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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2
hello, I'm new to the forum, and I Have a question

I'm 16, and was browsing the fish department at Walmart with my sisters one day, when I saw the most beautiful betta! deep blue with white tips on its fins. It was then when I decided I wanted to have one. So I went to the internet and did some research, when I came across this lovely website to cure all my newb-like questions <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I educated myself on the treatment and care of Bettas, looked up tanks, and even came up with a name! I was fascinated at all of the things I've learned! I never knew they could recognize you, play with things, or enjoy your company! It was last night that I asked my parents at the dinner table when they were in a 'playful' mood (forgive me for making my parents sound like animals lol!) they asked me the typical questions "where are you going to put it?" "what about our cats?" (we have 2, both of which have been around fish for some part of there lifetime:-) and have been uninterested with them) which I answered accordingly, then they asked me the one question I did not have an answer to "What about when we travel? Who's going to feed it while we're gone?" I was silent, my dad responded with "I don't know, I don't really like fish..." and that was the end of it. I was looking up the traveling bags that some stores have and this is my question...are they worth it? and if not, what do you suppose I should do about the traveling problem? We are new here to the area and aren't exactly the 'social butterfly' of the neighborhood. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated!

thanks in advance!

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Chipmunk
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Chipmunk
Joined: Feb 2004
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Welcome Aria !

The one thing about bettas is that they are very portable. If there is one thing you can do with your betta is transport them and thier bowl/tank to a friend or neighbor's house so that they can care for him while your gone without having to come to your house to do it.

May I ask........who takes care of your cats while you are away ? Would that person be willing to care for your fish too ? BTW...if you are only going away for a weekend, no prob with the fish. Bettas can survive just fine a weekend without feeding. If you do a good cleaning of the tank before you go away, he should be fine for up to a week without eating..IF he's in good condtion.

Also, there are plenty of betta tanks with lids on them that will keep them safe from cats. Do some more research online and find some inexpensive hooded tanks (a 2 1/2 gallon is a good portable size for a betta..and big enough to use a heater in)

Try putting together all the information that you can about how you will pay for the fish and his needs, what type of tank you will get, how you will care for it...basically everything that you need to know to properly care for one...pics of the type of tank you would like to buy may help. Think ahead for answers to all the objections they could possibly have and present all this to them again. Maybe they will be impressed enough to allow you to give it a try. You might even try explaining how this will help you to learn responsibility.... <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I do want to say how impressed I am at your maturity in not expressing anger and disrespect towards your parents for thier less than receptive response to your request. I have read posts from other kids who would berate and mouth off about their parents when they don't get what they want. Kudos to you and to your parents for raising such a respectful child !!

Best of luck in your efforts to win them over Aria !! Maybe you could bring them here and show them all the nice folks who are willing to help you out in your interest ! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 299
Shark
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Shark
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 299
What I did when I got my first betta was to draw up a list of everything I would need to buy for the fish and how much it cost, so I knew what I was getting myself into (or so I thought...you never really know until you've had one though!) EMG has some good points. Bettas do just fine, even with frequent weekend trips. I used to be gone about every other weekend, and my bettas did splendidly as long as they were healthy when I left them. It's even healthy to skip a day of feeding each week, as it will help prevent possible swim bladder problems.

I hope you and your parents can come to some sort of agreement, but if all else fails, I'm sure you will be able to at least have one by the time you get to college. They are nice fish in a dorm, as long as you explain to your roomate not to overfeed him, not to turn the heat off when she leaves, etc...You will be the talk of the floor! :-P


Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
Joined: Feb 2006
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thanks everyone!

"I do want to say how impressed I am at your maturity in not expressing anger and disrespect towards your parents for thier less than receptive response to your request. I have read posts from other kids who would berate and mouth off about their parents when they don't get what they want. Kudos to you and to your parents for raising such a respectful child !!"

lol! thank you so very much! I was raised to respect my parents, not to drag them and their dignities down on a forum :P
well EMG, we leave our cats alone when we go someplace for a couple of days, they don't like 'strangers' (on one occasion, our older cat, misty, bit our neighbor when she came to feed them!) they also have this weird obsession of drinking out of the sink faucet, so we leave them out the appropriate amount of food, leave the water dripping and they are fine.
hmm, I'll have to look for those 21/2 gallon tanks, they seem like a good idea <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I've been researching on the internet on how to care for things (such as dropsy, fin rot etc.) and what to do when you bring them home.
As for putting information down about the cost, I'm in the process of putting things together as I speak. (anyone know how much 10 gallon tanks cost on average? lol) Even if I don't get one yet, I'll sure get one when I go to college, I'm fascinated with animals as a whole.
I've got my mother persuaded with all the information I've let her see, but my father can be a little stubborn (must be where I get it from <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />) so I'm going to wait until he's alittle less stressed from his work and ask him again *crosses fingers* wish me luck guys!
thanks for the warm welcome!
OH! also, I just found this pellet that will feed your fish for seven days, would that be fine for a betta?

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 299
Shark
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Shark
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 299
It's good that you've researched treatment options, because it is inevitable that your fish will get sick at some point! Make sure you include something like MelaFix or BettaFix (both natural remedies, much more gentle than other treatments, and generally the first thing you try when treating a fish) on your list, as well as a thing of aquarium salt (also for treating a sick fish).

10 gallon tanks at Pet World here cost around $10, but you can get entire setups with a heater, etc for something like $25 on sale I think. Walmart might have some decent deals too.

I haven't heard great things about weekly feeders for bettas, but I've never tried one myself. I'll bet someone else has some better information on that though!


Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14,392
BellaOnline Editor
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Hi folks, I'm traveling but I did want to quickly pipe in with these pertinant articles from this site:

Caring for Fish when you are gone
How to make sure your fish will still be alive on your return!
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art7042.asp

Betta Care - Travel with your Betta
You can travel with your betta fish if you need to. Here's how.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art32500.asp

Welcome to the forum and I think you will be able to convince your parents you are ready for this step! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />


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