# My Betta Boy



## fishfinder (Aug 31, 2008)

I've uploaded some admittedly poor quality pics of my boy betta 2 - 2.5 years old. I tried to catch him in all his color changes. I deleted the one that made him look totally bronze. I Believe he is a metallic lavender with a bronze cap. I see three layers of color, topmost is metallic, then a pink-red pigment, then a blue pigment. He was sold to me by my LFS as a half-moon about 1.5 years ago. His finnage isn't great, but his color and personality are!

Does anyone have any idea what color he really is? He's such a chameleon, changing colors from pink to lavender to blue, to bronze. Any breeders out there with a proper name?


----------



## fishfinder (Aug 31, 2008)

I hope I have copied the correct codes to insert the pics.









Once again, I apologize for the poor quality with lightbulb flashes and general blurryness.


----------



## MediaHound (Jul 19, 2006)

I don't know the name but he is beautiful! Cool tank, too.


----------



## fishfinder (Aug 31, 2008)

Thank you! I just have him in a small 1.8 gallon with filtration ( my photo cube actually), a small immersible heating pad, some decorations and plants. He's got a couple of buddies in the tank with him, my chain loach (who took a nip out of his tail a month ago), and a pseudomugil furcatus. They seem well balanced. I just loved his color and had to get him. I'm trying to plan ahead knowing he might not be around too much longer. I haven't decided on a new color yet.


----------



## MediaHound (Jul 19, 2006)

Well... take lots of pics in that case  Maybe even a video


----------



## Fishboydanny1 (Jun 13, 2008)

he looks fine! I heard of an experiment done in a laboratory on bettas that were chased around the tank every day (and probably many more things were done than I know) and the bettas lived NINE YEARS!!! at the time the book was written (that I read this), those same nine year old bettas were still alive!

my three year old betta may be a little thin, but he still builds bubble nests. i bet that if I put a ready female with him now, i'd soon have fry!!!


----------



## fishfinder (Aug 31, 2008)

Wow, nine years!! That is truly amazing. The oldest betta I've heard of was five. My guy gave up on bubble nests when I turned up the bubbles for them. He watches them, if the air is too low, he comes out to stare at me and goes back to the bubble flow, turns to see if I'm watching, then comes back ... lol. He worries over those bubbles. Don't they have great personalities?


----------



## smegforbrains (Nov 13, 2008)

A gorgeous betta matey


----------



## fishfinder (Aug 31, 2008)

Thank you!

And welcome to the forum.


----------



## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

He is very lovely and it is a testament to your good care that he is doing so well after that length of time. You can be proud and, yes, they do have wonderful personalities and they let you know it often enough. I have Chain Loaches with one of my boys and he likes them and they play a lot. (2 Chain Loaches and a Queen Arabesque Pleco with him) He leaves the pleco alone but the loaches and betta play and chase each other all day, but I have never had any nipping.


----------



## fishfinder (Aug 31, 2008)

Thank you Chickadee. I'm glad to hear that someone else keeps chain loaches with their bettas. I thought it might work out well since they are roughly from the same part of the world, although the loach is from hill streams (if there were any left in the wild) and the betta from turbid river drainages. My betta was getting lazy and perhaps a little sullen alone, resting alot. So I switched my loach to keep him company. He immediately perked up as did the loach who wasn't so happy in the cichlid tank. They've been together for about 10 months now, playing and chasing.  The little pseudomugil entered the scene when he caused too much commotion in my small community tank a couple of months ago. So far so good. They are all happy and healthy and well matched. I wouldn't want to add any more though. That is alot of fish for a small tank.


----------



## MinxMermaid (Nov 17, 2008)

fishfinder said:


> Wow, nine years!! That is truly amazing. The oldest betta I've heard of was five. My guy gave up on bubble nests when I turned up the bubbles for them. He watches them, if the air is too low, he comes out to stare at me and goes back to the bubble flow, turns to see if I'm watching, then comes back ... lol. He worries over those bubbles. Don't they have great personalities?


I love this story....so cute.... i love when you can see their little brains at work!


----------



## candycane (Jan 19, 2008)

I absolutely LOVE him! Don't have a name for the color though. Cool decor in the tank,too!


----------



## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

It looks like his scales are tipped in black in which case he has a bit of black lace in him. Otherwise I would call him a Chocolate and I have only ever seen one other in the time I have shopped for them but I do not shop in the stores at all.


----------



## fishfinder (Aug 31, 2008)

Chocolate is a great color. But no black I'm afraid. He has a steel blue undertone. The edges of his tail and fins are steel blue. The overlay is pink/copper. The overall effect is a metallic lavender. In looking at the bettas on Aquabid, I'd almost have to say copper. But the light is not good in my pictures. He looks much more copper since I put a half and half (actinic/white) flourescent fixture above them. That may affect how the color is perceived. It washes out the blue somewhat.


----------

