Betta Diaries

[Syriiven]

And I also wanted to share updated pics of the family =) Even got a decent one of Demi on her rocks ^^















=D

[AyalaCookiejar]

I cannot get over how pretty Seiya is! And I just love Kalecs fins. Demi is always so cute, lol :)

[Syriiven]

I've been looking into guessing your betta's ages based on length when bought, and I'm pretty sure my PetSmart sells them at 6 months of age...but Demi's nearly 2 inches long and that's just her body, not adding her caudal. But then she's possibly 50% wild type, and they're typically bigger than splendens. I would guess Demi to be a year, Phy might've been a year, and Kalec and Seiya at 6 months to a year.

I was reading some threads about show bettas and breeding bettas and noticed that people get very strict about what's a good betta and a bad one. It's a little scary what small details make a difference. I mean, I think all healthy betta are wonderful fish and should get prizes, but I have a really big heart xD I was thinking about Demi and how she'd never be a show betta because she can't even swim right because of her swim bladder, and was wondering if they'd ever make a sort of special showing of gimped bettas that have triumphed over huge obstacles.

[AyalaCookiejar]

Like the betta special olympics?
I think demi would be a great candidate. Personality is usually more fun than perfect looks anyways :)

[Syriiven]

Exactly! =D

I also sometimes think about ordering from AquaBid, but then wonder if bettas like that should be for breeders or not...I think I'd almost feel bad if I got a rare or highly sought after fish that a breeder would pay way more for, and I'd just simply be giving it a warm, cozy and wonderful home. =S Not to belittle my part, but like an example would be betta imbellus' - they're endangered and it's only through wild breeders that they have a chance of surviving, though in captivity.

[AyalaCookiejar]

I can totally relate. I ordered my new females from breeders on this site. I generally will tell them that I am not looking for breeding quality fish and just pet fish. The high quality ones are usually pretty expensive but many people on here will sell you some of their lower quality ones for cheaper. I honestly think you can get some absolutely wonderful gorgeous bettas that are not breeding quality. My CT is a beauty, but I can tell he wouldn't be breeding/show quality because he has a curled pectoral fin and also because he is blind... which may or may not be genetic.

I don't have a problem, however, just getting a fish from the pet store. The reason I ordered my females from a breeder is because they will be my sorority girls and private breeders GENERALLY keep all their females in one big sorority and they are also kept together longer at birth. There's also a bigger chance that they will be healthy, however, the shipping process could stress them out and cause some issues, so I am still obviously going to QT them all.

Aquabid is a good idea IMO because you will likely get better quality fish. While many of them are breeding quality, others are just lower quality ones and I've seen them go from like $1 on aquabid. I would still recommend ordering from people directly off of bettafish.com just because the ones I order from have gotten MANY good reviews from other members here.

Maybe I'm too trusting on this site :p but I do believe that the long-term members on here are dedicated to the good health of their bettas and the bettas they sell. Anyone who didn't care about them probably wouldn't spend so much time here :p

[Syriiven]

I agree on all points =)

Someday I might get an Aquabid betta (halfmoon or fancy veiltail, saw some amazing ones earlier), but for now I'm happy enough saving them from pet shop cups. I do however have a male on reserve and may start a sorority from the same breeder.

My plan is to float a 3g halfmoon tank inside a 29 gallon rectangle tank. Male will have a 'throne room' separated fromt he community in the pother 23-26 gallons of water (estimating for water displacement by substrate and decor).

Also going to get a new betta tomorrow! And plants! And snails! =D

And I have a new 'hood ornament' for my tank xD I play World of Warcraft and my boyfriend got my favourite NPC figurine and I HAD to share her.



If one of my sorority girls is a dark blue she'll be named Sylvannas after her.

[Syriiven]

Anyone seen a super active fish? Demi I expect it, but when Kalec and Seiya arrived Kalec would flare and swim all day, and Seiya would just hangout.

Now they've switched. Seiya's constantly doing figure eights and distracting me so long as I'm in the room.

Here's a vid of what they do all day so long as I'm present;

[ChoclateBetta]

Originally Posted by AyalaCookiejar

Like the betta special olympics?
I think demi would be a great candidate. Personality is usually more fun than perfect looks anyways :)

I have heard Blind Bettas are the best.

[Syriiven]