Bad fish enviroment

Hi all

Last weekend i went to a lfs and saw they had a lot of Betta fish in like small jars...i wont give any names but i would like to know if it isn't cruelty towards animals?

to me it means their putting a big fish in a small container? is this really the best way to do it?

Cheers
:evil::evil::evil:Johan

 

It's because they probably don't have enough space, or they don't know any better.

 

......Or that they sell fast so no proper tank is needed?

 

They are unfortunately also kept under those conditions by the wholesalers

 

You guys should see what the producers of Betta's in the east keep them in....shocking!!! One trick they employ though is to have have holes drilled in the little jars and the overall system and it's filtration is massive and state of the art....So,even though the fish is resticted in swimming space,they do have the benifit of living in a "large,well filtered" environment....
Wish some of our local LPS's will adopt this aproach(@ least)

 

Well personally I would never keep fish in that way...it disgusts me...

 

I totally agree with you Genisis252, whats also alarming is they then go on to sell them to you with a 'betta tank' with no filtration, heater etc, saying its not necessary, which is total garbage as I have learned after the fact... they also sold me a male with 5 females, then the females starting dying one by one.. to only be told 'by the LPS that sold it to me' that you have to wait till the male is ready for a female, when the male starts making bubble nests and then only add females (she conveniently forgot that she sold me the male and females together that day!)... I have NO faith in LPS's and I wish there was a regulatory body that could see to it that correct information is given out as well as proper care is taken of the fish at the stores...

 

I would say that is the manager's job at the Lps because they are supposed to train staff in the right way...but alas lps are only after sales and they don't care what happens to the fish after they leave the store...

 

I think the lps is withholding some info as that could spoil a sale. Like someone buying a redtail cat, or oscar.
They never tell you how big the fish get, what water conditions is needed, or what other fish that can be kept with it.

If I had a lps, I would have info charts for each fish, stating the above and more.
The person that browse the fish will get all the info they need to keep healthy fish, in tanks that is big enough.

Sometimes i get the idea the they "want" the fish to die, so you can come and buy another, especially the level 1 fish like guppies, mollies and the like.

With tank sales, you should be given a "starter's guide" explaining the basics like water parameters, filtration etc.

Not sell 2ft tanks with air driven corner filters or under gravel filters, as this will give the buyer the idea that this is all that is needed.

My 2c

 

Unfortunately owning a pet-shop is not about the pets and providing a value added service to people who buy from you anymore (there are a few exceptions but very few) It is about the bottom line now how much profit they can make and how much live stock they can push out. It not about the customer anymore when a costumer walks in they see a potential money and that is it. This is made worse because DEAT is not doing their jobs correctly, the SPCA is underfunded and struggling because government is spending a couple of million on the police commissioners house. And lets not start with The South African Pet Traders Association: http://www.sapettraders.co.za/

 

Hey Larch - As the owner of a LKS(local koi store) i do agree with most of what you said,but don't shave us all over the same comb....the times I refuse to sell a koi to a prospective client sometimes outnumber the amount of sales I make over a weekend....I ABSOLUTLY refuse to sell ANY of my koi to anyone that doesnt have a pond that is adequate for their wellbeing - have made many "enemies" in the past with this,but thats just me...The amount of money I spent as a kid lsoing fish to the half baked advice of "greedy/ignorant/dumb" LFS store owners,led me to vow never to repeat those same mistakes in my profesional career....Funny thing is from my now close to 20 years of working in LFS's is that i still have clients who buy/ask advice from me from my early days....Seems that integrity over profit is the winner for me.....

 

Sorry. Did not mean ALL lps are the same. There are some out there that I would not support in any way, even if their equipment etc. is on special or the food is cheap.

BUT, I think most lps have a long way to go with education to both staff and clients.

 

i have this idea in regards to bettas that i want to put to my local lfs. they are tank builders and i was thinking that wouldnt it be cool if we could put together a betta starter kit similar to those goldfish kits, i would put in it : a 10-15L tank, heater, filter, allow for a choice of 2 -3 ornaments or plastic plants, a choice of coloured gravel and a care manual with regards to feeding tempreture and cleaning instructions. we could set one up in the store to show how much better a proper tank is then those horrible little cups and bowls and there would still be an element of choice in the whole thing. my lfs does keep bettas in unfiltered and unheated small tanks but they at least 4L and always clean i find most lfs dont bother cleaning those cups and they get filthy. its all about raising awareness as to how people percieve keeping bettas, for years they've been told its ok to keep them in those little bowls and so its up to people like us who know better to educate those who don't. my 2c worth

 

+1 agreed.
As stated, starter kits can be made more user friendly, per species, with correct filters, heaters etc. And more info on keeping the specific fish.

 

Well Done to you azurekoi, if only more pet shop owners felt the same...

 

I haven't shaven everyone with the same comb azurekoi like I said "there are a few exceptions but very few" but guys like you are certainly a dying breed, but I will happily give credit were credit is due so I take off my hat to guys like you. But unfortunately you guys are in the minority and the majority gives the rest of the industry a bad name which is a real shame.

-Charl-

---------- Post added at 17:10 ---------- Previous post was at 16:10 ----------

Unfortunately most petshops wont hire permanent staff because it cuts off their bottom line, so it is cheaper to hire temp staff like kids over the weekend to help them out. And to go out and train a new person each and every time is way to costly.

 

Very interesting comments here and I see it from both sides of the fence (being a hobbyist turned shop owner) A lot of times the customer DOESNT WANT TO LISTEN , I have shown many a client away wanting to keep species not suitable for his setup skills etc, yes I have also made many enemies & probably lost some bucks here but at least I can go to bed with a clean slate.

A lot of shops are owned by people who do not practice the hobby themselves and employ casual staff who cant really give advice (and probably dont care).

Having said that I firmly believe that the client should also do their homework before purchasing anything to ensure they can handle the new addition.

As for "associations" , dont even get me started , its like a TV licence cant be effectively enforced

 

Perhaps more info on each tank (like at the zoo) with general info (water parameters, min tank size etc.) and warnings about size, behavior and list of possible tank mates would help.
At least you won't need to rely on temp staff to know it all.
Temp staff should have a knowledgeable person on-site that they can refer the clients to in case they can't find or know the answers.