# Baby Betta Journal!



## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

On March 10, 2014 I walked into my nearest Petco for dog food. But I had to browse first, of course...and that's when I saw the baby bettas. I fell in love but told myself I didn't need one, and walked out with dog food only. (This was mostly because I knew my parents would make fun of me for buying two bettas.) But I returned on March 15 with my two little brothers in tow, gave in, and walked out with two babies under the pretense that they were for my brothers. (Really though, they are mine. Haha.)

Anyway, it's been nearly a week since I got them, and I have spent hours perusing this forum and carefully monitoring my babies. I can't wait to see them grow up, and so I've decided to have a baby betta journal  This will feature lots of photos of course because I'm a bit of a shutterbug!

My brothers did pick the babies out, otherwise I would have never been able to choose one...most were small with baby stripes, and one was a bit bigger with a dark reddish color. So we got the reddish one and a striped one. We haven't chosen names yet, trying out different names and will decide once we know for sure the gender. One of my brothers said he was going to name his either Machete or Aphrodite, LOL. We'll see. I'll probably refer to them as Red & Stripes until we decide!

I currently have them in ~1 gal each but am going to buy a 10 gal on my next payday. I'm going to make a divider as well. Right now they are being fed Omega One 2x a day with bloodworms every now and then. They get a 50% water change every day.

On to some pictures!

03.17.2014 (two days after getting them)

Red

















Stripes

















The red one is very active, chasing its reflection in the glass, and even chasing my thermometer when I'm checking the temp! The smaller one is not as active, but he is doing well I think, just a more relaxed fish. His spine bends a little funny but it doesn't seem to be affecting him or his swimming.

03.21.2014

















I added a few fake plants to their tanks, they seem to really enjoy it. The little one sleeps on one of the blue leaves at night  Haven't seen a huge difference since I've had them, at least not yet. Hopefully they'll be growing bigger pretty soon.

Any observations on the sexes/types of bettas these guys are would be excellent  so far I've been told they are both boys, and that the red one might be a HM. The little one is probably too soon to tell, though!


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## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

Very cute babies! It'll be fun seeing how much they grow and develop.


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

BettaLover1313 said:


> Very cute babies! It'll be fun seeing how much they grow and develop.


Thank you! And it definitely will, I am so excited about them!  I'm going a little picture crazy but it will be so neat to see their progress.


Last night I noticed my babies were looking so good! The bigger one's fins are a more vibrant red now and I can tell he's gotten bigger. The little one's fins are spreading more (his caudal fin is spread out, unlike how it just droops in the above photos) and he's much more active, investigating when I'm changing his water and swimming all around. 

I've ordered a lot of the supplies I'll need for their 10 gallon, so I'm just waiting for that all to get in on Thursday, and then I'll be going out to buy the actual tank on Friday. I can't wait to get it up, planted, and cycled for them! My family thinks I'm crazy for caring so much about these fish but I can't help it. I've always wanted an aquarium, anyway.


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

03.25.2014 (Day 10)



















The red one is starting to develop some rays (I think?) and the blue on his body only showed up with my flash. He was trying to eat a pellet that was too big in this pic, hence the weird mouth! haha

Little one is looking better already, I think. Still no color development but he is healthier.


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## Huffle Puffles (Jul 5, 2013)

How adorable they are! I love the little one's fin spots but am curious to see how he/she does color up. I'm excited to watch you document their growth.


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

Huffle Puffles said:


> How adorable they are! I love the little one's fin spots but am curious to see how he/she does color up. I'm excited to watch you document their growth.


Haha yes! They're cute spots, but I wonder how he/she will turn out 



Today I spent my whole paycheck (LOL) on a 10gal tank plus all the necessities of course...spent 3.5 hours setting it up! I planted a few plants and stuck a moss ball in there, put in the heater and a sponge filter, and drained the tank because of all the dirt floating around. Refilled it and there's still some particles. I think I need more sand, but for now it's alright. Now I just have to wait for it to cycle, and then my babies will have their new home!

I also bought some frozen brine shrimp and fed it to them, they really seemed to like it! Much better than the freeze dried bloodworms I gave them as treats before.


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

So I finally got some more sand for my tank, put it in, and it kicked up some more dirt but it looks much better! The dirt has finally cleared.










It looks pretty sparse right now. I have two bunches of wisteria, one java fern, one marimo moss ball, and two kinds of anubias. I hope to add some water sprite to float at the top. Also I have some driftwood I bought at petco to add in, plus a small branch from a bigger piece I found at the beach several years ago. They are boiling now to release all the tannins! 

Also, I finally got a good pic of my red baby's "eggspot" or "false eggspot"...can't tell!


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

Today I noticed some blue on my little one's fins! It's not nearly as flashy as it appears in this photo, but still visible  

We also had an accident while I was changing the water!! He got sucked up into my turkey baster!! I was so worried, but he came out, and besides a bit of red on his underside, he appears fine. I took one of the live plants out of the cycling tank and put it in his tank instead, so he would have something soft to lay on if he needed it. Poor baby.


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

A few days ago I was trying to measure the smallest one by holding a ruler up to the tank while he was swimming past...I held it up, but before I could measure him he swam behind it to where I couldn't see him...then two seconds later appeared in the hole of the ruler, staring at me! Made me laugh, haha.










Anyway it's been about a week since I've updated! 



















They are both doing well. Eating crushed Omega One pellets in the morning and frozen brine shrimp around dinner time. They will eat until their bellies get huge!! I have to be careful and give them just enough, which is kind of hard, especially with the brine shrimp.

The smaller one still has a blue sheen on his fins, and I think I see some secondary rays. Also, he's developed some red on his ventrals! 
The bigger one is getting so big and bright. He's got some black rims around his fins now, which I rather like.

I bought even more plants for my 10 gal, and two nerite snails. Also saw some baby snails in there. I'm hoping the cycle will finish soon, I'm getting anxious to put my babies in already!!


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

Quick update!


















Babies are still doing well 

My cycling 10gal is doing awesome, some of the plants have grown sooo much it's crazy! My banana plants started off with three tiny leaves and now they have five leaves, a couple are as big as my palm! And my dwarf lily had three small leaves as well, but now has 7 or 8!

It's almost done cycling! I thought about putting my fish in today but I figured I might as well keep waiting it out...it's almost done.


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

*Wait it out...haha.*

Last night I moved my babies into my 10 gal...I couldn't help it! My ammonia levels were lowering 1ppm a day and my nitrites were going down so I figured with that and all the plants I have in there, it would be fine!

Once I put them in, both the babies immediately began to hunt all the copepods that had accumulated in the tank, until their bellies were full! Lol. It was so fun to watch them explore and swim around the plants. I was afraid they would be stressed, but this morning their stress stripes were gone!

They seem to be adapting well. And of course, I have photos!









Little one has vertical bars now, I guess from seeing the bigger one on the other side of the divider.








Size comparison!








Full tank!









I also splurged and bought a Fluval Spec V (it was on sale!) sooo that should be here in a few days. Which means...another fish in the near future! It will be my "sister's" fish but of course it will basically be mine 
I also hope to add ADF's to the ten gallon in the future, and some shrimp into the fluval spec. Ah I'm so excited!


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

They both look like females


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## Fawnleaf (Aug 31, 2010)

Oh my goodness! Both of your babies have grown so much! But your little blue baby in particular has grown an incredible amount!! I can't believe how healthy he/she looks now!! Great job!!!


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

Eep Crood said:


> They both look like females


They might be! Noticed an ovipositor on my little one a couple days ago. I keep thinking I'm seeing ovaries but my eye isn't trained enough for me to be sure...it's driving me crazy!



Fawnleaf said:


> Oh my goodness! Both of your babies have grown so much! But your little blue baby in particular has grown an incredible amount!! I can't believe how healthy he/she looks now!! Great job!!!


Ahh thank you! looking back at my first photos, he/she definitely has!! amazing what a little tlc can do 


and, quick update!











Red one didn't want to stay still! Too busy zooming around










My dwarf lily and banana plants have sent up 5 shooters between them. Here's little one enjoying his new leaf bed










My view when feeding. Little one is getting so blue/purple! Big one has some dark blue on body and starting to develop some on the tail!









Ovaries?!










And finally, my Fluval Spec...I set it up a couple days ago. So cool looking! Once payday rolls around I'm going to purchase plants & driftwood for it. It's still cloudy so forgive me.


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## scififan523 (Apr 5, 2014)

The bluish speckled one is adorable, and seriously jelly of your fluval. Those tanks are so ascetically pleasing to look at, but a bit out of my price range.


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

scififan523 said:


> The bluish speckled one is adorable, and seriously jelly of your fluval. Those tanks are so ascetically pleasing to look at, but a bit out of my price range.


Thank you! and ahh I know, they are pricy, I definitely splurged on it...but it was on sale at least.


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## scififan523 (Apr 5, 2014)

Yay bargain shopping


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

I see ovaries on little one, or whatever the striped one is. This means that she is almost certainly a female. Not sure about the red one.


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

Eep Crood said:


> I see ovaries on little one, or whatever the striped one is. This means that she is almost certainly a female. Not sure about the red one.


Guess I'd better be picking out some girl names! And ah I know, so hard to see bc red one is so dark. Half the time I only get silhouettes of that one when taking photos.

Today I took a leap of faith and bought 5 amano shrimp! They are so so so amusing to watch, oh my goodness. I wanted the red cherries but I was afraid my babies might make a snack out of them. The amanos are slightly bigger than they are. Considering turning my fluval into a shrimp tank...hmmmm.











that tail!










I initially had them all on little blue's side, because I was afraid the red one would pester them to death like he did my nerite...but I put a couple over there, he nipped a couple times, then left them alone after that. Little blue one however is turning into a bully. 

grumpy fish.


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

The shrimp decided that they had enough I guess, and the three on little blue's side somehow made their way over the divider to the red one's side. LOL now it's a shrimp party on one side, and a grumpy party on the other.

Blue one also ate SOMETHING, probably the shrimp pellets I put in before they all migrated, and now blue's stomach is blown up. Skipped the feeding tonight, I'll give brine shrimp tomorrow morning if little one looks less bloated.


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

Yep. There is an egg hole there now and ovaries. She is definitely a female. I can't tell about the red one, can you try getting a picture of him/her when he/she isn't swimming around?


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## knottymare (Feb 23, 2014)

nclnchls said:


> A few days ago I was trying to measure the smallest one by holding a ruler up to the tank while he was swimming past...I held it up, but before I could measure him he swam behind it to where I couldn't see him...then two seconds later appeared in the hole of the ruler, staring at me! Made me laugh, haha.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Love your journal. The picture of the little one peeping through the ruler is so adorable!


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

Little one is Definetly female. I'd say the red one is probably male, but I don't know for sure.


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

Thank you knottymare! haha up until that moment I had been trying not to get too attached...but yeah, I definitely am now LOL

Eep, it's so hard to get one of the red one, but I think I got a good one! And I think she might be female haha the paler parts look like ovaries to me (but then again, I'm certainly a newbie at this)










The fluorescent light also really brought out the blue! So cool looking. 

Yesterday I woke up and me and my siblings were playing our daily game of "find the shrimp!" in the tank, and we only counted four...that's when I noticed red one's belly was rather big, and then with some poking around I found a shrimp shell...I was a little upset that it had been eaten! But then half an hour later I came back, and saw all five shrimp just chilling! Sneaky thing haha. Definitely gave me a scare.


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

Yes, might be! I can't say for sure though because I see no egg hole. I've never had babies before so it can be hard, but bettas are pretty easy fish to determine the gender of. I have both genders all grown up, there is a clear difference between them: males have longer fins and slim bodies; females have round, pale bellies and a white dot (egg hole) on bottom. I know your striped one is a female because there has not been much fin growth, she has a round pale belly with ovaries, and an egg hole. You might want to name her now that you know her gender! As for your reddish one, I think it's probably female. There has not been much fin growth and it has a roundish belly (I think I see ovaries) but I don't see an egg hole so I cannot tell for sure, I'd hold off on naming it for another week or two to be sure


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

How are your babies doing?


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

Ah yeah, I think the red one is a girl! It does have an ovipositor and I think I see the ovaries. Still brainstorming on names! But anyway my babies are doing well! Not much exciting has happened, but I have some updated photos 

Red one is still doing awesome with the shrimp, doesn't care about them one bit! 









And blue one is still grumpy about them, demands to live by itself haha but always visits the red one by the divider. I think I see some red developing on the fins.










I also bought an adult betta for my Spec on Thursday, my sister named him Chase lol he's a pretty turquoise delta tail, but his tail has this really cool sheen to it--like it changes color as he swims. 










And here you can see how many colors there are in his fins:









I think I might start a general journal, and update on the babies every now and then here!


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

I see egg holes on the babies, and they have short fins and a roundish belly,so they are both females  how old is your sister, and how many siblings do you have? I have one younger sister, she is 8 years old


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

Eep Crood said:


> I see egg holes on the babies, and they have short fins and a roundish belly,so they are both females  how old is your sister, and how many siblings do you have? I have one younger sister, she is 8 years old


Aw! I have three little siblings! My sister is four, and my brothers are 8 and 12! They're a mess but I love them haha


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## Kaffrin (Apr 1, 2014)

All your lil' water puppies look amazing! Their colors are sooo stunning ^~^ I must know your secret to the fantastic quality of these pictures~ It just makes their colors pop!


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

So you are the oldest?


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

Kaffrin said:


> All your lil' water puppies look amazing! Their colors are sooo stunning ^~^ I must know your secret to the fantastic quality of these pictures~ It just makes their colors pop!


Aw haha water puppies!! That's so cute! And haha thank you! Your babies are adorable too, I love their colors! As for the photos, I am a photography student so I'm allll about getting good photos haha. The most important things are lighting and patience 



Eep Crood said:


> So you are the oldest?


I am! I'm assuming you are too?


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

Yes, my sister is 8 and obviously someone under 8 cannot use this website. How old are you? I'm 13


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

I mean, if you don't want to give out that information (how old you are), it's fine, I understand. I was just wondering because you seem like you are close to my age


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

Eep Crood said:


> I mean, if you don't want to give out that information (how old you are), it's fine, I understand. I was just wondering because you seem like you are close to my age


Sorry haha I forgot to respond! I've been watching Game of Thrones  and I'm 19!


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## Rosencrantz32 (May 12, 2013)

For a "newbie" at this, you are doing an amazing job!!

You're little ones are looking amazing and I love how your 10 gallon turned out  Also jealous of the Spec V. I REALLY wanted that one but didn't have the space so I bought the little one (which I love, but I like the V more lol)

But yeah, just wanted to give you props on your baby raising skills and I'm excited to continue watching them grow!


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

You are 19 and have a sister who is 4? That's unusual. I'm guessing she is probably your half sister or something like that?
How are the babies doing? Can I see some pictures?


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

Rosencrantz32 said:


> For a "newbie" at this, you are doing an amazing job!!
> 
> You're little ones are looking amazing and I love how your 10 gallon turned out  Also jealous of the Spec V. I REALLY wanted that one but didn't have the space so I bought the little one (which I love, but I like the V more lol)
> 
> But yeah, just wanted to give you props on your baby raising skills and I'm excited to continue watching them grow!


Ahhh thank you! I'm trying my hardest to let these little guys thrive!  so glad you're reading my journal!



Eep Crood said:


> You are 19 and have a sister who is 4? That's unusual. I'm guessing she is probably your half sister or something like that?
> How are the babies doing? Can I see some pictures?


Nope! She's my full sister haha. We are all spread out! When I go out in public with my sister, people think I'm her mom LOL

I will take pics of them tomorrow and post them! I just got off work and it's late and I'm sleepy


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

Photo update!


















Their photos are starting to all look the same, haha. They have their poses. 
The little one is getting so much color, so exciting!

I realized it's been over two months since I got them! And looking back at their first day photos...wow. They've come a long way!

Also, is it just me, or do the red one's fins seem to be growing even more?


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

weird who has a kid at 15 years old? I heard of a kid who was 11 and was pregnant but it was so rare it was on a show. I think it would be reasonable for people to assume you were her babysitter, or possibly her aunt, but a MOTHER?????

Both of your babies are growing up, they aren't really babies anymore!!!!!!!


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

Eep Crood said:


> weird who has a kid at 15 years old? I heard of a kid who was 11 and was pregnant but it was so rare it was on a show. I think it would be reasonable for people to assume you were her babysitter, or possibly her aunt, but a MOTHER?????
> 
> Both of your babies are growing up, they aren't really babies anymore!!!!!!!


Haha I know! People are weird. 

Ahhh yeah! They're still so small though. Maybe an inch long. I'm worrying that I'm not doing enough water changes!! Trying to do 25-50% every other day but work sometimes gets in the way!

Today I realized I forgot to plug their heater in last night, so their tank got down to 70 degrees!! Ahhh I plugged it in immediately, but I felt so bad, poor things!


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## nclnchls (Mar 18, 2014)

I haven't updated in a while! I got promoted at my job and have been pretty busy with that, also tomorrow I am leaving for BONNAROO! I'm so excited, but that also means I'm leaving my fish in the hands of my father while I'm gone. And my dogs. And my cat. And my plants. He better not forget about them!

I didn't think they had grown much, but I took new pictures and I can tell the red one's fins have grown!










And these pictures are pretty bad, but little blue one wouldn't stop darting around, and I didn't have a lot of time for pictures--









and with flash you can really see her iridescent blue (and my dirty glass)










Anyway, I'll keep trying to update after I get back from the music festival!


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## DaytonBetta (Feb 4, 2014)

Have a great time! That sounds so fun.


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## TealHoundogg (May 7, 2014)

Nice fish. Looks like they're sisters. I've seen two bettas in a tank together at Petco once. So, I'm guessing they were siblings, I'm the sort of person who'd get both just so they could stay together.


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

So cute!!!!


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## candacerose (Jun 20, 2014)

love your blog... maybe you could view mine  it's my first time having a baby betta too


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