# I think I found betta paradise...



## Rjb5584 (Sep 22, 2011)

Stopped into a little hole-in-the-wall fish store I passed literally tens-of-thousands of times before, simply on a whim.

Turns out they have dozens and dozens of show-quality bettas, imported straight from SE Asia, and dirt-cheap at that! Half the price ofthe big-box stores!

The top four I'm looking at, and can't decide (wish I could show the pics--all these are males):

a blue and white HM butterfly
a HM platinum and red dragon
a turquoise/baby blue and black HMPK
a platinum and red dragon HMPK

REALLY wish I found this place sooner! Absolutely can't believe it! Plus, they keep the water crystal-clear--the containers are a little small, especially for the giants, but considering how quickly they sell them, it's a non-issue.

Moral of the story: exhaust all the possibilities, no matter how remote you think they might be!

Based on the super brief description, which of those four would you grab?


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## Bambi (Sep 11, 2011)

Oooo, ilove hole in the wall places like that. I would get the dragon halfmoon and or the blue and white halfmoon.


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

We have one like that here too! The name is Seven Seas, so I thought it was mainly marine fish, but while they have them too, they have some absolutely beautiful Bettas! I got a half moon melano and red female there!


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## Rjb5584 (Sep 22, 2011)

Bambi said:


> Oooo, ilove hole in the wall places like that. I would get the dragon halfmoon and or the blue and white halfmoon.


The dragon hmpk or the standard dragon hm?

I spent two hours in there trying to decide before leaving so I could think about it some more.

Yeah, this place is simply called "Tropical Fish", and their logo is a clown fish, so I figured it was all saltwater too, but it turns out the owner is a real hardcore betta enthusiast!


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## Bambi (Sep 11, 2011)

The standard halfmoon xD I love HMPK, but i'd love to see more dragom HM's around.


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## Rjb5584 (Sep 22, 2011)

I'm a little reluctant to get the non PKs cuz I already have a HM, a SDeT, and a DeT, but no PKs or CTs. But the color strength on both the non-PKs were literally jaw-dropping.


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## Bambi (Sep 11, 2011)

Haha then get the PK's xD Alot of the PK's coming around these days do have really awesome color, probably because they're not as focused on the fins as say a HM breeder would be(working for the ideal shape and all)


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## Nubster (Aug 1, 2011)

Where is this located? Website? Do they ship? Will you buy and ship? There isn't anyplace around me that has really nice Bettas other than Petco an hour away and a Petsmart about an hour twenty minutes away.


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## Rjb5584 (Sep 22, 2011)

I live in southern California. Not sure they have a website. They might ship--no idea. It was my first time there, so I have no idea what their policies are or what they are like.

I'd be open to the idea of shipping them, but I gotta check the legalities of it--I live in the most ridiculous state in the Union. We have laws that make little sense at best in some cases.

PM me with what you are looking for, and I'll keep an eye out, let you know if/when I find anything like that.


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## emeraldsky (Oct 4, 2011)

Thats awesome!

I actually just found somewhere like that too, I havent been there yet, going tomorrow, but Ive talked to the owner and it sounds promising.

Plus they have cherry shrimp, and are the only place around me that sells them, so Im happy regardless XD


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## Rjb5584 (Sep 22, 2011)

Wow...

Went there today, and picked up 3 bettas: the two HMPKs and a solid blue HK/SDeT/DeT that I thought was a plum-purple. Bought the blue guy only cuz I thought he was purple, and now I feel too bad to take him back.:|. At least he is really pretty, but I already have a blue, black, cellophane, and white SDeT. Oh well.

So, looks like my betta family has increased from 3 to 6 over night. Might have room for maybe one or two more--tops.

I'll have pictures of my poor impulse control--or rather, my new guys, by tomorrow!


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## ForbiddenSecrets (Aug 15, 2010)

Where in SoCali is this store  If I live close enough I'd love to check it out  Address [or city and street and zip] please


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## Rjb5584 (Sep 22, 2011)

The beach cities of LA. Not all that far from you, but quite a hike to check on a whim. 

Not gonna lie, when I went in today, the quality wasn't what it was when I went a couple days ago, and one of the guys there kinda gouged me on the price of the two HMPKs. I had a good repore with the guy there the other day, but not so much the guy there today, so I kinda had a feeling something like that would happen. In all fairness though, he at least knew what he had and explained why he was charging so much for them. But, still a lot less than AQ. Ended up paying a little less than $13 per betta.

I can get you their phone number tomorrow if you'd like.


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## ForbiddenSecrets (Aug 15, 2010)

That would be great. 

And what beach city lol. c: I'd like to know where more fish stores are really since there are none up this way. However I'm in the OC 4 days a week so its really not too far to go  And yeah 13 per fish is fine for me as long as they seem to be nice stock. I'd love to buy from AB but I can never convince myself that the shipping price is worth it.


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## GreenTea (Jan 31, 2011)

What the heck does this stand for? "solid blue HK/SDeT/DeT"


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## Rjb5584 (Sep 22, 2011)

@GreenTea: it just means I can't tell which of the 3 it is. :lol:

The place is actually in Torrance. It is simply called Tropical Fish. Nearest intersection is Hawthorn and Sepulveda. GoogleMaps probably has a phone number actually. As with most places, Fridays and Saturdays are probably your best bet, but call first to ask about their stock--see if they have what you are looking for.


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## ForbiddenSecrets (Aug 15, 2010)

About 40 minutes from my week location  Not too bad. Now if only I can locate their acutal address lol


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## Rjb5584 (Sep 22, 2011)

Oh cool! Yeah, it's about 2 minutes from my apartment.

It is in the same center as Gable House Bowl if that helps


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## Yaoilover12397 (Aug 12, 2011)

Some pictures might help  i'd also love to see some pictures fop the place and all its pretty fish


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## Rjb5584 (Sep 22, 2011)

I'll have pictures up later today when I can us my girlfriend's laptop. Right now, I don't have a computer, so all of my computer needs are being fulfilled by my iPhone. Well, not all, but 95%.

Took some pics last night--not sure how well they came out but we'll see.

I'll see what I can do about pictures of the shop. Might be hard, though--I don't have any money anymore as a result of buying Prince (well, and the other two to be fair to him), and know I'm going to walk out of there with another one if/when I go back in!


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## Rjb5584 (Sep 22, 2011)

Here are my three new guys. Please note that despite the Ajax in the background of Prince's pic, it has nothing to do with the fish--i was doing dishes before I took the picture and hadn't put it away yet. kinda bad pictures, but all I have is my iPhone and poor lighting in my apartment


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Loving them!! Great that you found a good enthusiast to buy from too


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