Mike’s Mini Garden, a plant shop inside WestShore Plaza Mall in Tampa, Florida, is selling betta fish in tiny vases. This store has no business selling live animals.

The fish are kept in dirty, stagnant water with no filtration, heating, or space to swim.

Betta Fish Are Not Decorations

Fish are not accessories or novelty items to be sold at a mall plant shop. Displaying them in vases with bamboo plants misleads customers into believing these setups are acceptable permanent homes.

This encourages impulse purchases, where fish are often taken home by uninformed buyers without the proper equipment or knowledge to keep them alive.

Reputational Risk

Mike’s Mini Garden and WestShore Plaza put their reputations on the line by allowing such cruelty to continue. Consumers today expect higher standards and are quick to call out businesses that tolerate such practices within their walls.

Time For Change

We urge Mike’s Mini Garden to permanently stop the sale of betta fish at WestShore Plaza and any other vendor locations.