Why do pet stores sell bowls?

Question

I know bowls are bad and should only be used to put flowers or your keys in and a few of you realize this too.

So why do stores continue to sell them? Or betta vases? Or anything less than a 5g?

Also, why can't they include a bottle of START RIGHT with the purchase of a fish (which they will carefully monitor and make sure you know what you're doing with those babies)?

What else would you like to see pet stores do when it comes to fish?

Bowls are not good for bettas. They need space just like any fish. Just because they lived in "small puddles" in the wild, doesn't mean they can now. In those "puddles", they had their own ecosystem and the water was warm.

Bettas, like any other tropical fish, require room to swim around, a heater, filter, and oxygen.

Answer 1

Someone else actually asked this before - I'll give you the answer I gave her:

"Because they know people are stupid and impulsive enough to buy them.

It's not their job to educate the public about their pets. It's their job to sell as much of their crap as they can to ignorant people.

You ever go into your local pet store with a legitimate question? You ever notice how some of them flounder at the answer? I once had a guy tell me that I couldn't put my silver dollars in with my neon tetras - they're primarily herbivorous fish, for cryin' out loud. This same guy then tried to sell me "Betta Water" - bottled water for my fish. I told him I had a 55-gallon tank, and he said, "That's ok. We have enough water here to fill that thing!" at which point I told him how unhealthy it is to put your fish in bottled water. He then told me I didn't know what I was talking about.

At that point, I left.

EDIT: People. NO FISH BELONGS IN A BOWL. I don't care if bettas were raised in rice-paddies in Thailand. They will live in a bowl, yes, but they will not THRIVE. They will not be happy in water that doesn't get changed often enough so that they end up living in their own fecal matter all the time.

If you can't afford a decent tank and filter, don't bother getting fish."

I wasn't feeling too nice that day... In fact, I'm still not feeling too nice :-P

Bring on someone to talk about their poor goldfish in a bowl so that we can rip 'em a new one!

EDIT: Never mind on the goldfish. I've found someone else.

Jessie, you're joking, right? Please tell me you don't have fish, especially a betta. And, while we're at it, no other pets. Or kids, either.

I'm sure this is not the last time I'm going to say it, but BETTAS ARE CARNIVOROUS FISH! THEY DO NOT EAT ALGAE OR THE ROOTS OF THOSE STUPID PEACE LILIES. If a betta IS eating the algae or the roots, it's because YOU'RE STARVING HIM! FEED HIM MEAT or the freakin' PELLETS that are made specifically for bettas.

*still dumbfounded* Don't know why - I should expect this on yahoo answers at this point.

Answer 2

Bowls have a variety of uses. If you are cleaning a small tank you can use large bowls 1 gal. and up with an air pump to hold fish while cleaning the tank (you can also use Buckets (pails) that have not been contaminated by chemicals or soap. Tropical Fish Club use bowls for shows or auctions. When I belonged to a club we had monthly meetings, each month a competition was held for a different type of fish the club would have as many as 50 bowls at each monthly show and as many as 300 bowls at our annual show. Fish travel better in a bowl with a couple inches of air and a rubber band holding plastic over the top. If you are traveling far you can insert a fishline (Hose thru the plastic into the water and use a air pump that plugs into the car cigarette lighter

Answer 3

I'd like to see them actually putting heaters and filters in their selling tanks. Also taking out the dead fish and helping sick ones and not sell bowls! Bowls are EVIL! Bowls are death traps! And people need to actually know about fish, and when customers ask the cashiers and employees they need to know things!!! They only sell bowls and betta vaces because they want to make money! The fish in there will die, and then you get another, and another, and another... just because it is a 2$ fish doesn't mean you can be so cruel to it! In extreme cases, it should be illegal if you are looking from my point of view. People are horrible, and need to take care of fish. That's my job: to try to help pet stores to be better with animals. Email me: [e-mail]
Please- if you ever email me anyone, let it be serious.

Answer 4

Actually, bowls are fine for Betta fish (Simese fighting fish). They prefer small spaces and seeing as though you can't put them together and there are a very limited varity of fish you can put them in with, bowls are probably the best environment for a Betta. Though you should have a large enough bowl to add an airstone for aeration.

Answer 5

I hate this about pet stores...they make money off people's ignorance.

If you think their offerings of bad fish environments is bad, you should check out the small animal sections. There is no way any small animal, from mouse on up to rabbit, should be living in the cages labled for them. They are way, way way too small, I consider them inhumane.

Answer 6

Bettas can live in these and bettas dont need a filter, heater, etc. You just have to clean their bowl about evey week or so. They sell them for bettas.

Answer 7

They need to stop keeping bettas in those tiny little containers where they can't move just because they are aggressive to each other. If they cantgive them some space to move around, they need to stop selling them.

Answer 8

Space is not generally a neccessity for it, but heat and clean water deffenatly are.
I've never seen more pleasant and colourful betta in my tanks than when they were in a 10g heated tank!

Answer 9

betta vases come with a plant because the fish eats off the alge

Answer 10

Most people don't even think fish have feelings, and therefore, are expendible. I agree with you, however.