In the next few days, I will be starting an online petition to stop the Australian store Pets Paradise from stocking the iPond.
The iPond is not made by Apple. It is a device that plays your music when an iPod or similar is plugged into it. Above the speaker is a tiny fish tank with a capacity of just 650 millilitres of water. This is not enough to provide adequate oxygen for any fish. It is also highly likely that dangerous waste compounds (primarily ammonia) could build up to lethal concentrations in a short time.
The iPond is sold complete with a Siamese fighting fish or betta (Betta splendens). The recommended tank size for a betta is 4 litres at the ABSOLUTE minimum with ten litres being considered a comfortable size. In a 650 millilitre tank, the fish barely has room to turn around. Some people claim that this is acceptable because the betta is a labyrinth fish. This means it has an organ that allows it to 'breathe' some oxygen from the air. However, this does not mean that it can be kept in a tiny tank.
If the tank is closed to the air - I cannot verify this but it seems likely - the oxygen is not available to the fish anyway, because it will quickly use up the oxygen both in the air space and the water.
This gadget is not only cruel to the fish involved but is perpetuating the trade of poor quality bettas. These bettas are mass produced to fill the demand for people who have to replace the dead fish every week. They are inbred and raised in miserable conditions.
As soon as the petition is operational I will post a link so that you can sign it. If you care about animals, please give your support. The RSPCA has already called for the iPond to be banned and I think it's time we stood behind them. When we can stop saying 'it's just a fish' and stand up for it anyway, our world might start to get betta.
