How to pick a dutiful betta fish?

How do i pick a healthy happy betta fish at the petstore? what should i look for & what should i stay away from?
dont but the ones surrounded by the small containers if possible

find a local retailer who has them in heated tank so you can see it swim around and trust that its healthy


Know how heaps fish can healthily live in your aquarium. Squeezing too many fish into a smaller aquarium causes dangerous toxins to build up in the water.

Note the adult size of the fish you consider buying. Most fish within pet stores or aquarium shops are juveniles. Fish may change, sometimes doubling or tripling in size.

Ask the clerk at the store whether the fish you want to buy are compatible. Remember that territorial fish species may attack and kill other fish in the tank. Certain types of fish form school in nature, so buy enough fish that they can form a college in your aquarium.

Choose your fish based on your level of experience. Beginning aquarium enthusiasts should stick to fish that are straightforward to manage. Wait to start obtaining fish that require specialized care such as live food or a sea environment.

Purchase fish that require the same pH level. Most freshwater fish generally prefer a pH of 7 while sub aqua and brackish species require different water conditions.

Determine whether the fish are bottom, mid- or top-dwellers. A mix of fish who prefer different water levels creates an appealing and balanced aquarium.

You can choose to keep an aquarium with newly one species of fish. For example, cichlids do well in a tank in need other types of fish.

Buy from a reputable store. Shop at a store that specializes in aquarium fish if you can. The employees are more potential to have specialized knowledge about different fish and aquarium setups.

Don't buy from stores that get fish with folded or bent fins and sores or irregularities on their scales. Healthy fish should keep their position in the hose while swimming and feed readily.

Don't buy from a store if you see dead fish contained by one of its tanks.
You are looking for verbs water, active fish with vibrant colors (they draw from pale when they are dying), and check out this site, it has pictures of Bettas with many illnesses so hopefully you can identify them and steer clear: http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.
What most other people said- pretty clean water, bright colors, stirring fish. Also don't go for the larger fish- that means they are older. Curled fins are a sign of age too. They might look more fascinating, but you can get a younger one and make it look pretty yourself. :] And you'd have it for longer.
Answers:    I freshly recently got a beta fish, so i can relate. Well... at a petsmart i looked in adjectives of the little containers with betas in them and wiggled my fingers surrounded by front of them. Most of the betas went to a corner to hide from me but one of them followed my finger and it was busy so i wanted that one. I didn't choose a big fancy one because they may be pretty but they just float around. And i wouldn't get one near any torn fins. You also may want a female instead of a male because the females are brighter.
You can follow my advice or choose to decline it but my fish have lived a good 3 and a half months so far and is still going strong. Hope this helped.
Just to add to what everyone else has said. I look for male bettas that own started to build a nest. They seem healthier than others that are just sitting at the bottom of the jar.
well here is what you should do,

get a 10 gallon fish cistern or 5 gallon,
stay away from painted gravel, they release chemicals and could harm your betta and they are more prone to diseases.
a filter,
a siphon
a heater
and some betta fish pellet (betta food)
some decour, (plants, colored fish homes, rocks, stones,)
a dechlorinator
an EXTRA tank in case you fish is dying and living beside another fish so the other fish wont get infected too.
stay away from small vases, your betta will own no freedom and will die fast, that is just cruel to put them surrounded by small vases,
choose a betta that has beautiful colors, thats what im thinking nearly getting too :) trust me, i have all this and your betta is going to live very long and resembling you
check if they are active doesn't look similar to they are sick, and colors that really show up well.
How commonly should I do wet change?   I own a saltwater cistern...my fish just now died...my son requests the larger cistern for his freshwater fish.?   Can a mannish betta be put surrounded by this reservoir?   I want a freshwater aquarium what BIG fishes are best to look at?