Barney Stinson

I don't know who likes my new betta fish more, myself or my cats. They just sit there and watch or put their paw on the glass, there's nothing to worry about though. They can't get to him.



And a shot of Bailey in her "watching spot"



Cats have such hard lives

I love betta fish. They're so beautiful -- especially when they flare their fins. And Barney Stinson is certainly no exception! He's a beaut!

The bettas are some of my favorite fish at work (I work at PetSmart). I love changing their water and feeding them as it gives me an opportunity to look at them all. It never ceases to amaze me how distinctly unique they are from one another. I always feel bad that we keep them in those little cups, but, unfortunately, I don't have much say in that. Although, at least when I take care of them, I know I am doing all I can to ensure their health and happiness.

I used to have bettas, but it's been quite a while. As much as I love them, I have moved on. I just purchased and set up a nice-sized goldfish tank. I'm actually hoping to get a fish or two tomorrow now that the tank has cycled for about 14 days. I'm pretty stoked about getting my fishies, but I think I'm even more excited to see how the kitties react. Can we say cat TV ?!

I just hope my kitties are as enthralled with my new fish as Bailey (who is absolutely precious !) is with Barney.

Good luck with your new fish. Maybe, if I can get my act together, I'll post some pics of my tank and goldfish (along with every other critter in the house!) in the next week.

Thanks Alison!

I'm glad someone is taking care of the bettas, I bought mine at Petco and he barely had enough water to remain upright. I think he's happy now that he's out of his cold dirty water and in a nice 78 degree setup. I've heard Dwarf frogs make good tank mates, so I think I'll get one sometime soon.

Make sure you post pictures of your fish when you get them

Ooh, dwarf frogs! Another one of my favorites! Hmm, I think we just figured out why it is I work at PetSmart -- everything is my favorite !

The dwarf frogs do make ideal tank-mates for bettas. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, we don't get too many of the dwarf frogs in to my store. I guess they're not big sellers for us. I know that Petco keeps their frogs in the cups similar to what they house their bettas in, but we keep ours in our main system along with the tropical community fish (ie. neon tetras, fancy guppies). The frogs seem to get along with most everyone and definitely help with the algae to some extent. However, if you plan to get one to put with your betta, I'd definitely suggest feeding either freeze-dried or frozen (preferred) bloodworms. While the dwarf frogs will eat a flake food, they're not as keen on it as they are bloodworms. And, in all truth, the bloodworms will benefit your betta as well as they will boost the protein content of what your fish is eating. We also occasionally will throw some zucchini in with the frogs so that they can munch on that -- aquarium plants would work as well and bettas love to eat them!

I'm sure Barney loves his nice, new set-up. I hate that the bettas are kept in such small containers, but, apparently, they swim in very shallow water in their natural habitat. I had my bettas in a 10 gallon aquariums and they just loved it! One lived for many years, but, unfortunately, one day my brother left the lid off and the other jumped out and I didn't find him in time, but otherwise he was a hardy little fellow as well. I'd recommend always making sure your aquarium lid is on tight -- but, then again, with Bailey as a constant reminder, I'm sure you'll have no problem !

As for the dwarf frog, you'll definitely have to share pics when you add one to your tank. I've personally never kept one, but my friend did and that sucker lived to be almost 7 years old! I loved him too -- he'd always "hug" your finger when you stuck it in the tank. Hopefully yours will be as friendly and will provide you, Barney, and Bailey with countless hours of entertainment!

I have a package of frozen blood worms that I got to occasionally feed to Barney to vary his diet, so that's what I would be feeding the frog. 7 years! Wow, I didn't know that they could possibly live that long.

Bettas do live in shallow water in their natural habitat, but they also have a lot of room to swim around horizontally. Keeping them in a cup isn't ideal, but there aren't many options for keeping them in a pet store. You can't keep them together and they won't do well in most community tanks.

It sounds like they trained you well at petsmart, that's where I do most of my shopping for my cats. Is that the norm there, well-trained employees? I know it's not the case at some other big chains but I've never had to ask a petsmart employee anything because I research everything myself before I go. I don't want to sound like an idiot but if I do my own research then I can only blame myself if something goes wrong which it usually doesn't.

However I've heard people recommend that African clawed frogs would be a good tank mate for a betta, which obviously is wrong. Some day you might wake up and find no betta in the tank

Barney is beautiful, I kept Betta through out college and my last one died in July. But I was soon to be married (Oct 10, ) and with moving and such I didn't think it was a great idea to get another but now we're all settled into our house I might just have to rescue another from the W mart.

Congrats on getting married. If you get another betta be sure to post pictures!

Originally Posted by atinsley

It sounds like they trained you well at PetSmart. That's where I do most of my shopping for my cats. Is that the norm there, well-trained employees? I know it's not the case at some other big chains but I've never had to ask a PetSmart employee anything because I research everything myself before I go.

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I can't speak for other PetSmart stores, but my store and the managers I work for have been very good about training and providing proper, up-to-date information to all the employees. However, that doesn't mean that everything they say is automatically correct -- there are many things that I have been "taught" that go against my opinion. For example, PetSmart's stance is that dry cat food is better for cat's teeth than wet or moist food. And, though this subject is still very much up for debate in the verterinary field, a large majority of individuals, pet owners, and vets feel that wet food is, indeed, the better option. And, there are still products on the shelves that I feel are inappropriately marketed. But, as a whole, I can honestly say that PetSmart does have the best interest of animals and their owners in mind. That's something I cannot necessarily say of other chain-type stores.

When I started working at PetSmart, I was appalled by how little about some animals I really knew -- or, rather, understood. I have always had small animals, cats, and dogs in my life. I have only just recently familiarized myself with birds (and now have a cockatiel and parakeet to prove it!) and I had no true working knowledge of reptiles or fish. With the exception of bettas and having a fish tank in the home I grew up in, I never had an interest in fish. I certainly didn't know the amount of care they required! But, through training and working with others who "specialty" was fish or reptiles, I've learned a lot. The wonderful part of working for PetSmart isn't that they trained me well (which, given their limitations, they did). Rather, the fact that they are willing to learn from others has been what sets them apart from other stores. As new information is learned, new guidelines are set in place -- PetSmart isn't married to any one idea. To me, that's what makes me want to shop there.

Feel free to talk to your local PetSmart pet care specialist. Or, really, any of the managers. While their answers should never replace your vet's instructions or your natural instinct, it is possible that they'd be able to assist you in some way, shape, or form. And give them information too -- trust me, it's much appreciated.

Wow, that really sounded like a plug for PetSmart . It wasn't meant to come off that way -- it's just that a question was asked and that was (and is) my opinion. I never thought any pet store was worth their weight in salt, but working for one has changed my views somewhat. But, I suppose, with everything, it's "take what you want and leave the rest."

Thanks again Alison!

I was actually considering applying there. Bills are a little tight right now while I'm paying tuition and I could use the extra money. It always seemed like a good place to work for an animal lover.

Aaron

I love Barney's color!! and his tank is sooo nice!