# Betta Fish Stories



## bettabarbara (Aug 26, 2013)

Hi! I am new to this forum. I breed Betta fish, halfmoons. I just love Betta fish and think they really have personalities, though some people might think a fish could never have one! I would love to hear how you got started with Betta fish.....just loving them, having them or breeding them.
My 8 year old niece actually started me on them! She was going away on a family vacation for 3 weeks and asked me to "babysit" her Betta fish....I said OK, bring him over. She brought "little Anthony" over in his tiny tank, she also gave me a net, another little bowl for water changes and some Betta food. She gave me strict instructions on how to care for her little pet. While she was away she called me almost every day to check in on "little Anthony", making sure I was caring for him properly. I had him on a shelf right above the kitchen sink, every morning he would look right at me as I washed the dishes. I started to get attached to this little fish, how funny! When it was time for my niece to come home, I was getting ready to hand "little Anthony" back over to her.....by this time, his home had grown to a 1 gallon tank (I couldn't bear to keep him in that tiny tank!) To my surprise when she arrived home she told me that she was letting me keep "little Anthony"....she told me she could tell that I started to like him and she was going to back to school and figured I could take better care of him. To make a long story a bit shorter...lol...I now breed halfmoon Bettas!
Though little Anthony was a walmart rescue, he still has his own 5 gallon tank and swims proudly. He is the king of all my bettas! :fish-in-a-bag::fish10:


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

I love hearing great stories like this! Ill tell how I started now. 

When I was younger I had a little blue boy named Price. He was very handsome. Of course my mom did most of the care as I was a bit young. Prince moved 1200 miles with me from OK to SC. I was so proud he made the trip. Sad to say a few days later I found him on the living room floor crispy as I was headed out to school. I was heartbroken! I tried several times over the years to get another boy but none of them were as special as Prince. He had a wonderful personality. 

Finally when I was trying to quit smoking I figured I needed something to do. So off to the pet store I went and picked up two bettas. A male and a female. At this time I never knew you couldnt keep them together. I had a spare 29 laying about I used to house a small community in that was long gone and thought the lovely couple would be happy. They were, but a bit much! I had to research the spawning because I didnt think and wanted to be sure my babies grew well. So that was my first spawning experience and why I went on to breed a few royal blue Mohan lines, and some white platinum Al Haskel lines. Not satisfied I wanted my own lines, for show. So I purchased a few fish and started my own line of red dragon traditional plakats. I had one boy whom won third place in my very first show! During the research I discover wild species! So many different unique looking bettas! 

Sadly though I had to move again ( after moving several years back to OK it was time to go back to SC) in the dead of winter. Two weeks before our planned trip an ice storm hit, killing power and taking half my fish room. Upon arriving with the last few of my lines I noticed my boys were out of their breeding prime and the dragons were developing tumors. I didnt have the heart to continue bringing this curse upon other fish so I let my old men and ladies pass happily into old age. During this time, I became hooked on mouthbrooders! I currently house six different mouth brooding betta species! 

Ill tell more about them another day, I think ive written enough of a book.


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## bettabarbara (Aug 26, 2013)

Oh thanks for sharing that! I love hearing these type of stories too.....we all get hooked one way or another....I just purchased an imported pair of platinum white halfmoons, a sibling pair that I am going to breed.....I am planning on expanding my "hobby" into a business now that I have the room and time to do it!!


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## Avraptorhal (Jan 24, 2013)

Years ago I saw a picture in some book of a male Betta, it took my breath away. Since then every Betta I saw stopped me, I had to stand and look. Family, career and laziness stopped me from keeping any.

Since I'm now retired and a widower I needed to do something about my curiosity. Having heard that Betta are difficult to keep, I decided to setup a community tank to get my feet wet (pun intended). I started lurking on any Betta web site I could find.

I finally screwed up enough courage to set up a Betta tank. So I have a 5G planted, heated, filtered Betta tank for Yankee. He has a different personality then most of the Betta stories told me. He just about continuously patrols his home. If I come near the tank he will come to the front look at me for about a half minute then back to patrolling. I tried my wife's makeup mirror (both sides), he completely ignored it. He finally went into the half hollow log the other day. Since then he has hidden in it a couple times. He is either the most laid back Betta in existence or dumber than a rock.
Anyhow he is mine. End of story.


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## bettabarbara (Aug 26, 2013)

Since then he has hidden in it a couple times. He is either the most laid back Betta in existence or dumber than a rock.
Anyhow he is mine. End of story.[/QUOTE]

lol....he is probably just laid back....no such thing as a dumb Betta*#3
Some of my Bettas are super aggressive and some just chill out...lol


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Agree, they are smart fishes! 

They all have a nice unique personality.


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## Red (Jun 13, 2013)

I'd wanted a betta for ages, I had an established coldwater tank but every time I went to the LFS I'd go straight over to see the bettas. I researched betta care out of pure curiosity. In the end my boyfriend got me the full setup for my birthday - our friend owns the LFS store and did him a pretty good deal on the tank, filter, thermometer etc. He got me everything but the fish himself, leaving me to choose. I set it up on my desk so I'd see it every day and took weeks setting up the tank, decorating and re-decorating to get it all just right and ready to bring my new friend home to.

I'd planned to get one of the big, beautiful and impressive ones, but the one that caught my eye was a tiny, raggedy-looking thing hovering low in a corner trying to avoid all the guppies he shared with. I was on the tail-end of a nervous breakdown at the time and think I just identified with a fish so obviously battered and uncomfortable (basically he looked how I felt). I took him home and looked after him and now he's doing really well, all healed up, grown nice and big and confident. He loves strutting his stuff  he has a few otos as roommates but he ignores them. He knows he's fabulous, and every morning when I come to see him he swims up to the front of the tank and it's like he's saying "Hi! How are you? How did you sleep? Do you want breakfast? I want breakfast. Man, remember when we both used to hide out in corners and run if anybody came near us? Glad we got better. We're an awesome team! Life is good. What about that breakfast?" And then we fist-bump through the glass. Well, not really, but I bet we would if he could.

And that's my betta story.


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## bettabarbara (Aug 26, 2013)

. He knows he's fabulous, and every morning when I come to see him he swims up to the front of the tank and it's like he's saying "Hi! How are you? How did you sleep? Do you want breakfast? I want breakfast. Man, remember when we both used to hide out in corners and run if anybody came near us? Glad we got better. We're an awesome team! Life is good. What about that breakfast?" And then we fist-bump through the glass. Well, not really, but I bet we would if he could.

And that's my betta story.[/QUOTE]

I love that story!!!!! That's the best! Thanks for sharing it :fish5:


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## Laurencia7 (May 19, 2012)

I had several bettas, both male and female over the years but never kept them well because I believed some of the rumors on how to care for them back then. At one point bought at least 5 males from a local walmart because I saw they were in trouble and so pretty but I hate seeing them in those cups! They lived quite a while, but my pet sitter fed them too much and at the wrong time of night when they weren't even alert and they died. 

I console myself thinking they could have died easily at the ill equipped Walmart too, but still feel bad. I wish I could have some but don't want to fail again.


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## bettabarbara (Aug 26, 2013)

Laurencia7 said:


> I had several bettas, both male and female over the years but never kept them well because I believed some of the rumors on how to care for them back then. At one point bought at least 5 males from a local walmart because I saw they were in trouble and so pretty but I hate seeing them in those cups! They lived quite a while, but my pet sitter fed them too much and at the wrong time of night when they weren't even alert and they died.
> 
> I console myself thinking they could have died easily at the ill equipped Walmart too, but still feel bad. I wish I could have some but don't want to fail again.


Oh you should try again! Bettas are so much fun and when you know the care that they need it's so much easier. I still do what you did, when I go to the local pet shops and I see Bettas that are in distress, I sometimes can't stand to leave them there. I just had a little guy that I tried to help die on me last night....it happens....at least you tried....


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## Laurencia7 (May 19, 2012)

bettabarbara said:


> Oh you should try again! Bettas are so much fun and when you know the care that they need it's so much easier. I still do what you did, when I go to the local pet shops and I see Bettas that are in distress, I sometimes can't stand to leave them there. I just had a little guy that I tried to help die on me last night....it happens....at least you tried....


Thanks, I have three large tanks now and really must keep up with them. Maybe someday I'll have one betta. I have to avert my eyes at those darn cups every spring. I wish they got along with each other, I would get a huge tank and just fill it with bettas. They have such character and such beauty!


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## bettabarbara (Aug 26, 2013)

Laurencia7 said:


> Thanks, I have three large tanks now and really must keep up with them. Maybe someday I'll have one betta. I have to avert my eyes at those darn cups every spring. I wish they got along with each other, I would get a huge tank and just fill it with bettas. They have such character and such beauty!


I know what you mean! I have 15 tanks as of right now! You can call it a bit of an addiction :fish-in-a-bag:


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## •Blue Dragon• (Mar 8, 2021)

I was always obsessed with bettas, and watched probably 1,000+ betta videos. I surfed the web looking for betta stuff. I kept nagging and begging my parents for a betta, and after enough begging we finally got one! His name is Storm, and he's a sweet little thing. When we first bought him, he look a bit scared and wasn't in the best condition. He was quickly moved to a nice 3.5 gallon, with marbles, shells (they were big enough for him to hide in), and a plant. He started getting more happier, and his fins got better. By the end of his first week living with me he had already learned that when I open the hood of his aquarium 8t means I'm going to feed him. He's a pretty chill fish, and he rarely flared at his mirror. Its only been 3 weeks since I got him, but I loved him a lot.


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## bambishostak (4 mo ago)

Avraptorhal said:


> Years ago I saw a picture in some book of a male Betta, it took my breath away. Since then every Betta I saw stopped me, I had to stand and look. Family, career and laziness stopped me from keeping any.
> 
> Since I'm now retired and a widower I needed to do something about my curiosity. Having heard that Betta are difficult to keep, I decided to setup a community tank to get my feet wet (pun intended). I started lurking on any Betta web site I could find.
> 
> ...


Your Betta might be really smart. Perhaps he didn't react to his reflection because he knows it is his own. Also, from the Betta's perspective he might be thinking what the heck is my human doing?! Lol! I love Bettas they are such charming fish. My Betta, Mr. Zazzy is full of pizazz. He is requires A LOT of stimuli which I give him and he also blows the best bubble nests out of all my 3 Betta boyz. In addition, he is an intense fella "patrolling" his big tank and he also makes the best eye contact with me. I have never seen a Betta make such deep eye contact like mine does. Even when he was a baby he was the only Betta at the store who looked directly into my eyes and at my face. His vibes exude INTELLIGENCE! Anyways, your betta sounds very confident like mine and I am wondering if your guy on patrol makes eye contact with you too?


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