Betta Fish Post pictures and Stories!

[Whittni]

Pictures Taken with DSi camera, low quality.


Yesterday I found a great deal on betta fish supplies so I bought all of the stuff that was left. Today I went to the local petstore and spent $5.30(including tax, reg $4.99) on my first betta fish, my very first pet fish.


Above is the bowl and stuff the night before I got the fish.

My betta is a deep maroon color and likes to make bubbles and seems a little curious for a fish (normal?) he, if its a he, will be an inch away from the glass and just sit there watching you or the dolphin movie set up behind the tank. Maybe he is listening to the ocean sound that comes from it?


Above: Top

Above: Side


Anywho, what's YOUR betta storie(s)? And post pictures of your fish! (my betta was homed with me for a good deal and because he really stood out against all the others)

EDIT: Better Pictures of my fish:

 

[Gryphon]

Bettas are awesome fish. I was very sad to see that fad where people would have a betta in a vase with a plant taking up the entire top of the bowl, because bettas are one of the few fish that actually needs to breathe air! So people were actually drowning their fish through ignorance. They're also insectivores, so even if they weren't suffocating, they'd starve to death because misinformed sellers told buyers that they'd live without feeding, they'd just nibble on the plant for sustenance. >_< They of course can't eat that, nor can they eat goldfish food (they're for the most part herbivores).

It looks like you have a very handsome male, the males are the ones who tend the eggs and fry. They make a bubble nest out of saliva and air in a spot they like, then after mating with the female will pick up her eggs and place them in the nest. (raising betta fry is VERY difficult though, so I don't advise beginners to even try. You need a complex setup of varying sized live feeds for them as they grow, and then someplace to separate out a few dozen siblings) While your bowl is no doubt MUCH better than what he was kept in at the store (I HATE those stupid little cups!) he'd actually be happier in a larger 10 gallon (or larger!) tank. The reason for this is that bettas like their water a bit warm, and the temperature steady. It's hard to reliably heat a small bowl of water without making it too hot, and the temperature of a small amount of water fluctuates wildly depending on where it's placed. Oh, here's a good tip if it looks like your betta is looking a bit ill and you can't tell what it is. Add a tiny bit of aquarium salt to the water. It changes the water enough that a lot of parasites/fungus don't like it, but bettas come from brackish shallow water so they actually like it.

This is my betta, Victim. I was hoping for a royal crown betta (they have a neat looking frayed edge to their fins) but he looked so pathetic and sad at the pet shop in that dinky little bowl that I had to get him. Bad of me for supporting that kind of setup, but hey, at least it wasn't wal-mart.

He has a great stinkeye on him, doesn't he? The bubbles are from the filter, I've found that he likes playing in the stream of water. I might get him a companion at some point, like a ghost shrimp.

 

[Whittni]

That's a nice story. I have him by that dolfin thing because it gives off a little bit of light, heat and keeps him company until I can get a bubble filter for my 10gal tank.

 

[Gryphon]

Good plan! Plus it probably gives him a bit of entertainment, watching it. Bettas are actually pretty smart, I've heard people with bettas that recognized them, and learned some tricks like swimming through a hoop or going to a certain spot in the tank to be fed.

 

[Whittni]

That's cool, I dunno how old my bud is though, but guess we'll see!

 

[lillypad268]

You may want a larger cage, they can live in tiny little spaces but don't necessarily like it. They also breathe with their labyrinth organ as Gryphon said. Also they are tropical fish and need a nice warm tank (around 80 degrees F). There are some good books on bettas and beautiful color variations =]
I've breed bettas a couple time, they are great fish.
You should post more photos of him if you get the chance

 

[lillypad268]

That's a nice story. I have him by that dolfin thing because it gives off a little bit of light, heat and keeps him company until I can get a bubble filter for my 10gal tank.

oh you're getting a 10 gallon set up? sorry idk why I didn't read that earlier, that's awesome =D

 

[lillypad268]

Bettas are awesome fish.

I was very sad to see that fad where people would have a betta in a vase with a plant taking up the entire top of the bowl, because bettas are one of the few fish that actually needs to breathe air! So people were actually drowning their fish through ignorance. They're also insectivores, so even if they weren't suffocating, they'd starve to death because misinformed sellers told buyers that they'd live without feeding, they'd just nibble on the plant for sustenance. >_< They of course can't eat that, nor can they eat goldfish food (they're for the most part herbivores).
It looks like you have a very handsome male, the males are the ones who tend the eggs and fry. They make a bubble nest out of saliva and air in a spot they like, then after mating with the female will pick up her eggs and place them in the nest. (raising betta fry is VERY difficult though, so I don't advise beginners to even try. You need a complex setup of varying sized live feeds for them as they grow, and then someplace to separate out a few dozen siblings) While your bowl is no doubt MUCH better than what he was kept in at the store (I HATE those stupid little cups!) he'd actually be happier in a larger 10 gallon (or larger!) tank. The reason for this is that bettas like their water a bit warm, and the temperature steady. It's hard to reliably heat a small bowl of water without making it too hot, and the temperature of a small amount of water fluctuates wildly depending on where it's placed. Oh, here's a good tip if it looks like your betta is looking a bit ill and you can't tell what it is. Add a tiny bit of aquarium salt to the water. It changes the water enough that a lot of parasites/fungus don't like it, but bettas come from brackish shallow water so they actually like it.
This is my betta, Victim. I was hoping for a royal crown betta (they have a neat looking frayed edge to their fins) but he looked so pathetic and sad at the pet shop in that dinky little bowl that I had to get him. Bad of me for supporting that kind of setup, but hey, at least it wasn't wal-mart.

He has a great stinkeye on him, doesn't he?

The bubbles are from the filter, I've found that he likes playing in the stream of water. I might get him a companion at some point, like a ghost shrimp.

and beautiful boy!

 

[Kevin565]

Lovely Betta

. I've kept a variety of bettas through out the years but always kept them in my community tanks

 

[Whittni]

Better Pictures of my fish: