Betta fish

[ABlueRose]

Look at my new betta fish! I only got him today, but I love him so  much 

Does anyone else here like fish? Or have any pet fish?

[Melooon]

How is the fish settling in? I've not had a pet fish for a long time but I remember they were suprisingly good company, mine used to swim around whenever Id come into the room 

[grubbyfox]

I had a white-pink-ish-blue-ish betta manyyyy years ago.

Now I've got a bunch of lambchop rasbora :3

[CooperationIsKey]

I miss having bettas so much! They're awesome little fish with tons of personality.  

My first betta (attached) was named Pyromite, and I adored him. (yes, he's in a fishbowl; this was 20 years ago and I didn't know any better.) At one point I had six bettas! Even had a couple with special needs (one was missing most of her tail and the other was missing one fin).

I hope your fish is doing well and adapting to its new home! :D

[cult_status18]

my first fish was a betta fish. his name was Nemo even though he was blue and not orang when I was at the pet store I really wanted to buy one that was already dead witch is a funny memory I'm not really sure what happened to nemo but he's probably gone since its been years since I had him here's what he probably looked like if your going to keep a betta fish make sure he doesn't have any friends if he has a female fish he will just make a bunch of baby fish and the tank will be overwellemd and if its a male fish one will end up killing the other due to them being so close in space I'm pretty sure they will kill each other even in big tanks so just keep him with bigger fish that arent related to his species that wont attack him either like mabey a pleco fish or something like that and give him room to breath air at the top of the tank since they mostly get their oxygen from the air and not the water also make sure to use a stick to play with him he will get bored and they are smart enough to learn tricks good luck 

[cult_status18]

wait, thats actually a female. I think only the male fish have the big fins keep her far away from male fish

[ABlueRose]

How is the fish settling in? I've not had a pet fish for a long time but I remember they were suprisingly good company, mine used to swim around whenever Id come into the room 

He's settled in well! He loves to swim around, and he'll come up to the front of the tank and stare at me when I get up in the  morning sometimes 

I miss having bettas so much! They're awesome little fish with tons of personality.  

My first betta (attached) was named Pyromite, and I adored him. (yes, he's in a fishbowl; this was 20 years ago and I didn't know any better.) At one point I had six bettas! Even had a couple with special needs (one was missing most of her tail and the other was missing one fin).

I hope your fish is doing well and adapting to its new home! :D

Aw, he was so cute! Wow, taking care of some with special needs is impressive! From what I've heard, it's hard to do that with fish.

I had a white-pink-ish-blue-ish betta manyyyy years ago.

Now I've got a bunch of lambchop rasbora :3

Ooo, I just looked up what they look like and they're a pretty kind of fish!

my first fish was a betta fish. his name was Nemo even though he was blue and not orang when I was at the pet store I really wanted to buy one that was already dead witch is a funny memory I'm not really sure what happened to nemo but he's probably gone since its been years since I had him here's what he probably looked like if your going to keep a betta fish make sure he doesn't have any friends if he has a female fish he will just make a bunch of baby fish and the tank will be overwellemd and if its a male fish one will end up killing the other due to them being so close in space I'm pretty sure they will kill each other even in big tanks so just keep him with bigger fish that arent related to his species that wont attack him either like mabey a pleco fish or something like that and give him room to breath air at the top of the tank since they mostly get their oxygen from the air and not the water also make sure to use a stick to play with him he will get bored and they are smart enough to learn tricks good luck 

Don't worry, I'm keeping my guy alone. When I saw him at the store, he was really feisty. He was working hard trying to get out of his cup, and I knew he couldn't have any snail friends or anything.

wait, thats actually a female. I think only the male fish have the big fins keep her far away from male fish

He's a short-finned male. Not as common, but they're out there. That picture of him on the day I got him wasn't the best, and he's hiding his long ventral fins that show he's a male.

Here's newer pictures of him, with his tank light showing his pretty colors!

[Rosaria Delacroix]

Oh, how absolutely precious. What a beautiful koi betta! I love the flashes of iridescent blue scattered across- and those button black eyes are too cute, they’re my favourite version of coloration you can have for those.

One small note of caution- bettas are prone to being particularly voracious, and may accidentally ingest gravel. That can cause severe issues with impaction- and you’ll want a good gravel vacuum and meticulous turkey baster-ing to spot clean, or else debris and rotting food trapped beneath being stirred up can cause deadly ammonia spikes. It’s popular to keep them over sand, or else a bare bottom tank, just to avoid any potential issues- a few very large river stones on sand can be quite beautiful if you’re interested in the aquascaping aspect to this hobby.

It looks like you have some live plants- which is great! If you’d like to provide a cheap hide for your fish to feel more secure and cozy in, either a small terracotta pot that lacks drainage holes, or has had the bottom of it knocked out (to prevent the notoriously curious little critters from squeezing through and getting stuck, or degloving their bodies), or a plain white ceramic coffee mug (if it must have decoration, it’s suggested to avoid colorants that commonly contain heavy contamination or are prone to leaching, like vivid reds) are perfect options. Betta fish feel most secure and comfortable when they have plenty of things to hide in and explore- they’re known to patrol their territory and it can be good mental stimulation for them to have elements rearranged during water changes.

Something very cute that my past boys have done is enjoyed laying on top of and nudging around a marimo ball: giving them the chance to ‘interior decorate’ and nestle up cozily for bedtime is so cute! Any other decorations you want to add to the tank should be subject to the pantyhose test for safety- if the fine mesh of a pair of pantyhose snags, runs, or tears, it’ll do similar damage to your fish’s fins. Live and silk plants are both a good option to provide coverage: just make sure that any fake plants don’t have any protruding wires! You can also draw on the exterior of the tank glass with a whiteboard marker, and they’ll often flare and come up to curiously inspect the doodle.

As a heads up, as I’m unsure of how familiar you are with betta fish genetics- it looks like your fish may carry the marbled gene, which reflects in the patchwork of colours over his body, as well as the little bits of iridescence. This is super common with kois, which looks to be the morph your little boy has. The marble gene is generally seen as being unstable- which means that color variations and changes overtime are expected and quite normal within the colour morph- he may not always keep his precise patterning and colour! That can be part of the fun of having them, and I’d encourage you to take plenty of pictures to help track any changes that may happen overtime.

Hopefully you two have a wonderful life together!

[grubbyfox]

oooho he colored in nicely, what a beautiful lil fish! :3