# Rescue Betta Contest!



## MoonShadow

*I have permission from DramaQueen
This contest is not supported or run by bettafish.com*


I know that a rescue contest was done a few months ago, but it's such a good topic, and we've gotten a lot of new members since then! So I figured it would be a lot of fun to have another one!! 

*The Rules are simple:*
-1 entry per person
-Post before and after pictures of your rescue and the story of how you came to rescue the betta. If you don't have before and after pictures then post the most recent picture you have.

*The Contest begins tonight - 3/8/2013
and Ends 4/1/2013*

*I need 2 people to help me judge *(*note* judges may not enter in the contest) preferably people who have facebook so we can talk via chat when the time to judge comes! 

*The Prize: The Winner will recieve a small container of Atison's Betta PRO fish food. And 5 or 6 large Grade A Indian Almond leaves! *


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## MattsBettas

I will judge! I don't have Facebook (lots of reasons). We can always chat in tfk?


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## MoonShadow

Thanks! That'll be fine!! We'll figure it all out!!


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## blu the betta

may i judge? i dont have a face book either.


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## MoonShadow

Sure, like I said we'll figure it out!! I have my 2 judges! Now we just need entries! Hehe


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## blu the betta

im excited to see them.


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## DiiQue

I cant wait to start reading the stories! *Subscribed*


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## xShainax

Can I enter a betta who tragically passed away before I could heal him fully?


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## MoonShadow

xShainax said:


> Can I enter a betta who tragically passed away before I could heal him fully?


Of course!


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## xShainax

This is Jaws. He was an aggressive boy and tragically jumped and got attacked by my cat. He was healing quite nicely too. I am sorry that it's not much of a rescue story since he died in my care in a gruesome mannor


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## Indigo Betta

heres indigo i think of him as a rescue because i've seen alot of dead bettas at pets at home who die of exhaustion because the filters are way to strong for them and he could of been one of them if i hadn't bought him so here he is
i don't have before and after pictures i'm afraid


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## LebronTheBetta

Do sympathy purchases count? Or is it too "pushy" 'cause I had to pay?


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## bniebetta

This is a picture of Smurf  I only have the before/current picture because I just got him and am still rehabilitating him. I found him on a trip to the store one day, but was hesitant to get him because I have been wanting a marbled Crowntail for a while and want to keep the number if fish I have under control since I live in a small space. The next few trips to the store, and he was still there! I almost couldn't sleep at night thinking about how selfish I was not to get him just because I was looking for a specific color/pattern. I had noticed he had been in his cup for ten days (that I had seen, at least; it could have been longer), and he either had finrot or had chewed a portion of his tail. It was hard to tell, since his fins looked thin and unhealthy and I had a suspicion of finrot to begin with. He was tiny, the smallest one there. I just had to go back and get him, by this point because I genuinely wanted him rather than just feeling sorry for him. I went to the store brought him home to a makeshift tank I set up with everything he would need to be comfortable. 

I am happy to say his fin is healing very quickly, he eats very well, and gives me a steady stream of bubble nests . I have really grown to adore him, he its the softest tempered betta I have ever met.


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## MoonShadow

Guys I won't run this unless I get at least 5 entrants! I know lots of people on here rescue!!


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## LebronTheBetta

LebronTheBetta said:


> Do sympathy purchases count? Or is it too "pushy" 'cause I had to pay?


You'll have one more entry if you answer my question.


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## MoonShadow

LebronTheBetta said:


> You'll have one more entry if you answer my question.


Sorry hun! Missed it! If the fish was in bad shape and you saved it (whether you paid or not) of course I consider that a rescue


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## LebronTheBetta

Oh, okay! Once my dad gets off his laptop. I'll add in my entry. Sorry if I was pushy. ^^" Lol


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## Indigo Betta

i don't think my entry really counts because he wasn't really in bad shape when i got him just at risk because pets at home are incompetent at keeping fish
so i'm dropping out, Sorry!!!


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## Skyewillow

Don Quixote
Before (2/5/13)









Now (3/17/13)









I was cruising through Walmart, looking for decorations for our 30 gal. I always stop to look at the bettas whenever we're in there. I saw 2 white bettas in filthy cups, a female, and this little CT male with what looked like black rocks on the bottom of his cup, the water was a filthy brown.

I spent 2 and a half HOURS standing in the fish section, refusing to leave without this sick male, dirty female, and three others. My fiance was pretty furious with me for being stubborn also.

Eventually, my persistence paid off, and we got to bring the five of them home.

But Don Quixote wasn't out of the woods yet. He wouldn't eat for five days, then had a fuzz infection, and still wasn't eating much of anything, so skittish that if he saw my hands when I would try to feed him, he wouldn't touch anything.

on the 26th of Feb, we brought home another rescue, a female, and placed her hospital tank beside his, my fiance brought him some brine shrimp. Suddenly, he was eating, and flaring, interacting! He turned around overnight, and now he's healthy and hale at last!!


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## LebronTheBetta

Betta: Winnie - Female PK

Story - In the early November of the year 2012, I was in Petco searching for females for my sorority while the main tank was still cycling. I was looking through the females and then *boom* I found a pale, small betta; with her fins close to her body. She was in the corner of the cup, not moving. I asked my mom if we can get her, but she said "Why buy a sick fish when you can get a healthy one?". I was sad. The next day, we went back again. My mom had sympathy, and allowed me to get her. We had to buy her because well, my mom would've been embarrassed I suppose. So Winnie is a sympathy. 

Before: (11/5/12)









After:


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## LebronTheBetta

I'm sorry, I messed up somehow.

After: (2/?/13)


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## Artemis

If I get student of the month I get a free betta courtesy of FishyUnderworld.ourstorekills, I want to get a female but they don;t sell them I think. Either way, selling a fish with "supplies" (a bowl that is SMALLER then the shelf cups, general food they feed to everything, and a blue med) for 8 dollars, I don't like that. Mostly VT but still a fish that I will love  They have great fish though, colorwise. It will be a rescue of dramatic proportions.


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## Bombalurina

This is Apollo. He came to me in a 1.5 litre jar that was 1/4 filled with gravel and a stringy, semi-aquatic plant. His water was cold, and though it looked clean, ammonia was at 1.0ppm. I bought him off the classifieds after someone did some post-purchase research and realised that they couldn't give him what he actually needed.

A week after I bought him, his tail fell off. He battled fin rot for the rest of his life, sometimes being down to a centimetre and a half of tail, sometimes having a full inch.


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## Stone

Me and my girlfriend where out and about in December 2012, we went to our local mall and we went into the pet store. We had 2 bettas at the time and had some extra tanks from upgrading for our current boys. We walked around and looked at the aquarium backgrounds which is why we were there in the first place, found one we liked, then decided to look at the bettas. There was about 18 or so cups with crowntails, halfmoons, and dragonscales. There were 2 very pretty white halfmoons which is kind of shocking consiering where we live, there were damn nice fish for pet store fish(even knowing what I know now) I noticed one of the cups water was a watered down tea color and inside the cup was this poor little red/blue crowntail male, I picked the cup up and looked at him and saw little pieces of his fins floating on the bottom of the cup, but despite his misery he perked up and looked at me with excitement the what I call "the betta wiggle" we all have seen it when they are happy to see you or someone anyone. We called one of the workers over and showed them the poor little guy, they said "his water must have gotten cold and that's why he got fin rot, and they just set the cup back down, we were still looking at the 2 white halfmoons. The little red/blue guy kept looking at us doing "the betta wiggle" I believe that a lot of the time the betta picks us vs us picking them. I asked the pet store girl what they were going to do with him? she told me she would "treat him" to me it sounded like he was going to get flushed or god only knows what. My girlfriend looked at me, I looked at her and in that moment looking at the little red and blue fish try to get and keep our attention and we both knew we were not leaving without this poor little fish. they sold us him at a 75% discount we got him home set up a tank with warm clean treated water and got online and looked up how to treat fin rot in bettas. We found this site and decided on AQ salt as the best treatment and started his treatment I was worried this was our first fish we were trying to save. We treated him for 10 days, during this time he got his name of twitchy because every time light went on/off or any loud noises he would flip out and panic so yes he was twitchy, he isn't anymore, but here are the pics one is the day we stopped treating him and his fins started growing back and the other is from a few days ago...


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## MoonShadow

Great entries everyone! Keep them coming!


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## madmonahan

I will enter when I get good pictures of his current condition. My friend now owns my rescue so I can't take pictures of him, and she doesn't take very good photos.


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## Alcemistnv

This is Banana. I got him at my local LPS. He happeed to have been on the shelf for roughly 3 weeks, and no one expressed interest in him. I assumed he was simply sick, but it wasn't until he "got better" that I realized he was most likely a cull and had a gill and spine deformity. He didn't last very long, and it really upsets me. He passed away from what we suspect was a result of his defomities. But I loved him the same.

When I firs got him, he would float lifelessly at the top of the tank, with little to no swimming. He would only eat if the food was placed on top of hs head.









And here he is before he passed a few weeks later.


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## bserrano2

*Renji*

This is Renji, a red male veil tail. I bought him at my local petland discounts in January. I knew when i walked into the store i wanted to leave with a fish but i wasnt planning on getting a betta, but when the guy told me it was the best thing to have in a bowl I said why don't I just take a look. Renji was on the highest shelf in a small cramped bowl and he was the first and only fish i looked at. I thought about it walked around the store and then on impulse went back to where he was, and seeing his pale orange self i said why not maybe i can give him a better place to live. I brought him home with me placed him in a 1-gallon bowl and he wouldn't eat for about a week i got nervous starting looking up stuff. Turned out he had fin rot. So i went to petco got everything he needed, including a nice filtered 2.5 gal tank and in about 3 weeks he became this beautiful vibrant bright red betta that I'm honestly glad i saved.

For some reason im having issues uploading pictures so heres the link to my album. I have pictures from when i first got Renji in January and another more recent photo. 
http://www.bettafish.com/album.php?albumid=5635


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## DreamerHorse

This is Valentine, a Cambodian veiltail rescued from Walmart just a few days before Valentines day--It was on a Sunday--. He's a veiltail, and has managed to get into a few sticky situations. He had a nipped pelvic fin and a shredded dorsal fin when I got him, so he is still healing, and I have no clue if the pelvic fin will ever heal. He also got his tailfin sucked into the filter a few times, till I finally realised it was the filter and shoved it down so he couldn't swim under it. The third picture down is the before picture, when he still had all of his tailfin.


Here he is!


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## blu the betta

very good. very nice pics. so much change in color!


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## JBonez423

What about if she's still in the healing process? I'll wait until the 1st to take my final picture and enter and all that, but she's got really torn fins. If they're not completely healed, does that take points away? I just got her. =P


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## Otterfun

Photo of my Finn anyways =D

Username: Otterfun
Fish Name: Finn
Type: Halfmoon
Sex: Male
Color: Turquoise Blue Iridescence Butterfly Dragon Scale










mine was zooming by when I took this. He was a Petco rescue, came with hole in the head, treated with Maracyn II + AQ Salt for 10 days, he's always been a fiesty boy, flaring all the time even when he had HITH. This is after he's healed of HITH


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## Otterfun

oh, full flare


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## Luimeril

okay. 8V i gots a great rescue. i adopted them, but it was my friend that physically rescued them. they were in a half gallon tank with stinky, gross, super dirty water, and it was either she saved them, or they got flushed. it was decided from the start that i'd take them in, but she held onto them while they healed up. i'm only entering Coop, since he's the one that went through the biggest change.

before:








and, the most recent photo i have of him after coming into my care:


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## Starfish1

This is Star. He was living in horrible conditions at Petsmart. There was a lot of debris floating around is his cup and it was so cloudy that you could barely see the fish. I told the lady in the fish dept that bettas cannot live in dirty water like this and she didn't care and said they would get their water changed next week. So I took two little guys home. The 2nd picture is him in his 3 gal bowl.


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## bserrano2

bserrano2 said:


> This is Renji, a red male veil tail. I bought him at my local petland discounts in January. I knew when i walked into the store i wanted to leave with a fish but i wasnt planning on getting a betta, but when the guy told me it was the best thing to have in a bowl I said why don't I just take a look. Renji was on the highest shelf in a small cramped bowl and he was the first and only fish i looked at. I thought about it walked around the store and then on impulse went back to where he was, and seeing his pale orange self i said why not maybe i can give him a better place to live. I brought him home with me placed him in a 1-gallon bowl and he wouldn't eat for about a week i got nervous starting looking up stuff. Turned out he had fin rot. So i went to petco got everything he needed, including a nice filtered 2.5 gal tank and in about 3 weeks he became this beautiful vibrant bright red betta that I'm honestly glad i saved.
> 
> For some reason im having issues uploading pictures so heres the link to my album. I have pictures from when i first got Renji in January and another more recent photo.
> http://www.bettafish.com/album.php?albumid=5635



Finally I was able to upload pics!!! The first one is when I got Renji in January and the second is from this month.


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## bettafishgirl

I'm planning on entering my Pericles, once he gets settled. That poor fellow was also rescued from Petsmart, lots of debris gathering in the water. Tiny cup, by the way. And he did not seem healthy at all. But, I still got him and it was a good decision, he is alive and kicking it and we are upgrading his tank Sunday!


-PICTURE COMING SOON-


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## madmonahan

Nooo! I really want to enter but I have'nt gotten the chance to get a picture of my rescue now! He is now my friends fish and she does'nt take good photos.
I don't know if I will be able to enter on time.


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## Otterfun

bserrano2 said:


> Finally I was able to upload pics!!! The first one is when I got Renji in January and the second is from this month.


love the vibrant red.


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## alwaysaBettaLover

This is Thor. I got him from petsmart the day my poor Mooney died. He had fin rot and is still recovering.


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## bettafishgirl

Very gorgeous, alwaysBettaLover!


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## bserrano2

Otterfun said:


> love the vibrant red.


thank you


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## Artemis

*Dominic*

Not much of a recovery yet but here is this little sweethearts story:

We saw Dom over a month ago. He was on his side with no water to sit up straight but we didn't have the room, time, or money so we added in water from another tank. Friday I went to get a betta that I had won I just had to pick him out. This litlle guy was at the front but in less then 2 inches of water, again. The water was very clouded and it was hard to see the fish. He was terrified all day and the net but has learned to say hi. He gets scared easily and will zip around the tank really fast. He is a nice blue with potential butterfly (we have to wait for his tail to grow back fully, I think he was a fin biter) and has slight tiger stripes on his body and wild spots on his tail.

*Before in his cup*










*After in his 1 gal with a hammock and custom rock formation with caves*


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## madmonahan

I won't be able to enter on time.  I really, really wanted to enter.


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## Otterfun

Luimeril said:


> okay. 8V i gots a great rescue. i adopted them, but it was my friend that physically rescued them. they were in a half gallon tank with stinky, gross, super dirty water, and it was either she saved them, or they got flushed. it was decided from the start that i'd take them in, but she held onto them while they healed up. i'm only entering Coop, since he's the one that went through the biggest change.
> 
> before:
> 
> and, the most recent photo i have of him after coming into my care:


very nice job =D


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## JBonez423

The first month of Dresden's life was not a happy one. She was owned by my brother, who's young and pretty dumb. I don't live at home, so I was aware that he had a fish, but that was it. When I came over to visit, I decided to peek at his fish and was horrified at what I had found... he was keeping her with a male in a small, dirty bowl, and she was pretty beaten up. The male would hardly let her eat; she would drift to the top for a breath, get attacked and just float listlessly back down.























I was pretty angry. I told my brother I was taking her home, cleaned the bowl for him so the male had better conditions, and said that if he couldn't get it together, I'd be taking the male, too.

That was March 22nd. Not yet two weeks later, with the help of stress coat, warm, clean water and healthy brine shrimp, she's already doing much better. She's much feistier than when I had first taken her home, often zooming happily around her tank or snatching food off the surface like a little shark. She has a warm, clean, safe environment all to herself, and her fins are growing back, her stress stripes faded and her color returned. She even looks bigger!























And this is only the beginning of her transformation! ;]


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## Elsewhere

This my boy, Pigg, the first day I got him last June:










This is him now, with some fin damage, but so much healthier:


















I got Pigg last June, originally named Silver Streaked Violet, as the girl who worked there said he was a girl -_- I mean come on! But anyways, I would go in that store after school almost every day and look at him. I finally convinced my mother that he needed to come home with me, and within a week he had his own heated, filtered 10g instead of the .5g I had at first been keeping him in. He turned from a gross whitish pink and a dark reddish purple tail into my gorgeous pink boy with a brilliant burgundy tail, now with teal in it for some reason... Still working out the kinks  He is absolutely my favourite fish and I love him to bits. If I hadn't gotten him that day, he would surely be dead like the fish in the cups next to him that day I got him.


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## MoonShadow

Thank you for all of the entries!! The contest will end as of midnight tonight! So if you have anymore entries get them in today!! I will announce the winner on Wednesday or Thursday!


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## LebronTheBetta

Yay!


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## madmonahan

Unfortunately my iPod only lets me post one picture at a time so this will take two posts.

Big Red was rescued from Wally World, he had been in the same cup a another betta and he was sitting on the bottom of the cup while the other guy had perfect fins and was healthy and building a bubble-nest. I separated them and left. But I couldn't get the poor boy out of my head. I knew no one would buy him because of his ripped up fins. I knew he would just sit there until he got bad fin-rot and died. So the next day I went back to get him, his fins started growing back great! My friend came over one day and she loved him. After a little training from me, and after she bought most of her supplies, she got to take him home with her.  he has grown his fins back but started biting his tail a bit. I let my friend have some food that I have. I gave it to her in a little tube, which will not last much longer and it's not one of the highest quality food, so if I win I will be giving her the food.  (but I never win contests;-)lol)


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## madmonahan

After:


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## Tabbie82

*My rescue named Egg.*

I'm going to go ahead and post my rescued boy here. I brought him home this past Thursday, the 28th, so he hasn't been with me long. He is doing much, much better than when I brought him home. 

Egg was in the worst condition of all the bettas at the pet store. He just laid at the bottom of his cup, breathing hard. His water was filthy and had brown and white stuff floating in it. His eyes are what sealed the deal for me. He just kept watching me and following me with his red/blue eyes. It was like he was begging me to help him. 

After he was released in his tank, it took awhile for him to perk up. He was very pale when I brought him home and he swam funny at first. He is getting more color and is much stronger. He is still skittish and hides from me, but I know he is eating when I'm not looking. I can't wait to see his full personality once he gets used to his home and me!

I love this contest. Everyone has wonderful stories and the pictures are amazing! Good luck everyone!


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## MoonShadow

Contest is closed! Thank you for all of the entries! the winner will be announced shortly!


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## madmonahan

I'm so exited! :-D


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## Luimeril

aahhhh i can't wait!


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## alwaysaBettaLover

Oh the suspense is killing me!!!


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## Artemis

+1

I don't think I'll win, to many good rescues and mine isn't finished yet as he still won't eat.


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## Skyewillow

Good luck everyone!! And congrats on all of the awesome rescues that have come so far under your loving care!


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## alwaysaBettaLover

+1


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## DiiQue

Good luck everyone! Judging will be hard... I don't envy that.. hehehe.


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## Skyewillow

the suspense is making me crazy. Did y'all pick a winner yet?


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## JBonez423

Me too!! Lol I wanna know who won.


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## MoonShadow

Sorry Guys! Having a hard time getting a hold of one of the judges so going to find someone else to help me! Regardless results will be up tonight! Promise


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## alwaysaBettaLover

Ohh YAY!! This is my first contest so I'm crazy excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## MoonShadow

RESULTS ARE IN!!! 

Because I really really love people who help out these little fish I've decided that my top 5 winners will all be sent some Indian Almost leaves. With the 1st place winner also receiving a small container of Atison's Betta Pro betta food!!! 

Now for the results!! 

In 5th place... Tabbie82 and Egg!! Congratulations!! 

In 4th place... LebronTheBetta and Winnie!! Congratulations!!

In 3rd place... Stone and Twitchy!! Congratulations!!

In 2nd place... Skyewillow and Don Quixote!! Congratulations!!

And our winner is... *Drum roll please!*... madmonahan and Big Red!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! 

All winners please PM me with your shipping addresses so I can get yours prizes mailed out!


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## Skyewillow

Congrats Madmonahan and Big Red!! ^_^ (Congrats to everyone who rescued a betta, really)
I PM'd you our address. Thank you for choosing Donqui as the 2nd place! I'll let him know. <3


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## alwaysaBettaLover

Congrats to those who won!!!!!!


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## Tabbie82

Congratulations everyone!!


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## madmonahan

Wow, I can't believe I won!  
I will PM you now!
And congrats to everyone! Amazing stories!


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## LebronTheBetta

Congrats!!


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