A simple fish is he....

[icelightning]

I just amused my fish by flailing my socks around wildly.

In other news, I'm still not ready to go out the door to get stuff from the home improvement store.

Comments

[hamatokameko]

My boys have developed a love-hate relationship with my nailfile. XD

[icelightning.livejournal.com]

XD That's my betta's relationship with almost everything.

[hamatokameko]

It's easy to tell when a betta is interested. They get all excited and wriggly. XD

[hamatokameko]

They have a lot of personality. ^^ Mind you, they can be sort of addicting. I got one one a whim, and less than a month later I have three. The most recent one I got when I went out for an innocent grocery trip on Sunday.

I never knew what hit me. o.o; XD

[icelightning.livejournal.com]

Pretty much everything she's said there! ♥ They're more communicative than most fish, so you can tell what they love/hate really easily.

Happy/Excited = Wiiiiggling
Angry/Macho/Egotistical/Territorial = FLAAAAARE (youtube has some good videos!)
Scared/Sick = Pale/Fear Stripe/Clamped Fins/Unmoving/Darting away
Sleepy = Slows down and perches on various plants in his tank, hiding when you turn on the light, flaring at you for turning on the light...
Sexy/Frisky = BUBBLE NEST.

[icelightning.livejournal.com]

XD Yeah, and if you remove something that they liked, they'll come back to stare at the spot it used to be. Again and again and again...

Also, he's in love with one of my stuffed animals. >.>;;;

[icelightning.livejournal.com]

XD He does his excited wiggle and follows the socks around by turning his face back and forth. And since he doesn't go pale--which is what they do when they're afraid--then he's definitely excited. ^___^

[icelightning.livejournal.com]

Awesome~ Just do your research before you do--there's a lot of myths regarding betta care that circulate around. =)

[icelightning.livejournal.com]

1) Bettas like living in little containers. They actually like 2+ gallons of (mostly still) water. While bettas can survive in a small container, they won't thrive.

2) Bettas do well in vases. No, bettas are labyrinth fish and, therefore, breathe air at the surface of the water. Having a wider necked container is better for them. Especially since they're used to shallow water--so if you can find a container that's more wide than tall, then the betta'll be happy in it.

3) Bettas can survive eating food off the roots of plants. Can't tell you how much this one pisses me off! No, they're predators--they need real food. It just takes them a couple of months to starve to death.

4) Bettas have short lives. Bettas can easily live upwards of two to three years. Some people have had their bettas for five, meaning that the bettas were likely close to six years old when they died! =)

5) You never need to change their water! UM. Just, no. Maybe if you did the Walstad method for light fish-loaded tanks, but that's not something most people do.

6) Fish are stupid. This can't be farther from the truth! Bettas are smart enough to learn tricks and patterns, and I accidentally taught mine to only poop when he's flaring. XDD On the bright side, I can check him for parasites everyday.

7) Bettas will stop eating when they're full. Actually, bettas can't tell when they're full--you'll have to control how much they eat and how many times they eat in a day. Generally, their stomach is the size of their eye. Smaller bettas will also need less food, because bettas get easily constipated (not kidding--my boy gets it every couple of months).

8) Fish can only see in black and white. Nope, bettas see in color. You can tell easily about how bettas will prefer some colors to others, or how they'll stare more at things with a variety of colors. My betta adores watching my Dad play World of Warcraft when I'm home because of this. XD Also, quite a few bettas don't like the "hotter" colors, such as red/orange/yellow. My betta Magus tends to attack new things in his tank that are yellow until he's sure they'll behave themselves.

Other random information:

Bettas tend to get bullied by other fish because of their long fins, only girls can be put together (in a group of 3+), they like having enough stuff in their tank to easily hide, they like being where the "action" is in the house, they are extremely sociable fish, bettas can become depressed, they are generally weak swimmers and cannot thrive in large current waters, bettas are naturally jumpers and will sometimes jump out of their tanks (if upset), and the more time you spend with your betta, the more personality he seems to develop. =)

The community bettas is a pretty good read--it'll give you a feeling for them. I'd definitely research about them a little, and there's a ton of good sites you can find (probably linked from said community) online.

Whoops. Word barf. But I hope that helps! =D

[icelightning.livejournal.com]

XDD I figured that's what you meant, so I read it that way. I know few usually equals "three", but yeah.

And yeah, my betta is hilarious! ♥ Every once in a while, he tries to rediscover his childhood by attempting to jump/land on his bubble nest. Naturally, this doesn't work. However, he's been managing to catch fruit flies, lately, and is starting to look a bit pudgy....

=)) I was planning on waiting a few years, myself, but my former suitemates surprised me with this little guy. My parents were annoyed at first, but now they're fond of him as well. (Dad likes to watch him during his short breaks at the computer, and even showed Mom how Magus'll jump at fingers that get close to the surface of the water.)

Also, bettas have a serrated jawline, and if they were the same size as a great shark, their jaw would be stronger. Sometimes I can hear Magus chew up his pellets as clear as day. XD

Hmm, as for cats and bettas, I'd guess keeping the tanks covered and using negative/positive reinforcement on your cat would do the trick?

Oh! And if you ever come home to a crispy betta, stick them back in the water, first. Bettas have been known to "revive" spontaneously after being reintroduced to water. Probably a natural defense mechanism from living in rice paddies that can and do dry up (hence why they can jump so well--in the wild, they jump to go from one puddle of water to another).

[hamatokameko]

One of my favorite things to do with my bettas is play "invader." I put the tip of a finger in the water, and they flare and circle like little sharks before finally "attacking" and giving me a quick bite. It's ridiculously cute to watch them go all RAWR, and they always seem quite pleased with themselves for chasing off the "threat" when I pull my hand out of the water.

[icelightning.livejournal.com]

XDDDDDDD YES. I usually keep my finger just above the water because my boy likes to jump at it.

In fact, I was pointing out his bubble nest to Dad, once, and then he attacked me. Dad thought it was hysterical and started laughing. I have such a brat for a fish. ♥

[hamatokameko]

Oh, and don't leave two uncovered betta tanks next to each other (they should be covered anyway!)

I've read horror stories of people coming home to find one of their bettas has jumped into the next tank, resulting in a massive fight, bad injuries, and sometimes dead fish. :(

[icelightning.livejournal.com]

They're definitely territorial little buggers, yes. Eheh.

[icelightning.livejournal.com]

^____^

I just changed him around the tank with my yellowish sushi ginger. Seems like he's scared of it! So cuuuuute.

Does your science class have them?

[icelightning.livejournal.com]

>.> I'm a mean betta mommy.

=D Goldfish can be fun! You can train those little guys, too.

[icelightning.livejournal.com]

XDDDD

I think by positive reinforcement, but THIS VIDEO (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpEqZ4E1Xos) shows some really trained goldfish. =DDD

[icelightning.livejournal.com]

YES I AM. XDDD He is a spoiled little brat who believes he's KING OF THE TANK. He'll even threaten me. So seeing him run away from sushi ginger is ALL SORTS of hilarious.

XDDD They're awesome. My betta? He only knows a trick or two. Like... he only poos when he's flaring. I DON'T KNOW WHY. But at the same time, I know immediately when he's constipated and if he ever gets parasites like he had at the beginning again, I'll know, too. >.>;; I can also tell when he catches a bug successfully.

[icelightning.livejournal.com]

XDDDDDD HE WAS CUTE. WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO? Besides, I move away the mirror after he's done flaring, and he thinks he won the fight. >.>;;;;

asdfasdf. I DIDN'T DO IT ON PURPOSE. He was constipated and flaring got him to poop the first couple times, and then he accidentally learned it. UH, the parasite thing really only happens in the beginning, at least for intestinal, unless you feed him live food. I don't know about other types of parasites, but bettas can come with them from the pet shop. =\\ Not all breeders are responsible.

[icelightning.livejournal.com]

XDD YES. Bettas will flare at mirrors, thinking it's another betta, and it's good for their immune systems if done for short periods of tim.

XDDDD Uh, you buy live food? Like brine shrimp and stuff.

... ... ... And now that you've mentioned it, I guess the betta HAS eaten live food recently. XDDD He's been catching fruit flies.

[icelightning.livejournal.com]

asdfasdf. XD Yeah, except she didn't try to rip her reflection a new one.

XDDD YEAH. I stick with dried/pellets because I don't have anywhere to store the living creatures between feedings. =\