# Good question for breeders...



## FRIENDLYFISHIES (Aug 7, 2012)

Lately im having issues with betta health...nothing bad but it just has me wondering. When you go to the petstore you see rows of beautiful full tailed bettas not a single rip, nip or sign of rot. You pick out a beautiful full tailed betta, bring him home, set up the right environment (no rough edges/baffled filters/real plants et), perform plenty of water changes and feed right...yet within the first week your betta gets torn fins or rot. How on earth does a betta breeder breed their betta's, raise good looking healthy bettas with full tails, ship them to the petstore in a mini bag get placed in a cup where ammonia builds and the betta has no damage to its tail? Im so puzzled. 

How do betta breeders raise healthy babies with beautiful tails and no damage? Im just curious because id like my bettas to keep healthy tails and bodies. It really couldnt be as difficult as its proving to be! I figure I must be missing something. :chair:


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## pinetree (Nov 29, 2009)

I haven't had a betta in years, but maybe it is the stress of transport, being put in a cup, etc.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

I've never had a betta that ended up with fin rot, only ones that have gotten more gorgeous with the right environment. 

The only thing I can think of in your case if it is not the physical environment is that the fish stores distributor is a poor source. 

I know you are pretty vigilant about your care, I wonder if there is something odd getting in the water that Betta's are more sensitive to than other fish? I can't imagine what it might be, but maybe it's there.


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## Coolfish (Apr 30, 2012)

What size tank?


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

10 ga, just some hornwart, bronze wedntii, and a rather large but not mongo mystery snail- about the size of a half dollar. Any Betta I put in there did awesome. Personally I wouldn't keep a betta in less than a 5.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

I think the reason is probably tail biting. I don't really have those issues. Maybe it is the water parameters.


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## FRIENDLYFISHIES (Aug 7, 2012)

Nope no tail biting :/ ...coolfish-3 gals filtered (baffled)...now 2.5g no filters and repair seems to have started with daily changes and AQ salt. From what I'm gathering their doing best in low gallonage with no water movement. But I'm still puzzled?? Ty obsidian, valid points. My Ph is a tad high, perhaps filter movement x high Ph x genetics are to blame...I guess all I can do is experiment with what works?


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## FRIENDLYFISHIES (Aug 7, 2012)

Bettaman - everything is 0 except slightly high Ph, no off water perams. Somehow somewhere along the lines i made a mistake but I can't see it. Just has me seriously wondering how breeders keep males in such good shape?


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## Cory1990 (Jun 14, 2012)

The problem you had is that you took a beautiful betta that had to live months in a cup filled with waste hardly any feedings and very bad water quality that it became used to it that's why some are dead in cups and others are not. Then it goes from bad water to good water in a quick change unless its dripped over night that betta just went from bad to good quickly and that's why your betta got sick. Don't blame the breeder who's trying to make a buck blame the pet stores who don't change the water in the small cups. In a small cup like that with a fish as big as it is in 2" of water that should be changed daily but they don't have time to waste like that.


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## FRIENDLYFISHIES (Aug 7, 2012)

Hmm weird but good point. I don't blame breeders...I just wanna know their secret lol. The bettas made it to the petstore cups in good condition,Why not stay that way with goo cae after leaving the shelf? That theory could make sense though.


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## Coolfish (Apr 30, 2012)

3 gallon? That's the problem get a bigger tank and test your water.


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## Cory1990 (Jun 14, 2012)

They were placed in nice fresh water when shipped then put on the shelf and neglected


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## FRIENDLYFISHIES (Aug 7, 2012)

It was worse when they were in the 5g...too much activity with their fins and I test with the api test kit consistently and also peform constant water changes coolfish. It's honestly not their current environment. However as I stated the previous baffled filters may have played a part. I'm finding the longer the fins the smaller the swimming space the shorter the fins ( plakat) the larger the space. Of course the exception being vts they seem to do well in both environments. I wouldn't go any smaller than 2.5 planted gallons.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i have never had a problem with fin rot with any of my bettas....i don't really know a whole lot about them because i have not kept any in over 30 years but i don't think that your water quality is the problem..i have 4 right now..the 2 males live in vegetable crisper drawers that i salvaged from an old fridge....
maybe you are having problems because you mess with them too much...try leaving them alone for a few weeks , see how it goes.
the very best of luck jemma..


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

It could also be genetics. The people who sell to petco mass produce the fish, but breeders usually sell higher quality fish.


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