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Betta Secrets


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I've been reading the marketing hype for this book and he promises to share some amazing secrets that make betta keeping easy for lazy people. Sounds like me... but some of the secrets he promises to share are just amazing... like: How to prevent bettas from fighting and What exactly to do about fin rot so that it heals and never comes back. and You probably know you should NEVER put two males in the same aquarium together. However, there's an exception to the rule, using this top secret technique to simulate conditions from nature, which allows you to get away with having up to two males (and 4 or so females) together in a 10+ gallon tank... with zero problems whatsoever! and Give even the most aggressive male bettas the best possible life of socializing with other bettas -- without any risk whatsoever of there being a fight! And other questions that I feel I should already know the answer to and need to rush out and buy this book (it's good ad copy!): The ideal water temperature, thoroughly tested by 27 expert breeders, to keep a betta's tank. Water temperature is extremely important. It can make your fish lively (not sluggish) and even keep destructive bacteria to a minimum so that your Betta is happy and healthy. I also reveal how you can keep the water temperature at that ideal level. and The healthiest food you can feed your betta. (It's the food that top breeders use.) Plus a special insider trick you can use with that food to make it easier to feed to your fish and Do not, under any circumstances, place your tank in either of these areas, because it could cause your betta to die. I mean it all sounds too good to be true... which generally means it is. Does anyone here know the answer to these amazing questions?

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I have absolutely no idea what book you are talking about, but I can tell you know that anything that fails to take into account the fact that bettas are live animals with personalities, and not just predictable swimming jellybeans is doomed to end in tears. I can answer some :):) Probably not the same way as the book, but hey, what is a book but writings on someone's perspective on a given topic? 1) jar them. 2) Become a vet (or visit a vet with your fish) and identify the causative agent and prescribe the correct antibiotic, combined with good husbandry techniques this should achieve the desired result. 3)Pfft, I keep the odd males together, so do a few other breeders on the forum. Sure there are techniques involved, but I'd say that none of it would be foolproof enough to write about... its really the exception to the rule, not something that can be repeated by following 6 easy steps. Dangerous ground that one. 4) Mesh jar them. 5) Interesting. Odd, because bacteria seem to thrive right through the accepted temperature range, but perhaps there is a balancing point for the local strains of whatever the bacteria was that was being tested for. I am assuming that there were tests and it isn't just a 'did not present' assumption that the bacteria weren't there in large numbers. On second thought, maybe the sentence should read that there is a point at which a bettas immune system appears to funtion optimally, and disregard the bacteria quantity thing altogether :rant: 6) Best diet is almost always a varied one, preferably of whole foods. In this case probably a variety of live gutloaded waterbugs. I'd be interested in seeing it, purely because i think that the more perspectives there are on a topic, the more people will think about where they stand on an issue and WHY. Thinking is always a good thing :cheer: I'm not sure that i can see any great value in a book that seems to have a 'one correct way' outlook, especially on something with so many variables, but then again many great books do and it is up to the reader what they get out of it :hug:

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That's probably a better book Faewyn.

This advertising is all typical ad copy hype. He has 2 to 7 step processes to solve every problem and that you can keep bettas with minimal effort and if you follow his guide never worry about their health again... er... too good to be true?

You can "You can just "flip on" the ideal conditions... and... instantly bring stunning... and thriving... bettas into your life!"

And page 55 will tell you "How to train your betta to swim around the tank in whatever pattern you command. Your friends will be dazzled!"

Hmmmm...

All for a "modest investment" of $27US for an e-book.

I have a few very nice books with perfect bound covering for much less than that if you're in the mood to throw money away on books... and you'll be supporting a few bettas.

Here's a few more questions I'd like to know about while holding onto my money:

7. Your betta's body is swollen. You may see him floating on his side at the top of the water unable to balance himself. Maybe he even has trouble breathing.

8. Does your betta need to be in a larger tank? Watch for these 3 warning signs that indicate your little one feels too confined

9. Sometimes an overly excited male betta will bite his own tail, resulting in injury. Use these 5 specific steps to create a soothing environment that stops this harmful behavior

10. If you're not using a water filtration system, it's important you follow this 6-step water cleansing procedure (six? Why six?)

11. Train your betta to jump through a hoop! Can you imagine how impressed your friends will be when they see that? I reveal the step by step instructions on page 56 (yes... but how many steps?)

12. A 100% foolproof method to prevent your betta from ever nipping at you. (Oooh, is it keeping your hands out of the tank? Wearing gloves? Feeding with tongs?)

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Wow. I saw a bit of an issue with the top things, but geez, I seriously hope that this publication doesn't fall into the hands of a beginner, that could be disasterous :cheer: #7 has 3 reasons (that i can think of anyway) with so many causes for each of those you could almost write an entire chapter on each of them. The mind boggles really. I'm sure the guy means well, and the reasons and solutions probably work more than 50% of the time, however once you start spanning continents and taking into consideration the reasoning power of some people's thinking, so many things change. What is a perfectly reasonable comment to someone who grew up in your area and is of your age can be taken in a completely different way to someone who grew up in another country and is half your age. I suppose, after seeing how easily led astray people can be by the self-assured LFS worker, I am concerned that writings like this may be taken as gospel as opposed to a method that has worked out well for someone. Its possible that i'm not giving people enough credit, but even so, I do hope that the book itself is more responsibly written than the marketting material. Probably just being a worry wart. *ponders* I don't think it'd be easy for a longtail to jump through a hoop. I think the tail would have a bit much drag surely? Maybe if the base of the hoop was underwater, but geez, out of the water would take some serious energy!

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I'm pretty sure it is against board policy to promote books with this much ad copy hype... I swear it can't possibly deliver all it promises... but if you must... go to bettalovers.com Also if you want sf for six to nine year olds or to learn how to be a children's writer can you go to macdibble.com and purchase something there? Every purchase goes towards betta food... and that's about all. :lol:

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Oh but he promises to tell you "Secrets the Pet Stores Don't Want You to Know" I want to know this one: "Did You Know There's An Easy Way To Reduce the Amount of Water Changes You Have to Do by 70% to 80%?" But then he says, "I Always Get Asked -- "But What About Cleaning a Betta's Tank? Is There An Easy Way to Do It?" You Bet. See page 31 for details on my very private 6-step method." Um... 6 steps? Is that easy? I reckon I could do it in 4.

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Ok I'm going to own up to having more money than sense. I actually bought the book. And guess what...........it really is extremely basic. If you were an absolute beginner to keeping Bettas you would find it useful. There is no information here that is not freely available on the net. Oh, there is a sweetener; he does offer to refund your money if you are not impressed. The other thing is that you can get part 2 of this publication if you read the first one, pose a question arising out of your reading and email it to him. Additionally, you get 2 other publications with the first one. They cover breeding Bettas (nothing new here) and how to set up a business breeding Bettas (not written by Mr S and covers basic business practice with the word Betta interjected every so often) That’s my book review for the day :hug:

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Thanks for the review. The ad copy is very seductive. I read things like this all the time out of morbid fascination. In fact, I almost bought into the one that promised to teach me how to write ad copy like that promising I would earn $1000s. That's when alarm bells sounded... I mean... earning $1000s by writing, how ridiculous! We're meant to starve and wait on tables, not actually earn money... it's art, ferchristsakes, art!

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Couldn't resist having another "go" at Mr S and his hard sell. In the section on how to stop your Bettas fighting, his advice, while sound, i.e. do not house male Bettas together, is hardly "state of the art". And to be really picky, some of his information is actually incorrect. For example, he says Bettas don’t use their gills to breath and they only need to be in water in order to not dry out. Oh well, in future; guess I'll be out in the park walking my Bettas on a leash, wrapped in wet towels in case they dry out! :)

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