# Finally! My Full Red HM Male Betta!



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Today I finally received my new Betta! As I mentioned in my Betta Pictures thread, I went thru an ordeal to get him. Here's the story:

I had an urge to own another red HM male Betta, after being fishless for about 7 years. I got my last Betta from Aquabid, but ended up giving him away when I moved to another apartment. I just didn't want to deal with moving a fish tank (I also gave away all my orchid plants). While I had a decent setup for that Betta, I didn't know anything about cycling & other factors to offer the best care & environment for a Betta. I wanted to make sure I did all I could to give my new Betta the best life possible.

I've never liked seeing the Bettas in pet stores, they always look sad & neglected. Plus I find the Bettas from Thailand to be more beautiful & healthier. So I practically stalked Aquabid, looking for my perfect red HM male Betta. I watched a couple of bids, but one in particular really drew me in. His tail & fins were so full & his red color was deep & solid, a true warm red, without looking orange & no trace of iridescence. I wanted to wait until close the the auction ended to place my first bid, prepared for a bidding war.

The auction was set to end close to 2:00am my local time, so I stayed up late (even though I my first alarm goes off at 5:30am for work). To kill time, I researched my transhipping options. Unfortunately I lost track of time & missed placing a bid before the auction ended. I freaked out when I refreshed the auction page & it said "Auction Closed." After a quick scan, I saw no one had bid on that Betta, so I contacted the seller thru Aquabid. I asked him if he was willing to to sell me the Betta directly & offered to pay the BIN price for him. The seller responded relatively quick, accepting my offer. I chose the transhipper closest to me (still cross-country) from his list. I sent my payment to the seller & contacted the transhipper I picked. She gave me the details for domestic shipping & I sent her my payment. I was surprised she had good communication, since transhippers seem to be infamous for lack thereof.

My communication with the seller was consistent & he kept me up to date with the status of my Betta. Unfortunately, the transhipper was MIA after she confirmed receipt of my payment for Express Mail. I was really apprehensive about that, specially since I reached out to her several time with no response. No contact on the days she should have received or shipped my Betta either. I tried to stay calm, telling myself she was probably just very busy. My nerves were already on edge because I would be at work when my Betta would be delivered, so I had to rely on my sister to inspect & acclimate him to his new home.

That Thursday, he arrived unannounced. My sister called me to tell me he was DOA. I was devastated. I had her take pictures & videos to proof he was DOA. Maybe he was just stressed or sleeping. My sister did accidentally flush her sleeping Betta down the toilet, thinking it was dead (poor thing didn't know what hit him!), but wasn't quick enough to save it when it started reacting. When I saw the pictures & videos, there was no denying he was dead. My sister said it looked like the transhipper had just reshipped the Betta without checking it & definitely didn't repackage him for the cross-country journey.

I was so bummed. I had finally found the perfect Betta for me & he died a horrible death on his way to me. I contacted the seller & the transhipper, sending them the pictures & videos of my DOA Betta. I asked the seller to send me pictures of his available full red HM male Bettas, so I could choose a replacement. I told him I refused to use the same transhipper again. I did more research & checked reviews on US transhippers. I narrowed it down to two possibilities. I emailed both for quotes. The one located closest to me responded first (he also had the best reviews) so I chose to use his services. I also didn't want to take the risk with the domestic shipping, so I splurged on FedEx Priority Overnight.

I chose my replacement Betta & informed the seller of my new transhipper selection. Communication with the new transhipper was decent & I liked that he ran a LFS, so I know he's knowledgeable on handling fish properly. I was still a bit nervous, because it's still a live fish being shipped around. But overall, I had a much better feeling about this experience.

I received the tracking info while I was getting ready for work today. It was scheduled to be delivered at or before 10:30am. I tracked that package like it was a person on house arrest, LOL. It was delivered at 10:30am on the dot. I didn't even wait for my sister to call or text me. I called her & was thrilled when she told me he was alive. She said he was a bit lazy, but eventually started moving a bit more. She sent me pictures & videos to proof he was okay. I was planning to use the drip acclimation method to minimize his stress when transferring him to the tank. Because I wouldn't get home for about 6 hours, I told my sister to poked a small hole in the bag, add 2 drops of Prime in the bag water, and float the bag in the tank water taped down to prevent it from falling in all the way. I also told her so add some IAL (thanks AO!) in the tank water & a small piece in the bag water.

I tried to get out of work half an hour earlier, but ended up working an extra hour. I had to run a quick errand before heading home, but I got stuck in the worst part of rush hour. It took me over half an hour to finally get on my train home. It actually got to my station relatively quick, but because of all the delays I went thru, I was anxious to get home ASAP. When I finally got home, I quickly scanned my bedroom, where the tank is set up. I had left my blackout curtains closed, my AC off, & lights off. I had also asked my sister to cover the tank with a cotton flannel pj top. I pulled it aside a bit & saw my Betta in person for the first time. He's so cute & smaller than I expected.

Since he spent so long floating in the the bag in the tank, I ended up just letting him swim directly into the tank. He wriggled out of the bag & swam a bit. I held my breath as I saw him swim to towards the bottom of the tank. The tank is heavily planted & I started to worry I may have overdone it. But before I could let my doubts sink in, he was swimming around exploring his new home. He does like to go towards the back of the tank, where he's very hard to spot. He's relatively lively, occasionally resting on some plants, or along the substrate surface. He seems to like his stone hideaway, which turned out to be very spacious for him.

I'm really happy with my new Betta. Now I just have to name him. I do have a list of possibilities, which I'll post after uploading his pics.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

*Full Red HM Male Betta Pics*

Here are the pics of my new Betta's first day home...


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

*Betta Name Possibilities*

Here's the lists of names I've been thinking for my new Betta:

Alpha
Dexter
Gizmo
Crimson
Rosso
Diablo
Dragon
Robin
Eclipse
Magma
Phoenix
Pisces
Darwin
Rory ("Red King" Irish)
Aquarius
Wylie ("From the Tricky River" English)
Siam
Flash
Phantom

You guys can help me choose!


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

Yay, he's home!

I think Magma is quite the lively name


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Yes, I'm so glad to have him home! He already ate 3 pellets (pre-soaked in a cup of tank water) and has left a trail of bubbles along the water surface. He's really good at playing hide-and-seek among the plants & behind the filter. Almost gave me a heart attack a few times, LOL.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

*Tiger Nerite Snails!*

I went to Petco after work to pick up some food for my dog. Of course I ended up in the aquatic section. I've been eyeing the African Dwarf Frogs & Nerites for a few days, maybe a week. They're a lively bunch! The first time I saw them, there was a dead fish in their divided section of the tank. But today, it was gone & the water looked clear. After grabbing a thermometer, adjustable heater, & internal filter for my large critter keeper, which I'm going to use as a quarantine tank, I asked an employee for two Tiger Nerite Snails & three ADFs. I was a bit annoyed that he didn't let me pick the snails,he just grabbed the closest ones. But at least they had been active on the front glass & their shells were in good shape. Then he prepared to grab the ADFs. I told him I only wanted males (it would be cool if they "sing"). I asked him if he knew how to identify their sex. I wasn't surprised when he said " Nope". I told him females were bigger & have a bump between their legs. I figured that would be easier to spot than the armpit bumps on the males. After several checks, it turned out they were all females. I guess it wasn't meant to be today. I did ask him when they normally receive their new aquatic shipments. He said Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays, but my best bet would be Wednesdays. I guess I'll have to wait a bit to get my ADFs.

In the meantime I put my snails in the quarantine tank, with some of the Water Sprite "babies" I separated from my Betta tank. I named the bigger one Tigre (Spanish for tiger) & the smaller one Babo (short for "babosa", which is the common name for snails in Spanish, literally meaning slimy). I added some IAL for good measure & left an algae wafer & two small pieces of seaweed.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

*I Couldn't Help Myself...ADFs*

I had time to kill before meeting up with my boyfriend. I told him I would run some errands. I had frogs on my mind, lol. I went to the Petsmart in Soho to check if they had male ADFs in stock. They only had females, so I just bought another bottle of Prime. I ended up going to the Petco on Columbus Ave. I spotted (somewhat literally, lol) two males & I was certain there were more hiding under the decor. It took a while to get someone to help (seemed like there were only two people working the ample sized location. She was super nice & accomodating. Since I knew I wouldn't get home for a couple of hours I bought a small critter keeper to use for transporting the frogs more comfortably. I really should've gotten the smaller one Petsmart had for cheaper, but I'm glad they had more room for their travel. I asked the employee if she could place them in the critter keeper instead of bagging them, but she told me it was store policy to bag all aquatics in order to sell them. So I asked her to give me an additional bag of the frog tank water, which she obliged. After she rang up my purchases (I also bought a small tube Anubia & frozen fresh bloodworms), she set me up at an empty cashier counter so I could transfer the frogs into the critter keeper. I must've looked like a crazy woman with my frogs, lol. I can't help it, they're no cute!! I named them after the Three Muskateers: Athos, Aramis, and Porthos.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

*Holy Crap (?)*

Tonight when I checked on Tigre & Babo, I saw a bunch of little "things" at the bottom of their quarantine tank. Yesterday, I had seen Tigre "drop" one of these "things" & thought maybe it was a girl & it had laid an egg. Here's a picture, are they eggs or is it poop?


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

if it's white, it's eggs, brown , poop


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Oh crap...literally, LOL


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

I think you'll grow to like nerite poop more than nerite eggs


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

That's true, at least I can clean nerite poop easily & it won't leave the tank glass spotty.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

*Quarantine Tankmates*

Today I moved Athos, Aramis, & Porthos into the bigger quarantine tank with Tigre & Babo. I actually managed to get a picture of all of them together!


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

*Singing Frogs!*

Tonight I heard my ADFs singing for the first time! They sound so cute! It reminds me of the frogs I would hear at my grandparents' house in the countryside of the Dominican Republic. I'll take their singing as a sign that they're happy 

Edit: My dog, Julie, seems a bit freaked out by the frogs' singing. She is on alert with her floppy ears perked up, LOL.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

*Athos Hanging Out*

Athos loves to "hang out" on the floating Water Sprite babies, LOL!


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

how do you tell them apart? zi refer to my pygmy cories collectively as "cories" lol. Or if it's just one of them, It'll be "one of the cories"


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Athos is the liveliest one, he was the first I identified as male at Petco.Porthos is the next liveliest and likes to be flashy when he "zens". He sticks around more with Aramis, who was the last to get picked (he was hiding in a nook of the tank decor). I hope as I observe them more, I'll probably be able to identify them by their markings better.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Today I received my Amazon Prime order, which included the Finnex FugeRay Planted LED Light, the Coralife Digital Power Center, & a roll of natural cork to protect the top of my dresser from water damage. I'm still waiting for the glass canopy I ordered from Dr. Foster & Smith, which should arrive on Tuesday, to upgrade the lighting on my Betta tank. But I switched out my surge strip for the Coralife Digital power center. I like that it has a timer you can program. I have it set to so my tank light turns on/off at a specific time using one of the daytime outlets, while everything else stays running constantly. It has two nighttime outlets, which I don't really need for my tank, but are perfect for my iPhone & iPad chargers, which I charge at night. I also set up a filter in the quarantine tank. I still need to set up the heater, but so far the temp has stayed constant around 80F. I tried to add a hamster tunnel in the quarantine tank, for Athos, Aramis, & Porthos to play/hide in, but they didn't care for it, plus it was too bulky & didn't stay in place. I think I'll just make craft mesh tunnels for them & weight them down with river rocks.


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## ShadeSlayer (Jul 20, 2015)

Are yo going to put your ADFs in with your betta? They all are so cute! How big is yor tank going to be if you are putting them all together? I have been kicking around the idea of ADfs, they are just so cute!


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## ShadeSlayer (Jul 20, 2015)

You can thank my stupid phone for all the typos. lol


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

I'm planning on adding my ADFs to the Betta tank, which is a heavily planted 5G, once it's fully cycled. I wouldn't say ADFs are hyper. They seem to like swimming around a bit, but prefer to zen out, hang on floating plants, & hide out. Males can "sing", but it's really faint, chirping sounds. I find the sound soothing.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

*Officially Introducing Magma!!*

With the help of a poll & opinions from family & friends, my Betta has been officially named Magma!! I'm so glad to finally have a name for him! Here are some pictures from this morning. He's proving to be a smart & a creature of habit. When my first alarm goes off & I wake up, he's already at the front of the tanks, as if saying "Good Morning." Right before his feeding time, he starts swimming to the front corner where I drop his food.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

*Hiding & Hanging Out*

Yesterday, I placed a small glazed pot in the quarantine tank for Athos, Aramis, & Porthos to hide in. At first Babo, the smaller Tiger Nerite, decided to claim it. Eventually, Aramis took over, which doesn't surprise me since he's the more mellow ADF & likes to hide. Athos & Porthos just kept "hanging out" on the floating Water Sprite babies.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

*Upgraded Quarantine Tank*

Today I finished updating the quarantine tank. It went from being a bare kritter to a 2.5G glass tank with a canopy. I added a background to cover the back & sides & make it look cozy. It's the same background I put on Magma's tank, but that one only has it on the back. I switched the filter to the Aquatop IF-201, which I love! It's so compact & quitet, just what I needed. I also put in three Marimo balls, which I bought for $10.99 at Petco. It was a great deal!

Here's a picture of the finished product


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

*Magma's Tank Cover & Light Updgrade*

Yesterday, I was finally able to upgrade the Tank kit hood & light on Magma's tank. I bought the glass canopy from Dr. Foster & Smith & the Finnex LED Planted light. I used clear support clips to hold up the glass canopy, since it turned out the tank is rimless (never paid attention since it had a hood). And even though it's labeled for a 16" tanks, it didn't reach all the way to the back.So I compensated with clear craft mesh. I was glad for the plastic end piece, which I was able to cut to fit the filter & the heater knob.

Magma loves it! He was so curious as I messed around the top of his tank. I think he also appreciates the better lighting. It's so bright you can see the glow come out of my tiny bedroom into the hallway. In the meantime, I balanced the original hood light over the quarantine tank for the Three Musketeers (my nickname for the ADFs), Tigre, & Babo. They decided to keep a low profile though, LOL.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

*SIP Aramis :-(*

Sadly, I realized tonight that Aramis passed away. I'm so bummed by his sudden death. He was his usual mellow self this morning, though he refused the bloodworm I offered him with a tweezer. But that wasn't uncommon for him. It just sucks that I only had him for a week. He even molted during the week.

I checked the water parameters: 83F; 7.2pH; 0ppm ammonia/nitrite/nitrate. In the week since I got the ADFs, I switched them from their small kritter keeper, which had their original tank water treated with two drops of Prime, to the larger one I had the Nerite snails (also treated with two drops of Prime). Then I moved them to the upgraded quarantine tank & added three Marimo balls (which I rinsed under running water before adding). I also added Treta SafeStart to the new filter, in an attempt to cycle the quarantine tank.. This morning I left Magma's original tank hood balanced over the quarantine to give it light, set to turn off after twelve hours. I also added about 1ml each of Flourish & Flourish Potasium for the live plants.

I wish I could figure out what went wrong, and if I could prevent any more deaths.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Sorry about Aramis. Sometimes they come to us sick and there's nothing we could have done. He could have had a previous injury; anything. I doubt there was anything you could have done.

The tanks look great.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Thanks for your kind words. Athos & Porthos do keep each other company, although I think Porthos is the one who seeks out company. Both of them were always more active than Aramis was. I'm thinking of getting them a new friend & naming him D'Artagnan.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

*Meet D'Artagnan!*

Today after work I went back to the Petco I got my ADFs to get another buddy for Athos & Porthos. They only had females, luckily there's another Petco a few streets over. I made my way there (I was on a mission, LOL) and was thrilled to see they had some & I spotted (literally, LOL) some males! This location is much smaller & didn't have anyone in the aquatic section (which was tucked away in an awkward corner). I checked towards the front & found a girl stocking the cat food. She seemed reluctant to help, but I was there to buy a frog. She had no clue about them. I pointed out the males & she caught one in the net. I was so happy getting on line, with my bagged frog, ready to pay for him. I was even more happy when the cashier checked the bag & said "Cool, you got an African Dwarf Frog." She was nice 

So without further ado, here is D'Artagnan...


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

*Newest Aquatic Resident*

Today I got an Assasin Snail, who I named Killer. I decided to get one after realizing the stowaway (pond/bladder?) snails laid eggs in Magma's tank. Killer is in the smaller kritter keeper, to which I added a thin layer of Tahitian Moon sand. He already explored & dug around a bit. I collected the bloodworm leftovers from Athos & Porthos (D'Artagnan ate all of his!) & put them in Killer's tank. He went to town on those bloodworms!! It was kind of creepy to watch, just thinking if that's how he is with a dead worm, how would he be with a live meal. I hope he gets all those pest nails, but that he doesn't harm Tigre or Babo.

Here's the best picture I could get of him tonight...


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Just wanted to show my full aquatic setup. From left to right: Killer's small kritter keeper quarantine on top of D'Artagnan's large kritter keeper quarantine, followed by the 2.5G glass quarantine tank with Athos, Porthos, Tigre, & Babo, & finally Magma's 5G tank.

These are on top of my double dresser. To think this all started because I wanted a new Betta, after several years since owning one, LOL.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

the Asassin snail might kill your nerites. it's not recommended to keep any snails you want to keep alive with assassins. Maybe you can return it to the LFS after it does its job


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

I thought about that possibility. This Assasin Snail was in a tank with Nerites & he completely ignored them. He's also smaller than my Tiger Nerites. Either way, I'll end up keeping him in the 2.5G quarantine tank after he does his job & I transfer the Tiger Nerites & ADFs to Magma's 5G tank.


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## BlueLacee (Dec 8, 2013)

Wow, what an ordeal for a very handsome boy


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Thanks! There definitely hasn't been a dull moment. It feels like everyday I'm doing something for the tanks or their occupants. I can't wait for Magma's tank to cycle so I can take the Tiger Nerites & ADFs out of quarantine. And for Killer to wipe out the stowaway snail invasion (hopefully before that). Then I can fall into the feeding/cleaning routine.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

This morning Magma was being super cute. I managed to get a shot of him coming out of his stone hideout, which he loves!


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Tonight I finally heard Athos & Porthos sing again!! And Athos molted! At first I got a bit nervous because Aramis had molted right before he passed away. They keep giving me mini heart attacks, looking like they might be dead, but I have to remind myself that they're just "zen-ing out". But do they have to zen out in awkward positions in tight & hard to see spaces?

I'm just glad they doing okay. I'm also learning that D'Artagnan is a hungry little frog! He eats twice a day, up to four whole bloodworms total. He's also very animated when he eats.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

adlemsi said:


> This morning Magma was being super cute. I managed to get a shot of him coming out out his stone hideout, which he loves!



Adorable!


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Woke up this morning to the sad discovery that Porthos passed away overnight. I can't seem to catch a break! It's so disheartening, specially since they were singing up a storm last night. But I'm going pushing forward. I'll stop by the Petco where I got D'Artagnan to pick up another ADF.

I might also pick up another Assasin Snail. I found Killer laying upside down again. I put him right side up but he hadn't moved by the time I left for work. I think he'll be okay though, since I could see his fleshy part look normal.

I didn't have time to test the water in the separate tanks, but I'll do it tonight. I need to do water changes anyway. I also left two river rocks in separate cups of tank water (from each tank with snails) on a sunny windowsill, hoping to grow algae for the snails to feed from. I just wish I knew a way to prevent sudden deaths. I'm really enjoying having these companions, but I can't have them dropping dead for no reason.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

OMG! I tested the water in the tank that housed the original ADFs & the Tiger Nerites....The levels were thru the roof! Ammonia was 0.25ppm, Nitrite 5.0ppm, Nitrate 5.0ppm, & pH 7.6. I feel sick to my stomach! No wonder Aramis & Porthos died! And It probably explains why Tigre is hiding in his shell. I'm going to do a big water change tonight. I'll test again tomorrow.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

Add a bit of IAL too. snails love the leaves!


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

I added some to all the tanks & critter keepers. I think I need some too, after all the stress I've been thru, LOL!


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

It's possible the ADF could have been sick when you bought them. So sorry you lost them.

When parameters get way out of whack it is better to do a couple of smaller changes a few hours apart than one big one.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> It's possible the ADF could have been sick when you bought them. So sorry you lost them.
> 
> When parameters get way out of whack it is better to do a couple of smaller changes a few hours apart than one big one.


Thanks! I actually went back to the Petco I got D'Artagnan from & got two of his former tankmates. They're bigger than the other ADFs I've gotten before. I think one is fully grown. At first I thought it was a female, but it has the spots under its arms & they're very prominent. I have the three of them together in D'Artagnan's large quarantine kritter keeper. They were singing a lot last night. Almost sounded like old friends catching up. 

Good to know about the water changes when parameters get crazy. I did a big water change last night. I'm going to test the water again tonight, if it's still crazy, I'll do some smaller changes a few hours apart. I'm glad it's Friday, so I'll be home & have more time to observe things continuously.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Hope these work out for you. Heaven forbid that they don't but if something happens send me a PM and I'll give you the email of my source. He's in California which has a long-standing ban on African Clawed Frogs which are the source of that disease they carry and give to ADF. Can't remember the name.

I actually like my female ADF: Esmeralda and Minerva. The rest are boys. Clayton is the only one readily identifiable. He and Esmeralda are a bit over two and the ohers are around a year.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Thanks! You actually gave me your ADF & snail source. He didn't have any ADFs listed & I couldn't resist the temptation at Petco. If these don't work out, I'll definitely contact your source to see if he has any available that haven't been listed.

Sadly, Tigre is officially dead. I picked him up to check him & I saw a slight movement. I thought he was finally coming out of his shell, but when I put him back in the water, his guts spilled out. It was so gross! I did a quick cleanup, to avoid further spikes in the water for Athos. Killer, the Assasin Snail, was dead when I got home from work yesterday. Good thing I had an impulse of buying another on during my lunch break. I even got a free baby I spotted!

Honestly, sometimes I feel I writing an obituary, rather than a journal. I'm learning as I go, but I hate that lives have been lost.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

oh dear. I'm so sorry about your recent losses... I know Nerites are fairly sensitive to ammonia etc. Do you have any floaters from Magma's tank you can throw in the 2.5? plants are probably the best ammonia sink you can have.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Thanks! I threw in some Anacharis & some temple plant leaves that are throwing lots of roots from Magma's tank.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

I tested the 2.5G QT tank that housed my original ADFs & Nerite Snail. Nitrate & Nitrite were both 0ppm. The pH was 6.6 (usually 7.2 or 7.6). The Ammonia was a bit harder to decipher, you be the judge...


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Following my instincts, I removed Athos from the 2.5G QT tank to a quart glass mason jar (it has a decorative cutout lid). I'm keeping a close eye on him.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Athos passed away

Now the 2.5G QT tank only houses Babo. I'm just hoping for the best for D'Artagnan & the other replacement ADF.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Sam doesn't always list his ADF; you have to email him. So sorry about Athos. It must have been a bad batch of frogs. You did say they were out when you went back, right?

What are you feeding your Nerites? Sometimes they'll only eat natural algae; at least that's the way mine are. They skirt right over vegetables and algae wafers although they will eat the seaweed sheets I have for the Oto. You can cultivate algae by putting some rocks in a bowl and setting it in a bright window.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Sam doesn't always list his ADF; you have to email him. So sorry about Athos. It must have been a bad batch of frogs. You did say they were out when you went back, right?
> 
> What are you feeding your Nerites? Sometimes they'll only eat natural algae; at least that's the way mine are. They skirt right over vegetables and algae wafers although they will eat the seaweed sheets I have for the Oto. You can cultivate algae by putting some rocks in a bowl and setting it in a bright window.


Thanks! When I went back to the Petco I got Athos, Aramis, & Porthos from (after Aramis' passing), they only had a few females. So I went to another Petco nearby & got D'Artagnan. After Porthos passed away, I went back to the second Petco & got the other two ADFs (still unnamed) from the same tank D'Artagnan had been in. If these don't make it, I'll definitely reach out to Sam. I wouldn't want to risk losing any more lives.

I was feeding the Nerites (now it's only Babo, since Tigre passed away) pieces of algae wafers (they were too big for them) & seaweed. I have a cucumber I'm going to blanch to see if Babo would eat it. I also left two river rocks in cups of tank water on a sunny windowsill (inside my apartment) to cultivate algae. I'm feeding bloodworms, brine shrimp, & mysis shrimp to the Assasin Snails. Killer died the day after I got him, so I got a replacement along with a free baby. Again, if these don't make it, I'll contact Sam to get snails from him. I'm definitely learning a hard lesson: don't cave to temptation at Petco.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

So my Assasin snail didn't make it. I'm definitely going to contact Sam for his available snails. First, I'm going to strip down & disinfect the critter keeper I was quarantining the Assasin snails in.

I found a milky substance on one of my replacement ADFs, but it came off completely so think it was just residue from molted skin. So far they're all active & look good. The female even learned how to get on top of the Anubias leaves & likes to lounge on them, right below the water surface. They're like her secret hammocks, lol.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

I have 6 Assassin Snails on their way from Sam! They should arrive by Wed 9/2. I have a critter keeper ready with a filter, heater, & Tahitian Moon sand to quarantine them in. I noticed some of the pond snail eggs have hatched. I'm planning on catching as many as I can & dropping them in the Assassin Snail QT tank for them to hunt.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Today I've spent most of the day doing water changes & arranging new plants from quarantine. Apparently one seller sent me double the amount of Anacharis bunches than I expected. I was planning on lining them up against the glass, along the sides & the back, but it's too much for Magma's tank. I put one bunch in the ADFs' kritter keeper. I'm going to put some in the 2.5G QT tank, which right now only houses Babo, the Tiger Nerite. I'm debating whether to add a few short floating stems to the Assassin Snail kritter keeper, since I don't want the pond snails (being fed to the Assassins) to hide out or lay eggs on them. Whatever's left over will be kept in a large glass centerpiece bowl, to be maintained as backup for any that don't survive. And I still need to figure out how I'll arrange the Anubias I've had in QT.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Turns out Babo, the Tiger Nerite, is a female. I noticed white spots on the Marimo balls I have in the QT tank. I thought something was up with them or maybe it was just residue, since it was due for a water change & cleanup. But I saw a now familiar sight on the tank glass: random white specs, so me of them already moving around. So I guess I'll have baby Tiger Nerites, I'm kind of excited about that. I'm debating whether to sell or give them away locally, since I won't be able to keep too many. Let's see how many make it...


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

unfortunately Nerites won't breed in fresh water. They need a full marine environment in order to have enough minerals to grow


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Some of the white specs on the tank glass were moving. What would I need to give them a marine environment to grow in?


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Last night, in the middle of the night, Magma gave me quite a scare. You can read my separate post here:

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?p=6547849#post6547849

I'm relieved that he's back to normal. I went thru so much to get him, I wouldn't want anything to happen to him. Same goes for the ADFs (I'm not naming them until they pass their quarantine period), and Babo.

In other news, I received my Assassin Snails from Sam. I was surprised when my mother told me I had a package delivered, since I wasn't expecting it to arrive until Wednesday. Of course, I got excited & panicked at the same time. Sam was nice enough to send me an extra one, which I appreciate. Though one hasn't moved since I put them to their critter keeper, after acclimating them. I'm trying to stay calm & think that maybe it's just hiding in its shell. There was another one that didn't move initially, but started slowly making its way around a few minutes later. I already dropped a couple of pond/bladder snails from Magma's tank for them to eat. I actually saw two hitching rides on the Assassin Snails. Can you imagine?! I also left two river rocks (bought packaged at Petco) which I had left in water on a sunny window to grow algae. And I left a couple of defrosted bloodworms for good measure. I hope they like their new home. It's filtered & heated ☺


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

You'll need to move the eggs to a salt water setup. Then when they grow up slowly transition them back to fresh water... probably not something you would want to bother with right now >.<


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Yeah, I have my hands full at the moment. Would they stay dormant for a while? If they do, for how long? Babo laid eggs all over the Marimo balls in that tank, so now I'm afraid of cleaning them properly.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

*Magma's Morning Flare*

Here's Magma this morning, doing what I call his "lazy flare" while lounging on an Anubias leaf, LOL...


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## BettaSplendid (Jul 12, 2015)

Oh, oh! He is sooooo handsome. I love his "lazy flare". "What's up?" 
He certainly has a lovely living space. Lots of interesting things to look at, squeeze through- and lounge on!


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Thanks! My female ADF also likes to lounge on the Anubias leaves. The ADFs are still in the QT kritter keeper though.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

So yesterday, I received my Assassin Snails from Sam. I was excited because I wasn't expecting the package to arrive until Wednesday. I acclimated them & set them up in a critter keeper with a filter (Aquatop IF-201) & heater (Aqueon 10W Mini). This morning two were dead. I was bummed but felt optimistic about the rest. When I got home from work today, it was like a snail massacre. There's only one I'm sure is alive, some are questionable & the others were definitely dead. Even the baby pond snails I dropped in as bait were dead! I must have the worst luck with snails ever! It seems that the heater overheated the water, even though the critter keeper is close to the AC, which I had set to 70F to keep my room cool for my dog & the tanks. I think I'm going to take a break from snails, besides Babo, who is surprisingly active by herself in the 2.5G glass QT tank. I just hope the pond snails don't have a population explosion in Magma's tank.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Update: 2 Assassin Snails are still alive. Glad I didn't throw it away for dead. Now I'm paranoid...UGH!


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Freaking snails are going to give me a massive heart attack in my 30's!!! Last night I left the snails I thought were/could be dead in the QT critter keeper, _just in case_. This morning they were all in the same spot/position I left them in. One by one, I took them out with long tweezers, placed each on a napkin & gently tapped the fleshy part & checked for movement. The first one didn't react. The second one did so I placed it back in the water. As I was checking the third one, I caught a slight movement in the first one. I thought it was the trapdoor loosening to spill the carcass. I poked it again & it retracted! Surprised/relieved/frustrated, I put it back in the water. The third one reacted to the poking. When I put it back in the water, it went back to playing dead! Now I'm paranoid that the two I threw away yesterday morning might have been alive! Snail keeping is more stressful than I imagined!! I left fresh bloodworms (defrosted from a frozen cube pack). None of them paid attention to them.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Arrived home from work to find two of the Assasin Snails dead. I just can't anymore :-(


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## catsandbettas (Aug 27, 2015)

I am sorry to hear about all your snail problems. 
Magma is such a handsome boy.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Thanks!


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Assassin snails can remain motionless for long periods of time; especially after they've been shipped and are acclimating to a new environment. Unless they smell to high heaven I always assume they are still alive.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

I'm questioning the first two I threw away. The other three were definitely dead, the fleshy parts were out of their shells motionless & discolored (looked cooked). I have two left from the bunch. One has been relatively active since I received them. The other kept playing dead, but would react when tapped. Last night I lured it to move across the tank with bloodworms, though it didn't eat any.
Do you have any tips I should follow in the future? I do like Assasin Snails & Nerites, but I want to make sure I do everything I can to offer them a healthy environment.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

*Not a Happy Camper!*

I had a crazy middle-of-the-night, which included my dog having. A cough fit, a water bug getting in my bedroom & crawling over all the tanks before I managed to kill & disposed of it, & my male ADFs being daredevils & scaring me half to death. One of them was just a hop away from getting out of the tank.

The worst was finding my fiesty female upside down at the bottom of the critter keeper when I got up this morning! I'm beyond devastated! She was my liveliest ADF. I'll miss watching her water acrobatics. Luckily, I recorded a video of her swimming across like an Olympian. The little voice in my head keeps whispering "Get a replacement", but now I know better & I'm fighting the urge. If/when I get another ADF,probably in a few months after the males pass their quarantine period, I'll get it from Sam.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Magma is so good at cheering me up! Yesterday I spent most of the day doing water changes on all the tanks. I also added more Anubias & a bit more duckweed to Magma's tank. He's been busy exploring & playing hide-and-seek. He definitely likes the new plant additions! Here are pics of him this morning...


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

I'm down to one Assassin Snail from the bunch I received on Monday. I'm going to need to rethink my snail-keeping. I did empty out & cleaned out (with vinegar) the 2.5G glass QT tank I had my original ADFs in with the Tiger Nerites. Only Babo, the small Tiger Nerite resided in it (and her eggs). I put her in a large mason jar (0.5G) with the laser-cut decorative metal lid for the time being. I left a rock with algae grown on my windowsill (inside my apt). I do two 50% water changes (one in the morning, one in the evening) on it. I'm wondering if it'll be safe for the remaining Assassin Snail to be moved into the 2.5G tank. If it's safe to move it there, I can control the parameters better than with the small critter keeper the snail is in now.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

It's been a while since I posted on this thread. I just have Magma & Babo. All my ADFs & Assassin Snails died. It seemed the ADFS did in fact have chytrid. I need to order a copper test kit to check if my tap goes thru copper pipes, which would explain why even the reputable-sourced snails died.

Today when I got home from work, Magma gave me a really bad scare! I went into my bedroom to find him draped along the top of his stone hideout with his head pointing down! I think I almost vomited my heart out! I went up to his tank & he just flipped upright & swam up to me like nothing was wrong! WTH?!!! I really can't deal with another dead animal.


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## BettaSplendid (Jul 12, 2015)

Oh Magma! Glad he is alright. Twinkie drapes himself like that too, I have seen him do it on many occasions. He will hook his body on an ornament and go limp. His body hanging head down and his tail hanging down the other side of whatever opening he is laying in. It is cute, once you get over the initial shock.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Yeah, he does make me smile after my initial heart-stopping shock.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

This will be my last post on this thread, as Magma died last night from dropsy. He was a bit bloated on Friday morning so I fasted him, thinking I might've overfed him. I wasn't home all day Friday & went on an overnight trip. I left my sister in charge of Magma & asked her to add Prime in the morning. She got called into work, so she wasn't home when I arrived yesterday evening. I found Magma laying against his stone hideaway at the bottom of the tank. He was discolored, was having trouble breathing, & his scales were pine-coning. I tested the water & the ammonia was about .25ppm, nitrite & nitrate were 0ppm, & pH was 8.0-8.2 (my tap is 7.2, tank water is usually 7.6). I did a 100% water change. After the water change, he actually started looking worse. I saw him take his last breaths about an hour later. It was horrible! I still want to try to keep a Betta, but will do more research & take my time preparing the tank for a new occupant.


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## BettaSplendid (Jul 12, 2015)

Oh! Oh, I am so sorry! I wonder if there is something going on with your water. I would ask at a local fish store or see if there are fish clubs or something in Bronx. What if there is just high levels of something or other in your water there? Flouride is added usually. Not sure if something like Prime neutralizes that? I am very, very sorry for the loss of your Magma. I think the cause is something out of your control, not something you did. (((hugs))) He was lovely, I will miss him too.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Thank you for your kind words, BettaSplendid!

My tap tests 7.2-7.4pH & 0ppm ammonia/nitrite/nitrate. When I had my previous Betta, I lived just a few doors down. I lived there for a year & never had issues with that Betta's health or well-being. Mind you, I didn't know anything about cycling a tank & never tested the water parameters. I just had a filter & thermometer, but the water stayed constant at 78F-82F. It just sucks that I tried to do everything right, to be a better Betta keeper, & my attempts all failed.

The only bright side is my female Nerite snail has survived. I moved her into Magma's tank & she seems to be enjoying herself, cruising all over the place.


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## BettaSplendid (Jul 12, 2015)

I know that feeling.  The harder I try to do the right thing, the more goes wrong. At least it seems that way. Was it you that said you were wondering if you had copper plumbing pipes? I thought it was but now I am not sure. I think cities change up what they add to their water. I *think* so. I am highly suspicious. LOL. I am use to drinking well water and when I go to a resturant the water they bring me smells like a pool. Maybe I notice because I am not constantly exposed to city water. And then again maybe dear Magma just had some sort of internal issue. He sure looked like he was thriving though. Again, I am so sorry.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Thanks again, BettaSplendid!

I was asked if my water pipes were copper, after all the issues I had with snails dying. They're sensitive to copper. Both of the homes (a 2-family house & an apartment building) I've lived in on this block are over 100 years old. So it's a possibility the plumbing is copper, though I know the apartment building was renovated in 2000. I ordered the copper test kit online, so I'm still waiting for it. So far, Babo is doing good in Magma's tank, though she did find her way onto the filter output. I'll have to keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't fall into the filter or climb out of the tank thru it. I ordered an internal filter just in case. I was thinking of switching anyway. I just don't want another dead, specially one I can prevent.

The water in New York City (includes the Bronx) is pretty decent. The few times I've had tap water in Long Island it smells gross so I ask for bottled there. I don't trust New Jersey water though.


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