Buying a Betta

[shelly25]

Recently bought my first betta from Petsmart. Now that I look back I wonder if I should have gone somewhere else. Petsmart puts something in the betta bowls that makes the water blue. I guess that should have been my first tip-off....anyway, I looked at all the bettas they had and picked the one that looked the prettiest (he had a beautiful vibrant blue color) and healthiest and made sure he didn't have tail rot, or any other visible disease. All of the bettas there looked fine to me and none were dead like i've seen at other LPS, so I figured I was doing OK by getting one there. I brought the betta home and put him in my 2.5 gallon filtered tank. Now that he's in my tank, he's no longer the bright blue I liked at the store, but more of a grayish color. His behavior seems OK except he hides behind the filter (the filter is one of those that are submersed in the tank). Is my betta OK?

I see all these members pictures of beautiful bettas...and I wanted one! Will his color improve over time? I'm feeding him a rotation of betta flakes, freeze dried bloodworms and freeze dried baby brine shrimp. Is there anything else I should be doing? I want a pretty betta like you all have.

 

[Max]

well what 'pretty beta' are you talking about, the pure white half moons or... (the pure white half moons are bred by a breeder who wanted them like that) the one from pets smart were bred to have TONS on fry to sell not for show

 

[shelly25]

The pictures I see on this forum of bettas that I like are wonderful bright brilliant blues or reds or both. I've seen tons of blue and red bettas at pet and fish stores, but none that look as healthy or as beautiful as pictures i've seen in these forums. Mine looked that way in the store (or so I thought...maybe it was just the blue water) but when I got him home he quickly turned an ugly gray which is NOT what I wanted. I just wondered if his color would improve over time with proper nutrition/care?

 

[cutechic]

The blue tinted water at the lfs was probably Bettamax or some other additive to keep the bettas healthier. It may have been the blue water that made your betta appear to be a much brighter blue. Or, it could be that your betta is stressed now and will get brighter colours in a week or two. I would suggest feeding frozen or live foods as well to improve your betta's colour and health

 

[superpenguin22]

the blue water is methelene blue. it is used to pervent fungus

 

[spAcE mOnkEy]

i thought they dyed the water blue in petsmart so the bettas wouldnt see eachother becaus they are in small bowls so close together,,, they would flare at eachother through the glas bowls.

 

[shelly25]

I'll try the live/frozen food idea. I thought stress could have been an issue too, and i've added stress coat in the water and I have also added Bettamax (in the liquid form....couldn't find the capsules around here).

Next time i'm at Petsmart i'll ask them why the water is blue. When I bought the betta I assumed it was medicated water but i'm still curious to see what it really is.

 

[BirdofPray]

It could be bromthymol blue, which is used to test pH.

 

[endparenthesis]

I think it would be crazy to dye it... it makes it much harder to tell what color fish you're getting. Plus you see them flaring at each other even with the blue. It's medicine.

 

[shrks1fan]

Yep, the blue stuff is medication (probably Meth Blue as someone mentioned) to help prevent the fish from getting sick during transportation. I imagine your Betta's color change is from the shock of getting moved to a new home yet again. Give him a few days to get comfortable and used to his surroundings, once he realizes he's in a much better home now, he'll color back up

Linda
http/www.pet-emporium.com
http/www.cooking-fanatics.com

 

[jacblades]

chances are, if a lfs adds meth. blue it is probably a better place to buy bettas from than a non-meth blue-adding lfs. yeah i never see any dead bettas at petsmart.
i always wondered if some people thought it was dye. i think they should put a sign saying that it is medicine so little kids dont go home and try to add food color to their tanks.