# For Our Older Betta Friends: Dealing with the Spouse



## KBoone (Jul 12, 2010)

So, I'm curious to know how some of the spouses of equally obsessed Betta fans deal with this obsession.

God bless mine, he's trying really hard. He sits and looks through all of my "dream Bettas" with me, trying really hard not to roll his eyes. LOL And he completely bites his tongue when I order half a dozen new friends. He even suggested I take up breeding, "If you want that many fish!" He's been a trooper.

So how do your spouses deal with it and have any of you actually managed to bring them to the darkside???


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## kuklachica (Dec 23, 2009)

HAHAHA I lol'ed when I saw this post. My husband was NOOOOOOOOT happy with me for the first few. He was against the tanks taking up the house. But now I have 4 tanks (all with his reluctant blessing at first) and when i've become overwhelmed on days when a few are sick and suggested giving some away he doesn't want me to! He says he'd miss them too much!! He even talks to them now, comments on their bubble nests, and even surprised me the other day when I showed him a picture of a fish and he said, "Oooh, he has nice dragon scaling. That's a Half-moon plakat, right?" I nearly died. He's actually been listening to me and is *somewhat* interested in what I have to say!! He's come a long way. Definitely no more fish for me though (10 total) since we don't have any more plug space!! But he actually enjoys them now.


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## RandomFish (Jun 16, 2010)

Aww your guys sound so sweet. Mine acts like they don't even exist. 

Ironically, his mom was the one who got me interested in bettas because she kept giving them to us and he didn't want to take care of them at all so the responsibility landed on me.


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

It's funny how they act like our Dads in the beginning, isn't it? 

Steve was the same. When I got the second and said "That's it!", he was like "Good. That's enough space taken up by tanks." and then I got Kilo and Huey he gritted his teeth. He even went so far as to be sad that I was moving Kilo out of the window cause he sits with his laptop at the dining room table right next to that tank.

Now he's still saying that's enough, we have no more room. Which is true if I don't buy a stand. P) That's his only legitimate argument. We don't have kids so it's not like I'm taking money from them for it. He knows he can say what he wants and I'll do what I like and that's pretty much the long and short of it. He puts up a big fight but in the end I get just about everything I want. It helps that he loves all animals. The basset hound and I pretty much have him wrapped round our fingers.


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## sjones (Apr 28, 2010)

Ha! If he doesn't like it he knows where the door is!


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## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

kuklachica said:


> and even surprised me the other day when I showed him a picture of a fish and he said, "Oooh, he has nice dragon scaling. That's a Half-moon plakat, right?" I nearly died. He's actually been listening to me and is *somewhat* interested in what I have to say!!


Hahaha!!! That is too funny!!!! 

If/when I get married (It's gonna be a looong time, they are just gonna have to deal..  I can't live without my animals..)


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## Alexanderismylife (Jun 14, 2010)

doggyhog said:


> Hahaha!!! That is too funny!!!!
> 
> If/when I get married (It's gonna be a looong time, they are just gonna have to deal..  I can't live without my animals..)


 Ditto :]


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## Little Marlin (Jul 4, 2010)

Alexanderismylife said:


> Ditto :]


 
me to. 
if i ever do get married, i will still own all the animals i plan to now.

dream pets.....

1 dalmation
1 pomeranian
2 siamese kitties
LOTS of bettas
1 horse
Maybe a lizard


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

My boyfriend used to tease me all the time about my fish and declared (jokingly) that one day he would host a battle royale. But when I had a disaster that caused me to lose 3 bettas within a week, one of which was a girl I'd had for four years--he was totally sympathetic and understanding. God, that was a terrible week.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

sjones said:


> ha! If he doesn't like it he knows where the door is!


lol!!!


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## metalbetta (May 17, 2010)

My boyfriend is "adamant" about me not getting any more bettas. He makes the "battle royale" jokes, as well as a few "tank shot put" jokes. He says all this, but I can tell he loves them as much as I do. Especially Nina. Though I get an eye roll or two when I'm on this forum or surfing aquabid. lol


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## JaspersANGEL (Oct 12, 2009)

If and when I manage to get my boyfriends memory back (geez this is a bad month what with my best betta dying and my boyfriends car accident) in our house we will have an animal room, two of everything.
We both love animal's, but to him loving fishies is weird so he looked at me like i was crazy when I told him about the fish's birthday/adoption day, but since his accident he developed a new found fondness for my fishies.
So no problems there


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## Maryrox247 (Aug 10, 2009)

Okay im only 13 but when i do get a husband he'd better be ok with me having my dream house with one tank in every room ezcept the bathroom,kitchen, and garage! LOL


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## jmtriro01 (Jun 22, 2010)

wow, there's a number of ladies in this forum... i dont have a wife yet, but i have a gf. both of us loves fishes. but she prefers to buy more clothes and shoes than to buy more tanks.


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## sjones (Apr 28, 2010)

Actually, If your partner doesn't like/accept your animal friends I'd consider it a big red flag, it also says that they don't respect/care about you. I used to have a boyfriend that was really mean to my kitten, he would torture it (what i thougth then to be playful) but one day I realized he was being really menacing,and now I realize that was the sign he had to go. I f you love animals your ideal mate should have a place in their heart for them as well. That's why I'm marrying a vet tech <3 free cat care! lol!


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## FloridaBettas239 (Jun 29, 2010)

SO my wife is the one that got me into fish. I thought they were to hard to care for, this is when we didn't no the facts. She was like babe these fish called bettas are easy and only need a small bowl. So I bought her, her first betta. Then I got bit by the betta bug. I joined the IBC and bought show stock then I wanted something I could call my own so I started making my own line. And it has just grew bigger every year.
But this is how she deals with me and my betta family. She has her own love and that's horses. We live on 5 acers so we have the room are land is agg. So we are able to have a breeding bussiness we breed bettas, sugar gliders and horses. She got a horse for her b day and one for x mas. So when she says something about spending money on the fish. I remind her of her 2,500.00 dollar horse. 

Im lucky she has her own love in life so it helps keep her off my back.. Plus she loves animals like me, and I help take care of her horses when she has had a hard day. And she helps remove females from breeding tanks. She even feeds the fry live baby brine shrimp for me. She's a champ I couldn't ask for better.

They funny part is that I bought her a 2.5 aquarium filtered and heated on her night stand beside are bed. And she has a betta in it, then she will just walk in my fish room and say this is my new betta and leave with one. And give the one she had back, the problem is she comes in there and takes my prize breeding stock. I'm like babe he is my champ line breeder, and she says well I want him and she takes him lol.


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## KBoone (Jul 12, 2010)

LOL Florida @ your wife taking your prize Betta.

Mine knows what he got into when we got married. I've always had a managerie of animals. His argument though is we can not have more animals then people in the house. My argument is that Bettas are fish, confined to a tank. . . "They don't count!" He shakes his head and goes-on. 

I think it's that he knows he could argue all he wants, I'm gonna do what I want. ;-) He's a smart man, my husband.


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

I laughed at Florida's wife too, taking the prize fish. Hehe. 

I asked Steve once what made him think I needed his permission to get more fish and he went into that whole 'We're a couple and we should plan things together and we both have to agree.' kinda thing. That's fine for furniture and a car and stuff like that but I don't think that should apply to an individual's hobby. He's got a scad of role-playing books and comic books and I'm sure he's never asked me before he bought any of it. Nor would I want him to. I mean, if I was putting us in the poor house and all, yeah, another valid argument. But we have the money so I'mma have the fish. Like Kboone says, I'm gonna do what I want!


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## jmtriro01 (Jun 22, 2010)

my gf wont let me breed. huhu


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## KBoone (Jul 12, 2010)

So I have all my new tanks set-up for my new guys and when my husband first saw them he just dropped his head and sighed.

Then tonight. . .

I had my guys delivered today and they were all in their tanks. My husband comes home from work and TOTALLY bypasses me to look at the new Bettas.

We talk about them for quite a while. At one point I tap on the tank to get one of my CTs to come to the front. This is met with, "Don't do that! Do you know what that's like for the fish!" Got all protective he did!

THEN. . .

"So you know you only have a year until the next Betta convention."

My husband has been researching Bettas, Betta clubs and conventions! I love that he puts this much effort into knowing what I'm into.

My husband is awesomeness!


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## Drift (Jul 26, 2010)

A lot of these made me laugh.  I wish I could aHfford my own place, otherwise I would have expanded much quicker.
I'm not married, but I do live with my boyfriend at his parents gouse. We started with a community tank. Then we got my first and most beloved betta, Bubba. Just a cheap veil tail that's not exciting in coloring but has an awesome personality. After all my community fish died, we moved onto our 2nd, and a 3rd. My bf's only ever complained about the money I spend. 
He loves the fish though. The only thing we really talk about is them. Today he came with me to Petsmart and kept "showing me" these gorgeous crowntails. I told him we don't have the space right now, and his reply was "You have an addiction." Aha. Tonight he was looking at Aquabid with me. Hehehe. Although he has his hermit crabs, and he loves them to death for whatever reason. I enjoy them, but he loves them.


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## miyko (Jul 28, 2010)

my boyfriend thinks i love them more then i love him ... i told him "they are less complicated" he started watching dr. Phill because i quote him on this " if im more complicated then they way you talk about those fish things i need some mental help" but i think he likes the new girls.... i think he was just jelious of my amazing boy whoes tank happens to be right beside my rocking lazyboy chair


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## frogipoi (Jul 3, 2010)

I am not married cause I am 10 but if my bf hates my pets he goes DOWN. He he.


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## miyko (Jul 28, 2010)

he said today " could you not clean the tank and do the dishes.... i laughed


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## frogipoi (Jul 3, 2010)

He he^ That is funny, spouses these days


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm glad I'm single! lol Having to answer to an overbearing elderly mother is enough to drive anyone crazy!


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## rockstarbettas (Jul 29, 2010)

My husband wasn't sure bout it-- but now he just shuts up and lets me just do whatever. I buy them, I take care of them-- he doesn't.


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## wallywestisthebest333 (Nov 30, 2009)

LOL this thread is awesome! XD Well I'm single but when I find someone awesome enough to call my Boyfriend I hope he likes them because no matter what he says or does Genie's staying! =P


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## RandomFish (Jun 16, 2010)

We had an argument last night and at some point he mentioned the number of aquariums in the house. Uh...I guess he forgot that we have four aquariums because his mother gave us three out of the five bettas. 

Singledom is severely underrated.


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## kuklachica (Dec 23, 2009)

Ha! Ouch! What did he say when you pointed that out....??


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## RandomFish (Jun 16, 2010)

:lol: He changed the subject.


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

Bwahahahaha! Resistance is futile. That's what I keep repeating. You could always throw up the puppy or kitten arguement. Like, at least I'm not buying puppies all the time. Fish are an opt out pet. If you don't want to deal with them, you really don't have to.  Aside from losing the odd tabletop here and there.


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## KBoone (Jul 12, 2010)

Or most of the kitchen counters. :-D


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

Tee hee! Right!


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## frogipoi (Jul 3, 2010)

My dad says, why not puppies? XD He is just like a husband to me.


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## SilverCaracal (May 9, 2010)

This is all so funny!!! lol and I agree no matter what my fishies are staying!!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

The top of my dresser is full of fish containers.


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## metalbetta (May 17, 2010)

My boyfriend keeps saying he's going to buy a long side table, and all of the fish are going on that. After that's full, then no more. 

Okay, dad... 

I already have my plans. Cameron's going on the kitchen counter, since his water changes will suck the most. Winston and Nina in the bedroom, and Tifa and Damian (My charismatic boys) will be in the living room. 
...We'll see who wins this round... bwa ha ha...


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