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It's been a while since I last posted but I love this forum because I learn so much from everyone here. I am still new to fishkeeping (1 year) but I broke down and "rescued" a betta from Walmart yesterday! He is a beautiful red with blue shimmering through. My question is what kind of behavior can I expect from him for a week or two. He is in a 10 gal planted tank, is active and curious but not interested in eating yet. I understand it may be several more days before he will eat. His fins look ok but then this is my first betta and I'm not sure how a healthy one looks. I don't see any obvious signs of illness. It is so tempting to "rescue" more of them out of their tiny cups. Any comments or thoughts are appreciated.

when you have owned over 20 (at one time ) bettas from walmart..you can just guess how tempting it realy is, but as time goes on, you get so pickey about your bettas it isent even funny but, while doing that, you can get some lovely boys and girls, and when you dont get ones that you just absolutly love, you will be glad knowing you have room for another special one ... although i do have room about 15 more oh well

I have never waited more than a day to feed mine, although they have come from petstores, not wal-mart. I really resist buying fish from there. Supplies sometimes but no fish. I'd start by feeding just a little bit. If he eats it great. Offer small amounts a couple times a day. Use a turkey baster to get the leftovers. If he is in a 10g? you could get some panda corys to keep him company and catch the bits he doesn't eat. I had one that liked to root around in the rocks for leftovers and he lived 2 years in a vase, with a plant, no heat, monthly water changes. I knew absolutely nothing about fishkeeping or bettas then.

"If you're afraid you'll make a mistake, you won't make anything."
-Family Circus

I think that he would settle in a few days & will also eat some food. Try to feed him Bloodworms.


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Thanks for all your suggestions. I don't buy fish from Walmart for obvious reasons and believe they shouldn't be allowed to sell them at all. I just feel sorry for the bettas in their little cups on the end of the aisle. He is a beautiful fish and I have been offering food several times a day. I suppose he will eat when he is ready. There is also no obvious signs of disease which I hope will not develop.
Thanks again.

i went to another walmart a while ago, and it was discusting! but mine is kept extremely clean, it is rare to see a dead fish in the tanks, and if you do, usualy they take it out right away, only on a few occations have i seen some sick, and that was only ick from a new shipment, which they put into a 40 long quarintine tank that no one could buy from, i feel luckey to have a walmart that take good care of their fish oh, and i am allowd to fill up the betta cups if he water is too low, but its not often that it is

Actually, my walmart isnt that bad with fish, but considering my other option is petsmart (everything I have gotten from there has died within a week, except some ghost shrimp, which lasted about a month before my fish finally ate them) Most of the fish that you get at WalMart are healthy when the tanks are taken care of, some locations are good about this some are bad. Although it is better to go to a specialty shop, it is much cheaper to simply go to WalMart, so long as you dont have any fish questions and can recognise the sick ones (And the ones "doing tricks", i.e. swimming upside down) Also, keep in mind that when you buy a walmart betta that it is probubly at least a year old and they have a two year lifespan.


PS ALL OF MY BETTAS CAME FROM WALMART, ALONG WITH MOST OF MY SUPPLIES.

Inky