# Can anyone reccommend a site where I can buy cheap HM Betta's?



## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

Can anyone suggest a good site where I can buy cheap HM betta's? I've looked around my local area but I just don't think they sell HM's here only veils. I've visited a few sites but once you buy and pay for postage to Australia it'd cost me a fortune to get one. Are there any HM breeders out there in Australia? Or anyone kind enough to send me one? I'm not looking for one with really great breeding or anything, just a basic HM, something pretty. For show more than anything, maybe a lavander, black or green. Really doens't make much difference what colour.

Any replies would be apprectiated

thanks


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## thatsfishy (Jan 18, 2005)

Well, you have two brand-new IBC chapters in Australia now ... I'm sure if you get in touch with some of the breeders down there you can get your hands on something suitable. I believe Ausbettas is in the areas of New South Wales, and the Betta Australis folks are from around Queensland, Capital Territory and Victoria, so I'd contact whoever is closer if I were you. Or both, if it doesn't make a difference to you.  Good luck.

http://www.ibcbettas.org/chapters.htm#Australia


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## (RC) (Jan 18, 2005)

You will not find cheap HM, but you can find some nice fish at a good price that are not HM. At least 90% of all the fish you see labeled "HM" on the internet are not.


RC


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## Drift_King (Jan 18, 2005)

if you are in sydney i have only seen 1 and it was $75aus from castle hill, its really difficult to get ure hands on them im kicking myself for not buying that 1, but theres a few shops in sydneys west that may be able to order them for you. Aquarius aquriums in the entrance can get alot of rare fish and at a decent price to.


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## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

I'm on the Gold Coast and $75 for a fish is totally out of my price range. If I had a spare $75 I'd be buying my son clothes or toys not a fish for myself. I'm gonna join a few of the Aussie Betta clubs and hopefully i'll make some contacts and maybe find someone willing to sell me one for cheap.


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## olakytrion (Feb 22, 2005)

how can you differentiate between an HM and any other type of betta? is there a 100% fool-proof way to identify them?


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## aaa (Jan 19, 2005)

you can tell by the degree of spreading. if the edge of the caudal fin(tail) is straight and the caudal can spread to 180 degree, it is a true Halfmoon(HM) but those are really hard to find and people usually keep those for themselves instead of selling them. you can get a SD and may produce HM if the edge is straight and have great branching(both the male and female). many people only care about the quality of the male but forget the female. remember female carry half of the gene, so a good male cross with a crappy female result in crappy fish. also, you have to provide the offspring clean water and good food in order to get some nice fish. also, people call their fish HM geno and there is no such thing. it is not control by and single gene but many gene(like # branching and stuff like that) and control by environment. a HM and go back to SD if the environment is not good for them.


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## (RC) (Jan 18, 2005)

Also make sure he leading edge of the caudal doesn't have any short rays, but other then that aaa hit it pretty well.


RC


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## aaa (Jan 19, 2005)

(RC) @ Sat Mar 19 said:


> Also make sure he leading edge of the caudal doesn't have any short rays, but other then that aaa hit it pretty well.
> 
> 
> RC


yeah, i forgot about it. plus if a fish's caudal edge is bended or crooked, it is not a good fish. many of the so call overHM just the ray curve forward and it is not a good thing to see on fish. it is pretty much it and you should go look to see what are we talking about. you may not find a true HM on aquabid, but you sure will know that lots of the fish out there is a rip off. plus the best place to get nice fish is at a auction after a betta show. most of the fish are nice and at good price. plus you get to meet experience betta people like RC and they can tell you more about betta than me here. it is better to have a actual example than we talk about it here. plus the most important thing is research and read other forum. that's where i get all my information from.


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## (RC) (Jan 18, 2005)

If you can get to an IBC show you can pick up some great deals in the Auction. One important thing to remember is You are not only buying the fish you get , but also buying the genetics behind that fish. You might not be buying a "HM", but you normally buying a fish that has the background to produce HM quality fish. So much of producing HM's is the care they recieve from day one. I do daily water changes on my stock. My best males are in 2.5G tanks and they get 95% water change everyday. Here is one of the young males I'm working with.



RC


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## aaa (Jan 19, 2005)

nice fish RC. what metallic color you working on? also, what they have in betta pal program? i am looking for copper, but too expensive at the auction.


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## (RC) (Jan 18, 2005)

That fish is from a royal x white metallic cross.The F1 has green golds. Th Betta Pals are just starting back up so I don't know what we have available yet. 


RC


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

whats IBC and how do i get to those shows those bettas are amazing


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## aaa (Jan 19, 2005)

IBC= international betta congress.

www.ibcbettas.org

check out the show date on there. auction is on sunday.


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