Bought the cats a new pet betta...

He's a little spitfire! He's circling the tank flaring at me, and all I'm doing is sitting here typing. He was even charging the kitten ealier today! I can't wait to see what happens when Merlin tries to break into the tank for a drink.

I've been having the worst luck with fish. I woke up on X-mas morning to find my last ten dead, and they were in two completely separate tanks.... So I thought it was time to start again, and decided on getting another betta. The boys (my cats) love to fish watch, and I thought something flashy would get their attention.

Somehow, and I'm really not sure how, I found a pearly white betta with one tiny grey spot on his dorsal fin, and who has grey colorings around his gills. I've never seen a betta like him before in the local stores. He's gorgeous! I'm hoping his color doesn't change as he gets older! I don't have a name for him yet. My friend and I have always chosen Japanese names for our bettas, and I'm having a hard time deciding on a name this time. My last five were named Chi, Tai, Shima, Iro, and Sei.

I love bettas! I had an aqua blue one once whom I named Kamehameha.

See what he does if you point your index finger at the tank firght outside of the tank. I used to do that with mine and he would get so upset!!!

Good luck with your Betta!

what is a betta? is it a japanese fighting fish?

Have you ever seen them actually fight? I didn't know what to expect when a guy I know dropped 2 in the same tank, but they really went at it. They will lock lips and roll, chase each other around, biting and diving. It is wild! After a few minutes, he moved one of them into another bowl, before one of them got hurt.

What is a Betta? I have never heard of one of those?!!
Do you have a photo? The markings sound lovely!

Have you thought of a name yet? Good luck with your new fish!

You can type Betta in google and look at their pic
I left my fish tank back in frankfurt.
Apparently bens sister doesnt want hers anymore... and she has 4 goldfish in hers. One of them is beautiful but she never looks after it.
Now she is in rehab so i dont think anyone will be feeding them and i would love to take them. But it has no lid.
No doubt teufel will eat them lol!

I plan to buy a big fish tank next month.

Sar/ Huggles here you go:

http://www.bcbetta.com/

there are some neat pics in there. I used to own bettas, but they died...
They are so pretty.

I've had three males, and so far all of them ran and hid whenever I put my finger against the tank. lol.

Yes, they are also known as Siamese Fighting Fish, Betta, or Beta. They're relatively easy to care for as they can survive in small (glass jar size) containers and don't require filtration or heaters like other fish. They breath air from the surface with something called a lanbrynth organ, and are in the same family as gouramis. They do alot better in a larger tank, though. I wouldn't want to be penned in a tiny cage all of my life. All of my bettas have had a full tank to swim around in, and so has my friend's.

Bettas became a real craze here in the states a few years back. Because they're so beautiful and come in every colour imaginable (solid and mixed), it's easy to find one that matches a room or your favourite colour. They're also cheap, about 4 dollars per fish for store bought ones. (The "Specialty Bettas" that are for showing can run hundreds of dollars for a pair, though.) Anyways, someone figured out that they could live a reasonably long time in a gallon size glass vase (about 3.5 L), along with a peace lily stuck on top. Unfortunately, people thought that the betta would eat the lily, and never fed them, and they starved to death because they're carnivores. So pet stores started carrying tons of them to replace all the ones that kept dying. I think through finally getting the word out that the fish requires work (ie. feedings every day) the craze has died down. Stores still carry a lot of them, but it's sad because they're kept in small cups (because they'll kill each other if kept together), and large chain stores (speciallizing in pets or otherwise) don't take good care of them.

They can live a long time, too. My neighbor has had one for almost three and a half years now, and it likes to be petted. Really, she'll stick her finger in the water and he'll come swimming up and start rubbing her. They also seem to grasp that you provide the food, and treat you accordingly. I've always thought of them as the cats of the fish world. Flashy, proud, playful, and they tend to treat humans the same.

we've had a lot of betas, but not since we have had Adelaide...hmm

the last beta that we had was in his tank for a day and then "played dead". he laid down on the gravel--seriously--for like a day. I tried everything, jiggled the tank and all--my then boyfriend was like, that is a dead fish.

so, we took all the crap out of the tank and poured out some water, scooped the fish and all of the sudden it sprung to life and just about jumped out of the net. He went on to live a happy 2 1/2 years (which I think is great for a fish) and we named him Lazarus, obviously

I have a betta right now that the boys love. Samwise especially loves Izzy (the betta) he sits at the end of the love seat and watches him swim around. Very cute to watch.

I also have a betta. There's a link for betta at the very bottom of every TCS page.

SharonKay, that is one of the coolest stories I've ever heard! What a lucky fish!!


And um, duh... I never looked that far down the page. heh



I think I'm going to call him Taka, which means hawk. When I was driving to the store where I got him I scared a hawk that must have been eating on the side of the rode. He flew parallel to my car at eye level, sideways, for almost half a block. I've learned to listen to signs over the years. Besides, it makes a pretty name.