Please help! Potential animal cruelty at local aqua pet store - what can I do?

[SaraD1984]

1. Hi everyone! My name is Sara. I am very new to the world of aquariums. My boyfriend and I have just fallen in love with our aquatic family. Our beginner tank is a 30 gallon and we are already shopping for something bigger. We have 4 black mollies, X-ray tetra, a gorgeous Betta, pleco, and we just can't get enough of their beauty and antics. Our mollies are our mischievous babies! We just love seeing them happy and healthy. They have truly brought so much life into our home. We want to do whatever we can to keep them feeling safe and happy. We have lots of freshwater plants and boy do they grow fast!
2. I really wanted to introduce myself as I have found that fish forums have incredibly helpful and friendly advice. I'm hoping I can find that today.
3. So, I know I've just joined, but I am seeking some advice outside of my personal aquarium. I visited a local pet store (Beltway Aquarium,). When I left I was in tears. Can anyone help me? I've contacted the humane society, animal control, and finally DNR and I'm hoping something can be filed in the way of animal cruelty. I've also done some cursory research and I am finding conflicting info as far as what rights fish have in pet stores, what humane treatment they are required to have, sanitary conditions, quality of life, etc. I am not really finding much and I am hoping someone here can help or has had similar questions and maybe we can work together to discover this.
4. Brief overview of the last two days with Beltway Aquarium: I went the store on Sunday and I went back yesterday, Monday 9/4/17, to get photos and videos of the horrendous conditions. There was mold and algae growth so thick I couldn't see the fish. The facility is filthy. There is no substrate in most of the tanks. There are fish eating dead fish. There was a fish in a bucket with barely any water, plants thrown in the tank without substrate and still in their baskets. The fish look despondent and jammed into tanks too small. I have photo evidence of rusty tanks containing fish, and mold in almost all of the filters and air pumps/tubes! I believe the store sells only saltwater and freshwater fish, also various fish foods. I saw tanks stacked behind boxes, some water close to black it is so dirty. The tanks behind the boxes have fish in them and they can't see anything! The fish here are trapped in unsanitary, inhumane, and disgusting conditions. What can happen? I've contacted authorities and I am hoping to hear back from the Natural Resources Police. But until then, any suggestions for avenues I haven't considered? Also, are there aqua life rescues? If this awful establishment gets shut down, what happens to these fish? They deserve better. They deserve lives.
5. I'm getting emotional and ahead of myself. What I'm seeking is education and options. Do these fish have options? What steps can I take to make sure this place gets shut down and the fish are rescued? Thank you all so much in advance, even if this was just a place to vent and have someone else listen.
6. If anyone wants to see the photos, I have them available but they are graphic and incredibly sad.

 

[TheSoggyBagel]

I'm so sorry you saw that! I think you did a that you can do already... but that's aweful! I would suggest writing a very detailed yelp review or something

 

[SaraD1984]

Thank you and yes it was absolutely very sad. I ended up getting in touch with animal control, my local DNR, and my state (MD) Department of Health. The MD department of health was incredibly helpful and compassionate. One of their veterinarians contacted my local animal control supervisor. They went back out to the location but unfortunately this establishment has actually passed the minimum requirements for operation and selling freshwater/saltwater fish. It seems that mainly they pass because there are no immediate dangers to other animals or the human community. I still find it incredibly distressful that the fish in this store have to live their lives in these conditions. I was also informed that some of the water quality looks poor because the owners of the establishment try to keep the water as similar to the water the fish would live in in their natural environments. And I guess the mold and algae growth was still within acceptable standards. I know this store once sold birds but that license was revoked so it doesn't bode well for these fish. Long story short with these fish being intended as pets and still being considered pretty low on the food chain as far as deserving of animal rights, there's not much more that can be done legally. But the veterinarian I spoke with from the MD department of health said that at least this place is now on the radar a bit more for local animal control and local health standards. It just seem like a situation where the business isn't making money, the owners are depressed and have lost their passion and compassion for these creatures and now just see them as dollar signs. Very sad. I'll post a few photos just to see what everyone thinks. These are just the tip of the iceburg.

 

[TheSoggyBagel]

oh my god that's aweful! Those pictures! That's so sad! I hope those poor fish are okay... I wish people treated fish like they treat dogs. Many ish owners are very uneducated and it really upsets me. Many of my family members keep goldfish and vetted in small tanks, and when I try to inform them that it's unhealthy for the fish they don't listen because I'm "too young to know". But oh well... I just hope things can change