10 things I hear about bettas

[Tikibirds]

That's about the ONLY thing I have not been told yet...and petco has tried to tell me ALOT of BS over the years

"I don't want cichlids."
"....don't...want...cichlids?" *brain cannot compute*

Personally I find them ugly, along with those goldfish with tumors on their heads *shudders*

eh, I'm just not interested in other fish species - except for bottom dwellers/catfish/snails. The only other fish I have found that i actually want would be diamond tetras because they are shiny

[ravenwinds]

I agree Tikibirds...cichlids, for the most part look like spiky finned fish with upside down faces....and the ones that grow so huge give me the creeps! Yes, some are pretty, some are gorgeous (discus)....but I've never seen a cichlid with even half the personality of my bettas. Of course, I think only bettas, gouramis, catfish (cories), and my shoal of rainbows have ANY personality anyway!

And you're correct about some of the mutant fish such as the goldfish with enlarged, unencapsulated brains (anyone else think they kind of look like the 4-legged monsters from Resident Evil movies...the ones supposedly mutated after "living tissue was injected with live T virus"??)

[LittleBettaFish]

Cichlids seem to be massively popular here. Honestly, they bore the heck out of me. Only ones I like are some species of apistogramma. They are my sort of fish, flashy, small and with that awesome natural beauty.

People always get excited when I tell them I have around 20 tanks and probably over 100 fish (counting fry and juveniles). Then they get less so when I mention they are all bettas. After I explain that the fish I keep are like the wild cousins of splendens, I can just see the cogs turning in their brains. I try to tell them it's like owning a dog versus owning a wolf as really that's the only analogy that makes sense to the average person that visits.

[brookeandbubba]

this stuff is true but the thing that kills me is the part "" they poop to much " or something like that XD puther than that it was great

[cosmicwitch]

Originally Posted by Luimeril

11. "He/She seemed lonely, so I bought him/her a friend!"

Bettas are solitary fish, very territorial. they don't get lonely. at all. They prefer to live alone, and are happiest when their territory is filled with JUST them. often, a well-meaning owner buys their betta girlfriend/boyfriend, and ends up with two horribly stressed, very beaten-up bettas, or, worse, a dead betta.

:I don't forget that one.

My mom actually said something along the lines of that yesterday to me. I still haven't gotten my fish yet.

She said "but it will be lonely"
and I explained what I've read and researched.
her response: "Well fine, you're an only child too so you can both be only children."

lolwut?

A thing I noticed most about people going out to get any pet in general is they just don't do research and are surprised when the animal dies or gets sick. They over crowd and get tired of it and neglect it and its sad :/

[Skyewillow]

I have males who don't thrive without a neighbor in sight.

It's not bright to put them in an undivided tank, but with a divider, or a separate tank, they can form some sort of social bonds. Females sure do in a sorority setting.

Also, I'm not the only one to notice this.