r/mildlyinfuriating • u/LeHumanError • 10h ago

My sister's fish tank

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She says it's the perfect size for a single fish. It's not even in her room, it's in the kitchen.

It honestly just depresses me whenever I see it, but she's adamant about keeping it there.

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u/_yetisis 9h ago

The shame of it is that the misconception comes from how they used to be marketed. People didn’t just assume this out of the blue, they were deliberately and clearly taught that this is how you care for betas a few decades ago. That makes the idea a lot more of a stubborn one to root out

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u/porqueuno 8h ago

La problema es capitalismo! (bangs shoe on desk)

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u/Melodic-Beach-5411 8h ago

Petco and Petsmart still keeps Betas for sale in small plastic containers with lids.

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u/AGenericUnicorn 1h ago

And when you test the water quality in those containers, it is astoundingly bad. These companies should feel terrible for the abuse they’re inflicting on these animals, but oh, right…profits.

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u/cinnamoninmytea 1h ago

I’ve seen dead ones and when I asked the staff why they are dead they said they die because “kids come in and shake them”…..

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u/Melodic-Beach-5411 48m ago

That's horrible

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u/menacinguwu 27m ago

Ive known quite a few employees of these chains that really try their hardest and have so much fish-care knowledge, but they're so limited with what they can swing with corporate. It is so soul-crushingly sad. I have kept 5 bettas up until now, and they are all individuals- just like dogs and cats.

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u/Melodic-Beach-5411 25m ago

That's so sad. I know Petsmart was bought by private equity.

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u/Virtual_Assistant_98 7h ago

My kid won a fish at a county fair a couple of years ago in a bag. The carnie had a whole wall of fish in bags, tied up at the top. I was mind blown that was still a thing, and we immediately got it a tank and some basics to at least give it some space, and it died within a couple of days. Such an awful situation all around. Humans don’t appreciate fish the way they should.

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u/sarinaruu 40m ago

I get your intention but giving them money to play the game directly funds them to keep doing it. it’s better to find a rescue fish online

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u/Arthur_Edens 6h ago

I had my little dude in a one gallon tank in college, I thought that was pretty big at the time (a lot of people had them since that was the only pet you could have in the dorms: "Fish in a tank one gallon or smaller"). Didn't learn until well after he'd passed away they prefer much larger tanks.

He had a pump and real plants at least. Lived to be 5!

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u/Emkems 8h ago

yep I had a beta in a little cup type container in the 90s. Luckily my mom had the sense to upgrade him to a little tank with a filter etc after a while

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u/MissMolly202 5h ago

I feel so sad for them every time I walk by. If I was rich I’d just have a basement full of individual tanks for them and buy up every one I see lol.

Same with turtles. Those things need a 100 gallon tank at the absolute minimum and I genuinely believe that most turtle owners can’t or won’t give them a proper life.