Some of us REALLY try to promote appropriate needs of the animals at the stores at Petco!! Not every store is the same, but at ours we set up a 14g fully planted tank for a betta and some snails and it attracted so many positive conversations to get people to realize fish are not ornaments. It also really helped our live plant and supply sales so it was a win win. Some managers wont allow it because its not “Planogram” but there are some good ones who do truly care about the animals more than the slap on the wrist.
I actually was in that position. I brought it up in conversation while he was feeding his fish, I let him know what I had known (at that point) about how much more the betta needed. The next time I came over the fish had a completely different tank, a soft filter, and new decor! We're about to celebrate our 2 year anniversary and have a kid together now. RIP old man Meemo, but we now have a new Beta, Lightning.
the betta bowl at 10:01 was originally shared on r/bettafish, and after feedback OP actually went out and got a 5 gallon tank with a heater and filter and everything and the fish is reportedly now eating!
I've kept clams before. If you find them in a river like that, and they're that size, odds are those are pea clams or fingernail clams, and those stay that size. If you keep 1 per gallon roughly, and you have a super natural algae-rich dirted tank, with no other filtration, they should have tons to eat. Mine vanished shortly after I put them in the tank, but they kept on cropping up again super reliably for months afterwards. The tank crashed eventually, but only when I had to literally move them away from any source of light for like half a month during house renovations, so not really the clams fault on that one
The aiptasia eating fish is a Bristletail Filefish, aka the Aiptasia Eating Filefish :D They're non agressive towards non-filefish which make them good tankmates with other fish for helping control the Aiptasia population. However, they may also nip at coral polyps if you have them and are fairly shy (helped by Camouflage and the fact that they stay small) so you might not see them much. Filefish in general will eat just about anything because they opportunistic omnivores so as long as the Bristletail is trained to take other foods, you don't have to rely on having pests to feed them.
I have been breeding for five years. I have been watching this channel for about a week, and I have been inspired to take action. I no longer breed or sell long finned Bettas. Thank you.
That's so thoughtful of you. I am also an ex-keeper (borderline abuser, sadly, I was ignorant) of long fins Bettas because I like their look. But if I am ever to have one in the future, it will be a short-finned Betta with better husbandry
Actually I had kept 2 ping pong ball sized black clams (or freshwater mussel )in my tank for almost a year now. I rarely see them, but when they move they’ll cause total destruction to my scape and uproot my plants. The reason I know that they’re alive is they often spit sand out . There times that I thought the clams were dead but when I dug them out they’ll dig back in.
Getting ready for weekly water change, thanks for the reminder! AotW: I once ended a friendship that was bordering on relationship territory over the way they treated animals (insisting on buying the worst grade of eggs because they were painted, buying a gerbil from a big box store while I had multiple rescue options lined up for them, getting a single kitten from craigslist and letting it outside next to a main road immediately after another of their cats had vanished... the list goes on). Luckily, they weren't interested in fish. I have no tolerance for fish abusers. Might try to inform someone once in case they're just uneducated but if they don't change, that's it. Life's to short to tolerate animal cruelty.
needing weekly waterchanges is a bad sign ... either your aquarium is overstocked or has a bad balance/volume of substrate/filter/plants ... or you actually done things right and do waterchanges for no reason at all, which btw can be counterproductive in some cases/for a lot of species and also needlessly wastes fertilizer. I think in general the advice to do a lot of waterchanges (weekly) comes from people who set up aquariums in very questionable ways or who sell fertilizer and all those chems intended to make tapwater safe. You might want to look into it and find out if the waterchanges are actually needed and if thats the case what the problem is which turns your water bad in just a week ... a well setup tank shouldnt change water quality on a noteworthy scale in such a short time.
@@diedampfbrasse98 Thanks but I'm pretty satisfied with the way I'm doing things. There's currently no stocking in one of the tanks and minimal stocking in the other, lots of plants and the parameters are stable. I'm not doing huge water changes but tidying up some mulm and topping of with treated water. I've worked in aquatics for 10+ years and if I learned anything it's that different strategies work for different people/situations.
@@diedampfbrasse98some people have differing water quality and have to do it more often and some people just enjoy the mindfulness activity of caring for their tanks and taking the time to optimize them. A perfect ecosystem tank that only needs top ups is nice but it's not exactly achievable by everyone, and some people prefer to fine tune the balance themselves, but thank you for sharing your thoughts because I will consider them in the future when looking at liquid ferts for sure
I work at a pet store and one of the main things I have a hard time explaining to people is that the betta cups are way too small to keep them in and the only reason it's okay for us is cause it's a temporary tank that we clean every other day with treated water and medication to keep them healthy until some one buys them. We highly advice 5 gallon minimums with proper set up before buying their fish.
2 months late but a good way to explain it to people who can’t see fish as real pets, is it’s like a dog or cat living in a small cage at the pound until someone adopts them. Everyone knows that space is just torture for them. So maybe it would help them see things different?
I few years ago, a shop owner in the neighborhood thought it would be a great idea to put small water glasses in the window display with a single fish in them... I'm glad people called him out for animal abuse.
Just discovered your channel, and I'm learning a lot! Thank you! Re: Petco - the one in the city here, I found to be a lot better than some of the PetSmart's around. Maybe I was just lucky and ended up talking to the resident "fish person" that day, but she showed me a betta sorority hanging out in one of their tanks, and told me it was possible. We gushed about bettas and how they need a good environment. They had other tanks with saltwater fish and CORAL?! When I was smitten with some kind of longboi (a bichir? or loach?) she explained why he was in such a big tank, and how it wouldn't work for mine. Super helpful and knowledgeable, and their fish seemed really happy and healthy. :) Re: Bettas - I had one for like, 2-3 years, and I know he would've lived longer if I would have taken better care of him, and noticed when he was getting sick - I was in college senior finals, and didn't notice until it was too late. :'( Even though I probably committed a lot of sins lol - I had rainbow gravel, and fake plants - I had a 3-5 gallon tank, plentiful fake plants for him to hide in, and I periodically changed the water and washed the gravel and treated the water so it wouldn't suck? The filter that came with the tank was way too strong for him, and looked like it would suck him up into it! But now I know there're other options and filters, and how I could've done things differently in the future. Thank you! I would mix the landscape up a bit, just naturally because of having to reassemble everything, but also so he could explore a new environment, but with familiar features? Is that a stimulating thing, or scary? And when he passed, I didn't flush him - I let him go in the river. RIP Mr. Fishy. I have a 15 gal tank I want to start, and I'm doing as much research as I can before I do. Thanks for all the information you give!
My local petsmart is better with educating people on fish keeping. Every time I’m there and I choose fish, I get asked “what size tank do you have?”….and we go on to talk… Last time I was there, an employee refused to sell glowfish to someone. The customer had a new tank and supplies and wanted x-amount of Glofish. Employee told him “you can’t buy the tank and fish the same day….” That guy may have gone somewhere else to purchase but I was shocked the employee stood his ground 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Hell yeah! Some really try. My favorite thing as a pet store drone is every time I refuse a sale for a horribly inappropriate tank or bowl, and a few minutes later get the "manager to register" call.. guess what, bitches! The looks on their faces when they find out I'm the MOD is *chef's kiss* delicious
my local PetCo has actually started having a ton of really good plants lately. I picked up a bunch of jungle val, ludwigia and anacharis a couple weeks ago. I was very impressed
Wow. I am so happy petco has finally improved to planted tanks. My petsmart has its own planted iragumi skape with tetras. Its only about 6 gallons but its really cool and im glad they showcase things like that to show how simple an aquascape can be. ❤
It's petco that's doing it not pet smart, I've noticed the petcos around me have started taking proper care of their animals too and I can't explain how happy that makes me
@@_god_6321our PetSmart is doing it, too - they still sell clown barf gravel, but I haven’t seen tiny fish bowls, and their live plants selection is kinda astonishing. They have a huge rescue fish section now, too. 🤷🏼♀️
I had to learn that other then keeping up with the water change and occasionally cleaning the sponge in my canister filter i just need to leave my tank alone. And well its worked really well. Plants i had dying off started shooting off new roots and my floaters are growing like crazy i have to remove some every week or so.
10:43 I looked this one up and they did get their fish a proper tank with a filter and heater after getting feedback in the comments, and the fish started eating again.
there's a MrPets near me that puts their plants in a 150 gallon low waterfall tank (they also have like 10 ottos and a couple of other minnows in there) they put their male bettas in 5 gallons each, the females have a sorority in a 30 gallon, AND they have a 120 gallon blackwater dime angel display tank in the back, fully planted with some small tetras, it's probably the best chain pet store when it comes to fish keeping.
Mondays always surprise me. Week after week. They go by so fast... But happily that means another dose of FTR🎉 QOTWA: "I thought it could be fun to make an aquascape together!" Would be my words when I show up with a 5-10 gal tank, basic sponge filter and a heater for the fish.
Buenos Dias FTR crew! Wishing all a radically positive and groovy week! Spoil your pets and spread positivity this week! 🙏💙✌️ Edit; if you have your other half bring out a betta in less than 5g planted, you first try to school the dork. If that fails, drop their bad fishkeeping self like yesterday's cat litter.
That tiny weirdly shaped tank probably wouldn't even have *room* for water if you fill it with substrate first. (Not that it would probably stop people from filling it with fish...) And you're right about aiptasia, and triggerfish is a good guess! It's actually a file fish, very similar look but don't know if they're related or not (I'm pretty sure triggerfish and puffers are, interestingly enough)
thanks for another great ftr!! its great that petco is promoting live plats and biger betta tanks too! as for the qotw i would try as much as i could to encourage them to slowly improve the overall tank size and husbandry :)
Show them pictures passively of your beautiful planted tank, and give them some time to reflect, after a while they might think “hey, my fish needs a better home” you then help them to set up a proper settup, and have some bonding time also👌👌🦐
I'm happy to report that my local PetSmart has started hiring knowledgeable employees who ask real questions and make suggestions based on the customer's level of knowledge. 🐟 🐠 👍👍
A proper pet store would only show properly scaped aquariums which are properly stocked. Around here, from the pet shops I've visited around my town, I haven't been to Pet's Place here in Utrecht yet, but on their website they're still selling bowls aside from the proper aquariums (brands like Juwel, Eheim, Oase and Superfish). But all the other shops around here: no bowls at all! Sure, they all still sell barf gravel and childish ornaments, but some customers are kids after all. And they all have great show tanks to show customers what cool things are possible. Even the Jumper store here has a great Juwel Vision planted show tank with tetras.
3:21 They probably scraped the tank and then remembered that it needed a filter. Can relate, I have completely forgotten about filters before and had to struggle to figure out how I was going to hide it
QOTW: As someone who is not at all a fish keeper and I get all my knowledge just by watching your videos, I would sit them down and watch some of your videos with them, then tell them we should upgrade. If they don't want to upgrade then we tie them up and stick them in a container that is roughly the same measurements until they realize their mistakes. After that we maybe let them go. If they haven't died by then. In all actually I'd have a talk with them if they don't think they need to change the bowl then it ain't working out chief. I love my animals and I'd never want them to suffer
At the petco near me they have a lot of employees that are super knowledgeable. They also will take Betta fish that have been in those bowls for a while and put them in a proper tank so they don’t die in those containers.
They probably just realised they get a bigger sale out of a new fish keeper. Set up for the bowl is maybe 30 bucks and the cube would be a close to or more than 150
I have had a few native mussels in my aquariums now for a few months they are not an endangered species but I forgot what the scientific name but I checked to make sure that they aren't endangered or anything, btw they are native to the North Eastern Americas.
my local petcos, 2 of 3 have some of the bettas in the schooling fish tanks with tetras, guppies and danios, I took photos and personally thanked them, they gave me free bag for giving them some advice
I have an 8 gal with a betta . Mexican cray . And 4 green Cory's. A few plants I pulled out of my yard and lake eire. 😅. I got an old 55 gal out of my buddies basement that Will be all natural and planted. I'm gathering supplies and watching Dustin and all his plants. Trying to decide what to put in it. So pumped
I noticed in PetLand (another Canadian thing) that they are also encouraging planted tanks and bigger tanks for bettas! For those little cube planted tanks, they just put shrimp in them.
We actually have a Petland here in Hawai'i. It's not a particularly creative name so it could be coincidence, but either way they're actually one of my favorite shops on-island because they mean serious business with aquascaping decor, plant options, fish options, rimless aquascaping tanks, etc. Their staff are hella knowledgeable, too.
Hello from someone who actually works at a BC Petland! Our fish department from what I have seen is the best in my town for items we have, quality of items, and animal care. Compared to a total pet and petsmart. We are actually trying to get rid of the shitty tiny bowls but corporate still won't let us because they sell really well
Edit: QOTW-Well I wouldn't be dating someone who would *knowingly* cause animal abuse, so I would give them the benefit of the doubt and try to make it into a fun project. I would gather up a bunch of pictures or really easy to do but beautiful scapes for 5 gallons, with full set ups, and show my partner. But I would present in a way of, "hey honey! Look at these awesome scapes! Do you want to do a couples project with me and give your Betta a freaking kickass mansion?! :D Because I saw this channel on TH-cam that rates tanks that are sent in and talks about husbandry that not many other people talk about. I thought it would be super fun to check out some of their videos and do this as a couple together. What do you think?"
Qotw: Honestly my first thought was to leave them, but being more realistic I’d try my best to educate them on proper fish care. If they refuse to provide the betta proper care then I’d probably leave them and take the fish with me and give it a proper home. Fish tank update: On the topic of betta fish, I recently got a dragon scale from the store who unfortunately fell victim to his scales growing over his eyes. I’ve been keeping an eye on him to try and figure out how well he can see still, but it’s looking like he is almost totally blind. I’m hoping he’s a fighter and as long as I make sure he’s eating just fine he should be fine
Making my Mondays amazing as always. I love that I can laugh at stupid fish keepers and awe over beautiful Aquascape. Perfect day for FISH TANK REVIEW! Also I would find this as an excuse to get more tanks, you know.. the betta needs a tank, that fish I fell in love with at the store needs a tank… every fish I see should come to my house lol
I live in a small town in the states. We have a Petco and a PetSmart. Neither are big stores. Petco has stepped up their aquatics game dramatically in the last few years. Yes the tank looks silly AF but they really do stop everyone buying fish and ask if their tank is cycled already, how many gallons and all. PetSmart... We all know what happens at a PetSmart
I work at a chain pet store and I abhor the way the bettas are kept. It truly should just be temporary. I hope in the future people can order one digitally out of a catalogue of colors available and pick it up, rather than the unwanted ones slowly wilting on the shelf. It breaks my heart. I took home 3 that were there for 3 months and survived. A plakat, a samurai, and a crowntail. I’ve learned a lot about aquariums and the like.
petco isn't like all one store, it's a chain with each store having it's own management. The petco near me is nice, the next closest one to me is not, every tank in that store is 50% dead fish and no one cares or knows how to take care of fish. No plants there either.
Petco can have a shocking amount of local control, which is why you see some stores be so much bettet than others. Some stores also get special ordering privelages so they can get more uncommon fish in!
QOTW: I gently tell him why it is a problem. If he doesn't care or makes excuses, I try to get him to see it from the fish's point of view. If he still doesn't care, I take it as a red flag that he has no empathy. If he asks about how to improve I tell him. If he then takes steps to improve all is well. If not, I assume he doesn't really care
My exams are going to start but I promise to myself I'll go back to study after watching this video because I want to become a great fishkeeper like Chris 👍🏻
for the qotw I actually lucked out with my partner. I'd say they are a 10/10 and on top of that their grandpa owned a large well stocked and maintained saltwater tank. the only reason they dont have it is I think the most recent mass wipeout was because a cowfish got stuck and died and they released poison into the tank sooooo woops. anyways we're definitely planning on owning a large saltwater together, im very excited :-)
I noticed in PetLand (another Canadian thing) that they are also encouraging planted tanks and bigger tanks for bettas! For those little cube planted tanks, they just put shrimp in them.🙏 pls reply?
My Petco, also looks much better then PetSmart tanks and and plants to buy. They still cannot put Betta all in their own tanks that are planted. They do pick a random one to put in a tank when they get bought. They are also only place that carries Large Betta and not just the regular ones. They have all sizes and ages.
Oh, easy! Surprise them with a fully 'scaped 5g for a special occasion. (Not too early on, though; dropping that much cash one month in might scare them off)
My betta had one of those little cricket tanks. He hated it and let me know! But hey, when you are moving to a new apartment that is really much safer for transport and then resetting the tank. If you have a sudden stop etc,, nothing to come loose and hurt him.. He still sulked for at least 2 days when I got him back in his real tank.
a) i secretly get that betta a 5 gallon tank and explain to the person that the previous bowl broke. and then instruct her on every single thing about betta fish for a completed time of 3h 52min. yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy i can already feel my sanity going away!
Qotw: a .5 gallon fish bowl for a betta? I guess I’d explain how the fish is being tortured. Just in case he doesn’t know. If he’s sorry and willing to switch it out for at least a 2.5 gallon with a heater, and live plants I’d stay if he says “it’s just a fish” I’d walk out the door…..after I rescued that poor fish. Love my bettas!❤
I rescued a veilteil betta a week ago from Petco, severe finrot and caved belly. I put aquarium salt and API general cure in his tank a few days ago. Dude has little to no appetite. He’ll snag a pellet and then spit it back out
Just got back from overseas so here's my AoTW: I will try to approach the matter first and see how they reacted. It could be just pure ignorance, and I had been there too when I was a kid (oh, so many fish casualties I still feel so bad about). An opportunity to educate others is always welcomed. If failed I would still give it a second attempt, more persuasive or subtle to see if anything changes. But if the conclusion is still the same, they care about aesthetics or comfort over the responsibilities of keeping a pet, I'd walk out and won't hold back.
ive seen a few petsmarts recently around where i live have shrimp displays like that and one has put a few feeder goldfish in their plant tank to eat snails and show people how quickly they will grow out of a 1-5 gallon
Some Petcos are on a different level fr. My bf lives in America and the Petco close to his house has great tanks. Fish always look healthy, tanks are clean and planted (each one has at least some java moss/java fern/anubias)...meanwhile my local Petsmart has the rainbow gravel, one plastic plant, and fish that died like last week lol. :(
QotW: A conversation about the proper care for the betta fish in the tiny container would be a decent litmus test for the relationship. If the person listens without getting offended, it's a go. If not, it's a no.
Scenario reply: I’d teach them how to properly care for that beta. Being my perfect fit, they’d be like, “😮 a 5 gallon is the minimum? He needs 10!!! And plants! Why are we still here?! Let’s go shopping for fish stuff! And fish for you!” Me: 🙂😀😃😄😍
so, to your question about a perfect 10 date with the .5 gallon tank with a betta in it. I would just say something like, did you know that Bettas actually love 5 gallon aquariums or bigger, let's go shopping, and btw here are some utube links I think you'll like. 😊😅
People need to stop hating on Petco the one in my town. There is two within 20 minutes in either direction of my house. They are great stores live plants in tanks live plants in the little plastic tubes and a good selection of fish. Granted the employees don’t know everything but that’s what the Internet is for do your own research. Don’t be lazy and stop crapping all over the big box pet stores.
petco has leveled up! petco wants to learn a new move: DONT ABUSE FISH what move should be replaced? FISH ABUSE BOOOOOOOOOOOOOWLS *replaces both even tho it isnt how pokemon games work..... but u get it)
Qotw, I would have said to the betta "not to worry, not to worry I will take care of you now:)" and I would have bought her a real tank to have the betta in and also arrange a surprise aquascaping night 🌃
My betta failed to outlive my neighbour's betta even though mine was in a 10 gallon planted tank. "He was lonely and got too tired because there was too much space" my friend said. EXCUSE ME WHAT? Look, I know I did something wrong but I tried. She was a birthday gift that I got from some friend of my mom's and she had a birth defection. I asked people in a fish keeping discord for help and was called a stupid kid who abuses their fish and then was banned for TROLLING. They weren't exactly wrong that I was a kid tho. At least I have a heater, proper tank and a filter unlike my neighbour I guess... I just came home from school one day and saw her laying at the bottom of the tank. I had no idea what even happened because she was fine the day before.
Yeah this is what my "local" Petco is doing. They keep 1 betta in the tank. So naturally only 1 gets this lofe, the others await adoption in their cup.
My area in Pennsylvania has both petco and petsmart. I cant bring myself to go there. However there is also a place called That fish place That pet place. That store is amazing! Wish you could see it Chris.
On a positive note now people know what is a tank and what is a bowl... I taught preschool teach what gallon and what is a mL (or for grow ups what is a pound and what is a oz )🤣.... I will tell them the same exact comment and and show them fish breeder farms videos🙃
I could be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure that I saw a Petco section in my local Canadian Tire the other day. Definitely never seen a full store around though. For big chain pet stores here in Ontario I can only think of Petsmart and I guess PetValu even though I haven't seen a location with fish, there's also Big Al's but the location near me feels more like they're closer to being an actual LFS than most chains ever get. There's literally only one half decent LFS I can think of that is within a 1.5 hour drive each way, most others nearby are either just pet shops that don't carry fish or good supplies, or online based stores where you can't pick out (or even look at) what you're buying, and you have to hope their descriptions are accurate, and you usually have to buy without knowing anything about the person or how they care for the animals.
I work at PetCo. This is not a humane company. Our store has a mouse problem and corporate approved the use of GLUE TRAPS, the most cruel and barbaric method of removing rodents that one could possibly invent. I found out when I witnessed the horrific consequences myself. I’m literally traumatized by the suffering that these poor babies endure because of this hypocritical corporation.
That "tank" had a little bundle of crabgrass sticking out of the left rear corner, and a number of other identifiable weeds which don't normally occur in water. Using weeds found around the exterior of the store doesn't qualify for a "planted" tank.
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🙏 Thank you for the support!
Hi Chris will you please do a video on Millie? I really want to know her story and whether or not her wings are clipped and why
🎅
what does that mean? 🤨 @julianwork3278
Some of us REALLY try to promote appropriate needs of the animals at the stores at Petco!! Not every store is the same, but at ours we set up a 14g fully planted tank for a betta and some snails and it attracted so many positive conversations to get people to realize fish are not ornaments. It also really helped our live plant and supply sales so it was a win win. Some managers wont allow it because its not “Planogram” but there are some good ones who do truly care about the animals more than the slap on the wrist.
"get people to realize fish are not ornaments" - THIS!!!
Where is your petco!?
Ugh, I hate the word planogram.
@@lalaithan SAME. Especially when it comes to animals…it should be needs over cost and athetics🙄
@@CharlieReed-ox8pj in NY! Not the city though lol
I actually was in that position. I brought it up in conversation while he was feeding his fish, I let him know what I had known (at that point) about how much more the betta needed. The next time I came over the fish had a completely different tank, a soft filter, and new decor! We're about to celebrate our 2 year anniversary and have a kid together now. RIP old man Meemo, but we now have a new Beta, Lightning.
🎉That is a fairytale
the betta bowl at 10:01 was originally shared on r/bettafish, and after feedback OP actually went out and got a 5 gallon tank with a heater and filter and everything and the fish is reportedly now eating!
That’s amazing!!
YESSSSSSSS
ayooo
I've kept clams before. If you find them in a river like that, and they're that size, odds are those are pea clams or fingernail clams, and those stay that size. If you keep 1 per gallon roughly, and you have a super natural algae-rich dirted tank, with no other filtration, they should have tons to eat. Mine vanished shortly after I put them in the tank, but they kept on cropping up again super reliably for months afterwards. The tank crashed eventually, but only when I had to literally move them away from any source of light for like half a month during house renovations, so not really the clams fault on that one
oh that's rly cool
The aiptasia eating fish is a Bristletail Filefish, aka the Aiptasia Eating Filefish :D
They're non agressive towards non-filefish which make them good tankmates with other fish for helping control the Aiptasia population.
However, they may also nip at coral polyps if you have them and are fairly shy (helped by Camouflage and the fact that they stay small) so you might not see them much.
Filefish in general will eat just about anything because they opportunistic omnivores so as long as the Bristletail is trained to take other foods, you don't have to rely on having pests to feed them.
I have been breeding for five years. I have been watching this channel for about a week, and I have been inspired to take action. I no longer breed or sell long finned Bettas. Thank you.
That's so thoughtful of you. I am also an ex-keeper (borderline abuser, sadly, I was ignorant) of long fins Bettas because I like their look. But if I am ever to have one in the future, it will be a short-finned Betta with better husbandry
Actually I had kept 2 ping pong ball sized black clams (or freshwater mussel )in my tank for almost a year now. I rarely see them, but when they move they’ll cause total destruction to my scape and uproot my plants. The reason I know that they’re alive is they often spit sand out . There times that I thought the clams were dead but when I dug them out they’ll dig back in.
Getting ready for weekly water change, thanks for the reminder!
AotW: I once ended a friendship that was bordering on relationship territory over the way they treated animals (insisting on buying the worst grade of eggs because they were painted, buying a gerbil from a big box store while I had multiple rescue options lined up for them, getting a single kitten from craigslist and letting it outside next to a main road immediately after another of their cats had vanished... the list goes on). Luckily, they weren't interested in fish. I have no tolerance for fish abusers. Might try to inform someone once in case they're just uneducated but if they don't change, that's it. Life's to short to tolerate animal cruelty.
thx for sharing and standing up!
needing weekly waterchanges is a bad sign ... either your aquarium is overstocked or has a bad balance/volume of substrate/filter/plants ... or you actually done things right and do waterchanges for no reason at all, which btw can be counterproductive in some cases/for a lot of species and also needlessly wastes fertilizer.
I think in general the advice to do a lot of waterchanges (weekly) comes from people who set up aquariums in very questionable ways or who sell fertilizer and all those chems intended to make tapwater safe.
You might want to look into it and find out if the waterchanges are actually needed and if thats the case what the problem is which turns your water bad in just a week ... a well setup tank shouldnt change water quality on a noteworthy scale in such a short time.
@@diedampfbrasse98 Thanks but I'm pretty satisfied with the way I'm doing things. There's currently no stocking in one of the tanks and minimal stocking in the other, lots of plants and the parameters are stable. I'm not doing huge water changes but tidying up some mulm and topping of with treated water. I've worked in aquatics for 10+ years and if I learned anything it's that different strategies work for different people/situations.
@@diedampfbrasse98some people have differing water quality and have to do it more often and some people just enjoy the mindfulness activity of caring for their tanks and taking the time to optimize them. A perfect ecosystem tank that only needs top ups is nice but it's not exactly achievable by everyone, and some people prefer to fine tune the balance themselves, but thank you for sharing your thoughts because I will consider them in the future when looking at liquid ferts for sure
I work at a pet store and one of the main things I have a hard time explaining to people is that the betta cups are way too small to keep them in and the only reason it's okay for us is cause it's a temporary tank that we clean every other day with treated water and medication to keep them healthy until some one buys them. We highly advice 5 gallon minimums with proper set up before buying their fish.
2 months late but a good way to explain it to people who can’t see fish as real pets, is it’s like a dog or cat living in a small cage at the pound until someone adopts them. Everyone knows that space is just torture for them. So maybe it would help them see things different?
I few years ago, a shop owner in the neighborhood thought it would be a great idea to put small water glasses in the window display with a single fish in them... I'm glad people called him out for animal abuse.
me too
Just discovered your channel, and I'm learning a lot! Thank you!
Re: Petco - the one in the city here, I found to be a lot better than some of the PetSmart's around. Maybe I was just lucky and ended up talking to the resident "fish person" that day, but she showed me a betta sorority hanging out in one of their tanks, and told me it was possible. We gushed about bettas and how they need a good environment. They had other tanks with saltwater fish and CORAL?! When I was smitten with some kind of longboi (a bichir? or loach?) she explained why he was in such a big tank, and how it wouldn't work for mine. Super helpful and knowledgeable, and their fish seemed really happy and healthy. :)
Re: Bettas - I had one for like, 2-3 years, and I know he would've lived longer if I would have taken better care of him, and noticed when he was getting sick - I was in college senior finals, and didn't notice until it was too late. :'( Even though I probably committed a lot of sins lol - I had rainbow gravel, and fake plants - I had a 3-5 gallon tank, plentiful fake plants for him to hide in, and I periodically changed the water and washed the gravel and treated the water so it wouldn't suck? The filter that came with the tank was way too strong for him, and looked like it would suck him up into it! But now I know there're other options and filters, and how I could've done things differently in the future. Thank you!
I would mix the landscape up a bit, just naturally because of having to reassemble everything, but also so he could explore a new environment, but with familiar features? Is that a stimulating thing, or scary?
And when he passed, I didn't flush him - I let him go in the river. RIP Mr. Fishy.
I have a 15 gal tank I want to start, and I'm doing as much research as I can before I do. Thanks for all the information you give!
the white plants are Bacopa White!
so cool... did not know they made white colored bacopa
My local petsmart is better with educating people on fish keeping. Every time I’m there and I choose fish, I get asked “what size tank do you have?”….and we go on to talk…
Last time I was there, an employee refused to sell glowfish to someone. The customer had a new tank and supplies and wanted x-amount of Glofish. Employee told him “you can’t buy the tank and fish the same day….” That guy may have gone somewhere else to purchase but I was shocked the employee stood his ground 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Hell yeah! Some really try.
My favorite thing as a pet store drone is every time I refuse a sale for a horribly inappropriate tank or bowl, and a few minutes later get the "manager to register" call.. guess what, bitches! The looks on their faces when they find out I'm the MOD is *chef's kiss* delicious
my local PetCo has actually started having a ton of really good plants lately. I picked up a bunch of jungle val, ludwigia and anacharis a couple weeks ago. I was very impressed
lucky, i went to pet co for my birthday to get some fish+plants and all of the plants were dead/dying
that's pretty cool to hear
Wow. I am so happy petco has finally improved to planted tanks. My petsmart has its own planted iragumi skape with tetras. Its only about 6 gallons but its really cool and im glad they showcase things like that to show how simple an aquascape can be. ❤
It's petco that's doing it not pet smart, I've noticed the petcos around me have started taking proper care of their animals too and I can't explain how happy that makes me
@@_god_6321 my bad I didn't mean to say petsmart at the beginning.XD But I did mean what I said about my petsmart :)
they're slowly making the transition that's fo sure!
@@FishForThought true
@@_god_6321our PetSmart is doing it, too - they still sell clown barf gravel, but I haven’t seen tiny fish bowls, and their live plants selection is kinda astonishing. They have a huge rescue fish section now, too. 🤷🏼♀️
I had to learn that other then keeping up with the water change and occasionally cleaning the sponge in my canister filter i just need to leave my tank alone. And well its worked really well. Plants i had dying off started shooting off new roots and my floaters are growing like crazy i have to remove some every week or so.
10:43 I looked this one up and they did get their fish a proper tank with a filter and heater after getting feedback in the comments, and the fish started eating again.
there's a MrPets near me that puts their plants in a 150 gallon low waterfall tank (they also have like 10 ottos and a couple of other minnows in there) they put their male bettas in 5 gallons each, the females have a sorority in a 30 gallon, AND they have a 120 gallon blackwater dime angel display tank in the back, fully planted with some small tetras, it's probably the best chain pet store when it comes to fish keeping.
Mondays always surprise me. Week after week. They go by so fast... But happily that means another dose of FTR🎉
QOTWA: "I thought it could be fun to make an aquascape together!" Would be my words when I show up with a 5-10 gal tank, basic sponge filter and a heater for the fish.
yeah this year is really flying by...
For the scenario question: make them a dope 20 gallon betta tank because I have no more room at my place for more aquariums.
Buenos Dias FTR crew! Wishing all a radically positive and groovy week! Spoil your pets and spread positivity this week! 🙏💙✌️
Edit; if you have your other half bring out a betta in less than 5g planted, you first try to school the dork. If that fails, drop their bad fishkeeping self like yesterday's cat litter.
yesterday's cat litter xD
"Hey, since you've got so much extra room in your betta tank, I added two more. It's a betta fraternity!"
lmao
That tiny weirdly shaped tank probably wouldn't even have *room* for water if you fill it with substrate first.
(Not that it would probably stop people from filling it with fish...)
And you're right about aiptasia, and triggerfish is a good guess! It's actually a file fish, very similar look but don't know if they're related or not (I'm pretty sure triggerfish and puffers are, interestingly enough)
I didn't know triggerfish and puffers were related! Both have strong crushing teeth so it definitely makes sense
thx for the clarification
thanks for another great ftr!! its great that petco is promoting live plats and biger betta tanks too! as for the qotw i would try as much as i could to encourage them to slowly improve the overall tank size and husbandry :)
yes! go petco xD
Show them pictures passively of your beautiful planted tank, and give them some time to reflect, after a while they might think “hey, my fish needs a better home” you then help them to set up a proper settup, and have some bonding time also👌👌🦐
Im on vacation and my fish tank has a auto feeder. Im worrying allot about it. I hope nothing goes wrong when get back home.😭🤞
good luck!
Were your fish okay?
Yes
I'm happy to report that my local PetSmart has started hiring knowledgeable employees who ask real questions and make suggestions based on the customer's level of knowledge.
🐟 🐠 👍👍
Same here, in central Texas!
A proper pet store would only show properly scaped aquariums which are properly stocked. Around here, from the pet shops I've visited around my town, I haven't been to Pet's Place here in Utrecht yet, but on their website they're still selling bowls aside from the proper aquariums (brands like Juwel, Eheim, Oase and Superfish). But all the other shops around here: no bowls at all! Sure, they all still sell barf gravel and childish ornaments, but some customers are kids after all. And they all have great show tanks to show customers what cool things are possible. Even the Jumper store here has a great Juwel Vision planted show tank with tetras.
“Barf gravel!” 😂😂😂
@@annk.3545 That's what Chris says.
Laser pointer and fish tanks go hard! Would 100% recommend my tetra always go after it.
yeah what a great idea!!
3:21 They probably scraped the tank and then remembered that it needed a filter. Can relate, I have completely forgotten about filters before and had to struggle to figure out how I was going to hide it
QOTW:
As someone who is not at all a fish keeper and I get all my knowledge just by watching your videos, I would sit them down and watch some of your videos with them, then tell them we should upgrade. If they don't want to upgrade then we tie them up and stick them in a container that is roughly the same measurements until they realize their mistakes. After that we maybe let them go. If they haven't died by then.
In all actually I'd have a talk with them if they don't think they need to change the bowl then it ain't working out chief. I love my animals and I'd never want them to suffer
indeed
At the petco near me they have a lot of employees that are super knowledgeable. They also will take Betta fish that have been in those bowls for a while and put them in a proper tank so they don’t die in those containers.
They probably just realised they get a bigger sale out of a new fish keeper. Set up for the bowl is maybe 30 bucks and the cube would be a close to or more than 150
I have had a few native mussels in my aquariums now for a few months they are not an endangered species but I forgot what the scientific name but I checked to make sure that they aren't endangered or anything, btw they are native to the North Eastern Americas.
QOTW - Kinda was in this situation, but her BIL is a Fish Guy so we just tag teamed with education and gifts until the betta got a good setup
my local petcos, 2 of 3 have some of the bettas in the schooling fish tanks with tetras, guppies and danios, I took photos and personally thanked them, they gave me free bag for giving them some advice
I have an 8 gal with a betta . Mexican cray . And 4 green Cory's. A few plants I pulled out of my yard and lake eire. 😅. I got an old 55 gal out of my buddies basement that Will be all natural and planted. I'm gathering supplies and watching Dustin and all his plants. Trying to decide what to put in it. So pumped
ecited for u man
I bought my first rescue betta today and he is happily swimming in a spare 10gal tank i got for $8.
I noticed in PetLand (another Canadian thing) that they are also encouraging planted tanks and bigger tanks for bettas! For those little cube planted tanks, they just put shrimp in them.
very good to hear that
We actually have a Petland here in Hawai'i. It's not a particularly creative name so it could be coincidence, but either way they're actually one of my favorite shops on-island because they mean serious business with aquascaping decor, plant options, fish options, rimless aquascaping tanks, etc. Their staff are hella knowledgeable, too.
Hello from someone who actually works at a BC Petland! Our fish department from what I have seen is the best in my town for items we have, quality of items, and animal care. Compared to a total pet and petsmart. We are actually trying to get rid of the shitty tiny bowls but corporate still won't let us because they sell really well
@@birbsgobrr1619 yeah, they haven’t gotten rid of the bowls, but they don’t display them at front anymore
Edit: QOTW-Well I wouldn't be dating someone who would *knowingly* cause animal abuse, so I would give them the benefit of the doubt and try to make it into a fun project. I would gather up a bunch of pictures or really easy to do but beautiful scapes for 5 gallons, with full set ups, and show my partner. But I would present in a way of, "hey honey! Look at these awesome scapes! Do you want to do a couples project with me and give your Betta a freaking kickass mansion?! :D Because I saw this channel on TH-cam that rates tanks that are sent in and talks about husbandry that not many other people talk about. I thought it would be super fun to check out some of their videos and do this as a couple together. What do you think?"
Qotw: Honestly my first thought was to leave them, but being more realistic I’d try my best to educate them on proper fish care. If they refuse to provide the betta proper care then I’d probably leave them and take the fish with me and give it a proper home.
Fish tank update: On the topic of betta fish, I recently got a dragon scale from the store who unfortunately fell victim to his scales growing over his eyes. I’ve been keeping an eye on him to try and figure out how well he can see still, but it’s looking like he is almost totally blind. I’m hoping he’s a fighter and as long as I make sure he’s eating just fine he should be fine
Thats my post at 4:13! lmao. its being used for growing some random plant i found in the garden.
Making my Mondays amazing as always. I love that I can laugh at stupid fish keepers and awe over beautiful Aquascape. Perfect day for FISH TANK REVIEW! Also I would find this as an excuse to get more tanks, you know.. the betta needs a tank, that fish I fell in love with at the store needs a tank… every fish I see should come to my house lol
it's a struggle to not get them all xD
The laser pointer is how I used to get my flag fish to spot clean hair alge just point where I need them to clean and they tear it up
ahaha that's so awesome
I live in a small town in the states. We have a Petco and a PetSmart. Neither are big stores. Petco has stepped up their aquatics game dramatically in the last few years. Yes the tank looks silly AF but they really do stop everyone buying fish and ask if their tank is cycled already, how many gallons and all. PetSmart... We all know what happens at a PetSmart
I work at a chain pet store and I abhor the way the bettas are kept. It truly should just be temporary. I hope in the future people can order one digitally out of a catalogue of colors available and pick it up, rather than the unwanted ones slowly wilting on the shelf. It breaks my heart. I took home 3 that were there for 3 months and survived. A plakat, a samurai, and a crowntail. I’ve learned a lot about aquariums and the like.
jus got home from school can’t wait for a new fish for thought🤞🤞def making my Monday better
Our local petco always has dead fish + shrimp. They also sometimes put bettas in the big tanks and they always have shredded fins.
My local Petsmart is really good and provides good advice. Unfortunately my local Petco could care less.
oh shoot... that's a new one for me
petco isn't like all one store, it's a chain with each store having it's own management. The petco near me is nice, the next closest one to me is not, every tank in that store is 50% dead fish and no one cares or knows how to take care of fish. No plants there either.
Petco can have a shocking amount of local control, which is why you see some stores be so much bettet than others. Some stores also get special ordering privelages so they can get more uncommon fish in!
So glad you are calling out bad aquariums 😊. Love you buddy ❤
aw ty so much, simple comment but very encouraging!
QOTW: I gently tell him why it is a problem. If he doesn't care or makes excuses, I try to get him to see it from the fish's point of view. If he still doesn't care, I take it as a red flag that he has no empathy. If he asks about how to improve I tell him. If he then takes steps to improve all is well. If not, I assume he doesn't really care
I regret clicking on this video the moment I came back to Chirs’s channel the dormant fish keeper overspending aquascaper inside me awakened
My exams are going to start but I promise to myself I'll go back to study after watching this video because I want to become a great fishkeeper like Chris 👍🏻
for the qotw I actually lucked out with my partner. I'd say they are a 10/10 and on top of that their grandpa owned a large well stocked and maintained saltwater tank. the only reason they dont have it is I think the most recent mass wipeout was because a cowfish got stuck and died and they released poison into the tank sooooo woops. anyways we're definitely planning on owning a large saltwater together, im very excited :-)
I noticed in PetLand (another Canadian thing) that they are also encouraging planted tanks and bigger tanks for bettas! For those little cube planted tanks, they just put shrimp in them.🙏 pls reply?
My Petco, also looks much better then PetSmart tanks and and plants to buy. They still cannot put Betta all in their own tanks that are planted. They do pick a random one to put in a tank when they get bought. They are also only place that carries Large Betta and not just the regular ones. They have all sizes and ages.
Oh, easy! Surprise them with a fully 'scaped 5g for a special occasion. (Not too early on, though; dropping that much cash one month in might scare them off)
very good idea
My betta had one of those little cricket tanks. He hated it and let me know! But hey, when you are moving to a new apartment that is really much safer for transport and then resetting the tank. If you have a sudden stop etc,, nothing to come loose and hurt him.. He still sulked for at least 2 days when I got him back in his real tank.
a) i secretly get that betta a 5 gallon tank and explain to the person that the previous bowl broke. and then instruct her on every single thing about betta fish for a completed time of 3h 52min. yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy i can already feel my sanity going away!
Qotw: a .5 gallon fish bowl for a betta? I guess I’d explain how the fish is being tortured. Just in case he doesn’t know. If he’s sorry and willing to switch it out for at least a 2.5 gallon with a heater, and live plants I’d stay if he says “it’s just a fish” I’d walk out the door…..after I rescued that poor fish. Love my bettas!❤
That's an aiptasia-eating filefish! Though I've had aiptasia and they're actually pretty cool if you don't have much in your tank.
ty!
I rescued a veilteil betta a week ago from Petco, severe finrot and caved belly. I put aquarium salt and API general cure in his tank a few days ago. Dude has little to no appetite. He’ll snag a pellet and then spit it back out
dang...
Yeah, I got two bristlenoses because they are funny, not for their 'cleaning abilities'. Though, I think the glass looks pretty good. :)
I think that card at 4:00 is from Sunken Treasures, a good plant guy I enjoy buying from.
Just got back from overseas so here's my AoTW:
I will try to approach the matter first and see how they reacted. It could be just pure ignorance, and I had been there too when I was a kid (oh, so many fish casualties I still feel so bad about). An opportunity to educate others is always welcomed. If failed I would still give it a second attempt, more persuasive or subtle to see if anything changes. But if the conclusion is still the same, they care about aesthetics or comfort over the responsibilities of keeping a pet, I'd walk out and won't hold back.
Let’s gooo watching this on the bus to school!!!
Hope you're not driving. 😅
get home safe bro
@@FishForThought I better start praying because I’m on the way home 😧😧😧🥶🥶🥶😩😩😩
ive seen a few petsmarts recently around where i live have shrimp displays like that and one has put a few feeder goldfish in their plant tank to eat snails and show people how quickly they will grow out of a 1-5 gallon
oh dang that is good on them
Wow I’m so glad they finally improved at my local petco they only have a plant selling tank but it’s still better than nothing ❤😊
Some Petcos are on a different level fr. My bf lives in America and the Petco close to his house has great tanks. Fish always look healthy, tanks are clean and planted (each one has at least some java moss/java fern/anubias)...meanwhile my local Petsmart has the rainbow gravel, one plastic plant, and fish that died like last week lol. :(
Same here. Probably a different bf, though.
QotW: A conversation about the proper care for the betta fish in the tiny container would be a decent litmus test for the relationship. If the person listens without getting offended, it's a go. If not, it's a no.
Scenario reply: I’d teach them how to properly care for that beta. Being my perfect fit, they’d be like, “😮 a 5 gallon is the minimum? He needs 10!!! And plants! Why are we still here?! Let’s go shopping for fish stuff! And fish for you!”
Me: 🙂😀😃😄😍
aw :)
Worth all the time. Perfect to water change to. Its impossible to hate this content...
For QOTW question I would still continue to love and adore them but I would show them the amazing opportunities of having a bigger and planted tank
so, to your question about a perfect 10 date with the .5 gallon tank with a betta in it. I would just say something like, did you know that Bettas actually love 5 gallon aquariums or bigger, let's go shopping, and btw here are some utube links I think you'll like. 😊😅
The outro is so good. I always listen to it. It makes me feel good and happy
I had an Oscar who loved to chase the Lazer pointer. The dog was jealous she was getting to play with his toy.
People need to stop hating on Petco the one in my town. There is two within 20 minutes in either direction of my house. They are great stores live plants in tanks live plants in the little plastic tubes and a good selection of fish. Granted the employees don’t know everything but that’s what the Internet is for do your own research. Don’t be lazy and stop crapping all over the big box pet stores.
petco has leveled up!
petco wants to learn a new move: DONT ABUSE FISH
what move should be replaced?
FISH ABUSE
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOWLS
*replaces both even tho it isnt how pokemon games work..... but u get it)
oh i love this comment
@@FishForThought thanks
Qotw, I would have said to the betta "not to worry, not to worry I will take care of you now:)" and I would have bought her a real tank to have the betta in and also arrange a surprise aquascaping night 🌃
wow that is a great idea haha and romantic
My betta failed to outlive my neighbour's betta even though mine was in a 10 gallon planted tank. "He was lonely and got too tired because there was too much space" my friend said. EXCUSE ME WHAT? Look, I know I did something wrong but I tried. She was a birthday gift that I got from some friend of my mom's and she had a birth defection. I asked people in a fish keeping discord for help and was called a stupid kid who abuses their fish and then was banned for TROLLING. They weren't exactly wrong that I was a kid tho. At least I have a heater, proper tank and a filter unlike my neighbour I guess... I just came home from school one day and saw her laying at the bottom of the tank. I had no idea what even happened because she was fine the day before.
Yeah this is what my "local" Petco is doing. They keep 1 betta in the tank. So naturally only 1 gets this lofe, the others await adoption in their cup.
You could easily have an Oscar in that fish bowl 😂
easily. just put it in!
Sir Chris. I will answer your beloved question 8:30 that is certified trigger fish
How’s your collarbone doing?
thx for asking, it's healed up pretty well to the point I can start playing volleyball more freely now!
Answer: I would get them a 3 gallon or 5 gallon tank with a nice filter for bettas and some anubias
my petco started hiding the fish bowls lol
My area in Pennsylvania has both petco and petsmart. I cant bring myself to go there. However there is also a place called That fish place That pet place. That store is amazing! Wish you could see it Chris.
On a positive note now people know what is a tank and what is a bowl... I taught preschool teach what gallon and what is a mL (or for grow ups what is a pound and what is a oz )🤣.... I will tell them the same exact comment and and show them fish breeder farms videos🙃
Petco has stepped up its game SO much. If I have to go to a chain store, Petco is where I go.
I could be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure that I saw a Petco section in my local Canadian Tire the other day. Definitely never seen a full store around though. For big chain pet stores here in Ontario I can only think of Petsmart and I guess PetValu even though I haven't seen a location with fish, there's also Big Al's but the location near me feels more like they're closer to being an actual LFS than most chains ever get. There's literally only one half decent LFS I can think of that is within a 1.5 hour drive each way, most others nearby are either just pet shops that don't carry fish or good supplies, or online based stores where you can't pick out (or even look at) what you're buying, and you have to hope their descriptions are accurate, and you usually have to buy without knowing anything about the person or how they care for the animals.
HAPPY MONDAY!!❤❤❤
YAAA HAPPY MONDAY
Tank maintenance and looking for vids on yt, saw chris upload and realised its Tuesday alr
I work at PetCo. This is not a humane company. Our store has a mouse problem and corporate approved the use of GLUE TRAPS, the most cruel and barbaric method of removing rodents that one could possibly invent. I found out when I witnessed the horrific consequences myself. I’m literally traumatized by the suffering that these poor babies endure because of this hypocritical corporation.
8:30 Bristle-tail filefish or Aiptasia eater Filefish (Acreichthys tomentosus)
They need to improve more. Early today. Just gone home, been busy from work
they certainly do! Hope you have relaxing weekends Ian!
That "tank" had a little bundle of crabgrass sticking out of the left rear corner, and a number of other identifiable weeds which don't normally occur in water. Using weeds found around the exterior of the store doesn't qualify for a "planted" tank.
That bundle isn't crabgrass. There are plenty of plants you can use above the water like that, and it's perfectly fine. Chill.
Gonna say right now I know a petco employee who has rescued damn near forty betta from the garbage.