I went to our local aquarium yesterday to get my first ever tank in prep to getting a betta, and I saw that they keep the bettas in jars???
When I questioned this they said it’s okay because they have a high turnover and they don’t have them in the store for long before they’re bought. Does anyone know what those balls are in the jars are?
But now I’m wondering if this is a red flag that I should buy my first betta elsewhere once my tank has cycled? What questions should I be asking them to determine if the fish I buy from them is healthy?
(Side note: I just found this subreddit yesterday and has been SO fantastic learning so much about bettas here. However it makes me feel so guilty thinking about how I kept my beloved betta, Viggo, when I was a child 😢)
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1q9ijag
Posted by Velarune
9 Comments
Not saying this is correct way to keep the fish. Jsut wanted to say I got my girl from a tiny cup and she was almost complete white, but she was very active and just keep staring at me as I looked at all the betas so I took her home. I’ve now had her for about a year and she’s a beautiful red and very healthy. Just because they look bad when you buy them does not mean they will stay looking unhealthy 🙂
Not sure what the ball is tbh. It could be some kind of ammonia remover. Zeolite, maybe?
Regardless, if the betta looks healthy (this one does), it’s fine to buy from there. Frankly unless you’re buying from a breeder, they’re all usually sourced from the same places anyway. Can always ask where they’re sourced from, though.
Bettas have a big inbreeding issue period tbh. The fancier the coloring/finnage, the worse it is. I don’t think buying from a local place changes that.
But like I said, this guy looks healthy, so I say go for it!
Just…never get a halfmoon doubletail. Trust me. Lol.
My local store that gets tons of business keeps them in tanks twice that size with a plant and its own filter, the room is heated, and never have I seen the same fish again when I go in once a month or so to sell my shrimp. So it’s not about how fast they can move the fish. It’s a personal choice. To present the fish that way does not help the public get rid of the idea of fish in jars to be acceptable. Some idiot is going to go in there and think that it’s okay “because the store was doing it”. That doesn’t mean the fish can’t be healthy. But it certainly isn’t going to be a happy fish and stressed fish can lead to dead fish.
That’s just how it is, ideal? No but they do go fast.
Coburg Aquarium?
This is much more luxurious vs the small cups the betas are put in at my pet store
I was going to buy from a local fish breeder here in Miami until I noticed on there website the tiny bowls for bettas suggesting you can hang them from your ceiling fan. Well, I messaged them that I changed my mind,won’t buy from them or in the future because of them selling these unethical bowls.
This is terrible and unethical. No heater, no room, oh, but he’s got a little moss ball… it’s terrible, but to be honest, where I live in Ky, all of our stores have them in tiny cups that are about 4x smaller than that jar
I finally got it together and finally went to Apex Aquatics in Collingwood last week. They are amazing, incredible set-up! Fish are all quarantined out the back (you can go and look), amazing display tanks, enviable filtration system with crystal clear water in all tanks, staff really helpful, tons of healthy fish, both fresh and saltwater. Huge variety of species and the prices are very reasonable indeed – the fish I bought (pygmy corys and strawberry rasbora) were cheaper than in other places and are doing great. Go and see the one fish for $20,000 (!!!) which made me blink, but apparently there are only two in captivity worldwide… And of course the bettas are in little filtered tanks, all looked very healthy.