Are koi betas (Siamese fighting fish) hard to find?

Koi Betta fish are so beautiful with their jewel-bright colors and most spectacular fins. They are available in pairs online and the reviews are also great. These definitely would adorn any fish tank.

Chirianti said:

Koi Betta fish are so beautiful with their jewel-bright colors and most spectacular fins. They are available in pairs online and the reviews are also great. These definitely would adorn any fish tank.

Yes, I know they are online but they are so expensive. I just never see them stocked in pet shops anywhere and I am wondering why that is. I would buy them online if they were not so darn expensive!

I honestly believe that any bred-designed fish tends to be pretty expensive. If it's not a generic coloration or fin style, breeders tend to inflate the price to take into account the rarity of it being bred that specific color (since it can be a pretty large shot in the dark, or take many, many generations of breeding to end up with one that is ideal).

The price you mention is about what I tend to see for these types of fish; I have never seen them for cheap.

Koi betas are trending now. Many new hobbyists are getting into this. This has increased the demand and has risen the prices now. You can check with your local aquarium they might be able to get you a better deal or try to connect with a beta breeder online, they would be able to get you beta cheap.

Fogerty12 said:

The price you mention is about what I tend to see for these types of fish; I have never seen them for cheap.

The price was just the shipping. The fish themselves, those are anywhere from $35 to well over $100! So say I find one for $35, I still have to pay $65 PLUS tax for a single fish!

Li0nFish said:

The price was just the shipping. The fish themselves, those are anywhere from $35 to well over $100! So say I find one for $35, I still have to pay $65 PLUS tax for a single fish!

Wow, over $100 is brutal!

Fogerty12 said:

Wow, over $100 is brutal!

Yeah and because it is a beta fish which seems to be prone to dying earlier it seems, I feel like that is a waste of money. If I know it would live 6+ years for sure then I wouldn't have an issue spending it but the last 3 I have gotten didn't even make it 2 years. I don't know if they were sick or what but I did everything right. I have had some live 5 to 7 years in the past.