# National Geographic Contest



## Plakattyphoon1234

I need suggestions for cool tricks for a betta. The contest gives out for the grand winner a 500 dollar petsmart gift card. First prize gets 150 dollars and a 15 gallon fish tank. Search the contest. Ends july 2014. 

Give me suggestions and how to train the betta to do so.


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## Briz

Oh no, I'm too old for that contest! Maybe I can talk my brother in to entering for me...


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## Plakattyphoon1234

I mean suggestions for tricks, and how long it would take for them to learn.


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## Sena Hansler

Hmm... For fish, food is ALWAYS the best motivation. Some things that come to mind: "maze memory", pushing an object through a hoop (as seen on some advertisement for a goldfish and a mini soccer net lol), going through hoops, jumping... 

I find it also depends on the fish. Some of mine have a longer attention span than the others.


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## Plakattyphoon1234

I do most of them as planning for the breed. I sell the rest of the spawn to this website, eBay, or aqua vid. My parents do not want me to feed my betta insects. They said if I fed it anymore, then my betta would be killed. Help me for the main question and the sup questions that come with it.


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## Plakattyphoon1234

Give me suggetions asap i need it to win the card so i can have more bettas and their tanks. Please help me with this.


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## Sena Hansler

Hmmm.... Use tweezers, with food. You can try to guide him through an "obstacle course", making sure to do it once a day to get repetition. Use the same tweezers, same treat. Such items you can use for an obstacle course: Clear tube, plastic bracelets for "hoops", etc.


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## Plakattyphoon1234

I guided him through the hoop with betta pellets today by using a broken betta cup top and cutting it to the biggest length, then putting it smaller.


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## Sena Hansler

Nice!!!


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## BlueLacee

To deal with the food problem, turn feeding time into training time. Two things in one without overfeeding


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## Plakattyphoon1234

Good idea. I know never to do anything that your pet doesn't want to. Plus my betta jumped out of the cup. (My dad swatted the fly, breaking the cup(fortunately there is now betta in here) After he junped. i picked him up from the cup and put him in the tank. I cleaned all the water and planned to clean 25% of the water.


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## BettaLover4life

I was thinking of entering to. But all Neptune can do is flare.


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## Plakattyphoon1234

How high can a betta jump (Prevent the fish from jumping)


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## Plakattyphoon1234

Bettalover4life, you can do a funny thing with neptune. Just make him flare at something, make a dramatic but realistic scream and drop the object the betta is falring at when he attacks it.


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## Bailmint

For jumping out of the water you could use the end of a Popsicle stick and put food on it. You could hold it a little out of the water and have your betta try to get it. Then raise the stick of food higher each time and if he knows there's food on it, he'll jump higher.


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## Plakattyphoon1234

*lol*

good, it is funniest


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## FishWhisperer

Jumping while flaring. Flare your betta and than hold food above him


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## Plakattyphoon1234

My betta bit me.


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## Sena Hansler

:lol:


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## logisticsguy

They do have teeth


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## Plakattyphoon1234

That is intresting. He tries to follow my toy fishes and tries to attack them.


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## FishWhisperer

Plakattyphoon1234 said:


> My betta bit me.


 Whoops. that was unexpected


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## blue sky

*hello*

mabe train him to do something useful like when you put cup in water he swims into it so you dont have to stress him out during cleaning/100%water change time. i am currently training Pavo. i am teaching him to follow my finger right now then i will work on the getting into cup thing. i can update you if you want?
i have already taught him to jump and follow my finger but i only got him on 2014,5,13 LOL


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## Plakattyphoon1234

The contest ends in a month and a half


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## blue sky

Pavo did it today!yay!


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## Plakattyphoon1234

Congrats, i need a thread for betta personalities


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## peacock

Did it work? And how about teaching it to play soccer? Goldfish always play it on YouTube. That would be awesome. Or teach it to nudge a basketball into a little hoop. Basketballs can be super small ping pong balls, and hoop pipe cleaner.


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## Plakattyphoon1234

i have a hoop pipe cleaner. And is it too big for the tank?


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## peacock

Try it. :-D


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## Bailmint

*Follow the Finger*
Put your finger outside of the tank near your betta fish. When/if he responds and moves towards it you should reward him with some food or bloodworms. If he doesn't-shake your finger to get his attention. Then move your finger to different sides of the tank and give him a treat when he follows. Then move your finger in more different directions, if he follows it, reward him again. Just repeat until he does.

Sorry if I can only enter once. :c


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## Bailmint

*Swimming Through a Hoop*
For swimming through a hoop, you need to have taught him the follow the finger trick first. Use a pipe cleaner to make the hoop. You should hang the hoop on the side of the tank so it touches, so the betta can see your finger when you teach him. Put your finger on the tank and slide it 'through' [on the side of the tank] the hoop. Give a treat/reward when he swims through it. Just do this until it's got it down, then whenever you put a hoop in the water he'll swim through it.


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## Bailmint

*Flaring on Command* [follow the finger on the page before btw]
For flaring on command, just take a small mirror on the side of the tank and put your finger next to it so your betta can see it. When he flares, reward him. Keep doing this until you can take the mirror down and it'll just flare at your finger.

Also, where is this contest? o-o


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## BlueLacee

awesome Bailmint, I have to teach my girl these things now


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## Plakattyphoon1234

I do that. He comes to me. And i invented a perfect betta toy. It is an easter egg(plastic) with two holes. I then hole punched the egg. Afterwards i then put the treat in there. The betta smells it and goes and attacks it, making the food come out. My mom will take me to petsmart soon. And i will make a diy filter (sponge) and a heater and food to replace the soon to be expired food.


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## Plakattyphoon1234

It is online. For info: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/contests/funniest-pet-contest.html 
Link for entering/entry(one per category, so choose the betta that learns easily if possiable.): http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/pet-contest-enter/ 

You must read all info. I guarantee NO liabilty for losing due to failure to read rules. 
Rules: One minute long or less(60 seconds or so)
Original and not Photoshoped 
Must not be filmed 3 years from the contest(April 10,2014)
Originality/Creativity: 60%, video shooting skills: 40%. Good luck to all.


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## Plakattyphoon1234

Also, i am 13, so your kids that have bettas can film it.


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## Plakattyphoon1234

he got into it when i did put the hoop in it.


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## Bailmint

Thanks BlueLacee c:

Good, reward him. And thanks, I'm going to see if I can train Atlas a little more for the contest. He knows how to do the hoop and finger but that's about it [merely], since he learns the fastest. Can you do more than one trick in the video?


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## Plakattyphoon1234

Yes, just has to be in the one minute slot. 
NOTE: The 2 gallon betta tank that national geographic made will be where he thrives with a heater if i win 2nd place. Bettas are original, dogs are not.


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## Bailmint

Cool, what's second place prize?


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## Plakattyphoon1234

Second place prize is (a 15 gallon aquarium, 100 dollar petsmart card, some books) and 3rd is betta tank with books.


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## BettaLover4life

Plakattyphoon1234 said:


> Second place prize is (a 15 gallon aquarium, 100 dollar petsmart card, some books) and 3rd is betta tank with books.


 In Petsmart Nat Geo's pet supplies are there.The betta tank for 3rd place is I think Egyptian themed and the smallest betta tank is 1 gallon and it is not that big.


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## jadaBlu

I would stick with an obstacle course. I've seen quite a few posts on the board where people taught their betta to jump and then found their betta had jumped the tank and was bad off or dead. Check fish emergencies type betta jumped in search forum you will see. Just telling you cause I don't want you to be sad later.


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## blue sky

that happened to my sunrise and he died so sad but that was when i had a bowl and not a tank. if you teach your betta to jump then cover the bowl with something unless you have a lid on your tank!
oh and maybe follow the camera 
though when my fish sees the phone she gets excited and the pics are all blurry


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## jadaBlu

You have to have the tank tightly cover save for a small air hole. I've seen stories where they got through narrow cracks.


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## blue sky

sad but true!:-?


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## Plakattyphoon1234

True, but my betta will always love me, right, even after i give him treats for doing tricks?


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## Plakattyphoon1234

i have a lid, but tommorow i need to make an obstacle course.


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## Plakattyphoon1234

actually ends july 31.


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## Plakattyphoon1234

I enter it a few weeks. They will tell on the website on October.


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