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just a little betta story.

My current betta, Wunjo has a LOT of odd quirks. Thought I'd just share them with you, maybe get a smile or two.

Anyway, I 'rescued' this guy from the petshop where he was swimming in a tiny plastic cup with just enough water to keep him afloat.

For one thing, he refuses to eat if anyone else is feeding him! Even if it's the same food and same quantity and same time I feed him. He just lets it all fall away and rot. How he manages to tell people apart, and why he bothers, is beyond me.

He also treats dried brine shrimp, bloodworms, etc. as 'chewing gum'- he chews it, spits it out, chews it, spits it out, etc. First I thought maybe the pieces were too big, so I cut them down to itty-bitty pieces, but nope- still the same.

He has this 'feed me' dance when he's hungry. And this 'greeting' dance whenever I approach the tank. It's quite a sight.

He also seems docile for a betta- doesn't flare at anything. Even putting a mirror in front of him (though the sight of "another" betta sends him scurrying into his little plastic castle)

Well, I just wanted to share my silly betta's antics. Whenever I tell my non-fishkeeping friends they give me is "you're nuts- he's just a fish. All he does is swim"

I know what you mean: inch for inch, there aren't many fish that can compare with bettas for personality. I get the same thing from people who have never kept fish: they don't think they're REAl pets with REAL personality. The best cure for that is for them to get a betta. My sister (a dog and cat owner) disparaged my fish, but then her daughter wanted a betta. She has completely changed her tune now!

aww silly bettas rock I think bettas def. rank as one of the fish with most personality.

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

Bettas always seem to do odd things. I think they are very similar to oscars in their personality. Another thing is that they are so small, yet have such large personalities.

Me and my wife currently have 10 male Bettas. Each and every one having it's own distinct personality. When performing water changes, some swim right into cup (I usually dip a cup into their tanks and "suck" them into it as an alternative to netting) But others run like it's hide and seek. On most occasions they all have their own "hello" dance to greet me or my wife. Some refuse to eat their food on the surface of the water, letting it drop and soften up. Others gobble it up the second it hits the water. Theres no doubt Bettas are the most personable fish you can own. They are just great pets and companions!

This pic is of four of our Betta tanks. Don't worry there are cardboard dividers in between each tank so they cannot see each other. However every now and again thay are allowed to see each other and seem to quite enjoy it. From left to right it's Red Jr., Slim, Jake and Pokey. You can go to the photo booth forum to see closeups of "My Bettas".

jessnick42503 attached this image:
[img]http://www.fishprofiles.net/attachments/426924.jpg"]

Jessnick thats such a cool setup! I never thought of doing that before, are those 2.5 gallon AGA's? If you dont mind could you please either post or pm me that set up.

EDIT: now that i look at it they seem bigger, more along the lines of 5gallon-ish

[span class="edited"][Edited by ferretfanatic 2004-09-04 20:47][/span]

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

Thank you. Indeed they are AGA. It also has a single 48 inch strip light on top. I cut a small 2 inch corner peice on each of the glass tops to allow for oxygen and feeding. It really has worked quite well.I'm not sure what a pm is, but any more info you'd like i'd be happy to give.

A PM is the site's private email system.
That is a very nice set up, thank you for describing it. But what size are the tanks?

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

My bettas have all had their own unique personalities too. My first betta would ONLY eat dried blood worms. I tried pellets, tropical flakes, frozen brine shrimp, peas... nope. He only liked DRIED blood worms. When I fed him, he would sslloowwllyy creep up on the food then all the sudden *SPLASH* (quite big and loud for such a little guy) he'd grab it and give his head a shake like a dog. It was so funny. Sadly, he's no longer with me.

My current betta Nigel swims circles around the very edge of his tank over and over and over. If he's not doing that, he's laying on the gravel in his cave. When he sees me, he comes up to the surface right under the hole in the lid and blows a few bubbles to greet me/beg for food.

My other betta, Basil, wiggles his whole body from side to side just like an excited puppy when he sees me. He also likes to swim through the plants in his tank because he seems to like the feeling.

I love bettas

]<]Dani<]<

Ok I got it now. Sorry they are 2.5 gal. tanks.

What a great setup!!! I would love to have a set-up like that. Unfortunately, I'd need to negotiate more fish-related space with my wife. Maybe we need to move to a bigger house ....

Actually these tanks are located on top of an entertainment system. It's a perfect fit! Thanks for the copliments everyone!

Ya, my first betta would only eat bloodworms too, and then he ended up getting sick- he was probably malnourished. One of the males I have now prefers tropical flakes, and he does the wagging dance when I see him. I have 2 right now, one is a total pig, and the other one is so gentle when he takes his food. I can't believe how different they are.