# Petco Babies: Any problems when adults?



## meiperfectneina19 (Aug 15, 2012)

Well in August I bought a cute little baby Betta, my tiny Bit. He has spend the last couple of months growing and about a week ago we finally placed him on his new 10 gallon mansion/maze tank. Now the thing is, we have notice that as he grew his dorsal fin started to curl. He also has his ventrals all twisted in strange angles. Someone here told my fiance that it might be due to hard water... We have tested the water and it isn't hard. We asked at the local fish shop and they told us that it was probably just genetic. Now he also seems to be smaller than other bettas, or at least I feel like he hasn't grown as much as others I have had or seen. He still can't eat the bigger pellets we have for him, so he still is eating the baby hikari pellets, with the occasional blood worm. 

My friend also bought a Baby betta about a week or less after mine. Her's took a long time to start growing. He is still little but growing and at least shows no observable deformities. 

So I was wondering, for those of you who have bought baby bettas that have lived to adulthood (seeing as I have seen quite a few people complaining about their death rate), do you find the fish have any problems? Either developmental, anatomical or behavioral? 

I just feel between sadness wondering if I did anything wrong that caused his fins to be crooked and anger at Petco for possibly selling fish that are not "healthy".

Besides his crooked fins he seems fine, he swims, is active, eats, poops and flares at anything that gets too close. He also makes his little bubble nests and struts his stuff trying to protect it. 

*pictures in the next post*


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## meiperfectneina19 (Aug 15, 2012)

Here are pictures of him. As he grew his colors changed and his fins curled up.


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## aemaki09 (Oct 23, 2012)

I dont know if its common or anything, but my VT has the same problem, I got him from Pet Supplies Plus though.

More than likely it's just bad genetics. They mass produce the fish sold to pet stores worse than puppy mills, he is probably perfectly healthy on the inside, just isnt the prettiest to look at from the outside. If he is acting like a normal fish I wouldnt worry about it.
you cant really do anything about getting his fins to go back to what you think they should be, you could try AQ salt but I highly doubt it would do anything


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## meiperfectneina19 (Aug 15, 2012)

Yeah since he isn't acting like the hinder his swimming or hurt him in anyway I am not to worried about his health I just wanted to see how often it happens. He seems happy enough, but one as a parent... kinda worries about every detail. :demented:


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## aemaki09 (Oct 23, 2012)

Yeah I was curious to know that too. I really only see veil tails with defirmities like that but one of my Crown tails has a dorsal like yours apparently it happens when there is too much fin and not enough muscle to support it.


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## hedgehog (Sep 1, 2010)

I got my baby betta almost a year ago. He hasn't had any issues with fin curling but he's a lot smaller than other bettas.


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## shellieca (Jul 12, 2012)

I've heard that the curling can be caused by hard water which I have & my VT has some slight curling. He doesn't seem to have any problems swimming around or flaring to his full beauty so I haven't worried about it.


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## meiperfectneina19 (Aug 15, 2012)

aemaki09 said:


> Yeah I was curious to know that too. I really only see veil tails with defirmities like that but one of my Crown tails has a dorsal like yours apparently it happens when there is too much fin and not enough muscle to support it.


That is interesting. Wonder if by exercising the fish it would lower the risks or amount of deformation.



hedgehog said:


> I got my baby betta almost a year ago. He hasn't had any issues with fin curling but he's a lot smaller than other bettas.


Yeah that is part of what I wondered, if they tend to have something odd about them. Smaller sized is not much of a problem but I do find it interesting. 



shellieca said:


> I've heard that the curling can be caused by hard water which I have & my VT has some slight curling. He doesn't seem to have any problems swimming around or flaring to his full beauty so I haven't worried about it.


yeah, well that is what some told my fiance, but we don't have hard water. Bit though as much as he tries he can't quite flare as grandly as he wants I suppose. The only way I know hi is flaring is because his gills puff up and he dances around all though like. lol but he can't open up or uncurl his dorsal when he flares.


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## SDragon (Sep 26, 2011)

One of my Walmart bettas, tails curls.


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## meiperfectneina19 (Aug 15, 2012)

SDragon said:


> One of my Walmart bettas, tails curls.


Did it always do that or was it something you noticed afterwards? 

I saw some Walmart Betta's and they truly broke my heart. They had one in the service desk that had a sign that said "Pablo the betta" All I could think was "Pablo looks like death..."


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## Kytkattin (May 15, 2011)

This is interesting to know. I plan on getting a baby after Christmas. I was hoping to get one purely because I tend to grow my bettas big and I was curious to see how huge I could get one if I started from an even smaller size/age. I wonder what my results will be!


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## meiperfectneina19 (Aug 15, 2012)

Kytkattin said:


> This is interesting to know. I plan on getting a baby after Christmas. I was hoping to get one purely because I tend to grow my bettas big and I was curious to see how huge I could get one if I started from an even smaller size/age. I wonder what my results will be!


Well keep us updated in your progress. I would be interested in knowing if you can make it grow as big or bigger than the rest of your fish. ^^


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## aemaki09 (Oct 23, 2012)

meiperfectneina19 said:


> That is interesting. Wonder if by exercising the fish it would lower the risks or amount of deformation.
> 
> -I doubt that. I read its just something that happens when they have too much finnage. But it could also just be a deformity so who knows...
> 
> heres my 2, they each have a deformity but they dont know it! lol


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## Perry the platypus (Aug 20, 2012)

Are you sure it's a him?


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## meiperfectneina19 (Aug 15, 2012)

aemaki09 said:


> -I doubt that. I read its just something that happens when they have too much finnage. But it could also just be a deformity so who knows...
> 
> heres my 2, they each have a deformity but they dont know it! lol


Well as long as they don't know it it is fine lol. Bit doesn't know it either. 



Perry the platypus said:


> Are you sure it's a him?


I think he is, but it has come to question a couple of times. I can try to take a picture of his underside to see if he has an egg spot.


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## Kytkattin (May 15, 2011)

In my siggy is a before and after pic of my female betta. She was so tiny, maybe about half an inch when I got her. Now she is almost 2 inches from mouth to tail base.


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## LittleFish2012 (Oct 24, 2011)

I've adopted two petco babies- one male, one female. They are both perfectly normal and extremely healthy.


I wonder that maybe some turn out a bit "deformed" because of malnutrition? I fed both my babies frozen brine shrimp right off the bat because they were so weak and tiny. Here they are now, Striker and Sydney.


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## Bounce (May 26, 2012)

I think Bit is adorable


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## meiperfectneina19 (Aug 15, 2012)

Kytkattin said:


> In my siggy is a before and after pic of my female betta. She was so tiny, maybe about half an inch when I got her. Now she is almost 2 inches from mouth to tail base.


So cute and that is great how much she has grown.



LittleFish2012 said:


> I've adopted two petco babies- one male, one female. They are both perfectly normal and extremely healthy.
> 
> 
> I wonder that maybe some turn out a bit "deformed" because of malnutrition? I fed both my babies frozen brine shrimp right off the bat because they were so weak and tiny. Here they are now, Striker and Sydney.


Cute guys. Well I don't know it might be the nutrition. I am feeding him pellets made for babies and blood worms. I bought some frozen brine shrimp today to add more variability. 



Bounce said:


> I think Bit is adorable


Thank you ^^ He sure is. And we are happy to have such an unique little guy ^^


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## Chris430 (Nov 13, 2012)

the first betta ive adopted (since pitifully trying to keep them as a kid, ill confess), was a petco baby betta. took him home first weekend of july i believe. we've noticed no deformities, though i am in no way the fish guru some people here are. i am actually quite pleased with his size and fins and colors 

this is a collage i made of him over time









however, i have noticed him to be much lazier than the betta i got as an adult. we picked up a sickly guy from a local grocery store, and he immediately flourished into the active exploratory betta you expect to have. baby blue, despite all signs of great health, is just a lazier fish. same temp tanks, been in both a bigger and smaller tank than the other. just naturally lazier is the only explanation. still very cute and playful though.


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

I have one girl that made it to adulthood. Seems pretty normal.


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