Fish Need Rights, Too!

We've all seen the bettas in their little cups in Wal-Mart or pet chain stores. And we've seen the crowded tanks of goldfish. But what happens after the fish are purchased is sometimes inhumane.

Goldfish are sometimes forced to live in tiny "goldfish bowls" which are NOT suitable for goldfish at all. Goldfish grow to become SIX INCHES or more. These bowls are rarely more than five inches in length, and three inches in width. Goldfish produce more waste than many other fish, and these "goldfish bowls" quickly fill with waste. The tops of these bowls are rather small, and do not allow for a proper filter, thus carbon monoxide and ammonia will build up very quickly and eventually kill the fish.

Bettas tend to have just as worse a time as goldfish. In stores, many employees will tell the customer bettas will do fine in tiny cups their entire lives. Well, I'll tell you this. If you have a happy male betta, he will blow a bubble nest in the water, even if there is no female betta in sight. I have NEVER known a male in a cup to blow a bubble nest. Why? They are kept in very cramped conditions, rarely given water changes, and are forced to live swimming in their own waste. I realize many people keep bettas in their work office, but your office would look one heck of a lot better if you dished out the ten extra dollars and bought your betta a five or ten gallon tank for him to live in. One common myth is that males and females can live happily together. THEY CANNOT. There is the rare case where they can, but if left long together, the male usually kills the female.

There is also the occasional village idiot who comes up with "Betta Fight Rings", much like Pitbull Fight Rings, where they place two males in the same tank and bet on whose betta will win. Many of the time both bettas die, and if one lives, they are usually too tattered and die soon after. I ask you, even if they are "just fish", do they not deserve the best care possible? They are more than just decorations for your living room, or 99¢ you paid to play a game at a fair. I'm sure fish value their life more than just a couple of dollars.

I say to you, don't fish, like dogs, cats, horses, or birds, deserve rights, also? Should they be forced to live in dirty, cramped tanks in pet stores until someone comes along to purchase them. The ASPCA needs to do something about the inadequate conditions some fish are living in in pet stores. To "fish geeks" like myself, these are not just fish. They are a hobby, they have personality and spunk. Fish are like any other animal, and they deserve the same rights.