I've bought numerous ones from Aquabid, and though it's not cheap, I've been VERY happy with them. In fact, I have a giant coming next week! One of them came from a breeder in NY, the others from Thailand. Strangely, because one of the US importers is local for me, it's actually cheaper to buy them from overseas than to pay for US shipping.
Where do you get your bettas?
Lately I've been looking for a nice halfmoon betta, however I cannot seem to find a local breeder. I decided to look online but it appears that most of them are coming in from overseas. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for rescuing bettas from those tiny cups at fish stores, I'm just wanting something a little different. Where do you guys get you bettas from? I would rather not have to order one from overseas if at all possible, and a local breeder in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area would be best so I could see the fish in person before I buy.
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Do you happen to know of any online sources within the U.S.? And does anyone understand the whole trans-shipper system that all the sellers from Thailand are talking about? I'm a bit puzzled.
It's really not that confusing. Here's how it works . . . when you buy the fish, you chose one of the US transhippers. You tell the seller who to send the fish through, and then you email the transhipper and make arrangements for the fish to get from them to you. The transshipper is licensed to import wildlife into the US and will clear the fish through Customs. Julie Tran here in CA charges $6 for this. Since she's only 40 minutes from me, I pick my fish up, but if I wanted her to ship them to me, it would be another $35 for express shipping.
There are multiple US based breeders and importers who also sell on Aquabid (my crowntail came from NY). When you look at the auctions, you will see an American flag next to the fish that are already here in the US. For those, you'd just pay the $35 and your fish would show up at your door.
There are multiple US based breeders and importers who also sell on Aquabid (my crowntail came from NY). When you look at the auctions, you will see an American flag next to the fish that are already here in the US. For those, you'd just pay the $35 and your fish would show up at your door.
My local PetCo has some nice bettas. They have a variety of Veil, Delta-Tail, Giant, crowntail. They also have prices up for halfmoon but I haven't seen one yet. You could try talking to your LPS and see if they can order you a specific one on their next shipment. You could also ask them to order multiple halfmoons then you can get your pick.
The downside of this is you won't be able to prepick your fish (no guarentee there will be that perfect fish for you).
The positive is that this will most likely be MUCH cheaper than aquabid or importing
The downside of this is you won't be able to prepick your fish (no guarentee there will be that perfect fish for you).
The positive is that this will most likely be MUCH cheaper than aquabid or importing
They are cheaper, but the betta at PetCo/Smart are wallflower cousins of the ones I've got directly from breeders. I've just never seen anything in one of the big stores that compares with a fish like this:My local PetCo has some nice bettas. They have a variety of Veil, Delta-Tail, Giant, crowntail.
that is absolutely true. You have a better chance of winning the lottery than finding a betta like the above in a PetCo. It all depends how much cash you're willing to put into the tank.
Totally true. And the ones from the big stores certainly have the same plucky personality as the expensive ones, LOL!
Yes. If you do chose to purchase from the store there are some things you should look for. Many are obvious but others are not. This is a decent writeup on things to look for.
http://www.healthybetta.com/choosing-a-healthy-betta-to-purchase
http://www.healthybetta.com/choosing-a-healthy-betta-to-purchase
My goodness but that is a gorgeous fish!
My goodness but that is a gorgeous fish!
It's a "black orchid". And yeah, I really love them. This one belongs to a friend (and unlike all my [email protected] fish, it didn't change color after she bought it!).
does your friend do any breeding? that is seriously one of the best looking bettas i have ever seenIt's a "black orchid". And yeah, I really love them. This one belongs to a friend (and unlike all my [email protected] fish, it didn't change color after she bought it!).
I love that top one. I can't afford anything off of aquabid right now :/ There really are some amazing looking fish on that site
I'm pretty lucky in that I live close to one of the importer/transshippers, so it only costs me $11 more than the price of the fish to get one ($5 international shipping and $6 Customs clearance). If I had to pay $35 on top of that for domestic shipping I'd be wincing too . . .
You might check out some of your LFS though. One of mine carries really nice, Aquabid-quality, bettas, and they even said I could piggy-back my fish onto their shipments. I’m sure any shop that imports bettas could do the same for you (you’d just need to make sure you buy yours from the same country they do, so you fish could be comingled with their shipment).
You might check out some of your LFS though. One of mine carries really nice, Aquabid-quality, bettas, and they even said I could piggy-back my fish onto their shipments. I’m sure any shop that imports bettas could do the same for you (you’d just need to make sure you buy yours from the same country they do, so you fish could be comingled with their shipment).
yeah best place to get nice betta's are on aquabid.
I have to stop myself from windowshopping, because I keep buying!yeah best place to get nice betta's are on aquabid.
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