# Reccka's Adventures in Fishkeeping



## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Since I'll be undergoing a 30 gallon tank project next week, I thought now would be the perfect time to start a journal!

I currently have 2 betta boys and plan on getting 2 more when my tank is all set up.

My first boy is a multicolor halfmoon and his name is Mercury. My other boy is a multicolor Veiltail named Shion.

I just got paid the other day, so yesterday I went on a bit of a fish shopping spree. 

I bought a new moss ball, an amazon sword, 3 packs of dwarf hairgrass, betta leaf hammocks, omega one pellets, new substrate, and I _finally_ got around to getting the API master test kit. It was pricey, but I know it'll be worth it in the long run. I am spoiling my boys rotten. 

There's still so much stuff I need for my new tank. I need a buttload of plants. I haven't really decided fully on a look yet, but it involves a lot of grass-like plants. I love that look. 

I have no clue how I'm going to handle Mercury being in a shared tank though. I have him on rooibos tea for his fin biting, but I don't want my new tank to have the darkened look. I might just switch to stress coat after I wean him off the tea. He does seem to like it though. Sometimes I wonder if bettas can taste...and if they can, what is swimming in tea like? It's kind of funny to think about.

That's all for now though! I'll probably post again after I try my new water testing kit out.


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## DaytonBetta (Feb 4, 2014)

Welcome! I look forward to hearing about your set up. My son and I have a 29gallon. 

As far as plants, you don't have to do it all at once. They will grow and fill in and you can divide or replant cuttings over the next few months. You'll be surprised how much just a few plants can fill in. Just make sure you have the proper lighting. I think the grass type plants usually require higher levels of light. My tank is low light, but I'm happy with the variety of plants that do well with low light, I do love the grass look though.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Thanks for the welcome! That's good to hear about the plants! I just want to make sure my boys have a lot of places to hide since they don't have any fake decorations. I'm hoping sunlight will be a good booster for my plants too. The tank won't be in direct sunlight, but very close so it gets tons of sun all day. I just realized I totally forgot fertilizers yesterday lol


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So not much to report on today. Shion seems to be getting used to the new amazon sword I put in with him. Mercury is showing some slight fin regrowth, but he still looks pretty torn up.  My poor baby. I think the tea is really helping though. He was barely showing any growth at all in a month, he's only been in the rooibos tea for a few days and he's already improving.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

SO BEGINS THE TANK ADVENTURE:

Day 1: The Scrub-ening

Got the tank yesterday and have managed to empty it out. It has SO much hard water build-up on the lid and the top of the tank. It's so crusty that I can't help but wonder if it was EVER cleaned after purchase. Since the lid won't be in the water, I was able to use some Lime-a-way on it to get some of the build-up off.

The inside of the tank got a rinsing and then was sprayed with alcohol to get it all sanitary. The lid is still an issue. I've been scraping away at it with a putty knife for hours. I think I'll be able to get the rest off by tomorrow.

So to my surprise, the person who gave me the tank(a friend of my mom's) didn't know she had a 3rd fish! So I ended up with a neon tetra, a black skirt tetra with bad fin rot, and a tinfoil barb. I was almost tempted to keep the tinfoil barb, but I haven't had any time to research them. All 3 were given to my local Petco today since I had no space for them and they were in no condition to travel. The way I saw it, there were 3 options:
A. I keep them in temporary jars and they die with me.
B. I attempt to ship them to someone else and they die from the stress.
or
C. I give them to Petco and they MAYBE have a shot and at the very least will be put with their own kind and die with "friends" than alone. Or even better, maybe they get adopted. Who knows.

I really felt like C was their best shot in this bleak situation. 

Before I move on to the next part...I would like to take a moment to have a little memorial section. I was also given a pleco that was supposed to be given to another member today, and he didn't make it through all the stress last night. I don't think the memorials are for any other fish besides bettas, so I thought I'd say it here; SIP Hercules. We joked that he was going to be "moving on up" a few days ago and that happened sort of literally. I do hope he's swimming in a deluxe aquarium in the sky.  Poor guy. I just thought someone should remember him since his former owner was pretty neutral about him.

Anyway...while I was at Petco, I'm sure you guys may guess what happened...
I got a new betta! I'm going to be splitting my tank 4 ways, so this is betta #3!
#4 will be a betta me and my boyfriend pick out together when he comes back from school for winter.

My newest boy is a beautiful dark blue and red with a purple wash Rose Petal. I just totally fell in love with him! He's my most expensive betta so far at a whopping $20, but well worth it. His name is Roscoe! 

Pics of the tank and Roscoe will come tomorrow. Natural lighting is so much nicer than my room's yellow tint.


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

SIP Hercules! He didn't make it, but he'll be remembered.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Day 2:

Oh gosh, I was SOOOO tired out yesterday to even post. I passed out the second I got the chance. I'll admit I'm a little out of shape, so I was pushing myself to my absolute physical limit yesterday by lifting things heavier than usual and moving around buckets of sand and water.

So yesterday was the finishing touches for scraping the last of the hard water build up off and getting the tank actually into my room. Then I added the sand and my plants and the little betta towers I bought. It looks a little bare for now, but I'll add more plants and fun stuff next paycheck. The tank is still sort of settling right now, it's still all cloudy. I had to rig the hose up through my window to fill the tank and that water is HIGHLY oxygenated for some reason compared to the rest of my house's water. It takes forever to settle. I didn't really want to use that water...but it was the easiest way to fill the tank. 

I spent a million years doing the DIY dividers too and I was reminded why I don't do DIY. It was kind of a pain. I know my boys are going to love all this extra room though, so I put up with it for them. It's funny that the sections just look so small, but they have about 7 gallons each.

And an update on Roscoe, my new pretty rose tail boy, he is SO adorable.
I put his jar in front of the TV temporarily yesterday and he watched it! He went up, laid on his betta hammock, and watched TV! It was the funniest thing. He was like a tiny person for a moment. Roscoe is so far my most social betta. He already follows my finger, watches me move around the room, and immediately picked up on me pointing him to his food. He's a lot of fun so far. 

That's all for today. The next update will be after the tank settles so I can start putting my boys in the tank!


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So I actually glued my dividers together last night...and it made gaps. I took it for a test run with Roscoe and he seems to have no trouble getting through it. Bad fish! 

I don't know how I'm going to fill them. I'm thinking if I clip report clips to the ends again, then it should be enough(I couldn't get report clips, so I'm actually using the outer parts of picture frames. They work in a similar way to the clips.)

I'm mostly mad at Staples. I swear it's like they're never open. On Sunday, we were trying to get everything done in the morning before the heat and crowds only to find that they didn't open until NOON! I couldn't believe it. That is the first time I've ever seen a store open so late. We were going to try again yesterday, my mom got home at 6:30, they close at 7 and they're out in the middle of nowhere so it takes 10-15 minutes to get there. I was thoroughly peeved. There's one by where she works, so she can hopefully find them today. Their hours have just been ridiculously inconvenient.

So for now...Roscoe pretty much has free reign of the tank since the dividers don't stop him. Hopefully that'll change by the end of the night. I won't put the other boys in until I'm sure it's safe. _Especially _Shion. Neither Roscoe or Mercury even flare at other bettas, but Shion gets pretty ticked off when he sees one, so his aggression is my main concern right now.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So I think Roscoe has "picked his room" for now. He went to the end of the tank and him and Mercury have been staring each other down and swimming around. No flaring though, so I guess they don't mind each other? That's good because they will be next to each other when I fix the gaps. I'm glad they have some entertainment. I feel a little bad that Roscoe isn't by the TV anymore since he seemed to like it so much. I mean seriously, he was watching entire episodes of things at a time. I've never seen a fish do that.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Sorry for the lack of updates for anyone reading! It's been a busy few days.

So all 3 boys are in the tank! Roscoe is still obsessively watching and following Mercury, but I'll give it more time for him to get over it. It's only been 2 days. The funniest thing is that Mercury is not even giving Roscoe the time of day! He kind of looks at Roscoe flaring and goes "Yeah, okay. Whatever, dude." and then swims off. So Mercury really does not flare at ANYTHING. I'll never truly if he's a HM or SD. Mercury could really care less that Roscoe exists so far. Is this rare for male bettas? 

But finally, it's time for PICTURES!

Here's my pretty new rose tail Roscoe;








This was from the day I brought him home from Petco. Based on his condition, I'd guess he was part of a new shipment. I tested his cup water's ammonia and it was at 4ppm. Poor guy. Luckily it didn't seem to take too bad of a toll on him. He's been nice and active since I got him last Saturday. 

Here's him today in the 30 gallon(was so hard to get a photo)








(The plastic wrap is to keep him from getting to Mercury. One of my dividers ended up short for reasons that I just can't figure out. I'm adding another piece for height tomorrow.)

Here's the whole tank itself!









A little bare for now, but I'll be adding more next time I get paid. Mercury ended up being the only one who likes those lookout towers. I tried giving one to Roscoe, but he prefers the terra cotta pot. Shion has a nice piece of driftwood for his hideout. He likes to poke his head out of it.

My plants sadly aren't doing too well though. I don't know what went wrong. All but my anubias is yellowed. I hear to give it some time before giving up on them completely though. I'll admit I'll be a little mad if they all die. This had to be at least $50 worth of plants. I don't want that to be all for nothing. I don't exactly make a lot of money.

At least Shion is back to his normal self. He made a bubble nest today.








Such a cute grumpy face!

Mercury tail sadly isn't seeing any fast improvement, but I do think the rooibos tea is helping.









At least he has clear fins at every part of his bites, so I'm going to assume that means regrowth. I just have to give it more time. I hope he'll bounce back and stop biting now that he's in a bigger space.

Anyway, that's all for now!


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Woooo. Haven't posted an update in a while! I've been sort of lazy about it lol
Good news today! We have a cycle! Tested my water today and everything looks good! I'm glad my methods worked for jumpstarting my cycle. I had kept Mercury's old filter cartridge in my new filter. Combining that with all the plants and the boys themselves made for a pretty speedy cycle. I thought it'd take longer since this tank is so large.

The weird side is that my ph is higher than usual. It may be from using that outside hose water to fill the tank initially? I haven't figured that part out yet.


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## Schmoo (Oct 3, 2014)

Roscoe is stunning! I love Rosepetals, guh. They're so gorgeous. I, myself, almost bought one earlier, but $20 on top of the API MTK... >_<


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

I really love them too! Roscoe hurt my wallet with that $20 price tag, but when I saw him there I just knew I couldn't leave him. 

Honestly, if I didn't have such a strong sense of morals and the Petco cups were generic like Petsmart's(Petco marks the type of betta on the lid and cup while Petsmart just marks the lid) I would've thought of switching his lid with a HM or a VT. I don't think they'd ever notice lol. But Roscoe was very worth it. He's such a dorky fish.


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## Schmoo (Oct 3, 2014)

I thought about doing that same thing! xD But I have a Petco near me, so I wouldn't be able to... I'd also feel kinda bad. They're always super helpful when I go there.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

It would be the perfect crime! The people at our Petco are just...there. They pay way more attention to each other than to me. I don't even know how the place is still open. I am always the only customer in that store every time I go. It's sort of spooky.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Got my fourth boy today! I couldn't help myself. It sadly seems that someone new has taken over the fish at my local Petsmart. There were at least 6 dead bettas and the tanks looked bad as well. It's such a sudden sharp decline in care that it has to be someone new doing this. They started stocking those damn Teddy Tanks too. I am so disappointed in them. I couldn't leave this little boy there. He was so pretty, and they had him sitting right next to his dead brother. It was so sad. He was close enough to my ideal betta colors that I got him. (My ideal is more of a sky blue and an EE, but he's close enough for me.)










(Bad picture because he was trying to flare up at Shion.)

He thinks he's such a tough guy! I actually don't know if he's fully grown or not. He is SO tiny. Even smaller than Mercury. But this new little guy's name is Tiburon! Or Tibs/Tibbles for short. 

Now I just have to finally sew the extension onto that weird divider and keep him in quarantine, and he'll be good to go!


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Day two and Tibs seems to be doing well. He's still pretty skittish and doesn't recognize that I am the almighty bringer of food yet, but he'll learn in time. He's already started my training to get him to eat where I want him to(I tap the water in the spot I want him to come to and then feed him there.) He refused the Omega One pellet, so he got the Aqueon ones for the first night. I'm sure he'll come around to it. Shion spat Omega One out at first too, and then one day he just accepted it. So I'll keep trying.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Having a bad time over here with my filter. Looks like I'll need to get a new one. Having bettas would be like 120% more fun if stuff would just work! 

Tibs is doing well. I actually have him in the big tank now. He's a little lethargic, but I'm not worried yet. It's been a long few days for him. New home, me messing with the filter for hours...I don't blame him for just hiding out and laying low. Mercury did the same when I first got him. I'm sure he'll perk up soon.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Today was picture day! Most were cooperative...Mercury was being a butt about it though. He's a dork. 









Roscoe being his pretty boy self.










Shion is always on patrol and today is no exception! 










Little Tibs still getting all settled in. He actually came up to the camera! Made it easy for me.










Mercury swimming out of his tower, being a doofus. He's adorkable.










And my tank as a whole! I got a background and no more seeing those pesky cords or my wall. I like it a lot.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So some changes went on today. I got my new filter up and running yesterday. All is well so far. This thing does make a mechanical humming I find a little annoying, but I guess I can't expect a filter to ever be totally silent.

The biggest change that went down today is that Shion has been moved to my little 2.5 gallon tank. He's possibly started developing stress stripes the other day. I thought it was most likely due to heat not circulating properly, but that may not be the case. I'm slightly wondering if the divided tank just wasn't working for him. So I'm putting him alone to see if that clears the stripes up. If it does, then that's where he'll stay if he's more comfortable. He seems to like it so far. He has his anubias in there along with a glass jar cave and some floating watercress. 

Hopefully that was the issue. If it isn't, I'm back to square one. I'm wondering if it really was or not though. He seems sensitive to vibrations and my other theory was that the air pump I was using(which vibrated a lot, even when put on a sponge) may have irritated him. 

But the silver lining here is...my tank has a newly freed up space. Which means picking another betta with my boyfriend is back on lol. Taking care of more bettas hasn't been much different from caring for one when they're all in the same tank. I'll probably pick one in December once I've gotten the rhythm down for taking care of two tanks at a time. Of course, getting another betta would mean I have to set up quarantine again, but if I can manage the two, a temporary 3rd shouldn't be too hard. I'm essentially a NEET, so I literally have all day for my fish. I have more time than I know what to do with lately. Really makes me think about how my boys have enriched my life. I really am loving this hobby.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Just an update to post my newest boy.



















This is Sam, my new EE! Who I just found is ACTUALLY a half moon! Both my other boys are Super Deltas. Minus Roscoe, who may actually be over the half moon requirement. He bit the tip of his tail off the other day, so i can't tell right now. 

I did some tank rearranging yet again. Roscoe has been moved to the right end space. I have no clue why he started biting out of nowhere, so just in case seeing Mercury was bugging him, I moved him over. Tibs is now between Mercury and Roscoe and Sam is on the left end space.

It really is hilarious that bettas do learn who's around them. Tibs is only interested in Roscoe right now since he's already seen Mercury(and probably realized Mercury does not care he exists) So Tibs and Roscoe have been flaring at each other a bit. But it's only day 2, so I'll give it some more time.

Mercury seems utterly confused though. He looks to the left and seems confused that it isn't Tibs but Sam. Like "Oh, who are you?" Luckily, it seems Sam is similar in personality to Mercury. We've had no flare ups between either of them(Sam seems to flare at objects though). I think they'll be good "roommates." There is a lot of curiosity though. Sam is definitely interested in what Mercury is doing, but so far no real aggressive behavior.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Just had to show off my pretty new orange boy. His name is Carmello!

I haven't updated lately since I have had nothing but struggle with my boys the past few weeks and I've been frustrated about it. Roscoe got some fin rot for a bit after biting his fins. He was growing his tail back, then bam. Bit it all off again. 

Mercury unfortunately seems to be going blind. His scales are growing over his eyes slowly but surely. He also got into a little scrap with Sam while I was gone for 6 days on vacation. He had just grown his fins back after a few month recovery and now he has a tear and some bites again. Sam, being the brat he is, has one nibble. Not concerned about his fins.

The only ones who seem to be doing well are Tiburon and Shion. Shion got upgraded to a 5 gallon tank and he's loving it. He's as healthy as can be.
Tibs is just looking super blue lately. He just seems so vibrant. He still totally hates me though. He's the one betta I have who doesn't seem to care much for people.

Carmello seems to be doing alright so far. He's exploring his new home and is already looking a little more orange than a few hours ago. I hope he stays happy and healthy. It's so hard to see my other boys with tattered fins. I guess I'm thankful none of the other got fin rot or in Roscoe's case, that he got over it quickly. 

Hopefully I'll be able to update more often with good news!


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So not much going on today. Everyone is doing well. Carmello is turning out to still be a little fireball! He flared at my finger today and when I moved it slowly closer, he ran off! They're so cute when they think they're being tough.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So I'm thinking that Carmello is actually less of a fireball, and more of a big chicken. He flares and hides. He keeps scaring himself. He's still settling in. Poor baby. I did get a great picture of him flaring today though. He's so pretty and I love him.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

New updates today, lots of new stuff went on. So firstly, Carmello ended up being a HUGE surprise to me. Roscoe is possibly showing signs of aging, so I moved him into the smaller 2.5 gallon just in case. He's doing really well with it. He seems to appreciate not having to go so high for air. Carmello then got put in Roscoe's spot and I was initially worried that he was too aggressive, but it turned out he has had the BEST reaction to it out of ALL my boys. He took to ignoring Tibs instantly. So it turns out he just flares at objects. So he's been in there about a week.

So yesterday, I went out and bought 4 cobra guppies. They're feisty and doing well so far. I have them each in their own betta cup floating in Carmello's space as quarantine. He's taken to them really well. Just like with Tibs, he looks at them, but mostly ignores them. I think they're going to get along great and I can't wait until I can let them out of the cups.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So unfortunately things took a bad turn very quickly. It seems that Carmello is pineconing and has a bloated stomach. I'm so worried for him. I'm doing my best to be optimistic and I'm not going to give up on him until the bitter end. I keep telling myself that the fight is only beginning. Going to CVS for epsom salt first thing in the morning and ordering Kanaplex with expedited shipping. I haven't had Carmello long, but he's family to me. Just like all my bettas. I decided that when I took him home and I'm going to fight for him the best I can.


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## LarixLyallii (Jan 19, 2015)

I sure hope Carmello gets better - having a sick pet is always difficult.  He's a very handsome betta. 

All your boys are super pretty - just wanted to let you know.  Their homes look really nice as well!


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

LarixLyallii said:


> I sure hope Carmello gets better - having a sick pet is always difficult.  He's a very handsome betta.
> 
> All your boys are super pretty - just wanted to let you know.  Their homes look really nice as well!


It is difficult. It hurts me so much to see him breathing so hard like he is.  I'm doing all I can for him, so I hope he can still bounce back.

And thank you! I work hard to give them nice homes to live in. They deserve it. I like to spoil them.


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## LarixLyallii (Jan 19, 2015)

I know _exactly_ how you feel. I'm in the process of creating luxury bachelor pads for my guys, at the moment. 

How's Carmello doing today? Any signs of improvement?


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

LarixLyallii said:


> I know _exactly_ how you feel. I'm in the process of creating luxury bachelor pads for my guys, at the moment.
> 
> How's Carmello doing today? Any signs of improvement?


Carmello is in a weird spot of not getting worse and not getting better. Still breathing hard and still lethargic.  But he still has an appetite, and he hasn't given up on swimming around and exploring a bit, so he's not down and out quite yet. He's fighting hard.

He got a 50% water change today and I'm slowly working him up to 3tsp of epsom salt per gallon. Hoping that will at least hold him over until the Kanaplex gets here. I'm watching that tracking like a hawk. I'm going for aggressive treatment to give him the best shot to come back from his pineconing.


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## greenfishfl (Nov 27, 2011)

I love your divided set-up I think it looks awesome. Tiburon I would say that I love his colors, by the way I hope Carmello makes it he is very pretty.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Unfortunately, Carmello did not make it. He just passed away today. I've made a post in the memorial section for him, and I plan on burying him tomorrow.

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?p=5870106#post5870106


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## greenfishfl (Nov 27, 2011)

thats sad at least you gave him a good home before he died.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

greenfishfl said:


> thats sad at least you gave him a good home before he died.


Yeah, that's all I could do for him.  Thank you.


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## greenfishfl (Nov 27, 2011)

No prob, I lost a beautiful delta tail, he passed away on the 3rd day in the morning during water changes for my CT. He was very sick, and I knew he would most likely not make it when I got home and put him in the tank that Lord Voldemort is in now.


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## LarixLyallii (Jan 19, 2015)

I'm sorry to hear about Carmello! He was a beautiful fish, who had a good home with you.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

greenfishfl said:


> No prob, I lost a beautiful delta tail, he passed away on the 3rd day in the morning during water changes for my CT. He was very sick, and I knew he would most likely not make it when I got home and put him in the tank that Lord Voldemort is in now.


I'm sorry for your loss as well.  Carmello was a healthy guy for a bit over month, so I don't think I'll ever really know what sent him into dropsy. Seems to be a thing that just happens despite any precautions being taken.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

LarixLyallii said:


> I'm sorry to hear about Carmello! He was a beautiful fish, who had a good home with you.


Thank you.  I do still miss him a lot currently though, but am starting to look forward to perhaps giving another betta a nice home as well in the future.


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## LadyNightraven (Jun 30, 2013)

I'm so sorry about Carmello. He was a gorgeous fish. May he swim in peace.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So a lot of changes going on for me over here. I got hired for my first job this week, so I totally have to rework my schedules for my boys. 

Though, since I finally have work, first thing I'm doing is getting Roscoe a bigger tank. Since having a 30 gallon and a 5 gallon, I now feel a 2.5 is too small and too big of a pain to bother with. So I'm just going to keep it as a hospital tank. Honestly, I have no clue how anyone who has space for a bigger tank can stand having a 1 gallon(excluding the rare cases where the betta freaks in larger spaces). All my boys act so differently in different sized spaces. They're so much more active and vibrant in the larger spaces. I just don't get it. Not my taste. You can barely decorate those too. Half the fun of this hobby to me has been aquascaping. 

But speaking of my 2.5 as a hospital tank, it's currently occupied by Sammy. He ended up getting a mild case of popeye. Poor baby. I hope to have him out of there soon, since he seems to be improving. His eye is still a little cloudy. If the timing lines up nicely, then I won't have to put Roscoe back in there. I plan on buying a 10 gallon next week when I get my first paycheck.

So quick pet store story too...I went into Petsmart yesterday to look at the tanks they had, and found a cute little yellow VT with stunning blue eyes. I actually bought him and walked out of the store. He was even more stunning in the light. I really felt chemistry with him. And then...it turned out he had some white fuzz on his side so I had to immediately return him. My hospital tank is occupied and I was too worried that it could be columnaris anyway. But my heart broke a little to take him back. It's painful to have to give up what I had JUST accepted as my newest baby who I was going to take home and love. I was already thinking of how gorgeous he'd be once I started feeding him right and giving him space and clean water...

I've actually been really regretting it constantly since I took him back because I keep thinking of worst case scenarios. Like "What if by returning him for being sick, I've inadvertently gotten him killed? Surely they aren't going to attempt to treat him. He's a $4 VT." The guilt's been eating away at me.

So I've told myself that if he's somehow there when I go back to get the new 10 gallon tank...that I'll likely buy him again(or at least get them to give him to me if he's still sick) and all the medication I need to treat fungal problems. It's probably a bad idea with my new schedule...so I almost hope that he isn't there and that he's in the back room being treated or something. Thinking that helps me feel better.


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## ThisDragonisNerdy (Mar 28, 2015)

Hey! I've been reading this whole thread, I like your split up 30 gallon! Sorry to hear about the betta you had to return... Do you think you could put up some updated pics?


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Yeah, I've been meaning to post some! I had sort of forgotten to. The truth is, I've been testing an ornament this whole time and didn't want to post it being in my tank until I was 99% sure it's safe.

It's actually a ceramic hamster house I got on clearance back in December. Not the prettiest thing in the world, but Mercury loves it. So I've kept it. Works great. I'll probably post again tomorrow if I get time.


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## ThisDragonisNerdy (Mar 28, 2015)

ok, cool


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Ughhh. I've been so busy with work that I've barely had any time at all for my boys the past two weeks. I'll hopefully get to an update on Thursday. I'm setting up Roscoe's new tank today since it's my day off and my heater came in.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Ha! Got time to do an update today.

So this is Roscoe's new tank so far;










I'm eventually going for a starry/space theme. I gotta get my hands on a black background to paint on and some blue lights. The idea is that Roscoe will be like a comet shooting across the sky. I thought my little jasper ball things looked like little planets.

And an updated picture of my divided tank;









That last space is super empty because everything that was in that space went to Roscoe. I'll of course refill it whenever I find a new betta to home there.

And here's my setup in general;


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## ThisDragonisNerdy (Mar 28, 2015)

Nice tanks! I like the space theme in Roesco's tank, and the hamster house in Mercury's section.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So today was a day of good finds! First...I found this amazing little glass ornament for Roscoe's tank. I wish they had more in stock! I would've bought like 3!










So I don't like to float my anubias...but I don't want to kill it either by burying it. This was the perfect solution! I thought it looked sorta futuristic...so I like it a lot for this tank. Gotta go to Petsmart soon to stock up on more plants.

And my second find(and the most exciting. Save the best for last, right?)










My new boy! He gave me the sweetest puppy eyes and so I had to take him with me. He's a double tail, and that worries me a little bit, but he'll hopefully be fine. Lucky little guy, he was part of today's shipment at Petco, so he didn't even spend a full day at the store(by like 30 minutes. I went before closing)

So I'll be brainstorming names for him and I'll have to get some better pictures of him.


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## ThisDragonisNerdy (Mar 28, 2015)

Awww, he's so cute! Any name ideas yet? (ps, i like the plant holder thing)


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

I finally think the new guy has a name that sticks. I'm being a fangirl again and calling him Kaito. The color scheme fits and I keep finding myself calling him that. He's doing well. He's very mellow, so I think he'll get along in the big tank just fine. He already doesn't respond much when Mercury is trying to provoke him through his QT container. Maybe it'll force Mercury to calm back down. He's been more aggressive as he's been getting older, and Sam has been indulging him in that. So Sam has been moved to the right end space and is doing a bit better next to Tibs.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So everything is still going pretty smoothly for once *knock on wood* I just found out today from a thread someone posted that my black sand has raised my ph from 7.5 to 7.6...still looking into whether that's bad for my boys or not. They haven't been acting any different in the slightest. It's not a big change, but it does concern me.

And an update on Kaito...he has the PRETTIEST flare. I admit that I was not entirely a fan of doubletails(I bought Kaito for him having the cutest little face), but after seeing how full his finnage looks when he flares up, I've been converted into a fan of the look.

The other funny thing about him...he's almost _suspiciously_ mellow. Maybe he's still getting settled in. But for now, he hides most of the day. He's quite the little Houdini. He camouflages a little too well for my liking. I'm always terrified that he's just poofed. His reactions to Mercury are hilariously polite(which is also what I mean by him being suspiciously mellow.) He just looks at Merc wiggling and flaring and kinda goes "Well, a good day to you, kind sir." and when he gets tired of Mercury trying to start a rumble with him(and this takes a good while) he flares back up for just a moment, as if to say "I said, GOOD DAY, sir!" and then Mercury gets the message and swims off. It makes me laugh every time. Kaito is quite the patient little guy. 

I actually almost find him to be similar to Tibs in personality if he stays this way. Perhaps shy bettas are the best candidates for divided tanks? Makes me wonder if there may be a pattern to this. Tibs also is not really fond of people OR other bettas. He tolerates me and the two little endler guppies. I wouldn't really say he _likes_ me or them. Mercury, Sam, Shion, and Roscoe all have a little beef with other bettas(Shion and Roscoe especially), but they do seem to enjoy interacting with me and other humans. Kaito seems to be indifferent so far. He tends to look at me like "Oh, hi there. What are you doing?". He's also not really startled easily, while Tibs actively avoids me.

I have to see if I can get a good picture of Kaito flaring later. I also need to get a video of Sam doing the cutest dang thing. He does jazz hands. The other day my mom went up to him and started wiggling her hands at him(he was sitting still on a leaf at the time.) When she started to do it, he started to wave his "ears"/pectorals back at her! He stopped when she stopped and started when she did. It was the funniest freaking thing. Sam is such a goofball.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So today is mainly a sad update. Sammy passed away recently from what I believe was just organ failure, and today Roscoe has passed away from what I'm pretty sure was just age. Unlike Sammy, Roscoe's death wasn't sudden or anything, and he's been showing what I've been told are signs of aging for a couple months now. He was definitely full grown when I got him, so it's possible that Roscoe may have been almost 2. My understanding from what I've read is that both EEs and RTs don't exactly have good genes, so I'm guessing this is normal and not really preventable. I'm going to clean Roscoe's tank, and maybe just mope a bit today. I wish bettas lived longer. I really do. The time we get with them is too short.

In good news though, I did buy a new betta shortly after Sam passed. I posted about the yellow VT I had to give back to Petsmart. So I went into Petco and found another yellow and blue-eyed boy. I love that combo, so I took him home. He's a delta tail. I'll post pictures of him soon.


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## Elleth (Feb 23, 2015)

Aw, I'm sorry for your losses. Looking forward to seeing pictures of the new guy, though. He sounds gorgeous!


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Thanks. I was hoping to get pictures today and didn't get the chance.

In even more bad news, after years of service...my surge protector just died on me. So I had to move Shion into the quarantine jar so I could float him in the big tank to keep him warm. He is not at all pleased. And neither am I. Now I have to remove everything from my entertainment center and drain Shion's tank just so I can move it forward enough to unplug and replace my power strip. At least these things last a while, I guess.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Haven't posted in a while. Mainly because things just haven't been going well. My 30 gallon had some kind of freak cycle crash that put my nitrates off the chart. Kaito went into dropsy and didn't make it. Mercury is still recovering. He flips between normal and very sickly depending on the day. I'm not sure what to do with him because I can't keep him on epsom salt forever. Tibs is completely unaffected for some reason, but that's a relief to me. I finally got my nitrates back down to about 20ppm after a week or so of small water changes. I'm mainly just mourning the loss of all my bettas lately. The timing and the causes have just been a lot for me. I'm trying to not beat myself up over Kaito. I keep thinking "If only I had tested my water more" or "If I had just noticed sooner" I keep trying to be logical in thinking about how my tank has been stable for months, so I didn't have any reason to think something had gone so wrong. 

I'm just glad that Mercury is hanging in there. He's my first betta and I adore him. And he's pretty attached to me too. It breaks my heart that he still tries so hard to be near me when I come up to him. I am really not ready to lose him. I'm also relieved that this is a one-off situation. My other tanks are fine. DJ and the two endler guppies are fine and so is Shion.
Part of me wants to keep up with the betta bug, but the other part of me just wants to take a break from bettas for a bit too. I'm hoping I'll get over this slump soon. I know I want to give some more bettas a home, I have the space, but maybe I'm just not ready to at the moment.

Edit:
And it just gets worse. I've been out of my room for a few hours, when I left everything was perfectly fine. I came back and got ready to feed Tibs and found that he passed away out of nowhere. He's the only one who was seemingly fine through all this. It's very sudden. I'm sort of in shock right now. At least Mercury is still hanging in here...


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So less sad updates. So I've decided that Mercury is just old and the timing was coincidental. He's not declining or improving, and he was like this for about a month before my tank freaked out. Even though I'm not a fan of doing so many water changes, I've moved Mercury back into the small tank because it's easiest for him. He can't swim so far up for air in the bigger tank like he used to. My poor baby is an old man already. I hate seeing him so lacking in energy, but he doesn't seem sick or in pain. Just...not energetic.

And so I finally got around to taking pictures of DJ:


















He is the most handsome boy in person, unfortunately he is crazy hyper, so pictures are hard. It turned out that DJ is actually a HM(maybe even a bit over) betta...but the store mislabeled him as a delta tail because he had bitten his tail off! I thought he had a few nibbles out of it(it looked mostly round and even) and within a month as his tail grew back, it turned out that half his tail was cellophane! I didn't notice a lot of it growing because it was transparent. I wish I could get a shot of him flaring, because it is crazy pretty.

And I'll also have two new additions to write about here. I bought a german blue ram and a thick lipped gourami last week. Both are doing great so far!

My ram is named Galaxy and my gourami is Cosmos. Exciting news is that Cosmos is my first girl! I just picked whatever one had the best and brightest coloring. I later read that the females can be just as colorful as the males. So I had to double-check. She has a rounded dorsal and not pointed, therefore female. What a nice surprise! I don't have a picture of her yet, but a few of Galaxy.

Galaxy was the first fish I ever bought online. Got him from an ebay seller and I'm glad everything went smoothly! A little pricey for one fish...but I feel like it's worth it so far.









The first day in his new home. Very gray! He already looks really different and he hasn't even been here a week yet.










He currently knows me more as "the bringer of the siphon" than the "food god" so he sort of hates me right now. I'm sure he'll come around. He's still settling in. I eventually want to get a picture of him colored up. He has a fabulous blue going on toward the back of him, and he sometimes almost looks like he's covered in blue LED lights. That's how bright his scales get. It's amazing!


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## Elleth (Feb 23, 2015)

Love those fish! They're gorgeous, congrats!  And DJ looks so awesome! Especially in the picture with his tail streaming behind him. Just stunning.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Elleth said:


> Love those fish! They're gorgeous, congrats!  And DJ looks so awesome! Especially in the picture with his tail streaming behind him. Just stunning.


Thanks!  I love it when DJ has his tail like that too. Makes him look so majestic!


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So Galaxy HATES me and it's sometimes hilarious. His reaction to me is a guilty pleasure. He zooms to the back of the tank if I get too close. My room is smallish and 90% bed. So most of my things are either on the cube shelf that my tanks are on, or in the small little aisles on the sides of my bed. So sometimes I forget that Galaxy hates my guts(because I'm used to my bettas who want to be near me instead) and so I'll be grabbing something really quick like my laptop charger, and out of nowhere I'll hear CLINKCLINKCLINK from the tank.

Galaxy has claimed a glass candle holder with glass marbles in it as his cave. The CLINK is him panicking and ZOOMING out of the cave to hide from me. He goes so fast that he shakes up the marbles inside the glass and kicks up my sand.

Now don't get me wrong, I NEVER do this to him on purpose. This is why it's a guilty pleasure. I don't ever want to scare him that bad, but it IS sort of funny because he's being silly. For the most part, I now have to approach the tank slowly and gently so he doesn't freak. If I come up slow, he just slowly backs away from me in return. He's slowly coming around though. I've caught him staring at me from afar when he thinks I'm not looking at him. As soon as I turn my head, he flees. 

I think another week of food bribery should do the trick into getting him to love me.


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## ThisDragonisNerdy (Mar 28, 2015)

LMAO XD I'm sure he'll grow to (openly) love you soon. "Well, she brings food- she can't be _that_ bad. ;P


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

THATDragonLovesBettas said:


> LMAO XD I'm sure he'll grow to (openly) love you soon. "Well, she brings food- she can't be _that_ bad. ;P


They all learn to love the food giver eventually! He is just SO suspicious of me. I really did a number on him by using that siphon, I guess!


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Mercury isn't doing so great today. I'm not sure what to do to make him more comfortable. He's having trouble with his swim bladder now. I know at this point, I should probably consider euthanasia, but I can't bear the thought of it. I can't imagine ending it when he's trying so hard to be near me even in this condition. I couldn't look this little one in the eyes and end it when he trusts me so openly. I really wanted him to just go naturally and in peace.

Anyone ever wish you could just hold a fish close? If he didn't need the heater, I would probably just hold his little container in my arms for a while. It's hard with fish sometimes. That you can't be near them like land animals. 

A few years ago, when I had take my rat, Louie, to get put to sleep after he came down with pneumonia, I could at least pet him and put him on a soft pillow and could wrap him in a little blanket. I could hold him close to me so I could try to ease the suffering however I could. But that day was hard on me. I had never had to put one of my pets down before. I cried for hours thinking about holding him in hands as the life left him. And about how I was directly responsible for it. I made that decision for him because he couldn't recover. I'm still crying thinking about it, though I know I made the right choice. He was suffering, after all. But it's not like I had to give him the shot myself. 

I don't know if I'm strong enough to do this for Mercury. I love him just as much. When I look at my room and I see my tanks, my fish foods, my equipment...I remember that this is all thanks to him. I wouldn't have had all these wonderful animals in my life if I hadn't picked up his little cup and adored him at the store. He's my little trooper and he's fighting so hard. I don't know what else I can do for him to show my thanks.


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## Elleth (Feb 23, 2015)

Hahaha, that cracked me up!


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Elleth said:


> Hahaha, that cracked me up!


I feel like the siphon must have the same effect as dogs and the vacuum. Just some unreasonable fear of a long hose that sucks up dirt or something.


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## Elleth (Feb 23, 2015)

Oh no, I'm so sorry! Didn't see the newest post before I posted my previous one. I'm so sorry. It's a very rough situation to be in.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Elleth said:


> Oh no, I'm so sorry! Didn't see the newest post before I posted my previous one. I'm so sorry. It's a very rough situation to be in.


That's alright! I like to say I have the weirdest timing with posting. I would never assume someone was laughing at that post. At least not on this forum. Was just sort of thinking in a post. Journal business as usual. I try my best not to sulk to long about things that are what they are.


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## ThisDragonisNerdy (Mar 28, 2015)

Oh no... My first boy passed on his own, I wasn't even there for it. But I just had to euthanize Cinna about a week ago. He was fighter, tried _so_ hard to keep swimming back to the top. But he, they, trust you to do the right thing, make the right decision. In the end, I knew his struggle had to stop. I hope you can decide what is right for you two.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

THATDragonLovesBettas said:


> Oh no... My first boy passed on his own, I wasn't even there for it. But I just had to euthanize Cinna about a week ago. He was fighter, tried _so_ hard to keep swimming back to the top. But he, they, trust you to do the right thing, make the right decision. In the end, I knew his struggle had to stop. I hope you can decide what is right for you two.


This has happened to me too. I hate not being there for them when they pass.

Thanks for the encouragement. I still have some thinking to do as Mercury isn't 100% down and out yet. His main issue right now is laying on his side. But he's still able to straighten out to get air. So I'm still very undecided about his condition.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So a few updates today, Cosmos has been unleashed upon the tank. She's doing great with Galaxy so far. They're getting along well, most of the time. He's of course very defensive of his cave. But man is this girl HILARIOUS. She slapped him with her feeler while trying to steal his cave. I cracked up hard.

As for Mercury...I've decided to let him back into a tiny divided space in my tank for now. He's been in a 1 gallon container for a little while now, with just a moss ball. I can tell he's bored and unstimulated. I've decided that aside from the general lethargy and difficulty laying straight up, he's not living that much differently from when his swim bladder was healthy. He's eating well, he can straighten out to get air, and he's still inquisitive and interested in things. His swimming is a bit wobbly, but he can still get around. I decided that if he stops eating, ever has difficulty getting air, or loses his curious and reactive nature, then I will put him to sleep. He hasn't given up on living his life yet, and I want to give him the chance to pass naturally if that's what's meant to happen.

And in more good news(finally) it seems that my 30 gallon tank nightmare is finally over. I'm testing at 0 ammonia 0 nitrite...and the best part 5ppm Nitrate!!(The amount that comes out of my tap water)

Man, I am glad that's over. I was getting so worn out on all the extra water changes. And I can safely say I really recommend Seachem De-nitrate. It's worked wonders on my tank! It said it may take up to 3 weeks, but many of the reviews said it worked in one. And that seems to be true. Last week, my nitrates were about 20-30! Money well spent. It's a big help and puts my mind at ease since I know rams are sensitive to water parameters.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So quick shot of my tank;










Galaxy and Cosmos are hanging out in the corner there. They do that often. I'm glad they get along. I'm so used to my betta's "everything is mine" attitudes that it's so strange to me to see two fish being so peaceful!

The little divided section belongs to Mercury. I give him all that stuff to lay on to make it easier on him...and where is he? On the bottom of the tank. :I 
He'll land on the leaf of the plant sometimes and will go "Hah, no." and then he'll get right off it.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Hah!! Got a picture of Galaxy in full color! He didn't run away from me this time! And there's Cosmos creeping in the background too.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

More pictures of Galaxy because DANG is he a pretty fish!!










And this one will surely speak for itself. When he looks like this...THIS is why I named him Galaxy:









I LOVE how he almost looks like he lights up. Like starlight. Or a bunch of LEDs lol. Even with the tank light off, you can see him like this and it is so beautiful. I have fallen so much for this little guy. I'm going to ask for more German Blue Rams for my birthday. I'm hoping to get maybe 3 more. After I get some more plants too, of course.


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## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

I hope Mercury can pull through for you. It's very hard losing them. I was heartbroken when I had to put my second betta, and the one that got me into the hobby, Merlin, down. 

Galaxy is simple stunning, just wow! Beautiful coloration!


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

BettaLover1313 said:


> I hope Mercury can pull through for you. It's very hard losing them. I was heartbroken when I had to put my second betta, and the one that got me into the hobby, Merlin, down.
> 
> Galaxy is simple stunning, just wow! Beautiful coloration!


Thanks. I think Mercury is just sadly going to have swim bladder issues for the remainder of his life. He seems otherwise fine...he eats, he swims(even if a bit wobbly...), he doesn't seem to struggle to get air...I do have to consider any day he goes "exploring" a good day though, since he's not too active anymore. I'm still hoping that I won't have to put him to sleep either. It's off the table for the moment since he doesn't seem to be in any sort of pain or suffering. It's more like he's living with a disability now. :-( He's hanging in there. Breaks my heart that I can't cure SBD though.

And yeah, it really surprised me how much Galaxy has colored up! He is crazy colorful when he wants to be.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Darn. No dice for me today to get Galaxy a girlfriend! I don't think that I mentioned on here that Galaxy is quite the ladies' fish.

And by that, I mean he's tried to pair off with Cosmos lol. Cosmos is not really into him as much as he's into her. She likes to touch him with her feelers sometimes, but that's all the returned affection he's getting from her.

The same seller I bought Galaxy from had some gold rams, and I was hoping the last one they had would happen to be a female. Unfortunately it's another male. So close! I'm still not sure how to house multiple rams in a tank, really. I'm just worried about potential fighting in my currently peaceful tank. Not trying to turn my tank into a fish MMA ring right now. After what's happened in recent months...I just want all my fish to be "best friends" and to be peaceful and happy.


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## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

Galaxy is looking great! Good luck with finding him a gal.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

MikeG14 said:


> Galaxy is looking great! Good luck with finding him a gal.


Thanks! Hopefully it'll go well. I found another breeder that I just ordered a gold ram from. They said they'd definitely try to send me a female, but they couldn't guarantee it because of their age(about 5 months). They seem like a very reliable place, so I'm sure they just said it to cover themselves just in case. She(hopefully) is due to arrive around Wednesday!


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## Kyle15 (Apr 22, 2015)

You should get a female betta and breed DJ and her


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Kyle15 said:


> You should get a female betta and breed DJ and her


I wish. Wouldn't consider breeding any of my pet bettas. Don't want them getting hurt. Plus, I don't have the space. I am considering breeding my ram though. Takes up a lot less space.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So my new gold ram got here safe and sound today! But man, it is SO tiny! I thought they'd be bigger than this at 5 months! It's barely about an inch long! So I really don't know if I got a girl or not. SO small lol


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

For all you DJ fans out there:










Honestly, I have NO idea what his tail type is anymore. And it's especially difficult because he won't flare! He'll sometimes do it for a second or two...but not long enough for me to get a camera. He was sold me as a delta, then I thought he was a HM, and now with how it layers, I sometimes think he might even be a rosetail? I don't even know. He's pretty though.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Glad I took that picture of DJ when I did, because he decided it was time for a "haircut". He now looks like he did when I bought him. He is so weird though. He is such a clean biter. It looks so even! It's just...short.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

Today was a blast. I went to my first California Betta Society show! Oh my gosh, they had some gorgeous bettas. 

Of course the one that completely stole my heart wasn't for sale!! I would've paid ridiculous amounts of money for this beauty.










Bad picture, but he was orange and purple!! I can't even describe how wonderful I think he is.

(By the slim chance that anyone knows who bred this guy...PLEASE let me know! I want in on any spawn of his if they come out similar lol)

Buuuuuut...as we all know how betta shows go, I didn't go home empty handed. I stayed through the whole auction and I'm glad I did. I got an adorable "black lace" plakat male for an absolute STEAL of $5! He has the most stunning eyes. He's a cutie. I didn't have the guts to bid on most of the show fish. I'm really not pushy enough when it comes down to it, so I did lose out on a few yellow plakat males, and two other stunning black and white males.

I also have the bad habit of thinking "But I can only get one, and then what if one I like more pops up after??" Then I panic...then I don't bid. And then I end up winning one of the last 20ish fish up for auction lol.

I'll post pictures of my newest addition to the finned family tomorrow. I've already named him. His name is Oliver.  ...Mainly because I went to get pizza after the show and the olives reminded me of him.

So I'm going to test out and see if he does well in my community tank, and if he doesn't I'll split DJ's tank.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So here's Oliver:










I can't even tell what color his eyes are. Is it possible for them to have white eyes? I would guess they're actually blue otherwise. Now that I've seen him flare out, I can see why his bidding started at $1. I think he's great, but he has bad form for any sort of showing. Good thing I was looking for a pet betta and not a show fish!

So I admit that I didn't QT this time around. But mainly because I trust where he comes from. So far, he's doing great in a community setting. He picks on my young gold ram a bit, but he's not overly persistent or aggressive about it. He seems to know that he can't take on Galaxy and Cosmos due to their size, so he'll flare at them, but won't take it any further. For the most part today, he's actually just doing his own thing. Hopefully things stay the way they're going and he'll be just fine in this tank for a while!


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## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

Congrats on the new addition. He's got beautiful coloring.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

So a few updates...the biggest one is that unfortunately DJ passed away very suddenly. He was fine one day, and in dropsy and then gone the next. After what's happened in the past months, I have now sworn off chain pet store bettas. I'm not the only one that this happened to, so I will only be buying from reputable breeders from now on. It hurts the wallet...but it'll hurt my heart a lot less. SIP DJ. I really loved you for the short time you were here with me. I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you.

So I'm actually going to move Oliver into DJ's old tank now. He's been doing fantastically with Galaxy and Buttercup, but just today, he's started picking on Cosmos. He won't let her hang out in the top of the tank, so off to his own place he goes. Cosmos is such a sweetheart for a gourami though. Despite being the largest fish in my tank, she's the lowest in the pecking order. This girl doesn't have a mean bone in her body. Pretty much to a fault though. Too nice for her own good! Even little Buttercup bosses her around sometimes.

I thought about giving her the 10 gallon tank...but I'm not sure she'd be happy about it. She spends a lot of time with Buttercup(they get along great 99% of the time) and loves to poke all the tank inhabitants with her feelers. I don't think she'd be too stimulated on her own. Since Oliver is a betta...I know he'll be A-OK being solo.


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## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

I'm very sorry for your loss. It's very hard to lose a fish you're attached to. I was quite upset when Merlin passed away.


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## Reccka (Jul 20, 2014)

BettaLover1313 said:


> I'm very sorry for your loss. It's very hard to lose a fish you're attached to. I was quite upset when Merlin passed away.


Thank you. It is really hard. I don't know where the stores in my area keep getting their bettas...but it seems like they can't come from anywhere good because of the things that keep happening to them even with the level of care they receive. I try my hardest to provide them with the absolute best I can... It isn't fair to all those bettas to have such short lives.

I'm sorry for your loss as well.


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