How Did you get into the betta world?

[meganlbetta]

I got into the betta world by getting one of those tiny tanks for bettas because they dont need a lot of space... Stupid people. Now im getting ideas where to place a big tank with lots of plants so I can get more... muahahah

[LeoTheLakerBetta]

Ha. One day my dad went to get a furniture stand off of Craigslist and he called me a little later and asked me if I wanted a free fish. I had never had any pets before that so I was very surprised but I said yes! It was my first betta and he was a royal blue veiltail that lived in a tiny bowl. But I gave him a nice ten gallon after some research :)

[hynesh9792]

My husband and I were new fish owners and we were buying neon tetras when I noticed a large purple fish with a long flowy tail that was following me and wiggling around. I said "I have to have him,he wants to come home with me, look he likes me!" I knew NOTHING about bettas NOTHING. I named him Dexter

The first day I put him in teh 20 gallon with our tetras and glofish (which I was told was okay) and he was following me and would swim up to me. I was so excited and shocked that he was so smart. (again, knew nothing about bettas lol). 2 days later he was just lethargic. He didn't eat since I bought him, stopped coming to teh surface, and eventually died within a week along with most of our other fish =( I was so upset. A couple weeks later, my husband had surprised me with my betta baby who I named Dexter Junior but now I just call him Junior. After coming here, I know A LOT more about these fish =) I love Junior!

[Tikibirds]

I found a 2.5 gallon mini bow at a 2nd hand store. I got sick of waiting for a petco employee tohelp me so I helped myself to a doubletale male betta

[twolovers101]

My mom brought home a betta in a vase when I was about 10 or so... we quickly figured out that they needed pellets and open air, so we threw out the plant that came with it (a peace lilly that was poisonous to the cat anyway) and I took care of it... can't say I was a good owner, but the little blue VT we named Mel lasted 3 years I changed 100% of his water once a week in that vase until we got a 10 gallon tank.

Set that up with (don't kill me, I was a kid) 3 neons, a gourami (maybe 2) an albino cory and an algae eater. We didn't know ANYTHING about fish keeping 12 years ago... that set up worked out for about a year, and then my memory cuts out and I haven't had fish since

Well.. Until last spring when a friend of mine said she was "waiting" for her fish to die because she didn't want him any more. So being the kind person I am, I took him off her hands... he's still around but boy I knew nothing then either!! I've learned so much since joining this forum. Anyhow... that's how it all began, and now I'm the best fish keeper I know haha!

[asukabetta]

my significant other showed them to me when we went to Petco, I had never been to a big pet shop before, since my country they dont have any and we went to stare at puppies and they caught my eye.

I never heard or seen bettas before but for some reason I knew they were the pet for me.

So when I came back to spain, i looked for bettas and found them :) I have 4 now

[aemaki09]

My dad used to have a salt and fresh water tank along with goldfish pond...he decided he would buy my sister and I each a betta since they were easy care and it would teach us that pet care wasnt that easy. This was like 15 years ago and he didn't know much about bettas at the time so we had them in 1 gallon gold fish bowls and they didn't last very long. But my sister and I thought they were the coolest fish ever so he would buy them for us once in a while throughout the years, upgrading the spaces they lived in as time went on too
For the past 3-4 years ive been keeping at least one in my room non stop

[DragonFish]

Back around when I first started really getting into fish keeping, I walked into our local craft store for something or another....and noticed they had a whole end-cap full of little blue and red bettas in little bowls of various sizes(all less then a gallon). I had always seen the seemingly boring little still fish in vases and whatnot as class pets throughout my childhood and never really gave them much thought until that day. I didn't know much about bettas at the time either, but I was learning and had heard that they could be kept in larger community tanks(which I had been attempting to build at the time) and had enough sense to figure that those poor little bowls weren't large enough for anything to really live happily, so I picked up my favorite betta and brought him home.


I immediately noticed how curious and inquisitive little Sasuke was, much different then the bettas I remembered and most of the fish I had had in the past. He was really so curious about what I was doing and where I was.......it was absolutely fascinating.
A few months of learning and research, some fin rot, and several tanks and bowls later.....I was setting up a divided 10 gallon and preparing my old 20 long for a Sorority on my 18th birthday. It was aaaaaaaaaall downhill from there. xD

[nel3]

my brother won a betta from a friend's wedding banquet through a best name contest. each table had a betta and each table's occupants chose a name for the ones on their own table. my brother is more of a dog person so he gave it to me. i found it to be a unexpected surprise as i never had fish but id never have my current pets if he didnt get that betta in the first place.

[fgradowski]

I went away for college and left two dogs and a cat back home. I was having trouble making friends and I needed something to take care of/occupy my time with. The Petco was a 10 minute walk from my dorm. One day I went in there. Just for fun. I stood by the bettas for a good 15 minutes. I picked Algernon out and a tank and plant along with some bloodworms. This was only a month ago. Yesterday I went back to the Petco and upgraded him to a 3 gallon tank and added a real plant and a rock structure. Now I just want more! But I don't know if I could handle two while living in a dorm room. But it's just SO tempting! I also feel the need to build a natural plant tank. I'm totally addicted now.