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  • First Betta

    OK, You've convinced me to take the betta plunge. What would you recommend? I want to get a red one for my desk at work, but can they go a couple of days without food over the weekend? Also, They turn the AC off during the weekend. Thoughts?

  • #2
    Re: First Betta

    Bettas are pretty tough little guys.  They survive in mud puddles and you know how temerature fluxuates between the noon day sun and the midnight breeze.

    I kept one on my desk at my last job.   I used a fancy half gallon square vase with legs and stained glass trim around the top with multicolored gravel in the bottom.  He was a 2nd place multi-colored betta that matched the stained glass and the gravel.   A real eyecatcher.   I kept a gallon milk jug filled with water under my desk and on mondays I would pour him into my coffee cup, rince out his bowl and fill it with aged water from the milk jug.  Then refill the milk jug for next week.  I kept dry betta pellets in a little test tupe and fed him twice a day 2 or 3 pellets.  But I had to hide the food on weekends or the cleaning crew would give him way to much food and monday morning his home would be cloudy.

    We ship bettas all over for sales and for shows.   To ship one, we stop feeding the day before we pack so they wont poop in the small bag we ship them in.   The small bag is filled 1/3 water and 2/3 air (I sometimes use O2).  Then we double bag them to make sure the water doesn't leak out.  They are placed in a small dark box and flown overnight to their destination.  But sometimes they don't make it overnight.   Shipments to Alaska take 2 days.   I had one shipment leave Thiland on Friday and not show up.  On monday we found them in London.  They flew back to Thiland, flew on to California where the trans-shipper repacked them in american water (forign water is considered toxic waist) and then they were shipped to me here in Houston, Arriving on Friday.... one full week after they left with no food or TLC.  I was thrilled that they all made it in good shape with one exception.  One of the males had a small tear in his caudal fin.
    'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust ...'
    He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four-year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'

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    • #3
      Re: First Betta

      Patty used to keep a betta on her desk. Houston had a big flood and a lot of the hospitals and office buildings with basements got flooded out. There was no power for over a week and the company operated out of employee's homes. She was not able to get in there to take care of the betta. When she finally got back the water in the fish bowl was all dark green and she was surprized to find the betta still alive.

      I would rank her knowledge in this forum as beginner and mine as less than that.

      max

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      • #4
        Re: First Betta

        How much should I expect to pay for one? I really like the blue or red half-moons. Do you have any for sale?

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        • #5
          Re: First Betta

          I just bought a really nice show quality female on aquabid for $20 but when you do that you have to pay for shipping $32 for overnight shipping.
          I have seen fantastic stock go for over $100 +shipping.   I think the higest I have seen for a single male (best of show) was $185.

          However one of our members is planning on bringing a few dozen to the HAS auction (don't want to flood the market) They should be under $10.    If you don't find what you want there, let me know and I will add it to our group order. We are planning to bring 100 show quality / breeders in from Thiland soon and split the shipping costs.
          'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust ...'
          He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four-year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: First Betta

            I have three.  One is in a 1 gallon with an undergravel filter (like the kind you get at Wal-Mart).  One is in one of those Red Sea open top 1 gallons with the little hang-on-back filter, and one is in a 10 gallon with some mollies.  I spoil my bettas but If you plan to keep one in a bowl make sure it's at least a half gallon and be ready for frequent water changes.

            I've gotten most of the bettas I've kept from either Fish Ranch off of 59 and Bellaire or Village Tropical Fish on Shepard at Richmond and have usually done well.  I did actually buy a betta from Wal-Mart once and even though all the bettas in that store looked good, this one didn't last a week.

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            • #7
              Re: First Betta

              Actually on occasion you can find some pretty good bettas at Fish Ranch and Village and what was once Neptune.   Members of the BettaHabari trade / sell some of their surplus stock at the stores they frequent.
              'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust ...'
              He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four-year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: First Betta

                The truth is that most bettas are not bullet proof.  They need warm water, which you can accomplish by buying a heater to put in his bowl/container.  Although many think it's ok to keep them in small containers it's not advisable to keep them in anything smaller than 1 gallon.  Provide clean treated water, plants (soft-plastic or natural, depends on setting) and a hide-away (sunken boat-coffee mug, etc). Also provide a varied diet - blood worms (dry or frozen), shrimp (frozen), peas (frozen) and mine also like betta bites.  You don't have to feed them all those but try and vary the diet now and then.  They go through a lot of stress during shipment and then stored in those little tiny plastic containers.  If you want your bettas to last then try to take good care of them.

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