Why You Shouldn"t Buy Siamese Fighting Fish in Cups
Most people get into the Betta hobby after walking into a pet store and spotting a little blue or red fish sitting in a plastic cup.
They go to take a closer look and have this little face looking all sad and pitiful, just begging to be rescued.
Some may be actively showing off their fins while others just lie there looking awful.
It's surprising how much they can pull at the heart strings! All to often people want to rescue them from their misery, although this may seem to be a good thing to do it's not as I will explain.
You buy a fish that may already be ill or if they aren't already they probably will be soon due to the stressing conditions they have been kept in, then you need to get a fish tank.
Usually pet stores are quick to tell you that they need to be kept on their own, this is true but when it comes to a tank they will often try to sell you a Betta vase or bowl that rarely hold more than 1 litre of water.
You soon find out these are far from adequate space for them and go back to the store to buy a bigger tank.
Food comes next, buying Betta specific food isn't essential although preferred but again you are adding to the profit from that one poor fish, but due to the inadequate conditions probably the biggest profit from these fish is on the medicines that people need to buy to get them back to full health.
Not so bad I hear you cry after all a basic range of medicines are always worth having for all your fish in case of illness but now the biggest reasons you should never buy the pint cup Siamese Fighting Fish.
Fighting fish are small profit for pet stores but because of the emotions they evoke when people see how they're being kept they are rarely in a pet store for long.
There is also the profit on the equipment and medicines plus the returning custom so it suits pet shops to display them in this way.
So why is it wrong apart from the profits for the pet store? Betta's are sold quickly and are rarely in a pet store for longer than a week, as soon as one is bought another is ordered.
The overall profits from the equipment and essentials is advantageous for the store so they will continually keep them stocked.
Feeling sorry for that one poor Fighter and rescuing it means another will endure the same treatment.
This cycle repeats itself over and over until people start to realise that this is just adding to the mass mistreatment of many Bettas.
If people can walk away from the cup fighters, especially showing their disgust too it may make pet store's consider twice about keeping them in this way.
Yes unfortunately that one Betta may have to suffer but if it's in a store for a month before sold compared to days it also makes pet shops re-evaluate the profit since they are only selling one fish every few weeks compared to a few a day.
Once the profit margins go then the pet stores will be less reluctant to stock these fish which is better in the long term than hundreds of Fighting fish having to go through this unnecessary stress on a daily basis.
Don't give these stores your money for ill treating fish! If you really want a Fighting fish then check online or your local free adverts, there are many breeders of these fish as well as often specialising in the Show Bettas like halfmoons.
Local breeders usually give their fish the care they deserve compared to the commercially mass produced ones so you will get a much healthier and happier fish and from a person who understands how to bring out the best in these little fish.
They go to take a closer look and have this little face looking all sad and pitiful, just begging to be rescued.
Some may be actively showing off their fins while others just lie there looking awful.
It's surprising how much they can pull at the heart strings! All to often people want to rescue them from their misery, although this may seem to be a good thing to do it's not as I will explain.
You buy a fish that may already be ill or if they aren't already they probably will be soon due to the stressing conditions they have been kept in, then you need to get a fish tank.
Usually pet stores are quick to tell you that they need to be kept on their own, this is true but when it comes to a tank they will often try to sell you a Betta vase or bowl that rarely hold more than 1 litre of water.
You soon find out these are far from adequate space for them and go back to the store to buy a bigger tank.
Food comes next, buying Betta specific food isn't essential although preferred but again you are adding to the profit from that one poor fish, but due to the inadequate conditions probably the biggest profit from these fish is on the medicines that people need to buy to get them back to full health.
Not so bad I hear you cry after all a basic range of medicines are always worth having for all your fish in case of illness but now the biggest reasons you should never buy the pint cup Siamese Fighting Fish.
Fighting fish are small profit for pet stores but because of the emotions they evoke when people see how they're being kept they are rarely in a pet store for long.
There is also the profit on the equipment and medicines plus the returning custom so it suits pet shops to display them in this way.
So why is it wrong apart from the profits for the pet store? Betta's are sold quickly and are rarely in a pet store for longer than a week, as soon as one is bought another is ordered.
The overall profits from the equipment and essentials is advantageous for the store so they will continually keep them stocked.
Feeling sorry for that one poor Fighter and rescuing it means another will endure the same treatment.
This cycle repeats itself over and over until people start to realise that this is just adding to the mass mistreatment of many Bettas.
If people can walk away from the cup fighters, especially showing their disgust too it may make pet store's consider twice about keeping them in this way.
Yes unfortunately that one Betta may have to suffer but if it's in a store for a month before sold compared to days it also makes pet shops re-evaluate the profit since they are only selling one fish every few weeks compared to a few a day.
Once the profit margins go then the pet stores will be less reluctant to stock these fish which is better in the long term than hundreds of Fighting fish having to go through this unnecessary stress on a daily basis.
Don't give these stores your money for ill treating fish! If you really want a Fighting fish then check online or your local free adverts, there are many breeders of these fish as well as often specialising in the Show Bettas like halfmoons.
Local breeders usually give their fish the care they deserve compared to the commercially mass produced ones so you will get a much healthier and happier fish and from a person who understands how to bring out the best in these little fish.
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