There are pros and cons to buying them from the store. They all do need rescuing, but in many respects, we're supporting the stores' bad care of them. Many here that have rescued bettas didn't pay anything for them... as they took the "sickest"ones that the store felt were probably not going to make it. But regardless of paying for them or not... it's hard to resist the urge to help them.

Having said that... supporting good, responsible breeders is the best way to go to get a well-cared for betta. If you don't mind having the betta shipped to you... you can certainly try Aquabid as Z mentioned. You can also check out your local aquarium society - most towns and cities have them... you can also try googling them... or checking with the International Betta Congress (www.ibcbettas.org) for local (or close) breeders.

Keep in mind you may pay more... some have "fancier" tails than generally what you find in the stores... but again... they've usually been looked after much better than the ones found in the stores.

Good luck in finding one... keep us posted!!

Michele

Last Edited By: Mattsmommy2 Sep 27 08 4:24 PM. Edited 1 times.