# Your First Betta: A Story



## Loryen (Feb 16, 2011)

Well, I thought it would be cool to start a thread of pics and stories about our first bettas :-D

I'll start:

Name: Kenji
Gender: Male
Color: Multi-Colored
Tail Type: Crown-Tail
How Old You Were When You Got Him/Her: 10 years old
Personality:

Kenji was, in my eyes, the perfect betta. He was so amazingly beutiful, but not to the point of just being flashy. He was so agressive he would flare at you if you even looked at him. He ate like a pig. He had the funniest, most expressive face ever. :nicefish: I knew nothing about bettas at the time, but even I could tell that he was special.

Age When Betta Died (If Dead)- 2.5 years old
Reason (If dead)- My mom unplugged his heater accidently, thinking it was another plug, and he stayed in freezing cold water all night (it was winter in Canada). In the morning, he was lying on the gravel, half-dead. He survived that night, but for about a month he lay, half-dead, not able to eat or get to the surface to breath. He died on December 28th, 3 days away from Christmas. When he died, I was happy that he had lived to see Christmas one last time.


Picture: Couldn't figure out how to post a pic, but he's the one in my icon and signature.


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## Jessabell (Aug 16, 2010)

*Zues.*

*Name:* Zues
*Gender:* Male
*Color:* Multi-Colored
*Tail Type:* Crown-Tail
*How Old You Were When You Got Him/Her:* 15 or 16(around my birthday so idk lol.)
*Personality:* Very out there. He always chased me when I walked by, and was so fierce!​ 






 
*Zues was amazing. I got him at Meijer! I dragged my boyfriend with me because I decided that he was gonna get one too! So I'm happy I know he was planned. I had him for a little more than a year. I loved him so much. I moved about four months ago, and I had to transfer him in a vase. Sadly, my tank for him cracked, and he was in the vase for a while because I didn't have money for a new one. Then one day, I came home and he was gone. My dad got rid of him! And by that, I mean killed. I was so angry. *​ 
*But it's amazing how much a simple fish can impact your life.*​


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## Loryen (Feb 16, 2011)

Aw, what a nice story (except for the part with your dad :-( ) Zues sounds and looks like my Kenji


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## xMandy (May 21, 2011)

Name: Gus
Gender: Male
Color: red/blue
Tail Type*:* v/t
How Old You Were When You Got Him/Her: 13?
Personality: Really laid back..

Age When Betta Died (If Dead)-2.5-3years?
Reason (If dead)- We tried to see if he could live in the 40g tank. He stressed out and died. (Yeah..we felt like CRAP)

I got Gus after we went through hurricane Gustav (Gus/gustav..see?) He was our way of celebrating the ending of that.

I had to stay with my dad because the power lines were falling around our neighbor hood and trapping everyone in. (In Louisiana..above new orleans)
I saw my dad had a betta at the time and I fell in love with it! I called my mom once the hurricane had passed (this was actually after it hit when everyone was locating one another..the storm was just fading off)
and asked if I could get one. My dad took me and I picked him out that evening. Then a few years back we decided to move to northern KY and I held Gus in his bowl the entire time (yeah. I never thought about doing it different) by the time we got to KY Gus had about 1 inch of water left from all that swishing..and it was all over the back seat. oops!)

He was a really special boy. ​


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## kathstew (Feb 23, 2011)

None of my bettas have died yet, and I have 8, so I'll just post my first two.

Name: Drama Queen
Gender: Female
Color: Multi-Colored
Tail Type: Veiltail
How Old You Were When You Got Him/Her: 15 years old
Personality: Exactly her name, a Drama Queen. She's a little spazz. She freaks out at EVERYTHING. Especially if you pay attention to one of the other bettas in her sorority tank. She likes to flare at everything that's new, and thinks she's really tough, but really she is the girl that got beat up the most when the sorority first started, because she wouldn't give up. She's also a scaredy-cat in ways. She's scared of the net, because she knows it means water change, and one time she had a water change, and I didn't put a lid on her cup, she jumped out, and laid on the floor for 15 minutes before I found her!
She is still alive and kicking 
Picture:










Name: Ocean
Gender: Female
Color: Multi-Colored
Tail Type: Veiltail or Plakat, not sure, but leaning to veiltail
How Old You Were When You Got Him/Her: 15 years old
Personality: Little butthead.  She used to be my "baby" the sweet innoncent one, she must have taken some lessons from Drama Queen though, cause now she is the alpha of my sorority. She doesn't fight much, and loves attention. She likes it when I put my hand in the tank, in a cup shape so she can sit in my hand! She is not scared at ALL, will go up to EVERYTHING. 
Picture:









These two started my WHOLE obsession 
I got them both at the same time when I was told by a stupid petsmart employee you can house two female bettas together in a ONE GALLON TANK! >_> I did some research, realized why they were flaring all the time, and then separeted them. Few months later I know have a sorority (6 girls), 4 boys, two gouramis, and my mom and sister have bettas now too!


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## russalka (Mar 23, 2011)

Name: Skye
Gender: Male
Color: Multi (red and blue but looks purple and red in in the light sometimes)
Tail Type: Veiltail
How old I was when I got him: 46
Personality: Very friendly - That's how I picked him last February.

Still alive.

I had a large (75 gallon) goldfish tank for three months when I saw the bettas. My supervisor had a betta in a largish vase on her desk for 2 years, and I thought I have a 1 gallon quarentine tank and a spare bubbler. I'll just need to get a heater, thermometer, etc.... How hard can it be? 

After 1 week of testing for ammonia and doing daily water changes, discovering this web site and thinking about needing to have someone do frequent water changes when I went on vacation, I upgraded him to a 5.5 gallon tank.


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## Jessabell (Aug 16, 2010)

Lol, I noticed that myself


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## Abby (Jan 13, 2011)

i like this idea. ive had betas before these but never more then "fish" these ones are my kidlets 

Name: Dastan (see avatar)
Gender: Male
Color: Multi-Colored
Tail Type: VT
How Old You Were When You Got Him/Her: 22
Personality: awesome!

Dman was my first i got him early jan, he died by april may he had issue after issue.

i bought him after seeing betas in a store up the coast but wanted to be more prepared. i bought Dastan and named him before i got him (i had watched Prince of Persia) and that was it. he was my frist of the year. 
but one is never enough and soon i found Nero a red cambodian 4 ray ct, then three more to add, one girl i called Tamina (RIP) One multi butterfly vt i called Melvin and one blue and white vt butterfly Benny. after those came 9 from a breeder in sydney 
2 x male: Fredric and cedric
7 x female: Rayne, scarlett, bronxie, Ailie, Caela, Lexi and Cinder.

Louie replaced tamina after she died, sponge bob was my valentines day gift to myself, Charz was my bday gift to myself, Pippin my bf gave me for my bday and Sheldon replaced Dastan, now theres Marshall.


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## metalbetta (May 17, 2010)

Name: Winston
Gender: Male
Color: Orange Dalmatian
Tail Type*:* VT
How Old You Were When You Got Him/Her: 18
Personality: Active and playful, but protective of his territory.
Age When Betta Died (If Dead)-Still alive!
Reason (If dead)- N/A

I got Winston (unfortunately) as an impulse buy to celebrate my first paycheck from my then-new job. I learned almost everything I know about bettas because of that boy... And is the reason there are 9 others in the house... lol... He's moved with me once, and is going to move with me again in another few weeks. He's my buddy, I love him, and I hope he'll be around with me for a long time. 

Day 1:









Soon after:










Noms!









Recent!


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## Loryen (Feb 16, 2011)

Wow, what amazing bettas! Keep up the posting people, this could be a really cool thread... maybe even a sticky?


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## lunawatsername (Apr 20, 2011)

Name:Nahh
Gender: Male
Color: blue
Tail Type*:* VT
How Old You Were When You Got Him/Her: 18
Personality: crazy! lol

Nahh (as in does this fish have a name? ...Nahh. lol) is totally hyper, he freaks when i get near his tank. he loves to EAT. this little guy can put t away lol the only beta i have that could eat more is my little girl Meek. (totally piggies lol) i love them!


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## iLovededYou (Jun 20, 2011)

Name: Rudy
Gender: Male
Color: Red
Tail Type: Veil-tail
How Old You Were When You Got Him/Her: 4 years old
Personality:

Rudy was very relaxed and friendly and would eat from my hand. My mom would let me fish out the mosquito larvae from her plant pots in the backyard and feed them to Rudy. He absolutely loved them! 

Age When Betta Died (If Dead)- 3 years old (Rough estimate. I don't remember exactly!)
Reason (If dead)- I always thought it was old age. But I was also little and didn't know anything about bettas, so I kept him in a very very tiny tank (maybe 2 pints, no more) without a heater. He lived for a couple/few years in it, though. I'm not sure :/


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## Loryen (Feb 16, 2011)

Any more bettas, people?


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## elijahfeathers (Oct 15, 2010)

Name: Kazukai
Gender: Male
Color: Blue-green
Tail Type: veiltail
How Old You Were When You Got Him/Her: 14ish
Personality:

Honestly because of the conditions I kept him in, he didn't have much personallity. I knew nothing about bettas at the time, and a woman had been selling them in this flea market, in little decorative bowls with a wavy top edge and a pretty ribbon tied around the rim. It couldn't have even been 1/4th a gallon-- but the whole set up was sold, + betta, + food, + a bottle of water for a water change that was recommended after 1-3 MONTHS. I loved him, I just never thought to question what the lady was telling me.

Age When Betta Died (If Dead)- 4 months after I purchased him?
Reason (If dead)- Freezing water in basement bedroom where he was kept, ammonia build up. 8C


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## pinksnowme (May 31, 2011)

Metal Betta That is the most amazing color change I have seen so far! Absolutely stunning He looks like he is lit with a fire from within.


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## pinksnowme (May 31, 2011)

Name: Blizzard
Gender: Male
Color: Cellophane/white/peach
Tail Type: half moon
How Old You Were When You Got Him/Her: 41
Personality: He's a clown Very friendly to everyone. Blizzards swims nicely to any area near people to wave a fin and say hi Adjusts well to new situations. Neroticly addicted to marbles. Only flares at the color orange.

Seems I have been harboring a desire for a fish for a a long time. I have 4 happy parakeets and a wonderful husband. However I found myself trolling craigslist for something more. A dog was out of the question. A whole year went by. I then I saw Blizzard a striking white fish with happy eyes. (matured to a soft peach/pink color Just like Lion Mom's fish who's name was also Blizzard) I had to have him. I was going to have surgery so I had to wait a month. The owner waited for me and even turned down other requests.
Finally I got to bring him home. Cradled in my lap in a rubbermaid container we got to know eachother.
He came with odd pieces of aqua glass in his bowl. He got stuck twice. So I changed the glass to marbles. That is how he began his addiction to marbles. 
He is in the center of the dining table. My husband an I roll marbles around during dinner time to entertain him ( and us)
I hope he lasts a long time
My dad has kept Bettas most of his life and is VERY excited that I have a new friend.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

name: Nel (given full name: bubble face nelson) i just use Nel
Blue-red Male VT

i got him a month ago, atm im 24yrs old. not too sure of his behaviour but i know he's an agressive eater unafraid of jumping for food. he isnt too active but often is free swimming. i got the responsibility to take care of the fish because my brother won him in a name contest at a friend's wedding. he had no real attachment to the fish, just the usual "its just a fish" mind frame. i saw it more than just a fish. im probably the only one taking care of it or having any signifigant interest in it than just a fancy blue fish.


in a .5 gal tank, now its a 1 gal tank.


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## pinksnowme (May 31, 2011)

Nel looks like a nice pair of jeans


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

pinksnowme said:


> Nel looks like a nice pair of jeans


unfortunately they dont have a size of jeans for him. if im lucky he wont be so in a few months, the red is coming in slowly.


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## pinksnowme (May 31, 2011)

nel3 said:


> unfortunately they dont have a size of jeans for him. if im lucky he wont be so in a few months, the red is coming in slowly.


I can see the stripes of red coming now that you mentioned it


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## BettaFishRule (Jan 4, 2011)

Name: Aragon
Gender: Male
Tail type : Veil tail
Color : Purple red and blue
How old you were when you got him/her: 10
Personality: Fun playful a stinker at times.
He is still alive and hope he dies of old age Srry no pic avable



<>< kinda like aragon;-)


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## Loryen (Feb 16, 2011)

Aw, lovely bettas people!!!


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

pinksnowme said:


> I can see the stripes of red coming now that you mentioned it


i admit i was never really 100% interested in its solid blue color after i saw the 2 million color variations for bettas. its still very nice solid blue but its nothing that really stands out too much. im glad the red is coming out, it really should turn out very nice (ive seen 2 similar pics of its future colours already). i dont have anything in particular against in 1 solid color fish but i do prefer some unique colour markings.


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## Loryen (Feb 16, 2011)

Hmmm, yes, I agree. Usually, I don't like solid coloured bettas, but somehow I now have two strait reds!! LOL!


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

Loryen said:


> Hmmm, yes, I agree. Usually, I don't like solid coloured bettas, but somehow I now have two strait reds!! LOL!


i dont blame you, the solid red are more interesting than solid blue. its one of the 2 main colours you'll see but theres just something about red that the blue is missing.


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## metalbetta (May 17, 2010)

I've never been a huge fan of solids either, but I usually go for personality over looks. My solid red boy, Damian is... Special. He's my bedside buddy and he's so much fun to watch and interact with.


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## Loryen (Feb 16, 2011)

Yeah, solid reds are cool. It's really neat to see solid colours develop into something special. Just the other day, my new boy, Muffin, who is the ugliest betta you could imagine (think ripped fins and back problems - I rescued him from a pet store, and he can't swim) has started to develop a beutiful colour. His body has started to go darker, his scales turning almost purple. But his fins are still bright red!!

He's striking


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