in 1 gallon, 2 gallon, 3 gallon, 5 gallon and 10 gallon sizes for bettas.

I'll do kits for all the breeds, plus community kits, but I've already figured out what's going in my betta kits.