# Eduielil's Betta Journal



## Eduielil (Jun 29, 2016)

Hello all!
My name is Lee Anne. After much thought, I decided to start a journal to track my progress as a (very) new betta owner/enthusiast. I purchased my first fish, a VT named Burt, after dropping into a 99 cents store on an errand and seeing the poor little creature floating around in this awful plastic tank. I'm going to be extremely frank here, Burt was a complete impulse buy. There was just something about him that made me grab him off the shelf and take him home with me. But once I got him home and jumped online to do some research regarding bettas, I realized that he deserved so much more than that ugly plastic tank and immediately committed myself to his health and well-being, no matter what the expense, time and labor it would take.


That was two weeks ago and in that short span, I not only found Burt a suitable home, but purchased a second HM betta, Scipio, and have plans to increase my fish family in the near future. Still, I am aware that I have much to learn about my little friends and so I am hoping with more research and work, I'll be able to do my very best to care for these wonderful creatures that have come into my life.


This journal will highlight my journey to become a knowledgeable and responsible betta owner. Of course, that means that I welcome feedback at any time. Comments, questions and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you for stopping by and please stick around. My hope is to post regularly, if all goes well. 


Best,
Lee Anne (aka Eduielil)


----------



## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

That is how I got into bettas (aside from the childhood fish). I saw a red VT at Walmart and impulsively bought him, just could not walk out without him. lol


----------



## Eduielil (Jun 29, 2016)

Your introduction to the betta world sounds quite like mine, Aluyasha. It was love at first sight for me and then when I saw the conditions Burt was living in, I felt like I could give him a better life. It was the same when I saw my new HM for sale online. I couldn't take my eyes off him, he was just so breath-taking. I don't know about you, but I love to watch both my fish swim. Bettas just seem so elegant in their movements. I guess it's what drew me to them in the first place.


----------



## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

I like to watch my fish too. I wish I had room on my desk for their tanks. I find it relaxing to clean their tanks too, kind of like indoor gardening.
Do you have pictures of their setups?


----------



## Eduielil (Jun 29, 2016)

Not yet. I'm going to try to get some pics of at least the fish tonight. The set-ups are rather typical, I'm afraid, nothing fancy. I don't have an "eye" for arranging things in both my 3gs yet. Their plants are still silk except for the Marimos and anacharis. Once both tanks have cycled, I am planning on getting some anubias and other live plants for them. I was able to put both tanks on either side of my bed, though, one on a dresser, the other on top of a small cabinet, so I'm a bit spoiled because I get to watch their antics constantly. 

And I also find caring for the tanks very relaxing. Right now, I'm in the middle of trying to get both of them cycling, so it's a lot of daily maintenance, which I enjoy. You know, it might sound funny, but I wish there was even more to do with the tanks. I could clean them all day. I know, I'm weird, lol.


----------



## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

I always wanted more to do with their tanks. You know what you do? Get more tanks. lol


----------



## Eduielil (Jun 29, 2016)

Yeah, that's what I'll probably do too, haha. I have an empty 10g downstairs in my kitchen that's just staring at me. I promised myself I'd wait until after my birthday (the 20th), when I'll have more money and can really turn the tank into something special.


----------



## sabrinah (Jan 2, 2015)

Yay I'm excited for your journal! I started thinking about getting a betta when I was depressed and finding this forum solidified the decision. My tanks are on large night stands on either side of my bed so I can watch my fish constantly.

That 10 gallon would make a lovely community tank...with a betta as your centerpiece of course! You just need a butt load of plants first. Plants can be just as fascinating as the fish themselves


----------



## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

sabrinah said:


> That 10 gallon would make a lovely community tank...with a betta as your centerpiece of course! You just need a butt load of plants first. Plants can be just as fascinating as the fish themselves


I agree, I think even if all my fish died I would still keep the tanks up just for the plants. lol


----------



## Tourmaline (Nov 23, 2015)

sabrinah said:


> Yay I'm excited for your journal! I started thinking about getting a betta when I was depressed and finding this forum solidified the decision. My tanks are on large night stands on either side of my bed so I can watch my fish constantly.
> 
> That 10 gallon would make a lovely community tank...with a betta as your centerpiece of course! You just need a butt load of plants first. Plants can be just as fascinating as the fish themselves


That 10g would also make a lovely divided tank for two more Bettas.  But I'm more of a 'the more the merrier' type of Betta owner.


----------



## Eduielil (Jun 29, 2016)

Tourmaline, I was thinking the exact same thing, actually. About a week ago, I started searching for dividers online.  As long as I know that the fish can be cared for and are healthy and happy, I would get as many bettas as possible...but I think I only have room for maybe two/three more. And I probably wouldn't get them all at once, just one at a time, that way I can really take my time and enjoy hunting for the perfect fish and tank accessories. 


sabrinah, Aww, thank you! You're so sweet. I'm happy to hear that you're looking forward to my journal. I haven't really done anything like this before, so we'll see how it goes. And I think it's really cool that you have your fish on night stands. That sounds so relaxing. Do you ever turn the tank lights on at night? I love having my tank lights on, but it seems to increase glass-surfing in both my fish, so I only keep them on for very short periods of time.


Aluyasha, Yes I definitely can't wait to get more plants! I'm actually looking for two small anubias plants right now for both my tanks. The anacharis is thriving, so I'm thinking of trying anubias next once the cycling stabilizes. Which segues into my second journal post...


...tank cycling. I'm smack dab in the middle of it right now and since I decided to do it with two stocked tanks, it's a bit like watching tennis at the moment. I check one tank, then the other, then the other and then the other. Of course, I definitely don't mind the work, I just want to make sure that I get this right and provide the correct environment for my two little friends. Right now, I've been going through an ammonia spike, which has me doing daily 50% water changes on Burt's tank. Scipio's tank has somewhat stabilized, with readings falling between 0ppm and 25ppm. However, I won't feel better about all this until my API Master Kit arrives on Tuesday. Hopefully I don't have too much trouble figuring it out, because I want to make sure my test results are as accurate as they can be. 


Otherwise, there's no more news from the front, except that Burt bit me this morning. He's such a devil! It didn't hurt or anything and it was probably my fault, since I invaded his territory (I was dipping the test tube into the tank to collect the necessary 5 ml of water). But needless to say, he's definitely a little toughie, unlike Scipio, who seems so calm and laid back. I know I've been talking about Burt a lot lately, though I will be dedicating my next journal update to Scipio, my newest fish. With any luck, I'll be able to get some new pics of him, even if they are just a few quick cell phone shots.  


Until then, best wishes (or fishes, lol) to everyone on the forum,
Lee Anne


----------



## Eduielil (Jun 29, 2016)

This evening, I managed to get some pics of my newest addition, Scipio. The quality isn't perfect, but you can get an idea of what he looks like. (Incidentally, my uncle, who is an excellent photographer with a much better camera, has promised to take shots of both fish later in the week, so hopefully I will get some better photos posted soon!)


Scipio is a blue and mustard gas HM. So far, he has been much more laid back than Burt. No flaring. And he actually posed for a few of the pics before shyly flitting to the back of his tank. 


In case you are curious, Scipio was named after the famous Roman general, Scipio Africanus, who defeated the Carthaginians in a definitive battle in 202 BC. I'm a trained historian, so in general I'm a huge nerd and tend to go crazy over obscure dates and names and places, lol. 


All in all, he seems like a sedate, sweet little fish and I'm already completely smitten, though such is the way with betta fish, as I'm beginning to learn.


----------



## sabrinah (Jan 2, 2015)

He really is a gorgeous boy! If you want good flare shots you could put your boys in either side of a clear divided container, or in clear containers next to each other.


----------



## Eduielil (Jun 29, 2016)

@sabrinah, Thank you! You're very kind. For some reason, this boy doesn't seem to flare. Oh, he'll do his fair share of glass-surfing, but when I held up a mirror to his tank yesterday, he didn't seem that interested. Could this just be his personality or is this a sign of a deeper problem? I haven't put the two tanks next to each other so both of my boys can see each other, but I will if I have to. Otherwise, Scipio is very active, shows a lot of interest in his food, no obvious signs of medical issues. He just doesn't really flare.

Also, I wanted to let you know that thanks to your advice, I bought two small anubias plants yesterday. I'm so excited! I have plans to tie them both to rocks/driftwood, so I've been wondering, what type of string do you use to tie your plants down? Is it something special or just regular string? 

Anyway, hope you're doing well and Happy Fourth!


----------



## sabrinah (Jan 2, 2015)

Some bettas just don't flare at mirrors. My new boy will flare at anything, but my boy who passed rarely ever flared. Generally putting males next to eachother will make them both flare, but even then a betta can be picky and only flare at a certain male or certain females. If your boy isn't the flaring type it's nothing to worry about. 

Some people use fishing line. The string I use feels the same but it's actually fishing line. Make sure you cut off as much of the excess string as possible so no one gets caught or decided to try and eat it.


----------



## Eduielil (Jun 29, 2016)

Thank you, sabrinah! I *really *appreciate all of your help.


----------



## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

I have also used rubber bands (unused) and zip ties before to tie down my anubais.
I like the name! I had a Roman theme going on with some of my past bettas. I had, Julius, Caracalla, Vespasian, Tiberius, Trajan, Sejanus, Vitellius, Nero, Caligula, Claudius, Nerva, Hadrian, and Augustus. lol


----------



## Eduielil (Jun 29, 2016)

Yeah, I love names from Classical literature or history.. I have a B.A. in history and the first class that I took in college was about the ancient history of Rome and Greece. All the names you chose were great. I particularly like Sejanus. He was a rather interesting fellow when Tiberius was princeps. And of course, you can't go wrong with either Julius or Augustus. 

I don't have any zip ties, but I do have rubber bands,that could work. Thanks so much for telling me!


----------



## Eduielil (Jun 29, 2016)

Hi everyone!
My cycling saga continues! I tested both tanks this morning for ammonia (I've been in the middle of a spike) and luckily, the results showed between 0ppm and 25 ppm, so no water changes today. Even though I am over-the-moon to see that the ammonia levels are going down, I still wish there is something I can do to tinker with the tanks. So yeah, I desperately need some aquatic plants to keep me busy, although I'm sure the boys are content to be left alone. Except when it comes to feeding time. I had fasted them for 24 hours (Sunday into Monday, as is my schedule) and when I finally fed Burt his dinner last night, he nearly ripped the tweezers out of my hand. LOL. My dad has suggested changing his name to “Jaws”.


Another “mini” concern. I received a GH/KH testing kit yesterday that I totally didn't remember ordering, so I decided to test both tanks, because I'm sure the old test strips I had were not reliable. Both tests for both tanks ended up showing 0ppm to 50 ppm for the GH and KH. I tried to do some research last night, but couldn't come up with anything particularly helpful in relation to my test results. I only hope, until I can find out more, that these parameters are suitable and not too low.


Otherwise, things have been going well, though I did break a promise to myself last night when I went “window shopping” for another friend on eBay. For my birthday, I'm hoping to go to the largest FS in the city and stock up on what I need to get my 10g up and running and then buy another little boy. Of course, I'm perfectly capable of waiting until then, but it just somehow cheers me up to look at all the beautiful fish out there. In the meantime, I am thoroughly enjoying the company of my two boys and I hope they are enjoying their new home with me. 


And that's all for now, folks. I hope everyone had a great Fourth and is happy and healthy out there in betta land. My API Master Test Kit arrives today, so cross you fingers that I get good readings after my first round of testing is complete. Wishing everyone the best,


Lee Anne, Burt and Scipio.


----------



## Eduielil (Jun 29, 2016)

So today's update is nothing but a shameless picspam. My uncle, who is an excellent photographer with a much better camera than mine, was nice enough to take a few photos of my boys for me. Scipio, apparently, was the better model. He came right to the front of the tank, posed and my uncle got the shot with no problem. Burt, on the other hand, definitely has some anger management issues. All he did was flit around and flare and act like the little "toughie" he is. It's absolutely amazing how two fish could have such different, polar opposite personalities. 

On the upside, we did manage to get a great pic of Burt flaring, even though it took forever to get him to stay still long enough. Scipio, on the other hand, wouldn't flare for all the bloodworms in the world, lol. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the pics!

Best,
Lee Anne


----------



## Eduielil (Jun 29, 2016)

Hello all,
Well, it's official. Scipio and Burt have a brother. It wasn't supposed to happen this soon, I mean, I knew I was getting myself another betta and a really cool tank set-up for my 10g on my birthday in about two weeks, but then yesterday, a family friend gave me an early and very generous birthday present. So what did I do? I immediately made plans to go into Manhattan this weekend to a cool LFS that I found online to purchase what I need for my aquarium (plants, accessories, filter, heater, basically the works) and then I went “window shopping”. Which turned out to be a little more than window shopping. (See pic attached below)

Supposedly, he's a Delta Tail HM, though I fell in love with his coloring more than anything else, which was described as being akin to a peacock. He doesn't have a name yet, though I want something very elegant and musical. For example, if he was a female, I would probably name him Lucretia. I thought about Lucius, but I already have one fish with a Roman name, so I'm not sure. Orion also came to mind. I actually really like Orion. It was the first constellation I was taught to identify as a child. What do you guys think? Any ideas?


PS The pic was taken by the seller, not me.


----------



## sabrinah (Jan 2, 2015)

He's gorgeous!


----------



## Eduielil (Jun 29, 2016)

Thanks! But I think it's hard to find a betta that_ isn't_ gorgeous. At least, all the fish I've seen on this site are beauties.


----------



## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

If he has a 180 spread, he is a HM. If he has almost 180, he is a Super Delta. A little less, a Delta. I am pretty sure you can't have a Delta HM.
He does look like a marble though. So his patterns should change. I bet he becomes all green.


----------



## Eduielil (Jun 29, 2016)

Aluyasha, Yeah, I'm not fully familiar with identifying all the betta sub-species yet. I mean, I know the difference between VTs, HMs and PLKTs and some of the other distinctions, like a Half Moon Plakat. But in the end, it doesn't really matter to me if he is a Delta or not. As long as he is happy and healthy, that's all that really matters.

And yes, I was thinking about what colors his marbling might change into later on. All green would be very cool. It's my favorite color and I've also always wanted a green betta. But again, it's not really important. His well-being is really my chief concern.


----------



## Eduielil (Jun 29, 2016)

@Aluyasha, I was looking around after you said he wasn't a Delta (or an HM, I think as well). Do you think he could be a combtail? I know your knowledge of this greatly eclipses mine. Like I said, I'm hopeless when it comes to sub-species.


----------



## sabrinah (Jan 2, 2015)

Oh no he is most definitely not a comb tail. The edges of his tail may be translucent but they're smooth. If his tail reaches 180 while flaring he's a halfmoon. Just under 180 and he's a super delta. Try flaring him for a few minutes every few days to see if he can reach 180.


----------



## Eduielil (Jun 29, 2016)

I think (I'm not sure) I might have a pic of him flaring. It's at a bit of a weird angle so it's hard to tell. What do you guys think? HM or Super Delta? (I was leaning towards SD, but again, I'm sure I'm way off, lol) It doesn't matter to me at all, I'm just curious to know at this point.


----------



## sabrinah (Jan 2, 2015)

Super delta


----------



## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

Agree, Super Delta.


----------



## Eduielil (Jun 29, 2016)

Cool! And thank you both for helping me I.D. Orion. Like I said, I can identify HMs, VTs and PLKTs, but beyond that, I'm still a little sketchy when it comes to the finer details. I suppose I still have a good deal to learn about betta anatomy and such. Again, thank you sabrinah and Aluyasha. You've both been a big help in so many ways. I am very grateful for all the information you have shared with me thus far. I feel like I have already learned so much from the both of you.


----------

