BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Fish I was so mad....

Okay so I know I "borrowed" the title of a Mercer Mayer book, but I truly was mad, beyond that even, when I visited the local pet shop. Normally I love this place. It is 99% fish and there are a few people who work there who are just AMAZING, just real into the hobby, not into it for the money aspect at all. There is one guy who will actually refuse to sell people a fish they want if they do not have a suitable home for it.
Anyway, to why I was so mad. We walked in there and looked at the cichlids for a while, then back to see the puppies, then back to the cichlids. I went over to the bettas (as I normally do)to wish that I could bring them all home (as I normally do)and I was really surprised to see they only had 2 or 3 bettas. This place does not keep their bettas in cups, they keep them in large plastic bags. So I was walked to the back of the store to talk to my boyfriend and the guy that works there when something on a table caught my eye. I look down and the table is COVERED in little bags with bettas in them. I felt sick to my stomach, I thought they were all dead. I go back and ask the guy is all of those bettas are dead and he goes "oh no, that's how they ship them from (wherever they ship them from overseas). The pack them in bags w/ some heat, throw them in a box and ship them." <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> I walked back to the table and looked at the bettas again. I picked up a baggie (smaller in length than the bettas themselves) and looked in it. Here was a BEAUTIFUL fish in a bag where he was bent basically in half in MAYBE 1/2 tablespoon water, if that! I was shocked. I started picking up other bags, and most of them had yellow water in them, and nearly half the fish were dead. I felt so sick to my stomach. There wasn't even enough water in the bags to cover the fish! Then I saw a bigger bag on the table and it was packed with maybe about 50-100 bettas. Inside was the most beautiful betta I have ever seen. He was pale white, almost with a peach tint, with the most amazing peach/pink fins with just a hint of blue. Then there was another one who was blue and purple, just amazing! I seriously felt like crying, it was like all of them were begging me to take them home! If they hadn't been closing I seriously would have been like, look, I will bag them myself if you don't do it right now! It just broke my heart to leave all of them there, knowing some of them would not make it to the morning if left like that. I don't understand how people can ship these fish in those conditions, it just doesn't seem right. If it had been a bigger, more expensive fish, they would have shipped them correctly, and it makes me so mad that people feel they can treat bettas the way they do! It drives me nuts that people just throw them in any old little container that they have, or in the plant things, and say they have a pet! I wish people would get some common sense and research things, and I wish that people would take better care in how they pack the bettas for shipment.

Okay now that I have had my rant for the evening I am going to bed! Goodnight to all!
<img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

I'm sorry you had to see that Bettagirl. Maybe that's the way most of them are shipped, I don't know. Unfortunately alot of fish and even small animals are treated like that and if they die 'oh well'. I had an experience at a pet store that was trying to sell sick baby rats. I gave them what for and got barely a response back. Maybe you could take it up with your local animal protection agency? It's a sad situation the way fish, birds and animals are treated at many pet stores and little is done to monitor them. Noting that you mentioned looking at puppies, I'm wondering how big of a cage they were in while sitting in their own waste...

The shipping process is never fun for the fish, no matter what you do to try and make it better for them. I have seen fish shipped with very little water..and I do remember reading somewhere a good reason for doing that..but can't remember what it was. The yellow in the water could very well be a medicine or additive of some type to help ease the shipping stress. I do know that when fish are shipped they are always shipped overnight. Unless something happens during the process to delay shipment for one reason or other, such as weather or unforseen circumstances....fish will arrive on location within 24 hours...simply because they really can't last that much longer in those conditions.

You can be assured that those fish were not in those bags for more than a day at the most....although it may look cruel and inconsiderate I believe most breeders do thier best to make sure the fish arrive in fairly good shape..though for sure, weaker fish are bound to be lost. Just wish I could remember the reason for the small amount of water in those bags, I know it made sense to me when I read it and helped me feel better about it.

Maybe it's so they don't slosh around so much? I dunno, but I assume that's the way most fish are shipped, because it's simply too hard to get fish around safely. At least they are shipped with a heat pack, right?

hi guys. I have been in and out but Emg and the rest of you are all doing just fine.

here's my recent article on how to ship fish that explains a few things:

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art27911.asp

what do you all think of the new forum? the owner had to move the forums to a larger area....do you know our forum is the fifth-largest on the bellaonline site?

I like it but I lost my avatar & my blinkie. I guess Cat isn't keeping them on her site anymore.

The yellow water has been treated with meds. Water is not the most important issue in shipping, oxygen is, especially for anabantoids like bettas. The amount of air in the bag is much more important to them (indeed to any fish) than the amount of water. It looks terrible, but it sure does cull out the weaker fish, leaving the stronger fish available for the marketplace.
All of us who love fishes are sad to see how they are sometimes shipped, but it does, in part, help you to get a healthier fish at the end of the day.
Bettas are the most fortunate in that they don't require much water to live and can utilize atmospheric oxygen. Most other species need more water, and are often shipped with just enough water to meet their needs, but no excess to cover delays in shipping. It is expensive to ship water. That can be very sad. Support captive breeding of tropical fishes, freshwater and marine, whenever you can.
Best fishes,
Mary Ellen Sweeney

HEY JILLY !! Great to see you again !! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Miss you hear girl !

I like the site..especially that I can post pics without having to put them on the "rate a fish" site...lol. I have another forum where I can upload pics on my profile page..and I link to the URL there.

OH yeah...I lost my blinkie too <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> Funny thing is, I see it when I preview my posts...but it doesn't show up on the post when I submit it... <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Bettagirl, I had a similar experience at wal-mart today. First of all, all of the fish were in those tiny jars and of course none of them were cleaned (many had severe fin rot). I then noticed they had a lily vase setup - with a male AND a female in it. I said something to a worker but she claimed she didn't work in that section & that person was gone.

I was furious. How hard is it to clean water & know your basics?

It's hard to see...the lack of knowledge in these places is incredible....I have found that one needs to be tackful in saying something if you want them to actually listen to you. Otherwise they just get all offended and basically ignore everything you just told them.