When I was just a little girl, I had a purple betta fish named Joey. I was young and didn't know much about fish, but he was cute and I loved him. Now, in college, I wanted the companionship of a little fishy friend again, and so last December, I bought a beautiful blue veil-tail betta. His name is Prince (because he's so regal). Now, since I know more about fish (thanks, Internet) and he is solely my responsibility, I pay more attention to him and always want the best a little fishy can get. I've learned so much from this little guy.

Meet Prince.

I learned that betta fish actually have their own personalities. Some are very timid. Not Prince, though, he loves to swim right up to the front of his tank to great me whenever I walk into the room. SO ADORABLE.

Betta fish, also called Siamese Fighting Fish, can't live with other bettas because they will attack each other. When they get all excited and ready to fight, they puff themselves out to look as big as possible. It's very impressive.

Prince, however, does this just to greet me. I've also caught him flaring at his tank decor. Here he is puffing his gills out for the camera.

And here's his impressive tail.

Prince loves to eat. He gets betta pellets two times a day. And he's always excited and swims right to the top of his tank as soon as I take off the tank's lid, He knows its time for food.

Here he is waiting for some pellets.

He sometimes lets them float there for a little so he can catch them as they begin to sink to the bottom of the tank.

My boyfriend also loves Prince and got himself a betta friend. He's a black twin-tail betta and he's much smaller than Prince, big with much more tail to show off. His name is Shadow.

He's also a very sociable little guy. He doesn't flare, but he get excited and wiggles his tail around.

Fun fact: Many betta fish love to rest their fins on plants and such. You can get them a artificial leaf with a suction cup that sticks to the side of the tank, and they'll lay on it. It's often advertised as a "betta bed"

Prince often just rests on his suction cup though. He's very non-conformist like that.

To sum it all up, these little fishies add joy to my life and make great companions. They are low maintenance (but that doesn't mean you can forget about them!) but are still happy to see you. Read up on how to keep your little pal happy and healthy if you get one. The healthier they are, the more active and sociable they'll be.

"Fish are friends, not food." -Bruce the Shark, Finding Nemo.

Betta fish come in many colors and varieties. There are crown tail, veil tail, twin (or double) tail, elephant ear (they're fins and tails are huge!), half moon tail, delta tail, and rose tail, just to name a few. Some of these types are better swimmers than others or have more health risks than others, but they're all beautiful and impressive. Here is a website describing many of these types of fish, complete with pictures!