What to look for when choosing a new Betta

[ChoclateBetta]

When I bought Carter I just picked the one I liked.

[LittleBlueFishlets]

Originally Posted by ChoclateBetta

I just want to point out color can change significantly when bought they really color up.

This is true. I was surprised at how much my female's color brightened up, and at how quickly it happened.

[ChoclateBetta]

Chocolates seem the same color as they are in a tank as the cups.

[Chuckee]

Originally Posted by ChoclateBetta

I only have a delta tail.

I really want a Delta, but even though I've seen them labelled as Deltas, I've never actually seen one that was really a Delta.
And, actually, that's ever been a problem with these local pet stores! The way they just toss names out is ridiculous, especially when they charge differently by fin type!

[Chuckee]

Originally Posted by LittleBlueFishlets

Well, I'm a newbie about this, but I looked for:

Color first: Because I like color. So I only looked at brightly colored fish, and the more blue they had, the better.

Health/Activity level second: Once I narrowed the assortment down to blue, I looked for something that was healthy looking.

I'm a bit of a blue girl myself.

I have a male royal blue/melano/lace, a female turquoise "wild type" and a female steel (?)
My very first was a walmart royal blue VT, way back when we first got a walmart

[ChoclateBetta]

Are you sure it is wild type or dull?

[homegrown terror]

well, before i go in the store i have a general idea of what i'd like to find, and reasonable parameters for how much i'd be willing to vary on that desire. for instance, if i'm looking for a mustard gas HMPK, i'll also be checking out any HMPK's that are either blue OR yellow, rather than the MG combination, as well as looking for MG's in other tail types.

after i've found one that's who i'm looking for in terms of finnage and color, i try to gauge their general health. i look to see if he's active, swimming straight-and-true, any visible fin or scale damage, fungus etc.

if he checks out as a healthy fish, i get an idea of his personality. will he follow my finger around the cup? does he swim towards me or away from me when i look at him? does he generally seem like the kind of fish who'd be something of a companion, rather than just a little scaly dude who lives in a watery box in my apartment?

if he's good on all three, i beg my fiance to let me set up another tank. once she accedes to me, i have a new fishy friend.

[ChoclateBetta]

Some at our pet store are on there side when you pick the cup up they act normal. Home see you got a new avatar no offense but I liked your old one better.

[Chuckee]

Originally Posted by ChoclateBetta

Are you sure it is wild type or dull?

That's why I put it in quotations. I think that she's a hybrid...

[ChoclateBetta]

All domestic bettas are hybrids.