A New Arrival

Only after having Oscar a week, I really liked having a betta around. So after going to five (yes, five) different pet stores, I found another betta that "talked" to me (and yes, I'm sure it just wasn't one of my voices ). I cleaned the bowl out thoroughly, and put it in a different room (I think the temp will be warmer and more constant). I'll try feeding the new guy twice a day instead of once and see if this helps.

I must admit, I can tell a difference in personality...Oscar seemed very happy-go lucky, and the new guy is rather...."dominate". He was flaring at all of his neighbors at the pet store. He does stare at me like Oscar did though. I also have to admit he is stunning. He is a dark blue, with some black on his tail and outlining his scales (his name is Bruiser).

I'm crossing my fingers that he does better....

Kewlies! Can you hook us up with a pic of bruiser?

sounds gorgeous (so did your previous one though, i LOVE the chocolate ones, so hard to find). you must try to post pictures, we betta fans love to see everyone elses!!!!

good luck but crossing for him to be better what yah mean???

Dix,
I read your other post about you not feeding him enough. I went a betta show a few months ago and I can tell you if you were feeding him it at all it was not that. I was curious how they could ship the fish in plastic bags with very little water and no ventilation. I asked a friend who developed (as far as I know) the half moon line of bettas, how long could they survive in the bags. He said that to ship the fish that they should not be fed for about week before you ship them. If this is done then they could last as long as another week in a bag. I know this sounds like a long time but he has raised the prettiest bettas I have ever seen anywhere,,,even on the net. He said the biggest killer of them was the ammonia in the water from their own waste.
I bet this fish will "talk" to you for a long time
Signed,
Sondan

He's not eating...he doesn't have any interest in food...

He sulks alot in the bottom of the bowl...

I'm getting real discouraged...maybe bettas aren't my thing.

dixaisy930 said:

He's not eating...he doesn't have any interest in food...

He sulks alot in the bottom of the bowl...

I'm getting real discouraged...maybe bettas aren't my thing.

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It's okay. Bulldog and Telly were like that when I first got them more than two weeks ago. Batman is now doing the same thing because I had him now for only over a week. It just takes a while until they get used to their new surroundings. Don't feed him for a day or two, but do keep his water warmand clean. Let his stomach settle and then feed him very little at first. Nature will kick in and he'll be pigging out in no time. No worries!

Sondan said:

Dix,
I read your other post about you not feeding him enough. I went a betta show a few months ago and I can tell you if you were feeding him it at all it was not that. I was curious how they could ship the fish in plastic bags with very little water and no ventilation. I asked a friend who developed (as far as I know) the half moon line of bettas, how long could they survive in the bags. He said that to ship the fish that they should not be fed for about week before you ship them. If this is done then they could last as long as another week in a bag. I know this sounds like a long time but he has raised the prettiest bettas I have ever seen anywhere,,,even on the net. He said the biggest killer of them was the ammonia in the water from their own waste.
I bet this fish will "talk" to you for a long time
Signed,
Sondan

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That makes sense, particularly as a fish's metabolism will drop in response to fasting (thus producing less ammonia than usual). Fish are cold blooded creatures so don't need all that energy to heat their blood like a mouse or a bird. They need significantly less food and because people don't believe how little they need, there are probably many obese fish swimming around tanks and bowls!

A fish would probably be fine fasting for several months if they had to. A human (as we know from David Blaine) can't really survive much beyond about 45 days before permenant harm can occur.

I did recently hear of someone rescuing two goldfish from an abandoned house. They reckon the fish had been there 3 months without food and at least 6 weeks without filtration (after the electricity was cut off). They had managed to survive on a little bit of algae growing in their disgusting tank. Amazing fish! (Please note: these fish are now swimming happily around an aquarium at a dentist's surgery where they have grown an inch in a few weeks).

WOW...I'm sooo jealous of you lot and you're betta's...i can't find ANY at all where I live....!

I'll go without feeding for a day and try it again...

I thought maybe he was so depressed because he didn't have anyone to show off to (since that was all he was doing in the petstore lol). So I held a mirror up to him, but he didn't do anything. It looks like he's a "little flared" all the time though. Should I get another betta so he has someone to compete with? lol

Only I could make bettas this complicated to take care of...

WOW...I'm sooo jealous of you lot and you're betta's...i can't find ANY at all where I live....!

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It takes alot of looking...plus I usually get there right after they get new bettas in. It's just pure dumb luck...

Maybe you should get a female to cheer him up.