Allie

When I was out getting fish stuff the other day. I had to get a guy working at our LFS to get me blood worms. He asked what they we're for so I told him that I was into betta. We chatted a bit more when he asked...
Are you ready?
Do you keep any REAL fish other than the betta?
I gave him an odd look &and said " real fish??" It took all my will power not to go off on him and say...see this is why the poor betta in these cups are suffering, you don't even seen them as a real fish!!!
Umm isn't a betta a fish? I had to share, I just remembered the incident.

Lucy

No we only keep fake fish. lol

pinkfloydpuffer

Allie

I wonder if it's because not many people have taken the time to sit and interact with betta? If they did , they'd see they are a heck of a lot more intelligent than most fish we've kept here. More than fancy fins and pretty colors.

Steen16

I always thought sid was fake, but I have never seen a fake fish poop as much as him hehe

Lucy

They never interested me until I read about them on here.

In the stores they looks so boring. They can't move in those cups so they can't swim to you like the fish in the bigger tanks.
Now I see they're actually quite depressed, not boring.

Can you imagine how many they'd sell if they were housed in a nice 5g set up showing their beautiful fins and personalities?

Allie

LOL or eat so much eh?

Steen16

Yup! Or jump clear out the water to bite my fingers during water change!

Pandora

lol, well sometimes I wonder about the really fancy types... my orange dt boy doesn't look much like a fish anymore... and after seeing him spawn, he seems to lack much in the way of um natural type instincts (seriously, wrapping the girl upside down? How is that supposed to fertilize anything?) All fin and no brains!

Definitely, though, I think their reputation for being boring/not 'real' fish comes from how they're usually housed, and is very sad. Obviously very few people know what they are really like when properly cared for.

mrsmuffin

Same here, and now I can't imagine not having my precious Billy Voltaire!

Allie

Gosh, they'd be huge sellers if that were to ever happen.

pinkfloydpuffer

At my favorite LFS they actually have a few bettas in minibows. And they say buy a minibow and get a betta free! It's the best store ever. They've got tons of stuff there, from corals to puffers to eels... It's where I buy all my fish now!

Allie

We may have that here soon. As local fish enthusiast is opening a new store across town. She is a really cool person too.

At our closest local fish room , they seem to put them where they feel like. In with tetra, live bearers & some are in 2-5g to show off the tank, not the betta. Most on this betta rack above the sink, they look like the top of a coffee maker...just slide them in. Some are up so high you can't see them. It's dark and mean.

Phinny12

My Insurance agent asked me ..."do you have any pets" .. I said "Yes I have fish" she said " Oh they don't count as Pets" so I said "well what do they count as?"

Allie

You can insure tanks as furniture/things tho.

Phinny12

Thats what I told her! She said " That dosent count"

Allie

COBettaCouple

I think I'd like to feed HIM the bloodworms!

Allie

All fin no brains.
Yup I agree totally on the housing, they were first presented as decorations not pets. This after they were used in a cock fight setting.

Allie

I felt like shoving him in a small tank to see how he liked it.
Too bad he wasn't such as nice person in general I would have him.