# Gerald's Log



## tams (Apr 6, 2016)

A daily log to keep track of what I've done while maintaining Gerald and his tank!
A couple of weeks will be missing because a) I totally forgot to start logging when I brought him home. It would have been nice to have a record of when he was slightly depressed, so I could reference it in the future. And b) A majority of the logging was/will be done in my logging journal. Most of the online posts are just parameters and if anything serious occurs (i.e. illness, random change in parameters, etc).


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## tams (Apr 6, 2016)

*4.12.16*

Water Parameters
Log started: 6:35 pm EST
Temp: 65°
[I know the temp is a little too low for a regular betta, but Gerald has shown no signs of slowing down since he got out of his depression, so I'm not worried about temperature until something happens. Plus, it keeps my filter cool. I have a heater that I can use when necessary, though.]
pH: 7.6
Last checked: 4.5.16
[Again, too high, but he's been doing fine. I'm also not comfortable putting pH down into his water because that is the equivalent of putting acid into his tank. I'd screw it up somehow and end up with a dead Gerald.]
ammonia: .25 ppm
Last checked: 4.12.16
[Not sure why it's .25 ppm. Hopefully some partial water changes everyday will decrease the ammonia.]
nitrite: 0 ppm 
Last checked: 4.9.16
nitrate: N/A
Last checked: N/A
[I never ended up buying a test kit for nitrate. It was almost $12 for only 90 tests. I didn't think that price for the amount of tests was 'worth it'. I use quotations because checking for nitrates is obviously important for the health of the fish and the tank, but I'm really strapped for cash at the moment, so I had to make some budget cuts. Nothing has gone bad, yet. Hoping to keep it that way.]
Last Water Change (will be abbreviated to LWC): 4.10.16

Behaviour:
Lots of glass surfing
Some flaring, though not to much to be worried about
Nothing _too_ unusual

Poop:
Normal sized
Brownish-orange coloured
Nothing to be worried about

Extra notes:
Some poop was left behind during LWC. I will have to remove those during the next water change.
Gerald seems to know when I'm busy doing homework or anything that isn't revolved around him. He only glass surfs if I'm in the room, but not paying attention to him. Goes in circles around leaf hammock.
He might not like the plastic-y feel of the leaf. I will have to reinforce one of the silk leaves or make my own leaf hammock that isn't made of plastic.
Unusual burning rubber/gasoline like smell coming from tank. Forgot to check decorations, filter, and water during LWC to see which could be giving off the horrid smell.

Log ended: 7:08 pm EST


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## tams (Apr 6, 2016)

*4.13.16*


Log started: 4:51 pm EST

Water Parameters:
Temp: 64°
pH: 7.6 ppm
Last checked: 4.5.16 
ammonia: .25 ppm
Last checked: 4.12.16
nitrite: 0 ppm
Last checked: 4.9.16
nitrate: N/A
Last checked: N/A
Last Water Change: 4.9.16

Behaviour:
Wedging against filter intake for attention
Chases my pencil when I'm writing, doing homework, etc.

Poop:
No new poop

Extra notes:
Has a fetish for writing utensils
Is warming up to Jorge [a plastic army many who sits outside the front of the tank] thinking about putting him into the tank, but considering keeping him where he is
Likes to wedge himself against the top right corner of the tank, right where the intake is. Doesn't seem harmed [i.e. no ripped fins] does it for attention

Check:
pH: in 1 day
ammonia: in 3 day
nitrite: in 1 day
nitrate: N/A

Log ended: 8:57 pm EST


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## AstrosMom (Apr 7, 2016)

Do you have pictures of Gerald and his tank?


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## tams (Apr 6, 2016)

AstrosMom said:


> Do you have pictures of Gerald and his tank?



Of course!! I have a ton of pictures I just backed up to my computer yesterday, in case anything happens to my phone. I can upload a couple if you want.


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## AstrosMom (Apr 7, 2016)

I'd love to see him if you don't mind sharing.


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## tams (Apr 6, 2016)

AstrosMom said:


> I'd love to see him if you don't mind sharing.


























These are three out of almost 60 photos that are the most flattering. Trying to take pictures of your betta when he won't sit still is definitely a challenge lol. I don't have a photo of the whole setup, but to visualize, imagine a cube with a bit separated in the back to house the filter setup. It's quite small, sizing at about 3.7 gallons. I wish I got a 5 or even 10 gallon tank, but my parents weren't so happy with even the 3.7 gallon tank. For some reason, explaining that bigger tank = happier, healthier fish is foreign to them, I guess :lol:

EDIT: They aren't showing up on my computer, but I can open them in a new tab. So if they don't load right on the forum, it should work if you open them in a new tab.
EDIT[2]: Hopefully fixed the photos!!


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

Can't see them. Click go Advanced --> Paperclip Icon.


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## AstrosMom (Apr 7, 2016)

Your pictures on my end are not working.

Edit:

ThatFish beat me to it!


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## tams (Apr 6, 2016)

ThatFishThough said:


> Can't see them. Click go Advanced --> Paperclip Icon.



Forums are definitely not my strong suit lol. I'm going to fix it now; I'll let you know once I've fixed them.


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## tams (Apr 6, 2016)

Fixed the photos! But one of them is sideways because reasons :razz:


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## AstrosMom (Apr 7, 2016)

He's such a pretty boy! :-D



tams said:


> Fixed the photos! But one of them is sideways because reasons :razz:


Photobucket just destroyed all my journal photos. And one of my inserted photos also came in sideways as well. :roll:


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

He's soo pretty! *dies*


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## tams (Apr 6, 2016)

*4.14.16*


Log started: 8:20 pm EST

Water Parameters:
Temp: 65°
pH: 7.6 ppm 
Last checked: 4.5.16 
ammonia: .25 ppm
Last checked: 4.12.16
nitrite: 0 ppm
Last checked: 4.9.16
nitrate: N/A
Last checked: N/A
Last Water Change: 4.9.16

Behaviour:
Very bored. Trying to engage him, but following a pencil only goes so far
Wedges himself against the intake at the top still
Likes to follow my pencil that I use for homework
Intrigued with new laser pointer

Poop:
New poops
Still normal

Check:
pH: in 0 day*
ammonia: in 2 day 
nitrite: in 0 day*
nitrate: N/A
*got kinda lazy; will check tomorrow or Saturday during water change

Extra notes:
Got a new laser pointer. Gerald is intrigued, but apprehensive of the new toy
Still wedges himself, the filter doesn't hurt him
Would like to include a tankmate like ADF, but tank is two small for the bioload. Curse tiny tanks!:evil:
Don't forget to pickup PVC for tank

Log ended: 8:51 pm EST


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## tams (Apr 6, 2016)

*Plants: A Note*


Once I upgrade Gerald's tank to a size between 10-20 gallons, I will attempt to plant the tank. 3.7 might be too small to plant, but I might add some anacharis. I've heard it's one of ammonia's worst nightmares.

List of plants:
anacharis
java fern
java moss
Amazon sword
Will add more if I find anything


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

Anarchis needs high light. :3

Anubias needs next to no light. Which do you mean? XD


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## AstrosMom (Apr 7, 2016)

I bought some Amazon Sword today for my tank. I have high hopes. Let's see how my green thumb is under water! Although I don't really know much about Aquatic plants. 

How soon do you plan on upgrading him to a bigger tank?


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## tams (Apr 6, 2016)

AstrosMom said:


> I bought some Amazon Sword today for my tank. I have high hopes. Let's see how my green thumb is under water! Although I don't really know much about Aquatic plants.
> 
> How soon do you plan on upgrading him to a bigger tank?



I'm not quite sure. Hopefully in the near future. The only problem is my desk can only support up to maybe a 5 gallon tank. If I put anything bigger on my desk, the weight would be irrelevant because the tank would just be too long. I know Petco is having their $1/gallon sale until the 7th of May so I hope to get a couple tanks before the sale ends. My house is not what one would say "Fish friendly" due to the lack of space/ the lack of space with accessible outlets. There's only one space in my living room for a tank, but I'm most likely going to use that space to build a large planted tank for multiple schooling fish and a few inverts. 



ThatFishThough said:


> Anarchis needs high light. :3
> 
> Anubias needs next to no light. Which do you mean? XD


In all honesty, I'm not sure which one I meant xD. Most of the research I did on plants were really late at night and most of the notes I took didn't make any sense when I went back to reread them. All I know is there is a plant that supposedly doesn't need a lot of light and sucks up ammonia like nobody's business. I think I read about it on liveaquaria.com when I was just browsing the website.


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

Haha. Probably Anubias, then. As I said, next to no light. It's a pretty slow grower, but super greedy and easy to care for.


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## tams (Apr 6, 2016)

*4.18.16 [Unintentionally forgot to post online woops]*


Log started: 6:10 pm EST

Recap of last four days that I didn't log. [I have logged in my journal, though, so nothing important was missed. 

Water Parameters:
Temp: 66° [Warmer weather where I am, tank should naturally start warming up soon]
pH: 7.6 ppm 
Last checked: 4.17.16 
ammonia: .25 ppm
Last checked: 4.17.16
nitrite: 0 ppm
Last checked: 4.7.16
nitrate: N/A
Last checked: N/A
Last Water Change: 4.17.16

Behaviour:
Active
Responsive to activity inside and outside of tank
Poops as an act of rebellion when I clean out the poop in his tank. Seriously, he pooped 2 seconds after I refilled the water :dunno:
Still wedges
Have yet to see Gerald actually sleep for more than 5 seconds

Poop:
Normal poop
2 more since I changed his water [he thought he was sneaky hiding one of them in the back of the tank]
*INVEST IN A MANUAL WASTE REMOVER OR BASTER OF SOME KIND*
Seems to have a dedicated spot to poop in [front right corner of tank]

Check:
pH: in 5 day
ammonia: in 5 day 
nitrite: in 5 day
nitrate: N/A

Extra notes:
Still doesn't know how the leaf hammock works
Starting to question if he is truly a double tail. I've seen pictures of double tails online and his tail isn't split as much as theirs. Possibly a double tail-delta hybrid??? :question:

Log ended: pm EST


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## tams (Apr 6, 2016)

*I apparently can't read thermometers correctly*

I just realized that the thermometer I bought is in increments of 2 not 1. Meaning *ALL* my temp readings on this log are off. I will be fixing that tomorrow.


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## tams (Apr 6, 2016)

*4.19.16*


Log started: 8:42 pm EST

Water Parameters:
Temp: 72° [I can't edit my previous posts so if the temp on each post is around 64-65°, it is most likely actually 70-72°]
pH: 7.6 ppm 
Last checked: 4.17.16 
ammonia: .25 ppm
Last checked: 4.17.16
nitrite: 0 ppm
Last checked: 4.17.16
nitrate: N/A
Last checked: N/A
Last Water Change: 4.17.16

Behaviour:
Same normal behaviour
Nothing unusual

Poop:
Nothing new

Check:
pH: in 2 day
ammonia: in 2 day
nitrite: in 2 day
nitrate: N/A

Extra notes:
Skip day, did not feed
Do *NOT* forget to change sponge in filter during water change.

Log ended: pm EST


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## tams (Apr 6, 2016)

Log started: 10:20 pm EST

Water Parameters:
Temp: 69° [slightly cooler when the sun starts going down]
pH: 7.6 ppm 
Last checked: 4.17.16 
ammonia: .25 ppm
Last checked: 4.17.16
nitrite: 0 ppm
Last checked: 4.17.16
nitrate: N/A
Last checked: N/A
Last Water Change: 4.17.16

Behaviour:
Very active
Explores all over tank, top to bottom
Flared a lot today, not enough to cause concern

Poop:
Finally watched him poop today. It sounds weird and creepy, I know, but I've never seen a betta poop before [or any fish for that matter]. I never knew how close they pooped relative to their head.
Still healthy, normal poop

Check:
pH: Tomorrow
ammonia: Tomorrow
nitrite: Tomorrow
nitrate: I don't have the test 

Extra notes:
DON'T FORGET TO REPLACE SPONGE AND MAYBE AC
I forgot to turn on the filter after I fed Gerald.
Filter was left off for *10* hours!! I'm still surprised I didn't come home to a dead fish. Hopefully won't make that mistake again.

Log ended: 10:24 pm EST


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## tams (Apr 6, 2016)

*4.21.16-4.23.16*


Log started: 8:58 pm EST

Water Parameters:
Temp: 75°
pH: 7.6 ppm 
Last checked: 4.23.16 
ammonia: .25 ppm
Last checked: 4.23.16
nitrite: 0 ppm
Last checked: 4.23.16
nitrate: N/A
Last checked: N/A
Last Water Change: 4.23.16

Behaviour:
Still energetic as ever!!
Now sleeps over the outtake tube of the filter instead of the hammock which was bought specifically for him to sleep on lol.
Gerald did "run" into his silk plant really hard today. I don't think there is any cause for concern because it seemed more like an accidental spook than trying to ram into it intentionally.
Overall normal behaviour 
Very curious about everything I'm doing
Occasionally goes up for air, but no more than a normal betta does. Explores all over his tank and likes to swim in circles around his plant. At least, I assume he likes to do that.

Poop:
Healthy
Just cleaned out poop from tank

Check:
pH: in 2 weeks/1 month
ammonia: in 1 week
nitrite: in 1 week
nitrate: N/A

Extra notes:
Because pH doesn't magically change unless something is added to the water, which will not be happening because knowing me, I'll end up killing my Gerald, I will no longer check for pH weekly. I will do monthly or bi-weekly checks just to make sure nothing is changing dramatically though.
Not quite sure why my ammonia is seemingly stuck at .25 ppm. I make sure to take out any uneaten food, which there isn't any because Gerald eats like I don't feed him every day with the exception of Tuesdays. My tank shouldn't be doing a mini cycle, and I'm certain there aren't any decomposing pellets or poop in the tank as I just cleaned it a few minutes ago.
I accidentally took out a little bit more water than I should have when I was siphoning out the dirty water. Then I accidentally added in more water than I should have. Gerald doesn't seem to mind and seems to enjoy the slight extra swimming space. Hopefully, I pay attention better when I replace the water next week.
Log ended: 9:10 pm EST


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## tams (Apr 6, 2016)

*5.24.15*


Log started: 9:18 pm EST

Water Parameters:
Temp: 74°
pH: ~7.6 ppm 
Last checked: 5.24.16 
ammonia: 0 ppm
Last checked: 5.24.16
nitrite: 2-5 ppm
Last checked: 5.24.16
nitrate: N/A
Last checked: N/A
Last Water Change: 5.24.16

Behaviour:
Gerald has been active as ever!! He still acts like I never feed him and is still the little diva that he is. I noticed he likes to chase various things, such as: Snow Caps [the chocolate candy for those who don't know]. toothpicks, my sunglasses, etc. He also still yawns occasionally and it is always a pleasure to observe. 

Poop:
Poop is still normal. He seems to poop almost every day or every two days. It usually getting buried under the gravel, which makes it less fun to clean when I have to stir up the gravel to get out most of the poop. Even then, there will still be remnants that had evaded the gravel cleaner. *Note to self: Invest in a turkey baster or long pipette*

Check:
pH: 7.6
ammonia: 0ppm
nitrite: 2-5ppm
nitrate: N/A

Extra notes:
I noticed a weird slime like covering over the suction cup that holds the thermometer. Possibly slime mold? I don't know. I will have to remember to clean it off during the next water change. 
*ALSO RINSE SPONGE NEXT WATER CHANGE*
I did find terracotta pots at the dollar store, but they ended up being to small to make a cave out of them. Might fill them up with gravel to make a small gravel bed or something. Also invest in some sealant: Loctite seems like the best choice economically speaking. 
Invest in a plant only aquarium to grow/quarantine live plants in case they have other plants or snails living on them.

So far nothing has really been going wrong. The flip between the nitrites and the ammonia was a little weird, so I am monitoring both for the next few days. Can't be a mini cycle. Why the sudden drop in ammonia and rise in nitrites beats me. 

Log ended: 9:30 pm EST


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## Autumncrossing (May 2, 2016)

Ammonia will drop when nitrites rise and then nitrites will drop as nitrates rise, this is how cycling occurs. 74 is a little chilly, 78 would be ideal. I haven't read through your entire log, do you have a heater going? Also the suction cup slime is a normal thing, perfectly harmless to fish or so I've read, just clean it off. Could be caused by excess nutrients. Also no need to worry if the filter was off for a short period of time, bettas are labyrinth fish they can breathe air.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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