Me and my sad fish.

[Diva Chins]

So, I go to the pet store today to get some timothy hay for the chins. I happen to walk by a small shelf where one little lone beta is in a tiny cup and stop. I thought he looked sad, the fiance said 'Ah, he's just chillin' so, I end up getting the lil guy. He's a beta, mainly red, I just have got him home and into his new environment. I've owned betas before, but I figured I'd let all my CnH buddies give a shout out to my newest addition (And the ONLY new addition for a very long time, I'm seriously just going to start having everything shipped to my house) Lil' Hambone (After my guy.) I bought him a little beta environment, it came with two of those little plastic tree thingies and some rocks but I bought some prettier ones to go in it (Carolina blue, fiance's suggestion) and right now he looks pretty happy to be in such a BIG habitat now, just swimming around like a cool cat and checking everything out. I'm going to wait til he gets comfortable, then snap some pics. Since I didn't have internet the last time I owned betas, I was wondering if anyone had any care tips. Mkay, thankies bunches.

(I just realized, I might want to specify I still did buy the timothy hay, I had my fiance to carry it while I got my Lil Hambone up to the counter to pay. I just didn't want anyone to think I skipped out)

 

[threewingedfury]

Awww I love bettas At one point of time, I had over 20 of them, then they got old and passed over the rainbow bridge (most of them I bought from Wal-Mart because they were in such horrible conditions I couldn't stand it). I had betta bowls EVERYWHERE. Right now I just have one and he's housed with an african dwarf frog and they get along so well. Make sure to keep their water clean weekly. Their bowls smell SO badly if you don't. I give mine live bloodworms (you can get the frozen or freeze-dried) for treats and he goes crazy. I love muh lil buddy

 

[Jenn]

I have had a few bettas and they are easy to care for. They can't be kept with other bettas because they will fight. If you put a mirror up to them they will flare up. I was under the impression, though, that their natural habitat is murky water...not the cleanest of water. They are such a pretty fish.

 

[Diva Chins]

I have had a few bettas and they are easy to care for. They can't be kept with other bettas because they will fight. If you put a mirror up to them they will flare up. I was under the impression, though, that their natural habitat is murky water...not the cleanest of water. They are such a pretty fish.

Haha, yeah, I had one and if you pressed your finger against the side of his bowl, he'd puff up trying to look big and bad. I think his name was Rocky after Rocky Balboa (SP) because he was so big n bad.

 

[threewingedfury]

The original bettas did live in murky water such as streams and ponds in Thailand and Malaysia. They are also nothing like the bettas that we buy in pet stores. The originals are dingy looking with small fins. These thrive on clean water and the dingy water just allows bacteria to thrive. You have to be careful when you change their water though. You can't just change all of it at one time without putting the fish into shock. It's best to have a 5 gallon aquarium with a heat source and a filter. That way you change 10-20% of the water weekly. If you use small betta bowls (which I started out with and learned that it only harms them) then you need to do a 30-50% change weekly and check the pH. They do need warm water though, as they can end up with a fatal disease otherwise. Don't use bottled water, it can be harmful. You can just use tap water that has been filtered. It's better to treat the water with a product that will take any chlorine or harmful chemicals before you use the water. You can use AmQuel and Stress Coat.. and I'm sure many others.

I have had a few bettas and they are easy to care for. They can't be kept with other bettas because they will fight. If you put a mirror up to them they will flare up. I was under the impression, though, that their natural habitat is murky water...not the cleanest of water. They are such a pretty fish.

 

[Diva Chins]

I keep checking in on Lil Hambone to make sure he's alright. It's a pain since I'm trying to clean cages (One down, 2 to go) and get everything ready. I sold Bubbles's cage so I'm taking one of my other ones, covering up the top entry hole and etting her stay in it til this Sunday when I can get the...FERRET NATION CAGE! WOO WOO!

 

[Veronica]

I used to work at a fish store as a side job. The bettas come shipping in little inflated plastic bags with a couple tablespoons of water. Somehow almost all of them arrived alive. It's really amazing that fish make it at all (think airline delays in bad weather and fish sitting in the minimum amount of water possible in bags inside boxes).

The cool thing about fish is watching them thrive. I have 3 big ole' goldfish that started as 15 cent feeders about 8 years ago. Now they're about 8 - 10 inches each.

Congrats on your new[est] buddy!

 

[Diva Chins]

I used to work at a fish store as a side job. The bettas come shipping in little inflated plastic bags with a couple tablespoons of water. Somehow almost all of them arrived alive. It's really amazing that fish make it at all (think airline delays in bad weather and fish sitting in the minimum amount of water possible in bags inside boxes).

The cool thing about fish is watching them thrive. I have 3 big ole' goldfish that started as 15 cent feeders about 8 years ago. Now they're about 8 - 10 inches each.

Congrats on your new[est] buddy!

Aww, that's awful the way they ship them =[ I can proudly announce that my Lil Hambone will be very spoiled. After I get my Ferret Nation cage, I'll be upgrading his surroundings to a big fish tank with lots of 'toys'.
I hope he lives long enough to get real big, that'd be awesome. I'd love to see some pics of your fishies. It's been so long since I've owned fish (I'd say a good 8-10 years) I'm still in shell shock.

 

[threewingedfury]

He's probably as large as he's gonna get. Maybe a tiny bit bigger, but probably not too much. The only "toys" they really need are places to hide. They love to hide behind rocks, as they feel protected from predators. Fake plants work well too.

 

[Diva Chins]

He's probably as large as he's gonna get. Maybe a tiny bit bigger, but probably not too much. The only "toys" they really need are places to hide. They love to hide behind rocks, as they feel protected from predators. Fake plants work well too.

I was thinking about getting him one of those hollowed out glass rock thingies with all the holes he can go in and out of, i thought that might amuse him. He's got 2 fake plants in there right now.

 

[JennyBug]

I had a betta that lived for almost 4 years (they are a long living fish if you care for them properly). He lived through moves to and from college and a trip down the sink drain (it was terrible... I still feel horrible about it. I called campus security to get him out and I was crying the whole time... he was angry with me, but he lived over a year after that!). They are pretty, but they usually don't need huge tanks (I put Blinky in one and he COMPLETELY freaked out... wouldn't come out of the castle). Make sure not to put him in with any "fin nippers" (like barbs or tetras). I wouldn't even put a female in with him because they can fight during mating. Good luck with your sad fish!!

P.S. I can do you one better. I went into a pet store to get some new fish and came out with a kitten!! The fish died a week or so later, but the kitten is my fuzzy Jack-Jack!

 

[Diva Chins]

Here's a pic of Lil Hambone and his set up:

 

[3CsMommy]

Unless you keep at least one room of your house in the high 70s, he'd really benefit from having a small heater in there with him. Since they're a tropical fish, I try to keep the cool side of my betta's (Vilya) tank around 78* F, and the warm side in the low 80s. Adding a filter takes a lot of the testing and guess work out of a small tank too, but it can be hard to find one that doesn't create too much of a current. That's part of why I have a 5 gal. with plants and stuff; easier to balance water levels and keep evenly heated.

 

[Diva Chins]

Alright, I moved Lil' Hambone into the living room. It's a lot warmer in the living room than my bedroom (Keep bedroom usually at 60 degrees) and the living room is my parent's room so it always stays like a beach I swear. So maybe he'll be happier and more active in there.