beta fish what do they look like when they are healthy?

:wink: i want to get my friend a beta for christmas but they all look sick. can yall help me?

 

Rather than describing every aspect of a healthy betta, here's a link to a slideshow with pics of common betta diseases. Avoid bettas that show these symptoms.

(3rd link)
http://flippersandfins.net/slideselectpage.html#

-Chelle

 

Bettas are a beautiful fish to keep, and very easy to care for. Just remember they DON'T eat the plants they're kept with (they have specialized food) and to keep them in at least 1 gallon of water changed every 3-4 weeks.

Here's a page with pics and comments from people who have kept them: http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_betta.php

To pick one out from the pet store, see if you can find one already in a tank with other fish OR pick up the container that the fish is in and see if it reacts to you. If it seems to not move at all, it's not healthy. It should flinch as you pick it up, and then just kind of sit there. Bettas are usually kept by themselves, so shouldn't really come with a disease unless it was genetic. Check out chelle's post for more info.

Good luck!

 

If you're keeping it in a 1 gallon, you're going to need to do water changes every 5 - 7 days, not 3 - 4 weeks. 2+ gallons is really a lot better than 1 gallon. And a cycled/filtered 5+ gallon with a couple peaceful tankmates would be even better.

-Chelle

 

i notice ina lot of LFS, they look droopy, if theyre ill, and fully unchewed and generally un depressed when they are healthy, again, look for any desease symptoms, and be aware they prefere stagnant water to filtered water, but they'll live in filtered water.

 

A lot of times in the LFS they're under stress and won't show their true colors until you get them home.

When I bought Tikki he was originally a shade of light brown to beige, he looked like the sickest betta I ever saw and I felt sorry for him. After I got him home and settled in he turned bright red and was swimming happily.

 

and tye sometimes look crappy in pet stores becuz they medicate them to keep the stress down and it makes them all goofy and stuff

 

i have an idea that they dont take alot of pride in alot of LFS so they proberly dont care that their betta's are stressed.

 

thank you yall for your help.