"Steve" wrote in message
. ..
With all the betta discussion lately, can someone tell me about bettas in
plastic cups? Why are they offered for sale this way?

## Because they can't mix bettas together in one bag as they do the other
types of fish. It's the most economical way to ship them. There doesn't
seem to be an laws or rules regarding the care and welfare of fish. There
should be but there isn't from what I can see. The real abuse comes in when
they reach the stores or pet-shops where they are not properly cared for or
fed. They sit in their filthy water until it evaporates and they die, or
the toxic waste in the small container kills them. Wal*Mart stores carry
them in much larger containers but they're just as filthy and foul smelling.
The female I bought a few weeks ago was literally in a cesspool of filth.

The losses must
be great and the fish don't look attractive for purchase.

## This is true in some chain-stores where the workers are either clueless
or couldn't care less. About 10% of them were already dead in a store I
visited yesterday. Some were already decomposed in their filthy containers.
Talk about cruelty. Those in PetsMart were in pretty good shape but in very
small cups.

Also, when do the fish go into the plastic cups? Is it for transport, or
are they raised in there? Thanks for any information.

## That would depend on what breeder they got them from. They must be
separated at some point to keep the finnage from being marred so the
breeders have to house them in something. I'm sure the big breeders have
some type of flow-through systems now. No one is changing the water in
thousands of small containers or jars. Those I saw years ago utilized all
types of glass containers. Most held no more than 2 cups of water. They
were "bagged" the day they were taken to the stores. The stores in that
area put them in those small ivy bowls that hold about 8 oz of water. If
the betta was lucky his new owner put him in something larger.
Unfortunately I saw people buy the same tiny ivy bowls to keep them in - no
gravel, no plants. I always felt the fish was going to his death. But I've
had people tell me they had bettas live several years in such small bowls.
Now I believe most bettas are imported. So they're probably in those small
cups for a few days by the time they reach the pet stores. One store here
puts the bettas in a filtered betta tank that has partitions and a
flow-through filter system of some kind.
I stopped breeding them back in the late 60s because there wasn't enough of
a market, nor did I get enough per fish to make it worth while, plus I had a
full time job - so I gave it up. I enjoyed it while I did it though. :-)
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
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