# Journal: Moving struggles.



## Flapmon (Mar 21, 2013)

I've decided to let myself open up and allow myself to explain my worried, my needs, my do's and my donts. The current thing on my mind is moving, I'm Australian you see. I moved up here from Newcastle and I ended up gaining 6 gorgeous fish to now move back down with, Newcastle is 14 hours away. We plan on stopping off half way for a few days and then continuing on to our destination. My fish is my main concern, I mean sure I should be worried about packing or my beloved dog but its just hard when you become so attached to something so small. All the problems we've had during these last few months is the betta's with so many questions slowly becoming answered. It's just stress.

Now, I may be judged for this but currently my betta's reside in plastic bowls the temperature up here had allowed me to do this for a couple of months and then one day it wasn't warm enough, it was dropping. So the brilliant idea came through that we used my mothers 4ft fish tank put all of them in there still in their bowls mind you and fill it up with water so it covered our newly bought heater. They're warm now, they're not filtered yet. This bit comes later ... Or now. 

We decided to buy a 2ft fish tank (which was purchased in Newcastle) which we would divide into four and the males took over that section. We bought a ... Gosh, I don't even know... 21L tank to divide again for the two girls. It all sounded easy enough until ... "WHAT DO WE USE FOR DIVIDERS?!" Mesh? No. Glass? No. We want this to be one tank, not seperate... Then we became silly with our quest and eventually? We found flexible cutting boards which funnily enough we cut up and used as screens in the 4ft. The horrible news? It's melting to the plastic bowls, it peels off like sticky tape. So we're now back to square one, more like square ten since SOMEONE decided to bring up the idea of buying another 2ft fish tank and turning the 21L into a sorority. Although I'm thinking it might be too small ... 

BACK TO THE MOVE;
It's just, wow. We're going to be buying one/two plastic containers which they'll be traveling in. The stop off means we can connect the heater, hope to god nothing melts and leave them like that when we're finally cycling two damn filters! We haven't even started! I know some people have their betta's in the tanks while they're cycling but I just can't. Not when I read up on it and so many people say their fish died. The other thing? We're storing water. Yup. So they get used to it. They're just like children, you know? 

Scaley fish children with different personalities and the ability to make me smile.


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## Flapmon (Mar 21, 2013)

Journal #2: Same day, different time.

I haven't slept yet, I can't sleep properly and it has been a long time if I ever could have actually gone to bed and actually was tired. I might not make sense but that's expected when you're dilirious and usually lack of sleep is equivalent to .. Well, in kind terms "getting smashed". 

It's so lonely by myself, I mean usually I'm totally used to it but now? I think the lack o' sleep is really getting to me.

In other news? There's plans. Good plans, they're more for down in Newcastle and they don't involve dividers. Our room down there is being set up (since we bought the 2ft fish tank) it's all sorted on where everything goes and from further thinking I think I'll hold off on the sorority until I feel confident enough that I can actually make it work. Why dive into something when I have no clue? I'd prefer to have full knowledge rather then sacrifice pretties because I didn't read. That's just me though I guess, although it doesn't help when I know there's a lady up here who sells gorgeous fish like aquabid does. I know I just need to convince myself that I don't have room, I won't do that to my poor fish. 

Hmph. I think I'm ranting on now, I'll read this over and I'll be like,"What..." It'll be great! <<


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## Flapmon (Mar 21, 2013)

Journal #3: They're testing me.

I haven't slept again, I woke up at 10pm last night and I've been up since. It's currently 1pm. 

We decided to go to City Farmers (our local pet store) because my mother was in need of a heater for her new tank, her guppies are populating and the last solution is to completely separate them before she has too many fish. I mean the other suggestion would be to let them eat the fry, but it's hard when you see their little faces... Eh, anyway we also ended up picking up a leaf hammock for our girl Amethyst since she sleeps on the bottom, I guess she prefers it but maybe giving her a sturdy flat surface may encourage her to sleep up near the surface. They'll soon have to love these when we set up their fish tanks since it'll be too deep. I mean they'll be surrounded by live plants to rest on but just in case is what I say.

I'll say this now, me referring to uh.. "We" or "us" or "our"? I'm mentioning my girlfriend. So I apologize if I confuse anyone.

So wandering the isles my first step was to meet the betta's, none of interest (not saying they were ugly or anything, I just have 'types'). There was a fat plakat male who was well, giant but there were no new ones to gloat at. That's until I walked over to the live plants to check on the females. Worst idea ever, they had little bags filled with males floating ontop. I found a blue Cambodian CT and I fell inlove. It was horrible! I was trying to convince my girlfriend and myself that we needed him... That's until I really questioned where I'd put him ... And I left quite disappointed. I know my limits, it's just sad when you see such a gorgeous fish and you can't resist. << I'm especially horrible at that, but we walked away.

The next place to visit was Spotlight which is a craft shop. We've been looking for the damn needle work .. Plastic mesh things for so long and they didn't have them. So we're back to square one. We did find a shop online that sells them cheap so I guess we'll order them later since they're located in Australia. I just hope they don't import them from elsewhere since I don't want to keep my guys in their bowls for longer then I have to. 

Mm. Successfully failing day I suppose, some good things and bad and I'm tired. So maybe it's just horrible. I need to go shopping again tomorrow for Mother's Day, wonderful. No idea what to get her either, she bought herself something that I could have gotten her. Eh. 

Tired.


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## Flapmon (Mar 21, 2013)

Journal #4: Ouch.

After spending $134 a few days earlier on both betta and dog it has now come to that day. Well, close to that day. The moving day which is tomorrow.

It's hard for so many reasons, one being that I'm finally moving out of my home. I'm leaving my mother after living with her for 21 long years. It's the worst feeling I could possibly have, everytime I think about it I break down into tears. It happens, I guess. That feeling. It doesn't help that the mother of my god son has decided to brush me off which means me doing this? I'm losing them as well and that means I lose someone to check on my mother while I'm gone.

It's just hard and I never thought it'd get to this kind of feeling. It's horrible.

In other news? My betta's were cleaned today. Their rocks and plastic plants were removed but their live plants were kept in so they still have something to rest on. They all look so sad, they look like they're glaring at me or questioning me as to why their rocks aren't there anymore. I noticed one of my girls had stress stripes so that means the bright purple/blue she had is completely gone, I think one of the other boys is the same unless its just the lighting. I feel so bad for doing this but I don't know how else to get them down to Newcastle. 

We bought glass jars for them to travel in that have lids on them. Bigger jars for the bigger tails and smaller jars for smaller tails. They're not SMALL they're big enough to turn in, spin in and pace in. They'll be put into a giant plastic container held in with towels so they don't feel the bumps as much and as we get to our destination the container will be filled and the heater will be put into place. 

This is where I'll be keeping an eye on them, I can't lose them. 

Back to moping, I guess..


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## Flapmon (Mar 21, 2013)

Journal #5: Moving day.

Woke up early, packed the car early. Original plans of putting the betta's into the backseat were thrown and we ended up packing them into the boot since the car is a wagon then packing them in tightly so the whole thing doesn't move around as much. They really don't like their small jars.

An hour into it and we stopped off, pulling the jars out and removing lids to give them air as well as sunshine. All but one showed signs of stress at this point but the girl is usually very skitterish. They were all tucked back in and we were off again.

3 hours later and we stopped for a late lunch. I was watching my girlfriend unwrap them and pull them from the container and my mouth dropped. Prince is losing colour, he looks dopey and extremely unhappy. He's the worst of the bunch, Duke has prominent stress lines and so does Amethyst. Elliott had lost the blue from the tips of his tail but he's still cheeky -- Cinderella is still fiesty and King is just sad but he hasn't lost colour. 

I noticed white spots on Prince's face, I'm hoping he hasn't caught anything or its just him losing colour from stress, King seems to have a white bit in his fin as well. I'm hoping it is stress.

We're an hour or half an hour away from our destination, the plan is to fill what their in with water and set up their heater as well as keeping them in what they're in and perhaps even adding their live plants since we'll be there for a few days. I might add aquarium salt to their water just to try help them feel better. 

Today was stressful filled with lots of tears, a dog who seems to forget his commands since he's so worried and these betta's who get stressed and I can't help. A few more days and I'll be cycling two tanks, a few more days and we'll finally be "home" but who knows for how long ...


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## Flapmon (Mar 21, 2013)

Journal #6: The last day.

We got in to our destination about 7pm and we straight away set up the betta's into their temporary home, that being the container filled with water as well as the heater. I didn't really poke or prod at them too much and so slowly but surely their colour returned back to normal. 

We stayed there for a day, feeding them small amounts of food and checking the temperature each day. My partners niece and nephew were interested in the betta's so this meant looking at them when they asked as well - it doesn't really help that they were given guppy fry so they always want to check their fish as well.  

Wednesday morning was the day to be gone, we slowly packed up and secured them into their containers with towels I feel sad to do this to them again but it's a shorter trip and I know their colour will come back. 

Fed them less so the water didn't dirty quickly, we also bottled water so we can slowly introduce them to the new water from where we're going. 

We'll be at our new home in a few hours, my Mother still sounds sad but that's .. Expected. Just like I still feel like poop. Heh.


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## Flapmon (Mar 21, 2013)

Update on journal #6:

We have finally arrived to our new home, I haven't seen the fish since this morning so it was a shock to me to find that King has pop eye in one of his eyes, his water was immediately changed (We were going to wait until tomorrow.) and gave him aquarium salt in his original 1 gal bowl. This also meant making a weak dosage for the rest of the 5 just in case.

They're doing fine, Duke and Ammy have lost colour but they're the typical two to lose it first and when I looked at Duke he was gaining some of it back. 

I guess this journal now turns into a uh .. <<

"Cycling steps" journal for the two filters. Joy.


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## Flapmon (Mar 21, 2013)

Journal #7: Popeye and cycling-

It has now come to the time where we need to figure out our plans for the filters, yesterday we swapped over the glass jars to their bowls and they all look happier even the poor boy King. His eye has settled down a lot and I feel a lot more relaxed.

3 of them are still in the container in the bathroom and 3 are sitting it the 2ft fish tank in our bedroom. 

We connected one of the filters to the 20L and connected both of them up to begin the cycle, added fish food after we were sure they were working and then noticed the inbuilt light is not working which is currently being worked on. It's just one problem after another and our next goal is dividers.

We checked out the pet shops around here, first pet shop had disgraceful living conditions for betta's suffering from mutations, pop eye and in some jars dropsy but I did buy peanut butter biscuits for my dog. The second pet shop had their betta's in Chinese containers with no air holes in them, they were in better health but they didn't have air. Found a unicorn ornament for Amethyst for $12. The third pet shop was a lot more friendly, they didn't have betta's but the way he sells them makes me think they're good quality fish. Bought a thermometer from in there, a filter cartridge and worming tablets. 

It's all down to patience now as well as looking for ornaments, plants and dividers.


Tank-


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## Flapmon (Mar 21, 2013)

Journal #8

So it has been a week since we began to cycle our tank, I hate to admit it but we guessed it without the API master test kit which we finally bought today and all we really had to do was minor adjustments with stress zyme.


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## Fenghuang (Dec 28, 2012)

Congratulations on your move. It must have been nervewracking to move so many fish along with everything else. I'm glad everyone made the trip safely and that King will get better soon. 

My bettas are also going to be making a move in the upcoming months. We already had two boys transported twenty-three hour, thousand plus mile South to my girlfriend's house in a car safely, so we feel much better about Phoenix and Barti who won't be going nearly as far.


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## Flapmon (Mar 21, 2013)

Fenghuang said:


> Congratulations on your move. It must have been nervewracking to move so many fish along with everything else. I'm glad everyone made the trip safely and that King will get better soon.
> 
> My bettas are also going to be making a move in the upcoming months. We already had two boys transported twenty-three hour, thousand plus mile South to my girlfriend's house in a car safely, so we feel much better about Phoenix and Barti who won't be going nearly as far.


I'm sure your fish will be fine on the move.  if you'd like? Feel free to ask me questions. I'll be happy to answer them


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## Flapmon (Mar 21, 2013)

Journal #9: It never ends.

After adding the stress zyme days before I finally check the levels in the tank, it seems ammonia has slightly lowered and nitrites have rocketed, there's no sign of nitrates yet -- but we're still in our early weeks of cycling. I plan to add a lot of fish food in tomorrow.











I was planning on adding goldfish to the cycle, but I felt it'd be too cruel. So we're giving the two that we bought to my girlfriends sister.











Update:
King's pop eye has completely healed, he's back to being the cheeky little bugger he always has been but now my worry lands on Cinderella- the gender/tail confused white thing that has now acquired a white spot on his/her side. I'm thinking it's a parasite- not completely sure though.


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## Flapmon (Mar 21, 2013)

Journal #10

We had some troubles with the tank, it seemed that we were adding too much food and so it sunk to the bottom and turned ... Stringy, soggy. We spent most of the day getting rid of the large chunks as well as cleaning the rocks and adding stress zyme as well as testing the water with the master kit -- it seems nitrite has skyrocketed while ammonia has lowered and nitrate doesn't look fluro but it doesn't look orange either. 

I took a few photos;



















Another exciting thing?! We finally bought our perspex $300 worth of it. My god it's expensive, all we need to do now is to cut it down and drill holes into it. We've worked out a way to keep it all in the tank without using binders and suctions so lets hope it works. We also bought piping as hidey holes for them. I'm getting so excited that it's all going to happen! All we're waiting for is the silly filters... At least there is noticeable change and it's only week 3. I really don't want to start all over again. ;c

I guess that's it...

FOR NOW ....


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