haha oh my gosh, those are some interesting stories! yeah, since i started this thread a couple weeks ago, i ended up getting a tetra whisper filter that works great with my bettas (the current was a little strong but my lovely boyfriend helped me rig a natural art sponge on the outflow and now my fish seem to enjoy the extra bubbles) and bought three lovely betta girls.
they all have so much personality! a little too much in some cases - i actually had to take one of the three out.
their names are piper (the smallest and the one who temporarily lives in her own bowl because they were chasing and nipping at her too much) and she is a brilliant ruby red color, gwen, who is the middle of the heirarchy and was the meanest to piper and who is a soft lemony yellow with transparent fits, and aquaneesha (that one named by my roommate) who is the biggest, the dominant one, and who is a bright teal-y blue.
you guys are right, they have so much personality. now that piper has been safely removed, gwen and aqua have become pals, chasing each other sometimes and other times swimming so close together their sides are touching. piper is totally a mama's girl now that i pitied her and gave her a separate bowl. she is always looking at me when i get up in the morning, hoping for some food!
i am planning on putting a divider back in the tank so piper can get the benefits of the filtered and heated water, but i am a college student with four midterms and one week between me and spring break, so piper will have to enjoy her 1 gallon bowl until i can get home for break and get crafty.
any recommendations for a good way to build a divider?
and thanks for recommending the betta girls - even though they aren't as flashy as the boys, they are just as fun to watch. and just as pretty!