# petco elephant ear betta???



## chrissylee13

so i like to check the petco online to see what bettas they usually carry. well i came across elephant ear betta... never heard of it before! here's the link!!

http://www.petco.com/product/117912/Elephant-Ear-Betta.aspx?CoreCat=BettaHPLiveBetta


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## dew

I've never heard of that before.


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## Olympia

$50 is kinda a joke for those.. any fish labeled "big ears" on aquabid is the same type. 
The 2nd picture on this ad has probably the most impressive big ears I've seen:
http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-pets-liv...hter-flowerhorn-and-discus-W0QQAdIdZ346374747
I still think they're fairly new to the trade though.


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## AngelicScars

Awww I was hoping this wouldn't become a trend. It's hard for these bettas to swim. :-(


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## Olympia

AngelicScars said:


> Awww I was hoping this wouldn't become a trend. It's hard for these bettas to swim. :-(


^^I totally thought the same thing when I first saw them. That said, they'll prolly be more suited to smaller (2-5gal) tanks, would they not?


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## AngesRadieux

I wouldn't worry about the trend lasting for very long, honestly. For the average person who walks into a Petco looking for a betta, $50 is way too expensive. They probably won't be able to sell too many of them and end up giving up on stocking them.


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## Laki

They look like they could be a fad, I think they look cool but caring for a 50$ betta would be lethal for me. I would just fuss over every little thing! 
Anyway, poor things, everything is getting bred into them.


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## Olympia

Probably more for a die-hard betta fan who'd get the fish from a good source than a "OOH FISHY IN SMALL HOME" person. Bad idea, petco. xD


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## PaintingPintos

I feel bad for those fish. Isn't it hard for them to swim with those huge fins? They can't even nip off the ends to make them smaller *sobbing on table next to betta fish tank, thanking God that Omelette is okay* I hope, like many others, that it doesn't become a trend. But 50 bucks is a joke. Just wait a year when there'll be hundreds on the amrket and the price will go down to 15 bucks. Even then that's still a lot to ask for if you're buying a potentially diseased, health-problem-filled fish in a tiny plastic cup from a store that's known to churn out unhealthy betta fish.


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## betta lover1507

pretty, but not worth it >.> especially from bad conditions from petco


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## SmokeNLark

Ugh. There are certain big eared bettas that are pretty, but it's just harder on the fish. And $50, really? Anyone willing to spend that kind of money on a fish will be getting them online anyway. And it'll be cheaper and a better fish.


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## chrissylee13

i completely agree with you all. and i'm not sure if it's really that pretty on a betta. honestly i think it looks strange.. and just like they would have an even harder time swimming. i mean, they already have larger than normal fins, these just make it worse. :[ and i would not spend $50 on a betta. nope.


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## registereduser

I am over the moon tonight cuz I just got one of these $50 fish at PetCo for $13 cuz it was mislabeled!!!

:BIGcha-ching:










He seems super healthy and active and no problems swimming whatsoever.


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## Boikazi4o9

Wow lucky you! They usually call them dumbo ear! Go figure haha


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## chrissylee13

oh wow! yay! smart move getting him! and he's pretty. <3


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## Saphirra

*My Big Ear Betta*

I got this guy from Petco a couple days ago for $7.49 because he was just labeled as a Delta tail. Whoever said it is harder for them to swim is correct. I have him in a 5 gallon with a bio wheel filter which I have modified with AquaClear sponges on the intake and the outtake to reduce the flow and he is doing very well. I have attached a picture but he is a bit camera shy. His name is Apollo and I think he is amazing!


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## Saphirra

I should clarify that he definitely has no trouble swimming, he is active and healthy. He is just a bit slower due to all the finnage and definitely benefits from low water movement.


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## Hallyx

PaintingPintos said:


> a potentially diseased, health-problem-filled fish in a tiny plastic cup from a store that's known to churn out unhealthy betta fish.


I, and many others, have bought beautiful, active, healthy fish from Petco or Petsmart. There are breeders right here on this forum who breed Betta for the chains. The attitude and management of the individual store seems the major factor in the health of Betta for sale.


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## Tikibirds

> For the average person who walks into a Petco looking for a betta, $50 is way too expensive.


Yeah but that just means they will die in petco cause we all know they dont take care of the bettas :evil:


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## FishyFishy89

Looks to be a betta with a unique spot marking. Petco always over prices things anyhow.


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## styggian

I got a "halfmoon" big ear from 12 dollars after using a 20% coupon. He's closer to a delta though, his tail spread isn't 180* at all.


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## Wolfboy51

Hi guys, i know this is off topic but does petco ship bettas to australia? I was looking for a halfmoon plakat, they only
Have CT and VT's in australia.


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## styggian

I don't believe they ship any animals.


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## OMGemily

FishyFishy89 said:


> Looks to be a betta with a unique spot marking. Petco always over prices things anyhow.


 agreed, im so glad we just got a petsmart recently. the tank i just bought was 35 at petsmart and 64 for the exact same thing at petco. rediculous. although the petco near me does have a lot more bettas on display. not sure how healthy they are though because i wasnt actually looking for one yet last time i was there


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## Wolfboy51

Thanks styggian, but luckly for me i found a fish specialist in eastern australia that ships to wa, and they have HMPK's in soo happy.


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## PhilipPhish

Hmmm... some people are so negative about this.
What I see here is a potential breeding project.
If you were to take those bigger King bettas and cross them with a big ear, there's a possible chance of creating a fish with" big ears" that has the muscle to use them. Eventually the King X big ear would grow stronger and develop its muscles in certain places to allow swimming to become easier.

I do agree that $50 is expensive. But it is possible, believe it or not, to buy healthy bettas from petco. I have 3 petco bettas who came from the store, to my house in perfect condition and they've been healthy for the past 2 years.

Not everything has to be bad. 
I'm not saying I know all about this, but I'm just looking at a more positive side to the big ear.
The big ear shown in the petco picture does look weird, but that doesn't mean they all look like that. I've drawn betta lover1507's big ear, Echo, and he looks rather beautiful. I had a betta named Philip and as he got older, he developed big years. One of my bettas, caspian, is around 3-4 years old and he's got big ears.

Now i'm just looking at the positive side to this because i don't enjoy being a negative nelly.


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## Wolfboy51

King betta X big ears would be pretty cool, imagine if it could Make them swim faster.


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## PhilipPhish

Wolfboy51 said:


> King betta X big ears would be pretty cool, imagine if it could Make them swim faster.


See and there's my point! If we didn't think so negatively about it, we could see the problem and fix it!

So the problem here is that bettas with big ears aren't strong enough to swim. So what if we created a stronger, faster betta fish. That way, it would satisfy the masses while still living out a long happy life!

Its like with dogs. You want a stronger dog, then you find strong dogs and breed them to make the breed itself stronger.

Betta fish are stronger in their midsection down, but we want to develop the upper muscles. If we can create a way to do that, we can create a beautiful fish that has the strength to carry its finage and be able to swim very well!


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## Wolfboy51

Very true! Itd be cool, its like creating ur own breed of stronger faster betta.


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## FishyFishy89

Wolfboy51 said:


> Thanks styggian, but luckly for me i found a fish specialist in eastern australia that ships to wa, and they have HMPK's in soo happy.


You cloud also try aquabid.com. There quite a bit of quality bettas for decent price on there.


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## Wolfboy51

Thanks ill take a look.


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## newarkhiphop

styggian said:


> I got a "halfmoon" big ear from 12 dollars after using a 20% coupon. He's closer to a delta though, his tail spread isn't 180* at all.


yea my petco , had a couple of big hear halfmoons for $13


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## MrVampire181

TBH I was of the thought that the big ears would cause problems. But after talking to an IBC judge I see it really doesn't affect the fish anymore than having long fins. Plakats will always be more active than their halfmoon counter parts. Of course people should be careful and not breed the "ears" to be too long just like with halfmoon fins. It's the next step in betta evolution.


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## Kittiekins

I actually just got one a couple of weeks ago<3 Yea $30 is a lot for a fish, but he's just lovely and their so much fun. As for the swimming, he's a little slower but that doesn't stop him! He's everywhere! He'll slow down every now and then and regain energy while laying in his plants but after that is done he's back to swimming around


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## BriGuy

At my local petco, they sell elephant ear bettas for only $20. And I was also able to snag a halfmoon double tail for only $7 because it was mismarked as only a double tail!


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## LillieCharlotte

I saw that too on the pricing guide at my Petco and remember thinking "what the heck is an elephant ear betta?" They didn't have any on the shelf, but i believe they were either $25 or $30 - the most expensive after "King" bettas and Plakats. I recall Petco having horrid conditions, but they must have listened to complaints because the joint has vastly improved - larger cups, always clean water, wide variety. While petsmart continues to offer a few raggedy crowntails in tiny cups filled with methylene blue...

Honestly, I don't think PetCo would sell these fish if they weren't prepared to invest in proper training and care for them. They are not cheap to begin with and there's no profit to be made if they let all the fish die.


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## Melodica

I bought a boy from my local Petco a couple of weeks ago that looks nearly exactly like the pic in that link. I think he was labeled as a halfmoon plakat, so I got him for less than $15. His right pectoral fin was badly torn, but it's already growing out. He's smaller than my others and so cute! (pic attached - he's hyper so he's so hard to photograph - and he looks kinda demonic in this pic because I had the flash on)

I did see one in there yesterday that I wanted so badly. He was labeled as a halfmoon (and so wasn't really that expensive), but he didn't look anything like the other halfmoons. He was more impressive and he had the most beautiful royal blue coloring with black accents. My fiance wouldn't let me get him though because I don't have a tank to put him in.


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## Blue Fish

Wait a minute, I've got one. He was $12 at Petco, labeled "elephant ear" and so far he's had no trouble swimming in my divided 20 g (he's got one tank mate, so he's in 10 g of water). I didn't care if he was an EE or not, I just liked his color. I will say though, he's NOT a plaket like the one in the photo. (they may indeed have some issues with swimming with their short fins) My guy is an EE with a full delta tail, and normal length fins, so that may be why he's able to swim and get around as well as he does.  

But, I will agree, I would NOT pay fifty bucks for a fish. I just wouldn't. I've heard of some of the larger breeds and Koi and things like that being that high, which does make sense, but 50 for a betta? Nope, just not going to happen for me. Heck, I thought 12 was high...

Here's my boy Emmett:


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## Blue Fish

Wolfboy51 said:


> Very true! Itd be cool, its like creating ur own breed of stronger faster betta.


We can rebuild them, stronger, faster, better...  
Bionic Betta! 
(and you know you're making the bionic noise under your breath right now!)

And anyone who's under 30 will most likely have NO IDEA what I'm talking about...but I just had to do it...


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## Jayloo

I personally like the more traditional bettas. But I do feel the elephant ear bettas are a thing of the future.


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## Skyewillow

I paid $20 for my EE, and he's also HMPK, he gets around better than all of my other males. Some may just be faster swimmers than others.


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## LillieCharlotte

So I went to the petco in the "nice" part of town and OH MY GOSHHHHH. They had more fish equipment than i've ever seen, and they had the most BEAUTIFUL royal blue and white elephant ear betta for $19 if i had seen him a few hours prior i might have bought him, but my car ended up sucking several hundred out of my bank account today -.-


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## Roemgie

Olympia said:


> ^^I totally thought the same thing when I first saw them. That said, they'll prolly be more suited to smaller (2-5gal) tanks, would they not?


I know this is a while later but I have 2 EE females and they both swim just fine


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## Roemgie

Also I would like to say if you want a good choice of bettas go on aquabid.com  it's wonderful and you'll defiantly get a good amount of choices


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## Rosewynn

My EE (in avatar) Gus is from PetCo and cost $20 and lives in a 3 gallon KK same as my VT. He swims just as fast as my VT. The only thing I have had to do to accommodate him versus my VT is make sure there aren't as many plant leaves on the surface of his tank. It's harder for him to get out of a tight spot and to 'reverse' or power forward if you will. When he does it he kind of looks like he might be struggling a bit so now he just has one large plant that reaches the top of his tank and about 50-75% of nothing on the surface of his tank and some medium and small plants. 

He can and does swim up a storm now! His favorite thing is to sprint in and out of his floating betta log. He also has a betta hammock I bought when I first got him because I was worried he would need a resting spot near the top especially because he was an EE. He never even bothers with it lol. The only time he stops is when he's sleeping and he wedges himself face down by his heater. I suspect this is because I notice when he stops swimming all his finnage (I think he's a half-moon or a rose tail, not sure) causes his rear to naturally start to rise so he's butt up in the water.

I was hesitant to get a 'special needs' fish as EEs are sometimes portrayed but I couldn't resist owning another lavender fish and with lipstick to boot! While the price will probably stop me from owning another unless I am drawn in again I don't regret him for a second.

His brothers (all the EEs there are purple) are STILL in the store and while our PetCo specializes in fish and keeps them clean I feel like they might die soon of boredom or something. I wish they'd make them go on sale or something because then they'd have a greater chance of being bought. They're beauties but $20 for a betta fish is too much for most casual fish owners I feel.


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## Roemgie

Rosewynn said:


> My EE (in avatar) Gus is from PetCo and cost $20 and lives in a 3 gallon KK same as my VT. He swims just as fast as my VT. The only thing I have had to do to accommodate him versus my VT is make sure there aren't as many plant leaves on the surface of his tank. It's harder for him to get out of a tight spot and to 'reverse' or power forward if you will. When he does it he kind of looks like he might be struggling a bit so now he just has one large plant that reaches the top of his tank and about 50-75% of nothing on the surface of his tank and some medium and small plants.
> 
> He can and does swim up a storm now! His favorite thing is to sprint in and out of his floating betta log. He also has a betta hammock I bought when I first got him because I was worried he would need a resting spot near the top especially because he was an EE. He never even bothers with it lol. The only time he stops is when he's sleeping and he wedges himself face down by his heater. I suspect this is because I notice when he stops swimming all his finnage (I think he's a half-moon or a rose tail, not sure) causes his rear to naturally start to rise so he's butt up in the water.
> 
> I was hesitant to get a 'special needs' fish as EEs are sometimes portrayed but I couldn't resist owning another lavender fish and with lipstick to boot! While the price will probably stop me from owning another unless I am drawn in again I don't regret him for a second.
> 
> His brothers (all the EEs there are purple) are STILL in the store and while our PetCo specializes in fish and keeps them clean I feel like they might die soon of boredom or something. I wish they'd make them go on sale or something because then they'd have a greater chance of being bought. They're beauties but $20 for a betta fish is too much for most casual fish owners I feel.


One thing about EE's is they tend to get eye problems either from stress, too much ammonia, etc. and that's really the only special needs thing I have found about them (at least my females seem just fine  ) also one thing to let you know. Eventually your betta log will wear and jagged edges will begin to 'emerge' or form so make sure to keep an eye on it. Also unfortunately leaf hammocks will rust, some sooner than others. So make sure to watch out for that as well! The betta log especially since EE bettas have more finage to get caught on things. 

I have to say that although I prefer petco over petsmart I like to get my girls and or boys from aquabid.com usually I pay 25 dollars, 20 for the betta and 5 for them to be shipped to the US. And then I pay the 5 dollars when I go pick them up from my transporter. So a total of maybe 30 dollars for an amazing looking girl


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## Rosewynn

Yeah, I take a file to them every 2 weeks or so and have spares on hand once they get to the point of no return. While I think the DIY ones are neat I like to keep all of my tanks 'natural' looking so I'll just waste my money on spare betta logs haha. I have had good luck with my betta hammocks going on a year now but I am keeping an eye on them. It's unfortunate some of them rust so easily. Neither of my bettas even look twice at theirs so I won't be re-purchasing those. Thanks though. 

I might do AB one day and I love to browse but it's too much stress for me right now. I'd be horrified if I got a DOA and the 'lost in the mail' thread has me paranoid. lol So far my PetCo has had plenty of variety for my taste. It's hard enough to resist there let alone on AB. I can't end up with 20 fish like I used to haha.


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## Agent13

I saw two of those the other day at Petco! Also a baby(not a fry!) King Betta and a larger one too(they didn't have any over $15). I actually am impressed with the care at the Petco near me. They have an awesome Betta collection and a staff that know what they're doing. The manager saw me staring forever at the Bettas and came over to ask if I was looking at the EE one. He was really happy to hear I wasn't going to buy it because he confessed he was hoping to buy it later that week lol. Their water is always super clean any time of day and they actually do really do try to keep people away from those tiny betta cubes. And to top that off... they are THE only petstore chain around me that doesn't sell the lethal bearded dragon food and actually orders proper food.


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## GhostFeather

Same thing as the Dumbos.


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## Roemgie

Rosewynn said:


> Yeah, I take a file to them every 2 weeks or so and have spares on hand once they get to the point of no return. While I think the DIY ones are neat I like to keep all of my tanks 'natural' looking so I'll just waste my money on spare betta logs haha. I have had good luck with my betta hammocks going on a year now but I am keeping an eye on them. It's unfortunate some of them rust so easily. Neither of my bettas even look twice at theirs so I won't be re-purchasing those. Thanks though.
> 
> I might do AB one day and I love to browse but it's too much stress for me right now. I'd be horrified if I got a DOA and the 'lost in the mail' thread has me paranoid. lol So far my PetCo has had plenty of variety for my taste. It's hard enough to resist there let alone on AB. I can't end up with 20 fish like I used to haha.


Yeah I almost got the betta logs but when I found out that they can be harmful I decided not to get one but I do have some nice pieces of drift wood that they can swim through (although not exactly the same lol) And I actually will also use Hamster tubing in my tanks for some floating aspects  

And with the hammocks, my boys used them but by the time I started my sorority tank I didn't have anymore. You have to lift back the plastic so you can actually see the metal rod. If you see any rusty color or brown instead of silver than its rust starting  

These are the girls I plan on getting in 2-3 weeks!









And if you find a girl you really want to bid on I just want to let you know that it takes 24 hours for your account to activate so make sure to make one a few days before you choose a girl. Also where do you live? I live in Georgia and I'm about 1.5 hours away from my transporter so I usually pick up any girls on my way home or back. If you look around and find the betta of your dreams let me know and I can tell you if I've used that seller before and if I like them


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## Rosewynn

Roemgie said:


> Yeah I almost got the betta logs but when I found out that they can be harmful I decided not to get one but I do have some nice pieces of drift wood that they can swim through (although not exactly the same lol) And I actually will also use Hamster tubing in my tanks for some floating aspects
> 
> And with the hammocks, my boys used them but by the time I started my sorority tank I didn't have anymore. You have to lift back the plastic so you can actually see the metal rod. If you see any rusty color or brown instead of silver than its rust starting
> 
> These are the girls I plan on getting in 2-3 weeks!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And if you find a girl you really want to bid on I just want to let you know that it takes 24 hours for your account to activate so make sure to make one a few days before you choose a girl. Also where do you live? I live in Georgia and I'm about 1.5 hours away from my transporter so I usually pick up any girls on my way home or back. If you look around and find the betta of your dreams let me know and I can tell you if I've used that seller before and if I like them


Thanks for the tips! They are gorgeous. I am sure it'll be exciting when they arrive.  I live in Southern California. I have kind of poked around to see if there are any breeders near me. I found one (can't think of the name) but he didn't have any bettas up for sale at the time.


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## Roemgie

Rosewynn said:


> Thanks for the tips! They are gorgeous. I am sure it'll be exciting when they arrive.  I live in Southern California. I have kind of poked around to see if there are any breeders near me. I found one (can't think of the name) but he didn't have any bettas up for sale at the time.


Oh that is a ways away! But still you're close to Asia on that end  (unless I'm totally geographically incorrect) so shipping should be too bad over there!


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## Shadyr

Beautiful girls Roemgie!

*waves to fellow Georgian*

My Petco too has some lovely EE males, but never any girls of the EE or DT persuasion, which makes me a bit sad. I'm sure their breeders HAVE them, cause I imagine half of any spawn is typically female! Sell me some, ARG!


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## bannlow2471

Wow, those are some gorgeous girls!


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## Roemgie

Shadyr said:


> Beautiful girls Roemgie!
> 
> *waves to fellow Georgian*
> 
> My Petco too has some lovely EE males, but never any girls of the EE or DT persuasion, which makes me a bit sad. I'm sure their breeders HAVE them, cause I imagine half of any spawn is typically female! Sell me some, ARG!


Thank you  these are my two EE girls (From aquabid.com as well Ceylon
















and Opal
















and in the second picture Opal got a little beaten up when my sorority tank first started not because she's an EE but because when she's stressed her swim bladder doesn't seem to function properly and so she floats)

And hello in Georgia! I'm originally from SC but I'm here for college  

Yeah the males I've seen at petco!! Gosh they are breath taking and yet they don't have the same pattern for females  and I do agree with you! They must have tons that they just don't sell. But I guess people want big fins and so just males  but maybe one day!


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## Roemgie

bannlow2471 said:


> Wow, those are some gorgeous girls!


Thank you! I cannot wait for them to come here!! I'll be taken a million pictures especially since I'll have my 20 gallon set up too!


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## bannlow2471

I am sure you are really excited and we can't wait to see more pictures!


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## Roemgie

bannlow2471 said:


> I am sure you are really excited and we can't wait to see more pictures!


I have to admit I've been thinking about next year sometime adopting a male EE and possibly breeding my girls with him. But I honestly don't want to end up with 30-50 babies that I may or may not find a home for!!


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## love4bettas

My Petco is getting more and more EE bettas but $50????? Our Petco sells them for under $10 each. I did give in and bought one. He had no trouble occupying himself swimming like a fool and just happy all the time. I don't think they will be a fad. The prices of EE are the same as the half and double half moons. Your Petco is a rip off. Try Petsmart. Their prices in general are always less.


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## Luimeril

keep in mind that different places have different prices. x: i know Canada has prices i think are horridly high, but it's just the difference in what's available and monetary differences.


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## love4bettas

Luimeril said:


> keep in mind that different places have different prices. x: i know Canada has prices i think are horridly high, but it's just the difference in what's available and monetary differences.


Excellent point! I stand corrected. You can learn more than just about fish here. Talking to people all over the world always gives you different perspectives. I love that about this board. My apologies, sincerely.


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