Buying Bettas Online

[rebrn]

Hello,

My Betta tank is not quite reaady but I have been looking at the 4 stores in town that sell Bettas, and they all look eithor really unhealthy (they are all kept in a small container separtely not in tanks or bowls) or typical blue/green colour. I have seen a fare amount of on-line stores that sell betta fish. Is this a safe way to buy a Betta? The colour variety is much larger via the on-line stores, however I am not sure if this is the best way to go. I am in the States, if any one knows of a reputable on-line store to purchase bettas please let me know.

Thanks

 

[llamalord305]

By safety, do you mean safety of the fish or identity theft etc?
When you buy online on auction sites like aquabid and ebay, its not the site's safety, its the seller. Some are reputable and legit, while few are scammers.

 

[rebrn]

By safety, do you mean safety of the fish or identity theft etc?
When you buy online on auction sites like aquabid and ebay, its not the site's safety, its the seller. Some are reputable and legit, while few are scammers.

I am thinking of saftey for the fish. I purchase things online all the time so I am not concerned about that, more that I will actually recieve a live fish and that it won't die in the shipping process. Also, I was hoping to find a US on-line store only because I have heard ordering live fish from out of the country requires paperwork and a lot of extra money, expically if ordering from outside of north america.

 

[Feather_Sword]

Yea, the transshipping and shipping is a ridiculous amount. It is almost the same as the fish, so buying a fish from out of the U.S. is something that should be thought of carefully.

Most online sellers from Aquabid offer a refund of money or exchange of the dead fish for another fish with their DOA (Dead On Arrival) policy. This is where after you order a fish online and when you get it, it is dead, and you take a picture of the fish in the bag and report it immediately to the seller about your DOA fish. Most sellers also have a time frame for DOA's.

Unfortunately, it seems the prettiest and coolest looking Betta fish are in Taiwan, or in the orient somewhere. Sometimes a U.S. seller also has a cool looking fish.

I would also look closely at the fish in the picture. By this I mean, do the fins look nice, does it have good body confirmation and anything you want your fish to have. If it does not have what you want by the picture, then consider looking for another one. It's best to find the exact one you want and do not second guess yourself either. The picture could be a good indicator if it looks healthy too.

I hope this helps you in finding a Betta online.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi rebrn

I bought a betta using a transhipper once and would not do it again. It was a pretty fish, but for the money and time it took, I don't think it would be worth it.

Here are some member sites from the IBC. I would think they are reliable people with better stock than you could get in an lfs.

http/www.ibcbettas.org/pages/m-sites.html

While I was looking for that link, I also found this and thought you might find it interesting:

http/www.ibcbettas.org/pages/betta-pals.html

 

[rebrn]

Hi rebrn

I bought a betta using a transhipper once and would not do it again. It was a pretty fish, but for the money and time it took, I don't think it would be worth it.

Here are some member sites from the IBC. I would think they are reliable people with better stock than you could get in an lfs.

[URL="http/www.ibcbettas.org/pages/m-sites.html"]http/www.ibcbettas.org/pages/m-sites.html[/URL]

While I was looking for that link, I also found this and thought you might find it interesting:

[URL="http/www.ibcbettas.org/pages/betta-pals.html"]http/www.ibcbettas.org/pages/betta-pals.html[/URL]

Thanks the site looks great

 

[MrNiceGuy]

Hello,

My Betta tank is not quite reaady but I have been looking at the 4 stores in town that sell Bettas, and they all look eithor really unhealthy (they are all kept in a small container separtely not in tanks or bowls) or typical blue/green colour. I have seen a fare amount of on-line stores that sell betta fish. Is this a safe way to buy a Betta? The colour variety is much larger via the on-line stores, however I am not sure if this is the best way to go. I am in the States, if any one knows of a reputable on-line store to purchase bettas please let me know.

Thanks

I think buyin a betta online would be a bad move. Pet stores have bad conditions for bettas, but what makes you think the online place will have any better? Especially considering that they'll probably pick one at random rather than searching for the healthiest one.

Pet stores usually have over a dozen bettas sitting out. If I were you I'd just look at all of them carefully. Try to find one with the fullest color, no fin rot, and maybe a bubblenest too. A lot of times they just look unhealthy because they live miserable lives.

 

[ellena]

I've seen some stunners people in the US have found at the big pet chainstore (I forget the name) Plenty of people have fish shipped though and there are some really nice ones in the US. Have you been on aquabid?

 

[Gold-Fisher]

Bettas are bred in Thailand where they are native and not Taiwan. Some of the best betta sellers on aquabid are Greatbettas and http/www.nicebettas.com both from Thailand, the former dosent have a website except this http/community.webshots.com/user/greatbetta

By teh way is aquabid down today, I was soo looking forward to seeing whats new today.

 

[Inchworm]

By teh way is aquabid down today, I was soo looking forward to seeing whats new today.

It looks like it, Gold-Fisher. I can't open their website either.

 

[GuppyGoddess]

I've seen some stunners people in the US have found at the big pet chainstore (I forget the name) Plenty of people have fish shipped though and there are some really nice ones in the US. Have you been on aquabid?

The three I have are from local stores. The cost of online plus shipping is just too much. Also, I always wonder if you're getting the actual fish shown in the photo.

When I've shopped around, I watch the fish and see which swim around on their own. Def. avoid the ones who only move once you tap on their cups! Oh, and I watch for fish that make eye contact. That's what drew me to female betta. I held her cup up to my face and she swam up and looked right up at me. . .I knew she was the one. (my husband would think I am insane if he read this post!) lol