# Alaura's Betta Fish Journal



## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

I have been dying to make a journal, just to post interesting things that I see, talk about my bettas, and ask questions, all in ONE thread! I literally have so much I want to talk about that its not funny, and I want to share things so badly, but I don't want to post a new thread for everything. Well to start off, here are my beauties:

Rocket
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My first betta (well the first I have taken care of correctly), and he has been with me for almost 3 months.(Yeah he is still new) See after my two girls I had before him died, I just gave up for a bit, but I always looked at the betta food and water conditioner I had on my dresser. Then I started to want another one, but I was determined to take care of it right. So weeks later, right on the cloudy 4th of July, my mother came home with a tiny cylinder betta container, and Rocket. I was so happy, and I loved him at first sight. I put him in that cylinder not knowing that it was bad for him, but luckily I found this website, and researched as much as I could, so I could give him a happy life. He had the colors of 4th or July fireworks, so I named him Rocket. He is now in a hospital tank, with fin rot, that hopefully gets better soon. I am going to pick up some API Stresscoat soon to help his fins regenerate.


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

Him currently.
Lol I love these pics of him the best xD


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## niQ (May 28, 2014)

Rocket is a cute name, beautiful colors. Hope his fins heal up nicely.


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## starlight910 (Jul 25, 2014)

Rocket is beautiful


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

Iris
~~~
I received her and Penny shortly after I got the 2.5 for Rocket. My mom unfortunately thought that they could be with Rocket, because of what a petco employee told her, so I asked for advice, and separated them immediately, and sadly they are in quite small tanks still, and I am too ashamed to say how many gallons . But I know soon I will get one gallons for each until I get a 20 gallon for a sorority. Currently she is a pink little pig that gulps her food down faster than you can tell her to eat! :lol: I should have honestly named her ms. Piggy! She also has a chunk missing out of her fin, because of a divider mishap -_-, but it has been growing back nicely without any infection.
The first pic is her from when I first got her, and the others are her now.


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

Thank you!


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## starlight910 (Jul 25, 2014)

Well until you can upgrade instead of buying one gallons I suggest the large petco pet keeper. It is 3 gallons and pretty inexpensive  Here's the link http://m.petco.com/product/12031/Pe...searchresults.aspx?Ntt=Kritter+keeper&x=0&y=0 and until then just please make during you are doing enough water changes. Also,it looks like you originally had Rocket in the Lee's Betta Keeper. I might buy that for when I do water changes.since you have owned it, do you think I should buy some of those for when I do water changes?(does it leak or have you had any problems with it?)


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## kcoscia (Aug 28, 2014)

You could also get 2g (or more) storage bins from places like Walmart for cheap, and they work perfectly as temporary homes! I raised my baby betta in one until he was big enough to live in the divided 10g.


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## starlight910 (Jul 25, 2014)

+1


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

Thanks a bunch! Next time I go to petco I will be sure to look for the pet keepers, and I actually might have storage bins...
I haven't had any problems whatsoever with it, and I think it will be great for water changes, so feel free to use them!


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

Penny
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My tiny little blue crowntail that I got with Iris.
She definitely needs a lid no matter what... she jumps so much, for food, and I have even seen her do it without any motivation... she has jumped out of the cup in water changes... twice, and hopefully no more.
No doubt about it that she has feisty personality, despite her tiny size. ;-)
But I definitely love her to pieces. :3
The last photo is her now, the flash doesn't really show the right perspective though.


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

Last but Definitely not least,

Comet
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So one day I was telling my mother that I love EEs, and she said Petco just got plenty of them in. Yet she also explained one fish in great detail, saying it was beautiful. So of course I was eager to see them. When I finally went with my mother, we looked them over, and eventually my mom said "Oh come over here, I hid one." She brought me to the main fish center where they had betta fish cups all above the fish tanks. My mom grabbed a cup in the back, and when I saw the fish in that cup, without a doubt, I fell in love with him. I just carried him around, staring at him dreamingly, but when it was time to leave, I knew I had to put him back.
My mother knew how much I admired him, and when I was going to get groceries out of the car like a weekish later, she lifted his cup where I could see it. I was so excited and rushed him into the house. My mother also got a tank with him to put him in. I admired him all day, and I was trying to find names for him. I thought of comet, something similar to Rocket, and I googled pictures of Comets, and it was confirmed, he had been given his name! To this day, he is a skittish, but very beautiful and colorful guy, who swims away from his reflection a lot of the time. He has been moved to Rocket's 2.5 gallon, while he is healing from finrot.


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## starlight910 (Jul 25, 2014)

Wow your mom is really nice


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

starlight910 said:


> Wow your mom is really nice


 She has her bad days :roll:


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## niQ (May 28, 2014)

Ur mom definately has a good eye for bettas, she finds gorgeous ones each time. Very lucky


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

I know, she sure does,
but the funny thing is, every fish that I like and show her on aquabid, she says they are ugly x_x. " He's ugly." or "I don't like him."
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Well yay! Fridays always feel amazing for me, but the joy always ends on Monday lol.
I am going to Petco, or Petsmart later today, so I will bring my phone and record what I find and buy! I just love going to the pet store, everything about it (well I don't like employees that give false information) but the last time I was at Petsmart they barely had any bettas, so it wont be as interesting if we go there.
Oh and just to clarify my wording, "buy". I don't have a job, because I am too young, but I am getting an allowance for doing homework with my brother's and being their little "at home teacher" so I wanted to buy some things that I like and possibly save the little SBD girl at Petco.
I have literally been thinking about her all the time, and I am so desperate to save her, because most likely she will die in that cup. Its just something about her I love too....
Well I will post pics of any pretty bettas I see at the store in another thread, and I will update on the SBD girl if I see her.

I would also like to know any tips on possibly curing or helping a betta with SBD, I am really leaning toward her.


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## starlight910 (Jul 25, 2014)

Ooh keep us updated!


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

Thank you for caring to read, I am so honored.:-D

Well I went to Petsmart, and man are they expensive! A one gallon is $20!!!
That might not be expensive for some people, but I feel like it is...
The main fish area had some kind of spreading disease, so I couldn't get anything there, and I really wanted a nerite snail. 3:
But Oh my gosh! They had TONS of bettas!! There was a very beautiful black and white marble halfmoon, and he looked so much like a koi, but the red spot on his head was kind of suspicious...
There was this cute dark red Cambodian girl with black lipstick, and all kinds of multicolors. I thought of getting a mossball, but they were $10, so I decided to wait.
And of course, as the forgetful person I am, I forgot to take pictures ;~;
and it kind of has to do with the employee talking with my mom a short distance away...
So I ended up getting nothing in the end sadly. :|

I am thinking of getting a Pet supply Plus 10, or 20 gallon, and maybe even both,(they are $1 for a gallon) getting good filters, and heaters. (of course I know its expensive, I will save as much as I can.)
I eventually do want a sorority, of about 5 or 6 females in the 20gal
I have many goals, but I don't want to list them all now :lol: I have to at least get my females out of their small tanks first!


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## starlight910 (Jul 25, 2014)

Wow $20 for a 1 gallon? That's pretty expensive. Haha and I know it's akward when people are around and you want to take pictures.


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

Isnt it?? I always feel like they are saying in their heads "Why is that weirdo takin pics of random fish?"


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

Well I got the little SBD girl at Petco yesterday!!!:-D and I had a disappointing little incident also...(I got a 1/2 gallon, thinking that it was a 1 AND a 1/2 gallon -_-... yeah I misread by A LOT.) so I spent $15 on a .5 gallon.... what a waste of money. Either way, I still got the little girl, and she is settling in quite nicely. She actually isn't as bad as I thought she was with the SBD, she can actually swim to the bottom of her tank with effort, and when she doesn't swim she just floats at the surface. I was wondering how long should I fast her, (If I do?) I know that SBD can be caused by constipation, but I don't know the last time she was fed, so what would I do?
Here are some pics of her, they are the best I could get for now. Ill try to get some more later.


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

I actually need to ask something else,
so I thought this snail was a Malaysian trumpet snail, but uh.... I am starting to think that its an assassin snail..., and yes in the pics below there are blood worms, and he was eating them.... and I thought that MTS were herbivores,. Also my mom had two ramshorns in there (he is in my moms goldfish tank) and I found an empty shell after a while, then after a while I noticed I wasn't seeing the other, and once again found another empty, smelly shell at the bottom. He also hasn't been producing any babies like people say MTS do. So I am pretty sure he is an assassin, just need some confirmation...


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## Nimble (Aug 31, 2014)

Oh yeah, that's an Assassin Snail, alright. You can tell by the stripes, and the particular wrinkles on the shell.


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## niQ (May 28, 2014)

2nd confirmation if u needed it...its an assasin, I have them in my tank


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

Eek thanks. I will be sure to get some ramshorns to breed so I can feed him.
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So the little girl I got is doing fine, for now. I fed her a pea last night, and changed her water when I got home from school today, so what do I do next? Now instead of floating uncontrollably at the top, she sinks, well maybe, she seems restless, and is always sitting her fin on the bottom facing up. Here are some pics, and if anyone is experienced, just from observation is there anything else wrong with her?
(any good name suggestions too?)








and some cute pics of my other guys after feasting on bloodworms a few days ago ;-) I just thought I would sneak em in
Omg she is so cute and fat :lol:








I really like how the first one turned out  (oh noooo it cut off her face!!) x,D








Look at the full belly!








Trying to get a good pic of him flaring...


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## starlight910 (Jul 25, 2014)

Hopefully your new girl keeps improving! And just so you know I read somewhere that you shouldn't feed bettas peas because they aee carnivore s and can't digest it well.


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

Thanks a bunch 
I also read that peas aren't good, but I have heard of treating constipation with peas, because they cant digest the fibers, and it will push everything else out of their digestive tracts, but I guess I cant know for sure :/.


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

Well I see lots of improvement in the new little girl! :-D
Last night I decided to feed her since it didn't look like she had swim bladder anymore, I didn't want her to starve.
When I got home from school there was poop! Not like constipated poop, but just the normal kind! (Lol ok that kinda sounds weird :lol
She was swimming around looking normal, which for the past couple of days she has liked to lie on the bottom of the tank, and glide around. (It was actually really hilarious to watch :lol
Looks like she has some mobility problems, like when she swims, she is always looking upwards.
Also... she has gotten a bunch of red coloring and spots on the top of her head... (is this what I think it is??) I got some pics, but the biggest problem here is,
What am I going to name her??? I have thought about Misty, and it suites her perfectly (in my opinion), but I just want to here some other ones before I choose, because I am definitely keeping her!

Last night









Today


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

Well some interesting things have been happening...
first of all, my bladder (pond) snail has laid eggs! Yay!
I'm gonna take them out and put them in a cup in case Comet eats them.. (he would)
I would like to know if they can eat brussel sprout leaves? If not then I will get some algae wafers
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Misty or the little SBD girl has been doing well, but I think she has some spine problems, she just doesn't swim like a normal betta, she uses her caudal fin kinda like her pectorals, she always faces up, and sits at the bottom almost all the time, last night she was frantic when I changed her water, so I put a blanket over her tank and hoped it wasn't temperature shock.
last night she didn't want to eat her pellets so i'm going to try again tonight, and if she still refuses, I will thaw some bloodworms for her.

and now some pics, snuck in Rocket flaring at my blue fingernail :lol:.


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

Well wanted to update my fish and everything else that I need to.
First off, I got another betta. Yep I am addicted. I have four females now, which I will put into a sorority, maybe leaving out one though, and it will be easier. I have been getting paid every Friday now so as soon as I go to the pet store again, I will check out the prices of 10 and 20 gallon setups, and if they are too much, I will buy a plain tank at pet supply plus (dollar for a gallon) and find some cheap but well worth it type filters and heaters.

I will get some pics of them up tomorrow, I am way too tired to do it now.

Also, I am definitely thinking Misty has spine deformities. Her back is curved downward, while the other bettas are straight and not spooning. She is concerning me, but hopefully it doesn't affect her health. So I am not sure if she can be in the sorority because of this.

At my school office, there is a betta. :|
And it is NOT treated properly. The first time I noticed it was when the water was half full in the vase. It was a blue veiltail male, but I couldn't get closer details because of the murky water. 
Now it is getting worse. The water is lowering slowly, and now I cant even see the betta because of the horrible water conditions. I haven't checked today, but hopefully its water was changed. If it isn't, I will walk up and say something. Because I am pretty sure this is animal abuse. Who knows how often they feed him? Who knows how often they do water changes? And that plant sticking out of the vase like a lot of people do, I just cant believe they are able to keep the poor fish at a busy school like this.

Well that's it for me tonight, time to hit the hay. :thankyou:


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

Well, I haven't been on in a while so I figured I should update, I actually think its awesome to update progress, it feels nice too.

Honestly I updated because my fish might die tonight.. see I'm having a blizzard.. A bad one, up to 2 feet with extreme winds. There is a huge chance of the power shutting off, even the heating in my house. So if temperature in my house gets too cold, my fish may die, but I am praying they won't. Obviously I am in a pit here, and there is nothing I can do about it. I just have to hope my fish make it through the night.

Otherwise my fish have survived up until now, no deaths, new fish, or special upgrades, the only thing that has been going on is my snails reproducing like crazy, and algae being a pain in the neck.


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

Well, I've been having some bad luck with fish... in the memorial section I posted about Misty's loss... I only had her for 6 months but I loved everything about her... it seems her chronic SBD got to her...
and Comet now has severe fin rot... great.
Other than that Iv'e been trying to catch up with all the tanks, after being sick with the flu for days, I haven't been able to clean them :/


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

A lot has happened after Comet's death, I didn't actually post about it here, I thought I did.... but I guess not 

Iris is now in the 2.5 gallon, and as I had 2 african dwarf frogs in there, somehow right after I did a water change, one died  I guess the water was cycling and the frog couldn't handle it :/ The first frog I got, Nubz, is doing well and is still missing his foot xP.
I also got a new betta... and must I say he is one of the most beautiful.... he is my first elephant ear and he has the BIGGEST ears Ive ever seen!! I actually posted about seeing him on another thread, I saw him their when a new shipment came into Petco and I was in love :3. I just adore his color, he has bright eyes and a light colored body, probably some marbling. I feel the need to breed him, as I don't want to let those gorgeous winglike fins go to waste x'D. Feel free to give me any name suggestions, and some advice on elephant ear genetics?  I might honestly look into it ;-).

Don't have the best pics at the moment, I'll get some up later too.


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## Alaura123 (Jul 4, 2014)

It has been a while since I have bothered to update everything, and well, A LOT has happened. I have gone from 6 fish at the beginning, to only one.
Everyone has passed away, Iris, Katie (I haven't even posted pictures of her) Penny, and of course, Rocket, Comet and Misty. 
Now I am left with this little guy below. I still haven't found a name for him, despite having him for a few months now...
I was hoping his beautiful pectorals wouldn't rip or split but sadly they have x,D I'll just have to hope they heal well, on the plus side at least he doesn't bite them. 
I'm honestly relieved to have only one betta, as I only have one sufficient sized 2.5 gallon tank, and a bunch of smaller ones, So he gets more space than he did before. Now I don't feel guilty about having too many small tanks and not enough space. xD With school keeping me busy, its now easier with only one big tank to clean, and not as often as smaller tanks. I really just want to keep it this way, only one betta fish, and not any more, for the good of myself and the fish. I'll only focus my attention on my current little guy :3 (Whom will get a name soon xD).


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