# Petco king betta



## karpediem (Feb 15, 2012)

I heard a lot of people said petco king betta are giant betta which is false, i dont know why petco call those round tail king betta, this make a lot of confusions for some. I will just call them round tail betta or fighter. Their price should cost like a regular round tail plakat disregarding their size.
I breed fighter betta and they have 2 size, medium and large size. Those king betta from petco size look just like my 5 stars fighter large size except that they are less aggressive than the real fighters. I'm not here to talk about my fighters but to make things clear. Real giant betta are 2.5 to 3 inchs when they are about 5 to 6 months. 
So, petco king betta are not giant betta.


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## Bethydan (Mar 22, 2012)

Yeah, the little "info" booklet-thingy at the store even says that it is basically just a plakat. A very stout one, but a plakat all the same.


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## LionCalie (Sep 24, 2011)

I thought they were Half-Giants, but was soon educated on the subject. Now I know they are just big Plakats. We have one named Brutus. He was $20.00 at Petco; we don't regret paying the price though.


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## Bethydan (Mar 22, 2012)

I paid $14 for Sykes. I'm too scared to add up the total cost for my 20 gallon setup that he has all to himself at the moment. He's a big fat prince at about 3 inches (all of it body length). So i can't imagine what he's going to grow to in a largish tank.


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## karpediem (Feb 15, 2012)

There is a store 2 hrs driving from my place, he sell the same kind and same size like those ones from petco, and they cost only $4.99. 
There is one thing i dont understand how petco calculate the selling price. That store owner is specialized in marine fishes but he also carry a lot of freshwater fishes and he has a little of betta. 
One of you paid $14 and the other $20. Here it is only $4.99. Petco is ripping both of you off.


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## SnowySurface (Apr 25, 2011)

karpediem said:


> There is a store 2 hrs driving from my place, he sell the same kind and same size like those ones from petco, and they cost only $4.99.
> There is one thing i dont understand how petco calculate the selling price. That store owner is specialized in marine fishes but he also carry a lot of freshwater fishes and he has a little of betta.
> One of you paid $14 and the other $20. Here it is only $4.99. Petco is ripping both of you off.


Where is "here"? I don't know about where you live, but those are the prices for fish in the state of New York. I will see regular sized veil tails for $3.99 ocassionally. But the moment the betta is "special" in any way, the price hops up to $5-15. I don't think we are getting ripped off so much as we live in areas where everything is more expensive. :-?

I did see one Veil tail king betta. I felt like buying him because he was so big he filled the cup and couldn't move. But I didn't have the room at the time. T_T So, Petco can have real king bettas. But I have noticed mislabeling with king bettas as I have noticed mislabeling with every other type of betta. :roll:


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## LionCalie (Sep 24, 2011)

I don't feel like I was ripped off. In my area, you will not find the large Plakats at any other store but Petco.


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## Flexxoo (Mar 11, 2012)

lol i have a Halfmoon that is 3.3inch ^_^ in my user photo 100% truth ..yep and he is only 4months


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Its personally easier for me to just import some fish and usually my Thai bettas end up being as large or larger than king bettas.


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## Flexxoo (Mar 11, 2012)

yep i got mine during the week from Thai and my seller said his father is almost 4inchs a halfmoon im like dude O_O are u serious right now he said yes >.< so my Titan probably will get bigger and he is not a King betta, Plakat just a HUGE halfmoon his Spread is AMAZING because of his size


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## copperarabian (Apr 27, 2011)

The king bettas aren't normal plakats. They have much heavier bodies then normal plakats, and are larger. If the kings in your area don't look any different then a normal betta whoever is selling them is mislabeling them. 

HM plakat









HM king betta. This guy was 3" when I got him and had grown a 1/2" by the time he passed away. Almost all the HM king bettas I've seen are his size or larger, the normal kings tend to be a little smaller. 









Same HM king next to a crowntail










I just got this guy and measured him right now just to be sure, he's 2.5" and is the smallest king I've ever seen. He's also less bulky, but still bigger then any of my current bettas.


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## karpediem (Feb 15, 2012)

LionCalie said:


> I don't feel like I was ripped off. In my area, you will not find the large Plakats at any other store but Petco.


 
I think if we talk about price for betta, it doesn't matter where you are, any petco in United State are exagering about their price. Maybe you should ask your petco store manager how much did he pay the king betta at whole sale price each and you will see the difference. 
I supply a store owner in WI for my fighters 5 stars, larger size, they are mostly 3 inchs and are 1 year old or more. I sent him a box of 60 males each month at whole sale price for each $4 and he sell them in his store for only $8 each and labeled as fighters 5 stars. I sell my fighters males here between $60 and $300, the young ones. 
He mislabeled them because any fighter plakat older than 7 months don't have all their strengths anymore because they are old. Usually a betta fighter plakat lifetime is only 3 years, for mines, i dont know about others.
The king betta you got from petco are old fishes and they are probably 1 year old or almost 2 years old. 
If you have a store, you can order those kind from a breeder in Thailand for each $0.50 at whole sale price for a minimum quantity of 100 per box then you can sell them like petco for $20 each.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Bettas are raised in Asia in giant ponds, with little difficulty, and for large amounts. They are pond bred and raised and are often sold at nearly a year old in most cases. Usually the smaller bettas are the younger ones at 5-6 months old.


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## copperarabian (Apr 27, 2011)

karpediem said:


> The king betta you got from petco are old fishes and they are probably 1 year old or almost 2 years old.
> If you have a store, you can order those kind from a breeder in Thailand for each $0.50 at whole sale price for a minimum quantity of 100 per box then you can sell them like petco for $20 each.


He wasn't very old, he grew half a inch while I had him which leads me to believe he pretty young.


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## karpediem (Feb 15, 2012)

MrVampire181 said:


> Bettas are raised in Asia in giant ponds, with little difficulty, and for large amounts. They are pond bred and raised and are often sold at nearly a year old in most cases. Usually the smaller bettas are the younger ones at 5-6 months old.


 
Not all the betta are raised in Asia today. I have a friend who raise giant hmplakat and giant round tail in Florida, he has 30 cement tanks cover. 
My brother raise vt, ct, round tail and super delta and he live in Arizona, he has 50 cement tanks cover.
I have another uncle who live close to Las Vegas and he raise imbellis, mahachai, and fighters. He has 30 cement tanks.
I'm in California, i raise ct, hm, hmplakat, fighters and i have 45 cement tanks cover. I purchased a house and stocked all my males betta in that house, only special person can visit my betta's house and my farm.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Well I meant as far as where chain stores are getting their fish. Most come in from Thailand.


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## LionCalie (Sep 24, 2011)

I didn't say Petco doesn't overcharge for their King Bettas. 
I simply stated that I do not *feel *like I was ripped off, which I don't. 

Also, I'm pretty positive our King boy is under a year old. He has grown since we bought him in September of last year.


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## Leeniex (Aug 14, 2011)

LionCalie said:


> I didn't say Petco doesn't overcharge for their King Bettas.
> I simply stated that I do not *feel *like I was ripped off, which I don't.
> 
> Also, I'm pretty positive our King boy is under a year old. He has grown since we bought him in September of last year.


Everything you buy anywhere is marked up from what the store paid for it. That's the nature of retail. You were not ripped off if you like what you bought and it's worth the money to you.

Being ripped off is buying a fish on aquabid and having it die the next day.


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## copperarabian (Apr 27, 2011)

LionCalie said:


> I didn't say Petco doesn't overcharge for their King Bettas.
> I simply stated that I do not *feel *like I was ripped off, which I don't.
> 
> Also, I'm pretty positive our King boy is under a year old. He has grown since we bought him in September of last year.


I don't think I over paid for mine either. And my first king grew a lot after I bought him so he was definitely under a year. 

Also, Petco gets their fish from American breeders. A lot of their fish come from a company in Florida and the bettas at my petco are from Sacramento.


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## Bethydan (Mar 22, 2012)

Yeah, I realized that the price was high when I bought him. But it's totally worth it. He's too much fun to regret purchasing.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

On all these lengths, are we talking nose to caudal peduncle?


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Previously I thought Kings were half giants. But an article I read claims that Kings and Giants are from two different lines.

Kings are said to be created in Malaysia - a cross between splendens and betta raja (raja means king) and can grow to a total of 3". These bettas are smaller than the giants (said to grow to 4-5" body only) created in Thailand out of selectively breeding regular but big bettas.

From all the pictures I've seen they all look the same. So IMO there is no way that you can tell whether a big betta is an old regular, a king, or a giant. The earlier giants had a rather hunched back thus noticeable. But now they look just like any other PK...... So you have to take their word for it.

Most bettas in Asia are sold young. 1. so breeders won't have to care for them for too long and spend more on feeding. 2. Younger fish are more active, stronger, and have better fins (both show and fighter). 3. Older bettas are worthless (specially fighters). As far as I know, they're usually sold between 3-4 months, depending on their growth rate. So regulars would be much smaller. (not sure at what age they reach the US - but they leave my country to Thai or Sing at around that age)

In 4 months Kings and Giants should reach at least 5cm/2" body only. True Giants are said could grow to over 6cm BO in 4 months. In short the bettas sold in the US should have growing ahead of them. Problem may be that they were kept in small containers and poorly cared for thus stunting their growth which greatly affects these kind of bettas. And for giants - some simply stop growing because of their unstable genes (not sure about Kings).

Though whole sale is cheaper, but I don't believe that you guys are being ripped off. Chain stores must pay for shipping and handling too (king and giant shipping = twice regular), plus daily care (supposed to anyway) until they're sold. Calculate all that into cost, it's fairly expensive.


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## LionCalie (Sep 24, 2011)

Thanks for the info, indjo. That was very helpful and interesting.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

I heard that too but I also heard that Raja was a mouth brooder? I cant say for sure since Ive never done much research into them.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

indjo said:


> Kings are said to be created in Malaysia - a cross between splendens and betta raja (raja means king)...


Unfortunately, all my "Betta appreciation" experience is photographic. Having said that, anyone would notice that Betta raja has a unique appearance. None of the Giants or "Kings" that I have seen bear even a remote resemblance.

Petco calls their larger-than-regular Betta by their marketing term "King." Do you think for a minute anyone at Petco knows what a Bett raja is? The confusion is only in the minds of the more sophisticated and educated Betta fancier.



indjo said:


> From all the pictures I've seen they all look the same.....In 4 months Kings and Giants should reach at least 5cm/2" body only.


From discussions on other forums, plus the spawn log of a current member, I am drawn to the conclusion that all Betta larger than 'regular-sized' result from efforts to breed larger fish. Like 'regular' Betta, the size varies depending on the quality and size of the parents and the success of the breeder. 

Some Aquabid "Giants" are photographed and sold at 2". Some Petco "Kings" are bigger than that. They appear to be young fish, and probably are, for the reasons that Injo describes. I think the size of a Giant varies within a certain range, perhaps even overlapping that of larger 'regular' Betta. Perhaps size is less a valid indicator than genetics (is there a Giant gene?) or the intent of their breeder.



indjo said:


> Though whole sale is cheaper, but I don't believe that you guys are being ripped off. Chain stores must pay for shipping and handling too (king and giant shipping = twice regular), plus daily care (supposed to anyway) until they're sold. Calculate all that into cost, it's fairly expensive.


I have always maintained that Betta, regardless of size, color or type, are incredibly cheap, considering the cost of breeding and, especially, the cost incurred by the retailer to maintain and display individual fish. In fact, they are entirely _too_ cheap, which is one reason for the abuse and poor husbandry that these fish endure.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Betta raja... I want some. Theyre fairly easy to care for but I did confirm that they are mouth brooders that grow up to 4" in length. So they are big (Im sure of seen them before at my transshippers...) but they are mouthbrooders...


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

@ Hallyx: I see your point. The so called Kings doesn't show any signs of raja on them. But there is the possibility that only the size were taken from raja which then was bred back for generations to the splendens .... IDK. But this makes the article I read questionable.

I believe giants are genetic. The true giants will grow regardless of feeding. They might not grow as big (less feeding) but they will grow bigger than usual. While the poor giant genetic will not grow even though fed like crazy. One thing I'm sure of is that you have to get them as big as possible before 5 months because after that their growth will be greatly reduced.

The problem with giant genes in my area is that they are always crossed to regulars in an attempt to improve color and finnage. I don't believe any of them can reach 12cm body only with in a year.... not sure about Thai giants. Calculating growth rate tendencies, they should reach over 6-7cm in 4 months to reach 12cm.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

indjo said:


> But there is the possibility that only the size were taken from raja which then was bred back for generations to the splendens .... IDK.


MrV makes the point that you cannot breed mouthbrooders with nest brooders. From other reading, I believe this to be so. Maybe Raja with Macs or Albis, but what would be the point? People who like wilds, want purebreds. I know I would.



indjo said:


> I believe giants are genetic.


I think most breeders of giants would agree.




indjo said:


> The problem with giant genes in my area is that they are always crossed to regulars in an attempt to improve color and finnage.


That's my understanding of how that works. Breed a few generations to get them big, then breed then back to get them pretty. Makes sense.


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## Sandrilene (May 21, 2011)

That is weird that some petcos call them king bettas. Ours doesn't seem to use that sort of labeling.


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## Betta123 (Sep 6, 2012)

MrVampire181 said:


> Its personally easier for me to just import some fish and usually my Thai bettas end up being as large or larger than king bettas.


Hi. Im new to the Betta world. Hoping you can drop some knowledge on me. what is an HMPK Betta? I live in Las Vegas and have been trying to find a breeder here with no luck. I may have to import my Bettas. can you give me any advice?


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

This is a really old thread. Because of that, you might have better luck posting your questions in a new thread in the "breeder" section.

There are many terrific breeders right here on this forum.

HMPK is HalfMoon Plakat


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