# Olivia's Betta Book



## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

(( I got another journal here exclusively for poems, I hope it's OK to have more than one ))

Well the long-awaited new tank is finally here. I was worried I'm gonna have to pick it up at the post office on Monday because I'm never home to receive my packages, but this time they left it by the door. Thank goodness. So I brought it in, unpacked the box, and started reading the setup manual. I've never set up an air pump before. There are so many cords, so many little tubes and connectors. By the end of the ordeal I realized that they take up so much space in the tank I probably won't have space for ornaments. Plus, the air stone was so light and flimsy it won't sit on the bottom of the tank. Each time I moved the cord a little bit, it'll fly up and turn upside down. The cord isn't too short, the air stone is just too light.

Either ways, it's now time to fill up the tank. I read up about "insta cycling" a little while ago, and planned to try it out. So I ran the new filter's media along with my current one, and then filled the tank with 50% new water and 50% tank water. The plan was to wait until my heater arrives (next Friday) and then run the new filter media in its own filter. Another thing I read was to add some ornaments or plants from the old tank into the new one. I don't really feel like moving my live plants, so I picked up all my pebbles. I also bought one of those "bacteria in a bottle" thing. Just to see if it works. 

I was so busy moving around the apartment with this game plan in mind I didn't realize that there's a trickle of water slowly pooling up underneath my new tank. At first I thought I just spilled some tap water, but then I looked closer and there was *a crack*. A HUGE crack. I don't have a ruler, but it's as long as my hand, snaking its way down the top of the tank to almost halfway through. Steaming hot tap water leaked through the crack inevitably, and now I'm running all over the place trying to dip water out before the crack transferred them all to my carpet. Five minutes later I ended up with an empty tank, a soggy carpet, and a slippery floor. 

It's kind of a good thing that I bought this thing via Amazon. Now all I need to do is hit one button and it'll be shipped right back. But on the other hand, this means I gotta wait even longer to set up a new tank. The refund will only be sent once the item arrives in their fulfillment center. So to get a new tank via Amazon again (my local Petco sucks, they don't even sell Seachem's stuff aside from the Prime) I will have to wait 2-3 days (return time) + 2-3 days (shipping time) = 4-6 days. I'm far too impatient for that.

But maybe it's good that I have to wait. See, I went to Petco after work today. The goal was to pick up some silica absorbance resin to fight off the brown algae in Seren's tank, but guess where I ended up at. As usual, there are only red, blue and white Bettas on the cups. There was this bicolor crowntail, but he was nearly motionless. There was also this one baby Betta labeled as a baby boy, but who could tell at that age. Luckily "Baby Boy" seem perky and active, so at least I know he stands a chance. Either ways, point is: I haven't met a fish that "spoke to me" yet. Yesterday I found that blue butterfly EE, but just my luck somebody picked him up first. Oh well, the search goes on.

Currently for my new tank I have a heater, a thermometer, a couple portions of live plants, two ornaments on the way, and no fish. That's gotta change!


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

And less than four hours later I have found another Betta that I fell in love with. Cross your fingers, everyone. If he doesn't sell via eBay next week the seller agreed to wait until all my equipment are set up before shipping him.

Right now, this is my new tank status:
- Tank itself: will purchase via Meijer tomorrow
- Heater: will arrive next Friday
- Live plants: probably will arrive Tuesday
- Ornaments: least of my concern, haven't checked. The pebbles from my old tank have been removed though.
- Filter: I got a Tetra small-sized BioBag running along with my current filter. Hopefully it will pick up some good bacteria when transferred to the new tank.
- Chemicals: I got an API Quick Start just to see if it really works. My API Master Kit is arriving tomorrow. I still plan to pick up pure ammonia from Ace Hardware, speaking of. I'm doing this "insta cycle" thing with the "this isn't gonna work" mindset. The last thing I want is to throw in a fish into an uncycled tank believing firmly it is fully-cycled.

About the boy himself: dark green HMDT imported from Thailand. Just lovely, lovely coloration. I wish I could put up a picture but I didn't take a screenshot. Since his auction time has expired, the listing has been removed from search results  either ways, here's to finding my next boy!


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

And the new tank is here! 

Five days earlier than expected, too. It's awesome. The tank is old and dusty, but it's in fair condition and most importantly there are NO cracks. So far it's running on a Tetra 3i filter (I refuse to call it Tetra Whisper because it. is. L-O-U-D) with a media that has been running in my fully-cycled tank for three days. The water is 50% new and 50% from Seren's tank. The gravels are new, but the pebbles are again from Seren's. Atop all that, it has three super cute Marimo moss balls in it. $10 for three balls! Eek!

So I put in 2.5 mL of API Quick Start, 5 drips of Prime, and 4 ppm of Ace Hardware's janitorial ammonia (after making sure the tap water has 0 ammonia to begin with). Now we wait.

Gosh next week is finals week and I'm more worried about getting my new tank fully-cycled than studying Geography LOL 

Pictured: how every girl's trinkets shelf should look like


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

So my ornaments arrived. The good news is: they're both lovely and well-made. The bad news is: I obviously can't put both in my 2.5 gal. I have miscalculated my tank size, and now I ended up with an extra lava rock. I tried returning it to Petco, but since I don't have the receipt they won't accept it. Oh well. I suppose that's what eBay is for.

In another news: my floater plants arrived today. After dumping them all in, I sat there thinking if I should buy another plant light. My Finnex Fugeray is $40. I'm certainly not looking forward to buy another one. So, being the cheapskate genius that I am, I chose to do this :lol:


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

And this is just Seren, doing Seren things. This girl is insanely hard to take pictures of. Plus my "camera" is just my phone. But gee gosh, I will never get tired of those metallic colors.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Today is day 4 on cycling the new tank. Unfortunately this morning I noticed that some of the Red Root Floaters have died. All were okay yesterday, but I suppose when delivery is two days late there's little hope for the plants. So to replace the fallen RRFs, I went and got a bunch of tiny water lettuce - the only floating plant my local pet shop sells. My 5.5gal's filter managed to kill them all when I first got them a little over a month ago, but this time they're going to be in an unfiltered tank. Here's to a long life for the plants!

I think I'm starting to go plant-crazy. For example, I really really like my moss balls. When I move them around I say "excuse me", and when one of them accidentally got squeezed behind my castle ornament I said "I'm sorry". I also worry over my microswords and Anubias as much as I worry over Seren. I had snail problems in my tank a while back, and the damned thing made holes all over my Anubias. Today I saw a clear membrane over one of the chewed-up leaf, but at the same time it's yellowing. At the same time, my microswords is both growing taller and melting. Gosh. I need coffee. Things should get even more interesting soon. I've placed an order for two more rooted plants and depending on space might or might not pick up a Java fern from Petco after the two arrives. Good thing I have three Starbucks nearby.

In another news, I think I've decided on my next fish. I know it's still a long time away, with my new tank still cycling at day 4 and all, but I'm buying online this time and I don't want somebody else to grab a hold of my choice. Sooo here it is:

The solid green HMDT that caught my eye on eBay is, surprisingly enough, not my final choice. I know it's hard to find solid greens, and he's very beautiful indeed, but after staring at him for some time I noticed that his body is too short for his fins. Doesn't that mean he's too small for the weight he carries? The split on his caudal doesn't go all the way to the base of the tail either. In fact it's a very minimal split. I don't believe he even qualifies for a twin tail, let alone a double tail. 

So... I think I'm going for this green/red metallic CT from the same seller. I *think*. I have other fishes on my eBay watch list. But Seren has given me a soft spot for metallic colors, and he's the only metallic I find up for sale at the moment. On the other hand though, I have always avoided CTs. I simply fear I won't be able to quickly notice when the poor dude needs fin rot/tail biting medication. But hey ho, life is a jerk. Here I am with two CTs (one metallic green one light blue) and one opaque white HMDT (actual HMDT this time) on my watch list. Right now I'm leaning towards the metallic CT boy, but his auction time isn't up yet. Who knows. My tank is far from ready anyway.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Day 5. Still 4 ppm 

ALL of the RRFs have died. Last night I noticed that my tank smelled funny, and apparently that's from all the decaying RRF. I spent almost an hour picking their melting leaves one by one off the tank. That stupid siphon thing doesn't work one bit. Even the water lettuce I just got yesterday seem to be yellowing. The ammonia from the decaying plants plus the one I added must have been too much for this little tank to handle. This morning's ammo test fetched a staggering 8 ppm. After a 50% water change and one painful hour of picking off the rotting RRF leaves, it's now back down to 4 ppm. I added another 2.5 mL of Quick Start, just in case. Keeping an unfiltered tank is a lot more work than I thought  it annoys me to see the remaining RRF leaves and roots that I cannot pick off. In a filtered tank they'd quickly get sucked in. But then again the small filters are flimsy, and the reliable ones are too large. I sure wish I have space for another 5.5 gal =\ especially since they're only $13 on Meijer. I'm starting to hate small tanks. Once I move in to a larger apartment next year I'm upgrading Seren to a 10gal, and then move my future boy to my current 5.5 gal. This 2.5 gal can be a hospital tank, or temporary housing for the occasional rescue. No more itty bitty tanks for me!


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Day 6. What do you know? Still 4 ppm. How fast-forwarded is a fast-forwarded fishless cycling anyway? Oh well, it's always fun to learn something new. 

Today is also day 1 of finals week. Just now I finished my Maths final, in the middle of a yucky windy day. The weather itself is not cold, but the wind is simply insane. It's almost like we're ants being bullied by some mean kid blowing an electric fan in front of us. Then, luckily after I got home, there's this funny burst of rain and wind that lasted for a very short time. Right now, about fifteen minutes after the sudden rainstorm, the clouds are still gray. The ground is still wet and the plants are still mushy. But the birds are chirping already and there's absolutely no more drops. Guess an angel sneezed in heaven. 

In a very short while I will have to take off again to see my HR manager at work. For the second time in one semester I've gone overtime, and I heard this time they're actually going to put me on probation. I feel bad, but at he same time I think it's a ridiculous rule. Whoever said international students can only work 20 hours a week? Why would that be important? Whose job are we stealing when local students can easily work wherever they want, while we face a chance of being denied a visa extension if caught working off-campus? *rant rant rant*

Oh well. In about three hours I got another final. One of only two finals I actually spent time to study for. I'm not a genius. I left seven unfinished questions on my Math final this morning. I'm not one of those hopeless students either. My GPA is constantly above 3.5. I don't know what happens. If I studied I'd easily maintain a flawless 4.0. But that never happens. I never study, and here I am settling with my almost-perfect, second-best achievement. Oh well.

Seren ate a lot today. I'm still not used to the idea of fasting my pets, I suppose. So when it's finally time to feed her again (aka today) I tend to add *just one more* little snack. Luckily she can't fit that last piece of blood worm in her belly, so now I know how much is too much. Still, it looks like somebody's gonna have a second fasting day tomorrow. Oh well. 

I noticed that I said I'm sticking with the green metallic CT for my future boy on my entry a couple days back. Well, I changed my mind again. After a long hard thought and a lot of hours spent drooling over AquaBid, I settled on a cellophane HMDT. His auction ends in January 7th, which gives my experimental tank a whole lot of time to cycle. I sure hope it cycles soon though! Can't wait to put down a deposit so other people won't snatch him first!


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

So. Day 7 of cycling new tank. One-week milestone! So let's see what we got:

No change at all on ammo levels. I'm honestly starting to believe I messed up and this whole thing's gonna take 4-5 weeks just like any regular fishless cycling process. Those dead plants definitely took the tank in a chemical roller coaster. I'm *still* picking off decaying leaves this morning. My water lettuces aren't doing the best either. Some started yellowing, and the smaller ones lose a leaf or two. At first I don't want to disturb the cycle by adding Flourish, but I really really don't want anymore dead plants to decay in my tank. So Flourish it is. 

Speaking of plants, today is the first day I try root tabs with my two rooted plants in Seren's 5.5gal. The microswords were a breeze. The pill goes deep into the root crown within one easy push. But the Anubias, which is potted, was a different story. I couldn't get the pill (which is admittedly pretty huge for the size of my plants) in any farther than the bottom quarter. That wouldn't be a problem if it doesn't attract the curiosity of Seren the Pig. At first she was just interested on the plastic-like capsule that keeps the solidified fertilizer in. But then the capsule melted, and she started pecking at the fertilizers. I told her off and sent her away with my finger, but she kept on coming back  I know Seren is smart enough to know what is food and what is not. Plus those fertilizer balls are too big for her mouth anyway. But the sheer fact that she is even *near* those fertilizers are freaking me out.

So that's the fishes. As for life in general, tomorrow is my last final day. I did pretty well on my Kinesiology final this morning (89%), so I'm in a good mood. But then again I didn't start the day with a smile on my face. My final was at 7:45 AM, and for some reason I just. can't. sleep. last night. Finally at about 1:30 AM I fell asleep, but of course my phone has to go DING! with a campus-wide alert message at about 5. At 7 I finally leave my bed, only to read that the alert message is warning us of a sexual assault case happening right here in town. Yup. What better way is there to start the day?

I went home after the final at about 9:30, hungry and sleepy. My awesome classmate brought donuts and milk to class so we can have breakfast before final, but I'm more of a cereal person. I know, I'm a picky b*^$#. My cereal also HAS to be Cheerio's Apple Cinnamon, and the milk MUST be whole milk. When I say I'm a creature of habit, I mean I'm a _creature of habit. _I mean, check out my fridge! 



Who does to-do lists anymore? I do. Hell, I have one for my own life and another just for the fishes. It's gonna go even crazier once my male arrives. Don't even ask how will I live once I've flown my dog over as well. Oh gee gosh, and I still want another dog.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Okay, major step back. Let's say this is day 1 again. 

So last night I realized that something must be wrong with my cycling process, and I Googled about cycling an unfiltered tank. And what do you know? As it turns out plants do not provide enough dissolved oxygen for a tank to cycle. I most definitely need a filter. At least for now, until the tank becomes fully established. So I pulled out the filter I was about to sell off, plugged it in without a media and transferred the floaters to Seren's tank (or else they'd get sucked in). I also changed 50% of the water to decrease the ammonia level, and added yet another 2.5 mL of API Quick Start. Let's hope the tank will actually cycle now.

In the morning (today) I tested the water and saw that the ammonia is still at 2ppm. But it's alright, I never expected the bacteria to work overnight anyway. On the good side of things, my pH reading for the new tank is 8.2. So apparently through all these ordeals my water never got any more alkaline than it already is. Thank goodness for that. I don't know if I should do RO treatment, though. It's probably gonna be hard to do with such a small tank packed with floaters. I know 8.2 is technically okay, but Seren's tank is at 8.0 (RO-treated for a week) and I feel like both tanks should have the same pH to make my life easier. We'll see. I'm not keen on making another trip up my local fish shop as it costs taxi money. But hey ho, all the things we do for our pets. 

Speaking of, now that we've gone one night with water lettuce in Seren's tank, I'm starting to think that they should stay. See, my first batch of water lettuce got killed within a few days because the filter sucked them in. But now that it's properly buffered by an ornament, the lettuces actually buffer the flow even more, making the tank absolutely dead silent. Seren, being the pig that she is, circles around the roots a lot. But luckily she realizes they're not food, and chose not to munch on them. Not sure though, this girl really is a pig. I was trying to remove a detached duckweed leaf just now and I had to race her gaping mouth. In fact, she has swallowed the leaf twice before spitting it back out right to my finger. What did I say about her knowing that the plant roots aren't food again? 

Either ways. I'm actually really happy with how the water lettuce buffered my 10i filter. As a result, I may or may not shell out more cash to purchase another batch for my 2.5gal. I already have half a portion of salvinia minima on my way, but I kinda like the look of water lettuce and minima together. The problem is, large water lettuces (the small ones won't look good with minima) costs about $2-$3 each. The medium ones are $1.50, but they're significantly smaller than the so-called L-sized ones. On one hand, fifty cents extra for a much larger plant is a good deal. But on the other hand, why the F am I paying three bucks for a single water lettuce when my potted anubias is only $6? Ugh, decisions decisions.

Speaking of my anubias, I am happy to announce that I have not one, not two, but THREE new leaves sprouting out. Yaay!! My microswords have shed all its dead leaves, so hopefully it's on its road to recovery now. I'll know if it is. Winter break is approaching. Hell, today is actually my last final. After this I'd have absolutely nothing to do beside staring at my tanks. _Which I love. _So yeah. Yaay!


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Day 2 of cycling with the filter on. And guess what?

I'm reading nitrites! Yaay!!


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Day 3. Nitrite is still at 1ppm and ammonia has been raised back to 4 ppm. No change on parameters so far. pH is holding steady at 8.2. Oh, and *temperature* is now at 79F. Yes, people, the $8 adjustable 25w mini heater has arrived. So far so good, although the adjustable dial up top is a real pain to turn. Another update about the 2.5gal is: I feel like changing up my entire setup. The castle ornament is adorable, but it's taking up a whole lotta space. I suppose I'd take it out and sell it off AquaBid or here. Then maybe I can add a rosette plant or a java fern. Who knows.

Finally, after a lot of going back and forth between different fishes, I placed a bid on a gorgeous multicolor crowntail boy. His auction is still going on though, so if I missed out on him I'm going to go back to my cellophane HMDT. There. Decision finally made. 

In another news, Seren has finally cooperated with my crappy phone camera. As a result, I got aaall these gorgeous close-up photos.







This one is not so great, as her head was blurry, but it's still a lot less blurry than usual!



And some not-so-close-up photos:





This one is really cool. Viewed from below under LED lighting, Seren's fins are apparently solid red. It's just that she changes color so much, it's hard to see. So, now that I know this, does this mean I have a bicolor girl instead of a multi? Oh gosh LOL I give up finding out what Seren is. She's just my beautiful little chameleon.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

So this is still the same day. But since I can't find my other poem-only journal, I suppose I'll put these up here:

Seren's Tribute


Through the crack of a broken heart
Between the buzz of the local mart
We stood close; an inch apart
Life changed when I placed you in the cart

Cloudless morning, all bright and clear
Through the glass wall I see your fear
Worry no more, my little dear
Nothing will hurt you when I am near

“What was her name?”, he asked to me
I smiled a little, lit up with glee
“She’s Seren!” so the name rolled free
I was as proud as I can be

You are quick, sweet and lively
What’s not to love from such little lady?
That little mouth eats quite plenty
There’s no such thing as “too many”!

Cheerful, gentle and hearty
Always the life of the party
Who else but my little lady?
Little Miss Serendipity


Another one I made after a visit to Petco. I was just thinking about how much luck plays a factor to a Betta's life. Roll the dice wrong and they end up in a bad Petco store. In a cup that never gets a water change, overfed to the point of developing SBD, and all that. Yet on the other hand there are all those Bettas in our tanks, living a happy, healthy life. It's just insane how different their lives can be. So I made this piece:


Roll The Dice



Life rolled the dice
Once, twice, thrice, will I be born?
Four for yes and five for no
Six for yes, a day or so
Once, twice, thrice, and I was born

Life rolled the dice
The game goes on
Once, twice, thrice, how am I born?
Roll an odd for a good hand
Roll an even for a salesman
Roll a one for vibrant colors
Roll a two for faulty flippers
Roll a three for a life in a bowl
Roll a four for one that keeps you whole

Roll, roll, roll the dice
Once twice and thrice
Roll ones that make you look nice
Fins with no tears even just a slice

Color yourself brightly and dart around sharply
Because maybe if you’re very, very lucky
Life will roll the dice
And hit the jackpot prize:

One large, cozy home to live in
Water that keeps you warm from within
Steady hands that keep you fed
Fingers that stroke your little head
Eyes that see if you’re in pain
Heart that loves you through sun and rain

So roll, roll, roll the dice
Watch as the game goes on
Watch as your life rolls on


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Day 4. Something really weird is going on. My ammo level dropped to 2ppm, and nitrite also dropped drastically to 0.25ppm. BUT my nitrate is still a big, fat zero. Not sure though, maybe it's just the lighting in my kitchen. Sometimes the color difference between each number is not all that clear. Either ways, I decided to wait until my ammo goes all the way down to zero, and then put in 4ppm. We'll see if the tank can break it down to zero in 24 hours. If so, then it really must've been the kitchen lighting.

In another news, it's my first time ever joining AquaBid's SNE tonight! Yaay! In less than one hour later I'm $11 poorer. I really really don't plan on buying three plants. But that banana plant is just. so. cute! Plus, you can never overplant a tank > so yeah. 

Good thing this SNE thing doesn't include live Bettas and tanks. Or else I'd end up with a house full of fishes!


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Day 5. Ammonia holds steady at 2 ppm like yesterday, but nitrite dropped to zero and nitrate (EEEK!!) is at 5ppm. I know what's going on now. Looks like API Quick Start has more Nitrobacter than Nitrosomonas present. So nitrite-nitrate breakdown process goes at the speed of light, while ammonia-nitrite process takes some time. I'm not sure I like this. How do I grow a culture of Nitrosomonas without starving all the Nitrobacter already present? D*mn it, Quick Start. I knew I should have gone with Safe Start!

For now I did a water change to reduce the nitrate levels, and so the ammonia level dropped to 1ppm. I kind of don't want to raise it back to 4ppm just yet. I feel like that's too much in the Nitrosomonas' plates when they can't even finish the remaining 2ppm in close to 48 hours. But at the same time I also worry if I let the ammonia touch zero like in my original plan, the Nitrosomonas culture will stop growing. I mean, probs not. They're bacteria. They grow, that's what they do. Right? Oh well. Decisions, decisions. I think I'm gonna raise the ammo to 2 ppm however difficult that may be (keep in mind this is a 2.5 gal) instead of 4ppm like usual. See how long it takes for my little invisible friends to chew that down to 1ppm. Hope they won't take too long finishing their meal though. Because, ladies and gentlemen, River Volga is in his way home. 

For those who don't know, River Volga is the longest river in Europe. I learned about it in Geography class, and decided that I like the sound of the name  initially I was going to call him Virga (again a term in Geography) but that name doesn't sound too good in my native language. So Volga it is. I really, really can't wait for him to get here  

I've tossed the castle ornament. Instead, I ordered a whole bunch of plants and a cave off AquaBid. Since the cave looks like one of those Flintstone homes (it's so darn cute, and plants can readily attach to it too), I suppose the theme for Volga's tank will be prehistoric jungle. I'm picturing his little cream cave in the middle of the tank, and then a colony of crypts on the background. Some of the pebbles can form a little walkway leading to the entrance of the cave, and the rest can help weigh the crypts down. I'm debating on whether or not to put my banana plant inside Volga's tank. On one hand it'll look so darn cute right next to the cave but on the other, I don't know if Volga's tank climate can sustain it. Seren's tank, what with direct lighting and whatnot, would probably be a better option. But the theme doesn't match, and I swear that will bug me to no end. 

Oh well. Decisions, decisions.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Day 6. Ammo dropped to 0.5-1 ppm (I hate the vague color chart difference), nitrite goes back to a quarter and nitrate holds steady at 5. I raised the ammo back to 2 ppm (with one single drop of Ace Hardware's janitorial ammonia, mind you). Now we wait. 

You know what I was thinking while doing all these tests though? This hobby really needs to make more accommodations for the disabled. Why don't we have a test kit for the colorblind and visually-impaired? I rely on only one eye since my other eye is technically blind, and reading the API test result color chart is starting to become a real pain in the neck. When I still had a roommate I asked her to read my test results to me. But now that I live alone, I gotta hold the test tube up to the kitchen light and stare at it for a good two or three minutes. Nitrate is the worst. Like, seriously, what's the difference between the 5 and 10 ppm? Both are _f%^#ing orange_. Ammo is vague on the 0.5 and 1 too, as I've encountered today. I mean, I can tell on the card that 0.5 is _lime _green and 1 is _light _green, but in real life I cannot tell at all. Why can't I just press a button that will go like: BEEEP! Your. Test. Re. Sult. Is: Zero. Point. Five. For. Ammo! BEEP!

Failing that, I'd love to have a thermometer-like device for all three parameters that I can just dump into the tank. I don't know why it's not possible (probs because I'm dumb) but can't we just have numbers instead of colors? Please? 

Failing _that_, I'd love to have the ability to talk to the fish. Because if there's anyone that knows water chemistry, that would be the resident of the tank. Right?? Picture this:
Me: "Hey, sweetie, do you want me to clean your room today?"
Seren: "Naw, mommy, I'm good. I think your once-every-three-days schedule works best!"
Me: "Good to know! Take care now, I gotta go to class. Love you!"
Seren: "Have fun!"

But then again I imagine there would be a bratty one that goes:
"Oh yes, peasant, you are obliged to clean my chambers each time you walk by. Dust and debris do not suit a royalty like me!"

... Or one that is afraid of water changes that will go:
"No no no no no, I've perfectly arranged all the rotting leaves and detached roots in a very specific way. If you mess it up I'll forget where I put stuff!"

... or a flaring monster that will go:
"don't you even DARE to request entry into my quarters!! _Be gone!!"

_Gee. I wonder which one Volga will be. I really can't wait. He's such a lovely little boy. Eleven days left until New Year... <3


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## feistygirl (Dec 18, 2015)

Olivia's Poem Book: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=629194


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

feistygirl said:


> Olivia's Poem Book: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=629194


Woop woop! Thank you!


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

So! Day 7. I'm getting real sick of misreading my test results so I decided to shell out taxi money to get my water tested at my LFS. Water tests cost $0. I left the door paying $25 ._. Moral of the story: don't browse around the fish section. Either ways, here's my haul today:
- $1 narrow leaf chain sword (Christmas sale, I love you!)
- $12 worth of XL water lettuce (try killing them now, filter!!)
- $12 for GH-KH test kit

So I did a bit of unnecessary shopping today, but fortunately I didn't forget to test my water. The results are:
Ammo: 4 ppm (I just dosed it yesterday)
Nitrite: 0 ppm (oh no! Please nitrosomonas don't let your neighbors starve!)
Nitrate: 5 ppm (I was also told that my previous readings for Nitrates were 10-20 instead of 5)
pH: 8.2 
GH: 10 (not sure if it's ppm or something else... I think it's something else)
KH: 4 

So I'm right on track. Once my ammonia level drops down to 0, I'll be all set. Before I end this entry on a happy note though, let's talk a little about my new plants. So the XL lettuces get to sit on my 2.5gal immediately. The small ones might need a new home, as the filter in my 5.5gal is unfortunately starting to kill them again. The chain sword, however, gets to be the subject of my little experiment. If you read my thread a while back about my first encounter with a pond snail, you'll know that I am terrified of snails. If you didn't read that post; I'm terrified of snails. A couple days ago my potassium permanganate arrived. So, I decided to practice doing a PP bath. I tried to be as careful as possible. I know PP is a strong oxidizer and all, but what I didn't know was that as long as I'm not wearing any gloves, I'm not being careful at all. Who knew there are some PP powder on top of the bottle cap? This is my right hand, a good 2 hours after accepting that washing the brown stains off is futile.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Day 8. This is how my tank looks now:



And yes, those are the XL water lettuce I just got yesterday. They're handling the filter flow just fine, and once the rest of the plants come in they won't have to handle it at all. I changed my mind and decided not to sell my filter though. Next year I'm going to upgrade both tanks, and I don't know if I can afford filling up a 5.5 gal with plants to the point filter becomes unnecessary. Plus, if I really am going to divide a ten-gal, I'm going to probably need one filter on each side. I don't know though, I might as well experiment with sponge filters. They sound so tempting. Imagine having both small floating plants *and* a filter! 

Oh and of course, as per usual, here are today's test results:
- Ammo 2 ppm
- Nitrite still zero
- Nitrate holds steady like previous reading

So I assume that's just the water lettuce consuming all the ammo. I do think that's great, but it makes me question whether beneficial bacteria is even needed in a Walstad tank like mine. I mean, when ammo keeps getting consumed by the plants, there will be little need for converting it through the nitrogen cycle. Plus, with both Nitrosomonas and greedy plants present, won't they be competing for ammonia? If they do, the bioload of a single Betta splendens surely won't be able to feed both parties. Perhaps I shouldn't have cycled my tank after all? Oh well, we learn something new every day. One day I'll experiment with an uncycled Walstad tank and see how it goes.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

How can I not notice? Today is exactly one month since I got my girl Seren. Her arrival has jump-started my dying interest of this hobby, and later brought me to this forum. Seren was brought home exactly one month and one day after I lost Memory. Initially I was about to sell off my tank kit and just give up the hobby entirely, but then my therapist advised otherwise. Thinking back, I'm glad I took my therapist's advice. For some reason, I only became seriously interested in this hobby after Seren. Previously, I was just all about keeping the pet alive and nothing else. About the lady herself, Seren has grown a little larger just within this month, which is probably because of the fact that she eats like a pig. The shine on her metallic scales only grow and grow each day. I know she's not a dragon, but I think she may carry the genes judging by the looks of her siblings in the pet store. I don't have any new pics from today. Unfortunately it's already time to turn the tank light off, and I'm too lazy to turn it back on just for photos. So here are some old pics:





Oh and of course, yesterday was two months since Memory left. Memory is my little red VT girl, whom I have a very complicated relationship with. On one hand, I never really clicked with her. I got Memory just to replace Blue, my first Betta love, and I suppose that way our bond never grows any stronger. Don't get me wrong, though, I do love Mem. And I miss her deeply when she was gone. But I just don't love her as much as I love my other pets. I take care of her and all, but we just never grew close. I never even took pictures after the first few months. So these are all pics of when she first arrived. The day she passed, she has grown a little larger, a little fatter, and a little less... red. I suppose. Still beautiful nonetheless, though. Swim in peace, Mem.







And then, there's Blue. True Blue Fantasy was my way of dealing with living alone. I can't stand a life without a pet, so I went and purchased the only pet I could keep in a dorm setting. He was named after the color of my dog's eyes, and the "Fantasy" part is just me wanting a proper three-word name. He's your typical common steel blue VT. Except for those amber eyes, that I can never find on any other Bettas until this day. I still miss Blue very much until this day. The one-year mark of his passing was last month on the 19th, so there's not much to be "celebrated" today, but I'll put up a pic of him anyway.









One day, in a separate entry, I'll talk about Diamond. My dog, my soulmate, my partner in crime and the one who started it all. The one reason why I'm still alive today, and the stepping stone that led me into the world of animal behavior, training and care. One day.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Day 9! Ammonia still holds at 2ppm  but nitrates has disappeared completely. Those greedy, greedy floaters! That being said, since my tank has successfully converted ammo all the way through the nitrogen cycle, once my readings say zero I'd stop dosing it. So, in conclusion, API Quick Start didn't help as much as I imagine it would. Ignoring the first catastrophic week, it took around a week to break down ammo. Even then, the conversion process is uneven between ammo-nitrite and nitrite-nitrate. Not that these two bacterias will ever grow at the same rate, but usually people have the opposite of my problem. Their nitrosomonas culture is thriving, while the nitrobacter (nitrospira?) needs time to catch up. That makes sense, as the latter group has nothing to eat before ammo gets converted to nitrite. But my case is the reverse of that, and boy didn't it tick me off. Even with the help of plants ammo takes a long, long time to be broken down. And yes, I do dose Prime so I would have ammonium instead of ammonia. 

Speaking of, I did a little experiment today. You know how API Nitrates test kit is the most complicated of all? What with shaking the second bottle for 30 seconds and whatnot. So I decided to see how much does *not* shaking the bottle impact the results. These two test tubes are testing the same water. I broke the 30-second shake rule on one of them. And holy gosh look! It's 2-3 whole reading levels of difference!


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Day 10. Well after the plants helped remove half the ammonia, the bacteria finally caught up. Ammo dropped to 1 ppm, and nitrite is - for the first time - at 5 ppm. Nitrates are at 20ppm. What I really want to see is a skyrocketing amount of nitrates, zero nitrites and zero ammonia by tomorrow morning, but I doubt my plants would let the nitrates get all that high. Doubt I'd see it though. When I say my nitrosomonas friends got a lot to catch up with, I mean they got A LOT to catch up with. It's actually frustrating to me how they took this long (what, 48 hours?) just to break down 50% of all the ammonia present. When this tank houses a fish ammo needs to be gone ASAP, not within 48 hours =\ oh well. 

Technically I can keep on dosing ammonia until I see it go down from four to zero within 24 hours, but then again that would be playing with fire. I can't guarantee how long would my tank take to break down 4ppm of ammo, and the last thing I want is for Volga to arrive on a tank that has ammo levels above zero. So yeah. I'm hoping that all the extra plants would help. I do know the Salvinia would help loads. Crypts are more of a root feeder but I do expect them to help control the nitrate levels as well. Boy oh boy. Happy holidays, fish lovers.


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