Posted this in the /fish subreddit but only got the same answer of "it's better than most places, so it's okay".
I'm not looking for a yesman, but now that I know what kind of fish they are I thought I would ask the question on here.
https://i.redd.it/cacs0zkox4eh1.jpeg
Posted by Wanaminngo
7 Comments
Yes, it’s cruel.
Honestly it’s better than the small cup they usually put them in 🤷🏻♀️
Certainly not perfect for long term, but significantly better conditions than most stores will keep them. Depends if the store tries to advertise this as enough space to their customers
It’s personal opinion. To me, it depends on how long they sit on the shelf. Stocking 25 at a time seems extreme and likely they’ll sit there for a while. Also odds are they’re quite cold :/ It also sets the bar very low in terms of what care they seem to need for the average passerby.
There’s no other feasible way to sell bettas when any kid can just get a cup at Petco for $10. And most Petco shoppers outside of rural areas where they are the ONLY option for pet stores, happily buy a pac man frog labeled as a ”desk pet”. They are not.
The nature of the fish doesn’t allow for the footage they would take up for how much they sell for. So we kinda have to accept that either the interest in bettas goes away completely, or we accept that cupping bettas really is the only way, but that stores need to care for them like they do the other tanks, which they rarely do.
It depends on how they are cared for not how they are kept. If they have regular (daily) water changes, it’s completely fine. What matters isn’t what happens during the day, it’s what happens after the store closes.
Last time I saw a setup like this it was actually filtrated. The way the enclosures slide into the wall I think it’s the same thing. Those squares are also way bigger than the cups you see at big box big fish stores.
Bettas should be in a 5-10 gal tank minimum so long term it’s… crewl. Don’t come for me auto mod.
But it’s not terrible.