I'm new... Some Pictures...

[Kara101584]

Hello!

I'm new to this forum, and pretty new to owning Bettas. I currently have 2 Bettas, one lives happily in a 35 gallon tank with some goldfish, I've had him for over a year now.

My other one I just got last weekend... He's my little "rescue" man! I got him from Wal-Mart, they had him in a little cup stashed behind some fishtanks...
Here is a picture of him:

Now I don't know anything about Betta breeds, or types. Just from reading the "pinned" posts I have learned that my above pictured Betta is a very common breed in petshops.
I am actually very interested in getting a quality Betta, or maybe 2! I just think they are beautiful fish filled with personality.
Does anyone know a good place to get quality Bettas? Also, any food suggestions? Currently, my guys are getting pellets....

Thanks in advance,
Kara

 

[Skylar]

Hi,

For food you could try getting some live or frozen bloodworms. Bettas really love bloodworms. But if you don't have access to that or you aren't allowed to keep them (they can sometimes smell ) , freezedried would be fine. Just make sure the freezedried worms aren't hard, if they are they could rip a betta's stomach apart.

At my LFS they sell Crowntails, veiltails, deltas, and halfmoons but you really have to look. I suggest you look around the on the net. I'm assuming NH is New Hampshire, so you would have to search for bettas-united states. You could try bettatalk.com, Faith has some lovely bettas in her stock shop. Perhaps some other people will come along with more ideas for places to look but bettatalk is my favourite, although I have not purchased any bettas from there yet. Remember that the more rare the tailtype, the more expensive it will be

Second thing, bettas shouldn't be kept with goldfish. Is the tank heated or is it coldwater? If it's coldwater, I suggest you go and buy a little 2.5 gallon tank or a 5 gallon tank for that betta. Bettas need a temperature of 78-83 degrees Farenheit. If it's heated, still remove the betta. heaters will lower a goldfish's life span considerably.

Hope this helped,
Skylar.

 

[Kara101584]

Second thing, bettas shouldn't be kept with goldfish. Is the tank heated or is it coldwater? If it's coldwater, I suggest you go and buy a little 2.5 gallon tank or a 5 gallon tank for that betta. Bettas need a temperature of 78-83 degrees Farenheit. If it's heated, still remove the betta. heaters will lower a goldfish's life span considerably.

No, my goldfish tank is not heated, but the temp stays around 77 degrees. The Betta has been in there with them for over a year now, so I figure if all's going well why not let him live the rest of his life with them? He seems to thrive in that tank, he is HUGE. I'm glad they do all get along, I had no clue they weren't good together when I got him...

Thanks so much for the advice, I will be heading to the local pet store tonight and will look for bloodworms....

Anymore advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Skylar]

Okay, if he has been fine so far, no worries then. Your betta will be happy for those bloodworms. Yum.

 

[Texaswoman]

I would add, please don't fed him freeze dried foods because based on alot of other owners experiences, these can cause more problems than theyr'e worth. They can be rough on betta insides and can cause them to get constipated quite often. Other things that are good that they like is frozen foods such as bloodworms, daphnia, mysis shrimp, and beefheart. There are of course others, but these are the only ones I will fed, and I only buy Hikari because they are triple sterilized which is important because live food can carry diseases and the other brands don't do this, so you never know and I don't want to chance it. Otherwise, I rotate between pellets, frozen foods, and livefoods.

I would also tell you not to buy any fish from Bettatalk. They are overpriced for the quality you get, you don't get to see the fish your purchasing, and most of the fish aren't bred by her. There are many more breeders that can accomidate you for alot less. Wuv has good stock normally up for adoption, or sale maybe. I also have some stock currently that I will sell cheaply because they are not show quality babies. We both are in Texas, and you can get fish shipped for priority for about $5.00. There are also other breeders and websites that are sources if no LFS have different tail types. You can check the IBC member's pages for links to alot of betta breeder sites, and can pick up alot of information.

 

[Kara101584]

I would add, please don't fed him freeze dried foods because based on alot of other owners experiences, these can cause more problems than theyr'e worth. They can be rough on betta insides and can cause them to get constipated quite often. Other things that are good that they like is frozen foods such as bloodworms, daphnia, mysis shrimp, and beefheart. There are of course others, but these are the only ones I will fed, and I only buy Hikari because they are triple sterilized which is important because live food can carry diseases and the other brands don't do this, so you never know and I don't want to chance it. Otherwise, I rotate between pellets, frozen foods, and livefoods.

I would also tell you not to buy any fish from Bettatalk. They are overpriced for the quality you get, you don't get to see the fish your purchasing, and most of the fish aren't bred by her. There are many more breeders that can accomidate you for alot less. Wuv has good stock normally up for adoption, or sale maybe. I also have some stock currently that I will sell cheaply because they are not show quality babies. We both are in Texas, and you can get fish shipped for priority for about $5.00. There are also other breeders and websites that are sources if no LFS have different tail types. You can check the IBC member's pages for links to alot of betta breeder sites, and can pick up alot of information.

Thanks for your imput! So I shouldn't get the bloodworms that come in the plastic container? I think those are the freeze dried ones.

What kind of veggies do you feed? I did contact Wuv before and will be getting a new boy from her, very exciting!!!

Thanks!
*Kara

 

[Skylar]

I have had no problems with the freeze-dried worms (the ones in the container, yes) in my 4 years of keeping bettas. Breeders in my area also use those for everyday meals along with Hikari pellets and have not had any problems except for the extremely sensitive fish. It's an easier way to get bloodworms, I find. Especially if the parents won't let you keep any in the fridge or freezer.


My 2 cents..
Skylar

 

[GuppyDude]

wow its a good think u were there to save him. wlecome to the fish forum!