# How did you get into betta's?



## Jakr959 (Jun 15, 2010)

I want to know how you got into loving and owning betta's. it you choose other, please tell us below.


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## Learn To Fly (May 15, 2010)

My first fish was a betta. I didn't know much about them til my second betta. But that's really about it: I wanted a fish and got a betta 

I wanted a pleco, but I'm glad I got a betta.


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## LMac54 (Jun 9, 2010)

My LFS mailed out coupons one day and one was 'FREE BETTA with purchase of bowl and food". I always wanted a fish, so I thought this was a great deal. I knew nothing about fish keeping and thought Bettas would be easy to take care of. 

 Little did I know that I would be bit by the Betta bug and learned so much. Now I have 2 boys (and wanting more), and learning how to cycle my first 10gal tank.


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## RandomFish (Jun 16, 2010)

My mother-in-law really likes bettas and over the past 10-11 years she's given us a total of six. #'s 5 and 6 are still alive n kickin (if they could kick). At first I was like, "Oh no, boring fish..." but when I started reading about them online and how they come in a variety of forms and colors, I got hooked. Now I'm addicted enough to have shelled out $50 for a halfmoon on Aquabid.


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## Alexanderismylife (Jun 14, 2010)

I got my first betta fish Bubba and I was hooked from there lol! I also didn't know too much about bettas and Bubba lived in a bowl for about 6 months but then he happily lived in his 2 gallon tank and then was upgraded to a 5 gallon tank but then sadly passed away! and Now I have 2 bettas used to have 3 but my mom fell in love with my crownie Xavier :[ Have always loved bettas ever since!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

My first one was actually my neighbor's. She left him with me when she went on vacation 3 different times. The third time she never came and got him so I kept him. She said she didn't want to fool with him when I tried to tell her how to care for him properly.


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## TheJadeBetta (Mar 31, 2010)

It all started, because I got upset about something. I really don't remember now. But I got my Sapphire, may he R.I.P. But when I got him, I saw the tanks they had and I still remember thinking to myself "Kinda small aren't they?!" So I got him a 1.5 gallon tank.


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## Kato Aaron (May 6, 2010)

My sister and i went to walmart and she got a male and female betta. All we knew was not to put them together cause they'll fight and you can breed them lol. I fell in love with a blue single tail male and took him home. then i went i want to get him a friend so i got my female and them we slowly got more and more then got addicted. Now my sister has a billion guppies and 7 bettas and i have 6 goldfish and 15 bettas XD


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## Betta Slave (Dec 8, 2009)

When I was smaller, I really wanted a fish, because my dad was/is a fish person himself. He had a community tank in the family room that he took care of, and I was fascinated with all of the tetras and cories swimming around in there. He also bred electric blue/yellow cichlids. I learned all of my basic fish knowledge from him.

So one day I asked him for a good beginner's fish (I was about... seven or so.) 
And we went to the petstore and picked up a 2.5 gallon bowl, heater, gravel, plants, etc. A week later I got my first fish. Darwin, who was a purple/pink/green VT. 

I didn't know I would still have the Betta Bug 6 years later. o.o


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## FireKidomaru (Jan 24, 2010)

i acually went into petco and i had wanted a tank with balloon bellied mollys but i went to look at the bettas and i found Fire R.I.P and he stole my heart.. i ended up gettin a tank and him


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## littlebluebetta (Jun 22, 2010)

When i was in 5th grade my dad picked me up from school and said i could have a gift of my choice so i said to bring me to the pet shop. Before seeing the bettas, my dad said to get a golfish but the one of the staff sai they poop alot and showed us the bettas. I saw a beautiful blue one and got him. He is still alive.


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## Posaune (Sep 17, 2010)

Got my first as an impulse buy after I broke up with my GF, he's keeping me company


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## meeka (Jul 1, 2010)

My mum has a tropical community tank and I really want my own tank. Every time we went to the lfs I felt so sorry for all the bettas in tiny bowls so I decided that I wanted to give one a good life. So I did my research and decided they were the fish for me. Also I feel in love with Marley the moment I saw him.
He was in a vase with a horrible plastic plant. The staff were nice enough to hold him for me until my tank was ready.


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## dirtyfishbow (Oct 20, 2010)

I started with koi ponds, call me trippy buty all the colors swiming around was relaxing, then i got Finless and it was a love at first sight thing. Now on my way on selling my koi and breed bettas. Yep thats how it started


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## Jupiter (Aug 30, 2009)

When I moved to Ottawa to go to college, I couldn't bring my cat with me. I was living with my aunt at the time, who was allergic to cats-plus, you can't really drag your pet into someone else's home. Anyway, even know that I'm renting a room and living on my own, they guy I'm renting from doesn't allow pets like dogs or cats...

Anyway, so I decided I was going to get something 'low maintenance' that I could keep contained in a tank. At first, I really wanted an axolotl, but I couldn't find a place that would sell them, so I started considerng fish instead. I'd been interested in fish, but I didn't have a lot of knowledge on how to keep them.

Anyway, I thought back to a female betta I had as a kid (sorry I didn't know how to take better care of you at the time, Zorro!), and how much I'd liked her-she had been so fiesty and cute.

And so I ended up with a female sorority!


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

I've had one or two bettas here and there. Then the summer after 5th grade I got Namu....I blame him. That Blue VT with red and green wash got me hooked!! The next thing I know I have a female betta community and a spawning tank.....well I've come a long way...I still miss Namu...he died the day before my birthday last year....I was so sad...he was the best little guy ever....in fact I might set up his 5 gallon again...might even put my blue DT male in there (he looks so much like Namu I named him Namu Jr).


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## JKfish (Apr 8, 2010)

My birthday present was a hamster, and to satiate my little brother, who was whining about needing a pet, my mom bought my little brother his own present: a betta fish (Puffy) under the condition I clean the fish bowl. And so our glorious history began... with me cleaning his 1/2 gallon once a week for my little brother, and with Puffy getting sick, and then my finding this website.... and we all know what happened from there ^-^


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## Bloodeath (Aug 22, 2010)

My girlfriend (michellelouise on the forums) wanted a pet together, my mom said no critters, anything furry, but i could have a fish. we were reluctant at first and didnt get one for a couple months, until we went to the pet store saw bettas and eventually got one, came home and as bad as it is to say it, we stuck him in a vase. well after about a half week of having him and constantly thinking the poor guy needs more space, we got him a five gallon...and then he died shortly after getting it (RIP Pablito). And ever since then i've personally been obsessed with these little guys, i currently have 6 tanks in my room, 3 in my living room, and 2 in my bathroom. lol


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## eclover09 (Oct 1, 2010)

I think for me it was we had moved to California because of my dads job and I had no friends and my community college was all adults with no one to hang out with, I was kind of feeling lonely and I don't think I had gotten my new dog then and I kinda just...wanted something. So I had gone to petco a few times and seen the Betta's, but the first one or two times my mom said no, but then one day, dunno, I was looking at them and then she started looking at the 1/2 gallon kits and I found one (Valentine) that I just really loved and she just let me have him, then couple months later surprised me for Christmas with a two gallon tank. I had never had fish before other then him, and at first he was just kinda something to brighten my room, but it was very easy to truly fall in love with him : P


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## fleetfish (Jun 29, 2010)

I'd never really noticed them at petstores until one day, after getting some money for my birthday from my brother, I walked into a store and saw my first betta and fell instantly for him. He was a royal blue VT and he lived three years in all sorts of conditions, even with a pair of goldfish for a few months. I didn't know any better and decided it was time to research these little dudes. Then I got my second . . . . and the rest is history . . . .


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## purplemuffin (Aug 12, 2010)

I actually used to totally think fish were boring, I mean I loved looking at them at the doctor's office(HUUGE full wall tank with pacus) and I enjoyed when my grandma bought that ill fated betta in a plant vase, but I never really considered one.

I went to college, and hoped hoped hoped the tank rule could maybe allow me to get something not technically a fish--an axolotl, maybe I could sneak a gecko? I tried and tried but nothing would work well in just a ten gallon tank!(Plus they check the rooms, it would be hard to hide!)

So I gave up and decided to get a fish! I wanted an easy one..My mind shot to bettas! My friend had one for two years, I remember reading a blog by a guy who had one for a long time(but sadly died of ick, and so that's when I learned they could get sick and I steered away from the sick looking ones in the mall) ..I decided I wanted to look it up! I was in such a habit of googling care for my reptiles and amphibians, thank goodness I kept up that habit for the betta! The first website I found was bettatalk, followed by bettysplendens, then here! I joined happily, and now I know about bettas!


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## Bettacaleb (Jul 4, 2010)

I had one once a like 2 years ago he died though and then i thought i would try them again


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## dragonfair (Sep 21, 2010)

When I was in college, I wanted a little fish tank to put on my desk while I studied because I always thought fish were relaxing. The bettas caught my eye when I was in the petstore so I got one with a little 1 gallon tank. He lived a very long time and I loved how easy he was to take care of and how interactive he was. Over the years, I've had several off and on.


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## wallywestisthebest333 (Nov 30, 2009)

I came home for thanksgiving last year and since my sister's college is only an hour from home I visited her.
She had gotten a red and blue veiltail named Gunther. <3 I fell in love instantly and knew I had to have one of my own! <3
After researching bettas on here I picked Genie and Alakazam (R.I.P.) up in June and Genie's still with me. <3 Alakazam didn't make it though. He died of mysterious causes. :[


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## kUBITA (Oct 22, 2010)

When i was smaller i was facinated by " A fighting Fish?" so did some research went to my local petshop bought a fancy betta and now i have an enormous collection of bettas. My favorite being my Fanged Cambodian king betta< Heihachi>


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## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

I always thought that bettas were boring and never really liked them. But one night before going to the petstore the next morning I decided I wanted one. I was 7 at the time.  So obviously that little fish didn't have the best care but I loved him! Almost cried when he died. 

About two years ago I wanted to get another fish then I was HOOKED!


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## LikeDiscoSuperfly (Oct 18, 2010)

I had 3 or 4 bettas with my mom growing up starting in the 3rd grade. she knows NOTHING about fish, and obviously I didn't either.. so they didnt have the best of homes but they all lived 2-3 years. when I was about 13 I wanted a 12 gallon tank, so I got that and moved on from betta's which I thought were boring.
I eventually got bigger and bigger tanks, then when I was about 18 I had three tanks set up and one cracked and I couldnt fix it so all my fish in my community tank had to squeeze into a 10 gallon as my other tanks were agressive fish only, untill I could get a larger tank. well, it never happened I just rehomed all my fish but one tank. I then lost complete interest in maintaining it. an interest sparked a few months ago, but I didnt knwo what kind of fish the last fish was, so my friend guessed and told me it was semi-agressive. well, it ate every fish I placed in the tank. so he got a nice new home a few weeks ago, since I wasnt properly caring for him anymore.

I then quit my job for school, and at my old job we had a betta in a vase w/plant in our goodbye room for when clients put down thier animals. well, I was the only one that took care of him. I realize NOW that I wasnt giving him what he needed, but he wasn't my fish and I didn't know. =[[ 
so I left that job and sure missed that little guy so I set to work to do some research to get my own betta. I was orginally searching what kind of plant goes in the vase (HORRIBLE I KNOW) and found sites saying that was wrong. I realized I needed a better tank and that they were tropical fish and needed heaters and you know.. I landed here, lurked a few days, then joined. I have a tank all set up, but I haven't clicked with the right betta yet, so I am still fishless =[ 

WOW that was a life story.


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## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

My mom has always owned fish and when I was about 6-7 my mom said that my and my sister could pick the next fish to go into her two 55 gallons. We both chose bettas (one in each tank). After that we always made sure that there was a betta in the house. When I got older I thought to get my own tank but I have never liked large tanks so I got a 5 gal and I felt as if I had to get a betta like it was a family tradition or something. And well, as assumed I am now offically obsessed.


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## LikeDiscoSuperfly (Oct 18, 2010)

Aluyasha said:


> My mom has always owned fish and when I was about 6-7 my mom said that my and my sister could pick the next fish to go into her two 55 gallons. We both chose bettas (one in each tank). After that we always made sure that there was a betta in the house. When I got older I thought to get my own tank but I have never liked large tanks so I got a 5 gal and I felt as if I had to get a betta like it was a family tradition or something. And well, as assumed I am now offically obsessed.


 
I LOVE my little 5 gallon. It's like a mini tank, I have always had large tanks untill recently. I dont think I could go back.


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## Feral (Sep 19, 2010)

Late last spring I converted an unused bedroom into a relaxation room- planted it heavily in potted palms, cycads and cane plants and decorated it in an ancient Egyptian motiff, even put in a triple stage water effects fountain for the sounds of trickling water and a sound generator that does rain sounds, crickets and rain forest birds, but.... it lacked anything in the way of living motion, so I found a HUGE fishbowl and bought my first Betta, Little Dude. I've got to like him so much I now have two other Bettas in their own tanks and am getting into redecorating THEIR 'rooms'.

I've really learned to appreciate these guys, each such a different personality :-D


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## BettaBuddi1221 (Jul 21, 2010)

I had two goldfish when I was two so I scraped up 110$ and I got a betta, 2 1/2 gallon tank, net, silk plant, gravel, thermometer, and rocks.


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## Kitdae (Nov 29, 2010)

my step brother had one, and since everytime i had goldfish they died i figured bettas were a hardier breed. I've had mine for over a year now


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