# Holly's Betta & More Diary



## Hollthulhu (Jan 19, 2013)

I was told I should write a diary, it'd do me some good, they said's. Alright, so I am.

I'm Holly, and I have a Betta. I had two, to start with. I got them both unexpectedly, and sadly it had disastrous results. You see, the bettas were brought home before the tanks.. yeah you can see how this is an issue, already! It's okay, I'm not giving up. I have a side-kick, his name is Dustin. He's my boyfriend, and when we got the two bettas, we both picked one to be our own. He got the blue and red named Prince, I got the red and pink named Valentine. 

Once we learned that Bettas needed so much care, we were quick to the call. We darted out the next two days picking up supplies! On the last day we were getting the necessities, we came home to find our bettas spilled out onto the carpet. My cat, Fifi, had decided she needed a closer look, and flipped the glass shelf they were on, the container with it.

Valentine perished. He was all dried out like a fishy potato chip. I was heartbroken and mad. Fifi got a few good tosses and smacks in my rage. Miraculously Dustin found Prince.. and he was barely still alive, it seemed. He quickly grabbed a bottle of spring water, dumped it in the container and put Prince back in. He added some Stress Coat right after and we waited to see how he'd do.

He recovered from the ordeal very quickly, and he was spry and energetic, and most importantly - hungry! So, we continued working on setting up the tank to get him in it ASAP. We jumped the gun a bit, because it has been so cold here and we knew we couldn't use a heater in a 1.5liter container.. so we got it all together and got him in. He loved his new home! It was like a whole new world to him, and all his! His own little kingdom.

Two days after getting him in the tank, doing daily 25% changes, Dustin told me it looked like a little white spot was on his right eye. It took a while for me to see it, but yep.. there it was. I told him to not worry, I would look into it, and to keep up with the same routine while we cycled the tank. Well, the next day it was easier to see, and so I searched about, finding out about popeye. 

I personally think Prince's popeye is due to an injury when he was on the floor, which only got worse due to the bacteria bloom in the tank. Regardless the reason, we went out and got a small 1 gallon and set it up for quarantine. We got your basics: A tank, a heater, a PVC elbow perfect for hiding, and thermometer. 

So, now we are up to speed. Prince is currently being medicated with Epsom salts, with 100% water changes daily. I'm going to keep doing this for the next week or so before buying any medicine. His eye doesn't look that bad, and so I'm hoping this will cure it right up.

Maybe you wonder if I personally will get another betta? I'm planning to. I will be getting myself a 5 gallon tank, get it all cycled and set up. I'm just in no hurry. This little $3 betta has turned into almost a $100 affair! Haha. Oh well, we love watching him swim around and he has one of the most awesome personalities I've ever seen in a fish. Betta truly are great pets.


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