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Re: OT. bettas



John Pendergrass wrote:

> 
> My first thought was to regard this as fluke or something but then I saw
> another one selling for the same price.  Both had multiple bidders. Both
> were pretty but do not compare to killies.
> 
> Gee if we could sell our fish for half the price we would all be rich.
> 
> So what am I missing are these 'Show bettas' that impressive and if so why?
> 
> Thanks,
> John

John,
I'm on a soapbox, so everyone, be warned or hit delete...

I think this is a fundamental question. Personally, I have never seen a
show betta that compared to a wild betta. Show Bettas can't swim, and
wouldn't last a minute in the wild. I even prefer wild guppies to
veiltails. Veiltails ARE pretty, but once they start to "behave" it's
time to go watch killies eat. Wild guppies are different, like short
finned Bettas. Those fish tell you a story, while show fish just offer a
lineage.

With selected fish, there's none of the wonder of watching a killie that
wears its evolutionary history, its adaptations to its environment and
its history all over its form and behavior. Show bettas wear human
cleverness, hard work and the tastes of their keepers. There are some
fine artists in the field, but. 

Killies just happen. And as long as we avoid hybridizing and selecting
for our tastes, we'll get to see more of what happened in the forests of
Gabon or Cameroon, and by extension, spend less time admiring what was
produced in John Doe's basement with John Doe's hard work and exquisite
taste. John Doe may be a great guy, but I want to learn about killies,
the places they come from and how they have survived so beautifully.

Plus I'm too cheap to spend $305 US on an inbred fish... 
-Gary Elson
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