stubbskm Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 I was wondering if you guys were aware of any problems with the big companies that supply bettas. I have suddenly had LFS ring me up for my boys and girls. In the last week I have sold 56 males and females to several. Is there something that this little black duck is missing? What makes me really curious is that they will even take coppers and whites, which before they would not touch at all. And it is not just bettas that they are chasing. Some are eyeing my gouramis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumper Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 not too sure....... my cheapo LFS started stocking DT's, SD's and CT's now too... which is really weird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splendidbetta Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 Hmm, this could be great for us! Hope it's the same in Melbourne. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumper Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 dunno about your side Stefan, but over here in SE side, betta's CT/ DT are selling for about $25, HM 40 odd. worst of all the fish look really in poor condition. ( if i can say that... imagine when you all take a look at them, i feel bad for them- the fish of course) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 Its 4 weeks before Xmas and betta are in ......... The Lfs are crying out for stock to make a quick buck .... I timed my winter spawns to coincide with this period as you can move alot of fish. My three to four month stock has been going slow but steady .. Its a pain but I do fleamarket thing and it is good only at this time of year though .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argylebetta Posted December 1, 2006 Report Share Posted December 1, 2006 The LFS's have a far better choice now from the wholesalers and breeders than they did even one or two years ago, in regards to tail type and colour. If they would learn to display them better and keep them fed I'm sure they would sell a heap more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stubbskm Posted December 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2006 I don't mind helping one of my LFS out as they do me really great deals on frozen food.(eg bloodworm for 1/2 price) But what does get up my nose is that they will only pay me $3 per fish and sell them for $15-20. And I refuse to give them any really good SD or HM, a HM up here is selling for $40-45. We have done the markets and now that I am on leave I will go a few times before Christmas. However it is a lot of work when working full time. If there is some problems with the bigger companies, I will start thinking about charging more. I have overheads too. This may be a hobby for me, but I am not willing to give my fish away for just about nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bren MacFish Posted December 3, 2006 Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 You can probably get them up to $5 or $6 per fish if you take store credit instead of cash. They have a margin on all their store products so it's all covered as far as they're concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erren Posted December 3, 2006 Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 I don't know why betta has 2nd preference in treatment as supposed to other fish. I've been to couple of LFS and there are not many of them that kept betta inside the tank with heater and proper filteration. Most are jarred (fair enough) but the water....(probably has not been change for more than 2 weeks). Worse enough i've seen them filling up the jar with water straight from the tap with betta inside the jar I've also seen 1 LFS selling beta using a take away container with the water being filled up all the way to the top + lid!. I wonder how the betta gonna breath :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splendidbetta Posted December 3, 2006 Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 It's because people think that bettas don't need much care... all those bad myths about bettas have become excuses not to care about bettas as much as other fish. I wouldn't be surprised if the myths started out as excuses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJ Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 Sorry to go against the flow here, but one of the main reasons I keep bettas is coz they're easier to look after than many other types of fish. Obviously you have to be set up right (which doesn't include betta cubes or 300ml cups), but imho it's easier to setup for bettas than most tropical fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splendidbetta Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 Oh for sure, but lfs's take it to extremes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 Lots of the smaller shops in Sydney sell VTs, Crowntails, and HMish bettas for around $4 if you know where to shop, ive seen a gold dragon for $50 and the other day i picked up a wild coloured plakat male who looks HMPKish for $4, have to wait for his fins to regrow to be sure. I believe most of these fish are imported however, which would explain the prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argylebetta Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 I reckon your spot on about the myth/excuses there Stefan. I think so too Peter. It would'nt take a shop much trouble and effort to set up correctly......around three to four litres of carded jars, bit of duckweed on top and a stalk of something in the water. Easy to catch and bag compared to netting in a large tank, and dead easy to warm a small room. They'd definently sell a heap more if customers could remove the card and be presented with a healthy flareing fish. I know of a heck of a lot of shops that hate getting in betta, because they sell hardly any then have to tip out the dead ones. Simply because the silly twits keep them in two inches of cold water in cups floated on the top of goldfish tanks, till the colour runs out of the fish and stains the water. If only they knew just how easy it really is!...... and how much people would be willing to pay for healthy quality fish! I have not been on a fish shop run for ages but are due for a big trip the end of the week. It'll be interesting to ask and see how they are going for bettas this time of year Stubbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limmo Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 The main reason LFS keep bettas in such poor conditions ( most of them anyway ) is..... 1: They know that fighters can survive in these sort of conditiones ( for a short amount of time) 2: That a lot of people will see the fish in a tiny, small container and feel bad for them ( resolting in a fish being bought) 3: The smaller the container the better.....more room, more fish=$$$$$$ Most petshops do not care about the fishes health...as long as they get sales they are happy. Then again I have seen some great LFS which give all of there fish a whole heap of TLC Lisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howlsn Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 I was in a pet shop the other day, lets just say one of those pet shops you'd like to wheel the animals out & stick a bomb under, kittens running around the shop with Ringworm, dirty smell & most fishtanks had equal amunt of dead as live fish to choose from Anyways there was this Betta display with 1 lone betta...in a 10 x 10 cubed unheated tank with a giant airstone on full, this poor fish being a VT was stuck to the surface like a paracute. I pulled the airstone out & the shop owner tore strips off me.....until I delivered it right back at her about the betta, the dead fish, the other sick animals & the state of the shop trying to make her feel like scum. I have been involved with pet shops/aquariums most of my life, the good ones are a rarity especially when it comes to fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splendidbetta Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 I would have loved to see you tearing the store owner to pieces like that Good on you :blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howlsn Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 Yeah I mean in all seriousness...she knew Bettas breathed from the surface & offered no explatation to why 1) an airstone was in there..sure if it was a few bubbles thats one thing to break up any surface scum etc. but enough to hold the poor thing at the top on its side & half out of the water.... & the kittens with ring worm so bad 1 looked like it had a burnt head..roaming the shop, laying on beds they were selling, in with the puppies etc. everything in that shop carried Ringworm...my OH & I literally had to come home & disinfect our clothes & ourselves before touching our animals. & the diseased & dead fish in the tanks.....made my blood boil! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splendidbetta Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 That's disgusting! Call the RSPCA on them or something! Close them down! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2jdaze Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 i agree! that's just disgusting and surely someone selling animals in such poor condition should be reported to someone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumper Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 thats not only sounds awful but also disgusting! i cant believe they are still up n running, whilst the "gooder" shops sometimes get bitten hard as well, give the shop owner a airstone too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howlsn Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 :P she almost took the airstone....well you know where! Oh yeah their reported...RSPCA in this area is under staffed & under powered, but as I used to be involved in running petshops....a call to a certain health authority regarding the ringworm infestation in that shop & all the kiddies that go in there....that will make life hard for them I would personally love to have my own responsible high class pet shop, products moreso than live animals, so seeing that kind of thing just infuriates me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumper Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 she almost took the airstone....well you know where! Oh yeah their reported...RSPCA in this area is under staffed & under powered, but as I used to be involved in running petshops....a call to a certain health authority regarding the ringworm infestation in that shop & all the kiddies that go in there....that will make life hard for them I would personally love to have my own responsible high class pet shop, products moreso than live animals, so seeing that kind of thing just infuriates me. Thats The way its oughta be! nicely done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stubbskm Posted December 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 Up here there is only one LFS that we refuse to enter due to their care of Bettas. The rest are well maintained, considering the condition some of them arrive. I have been breeding for over 3 years now and when we started, all but 1 LFS was interested in our boys, girls yes but boys no. But now we have 4 LFS that we supply to, at least once a month, lately fornightly. Now don't get me wrong, it is great that they are buying local fish, survival rate and health is a lot better, but when I know that they pay $7 or more for a SD from the companies plus freight, and only offer me $3 and I deliver, it is a bit of an insult. A HM will cost them $20 from the companies which they then sell for $40- 45. I have done the markets and while working F-T and community commitments on Saturdays, it is a big task. I have posted in papers and local traders, but most people tend to go to the LFS where they can get everything. After entering the local show this year and the enquiries the fish organizer got about bettas that were either Najrick or mine, next year I plan to set up a display. I am trying to let the public know that there are breeders out there with better quality fish and in most cases, cheaper too. But I think that I am just going to have to get tougher with the LSF and demand higher prices for our fish. Just imagine the difference with each week's food bill if I received the same as the companies minus freight. $7 per male instead of $3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Em Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 I believe the PIAA, The Pet Industry Association of Australia is who you should contact... apparently they're the people who deal with petshops etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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