How do you find rescue bettas?

I rescued him from a Walmart store. :/
All the betas were sick and had very little water. Some were completely dry. (dead)

Its not really rescuing, its supporting the cause by purchasing the animal rather then leaving it there.. thus making them loose money .-.

Unfortunately, refusing to purchase won't stop this. Some employees at different Walmarts are known to take better care of the fish. The Walmart where I used to live took very good care of their bettas and other fishies. The least that could be done is taking the survivors under our wings so they won't perish like the others.

I guess I dont see it that way since I work in pet retail? An animal just gets replaced by another animal.. its why I dont take home animals we have because I know I'm just going to want to take home the one that replaces it .-.

Walmart also deals with shitty venders who give them terrible fish. I wouldnt consider that a place for getting anything live-animal related just because of the quality of their animals.. which as you can see ADH points out that the fish shows its age even though these fish have the ability to live a long life

Speaking of fish with long lives, my very first betta (his name was Siam because I was the most original child) lived for FOUR years! He was a Walmart fish. He looked a lot like Cerulean here too! When he passed away, he passed away during my birthday party. Thanks a lot, buddy. XD

This fish was fully grown and appeared to be well into adulthood when I got him. Admittedly he was probably 'old' breeding stock. But he's in a good home now.

I complained to the management, and have been back to that particular store since. They've really stepped up their game. All the fish look healthy and are in a decent amount of water every time i go in. Not seen any in that condition since.

Sometimes it just takes some complaints to the right people with suggestions on how they should fix the problem, to make the issue somewhat better. They're now kept in similar situations to that of most other fish and aquarium shops.

I couldn't just sit there and let him die though.
Heck, I've even rescued and rehabilitated frogs that my dad ran over with a lawn mower when I was younger, if they looked like they'd survive. Many did too, after their cuts and scrapes healed. :)
They were released back into the yard in a safer, "hidden location". lol (behind a bush and into a moss patch.)

This so much. This is not a rescue animal..

Goodness. TnT
There's a Petco next to my Walmart so I haven't checked out the pet section (or aquarium section if they have one) yet, but I think I would like to do what you have done with rescuing. The fish lady at the Petco is really good with the bettas and all the other fish and water critters. I'm grateful for that.

I found the post where you have a little introduction to Cerulean and read it. I really like bettas. I wish I could rescue all of them. After I get some apartment stuff organized, I want to set up my tanks. I really appreciate that you post your tanks and fish happenings. I really like aquascaping and want to explore it more. I have a one gallon tank that I usually like to house a small betta in. I really like female bettas because they seem a lot less stressed than males, but I have had some chill males in my experiences. I have an even smaller betta tank that I don't like to house bettas in unless they are sick and need a little vacation or a holding space.

I plan to get a nine gallon tank by the end of the year. I want to have a few female bettas because they can be housed together in odd numbers. I'm thinking three for the nine gallon tank.

I should get myself a fish... I really enjoy taking care of them.

I have 3 myself (:
Important part is to just watch to see how they do and to stick same sizes.

I had mine together for over a year, but when I upgraded them to living in an expansive tank they seem to have tried to re-do their pecking order.. now the smallest female is the boss?

Keep them well fed (: Females can do great with eachother as long as food isnt an issue (that goes even for community fish)

Also glad you had a good experience at Petco xD I work for one and our store treats the animals like our own pets.. the beta fish get the treatments they need if sickness shows up!

The smallest female is the boss? That is soooo funny and cute!!! I'm glad to hear that you're a good Petco pet-friend!! Do you have any other fish in your community? I'm thinking of having a plecy (pleco?) in there as well one day. Do you think females will mind shrimp as well?

I have a bristlenose pleco. They only grow to 4-5 inches. Ive delt with common plecos before and they can die from starvation. This guy eats driftwood like a champ and cleans up constantly.

The beta fish will probably try to eat the shrimp when they get big enough to try. They are very curious of their surroundings and even in my set up with small crayfish, they check them out as they move accros the sand but dont seem to attempt to go for it maybe because of the harder shell and damaging pincers. A shrimp has little to defend itself >< My betas are voracious and eat crickets that fall into the water during feeding time for the frogs. They just got introduced to frozen blood worms and seem to be catching on quick.

The females can be as grouchy as males when it comes to tank mates. Sometimes you can get away with housing a beta with community fish as long as the beta or the other fish dont look like a threat to eachother and there is enough space separating them. Betas mostly breathe air so a normal sized tank can get too roomy for modern male betas, but females should do ok as they dont have a whole veil of fins to carry with them

This is really helpful! Thank you so much! I'm jotting down your advice/information for future use. Have you ever done any fish/shrimp breeding?

https://twitter.com/drgncat/status/.....382336/photo/1
https://twitter.com/drgncat/status/.....293761/photo/1
(was before moving them to the 55 gallon) https://twitter.com/drgncat/status/.....52464611598336

I need an updated picture of the setup as it really works for the betas liking lower level water ;o

Ooooh fantastic!! Thanks for sharing!!

Speaking of which, I'm sure he'd look better again if he actually ATE beta food. -grumbles-
I've tried everything I can think of, and he refuses to eat anything but freeze dried blood worms. Even regular blood worms he refuses. The freeze dried kind aren't very good for him, but.. I'd rather let him eat them than starve to death. >:

Poor guy.

(I have like six bottles of uneaten varieties of beta food... -__-;

What a picky little guy!!

one of my beta's is the same way he'll only eat the floating pellets, cant figure out why.

*places a skull and some piece of eight in the basin

XD
I like to be as natural as I possibly can with aquariums. Love the natural look.

http://www.petmountain.com/product/.....-ornament.html it looks natural!

I have a pretty complex half land half water setup in a 55 gallon with lots of live plants.
I hope to expand on it once certain amphib + reptile species graduate out of it (the water dragon would want to rip up everything)

I wish I could afford to get into the whole dart frog stuff. The tanks they do for those are so elaborate ;o;

I found that bettas do not like larger tanks than 1 gallon. They need no running water, but it's ok if there is no real current other than a mild bubbler. I'm curious about doing a 3 gallon tank now.

Also, I want to commission you a fight scene inside a clock tower with thousands of cogs and an airplane crashing into it in your highest rendering you offer. I want to see the paint peeling off the plane as the cogs scrape into its metal hide. :U

Are you kidding? Betas are actually a river fish, they like mildly flowing water, not rough, but not completely still either. They like large spaces as long as there are plenty of places to hide and rest, as they tend to do that a lot. They love cave setups and lots of plants.

I have a five gallon filter on my 3 gallon tank, and as long as I keep that filter media dipping into the water like that, it eases the filter outflow to minimum and he does really well with it. He actually loves a lot of bubbles from the bubbler too.. XD He chases them and rides the flow up. lol




... You want to kill me? Lol
Omg that would make my brain explode and I'd die.

I was learned the opposite that they are rice patty fish with little to no water circulation, reason they go to the surface for air to mix with the water to pass through their gills. "Bettas are anabantoids, which means they can breathe atmospheric air using a unique organ called the labyrinth. This accounts for their ability to thrive in low-oxygen water conditions that would kill most other fish, such as rice paddies, slow-moving streams, drainage ditches, and large puddles.[2]" - Marcus Song, Caring for Betta Fish Lulu Press, 2006. ISBN 1-4116-9365-5

I've just had very unsuccessful attempts with bettas in moving water. They only lived a few months. The small tanks were several years.


If you die, can I have your brain to dissect then eat, so that I may absorb your powers of art and beauty? Plus, the ginger half of me hasn't stolen an artist's soul yet. :P
Also, I have no money to spend on art and you should do this for the sheer challenge. :U

The betta comes from parts of Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia in the river basins of the Mekong and Chao Phraya rivers. They are found in rice paddies and drainage ditches, river basins and small streams.
(Googled)

They're very smart and inquisitive fish, that like to explore large areas as long as there are plenty of plants and rocks to hide behind/under. They get stressed with a lot of open area, or when they're housed with a lot of other fish, which may be the reason you've had problems in the past. If you do go for a bigger thank, just remember to have LOTS of plants and LOTS of cover for them to hide in.


Mine is a bit more outgoing, and will openly flare at anyone who passes his tank and swim to the top to beg for food. He loves people, and likes to nibble fingers. XD
I don't have to worry about him getting stressed with a lot of open space, but he does have places to hide in his new setup, and when the moss gets thick, the weeping moss and micro-sword will sprout up, giving him plenty of places to hide.

---

HAHA, but you see, (whispers) I'm also a ginger...

I know the top, which is why I figured they like small areas.

I'm pretty sure that was the reason, but I was also 12, so I was still learning about them. I had very successful fish tanks when I was a kid. I never had many video games, so I had animals. :P

You should put a skull in there. I always wanted a skull in my tank, but the calcium will make it toxic in most cases. :(



GINGER BROTHERS!
I'm only half, so my ginger side eats the soul, while the other keeps making it. So tiresome.

Can I have your brain though? :U

XD My brain has already been claimed I'm afraid. claimed it a while back.

Dibs on your soul collection. It's only right to pass it on to the next ginger in line. :U

Aww sUch a pretty lil fishy! Id love to have a warm water tank but i only have the funds to keep a cold water tank with my three goldfish. I dunno why i find fish so cute. Im the fish store in my town the fish are kept in small dirty tanks with nothing but a crowd of fish im them, its horrible. Usualy the goldfish inget there die but these three have been going well since my birthday last year in november x3

Complain to the management? ... Or have a lot of people complain.. things might change.
You could always also put videos up online to show what kinds of conditions they're kept in.

I'm glad to hear yours are doing well though. Goldfish create a lot of ammonia and waste. Hard to keep their tank clean.

My beta tank is just room temperature, which is usually pretty warm. I had a beta heater just for his tank, but he didn't like the warmer water at all. Became very lethargic and didn't want to eat.
He seems to thrive in room temperature though.

The manager, AKA the fat bastard who owns the shop doesnt think anythings wrong with his fish tanks. I hate him so much, such a lazy asshole.
Yeah it is hard to keep em clean but ive got a good filter in my tank which seems to do the job pretty well. Will maybe look into getting a new pump though.

Room temp? Oh, over here in england room temp is tather low xD glad to see you observe him well :) such a gorgeous fish, maybe you should get him a lady friend?

When i adopted my sisters goldfish he had mothing in his tank, no rocks plants or anything. He just swam in circles going crazy. So dad got him some stones and a castle but he still swam around going craxy so we got him two friends. Unfortunently mum killed the trio and since then id been buying fish (mainly fantails) from the fat bastard but they kept dying. I ended up with one lil fishy again untill i got two more for my birthday which were standard goldfish. I change there water less often then the pefious ones and they havent died yet xD

All I can think to help the Ludwigia is changing lighting or try a small root tab. Sand isn't the richest. Also remember that some plants will melt away and grow back under certain conditions.

This tank looks so beautiful!

It is now planted in mineral and iron rich planting substrate. It gets CO2 boost every other day, since it is such a small tank, and the lighting is different now, so we'll see how it gets along.
I used to have a bunch of the stuff, but the leaves kept melting away no matter what I did, and then finally the stems would die off. :/
I can't complain I guess though, I got it on sale for a dollar a bundle. lol

Nice looking aquascape here.

I've got some ludwigia in my big tank that is finally taking off. It all fell apart when I first planted it, but with the CO2 injection and high light, it's growing some gorgeously dark red leaves. Nano tanks are tough sometimes. My betta has a couple anubias nana in it just to keep things low-tech.

Think I can finally put up some photos of my tanks today. Take a peek this afternoon if you get time. :)

I was just wondering about your tank. I just started up cycling a fluval edge 6.6 gallon. Gonna have shriiiimps. :O

;_; The only shrimps I can seem to keep alive are ghost shrimps.

I used to have red cherry and blueberry shrimp, but they all died because of some sort of flaw in shedding. Each time they tried to shed, their shell on their back would split open and it'd kill them. I was sad. Not even sure what caused it either. :/

My larger one is growing pretty well again, now that I fixed it all up and changed it. Still want to take out the large broken resin root, but every time I try, my pleco decides to swim into it to hide... -_- ...
Frustrating.
Once he's in there, you can't even shake him out. -facedesks-
He was actually out of the tank for a full hour and a half one time because I was trying to redo the tank, and I didn't know he was in there until I didn't find him in the tank at all. Somehow survived through that.

Your tank is so lovely! I bet he loves it in there. I have to keep fighting with my fish over where the moss balls are. lol Some of my plants have been moved around too. That silly Dojo of mine, but I love it. Saved it from getting flushed down the toilet. Just because the silly pet store guy put it in with the shrimp, which is what they eat.

Looking fantastic! :) Our bettas could be twins! http://imgur.com/gfUCknG

Bah! So jealous of your aquascaping skilz >_<! All my stuff ends up looking so chaotic and the ground cover never grows right XD

First start with a layer of good planting substrate, a small layer. Next, place your largest rocks or hardscape items (Boil any rocks and driftwood for one hour prior to use within an aquarium. Let them cool, or force them cool in ice water. This will make sure they're nice and clean, and will sink when you add them to your aquarium.)( If you have driftwood, be sure to soak it until it no longer seeps tannins into the water, otherwise you'll end up with tea colored water.) Move them around and keep looking at them to see if that is really where you want them to be. Once you find your preferred spot, you can add more substrate to build up your landscape. You may need to use smaller flat stones or black aquarium safe plastic to create barriers so that your substrate won't fall when settling. Once you've done that, you can then add your secondary stones or whatever you want. Add sand last, if you wish it to be included in your scape. (I didn't, because I'm dumb, and that is how all the crumbs of substrate went everywhere on top of the sand.. lol.. kind of like the look if it though..) .. Anyway. Use a small bowl on the bottom of your tank to start filling it with water, so that your water pressure won't destroy your hard work.

Once your tank is half full, you can start planting. Use planting tweezers or chopsticks to plant your plants by the roots, into the substrate. Start with the largest plants first. They go in the back of the tank. Medium plants come next, and are usually mid ground plants. (Be sure to read up on how the plants you have grow.) Smallest plants come last. Some leafy plants can be planted right into the substrate, while others, like moss for instance, should be tied to driftwood or rocks and placed wherever you want them to be growing. (I use black mesh that I got from a craft store. Works really well. I place my moss on the rock in a spread out clump, then wrap the whole rock in mesh, then gather and tie it at the bottom with spider wire fishing line. Cut off excess mesh, but leave enough to insure that it will stay tied.)


These are just guidelines for a decent tank setup. You don't have to follow them strictly, but they do help.
The most important factor in all of this is to know how your plants will grow.

It is always possible to draw out your design ideas before you start, so that you'll have a better idea of what you're doing before you actually start placing things inside the tank. :)

Very good advice :3. Thanks! I fail at the planning phase. It usually degrades to "Ooooh shiney pants! LETS THROW IT IN!" witch just ends up as http://www.furaffinity.net/view/14460476/ (my apologies for the low picture quality. it's all could pull out of the phone for now)

Ahha, I see... You can always move your plants around if you're really careful. Take the biggest plants and put them in the back... It'd probably be best to just redo the whole thing with the stuff you already have, if you've had it set up for over three months.
Take any fish/shrimp/snails out during this process. Your water will likely get cloudy and gross, and require a very large water change. I did this to my large tank a few weeks ago.

You can carefully push your fingers under your plants to find the root ball or bulb. Gently work them to the surface so that you don't ruin many roots. You can then move them into a bucket or bowl until you're ready to re-plant. :) It may take a few days before they recover, but I've not had any trouble with mine perishing from it.

This makes me wanna redo my 3g hnnnnnng

i have a 1 gallon tank that im planning to make into a similar setup like you have here. would like some pointers!

im not sure what i wanna put in it yet. im thinking either a bamboo shrimp, a beta, or a lil crab. iunno. something that would be relaxing to watch, and would enjoy having a 1gallon space to itself with live plants.

and as far as cleaning goes, would it be better for me to do pebbles or sand?
just in general, what would you say you could impart to me advice wise