...and it's a fish! XD I bought myself a late bday present today - a baby female betta fish. She's a little less than an inch long. Her coloring is still mostly the juvenile brown, but she has two stripes on either flank (which I think are also part of the juvenile coloring, but I'm not sure?), and splashes of this really pretty iridescent blue on her body and fins. It's really too early to tell which kind she is (the store only marks the containers 'baby girl' or 'baby boy' lol). I thiiiiink she might be a crowntail though, because her fin lines seem pronounced, or maybe even a dragon scale because of how bright her colors are even though she's still so young. I don't know about her personality (fishonality?) yet though. She's just been hiding between the moss balls I bought for the tank.

The tank I have right now is only a .7 gallon that has a neat cleaning system where you pour freshwater in and the dirt filters through the bottom. So I'll do that once a week and a full or 3/4 water change every month. Only spring water with a couple of drops of betta water treatment though. Depending on how big she gets, I'll get her a bigger tank with live plants, probably a 3 or 5 gallon.

I haven't had a betta in a little over a year. My last one died from some kind of fin rot that I tried medicines for, but nothing worked. He was a beautiful veil tail, all colors of blue and green. I'm so excited to have this little girl! She doesn't have a name yet. My mom said to name her Betty (insert eyeroll here). I think I might name her Hillary though, since I got her on election day, lol. And she's got blue (democratic color) on her.

I GOT ME A FISHY

This is not her, but it's the closet picture I could find that looks like her. She just doesn't have the red markings and her blue is more of a teal blue.

There's no such things as "baby Betta's" They come in full grown, but with room to grow if they're female. Also, females are plain. Males can be crown tails, longfin, half moon, ect... but never females. I hope that made sense.

LOL. Betty. Hillary is just bad.

A .7 gallon tank isn't large enough for a betta of any size. You need a 5 gallon for her, 3 is you have a minimalist setup and no other tank residents.

And I'm sorry to say this, but those dirt filtering doodads don't help much and can actually harm the fish depending on the composition of the soil.

Awh fishies <3

Congratulations! We used to have a betta at work and they were quite smart - as a fish can be, of course

I love bettas, and i've had 4 so far! Males are the pretty ones, my mom likes to say females look like pieces of crap lol. It doesn't really matter what color it is when you get it, because the colors can change so drastically just based on little things like stress. I got an older betta from petsmart before the one I have currently. He was this weird apricot color, which ended up changing into a blue tone with blue fins and blue eyes. You definitely don't want a huge tank because bettas can get scared in open spaces. However, you don't want too small of a tank either, as it is a misconception that they like tiny spaces. Personally I have a lighted 1 gallon tank with a cup for my fish to hide in with small jewels on the bottom and a koosh plant. You have to be careful with plants and rocks and other decor because betta fins are as fragile as pantyhose, so they can easily snag and tear. My current betta is Alexander and he loves his cup, he's so happy and lively and always swims up to say hello. Bettas are extremely smart, and they can recognize faces and learn tricks! I know i'm about a month late with all my advice, but I hope it helps XD the main thing is to love and interact with your betta, I might talk to mine too much haha.

She sounds beautiful! I love bettas. My GF and I have one in a large community tank with some tetras, rainbows, and one remaining living, lonely panda garra.

My girlfriend has over 10 years of experience with freshwater fish and fish hobbyism, and says that your set up is leaps and bounds better than most people's, though she says you should upgrade to the 3 or 5 gallon tank ASAP to keep your fish from getting stressed as she grows so she doesn't become stunted. Otherwise it sounds great!

Dat is a nice fishie. :D

She has a 1 gallon now - a little better than the .7 gallon bowl. It's got a filter and all, and a larger silk plant for her to hide in. She seems to be doing very well. She knows my voice, which is hella stinking cute. She gets all spazzy when I come in the room. XD I'll get her a bigger tank once I find a good deal on one. This size seems to suit her for now. She's still pretty tiny.

I have cichlids:) And the cats love to watch them.