Grrrr!!! I know I should lounge this..but PEOPLE BYTE!

[Christmasfish]

Another victim to a Betta Vase of Death!!!


Why can't it be made illegal in ALL states!!!!
The Auction that the school had last week had mini auctions for the betta table decorations. My son's PreK assistant got one. The slip that came with the fish was so-so info better than none. But SOMEONE told her she didn't have to bother feeding but weeky.She never even unsealed and unrolled her little list of betta instructions.
The slip said change a quarter of the water every 5 days. in a vase..with dead decaying food and plant pieces in the gravel..which was leaching color BTW. at least it said weekly.

Since she didn't want a tank; I told her she should do 50% every third day minimum with a 100% change on Fri/Sat. Her response? A petulant look and "That MUCH?!"
She feared bringing it home lest her son bug it. I think his ritalin activity would have been preferable.. my son already had him stokked on changing his water (he'd had got a 100 every hour with that boy! ^_^)

My daughter actually got in trouble on day 5 for removing the plant when it's cup became solid muck and the air pocket got condensation. tsk..she should have been at lunch.
Well today was the end of day 10. And the animal was left there over the weekend..i n the water he had spent a whole 8 days in already..it was dead in a rigor mortis of stiff desperation. I disposed of it. My son looks knowingly at his lil girfriend and says loudly.."I told you it would be murdered when we came back!" The change kit he brought (2 saltgrains and a dechlor bottle with the drops marked on it) was unopened.
And all that echoes in my ear? "That MUCH?!" And she didn't want me to change the water for her Weds because...."they said I didn't have to and I could just add water from the faucet on Sat."

Who are "they"? I wanna meet "they" and kick their Asp from here to Texas!!! the regular teacher looked queasy an asked if I'd dispose of Rainbow aND get the smell out of the jar. ..yeah..I live for that doncha know!

CARP!! WHY do they (the retail machine, the lfs urban myth mongers)keep telling people that this fish or another is EASY?!
Betta and golds suffer the most..but I have heard it said of oscars, ,angels, guppies, gourami , neons and loaches.


Edit: Angry typos corrected 4pm STD

 

[lyquidphyre]

Well, if you were to kick em from there to Texas.. ill make sure to kick em from Texas to New York *nod*

 

[Menagerie]

I can take over in NY--I'll be there next week! I'll simply kick them off a pier! Then let the fish get revenge

 

[William]

Its just to bad that animal rights laws don't cover fish..

 

[Christmasfish]

Hah! off the pier for the fish..!
let them see how long they last with one feeding and a single tank of oxygen for the week!

Just as I was relaxed about fish..another alert to keep me lobbying.

 

[oscarbreeder]

I hate stupid people...

 

[mhaynes01]

tsk tsk tsk all of you should be ashamed of your selves piching on people who dont know better

we should try to be mor patient with the unpatient
and teach them the correct way or look at them in ways they cant refuse to let you help them or them giving you the fish

 

[iheartmyfish]

mhaynes has a point, but i can understand how quickly a person can become upset by others stupidity, or ignorance. as a veterinarian assistant ive seen a looot of stupid people syndrome where the animal is the one to suffer... but this website is a start to help educating. new fish owners are able to come here and ask questions. and i know that a lot of people on here personally comment and teach lfs and pet shops about correct care. its a shame that fish arent included in the pet protection laws, but who knows. years before it was okay to beat your dog, but maybe w/ people like us, fish will be included too

 

[lyquidphyre]

Don't know better? When you have a slip of paper that tells you what to do and you have someone say "do water changes" and they don't listen and a fish dies because of the lack of responsibility that is just iggnorance.

Not knowing any better would be buying a fish and *wanting* it to be healthy and doing what you can, but not knowing about cycling and water changes- thats not knowing any better.

It's almost common sense to change the water when its nasty... apparently this person didn't really care all that much- that deserves a good rent. I don't feel ashamed for picking on her. You would think someone that is a PreK assistant would have enough compassion for all living creatures to do what they can to take care of it. That would be like telling her "You should change my sons diapers at least 5 times a day" and her responce is "THAT MUCH?!?! Well, this other mom told me I only have to change it once a day..."

 

[QTOFFER]

Here another variation of the betta-vase that I saw in the mall this weekend. They took a glass building block, (something like this: http://www.ebuild.com/building/images/Glass-block.jpg ) drilled a 2 inch hole in the top of it, and put some sand and seashells inside. Then they added water (a quart at most), an adult male betta, and a scrawny floating plant that would "provide food for the fish" The hole had a solid plastic plug (gas exchange?) and there was very little headspace for the betta to breathe. The only recommended maintainance was a complete water change once a week.
I was soooo tempted to give my mom a doomed, dying fish for Mother's Day, but I had already gotten her a plant.

 

[William]

Don't know better? When you have a slip of paper that tells you what to do and you have someone say "do water changes" and they don't listen and a fish dies because of the lack of responsibility that is just iggnorance.

Not knowing any better would be buying a fish and *wanting* it to be healthy and doing what you can, but not knowing about cycling and water changes- thats not knowing any better.

It's almost common sense to change the water when its nasty... apparently this person didn't really care all that much- that deserves a good rent. I don't feel ashamed for picking on her. You would think someone that is a PreK assistant would have enough compassion for all living creatures to do what they can to take care of it. That would be like telling her "You should change my sons diapers at least 5 times a day" and her responce is "THAT MUCH?!?! Well, this other mom told me I only have to change it once a day..."

Have to agree with you there.

Not knowing better is far different from arogant ignorance.

She was told what to do, and even had a little paper that said what to do.

She refused to listen and resulted in the death of an animal, If only they allowed capitol punishment and covered fish under the animal protection act..


I find it appauling how someone can be so uncaring for a living, breathing being. It fills me with the utmost fear to imagine these people having children, If they can't take care of something as simple as a fish, imagine how horrid their child raising skills could be..

 

[Keepers_girl]

I just got a betta and I'm enthralled with him----I worry so much over his living conditions I should probably be labelled pathetic (at best a big worrywart)----how anyone could not worry over it and be responsible I just don't understand.......

 

[Hypostomus]

Sadly, a lot of people regard fish as ornaments rather than animals. Some even disregard the needs of animals that are usually easier to connect with, such as dogs and cats. Example: my mother refuses to pay for the dentalwork our oldest cat needs to have done even though it causes her discomfort and her teeth may eventually fall out without it, so I have to raise the money myself. I still love my mom, but nothing I have ever said has convinced her that the cats and the fish have important things that must be done to keep them alive and happy. It simply will not get through to her and people like her (of which there are many).

 

[Guest]

Do'nt get me started on this topic. I have several "daisy chain" pet stores in my area that hands out such poor advise regularly. Makes me want to rudly jump in and start a heated debate.

If I see another customer walking out with a tank, three bags of fish and some "start right". I swear I'm going postal!

It's a shame a person can't make a living running a small fish store, they are passionate about. Then again, I'd be bankrupt in 3 months, due to being over protective

 

[ClamKnuckle]

I don't think it would be rude to start a debate...I've done it before...rather the employee think I'm a (can't think of a PG rated word) then someone buy a fish that will be dead in a few days

 

[mhaynes01]

instead of saying how much we hate it and knowing some people are ingnorant we should stop talking and do (not sain you guys have'nt) something about.

but when you think of of the world and people take a step back and examine you and others and asses the situation really calmly and also frowning on people works too :|

 

[loganj]

Unfortunately, this is a case of preaching to the choir. We all pretty much feel the same way about it. Every time I see something like this, I feel my temperature start to rise. The fact is that some folks are determined to do things their way and not listen to good advice. After all, it's only a fish...right? I think they should be locked in an air tight room and forced to live in their own waste for a while... I'm going to quit before I really get tuned up here.

 

[jaysono]

Well, if you ever kicked him here to Southern California, I kick them south of the border.....but wait...that mean's they'd be back in a day or two anyway ::nods head in shame::

 

[swanandmokashi]

I think it is very selfish of humans to sell those cute bettas in those small cups

I mean I am a newbie too , with just a small 3 gallon tank (a newbie mistake) and have lost some fish becuase of my stupidity , but when someone who knows about fish tells me something, I make it a point to do some research on it (on websites like this one) and usually follow it if most of them agree.

For eg. I had no idea what fishless cycling was, till 2 months back .Now when I am doing the fishless thing and checking my parameters daily , I feel for my lost fish , because I was expecting them to cycle my tank How much the poor things had to go through in way of ammonia and nitrites. Now for ne there are 2 type of people : one who do fishless cycling and those who don't
But well, you learn from your mistakes