# This new guy changes everything.



## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

I have been a betta "owner" for almost 10 years. I've always had a jar or bowl or small tank hanging around with a $2 blue vieltail sitting in unheated, untreated water on my kitchen table or in my office. I wouldn't win any "owner of the year" awards, but most of them have lived about 2 years, aside from 2 that died within 3 days. (I blaim wal-mart.)

My "last" betta died about 6 months ago, and I was done with them. I put my tank up and didn't really miss it.

About 2 months ago, my girlfriend and I went to PetSmart so she could coo at the guinnee pigs. While we were walking out, the bettas on the endcap caught my eye. Typical boring vieltails. Blue. Red. Dirty blue water. 2 or 3 dead.

I moved a dead female's jar from the first row and tucked it in the back so people didn't have to see her. Behind her spot was the smallest betta I had ever seen for sale. He was just over an inch long with fins, and was white with a rew red spots on his fins. He was not doing well. He just sat at the bottom of his jar and swam "away" trying to hide from any fast movement. I looked at him for about 10 minutes. I felt bad. I wanted to help him. I wanted to see what he would look like if he got bigger.

I was a betta owner again.

I took him to the counter and when his barcode was scanned, the lable read "HalfMoon - $8.99". I've never spent more then $2.99 on a fish. This little guy was already nickle and diming me.

I took "the most expensive betta in the world" home and starting digging around for my 1 gallon tank. I set it up, plug the bubbler and light in, toss in a _Tank Buddy,_ and let it sit for about an hour. I dump my rescue project in the tank, and then take my girl out for dinner. 

The next morning i check on the little guy and, to my suprise, he is still alive. Not only that, he is swimming around, eagerly exploring his tiny home (that i'm sure felt huge to him). He looked at me, chased my finger, and looked like he was saying thank you. 

He wouldn't eat pellets or flakes. I don't think he recognized them as food. I went to the store and picked up some bloodworms and 2 ghost shrimp to clean the food that had accumulated on the bottom. After about a week he was eating flakes and pellets with a bloodworm snack from time to time. The Ghost shrimp keep the place tidy. Everyone gets along.

2 months later, this still unnamed fish has won my heart. He looks so excited every morning when he sees me. Him and his shrimp friends gobble their food and then set out to play in the bubbles. He has retained much of his whiteness, but is taking on an almost translucent blue tint. The red spots on him are bolder. His fins are filling in.

I have been researching bettas and want to do everything I can to make him as pretty and happy as possible. I've never seen a betta like him. His coloring and personality make him the favorite fish i've ever owned. 

I've started doing 50% water changes every few days. I am getting a 5 or 10 gallon tank this weekend with a heater and filter and even some live plants. 

Most importantly, i've decided to breed him. I am several months from starting that, but I am researching and reading everything I can on proper betta care.


Here is a picture of this guy. I am calling him "M-1" for now. Any idea what his color or patern is called? Does he look alright?

(i've yet to get a picture of him flaring. The pictures where he looks blue were taken with a very bright flash)


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## BlakbirdxGyarados (Feb 10, 2011)

Thanks so much for the story! It's great to hear a good turn-around anecdote. =)

Firstly, welcome to the forum.

He looks like a blue marble Halfmoon... Based on the pictures, I'm guessing he changed from one color to another, pretty much? 
Which picture on the collage is the most recent? If he's now light blue, I say he looks a little raggedy around the fins. But if he's active and seems healthy, he should be good otherwise!

He's gorgeous. 

Edit: I just saw the note you added in parenthesis... I just woke up, so sorry if I'm asking questions when the answers are right there. 
If he hasn't changed colors from the time you got him to present day, then instead of marble, he might be a tricolor betta. Based on his markings, though... I say once he's in a bigger home with the better accomidations, he'll really change colors fast. He looks a lot like how my first male was when I brought him home. (He happens to be a Halfmoon, too.) Jade went from white with slight red and blue spots to all navy blue with deep red fins, fringed with white. Like a completely different fish.


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

The largest picture and the pictures with the flash (bright blue) were taken in the last 2 days. The other picture was taken about 3 weeks ago. between that time he spent 2 days with a red claw crab that I was told would clean the tank and not bother him. 

My crab was a jerk. "M-1" thought it was the most interesting thing. The crab didn't want the attention. I returned the crab and got the ghost shrimp.

What can I do to help his fins regrow and get fuller? 

What is recomended as the best pellet food for bettas? Right new he mostly eats tropical betta flakes, and i know that is not ideal.


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Awww such a nice story and handsome guy! Welcome!

As for his fins, Stress coat+ is highly recommended to help regrowth of fins. Plus, it's good for his slime coat and conditions the water.
Anything with high crude protein % is good for him. I found my flakes have more then my pellets, so I alternate them. New Life Spectrum I've heard real good things about. As well as frozen blood worms and brine shrimp are excellent. Especially if you want to condition him for breeding.

Can't wait to hear more about your adventures in the times to come!


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## BlakbirdxGyarados (Feb 10, 2011)

I second what Myates said. Stress Coat+ is great for healing fins. My other HM had a huge rip in his tail two days ago. It was halfway headed yesterday, today it looks good as new. I also added 1/2 tsp of aquarium salt to prevent any fungus growth while he heals. It's not necessary, but it's good to be safe.

A lot of users feed Hikari pellets to their bettas every day, replacing one day a week for frozen bloodworms.
Personally I give my bettas Tetra Color+ Flakes one day, then pellets, then frozen Mysis shrimp, Aqueon brand flakes, ZooMed pellets, freeze-dried bloodworms, etc., and it circles. I inherited quite a bit of different foods given that I work at a pet store, but I love having a huge variety to work with... If I find one of my bettas doesn't particularly like a certain food, I have a lot of backup.


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## EverythingNice55 (Jul 26, 2011)

Beautiful story! And what a gorgeous betta! Nice save! You should name hime River or something. It's up to you. I loved the story! Best of luck to you and your betta!


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## gwenny (Sep 20, 2011)

That was such a great story to read! I'm sort of like you, I had a couple bettas in the past, but I didn't know any better and kept them in unheated cups with just gravel. I thought they were so boring. Now I have 3 in 2+ gallon tanks and you can really see their personalities come out when they're in an environment they love. They're so fun to watch and you end up talking about them all the time!


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

Update:
I've spent so much time researching Betta's, tank conditions, breeding, plants, and everything Betta related. I am slowly making changes to my little guy's habitat.

I am not able to get the 5 gallon tank that I want to move to yet, but I am doing what I can to make his 1 gallon more enjoyable. 

I removed his old spiky plants that I think might have had a bit to do with his ragged fins. I replaced one with a small silk plant, and the other with a Marimo ball that I split in two. I am not advanced enough for live plants, so i hope the Marimo will take care of the minor algae problems i used to have.

I am doing 50% water changes every other day and got some Seachem Prime as a conditioner.

My question: Earlier a couple people mentioned Stress Coat++ to help with his fins. Should i still get that or is the SeaChem Prime enough?

Any other tips/suggestions?


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## Micho (Aug 22, 2011)

Stress Coat will help with the healing of fins. I believe 

Marimo moss balls are easy plants, they'll usually collect debris up so once in awhile take them out of the tank and rinse them, squeeze them gently and try to roll them into a sphere like you're playing with Play Doh, it'll help maintain their spherical shape.


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## gwenny (Sep 20, 2011)

To my understanding, Seachem prime is a water conditioner (removes chlorines, ammonia, heavy metals, etc) whereas Stress Coat+ is both a conditioner and a medicinal treatment...it'll help the healing of torn fins, replace the slime coat and reduce stress. So using it a mass amounts (it has to be like half-the-bottle mass amounts) isn't recommended as the slime coat will be too thick. 

This is just what I've gathered from reading tons of threads, but I'm not sure how accurate it is. What I do is use Prime to condition my water for water changes and every now and then I'll put a drop of Stress Coat (I have 2-5 gallon tanks) in it.


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

The Seachem Prime bottle say that it "provides slime coat"

Isn't this what StressCoat++ does?


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## Micho (Aug 22, 2011)

CalvinWill said:


> The Seachem Prime bottle say that it "provides slime coat"
> 
> Isn't this what StressCoat++ does?


Stress Coat does provide slime coat too, but it does more than that. It also helps reduce stress and promotes healing if you're fish got hurt. . .

Prime just removes chlorine and all that nasty junk that's found in your water along help your fish with his/her slime coat. 

Stress Coat is not needed but it is recommended. It's your choice, to add it or not. Not much is needed a drop or two would be good.


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## Vnessa123456 (Jun 21, 2011)

He is beautiful! This was a nice survivor story... so many times I hear of sick ailing fish bought at these stores that don't survive.

You've given him a good home  Keep us posted on his progress!


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

You try to do something nice...

It appears that despite close inspection and a 5 day soak in untreated tap water, the Marimo ball has introduced a minor planaria infestation. ( I know I should have done a 2 week quarantine, but I got anxious and wanted them in helping the tank, not my wine glasses.)

Do these pose any threat to the betta or the ghost shrimp? What is the preferred method of dealing with these little guys?


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## Silverfang (Mar 25, 2011)

I think your betta might munch on them. A tasty snack for them


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## BlakbirdxGyarados (Feb 10, 2011)

Planaria aren't harmful, really. They're pretty good foods for fry, but that's because they're moving and squirming, and it gets their attention.

If you'd rather not have the intruders there...
After maybe two or three weeks of water changes, I got rid of my infestation. It was pretty bad, too, since the hairgrass and sand hid them all pretty well. You could completely empty the tank and wash it out with hot water, then refill it and etc., but seeing as they're not harmful and you've already got everything pretty set up, you might not mind just doing the regular water changes.

Edit: I also do 50-75% water changes for my 5g. (I don't mean to get that much water out, but the syphon sucks. lol)


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## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but shrimp will fare best (as in, you might get them to breed, even) in a balanced, planted and cycled tank...

As for the damage to his fins, I personally think that a sit with 1tsp/gallon of aquarium salt in QT will do him best, as to get whatever gram-neg strain is hitting him out of the picture, rather than fussing with it over time.


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

MOVING DAY!!!

Today is the day I have been waiting for.

I was able to snag a 10 gallon tank on craigslist for FREE that came with a hood, a filter, a few decorations, and a heater. All I had to do was pick it up and clean it. 

Last night I spent several hours carefully cleaning, assembling, and decorating the new tank. I placed a DIY divider in it because i am currently hunting for the right female for the breeding that I am still thinking about.

I let it run all last night and through the day to make sure the heater works right, and it has sat at a comfortable 80 degrees since this morning.

I am awaiting the big moment. Right now my little guy is floating in the jar i bought him from. I am going to let him float for 20 minutes, then mix in some of the new water, give him 20 more minutes, and release him to explore.

I am taking some pictures and thought I would share them here.

First is his old 1 gallon, unheated and unfiltered tank. It was a nice place to start, but it is time to move on.


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

The new place, minus a few extra plants.


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

floating the the cup I first found him in.


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

The last few pictures will come after he is free. I sure hope everything goes alright.


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## gwenny (Sep 20, 2011)

I love the light/dark theme! Are you planning on getting a second betta for the other section?


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

Yes.

He is a soft and lightly colored betta so I am going to put him in the darker side. The female I have in mind will be darker and a bit bolder.

That is the plan, but M1 is a very marbled and inconsistently colored guy. Who knows what he will look like after a few weeks in his new digs.

The first "water change" went well, though he was flaring at me when i walked up to grab his cup. I don't know if he is overly stressed, but he is certainly a bit nervous.


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

Home!


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

He had a big flaring contest with the statue when he first saw it. He also flared at the thermometer.

He recognized the marimo ball. He rubbed against it and went on exploring. I think he will do alright here.

Any suggestions?


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Stresscoat can help but clean water is the best medicine for finrot. Oh, and welcome to the forum.


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## Gloria (Sep 22, 2011)

Beautiful story.. Lucky little guy.. He is absolutely gorgeous... I love the new tank  I hope you have lots of fun being a Betta parent again 
Good luck wuth finding him a lady-friend


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

I got to thinking about water changes and cycle issues today, and didn't find any conclusive information or answers. Sorry if this has been explained a thousand times.

So, we have a new 10 gallon tank with 1 happy little Betta in it. All of the water is fresh and conditioned. All decorations were given a thorough cleaning before going back into the new tank.

What sort of water change schedule should I be looking at here? I want to hold off on the first change as long as would be responsible so I can let him relax and feel safe in his big new home. 

I do not have an amonia test kit yet. I never saw the point with a 1 gallon that I would need to change daily anyway. I can get one this weekend.

How should i approach these first weeks in the new tank?


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

After 1 week in the new tank, things are looking good.

I have an ammonia test kit now, and after a few readings over 2.0ppm followed by partial water changes, his side of the tank just tested at .25ppm. I would like it to be lower, obviously, but I am happy to be approaching "healthy" range.

Today I saw him working on his first bubble nest. His fins are slowly regrowing and he hangs around at the top of his tallest plant and flares when i get near it. When I go to the other side of the tank (the food side) he darts around eagerly waiting for his new Bio-Gold to drop in.

No updated pictures yet, but i will post some soon so you can see his fin and color improvements.


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Glad to hear he is better =) And yay on the bubble nest!

For 10 gals filtered/cycled usually 25% a week is good for water changes. If you see a high ammonia testing prior to the water change, you can up it to about 50%. Make sure to dose with conditioner the full dosage for 10 gals, regardless the % you take out.

0 is idea for ammonia, up to .25 isn't too dangerous. Just test prior to your weekly water changes and make any adjustments needed on the % until you find what works the best. Just don't do too much (I'd say more then 50%) as then it could mess up the cycle of the tank. I'd test tomorrow and if it is still at .25 or higher, I'd do a 10-25% water change tomorrow and that should be good for the week.


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## BlakbirdxGyarados (Feb 10, 2011)

Love that theme you did... I did that with my 10g, too, except one side housed guppies and the light side featured Jade when he was whiter... I still have the theme, but as the tank is now undivided for the sorority, the middle mixed a bit... still looks good, imo. xP
I tend to blabber, too, so ignore that. xD And I apologize.

Your Marimo ball is... a little lobsided, lol. Looks like Pacman... I almost want to ask if you named it that. :'D
Can't wait to see the girl you get... the setup will look really great with contrasting fish and themes.


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

Just wanted to show an update. Finally got a good picture of him flaring.

His fins have grown out a lot and his color is really starting to get solid. I like the way he is looking right now. He is doing pretty great in the new tank and I am still hunting for a black fire female to breed him with. Might be looking for a while.

My only problem right now is that though his tail and other fins are really regrowing well, his dorsal looks tatered and funny still. I think it is growing, but very slowly. I hope it gets back to the way it was.

Anyway, pics.


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

pic 2


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## OMB (Nov 6, 2011)

He's gorgeous! What a great story. I love these cinderella stories of bettas that reward you with their gorgeousness like this. I'm kind of in the same boat as you - didn't have success in the past with Bettas (but always had tropical tanks). Gave it up for years...and then one day I found a betta with all of his accessories on Craigslist. Now I'm spending way more than I got him for - but I am in love with the little guy! (I don't have any tips to add since I'm back here learning just like you. But good luck and keep posting about his progress!)


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

Keeping with the updates. Either he is getting better at flaring, or I am getting better at snapping pictures at the right time.

His fins are still growing, starting to feather out. He is starting to get some pretty good form, and the red just keeps spreading. I love what my little white speck has turned in to.

His dorsal keeps repairing itself, but it is growing must slower then the rest of his fins did. Must be harder to regrow. 

Welcome to the forums, OMB. Sounds like our stories are much the same. One little betta squirmed into our hearts and now we want to see what these fish are capable of.

Hope yours is as rewarding as mine has been. You should post some pics or start a thread with your tale and keep us updated.


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## OMB (Nov 6, 2011)

wow - he really is GORGEOUS! Have you decided on a name or are you sticking with M-1? Makes me want to go to walmart and rescue the sickly, shredded tailed white betta I saw there last week..... 
I'm still figuring out my bettas name - but yup I did start up a thread here http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=85534 
He got mad at me for ruining his happy home, I think.


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

Well, I woke up this morning to find that M1 had either ripped a large chunk of his caudal off or decided he wanted to look like a double tail and nom'd it. I don't see any damage on him anywhere else, but he is missing a ray almost all the way to the base of his tail.

I looked to see if it was hanging on a plant or in the divider or anywhere else to give me a clue as to what happened, but there is no trace.

A pity really. he was starting to look so good. I guess it is a good thing in the long run. I was really worried about him getting stressed this weekend when I move to a new apartment and biting. Now this way, it can all grow back at once.

I wonder how long this one will take to grow back. Is there any danger due to how far down the missing ray goes?


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## OMB (Nov 6, 2011)

calvinwill said:


> ... Decided he wanted to look like a double tail and nom'd it.


lol!
hehe..betta jokes!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Aww, bad fishy! lol. He's pretty.


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## BlakbirdxGyarados (Feb 10, 2011)

It'll take some time since such a huge chunk is taken out, but his tail will grow back. StressCoat+ really helps out that kind of healing process.

There's not really any danger from the rip in his tail being that deep... but any closer to the base, and that's pushing it. He should be fine though.


I just got back on this site after about a month of being pretty much idle. Updating myself on these posts... He was starting to look gorgeous, and I'm glad he's been doing better. Other than the damage he has now, of course.


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## Bettabubble3 (Aug 17, 2009)

So i wanted to tell you i realllly liked reading your story it makes me feel so happy  keep us updated!


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

Overdue update.

M1 is doing well. He still nips his fins from time to time, but things around here have been getting much more "exciting" and thanks to these distractions his fins are starting to come back as nice as ever.

Over the weekend I began condition M1 and both of my girls. I hope to start breeding before the end of the month. Right now the only hold-up is a custom tank stand I am building for the 20L breeding tank and a few last supplies that are being ordered.

The girl I plan to breed him with is a Black Fire female from NIB's spawn. She has been with me since the day after thanksgiving, but is probably what you would call a late bloomer. She was very small and constantly stress-striped when I got her. I have been feeding her NLS Grow formula and boy does that stuff make a difference. It has taken work to get her to where she is now, but I am fairly confident she will be receptive to the breeding. 

If she fails, I have a much larger multi female from martinismommy (sp). Special thanks to 1Fish2Fish for connecting me with these pretty girls.

My petco baby has finally grown enough to be put in the divided tank with the big multi girl. The Black Fire female is in a divided section of M1's tank and you can tell she is responding to his hormones already.

In addition to all of this, I have a tower of micro-worm cultures, brine shrimp eggs, IAL tea that I made myself, and a spare 10 gallon set up to grow java moss and test sponge filters and heaters as they come in. It feels like every day I get something else for the breeding project.

Here are some pictures. sorry about the disjointed nature of this post, but I wanted to give everyone an update. the real fun starts very soon.


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## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

What a great story!


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## Gloria (Sep 22, 2011)

Glad to hear that everything is going well 

I love your tanks in the first picture. What are they ? Amd What size are they?


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

The 2 main tanks are just divided 10s. The smaller "tank" is the 1 gallon that M1 started in and where the baby was kept while he was itty bitty. You can see the corner of the 20Long that I will use for breeding in the bottom of the picture.


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## SpookyTooth (Dec 23, 2011)

I've enjoyed reading about your re-entry into betta keeping! Thank you for all the updates and lovely photographs; best of luck with your breeding endeavors and with training!


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

Another day, another suspicious package from china. (actually, Singapore this time). My secretary always gives me a shifty eye when she drops the packages at my office.

More marimo balls. I accidentally bought the little ones, but they were really cheap so I'll toss them in the breeding tank and let the kids eat the infusoria.


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

I've purchased those as well! I actually like the little things lol What a great set up you have going! M1 is gorgeous.


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## Spook (Dec 30, 2011)

Your story is really inspiring! It was wonderful to read through the thread and see M1's amazing progress! I really admire the setup you've got going on at the moment, and I hope your future adventures in breeding will be successful!


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## BettaMommy531rip (Dec 29, 2011)

Awwwwww! Cute story! Instead of breeding I am going to start a sorority (a sorority is 4 and up female bettas in the same tank). I have a 15 gallon. I hope to put 6 girls in there, most of them being double tails (I am a sucker for double tails).


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## Gloria (Sep 22, 2011)

wow.. they dont look like theyre 10g! wow  I love the baby marimo moss balls, I have 6, theyre so cute, i had them in my breeding/ grow out tank, they fry liked 'em


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## newarkhiphop (Apr 22, 2011)

Great great story he went from so skinny and colorless in that first pic to huge healthy and flaring in the other pic Great job on your part too


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

The girls look great! When it comes time to re-culture your worms I may have to see if I can buy some off you. They look like they're doing really well.

I can't wait to see your spawn log.


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

Worms might be my specialty. I started with a small culture I got free at an IBC charter meeting on Dec 7. I split that 4 ways a couple weeks ago and it looks like they could be ready to split 4 ways again before the breeding. 

Be it for microworms or betta themselves, a true enthusiast always has a shortage of containers...


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

LOL.. isn't that the truth! I'm always eying sales on containers while at work (work in a grocery store).

Microworms (as well as walter and banana worms) always did very well for me aswell. Just the last culture I got from a new seller seemed to be a dud :-/


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

Breeding tank and stand complete.


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## Badjer (Oct 25, 2011)

That is an amazing breeding set up! So professional looking!


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

All outlets, wires and pumps are kept inside the stand. Timer controls and pump controls are inside the glass doors.

Good find at a Goodwill store to start the project.

I have been thinking about this for a long time, so it was great last night to finally see it completed.


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## BettaMommy531rip (Dec 29, 2011)

I love following your story! This one little petstore betta changed your whole life! That just goes to show when you get the betta bug you take it and run with it!  Good luck! I hope to see some fry pics.!


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## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

Wow loved this whole story and can't wait for you start breeding!!!!


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## scootshoot (Oct 11, 2010)

This is a great thread.

More More !


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

Picked up an Aqueon versa-top (30). Pretty solid, and fits great. The humidity is building up in the tank and the water temp climbed to 86 over night. Small adjustments to get to 81 now.

I also added the 3 mystery snails last night.

Provided I can balance the temperature, M1 will go into the tank on Wednesday evening. The Black Fire Female (BFF) will go in later Friday night, stay in the glass Saturday, and will be released early Sunday morning.

I hope for free swimmers by the following weekend. Once I get wigglers I will start a spawn log in the breeding section and recap all of this.


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## SpookyTooth (Dec 23, 2011)

Mystery snails are hilarious. I'm getting excited for you now - best of luck!!


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## OMB (Nov 6, 2011)

I stopped reading the forums for a month or so and then just got another betta this wknd so came back. It's great to see how much you've done! Like others, I love reading your story! So awesome to see how much a little betta can affect someone!


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## LittleBettas (Jul 23, 2011)

OMG, how exciting! love that you included so much information!!!! Can't wait for them to start spawning! Good luck!


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

Thanks for all the kind words and excitement from followers of this thread. He really has changed a lot of things for me. I would not have expected to be this excited about anything a year ago, let alone a little fish. 

As scheduled, he is floating in the breeding tank and is about to be released. I hope everything goes well. I'll update with plenty of pictures tomorrow from my office.


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

The transition went well. When I let him out of his floater cup the first thing he did was race over to a snail and just look at it for a good 30 seconds. After that, he just cruised around the tank. He couldn't decide between the IAL and the Styrofoam cup for his base camp, but this morning he was working on a nest under the cup.

Everything is right on track and I am getting really excited for Sunday.


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

m1 and my cat lisa doing pretty much the same thing.


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

So, after introducing BFF to the spawning tank on Saturday, I released her Sunday morning. The initial flirting started. Flaring, chasing, hide and seek. 

M1 kept going back to the nest, but the female would either hide or swim on the other side. He would be doing S patterns under the nest, and she wouldn't be paying much attention to him.

Later, She would be hanging out under the next, as bright and barred up as I have ever seen her, and HE would be swimming about. 

Eventually they started chasing, too much, she got stressed and hid, and he was in hot pursuit. I put her back in the chimney. 

Right before "lights out" last night, I released her. This morning, in the dark, she was under the nest. As soon as the lights turned on, she went head down, and he went over to her. He very slowly danced with her all over the tank. They danced for almost 10 minutes and I knew a spawn was on the way. Then, he decided to start chasing her again.

He hardly has any nest under the cup, and in the last few weeks he has proven to be a champion nest builder. 

Currently, I am at work, and they are in the tank at home. I think I need to be patient. They both are acting ready, just not at the same time. Hopefully they will sync up during the day.


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## LilyK (Oct 19, 2011)

Good luck on your spawn!


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## OMB (Nov 6, 2011)

Can't wait to hear how things went when you get home!


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

So i took a long lunch and went home to check on them. No progress. M1 still hadn't blown more then a few bubbles under the cup and was ignoring the lid that he usually piles nests under. He was chasing the female when he would find her. She doesn't have a scratch on her, his fins are nipped down a bit but nothing else going on.

I took the cup and lid out and replaced them with a square of bubblewrap. Hopefully that will trick him into adding to this big "nest" and impress the lady. She is back in the chimney on the far side of the tank.

A bit frustrated, but I know this is about patience. 

Any ideas? I will post in the breeding forum when I get home if I don't see any positive progress.


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## sunrise2397 (Jul 19, 2011)

oohh ive read everything on this thread, and i love your whole story! i really hope everything goes well for you and the spawn


oh and your guy m-1 looks amazing compared to when you first bought him!


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

So, big update:

After the breeding "test run" two weeks ago, I pulled them from the tank and reconditioned. This Friday evening, I put M1 in the tank and the Black Fire in the chimney. Things were much different. M1 immediately went to work building a huge bubble nest and filled up the cup over night and spilled the nest over to the plants. 

When BFF was released, they flirted, danced, circled, and all was going well. She inspected the nest, he danced around her and showed all the signs. Then the nipping, chasing and hiding started. I got pretty disappointed. I kept an eye on them but never saw them spawn. She would keep going towards the nest, he would chase her away, and she would hide. 

After 48 hours, I took BFF out of the tank and decided to toss the large Multi in. I had her in the chimney for 2 hours, and then released her. M1 paid very little attention to her. No flaring, no dancing, no flirting. She looked interested, but he wanted nothing to do with her. The chasing started getting more aggressive, and he shredded her fins pretty bad. 

Finally, at 8pm last night, I decided to call it. I took the multi out and stuck her in her tank and started a water change on the breeding tank.

After siphoning 2.5 gallons out of the tank, I finally realized that M1 was acting odd. He wasn't out looking at me. He wasn't chasing the siphon. He looked more concerned then anything. I looked in the nest. Nothing. I remembered something I had read. I grabbed my flashlight and looked again.

EGGS. Tons of little cream colored eggs. Dozens. over 100 maybe. M1 was frantically watching them, cleaning them, catching them and putting them back in. The disturbance from the water change was knocking the eggs all over the place. Who knows how many I siphoned up during the change. Rookie move. _*ALWAYS CHECK THE NEST WITH A FLASHLIGHT!!*_

Over the next 2 hours I dripped the 2.5 gallons back in to the tank. M1 is still looking at the nest, watching his brood of eggs.

So i had a spawn. Honestly, I can't even be sure what female it was. I am 90% sure it was the BFF, but I never saw an embrace.

pics to come. For some reason, I cannot upload pictures right now.


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

Battle Damage.

BFF is extremely fast. after 4 days total with M1 this is the worst she has been.

The Multi is so considerably bigger and slower. I think her long fins threatened M1 and he wanted them gone. The worst of the damage came 2 weeks ago. This time M1 didn't even bother with her.


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

BFF under the nest.

and M1 tending to the nest. I just saw my first bouncing wiggler. They are starting to hatch. I am now pretty certain that it was BFF whom M1 spawned with as they are hatching less then 24 hours after I introduced the multi.

I am starting to take lots of pictures and videos. A spawn log will be starting this week. After that, this thread will go back to being just about M1.


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## cjayBetta (Jan 18, 2011)

Micho said:


> Stress Coat will help with the healing of fins. I believe
> 
> Marimo moss balls are easy plants, they'll usually collect debris up so once in awhile take them out of the tank and rinse them, squeeze them gently and try to roll them into a sphere like you're playing with Play Doh, it'll help maintain their spherical shape.


Thank you, this post has conviced my husband to get me one


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## OMB (Nov 6, 2011)

Still a great story! (You have got to be a writer, right?!) 
Looking forward to seeing pics & vids of the new babies!


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## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

OMB said:


> (You have got to be a writer, right?!)


Journalism degree.

M1 is doing great after the spawn. His fins are growing back well and he is back to building nests.

Here is the spawn log as promised:
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=92800

Also, here is a picture of M1 trying to get the snail away from his nest when he was in the breeding tank. Blurry, but it is the best I could do.


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## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

amazing! i looked at your spawn log earlier, then looked at this thread. what a story!!!


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