Koi-lo wrote:
"Tynk" wrote in message
oups.com...
How do you make sure everyone who
buys your bettas provides them with live plants and gravel?
========
Sorry, I forgot you had asked this question..I was so excited about
your boy's larger housing that I totally forgot you asked about this.
When I gave to people, they were either neighbors, friends, etc andf I
hardly ever charged them. However, word of mouth people that came to
buy I charged a very nomimal fee and it was usually less than what the
current price at the shops were.
I would ask them about what size tank they would be going into, as well
as explain the proper care if they didn't already know.
When I was breeding with regularity (yrs ago), it wasn't like it is
now. Bettas were given proper care and kept in tanks with common
community fish.
I was raising them in NYC (60s/70s). At that time they were kept in small
glass ivy bowls that held about 8oz of water. It was very cruel but the
stores said they had no choice. Space was at a premium there and still is.
Those who knew better had them in larger bowls with some gravel and at least
one small plant of some kind. The bowls were actually either used food
jars, cookie jars or regulation GF bowls, cheap then.
People hardly ever kept them in small bowls. Of course
some did. However, it really wasn't the norm, nor were they even near
as popular. Not even close! NetMax probably remembers this, as well as
other old time hobbyists who have been in the hobby as long or longer
than I have. ( since the 1970's).
There may be regional differences in their care. Here in TN they still keep
them in ivy bowls and sell people these small bowls to keep them in. Most
bettas don't survive very long. I know this because of what people I meet
say. I always hear something like this, "Oh I had a betta once. It lived
about 2 months [or some other time-period less than a year]."
If somebody were to tell me that they wanted to keep it in a little
bowl I would simply deny them the fish. Plain and simple.
Folks who didn't already know the proper care were educated.
Heck..back then I the smallest tank I can remember there being were the
AllGlass 2 1/2 gallon ones. Not sure on if they were out in the 70's,
as I used 5g's back then for tiny tanks.
I always remember there being 2g tanks. My mother bought us a 2g Metaframe
tank in 1952. It had a SS light and a plastic bubble-up filter, gray gravel
and a few real plants. She bought us guppies. I barely remember the GF
bowl and the 2 GF that died in days prior to that. I must have been very
young. Someone clued her in that fish can't live in bowls. I remember she
would change the Angelhair fiberglass filter material, carefully feed them.
That little tank hooked me for a lifetime. :-) I can't remember exactly
when they switched from SS framed tanks to all glass tanks.
How about anyone else...I can't remember.
Back then people didn't have these tiny tanks to choose from or those
horrible contaptions they're selling for Bettas these days. Those clear
plastic things that have an area that's almost a V shape in the middle
for the Betta to be housed in. It holds like a couple/few ounces of
water. These things are horribly cruel.
The stores here have all kinds of tiny over priced plastic bowls for Bettas.
:-( The place I got mine said they were around 1/2 gallon each. They
weren't, and I never gave it a thought because the fish did so well in them.
I even stopped going to one of
the local shops because he started selling these things. He got all
excited when I walked in one day and couldn't wait to show me these new
Betta "tanks".
I did one of these faces...= O
I said..I can't believe you are selling such cruel things and walked
out.
He knew better too. He's a local shop trying to compete with the chains
around him and I'm sorry, but he could have done better than that.
There's many 1g set ups with even a light that he could have sold for
less money than he was selling these torture chambers for.
I don't see any of those here. They used to sell the 1and 2g hex ones you
see on my windowsill, but those are hard to find now. They came with an
UGF, airpump, hood and even a light for $20! What happened to them? They
were excellent for bettas or other small fish. Now all I see are small
bowls and it then jumps to the 10g tank. The 2 and 5g tanks can only be
found in aquarium stores now and they aren't cheap. :-( The all glass 2s
(with glass dividers), the 5 and a few of my 10s were left to me by a
housemate who moved out of state back in 1988.
I will say some of these things are getting a little better.
Some have gotten to be a gallon or more and have these mini power
filters and some even have mini fluorescent lights above them. Those
are ok in a constantly warm house or for somebody in a warm climate.
(when talking Bettas that is)
But a couple/few ounces of water? Horrible.
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
Troll Information:
http://members.aol.com/intwg/trolls.htm
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o
I even stopped going to one of
the local shops because he started selling these things. He got all
excited when I walked in one day and couldn't wait to show me these new
Betta "tanks".
I did one of these faces...= O
I said..I can't believe you are selling such cruel things and walked
out.
He knew better too. He's a local shop trying to compete with the chains
around him and I'm sorry, but he could have done better than that.
There's many 1g set ups with even a light that he could have sold for
less money than he was selling these torture chambers for.
I don't see any of those here.
Oh my..you've never seen these little plastic things with about 2-3
ounces of water to them..
Hold on I am off to look for a link for you.
You won't believe your eyes.
Azoo is the comany that makes them. PenPlax alsomakes similar ones.
They do get small than what is in this picture, but without anything to
compare size to you really aren't going to see how very small these
things can get.
I've seen them smaller than what's in this link.
Azoo.com isn't up and running right now, I've been trying for half an
hour and still it's down.
PetCo likes to carry these things, but doesn't offer them on their
website.
It depends on the individual stores who carries these.
Some are only going to hold a couple to a few ounces of water. They are
very thin (front to back) too. It's sick.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Azoo-Betta-Fish-...QQcmdZViewItem