BETTER Betta Care

Whether you are shopping for your first Betta or you are a seasoned Betta owner, never be afraid to ask the pet shop employee to test the water in the betta cup and give you the actual results for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. I can almost guarantee you 100% that the ammonia reading will be off the chart toxic! 

 

It's a sad fact that the water in the little cups that bettas are housed in is only changed once a week, and sometimes only 2x per month. I have heard every excuse in the book from the employees...."we don't have enough help", "we don't have enough time", "the owners don't want us spending time changing betta water". There is NO EXCUSE for this BETTA ABUSE! 

 

If after having the water tested you see that the levels are toxic, please do not be afraid to contact a manager immediately and ask why they are not properly taking care of these fish, and ask if they can correct this issue immediately. Most stores do not want an unhappy paying customer and will be more than happy to take care of the problem, but if not, get the name and address of the CEO and write a letter. If they won't give you this information, google it! Take a picture so you will have proof! Without mentioning which pet store chain, I have sent two letters and several emails to the CEO, the District Manager, and the local manager and I am finally seeing results. 

 

The picture on the right was taken on a day that I bought three bettas from the same store and tested the water for ammonia immediately after I got home and while the bettas were in the same cups and water they were living in at the shop. You cannot see the fish in the center cup because he was half dead, laying on the top of the water on his side, listless, gasping for breath, and colorless - no surprise, as he was forced to try and survive in pure ammonia! I am happy to report that as of Feb. 26, 2014, it is day 70 and "Hershey" is alive and doing very well in his new home - a cycled, heated, and filtered tank.

 

The other picture shows "Hershey" on the day I bought him, and then again on day 14, all proving that proper water conditions and a good diet can work miracles! I didn't expect Hershey to live overnight, but he has shocked everyone.