Bettas Growing

[angel]

I know I posted these last night but they're not here. Either a malfunction or got removed. In the case of malfunction, here they are again:
This first one is Jeremy's



And what I believe to be a female,

[sirknight]

Just wanted to let you know you are correct the last fish is a female Cambodian bi-color. The females have better color than the male in this type. The male will start to get a lot of red in the body which makes it less bi-colored

Joe

[angel]

Thanks for the info Joe! I have one of those at least then! His pink is more like a rose, and he has speckly coloration rather than solid like her. Cambodian bi color--hadn't heard of them before. But they come from two petsmart fish so I guess they're mutts no matter what huh?
How long til their tails veil out? Is that why the breeders keep them a year or so before selling them--so the tails get super long? Because colorwise these ones are bright already. I have a million questions I need to come out and see you and have a huge discussion of bettas. There's so much more than a pet owner knows!
Tina

[angel]

The other fish I posted are kind of holographic. They never look to be the same color. Sometimes blue sometimes more purple. One of them looks green sometimes. It's been fun learning what I can off of one group of fry.

[angel]

Of course I just looked up cambodian bi-color and found there also is a mustard gas variety of bicolor. Very interesting! But also learned those irridescent ones i think are so cool are crap if they were show fish. The just solid red ones are the ones that are better and I didn't even think to post a pic of them. They seemed to be just average to my untrained thought processes. You just don't always know what to expect!
And I want a black betta! And a Cambodian BiColor with blue or green fins! Someone on bettatalk has pictures of them . WOW! And the marble too . Hey fish fanatics have you seen all the betta colors and patterns there are to get? And that's not even going into fin type! I'm amazed.

[sirknight]

Tina,

When you want to get into Blacks and marbles. Here are a couple of things

1) solid black bettas are every hard to work, most are dark body bi-colored and if this still wholes true female blacks can not reproduce They are sterile. So the best cross would be a black male with a steel blue female(which carries the black gene) to keep down the iridescence.

2) Marbles are really neat. I once crossed a blue male marble with a clear finned female and got some show winning pastels. These won every time I showed them and I won the class including convention. Also Marbles change from solid color to marbled to almost clear.


To get them to grow fast what I did was change their water every two days and feed them blood worms. I was showing my fish at 3 to 4 months and winning.


Also the mustard gas or pineapples are dark bodied Bi-color.

Hope this helps.

Joe

[angel]

It does. Every bit helps and I would have loved to see your winning fish! Too bad you're not doing them now
I can't see breeding for show or even breeding again unless I can fashion an automatic system like the one on the link from before and learn to cull without feeling guilty. And how to know which ones are best before they become gorgeous little eating machines would help! I'm still changing 80 jars every two days including wiping down the insides.
But if I ever get there I'll want to try breeding and showing. It's amazing how many varieties there are.

[jeremyh81]

Tina, is the second pic of the red the same fish as the first? That iridescence is what I really want.

[angel]

Yes it's the same fish. I hadn't realized I posted both pics of your fish, as the second one I took pics of was close.
I love the irridescence too!

[vladsbtch]

The betta i got from you has really grown and he will eat from my hand and rub up on my fingers. he is tamer than any that i have had before. i just love him and he gets along with all of his tank mates. i will get a pic of him soon.

[angel]

the big puss! So cool you're babying him! I'll love to see his pic.

[vladsbtch]

no he isn't. he tore up and killed one of my guppy males. i didn't know that it would be a problem when i put the guppies in the tank. so i am now down to 2 males and a female. i put them back into their old tank for now. oh well live and learn. he gets alon with the juvenile swords and the south american cichlids. all i have to do it put my finger into the tank and splash it and he comes right up to the top and rubs on me. he know i am the food source. lol.... i have him in my 45 tall tank that is overgrown with vegetation. he will get the 10 gal with some of his buddies after i move the shellies to a 20 gal tank. i think i have all one sex of those guys. maybe 1 might be female. it looks like they all are trying to get her attention and none have yet. i donno how to tell the dif between the sexes.

[angel]

Females are considerably smaller than the males.
Bettas don't allow anything to have flashy fins. That's why he tore up the guppy. They like to be alone, but kinda unfancy finned fish do ok sometimes with them.
They used to cuddle up to my fingers when they were teeny tiny and I'd hold the baby brine shrimp cube in the tank to get it to dissolve. Very gentle little hams. I've still got a ton of them but am gonna give away as many as I can on the 4th to a thing for children who won't be otherwise getting Christmas this year. I need to get more mason jars. That's what I'm giving them in. I need about 30 more to give them all to the program. But they need to be dirt cheap coz I'm perpetually broke! Giving them in the club's name. I think that'll help spread the word that we're a good bunch and bring more people over. These kids might be the hobbyists of the next generation.

[vladsbtch]

that is true. i know i am raising a fish lover with my grandson. he loves the fishies and they are all his even when i take him to the critter he goes around saying my fishies. he is just too cute. lol i will see what i have in mason jars. if i have some i will let you know. i might have a case sitting in the basement. i will look...

[angel]

Awesome! Whether you do or don't it's the thought that counts.
Does your grandson go nuts over the stingrays? Ours do . They have huge crying fits when it's time to leave. It's cute but annoying.