# A Nose By Any Other Name



## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

I've been meaning to start this journal for three weeks, shortly after my daughters picked out our first (and only so far) betta, Nosey. 

Let me start with some background: I started before that by researching, then got a tank set up and added a terra cotta pot. I sought out reassurance when I was worried about how he was adjusting, and realized he is a tail biter. >< I fought with a cheap-o gravel vac, hemmed and hawed over switching from gravel to sand, and recently learned that he's a full dragon!

So that brings us up to date, I think. I finally ordered the biOrb vac, and it should be here on Friday. I also made the substrate switch this weekend, which wasn't easy but wasn't the pain I thought it would be. I need to get some fishing line because Nosey's craft mesh tube flopped open when I took it out to change the substrate. The DMC cotton floss I used to sew it up had dissolved! I took the leaf hammock out because he wasn't using it anyway. I'll pilfer the suction cup for the reworked tube. 

There are more big changes coming up. I've ordered some cholla from RussellTheShihTzu and some plants (and MTS ^.^) from Kaffrin. My daughters, Bug and Pearl (nicknames, obviously), are excited! Nosey, on the other hand, doesn't seem like he could care less. XD


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## niQ (May 28, 2014)

Cute nicknames 
Any pics of ur setup & nosey? (Cute name too!)


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

I have a terrible camera, and of course he doesn't want to sit still when we try to snap pics. There are a few in this thread (with a link to more). I will be taking before & after pics when the cholla and plants come in. 
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=443394


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

I wish our Petsense carried more fish stuff. When we bought Nosey, I spent probably 20 minutes talking to two different Petco employees trying to figure out whether or not they had the API Freshwater Master Test Kit. Neither of them had heard of it. I was just convinced that I had physically seen one on the shelf there, but it turns out I was mixing up stores – Petsense had it.

A week or so ago, I picked up an Aqueon 9” gravel vac at Petsense for $6.99 (It’s either $9.99 or $12.99 at Petco!), but I decided it was just too big to be practical for my 10-gallon tank. I took it back yesterday and was able to exchange it for a 4-oz. bottle of Stress Coat and a 16-oz carton of AQ salt, and they still owed me a penny! Geez, the prices there are sooo much better. 

Other than a few cats up for adoption, the only live animals they have are bettas. I’ve learned not to look at their bettas, though. They usually only have 5-10, but they keep them in smaller cups than Petco or Walmart.  

Our Petco, on the other hand, has SO many bettas. Dozens and dozens. I’ll count next time I go in, but if I had to guess, I’d say 50-60 at any given time. And, of course, they all look miserable. I swear I teared up a little when I went in there last night because there’s this poor king who I noticed last time I was in there. If they’re going to sell kings, can’t they at least get bigger cups!? And they carry babies. UGH! There were 4 of them last night, all only about 3/4 of an inch long, with such stress stripes. 

ENOUGH RANTING. Okay, cholla AND plant order should be waiting for me when I get home from work today. I’ve made a (ridiculously detailed) to-do list because I have ADD and this is going to take several days, so there’s a greater chance I’ll skip or forget something. I want things to go as smoothly as possible so I don’t disturb Nosey any more than I have to.

I’m not going to post my step-by-step list here, but I will *try* to post pictures. If Bug and Pearl can manage to share photography duties, it will be a great way for them be involved with some of the stuff they’re still too little to do.

ETA: I realized after posting that I used "because" three times in the span of 22 words, and I cannot let that stand. ><


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

No cholla yesterday, but plants and snails!

Pearly Girl with “Bigsy”:










Bug with “Bigsy” (not sure why they didn’t pick different snails for their photos):










I’ve been instructed to print these out so the girls can show them to their classes at school. 

Plants are floating in a bucket of treated water. I’m hoping that the cholla arrives today and I don’t need to seal up any holes, so I can get that and the plants in the tank! Hubby’s brother is coming to stay with us Friday night, and I don’t want to be in full-on fish mode.


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## DaytonBetta (Feb 4, 2014)

Welcome to the journals! how old are your girls? My son, E is 6 and he has a 29gallon that I help out with.


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

And a week later, I finally get around to responding. Sorry, DaytonBetta! Bug is 10, and Pearl is 7. 

I got a few more plants today, and Pandanke included an adorable little mystery snail. The girls and I are fascinated! It's been hanging upside down gorging itself on duckweed in its little QT container. XD

The QT container? It's a plastic container that originally held individually-wrapped Twizzlers! I've been running around like crazy tonight, so I haven't had a chance to see how much it actually holds, but I'm estimating around 1/2~3/4 gallon. And it's time for me to change out that water - a lot of miscellaneous stem pieces and whatnot ended up in there.


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

Right, so... bladder snails hitchhiked in on the plants with the pea-sized mystery snail (now named Gary). This one's about 1/8" long, and this picture confirms once again that my camera is totally craptacular.









And, of course, the girls wanted to hold Gary:









I just realized Bug is wearing the same shirt in this pic as she was in the one above where she's holding the MTS:









Look, tentacles - no, really:









Ah well, you can read more about my overnight transformation into a snailkeeper right hmyeah.


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## Pandanke (Jun 16, 2014)

Oh yeah. Gary is a little offspring of my mama snail (she was ivory, father was brown stripes) - I LOVE their little tentacles. They're so flipping cute.


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

Tested water last night. Parameters were fine (ammonia 0~.25, nitrite 0, nitrate 10~20), but did a 30% water change anyway to clean up some of the plant goobers and whatnot. I shifted the cholla "centerpiece" over to the right and used the turkey baster to blow out some of the sand underneath it so Nosey has room to swim through the branches.

This is a before shot (don't have an after):









I spent a solid half hour just sitting and watching Nosey when I was done. He was cruising around all over and sampling some of the tiny plant goobers that got stirred up in the WC. 

I swear he's part dog sometimes. He'll be swimming then stop abruptly when he spots something he wants to investigate, and his fins go up like a dog's ears and tail. Then he'll nip at it - "it" usually being a piece of sand or *rolls eyes* a ball of osmocote that's been partially unearthed. 

Gary T. Snail is still closed up, but he's not floating anymore. I'm convinced he's still alive because he is in a different spot this morning than he was last night, and there's no aeration in his KK. And the KK doesn't stink.


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## niQ (May 28, 2014)

Tank looks good, I like how its colorful but not overwhelming. Nosey matches nicely with the decor.


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

Thanks! Bug and Pearl picked out the plastic gems before we even got Nosey. We spent a fair amount of time filing them to make sure there were no sharp edges. The girls love them because they're so light they move around almost on their own in there. lol

Gary is still staying shut up pretty tight, even after we added a slice of yellow squash to the KK. A few times it looked like he (Gary's a he until something happens to convince us otherwise) might come out, but no dice. So I did some more Googling and then felt like a dimwit because he's probably been cold without a heater. 

Now Gary and his little KK mate, the bladder snail, are borrowing Nosey's cup so they can float in the heated tank. If they're doing well in the morning, I'll probably add them in. 

The girls have named the bladder snail Speedy (well, Pearly thinks it's funny to call it Speedo) because he moves pretty quickly for a critter the size of a sesame seed. We looked at him under the girls' little microscope, and he's so adorable! I really hope Nosey doesn't eat him. :X


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

Sadly, Gary T. Snail is no longer with us. I checked after work today because he still hadn't moved, and I got a whiff of very definite "eww, that ain't right" smell. Pearly Girl is taking it REALLY hard, many fits of crying. Her feels are always oversized. She wants to have a funeral. She said, "I just wish I had been here when he died." Bug, my little Vulcan, helpfully said, "You probably were. We don't know how long he was dead." Oi.

In MUCH happier news, we saw our first Nosey flare last night! SOOOO CUTE! And the girls and I went bananas. "OOh, you're such a BIG, VICIOUS FISHES! Who's a big scary boy??" Yeah, he showed that orange ballpoint click pen who's boss. XD

Of course, we tried to get him to do it again tonight so we could snap a picture. No dice. He just looked at us then went back to swimming around through the cholla "roots". Apparently he doesn't think the pen is a threat to the precious slime on his cholla. *shakes head*


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## Pandanke (Jun 16, 2014)

Aw, poor Gary Snail. If shipping wasn't so much, I'd send more  Let me know when/if you come through Lincoln and I'll give you another.


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

I have a tentative order in with aselvarial for next week - probably 4 "Gary"s and a few ramshorns. I'll be in Lincoln in a little over a month for the Pearl Jam show, though, so I might see if you have plant trimmings I could take off your hands on my way back to GI.


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## Pandanke (Jun 16, 2014)

With how insane a few of my tanks are right now, I can't imagine I wont.


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to get a picture of Nosey flaring. His new nickname is "Little Booger" for that reason and because he continues to nibble on his tail from time to time. We're keeping a close eye on it to make we don't end up with a fin rot issue. I've started adding a little Stress Coat with water changes, although I'm not a fan of the "sliminess" on the surface of the water. I try to look on the bright side - at least we don't have to chase down missed pellets because they just sit on top of the water. 

I'm very annoyed with myself tonight. For the past few days I've been stalking one of those daily deal-type websites that had the Tetra 3-gallon half moon bubbler kit for a great price. I have a coupon code, too, and could have gotten two of them for about $30. I was thinking they would make great little snail tanks for Bug and Pearl. Of course when I clicked on the link this morning, they were sold out. ><

Okay, no biggie, I thought. I'll stop by Petco after work just to see what they have there, I thought. Well, my after-work bookkeeping responsibilities at church took longer than usual, so I couldn't fit in a trip to the store before picking up the girls from the babysitter. But they seemed to be in good spirits (read: not screeching at or attempting to maim one another), so I figured we could all go. I figured they could check out the fish and small animals while I did a little recon on the tanks.

Yeah, only they're both nosy and wanted to know why I was looking at tanks. As it so often happens, something simple swelled up all of a sudden. I went from 3-gallon snail-only set ups to 5.5-gallon snail and maybe some fish, and now we're probably up to 10-gallon snail and some fish and maybe a betta. The girls are already planning what they want to stock. >< (Pearl wants glofish, and Bug wants some kind of corydoras or catfish.)

ETA: Hubby's going to be thrilled.


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

Oh, dear. Haha. At least a 10 gallon is still small enough to fit on a dresser...


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

LOL that's EXACTLY what I'm thinking. Although, the dressers we have in their rooms are both cheapo pre-fab put-it-together-yourself things. I told Bug she'll have to climb up on them so we can make sure they're strong enough. She doesn't weigh anywhere near what a full 10 gallon does, but I figure if she wiggles around a bit and it doesn't collapse, I'll be confident. ;D

So, in addition to stalking the 3-gallon half moon tetras, I've been obsessively watching Craigslist and Facebook and anything else I can think of. This morning on FB, someone in town listed a 55-gallon with stand and canister filter (no media, just pads). It's in really good shape, too, but I just don't have the $125 he's asking for it. Even if I could get him to come down to $100, which would be a steal, I don't think I can afford it right now. *sigh*


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

Keep looking. I've seen some AMAZING steals on Craigslist...even free stuff, sometimes. Sure, the aquariums might need a little TLC, but resealing them doesn't cost much.


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

True, but it seems they just rarely come up where I'm located. *pouts*


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

I haven't seen much free stuff...it's tough to wade through the false advertisements (Price $1) to get to the real thing. So annoying.


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

*grumbles* FB guy says he'll hold the 55+stand for me for a week or two. I wanted to say, "No! You're supposed to say someone else is already waiting to snap it up!" 

Honestly now, it's not the cost of the tank and stand that's holding me up. I did some VERY rough figuring, and I estimate it would be another $130-150 for lighting, heater, plants, driftwood/cholla/stones. Then whatever we would stock it with on top of that. :/

So at this point, I'm going to continue scouring Craigslist, forums, etc. and see what comes up. I hate to pass up a good deal...


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## Pandanke (Jun 16, 2014)

You can do some cheapie clip on lights from Lowe's for 20$, the heater is maybe 30$ if you get the Eheim ones on Amazon... You can have no driftwood, cholla, stones, just some sand in the bottom (10$) for awhile and populate it with plant grow outs...


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

You, woman, are an enabler!

Actually, I can make my sister buy me a light at Maynerds since she still owes me money.


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

No update in a while because I’ve been driving myself crazy trying to find tanks and equipment for future planned fishies. It’s frustrating. I did make a deal with someone for a 45-gallon tank, but we won’t be picking it up until October 10. I also have a 10-gallon half moon pending (waiting to see pictures) that I would pick up the same day.

So, unplanned, we brought home another betta last night. And now I’m scrambling. I’m picking up a 10-gallon tank tonight from someone on FB, and apparently I’ll have to pick up a filter and heater because my sister hasn’t seen the message I left for her almost 4 hours ago. My poor, poor hubby. Spontaneous purchases make him very grumpy. 

Nosey seems unaffected by all of this.










MTS don’t care, either.


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

We seem to have discovered the secret to getting Nosey to flare: a small plastic tree frog toy. The writing utensils are hit and miss, but the frog gets a reaction nearly every time. Here's our best attempt at a photo:










King Slash is settling in to his temporary apartment. I was hoping to have his 10-gallon set up today so that we could move him in tomorrow, but that may be delayed for a bit. The tank is currently sitting on the patio in the backyard, 2/3 full of water and draped with vinegar-soaked paper towels.

Apparently my definition of "clean" is much more particular than that of some people. Oh well, live and learn.


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

I was pretty tired last night after we got done with all our errands and setting up Slash's apartment. Apparently I didn't get everything put away. Hubby: "I'm just going to pretend that plastic wrap in the bathroom is perfectly normal and not another sign of how crazy my family is."


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

What? Doesn't everyone let six weeks go by without updating their journal? My problem is I'm a perfectionist with ADD; I don't like to update if I don't have time to carefully write up a post, and I'm too easily distracted to spend the time carefully writing up a post. 

Nosey is doing well. He's been going without lights for about a week due to a green slime issue. I think I got it all, but I need to raise the light up a bit before we start up again.

Slash is also doing well, as are his tankmates: Sage the mystery snail, Flower the MTS, and Flower's countless clone babies (among them being Petal, Bud, and Leaf). Slash is currently sleeping on the sand among a bunch of crypt stems. It's freaking adorable.


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## AlwaysAnimals (Oct 21, 2014)

Just have to say, I love the name of your journal!


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

We're hoping the third time is the charm re: a mystery snail for Nosey's tank. For the record, Nosey didn't have anything to do with the demise of the first two. Gary the First was just a pea-sized thing that came in accidentally with some plants, and I didn't know what I was doing and probably let it get ammonia poisoning in the KK.  Gary the Second - well, as Bug put it, curiosity killed the snail. Gary the Second apparently decided to explore life outside the tank. 

Now we have a lovely striped mystery snail that the girls have named Woot. I swear they came up with that on their own. Well, Pearly did. She has a way with names. She tried to rename her own mystery snail the other day after we noticed Sage and Slash were sleeping in the same bunch of crypt stems. Pearly said that they love each other, and Susie would be a better name for Slash's girlfriend. Talk about star-crossed lovers!


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## Zuzu (Jun 24, 2014)

Nosey was acting weird this morning when being fed, almost like he couldn't quite see his pellets. Usually when one gets past him, we just point to it or bump it with a fingertip and he's able to get it. This morning it was more like he could partially see it out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned toward it, nothing. I'm not terribly concerned at this point - just making a note of it in case it happens again.

Because I'm a dork, I cannot simply type "Woot". It has to be "W00t". Yes, I know. Anyway, W00t was in a different spot this morning, so that's encouraging. Whenever I go by the tank, I check in to see where she is and what she's doing (usually nothing). And then I point my finger at her and say, "Don't die, snail." Bug told me last night that she already told W00t the same thing. LOL

ETA: I did add a couple of pieces of plastic canvas to the glass canopy around the HOB filter to discourage any wandering/exploring snail excursions.


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