How Did You Get Into Bettas?

[keithp]

How did you first start with bettas or learn about them?

I was about 9 years old and my first pet was a tropical fish tank with guppies, a friend had a fish tank with some tropical fish and then I saw the most beautiful red and blue fishes. Turns out they had 2 male bettas in the tank together fighting one another. I had no idea what a betta was at the time, but I knew they were nice looking and didnt know why they were chasing eachother ripping each others fins. The people said they were "playing", I guess cause I was a kid or they didnt realize 2 males could not be together.

So a week later I went to the pet store and got myself a male betta (I found out 2 males could not be together)

Thats how I got started with bettas.

 

[Night61]

what an interesting topic keith.

i first got into betta's in my last semester of college. I had lost my dog only weeks before and was alone in my dorm room. i had been debating for a little while of filling my room with a pet and finally broke down one day and bought a betta while picking my friend up from work. i made all the beginners mistakes with him, but at the end of his life he was in a five gallon tank. That fish helped me branch out and make new friends with the people across the hall, who fish sat for me on the occasions i went home. My RA made a small door tag just for him to hang out side of my door, he was the hit of the hall.
Even though i only had him for the semester he was such a joy to have that i have betta's in my home every since.

 

[dudehi]

well i saw them in them cups and they looked so cool. at the time i think i had 2 angelfish (which i still have) and some tiger barbs in a 14 gallon. they looked so cool in them cups i had to get one. he only lived mabey a week before the angelfish killed him. i plan on buying another one and putting it with guppy's in a 5 gallon later on : )

 

[Larkspur]

I had 3 over a 3 year span that lived in a bowl. You know how they're advertised for bowls and I had one of those nifty hanging bowls. My first one didn't do so great, but I only cleaned the tank out every month or so (EW) and would completely dump all the water out and add tap water....poor bettas.

I had one that lived about 2 years. He did great despite my abuse. His name was Edward Scissorhands. Was one of those multi-colored veiltails who had the cutest fins that were dipped in white. Reminded me of scissors, hence the name. Since him I traditionally give Johnny Depp character names to all my male bettas.

While I still had Edward I accidentally killed my managers betta at a retail store I was working at while in college. Went to clean the bowl (she overfed him and it was murky and nasty) I accidentally dropped the fish down the drain. I never told my manager what happened, but when I lost my job like a week later (long story, but needless to say the store was losing business and they were playing favorites about who was staying on) I didn't leave the fish I replaced the dead one with. I told her that I saw hers dead and felt like being nice and getting her a new one. Haha. So I ended up keeping him. My brother actually named him and he lived in our bathroom in a bowl for maybe 6 months before dying. He was a red veiltail.

Then I got a blue veiltail after Edward died. (And after attempting to place a female in with Edward at one point)...a pearly white spontaneous purchase. She only lived a week. She got chewed up a bit after spawning and ended up dying. So my last betta was Jack Sparrow. He didn't live long either, but I honestly neglected him and it happened to be a cold winter. He died around January 2009.

So then I got into guppies...and more guppies...and got a tank...etc etc.

Then yesterday I decided I was bored with my danios and tiger barbs. I got my new blue and white butterfly HM. He's pretty. He is living in a 5.5 gallon tank with a BN catfish baby. I've named him Mad Hatter. I just saw Johnny Depp play the role in Alice in Wonderland last weekend. Seemed fitting.

 

[woodstock]

Got my first one at a birthday party after winning...something. Haha, went to he LFS, and lo and behold I left the store with a 1/2 gallon! He was in there, a month tops? While he was in the 1/2 gallon, I got so interested in him, because I hadn't seen a betta before. So ta-da, I got another one! Haha. Also in a 1/2 gallon.

Blah blah blah, eventually very soon afterwards I managed to get a 5 gallon tank, divided for the both of them. I found the hands-on thing pretty fun thing to do, and that's pretty much it. Haha, but it's definitely developed into a hobby. I wanna take it more seriously during college or something

 

[GuppyGoddess]

My son got guppies for his birthday and I'd go into the pet store regularily for advice. One day while I was in there, I spontaneously decided to buy a pretty double tailed betta they had for sale! Gorgeous fish. He came home in a 2-gallon bowl and lived there for about a week and then I moved him into a 5-gallon tank with all the gear (filter, heater, etc.).

Now I have five total! I love them all, however, those five tanks plus the guppy one is just too many. As time goes on and the fish eventually pass away, I plan to keep a single betta tank plus the guppy one.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

To be honest I've never ever been a fan of betta fish (plus I've never had anywhere to put one); Then ages ago I saw a lovely one in the shop and fell in love; I got him a tank and accessories and sorted everything and I was hoping and praying he'd still be in the shop when I went back (as I specifically got the stuff for him and no other betta); he was still there and I've been a betta owner for 8 days lol.

I think mine is beautiful . I'm warming to other betta too; I'd like another one but I have absolutely no space for another one; or I'd like to breed him as I think he is lovely but it's not like I could stud him out and I have no space for a female .

 

[GuppyGoddess]

To be honest I've never ever been a fan of betta fish (plus I've never had anywhere to put one); Then ages ago I saw a lovely one in the shop and fell in love; I got him a tank and accessories and sorted everything and I was hoping and praying he'd still be in the shop when I went back (as I specifically got the stuff for him and no other betta); he was still there and I've been a betta owner for 8 days lol.

I think mine is beautiful . I'm warming to other betta too; I'd like another one but I have absolutely no space for another one; or I'd like to breed him as I think he is lovely but it's not like I could stud him out and I have no space for a female .

Bettas can be addicting. Just be sure to cycle the tank you have before (or if) you ever get another one. I made the mistake of buying all of mine and sticking them in new tanks. Finally one of the tanks cycled, but the betta's fins sure show wear-and-tear. Same with one of my other males. Seems like female fins can hold up a bit better.

 

[Lacuna]

Last year I bought a tank as I wanted black moor fish. I live in a small flat so I got the largest tank we could fit into the allocated space - a 48 litre. The guy in the shop said I could get 5 or 6 black moors in there . I did some internet research and found that was not the case. So I looked for an alternative - I wanted a 'pet' rather than a bunch of tiny fish. When I saw a picture of a betta I knew that was what I wanted. It's just a shame you can't keep a couple of the betta splendens together, as I would have liked a pair of fish. I've now found space for another 30L tank, they truly are addictive.

 

[fry_forever!]

Well......... I started out when I was about 7, went to the pet store after begging my parents for another pet, asked the lady there what was a good type of fish, she said, "a betta, the like small spaces and don't require much maintenance." Well, we left with two 1/4 gallon tanks, and two bettas. Surprisingly, they actually lived for about a year, even though I cleaned the tank monthly ( ) 100% of the water crazy with soap and one of them fell down the drain at one point! crazy: we retrieved him) I kept buying new bettas after the last ones died, my brother eventually lost interest. Eventually I was tired of them dying all the time, so I stopped. A couple years later, (which was actually only a year ago... Sad, I know. ) I still believed that bettas liked small spaces. So I bought a cute blueish-red one to put in the kitchen. He was very dull and boring, he didn't move around much at all. I started to feel bad, and also I got a little more educated during the couple months that I had him, but I wasn't allowed to buy a bigger tank for him, so I brought him to my friend's house so she could put him in her 29 gallon community tank. Lousy Bob is still alive and well today. A couple months ago, I started randomly getting interested in bettas again, and I saw what looked to be a dead betta at the store that I volunteered at. I felt so bad for him, and I wanted to rescue one, (even if it's not the best thing to do) so I brought him home and put him in my 4.5 gallon QT. He very nearly died, but I managed to save him. Scooter is now a healthy little guy who likes frolicking around with my livebearer fry, and he is even a proud daddy. Shortly after I got Scooter, I got a female, and she went in one of my 10 gallons. After making a dumb mistake of breeding them, Bella is now in my 17 gallon with two kribs and a swordtail. (Yes, I know, a weird combo - but she gets stressed out when she is alone.)

So yeah, that's my little betta story.... I was pretty cruel to them..... but now I'm not.

Thanks for reading,

f_f!

 

[nosoup4you]

They were having a special on bettas and chips...I'll never eat another grouper again.