# Birdie's Fishie Journal



## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Alright so I decided to start this whole journaling thing and I'm really not sure how it will turn out. And by that I mean it will probably be boring as heck. xD

Anyway to start this thing off I'd like to introduce everyone, both fishie, furry, and humanish. 

There's moi, the crazy hippie chickie that absolutely adores animals of all kind. 

My Mama and Papa, who don't always understand my obsession but they accept it. 

My brother thing, I don't like him so I will not speak of him. 

My 2 year old baby sis, she terrifies me. Like seriously terrifies me, but when she isn't mauling me to death we get on great despite our 15 year age gap. 

There's also Tribble, the only 4 legged pet. She's a pomeranian and no matter how much she's brushed she never, ever looks neat. But I absolutely adore her. 

As for the fish there's Steve, a blue veiltail. I'm pretty sure he's the oldest of the bunch. He was bought by my dad before I started taking another interest in bettas. Poor thing.

There's Eugeney. My oldest girl, she and Betty (now deceased) really helped me find this site and I finally, FINALLY, learned how to properly take care of bettas. 

Hilda is another girl, she and Eugeney used to share a 5g, I hate myself right now, until they got into a major fight. She is now living in a 10g which will be split and Eugeney will once again live with her because of...

...Mr. Grumpy. I just barely got him today and he will be going into the 5g. I promised myself no more bettas but yesterday I had to go into Petco to get Tribble groomed and I made the mistake of looking at the bettas, I also made the mistake of naming him. I left him there, trying to convince myself that I did not need another betta but his grumpy little face kept nagging at me so here he is...he is stunning! He's definetely the last one for now though. I have been banned from having more than 3 tanks so I really have no where to put anymore fish. 

I'll be doing some aquascaping tomorrow because Mr. Grumpy is huge and I'm going to worry about him getting stuck in the Greek ruins that are in the 5g right now. My mom would also like to add a plate to that tank so that will be added whenever she finds one that fits both my criteria and hers. 

That's all for now, this is feeling a bit huge. I'll add some pictures hopefully tomorrow of the pets, including my sister xD.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Alright so I successfully separated the 10g and it now houses both the girls. Hilda is being her normal feisty self and is flaring up a storm. Eugeney however found an itty bitty little gap and decided that she wanted to go hang out with her friend. *head desk x 500) I went downstairs to grab my camera from my room and I come back up only to find Eugeney swimming along happily with Hilda, who was still flaring. I quickly scooped her up and put her back on her side, hoping that she wouldn't do it again and I left for a few seconds to go talk to my mom and when I got back...she was back with Hilda. 

I don't think she understands that bettas are not social creatures. She's looking happier than she has for the past few weeks since I separated them though. She's a social betta I suppose. 

Anyway I went back and shoved some of the trimmed mesh into the gap and I hope that that will keep her on her side. It has so far so fingers crossed! 

Mr. G was also put into the 5g today and he absolutely hates the camera. xD I have yet to get a good pic of him in the tank. He also made the cutest little bubble nest while he was floating in his cup overnight. I guess Eugeney made an impression on him in the short time they were together before I removed her to float her in the 10g.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

I have a confession to make. I think Steve is my absolute favorite. Why? I'm not exactly sure, maybe it's the awkward way he swims (body wiggle charge, stop, rest, body wiggle charge!), or perhaps it's the way he constantly stares. I mean he is always staring at me, he doesn't do much else besides staring. Well aside from swimming around awkwardly and floating around. But anyway don't tell anyone, 'kay? xD

The girls are doing great in the split 10g, so far Eugeney hasn't managed to get back on Hilda's side. Knock on wood, right? 

And Mr. G isn't sure what to make of me yet. I'm still trying to get him to start eating pellets but I'm not trying too hard just yet. Hopefully in a few days he'll get hungry enough to try one.

And now for some pictures! Yay! Here are pictures of Tribble, Eugeney, Hilda, Steve, and Mr. Grumpy. There's more pics in my album.


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

Hiya BLT - well, what a menagerie you have at home, animal and human, LOL. 

Tribble is ADORABLE. Black Pomeranians aren't very common here or something, as I don't think I've ever seen one in person. AWH. And that fur is not "untidy" - it's "highly individual"!! :lol:

All your fish look very healthy - I hope Mr Grumpy (ahaha, I have a cranky faced fish too, they're so cute) settles in well. 

I've had to self-impose a tank limit.. I can see how people end up with dozens of them. So easy.. especially when there's so many lovely bettas out there needing good homes. 

Good to see you about, do update often!


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Hey Aus! Thanks for stopping by.  There is quite a crowd in my house, I haven't really thought about it before. And here I am wanting another dog...or a cat...or a guinea pig named Turnip. I'll have to stop right there before I become all needy and sad because I want another mammal but am currently banned from anymore pets. >_> I suppose in a few months I could move out but I don't have the means to do so. Nor do I believe I'm ready to move out even if I did have the cash. 

Haha, perhaps you're right about Tribble's coat. She recently just got most of her fur clipped down, we're currently calling her our little bear cub. I love her fur long but she gets all hot and I can't ever seem to get all the tangles out, then she gets frustrated because I'm trying to brush around her hips and butt where all the tangles are and it all just becomes a serious pain. 

Mr. Grumpy is settling in very well! He started eating pellets a few days ago and now he's started 'begging' for food whenever I come by. xD Silly thing. Over the next couple weeks I plan on getting him on the food schedule of everyone else where he'll get 6 pellets every other day. 

The reason I feed them all every other day is because Eugeney bloats severely if I feed her everyday and it's just easier to have everyone on the same feeding schedule. So instead of feeding the girls 2 pellets a day and boys 3 I just feed them 4 and 6 every other day. Did that make sense? I'm not really sure.

Mr. G has also build another bubble nest. I can't tell you how excited I am about this as Steve has never been a bubble nester nor was Wiggles (also deceased D'. I've also never had to deal with a jumper.

Now that I've finally gotten over my heart attack I shall speak of Mr G's jumping experience. When I first got him home I wanted to change the water in his cup as it was filthy and he was going to have to stay in it another night. I put him in a bowl while I poured some fresh water into the cup from my gallon of 'fish water', as my sister calls it. Because the 'fish water' is room temperature I wanted to let him sit in the bowl for 15 minutes or so until the water he was in matched the temp in the cup.

About 5 minutes in I stopped ogling Mr G and said to my dad, "I hope he's not a jumper. I've never had to deal with a jumper before." I'm sure you can guess what Mr G did exactly after I said this. >_< He landed on the counter and I was like O_O and trying to get him to not fall off the counter all the while shouting at my dad to get the net I keep by the kitchen sink. I couldn't grab him and my dad didn't get up fast enough because Mr G leaped again and fell off the counter. I doubt I'll ever get that 'splat' out of my mind. Luckily both he and I were okay. In fact I think he recovered from his fall off the counter before I recovered from my heart attack. I will never make the mistake of keeping in an uncovered container again.


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

Ah! What a scare.. I've been lucky with my lot, as I would not doubt any of them (except maybe Demyx) would leap out in a flash given the chance. And really, I could be a tad more vigilant at feeding and wc time!

I think Mr. G will prove to be something of a major personality.. :lol:


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

He certainly is proving to be something. He is scared of everything. Most of the time he just swims non stop at the back of the tank, he only ever comes to the front to see if I have food. And even if I do have food he gobbles up whatever I put in then he's gone again. I really need to work on having him stay at the top a bit longer as I don't like feeding any of the fish their full portion all at once. I like to make sure they chew. 

Today he had his first water change here at home and I'm please to say it went quite well....

Ah who the hell am I kidding? He completely freaked and started SLOUGHING off his slime coat. o_o I highly doubt that's normal, is it? I've never seen any of the other fish slough off their slime coats when they get stressed. 

And the POO! I've never seen so much poo ever. I've only had him for about a week and I ended up changing 75% of the water just sucking up all the poo and slime coat. And it's all his because before I put him in the tank I did a 50% water change and made sure to get all the nooks and crannies so that when he was placed in there it would be nice and clean for him. 

He really is a fish of many firsts. My first jumper, my first nervous wreck, my first bubble nester, my first slime coat slougher, my first plakat, my first slime coat slougher. Did I mention that when he's nervous he sloughs off his slime coat? I'm going to have to keep an eye on that.


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## Bettanewbie60 (Jun 26, 2012)

omgosh..I absolutely love your journal...boring? LOL..not!


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

I'm glad you're enjoying it so far, Bettanewbie! I swear these animals will put in the hospital one day that or my sister will.


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## Bettanewbie60 (Jun 26, 2012)

birdielikestomatoes said:


> I'm glad you're enjoying it so far, Bettanewbie! I swear these animals will put in the hospital one day that or my sister will.


Ha ha ha...I just brought home my 6th betta today! It is 12:30am and I just finished changing water in 4 tanks lol. I love them so much...it relaxes me to "work" on their tanks.


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

> He really is a fish of many firsts. My first jumper, my first nervous wreck, my first bubble nester, my first slime coat slougher, my first plakat, my first slime coat slougher. Did I mention that when he's nervous he sloughs off his slime coat? I'm going to have to keep an eye on that.


ROFL!

You mentioned Steve's habit of staring earlier.. the strohi do that! Cotton is the worst for it, she swims right up to the front of the tank, hovers and studies me hard, like I'm an alien. But it's funnier when all five get together in a group and do that:

((>:shock:<)) ((>:shock:<)) ((>:shock:<)) ((>:shock:<)) ((>:shock:<))

Kind of freaks Daughter out, haha. 

Glad to hear Mr. G is settling in well! He sounds like a riot (of slime..) :-D


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

A riot of slime is right! I'm still having trouble getting him to eat, if he doesn't spot the food right away then he's back at the back of the tank and won't come back up. It's so frustrating. 

Steve sometimes freaks me out with his incessant staring, it's usually the first thing I see in the morning. As soon as I even move he bursts over to me and wants food. 

Six bettas? I don't know how you do it. I love my four but I don't want anymore at the moment. I think I'm kind of the opposite, I don't mind water changes, and they do have a sort of relaxing quality about it, but I don't love it. I do like aquascaping though. Once I have the tank how I like it I don't usually touch it for awhile. 

Anyway, updates! Tribble, my darling, darling, doggypoo, has the most sensitive stomach ever. Aside from kibble she can barely eat anything else as it will give her pure diarrhea. I can't even begin to explain just how proficient I've become at shampooing her butt. *sigh* 

I try so hard to keep her from eating anything she's not allowed to but when you're living with a two year who likes to make sure everyone has food when she does it can be hard sometimes. 

So for the past two days I've been dealing with her having diarrhea as well as having a night of her puking like crazy. I absolutely hate seeing her not well. I don't sleep, I barely eat. My whole being is dedicated to making her feel better when she isn't well. It's horrible. But she's feeling better today!

I always talk about my sister, but I just realized I never posted a picture of the little monster. So here she is. She may be cute but don't let that fool you. She is also a sponge when it comes to words, I've never met a tot that picks up words so quickly. She's even started on basic sentences. AT TWO. 

The little monster has a cold at the moment, guess who caught it? I woke up this morning with my nose all bunged up and my throat feels like it's on fire. I've talked to my doctor about this (this being my exceptionally large tonsils) but the stupid man doesn't really listen, he just prescribes stuff.


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## Bettanewbie60 (Jun 26, 2012)

Omgosh, she is a doll! Too bad about the cold..I hope both you and the pooch feel better quickly! I hate when my dogs are sick...I've been lucky lately, all three are doing well!


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Don't let her fool you! She is pure evil, I know it. 

Anyway, it's been awhile since I posted last. My doggie turned 7 on the 4th.  I have since banned her from aging any more. We didn't do much, me and her just cuddled on the couch, what's new? Of course I gave in whenever she wanted a rub and my hand was quite cramped by the night. I also made her some dog cookies, very very simple dog cookies. The recipe is here:

http://www.dogtreatkitchen.com/peanut-butter-dog-biscuit-recipe.html

She absolutely loved them! And they didn't cause her to have mushy poopies! YAY! That recipe made so many though, I gave some to a couple of neighbors. 

(Did I also mention that was my first time using an oven on my own? It was. I am no longer the pathetic 17 year old who never baked anything ever. Woot.)

The fishies are doing great, I don't really have anything to report on them. I did tease them a little with a little stuffed shark toy. I finally found out what scares Hilda. Steve didn't like it at first but then he was begging for food within seconds. Mr. G flared at it before retreating to the back. And Eugeney, my little floozy, colored up all nicely and started wiggling and showing off her fins. That girl will flirt with anything male, even if they are toy sharks. 

I'm also starting to plan for my future. Just saying that makes my chest tighten and I start to freak out. I have severe anxiety and depression. They're so bad that I actually dropped out of school because of them. >_< I've been working on controlling it, but I haven't had much success.

Anyway, I've decided that I NEED to get a license. I'd to get it by the end of the year so that when I turn 18 I can off to grooming school. Grooming is just something I find so intriguing, I've been studying it a lot lately and I'm sure that I want that to be one of professions. My high school education will wait until later, I am no where near ready to deal with that right now. 

I'm going to stop blabbering about my many issues now.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

*So it's been awhile..*

I haven't died, I promise. The reason I haven't been posting lately on my journal is just because nothing has been going on. 

The fish have just been doing their things. I had to redo the girls' divider because the store bought one wasn't letting water filter through, so Hilda's side was getting all nasty and stale. So I went out and got some crafting mesh. However even though I've done this I'm still not completely happy with the results. But it's much better than before.

Steve has well, been Steve. :-D Just swimming around awkwardly and staring at me if I make even the slightest movement. He's still biting his tail though. I've tried doing what people on here suggested and moved his decor around whenever I did water changes but that just seemed to stress him out. He didn't tail bite when he was still in a vase (sorry Steve. :blueworry. Then again when he was in a vase he didn't do much at all but float around at the top. So therefor I believe his tail biting is due to him just wanting to be able to swim around more. Which he does, all the time now.

Mr G is an ungrateful little fishy. :roll: He has gotten into the habit of flaring at me full on right after I feed him, gills and all! I have a theory though! Mr G just feels embarrassed and ashamed that I, a woman, am providing him with sustenance. He feels his manliness dwindling as he eats each pellet so he must prove to me that he is still strong and manly though I feed him. Or maybe I'm just over thinking things. :lol:

Anyway what I came on here for: Today I decided to do a photo shoot. You know, why not? I placed Steve and Hilda (Mr G was an original choice but he decided that he was not going anywhere.) into wine glasses and took them onto the porch so that I would have plenty of natural light. Only it turned out that I had too much natural light and I couldn't even see my camera screen so I had no idea what any of my pictures were like. Turns out there was only one out of the twenty or so I took out there that I actually liked. So I brought them in and returned Hilda because she was beginning to stress out.

Steve however. Well he had another photo sessions. Well you'll see in the pictures I post. Let's just say I wouldn't do what I did unless you are absolutely sure that your dog will not cause the fish harm. 

I'll post the pictures in a second post.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

*Why yes that is a dog drinking from his cup xD*


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## Kira and Cleoh (Sep 26, 2012)

I love working on tanks only because I CANNOT stand it if My fish's home isnt perfect..


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

I hate it when they aren't perfect either. I just hate how much water gets everywhere when you do work on them. Of course I'm terrible and usually forget to lower the water until after I've working with the water up to my elbows. 

I really want to redo Steve's tank, I don't like the gravel nor do I like how he has no decor besides silk plants. I've found some cute ornaments on the petsmart website, I'm thinking of ordering them. 

Mr Grumpy also needs a hiding place in his tank. For now he just has a red plastic cup but I don't like the way it looks and neither does my mom. I've left it up to her to choose something for the tank, but she's being really slow on it. 

Ah well. I'm glad you stopped by!


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

BAHAHA! That last picture:

STEVE: "You're just lucky you don't fit in my mouth, Fido."

Those brought a smile to my day, they really did. And omg, cute little sistermonster! My daughter was like that, so quick to pick up words and string them together. Now she never shuts up. (ducks the smack I'll get when she reads this)

Glad to hear things are going well for you and fish and everyone. Got your license yet?


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Haha, I know. I swear that boy would eat anything if I let him. I'm sure that Tribble would have gotten a nipped tongue if I'd let her take more than one lick. I just worried that the water conditioner wouldn't be good for her if she had much more. That stuff really seems to dry out my hands so I really didn't want her ingesting it. 

Steve was really unfazed by the whole ordeal, I even took him upstairs after the pictures so that Nummie could see 'daddy fish.' Once she saw what I had in the glass she just kept going "Daddy fish in there! Daddy fish in there! Mom, mom daddy fish in there!" It was pretty funny but I didn't stay up there long as I wanted to return Steve to his tank. Which of course once he was in he swam straight towards his feeding corner and started begging. I don't think anything else goes through his pretty blue head. 

I'm glad that they made you smile though! Tell Daughter not to smack you too hard! 

I haven't gotten my license yet, things progress slowly in this household, especially when my dad is involved. I'm sure it'll take a few more months until he finally gets round to enrolling me. Although learning to drive when it's snowing could be for the best. I plan to move to Alaska when I've gathered the means. Have I mentioned I really hate cars? I do, I really do, but I'll have to get one eventually if I don't want to be dependent on others for rides around. 

I just realized how much I tend to blather on in this thread, and about small things no less!  It's nice to have a place to just ramble though. 

Anyway Aus, I'm going to stop by your thread later on. I've only been skimming through all the recent posts and I'm eager to know how you're getting on in your new home.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

The day has arrived. What day, you may ask. The day when I had to get a new heater for Steve. 

You see, when I placed Steve in my basement I knew that I'd have problems keeping his water warm. My basement is cold, which my pommie and I do enjoy which is why our bedroom is there. 

As I'm writing this my basement is around 60* F and Steve's 50w heater is just not cutting it. The last few days the water temp has dropped from 77* F to 75* F. 

So I went on Amazon.com and I found the heater I've been eying for the past few months and I forced my dad to order it for me. 

(this is the heater http://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-06106-Submersible-Aquarium-100-Watt/dp/B003C5TPF6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3L352ZOLFBLNM&coliid=I1QQDYA28JXAM0)

It took 45 minutes of persuasion to finally get him to order it. He just kept saying over and over that it was too expensive. :roll: I thought it was a great deal, it was down from 44 beans to 25 beans. Then he tried to convince me that it was waaaay too much and tried to get me to buy some other heater that was only 6 beans. It was a brand I'd never heard before nor did it have any reviews, and the price was just too good to be true. So I stuck with my choice and gave him 10 beans, (all I had :blueworry: I spent my savings on getting all the fish tanks set up in the first place) and now I'm eagerly awaiting Steve's new heater! 

I also am going to convince my mom to get me a couple decorations for Steve's tank. They're freaking adorable. 

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12211403
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12211392

There's also a cute snail decoration but I don't know if it would fit with the other two without making the tank crowded, so we'll see. 

Also, because this post is Steve filled I want to share something he did yesterday. As I went to feed him yesterday I pulled open the (homemade ziplock bag) lid and as usual Steve swam into the corner he likes to eat in. This is usual, what wasn't usual was the fact that he opened his mouth as wide as it could and just stared at me as if saying "I'm ready, drop the food now!" Just thinking about it makes me laugh. 

Whoever says that fish have no personalities has never owned a healthy betta. :lol:


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

*New Heater and Eugeney is Flirting as Usual*

So I got my new heater a few days ago but I've been waiting for the family to go on vacation so that I could take over the kitchen while I put it in and also replaced the gravel.

WEEK TO MYSELF. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Well okay, I'm not completely alone as all the animals are here but close enough.

Anyway, yesterday morning I took Steve out of his tank and floated him in Mr G's tank for 10 minutes so that they could have a manly face off. It was pretty cool seeing them flare at each other. :-D

After that I took him and floated him on Eugeney's side, as she is the social betta so I thought that it would be less stressful on him to be floated on her side while I redid the tank and made sure the heater was keeping water temperature steady. 

Once that was done I emptied all the water and dragged the tank upstairs where I took out the gravel, gave the outside a scrubbing, and turned it all around because I ruined one side of the tank with eucalyptus oil the day I got it. I put in the gravel/dirt, took it back downstairs, and filled it with water. :-D

I returned Steve to his tank after 7 hours because by then he was getting a bit tired of Eugeney's incessant flirting. Once he was back home he had a good look around. He seemed to enjoy checking everything that I changed/moved. 

But seriously, Eugeney flirted with Steve 6 out the 7 hours Steve was in there. :roll: She went though a couple periods of, "Who is this giant fish and why is here?" stressings but once she realized he couldn't get to her she just danced, and danced, and danced. And Steve just flared and danced back for quite a bit as well.

Once he was out of the tank Eugeney and Hilda chatted through the divider, I always seem to see them as housewives gossiping over a fence. :lol: Kind of.

"OH EM GEE, Hilda did you see that hottie? We totally had a connection, he was like so into me. He even made a small bubble nest while he was in there and he was all like lez make luv and I was like oh mah god, Steve, not on the first date! What kind of girl do you think I am!? And he was like, '...okay' then he started doing a Magic Mike dance for me and the nest was ruined. But it was alright because we had a good time dancing. I like totally think we're soul mates, Hilda." 

"Yeah...uh huh...that's nice except for that you think you're reflection is also you're soul mate. Why did I have to get her as my neighbor?" *Proceeds to swim away and take a nap*

...I have too much time on my hands. :lol:


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Been looking into getting an axolotl. So I'm currently perusing KSL to see if I can find an affordable 20g or larger. Wish me luck in my search!

Of course once I get a tank then the fun with creating a NPT commences.  I'm excited!


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

http://www.aquariumplants.com/category_s/175.htm

The link above is for later uses. I mean, very low light plants? Count me in! 

Anyway I found a used 20g for 25 beans on KSL and I'll be picking that up on either Tuesday or Wednesday. It all depends on whenever my cab--er--mom feels like driving me. 

Have I mentioned how excited I am!? I'M EXCITED.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

*Have I mentioned how much I despire liers?*

I'm so upset and angry right now. :evil::blueshake: 

The 20 gallon I went to pick up? Yeah it turned out to be a 10 gallon. What's worse is that I believe this couple, who swore up and down that this was a 20g. Their ad said it was a 20g, they said that the packaging was for that of a 20g, they even gave me the dimensions of a 20g.

So I picked it up, was a bit skeptical of the size, but I knew the dimensions of a 20g tall so I just though that it was my imagination. 

Of course a little voice of doubt was ringing in my head so I just measured the tank...and yes it's definitely a 10g. 

I don't know who to be more angry/upset at. Myself for being so darn gullible or the couple who sold the tank at me for blatantly lying to my face. 

*SIGH* All I can do now is go to bed. In the morning I'll start cleaning the tank up so I can put it up for sale. I'll I can hope for is that I can regain the $25 I lost. 

At least they didn't lie about it having a screen lid.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

I am weary. Utterly and mentally weary. 

I've been nursing Tribble back to full health as the past week she's been really ill. 

The first day she was puking nonstop and being incredibly listless. 

Second day no puking but she was even more listless than the day before. She had a temperature for both days as well. 

Day three she started to perk up a bit and I got her to eat some rice. 

Day four I'm thinking she's getting better. 

Day five and six she's got diarrhea and I was forced to make her wear a diaper as anytime she barked, sneezed, tooted, bad things would happen. 

Today she hasn't been so bad in the bottom department however she's still wearing a diaper just in case. I don't think there is anything worse than having a poopy bottom on your bed and couches. Bleck. 

I got her to eat some kibble though, which is great! I also sprinkled a bit of flax seed on it to give her some added fiber. 

I haven't had much rest this week. As I've mentioned before I just cannot sleep soundly when Tribble's not feeling well. I just get so worried that she'll need me during the night and I'd just be out of it. 


There's no news to report on the tank I bought. I just cannot get a hold of the sellers. PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF. Jerk faces. 

I'm just going to have to clean it up and sell it I suppose. In the meantime though I'm going to make a trip to Petsmart sometime in the near future and just buy a plain 20g. I want to get started on my axolotl tank! 


I hope everyone had a great Halloween! Or Samhain! Or whatever you wish to celebrate! This time of the year is my absolute favorite. The weather is getting colder, which I LOVE LOVE LOVE. Christmas is getting closer! And in January I'll be turning 18. Which is a completely weird thought. I feel like a kid still!


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

So a couple days ago I managed to fall down the stairs. I didn't fall from the very top, luckily, however I did manage to completely miss the last two steps and tear a ligament in my foot. 

My dad forced me to go to the Clinic to get an x-ray just to be sure I didn't break my foot. Which I didn't, nor did I tear a tendon which would most likely require surgery. However a torn ligament in the FOOT, also known as a sprain, is known to be just as painful as a break if not more so. 

It should be a difficult couple of weeks or so.

Anyway, not only did I do this but I did this the night before I was due to do water changes. What a pain! I put off the water changes until today as I was in too much pain to do anything with them after going to the clinic, nor was Thanksgiving any good because I couldn't ask for help. So today I enlisted my mother's help and she did water changes for the first time! 

I was cringing the whole entire time. After awhile you get into a routine and seeing someone else attempt to do that routine for the very first time was... twitch worthy. Especially for someone who has OCD as well.

But I seriously hope this darn foot heals up soon! IT HURTS SO BAD, MAN! :evil::evil::sob::sob::sob:


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## LeoTheLakerBetta (Oct 12, 2012)

I hope you get better soon! I don't know what I would do in terms of water changes if that happened to me. I would probably just gravel vacuum it and then have someone else dump it for me lol. 

Get better!


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Thank you for taking the time to visit my journal. 

I was cringing the whole entire time while hobbling behind her as best I could. Luckily I only have three tanks and two of those are in the kitchen/dining room so I could easily keep an eye on her. My last tank is in my bedroom in the basement and though I wanted to supervise the stairs kick my butt, or foot, so I've been staying away from them.

Not as much poop was sucked up as I'd like but I was more concerned about getting some of the old water out and some new water in.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Eugeney is sick. I'm really worried about her as she's just acting so out of character. She hasn't danced for me, she refused food yesterday, she's just been laying about while breathing heavily. 

I don't know what's wrong with her. Hilda's doing perfectly fine and she doesn't have any symptoms of the diseases listed in the stickies. I'm at a loss. She's currently floating in a cup while the QT bowl temp settles. I also added some AQ salt to the QT bowl for when she gets put in there. 

And while I'm feeling terrible I thought I'd post a picture I just found of my very first betta, Wiggles. I was about 10 when I got him and he died two days after we moved into our new house. I always wondered why until I found this site and learned that bettas are tropical and he most likely died from freezing in my cold, cold basement. I feel horrible about that and all the bettas that were bought afterwords by my dad that never got the proper care that they needed.

Anyway, here's the photo. He was gorgeous despite looking quite bloated, burned, and battered in the picture. :| I didn't get another betta, personally, until I was given Betty nearly two years ago.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Visit the Typing Test and try!

I just kind of wanted to brag a lil.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Well...since last time I posted some things have happened. Not much because my fish don't do much that warrant me sharing. 

Last time I wrote Eugeney was sick...and well she passed away a day after I posted that on here. I'm still not sure what was wrong with her. She started breathing heavily, days later she started getting lethargic, I put her in a hospital tank and within the night she'd died. I have a theory it was because of skin cancer just because she had a large black growth on her back that grew as I had her, plus when she died all her colored went away except for this large black spot. 

I took her death hard. I've hardly visited BF.com since just because I keep getting reminded of her on here. She was my first girl (technically my second because my parents had already gotten Betty for me.) but ya, know. 


The other thing that happened was Steve's filter broke and because it's so cold in my basement the heater wasn't able to heat all areas of the tank without the filter. So therefore Steve has been staying in the empty half of the 10g with Hilda for the past two weeks. 

It took a little while for the filter to get here, mainly because when we got it at first it had a large crack throughout it and we had to send it back to Amazon and wait for a replacement. But the filter has now been installed and I'm just waiting on WC day to put Steve back in his home.

I just have to add that Hilda is more manly than Steve is. I was a bit worried about her getting eggy with him in there. However after two days Steve built this cute little quarter sized bubble nest...Hilda built a bubble next that took on most of the surface area on her size. After that Steve let his nest fall into disrepair and no further acts of mating behavior have occurred. 



I'm also wondering why my post count has gone from 320 something down to 218?


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

So I have absolutely no willpower when it comes to animals. If it weren't for my parents I'm sure I'd have a lot more than just 1 dog and now 4 bettas. 

Any who, I went into Petco for no particular reason and came out with Viola Chubbs; who is in fact a boy, a 20 long; which I have no need for at the moment :roll:, a new stand for the 10g so it doesn't have to be in the kitchen, and a new pot decoration for Mr Grumpy. So much for just a browse!

Now to meet the new fishie! The new fishie who I shouldn't have bought because I wanted to eventually own just one fish or possibly two in a divided tank. But what can you do when these little fish give you their looks?


He is much more vibrant in person, however I wasn't able to get a better picture because I wanted to get him floating in the 6g. His body is this gorgeous iridescent lilac/pink and his fins are this deep purple. He's just WOW!










After going into Petco my mom and I went to 5 Guys and Target and because the temperature outside is waay to cold for me to have left him he went to both those places in my hoodie pocket. :lol:


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Today I woke up as per usual, sat up in bed, grabbed my glasses and went to check on Chubbs. The only different thing was that I couldn't see him anywhere in his tank, I thought he was merely hiding but a small voice in my head was like "Maybe he's in the filter."

I think you know where this is going. 

He was in the filter.

How he got in there I'm not entirely sure though I do know he entered though the outflow as the inflow is a sponge with nowhere for him to get through. 

I panicked as I do but I just turned off the filter and dumped him back in the tank all the while checking to make sure it wasn't actually the inflow that sucked him up.

He's fine, he was just freaking out and was incredibly tired when he was returned to his tank. I also upped the flow so that he hopefully wouldn't be able to get back in there.

More pics of Chubbs!

Also, tomorrow, the 23rd, I turn 18. Yikes.


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## Saphira101 (Nov 14, 2012)

Scary! maybe you could lower the water level a little to prevent him swimming up there again?


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

I know! Both Chubbs and I were both quite freaked out by the experience. Luckily he hasn't made a return to the filter. 

I have to admit that I'm quite impressed that he actually got into the filter in the first place. Below is the product image of the filter I have in his tank and my water height is pretty much the same as in the picture. 

Which means he had to have jumped the two or so inches to get to up to the filter plus my cartridges are flush against the front of the filter so he would have wriggled between the small gap between the cartridges and the 'roof' of the filter. :shock:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71IoCkIsk3L._SL1500_.jpg

I was going to post the image but it was very large and I'm unsure of how to resize pictures in the forum.


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## Saphira101 (Nov 14, 2012)

WOW.

Let's just hope it doesn't happen again. :/


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

I know. xD He's a crazy little guy when he isn't being so incredibly shy. I'm currently the only one he doesn't hide for. Whenever either of my parents or my sister comes into the room he promptly dashes into his plants. It was pretty special when he stopped hiding for me. 


In other news my mom is actually on board for getting a hedgehog. This is incredible news as she is not really an animal person and doesn't wish for any of us to be tied down with animals. Therefore, during the next few months I'm going to be doing lots of research, buying the necessary supplies, and visiting a breeder near us to see their hogs, make sure they're healthy, as well as to ask many questions. If I like what I see and hear then I'll be hopping onto their waiting list. 

I SHALL BE MOMMA HEDGEHOG.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

It has been quite a few months since I've even been to this site. I have both missed it and not. 

Since Eugeney's passing I've not felt the same passion for these wondrous fish that I had previously. I felt no interest in coming here and seeing other people and their fish. I'm still saddened by her death. She was my first girl, my first betta for the first time in years. She was just special to me.

I'm gravitating back, momentarily at least, because my other real special fish Steve will have to be euthanized in the coming days. His lymphocystis has flared up worse than it has ever done and for the past few months he's had no respite from the ever forming and bursting lumps. Half his face is now nothing but tattered flesh and I'm afraid he'll soon lose his eye.

It's gotten to both of us. He no longer swims around being the cheeky stinker that I remember. All he does now is lay in one corner of his tank. In the past few weeks he's gotten fin rot for the first time since he always sits in one spot, and even when he does move he always returns to the same spot. He's basically sitting in his own poo all day. 

I haven't been able to keep up on water changes the past couple weeks because I myself have been battling with illness after illness. Which certainly wouldn't have helped his newly acquired fin rot.


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## gema (Apr 5, 2013)

So sad to hear about Steve :-( although I hope you keep posting, I have loved reading your hilarious posts about your animal misadventures. Would love to see some new photos as well.

I hope both you and Steve feel better soon :-D


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Aw, thank you. It means a lot to hear that. 

I was hoping his lymphocystis wouldn't get as bad as it had. Previously it was just one small lump on his nostril, which would then heal before it formed again. But all of a sudden, or so it seemed, more and more lumps kept forming and the constant bursting of them left him no chance to recover. 

I'm still debating on how to euthanize him. As horrible and gruesome as it sounds I'm leaning towards instant brain destruction, just because it causes instant death. While I wouldn't be able to carry out the gruesome task my dad has offered to do it for me, albeit reluctantly. 

The other option is clove oil. This is the 2nd most humane option. I'm not sure how well I'd hold up to watching him fall into the effects of overdose, since if done right it should take about an hour. 

Anyway, sorry for the depressing posts. Some good news is that I was given in a jersey wooly rabbit two months ago as a late birthday present from my uncle and his wife. They were no longer able to care for him. (he was a whim buy  ) Of course that means no hedgehog but that can come later.

Have some pics of King Cocopuff. Well his real name is Oxley but he does a bunch of little cocopuff poops, in a litter box luckily. Well most of them anyway. 

























^ Psycho food face.


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## gema (Apr 5, 2013)

Hes so cute! Omg I want one. Does he just live inside like that all the time?

So sad about steve. I personally couldnt go through with it and would get dad to do it.
Also hows tribbles tummy problems going? My 1 and a half year old son like to feed my little dog people food as well and he often gets a funny tummy. Never to nappy extent though lol.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Isn't he? I absolutely adore him. He is a house rabbit, which means he does live indoors all the time. He doesn't have free roam of the house, however he does get to explore the tv room while sister isn't around as well as the basement whenever I can get him down there. When sister is around he has both his cage to roam as well as the pen his cage is in. The pen is also shared by Tribble. 

Hopefully that all makes sense. 

Tribble's tummy problems are currently nonexistant. Since we switched her food she hasn't had as many mushy poops and she doesn't throw up for absolutely no reason. We've also been keeping an even better eye on sister so that she doesn't sneak Tribble any food. 

Sharing is caring, except for when you have a small dog with a sensitive tummy!


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

On May 14 my wonderful dad helped me euthanize Steve. It wasn't easy for him, he's not the violent type, but he did it so that I wouldn't have to. 

The whole process of getting Steve cupped, taken outside, wrapped up in paper towel, and then dispatched only took a minute or so, not including goodbyes (which happened while he was in the cup). 

I've been really down about the whole thing, for obvious reasons. Steve was special to me, all my fish are special to me, but Steve was special special. 

Today I'm going to do a big water change on the 10g, remove the divider, and move things around. Hilda will have the tank to herself once more.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Yeesh, I haven't been on here since May? That's ridonkitonk. 

I've been somewhat avoiding BF.com since Steve died though. I don't know why, but after he died some of the joy these gorgeous creatures brought to me died a bit as well. 

Whenever I'd come here I'd see the love these fish were receiving from their humans and I'd feel guilty because I wasn't able to give that same love to my lot. 

It also worsened quite a bit when the fish I'd won from a contest on here died after I'd been too busy to do a weekly water change. The water had only been left for two weeks and when I finally did get around to changing the water she seemed fine. Fast forward 5 hours after the water change and she was gone. I must've messed her about too much.  

Hilda was her tankmate at the time and she was fine with the wc but Agnes was a thai fish and I believe they are much more susceptible to changes in water parameters. 

I don't know, the whole thing made me feel like the lowest scum on Earth. 

That was in October. 

And since then I've really emotionally distanced myself from Mr. G, Hilda, and Chubbs. I've only really been caring for them and that's it. 

I might be in a bit of trouble though, yesterday during water changes I felt that old spark. That doesn't mean I'll be rushing out to get more bettas, oh no no no. I've learned my lesson there. But I feel that in the new year I'll be able to once again open my heart to these beautiful fish I have and give them the doting that they certainly deserve.

Happy New Year


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

Oh BLT.. I am so sorry to hear about Steve... and you know, I felt the same after losing the strohi first (I -still- have NO idea what killed all five at once, overnight, but I suspect my psychopathic former dirty hippy of a housemate DID something to them while the move was happening... AHENWAY... may karma bite him in the ass like a 50-foot betta, is all I have to say on that..) and I got a bit perfunctory about my other fish for a while. Then like an idiot, I introduced a new fish, didn't quarantine, and voila, two more dead fish. I've been just gutted, I really have. 

But it gets better.. and you know? I have felt 'fishtwinges' too of late. Meaning, that if -some-body up and gave me a lovely purple female, I would not throw them out my house by the scruff of their neck. Heehee. But I'm not quite looking for new fish, yet.. 

OMG BUNNIES. I am having a squeesquee moment just staring at Oxley/Cocopuff. BUNNIES! *steals them*


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

It certainly does get better with time, that's for sure. I'm just glad I felt that old feeling once again. I've been able to sit and watch them without feeling like a giant a**hole. I actually watched Chubbs swim around for about an hour last night. He's still a jumpy fellow but I can actually feed him more than 2 pellets without him going off and hiding. Progress!

If your former roomate did do something to them then I do agree! How terrifying would a 50-ft betta be? Those little nips I get during water changes pinch enough as it is!

No plural bunnies yet, but I did get Ox neutered in Dec. in preparation for a little lady friend. If everything goes well he should have a hunny bunny by later this year or early the next. It's an exciting thought! I'd post some updated pics but they're all on my other laptop. 

I can however post some pictures of the late Agnes. She was a feisty thing! I'm sad that I only had 4 months of her company. I'm thinking that she must've had some giant in her or something because she was the same size as Mr. Grumpy. 

Queue the photo spam! First up is her AquaBid photo.









And next up is some of my favorite photos I took of her.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Well, I feel like the fish killer of Utah. :\ 

Today, Hilda succumbed to dropsy. I was seriously just hoping it was bloat caused by some over feeding. But no, it was not.


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## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

I just started reading your journal, and it's definitely not boring!

I'm very sorry about your recent losses of fish. I know losing a pet can be very hard, especially when you've grown so close to them.


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

Ack, BLT - I am SO sorry! 

Gosh, it's hard isn't it.. But she had a lot of love and care from you, and a good life.. 

You are a wonderful fishkeeper. Losing fish for ridiculous or mysterious (or sometimes both) reasons is part of the hobby.. we can only do our best and accept that sometimes no matter how we try, they will die anyway. 

Hugs, many hugs.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Welcome to my journal, BettaLover1313.  It's always nice to 'see' some new faces. I apologize for the dreary state this little corner of the forum is in currently. 

Thank you both. It always is hard. And I certainly hope that I gave her a good life. 

I'm really baffled at where the dropsy came from. I'm going to do some research on it later on. Hopefully knowing more about it will allow me to prevent it from happening in the future. It's a horrible thing. 

I really need to dismantle her old tank though. I'm not ready for more fish and looking at an empty tank is incredibly depressing. 

Dismantling the 10g and putting it into storage means that I'll be forced to sort out my current pile of fish supplies to make room. That's a scary prospect.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Aus, I finally bought this book that I've been eyeballing for quite some time. I'm a horrible procrastinator. 

I also bought a few (necessary) items for my furbabies. *Sobs internally at the cost* Not to mention I still owe my dad $255 for Ox's neuter. THESE FURRY CREATURES ARE EXPENSIVE! They'll have to make it up to me later with a few -ahem- humiliating Christmas photos. Did I mention my procrastination problem?


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## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

birdielikestomatoes said:


> Aus, I finally bought this book that I've been eyeballing for quite some time. I'm a horrible procrastinator.
> 
> I also bought a few (necessary) items for my furbabies. *Sobs internally at the cost* Not to mention I still owe my dad $255 for Ox's neuter. THESE FURRY CREATURES ARE EXPENSIVE! They'll have to make it up to me later with a few -ahem- humiliating Christmas photos. Did I mention my procrastination problem?


Amigurumi looks fun! Fur creatures are expensive, but definitely worth it in the love and affection they offer! One more thing-Procrastinators unite...tomorrow!


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

Ooh, that's a really good starter book, I've heard.

Maybe once you've gotten around to making a few, I'll have finally gotten around to writing up some patterns for dolls.. 

I made a really cute kitty-cat girl, I think you'd like her.  

She has pale blue ears now and a lovely fleece-trimmed blue winter coat. 

I am considering making a series of these, in different 'trim' colours. Sorry for the crappy pic:


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

It does seem fun. I wrote fun three different times and each time I'd write it with an m. :roll:

I've wanted to get into it but for whatever reason I haven't taken the time to learn how to do it. I'm hoping that this book will be simple enough to teach me the basics of amigurumi. 

I bought Ami Ami on a whim years ago but I couldn't understand the crochet lingo or patterns. 

She's cute, Aus! You could definitely make a line of those and possibly sell them on Etsy or something to help fund your expensive yarns. I'd buy one off ya. :-D

Speaking of yarn, and this will sound cray, but I want to learn how to spin pet fur. I have a pomeranian and a long haired rabbit. I'd have unlimited gray yarn. 

Yes, us procrastinators will have to unite. But maybe not tomorrow. We'll get to it eventually. :lol:


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

I knew a lady some years ago, who spun her Samoyed's hair into yarn for sweaters, etc. She even dyed it.. it was pretty soft!

My aunt is a big one for spinning fleece, and so on.. I would just end up creating one big dreadlock, and probably dyeing myself purple or something. Think I'll stick to buying fancy silk blends off of e-bay. :lol:


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