shadoh

Hi Chi, you are well within your right to ask questions, after all how will you ever get the answers, right? Just remember when we betta freaks get passionate about something - such as trying to inject some life into a close to non-existant show scene, we'll come across as a little ranty, but it isn't all directed at you. My brain is a little frazzled today, so i'll respond to your post point by point, cause I just know I'll probably go off on a tangent and not get my point across.. With the show this topic is all about, we have 100 Thai entrants. Do you really think that if I go down the road and drop $200 on 2 pair of fish, I stand a chance against any of those? In that instance, it is an even playing field. Part of the skill of owning show grade fish is the ability to keep them in that condition as long as you can - it can be quite challenging at times. To be able to both choose a show winner and then keep it in show condition is an achievement to be proud of. I, personally would love to one day see a show dedicated to locally bred fish. There is certainly room to create incentives to encourage breeders to enter (points systems, owner/breeder classes etc, as mentioned above) At the end of the day, if a club refused entries that haven't been bred by the owner of the fish, then we are closing the doors to a different kind of hobbyist - the fish KEEPER. There are plenty of people out there who love to own a showgrade display fish or two who have no inclination to ever breed their fish. The betta community as it stands at the moment is too small to create a divide between keepers and breeders. Betta Australis has a couple of members who have no intention to breed bettas, but want to support their club by entering a fish. By excluding people like this, clubs would lose membership, close down and the entire show scene would implode before it even gets off the ground. Simple, for the love of the hobby. I certainly am not breeding bettas for the sole purpose to win prizes. I breed them because I enjoy them and would love to one day create my own recognisable strains. The fact that I haven't been able to reach that goal doesn't make me want to give up and say "what is the point..." It makes me strive harder, the same way, I will no doubt approach showing my fish. I will be entering some fish that I have bred myself. I don't at all feel that I am at a disadvantage. As I said before, I can't wait to see how some of my fish shape up against some of the big names from Thailand. I really couldn't care less that the fish that beats me is owned by the person who bred it or not, it will only make me want to try harder in my breeding efforts. And if I win a place above, or alongside a fish that was bred by a well known Thai breeder, I am not going to remember who it was that owned it, just that my efforts are as good, or better than the person who bred it. As the others have stated, in one form or another, bettas have been around Australia for many years. During that time, the odd betta has been entered in general aquarium shows. It has only been the past 10 years or so that show grade bettas have been available and only a couple of years around 2006-2008 that a dedicated betta show scene was established. For one reason or another, it came to an end. Do a search here on the forum for shows and results from that time and you'll see that there was a much stronger breeder presence on the scene than there is today. As Busman said - This is only the second show that this current incarnation of Betta Australis has hosted. The first only had 40 entries. Let us get the feel of how to put on a show, what works and what doesn't. Anyway, that's where I stand on the topic. Anyone, please feel free to PM me, or to start another topic to discuss this further. Let's keep this thread in the intent that it was posted - to promote and to inform all the wonderful members of this forum about the upcoming show. Whether you keep, breed or view bettas from afar, you are all OK in my books. Let's band together, sing Koombyah and make the Australian betta scene a strong one, not just for Betta Australis, but ALL clubs and lone betta wolves out there! Be inclusive and share the love.... (where have I heard that before?)

Ness, I am sure we could add a "betta themed" interpretative dance class to Division G (Optional classes including art, photography and craft) just to get you involved in the show In fact, Don't own a Betta? Fish have performance anxiety? Don't worry, There is a Betta related arts and crafts division. Get out the camera, pick up a paintbrush, dust off that pottery wheel you bought after watching "Ghost" (Cut and past from the club facebook page...) I know you have some amazing photos on file Ness. Maybe you could enter one or 2 of those Yes, quite a few of us have been trying to get something like this off the ground for some time. At least baby steps are finally being taken :)

Bad news about your boy Pete. I hope you can work a miracle and get him repaired asap. PS: What is this "sleep" you mention? I am not familiar with the concept...

Yes, it is true that a lot of the "Aussie" entries will be bought fish. I myself, although originally planning to enter my self bred fish, find myself in the position of having to enter fish I've bought due to disastrous fishroom dramas leading to multiple deaths of my own stock. I, however will be entering some of my own fish. One part of the Betta Australis and the IBC (of which Betta Australis is a member) is to promote breeding of these fish. Part of that is establishing a show circuit. Something Australia does not currently have. Something that needs support and nurturing by the Australian Betta community, for without support, a show circuit will never get off the ground. Yes, these early shows will contain a majority of imports. The hopes are that these shows will show non-Betta people that Bettas are more than the $5 Veiltail from the LFS and inspire people to breed their own fish. I dream of a day when we hold a show where all Australian entries are Australian bred, but once again, this needs to be nurtured by the local Betta community through local clubs and forums such as this. Realistically, the number of people breeding show quality stock is low when viewed on a national average. We need to get people interested in breeding. I'm sorry the idea of the show brings out any cynicism in you. It does the opposite in me. It inspires me to not only want to breed and maintain my own show lines, talk to anyone who will listen about these fish, supply my own locally bred fish when I have them to others and give any help/advice to people who ask my help. Most of all, it drives me to try and make an Australian show circuit a reality. I don't know about you, but I would love to put my own fish. Fish that I have bred myself against the best in the world in the show arena. In short, a show containing a majority of Australian bred Bettas is going to take time and a lot of support and hard work, but I'm willing to put everything I can into one day seeing it happen. Are you?

It's been confirmed, we have 100 international entries from Thailand and possibly more internationally. Come on guys, it's time to be counted and put as many local entries up as we can!!!

I just noticed a red ramshorn has appeared randomly in one of my tanks. Nice looking snail. Hope I get more...

Well, there's a small glimmer of hope! Thanks mate :)

Thanks Matt, that gives me something to work with. Mainly looking at working with roundtails and pintails. If I can't find what I'm after, I'll be looking at attempting to crossing the pattern/colour I'm after into the tail type I want. I know with pattern and colour genetics, it isn't as simple as crossing fish a with fish b, but it's all about the journey, right?...

Yeah, I just might do that. Thanks. I am waiting for my genetics books to arrive. Might have to make my own In the meantime, can anyone tell me anything about tail genetics? There is plenty out there about colours and patterns, can't find out what happend when you cross tail type a with tail type b...

Still on the lookout for a pair or trio of these. If anyone spots them ANYWHERE, please let me know...

I've been thinking about this for a while and would like to branch out to a couple of other species in the fishroom next year. Why not now? I am concentrating on my betta lines and the show season this year, then winding down the fishroom to bare minimum as I will be going overseas for 3 weeks in March. To make things easier on a housesitter, I don't want numourous tanks that have to be cleaned. Once I get back, it will be easier to sort out and re-arrange the fishroom and set up a couple of new tanks dedicated to non-betta species. I have found one that has caught my eye and was wondering if you Killi people would be able to tell me if the species is available in Australia. I've hit google, but the results are inconclusive. The Black Pearl Killifish (Austrolebias nigripinnis)

I really liked the boy she was pared with :)

Thanks guys! @ Ness, yes, he and most of the boys have inherited their dads black lace edging. @ Paul, he is the only male this colour, but have several females like her. I did get the full range of blues with royal blue being the most prevalent. I also have varying degrees of metallic throughout the spawn. All have the neon blue "lipstick" that I have read is something of an indicator of a Betta with the metallic gene in it's background. All in all, I can't wait for him to grow up. I might have to breed this pair to see what I get. And a said no more HM spawns....... Thanks Toon, you snuck in there when I was typing out my reply. I am trying to get as much growth on these as possible - I want these in the show, but there are a little undersized at the moment and would not qualify sizewise.

Thanks mate! First time I've managed to catch it on "film". Hoping he grows some more for the show. Might have to give him some banana tea baths to get him a little more agro....

OK guys, I need a fresh set of eyes on this pair. I am starting to doubt my colour vision. Are this pair Metallic Royal Blue? Turquoise? Teal? Green? driving you crazy too? The video is a little dark, as I wanted to catch this colour without tank lights on. They are from this spawn... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6kGNWH7OUc

Hi Davo, can't view the video. Says it is private... :(

Well done Ness! He's a stunner :D

Thanks guys @Busman, I have had plenty of sick CTs in my time to spot a stressed out one in relative good health ;)

Can't speak for everyone else, but I got my first yellow CT 18 months ago. Never got him to breed and have been chasing the ever elusive yellow CT spawn ever since :D

Thanks Sarah. I am sure Paul thought I had lost what was left of my mind when I said I was going to buy him. He didn't look like much...

What have you dropped into their water? They are trippin!

Thanks Yes, I do agree with you there. If LFS took the time to card their bettas and house them appropriately the stock would last much longer. You pretty much have to get the fish as they arrive in store. There were some other bettas that I saw a week ago that have started to deteriorate from stress. These bettas are kept in small tanks and are in relatively clean water, so half the battle is won. Just need to convince them that it isn't any extra work to card ;)

I don't know if it is just up here, but I've been noticing the quality of LFS bettas improving. Even Pets Paradise are selling HMs, and Super Deltas. Sign of the times?

On the way home from benching in bettas for the Ekka, Paul and I called into a LFS to pick up some fish food. I, of course had to run straight for the bettas. I've been on the lookout for a yellow CT male to replace my boy who jumped to "freedom" not long after I bought him. He was sitting on the bottom of his tank, uncarded, stressed and a little listless. I saw past that and saw potential. I took him home, put him into my barracks, carded him and gave him a belly full of live blackworms. After a while I looked over and noticed he had coloured up and was exploring his little cubicle. I uncarded him and was rewarded with this display http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T3QXXTe950 He is a perfect match for the cT girly I want to put him with. I am determined to get a spawn of yellows one way or another!!!

Not cheating Ness, that's exactly what I'll be doing if my juvies are still undersize. I don't really have anything show worthy, except my giants, which need more exercise to get their HMPK form back. At the moment, I am double dosing everything with blackworm and strict waterchange/exercise sessions. A lot of us have had a crappy cold season. I lost ALL of my show winners from June's show...