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I was wondering 1. why do the pet stores keep the betta in those little cups. 2. How can you tell if a Betta is healthy?

They keep them in the little cups in my opinion because they don't know just how beautiful a fish they can be if given the room. Also because they usually don't have enough tanks to keep them in, as you can only have 1 male in a tank.

I've always looked mine over really well, and if you have a small mirror (compact mirror is great) hold it up to the bowl they are in and take a look at how they react...don't expect a full flair as they usually don't not only have enough room in the bowl, but don't have enough water to flair to their full potential...For example here is Kelpie in his cup, but it wasn't until I was able to put him in a tank that I noticed his true beauty heidi



heidi attached this image:


"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Oh here you go the full potential of Kelpie...isn't he so much more beautiful given the room? heidi

Hard to believe he is the same fish isn't it?



heidi attached this image:


Last edited by heidi at 06-Apr-2005 21:38[/font]

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Ya i agree-- and make sure you look at his fins to make sure there are no signs of fin rot. A really healthy one will make a bubble nest in the cup also. And- i got a new betta a few weeks ago, and in the cup he was a dull red, and when i put him in his own 2g. tank he was such a wonderful color red, so you really cant tell how pretty they are until you give them some room!!! good luck
-kristin

~!!I lOve LiFe!!~

Oh and i forgot to mention !!! what a BEAUTIFUL betta you have. doesnt even look like the same fish!!!!
-kristin

~!!I lOve LiFe!!~

Hedi he is gorgeous and he looks so different once in a tank. Do you have a heater for your tank? Also I think I see a divider in your picture, do you have more than one Betta in the tank?

the bettas are kept in cups for the following reason:
1.saves space,
2. they save water,
3. makes the buyer think that they are"cute" and a good table fish.
4. allows them to stack more than if they were in tanks.
BTW keeping bettas in cups isn't always a bad thing but it is alittle tight, bettas when they go to wholesale are kept in little bags that u wouldn't be able to dream about. that's why when i am at wholesale i get about 500 bettas at a time and bring them home and try to save them. n.eway u can see if a betta is healthy by the fins, if they are free and not clamped, then it is a good sign, the body should be clear of anything that isn't looking right. if the water is cloudy, or uneatten food it doesn't mean that the fish isn't healthy but conditions may not be right.

No, Kelpiey doesn't look like the same fish, but I assure you he is. He is in a 10 gallon tank with a divider that I made from plastic canvas. Kelpiey has the heater on his side, because for some reason his side was a bit bigger...They don't flaire at each other all the time, but occassionally when they notice there is someone next door. But I have plans to put some plants along that wall, as soon as I figure out what I want

Here are some pictures of the two of them...Surprise is to the right, Kelpiey to the left.
Surprise is one of those that was found in a nasty, yucky cup on "death row" at one of the local stores. I went and did water changes on the bunch, and he and Lucky struck my eye, so they both went home with me



heidi attached this image:


"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

I got my Betta yesterday he is great

i'm glad he is doing great...what size of tank have you put him in? What color is he? I always feel like a new fish is a new baby...we need pictures of both congratulations...heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

He is blue with some red running through him and he is in a 2.5 gallon