Hello Everyone and Merry Christmas

[WillD]

I have been lurking for a few weeks now and thought I would make it official now.

I was very heavy into the fish keeping hobby all through out the late 1980's to the end of the 1990's. I bred Angle fish & Discus as well as maintained 3 salt water aquariums totaling 250 gallons.

By the time I met my wife I was pretty much out of the hobby because I realized I was way way to into it as well as bleeding money so I gave it all up.

A few years ago the wife started hinting she wanted a Betta and call me crazy but I decided to buy her a Fluval Spec V for Christmas(I know I will have to reduce the filter flow) I originally bought the Fluval Edge but soon realized while reading these forums that is not a good tank for Betta(damn it) so took it back and bought the Spec. I gave her the tank last night and she cant wait to go to the store to buy the gravel,rocks and other decorations for it.

I will try to upload some pictures in a few weeks after it's up and running.


I do however have a question about buying the Betta. I am going to check out a small local pet store for one but if they don't carry them is Petsmart or Petco a good place to buy a fish? If so can you order a certain one or just take what they have on hand?


Sorry to make this so long I just wanted to introduce myself before I started asking too many questions.


Again Hi and Merry Christmas,

Will D

[sainthogan]

I got my girl at petsmart, but she was sold to me as a dragonscale male. She's certainly not a dragonscale, and we're relatively sure she's a female.
The petsmart where I shop keeps pretty good care of their fish, but not all do. Almost all pet stores keep Bettas in tiny little cold cups, so no matter how clean they keep the water, their immune systems have been compromised, so there is risk for illness. When we got my fish, my boy picked her because she looked gold, but it turns out she had Velvet, and she's actually a red/brown with purple iridescence (she's the fish in my avatar picture, taken 1 week after she jumped out of her tank and her fins were healing).
I don't know about ordering from the pet stores, but I got my second Betta from a breeder here on this forum and he was shipped to me in the mail.
And Merry Christmas to you as well.

[Foxers]

I love getting Betta fish from my local petco, the water's always clean in their cups and they have the best selection of fish of all fin types. Im shady with petsmart because they tint the water blue, so its hard to see the actual fish.
If you want a usually high quality, amazing looking fish, try aquabid.com. depending on what climate you're in or whether you're willing to buy internationally or domestically. Its always fun to look. Happy holidays.

[WillD]

Thanks for the replies. I will be looking at both stores. If I spot something I'll just take it from there and see how it goes.

I saw a thread on the forums, forgot who it was but they were a breeder out of Texas I think, He had some really great looking fish for sale.Thought about ordering one from him but I am guessing the weather around here would prevent it. The fish would be sitting outside till I got home from work and its below freezing here in northern Illinois. I might have to get another tank and try that this summer. I never realized that these fish could be so gorgeous.

Oh Nooooo thats how this all started for me the last time I was involved in this.


WillD

[Foxers]

I know what you mean- back a few years ago, i had 5 to 6 different betta fish, i was obsessed, i think now im more logical and i have only two fish. But i was crazy about them! its bananas how fast you can get in over your head.

[Melodica]

I was never really a fish person, then my fiance introduced me to his two tanks, then I decided to get my own and got a betta because that was about all I could put in the 5g that I purchased. Now I have six males in two divided 10g tanks. He has forbidden me from getting more. It's an addiction!

[Foxers]

I dare to say its like hoarding in a way. But like any addiction counselling, take it one day at a time- as far away from the fish section as possible! haha