My First Betta

[Shark Boy]

After freeing up my 3 gallon following it's temporary hospital use, I picked up what I'd intended it for in the first place: a betta.

I've been doing a bit of checking around all the LFS the past few weeks, and the selection of Bettas around here it at the moment hasn't been particularly good - All I ever seem to see are the blue/red/purple veiltails, or the occasional plakat of the same coloring.

However, I have recently discovered a neat little LFS tucked away in the middle of nowhere (The Water Garden, Hinton Parva, Swindon, Wiltshire). You'd never know it was there unless someone told you! It's a pretty small place, but the selection is still pretty good and the tanks are spotless. Definitely worth a visit if you're anywhere near there.

Anyway, they had about 12 Bettas all in all, and it was quite refreshing to see some different colors. There were some really bright reds, blues, and another that had a black body and steel fins. But the one that really caught my eye was this one:

(Apologies for the poor pic, but it's the best my rubbish camera is capable of! )

At times he looks yellow, but under other lighting he's a creamy orange. I've never seen this color before, so that more or less made the decision for me. He's now residing in my tank and seems quite happy. He's already taken a couple of hikari betta bio-gold pellets, which I take as a good sign. I like the way he comes to see me whenever I walk into the room, and he also seems to have an attraction to the thermometer for some reason.

 

[freshmike]

Awesome color! Good luck with him.

 

[ECH2005]

I love that color! Can I have him?

 

[Joby]

oooh he's lovely

Have not seen one like that in my neck of the woods congratulations on your find

 

[SnowyzMom]

OOOOH he's GORGEOUS! Congratulations on finding such a beauty. Yes, I'm jealous too. Have you named him yet? My Betta also hasn't decided yet if the thermometer should be in the tank yet. He keeps eyeing it suspiciously. I'm so glad you've got your lovely boy a 3 gallon to have fun in. I think he'll love all the space! Way to go on finding such a nice lfs too and promoting it. The people who care really DO deserve our business.

 

[Shark Boy]

I should hopefully be able to get some better pictures later in the week as I've managed to convince my girlfriend to lend me her camera which is far superior to my own. For a start, it actually has a zoom function, so some detail will actually be visible. What you can't see in the pic is that his body has flecks of grey/black, the color of his face, in places. And I've also noticed a hint of very faint pink in his tail. Hopefully with the better camera I can demonstrate!

He doesn't have a name as yet, as I don't really tend to name my fish. But who knows, maybe if I think of something appropriate.

 

[Shark Boy]

A little later than promised, but here we are none the less - much better pictures of the afore mentioned betta, who also has a name at last: Mutley!

And here's a quick snap of his home

He seems to like the diver's helmet, even though it takes up a fair bit of space. Several times I've not been able to see him anywhere in the tank, only to find him resting on the gravel in the bottom of the ornament.

 

[Danno]

Hehe that betta reminds be of a orange creamsicle ice cream pop..hehe

 

[jkun17]

I always find it strangely ironic that the best bettas are in the shops no one knows about.

The place I always go to has about 50 to 60 bettas but it's in this alleyway in the city. You'd never know it unless you actually went out of your way to find it.

The people there are at least 100 times nicer than the people in other bigger stores or chains for that matter. They're so much more personable and fun to talk with. I notice that all the chain stores I visit are filled with kids who just want to get rid of you so they can get back to whatever they were doing. But the mom and pop or independant stores put as much emphasis on creating a relationship as keeping their fish healthy. They love what they do in the smaller stores and so they work harder and are much more willing to help. The new store I go to is a bit rugged, cement floor, hole in the ground for general drainage, but all the tanks are planted tanks... I mean HEAVILY planted tanks. It's a sea of green in there. The entrance is a little small, I've got to crouch a bit to get through the door... then again I'm a bit tall, but once you're inside, it's heaven.

They helped me with plants and helped me attatch some ferns to my piece of wood and showed me how to do everything. They even told me how to best set up a breeding tank and their betta bowls are amazing!!

Though this store is a good half hour's drive away, it is always worth it to walk in when I need something... anything!!

My first betta I bought at Petco... it died exactly 6 hours after I brought it home. I demanded a refund and didn't touch another fish there for a long time. Now, I've decided to never buy any fish from chainstores ever again.

Small shops have better quality fish... always... it's a fact. Chains stores have better prices on supplies, that's usually true. That's how I divide it up anyway.

My belief as to why small stores have better fish is because they usually breed the fish themselves. The result is a better batch of fish because the owner worked harder on a smaller set of fish than mass producing them on farms.

Though I still haven't seen any steel or copper colored bettas at the new LFS I go to, they still have a much more HUGE selection.

They even sold me a kit type thing when I told them I was planning on breeding bettas.

Back to my hatred of chain stores, I noticed that any time I wanted to look at fish or ask questions, no one would be around to help. There was one time I was going to break my boycott of chain store fish when I saw this albino cory, but no one came to help me for half an hour. I stood there turning around every so often to see if someone could help. Half an hour passed and I left, completly disgusted with the service. I KNEW that the "Fish Expert" was even in the store and I still couldn't find anyone to help.

But at the new LFS, the owners/workers are always patrolling or working on some new tank just for the hell of it and they're 100% accessible. When I first decided to do a planted tank the "mom" of the "mom & pop" helped me pick out some easy plants even when I was short, she still let me get away with the plants

I know I'm a little scatter brained, but I love this store and I want to talk about this LFS for freaking ever. They helped me pick out a half-moon breeding pair and gave me this drip device to balance the pH between the female vase and male section of the tank. They attached plants to my wood for free. They gave me breaks and all that lovliness you would never find in a chain store.

So yeah... Chain Stores suck and LFS's are way better.

That's their Betta bowl. Compare it with a Betta cup (<--- Death trap)

Sun Shine (Male Halfmoon)

Tangerine (Female Halfmoon)

My planted and sanded 10 gallon