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this website is currently 525 pages and was last updated on: 01/31/10

the woman behind the
w e b s i t e

I have been featured on
national and international
television and have been
helping the betta community through this website since 1998.
I have over 180 spawns
and 5000 shipments under my belt and have been filmed by both Animal Planet and the BBC channel.

And now our ever so popular betta column:

all you ever wanted to know about bettas...
... and weren't afraid to ask :)

You ask your question, I answer it here.

A: Amie, this is a very good question in deed, one that raises a very important concern and I would be glad to roll up my sleeve and put my two cents forth :).

I think one of the most exciting aspect of our betta hobby is the fact that they are fairly easy to breed and that their spawning ritual is so exciting to watch! Most of us, at one time or another, decide to take the step that separate betta keepers from betta breeders. It usually happens quite naturally, almost as though the betta keeper had little choice in the matter, he/she got bit by the bug, the betta fever is running in the triple digits hehe and, in a semi state of betta induced delirium, we decide we will spawn "hey, what the heck! Why not? It should be FUN".

And in deed it is. FUN FUN FUN! (A bit frustrating at times, a lot work most of the times, but FUN FUN FUN nonetheless).

But where should our fun stop and betta ethics begin? It is oftentimes a fine line... Blurred by too many careless people... In other words, if we are to play GOD by creating life, do we not owe it to our creations to care about them and FOR them? Is it not our moral responsibility? If we do not have the adequate space, time, financial resources to provide the fry with proper care and most importantly homes, should we even attempt to spawn in the first place? Are we being selfish when we spawn for fun but the many bettas we produce suffer?

The answer is yes, yes and YES.

So does that means then that we should not spawn bettas at all? Of course not, but we should be wise about the way we spawn and we should be responsible betta hobbyists in the way we spawn. In this column I am going to offer some suggestions (strike that word and replace it with the word 'INSTRUCTIONS' or better yet "ORDERS' hehe) so to keep all of you betta crazed feverish hobbyists in line ;) and so to make sure our hobby does not turn into a nightmare for the little fishies.
> continue reading the column here

Dear Faith:

This is just a quick to note to thank you again for
the incredible "Tutti Frutti" pair; and to say that I
shall do my utmost to help them to breed.

The male now has his own thirty- gallon tank (all to
himself, of course) and the female has her own
twenty-gallon tank (again, all to herself). These are
both well-planted tanks with an interesting array of
Malaysian driftwood, too.

I know from experience that bettas actually love big
tanks to swim about in (despite the prevailing opinion
of the day) and that they do live quite a bit longer
as a result (a fact I've proven with other, past
bettas). My personal opinion is that they enjoy lives
of significantly great "quality" when placed in such
environments, as well.

All my gratitude to you for providing me the
opportunity to experience such beauty on a daily
basis.

- Peter

"This is our first betta fish, Henry Willy. We rescued him from the pet store where he was very sick and going to die. We gave him a beautiful home of 2.5 gallons, and he lived with us for 1 1/2 years. He got better and healthy.

On the last month he lost all his fins and half of his weight. We did everything we could to save him. He left us June 11th, 2009. We are proud to have had such a great son. Smart and a happy dancer."

Thanks,

Fernanda Sheehan

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