So I rescued my betta Klaus around 2 years ago...the second betta I had ever gotten...give or take a few months...from a lfs...so I'm guessing he was already at least a year and a half old at the time that I got him...
Anyway, he lived most of his time with me in his two gallon bowl. He was such a little character. My cat would come up to the bowl and drink the water out. As soon as I figured this out, I put a covering over the top. So after that, when my betta knew my cat couldn't get to him (and when he thought I wasn't looking) he would purposely try to get my cats attention and annoy him by flaring at him and swimming around like "you can't get me." And then when I looked over, he would stop and act like the victim and hide from my cat and act like he was scared...
But during his last few months in his bowl he calmed down a bit, his fins got a little shorter..
Then a few months ago I moved him to his 5.5 gallon planted tank...he was very stressed out at first and didn't really like it, but then he got used to it and had his own little leaf where he would lay on every day (on one of the amazon swords) I think that by putting him in the tank I stressed him out so much that he aged a little faster maybe? Anyway, almost two weeks ago, he started just laying on the bottom of the tank, his deep blue and red coloration turned gray...his fins were almost down to nothing (but not from fin rot). But whenever I came to the tank he would try to lift his head up...every now and then I had to pick him up with my hand (trying not to touch him) so he could get air and so I could try to feed him...I couldn't get him to eat for almost a week. He died yesterday...I called him my Old Man Betta...I love you Klaus and I'll miss you! I'm glad you had a happy home with me! 
I will post pictures of him in a bit
Anyway, he lived most of his time with me in his two gallon bowl. He was such a little character. My cat would come up to the bowl and drink the water out. As soon as I figured this out, I put a covering over the top. So after that, when my betta knew my cat couldn't get to him (and when he thought I wasn't looking) he would purposely try to get my cats attention and annoy him by flaring at him and swimming around like "you can't get me." And then when I looked over, he would stop and act like the victim and hide from my cat and act like he was scared...
But during his last few months in his bowl he calmed down a bit, his fins got a little shorter..Then a few months ago I moved him to his 5.5 gallon planted tank...he was very stressed out at first and didn't really like it, but then he got used to it and had his own little leaf where he would lay on every day (on one of the amazon swords)
I think that by putting him in the tank I stressed him out so much that he aged a little faster maybe? Anyway, almost two weeks ago, he started just laying on the bottom of the tank, his deep blue and red coloration turned gray...his fins were almost down to nothing (but not from fin rot). But whenever I came to the tank he would try to lift his head up...every now and then I had to pick him up with my hand (trying not to touch him) so he could get air and so I could try to feed him...I couldn't get him to eat for almost a week. He died yesterday...I called him my Old Man Betta...I love you Klaus and I'll miss you! I'm glad you had a happy home with me! I will post pictures of him in a bit
