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Post by Michele1975 on Mar 18, 2004 16:51:41 GMT -5
I bought a new betta on Aquabid (see pics in photo section!) and he will be shipped to me from Thailand. That is a long trip for him and I know he'll be a little stressed out once he arrives. What should I do to make this transition a little more comfortable? Would taking him out of his bag and putting him in new water be too much of a shock? Also, i'm not sure what the breeder has been feeding him, but i'm assuming he's getting live food. Would it be bad to change his diet to the Hikari bio gold? Any advice would be appreciated.  |
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Post by starlight on Mar 18, 2004 18:43:04 GMT -5
I've gotten several bettas from Thailand on Aquabid (see my avatar). They are usually sent to a transhipper in Colorado or Hawaii. The transhipper will usually hold them over to see if there are any problems and knows how to feed them. Be certain to tell the transhipper to include a heatpack and you should be fine. Test the PH that he's shipped in since it could be different from yours and slowly add your water to the bag. Thai bettas are usually vigorous and more advanced for their age than domestically bred bettas. You might want to start thinking about feeding frozen food. FD bw's are good as well. You may have to teach him to eat pellets since there's a good chance he hasn't seen them before. They usually catch on fairly quickly.
What color and kind of betta is he? Who was the seller? Would you believe I haven't been able to locate the photo section as yet. lol
Good luck!
ps. Fedex is the best way to ship bettas, avoid ups if possible. Don't freak-out when you see the small bag filled with 1/3 water, 2/3 air that he probably will arrive in. This is standard shipping procedure for bettas.
Don't rush to remove him from the bag, bring him up to tank temperature and slowly add your water to his bag. If the ph is way different, do it very slowly, even if it takes hours. This is the most important thing for you to be concerned with.
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Post by Michele1975 on Mar 19, 2004 22:07:11 GMT -5
Starlight - He looks almost exactly like yours! they could be brothers!  I bought him from Aweena. Did you get yours from her (him?) as well? I live in Texas and the temperature here is already in the mid-80s. Would it be too warm if the transshipper adds a heat pack? I don't want to cook him! About the dried bloodworms - is it bad to feed him that everyday? I feel like i've heard that bloodworms should be a treat food only? How can I test the PH? |
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Post by starlight on Mar 20, 2004 0:45:02 GMT -5
Michele,
He's gorgeous! Is that marbling that I detect on his face? Nice bf pattern too. Did you get a sibling female or is he just going to be a pet? I love Royal Blue bf's!!
My Thai bettas are from Siamimbellis. re: heatpacks, where is the transhipper located? It depends on the states he's going to be traveling through. If it's Colorado, he'll need a heatpack. You should discuss this with the shipper. Last May it was unusually cold in NY. Temps in the mid 50's and rain. The Hawaiian transhipper didn't include a heatpack and I didn't ask. I think the bettas would have been fine if they didn't ride around all day in the UPS van until they were delivered. They arrived in sub 60 degree water but were amazingly still very active, especially the female. I warmed them up slowly and they settled in and everything seemed fine. Three weeks later the male got sick and didn't respond to any treatment. I alerted the breeder that the transhipper didn't include a heatpack because of this he replaced the male.
ps. The Thai breeder had no concept of how cold temps affect bettas. He didn't understand that cold temps weaken a betta. This was an eye-opener. Cold water temps are something that they apparently never encounter.
Michelle pm me I'll be happy to discuss feeding issues with you. Not everybody is interested in ultimate betta nutrition. Additionally, some people are limited to what is available. My food program was developed from discussions/friendships with top IBC breeders. To see what I feed daily, read the thread on Daphnia. Bear in mind this is to maintain a betta in top condition for breeding or showing.
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Post by Michele1975 on Mar 20, 2004 18:28:06 GMT -5
No, I didn't get a female. I won't be breeding or showing him he's just going to be a pet. Do you think he is show quality? I can't really tell, I just thought he was pretty!  I'm not sure where the transshipper is located, i'm still waiting to hear from them. Do you know how long a transshipper keeps them? He is leaving Thailand on Monday, so should I expect him sometime next week? I'm going to read the Daphnia post right now... |
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