[LaRougeRaven]

At the start of last year I moved into a tiny place, an attic that turned into a single suite. No pets are allowed. So after feeling lonely, I wanted to get a Firebelly newt, but after speaking to someone telling me you needed at least a 10 gallon tank, I tried to go for something that needed a smaller space.

I've had Bettas in the past, Dylan who was my pride and joy when I got him when I was about 14, he was with me through thick and thin, he lived in a tiny tank, probably smaller than .5 gallon, about 3 years after I got him, my parents bought me a split tank that could hold two Bettas. We finally got a second one, and Dylan started to get sick. I took him out of the shared tank and put him in a bowl of water, after a few days he seemed better, and I placed him back in the tank, this time he died. I cried for a week over him.

After my next fish died about a year later, I stopped owning fish for a bit. I moved on my own the first time, and bought another Betta, he was in a 1 gallon bowl with no lid, sadly after 8 months, he had jumped out of his bowl.

Again 2 years later I bought another Betta, he loved watching the 2010 Hockey olympics so I called him Habs. Sadly that April he jumped out of his bowl.

Finally, after getting my new baby Poseidon, I am trying to take better care, and got a tank with a LID!

Once Poseidon got fin rot a bit ago, I went searching for help, and found this website. And what makes me very sad is, that after owning Bettas in the passed since I was about 14, I finally discovered that I have been basically lied to, or educated by people who have no idea what they are talking about. I would have started with a larger tank than 1 gallon, which I thought might have been too big. I found that the plastic plants I bought for him have been hurting his fins on top of the fin rot. I am so thankful to have found this site, and going to do all I can to make sure Poseidon lives a long and healthy life.

 

[princesskale]

And what makes me very sad is, that after owning Bettas in the passed since I was about 14, I finally discovered that I have been basically lied to, or educated by people who have no idea what they are talking about.

Don't be too hard on yourself, I think most of us here were misguided before we found this forum. :|

 

[LaRougeRaven]

Don't be too hard on yourself, I think most of us here were misguided before we found this forum. :|

It's just so bad, you expect that your petstore workers would know what they are talking about, it's like having someone who has never drank coffee in their life, work at Starbucks and have them give you their option about coffee. You should know the proper facts.

 

[princesskale]

It's just so bad, you expect that your petstore workers would know what they are talking about, it's like having someone who has never drank coffee in their life, work at Starbucks and have them give you their option about coffee. You should know the proper facts.

You would think, but they're just minimum wage employees. That's like asking a Walmart employee how to eat healthy. Although they work in a business that sells food, they don't always know what they're talking about. It's a shame, but it's true. They should just be honest rather than giving out false information. :roll:

 

[Greenapp1es]

Yeah - you weren't the only one to have gone through something like this.

My first guy I had in an area where it took getting fish to realize that are water was unsuitable for *anyone's* consumption - didn't try with another betta until I moved.

Then I had 3 betta that each lived their lives in .25gal unheated "betta bowls." This is before the internet, so the word of the petstore employee went pretty much unquestioned, as they were the only voice of authority to really ask. My first of the three lived almost 3 years, with weekly water changes. The second two lived almost 4 years, same conditions. After my experience with the last two, I was so traumatized by seeing them sick *every single damn day* that it took me literally over 15 years to get the guy I have now. My beautiful boys were visibly sick, but I couldn't do anything about it. It was still the 90's, the internet was just coming into itself and forums like this didn't exist, and my parents weren't going to take 2 $3 fish to the Vet.

I seriously felt guilty day after day, watching them struggle and not knowing what to do....and wishing they would just die so that that they weren't sick anymore. This went on for over a year. Both fish lived to ALMOST 4 YEARS in TERRIBLE conditions, the last year of which they could barely move.

That's why sites like this are SO important. I seriously think that the Betta is one of the most commonly mistreated, neglected, and abused fish out there - and it's all because of misinformation. People think they are doing right by them. Unless more people question what they're hearing when given bad information (and correct those giving it) - these poor guys are just caught in the middle.

With that though - don't blame yourself. You're doing the best you can for your guy now that you know better - same as we all are. Blame the pet store industry that keeps perpetuating the misinformation - whether it be simple ignorance or for profit because they see fish as disposable pets.

 

[Kaxen]

You would think, but they're just minimum wage employees. That's like asking a Walmart employee how to eat healthy. Although they work in a business that sells food, they don't always know what they're talking about. It's a shame, but it's true. They should just be honest rather than giving out false information. :roll:

Yeah... I was at Petsmart getting some harlequin rasboras and the girl working the aquarium section remarked she didn't like fishkeeping until she got a job there.


Though I don't get why pet stores don't promote proper betta keeping... because you'd sell a bigger tank, a heater, and all the fixings too. Doesn't that mean more profit than one betta and a $10 bare bowl?


I only switched to proper fishkeeping recently. My family thought I was nuts for a while because for them "it's not dead" and "it's doing well" are about the same for them. And my bro was convinced it was more stressful for the fish to have a water change than 160ppm nitrates because the water's clear.

 

[Tress]

+1 to everyone. You cannot blame yourself for it, especially when you first started out since (as Green mentioned) the pet store employees were the go to people. And really, fish keeping is an ever evolving science. If you aren't prepared to constantly learn new things, it can send you for a loop.

I guess I'll share a story too

I was more of a goldfish girl since I live in a tiny town (outside of a tiny town actually) and the cheapest/easiest fish were goldfish. I NEVER had them in bowls, but my 5g was often home to 3-4 "feeder" kind of goldies. Later on I had a 15g with the same number. They usually lived about 4 years, the oldest being 7 before I had to put him down.

During that time I got more interested in bettas. Even back then I knew the ones at the local store were in horrible (walmart quality) conditions, so I waited till we drove the hour to petsmart. I don't remember talking to an employee but I was lured in by all the "betta" tanks. Went home with this ... plastic jug thing that holds maybe .75g. I never even conditioned the water back then, and my boy wouldn't eat the pellets left over from my newt (yea... thats ANOTHER thing I was completely misinformed about) and so he lived on a diet of frozen bloodworms.

Surprisingly my boy was always active and never got sick despite the at most weekly water changes. If my mom hadn't of killed him from temperature shock by thinking he was "cold", dumping out half the water and refilling warm water right from the tap... I might have had him long enough to be more internet savvy and take better care of him. I was kinda traumatized after I lost him and only last year did I start wanting and researching about bettas. I lurked around here till I got my first guy and well... been here ever since.

I wish you the best with your betta adventures, I find it is harder and not so cheap of a hobby here in Canada. So many things aren't even available here - or the cost is CRAZY. But seeing as you're in Calgary I know there is bound to be a fish club there. There are (at least two) Alberta betta breeders on this site, MattsBettas and LogisticsGuy. You can find cheap fish stuff at the meetings and auctions. Plants, tanks, heaters, fish, etc all available I'd look into it if I were you

 

[Tress]

Though I don't get why pet stores don't promote proper betta keeping... because you'd sell a bigger tank, a heater, and all the fixings too. Doesn't that mean more profit than one betta and a $10 bare bowl?

Actually in a way they think they are getting more money because when the fish die people often replace it. A LOT of people think bettas only live a few months and when it lives more than that they think they are doing things right. 99% of the stuff with "For Bettas" slapped on it is WAAAAAAY overpriced and usually not even close to what bettas really need. Look at the Betta Water for example... it's spring water with conditioner.... sold at a premium.

So say someone comes in, buys a betta, a tiny betta "tank", some betta water and/or conditioner, and maybe a few decorations. They spend maybe $20-30 on this little set up. After a few months in the wrong conditions the betta dies. So they go back and get a new one. That betta gets sick so they ask the pet store what to get, pet store sells them a useless/mild/completely wrong med. Betta eventually dies off too.. it can go on for years (depending how long the betta hangs in there) and the store makes little sales from them along the way. Eventually people get fed up with fish that don't live very long and stop buying.

Where as if someone knew what they were doing, there will be a bigger start up cost for say a 5g.. you can usually get a 5g for around $15-$25 (just the tank with nothing else). Then you buy a filter ($10-$20), Heater ($20-$40), silk plants ($5-$10), substrate ($5-$10), food ($5), Water conditioner ($5-10)... You're looking at a $50-$100 purchase for pretty much the basics. If you're smart and have the money you'd get a water test kit ($25) and make yourself a fish first aid kit ($20-$50). But you'll have a LOT less return visits (probably for water testing or more water conditioner, maybe meds too).

But that's where it helps to buy used. If you're in Canada, Kijiji is like Craigslist and I constantly drool over deals on tanks (someone even had a 5g for $5 D:!). Most come as a set with a filter, lid, lights, substrate, decor. I've even seen heaters with it too. I'm cautious of second hand heaters though, if they are still new and only recently we turned off and put away its ok, but if they've sat for months it's iffy. I got a good zap from one so I'm a nervous nelly about it.

Anyways nuff babbling from me hehe

 

[LaRougeRaven]

You would think, but they're just minimum wage employees. That's like asking a Walmart employee how to eat healthy. Although they work in a business that sells food, they don't always know what they're talking about. It's a shame, but it's true. They should just be honest rather than giving out false information. :roll:

See but the problem is, is that Walmart isn't suppose to really know about healthy food, I wouldn't even go to safeway or superstore to ask about healthy food, I'd go to a health food store. I worked minium wage at a Starbucks, I found my knowledged lacked, so I did what I had to, to be the most knowledgable person at the store. Mind you EVERYONE from staff to customers knew to ask only me for help or insight.

 

[LaRougeRaven]

I wish you the best with your betta adventures, I find it is harder and not so cheap of a hobby here in Canada. So many things aren't even available here - or the cost is CRAZY. But seeing as you're in Calgary I know there is bound to be a fish club there. There are (at least two) Alberta betta breeders on this site, MattsBettas and LogisticsGuy. You can find cheap fish stuff at the meetings and auctions. Plants, tanks, heaters, fish, etc all available I'd look into it if I were you

Oh my god! I'm sorry about your fish! Even when I was 14, my parents never touched my fish tank, they knew just as much as me, but it was my fish to take care of, they would talk to me about it, but never touched the tank.

Sweet, I'll have to look into that.

 

[Cthulhu]

"Better late than never."

Like the others above me have said it's not your fault and we all make mistakes (I have accidentally killed a few blue/red veiltails myself). But don't let that stop you, give this fish the best that you can.

PS If you feel really bad, you can educate those around you so that this kind of thing doesn't happen. Misinformation is probably one of the #1 killer of aquarium fish.

 

[LaRougeRaven]

"Better late than never."

Like the others above me have said it's not your fault and we all make mistakes (I have accidentally killed a few blue/red veiltails myself). But don't let that stop you, give this fish the best that you can.

PS If you feel really bad, you can educate those around you so that this kind of thing doesn't happen. Misinformation is probably one of the #1 killer of aquarium fish.

Funny enough, my older sister and her family got a Betta (Pippin is his name), and I was gave her this forum, so that they can make sure he lives happy.