# The Betta Project



## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Betta journal


Hey everyone! I think I will be starting a journal! 
*applause* 
So I will provide some background on my connection to bettas. I the first time I saw a betta was probably in a petsmart cup, I hated it. A small cup with a fish that hardly fit in its cup, it looked so sad, it's fins were thin and stuck together. All my life I never understood how the betta was a "beautiful fish of many colours", as far as I was concerned, bettas only came in blue dark blue and maybe red. But as soon as I got an aquarium, I considered my options. Bettas, of course, were an option, not something I was considering, but still an idea.
I searched around some petstores and got some neon tetras to cycle with. That store had an Elive Betta Center, I looked into the jars and saw some amazing bettas. Not only were they more colourful than I thought, the were active! After that I googled 'happy bettas' and was amazed at the difference after they were purchased!
On May 19 I purchased Mufasa, my orange HM, for my 10 gallon community, he has since has deepened in color and grown longer fins. Sadly, if given enough room to flare for over 10mins, he will chew on his fins...
August 6 I brought home Samaki, a pastel VT, who was floating in a breeder trap while I was on a trip to buy water conditioner. I had been waiting for a fish in need, and Samaki fit the description.
They are so amazing and fun to watch, I just love having them around to keep me company! 
The idea was to get me a bowl and a fish for the summer, glad I refused the bowl and asked for a 10gal instead! 
I can now share my interest in fish with others and sit back on hard days and look at my fish swimming like nothing is wrong. 
So welcome to my journal.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

*Fall=leaves*

I found a bunch of oak leaves and maple leaves in our yard, I cleaned them and added them to the tank. Mufasa explored the sunken maple leaves, and Samaki followed the still floating ones. I just can't wait till I can fill the tank with leaves! Samaki built his bubble nest! He spent the whole morning and day on it, exploring in between (the distraction is real).:-D


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## lilyrazen (Oct 25, 2009)

That nest is AWESOME!


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

*The crew*

I got all my pets to stay within the same space! I have a fat cat (more to pet that way), I'm really not worried about her and the fish getting along. My fish are smarter than she is.:-(
Mufasa is really interested in the 'furry thing', but my cat is unaware of their existence. She only likes the tank because the filter makes dripping water noises sometimes. If it was uncovered, I'm sure she would drink from it, but leave the fish alone. Gotta love cats! 
Now to clean up the fur that went everywhere...


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## Betta44 (Aug 9, 2015)

We have a Betta named Mufasa too! Cool name! Cute cat too, btw.


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## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

Your cat looks a lot like my cat, Renji XD. He used to drink from my filter when I couldn't find the cover for it >.<


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## Isabella15 (Feb 23, 2015)

Subbing


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Thank you to everyone! 
My tank is a disaster. 
The Val is going through a new tank melt, and the wisteria just started its own new tank melt...
The other half of my tank has a bunch of maple and oak leaves, random anubias floating around and a craft mesh hammock is sitting in the corner. And the breeder trap is covered in diatoms. I'll go on a leaf hunt then take a picture once I get the tank nicer looking. Maybe I'll go find some driftwood to add (the one I have now is for a near future 5gal).
But hey! The Betta is happy wandering around! Maybe I should feed them, they still need food...


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

*messy tank-the sequel*

I got a bunch of dried maple leaves, all the oaks leaves haven't fallen yet, so I made a corner devoted to leaves! I'm going to spread them out to make them a bit more interactive, but there's some algae on the front glass and a few water stains. But hey! The fish are happy!

Things to do:
Scrub algae
Replant wisteria that came loose
Clean water stains.
Clean rock
Clean breeder trap
Remove rotting plants
Spread leaves

I really need a snail...:roll:


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## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

Subbing! 

Your tank is coming quite along, and looking great! Love your cat too


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## dannifluff (Jul 5, 2015)

Subbing. Be patient with your plants. I went through a bit of a nightmare too when I first started planting. Here are my top tips:

Don't use a liquid CO2 product. They are designed to kill algae and therefore 'free up' CO2 for the plants but I found they just made any of my soft leaf plants melt away.

Float plants for a month or so before planting. It's messy but the fish won't mind and you'll really notice the difference, since they will be nearer to the light and water column nutrients that way.

Don't be afraid to add more plants! Expect a bit of melt for the first few weeks, trim off as necessary, even if you have to take it to the stem. As long as the stem is still firm, the plant is recoverable. Basically with plant-sufficient lighting you're in a constant battle against algae, and you have to tip the balance in favour of the plants. Contrary as it sounds, more will help. Always QT first 


Looking at where that water wisteria is positioned, I'd take it up and float it for a while nearer the light, since its the lower part of the plant that's suffering. Although water wisteria is pretty hardy, when it enters a new tank it does seem to suffer a bit more than some other plants. If you allow it to float around in the strongest lit area until it's putting out loads of roots, it should take better to planting. Plus it will do you a favour while it's up there by blocking out some of the light from the algae


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Thank you DanniFluff for the help!

I've been trying to get some Flourish for a while, but it's not sold at any of our nearby LPS (local small chain stores as well). So I need to make a dedicated trip to Petsmart for that. 
I attached all the Java fern that I could to the log, it looks awful. 
Probably because that I had to use bright green string. I'm just waiting for the fern to grow into the log and get a bit more bushy. The Val is still in its corner, just sitting there, I've left it with most of its root out of the gravel so I don't plant it to deep by accident. Yeah, the tanks kinda bare, but I'm trying to fill it in, there's also an anubias behind the wisteria.
Whichever Betta is taking his turn in the trap looks so pitiful, Mufasa looks at me all day and Samaki sits on the mesh tube looking lonely (sad). Grr... I'm trying to get you guys a tank! Apparently the topfin 5gal Kit is on sale (yay) so I'll probably get that at a magical $35! 
No! It's so cheap!
There was a used topfin kit, but had a aquaclear mini instead of the filter it comes with and a heater for *$15*! Sadly someone claimed it before me...

I'm not in a super good moos towards my cat today. Dumb furball walked all over me at 5am, then she sat on my face and walked all over me again. So cute, but 5am is sleeping time, not walking on people time. 

I've been trying to get dwarf sag for a while now, I just can't seem to find it! I don't want to order online, but I may have to. There's a plant at the horrible local chain store that _may_ be dwarf sag, but I'm not sure. 
That store just had to not label their plants. I can go to petsmart and get some Val for $3 or go there and get some Val for $7. I'll try and get a picture, but I don't want to buy it and discover that it's a completely different plant. It looks like grass, but it's really short, maybe a 1.5 square inch cluster of the stuff? A Google search said it might be lileaopsis, so I'll look into that. 
I removed all the maple leaves and the CPDs and Bettas are a bit upset at that.

So it seems I can't attach more than one picture per post so I made a collage! My tanks current state, what the plant at the store looks like and my cat. I mostly added Pebbles so I would feel bad about not liking her for walking all over me. And yes, that _is_ a CPD in a tic tack box. The box is clean, but he fell out of the net and the first thing I could place him in was the to tack box. And I took a picture.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

So if you don't know, I got a baby crowntail from the LPS yesterday. The guy who was in the Betta section didn't even notice how small it was compared to the rest of the other fish. So he/she is a blue purple colour and refuses pellets. He/she will eat them, and spit them out.

So today when I was at school Samki jumped into Mufasas temporary breeder trap. They stayed together for what was probably 2 hours. In a breeder trap. I figured, if anything, Mufasa would jump out into the community, where they would be like a failed sorority until I got them out. But Samaki got IN the trap. I went to go get some frozen brine shrimp for them and I saw them together circling each other, and nipping. I dumped them into the main area as fast as I could, and separated them from there. Samaki has started pine conning, the poor thing. He's hardly got any fins. He's just hiding under a fake plant at the moment, sitting in sadness.
Mufasa lost most of his rays on his anal fin, but his dorsal remained unchewed. Although his fins are full of holes. If they both recover its going to be a long haul.


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## Isabella15 (Feb 23, 2015)

Aquastar said:


> So if you don't know, I got a baby crowntail from the LPS yesterday. The guy who was in the Betta section didn't even notice how small it was compared to the rest of the other fish. So he/she is a blue purple colour and refuses pellets. He/she will eat them, and spit them out.


I also recently got a blue crowntail baby betta, I wonder if they are related? Your baby won't eat pellets. You will need to get some frozen foods like blood worms, beef heart, and brine shrimp


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

I've been feeding frozen brine shrimp, I'm going to get some blood worms tomorrow if I can. It's just that he/she ate some crushed ones when I got him/her, so I was hoping I could feed that as well as brine shrimp. I would never feed only pellets to a baby.
I need something of higher nutrition than brine shrimp and something less likely to cause SBD (I've had to deal with that way to much). They _might_ be related, I know they ship from some breeder that isn't local (judging by colours and stuff, I forgot to ask). So it may be possible, I don't live anywhere near you though, it's a possibility, there must be quite a few blue crown tail spawns right now. 
I'm going to need to feed him/her soon. Gotta fatten him/her up, almost no belly when I got her, had been fed a few blood worms previously, but that's it. I found remains in the jar she/he came in. The feeding schedule at that store is a few pellets each day and bloodworms once a week. Obviously rather hungry when I got him/her.


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## Isabella15 (Feb 23, 2015)

there is an official petco baby betta thread Some where on here. I think it is in the betta care section. If you want something with more nutrients you could try the growth formula. I'm not sure if he/she will it though, I think it's in pellet form but I'm not sure.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Yeah, I did a bunch of rechearch once I got him/her home. I read the thread. At least she's not in that cold cup, without any good food.


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## Isabella15 (Feb 23, 2015)

Aquastar said:


> Yeah, I did a bunch of rechearch once I got him/her home. I read the thread. At least she's not in that cold cup, without any good food.


Agreed. She/he is most definitely in better hands now. I can't wait to see him/her bloom


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

I'm back! 
I've been busy figuring my new school life out now that schools started again. First day was miserable:

Sad class
Weird teacher (reminds me of Eon in Alvin and the Chipmunks)
And massive betta fight in trap for 2 hours.

Grr. I'm better now, Samaki is fine (I think) He's just a bit beat up. Mufasa seems to find that food is still a priority in is life (you were just beat up and lost most of your rays. Any fin rot is turning into body rot instantly, and you want food?). 
I've decided to name the baby Palm (like the tree). He seems to have some issues with the neons. I've never seen the neons be mean to any of my other bettas, but Palm? Oh, the neons hate him. All food becomes a literal version of the *Hunger Games* and so, being a smart fish, Palm just chill in the floating plants I've gifted him with; the fake ones I had before+sticks+bits of wisteria that fell off of the original plant and are green. So Palms good with that arrangement. I even tried pellets again and before Palm could even start to lunge the neons gulped it down! Note the pellets were about 1cm away from his mouth when I dropped them in.
The Flourish is doing miracles for the Java fern babies. They were mostly root before, but now, I got full out mini ferns stuck to my filter!
I also saved a betta today! I saw some girls with a marina cube in their hands and a bagged betta, this is how it went:

M: Are you going to get that?
G: yes, I think we will.
M: Did you know that's not he best thing you could put your fish in?
G: Oh? Really? How?
M: The ammonia will build up really fast in there because it's so small, and he won't be very happy about it anyway.
G: Oh? were kinda on a budget.
M: What kind of budget? I may be able to help a bit? They have really well priced tanks over here (5gal kit).
G: for one fish? That's a bit pricey.
M: There is other options as well.

*employee walks up and asks what they are doing*

G: Oh! She's teaching us about fishes!

*employee walks away a bit upset with me for being smarter, his tag says animal something, whatever it said, it didn't say that he was a fish genius.*

M: They have something called critter keepers that you may want to consider? Whatever you choose it really depends on how much you value the life of your fish.
G: Oh, how many water changes would you need with this cube?
M: You would need to change the water at least once a day, maybe twice.
G: *whispers*
M: would you like to see the other chaep option?
G: Okay.

*I lead them to the critter keepers, only 3 sizes are available: XS,S and L.*

M: This one is the best, it can look just as nice as the cube.
G:Oh, how about this one? *points at 1gal keeper*
M: It's not the best, but it is diffidently better than the cube.
G: We will discuss it.

I left, I suggested NippyFish and BettaFish.com for any other help they need. I saw them on their cellphone later, I hope they chose to get the kritter keeper, being it was only $2 more than the cube, which is priced at $20?
So the only reason they would want to decide against the keeper was the look (dark green). Of course I highly recommended a heater and told them petmsart had good deals as well. Choose well!


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## Isabella15 (Feb 23, 2015)

I'm glad to know all your fish are well! Hopefully that girl did listen to your advice. I also helped save a betta recently. She had a betta in a one gallon tank unheated and unfiltered the water was also really dirty and he had bad finrot. I told her about proper betta care and now she's going to get supplies today.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

No pictures in this update, sorry. I lost my camera, so that was frustrating. Now that I have found it I'll try and post some pics. 

Just a short rant: at school we have a class 26gal bowfront chiclid tank. I got to feed the (yay), but I know next to nothing on chiclids. It's really over stocked with 5 assorted chiclids (I don't even know species) and a medium sized pleco (8"). So today some kids sugeested we sell the fish tank. Of course I was on the "no" side. While I was feeding them with my friend who actually has some chiclids, one of the kids who wanted to sell the fish came up. Ths is our converation, M-me, F-friend, G-girl.

*Me feeding fish, fiend helps me sink some and girl walks up.*

*M-*Why don't they eat!
*F-* I don't know, maybe lack of food?
*M-* Maybe, [school fish lady] doesn't really spend time with all her fish.
*G-* Why don't they move!?
*M-* boredom?
*G- *Oh, what kind is the flat one?
*F-* It's called a pleco, they get really big, this one is a bit small still.
*G-* What about the blue one?
*M-* No clue, but everything but the pleco is a African rift lake chiclid. (not enirely true, but the best I could do)
*G-*What about the orange one? Is it a goldfish? (I think it's an orange blossom chiclid?)
*F-*No...

(Note that this is a girly girl snobby voice and the orange one is orange and has obvious brown splotches.)
*Girl slaps glass really hard, I would worry about it breaking with that much force*

*M-* Stop that! Don't you dare scare them!
*F-* Look at them! (points to multitude of face hiding under rocks and the pleco franticly swimming around.)
*G-* No! They love it! (Slams glass again)
*M-* Back off! They are super scared!

*Girl hits glass one more time watching them flee. Then she realizes that maybe fleeing in terror isn't happiness. Friend accidently drops the lid of the tank after she sinks the last pellet.* 

*G-* She did it to!
*M-* That was an accident and she didn't try and scare them. Besides, they didnt even care.
*G-* Yes they did!
*M-* They didn't even flinch.

*Girl lifts lid as high as she can and dropsy it, of course the fish don't react as we try and stop her from touching the tank.*

*M-* Stop traumatizing the fish. How much do you even know about fish! or care about them?
*G-* Um... They live in water? Fish don't have feeling or live longer than a day anyways.
*F-* explain why they have been here for 2 weeks?
*Girl leaves.*

Most people have enough sense to not tap the glass from "Nemo" or general kindness. But she could've broken the glass with that much force, she was nearly punching it.
So Palm has lost most of his bloat and Samaki is getting good at his pity face. Every time he sees me, he comes up the the bin and just watches me. So so sad. 
The plants are alive and I had to give away my guppy and 4 neon tetras. Poor CPDs don't know what to do with lack of fauna. I just noticed I love the way that my CPDs have a little pink patch from their gills that look like they are blushing. Trimmed the anubias and Mufasa could't care less that over 3/4 of his anal fin is gone. His life is based off food. 
Sorry for the long post, I'll try for pictures later.


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## BettaSplendid (Jul 12, 2015)

My jaw dropped at your story of G hitting the tank. 2 year olds know how to behave better than that! Is she on drugs?! What an idiot.

I am super happy to hear your bettas are looking better. I hope they heal fully.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

I know right? When I was younger I was guilty of tapping the glass of aquariums, but it was still a soft tap. Just enough to see id the petstore bettas were alive. I don't think she's on drugs. She got kicked out of class for being disrespectful. Once again, she asked about the fish.

G- Can I pet one?
M- No, you'll never catch one anyway. They aren't people trained. (AKA:my bettas)
G- Can I feed one?
F- Nope. Don't make them fat.

*Girl reaches for bag*

M-There is still food at the top, It wouldn't be a good use of the food.
G- Can I sniff it?
M- Have fun. 

*Of course my friend and I know that this will be priceless. She sniffs it and gags. It's Aqueon, so it probably isn't as good as it could be.*

G- Is it edible.
M- Not recommend for human consumption.
G- Whatever.
F- Are you sure?
G- Is that a dare?
M&F- If you want it to be.

*Girl pops pellet into mouth with a grossed out face.*

M- See, not a smart choice. Also that this stuff is full of nasty stuff.
G- Like?
M- Fish meal and garlic powder.

*I grab the bag and read off the ingredients, most are fillers and meals.*

M-Fish meal--
G- What's that?
M- Anything not human safe. Like fish brains.

That got her good. Lesson learned: don't eat fish food.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Pictures! I made my sister take some pictures as my camera is hopeless and my pictures look like orange blobs. So finally, good pictures that look like fish!
So this morning, I woke to Samaki with a cluster of bubbles stuck to his left side. A whole 5 bubbles on him. It stayed that way for over 3 hours. He may still have them on him, I haven't checked yet. Palm is starting to accept pellets, so that's better than having to wander all over the house with brine shrimp on my hands. Pebbles (cat) still hasn't noticed that there are fish in the 'Box of Interesting Noises'.
*Pic 1:* A current picture of Samaki
*Pic 2:* Adorable little Palm wants food. He is very unhappy about not getting any.
*Pic 3:* A few days before Mufasa got into the fight. I can't get any good pictures of him.


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## Isabella15 (Feb 23, 2015)

They are all so cute! Palm looks like a girl though lol


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

I just got some new pictures of Palm! You can really see how he will turn out. What a yawn! Little mouth for little pellets. Sadly the rest of the picture is a bit blurry.

I know, when I first got him/her, the anal fin seemed so long compared to the rest of him/her. Most people thought it was a little dude, But I'm not sure anymore. The fins don't seem to be growing very much.


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## BettaSplendid (Jul 12, 2015)

Aww! Those are excellent photos! Thank you, sister! They are really pretty bettas and I love Palm yawning. I really can't tell if Palm is male or female. I will make a decision in about...3 months.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

'Palm wants food injected here.'
Samaki is a bit unstable, so guess what! SBD again! It's not as bad, but he can't quite go to the bottom. Poor thing. I hope he doesn't have chronic SBD. Mufasa is still a pellet eating machine. No significant improvements, just eating and pooping.
Palm responds quite well to the sound of the lid opening and closing: 
"I wonder where Palm is? *opens and shuts lid* There she is!"
It's really useful when you can't find her. Yes Palm is a confirmed her, by Lilnaugrim.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

You know the girl who nearly smashed the glass? She is feeding the fish this week. She asked if they wanted to listen to music and pressed one of her ear buds to the glass and pretended they loved her music choices. Yes, I talk to my fish occasionally, but I do not pretend they will answer. (unless it's food related or something with an obvious answer.)
She now and is their official caretaker. :frustrated:

Samaki may be a chronic SBD fish, the Epsom salt won't fix the float. He can't quite stay at the bottom of the tank, just sits at the top pitifully. I got Mufasa a temporary 1gal cookie jar with anubias (soon to be a shrimp jar). The cat still has not noticed the existence of fish. :roll:
I really like using emojis today...:-D


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

So I may need to add some more fish to the tank. I got rid of some of the ones I had for bio reasons, but I probably need them back. The diatoms have come back in herds, the rasboras are shy and refusing to eat very much. I may need an otto. Any thought? I'd like something that will eat my algae (preferable) and compete the rasboras for food.
The wisteria is getting the worst of the diatoms, despite some new leaves, I also added duck weed (that I nearly killed) for some surface plants. I didn't et something else as I do not want to spend $8 on the alternative. Poor Samaki can't quite stay upright, and by accident The bucket he was floating in tipped over (no clue how, held down by lid) and was with Palm all day. No injuries, I'm not sure Samaki recognized her as a betta, no flaring or anything. Palm was flaring at him when he got to close for her comfort but that was it. No bubble nest, no stripes, no nips, no flaring (apart from a mini flare from Palm), no damage done.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

So, I've had to stay at my grandmas for a while starting today. I was, luckily, allowed to bring a fish. So I took Samaki with me. Then he got stressed. So then he floated. And then he pineconned. Again. Still floating around in his new bowl type thing. 
I know I sound so unconcerned, but really, he floats all the time (sometimes with a bit of pine conning), so I got used to it. I'm probably not as scared as I should be, but my life has flipped in under a year. Probably depressed, I'm not exactly a happy person full of exuberance for the world at the moment. So he is in a unfiltered, unheated (till tomorrow), 2gal bowl with anubias and duckweed. Hoping Palm and Mufasa are alright for the moment.

ALSO, I'm thinking of renaming Palm to Serengetti. Yes, no? I somtimes think of her as Serengetti instead of Palm....


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

*From Ash to Bird: the Pheonix Cycle*

So some of you may know that Samaki passed a few days ago. I can't quite get over the fact that I will never watch him jump for food again or come and say hi. That he will never lounge on his hammock or make a bubble nest again. It's rather depressing.
So I went to Petsmart and left empty handed. Of course I had to come back later for the marble that caught my eye before. He seems to have the same type of personality as Samaki did, I saw one Betta that was a larger, fatter version of Samaki, but I didn't want Samaki to be a fish that I could replace and fool my sister to think he was the same. The new mable is still unnamed. I will need a name eventually. I think he will end up with more black and blue than he had now.
Onyx
Scar
Finnley, are some names I've been thinking about. Any other ideas? He had a serious frown I the store, but he seems a lot less grumpy.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

The nameless fish seems to be crazy for some reason. He attacks the bottom of the cookie jar. No clue why. Swims down and frantically lunges at it as if he knew there was a bag of bloodworms waiting for him.
I think I'll call him Creggan (from "Callanish"). I have this thing with old books, I really like them. Specifically "Owls in the Family" and "Callanish". 

Creggan?

I have no clue how the 10gal is doing, I am spending some time at my relatives house. I've got some one feeding them 3 pellets every half week, so they aren't starving. I got a tank picture sent to me, so I'll enclose that, as well as a cat picture, because: fluff.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

I can't seem to be able to post one image per post on my apple, so I normally post off of computer. The tank as of Saturady after some water was added.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

I just love his (Creggan?) gills! Little white gills! 
He is definetly getting more blue since I got him, there was hardly a trace before, but now it's kinda the first thing you see.


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

> I've got some one feeding them 3 pellets every half week, so they aren't starving


Wow, I feed mine 3 pellets a day.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Well I'm not there for feed them the usual and the last time I said that to feed them 3 a day, she gave them like 20 pellets a day. The next time (4days) I made a very precise list with less feedings, but she still fed them way to much. So I'm making sure that they won't trigger serious ammonia and not starve. I had forgot to do a water change the week before, so the water quality probably pretty bad, 3 weeks no water change, eesh. Just hoping the plants are doing their job. The biggest problem is that a took the conditioner with me for Samaki (SIP), so I'm trying to get them to buy some more conditioner. I do not trust other people with my fish lightly! I've had a lot of people ask if they could feed them 'because they looked hungry'. I'm shocked it's so clean looking compared to the time I had someone else feed them. You can see the pellets by the breeder trap! (Fry) there was no dry erase on the glass, all diatoms and water stains. You can almost see one of the neons (fat) and almost how bad Mufasa is. Her argument was that they 'looked hungry' and now they loved her. Which was true because she fed them all they wanted, whenever they saw her: Food?

Horror story of the day. The nameless is also getting some blue on his anal fin!


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

The nameless will probably end up as Creggan (waiting for confirmation). So I got back yesterday, and EW! Somehow loads of hair algae made it into the tank and was all over the front glass. I didn't check parameters, but I expect the algae kept the nitrates in check. I did a wisteria clipping and rearranged some of the plants so I can keep and eye on the algae (which mostly cam back over the night). Mufasa was a bit thin and one of the rasboras was a bit emaciated! I plan to find a guppy or platy to entice eating in the rasboras again, they aren't nearly eating as much as I would like after I relocated the neons. 
Palm is completely fine, just a bit stressed after such a big water change (85%), she's getting along so well with the rasboras. I've added the 'Leaf Blower' to the tank for some aeration in the corner. The 'Leaf Blower' is a super strong mini filter that I got from my cousins, I found out how to lower the intake, but it's still a mini hot tub jet in a punk case. It's the Marina Elite for those who want to know, it's pretty much a sponge filter with a leaf blower feature.
Oh! And Mufasa is healing well, lots of new fin growth, it's just a bit hard for him to swim around. He's paled a bit since I last saw him, but he should perk up a bit, still as pretty as ever! I will be burning Samaki in a white with purple trim African Violet ASAP.
I'll fill the tank later, but it low for now so I can rearrange the plants a bit more.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

My brain has been a bit all obpvervthe okace from serious stress and stuff, but everyone's doing fine, the nameless is happy with his tank (not full decorated). Here is the pot where Samaki is buried, I am told this plant can get very wide and may need replanting, so I placed it in a large pot to begin. I did gently vacuum the dirt off the leaves, so they are cleaner looking than in the picture. As it turns out, Mufasa and Palm are pretty much best friends. The cup accident,y tipped over during diner and I came back to them just swimming around. She swam into him and I was ready to remove them, but he didn't care, he swam away a bit, but nothing else. I what he'd them for another 3 minutes and no aggression, flaring of any sort, even a glance at the other. They acted as it
F the other was just a plant in the way, nothing more. This may be partly to Mufasa only flaring at long finned males, but they are both rather aggresive. The rasboras are healthier looking, but they lost most of their colour since I removed the neons and guppy. They used to be steely gravy on cream, but now it's more of a cream on gray. The females actually look like males though, that's good, I may still try breeding them in the future, I have 3 females and 2 measles.


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## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

Aquastar said:


> My brain has been a bit all obpvervthe okace from serious stress and stuff, but everyone's doing fine, the nameless is happy with his tank (not full decorated). Here is the pot where Samaki is buried, I am told this plant can get very wide and may need replanting, so I placed it in a large pot to begin. I did gently vacuum the dirt off the leaves, so they are cleaner looking than in the picture. As it turns out, Mufasa and Palm are pretty much best friends. The cup accident,y tipped over during diner and I came back to them just swimming around. She swam into him and I was ready to remove them, but he didn't care, he swam away a bit, but nothing else. I what he'd them for another 3 minutes and no aggression, flaring of any sort, even a glance at the other. They acted as it
> F the other was just a plant in the way, nothing more. This may be partly to Mufasa only flaring at long finned males, but they are both rather aggresive. The rasboras are healthier looking, but they lost most of their colour since I removed the neons and guppy. They used to be steely gravy on cream, but now it's more of a cream on gray. The females actually look like males though, that's good, I may still try breeding them in the future, I have 3 females and 2 measles.


That's a lovely African Violet, and very fitting in remembering Samaki. Be careful not to get water on the leaves. I've done the same with my bettas that have passed, burying them in house plant pots.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

I may have BBA. 
*groans*

Here a pic of a piece of Java with it (I removed it). Also features Palm, because she enjoys getting in the way of whatever I'm photographing. I suppose I need more plants, just waiting for the wisteria to grow tall now. It's the addiction with food that makes fish so interesting.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Pictures, pictures, pictures. I finally made it on my computer so I can post multiple photos in one post. I redid the nameless tank bit, and the 10gal is just doing its thing.
I have 2 options: Nyx or Scar, what do you think?


















Food please?


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

BAM! More pictures.








My sad tank arrangement. I need to fix it.








Close up on Nyx/Scars tank, that would be pumus at the bottom. It will most likley end up as a plant growout eventually.








I'm waiting for the wisteria to grow and the stick to sink. It could end up as a sorority later in life it the wisteria grows. Note: If it grows tall and dense, not how it is now, its pretty pathetic right now to be honest.








Why do I even try and take pictures of Mufasa?








Why hello there Mr. Fish, I didn't see you...


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

GUYS. I finally decided to do some before and after on Palm, wow, she's a lot bigger than when I first got her.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

After:


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

Nice growth.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

So I did a nifty (I know right?) experiment. More of a 'told you so thing', but whatever. I got some Aqueon aquarium clarifier with the tank that Nyx is in at the moment. Oh yes, I asked a bunch of friends and family and came to a total of 15 to 7 for Nyx against Scar. (Includes votes in my other thread) Anyways, I did 2 buckets of shiphoning, and added the clarifier to the bucket and used time lapse to see any change. So here's what happened: it did not settle faster at all, it may have even been slower. I used way more than I should have, but no change in how fast it settled. But it did stick to the sides more than it had before. So it won't settle faster, but it will group up with other particles.

Newest member of family: Phil.
Phil is a zebra nertite snail, he is not very smart, but really pretty. He's has been in my tank for over 24 hours and has hardly eaten any algae or stuff. I assume he may still be adjusting, but he only got a small bit of driftwood cleaned, right where you can't see it. I'm pretty sure I will need to start a sorority soon, I saw an adorable baby pastel/blue Cambodian female at the LFS. Maybe 0.7"? Super cute though. Must. Have. More. Bettas.
Still figuring out the 1tank rule I knew I would break...


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

This is going to be really short, so here it is:

1. Wifi is down on my Apple, cant post any recent pictures.
2. Nyx is now mostly all black all turquoise on his body (not head), anal fin is going black as well.
3. Pray for Paris
4. Mufasa has some nice fin regrowth and is biting again.
5. Nyx has some feathertail like traits in his caudal.
6. Nertites poop alot. FYI.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Plants: I got some Java fern stuck onto my wood and the anubias grew a bunch of roots since last week!

Fish: Mufasa built a nest for the first time since August!

Our school has a gorgeous reef tank, they had to sell the domino, but did get a beautiful wrasse! The stocking is now something like 2clowns, 1galaxycardinal, 2file fish, 1 angel, 4 chonis, 1 damsel and a bunch of amazing anemones! Sorry if the spelling is off, but I'm pretty proud we have such a nice reef tank.
Here's some pictures!

First nest by Nyx.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

I let the mesh float around and found Mufasa just chilling. He wasn't stuck, but he seemed very happy with his butt sticking out of his hiding spot.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

And some pretty Nyx pictures.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Wow, Nyx is really coloring up nicely!


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

I haven't posted here for a while, but I got a 5.5 tank a week ago! $29 at petsmart after Black Friday, no clue how they still had some in stock.

Petsmart is also selling Dumbos here now.

My rescue died (not Samaki), but I could get a replacement, who has destroyed fins, they are healing though.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

I missed your new post! I hope everything is going well.


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## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

Ooh! Nyx is turning into such a handsome young guy!
Yeah, ours is selling EE's too. But they're labeled as Premium Halfmoon Males, at the great price of 26 dollars! Almost as much as that 5.5 I saw yesterday... For a half-dead, grotesque delta tail male...
What tank do you keep Nyx in? How many containers and what sizes do you have?
Sorry, just extremely curious...


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

So no pictures right now (got to get to school), but here some general info for now.

My dad got mad over me having the 10gal and the 5.5 on the dresser and how it will break through the floor and destroy the computer: even if on,y a gallon leaks. That is a lie, I have dropped small amounts of water during water changes, the floor still stands. So the 5.5 is now in the kitchen. I found a Kritter keeps for $4 at a thrift shop: it's now mine! Here the tank setups:

5.5- divided for Palm and Nyx, silk and plastic plant until I decided on their scape.

10- Mufasa and the Rasboras & Phil the snail. Just Wisteria and duckweed, waiting for the wisteria to root a bit before reading the fern.

2- for the rainbow rescue, he wouldnt stop flaring in the divided tank. Just some biotopey thing. Java fern and anubias floating everywhere, trying to start a mini plant nursery: a Java fern here is $6-15. I've got about 10 plantlets.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Nhx has almost no white left! His gills are black, so are his fins, excluding a small amount of beige on his anal fin. The fish are fine, and I will post some pictures dating from a week ago to today. Not all are true in the fishes current likeness due to marbling and fin growth.
I need names for the new one, I can't think of anything. He's very aggressive.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

The new one is not as dull as in the picture, but whatever.and here is Nyx with white gills! He's still cute in his darkened state.


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## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

Ares, Odin, Thor, Aegir(Norse lord of the waves), Aesir, Magnus, Tartarus, Hades, Vali, Loki, Blitz, Phantom


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

I like Blitz... I toe got to mention something very important about to new guy. I have never bought a normal Betta or a Betta that would stay relatively the same. Mufasa has a torn fin, Palm was a baby with a twisted Ray, Nyx marbled and the new one has a fin deformity. A nemo fin deformity. 
His pectorals are different.
One is a small opaque triangle, the other is long, thin and pointed upward. The picture is sideways, but you can see the difference.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Guess who bought another.
Me.
I am weak.
Little baby, among 5 other babies, one was dead.
Just over an inch.
Super cute.

I think she's sort of Cambodian, white with blue flecks and a blue tail rimmed with red. She's a bit traumatized for now, I'll get pictures soon.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Pretty much this one. I don't have WIFI on my IPad and I cant get good pictures one my camera, I would post actually pictures, but I lost the camera cord.
The red is not nearly as visible on her, but its an older copy otherwise.

So I got some mini blood worms to feed her. Well she doesn't like them.So I gave some to Nyx, Mufasa, Palm and the New one. 
*They look like blimps.*
I didn't feed them many, but apparently not. Even Nyx, who normally looks thin, has a beer belly.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

I know what you mean about the blood worms. I give one half of one to the baby fish and 3 to the grown ups, and everyone looks like a pregnant human. "Mommy, Mrs. Fish looks fat!"


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Also that Mufasa chewed off all the regrowth since September. Now he really looks like a super delta. I don't even know what tail type he is, its almost HM, but he has a weird curve in his tail, like an 'S'.

I got a picture of Blitz (who may be renamed), and he was really bummed at his tank and me, and I cant put him in line of sight of other bettas, so he looks like a kicked puppy, if that picture isn't proof that fish have feelings, I don't know what is. I put him in a breeder trap for a day (I don't trust him with the CDPs), and he flared all day and all night until I removed him. So I think I need to do some serious rescaping to keep him happy, he hates his tank. It may be lack of light though...
Blitz has gorgeous eyes, like rust, he will also rest in my hand, so yay! It's probably his lack of swimming skills though.
And some pictures of Mist:


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

I am very weak. Decided I might as well start a sorority. May get more girls tomorrow or in the new year, all are separate but within sight of another Betta, just so they don't get used to being alone.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

So I started a sorority, and bought two more females, one which is secretly a PK male. Wow Petsmart. Oh well. Here a picture of Coho the PK.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

And the red girl who has some sort of fungus. It's the dark patch on her caudal peduncle. Any name ideas? I think she's a PK, or HM. Her anal is very flat so according to some websites that means PK. She's more red in person, just the lighting and her reaction to treatments.


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## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

Heartspell, Molasses, Artemis, Peach, Platelet, Hope, Chance, Chase, Flash, Splash, Drift, Wave
What size is your sorority?


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

10gal. I am probably going to trade Coho for an amazing Cello with baby blue stripes along her fins. I may be able to get Coho in a 0.5 until he is sold. That store has a opaque HM called olaf in a frozen tank. Olaf is everyone's dream fish. No sign of marbling or anything.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

So the blue cello Betta wasn't there, so I asked to look in the back in case. The employees are pretty smart and nice, so they said yes.
Not bad but pretty sad. They only keep the ones that don't fit in the rack in there, but obviously less care was given to them. One baby has been given a large cricket to eat (larger than her). She was starving! I almost took her, but my mom wanted the other cello. She had a peice of plastic on her, like fishing wire. I have removed it, poor girl. I like Drift for her, her eyes look like the sad ghost in Spirited Away, if you've seen it. Taiya is at the bottom of the sorority, but chilling near the surface. I kid you not, I can lift them out of the water when they latch on to my finger. The cellos face is a bit smushed, any ideas on tail type?

All bettas are good, the red girls fungus has shrunken.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Well, I saw a teddy tank for the first time in real life. I nearly did a John Cena/Hulk maneuver which is me trying to reach the shelf and throwing them to the ground. Yeah. Instead I choked and winced. A lady saw me looking at them and told me how cool they were. Just to be clear: this was the dollar store, they were half sold out. I muttered no, wishing I could tell her what a terrible design they were and I have more bettas than I can count, so I would know. But that was mostly by annoyed side showing, bad day.

And I think they fired the Russian Guy or something, I didn't see him and the tanks were 100% for once. 3 bettas left, and I can hardly take it. There this cello guy on my to buy list if I can get enough space, he's been there for 4+ months. I think I first saw him in October? Still there. No one wants him because he's deformed. As a DT, he has a weird dorsal transition, but his juts upwards. Major ammonia burns, his face used to be white, it's black specs now. Tail bitting and possible finrot, I'll try and convince a friend to get him. And their bettas sell out, so I'm not exaggerating when I saw no one wants him.

Taiya lost a few scales and the girls are refusing pellets except Palm and red girl. Its driving me insane. I've deprived them of food for a few days to see if that will get them to eat it. Nope.
Also had auditions for school musical if that means anything, I have a rare case of nervous before, confident after. Most kids are so confident, but as soon as we get to doung stuff, they loose it. Others are confident the whole way through.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Well today was miserable.
My sister cat caught a bird (only lost tail feathers) so I was going to feed him and keep him inside for the day so he wouldn't get eaten by raccoons and such while he was still in a very shocked state. Later my sister 'accidentally'* dropped him and broke his neck.
*She should have known not to do that
So I got very attached to him in those 3 hours and spent the whole day hiding all depressed. He couldn't fly well, but he should have survived.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Pray for Mist, she has dropsy.
Heres a picture of the bird, when he was alive.


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## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

Poor Mist. Poor bird. It's likely not just your sister's fault. Cats have a bacteria in their saliva that almost always gives infection to the bite. Bird looks like a dark-eyed junco, probably male. The bird likely would've died from infection in the days after. Hope Mist recovers!


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Well, she was holding him upside down and forcing him to drink. He hadn't been bit as far as I knew, so he should have been fine. He was waddling around and attempting flight before his death, once he was stronger I would have done a more detailed search for injuries. He could have survived outside if I wanted to release him, but I figured a flightless bird that can't go more than 3 feet is doomed. No blood, he was in good shape. 

Mist:


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## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

Oh, that's extremely unfortunate then. 
Siblings. 
Poor Mist. Are you trying ES baths? That draws the moisture out and makes them a bit more comfortable. Some people have cured it with maracyn two, not sure if that helps. 
Good luck!


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

> Draws the moisture out


Um, fish like being moist, they should be moist? But yeah, someone suggested General Cure, so I'm using that and 2.5tsp ES for the 2gal quarantine, she's looking a bit better, but not much. I feel like I've done something wrong and am being universally punished. One day bird dies, next day dropsy? She's still responsive if she sees you though.


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## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

Lol, that came out wrong, but the moisture and fluid that is building up inside of them, thus causing the pineconing and swelling of the organs. I had a guppy with dropsy that I got to stop pineconing and bloating with ES baths.


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## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

> Dropsy may be fatal 99.9% of the time, but she may be the .1% that survives.
> The Epsom salt will help keep her comfortable. When my fish had dropsy, the salts drastically reduced the pineconing of his scales.
> The only other thing I suggest for dropsy in addition to Epsom salt is an antibiotic. If it's not too late, it could really help. I used Maracyn plus (wide spectrum antibiotic) and eventually switched to a stronger medicine (Kanaplex). It's supposed to kill the bacteria that is causing the organ failure. Of course, my fish was far too gone in the advanced stages so it didn't help much for him. But I have heard success stories.
> I apologize if I ranted on or told you stuff you already know. I just think dropsy is a delicate situation and uncomfortable for a fish.


Just something I read before. Sorry for the abundance of probably unhelpful advice.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

*Takes fish out of water* 
"There you are! All cosy in the ES container!"

Well, if my skin was peeling and I couldn't stand properly I wouldn't be happy either. I may go the the LPS and get some KanaPlex if I can convince my mom and also get floating plants, because why not?


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## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

Yes, they shall evolve into land dwellers conquer the world!
Dried fishies.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Poor Mist didn't make it, she looked very alive even in death.
So heres my plan, the receipt for the cello is still valid, and it says 'female', so in theory, its valid for her?


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## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

I'm so sorry! Poor girl. Dropsy is the most heartbreaking way to lose a betta, in my opinion.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Aquastar said:


> Poor Mist didn't make it, she looked very alive even in death.
> So heres my plan, the receipt for the cello is still valid, and it says 'female', so in theory, its valid for her?


If you want to, go for it! I'm sorry for your loss.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

So got a cute mg baby? Not sure on colouring. The guy there had two bettas (5&2.5gal) and said he had very few, compared to some other people there, despite having tanks for torture, they are trying to get rid of them! I'm posting pics soon.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Shes a pale blue/green girl. Have a picture of the class Chiclid tank.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

I can't even explain how I'm feeling. Depressed, stressed, annoyed and some thing else I can't name. Why? Palm also had Drospy.

I noticed it when I came home and Epsom salted her and went to my LFS. Thank the lord they had Kanaplex (all their meds were under lock and key). I don't think she's made the night.
Obviously since I keep my fish in my room I often just stare at the heater light when I can't sleep. Well, it's morning over here and it's pitch black and I'm scared to look. She's been breathing heavily, I'll be jumping for joy if she's still alive.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

:-( I'm so sorry. It seems like they all want to leave at the same time. Hang in there!


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Gone.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

I may go to petsmart and see if any souls need saving (I doubt it, they take good care).
I did a 100% change (added filter last) with a good rinse of gravel and stuff, but she was one of my favourites. Why?! Mist, the Bird and now Palm?!


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

:-( I have a walmart boy that I'm fattening and strengthening up.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Well, a few things have changed but I'll just put the changes in pin point form, sorry, no pictures for now.

*10gal- *I somehow lost a CPD, I changed the gravel to pool filter sand, so it looks better. I'm treating the whole tank with 1tsp of AQ and a tiny bit of General Cure since the red girl has had a bit of white poop.

*Plants-*I got lots of Amazon Sword for $4 because of a sale and it's doing quite well, also got some Val and it's already sending off runners, this is without any fertilizers. The other plants are fine.

*Taiya-*She's been at the bottom a bit, but she's perking up after a water change.

*Cello girl-*I'm convinced she sick, but I dont know what. No visible symptoms buts she was hiding in the wisteria foreground and now is sitting at the top after the water change? It's doesn't look serious but still. _Still need a name!_

*Red girl-* Glass surfer, well then. The fungus hasn't gone or spread, odd. Had some white poop, but no other symptom, she's fine now. _Names!_

*Blue girl-* This is the new baby that was mentioned on post #85, not MG for sure. Turquoise. Names for her? She's kinda aggressive.

*Mufasa-* Has been finbiting again, but not much I can do.

*Nyx-* Even bluer than before, not much different with him.

*Blitz-* Still my deformed nemo, but at least he's been gaining weight!

That trip to petsmart landed me with Pudge, who has a large head and is wildtype coloured. She's still ugly, but was the prettiest one there and was too cute to resist. I think the best part about getting her was that I couldn't take her home in her cup so I asked the lady there to bag her with the Val I was getting. This was a shock mostly because she removed her from the cup and dumped her into the bag of warmer different water fast. She tried to be gentle, but there were other people needing help. But as soon as Pudge was in the bag, it was just yes. There is something beautiful about a wild type looking betta in a mini biotope like bag.


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## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

Names:
Heartspell, Willow, Aspen, Rain(or Rayne), Hazel, Flash, Splash, Solo, Rey, Larka, Caspia, Dew, Cinder, Jay, Spring, Cloud, Hawthorn, Bramble, Thistle, Thorn, Artemis, Magma.
Pudge sounds too cute! I was at petsmart today, and looked at all the sad looking wild type girls. 
Sorry to hear about your CPD.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Here are the girls as of 5 minutes ago. Pudge is normally a tan for body or a darker brown but I spooked her by bringing my camera close to the glass, so she's sensitive right now. I mostly called her pudge because she's fat compared to the other girls. And to think she was the second prettiest! The prettiest was a PK, I think, I couldn't fins an eggs spot and I wasn't taking chances. No, Taiya is not in the picture, she's in the breeder trap and the mesh is not camera compatible.

I like Apsen, I really just can't find anything that sticks for the cello, red and turquoise girls.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

I just lost Taiya from who knows what, no physical sign of illness. I'm crying.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

:-( They can go so fast with no symptoms sometimes.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Also just lost Aspen (cello). I know there's a bacteria getting at them, but no symptoms from those two, just the green girl, red girl (now pineconned) and Pudge. 

Here's the story, after loosing Mist and Palm to dropsy in two week intervals, here we are, two weeks after Palms death with a mass outbreak, I though I had killed it (I had medicated the 10) but I guess not. So here we are, with the worst of the symptoms lying with the red girl: bloated, pineconned, white poop and lethragic, and yet she's still trying to win the battle. The green girl is also getting treatment in case and Pudge is just doung her thing. If I get a wipeout no Betta will be going in for a good 2.5 weeks, the CPDs are unaffected, so I'll let them stay in, probably. Will be sanitized though.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Oh no! Whatever killed my first fish went on to kill 2 others until I sanitized it, too. I thought I had overfed him, but it was some sort of bacteria. I feel your pain. Hang in there!


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Just lost HeartSpell (red girl)...


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Oh, no! Hang in there!


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

I don't think I'll lose Pangea to disesease, I think it's gone but I'm gonna sterilize the tank as much as I can this weekend. Note the use of Pangea and not Pangea and Pudge. Well, Pudge was either pale or stressed in the 10 so I moved her assuming she was one of the fish preferring smaller areas. She was fine, only some breeding stripes, but not much I can do. Well, fast forwarding to back from school I can't see her in the (mostly barren) tank, so I look around, nothing, except under the lamps rim, she had managed to jump out, get covered in dirt and dry up, I couldn't revive her (I did try), so SIP Pudge, what have I done wrong?


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Aww, nothing you can do if they jump like that. Hang in there!


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Trying to hang on but someone keep pouring oil on my hands. Prepare for another SIP. Came home from school and Pangea has like 4 different things going on. None which came with warnings.

Finrot (the thick black bar that erodes very fast)
Fungus (the wool one)
Pineconning
Bloating
Popeye (one eye is cloudy)

Needless to say Nyx is going to get a big QT for a week.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

SIP Pangea

Why is night what makes them die? I turn off the light and she's gone 15 minutes later, at least she's out of her misery.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Maybe she relaxed with the light off and slipped peacefully. Hugs.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Ive been contacting people who are selling 10gals but no ones answered yet, once I get it planted I'll probably make a new journal since this one seem old. Anyways... Little dude has serious swimming problems; flails when he tries to swim up. I feel like he's an old British man, even though he's really small.
Name list so far:

Chester
Gaston
Todd
Rey
Jay
Alan
Aslan


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Officially Aslan.

Somehow the goal to get a shelf for a split 10gal got messed up and now I have to wait up to a month for my next shot. Mostly because it costs about $100 to get to ikea plus buying it and so on, so we only go when we are already there. So oh well. I'll tell you guys when I make a new journal (if I do). 

I think Mufasa got fin rot. I don't know for sure because his fins are mostly destroyed from bitting and it could very well be something else, but I'm treating anyway. He's also been flaring more.
Aslan is 100% cured! He had a inflamed gill, but now his mystery SBD is fine, made his first bubble nest yesterday! The other boys are fine.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Great news on Aslan! It's so rough with fin biters.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Due to *even more* complications I can't get the extra 10 gal but can now split my 10 three ways since I had to sell the CPDs, heres what's been up since my last post...
~3weeks ago, nothing really
~2weeks ago, sold CPDs
~1week ago, rescued finmelt boy at 10% off
~4days ago, Nyx started sitting on bottom, finmelt boy cured, named Coryn
~3days ago, Nyx pineconned (same as others)
~2days ago, Nyx died in the evening, bought new substrate (Flourite)
~1day ago, bleached tank, refilled

SIP Nyx, the 10 is really murky because my parents didn't know why I wanted to wash gravel that 'prewashed', so the tank was red all night and is going though a bacteria bloom while It waits for inhabitants, I put duckweed in and so far no bleach has been left in there. Here's Coryn, day 1 to yesterday, I don't care that's he's the most standard fish ever, he loves spreading his fins no matter what, its nice to see him enjoying newfound freedom. 
Note: day 1 is as open has his fins would go even while flaring, the newest is his normal stance of happiness.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Aww, I'm glad you took him from those conditions! He looks so much better!


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## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

So sorry about Nyx.
What medication did you use to treat the Coryn? He looks great as of now!


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Sorry, I have this bad habit of updating only when someone posts. 

I did get the tank divided a while back, and I'm just perfecting it a bit, loots messy. My lost self control landed me with a cello marble girl, as pudge (SIP) was the most colourful I've seen in ages, petsmart got a shipment in of colourful females! Aka: small girls and stunning PK males. So I took her home, she was a bit bigger than my thumb nail. I doubt any of you remember, but someone here made a thread about this fish at petco who looked really annoyed? Bagheera is the female version. (Don't mind the endler in the back, was fostering fish for spring break)

The only bad news so far is I may be dealing with velvet. Mufasa seems to have rust, but it's not really spreading and doesn't shine in a flashlight? 

I renamed Coryn to Cheshire (Chess) since he's not the most majestic fish I've seen and more of a trouble maker. For treatment he had AQ and tetracycline with a 1-3 drops of Melafix for most of the treatment, AQ and Kanaplex for one day, and after a week just AQ, daily 100% WCs but nothing special, temperature was just 78 (tetra heater). I'm surprised he's done so well. I'll make a collage for the boys and the tanks.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

You can see the dust on Mufasas eyes.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Everything's doing fine, velvet is gone and I rehomed Blitz, I expect he'll be better now that he can get as much attention as he needs, treating SBD all the time and monitoring feeding was too much for me with all the others. Enjoy a pic of Aslan, fish have noses and it's only been recently I saw this and it bugs me.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

Wow its been a while, didn't notice the update either. Things have been going smoothly, apart from Cheshire shredding his fins, he's now in his own personal 3gal with the other in my split 10gal. After settling down a bit I added a lovely new scaled friend to the family! He's a leopard gecko and his name is Jaz. I got a new picture technique so my pictures look nicer, enjoy the whole coldblooded family!


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Wow! Love the little gecko. Fish look nice, too, other than Mr. Eats-his-fins. Grr, it's so frustrating when they do that!


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