my testimonial

[shell85]

I've always been a pet person but I always took care of large dogs and cats. My family also kept fish tanks with oscars and other larger fish in it as well. But I liked cats the most. 5 years ago a misfortune happened don't wanna go into too much detail but I was petless. I went on several years without one and I'm used to having something to take care of. A few years back my sister offered me her old betta container because the one she had died and she thought I could use it cause she thought I needed something to look after. I didn't take it and thinking about it I'm glad I didn't because I was largely misinformed about betta care.

My first experience with betta was 5 years ago and to think about it we really tortured the little guy. Being misinformed, we kept him in a little plastic fish bowl, dumped a whole lot of food in the tank in which he didn't even eat, did daily water changes with bottled water while cleaning his gravel out with dish washing detergent and dumping stress coat in the bowl once he was placed back in without even reading the directions. Poor guy. And being under the impression that oh well they don't live that long anyway I guess it gives people the impression that they don't really have to research their care.

But up until recently I was looking for another pet. I couldn't have a dog or a cat where I live at right now and I wanted to get a ferret or at least a snake... i wanted a pet that was considered more interactive than a fish because all a fish does is stay in a tank and are boring. But I couldn't find any ferrets or snakes around and I just started researching bettas due to that previous suggestion by my sister and just said screw it and just started buying tank equipment. I got my little guy a week ago and at the expenses I've paid for my equipment I started having a bit of buyers remorse. But in the short time being I've grown attached to the little guy and I get to see that bettas have a personality unlike when the poor guy a few years back that was kept in the bowl.

[BlueHaven]

Great story! That's cool you ended up getting a betta! If you take the time to watch and talk to a fish, they really do have awesome personalities and quirks. It seems like creatures that small can't really do anything but this is SO not true. :D
Not really on topic, but similar, I accidentally burned an ant in my microwave when cooking something in there for a minute and 11 seconds (I know, just an ant! But they are very hard workers and only do what they are supposed to do). I opened the door and the ant was running around like mad on the plate so I blew him off onto the counter and he ran around and ended up sitting at the corner, rubbing his feet off and face a while. I think it was okay though cause it dissapeared later.

Everyone starts from somewhere, you live and you learn.

^_^

In the past, when I was younger I have bought a group of fish to keep (Actually me and my family picked them out) in a 10 gallon tank.
I bought a red tailed shark and a rainbow shark along with some schooling fish (the name escapes me, but they were fish with one bright colorful stripe on them). That was a disaster. The petstore person I remember told me that they were okay together and my tank was good (no harsh feelings, though I think people should know what they are doing when they are working with a job like that, at least the basics and I don't blame them, I should have researched!). The red tailed shark and the rainbow need WAY more space. They are aggressive and they will eat each other or chase the smaller ones till they die, which is what happened.
NEVER will I do that again. But I was really young then too, so I really didn't know any better.
I know now what they need and i've learned more about them, so if I ever get another one of those, I can put them in a safe environment.

[Drift]

Haha, that is a lovely! :) I think most of our betta journey's kind of went along the same lines honestly. :)

I had a betta when I was younger named Flame. He was a red and blue Veil Tail. He lived a long time, 5 years in a one gallon tank my step-mom took care of. They might have replaced him though I was little and wouldn't know the difference. I only saw my Dad step-mom 2-3 times a year so it's possible.
I decided when I was around 14 I wanted more fish and bought one of those cheap 1 gallon tanks and I bought 3 poor little Tiger barbs. ;-; I feel so horrible as I only changed the water 1 time a week or when it got very gross.
When I was 18 I moved out and left all my other critters behind. Missing having a pet I bought a 5 gallon hex tank and bought some glow fish and a bamboo shrimp. Soon I upgraded to a 10 gallon and had them and some neons. I then decided I wanted to save a betta fish. I bought Bubba Shwag, my VT. I was in love with that fish. He had a 2.5 gallon to himself and he loved his "Bubba barrels".
I didn't cycle the tank and woke up to it being a little cloudy. I was like, huh. Left for work. Boyfriend called to say it was completely white and the fish where dying. He put the divider in the 2.5 gallon and put them in with bubba. Some got through the divider and got mauled by Bubba. Did a 100% change on the 10 gallon. I only had three fish left. They slowly died over a few weeks. :( I scrubbed everything down refilled it and put my bubba in. Then with a 2.5 hanging around my boyfriend and I picked out my Crown Tail Purple Urkle. :) He's a spaz and we loved him.
It wasn't until this past June that I got big by the Betta bug and started to research. I bought Durban who hung out in a critter keeper. Bubba passed away from old age/incurable illness. :(I moved Urkle and Durban into my split 10 gallon. I bought Apollo and chose between him and this double tail who had a deformity. I put him back because of the deformity. I then felt really empty without Bubba as he was my super spoiled favorite fish. So I went to Petco and found the most ill looking fish I could find and brought him home. Within an hour of heated clean water he unlcamped his fins. This was my new spaz fish, Swazi. I then had a quilty conscience and went back and bought the deformed fish, Dutch.
Now I am done. No more Betta's. I have reached my limit. Everyone will be in at least 5 gallons of water as of today. :)