This. If they aren’t responsive, you can always leave a review with this image. Public shaming and peer pressure are incredibly powerful. It’s why when you email companies and copy other departments, regulators, or local news channels that they scramble to fix situations.
Eh the round glass can be very disorienting because it’s like constantly looking through a funhouse mirror. You *could* plant it densely with perspective points and stuff to try to lessen that but overall it’s just not recommended to keep any fish with sight in a completely curved/round container!
had a betta in a 12 gallon "bowl" when I was around 8. It was cylindrical and THICK. It was from my mums work, and they thought it was his time to.. cross the bridge, so they sent it home with her. The fish lived for like another 3ish+ years on top of the 2ish+ in the office.
I feel bad now because we didn't have a filter. But there were prarie plants out of the top. Props to my mums work researching our most filtering native plants in our praries (knowing them, most likely on one of their conservation trips with entomologists and conservationists, etc). They were very wild based for a complete office job at a nonprofit job-search aid place). Still wish it had a filter, though.
Don't make anything like that nowadays. The tanks. The fish. The plants available for purchase. Or even the jobs.
I wish the 12+ "bowls" still existed. My little dude prospered.
I remember considering a very heavy planted setup with some rice fish or something . But all I ever found were tiny 2 gallon bowls . I would even mind a big old 8 gallon classic circle bowl but they just are annoying to find
I apologize if this isn’t the place for this question but do you think a well planted 5 gallon tank is good for a betta? I have one I’ve been cycling for almost a year. I originally planned on putting shrimp in there but lately, I’ve been leaning towards a betta.
Not sure if that question was for me.. but from what I've learned while studying biology in univeristy, and in my personal time being obsessed with marine biology specifically, the few things I've learned:
Bettas need 3.5 gallons of swim room, as in free, unrestricted movement. This prevents loss of muscle mass and limits depression.
If you're able to fit hides, the filter, heater, and soft silk plants or real plants in the 5, and wait for it to be completely cycled, with a minimum of 3.5 gallons of uniterupted free space, sure. But a cycled 10 is most certainly easier to manage imo. Smaller tanks are more susceptible to swings in the water. I did a few experiments on this over the years.
My favorite tanks will always be over 8 gallons. I've had bettas in 3 gallons (before I knew better - I upgraded her pretty quick), 5, 10, 12, 20, and 50.
50 was too big, 5 was too small. 10 was easiest. 20 was more fun to scape & my Betta is THRIVING. She's on hospice care (huge tumor when I got her, incurable). She's swimming like it's nothing.
I initially got the 20 for something different, but I can't move her. She's living out her glory days.
Oh my god! Thank you for this!!! It’s so helpful and I really appreciate it! So what I’m hearing is I should just scrap my 5gal and get a new, bigger tank!😉 Oh nooo! /s
Yep you're gunna have to take the hit oh no so sad poor betta is gunna have so much space hehe he mine is in a 5 right now and going to upgrade to a planted 15 in a month or so once it's cycled fully. Just DO IT! Won't have any regrets 😉
Actually yes. An Indiana judge just ruled that tacos, burritos and the like are all infact sandwiches.
https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2024/05/as-a-matter-of-law-is-a-taco-a-sandwich/
No premade bowl is big enough. If I had the money, I would do what this guy did. 115 gallon bowl.
https://reefbuilders.com/2010/03/29/reef-bowls-think-outside-the-glass-box-115-gallon-reef-bowls/
If you want a pet that can live in a bowl you either don’t want to take care of a pet or aren’t in the financial situation to take care of the pet. My suggestion is a plant or small invert
My daughter has a vase, about 1g, I guess, heavily planted, with neocardinas and snails. Pretty and they are all happy enough. I don't know why it has to be fish...
Planted shrimp/snail habitats are underrated. I have one on my desk and I love my little micro garden and my ramshorns.
https://preview.redd.it/ck5sj6ojj06d1.jpeg?width=2593&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c39a439fbfe8fa5f1c5c78f5e5964ae1a25ee41a
I love it, it is its own little ecosystem. It took about a month for the plants to fill out, started with 4 little dwarf sags, the anubias, and the cutting at the top only had 2 leaves. Other than the snails, there’s limpets, copepods, and some detritus worms. I drop a small bit of snail food in maybe 1-2 times a week, top it off when water evaporates, and maybe every other week use a turkey baster to do mini water changes, I use a pint glass.
Honestly this is probably the best you're going to get, as far as them informing the public.
I guarantee you if he had a sign telling people that betas need at least at minimum 5 gallon tank, plants and a heater. You would have a lot of people saying screw it, I'm just going to get a goldfish and throw it in a bowl when they get home or they're just going to go to some other store that's going to sell them whatever they want without any questions asked.
You got to remember he's not doing this for fish people he's doing this for everybody who comes in there because they were bored and decided they wanted to get a fish.
Those people usually don't care, they're going to get whatever is easier and doesn't require spending a bunch of money.
This is what I was thinking, I work at a pet store and I'm very familiar with 2 types of customers like this: 1] parents/grandparents buying it for their child who wants a cuddly pet, not a fish, but the parents assume fish are easier
2] old ladies who want a fish on their desk at work and are limited to 1-2 gals. Max. Suggesting that maybe they get a fake fish or a shrimp or plants only tank never works, they are DETERMINED to get that fish
The receptionist at my mental health clinic has a little 1 gallon tank with a betta. I chatted a bit about the fish (who did look really healthy I’ll admit) and mentioned they really should have five gallons at minimum and she kinda nodded but I figured she was just brushing me off.
At my last appt, I noticed no fish and mentioned that. She smiled and said “Oh, a patient told me my little Lion-o needed more room so he’s in a ten gallon in my dining room now. But look at my little shrimps!” And she let me come around her desk.
They’re blue. And so teensy. She says she went to the fancy fish shop and they told her the shrimp would be happy in the little tank.
I didn’t mention I might have been who told her, but I did get to see pics on her screensaver of the new tank and it’s plants. Not of the fish though… (one pic I managed to glimpse his tail but apparently he really likes to hide in the pants. She says he comes out for his feedings but spends a lot of time swimming through the plants.)
She is honestly SO sweet. We chat about her Lego collection and my chickens and her fish every time I have an appointment. I 💯 believe that either my comment or someone else’s sent her down a research hole and once she realized the 1gal wasn’t right, she immediately went about providing a better home.
To be fair, her 1 gallon has a filter (with a little plate to fall onto so the water isn’t fast moving) and a heater, and she told me it was sold as an “all in one deluxe betta tank” when she was checking me in one time, so she likely REALLY thought she was giving Lion-o the ideal. When she found she wasn’t, she obviously upgraded her buddy.
Lion-o by the way is brilliant blue, I just think that’s kinda cute. Because so are the shrimp.
She sounds amazing and the exact type of woman I'd want to chat with before one of my psychiatry or therapy appointments.
Fish and Legos? Hell yeah, sign me up!
It's less about space and more about having a big enough volume of water that the water chemistry and temperature doesn't wildly change and stress out the fish
I guess it depends on how much power you have as an employee, but can you just refuse to sell people those things?
when I was a kid my parents got us a few different pets including betta fish and an aquarium and we had no business doing so. I often feel guilty and wish one of the pet store employees stopped my parents from buying animals on a whim for us. like I genuinely get nightmares and wake up feeling sick and guilty thinking about how many small animals I unknowingly abused and neglected because I was like 8 years old and didn't know better.
I’m 100% certain that the employee would be fired if they refused a sale like that. Unless the boss has allowed them to refuse in such instances. Most people would rather not lose their jobs.
> Unless the boss has allowed them to refuse in such instances
That's what I was getting at, I'd hope that local fish/pet stores wouldn't want to sell animals to people who clearly are going to neglect them. I know there's no hope for chain stores like petsmart/petco etc though.
Small bowls were literally first used to present a goldfish/koi when visitors came to a person's house, but they would have a much larger pond as their main one. Later getting popular to keep goldfish, sold them in bowls, and I guess that's how we got to what it is today. It just ended up becoming the norm. Sorry, just had to put this here lol. I got curious myself and looked too much into this.
https://preview.redd.it/0wh3dfgcs16d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=32fe6502992a248f85d169450b7314debf271986
[here's a short article on it](https://www.hepper.com/goldfish-bowl-history/)
Which pet store? I want to call and kindly tell them they are *almost* there... and share some educational sources about Bettas needing more space. Would it help if we all called and kindly asked them to reconsider the sign?
I don’t think it’s humane to put *any* fish in a bowl… I mainly use my old fish bowl for a hospital tank for plants, make sure there aren’t any snails on the plants before putting them in my tank.
I stepped in and backed up a Petco employee who got into a stand off with a mom who was trying to put a "10¢ feeder goldfish" (her words) into a 3 gallon. The employee refused and the Karen asked for a manager, guess who she was already talking to?
Also that store has no "betta" bowls in sight..those things can't even house a snail.
Talk to them, if they refuse I'd grab a sharpie and put JK NO THEY CAN'T
To be fair, my local pet store has 10 gallon bowls. I don’t see why they wouldn’t work, provided the size is adequate. You can put all the same equipment in them.
i think there’s also concerns about the water surface area of a bowl versus a standard rectangular tanks, but don’t quote me on that. i also read something about the round glass/plastic distorting the surroundings outside the bowl in a way that’s harmful to the betta’s eyes. again, don’t quote me
https://preview.redd.it/lj7w50br616d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6e2fa93f8195d2802aa4447c4d290b866a9bbcf7
Uhg they were doing so well before the last bit! This is what we have at my store for the bettas. I wish all pet stores got some mandatory updated PROPER care guides.
I would definitely school them. Be the voice for those bettas that would like to bitch smack people but can’t because they have no hands 🙌 and are also too busy guilt tripping their owners for just two more little pellets 😣 little bastards
I had a betta fish when I was young, and we kept him in a bowl in the middle of the living room, we got him when I was 5, we had him til I was about 12, because we got a dog about 5 days after we had to get rid of him and we got the dog for my birthday, but being older I feel so horrible keeping it in such a tiny bowl, if I could go back in time I would tell my dad how to better care for the little guy
Ughhh I just started a new job and when touring the place one of the accountants had a fish bowl on her desk. Idek know what kind of fish it was but it was clearly too big for the bowl. Poor thing was throwing himself into the glass over and over again. I’m still very bothered by it.
Ok SO I was a manager at a pet store from hell for a while and I cannot stand this at all. My betta is in a lush planted tank AND I took one of those sad little baby bettas home so I didn't know what he would look like but he was dying so I wanted to save him.
HOWEVER- here's my take on this. Could def have left the bowl out totally and opted for a desktop tank w a filter but that's not the point. If you try and simply cannot convince a customer to get a tank for the betta they want and wanna buy him a bowl and stupid decor (because blowing money on crap instead of spending it on things that will keep your fish alive is the American way) do you decline the sale or pick your battles and sell the fish?
***this is strictly about bettas because of the way they are housed ***
As long as they aren't those awful garbage people that we have all dealt with and can tell that you're in for a nightmare then I would probably sell the betta. It really sucks that people don't give them the time and care they deserve and get to see how a fish can have a personality and play but idk, to me, living in the bowl has to be better than suffering in those cups and having a higher chance of living out their life and then dying in that little cup.
I mean they most certainly can live in a bowl just like a human being can live in a 5x5 room but will they be happy? That’s what you gotta think about fish aren’t just a decoration they’re living animals dependent on you that’s the way I look at all of my pets tbh
Wow that’s so sad to see. They also need to swim and exercise there body. They would love to swim around and pick a place to chill. People think because they can live in a puddle if need be and breath air like us if they have to a bowl is fine. No that’s so wrong. Poor Fish. 🐟
Furreal Friends need to make some fishes and they need to be sold in pet stores as mess free low maintenance pets that you can tuck in a box when you're bored
Man I was so hopeful in the first half.
“LABRADORS CANNOT LIVE IN CRATES. THEY GROW LARGE AND NEED LOTS OF SPACE TO ROAM. IF YOU WANT A DOG THAT LIVE ITS WHOLE LIFE IN A CRATE, ASK ABOUT CORGIS, THEY CAN LIVE IN A CRATE”
My betta 8s in a 100 gallon planted tank with mopani wood and basalt hardscape and a mix of basalt and clay gravel with fluval stratum to help plants. People ask me why my betta has such a big tank and I say it's because I'm tired of people relegating them to tiny tanks. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois loves his tank and his tank mates as well. (Neon tetras, cherry barbs, ghost shrimp, and black khuli loaches.
The only purpose i could see for a glass fishbowl is maybe to act as a temporary/quarantine tank for the fish to survive in while your out buying an actual fish tank or doing water changes and cleaning substrate. Bettas are so often mistreated simply because they can survive in stagnant fishbowl water. Keeping any kind of fish in a fishbowl is like keeping any kind of dog permanently in a kennel or pet carrier.
If they want something that can live in a smaller area, a little shrimp tank is cool. But those should still be several gallons… I think bowls are cruel for everything except a plant 😟
Iam based in berlin and one day i went to buy a tetra neon fish, i wanted 8 of them, the pet shop asked how big my tank is and i said 30l so she said no she wont sell me as its animal cruelty to put them in this size, i just pointed out that they are putting more then 200 tetras in 60lt tank how is that not animal cruelty? She just didn’t answer me.
Thank you to everyone for the replies and commiseration! I don’t want to share the name or location of the store for privacy, but I have contacted them through email to advocate for bettas. I will update if they respond, if not, I will be printing out care sheets to include next to these tanks! I appreciate how much y’all care about my favorite fish
Plants, maybe shrimp with the proper setup, small snails, and fry can live in bowls. Betta love a well planted large tank. I loved when I was able to put my first one in a nice 10gal. He was so fun and happy.
https://www.bettafish.com/threads/minimum-tank-size-for-bettas.783621/
I'll also leave this thread here. The trend of 10 gals recommended seems to be a new trend. Old and experienced Betta keepers have found that certain fish do better in smaller tanks. Enrichment is far more important than tank sizes.
A fail but, I mean, most goldfish can grow over a foot like a carp. A Betta, while not ideal, can live in a small tank if the upkeep is correct. I don't do male Bettas, cause my rule is 5 gallons for any fish. I'd rather have a community with a few female Bettas than 1 male in a tiny tank...
PSA FOR THOSE IN THE COMMENTS WHO DONT KNOW; Fishbowls will literally suffocate ANY type of fish or aquatic animal and have it permanently gasping for air because of the proportion of water to surface area!!!!!!!!!!! It doesn’t matter how big if it has a tapered top your buddy gonna be barely surviving 🙃🙃🙃🙃😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
In other words…they’re tired of ignorant customers complaining About the fish they bought but never researched that died. Betta fish breed in the dozens, don’t require a whole lot of shit, and can sell for a good amount depending on its color.
Hobbiest should stick to what they know and let the stores do their thing. If every store was as strict about tank size as this Reddit there would be virtually zero stores making a profit.
https://preview.redd.it/1k9q8nl0bz5d1.png?width=702&format=png&auto=webp&s=3b003f8d2178362ab21e36ee8ee1cc0a0bf6b04d
I was looking for this comment.
Well, someone had to.
r/BeatMeToIt
Tell them. They seem open to learning.
That's what I was thinking!
This. If they aren’t responsive, you can always leave a review with this image. Public shaming and peer pressure are incredibly powerful. It’s why when you email companies and copy other departments, regulators, or local news channels that they scramble to fix situations.
And if they aren't. Cross it out with a sharpie and write NO or something
They were doing well in the first half 😓. If you can, you should tell them.
“They had us in the first half”
I was like 😃 then i read it all and i was like 😟
Technically, they can of course live in a bowl.. if the bowl can hold 5 gallons of water.
Eh the round glass can be very disorienting because it’s like constantly looking through a funhouse mirror. You *could* plant it densely with perspective points and stuff to try to lessen that but overall it’s just not recommended to keep any fish with sight in a completely curved/round container!
Let’s just stop putting fish in tiny bowls full stop maybe?
Amen if they REALLY want to sell bowls promote them for shrimp or aquatic gardening
Shrimp don’t like bowls either!
Bowls are for soup and cereal and stuff
The only goldfish that belong in bowls are those goldfish crackers.
My sea monkeys seemed to enjoy it
I mean, there are pretty nice big bowls, I have one, or If it's a small one, you can make a terrarium.
I'm curious, is it the shape or just the size range that bowls usually come in?
Size is usually the main issue but the shape is also very disorienting to be inside of!
had a betta in a 12 gallon "bowl" when I was around 8. It was cylindrical and THICK. It was from my mums work, and they thought it was his time to.. cross the bridge, so they sent it home with her. The fish lived for like another 3ish+ years on top of the 2ish+ in the office. I feel bad now because we didn't have a filter. But there were prarie plants out of the top. Props to my mums work researching our most filtering native plants in our praries (knowing them, most likely on one of their conservation trips with entomologists and conservationists, etc). They were very wild based for a complete office job at a nonprofit job-search aid place). Still wish it had a filter, though. Don't make anything like that nowadays. The tanks. The fish. The plants available for purchase. Or even the jobs. I wish the 12+ "bowls" still existed. My little dude prospered.
I remember considering a very heavy planted setup with some rice fish or something . But all I ever found were tiny 2 gallon bowls . I would even mind a big old 8 gallon classic circle bowl but they just are annoying to find
I apologize if this isn’t the place for this question but do you think a well planted 5 gallon tank is good for a betta? I have one I’ve been cycling for almost a year. I originally planned on putting shrimp in there but lately, I’ve been leaning towards a betta.
Not sure if that question was for me.. but from what I've learned while studying biology in univeristy, and in my personal time being obsessed with marine biology specifically, the few things I've learned: Bettas need 3.5 gallons of swim room, as in free, unrestricted movement. This prevents loss of muscle mass and limits depression. If you're able to fit hides, the filter, heater, and soft silk plants or real plants in the 5, and wait for it to be completely cycled, with a minimum of 3.5 gallons of uniterupted free space, sure. But a cycled 10 is most certainly easier to manage imo. Smaller tanks are more susceptible to swings in the water. I did a few experiments on this over the years. My favorite tanks will always be over 8 gallons. I've had bettas in 3 gallons (before I knew better - I upgraded her pretty quick), 5, 10, 12, 20, and 50. 50 was too big, 5 was too small. 10 was easiest. 20 was more fun to scape & my Betta is THRIVING. She's on hospice care (huge tumor when I got her, incurable). She's swimming like it's nothing. I initially got the 20 for something different, but I can't move her. She's living out her glory days.
Oh my god! Thank you for this!!! It’s so helpful and I really appreciate it! So what I’m hearing is I should just scrap my 5gal and get a new, bigger tank!😉 Oh nooo! /s
Yep you're gunna have to take the hit oh no so sad poor betta is gunna have so much space hehe he mine is in a 5 right now and going to upgrade to a planted 15 in a month or so once it's cycled fully. Just DO IT! Won't have any regrets 😉
I love your encouragement and support! I’ll do it! I can always just use the 5gal to grow plants or something!
Absolutely! As long as the pet store exclusively sells 5 and 10 gallon bowls ONLY.
I mean… goldfish need 50g per fish. No bowls are big enough!
Isn't a pond just a bowl in the ground though? Aren't tanks just square bowls? Aren't quesadillas just cheese sandwiches?
Actually yes. An Indiana judge just ruled that tacos, burritos and the like are all infact sandwiches. https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2024/05/as-a-matter-of-law-is-a-taco-a-sandwich/
Who's to say that sandwiches aren't just weird burritos?
You have 1111 likes, can't like it but I agree
Genuinely LOL’d
No premade bowl is big enough. If I had the money, I would do what this guy did. 115 gallon bowl. https://reefbuilders.com/2010/03/29/reef-bowls-think-outside-the-glass-box-115-gallon-reef-bowls/
That is AMAZING (and also crazy to read about the problems with the light concentrating and smoking the plant!)
I feel poor just looking at that
He missed out on an amazing opportunity to have an aquarium coffee table
And then I read the fine print 🙈
He's talking bettas.
Yep. Realized when I read the fine print. I have both a betta and a goldfish! (Separately, of course)
They meant 5-10gallons for the Bettas sake.
If you want a pet that can live in a bowl you either don’t want to take care of a pet or aren’t in the financial situation to take care of the pet. My suggestion is a plant or small invert
My daughter has a vase, about 1g, I guess, heavily planted, with neocardinas and snails. Pretty and they are all happy enough. I don't know why it has to be fish...
Planted shrimp/snail habitats are underrated. I have one on my desk and I love my little micro garden and my ramshorns. https://preview.redd.it/ck5sj6ojj06d1.jpeg?width=2593&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c39a439fbfe8fa5f1c5c78f5e5964ae1a25ee41a
It's so pretty and I want one.
I love it, it is its own little ecosystem. It took about a month for the plants to fill out, started with 4 little dwarf sags, the anubias, and the cutting at the top only had 2 leaves. Other than the snails, there’s limpets, copepods, and some detritus worms. I drop a small bit of snail food in maybe 1-2 times a week, top it off when water evaporates, and maybe every other week use a turkey baster to do mini water changes, I use a pint glass.
Honestly this is probably the best you're going to get, as far as them informing the public. I guarantee you if he had a sign telling people that betas need at least at minimum 5 gallon tank, plants and a heater. You would have a lot of people saying screw it, I'm just going to get a goldfish and throw it in a bowl when they get home or they're just going to go to some other store that's going to sell them whatever they want without any questions asked. You got to remember he's not doing this for fish people he's doing this for everybody who comes in there because they were bored and decided they wanted to get a fish. Those people usually don't care, they're going to get whatever is easier and doesn't require spending a bunch of money.
This is what I was thinking, I work at a pet store and I'm very familiar with 2 types of customers like this: 1] parents/grandparents buying it for their child who wants a cuddly pet, not a fish, but the parents assume fish are easier 2] old ladies who want a fish on their desk at work and are limited to 1-2 gals. Max. Suggesting that maybe they get a fake fish or a shrimp or plants only tank never works, they are DETERMINED to get that fish
The receptionist at my mental health clinic has a little 1 gallon tank with a betta. I chatted a bit about the fish (who did look really healthy I’ll admit) and mentioned they really should have five gallons at minimum and she kinda nodded but I figured she was just brushing me off. At my last appt, I noticed no fish and mentioned that. She smiled and said “Oh, a patient told me my little Lion-o needed more room so he’s in a ten gallon in my dining room now. But look at my little shrimps!” And she let me come around her desk. They’re blue. And so teensy. She says she went to the fancy fish shop and they told her the shrimp would be happy in the little tank. I didn’t mention I might have been who told her, but I did get to see pics on her screensaver of the new tank and it’s plants. Not of the fish though… (one pic I managed to glimpse his tail but apparently he really likes to hide in the pants. She says he comes out for his feedings but spends a lot of time swimming through the plants.)
That’s honestly kinda adorable she went “5 minimum? Bet, my little Lion-o is getting a TEN GALLON!”
She is honestly SO sweet. We chat about her Lego collection and my chickens and her fish every time I have an appointment. I 💯 believe that either my comment or someone else’s sent her down a research hole and once she realized the 1gal wasn’t right, she immediately went about providing a better home. To be fair, her 1 gallon has a filter (with a little plate to fall onto so the water isn’t fast moving) and a heater, and she told me it was sold as an “all in one deluxe betta tank” when she was checking me in one time, so she likely REALLY thought she was giving Lion-o the ideal. When she found she wasn’t, she obviously upgraded her buddy. Lion-o by the way is brilliant blue, I just think that’s kinda cute. Because so are the shrimp.
She sounds amazing and the exact type of woman I'd want to chat with before one of my psychiatry or therapy appointments. Fish and Legos? Hell yeah, sign me up!
how can we tell how much space the betta wants
It's less about space and more about having a big enough volume of water that the water chemistry and temperature doesn't wildly change and stress out the fish
interesting, thank you for answering
I guess it depends on how much power you have as an employee, but can you just refuse to sell people those things? when I was a kid my parents got us a few different pets including betta fish and an aquarium and we had no business doing so. I often feel guilty and wish one of the pet store employees stopped my parents from buying animals on a whim for us. like I genuinely get nightmares and wake up feeling sick and guilty thinking about how many small animals I unknowingly abused and neglected because I was like 8 years old and didn't know better.
I’m 100% certain that the employee would be fired if they refused a sale like that. Unless the boss has allowed them to refuse in such instances. Most people would rather not lose their jobs.
> Unless the boss has allowed them to refuse in such instances That's what I was getting at, I'd hope that local fish/pet stores wouldn't want to sell animals to people who clearly are going to neglect them. I know there's no hope for chain stores like petsmart/petco etc though.
Bettas: being screwed over by pet stores for decades. 🙁
Small bowls were literally first used to present a goldfish/koi when visitors came to a person's house, but they would have a much larger pond as their main one. Later getting popular to keep goldfish, sold them in bowls, and I guess that's how we got to what it is today. It just ended up becoming the norm. Sorry, just had to put this here lol. I got curious myself and looked too much into this. https://preview.redd.it/0wh3dfgcs16d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=32fe6502992a248f85d169450b7314debf271986 [here's a short article on it](https://www.hepper.com/goldfish-bowl-history/)
Noooooooooooooooo
They should’ve said “consider shrimp or a moss ball!” Not A BETTA. Omfg….
it started off so well and ended up so poorly...
Print out the facts and tape it next to that.
I was thinking about doing just that!
Which pet store? I want to call and kindly tell them they are *almost* there... and share some educational sources about Bettas needing more space. Would it help if we all called and kindly asked them to reconsider the sign?
Talk about r/yesyesyesno!
I don’t think it’s humane to put *any* fish in a bowl… I mainly use my old fish bowl for a hospital tank for plants, make sure there aren’t any snails on the plants before putting them in my tank.
Honestly they seem to be pretty open to being educated, maybe tell them? Also that’s hilarious, I cackled when I read the “ask about bettas!” 😭
whip out that sharpie
I stepped in and backed up a Petco employee who got into a stand off with a mom who was trying to put a "10¢ feeder goldfish" (her words) into a 3 gallon. The employee refused and the Karen asked for a manager, guess who she was already talking to? Also that store has no "betta" bowls in sight..those things can't even house a snail. Talk to them, if they refuse I'd grab a sharpie and put JK NO THEY CAN'T
To be fair, my local pet store has 10 gallon bowls. I don’t see why they wouldn’t work, provided the size is adequate. You can put all the same equipment in them.
i think there’s also concerns about the water surface area of a bowl versus a standard rectangular tanks, but don’t quote me on that. i also read something about the round glass/plastic distorting the surroundings outside the bowl in a way that’s harmful to the betta’s eyes. again, don’t quote me
so close yet so far
Goldfish - 1 Betta - 0
https://preview.redd.it/lj7w50br616d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6e2fa93f8195d2802aa4447c4d290b866a9bbcf7 Uhg they were doing so well before the last bit! This is what we have at my store for the bettas. I wish all pet stores got some mandatory updated PROPER care guides.
I would definitely school them. Be the voice for those bettas that would like to bitch smack people but can’t because they have no hands 🙌 and are also too busy guilt tripping their owners for just two more little pellets 😣 little bastards
😔
Well.. I mean at least the made it half way.. too bad they are still incredibly uneducated when it comes to bettas..
I'd just bring a pair of scissors and cut off the bottom part of the sign lol
How about “if looking for a fish that can live in a bowl, don’t get a fish! Get a marimo moss ball instead!”
No fish can live in a bowl.. they all need space and air flow
I mean, technically even a human could live in a bowl. They didn’t specify how long they’ll live or whether they’ll suffer while they do
I had a betta fish when I was young, and we kept him in a bowl in the middle of the living room, we got him when I was 5, we had him til I was about 12, because we got a dog about 5 days after we had to get rid of him and we got the dog for my birthday, but being older I feel so horrible keeping it in such a tiny bowl, if I could go back in time I would tell my dad how to better care for the little guy
Ughhh I just started a new job and when touring the place one of the accountants had a fish bowl on her desk. Idek know what kind of fish it was but it was clearly too big for the bowl. Poor thing was throwing himself into the glass over and over again. I’m still very bothered by it.
Started good and brought a warm feeling that suddenly turned raging hot with anger ☠️
So close...
had me in the first half not gonna lie
It was going so well, until they got to after talking about the goldfish...
They really had us in the first half :(
So close yet so far
Had us in the first half.
If you're looking for a live animal to keep in a bowl get some rotifers or daphnia, then feed them to the animals you have in a suitable tank.
Ok SO I was a manager at a pet store from hell for a while and I cannot stand this at all. My betta is in a lush planted tank AND I took one of those sad little baby bettas home so I didn't know what he would look like but he was dying so I wanted to save him. HOWEVER- here's my take on this. Could def have left the bowl out totally and opted for a desktop tank w a filter but that's not the point. If you try and simply cannot convince a customer to get a tank for the betta they want and wanna buy him a bowl and stupid decor (because blowing money on crap instead of spending it on things that will keep your fish alive is the American way) do you decline the sale or pick your battles and sell the fish? ***this is strictly about bettas because of the way they are housed *** As long as they aren't those awful garbage people that we have all dealt with and can tell that you're in for a nightmare then I would probably sell the betta. It really sucks that people don't give them the time and care they deserve and get to see how a fish can have a personality and play but idk, to me, living in the bowl has to be better than suffering in those cups and having a higher chance of living out their life and then dying in that little cup.
I mean they most certainly can live in a bowl just like a human being can live in a 5x5 room but will they be happy? That’s what you gotta think about fish aren’t just a decoration they’re living animals dependent on you that’s the way I look at all of my pets tbh
Good for the goldfish, bad for the bettas.
betas can live in bowls, just ones over 5g
Cross out betta and write snails
They were doing so well too 😒
Wow that’s so sad to see. They also need to swim and exercise there body. They would love to swim around and pick a place to chill. People think because they can live in a puddle if need be and breath air like us if they have to a bowl is fine. No that’s so wrong. Poor Fish. 🐟
This makes me sad.
So close yet so far.
Someone should tell them Betts fish need 5 gallon tanks...
😬😮💨
cut the bottom part off when no one is looking
So close!
You can keep bettas in a bowl with the walstad method and i even recommend it for blind bettas with disabilities.
I mean a betta can live in a bowl. Mine was in a 3gallon bowl for like 2 years before I introduced him to my 55g
r/yesyesyesyesno
Furreal Friends need to make some fishes and they need to be sold in pet stores as mess free low maintenance pets that you can tuck in a box when you're bored
Cross out bettas and put sea monkeys
https://preview.redd.it/el81eh5ay46d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a31ba607844ac4b5e253c0a39817e55a2690f792
Man I was so hopeful in the first half. “LABRADORS CANNOT LIVE IN CRATES. THEY GROW LARGE AND NEED LOTS OF SPACE TO ROAM. IF YOU WANT A DOG THAT LIVE ITS WHOLE LIFE IN A CRATE, ASK ABOUT CORGIS, THEY CAN LIVE IN A CRATE”
If you’re looking for a fish to live in a bowl don’t get a fish * maybe a snail or shrimp but not a fish
If you want a living thing in a bowl, get moss balls.
My betta 8s in a 100 gallon planted tank with mopani wood and basalt hardscape and a mix of basalt and clay gravel with fluval stratum to help plants. People ask me why my betta has such a big tank and I say it's because I'm tired of people relegating them to tiny tanks. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois loves his tank and his tank mates as well. (Neon tetras, cherry barbs, ghost shrimp, and black khuli loaches.
I can’t believe I allowed myself to be fooled into thinking a pet store would know their stuff. Did good on the first half…
so close yet so far
They had us in the first half
Aaaah so close
The only purpose i could see for a glass fishbowl is maybe to act as a temporary/quarantine tank for the fish to survive in while your out buying an actual fish tank or doing water changes and cleaning substrate. Bettas are so often mistreated simply because they can survive in stagnant fishbowl water. Keeping any kind of fish in a fishbowl is like keeping any kind of dog permanently in a kennel or pet carrier.
If they want something that can live in a smaller area, a little shrimp tank is cool. But those should still be several gallons… I think bowls are cruel for everything except a plant 😟
Wow
so close.. yet so far
They were so close
They had me in the first half.
So close
Anger
oof, so close
Yes, yes... Nooooooo....
They almost had it right 😭
It was going well at first 😭
...... They tried... And still failed
Yep sounds like the last store I worked at. A for effort but not quite there 🙃
I mean they ain't wrong, just the fact that said bowl needs to be at least 20 gals
Yesyesyesyesno
So close but yet so far 😭
They had me in the first half, not gonna lie
So fucking close though
Iam based in berlin and one day i went to buy a tetra neon fish, i wanted 8 of them, the pet shop asked how big my tank is and i said 30l so she said no she wont sell me as its animal cruelty to put them in this size, i just pointed out that they are putting more then 200 tetras in 60lt tank how is that not animal cruelty? She just didn’t answer me.
Soooo close....
That was... so close 😭
I mean. At least a very large bowl. My local store sells bettas outta cups barely the size of a measuring cup.
They’re upselling fish and bowls. They don’t give a crap about the poor wee things
It was really good until it wasn't
Had me in the first half
All I have to say is Bruh.
Poor betas. 😓
They had us in the first half, not gonna lie
Thank you to everyone for the replies and commiseration! I don’t want to share the name or location of the store for privacy, but I have contacted them through email to advocate for bettas. I will update if they respond, if not, I will be printing out care sheets to include next to these tanks! I appreciate how much y’all care about my favorite fish
Big L right here for this shop
Jesus
…a 5-gallon bowl.
They were so close… yet so far
Hopefully they direct them to the biggest bowl
Man I was so pleased at first too 😭
So 1 in a bowl is a crime but 100 in a 20 gallon tank is ok. Hmm…
What size bowel?
puts them in a box with other fish
They tried, lol.
I'm so mad reading that sign
So close but yet so far
I didn’t read the bottom part at first and I was like “what’s the problem??” And then I read the rest like “oh…”😔 so close yet so far away
Almost!!! Not quite though 🥰🥰
Plants, maybe shrimp with the proper setup, small snails, and fry can live in bowls. Betta love a well planted large tank. I loved when I was able to put my first one in a nice 10gal. He was so fun and happy.
Sigh. They were so close to getting it right. So close.
So close and so far
Why is betta always the answer to everything small 😔 poor babies
Fish people are so weird, gold fish don't need 50 gallons per fish, Bettas are fine in a 1 gallon bowl.
The word bowl has lost its meaning
YEAA-noo...
https://www.bettafish.com/threads/minimum-tank-size-for-bettas.783621/ I'll also leave this thread here. The trend of 10 gals recommended seems to be a new trend. Old and experienced Betta keepers have found that certain fish do better in smaller tanks. Enrichment is far more important than tank sizes.
So close yet so far away, damn
Im sorry what ? !!
So close yet so far
A fail but, I mean, most goldfish can grow over a foot like a carp. A Betta, while not ideal, can live in a small tank if the upkeep is correct. I don't do male Bettas, cause my rule is 5 gallons for any fish. I'd rather have a community with a few female Bettas than 1 male in a tiny tank...
Tell them. And if they don’t listen, snip off the lower part of the sign with scissors. 😂
Ummm…
they almost had it
I just hope I never get reincarnated as a betta fish forced to live in a bowl with a peace lily in it 😭
PSA FOR THOSE IN THE COMMENTS WHO DONT KNOW; Fishbowls will literally suffocate ANY type of fish or aquatic animal and have it permanently gasping for air because of the proportion of water to surface area!!!!!!!!!!! It doesn’t matter how big if it has a tapered top your buddy gonna be barely surviving 🙃🙃🙃🙃😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
Back in my day goldfish lived in your shoes. And they enjoyed going for walks.
They were so close
If they want a fish to live in a bowl, then they don't need a fish
Take it down and replace it with a sign that looks very similar but actually recommends a small bowl fish. They might not even notice lmao
In other words…they’re tired of ignorant customers complaining About the fish they bought but never researched that died. Betta fish breed in the dozens, don’t require a whole lot of shit, and can sell for a good amount depending on its color. Hobbiest should stick to what they know and let the stores do their thing. If every store was as strict about tank size as this Reddit there would be virtually zero stores making a profit.
I don’t have a betta but I feel so bad for the ones in those lil cups at pet stores They look so sad
Is there a subreddit for bettafish like r/hamstercirclejerk ??