# ChaoticGarden's Journal



## ChaoticGarden (Apr 18, 2014)

4/18/14 Day One

I picked up Sunil today from PetSmart, since I'm a new owner I also got everything else he needed. A beginners tank set, heater, food, water conditioner, testing strips, plants, and fake little jaguar skull. I also got a 5 gallon bucket from the Home Depot next door for water transfer/treatment.

I got home and rinsed everything with warm water and set up his tank. I used my brita pitcher to do a quick filter of the water before putting it in the bucket and once the bucket was full I dropped some conditioner in it, waited and tested. The colors all seemed to be within parameters so I started loading the water into the tank and after letting it warm up to the optimal temp Sunil went in!

He seems to love it, just started swimming around, checking out the plants and the skull. He's really interested in playing with the pull of the filter, also I think he sees himself in the reflection of the black piece hanging outside the tank so he puffs up, swims away, comes back, puffs up, swims away.

So far he loves the bloodworms, I first fed him some in his little container and he wasn't quite sure what they were but once he tried them that was the end of that!

I just tested his water at 9:30pm and the temp is between 80 to 82F.
GH - 0
KH - 40
pH - 6.5
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 20

..also the cat just noticed him. After all day! Just now XD But I think he has a hard time seeing him with the distortion of the water. And the cat, Tobi, gets jealous when I spend time in front of the tank. 2 years of being the only pet in the house has made him spoiled!

Sunil watches me when I come up to the tank and if I press the tip of my finger to the glass he'll come close but watch it if I move it away from him. He likes the top corner away from the filter, I put a little leaf suction hammock up there for him to sleep near so he can be close to the top of the water to breathe. He seems to like it!

Overall Sunil is active and loves the big tank. He's healthy and just enjoying himself! I can't wait to see him grow and his personality shine even more.

I'm going to keep an eye on the filter, I've read that it may be too strong and if Sunil starts to look like he is struggling I'm going to try the water bottle trick for him to lessen the power of the suction. Or just get him a gentler filter if that doesn't work.


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## ChaoticGarden (Apr 18, 2014)

So I didn't get to spend much time with Sunil today because of work but I did have some play time wiping Tobi nose smears from the glass. Sunil followed my finger back and forth, he still backs up when it's directly in front of him but he also watches me when I come up to the tank.

Before work I fed him some bloodworms from my fingers instead of just dropping them on the water, it was so neat! Just neatly slurped them up! And then looked for more XD Bottomless pot of a stomach!


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## ChaoticGarden (Apr 18, 2014)

Well, I attempted a water bottle baffle for Sunil on Sunday before going to my friends house for dinner...... and he hated it. Apparently this little boy likes being pushed around by the current! He seems to play games with it and enjoy himself so I took it off after watching him sulk and halfway ignore me. 

I got him a marimo for his tank, as well as a bunch of new rocks that I'm going to put in on Friday when I do a half water change. 

But he is a really happy little boy it seems, and I'm glad of that.


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## ChaoticGarden (Apr 18, 2014)

*Tail biting*

So I woke up this morning to find Sunil had been, what I think is, tail biting overnight. His back fin is all raggedy at the edges. Luckily I had just taken a picture of him yesterday so I had something to compare it to.










And this morning...











I read in a newer thread that a diet change (which I was planning on anyway) and to reduce the current if it's pushing him around, which it is. As much as he likes to play in it I'm gonna baffle it. 

Also going to do a 50% water change today, see if that helps any!


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## ChaoticGarden (Apr 18, 2014)

Okay so I did a 75% water change for him today, treated it with stress coat to try and help with his fins. I got a new filter, the Tetra Whisper 10i since the other was pushing him around and some new food, Omega One Shrimp pellets. I'm going to monitor him over the weekend, see how his fins are doing.

If they keep getting worse I'm going to ask for help in one of the other parts of the forum, but hopefully they will start getting better.


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## ChaoticGarden (Apr 18, 2014)

Good news! Sunil's fins are getting better, and quite fast too! I came home from work this morning and they aren't looking raggedy. I'm not sure if the ragged pieces just came off or if there is new growth but the black around the edges is going away. His top fin did split in two from this, but it's not looking so ragged either. Going to see how he is doing tonight and tomorrow morning.










Also, he hates the pellets. But two can play the 'I'm not eating them game.'


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## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

Glad to hear that Sunil is getting better!


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## ChaoticGarden (Apr 18, 2014)

Thank you! I just wish I could say it stayed that way.

His fins are still rotting and I think he started biting them as there are some chunks gone now too. I picked up some aquarium salt so I'm going to do a 75% change today and put some salt in to try and help more. Hopefully this will nip the rot in the bud.


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## ChaoticGarden (Apr 18, 2014)

After the blindness scare Sunil seems to be acting like normal... until day when he seemed to be hovering a lot in the corner by the heater where he likes to sleep. Then I saw.... this!










Is that...a bubble nest?? From what I understand that means they are happy? Well that and getting ready for babies but... that's not in this little guys future so.


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## ChaoticGarden (Apr 18, 2014)

Just an update on the little boy! He ruined his first nest before I could even change his water and do it myself and has made two little ones again since. 

His defending of it is adorable... and he won't stop flaring at EVERYTHING kjdghdkfjh He seems happy enough, doesn't like his pellets so I'm thinking of trying to soak them in garlic juice/water. I'm not sure if the water that comes in the jars of minced garlic is okay to use or not though? Any advice on that front?


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## ChaoticGarden (Apr 18, 2014)

So he still hates his shrimp pellets, I'm starting to wonder if he even likes the taste of shrimp at all. I haven't seen the buffet pellets around my area so I placed an order with amazon for some. Still randomly bubble nesting, though they are smaller now and barely last a day. The scrapes on the top of his head are much better since I took the lava rock out of his tank.

Other than that all is well, though he was pissed at the last water change since I moved his heater to a different side of the tank...


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## ChaoticGarden (Apr 18, 2014)

So I finally was able to get some pictures off my camera that I took of the baby. He's so frustrating to take pictures of! Despite the fact that he flares at EVERYTHING I still can't get a picture of him doing it kjdfhgkdfh cause he has these two pretty yellow lines on the bottom that match his ventricle (I think?) fins that need to be shown off XD

But anyway! Pictures!


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## FishWhisperer (Apr 21, 2014)

Ooh pretty!


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## ChaoticGarden (Apr 18, 2014)

I know I don't keep up on here much (I'm REALLY bad at forums) but Sunil is doing well! He nibbled at his fins the other day but other than that he has been happily swimming around and flaring up whenever the urge strikes him!


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