# Petco's Baby Bettas



## TheCrabbyTabby (Jul 7, 2012)

I noticed that Petco sells tiny baby bettas and that they are sold to be starter fish, to grow up for the person who buys one. Would a baby betta even be able to survive under novice care? They need expert care to make it to adult hood, right? I mean, they need special food, preferably live baby brine shrimp, and sometimes don't eat due to extreme stress. They also need frequent water changes too, right?

I am just perplexed as to why Petco would sell them as a kid's first fish.


----------



## ZergyMonster (Feb 20, 2012)

Because it is just another marketing scheme, it will entice little kids and their parents to invest in one and probably a tank or two for each fish they decide to buy. Once it dies they have the opportunity to get another one if it dies in less than a week and then you're stuck with the tank (Usually the small useless tanks that nothing should ever live in). So no, they are not meant for novices at all and are sold to alleviate the responsibility the breeder has to handle to achieve adulthood in their spawns. 

All in all, it is a harsh but very profitable turn of events.


----------



## ihatefirewalls (Jun 23, 2012)

Some of the larger babies are 1" and would not be to difficult to raise.

The smaller ones probably don't have much of a chance with novices, sadly.


----------



## Bettanewbie60 (Jun 26, 2012)

The female betta I just got from WallyWorld is really small too...just an inch. I am worried about doing right by her. She seems well though, swimming, eating, and teasing my male in the next tank. I couldn't leave her there..sigh. At Petsmart yesterday I talked a kid's mother OUT of getting a betta for him until she learns something about them...I'm glad I did because the Mom told me that they are going on vacation for a week...so, yeah, the sales person gave me a nasty look, but whatever.


----------



## TheCrabbyTabby (Jul 7, 2012)

So what exactly is involved in taking care of a baby betta?


----------



## ZergyMonster (Feb 20, 2012)

Betta bettas should have a large tank to reduce the effects of the stunting hormone that they secrete from their bodies. If you can't supply a large tank (10-20g) you will need to be doing water changes every day to every other day. They also require a high protein diet to promote strong and healthy growth. Live food are recommended for this because of their protein content and it is easier to get the babies to bite.


----------



## TheCrabbyTabby (Jul 7, 2012)

I have a 10 gallon heated, filtered, cycled tank, some brine shrimp eggs that I could hatch out and frozen brine shrimp and blood worms in the freezer. 

The only problem being that my current betta lives in the 10 gallon. Sadly, he looks to be on his way out as he is getting up there in age (3 years). Could I put a breeding box with a baby betta in there, and keep the older male in the rest of the 10 gallon? Or should I move the old man to a smaller tank and keep the baby in the 10 gallon?


----------



## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

If you have a smaller tank that you can heat, I prefer the clean tank daily routine >.> otherwise I believe the ten gallon should be fine to share ( separated of course)


----------



## TheCrabbyTabby (Jul 7, 2012)

Okay. Gabe has since passed. RIP old man. So I guess the 10 gallon is available to keep a new baby betta in all by him (or her) self. I just got a 50 dollar gift card to Petco that I am itching to use. I think I'll buy a baby betta and some fry food. Would Hikari First Bites be a good food? I'll supplement it with live BBS.


----------



## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

The bettas sold at petco are usually old enough to enjoy New Life Spectrum small fish formula. the baby formula is wayyyy too miniscule. I feel that alot of the baby bettas there are much older than their size, but the what they had to go through to get to Petco has stunted their health somewhat. I fed mine a variety of pellets and flakes, if they're too big, I crush them and fed four pellets a day, over 4 meals. one of my baby bettas literally started exploding with growth after coming home from petco.


----------



## Ramble (Mar 13, 2012)

Petco gave me a couple of babies because they were emaciated from getting the wrong food. OnE of them died but the other I fed microworms, crushed flakes and then micropellets. It's doing great and now looks like a lovely green veil tail (best guess). I think if you keep up on the correct food and lots of clean water, most of the babies would do okay. Just remember that they may not be in good shape when you get them, as it seems from my limited experience with a couple of Petco stores, they don't know Hal to care for them in-house either.


----------



## TheCrabbyTabby (Jul 7, 2012)

Okay. New Life Spectrum small fish formula. Got it. I can also crush up some hikari bio gold betta pellets, tropical fish flakes and of course the BBS.


----------



## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

lol i read that as crushed bbs  
For the flakes, the amount is realllly hard to control. i ended up having to crush a pellet, then a flake and then approximate the amount of crushed flake to the pellet then feed >.> I always overfed my babies when I fed crushed flakes... lol

i really wouldnt recommend letting the baby wander a 10gallon by himself... I was always paranoid that my baby would vanish somewhere in my half gallon. and goodness did they make that half gallon look huuuuuggggeeeee! So it might be a better idea to keep it in a breeding trap until it's big enough...? that will also make it easier when you need to medicate too (my baby girl had an outbreak of ich right after I bought her)

temperature control is good at 82, she/he /it will grow wonderfully at a warmer temperature


----------



## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

edit: double post


----------



## TheCrabbyTabby (Jul 7, 2012)

Okie dokie. Adding a breeding box to the shopping list.


----------

