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@fatlittlefish
I use sponge filters for all of my 5 gallon tanks. Is this enough? I don’t have plants, but I used to so I have been using the same filters from the planted tank. That way there is still the bacteria I need but I’m not sure if that is enough
The only way to really know is to test your water parameters. I’ve run plenty of tanks of many sizes just on sponge filters though.
Hi, sorry to bother, is it really true that betta fish colors look brighter/deeper against dark substrate?
I’ve found this to be true for my fish - I don’t have the actual Science to back it up though. Some people speculate that fish get paler on light substrate because they’re trying to “blend in” to avoid predators.
Sealed shrimp tanks/ecosystems: Maybe Don’t
Hey guys! It’s the holiday season and I am seeing it pop up in my various social media feeds that folks are asking for / receiving these neat sealed ecosystems for shrimp.
I remember seeing these at the mall in a big city, in the 80’s, before household internet was a thing, and being smitten! How AMAZING, these glass containers, with a perfectly balanced ecosystem of shrimp and algae inside! The only reason I never got one was the cost. We were not very well off. So I would stare at them when we’d go to the city, once a year or so. So cool! They do seem very neat. There is some science there: the species of shrimp used are Opae Ula (Halocaridina rubra), a very unique and amazing species endemic to the Hawaiian islands (I find it curious that the company that makes these does not specify what species they use; are they worried people will find out more about them and stop buying the product? I digress…). This brackish water species is incredible, as it can tolerate truly abysmal conditions, especially if it is slowly acclimated to them. Notice I said “tolerate” and not “thrive”. The sealed tanks are “perfectly balanced” to grow algae and microscopic life, which feeds the shrimp. The shrimp’s waste then feeds the algae and bacterial growth. It really does sound legitimate, and the sealed tanks may well start out that way (I’d have to bust one open and do some water testing to really know). However, if we delve into the science a bit, and learn some chemistry, we realize that this slowly becomes their death trap. Anyone that has cycled an aquarium might know of the nitrogen cycle, and that in a sealed environment with living organisms, things do not stay “in balance” indefinitely. Even with bacteria and algae converting ammonia and nitrites, over time these accumulate regardless in these sealed environments with no gas exchange. The Opae Ula are extremely resilient; moreso than any other shrimp species commonly kept in captivity, and so they do survive this for a while. But over a year or three, they gradually starve and the toxins build up, and they perish. They don’t breed. The idea of a “zero care” pet is attractive, but ultimately a bit misleading. This is a shame. Though 2-3 years sounds like a long time for a shrimp to live, this species has been known to live for anywhere from 12-20 years (one anecdotal experience from a keeper was that a shrimp purchased in a sealed sphere was “broken free” and lived an additional 16 years after).
Dang these guys are CUTE. (Photo source)
It’s especially a shame since the sealed spheres are an expensive gimmick; one can easily set up a small tank at home where the shrimps will not only live, but thrive and breed, in a setup that costs less than one of the small sealed units (and honestly they can look way cooler when you do it yourself). I have long loved shrimp and keep a few freshwater species. I researched Opae Ula after a friend visited them in their native habitats in Hawaii, and put together a setup for far less than one of those sealed units. My shrimp are very active, healthy, and breeding like whoa. After initial setup, their care requires less attention than a houseplant. I feed them a tiny amount once to twice a month, and top off their water when necessary with distilled water. They do not require filtered water (actually the water movement can be harmful especially in smaller tanks), and your room temperatures should be between 55-85°F. You can easily keep them with no electricity, unlike other tanks. My houseplants take more time and are more fussy than that!
I know some of you are thinking, “lawd, this person is so worried about some dang water bugs! I eat shrimp for lunch with cocktail sauce! How stupid! Who cares!” That’s fair. What you care about is up to you! But I know many friends and acquaintances prefer not to buy into gimmicky and potentially cruel products when much happier alternatives exist. I just wanted to put this info out there because the sealed spheres DO seem REALLY COOL, and exciting, especially to my fellow nerdy people. I just wanted to let folks know that it’s possible to be smitten with these tiny amazing shrimp AND keep them in conditions that they will thrive in! If you are interested in learning more, please do some research into their needs, and source responsibly! Mine are breeding so well that I will probably need to find new homes for some in the spring when the temperatures increase. It’s very possible to find captive bred shrimps, at least here in the USA. According to researcher, Scott R. Santos, of the Department of Biological Sciences and Cell & Molecular Biosciences Peak Program, at Auburn University in Alabama, “Commercial harvesting, coupled with habitat destruction as well as strong regional endemism, could lead to the depletion and/or extinction of unique Halocaridina populations or genetic groups.” (source)
MORE INFO (I’m not affiliated with any of these people just FYI): Pet Shrimp “Supershrimp” page: http://www.petshrimp.com/hawaiianredshrimp.php
An Opae Ula Forum (yes for reals): http://www.petshrimp.com/discussions/viewforum.php?f=16&sid=266367326b022bd9fac3b2de45fc7587
Another page about Opae Ula: http://www.fukubonsai.com/m-l2e.html An EXCELLENT video on youtube that goes over all the basics!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOtnZ8bEKz0 So there you have it! Sealed shrimp tanks: you can do better, with only a tiny bit more effort! Buy an Ecosphere… or not… the choice is yours. At least now you know more about it!
Myths About Betta Fish
I’m sick of the pet industry always fucking animals like the betta over so let’s get some things straight ————— MYTH: bettas like small spaces, they live in small rice paddies in the wild REALITY: No they absolutely do not, sure some survive this, but it’s a cruel life to live. Rice paddies are actually quite big although shallow, the average male betta has about 3 feet of its own territory in the wild. Bettas need AT LEAST 2.5 gallons, but a 5-10 g is even better. You can get a 3 g tank from petco for like $10 ————– MYTH: you should feed your betta whenever it is hungry REALITY: a bettas stomach is the size of its eyeball, it is very easy to overfeed. I feed my betta 2 pellets a day, but lots of people feed at different times with different food so I suggest doing some research and deciding what works best for you. ————– MYTH: bettas are lazy REALITY: bettas are inactive in small tanks because they’re aware that they have no space to swim and will hit walls, in larger tanks bettas are very active ————– MYTH: bettas can only be kept alone REALITY: it is true that male betta fish cannot be kept with any other betta, but (depending on the bettas personality) bettas can be kept with fish that are smaller and drab looking that won’t bite your bettas tail. I keep my betta with 2 snails and 5 ghost shrimp and he rarely bothers them. Female bettas can be kept in groups of 5 which is called a sorority. Keep in mind that these options are only possible in large tanks with lots of hiding spots. ————– MYTH: bettas will eat live plants so you don’t have to feed them if you have plants in the tank REALITY: bettas are CARNIVORES. They won’t eat plants, they will eat blood worms and brine shrimp which you can buy frozen. In fact feeding real prey is good along with pellets or flakes. ————– MYTH: bettas don’t need filtration or heat REALITY: they need both. As far as filtration goes, strong currents don’t mix well with bettas but you can filter naturally by heavily planting your tank. ————– MYTH: bettas only live a couple months anyway, why should I be doing all this? REALITY: with proper care, bettas can live 5 years. ————– MYTH: bettas and all other fish are dumb REALITY: bettas are actually very smart and trainable. Mine was taught to jump out of the water on command and come when called (by wiggling fingers). Some people have taught bettas harder tricks such as going through a hoop. They can even learn when meal time is and be ready for it. ————– MYTH: My child will take care of the betta REALITY: your child will lose interest within a week, YOU will be taking care of their fish. If you’re not okay with that don’t buy your kid a fish. ————– MYTH: I should completely change the tank each time I clean it REALITY: you should instead do frequent partial water changes of about 40% of the water ————— MYTH: bettas are throw away pets REALITY: there is no such thing as a throw away pet and if you think there is you shouldn’t own pets
Please always read care sheets before buying a pet because -newsflash- PET STORES LIE. *drops mic*
Just piping in to say that a heavily planted tank DOES NOT filter a tank
Plants absorb nitrates as fertilizer, yes.
But fish waste is excreted as ammonia first. And only a specialized kind of bacteria will convert ammonia to nitrite. Then another special bacteria convert nitrite to nitrate. Ammonia and nitrite are both toxic to fish. These bacteria are most efficient and available in the filtering media (sponge, floss, ceramic noodles, etc) of filters.
Heavily planted tanks DO NOT REPLACE FILTRATION. If anything, they reduce the amount of water changes needed, but do not eliminate the need for biological filtration.
That’s not exactly true.
You can do a “wasteland” tank. I have done this multiple times with Betta. You use the substrate as your filter media, and plants as a way to remove the nitrate. I still had to cycle the tank normally and the plants have to be so thick you’ll hardly see the fish but it is a true way of filtering a tank.
My parameters were always 0/0/0 before and 0/0/5 after water changes. The 5ppm of nitrate was from my tap water. I would do water changes bi weekly. My test kits are up to date and accurate as it gave different reading with my other tanks.
This isn’t something beginners can do, but it is SOMETHING that can be done.
Finefeatheredfish is right. Aquatic plants absorb both ammonium and nitrates. In fact, most aquatic plants will absorb ammonium before they turn to nitrates - it’s easier for them to process. (Source) Heavy planting is a perfectly viable way of filtering a tank if you know what you’re doing.
(I agree that it’s definitely not for beginners though.)
The dwarf water lettuce is looking not so dwarf this week!
At least once a week I get an inbox message from someone asking me what they can do to keep their pet comfortable while it is dying. While I am glad to see people showing concern for their pets it is very important to know that these pets still need veterinary care.
Dying hurts. I know in the movies and on tv people slowly slip away or pass away in their sleep but that is not realistic in most situations and we cannot really compare animal deaths to human deaths. Most animals who are dying have a disease process at work, most animals (and humans too actually) don’t simply die of “old age”. Spending several days to weeks slowly dehydrating while your organ systems shut down is not peaceful or painless. Once animals get to this state simply giving them water to drink or petting them gently isn’t going to help. This goes double for exotics who most of the time are more stressed from owners trying to syringe them food and water and constantly handling them. The reason they look so peaceful just laying there is because they don’t have the strength or energy to move.
People can at least think about the future and acknowledge that even if they hurt, at least they have family and friends to provide some comfort. Animal brains do not work that way, they only think of the present moment. All they know is they hurt and cannot move and this is stressful to them.
When humans are dying of diseases for which there is no cure, we put them in hospice care. They are provided pain medication and made as comfortable as can be until they pass away. I personally am an advocate for euthanasia in people as well but that is another topic. We do not let people slowly and painfully die without any palliative care (or at least the offer of) and we shouldn’t let animals either. There are vets that will provide hospice care for pets but if this isn’t an option, euthanasia is ALWAYS an option.
I’ve said this before but it needs repeating: there is a veterinarian somewhere that will help your pet. I don’t care where you live, you have access to a vet. Will they be close? Maybe not. But just because the closest vet is 4 hours away doesn’t mean your animal has to suffer and die at home. If you really care about your animal you will make the drive and alleviate their suffering.
The vast majority of veterinarians will euthanize animals for low cost or for free. Even if a vet doesn’t see exotics, most of them will at least euthanize them to end suffering. If your vet is still unsure, there are plenty of other vets they can contact to guide them through the best way to euthanize a specific species. You just need to tell your vet that all you want is euthanasia and what can they do to help.
Bottom line is there is absolutely no excuse not to help your pet other than lack of effort on your part. It is not kind, fair, or morally right to let them suffer and die without any kind of medical intervention.
Fishblr Help!
We have been experiencing rains where I live,it’s been raining every day for a week, and since our tap water is sourced from lake and river, it has affected the quality.
My tap water suddenly has base nitrates of about 20ppm (Having hard time telling difference between 10 and 20 ppm in API freshwater test).
My tank is 500 liter with 5 small goldfish (all under 10 grams) so they do not produce a lot of ammonia, and before this nitrates never reached above 5 between the water changes. My cycle is strong and keeps going, but is there anything I can do to lessen the nitrates when they reach dangerous levels when the base reading is already 20? I have no idea when the tap water will settle since UK is notorious of rainy summers?
The situation is getting worse. The tapwater now has base of about 30ppm nitrate. The tank is stable at about 15-20ppm but tomorrow should have been water change day. Help?
@thefreckledfish @finefeatheredfish anyone else?
You could drip acclimate them. Do the water change with them in a bucket, and slowly drip or poor small amounts into the bucket between 30min/45min if you want to be extra safe. However, I personally don’t worry about nitrates for goldfish unless it is above 80ppm, mine have had no issues even up to 180ppm ( it was an accident: would not recommend.) Goldfish are hardy and as long as they are healthy you shouldn’t need to worry. Also show me the babies I don’t recall seeing them!!!
I forgot to add the filter media purigen is fantastic for reducing nitrates. Pick some up and it will help a lot.
Live plants!! Plants directly remove nitrates from the water column. Get yourself some quick-growing stem plants/floaters and blast your tank with some light to get them growing. You can construct an ultra-cheap plant growing light by sticking a 6500k CFL bulb into a desk lamp.
Some fast-growing stem plants: hornwort, egeria densa (elodea/anacharis), hygrophila (temple plant/water wisteria), dwarf lilies, aponogenton, bacopa, brazilian pennywort, najas guadalupensis (guppy grass)
Some fast-growing floaters: just about anything, to be honest. I’ve had luck with dwarf water lettuce and frogbit. Only get duckweed if you want to get plagued with it for the rest of your tank owning days.
Seconding the purigen - it doesn’t remove nitrate directly but it binds with organics that cause it. You might also want to add some activated carbon to your filter just in case - who knows what else might be in that tap water that you can’t detect.
Fish bowls for brief adventures?
So I had an idea this morning. We all know that fish bowls as permanent homes for betta are just awful, but what do you guys think about brief adventures? Maybe put your betta in a bowl or other small fish container (with a thermometer) and take them with you to sit outside (in the shade and when temperatures are safe) while you have your morning coffee? I imagine being how curious betta tend to be and if you have one of a more outgoing personality, they might enjoy it. What do you guys think?
Even though this is a sweet idea this would be extremely stressful for the fish and I would not recommend this.
Even 'in the shade' or in 'safe' temperature, there are going to be unavoidable temperature fluctuations. Just the temp changes alone would probably be enough to stress them to the point of illness... and that's not even factoring in the extreme stress of being put in a tiny cage and jostled around. It sounds nice in theory but I think it would be very harmful in practice
When someone tells you their levels are “fine”.
“I love the Internet. I love discovering new things, meeting people, and getting things done faster than ever before. But there’s one part of the Internet that makes my head hurt, and that’s the way it circulates bad pet advice.
Generally, I’m pretty pleased with how much good pet advice is out there. I feel honored to write for a few online sites and contribute to their libraries of medically sound information, and I love seeing my colleagues dropping knowledge bombs all across the Internet. Still, I can’t help but notice how rarely these pet health articles take off and how often baseless, confusing half-truths go viral. To be honest, it drives me nuts.”
Bettas are intelligent fish and will often become bored, especially in a small tank. But there are a lot of enriching things you can do to combat this. A few ideas you can swap out every few days:
Draw pictures on their tank with dry-erase markers for them to investigate
Put colored sticky notes on their tank in different positions
Put a clean ping-pong ball in their tank for them to push around
Rearrange their decor every week or so
Shine a laser pointer into their tank for them to chase
Show them a mirror for a few minutes every day
Give them living food to hunt down, such as live brine shrimp, daphnia, or wingless fruit flies
Teach them tricks!
Pretty pretty PLEASE don’t show your betta a mirror ever. When you do that, you’re essentially making the betta believe another betta has entered his territory. He puffs up and what may look like a dance to you is actually him being very very aggressive. These displays of aggression are stressful for the betta! Otherwise these seem like good suggestions for the wellbeing of your betta.
Hey, do you have any scientific backing for the claim that owners should avoid causing occasional aggressive displays? I’m not asking to be snide, I’m aware of the mirror debate and have had a hard time finding anything besides anecdotes to back up either side. I’d love to be able to have some definitive data on the issue if you have it.
A couple of my own finds:
In this study, bettas actively sought out areas that were previously associated with other bettas/mirrors. They learned to perform operant responses in order to cause their mirror images to appear, and they also learned to stop doing threat displays if the threat display caused the other ‘betta’ to disappear. It all suggests that the bettas were highly motivated to seek out other bettas. Whether this behavior was ‘good for them’ is still up for debate, but this study showed that they certainly wanted to see other fish.
This study suggests that male bettas reared in isolation (never shown other male bettas, whether in person or through glass/mirrors) do not learn proper social signals and will continue to chase and attack other bettas even after the other betta has shown submission signals. It’s well-documented that rearing animals in total isolation can cause permanent behavioral and psychological problems, and this seems to hold true with bettas as well.
I doubt there’s a clear-cut answer to this one, but might as well search for as much info as possible. It also seems relevant to the sorority debates.
I really have no idea what was happening here, but it was mildly terrifying.
Spread the word to keep our fur babies safe!
BREAKING NEWS: Hill’s Pet Nutrition of Kansas and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has announced a recall of certain packs of its cat food pouches, all of which have shown very high levels of iron.
Iron, while essential to the diets of felines, can be damaging to the digestive system if too much is consumed, resulting in diarrhea and vomiting.
The affected products have been widely distributed, and, while Hill’s says that affected products should be off of every store shelf by now, you should check to see if you have any of these products in your possession:
WHAT TO LOOK FOR:
NAME: Science Plan Feline Adult Light Ocean Fish SKU: 2109PA Expiration: 07/2017
NAME: Science Plan Feline Mature Ocean Fish SKU: 2110PA Expiration: 10/2017
NAME: Science Plan Feline Adult Light Favourite Selection Multipack SKU: 2119V Expiration: 04/2017 & 10/2017
NAME: Science Plan Feline Mature Adult Favourite Selection Multipack SKU: 2120V Expiration: 08-2017
NAME: Prescription Diet Feline c/d Stress Reduced Calorie Chicken SKU: 2742U Expiration: 09/2017
NAME: Science Plan Feline Young Adult Sterilised Cat Multipack SKU: 3766V Expiration: 06/2017 & 10/2017
WHY WAS IT RECALLED?
This recall was initiated after high amounts of iron were discovered in the products listed above. It is believed that the cause of the increase in iron was due to an ingredient supplier error.
As mentioned, intaking high levels of iron can result in digestive issues, as well as other serious health issues for your feline. The symptoms of felines having excess iron in the blood (according to PetMD) come in four different stages, depending on length of time since intake, and are listed below.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
Stage I (0-6 hours)
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Depression
Gastrointestinal hemorrhage
Abdominal Pain
Stage II (6-24 hours)
Apparent Recovery
Stage III (12-96 hours)
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Depression
Gastrointestinal hemorrhage
Abdominal Pain
Tremors
Shock
Stage IV (2-6 weeks)
Gastrointestinal obstruction from stricture formation
It’s imperative that, should you notice any of the symptoms listed above, that you consult your veterinarian as soon as possible.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
If you have purchased any of these products, do not feed them to your cat. According to Pet Gazette, the FSA advised consumers, “If you have bought any of the listed products…please return it to where you bought it for a full refund under Hill’s 100 percent Satisfaction Guarantee.”
If you’re having trouble locating and identifying the SKU number and the Expiration Date, please check out this statement from Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
You can also contact Hill’s Pet Nutrition at [1-800-445-5777] to inquire about alternatives, a replacement, or a refund.
If your pet is suffering from digestive issues, please do consult your veterinarian.
Rocket and Sonny say good morning!
If your attitude is ever “the vet is too expensive and I’m not taking my animal to the vet”
You need to not have pets.
This includes breeders. I’m sick of hearing about breeders refusing to take “cheap” single gene animals to vets bc they’re “not worth it”. You don’t deserve to make money from animals if you let them suffer.
People seem to like to latch on the poor vs rich debate but here’s the thing. Lemme break it down for you since people love to put their fists up and claim personal abuse before they even realize what the poster is talking about.
I have seen dozens if not hundreds of posts from BREEDERS (professional and at home) saying “They will not take their animal to the vet because it’s ‘not worth saving’” I personally know someone (that frankly I cannot stand) that flat out says ‘normals aren’t worth it. If they get sick I just cull them right away’
Even big super ‘rich’ corporations like Petsmart or Petco sit there and let animals die because the animal ‘isn’t worth the cost to save because then we won’t make a profit’
There are average pet owners that do the same thing. When I recently found out my dog has cancer I was mentioning to someone that I was going to be starting treatment and they said ‘Just euthanize it, it’s already like 13 right? Why waste your money on treating it when it will die anyways’
How many ‘vet blogs’ do you see that specifically mention how customers will come in and say ‘Oh my dog needs treatment for *insert thing here* well. If I ignore it will it just go away? Or can I just use *remedy that will not work, e.g. scent oils or something*” These people don’t need to be poor to be unable to treat. I’ve seen people doing this that easily are making at least 6 figure salaries and yet their pet is DISPOSABLE to them and not worth the money.
My best example is something I literally had repeated to me for MONTHS about a gecko I had rescued. Here’s some of the comments:
This is only 3 of the dozens of messages I received. THIS is not acceptable and THIS is what @wheremyscalesslither is talking about. It’s not ‘poor people shouldn’t have pets, leave it to people that make X a year’. It’s about people treating animals like they are disposable and not deserving of care or basic veterinary needs.
If you cannot afford to take a pet to the vet there are options, crowd funding, payment plans, rehoming, etc. Don’t make your animal suffer because of your own selfish wants.
Every animal deserves a life free from pain and if you are not willing to provide that then you need to make the responsible choice for your pet and find someone that can.
“If you want to see the true measure of a man, watch how he treats his inferiors, not his equals. “
I’ve seen this post on my dash a few times now and each time the above quote comes to mind. If you are willing to go above and beyond for a creature, and have it’s best interests at heart regardless of what may be the issue or the cost it comes at, you have my respect. If you can show that a small life means so much to you, that speaks volumes.
If you’re so willing to throw an animal away the moment it becomes an inconvenience or “isn’t worth the money” well..
Reblogging for that awesome quote since it so perfectly encompasses what we are trying to say
Before anyone reads this, know it is not directed at anyone in particular. This is just something I think we ALL need to keep in mind.
I agree with the above sentiment to a point. I think we need to be careful, though, that we are not incorrectly judging someone’s motives, or that we are passing our own responsibilities off on to others.
I have seen plenty of shitty breeders cull collections of normals, give them away en masse to terrible homes. I have seen my share of shitty animal owners refuse basic care for their animals, refuse to vaccinate cats and dogs because it costs money, refuse to provide nutritious food that isn’t Old Yeller and Kit’n’Kaboodle. My parents were those shitty animal owners. Northern Indiana is full of those shitty breeders. This is literally Puppy Mill country. These actions are cruel and wrong.
Yes, there are LOADS of terrible pet owners out there. Owning an animal is a privilege, not a right. There are garbage breeders out there that exist purely because so many people support them, like BHB, Reptiles by Mack, and every small time breeder that houses snakes in tiny racks with no enrichment. There are flippers, importers, and breeders that see animals as nothing more than a commodity. Hell, take one look at Craigslist and you can see this in action. This is the pervasive attitude that exists.
But we are part of the problem.
Breeders, serious keepers, reptile enthusiasts: We need to screen our purchasers more carefully. We need to put pressure on those around us and educate those people who are ignorant of the facts of pet ownership and care requirements. But first, we need a little bit of personal responsibility.
How many of us have sold an animal without having a 15 second conversation to decide if our animal would be well placed with them? Sold an animal without gauging the knowledge of keeping an animal a potential buyer might have? How many of us actually get our babies cleared by a vet before selling them in the first place, even if it’s something as insignificant as a pictus gecko? How many of us have looked the other way when a friend rehomes an animal when it becomes “too hard” to take care of? How many of us have scrambled to get rid of an animal that no longer fits our plans, or we get into some other species or morph?And how many of us spend the time to investigate those that give house to former members of our collections? How many of us have kept animals in subpar conditions and told ourselves that other people do it worse, so it’s okay? How many of us have supported terrible breeders because the price was right, or the morph was perfect for our own project? How many of us have kept out mouth shut when blatant poor care and outright abuse was right before our eyes?
And this isn’t specific to reptiles, either. How many of us have lived with or known someone with a dog or cat with horrible behavior problems, untreated health problems, damn near ALL of which could be corrected with time and commitment, and not said a word? How many of us have never bothered to teach our dogs, cats, horses, any basic manners? How many of us have skipped flea treatment or heartworm preventative because of the cost? How many of us have had an “accidental” breeding of some animal?
The answer? Even if you don’t want to admit it, I’d bet money that every single one of us on this site has done one of these things. I know I have. But I’m trying to learn from my mistakes. Are you? WE are causing many of these problems because we are not taking active steps to stop them.
If you’re not ACTIVELY working to change the idea that animals are disposable, then you are contributing to the problem. It’s not enough to be on tumblr and say something about it. We need to be out there, practicing what we preach every damn day. We need to talk to people at shows and stores, spend our money wisely, and REFUSE sale and purchase from those that are unprepared or unqualified or undeserving. The entire community surrounding pets as a whole needs to change. Breeder practices need change across the board. If you’re not working toward that goal, it’s a problem.
I thought Dexter got adopted like a year ago? I was gonna adopt him but it said he was spoken for
You were right - he was reserved. There ended up being a lot of scheduling difficulties on my end, and then his prospective owner decided they shouldn’t take on any more bettas after all. I’m a little hesitant to adopt him out now just because he’s so old at this point.
Pulled out the mirror after water changes. Dexter and Nutmeg were very offended, Shortcake just looked confused.
