Hi From Northern Thailand

720 Views 6 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Witchipoo, Feb 9, 2016

toobizy

Discussion Starter · Feb 9, 2016

I live in Thailand and I've been into aquaria for a few years.
A year ago I stumbled upon a National Betta Fish Exhibition/Competition and couldn't believe how unusual some of the exhibits were. These Betta fish were way more beautiful than any I have seen in pet stores around the world.
None of the fish at the show were for sale, but I set about trying to find who the breeders were; its surprisingly difficult - the average pet store Betta fish here is ordinary, basically they are the breeders' rejects.
Anyway I was eventually able to start my collection of extraordinarily beautiful betta fish which I source mainly from a competition breeder who has now become a friend. The top specimens from each careful pairing can fetch $20 - $50 (US). I now have 26 Bettas all around the house. They are interesting creatures - varying in personality and they seem to take an interest in human life observed through their glass windows. My kids think I've lost my mind. They are probably right.
Living in Thailand makes keeping these fish relatively easy. We can keep them outdoors of course, although mine are all in the house with display lighting. We don't need heaters and nobody here uses filter systems for Bettas, just very regular water changes.
Looking forward to chatting with other Betta keepers from time to time.

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toobizy

Discussion Starter · #3 · Feb 9, 2016

Thanks for the welcome LittleStar
Having read through many of the posts on this forum, what strikes me is the huge difference between Betta care in the West and in Asia.
Local pet stores here sell Betta tanks that are miniscule and these little fish live their entire lives in them. So its nice to read about all the (massive) 5 gallon tanks, filters and water testing kits that the people on this forum treat their Bettas to.

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toobizy

Discussion Starter · #6 · Feb 9, 2016

Keeping 100's of them would be difficult anywhere in the world, since these are fish that need individual tanks if they are to be kept in show condition.
I have 26 of them and they take up time due to tank cleaning and water changes.
However what I noticed when I went through posts on this forum is that many people have one or two bettas that live in large tanks with a lot of support equipment. In Thailand hobbyists tend to have collections of Bettas and keep them in small tanks with no filters, heaters, air pumps or tank decor.
The tanks are seperated with cards which are removed temporarily to show off the fish in their splendid fighting stance.
I'm not saying I agree with bare mini-tanks since I am more sentimental towards animals as a Westerner. But still the difference in Betta care here, where these fish originate from, is remarkable.

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