Where do you buy the majority of your Bettas?

Where do you buy the majority of your bettas? Online? LFS? or through a personal seller?

It would be great if you posted a link to wherever you bought yours... and maybe a picture??

Is buying from expensive breeders really worth it?

 

Will and Jagger came from Petsmart and Kix and Dunn came from PetCo.....I actually very happy with the way all 4 of them turned out....They are all healthy and have beautiful finnage..

 

"Betta" came from Petland
"Strawberry", "Scuba", "Rainbow", "Mr. Betta", and "Happy" came from Walmart

 

I honestly can say, ive never gone betta shopping with the intent to buy a betta...Ive ALWAYS had the "OMG WHY WOULD THEY LET YOU LIVE LIKE THIS" purchases..and even two were given to me..because the store thought they werent going to live anyhoo...all my bettas are because ive needed something at the LPS or I was nosey enough to look through a pet store out of town...I don't think id ever bid on one just to have them for their color or temperments or type...not that its wrong, but my love for betta's is to give themsomething better

 

I went for neons and ended up with a betta from Petco.

It wasn't my fault, honest it was her's!

 

All of the ones I have had over the past 2 years were from lfs and Walmart. Casper I got off Aquabid and 2 female CT local seller I got were from Thailand back in 2006.
Appearance wise and health wise Casper is the healthiest betta I have had yet *knock wood*. Every other betta I have had has had one issue or another. None of the ones I have had from Thailand ever got sick.
Casper has been growing and getting prettier by the week. I know he is around 4 months old 4 sure. Lfs betta are usually older, unless you can find a young one.
If you are willing to spend the money I think aquabid is a good place to get unique looking betta with more tail types than a lfs.
I am getting a female HM red dragon off Heather (she helped me get Casper), who is a local breeder.

 

Both were wally world.

 

All 5 of my Betta's came from Petsmart.. the oldest Ive had for 15 months.. down to 9 months... and of course my new baby Midas, only a week today.
They are all healthy.. and Ive never had any problems with them. They have grown so much in the time that Ive had them. ;D
If I could... I would try ordering a half moon or some wilds off the internet tho.

 

Mine was a rescue from a little cup at petsmart.. I was set out for him at a store w/ the cups. The next if I get anymore might come from aquabid, to get a fancy one. (and I mean that in a hick way.. ) as in high quality bred...

 

I picked "Other," but it really would fall under the LFS section (I don't want the places that I get bettas from considered in the same light as Petco, as I only buy from places that keep their bettas in healthy conditions.)

 

I am starting to get all my bettas from a local breeder. But there is always the odd time where I see the beautiful betta at the store and I just have to have him/her.
Tom

 

Wal-Mart for both mine

 

Half moon red butterfly betta from aquabid. Some guy in Thailand. He is a gorgeous fish, very easy going and docile, not as aggresive as most bettas, healthy as can be, great finnage and color, seller gave me a free betta since shipping and transhipping was so much(beautiful CT which I sold). I would buy from a breeder any day over a death cup fish. Although the bettas from PetCo etc are nice fish and it is a great thing to give them a well deserved home, you get what you pay for

 

Ours have come from "All of the Above".

 

I got Pepperment from "PetWord" one of only 3 places that sell fish in my town...Petco and wal-mart being the other two.

I was very lucky the bettas had just come in...it was a little more than 48 hours from the time the lfs/lps got the bettas in until Perpperment was home.

 

2 of the bettas I bought from Petsmart (1 died from a tumor a year later) & one I was given after my bio class used him as a science experiment. I don't think he's ever forgpttne it - he's such a bully!

 

I get mine from a private LFS, they will actually refuse to sell a fish that is being treated for any reason at all. I went there today and didn't bring any home but it was very hard. There were 2 that I thought about getting but only one tank is planted and cycled but couldn't make up my mind, My friend is wanting a couple of angelfish so one might be still available when I go back out there.

 

I have rescued all mine previously from horrible conditions at PetCo and the like, out of guilt and a desire to save them from their miserable existence. Unfortunately, the store doesn't care whether you give them your money to save the fish or not... the fact of the matter is, you're paying them to treat their animals the way they do, and as long as they have your business, they will never stop. I recently found a family-owned LFS that keeps their (very healthy-looking) bettas in a large, heated, filtered divided tank... this is the level of care I will be reinforcing with my wallet from here on out.
I had never heard of AquaBid until I joined this forum... and I have to say, some of their bettas look amazing. One of these days I no doubt will purchase one there. ;D

 

My Hollywood came from a regionally owned fish store. He's one of those "tiny cup" Bettas. After seeming to be to dying a most horrible death for the first half hour in his tank post-acclimation, he has been a wonderful, healthy little guy. His diva-like antics upon arrive are what earned him his name.

Pic 1 is when I got him...late March
Pic 2 is from May
Pic 3 is from yesterday

Note -- the clear, thinner spot on his caudal fin in the most recent pic is a tear that's healing...it's coming along nicely, considering the damage that was done -- my former Betta, Sumo (since rehomed for both fish's safety) hopped the divider that used to be in my 10gal and attacked Hollywood about 1.5 months ago.

 

I've pretty much gotten mine from all of the above... though most of what I have now I've bred myself. The great granddad of my blue marbles came from a pet store, the male who began all my traditinal pk's was a gift, most of the rest of my founders came from BC Bettas back when they were still in business (and had gorgeous, varied bettas nice and easy to get right here in Canada...*sigh*). The ones I didn't breed that I have now are all from Dee Mark Betta Canada (my MG's and the mom to all my longfinned marbles, though I had to rehome her with another breeder when I moved). I'm expecting my first ThaI import order later this month... very excited!