Day 16: Betta Bloodworms

Gross--bloodworms. But that's what I got Greenie the blue betta yesterday. We haven't fed him any yet, because I want to clean his bowl first. But they're supposed to make their colors brighter and protect against disease somehow, too. (Because of the protein.) They only eat two to four bloodworm pellets at a time. It may take a betta awhile to get used to a new food, so keep trying. The kind we got is Betta Bio-Gold by Hikari.

DAY 15: Betta Fin Types

So, I'm a couple of chapters in to the aforementioned Betta Handbook, and it is indeed much more scientific than I'd expected, but that's cool. I've learned about betta history, betta fighting (more on that another day) and betta fin types. There's wild type (with smooth edges), halfmoon style, brush or scallop edge, double ray extentions, single ray extensions and the extra-cool cross ray extensions. Greenie appears to have the halfmoon style fin, which is considered normal.

DAY 14: Betta Babysitting?

We're going out of town for a few days sometime soon, and poor Greenie will be left all alone. We went to the pet store and asked if a betta fish could go three days without being fed, and they said yes as if it was no big deal at all. We'll still worry about the little guy, though. I wish they had time-release dissolving cake things like for goldfish. The advice I've found online is to be sure to feed the betta right before you leave town. The time of the year is good for this--not too cold or too hot. If he were a baby betta, we probably couldn't leave him at all. Some people actually take their bettas with them--I think that's a little much.

DAY 11: The Betta Handbook Arrives

The book I settled on from Amazon has arrived, but I have yet to read it. It's a little heavier on the science than I expected, but it is by a PhD-holder, so there you go. The book includes everything from fin types to infectious diseases. I'm hoping there's some feeding and basic care tips in there as well. I noticed that the price has dropped by about $2.50 since I ordered it.

DAY 10: The Betta Adapts

It's interesting: The first few days we had our betta, he'd spend most of the time near the bottom of the tank, "hiding" between the tank wall and the plastic tree. I don't know if he's gotten used to us or what, but now he's almost always swimming around the tank. And he comes up to eat right away now. He seems to have a bit of a personality.

DAY NINE: A Net for Greenie

I went to PetCo, hoping to buy a new betta tank for Greenie. But I decided to wait on it, even though $16.99 seems like a good deal for a 2.5-gallon tank and supplies. I did get a net, which Alec enjoyed running around the house with. The betta bowl is getting cloudy, so we definitely need to clean it today.

DAY EIGHT: The Betta is a Male

Greenie is definitely a male betta fish. I feel silly for not looking into this sooner. The males are the ones with the more elaborate fins and tail, whereas females have shorter, more subdued fins and tail. Males are also generally brighter in color. I guess the main thing we need to be aware of with our male betta is that he can not be in a tank with other male bettas. Betta spendens isn't called Siamese Fighting Fish for nothing! They'll fight to the bitter. Someone at work told me that in his "meathead days" in college they'd put male bettas together and place bets on who would "win." That's so awful! Poor bettas.

DAY SEVEN: One Week into Betta Testing

Wow. We've had Greenie for a whole week now. I've gotten attached to him; he's fun to watch swim around with his fins and tail fluttering gracefully in the water. I really want to get him a bigger tank--let him stretch his fins, so to speak. His current one could use a cleaning. I'll have to give this more thought.

DAY SIX: Cold Snap for the Betta

It's taken a turn for the cold here in sunny California, so Greenie has been moved a bit. He seems more active lately, swimming around rather than hiding behind his cheap plastic tree. PetCo says betta owners should "be cautious of extreme temperature changes" and the water temperature should be between 64 and 82 degrees. I didn't know this: PetCo offers free water testing (for water quality and pH). That's pretty cool.
We're going out of town Saturday, just for the day, and I'm actually going to worry about the little guy! So far Jody the cat has shown no interest in Greenie, which surprises me.

DAY FIVE: What to Feed Our Betta Fish?

When we got Greenie, we also picked up one container of betta fish food, a variety made by Tetra BettaMin called Tropical Medley Betta Flakes. Greenie seems to like them, but they sure are messy. You just twist the lid and stinky pink flakes fly everywhere. The fish store guy said that one jar should last two years and that, no, the fish does not need a variety of things to eat. But would you want to eat the same thing day in and day out? So, I think next I'm going to pick him up some protein-rich, freeze-dried bloodworms, maybe by a maker called Top Fin. Yum! What could be tastier than bloodworms?
Also, Alec has revealed why he named the fish "Greenie." I said, "You know, Alec, that fish is blue." And Alec replied, in an exasperated tone, "I know. He feels green." I guess he's a green fish trapped in a blue body.

DAY FOUR: Blue Betta Named Greenie

The blue betta is officially named Greenie, per Alec, who again this morning woke up saying, "See how fish doin'." And everything he does (craft projects, etc.) he has to run and show Greenie. I was wary of getting a betta for a 2-year-old but I think it's working out really well. Alec is so gentle and curious, and says, "Hi, little guy" to the fish.
The tank water is nice and clear and it looks like I won't have to clean the tank anytime soon. Apparently, in the wild, bettas live in mud puddles and stuff. I won't let it get to that stage, of course. Ultimately I'd like to get Greenie a bigger tank. Bettas can live in very small quarters, but the advice I'm finding from PetCo and online sources is that any fish should have as large as tank as possible.

DAY THREE: PetCo, Where the Pets Go

Alec and I went by PetCo yesterday and picked up a care sheet on betta fish. Apparently direct sunlight and drafts is bad for them, which seems obvious, but where did we have him? One the kitchen table in front of the window. But I'm thinking that betta splendens is a good fish for a 2-year-old. Yesterday and today the first think Alec said when he woke up was, "See how fish doin'?" I think today I'm going to order one of these books from Amazon: Betta Care, Bettas: A Complete Introduction, Bettas, The Guide to Owning Bettas, or The Betta: An Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Fish.
It looks like Caring for Betta Fish by Marcus Song, at $29.95, is the Cadillac of books about betta splendens.
I'll do more research and let you know what i find. It looks like some betta books are light on the info and heavy on the pretty pictures.

DAY TWO: Word to the Not-So-Wise

Say you're sitting at the kitchen table eating your delicious Chipotle burrito leftovers and you decide it's time to feed the betta fish. Do not, I repeat do NOT unscrew the lid of the fish food in the vacinity of your plate or you will find your burrito disgustingly seasoned with a stinky mix of fish meal and brine shrimp. (Yes, I threw it away.)

DAY TWO: Betta Fish Lives On

This morning when we woke up, Alec asked about the new betta fish right away: "Go see what fish doin'." The fish wasn't moving a lot, and at first I thought he was stuck between the plastic tree and the side of the tank. But I shook the tank a bit (just a bit!) and it livened up. I forgot to ask if we were getting a male or female betta (which is important because they fight to the death--hard core!!). I almost called the fish shop guy to ask when we got home, but then I figured maybe learning the fish's gender is one of those things we could learn how to find out along the way. I did learn that betta fish typically live 3 to 5 years (fish shop guy said count on 5), and some that are cared for especially well have lived 10 years.

DAY ONE: What Was I Thinking?

At a community event today, my son Alec was given a certificate for a free betta fish from a local fish store. This kid, like everyone other 2 1/2-year-old, is fascinated by aquariums, and has that penchant for calling all clownfish "Nemo" that probably makes fish experts cringe.
So, before I decided to cash in on our finned windfall, I searched the Internet for betta fish and Siamese fighting fish to get a sense of what we were getting ourselves into. (First, a little history: As a child, I always had goldfish. "Zoom" and "Spot" probably stand out as favorites. What I did not love was cleaning their slimy bowls, nor eventually finding them belly-up in the bowl. It is with mixed feelings that I remember the pleasure and pain of these not-so-cuddly species.) The Internet, in its infinite wisdom, revealed enough for me to decide I'd be OK with bringing home a betta.
It's been about four hours and the betta remains alive. We bought Tetra brand betta food by the name of BettaMin Tropical Medley, some chlorine remover by Seachem, some gravel and an affordable tiny, lidded (because of the cat) tank called the Betta Bow-Front Kit made by Penn Plax. So far, we're into this betta adventure less than $10.

I started this blog (which I intially wanted to call "Betta Blogger," but that was taken) because I thought it might be fun to keep track of what we learn about bettas along the way. There's a huge community of betta-lovers out there that is interested in making sure people know how to care for these fish. And my philosophy is, if we're going to do something, let's do it right. I want to raise a humane child with respect for all living creatures.
I must admit, however, that I was slightly disturbed when Alec shook the bag a little bit saying, "Fishy, wake UP," until I realized that was a scene from Finding Nemo. The fish as yet has no name, but Alec has suggested "Greenie" (the fish is blue), "Yellow," and what we at first thought was "Poo Poo," but turns out he was saying "Purple." First order of business: Test Alec for color blindness. Second: Name fish.