# GoFish - Owen's Blog



## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

Hi! I'm Owen, and I'm a veil-tail betta! My owner says I'm "stunning," whatever that means. I just met her on March 19. I'll try to post here often and keep you all updated on my life. Here's a couple pictures of me. 


































*Day Zero*
How can I do a blog if you don't know anything about me?! I don't really know what I'm doing, but I'm a fish. So excuse my blunders. Anyways, here's how the rest of my life began. 
I've always lived in a tiny little container. There are dozens of us just sitting as a display in a fish store. I have very little room in my little cup, but it's all I've ever known. It's a barren and desolate place, with nowhere to hide from peering, stomping humans. People come in and some stop to look at us, while others walk by. But one day my cup was picked up. I had nowhere to hide from this movement that scared me. I went on a terrifying trip, but suddenly I was in a large container (I've heard since then that it was a 2.5 gal.)! There was a fake plant in the very center, but no substrate. But I loved my new place, and I enjoyed having a plant (which I'd never seen before). Soon, I was plunged into a dark realm after a bit of movement. But light soon pierced into my tank, and I heard cries of enjoyment. That's when I first saw her. She was captivated by me. I was quickly being carried on a bouncy ride by the young teen. When placed on the desk, I darted around a bit, scared, until hiding in my plant. Movement went on around me, and I soon relaxed and swam leisurely. The next day, my owner greeted me in the dark hours. Her room was bright, and she talked a bit to me. Then she left. Hours later, she returned, and picked me up. I was getting to be annoyed with all this carrying. My tank was tilted on it's side, and water poured out. I was soon carried with it, but instead of falling in a stream, I didn't notice a thing. I looked around. My tank was gone. I had so much room! I began to slowly explore my new tank. There was gravel - _gravel!_ - on the bottom, and two fake plants (one of which was the one in my 2.5). I was now in a ten gallon! 

*Day One - March 21*
Today I actually got to eat a decent meal. Yesterday I tried to eat a pellet but it was a bit too big. This time it tasted the same, but smaller. It was delicious! I had two. I greeted my girl at the tank glass this morning, and she cooed to me and talked to me as she prepared my meal. She seemed happy to see me there, waiting for her. Last night I caused her some excitement by chasing a little red light. It was fun! When I tried to eat the first pellet, I passed it and couldn't find it, though I looked around. Then I found it. It had been right above my tail the whole time! I'm enjoying my new home, and I'm getting more comfortable here. Mythical has told me today when she came home that she's planning on buying me stuff. I wonder what that means. I'm going to go back to swimming around in all this wonderful space. The filter is a bit stronger than I'm used to - I'm not used to any current - but it's fine. Sometimes I like to swim through it. I love it here! I hope I never have to go back to my cup.


*Notes from Owen's Owner:*

_March 21_
Owen seems pretty happy here! From what I've seen, he's a confident, friendly, and bold fellow. He doesn't have a cave or hiding place yet, but he doesn't seem stressed. He likes to greet me at the glass and he enjoys swimming about. I won't ruin his blog by talking a lot, so cheers!


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## Bettaloveee (Jan 30, 2017)

Subscribed! This is just too cute! I was hoping Owen would have a Journal.  Will be following!


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## DangerousAngel (Mar 26, 2015)

AWWW I love the layout of this! Subbing for sure!! Enjoy your new home Owen!!


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

So fun to hear from Owen's point of view!


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

Subbing!


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

*Day Two - March 22*
What even was that? Last night my owner put something that looked like food in my water. I immediately swam up to eat one, but it was way too big. Ugh, hate it when that happens. I spit it out and turned sadly to my owner, my tail slightly rippling. I wanted to eat it, but it was just too big. She moved a bit, then the same thing came into the water, but smaller. Unlike my tasty pellets, these sink as soon as they get in the water, making for a fun and interesting dive to catch them. I put it in my mouth and chew. More pieces plop in. I put them in my mouth. Soon, I spit it all out. I don't know... Not sure what it was, but I don't think I like it. I hope I don't have to try to eat that again. 
Besides the new food-stuff, I discovered a fun little thing yesterday. I have a plastic plant that has several different "plants" attached to a rock thing. Well, I found I could sit in a little nook on this rock, surrounded by my little plastic plants. I like to squeeze in and rest there before coming out. When Mythical came up to see me, I surprised her. She looked into my tank and, _Surprise!_ I popped out from my little hiding place. That's a ton of fun. 
Oh, and I also have another fun game I never would be able to do in my cup or even in my 2.5 gallon (even if there was my plant)! I plow through my filter current, then turn around and do it again! It's super exciting. It's like an adventure, but I'm still safe inside my tank. It's much more fun then those scary, moving rides in "cars." It's a bit tiring, though. So after I do it a few times, I go sit in my favorite corner of my tank (the front left, from my side of the tank; your right). This corner doesn't have as much gravel, so it's a little bit of a dip. It's like a tiny little nook or recess like on the rock, but I like this place more than my rock.

_Owner's Notes_
That "food-stuff" that Owen spit out last night were small pieces of a pea. I was trying to get him to eat it, but he didn't look too impressed. I'll try again next week, but with even smaller pieces. Maybe the pieces were too big.
It's quite adorable the couple times I've seen him pop out from that little nook on the rock. He does like to sit in that corner.
I might be ordering Owen some things today! Hopefully someday soon he'll have some live plants to swim through and lounge around. 
Question: How many pellets a day is ideal for his health? I've been doing two.


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

*Day Three - March 23*

Last night my owner caught me in a fun new resting area. It's under a leaf on my rock-plant. She also got a few pictures of me last night. Not a big fan of the camera in my face, though. I guess I'll tolerate it, though. She also told me last night that she ordered me some stuff. What is "ordered"? Huh. Weird.
I was swimming through the filter current again today! It's a bunch of fun. You should try it sometime. Oh, wait... Forgot you guys were people. Maybe your bettas would like it. I've never had a current before, so it's a new and exciting game! 
I wish my owner wouldn't leave every morning. She feeds me and talks to me a little bit, then leaves. Where is she going? She comes back waaaaay later, and sometimes doesn't stay up with me. But sometimes she sits in a chair and does stuff. I like to swim around in front of the glass when I see her. But sometimes she doesn't see me. I mean, come on?! 
Last night I chased that red light thing again for a little bit. It was fun. Where does that come from?
I love my tank so much! There is SO much room! I've never been able to swim around like this before! My 2.5 gallon was a bunch of fun, but I didn't have gravel, or a filter, or even my fun "No Fishing" sign or my green plant. I just had my rock-plant (which I love so much - my first ever plant!). 
Pictures today! Yaaaay!

That new resting area I told you about.









Curled up in the new resting area.









Resting in Green-Plant corner.









Boo!









Inspecting the filter intake tube thing.









Resting in No-Fishing-Sign corner









Keep on swimming, keep on swimming, keep on swimming, swimming, swimming.









My beautiful tail!









_Owner's Note:_
I can't get enough of Owen's tail! In some lighting, it's a deep red. In others, it's more purple with red mixed in. In some cases, his tail is both! And there's almost always a touch of blue along the edges. Stunning! <3


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

MythicalBetta said:


> That "food-stuff" that Owen spit out last night were small pieces of a pea. I was trying to get him to eat it, but he didn't look too impressed. I'll try again next week, but with even smaller pieces. Maybe the pieces were too big.
> 
> Question: How many pellets a day is ideal for his health? I've been doing two.


Can I ask why you're feeding him a pea? Is he constipated/bloated? Peas aren't very good for bettas and if you're looking to cure constipation something along the lines of daphnia would be much better for him. 

As for how much to feed him, it really depends. It's a combination of the size of the pellets you're feeding them and their nutritional value, as well as his activity level and metabolism. It can sometimes be a guessing game in the beginning. 

He looks like he's got a great home! I love how you write from both perspectives! Can't wait to read more.


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## Saffy (Mar 23, 2017)

Owen is such a cutie <3. The way you write is great, I am so looking forward to updates!


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

*Day Four - March 24*

Last night, my owner came upstairs excited about something. She took a long white thing and pulled a black top off it. Then, she made marks on my tank with it. I investigated. It's very interesting! I tried eating some of it. She also put something up outside my tank. I'd never seen anything like it, but I heard her refer to them as "stuffed animals." I again investigated. Intriguing things, these stuffed animals. 
So this morning, my owner fed me like always. And then she set up one of the stuffed animals (I call this one Mr. Hippo). And she took out the white thing with the black top and made marks again! I tried eating some of it, again. I wondered when she would take down Mr. Hippo or erase the marks, like she did last night. But then she left! I was confused at first, then pleased. I had something fun to do! I spent my day like normal - swimming around my tank, playing in the filter current, resting in corners or under/in my rock-plant. But now there was something new to do! I sometimes would stop by the marks and investigate, or I would visit Mr. Hippo. 
My owner came up after school and erased the marks. She took down Mr. Hippo, but soon Mr. Hippo was back up, along with Pig. She made new marks and left for a little while. Then she came back up and changed the marks. She left the stuffed animals up. After a while of her doing whatever in her room (watching me, as well), she began doodling on my tank with the mark-maker. Just now, I watched her do this. Then she pointed it at me and began to make a mark. I flared! 
This is the second time she's seen me flare. The first time, she didn't know it was a flare. I didn't flare for long, though. Just a split second. But still, she was excited!

_Owner's Notes_
I was super happy when he flared! Like Owen said, this is my second time seeing him flare. He's pretty chill. He doesn't flare at his reflection or anything else I've tried to do to get him to flare. When I again did the marker point thing, he ignored it. Oh, well.


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

*Day Five - March 25*

You know the worst color ever? Black. I don't even think it should be considered a color. I really don't like it.
Okay, well, I don't mind black. Black is _okay_. What isn't is something black up against the glass of my tank. Ugh. Hate it. 
Today was good! My owner stayed up in her bed much later than usual, but she did get up and feed me like normal eventually. Today was like a normal day, other than that I saw my owner much more than usual (which was nice). I played in the current in front of my owner today. She likes it when I play in the current. I had a bunch of fun today! My owner made marks on my tank a few different times. Pig and Mr. Hippo haven't visited as much today, but that's okay. 
My owner last night came home pretty late. She said she went to a friend's house for dinner... Whatever that means. Anyways, she carried a box thing and took a little tube and took some water out. She did it a few more times today. I wonder what she was doing? It was weird.

_Owner's Notes_
I ordered a freshwater test kit a couple days ago and received it yesterday, so I tested his water for pH, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. I also unlocked the secret of making Owen flare! He won't flare at his reflection or anything else I've tried. I was wiping off some dry-erase I had written with a black T-shirt and he flared up at it. He will flare at the black T-shirt without fail. It's quite funny and adorable! I took a few pictures, but he moves a lot when he flares up, so they aren't too high quality.

No, this is not him flaring. xD 









Now, the flaring pictures.


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

Cute! Owen has a large beard.


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

He does, doesn't he?


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Haha that threatening tshirt! Too cute! Beautiful flare. I had one of my guys go nuts over a water bottle I sat down in front of tank. Funny what they react to. Thrilled to see him doing so well. He just gets prettier.


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

Hey, thinking about not writing from Owen's perspective. It's pretty difficult. xD I could keep this open, but I'm thinking about just starting a new journal (because I still want to update on him because it's just a way to brag lol) and possibly deleting this. Thoughts?


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

You can do it all in one. Just go into his perspective when you want to and then brag all you like


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

Owen is so cute! It seems today he has his tail out more and it looks bigger. <3 He sure does love swimming in the filter current! I've been watching him do it for a while now. He'll be posting later today.


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

*Tank Upgrade?!*

Today was a bunch of fun! I swam in the filter current a bunch (one of my favorite activities!). But that's not the biggest thing that happened.

I was swept out of my tank and put in my old 2.5 with my rock-plant. I was SO confused. The water was colder then my 10 gal. but I got used to it. My owner scurried about doing things. Finally, I was put back in. It's like a whole new tank! First off, my green plant is still in the corner. There is more gravel. My rock-plant is still in the center. But next to the filter place is a new thing. It's a tad warmer there (but not much) then the rest of the tank. I wonder what that is? There is also a little tiny thing in the water, and on the outside of my tank there is a little rectangle. I like to go behind the rectangle and inspect the little tiny thing. But the most exciting thing I've ever seen is back in the back corner. I love it so much! It's.... _MARIMO MOSS BALLS!_ I love to go behind them and through them and they are super soft! I've never seen anything like it before! It's a fun new game and a soft hiding and resting spot all in one! I love it! Yaaay! It's a whole bunch of fun, and I think it's worth my being swooped out and back in (I was never really out of the water though, thankfully). I love my "upgrade" and I'm super happy! Is this what my owner meant by "ordering" things? She said that the stuff she "ordered" came before she swooped me out. Huh. 
I was a bit wary of the moss balls at first, but then when I chased the red light, it led me over there. The red light blinked out, but I didn't really notice. I was already gently going behind and through the moss! 

_Owner's Notes_
I'm super happy, just like Owen. The stuff I ordered arrived today. I ordered five Marimos from Aquatic Arts, and they gave me seven instead. Awesome! They are super soft, and look really cute in the tank. I also ordered a heater and and a thermometer (and more gravel). Owen definitely loves his new tank set-up. It is so adorable seeing him playing in the marimos. They are set up now in a way he can go behind them and through. At first, they weren't, and he just popped one out of his way. Super cute! <3 
Pictures!!!


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Aww he is so happy with moss balls!


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

Hi everyone! Owen here! Sorry its been a while, but my owner has been busy and her computer is broken. I have a few updates! I got a cave! It's cozy and dark and I like to go in it. My Marimos are where I like them best, outside my cave. Owner is getting a bit frustrated with me some days, I don't know why, but usually when she is she sounds disappointed. She still loves me a ton and I love her back!

Owner's Notes
You may or may not know, but Owen has a fin biting issue. I don't know if it's boredom, stress, or just genetic but I'm going to try my best to fix it. I don't think he's hungry, I have him on a pretty good food plan. He doesn't appear stressed but I don't know. I am ordering him a big plant to rest on it's upper leaves and swim through like a jungle gym, to hopefully help with both boredom and stress. It's a live plant, and Owen loves live plants (at least, he loves his Marimos a lot). I'm also getting him a mystery snail friend! If the snail and him don't get along, I have another tank to put it in.
Im so sorry for not having updates! Owens doing really well and is still a happy boy. Found out the other day that he likes to "read." Propped a picture book against his tank, he was very interested.


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

Hey guys, here are some current photos for you to peruse! I love my Marimos a lot, can you tell?









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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

He is so cute!! Love pictures


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

Today is pretty normal. I forgot to mention to everyone that my owner doesn't leave so long anymore! Ever since the end of May, she stays home with me more. I'm glad. Well, not really much to comment on about my day. 

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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

I bet he enjoys every minute of attention. Owen you are the cutest!


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

My owner has been so excited about something, and I often see her doing research on her phone. I wonder what's up? I love to play with my Marimos. They are so fun and soft! My cave is a lot of fun, too. Sometimes I hide in there and when my owner comes up I like to try to surprise her. I like to think that she has no idea where I am. 

Owner's Note:
Owen seems to never sleep! He rests every one in a while, but he is sooo active! Last night around midnight I was still up and glanced in his tank and he was still swimming about like always! My room was dark and I wondered if he could see very well, but he didn't seem to be having any trouble doing the things he normally does during the day. Maybe he does sleep, I don't know. His rest periods during the day are pretty brief before he's swimming about and playing again. 

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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

Guys, I forgot to give you updates! I've been so busy in my little fishy life. I got new plants! I got some hornwort that is lots of fun to go up and swim through. And I also got some dwarf chain swords. I love my new plants so much! The ludwigia that my owner got before these died so she took them out. One stem is still alive, though. I liked them, even though they didn't have leaves. 
I also have a new friend. She's a snail! A mystery snail to be exact. I don't really pay much attention to her, she's kinda boring. 

Owner's Notes
Jenny, the snail, is very cute! She's always active, just like her betta buddy. Love her so much! Owen doesn't seem to care about his shelled companion.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

I bet he loves new plants! Snails are very fun to watch. Sometimes my boys will follow snail around and peep right up in it's shell as to say "hey are you in there?" Owen may be so excited about new plants to explore he may not have really noticed the snail yet. Love to see a picture of your tank. Owen sounds like one happy boy!


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

The hornwort shifts around so its not always in the same place.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Looking good! Love snail.


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

Reorganized plants in Owen's tank. Didn't like how they were.
Starting to get minorly frustrated at this hornwort. It won't stay in one place unless it gets hooked on my dwarf chain swords, and I don't want it to do that. My current shuffles them around. Owen doesn't mind them being connected to the other plants. But he also doesn't care as much about how the tank looks. 

It actually looks nice right now, but the hornwort will probably shuffle. It seems to have chosen a spot for little while though.


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

I moved one dwarf chain sword to the back corner, put the other one by the no fishing sign. The third got moved to the 55 gallon as it wasn't going into the substrate in Owen's aquarium. I also moved the Marimos into two groups of three outside his cave, and the last one by the sign.


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

Owen might become a bit jealous...
I came home with a new betta today. He's much smaller than Owen, and is in his own tank.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Cant wait to hear about new boy.


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

Meet Zach! He is much smaller than Owen, and has already made me proud with a huge bubble nest. From the side he looks like he's smiling, and his scales shimmer steel blue.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Oh he is so pretty! I wonder if his blue hues will darken over time. He looks very happy. Great bubble nest. Congrats!


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

themamaj said:


> Oh he is so pretty! I wonder if his blue hues will darken over time. He looks very happy. Great bubble nest. Congrats!


Thank you! I love his colors, but if he darkens over time it would be very pretty .


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

Wow, okay, been a while. Sorry for not updating! 
Zach moved out of the 2.5 and into a filtered 5 gallon tank! He's doing really well and builds giant bubble nests all the time. Owen's tank got the decor swit ch ed around during his last water change just to change things up a bit. The photo of Zach with deep blue is under a blue light. He's not that dark. 









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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Great pictures!!


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

Owen chilling in his hornwort. 









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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

How cute! Hornwort is great floater plant. Owen looks like he found a new favorite perch 😊


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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

Wow it's been a while! 
Owen is still my little "Dumb Fish." Sadly, the hornwort suddenly shed a bunch of plant matter and died. He got a new shipwreck decoration for Christmas that he adores. He's healthy and always a hungry bigger. Some nights he challenges the temperature probe to a fight and I can hear him making it tap the glass as he tries to attack it. xD
Zach is doing really great. He isn't a fin biter like Owen and seems to like his life with me. I moved him to my desk so I can see him and interact with him more. And I finally got a picture of his lopsided flare. 
I ordered some substrate for Owen's tank this week. I'm replacing the gravel in his tank with a more naturally colored sand. I'm planning on planting his tank with Italian Val. this year if all goes well. 
I also ordered Zach a lobelia cardinalis. I'm hoping he likes it. He doesn't really interact with his anubias nana [which is doing really well], but it looks good in the tank so at least the new plant will at least be a nice visual addition if he doesn't care about it. 
They both each have a betta hammock now as well. 
Now some pictures! I put Owen's photos before Zach's.









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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

Hey everyone! Owen and Zach's tanks both had a couple bigger changes. Let's start with Zach.
He got new plants! I got him two little lobelia cardinalis plants. I haven't seen him interact with them as of yet.
I replaced Owens gravel with sand! Big improvement. I love it. It's clearer now than in the picture.









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## MythicalBetta (Mar 20, 2017)

Zach's lobelia died. :C However, he now has an Amazon Sword. I didn't order it online, so I'm hoping it'll work out.
So, I went on a small road trip with my mom to visit some fish stores yesterday. That's where I got the Amazon sword. I got one for Zach and one for Owen. And now for a story. 

Long story, skip to the bottom if you don't want to read xD
While out on the trip, we went to four pet stores. One had a large aquarium area, one focused completely on aquariums, the third had only a few aquariums, and the last was Petco. For each one (except Petco), I immediately went to look at the bettas, though I wasn't going to get one. None ever caught my eye. Until we went to the third place. They had a rack of bettas, and I was looking at them. Most were in little half-gallon containers, however one or two were in little bowls. The one bowl was extremely tiny, and the betta inside only had maybe a cup of water that he could actually swim in, maybe less because there was a plant taking up a lot of room. He couldn't turn around. Even my mom, who isn't a fish person, thought it was ridiculous. Anyway, I thought that the betta in the bowl, a delta tail "metallic," according to the fish store, was extremely cute. He also looked like he might have fin rot, but it could have been biting or tears from the plant. His tail had black edges and in some areas looked a bit shredded. He was listless and not very interactive like some of the other bettas there (who had a lot more room). Even so, I bought him. I only allowed myself to buy him because I had an empty ten gallon tank at home and a sponge filter going inside one of my other betta's tanks. We stopped at Petco to pick up a heater and then headed home.

Meet Q (short for Quicksilver)! 
He's settled in extremely fast and is a curious little guy. Very active and a completely different fish than he was in the store. He loves to stick his head right in front of the camera lol









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