My Break-Up Fish

After a rough week where my boyfriend of 5 years and I finally decided to call it quits, I just couldn't take looking at his desk and seeing it empty.

So when I went to the pet store to trade in my Natural Balance food for a different flavor, I saw the prettiest beta looking all depressed in his little tub. I know you aren't supposed to buy pets on a whim, but I've wanted one for some time and my boyfriend wouldn't let me. I bought him and the whole kit. I even bought the pre-treated water to make it easier.

I put him on Richard's old desk. It's been only 1 hour, but he is loving his new home. He's all flared out unlike how he was in his store tub. When I look over at the empty desk, I smile when I see my new "Mr. Lonely" swimming around. I've had beta's before, but this guy really brightened my day.

Cairo must have smelled him from the moment I got home, cause she went straight to his little tub and poked her nose right into his breathing hole. His tank is the coolest TV she's ever seen. As I write this Paris just discovered him and is watching him so intently.

For those of you with fish and cats, do the cats eventually settle down about them?

First of all, since the betta was an impulse buy and I don't know how much you know about bettas here's a caresheet: http://www.flippersandfins.net/bettacaresheet.asp

You shouldn't need to use bought pre-treated water. Your tap water treated with the right conditioners is cheaper and actually better for the fish since there'll be less variation in the water and it's easier for you to change the water more often. Unless you really stock up on the pre-treated water but that's expensive and hard work to carry from the store.

If you have any questions feel free to ask. I've been keeping bettas for a few years now and I'm a mod over at a fish forum

As for cats and fish, yeah he'll ease off eventually although my Nikita still sits and watches my fishtank regularely. Be sure though that the cats can't get to the fish or tip over the fishtank.

Congrats on the new fish. I have a Beta on my kitchen counter in a huge margarita glass. Phantom just drinks the water. She used to try to swat him when he swam but she realized that everytime she stuck her paw in the bowl it got wet!

Our cats love the fishies! Some are just more pre-occupied by them than others.

I just got a male betta a couple weeks ago. He is in a 10 gallon tank with a lid and my cats could care less about him.

Originally Posted by Siggav

First of all, since the betta was an impulse buy and I don't know how much you know about bettas here's a caresheet: http://www.flippersandfins.net/bettacaresheet.asp

You shouldn't need to use bought pre-treated water. Your tap water treated with the right conditioners is cheaper and actually better for the fish since there'll be less variation in the water and it's easier for you to change the water more often. Unless you really stock up on the pre-treated water but that's expensive and hard work to carry from the store.

If you have any questions feel free to ask. I've been keeping bettas for a few years now and I'm a mod over at a fish forum

As for cats and fish, yeah he'll ease off eventually although my Nikita still sits and watches my fishtank regularely. Be sure though that the cats can't get to the fish or tip over the fishtank.

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Thanks for the fact sheet. Although I've had bettas it's been a long time and the first thing I did when I got home is google up as much info as I can find. Your sheet had good info. He's in a 1.5 gallon tank, and boy does he love to swim.

My last betta met such a tragic death because he jumped out of his bowl, so I got one with a lid also to protect the poor thing from my cats. They love to knock stuff off tables and counters so I've put his bowl on a slide free matt on the desk and it feels very sturdy now. I'm so proud of the little guy, he even ate his first pellet.

Yay! Good for you!
Kitty is only interested in my albino corys`, but he hasn`t lost interest yet and it`s been almost 3 years! He always has to supervise with the cleaning out too so beware!

I have a red and blue betta in a 5 gallon imitation-Eclipse tank from Walmart. Seb doesn't really care about Mr Fish (very creative name, I know) but Daphne thinks he is the coolest think ever!

My parents' cat would sit beside the fishbowl and dip her paws into the water ... for a drink! She wasn't the least bit interested in the fish.

With my cats I wouldn't have fish (or anything other than other cats, or maybe a dog), but Spike can be a bit much for anyone to take, much less a poor helpless fish. Another cat could at least run away from him (although goodness knows Oz tries and Spike just follows him around like a lost little puppy).

I've had bettas before, too, and they're just lovely! Their colours can be very dramatic and they develop interesting personalities. One of the bettas I had decided the plant in its tank had to die. It would spend hours trying to kill that poor plastic plant. One day I came home and the plant was floating at the top of the bowl, with Mellon (the betta) swimming triumphantly around it.

Originally Posted by Mirinae

One of the bettas I had decided the plant in its tank had to die. It would spend hours trying to kill that poor plastic plant. One day I came home and the plant was floating at the top of the bowl, with Mellon (the betta) swimming triumphantly around it.

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I'm so surprised at how much Mr. Lonely likes his plant. He's been dancing around it since he got in the tank. And he slides through it all the time. My previous betta didn't like plants at all and would avoid the other half of the tank until I took it out.

Both my girls are ignoring Mr. Lonely now. There are much cooler things outside at this time of year, so it's back to the big screen TV (aka window) for them.

I have a big red betta in a 1.5 gallon tank, and Scooter loves it. The fish will flex his fins like he wants to fight, and Scooter will hunker down like he is going to pounce. They will go on like this for a few minutes until one of them gives up. Fluffy likes to bat at the tank with her paws and make the fish swim away. I guess I should give the fish a name.

I love these fishies too, I just bought two lovely females today. One is pure white and the other is dark blue.

Quill likes to watch the bettas, and I've caught him drinking the water but other than that he leaves them alone.

stimpy is the only one of my cats who really watches the fish. we have a 10-gal with neons and a couple cory cats. and my 2 gallon eclipse explorer has white clouds in it. before the white clouds, i had a betta in the little tank. i love bettas but just don't have good luck with them. we've had the 10 gallon longer than we've had stimpy and he still loves it. i think his favorites are the cory cats. he also likes to watch the white clouds in the little tank.

the other 2 were more interested in the fish when we had a bad apartment that we couldn't open the blinds in.

I'm so happy at how well he's settled in. The cats come visit him every now and then. Cairo goes straight for the lid, making her intentions quite obvious. He seems to like Paris. When she comes to visit him, she presses her nose up against the tank, and he goes nose to nose with her. Sometimes he's flared, sometimes not.

He's got a dark red face that fades to a dark blue body and fins.

If he startles easily, keep any tank decorations to a minimum.
Vash still loves to watch my tank, but he killed off some of my fish by causing them to dash themselves against the rock decor I had.
Vash gets so excited he bumps his head against the tank, which of course startles the fish.

So far he hasn't started that habit back up since I moved my tank to the kitchen counter.

Congratulations on your new fish! I used to have bettas, before we had cats. Now, I'm pretty sure a fishy wouldn't last long in our house. Tailer has a very strong hunting instinct, and he's smart enough to figure out how to get into locked canisters...it wouldn't take long for him to figure out how to open a fish tank.