Sparky

[pearlscale_fan]

well, Sparky was a betta, but I don't see why the RIP area has to be just for goldfish when people get just as attached to other species of fish, too

[bigbettadan]

FYI.......... if you want bettas, I am hosting the IBC convention in Indy in June. There is a auction, 100's of quality bettas for steal prices.

Dan

[suphi]

RIP. Out of curiosity, what's the lifespan of bettas? I used to keep some when I was little but don't remember much. They're hardier than goldfish for sure. Back then my goldies never lasted long, but I didn't know what I was doing.

[bigbettadan]

I had females viable up to 2 years.... But males are done breeding wise at about 16 months. It seems males only have so many spawns. But I have heard of bettas lasting a long time, but I ran a breeding line, not pets. So I moved them along.

[jinyu_fan]

The owner of the fish store near me told me he once had a betta that lived 7 years. The longest I had a betta (store bought, not from a breeder) was a little over 2 years. Most of mine last around a year to 1.5 years.

[elinore]

I've had quite a few pet bettas over the years and mine generally average 2-4 years. I prefer to keep them in filtered tropical tanks, though I had one that got along well with goldfish, and I always have one in a 2 gallon bowl in my dorm room. I put him in the tank when I can, but he definitely seems happy in the bowl. I had one betta that lived for about 6 years, and another for 5, but then again I once had one that just literally wasted away in front of me over a month, probably because of poor breeding and horrible living conditions-the poor thing had come from one of those little pet shop cups. My personal experiences with bettas are that each has a different life span, depending on breeding, variety, and conditions.