luna

Okay, I know that fish stores are horrible, evil empires that cruelly confine the fishies...they all just look so sad and sluggish in those awful plastic cups or tiny bowls.

Since they ALL look to be in poor condition, what should I look for to have the best chance of bringing home a good one? Once I've got everything ready to set up my tank, and have it cycled, I'd like to be sure I bring home a fish that isn't beyond saving...

Thanks in advance.

Blub

luna

Blub

roxanne

first the test strips are unreliable, second cycle really isn't that good i would suggest api stress coat(conditioner+stress reducer) ... you should look for a fish with healthy fins. no spots any where on the fish you can really look and tell if its healthy i agree they all seem miserable in those tiny bowls. but look for some degree of activity they are rather curious and like to watch whats going on around them

luna

Oh, I will! I like taking pictures of my pets. I'm not quite ready yet, though. I've got to clear out a good, stable space for the tank and get a few more things before I set it up.

Any suggestions, besides blocking off the back 3 sides of the tank to reduce reflections...and would those rolls of decorative aquarium "wallpaper" work well for that? They're...pretty...but I don't know much about them, or even how to "install" them.

*waves "Newbie" flag with pride*

ricktavious

To "install" a wall paper on a tank, just tape it to the back on the outside of the tank. That's all there is to it

bbfeckawitts

Petsmart has the best bettas IMO. Got both of mine there and they are great. Also they have the biggest cups for them that I have seen. Atleast one and a half times the size petco has. Good luck and we love pictures!

luna

Okay, that's really simple. I just hadn't looked at it closely enough to know if it had self-adhesive, or anything like that. Now I feel a little stupid...>_>

So, any input on changes to my "Need" list? I'll add wallpaper to the list, and water conditioner can be upgraded to stress coat.

Blub

Allie

I just look for the first one trying to get my attention...if they are that alert then they should be ok...but the quality of care of betta is horrible all over the place. You should maybe call the store ahead of time to see when they are getting their new shipment in. That's what I usually do & ask how long they have been at the store.

ricktavious

Also, my local Petsmart does a good job of keeping the bettas alive and healthy as possible. The Petco has numerous dead bettas everytime I've gone in The Petsmart actually medicates bettas who are not feeling well. Out of all the times I've been in there, I've only seen one dead betta, whereas I do not think I've seen less than 5 on either of my two Petco trips. I will never return to that Petco as long as I live.

luna

I have a couple of LFS's in my area (neither are big chain stores like "Deathco" and "Deathsmart", but that doesn't mean they're better >_>). One has more stock and smaller cups, the other has fewer fish in larger (but still tiny) bowls...and is the only place I've ever seen female bettas for sale.

I'm inclined to pick from the place that chooses to have fewer fish and larger containers...it makes them seem like they care a little more about the animals than the profit.

A question, though...they aren't as flashy, but would a lone female betta still make for a good fish companion, and would a female have any issues with the reflection my hex tank might cause with a male?

ricktavious

Many here say that females have a better personality in general. I think they are all a bunch of fun, but a lone female is a great choice. They are also less agressive than males, so the chances of a reflection freak out are less.

luna

chickadee

I have not been so trusting as most...I do not shop the pet stores and I am not so brave so as to rescue the little ones from the cups. This is not totally because I am a person who does not care but because I cannot get out but about one time a year to shop and then mostly not in a petstore unless I happen to get someone to take me. I do my shopping on the internet. So I have come to know the breeders and dealers who carry good quality fish and who will send me healthy fish. I have only been burned one time. That was the one time I bought a fish from a person in Thailand and had it sent through a transhipper direct and he arrived with a case of finrot starting and it progressed continually for a year no matter what I did for him. The fish I bought through the people I did business with off of eBay, especially the bettas I have bought most recently have been of exceptional quality and health. They have been well cared for before I received them and they do not ship fish that have defects or problems. Many times I have asked about fish and they have refused to send them until they are sure they are going to be through a quarantine period of good health with them after they receive them. None of this get them one day and ship them out the next with them.

Perhaps it is not considered politically correct not to rescue bettas from the stores but some of us do not have the opportunity to do so and this is how it is handled in the absence of a fish store that carries bettas.

Rose

Shaina

Well, since in rescuing a betta from a pet store you are also supporting the pet store and encouraging them to get yet more bettas, I don't see how taking the time to find and support proper breeders could be considered immoral.

COBettaCouple

With the pet stores, really it's hit or miss on getting healthy ones. The best chance is getting them 1 day after a shipment arrives at the store. Then they've had the least pet store abuse.

Allie

ITA.

luna

I've picked up most everything I need now...I think? While I was out shopping and comparing prices of foods and supplies, I checked out the LFS that's actually reasonably close and convenient (where I'd be running if I needed something right away)...and the only one with female bettas.

I figured I'd take note of how many girls they had and how they looked. The cups were small, but all 8 girls were pretty lively...and most of them gave me what I call the "puppy" look. You know...that look a puppy will give you, wagging its tail and looking cute and trying to get you to take them home. THAT look. They were all cute...but one of them was putting on a really good show.

Now, I'm not a huge fan of red colored fish (just don't like red as a color all that much, not just on fish), but this girl had a mostly white body with red fins, and she had some red on her lips like she was wearing lipstick. Which made her look like she was pouting at me... If my tank was set up and cycled, she'd be my first fishie...she was that cute and convincing.

I'm guessing that's the kind of reaction I'm supposed to be looking for, on my part and theirs?

chickadee

That's it!! The one that reaches out and grabs you for some reason...and you are hooked. You have the idea now. Sounds like a little Cambodian Female.

Rose

Blub

bbfeckawitts

What I used on my bettas tank was black construction paper. I just taped a few pieces together for my 10 gal and it worked great! No glare, and you would not know it was construction paper. It comes in lots of other colors too. Sounds like your betta will have a good home. Sorry if you have already posted this, but is your tank already cycled? The little female sounds adorable! My sister has a female betta in with her community tank. I told her it was not a good idea, but she had already had the fish home, I had no idea she was getting it! Luckily it DOES get along OK but not with small fish. I know it could turn on the fish anytime but it has veen in there for months with no "mysterious" deaths. It doesn't seem to have much of a personality, but thats not to say other females don't. Lots of people have them and love them, but I am more to my boys. Not getting any more though, sadly, I don't have any room! Also I don't *think* the girls are as suceptible (sp?) to finrot, just like other less-finned fish. So that is a plus. I'm sure you can't go wrong no matter which you choose.

Brianna

voiceless_kat

Follow your heart, you will just know, and end up with a wonderful pet to love.
Val

COBettaCouple

That's how Chloe got Stacy to bring her home and I remember Angel when I first saw her in the cup at the store - she swam right over to my finger and looked up at me, told me "take me home!"

LuvaBetta

I have to go with Shaina on this one. That's why we don't go in and rescue ALL of them, isn't it? They'll just bring more...

Ksimm

Vegtable oil works really well for adhering aquarium backings. Just put a thin layer on the background and stick it on. Clings well and will come right off when you're ready.

chickadee

I do love the suggestion, Val. Follow your heart has always worked for me and other than the very first betta I owned, I have never seen one in the stores and purchased it. Not because I am a heartless monster who does not rescue store bettas but because I very rarely go to petstores. I do almost all my shopping online. I will have to admit that my chances of getting a fish who is unhealthy are diminished this way but I got the sickest fish I ever owned this way too. The little guy I did buy at Walmart actually ended up being fairly healthy considering that I was a total noob and knew NOTHING about ANYTHING. He cycled the tank for me and made me love him so much that I just started doing daily 50% water changes. Don't ask me why, I certainly had not read a book or done any study of any kind and I had him for 3 months before I came to Fishlore.com.
You will observe the fish and one of them will call to you in a way that I truly believe means that this purchase was meant to be. It does happen this way on the internet too, but differently. You can look at the fish's picture and read about it and it grabs you.
I am not always struck by the prettiest fish but by the one that has "that stance".

I hope some of this has helped.

Rose