# BettaSplendid's journal



## BettaSplendid

Hello! I have 5 little betta friends and I will be sharing some about each of them.
First I will tell you about Antigua- since he is my favorite (but only by a smidge because I love all of them and they are each unique).

I first saw Antigua in a Petco near my mom's house in May 2015. We had gone in "just to look" at the bettas. There were many, many beautiful ones. This little white plakat with turquoise trimmed fins stood out to me the most. We left without any fish though, amazingly. It was hard. 3 weeks later we went to "look" again. He was still there! I was shocked. He was still amazing. He was labeled a "halfmoon plakat" but with his thick white scales I *think* he is a dragon scale. Fine with me if he was mislabeled, made him cheaper! This particular Petco does water changes every other day and he was nice and plump. He looked the same as he had the first time I saw him. And I had an empty 10 gallon at home. Soooooo... I got him! It was a long 1.5 hour ride home for him. It took him a few days to really adjust. He would swim quickly up to the surface and then go hide in an ornament. Once he realized this was "his territory" he really began to own it. He cruised around and checked everything out and just happily kept busy. Built his first bubble nest. Then. Then I decided to pull the big 30 gallon tank out of the barn and put him in that! He had to readjust all over again! Poor guy! He loves it now though and is quite confident.

Attempting to attach a picture of his tank. Can you find him? The plants are still young. He has a rosette sword, an amazon sword, water wisteria, dwarf hairgrass, scarlet temple, anubias and a marimo "cave".


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## BettaSplendid

This is how Antigua looked when I first got him. He has since gotten more red on his fins- and spots! I love the spots. He has also gotten more green/turquoise shimmer on his body. I already had 3 bettas, but once I got Antigua I had started really researching tail types (had never heard of plakats before) and then learned plastic plants were bad. I took them out and began getting live plants...so that blue thing is gone. No worries. 



Here is a more recent picture. He seems to be getting darker? I would love to hear opinions on what color he is really called.and how he might continue to change.



I started making comics about him. He was constantly doing funny things and he loved to sit under the brim of this helmet ornament (which he no longer has because it doesn't look like riverbed theme).


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## BettaSplendid

I will tell you about Hatzalla. 

I do not normally shop at WalMart. I prefer to support "real" grocery stores. But eh, on this fateful day I decided to see what WalMart grocerystores had. I think I needed some other things like socks, office supplies, whatever. I parked at the garden entrance because I do like plants and I gravitate towards them and animals. I noticed fish tanks. Went to look. At this time in my life we had 2 bettas in our household and I thought that was a lot. One is my daughter's, the other my son's. But I take care of them. Anyways, so I was going to breeze through the fish and dog stuff and then be on my way. Most of the fish looked fine, actually...surprisingly. All except for this one betta... This one most pitiful one... He was so pale. Absolutely no color, just pale. His head was down, laying in the gunk, his tail (what was left of it) floated upwards. His water was filthy. How long had he been here? Waiting for a human? Hungry, cold, alone, bored, hurting? Was he dead..? My heart hurt...he was alive. He stared blankly. I was shocked. I stood staring at him for a long time. I was sure he was going to die any moment. I contemplated bringing him home. I thought about what my husband would say... "look, I spent the grocery money on a dying fish!" I reluctantly left him. I fought back tears as I gathered the things on my list. I stuck to that list. I had a lump in my throat. I paid for my things and left. I cried half of the drive home. When I got home I stood by the trunk, staring at the bags of groceries and cried. DH came to help carry bags and said, "What is wrong? What happened?!" and I just bawled. I tried to tell him about the little betta I saw, choking on words, "he is going to die! So pale... So pitiful, he will die, they aren't feeding him..." He finally was able to make sense of what I was saying, somehow. He told me to go back, to get the fish. I said, "no, I can't, he is going to die. He will never make it. The poor thing!" Now, I am usually a calm person, but I was very upset. I was sure it would be better to just let him die on the shelf than to jostle his cup and stress him and he die on the car trip.

I woke up upset in the morning. I was upset all night. I couldn't get that image out of my head. As soon as my children woke, we drove back to walmart. We went in, and there he was! He looked the same. But he was alive. I was truly amazed. When I picked up his cup, he moved! He righted himself so he wasn't head down. I paid for him- a crowntail?! So he was more expensive than I was expecting. I just wanted to get him out of there. In the parking lot I put him in clean water and fed him. He ate! He could barely swim and it took effort, but he found his food and ate. His body was crooked and paperthin. His head looked huge compared to his body which was as thin as his tail. I thought I was buying him so he could at least die in clean water and have a human....but here he was eating!

Well, he made it! 

He recovered amazingly well. It took a few days for his brain to really turn back on, where you could *see* that he was thinking. His body eventually straightened out. I have really enjoyed watching his crown points grow! His body has remained small, stunted, but his fins are magnificent. His color is...I do not know what color he is. He looks different in every picture. He is ferocious. He has a big black beard and I joke that he "can turn his head inside out" because he puts his gills out so far. He will flare at anything, which amuses me to no end.

He is living in a 10 gallon, right on my table in my "fishroom" as my mom calls it, a sunroom off the kitchen.

Here he is, from shrimp to betta:


A few days ago:

And a Hatzie comic:
(kinda hard to see, but I had put a little black plastic snake down in the water and that is what he was gilling.) I like to say that he is so tough he can vaporize things just by putting out his gills. Or explode things and leave a smouldering ash pile behind.

Hatzie is quite the Bubble Expert. He makes some impressive nests and guards them vigilantly.


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## BettaSplendid

I uploaded this pic too and forgot to add it in the post above. It really shows how different he can look. He can be slate blue, then lavender, then pink, he can have a red tail or a blue tail. Is this a metallic? I would love to know. His crown points each end in double points now. I am curious about the dark markings on his head too. He looks different every morning. I never know what to expect.


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## BettaSplendid

Let me introduce you to Simeon.

Everytime I went to Petsmart to pick up some supplies and things to pamper my now FOUR bettas (and that seemed crazy, who has FOUR bettas?! That is excessive! Haha.) I would see this same pretty betta each visit. He was labeled halfmoon dumbo. He was so gorgeous I figured someone would buy him and that would be that. I was surprised, each week I went into Petsmart I would look for him and there he would be! After week 4 he started to lose color and his fins looked shorter each time I came in. What was a beautiful fish with a hope and a future was quickly fading. His water always looked clean at least. After he had been there well over a month, I took a picture of him. I left. But I kept looking at his picture. I decided I had to get him. I really liked him anyways, I was just hoping someone else without a houseful of bettas already would get him!

I named him Simeon ("hearing", for his big ears).

I am happy to have him. He is loads of cute. And way spoiled.

Here he is, after weeks of waiting for me to give in/ come to my senses:


And his awesome home:

Simeon's tank is by far my favorite. I love how it looks. The plants don't seem impressed with the LED lights however. I am going to have to do something different. He loves that Topfin root. This is the only tank I have bought, all others were given to me. This one is a 20 gallon Topfin "kit" from Petsmart. I like all of it except the lighting...what to do, what to do. I have Flora-Max substrate with Seachem's root tabs in there. Oh, and that red fabric is a "curtain". I put curtains up on all their tanks at night and take them down in the morning. Don't laugh.

And a closeup:


Now, he was labeled as a "halfmoon" and I think his tail was pretty long and full when he first arrived at Petsmart. But it hasn't grown much or any since I have had him. ?? I was expecting him to recover like Hatzie did (and he was nowheres NEAR as bad off as poor Hatzalla was, I was just expecting Simeon's tail to grow I mean). But even if Simeon's tail stays short I am totally fine with that. I really like plakats.

So, that is Simeon! My 5th and last betta. I got him July 27th and managed not to buy anymore bettas since then. Heh. I think it is safe to say once you have 5, anything is possible...


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## BettaSplendid

TWINKIE!!

Twinkie is the first betta to come into our family. We have had him a year and a half. My husband and daughter had gone to WalMart and came home with him. And a 1 gallon bowl, some rainbow gravel, a rainbow "castle" and some flakes. :shock: I didn't know anything about fish keeping, but somehow kept him alive. I hated that bowl from the get-go. I actually moved him outside in the summer and he was in an actual pool, like an above ground pool. Just with like half a foot of water in it, well water. It was probably 10 feet across. He ruled that thing all summer. When fall came I brought Twinkie back in the house and had him in a big plastic tub with a heater and lots and lots of toys. He was our only betta and got ALL the attention. Now Twinkie is in a 10 gallon glass aquarium. We just love him. I had no idea fish could be so amazing! He loves human interaction. He loves mosquito larva. And he absolutely loves playing in the bubble stream from his airstone! He will put the tip of his tail in the bubbles and get "sucked" into it, do twists as he is floating up and then ride the current as fast as he can. Or he will enter the bubbles from the top and swim down. He loves his bubbles and is in them constantly. None of my other bettas play with the air stones!

Twinkie!




So technically Twinkie is my daughter's betta. She wanted a pink fish- she got one! And purple gravel. Twinkie was all pink but he developed purple/plum spots on his fins at around 1 year old. He has beautiful blue eyes. His tail got sucked into his filter so I cut a glove up and put the finger over the filter intake. So far so good. I think I am going to give that "driftwood" ornament to Hatzallah and get a colorful coral Topfin ornament (fake) for Twinkie. He gets all the girly bright stuff. That is the life of a pink betta.


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## BettaSplendid

I found an older picture of Twinkie. When he first started to develop purple spots. He did not like this mermaid I made out of a clothespin! You can see the Imaginext buildings I made for him. He had rooms and rooms to explore, like a deserted ghost town...a pirate ship, gazebos, caves. Each water change I would take the town apart and redesign it. He really liked swimming through the jail bars and filling the rooms with bubblenests. Never bored! I kept him entertained.

And I found this drawing my daughter (5 years old) drew of Twinkie "marrying a girl betta and blowing a bubble nest with a bubble pipe". LOL.


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## adlemsi

Your daughter's drawing is so cute! It's great that you've shown her how to house a Betta properly


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## DangerousAngel

I love your Bettas!! Those comics are adorable!!


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## BettaSplendid

Thank you, adlemsi and Dangerous.  I enjoy reading about your bettas too.

Twinkie's coral was on sale! Picked that up. I think it looks really good in his tank. He has enjoyed exploring it.


After having Twinkie for a year, we were walking through Petsmart which had just opened in our town (so exciting!). There were female bettas! We never saw females before in a store. I texted my husband "they have feeeeeeemales bettas!" and he returned "get one". Well, okay! He probably didn't realize I would keep getting them...ah hem. So! We picked out a turquoise one. She was sooooo small. My son claimed her on the way home and my daughter started crying. Then they were both upset. In the end, my son won and the betta became officially "his pet". He named her Stormy. I think this was back in...April? She is much bigger now. Probably tripled in size. Still small compared to the boys though.


Stormy's tank is right next to Twinkie. They can see each other quite well but for the most part just ignore each other. Occasionally she will tease him and he will put his gills out.



She is extremely difficult to photograph. She is constantly zipping around.


And her pretty tail:


And now you have met everyone! Twinkie, Stormy, Hatzallah, Antigua and Simeon.

Something noteworthy to mention about Stormy's tank is that volcano. I tried making it into a filter and I am pretty sure it is working. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 20ish nitrates by around day 11 is usually when I do water change for her. I filled the volcano with media balls and the bottom with filter foam/pad thing. The airstone pulls water through. I think the shape of the volcano is what makes it work so well. Oh, it is hard to see in the picture, it is behind the cherry blossom tree...


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## Innerbeauty

Subbing! I'm so glad you made a journal! I've always thought your avatar fish was eye candy, and, Yay! I get to see him in big pictures now!

I love the story of Hatzalla! And the comic.... hysterical!

I agree, your daughter's picture is precious! How good that they can be so attached to their fishies!

I also love your tank arrangements- the decor is beautiful  And when you said "that is the life of a pink betta" I cracked up. I don't think it's just because I'm tired.


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## Innerbeauty

BettaSplendid said:


> Something noteworthy to mention about Stormy's tank is that volcano. I tried making it into a filter and I am pretty sure it is working. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 20ish nitrates by around day 11 is usually when I do water change for her. I filled the volcano with media balls and the bottom with filter foam/pad thing. The airstone pulls water through. I think the shape of the volcano is what makes it work so well. Oh, it is hard to see in the picture, it is behind the cherry blossom tree...


Oh, you are crafty.... You must post this in the DIY thread.....


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## BettaSplendid

Yeeeeah, little Pinkie-Twinkie. No respect. It took quite a bit of effort to convince my daughter he was really a boy. Her little (then) four year old princess brain couldn't grasp that. "But she is pink..?" "He is a pink...*boy*." LOL. She's got it now though. When she was trying to come up with names, she ran all the usual silly little kid names by me, you know, "Pink Fish"...then randomly said, "Twinkie?" and I said, "THAT IS IT! TWINKIE! That is perfect." He looks like a Twinkie to me, it sounds like sparkly/twinkle/pink/glitter. I do draw the line at the pink ornaments she wanted to force upon him...there is a tiny pink castle and princess ornament at Petsmart she wants for him. "He is a MAN! You can't put a pink castle in his tank, he would be embarrased."

Oh, I am glad you mentioned you like Antigua. My husband said he is ugly! Ugly?! Like not even "okay", but "ugly"? I thought, "ooookay, I no longer trust your judgment..." His favorite betta is Hatzallah. He said, "Hatzie looks like a Chinese dragon bursting out of a cave." That is actually a good description. I just can't get over his disparaging remarks about Antigua though. Hmf.

Glad you guys like the comics. I feel inspired to post some more of them.


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## BettaLover1313

You've got beautiful fish, and Antigua is not ugly, he is beautiful! All of your bettas are beautiful to look at. It's great that your whole family is getting in on the betta bug with you. Your daughter's drawing was adorable.


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## Innerbeauty

BettaSplendid said:


> Oh, I am glad you mentioned you like Antigua. My husband said he is ugly! Ugly?! Like not even "okay", but "ugly"? I thought, "ooookay, I no longer trust your judgment..."


Totally. As I said, Antiqua is_ eye candy_! I think I've muttered that "no longer trust your judgement" with my hubby too many times... haha. Boys are weird. 



BettaSplendid said:


> Glad you guys like the comics. I feel inspired to post some more of them.


Please, please, please, _pleeeeeease_? :-D I think if you don't mind I may steal your picture/comic idea for some of my stories....


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## DangerousAngel

Antigua, ugly?? How's your hubby's eyesight? He's gorgeous, if I had seen him in a pet store I'd snag him quicker than you could have said Betta!


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## BettaSplendid

Haha! His eyesight is not good, actually. 

Innerbeauty, feel free to use comic ideas. I think most are about new decorations and intruders. I should do some about food. Those are the 3 major things my bettas obsess with. Heh.

Poor Hatzie! I woke up this morning and he has popeye! Both eyes! I moved a plant yesterday in his tank and noticed it stirred up some filth from the gravel. AND his ph is at 6.0! It must be the eco-complete substrate. I took Hatzie out and have him in "quarantine" (which is funny since he lives alone) and put his heater, an indian almond leaf and some epsom salt in with him, and his favorite java fern. Oh, Hatzie! He is the only one that doesn't have a filter, but his ammonia levels were 0. I didn't check nitrates, maybe I should. I haven't dumped the old water yet. I vaccuumed his gravel and poured clean water in his tank (he isn't in there though) and Husband is going to bring home a filter and some plain ole gravel to go ontop the eco-complete. Sigh. I am sorry Hatzallah. He has had such a troubled little life. Husband freaked when I told him Hatzie was sick. "WHAT? No! He is my favorite! Tell me what he needs, I will get it while I am in town today." He redeemed himself for his anti-Antigua-comment.


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## BettaSplendid

Antigua ("Mr. Teeg", I call him sometimes) is the most curious fish I have. When I give him a new toy I literally can't get my hand out of the tank before he is IN the new toy. He is so fun to watch. That is an "old" comic. Antigua doesn't even LOOK like that anymore. He is a marble. :shock: His fins are red now trimmed in blue and his body has a lot of blue too. I need to do an updated picture of him in here. I can't believe how fast he is changing! Even since my first post in this journal.

This one isn't as funny, and the darker fish is one I found through an online search and just saved the pictures. (I have so many betta pictures...even of fish that aren't mine. Obsessed much?)


I love "gill pictures". Grumpy fish are the cutest. So tiny. So tough.


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## BettaSplendid

Updated pictures of Antigua! He was named after an island in the Carribean with turquoise waters, pink sand and white surf! Liln had correctly identified him as a marble and accurately described how he would change. He has gotten more blue on his body and more red on his fins. And it is happening so fast!

I made a few minor changes to his tank. Added a silk plant to hide the heater. LOL. But it is so bright that I think it draws attention to the things I wished to hide. Heh..! I added some more background and gave him some little stacked "rocks" to check out. He is busy, busy!

A closer up picture. So blurry though.

Hatzallah appears to be better today than he was yesterday. I think the puffy eyes are down some and he can see better. He has a good appetite! He is right next to the kitchen sink so that is nice for easy water changes.
The Husband brought home the new gravel and a Marineland bio-wheel 75. It was the one I asked for. He had a hard time finding one in the store and said the Petsmart employees were utterly unhelpful. Finally found it in the clearance section. Apparently they are not going to be carrying it anymore?


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## Innerbeauty

^perhaps they are going to change the packaging? I've noticed some stores will put things on clearance just for that reason. 

How many gallons is Antigua's tank? He has so much room to explore! 

Love the cartoons!!! he is so funny..... it IS hilarious when they flare, just cause they are soooo tiny.... It's like chihuahuas.... so brave...

Get better soon, Hatzallah!


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## BettaSplendid

Hatzie update, one eye looks normal! The other is still puffy but I think it looks darker/ less hazy. Just did a water change for him and one for Stormy. Hatzie's Nitrates were at 50! That is the highest I have seen in my tanks. But his ammonia was 0. With no filter? But he does have happy live plants that grow fast. I thought Nitrates were a by-product of an actual filter loaded with beneficial bacteria. ? And since he didn't have a filter I only checked ph and ammonia for him. I have a lot to learn. I try to take care of these precious little lives! I read often about bettas but so much info is confusing or advice is contradictory.


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## BettaSplendid

Innerbeauty said:


> ^perhaps they are going to change the packaging? I've noticed some stores will put things on clearance just for that reason.
> 
> How many gallons is Antigua's tank? He has so much room to explore!
> 
> Love the cartoons!!! he is so funny..... it IS hilarious when they flare, just cause they are soooo tiny.... It's like chihuahuas.... so brave...
> 
> Get better soon, Hatzallah!


And mini horses! The smaller they are the more "tough" they have!

Thank you for the well wishes!

Antigua is in a 29 or 30 gallon tank. It was given to us years ago and it has been in our barn unoccupied for a decade. So I am not exactly sure. Antigua loves it though, he is a very busy guy and fast too, being a plakat. He is so spoiled. ;-) oh, random cute fact. Next to his floating log is a suction cup with plastic leaves. One leaf is at water level and another leaf an inch below. He sleeps there. He looks absolutely adorable. I call it his "betta sandwich". He looks like he is sleeping between two Ritz crackers. Hehehehe...


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## BettaSplendid

I am going to put Hatzallah back in his real tank soon. I have it all set up and took his heater out of the quarantine and into the glass tank. Now just waiting for the water to reach the correct temperature. So I was looking at my records...on 9-9-15 Hatzie's water was 6.8 ph and I did a 50% water change. Then suddenly his ph was 6.0 (maybe lower! Test doesn't go lower). I checked it from the sink and it was at 6.0. We have well water. We had a lot of rain a few days ago, I am wondering if that caused the fluctuation. And would that in itself cause pop eye? Or enough stress that when I moved the plant his body couldn't fight the bacteria I stirred up? Just been thinkin' a lot about what might have happened. I put some bio-foam from Antigua's filter and used it to baffle the out-flow of Hatzie's filter. So hopefully that will jumpstart a cycle for him.

So Hatzie looks pretty good this morning. One eye has no swelling and is black (his normal eye color) and the other looks *slightly* puffy and *slightly* cloudy. I think he wants to be back home though.

I am sitting next to Simeon's tank and he is staring at me with puppy dog eyes.

The heater still hasn't cut off! The hospital tank is cooling off... I wonder if I am going about this the right way. Well, it is still above 81, I was keeping Hatzie nice and snug.

I am seriously thinking about getting some tank mates for Antigua and Simeon. Simeon needs some entertainment as he isn't good at finding things to do, he tends to glass surf quite a bit. Antigua is always content and busy but he has room for some "friends"-or "frenemies". Antigua is so laid back I don't think he would mind too much. It has to be something that likes warm water. Not really interested in snails and while I like frogs, those African dwarf frogs don't do much for me. I LOVE shrimps but I would worry about them getting injured and now I know my ph is subject to fluctuation. So far I am thinking a few guppies? And some more silk plants. I think the guppies would be easy to rehome if need be.

...still waiting on temperature... Going to get another cup of tea.


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## BettaSplendid

Hatzie is so happy to be home! I would say he is 90% better. I uploaded a picture of him in quarantine but maybe it is too sad to share. He was so pitiful.

Here is a happy one of Simeon! He is so buff looking. Reminds me of a military man.


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## BettaSplendid

Are you ready for this? :lol:

I got guppies.

I must say, Simeon doesn't really seem to care. He might chase them like 2 inches, sometimes, but usually he is like, "eh, whatever."

That didn't stop me from using their pictures to make a comic and completely misrepresenting reality with my talking fish. Fiction can be fun.

Part one: 


Part two:


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## BettaLover1313

lol love the little comics you do with your bettas. Simeon shouting "Fairies!" is priceless


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## BubblesTheBlueBetta

Awesome journal!!  Your tanks and your bettas are so cool!


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## Innerbeauty

Fairies! *giggles* I must get guppies... hehe

I love your journal!


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## BettaSplendid

LOL, thank you. 

I learned today that Antigua absolutely cannot have guppies in with him! Worst field trip ever for poor Lyle and Lemonade! Antigua chased the full blast and Lyle leapt out of the water and Antigua did too! I got them out of there! Back to Simeon! Antigua is TOO FAST, Mr. Plakat! The guppies had the nerve to go into Antigua's bedroom (his suction cup leaves and betta log) and it was on! I was horrified. Then I pouted for a long time. I finally decided I will probably switch tanks. Simeon and guppies will go to the 29 and Antigua to the 20. Antigua throws the biggest fits when his aquarium changes. He will probably lay on the bottom for at least a day, sulking, if move him. I hate to do it...

I checked out a fish store I hadn't been to before and had a great time! It is an independent shop owned and run by a lovely couple. They had so many plants and wood for aquariums. I got a neat sword plant called a Rubin. It has reddish leaves. Also got some anarchis, cobomba and micro sword. I may have spelled those names wrong. It was way better than the fish store I usually go to.

I need to take more pictures of Simeon so I can do part 3!


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## BettaSplendid

Just a little update. 

Everyone seems to be doing well. The guppies have been here 2 weeks now. Simeon continues to...not care. He even stops and lets them "go first" when they cross paths. Today I got some Omega One "mini pellets" for them to replace the flakes the fish store had. Is it weird I bought fish from an actual fish store but had to buy quality food from PetSmart? The mini pellets seem to be the same as the betta pellets but much smaller- and it comes with a serving spoon.  So that is good, Simeon can eat the same thing as them now. He didn't like those flakes and they have super itty-bitty mouths and can't eat betta pellets. Everyone agrees, Omega One micro pellets are nom. Nom, nom, nom. They also like frozen brine shrimp and live mosquito larva. I think this winter I will try flightless fruit flies. We like live wiggly food here.

I call the guppies "gummies" because they LOOK like a package of gummy candies, all tiny and brightly colored.

Here are some gummies:

Lyle, light yellow front, grey/lavender back end
Max, bright yellow front, dark blue back
Arthur, ocelot spots?
Goldie, orange and white "goldfish" color

Need to upload a picture of Lemonade and Spotty.


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## BettaSplendid

Spotty and Lemonade! And Max, too.

Right now I am watching Antigua build a bubble nest. He is sooooooooooooo cute. Oh oh, now he is staring at me. *love*

Eta: a picture of Antigua from aboooooove, look at that cute stripe! It is changing color, like the rest of him! Getting darker. Sweetie.


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## Innerbeauty

Awww he's changing. He'll still be gorgeous!


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## BettaSplendid

Oooooooohhh my goodness. I now have SIX BETTAS.

*hides*











I saw him on Tuesday when I went to get the guppy food. Pretty little white crowntail. I oooo'ed and aaaah'ed but didn't have enough money to get him and a heater. And besides, I was behaving! I don't need 6 bettas. Pssssh. 

But then I kept thinking about him.

I cleaned the shelves in my "fish room" because we no longer homeschool in there (too many fish!). So now I have this empty shelf. Empty shelf in my fish room! It doesn't need to be empty. Oh my gosh, my reasoning. I would be embarrased, but I am safe here on bettafish.com. And the Husband gave me money to quote, "spend however you like".

Anyways...so my daughter and I went to town today. We went to Petsmart and ALL THE BETTAS WERE GONE. Totally empty. I rightly guessed they were having water change done. I peered in the back and saw a guy with a cart full of bettas. He saw my pitiful longing expression and came to the door. I asked, "do you still have the white crowntail?" Yes! He found him! Gave him a water change and then I got him! Along with a heater, gravel, a floating log and suction cup leaf.

He is so little! Just a wee lil' scrumpit. 

I wonder if he will marble? His tail has a bit of pastel color look to it.

Right now he is in a big sterilite container. I am thinking I want to put him in a 5 gallon because that would fit good on the shelf. Buuuuut maybe a 10 gallon would fit...hmm... I really reaaaaally like the Marineland biowheel kit I got for Twinkie. I would like to get another of those... Maybe I could put Stormy in it and give her 5 gallon to the new betta? Hmmmmm... Well, he is happy right now! He is brave, checking everything out, not hiding from me.


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## Innerbeauty

BettaSplendid said:


> I cleaned the shelves in my "fish room" because we no longer homeschool in there (too many fish!).


You homeschool, too?! :-D We haven't "officially" started yet, but we work on preschool every day. Personally I think it's awesome and fun. (at least right now, haha, I probably won't be able to teach them reading with a puppet too much longer :roll

Congrats on your new boy!!! I've never seen a white crowntail in person, I'm sure they're stunning  If there was a picture in your post, I didn't see one.... so pictures please? :greenyay:


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## BettaSplendid

Photobucket isn't showing the pictures I tried to send by email. I got one to show by uploading it at the site, but no more? Not sure what is going on.

I LOVE white bettas. I love cellophane ones. I like how there is subtle pastel colors as they "shimmy shimmy" through the water!

He is so tiny. The suction cup on the thermometer looks big compared to him. He had just arrived at Petsmart this week, so he must be pretty young.

I am going to name him Zadok, meaning "righteousness" or "to be just".

Yes! We homeschool! My son just started 3rd grade and daughter is in kindergarten. We love it! Betta fish are the BEST thing to happen to homeschool. I can watch them swim while I wait for the kids to do their work. We use Heart of Dakota curriculum.

Zadok is so precious. He was watching me "tuck everyone in" (put up their "curtains" for the night to block out house lights).


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## BettaSplendid

Another picture showed up. LOL. 
Not a good one of Zadok, but shows his "for now" home. No filter but other'n that it has everything he needs. Well...needs more plants. I wonder where he will sleep tonight? I always want to know... Twinkie sleeps on his suction cup leaf and builds massive bubble nests over night. Antigua sleeps in his floatie log or sometimes on his suction cup leaves. Hatzie sleeps in his java fern that is floating. Simeon...never seen him asleep, nor spunky little Stormy. They never stop.

Oh look, another picture, thanks photobucket...

His floating log is soaking. I float them in a bowl for a few days to get that awful chemical smell gone..ugh. They are great little betta toys but there must be a better way to make them.

And, if he stays white he will be getting black gravel. If he marbles then I will keep the brown gravel.


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## adlemsi

He's so cute! I've been tempted to get a white Halfmoon. I already have a name for one!


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## Innerbeauty

Aw, he's so darn cute!!!! He would look awesome against black gravel!

What is that plant in his "tank" besides the hornwort? It's beautiful!

OoO, Oo, and if he doesn't marble, another thing you might want to try is a black marble here or there. I have one that a friend gave me, and it has a glassy finish that is very black and reflective. I have put in with male bettas and occasionally they would see themselves in it, and flare, but not enough to stress. Visitors always commented on how pretty that marble was, and I always thought it look cool with a white betta.


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## BettaSplendid

Yeah...he would look amazing against black! I so prefer the natural look though. Maybe I will have to swap tanks around. What to do...what to do. Stormy and Hatzallah both have black gravel...eh, but Stormy's has rainbow colors mixed in. And Hatzie dearly LOVES his tank. He is just so happy. 

Oh! So the fine leafed plant is hornwort and the other straight long stem is anacharis. I am trying out more floating plants. I wanted to find something to fill out the top of Simeon's tank for the guppies to hide in. Turns out they don't need to hide. But it still looks nice.


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## BettaSplendid

I couldn't take Simeon's glass surfing anymore! He is now in a one gallon floating in his 20 gallon. He is SO HAPPY now. He was to the point of pacing constantly and losing color and so stressed. Now in the smaller area he has calmed down and regained his color. He built a bubble nest for the first time in 2 months? He looks so relieved. Now I am thinking...maybe a 5 gallon? I want to try my first naturally planted tank with organic potting soil and sand and maybe some crypts which I have been scared to try (melt!). If it is densely planted maybe he won't glass surf. He seems quite content in the 1 gallon but...well I want something I can cycle and not have daily water changes. He has been "surfing" long before the guppies...actually I was hoping the guppies would distract him, but no. It was like he didn't care. I may try Stormy in with them and put Simeon in her 5 gallon. It may turn out the guppy-gummies just need to be alone though. Still thinking and plotting and planning. For now he is super content. 

Little Zadok is doing so well! He never was afraid of me. Never hid. He is a mighty hunter of mosquito larva.

Antigua's pectorals are getting color! Some turquoise and the tips are red. Very cute. Today I watched him MOVE his bubblenest. He took the bubbles from one leaf and put them under another leaf. So carefully! So gently. It was amusing he recycled his bubbles rather than just get new air. He is SO cute.


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## themamaj

Your journal is great! I have really enjoyed reading it and seeing your beautiful fish! I love the cartoon captions. I am very impressed you homeschool. I have great admiration for those that do. I pondered on it myself several times, but my daughter was older at time so we decided to stay with public school. Your porch looks like a great place for a fish room. Lots of natural light! I turned one of our spare bedrooms to my fish room. Do you have your tanks on tables or built in shelves?


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## BettaSplendid

Thank you! They are all on tables. Built in shelves?- that would be amazing! I love built in shelving and window seats... Yes, the lighting is great in there. Hatzallah has really lucked out. He gets quite a bit of sunlight so can have some "high light" plants that maybe wouldn't do so well otherwise...like that beautiful Scarlet Temple.

I got some Cryptocorne Wendtii and another Rubin sword today. I told Simeon the Wendtii is for him when he gets his NPT. Just need to get some organic potting soil now.


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## themamaj

Can't wait to see it when you get your new plants in. I had a sunroom at our previous house and loved it. We are looking at moving again in a few years after daughter graduates. Husband has bad knees so probably back to a one level. Boy have I given him ideas for the dream fish room though haha. Cant you just see it with plenty of electrical outlets, temp controlled heating and a big utlity sink and counter for water changes. Oh can't forget the built in shelves that hold lots of tanks. And a window seat you could cozy up in to admire the fish. Haha might as well dream big right?


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## BettaSplendid

That special fish room sounds like a dream! Outlets and a big utility sink...and lots of natural light!

I am still going back and forth about what tank to get Simeon. I think he would be happy in that Marineland 3 gallon with a bowed front. IF it was heavily naturally planted...that would keep the water cleaner. BUT honestly, I am leaning towards getting a plain 5 gallon and a seperate lid, preferably something non LED so I can change the bulbs to a daylight bulb...and then just buying another heater. And no filter? Simeon...he just seemed to be stressed by the size of his 20 gallon and I think the water movement. He settled down immediately once I put him in the bowl. But I don't want him to be in a 1 gallon for much longer. I have extra water wisteria, swords, floatie plants, crypts, cobomba, etc ready to go. All I need is the tank and some organic soil...buuuuuuut I have $15 so...haha. He seems content for now so I will try to be patient. I want to start the tank and plants and frequent water changes before I put Simeon in there. So I can atleast get all the plants settled while I save up (again...sigh...) for his heater. He made a lovely bubblenest. So nice to see Simeon NOT pacing and now enjoying betta pasttimes. His bowl is still floating in the now Guppy-Only tank.

Speaking of Guppy tank! I realized I can get SHRIMP! Happy! Sometime I want to get the bright yellow ones and or the "Velvet Dream" blue ones. I have wanted shrimpies for a while but would be HORRIFIED if they got eaten! I want to see them dance on Marimos!

Little Zadok has done some growing! He has a great appetite. He gills his pellets before eating them, just like cranky crowntail Hatzallah. I love it.


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## BettaSplendid

Here is Simeon in his little bowl. He fiercely defends his little territory. Now when a guppy swims by he gills it! Haha. More normal behavior.



And some pictures of Zadok today. He seems to have a "wash" of color in his fins, see? He may end up red, white and blue!



Isn't Zadok adorable?! I gave him an airstone yesterday. He has enjoyed playing in that and it helps spread the warmth around from his heater.

Speaking of *adorable*, here is a bonus picture of my daughter, at the Renaissance Faire, meeting a fairy. She loooooves fairies.


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## themamaj

Zadok is so beautiful! !! Am im laughing because I think I came home with his twin today...appropriately name Avalanche


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## BettaSplendid

Avalanche! How precious! I think Snowball is the cutest betta I have ever seen though! That face is darling. Looking forward to "meeting" Avalanche!-and hearing his story.


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## themamaj

Your daughter is so cute! How precious. I miss those sweet times. Just dropped mine off at high school football game. 16 in few weeks. It goes really fast.


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## BettaSplendid

This is how Hatzie greets me in the morning. He looks like :twisted: but he means :-D

I love cranky crowntails! He makes me laugh. Love, love, love you, Hatz-i-muffin!


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## adlemsi

Wow, that's a great picture! Love his flaring!


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## themamaj

Great picture! What type of plant is that?


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## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> Great picture! What type of plant is that?


Do you mean in Hatzie's "greeting" picture? The green lace-y one is water wisteria and the red one is Scarlet Temple (which came from Petco in a little packet of gel, I guess it was a...umm...what is it called? Augh...yeah...that...a uh...help me out peoples,LOL.) anyways, it likes a good amount of light so it is thriving in Hatzallah's tank which gets nice sunlight. I doubt my "daylight" bulbs would cut it on their own, but maybe! There is one in Antigua's tank that is growing slower.

Lyle-the-Guppy enjoys swimming up and down in the airbubbles of his airstone. "weeeeee!" some of the others do too, but not to the extent that Lyle does. It is like Twinkie who loves his airstone too, yet my other bettas are like, "meh". Whoa! Just as I was writing that, I saw a splash and it looked like Lyle had jumped and landed back in the water and than swam still for 20 seconds looking dazed. Hmm. Do guppies jump?! They are probably getting impatient for food. I uncover their tanks (curtains, remember, haha) and drink my coffee or tea with them. I like them to "wake up" some before I feed them and finally turn the lights on.

"WE ARE AWAKE ALREADY FEED US!"

Oh! :shock: Oh...okay.


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## adlemsi

BettaSplendid said:


> Do you mean in Hatzie's "greeting" picture? The green lace-y one is water wisteria and the red one is Scarlet Temple (which came from Petco in a little packet of gel, I guess it was a...umm...what is it called? Augh...yeah...that...a uh...help me out peoples,LOL.) anyways, it likes a good amount of light so it is thriving in Hatzallah's tank which gets nice sunlight. I doubt my "daylight" bulbs would cut it on their own, but maybe! There is one in Antigua's tank that is growing slower.


Sounds like you bought the Scarlet Temple as a tissue culture. I've bought some from JDaquatics, two Riccia Fluitans which I have floating in Phantom's QT tank until I figure out how I'm going to use them in the main tank. I went crazy last night at the AquaBid's SNE & bought some more from him. I love that I don't have to worry about pest snails, bacteria, or transmission of diseases!

http://www.bettafish.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/


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## BettaSplendid

Tissue culture. That is it. Thank you.

*embarrased*

Clearly the coffee hadn't kicked in yet.

Oh I am so interested in that riccia! I am all about trying out new floating plants right now.


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## BettaSplendid

Me this morning: oh, look at the guppies, so active and having fun playing in their bubbles. Oh wow, leaping! So happy, leaping for joy.

Guppies: I am NOT happy you crazy person! I am hungry! Stop smiling at me. FOOD.

Speaking of jumping. Antigua got impatient because it took a split second longer than usual to drop a pellet for him and HE LEAPT at me. He came out of the water with such force he, I have no doubt, would have sailed over my shoulder and landed in an injured pile on the wood floor behind me. Except he hit the lip of the tank that the lid sits on. With a loud *splat* and fell back in the water looking stunned. And water level was already about 3 inches from the top of the tank. I dropped it to 4" now. I think I will take it a little lower. And he was NOT starving either. He already had 6 pellets over the course of the day.

Twinkie's tail keeps getting sucked into his filter intake. I have seen it happen 3 times since yesterday. I think he is doing it on purpose. :/ The tip is tore now. Your beautiful tail, Twinkie! Would putting pantyhose over it work without slowing down the water flow too much? I will have to do something... He could easily avoid it but he purposely swims over and stops. I think he likes the sensation. He likes to put the tip of his tail into the bubble stream of his air stone and let his tail get "sucked up" and then his whole body gets swept up and he tumbles like a acrobat. He loves that. But it wouldn't be fun to be swept up into a filter, Twinkie!


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## adlemsi

BettaSplendid said:


> Tissue culture. That is it. Thank you.
> 
> *embarrased*
> 
> Clearly the coffee hadn't kicked in yet.
> 
> Oh I am so interested in that riccia! I am all about trying out new floating plants right now.


Riccia Fluitans is a moss-type plant. I had some before, tied down to river rocks, but they dried up when I forgot to put them back in the tank after a water change/cleaning. I'm thinking of tying the new ones to craft mesh. We'll see what I end up doing with them.


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## BettaSplendid

Oh, oh...I thought it was a floating plant. Something with a similar name then I am confusing it with. Wait, I sound like Yoda.


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## adlemsi

LOL! It came packaged in a plastic container & looks like a pancake for now. I have it floating, since I haven't cut it up.


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## adlemsi

Whoops, I have to correct myself : Riccia Fluitans can be grown floating on the surface, as well as attached to something.

I have duckweed & red root floaters as my floating plants. I have some Anacharis floating too, but I'm planning on bunching them in the near future, as they've been shooting roots like crazy.


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## themamaj

What type of wood do you have in Antigua's tank? I like the shape of that really well. I am looking at some cholla wood from Russell that looks similar. Can't wait to get it here in few weeks. She had it on order. 

Have you had any experience with carpeting plants?


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## BettaSplendid

I like that Riccia, adlemsi, it sounds so versatile! I have never seen it for sale though...well, if I am ever ordering plants I will have to remember that one.

MamaJ, that is actually an artificial "root" from TopFin at Petsmart. The entire thing is hollow with many entrance and exit holes. Antigua *adores* it. He is such an inquisitive little guy and loves to explore and keep busy. The Rubin Sword plant grows its outermost leaves along the bottom and Antigua will actually go out of his way to squeeze under the stems and wiggle free to the other side of the stem. He is silly. So cute. Love that plakat!


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## BettaSplendid

Simeon was starting to look bored in the 1 gallon. For what, two weeks he seemed content? But then he began to look for ways out. I decided to see how Zadok would do in the 20 with the guppies and put Simeon in where Zadok had been.

Zadok didn't know what to think! He gilled all the guppies but didn't chase them. Lemonade seems to think Zadok is pretty. Lemonade puts his fins out and vibrates them, sorta. Don't know how to explain it. I think he is trying to attract poor Zadok. "I'm a MAN!" I need to look up guppy courting behaviors.

All is good so far. Zadok looks really pretty in there. It is a dark tank, dark background and decor. Simeon is doing...alright. He is pacing a bit but then he stops and goes into a hide here and there too. I think he just has mental issues. I can't KEEP him in a 1 gallon! The water changes are terribly difficult. I used a little airline hose to vaccuum the bottom but even that empties the bowl at an alarming rate. Plus I was doing it every day. Sim, dude, please stop to smell the roses. I am leaning towards the 3 gallon Marineland cresent. I WANT to put him in a 5 gallon...but. Well payday is still a week awayish and I will watch him more and see...he is in about 7 gallons right now.

The crypt wenditii melted. I expected it would but I am still disappointed. 

Ooo! Alpaca on the porch! Yes, it is time for dinner. Better go.


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## themamaj

I need to see pictures of Zadok and these guppies. That is hysterical! Poor Simeon (love name by the way) yes bigger always better. My Leo though had a complete mental breakdown when I put her in a 5 gal. She got pale and striped and was totally flustered even with more plants. So back to 1.5 she went and is happy as a lark. Go figure. She does not like any change. Her way or the highway! I may have to try her again another time when some more tanks fall my way along with a big paycheck


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## BettaSplendid

Pale, yes! Simeon is a rich blue with a black face and he has some nice red in his fins. But when he paces he gets a grey face and the red is more brown. Very sad. I am hoping he will be calm in the morning. He got all his color back while he was in "rehabilitation" (1 gallon). 

I did take a picture of Zadok and the Gups. What you can see of each fish? Well... They are each a little blur of color. I see Arthur near the thermometer and Lemonade is easy to spot. There is Goldie and that great big FAT one is Lyle. :shock: I cup him sometimes at feeding time because he eats SO MUCH SO FAST. 'fraid he will pop. Goldie, the orange one, seems to be the most obnoxious to Zadok. Probably simply because of his bright colors. Even then, though, Zadok puts his gills out and that is it. Zadok's big stringy tail makes him much slower than the Gups. So this may work out.




It must be stressful to Mr. Simeon to be moved around so much. I am bad about moving things! I move my aquarium plants around too. Not the swords, but anything that isn't rooted in place I can't leave alone. I was contemplating aquarium stands on wheels this morning. Wouldn't that be fun? With a little brake so they wouldn't just roll away unexpectedly.

Eta- ah! I found "guppy mating dance" on youtube. The male is doing the "electric shock" for the female. Yep, yep. That is what Lemonade was doing. HAHA. Zadok isn't a pretty guppy female, Lemonade...sorry...


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## BettaSplendid

I was delighted to see both Simeon and Zadok doing well this morning! Guppies all intact. Simeon is nice and dark and NOT PACING! He was contentedly fluttering his pretty pectorals at me. He looks like a butterfly. I am so relieved to see him calm. I just hope he stays like that.

And dear Zadok. He is busy exploring. He can see so much from this new vantage point. He can see all of the kitchen, some of the dining room and out 3 windows. Plus the "fish room" of course. He has a grand view of Antigua. Lemonade still looks like he is being tazer'd. He'll figure it out. Zadok is over gilling them. Pretty much just ignores them. The guppies are neither scared nor aggressive so no fun to terrorize. Zadok will swim right up to them then stop and watch as they pick at gravel. Oh this is good! I hope they continue to get along.



Picture from this morning. Poor fat Lyle is in Zadok's Petsmart cup. Ironic? Zadok on the outside, 20 gallons of warm clean water. Gotta love that. Lyle has such a big mouth he can swallow a betta pellet. I find those awful cups awfully USEFUL once they're no longer a betta prison. I use them every day for various tank duties. It is bitter sweet. At least Zadok wasn't in his very long. I couldn't resist him. When the Husband came home the kids tattled on me. "Ma bought ANOTHER BETTA!" His response? "We're goina need scuba gear to live in here!" bwhahahha. ;-)


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## themamaj

Lolol! !!! That is so like something my husband would say! Dying laughing. Tank looks so beautiful. Your guppies are really cute.


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## themamaj

I say that as wondering if I sneak in another 10 gallon up to room if it would be noticed


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## BettaSplendid

Oooookay, I just moved Zadok a few hours ago. He had started glass surfing JUST like Simeon and without pause, breathing hard. Soooo...no more bettas and guppies. Or maybe there is just something aggravating about THAT tank?! I had a 3 gallon Sterilite container and a backup heater. It isn't adjustable. Zadok looked like he'd just rather be OUT of there. I am really hoping the Marineland biowheel 10 gallon kit goes on sale 'cause that is what I want Zadok in. I got Twinkie's on sale for $39 on a holiday weekend. Right now it is around $70. Ahem. But little Zadok looks relieved now to have his own space even if it isn't glamorous. I gave him a boat load of Marimo balls and 2 anubias...no light for other plants. The best thing is I have him in the new homeschool room slash playroom so I can watch him while waiting on kidzies to write or read. It reeeeeeally helps with patience. I do not read or look at the internet or anything but I like to sit quietly to "be there" but not distract and look like I am not available for help. Fish help.



Simeon is doing AMAZING and I am so sorry little buddy, that I called you challenged. You are acting like a betta now. Even in 7 gallons. I still want a 5 gallon for you so I can fit your tank on the shelf in the fish room. I promise I will fix it up nice.


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## BettaSplendid

Fish room!



We have Antigua, then Hatzie on the table and see Simeon on the shelf? And then Guppies beside the chair.

The top metal shelf swings down and is the perfect size for a 5 gallon. That is where I plan to put Simeon. Speaking of which, he is looking fabulous. All rested and bright:


Oh, he is just darling. I love his paddlers. 

Just for fun I switched Antigua's and the guppy root. Ah, they won't go in ANYthing, no fun. Antigua, however, being Mr. Explorer Plakat Fins had a blast checking out the "new" ornament/ fun thing:


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## Innerbeauty

OoOo your fish room is gorgeous! You can sit on the chair and be surrounded by pretty fishies 

I love the twisted tree trunk ornament in Zadok's tank! For me it creates a look of mystery, beauty, and intrigue. LOVE it. Must steal it.

Awww, Simeon's paddlers and so adorable I just wanna touch..... cutie patootie!


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## BettaSplendid

Thanks! I am in that chair right now.  Drinking my coffee and reading for a few hours while the rest of the family slept. I have to get up early if I want my "quiet time". 

I keep forgetting this, Mamaj, you asked earlier if I had any carpeting plants. Well...I did. I had dwarf hairgrass. Actually, it looks alive in Hatzie's tank but died in the other tanks. It needs better lighting than what I have. I also have some "micro sword", but again...it can only "hang in there". Not much will come of it, I believe. Maybe someday I will have better lighting. Antigua has a nice daylight bulb, but it is only one...and it is so high above the floor of my tank. I am sure it isn't enough for a nice carpet plant.

Lo and behold, the guppies went into the brown root ornament! I even got photographic evidence. They looked like they were having a wild party in there.

I was playing around with aqadvisor.com and I could add 6 panda cories and 6 shrimpies to my guppy tank and still be only like 86% stocked. That may be a goal... First is getting 2 tanks and substrate and plants for Zadok and Simeon. Simeon looks deliriously happy though.

Eta, daughter woke up and took my spot with her ever present rodent, Melchi.

Eta 2: the picture would be helpful...


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## Innerbeauty

Your daughter is adorable! Love the dimples and the polka dot dress 

I want to see the guppies' party!


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## themamaj

Oh my dear what type of rodent is that?! Your daughter is the cutest with those precious dimples!! Even cuter holding her pet so proudly.

Yes anxious to see guppy party as well. I'm sure you have probably shared this but how many guppies do you have? Are they pretty easy to tell which male and female?

You sound like me and carpet plants. I tried dwarf hair grass. It looked so lovely for a short time and then disintegrated. My dwarf baby tears are hanging on but I think they need more light than what I have. Tried a type of moss like thing. It either disintegrates or gets caught in vacuum. Still hoping for that magic looks like a magazine carpet plant that I can't kill  

Glad you got a few minutes of quiet time with coffee!


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## BettaSplendid

That, my dear, is a rat. Yes. I am a horrible mother. I give my kids rats for pets and sometimes I make cookies for breakfast!  They love me though. Hahahaha!

Oh good news, I was able to get Simeon's 5 gallon today! And some cryptocoryne Undulata "red". Husband is going to look for organic potting soil tomorrow. The tank is the Topfin kit and was on sale. Comes with the hood and LEDs and a filter. I already have a heater. The 10 gallon I want for Zadok didn't go on sale! Hmm! I expected it to be dirt cheap on Halloween since I had gotten one for Twinkie on Labor day I think it was. Maybe on Thanksgiving... Husband thinks Zadok is ugly! Gah! How..? I don't even know. He has a clear beard rimmed in black! Nobody can be ugly with a beard like that.


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## BettaSplendid

Picture time:

Every day is a party...when you're a guppy!

Here they are throwing a wild party inside their root:


There are 5 guppies. I worry about Lyle. He is so big. I will try the pea thing in the morning and see if that helps. He just eats so much so fast, faster than the others. You can twll which one Lyle is in the 1st picture. I am 99% sure he isn't a pregnant female. 

And here is me, blurry 'cause my daughter took it:


I absolutely love my fish.  I am so happy to sit and read and drink my tea with them in the morning.

Simeon's new home, as I was working on it:


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## BettaSplendid

And here is Simeon!! I am super giddy. This is my first naturally planted tank, I HOPE it thrives so I don't cry. Haha. Simeon was stressed and grey at first from moving but he QUICKLY decided he LOVES his new home and turned dark again. I was anxious he would start glass surfing because, well, GLASS tank. So far, so good! He even built a bubblenest overnight! He has to be calm to do that.




Here is a closer up picture of him.



Notice...he has a tiny white spot above his gill. I hope it isn't a tumor... It has been there for as long as I have had him.

And I showed him mamaj's girly betta, Leo. He stared intently at her picture and then began adding to his bubblenest like crazy! Leo and Simeon are similar colors.


I took this picture at an angle, from below looking up. That bubblenest is for you, Leo!


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## BettaSplendid

Simeon moved his bubblenest last night from the wall to the middle of the tank. And he added to it. What a good nest builder he is! I am so happy for him that he is enjoying himself.

The sunlight was coming in so beautifully on him yesterday afternoon:





So his tank has Miracle-Gro organic potting soil and play sand. Crypt, 2 types of java ferns (narrow and the other name escapes me...to early...the frilly type), Scarlet Temple, water wisteria, anubias Coffeefolia (a gift from my mom) and anubias Frazeri, anacharis, and duckweed (which looks like little tiny green butterflies). I feel like I am forgetting some... Oh yeah, 2 swords, an amazon and some wrinkly leaf rosette that stays short. Dwarf hairgrass and micro sword too. Eta- cabomba too


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## BettaSplendid

Simeon's tank is divided into "bright side" and "dark side", which you can see in the pictures. I knew the sunlight comes in nicely on one side so all the bright light plants are over there and have anubias and java fern on the other. And his floating log. The java fern was just a place holder and I intended to take it out and replace with a cave hide of some sort but...I think I won't do that now. He actually just likes the tangle of leaves! He goes into his floaty log for a hide, but spends most time working on his nest for Leo and weaving through the plants, or cute-facing me.

I would never buy that Topfin 5.5 kit again. I was quite dissapointed with the lid. My son liked it so I switched lids with Stormy. The lid had ONE LED light. One! Pssh! Stormy looks good under the LED though, very blue. And now her lid is on Simeon's with a daylight bulb. It only holds one small bulb though and will eventually get replaced with something even brighter. With the sunlight streaming in so well it will work for now. So the lid was cheap and I was aghast to see the filter had the motor that sits IN the tank, rather than outside. Why? It is a HOB, put the motor OUTside, people. Maybe in a bigger tank it wouldn't matter but I just don't want to buzz him. Zzzzzzzzzz! I might just not put a filter on there anyways. Hopefully those plants will grow like crazy.

And the Miracle-Gro? MOSTLY wood. I put it in a bucket with water and scooped the wood out with a net since it floats up. I estimate half the bag is tiny wood chips.


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## themamaj

BettaSplendid said:


> And here is Simeon!! I am super giddy. This is my first naturally planted tank, I HOPE it thrives so I don't cry. Haha. Simeon was stressed and grey at first from moving but he QUICKLY decided he LOVES his new home and turned dark again. I was anxious he would start glass surfing because, well, GLASS tank. So far, so good! He even built a bubblenest overnight! He has to be calm to do that.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here is a closer up picture of him.
> 
> 
> 
> Notice...he has a tiny white spot above his gill. I hope it isn't a tumor... It has been there for as long as I have had him.
> 
> And I showed him mamaj's girly betta, Leo. He stared intently at her picture and then began adding to his bubblenest like crazy! Leo and Simeon are similar colors.
> 
> 
> I took this picture at an angle, from below looking up. That bubblenest is for you, Leo!


LOL!! I'll have to show her when I get home. She is still single and available  We could have a match made in heaven there! Precious. Love his colors!! You have done a great job on the tank.


----------



## themamaj

Can't keep chuckling about that. Fish online dating 

Your guppies are really cute. I have been looking at some in our lps. I haven't studied them enough to tell male vs female yet. Are the colorations different like bettas? Have you ever had any of yours try to spawn? Have pondered doing a community tank with different fish. I think I read on aquavisor that guppies needed minimum of 10 gallon? Could you do 6 in a 10 I wonder? Are they fairly hardy like bettas?


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## BettaSplendid

They like warm water like bettas. I think 6 would be perfectly happy in a 10 gallon. Well, unless they have a million babies. I only have males because the thought of millions od babies scares me. Heh. Now of course you could let them eat the fry (and bettas would too) but...they are so cute! I wouldn't be able to bear it! The males are more colorful and also smaller. They come in endless colors and patterns and even different tail shapes. Look at a local fish shop for a crazy selection! I noticed Petsmart seems to have a bunch that look alike. My fish store had a little of everything guppy! They are super active and playful with each other but do not connect with their people like bettas do. (bettas are so special!) The easiest way to tell males and females apart is the anal fin. Girls have bigger rounded bottom fins and males are pointed. Even then....it took a lot of studying to be able to tell. I don't think they are as hardy as betta. I can tell they get stressed easier, like after a water change. I definitely like them though!


----------



## Innerbeauty

I just love looking at your guppies!! They look like a banner in the wind, all flittery. I think the yellow one is my favorite.  I am seriously considering getting some guppies, now... but may wait until the 20g has less girls in it. AquaAdvisor says I'm 64% stocked, but still.... I think it would feel crowded.

Love the pic your daughter took! You look much more happy and content than I do in the morning.  I see where your daughter gets her pretty genes!


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## BettaSplendid

Hah, that is because I am a morning person. When the sun sets I am done for the day, like a chicken. 

Lemonade is my favorite too! His tail looks so silky.

The guppies got mosquito larva today. They go wild over it. I used to hate mosquitos, now I am happy to find a bucket full of larva.

Daughter picked out this pink silk plant for Twinkie. When he is near it, it reflects pink on him and makes him SUPER PINK! 


And the Marineland 10 gallon went on sale so now Zadok has a NPT (Naturally Planted Tank). Yay! It takes a lot of plants to fill that one! I put a lot in there and it still looks empty. This morning I had chai tea and Zadok had a cup of larva:


His thermometer came unstuck. I am going to take the helmet out tomorrow but wanted him to have it for a few days while he adjusted to the new place. He is right next to the couch in the homeschool room. Very nice. I have added more cabomba and hyacinth since that picture.


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## DangerousAngel

Everything looks so good!! It's amazing how many plants you need for a tank of that size! That's probably why I'm sticking to my smaller tanks being planted for now. 
I just LOVE Twinkie and his colors! He's beautiful!
Do you homeschooled your daughter?


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## Innerbeauty

Oh, Twinkie! What a pretty boy, all pink n sparkly....  Are those red spots? I just love how mottles his fins are!


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## BettaSplendid

Twinkie is an amazing little guy. He is veeeery proud of his tail. And he has the bluest eyes.

Yep, I homeschool my daughter (kindergarten) and my son (third grade). It is so wonderful. Daughter is more enthusiastic, being a girl, about learning, hehehe. They are both sweethearts.

The 10 has lots of plants but they are so short! Mostly clippings from my other tanks or young java ferns. I did take a sword out of Twinkies tank because it was not doing good in there (clear leaves?) being in plain gravel and not much light. So Twinkie got that pink plant instead. And the other sword came out of the guppy tank. It wasn't growing fast either, being in a rather dark spot.


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## BettaSplendid

Innerbeauty said:


> Oh, Twinkie! What a pretty boy, all pink n sparkly....  Are those red spots? I just love how mottles his fins are!


Ah, plum spots actually! His fins were all pink and now they are turning more and more a plum shade of purple. It is really nice. He is so plumpy and happy. He lost a lot of pudge once he got the airstone. He plays in that a LOT and swims against the current. I call it his "betta treadmill". He needed it! I want him to be healthy. 

Sparkly, yes, I am sure he would blow glitter in his bubble nest if he could. Was there ever a more perfect fish for a little girl? Daughter sings to him and draws pictures for him. He loves to watch her draw. Right now he and Stormy are in our dining room and watch us eat. And I watch them too.


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## themamaj

Aw Twinkie is so cute with new plants! Too funny tea and larva  Zadok's tank is great. I know what you mean I am always pulling clippings to new tanks but so hard to be patient and wait for them to grow. What size tank do you recommend for guppies? I never thought I would be interested in them until I saw how cute yours were. They actually seem to look more like bettas than I thought. I looked online and there are some really beautiful ones. Did you get yours at a lps?


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## BettaSplendid

I hope I never absent mindedly mistake my tea cup for the larva cup.

I think a 10 would be fine but like you said, bigger the tank the better. They are active but small and have a "small bio-load" so I have read.

The fact that they are so pretty and you can buy ALL THE GUPPIES! and put them in one tank is appealing. With bettas you get limited because they all require their own seperate space. But guppies? They are like extroverts on redbull. 

I did get mine from a local fish store. The hardest part is choosing which one you want. I KNEW I wanted Lemonade though. Instant attraction. And Spotty would be easily overlooked because he isn't bright but he has the cutest black and white spotted dorsal fin. Arthur is neat too, I think he called "leopard".


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## themamaj

Larva.... Might be like a protein shake lol! Do you think you will breed them? All of yours are male currently? I just watched some YouTube video on them. Really intriguing. May be seeing guppies soon! My husband will spontaneously combust haha


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## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> May be seeing guppies soon! My husband will spontaneously combust haha


Bwhahahahaha! 

No, I doubt I would ever purposely breed them. I like the number I have in there now. And I like picking out exactly which one I want at the store too. Did you know guppies will eat shrimp, like a betta? :shock: aaaaaaugh. I read that last night.  I totally was going to put Panda cories and blue velvet shrimpies in with the gup-gups.  I think...I don't know. Last night I was reading and reading about shrimp...which ones to put in the NPT. :-? The Amano get large, and are good cleaners. I should *probably* get those. I remember seeing ghost shrimp at my LFS but no other kinds. I guess I do not mind TOO TERRIBLY BAD if the babies get eaten though I would prefer that did NOT happen. But it would be especially tragic if all the adults got eaten. It seems everyone has shrimp and snails in their naturally planted tanks. I read that entire sticky thread. The thought of out of control snails worried me. I do not like the idea of Assassin snails but *I* certainly am not going to squish anyone...so... Also, I am not sure where to get these snails. Snails and shrimp were not on my radar until just these past few days and so I haven't been looking for them in stores. Also would need some java moss. I KNOW that is at the LFS. I saw it in net bags. I need to make sure the tanks are good and stable before adding any shrimpsters.


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## themamaj

That is why I haven't tried shrimp. I was afraid it would be dinner for somebody. I think the larger shrimps probably do better as long as you have a lot of hides for them. I have also pondered on the dwarf orange crayfish. They are so cute. It is hard to know how my bettas will react so have been cautious. I have several nerite snails. I really like them. They are small and help keep algae down.


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## themamaj

What brand and type of dirt did you buy the other day?


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## BettaSplendid

It was Organic Miracle-Gro potting mix. And capped with play sand (which needed a LOT of rinsing before the water ran clear).


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## themamaj

Finally found it in stock yest. Hope to do Nikolai tank maybe tom


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## BettaSplendid

MamaJ, I thought the easiest way to "sift" out the tiny wood chips was to put your soil into a bucket, add enough water to cover soil a few inches and then use a net to "fish out" the floating wood chips. Then let the soil settle a while and pour off excess water. Then transfer the wet soil into your aquarium and cap with whatever you are using.

I tried sifting through dry soil the first time (with Simeon's tank) and did the wet method with Zadok's. Wet was quick and more effective. But everyone has their own method that works for them.


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## Innerbeauty

I was just really looking at Zadok's tank bottom.... it is SO pretty! I would love to see some close-ups of it! The sand is just so breathtakingly beautiful. I just love sand mixed with rocks. It makes me feel all peaceful and calm inside to look at. 
Isn't there a scripture about how God knows the number of every grain of sand on earth?


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## BettaSplendid

You should like it- it was inspired by you! 

My mom gave me a nice sized quartz for Zadok's tank and a bunch of hyacinth too that she had in a kiddie pool in her yard. I scooped some out and put it in a container, brought it home, dropped it into Zadok's tank and walked off. Came back and there was a FROG IN HIS TANK! I was like, "WHAAAAAAAAAAAT IS THAT?!" He must have been all snuggled down in the roots because I certainly didn't know I was picking up a frog! He must have been thrilled when he got lowered into that warm water! There were also tons of water bugs in the roots and Zadok has been busy hunting ever since getting his new plants. Waterbugs eat algae and tinsie-tiny bugs so maybe they will be like shrimp in a NPT?

Sad news. Lyle died. The fat guppy. Well, I was expecting it and not surprised. He died yesterday morning.

We have had a busy week. Went to the zoo earlier in the week and then to a wedding. My mom has been here visiting for a few days.

I will definitely take close ups of Zadok's tank. And I have one of the frog too. LOL


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## BettaSplendid




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## DangerousAngel

That's good. I'm homeschooled as well. 11th grade.

Everything looks so good as always! Is that a froggy peeking out?? How cute!


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## themamaj

Oh my goodness a surprise frog!!! Hilarious! He is so stinking cute too. What did Zadok think? I love his tank. You have so many neat plants and different textures of hardscape. I bet he is over the moon happy. Every time I look at him I think of Avalanche. I can't get over how close to twins they are! Twinkie has the most amazing tail. I love the fact he watches your daughter draw. What does your son think of the fish?


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## Innerbeauty

Awesome, Dangerous! I hope you like being home-schooled.  

That froggy is too cute! I'll keep my boys away from your house- my youngest would hug him to death, literally. 

I love the close-ups, the natural light and shadows are. just. perfect. _Beautiful! 
_The quartz, sand, and light colored pebble_s_ really create the natural look. Zadok must be one happy boy, especially now that there is an enemy to stalk, haha..... 

So that large floater is hyacinth? It is so gorgeous.... I must have some..... *drools and wants to touch*


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## BettaSplendid

And there was a surprise Wolf spider too, you can see him behind the frog. I like spiders quite a bit (aaaaas long as they are not poisonous at least...) so I just unceremoniously scooped him out with an envelope and put him outside. All this wildlife! It got almost to freezing last night and I didn't want Froggie to get shocked, so he spent the night in the house then I set him free today (got up in the 60's). He went to our canoe that is filled from the rain. There are other frogs just like him in there. My mom insisted she didn't need him back.

Zadok was super interested in those frog legs hanging down. He studied them but didn't bite.  I kinda get the African dwarf frog craze now. But they are hard to feed? Yeah...I probably won't go there. I have a canoe full-o-frogs.

Twinkie DOES have an amazing tail. I tell him everyday. It isn't full like a halfmoon but it is LONG. Longer than his body. My son loves the fish as well. Stormy is his. He taught her to jump and bite his finger. Eh! LOL. On the way home from the wedding, I saw a cool looking fish store and I yelled, "a Fiiiiiiiish STORE! I THINK IT IS OOOOOPEN!!" and dear husband stomped on the gas pedal. Why? Maybe he meant to get the break and was just so excited about more fish he got confused. And then we missed the parking lot.  next time?

Zadok is getting some blue on his tail and red on top and bottom fins.  Is Avalanche changing too? Mystery fishies.


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## themamaj

Hahahahahaha!!!!! And why would he not stop?  You get the wildlife award of the week. I can just see froggie out paddling through the canoe. Your son sounds precious. My grandson would go crazy with excitement if I let him try to get the fish to jump. Definitely a boy thing. Funny my girl fish are the ones that are the biggest jumpers. Your house sounds so fun. I have to admit seeing that cute frog maybe me have flashes of africian dwarf frogs in the tank. Hmmm. Prob better stick to fish but so cute. 

Avalanche does have more blue on him now. I think it makes him look frosty. He was funny tonight at water change. I am pretty good with being able to check water temps and make sure they are about the same just by feel, but sometimes I am off a bit. Avalanche tank was too warm so floated him in cup till he adjusted. He was so funny pacing back and forth like he was in time out. "gee what did I do this time? I haven't pigged out on food this week and even pooped. all it gets me is time out hmm". Love these guys. I got my frozen daphnia in so home to feed for breakfast tom.


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## Sadist

I love that froggy peaking out! I've wanted ADF for a while but not place to put them right now.


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## BettaSplendid

Sadist, I think female crowntails are absolutely adorable. Their tails... 

Yesterday I moved Twinkie and Stormy out of the dining room and into the homeschool room. I think this will work better. Twinkie has a grand view of Daughter's "tiny town". He can watch her play with her dolls and see much more of her. And he is right beside her desk too, so he can watch her drawing. Stormy is right beside him still. This room is so bright and cheerful unlike the rest of the house which is quite dark (except for the sunroom where Antigua, Hatzie and gup-gups live). Most of the action is in the homeschool/ playroom. Poor Zadok has witnessed things a fish should never have to see. Heh. 5 and 8 year olds playing together can be...shocking.

Speaking of Zadok, his tummy has been nicely rounded. He is finding plenty of tiny water bugs still. He thinks he is a wild betta with paths through the duckweed roots. He is constantly hunting. I tried to get a picture of his tummy and he gilled me.


That beard. So cute. He haz tuff, no?  "Hey, you're in my territory! RAR! Are you scared? ...why are you laughing? ...is that NERVOUS LAUGHTER?! RAAAAAAAR! I am a big, scary crowntail! *roar* Be scared!"


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## Sadist

Aww, what a cutie!


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## themamaj

Zadok the hunter! Yes what a big bad crowntail you are but you are so cute hard to be scared  I bet they will love the homeschool room. Mine like activity too but sometimes they see a little too much activity when daughter wants to forward roll in the room and grandson comes barreling through with swords in hand. That's when I get those "retreat they've come to take us alive" faces. Lol.


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## BettaSplendid

Yup, yup, swords and rough housing. This morning I said, "hey! NO fighting!" Son was like, "ooooh noooo, take the fish tanks out so we can fight in here!" and I am like, "You are not suppose to be fighting in the house anyways. Go outside!" LOL. My "rules" mean nothing. Well, I am pretty serious about not jumping around near the glass tanks. They like to hold hands and start circling around until one flies away- usually Daughter, since she is lighter. My response is always, "Go outside!"


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## BettaSplendid

The blue "moonlight" setting does wonderful things to Zadok. It makes him glow and shimmer like a pearl...lovely sheen.


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## themamaj

Wow he is more stunning in the moonlight! Sounds like you have as lively a house as I do


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## BettaSplendid

...and, I noticed, he isn't a baby anymore, is he? He used to look so tiny. The glare on that picture is horrible! Dark tank, bright room. :/


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## themamaj

He has gotten bigger. They do change so fast (sniff sniff)  Every time I look at Avalanche I about call him Zadok. Of course, he would be wishing he had a tank like that too if I showed him! Maybe one day. 

Have your kids hit you up with a xmas list yet? I was listening to xmas music changing tanks tonight. Can't believe next week is Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner. Speaking of growing up, my son will be 25 and daughter 16 next week. They are my turkey babies, two countries and 9 years to the day. I call them my twins. Can't believe growing up. Now really sniffing.


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## BettaSplendid

Ah, yeah. Son wants a helicopter model to build, Daughter wants a small sewing machine (for kids). Both items seen at Michael's craft store. So you have holiday babies too? All of birthdays are sandwiched in with the winter holidays also. It is crazy! And then *nothing* goes on the rest of the year.

Zadok thinks every betta has a tank like his. Can't convince him otherwise. He got a pretty good deal, lucky boy. I was laughing yesterday at/with Twinkie. "Twinkie there are no rice paddies with coral and pink flowers and a bubblegum pink betta in Thailand. LOOK at you...with your little heater and suction cup leaf and purple gravel..." That is so not natural. LOL. Hahaha. He is completely unrecognizable as a Splendens. Ain't no body lookin' like that in the wild... Begging for betta pellets. Hehe. This is your "habitat"?


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## themamaj

Hey Twinkie's got it made!


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## BettaSplendid

Had a good and busy Thanksgiving holiday. We ate at sister-in-laws actual Thanksgiving, the next day my mom and I cooked a full Thanksgiving dinner again at my house and the next day I made "new" sides to go with left overs so we had another big meal. Hah. Well, it *is* my favorite holiday. Thanks Squanto! Couldn't have done it without you. Love ya, Cheif Massasoit. Sorry if I spelled your name wrong, but you're awesome.

So, I have decided I am going to switch tanks between Antigua and Gup-Gups. Whenever I can get some more crypts. I will take out 10 gallons of water from Antigua's tank and let him be in that while I work. Drain the rest of his tank down to the bottom. Scoop out half the gravel (one side is Eco-complete and Flora-Max, the other end is plain gravel) and put down Miracle-Gro potting mix and sand. Plant the crypts. Start taking water out of Guppies' tank and use that and new water to fill the other tank. Catch guppies and move them. Then put Antigua and "his" water into the 20 gallon. This is the least stressful way I can think to do it. If half the water is their "own" water it should be less shocking. And I will still acclimate everyone too. The guppies are super easy to just scoop up in little betta cups. It is nice and warm outside today...perhaps I can get the crypts before it turns cold again. It will be much harder to do this if the house/floor is cold.

And then! Then I can start looking for Panda cories. They are the reason for the sand.

I do want some ghost shrimp still. I noticed the bettas ignore the larger waterbugs. Only the smallest ones were...umm...yeah. My gosh! Zadok! He keeps gilling me! I am just sitting here! Little meanie. Love him. Mr. Cranky Crowntails.

My kids had fun using a photo app to put "stickers" on our pictures. Hahaha, some turned out halarious.

Khanan, my male alpaca:


Zadok got bunny ears, he would be furious if he knew...


And Twinkie! He looks so good in this hat:


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## Sadist

Haha, that's so cute!


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## BettaSplendid

Thank you, Sadist. 

Here are the Gup-Gups. I gave up trying to get a good picture of ALL of them at once and instead did a collage. Lemonade, Arthur, Goldie and Spotty!


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## LadyNightraven

I just finished reading through your journal. Very fun read! Your fish are all lovely.


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## Sadist

I see your guppies can't pose for the camera, either. I have countless blurry pictures of mine.


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## themamaj

Photo stickers are hillarious!! Zadok and Twinkie would be so mad if they knew haha. Guppies look great! I love their colors. My two hanging on. One still doing really well. The smaller is still eating but stays on bottom and lot and doesn't swim as much. At least keeping the big guy company. Hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving with your family. We did. Some Christmas stuff going up. Wonder what would be fun to put in the fish room??? What is that sticker program? Nikolai needs a Santa hat


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## BettaSplendid

Well, it is simply called "PhotoCollage" and is the app I use to make all those collages and comics. Then I noticed the sticker option. I found it on the Google Play store on my phone. There are probably more apps that have even more options...maybe a photo editing app.

Nickolai with a santa hat. Teehee. Those Christmas tank ornaments at Petsmart are sooo tempting. Gingerbread house and igloo would be too cute for thr kids' tanks.


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## themamaj

BettaSplendid said:


> Well, it is simply called "PhotoCollage" and is the app I use to make all those collages and comics. Then I noticed the sticker option. I found it on the Google Play store on my phone. There are probably more apps that have even more options...maybe a photo editing app.
> 
> Nickolai with a santa hat. Teehee. Those Christmas tank ornaments at Petsmart are sooo tempting. Gingerbread house and igloo would be too cute for thr kids' tanks.


Yes I saw those ornaments too. If they are on sale right now I might have to get one. My grandson would think that was hillarious to decorate a fish tank!


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## BettaSplendid

I accomplished the Big Switcheroo this morning. Drained Antigua's tank (that is A LOT of water) and had him and some of his floatie plants and log in a sterilite container. Drained every bit of his water and then added in the potting mix and then a layer of sand. Arranged the new cryptocoryne Wendtii (3 plants) and 3 java ferns and then slooooowly refilled that tank. I was able to get a gravel vaccuum going and reach the hose over to the other tank. That made it much easier! The rest I did with a tea pitcher. So the guppies were in mostly their own water. They transitioned well. I had them in the 1 gallon bowl. Spotty was difficult to catch. I thought I squished him with the net but he seems okay.

My pot pie and corn bread needs to come out of oven and don't want this post to time out...I have more to say in a little while, and pictures.


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## Sadist

I can't wait for pictures!


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## BettaSplendid

Happy gups. They are just zipping around merrily. And doing the electric shock dance for each other. LOL. 


Here is the sandy side. I did put some gravel at the base of the plants. Do cories root things up? Well anyways, the gravel will help anchor the crypts until they get nice roots.



And here is the gravel side


They seem to really like it. I can't get a good picture of Antigua because I left the light off on his tank. Poor darling, I hope he adjusts alright. He checked out everything. He seemed happy to see his old root ornament. But it isn't HIS territory. It is a nice and cozy tank though, stuffed full of things bettas like. If Antigua starts glass surfing I will scream. That tank is the one that both Simeon and Zadok surfed in.

I am absolutely stuffed. I made the pot pie with left over turkey. And the cornbread recipe was so good I have made it 3 times in a weeks time. A whole stick of butter, no wonder it is good. Hah.

I got some flightless fruit flies from Petsmart. Most of the bettas like them. Hatzie and the guppies won't eat them. I can't say "flightless fruit flies" though. It comes out "frightless floot flies". It is really hard for me to say! Tounge twister. Or maybe it is just me...

I like the look of the spotted cories too. Pandas are cute. I hope I can find some at the fish store.


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## themamaj

Your tank looks so pretty! I need you to come help me aquascape. Sometimes I think I have an eye for a design but then put it together and think what in the world was I thinking. You have a great eye. 

Guppies are so pretty. I remember Lemonade, but remind me their names. 

Pot pie sounds so yummy especially on a cold day! I love all of those holiday dishes and it shows on my waistline!!! 

Ok say flightless fruit flies three times real fast. Lol. Do you keep them in the refrigerator or how do you store them? Fruit flies remind me of our biology labs in high school. I think we stuck some fruit flies in our lab drawer. I can't even remember the experiments we did but good memories. 

Do you have a particular homeschool curriculum you teach from? Do you doing any theme units? I have tried to do some teaching with my grandson when I have him. It seems like lots of good resources on line. I love to do science activities and of course reinforce language arts as going into kindergarten next year. Let me know if you run across anything that is fun to do. 

How's the frog? Did he make it to the back yard?


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## themamaj

Avalanche is staring at me like I forgot something. I think he wanted to tell Zadok hi.


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## BettaSplendid

I see the frog now and then in the canoe, he swims down into the water when he sees me though! He seems happy enough. Has some sticks and hyacinth to chill out on.

All I got out was, "Flighless floot floot floot, ugh, flrightless froot floot fries...eeeerrrr..."

I did a "no no" by putting that root ornament smack dab in the middle of the tank though. That is bad aquascaping.  Buuuuut I will leave it for now because it looks good enough to me. I should have been more conservative with the extra gravel. I covered up so much sand, I now realize. It is like painting, do a little then walk away and come back later with a fresh eye. I just did the tank quickly because dear Antigua was waiting. He is my little love.

Oh, so Lemonade is the yellow one of course, Goldie is the one that is colored like a goldfish (orange and white), (King) Arthur is the ocelot/leopard one and Spotty has a spotty black &white dorsal fin and huge red and blue tail.


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## Sadist

I call my flies "wingless fruit flies," which is easier to say. I keep mine on my desk with a birthday card shielding it from the sun. I see lots of maggots on the glass today, so I've been feeding the adult ones to my fish for at least 1 meal a day! It does have a yeasty smell, which doesn't bother me.


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## BettaSplendid

Oh yeah I forgot to mention how they are stored! No refrigerator. The little tube has a sponge at one end and you pull the sponge to the side and hold it over the tank. Out crawl the flies and they drop into the tank. Very easy. Sadist, are you, or do you, make up more food for them? I read some recipes a few months ago but back them mosquito larva was plentiful and I didn't need any frightless floot flies.  It was about $6 for a vial of flies at Petsmart. It should last 5 weeks but even longer if I make new food for them...


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## Sadist

I haven't made my own food for them. The hubby would be severely grossed out if I ground up bug larvae with our blender.


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## themamaj

Mmm yummy


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## themamaj

Don't know if you follow this website but it is a good one for ideas. They have things for older kids as well. I liked this post on xmas around the world. Might be a neat unit to do for Social Studies to study how different cultures celebrate Christmas.

http://www.123homeschool4me.com/2015/12/christmas-around-world-6-crafts.html


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## BettaSplendid

Oh! You reminded me. I totally forgot about your curriculum question. I got sidetracked by fruit flies and mashed up larva. LOL.

For both kids I use Heart of Dakota curriculum, but they each have different levels/grades of course. I just love it. It is absolutely Christ centered and covers History, projects, language arts, spelling, grammar, writing, oral and guided written narrations, storytime, dictation, poetry, Bible study, scripture memory, music, math, science, notebooking, geography...and more. There is a Teachers' Guide that tells you what book, what page, what questions and all that...very balanced. I have no stress with planning. Just open the guide and go.

On Tuesdays we go to a homeschool co-op. I teach some classes and all the other moms teach or assist in some way. Son ended up with a science class, Middle Ages, ecology, and US states study. Classes are different each year depending on what people want to teach. And then we pick what classes we want...there are usually 2 options for each period for each age group (that is a LOT of classes! We were lucky to be able to "borrow" a huge church building! Lots of rooms...)

And then...lots of field trips and 4h and parties and Lego Leauge. We have plenty to do...and I am a HUGE INTROVERT but I am trying. Sigh. If it weren't for the kids I would rarely willingly leave the house. (Except to visit the FISH STORE! LOL)


----------



## themamaj

Well you know I love the name of that curriculum...Dakota  I have so much admiration for you doing that for your kids. What an excellent way to give them a strong foundation in Christ!! I love the fact with homeschooling you have options and can do some really neat hands on field trips and have so many more opportunities to do different classes. I wish I had done that with my kids though my middle son would have killed me. It was best for my sanity for him to go to public school. TOO MUCH ENERGY! lol I did contemplate it with my daughter at one point because she is very self disciplined and self motivated, but at that point I felt I didn't know enough to teach advanced classes or get her what she needed to be ready for college. I would think it is so much better to start when they are young. I have done a lot of teaching and preschool curriculum with my grandson. When I had him every day, I could do so many fun activities. Unfortunately, his mom wanted him in full time daycare  We still do as many activities as I can cram in when I get him every other weekend. It sounds like your curriculum is very good and I love the idea of how the teacher's guide leads you through. How many hours a day do you do school?


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## BettaSplendid

It takes about 4 hours. He is in 3rd grade now. I spend about an hour with my daughter. Each year they get more and more independent too. In the younger years I have to sit with them the entire time, but as they get older they read their own history and science and have instructions for experiments and projects...which is nice because a lot of curriculums do not encourage independence. I need to cook and clean some too, ya know?  Little man ate 5 plates of pot pie yesterday. LOL.


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## themamaj

Sounds like a really great program. Little man may be hitting a growth spurt! What is your pot pie recipe? My husband would love that. Actually he would probably just really love for me to cook period haha. I did "cook" him Pizza Hut last night


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## BubblesTheBlueBetta

Nice journal!


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## BettaSplendid

We ate stuffed crust pizzas from Pizza Hut Monday night. Stuffed crust or nothin'! 
I am a pizza snob ever since they came out with stuffed crusts...

So cook some onion, potaties, and celery in butter until soft, add mushroom (Husband grows Shiitakes!) and various veggies...I just used bagged frozen mixed veggies: corn, green beans and carrots. Throw in some herbs like thyme and celery seed. Cook a few minutes... Add in a half a cup of all purpose flour, mix around a minute or two. Add some broth, 1 or 2 cups, stir. Stir in a cup of half and half cream, stir. It should thicken...if not add some more flour. Then turn off the heat and pour into a pie pan with pie crust and cover with another crust. Bake at 375F for 45 minutes.

You can let the bottom crust bake in the over while you prepare the filling. Aaaand you *could* use egg white on the crust...but this isn't necessary.



Sorry...that is how I cook, I only measure ingredients the first time I am trying a new recipe, then I just "eyeball" it.

Eta...potaties! That is so funny I won't correct the spelling...hehehehehe.

Eta2: put a piece of aluminum foil over it atleast for the first 30-35 minutes.


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## BettaSplendid

BubblesTheBlueBetta said:


> Nice journal!


Thank you!  It makes it more fun when people comment. Glad you enjoyed it.


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## themamaj

Sounds very yummy! I would like to try that at Christmas. Oh yes, stuffed crust cheese!


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## BettaSplendid

So last night I was in bed, half asleep, and I thought, "Did I forget the turkey in the pot pie recipe?" Really? So somewhere in that recipe should have been the turkey (or whatever meat). It was already cooked leftovers so I added it in when I put in the frozen vegetables.

Haha.


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## themamaj

I was going through and looking at all your fish again. Each is so beautiful and unique in their own way! Sometime if you have time, I would love to see some new pictures of each of them to see how they have changed. I always smile when I read your cartoons. I look forward to reading your journal each day.


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## BettaSplendid

Aww! Thanks! Yeah, maybe an update on each betta with a tank tour?

I have been BUSY. I got the corydoras and... CPO's! But I have been spending all my spare time reading about the CPO, dwarf orange crayfish. I am in LOVE with them, lemme tell ya! And the cories are loving the sand.

I have to go milk my goat but I will write up a proper post about the new lovelies soon.


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## Sadist

Awesome, I just bought some of those, too! They aren't here, yet.


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## themamaj

I may need a picture of the goats too  Actually our neighbor down the hill has 12 goats and 2 pot bellied pigs. That is one of my grandson and my fave activities is to walk down and see the goats. The pigs are hysterical. I had never seen a pig run, but they love my grandson and will lope down the hill swinging that little tail around. UGLY!! but cute in the same way. I take it you live on a farm? How neat to have all the animals. 

Ok I am officially jealous of your DOC. IF IF IF I ever get my cholla wood, I wanted to get some. Really interested to see how yours do and what you have learned about them. Have done some reading but still much to learn. Did you order or find locally? Excited about your cories too. Can't wait to see the tank tour!


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## BettaSplendid

I had called Fin-tastic to see if they had any Pepper or Panda cories. Then I asked if they had any "colorful" shrimp. No, but they did have 2 dwarf orange lobsters they had special ordered and the guy never picked up. Heh...I may or may not have rushed out the door. I had asked for fish for Christmas (LOL, what is wrong with me) and Dear Husband said whatever I spent he would reimburse me for. Tsk, *never* tell me that and send me to the fishie store. Hehe. So away I went.

I got all 4 of their Pepper cories and the last Panda. And the 2 mini crayfish! Only $7.99 a piece, and no shipping. I think that was a lucky deal after looking at prices online. Picked out some API bottom feeder shrimp pellets that ShadeSlayer recommended. They had a giant Marimo as big as my fist for $5.99. I don't need any more Marimos but just couldn't pass that up! And 4 ghost shrimp. And...a "Beware of the Bettas" sign for Hatzie. He needs a warning sign, fiesty little fella. And Daughter picked out a pink tailed guppy. Oh, and I got some more airline to drip acclimate with.

Paid for everyone and then put them in a box with towels for warmth.

Unfortunately when I got home the guppy had a gash on its head.  I am guessing the cories fins did it when the bag sloshed around? Poor Pinky Tail was dead the next morning. We returned it and got another pink one...plus 2 more. These have been fine.

I am delighted that the guppies have shown 0 interest in the ghost shrimp.

The crawdads are my newest obsession. Talk about CUTE. I have made all sorts of nooks and crannies for them and they explore it all. The cories! They are very fun to watch. They were just so thrilled with the sand and buried their little heads down in it and rooted around.



Ah, a picture of Spice! Yes, I will take one of her tomorrow. Spice is the cutest goat eveh. So I warn you. She has black eye patches like a Panda cory.


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## BettaSplendid

Hatzie's warning sign:


Ghost shrimp on driftwood:


I canz Explorashunz:


Why, why are you this cute? Snappy hanging out in his vase. "yeah, my great big claws are soooo heavy, gotta rest 'em for awhile..."


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## BettaSplendid

And here is Spotty who, like Goliath, stole the Cory food. He found each piece and then hid them all behind a java fern in the corner! Little rascal!


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## themamaj

You got panda cories for 7.99???? Now I am super jealous! Mine were $12.99 a piece. I about had a heart attack when went to pay but they were in the bag and so darn cute I just took the plunge. Moss ball for $5.99 is super good deal for one so big! Awwwww pink tailed guppies? I have never seen one. Must post pictures!!! So sorry of little pinky tail  Poor baby. Glad you got more. Oh shrimp are so cute and love, love, love that crayfish. The only thing I asked for this Christmas was fish stuff too. Great minds think alike  Love the sign and the tanks. Can't wait to see the goat. What a good husband you have to let you loose in a fish store! I just looked and I feed my cories OSI shrimp pellets. They do really well with that. Sometimes I can put some floating pellets in for Goliath to distract him while I sink the others for the cories. He still is onto me, but gives the cories a head start. Mine also love brine shrimp and will go after the snail's algae pellets. Pretty funny to see a cory attacking the snail to get the pellet. Very happy for you with all of your great finds! I got so excited at your pictures and your post! I was like oh I need to shop there. Just had visions of all the great fish and supplies.


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## themamaj

Our crayfish local good fish store are also $12.99. I think the shrimp are even fairly high. Then again most things in that store are higher with the exception of guppies, but the advantage is the stock is very healthy. I haven't priced the crayfish at Petco. I know they had the larger blue ones. I think they may have had a few DOC but little more cautious buying from them. What did the ghost shrimp cost? Did you put them with a betta or just guppies?


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## BettaSplendid

Noooooo....oh my, listen to this. The crayfish were $7.99 each! The panda cory was $5.99 and the Peppers were something like $3.49. Yeah and that huge mossball..! The ghost shrimpies were 30 cents each. So, good prices? I thought $5.99 was a lot for a Panda, LOL, I guess not. I think they are a little high on their supplies, like gravel and foods and lights, heaters, etc...compared to Petsmart it is more expensive but it is hard to compete with a chain.


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## BettaSplendid

Oh the poor deceased Pinky Tail. Well I do have a picture of it with its fabulous tail. I will upload. The 3 replacements have some pink but not like Pinky Tail.  

The ghost/glass shrimp are in with the guppies. I want to put them in with Zadok but I am scared to. I really like them.


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## BettaSplendid

Pinky Tail, SIP. Maybe his head got gashed when he was deftly avoiding the net at the LFS. That is possible. And then being put in a bag with cories. They release toxins or something when under stress. It was a bad day for Pinky.  He had a nice salmon pink tail and yellow dorsal fin.



Here is the new 3 with the original 4.
Pixie is on the top left hand side. Pixie is interesting, basically a clear tail with 2 pink spots and a bit of yellow wash. Very understated, yet striking if you think about it. How many guppies have clear tails? Then there is Spotty behind Lemonade, Goldie, Arthur, Rainbow and Ballerina. Rainbow is the biggest of the new ones and has amazing color on his body, blues, purples, pinks depending on how the light hits. Tail is an orangish pink. Coral? And blue. Ballerina has a really cool tail. Very pink and unusual markings.


Here is a close up of Ballerina:



Everyone looks pinker and brighter in real life. Ballerina is a nice bubblegum pink.


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## Sadist

Wow, those are gorgeous! Ballerina's body markings remind me of an endler.

I really love the dwarf crayfish! I had to order mine online, and they were way pricier than that.


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## BettaSplendid

Spice! She is such a sweet girl, very snuggly and lovey. My mom had goats and this was one of her babies. As soon as I laid eyes on Spice I said, "If you ever want to get rid of her I WANT HER!!" My mom eventually sold all her goats and switched to sheep and she gave me Spice! Spice had a twin sister named Sugar. Sugar was solid white like their mama, Milk Shake. LOL.





Alpacas this morning. I feed them in a sandbox on the porch of the grain barn Husband built for me. The grain barn has a room in the back that the goats go into. The black alpaca is Rayah, the "rose grey" is Yara and the fawn/camel color is Khanan. I have another goat who is brown but Daughter has claimed that one and she isn't making milk. Her name is Penelope.


Another 'paca pic. The white rooster is Lebanon. He has a bunch of hens who lay pastel greenish eggs.



I just got this better picture of the guppies. They were eating and not dashing around. You can see Pixie's tail:



And one last picture. Look how pretty Rainbow is!


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## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> Wow, those are gorgeous! Ballerina's body markings remind me of an endler.
> 
> I really love the dwarf crayfish! I had to order mine online, and they were way pricier than that.


Oh! Maybe he is a hybrid? I have only looked at endlers in passing so I am not too familiar with them. Daughter just wanted all the ones with pink on their tails and as long as they were male I was happy. :shock: 

You ordered yours from Aquatic Arts, right? I have no doubt they will be high quality. I do not know what breeder mine came from. I can't believe no one else bought them first. Maybe they had them in the back because they were holding them for the guy who had special ordered them.


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## Sadist

BettaSplendid said:


> Oh! Maybe he is a hybrid? I have only looked at endlers in passing so I am not too familiar with them. Daughter just wanted all the ones with pink on their tails and as long as they were male I was happy. :shock:
> 
> You ordered yours from Aquatic Arts, right? I have no doubt they will be high quality. I do not know what breeder mine came from. I can't believe no one else bought them first. Maybe they had them in the back because they were holding them for the guy who had special ordered them.


I sure did! I hope they breed for me.

Wow, I love all your guppies and furbabies.


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## themamaj

Ballerina is so beautiful! I love all your guppies and especially your fuzzy friends. Are alpacas friendly? Can't believe what good deals you got!


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## BettaSplendid

The alpacas are sweethearts. They are very gentle. Even the male, who has all his "stuff", heh, is gentle as can be- unlike a male goat or bull or even a stallion. Alpacas are just gentle by nature. Usually they do not want to be touched, unless they were handled as youngsters (baby alpacas are called "cria"). If I need to catch one I get them in the small chainlink fence (dog kennel size) and then just put a rope around their necks and we're good! In the Spring I shear all that lovely fiber off. They just cush (that is alpaca for "lay down") and I sit beside them and trim with hand sheers. It is SUPER RELAXING to me. And a treat because it is the most I ever touch them all year.

Rayah likes carrots a lot. I hand feed her baby carrots sometimes.

And they all really enjoy watching the children play! We were playing tee-ball this morning and the 'pacas watched as we ran base to base to base. It was soooo cute.

Oh and you wouldn't think so but they LOVE water! Even sheared in the summer they still enjoy being sprayed with the hose or getting in a kiddie pool.


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## themamaj

That is so neat! I just showed my husband the picture of your animals. How much land do you have? I love those goat ears that just stick out to the side. What funny names. I bet the alpacas are so funny with the water. It always tickles me if we are at the zoo and see the animals actually playing. I saw giraffes do that one day romping and playing with each other. Sounds like you all had fun playing teeball. What great experiences your kids must have!


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## BettaSplendid

With a heavy heart I announce poor Lemonade's passing.  Ya'll know he was my favorite gup-gup.  Not sure what happened. The ghost shrimp are still kickin' so I don't think it was water quality. Ammonia was at 0 this morning. I am very very sad about it. I will greatly miss that huge silky yellow tail.

I did a bad thing too. I decided I would do a big water change because I knew we were going to be busy the next few days. Now I know...never do big water changes. It very much stressed the guppies. I did about 50%. I will only do 10 from now on. For half the day the guppies were just still and at the top of the tank looking traumatized. They eventually all recovered but Rainbow still looks a bit iffy, clamped. 

I feel very guilty.

I am going to only slowly add in water with an airline from now on too.


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## BettaSplendid

Rainbow looks good this morning. Everyone seems to he behaving normally. I am watching the last of the new water syphon into the tank via 2 air hoses. No effect on the fishes at ALL this way, they don't even notice they are having a water change. Ammonia still at 0 so yay. I am doing daily 10% changes anyways just to be safe.

My mom came 3 days ago and we and Husband's family went to a hayride through Christmas lights and ate dinner. Then yesterday we took Son to a surprise for his 9th birthday. He was trying to guess on the way. He asked for hints and I said, "Well...it has color coded things inside..." and that little stinker guessed it! "A BATTLESHIP?!" My eyes got big and I looked away and said, "Ummmmmm...that is a really good guess! But...keep guessing. It was a battleship though. He was so excited. We ate his battleship shaped birthday cake there too.

Hmm. Rainbow is now just chillin' near where the water pours in from the filter and Arthur has taken it upon himself to be Rainbow's protector. He is just staying near him but not harrassing and if anyone else comes near Arthur goes and runs him off. Arthur keeps making Goldie leave. And then Arthur goes back to Rainbow's side. Awww. It is sweet and yet heartbreaking because I am not really expecting Rainbow to make it. I may have permanently hurt him with that too large water change.  Pull through little buddy. He isn't "wobbling" though.

Remember my disgust at the Top Fin 10 filter that came with Simeon's tank? I kept it but never used it. I hated that the motor went on the inside of the tank. Anyways, it is now a recalled product and I am going to try to return it now and see what they replace it with. Hah! Good! It looked like a terrible design.


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## themamaj

Oh im so sorry about Lemonade! That really makes me wonder, I did a bigger water change the night before lost last fry. I would have not thought that would stress them so much. I hope Rainbow makes it! 

What a fun thing to do hayride to see lights! How special a day for your boy! Is that the game battleship he got? I always loved that game growing up. Now it is way more high tech than one I had lol. I bet cake was really cute!


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## BettaSplendid

Oh! Battleship, he has been wanting the electronic version. He picked out a model of the ship to put together though. Interestingly, they didn't sell the game in the giftshop. Hmm.



And switching gears, Snippy Snappy is a girl!


Yeah, the water changes are HARD on guppies! I was reading a post Aqua Aurora wrote on water changes for shrimp and tried her advice and the guppies really responded well. Small water changes and using the air line. I had been pouring new water in at the rate of half gallon every 3 or 4 minutes and that would stress the guppies...  Well, at least I am trying to learn and change... Maybe it was just Lemonade's time. I don't know... I had gotten up before the sun came up and checked on them before going to the bathroom a d back to bed and I remember seeing Lemonade sleeping, alive. Then a few hours later he was dead at the bottom.


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## themamaj

Oh wow Battleship!!! I bet your son was over the moon. What a fun thing to do! your kids are so cute! They are at a great age to do things with. And Christmas is just around the corner 

Now how exactly can you tell your crayfish is a girl?


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## BettaSplendid

I had done a google search "male and female crayfish how to tell" or something like that. Got a good underside image of both. Now someone correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that Snippy Snappy is a girl. Hoping Candy Claws (umm, Son named him...) is a male.

See the circle that looks...like...a, uh...belly...button...? Hi kids... Yeah, I think that is the girl part. The male would have little legs in a triangular shape on his tummy (helps to deposit "something"). I am so prudy. 

Petsmart took back that Top Fin filter and gave me $16 for it rather than replace it. Strange. I wasn't impressed with any of their small filters so I got Simeon a new light (finally). He got a LED track light made by National Geographic. It has removable/ customizable "pods". It came with 2 pods and had room for 2 more. I picked out a plant specific one and will probably get 1 more of those. You just touch it to turn it on, touch again and only blue lights come on, and touch once more and all lights turn off. I really like it! You can slide the pods around too, to get light just where you want it. Ordered a glass hood since 16" was out of stock. For now I am using clear plastic taped on.

Rainbow is still here but he is staying in the filter current. He would.do that because he is having trouble breathing? He is going to wear himself out though.

I think we are on about 7 acres here and we rent a pasture next door too, for the cattle.


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## Sadist

I was about to look up how to tell crayfish genders, too. Now, I know!

I'm not sure about surfing in the filter current. I know if otos do that, it's an oxygen/too little current in the rest of the tank problem.


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## themamaj

Blushing...crayfish anatomy 101. haha Now I will know if I get one. Good they gave you at least some money for filter. I have seen those pod lights. Pretty neat idea. I hope Rainbow pulls through. Poor guy. I hate to see them struggle like that. 

How wonderful to have the acreage! We are in a subdivision. My husband and I have talked that when daughter graduates high school, we might try to downside and get a one level house for his bad knees. We had talked about having a bit of land like an acre maybe. It would be nice to have more privacy and be able to let grandson run around more outside. We have a bit of woods on the backside of property. I really like having that. It seems like you get to see so much more wildlife and birds when woods are closer. Sounds like you have a great place for your kids to grow up! So many neat experiences with animals too.


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## themamaj

Do the crays have trouble getting up when they get flipped over?


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## BettaSplendid

I think so! At the fish store they got stuck on their backs in the bags when they were first dropped in. I poked at the bag to help flip them over. I haven't seen them on their backs since getting in my tank though.

Rainbow certainly isn't going to make it.  He is at the bottom of the tank now, almost gone. Poor guy.

It is nice that we can rescue bettas from horrid conditions and actually nurse them back to health. They are so resiliant...then again they get treated so bad because they are tough. Guppies are...well, not so rewarding. But I do like them. I just need to be careful with my water changes.


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## themamaj

I'm sorry about Rainbow! I thought guppies were fairly hardy too, but do seem to be more sensitive than bettas. I did 23 tanks yesterday. Whew 23 in one day is a big day! Have 3 shrimp tanks to do today. A bit worried about doing water changes with them. Do I need to drip acclimate for shrimp?


----------



## Sadist

Some people recommend it. I haven't had problems with my ghost shrimp, but it would be safer. I think the plants in the shrimp tank take care of their small bioload, so maybe the new water just isn't different enough to bother mine. 

Good luck with yours!


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## BettaSplendid

This is Antigua's tank this morning. I have been stacking paint cans and putting a (plastic) betta bowl up there and then letting the new water syphon in. I did something similar when I got the shrimp and lobsters but I tied the air line with 2 knots to slow the flow to a drip. I did that for an hour and a half. Once their container was getting full I had a line coming OUT too and one going in (coming from the tank they would he going into).

Rainbow died last night at 7pm. The last 10 minutes he started swimming in loopy circles like one side was paralyzed or he was blind in one eye. If I had clove oil I would have used it. Poor fella. He will get buried in the now "guppy graveyard" outside. I would never flush one.


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## Sadist

I'm so sorry. It was probably his time. I have all of mine buried, too.


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## BettaSplendid

Oh, Sadist! Hehehehehehe! Your new avatar is adorable!

I haven't seen Snippy Snappy all day. Candy Claws has been out and about plenty.

I did lots of water changes today. First Antigua, then guppies. Later I did Zadok and then Hatzie. Hatzie had quite the bubblenest. I saved what I could by scooping it into a cereal bowl and then pouring it gently back in when I was done. Hatz-i-muffin had a lot of algae. I want to do a little water change again tomorrow for him, but just syphon out some water, not a whole take out his root ornament and gravel vac and all. Maybe more frequent changes will slowdown the algae. The algae sucks into the gravel vac easily and wipes off the glass easy too so it cleans up quick. His tank looks all pretty now. Oh, and last I did Stormy. She had algae too. Her tank and Hatzie's get it the worst.

Those little pond snails are growing fast. I wonder how big they will get..? I really want to know how the bettas will do with ghost shrimp but I don't want to put any of my current ones in with the bettas. The ghost/glass shrimp are *so happy* where they are. A favorite spot of theirs is on the suctioncup anubias. They sit up there and survey their kingdom.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Sadist, I looked up fruitfly recipes (eww, that sounds awful) and went with this one, no bugs:
1 mashed up banana, applesauce, a bit of oatmeal and some active bread yeast. Stir it all up and sprinkle a little extra yeast on top. Cover with either a lid with holes or a cloth (rubber band on). Let it sit for 24 hours and then add adult froot froots (flootflies, frootfries...sigh). I believe the yeast just made it ferment instead of mold. It smells like bread dough, not bad. My adult flies have been in there about a day so no "babies" yet. The adults are still alive though. I used a glass spaghetti jar.


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## themamaj

I think that would put my poor hubby over the edge if he found fruit flies growing lol. Poor guy now has to sift through the daphnia, shrimp, and formula one to get to his frozen food. Of course for fish people it is funny. My daughter loves to tell stories to her friends about how her mother keeps water fleas and brine shrimp in freezer and live meal worms (for bluebirds), or earthworms (for turtle when had one) in the refrigerator. I have definitely gotten some raised eyebrows haha. Good luck with your baby flies.

Do you have any issues with algae on your silk plants? I know I probably keep my lights on too long, but some of my silk plants seem to be having algae issues. It wipes off to an extent but still sometimes leaves them spotted.


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## Sadist

Awesome! My jar has a huge, massive amount of fly larvae. They're starting to turn into adults, so lots of flies for breakfasts for my two bettas. They're suitably violent when eating them. I'll use your recipe if my store jar gets yucky.

Funny thing the other day -- I shook some flies into Mrs. Fish's tank, but they landed behind her. While I was pushing them around where she could see them, I looked down and 10 flies had hopped out of the jar onto the desk and were frantically scurrying around into my paper mess to hide. Oops! I've also hidden the flies from the rest of the family. They're behind some cards so they don't get direct light.

Themamaj, I had brown algae on my silk plants, too. I never could get it all wiped off. I've since moved to 100% live plants except for 2 fake hornworts, which didn't algae up as badly as the broad leafed ones. Maybe some floating live plants above your silk plants might give the silk plants some shade to help keep the algae level down.


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## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> I think that would put my poor hubby over the edge if he found fruit flies growing lol. Poor guy now has to sift through the daphnia, shrimp, and formula one to get to his frozen food. Of course for fish people it is funny. My daughter loves to tell stories to her friends about how her mother keeps water fleas and brine shrimp in freezer and live meal worms (for bluebirds), or earthworms (for turtle when had one) in the refrigerator. I have definitely gotten some raised eyebrows haha. Good luck with your baby flies.
> 
> Do you have any issues with algae on your silk plants? I know I probably keep my lights on too long, but some of my silk plants seem to be having algae issues. It wipes off to an extent but still sometimes leaves them spotted.


Oh, everyone should have mealworms for bluebirds! I rarely see bluebirds.  I put up a bluebird house but no one moved in. Maybe move it to a new spot...

Twinkie has 2 silk plants. They do get looooong green algae strands coming off their leaves. So far I just suck the algae off with the gravel vac. Maybe taking them out and soaking with hydrogen peroxide or just letting them dry in the sun and then get "sun bleached" would work. I haven't tried yet... Live or silk, they all have their own issues...


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## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> Awesome! My jar has a huge, massive amount of fly larvae. They're starting to turn into adults, so lots of flies for breakfasts for my two bettas. They're suitably violent when eating them. I'll use your recipe if my store jar gets yucky.
> 
> Funny thing the other day -- I shook some flies into Mrs. Fish's tank, but they landed behind her. While I was pushing them around where she could see them, I looked down and 10 flies had hopped out of the jar onto the desk and were frantically scurrying around into my paper mess to hide. Oops! I've also hidden the flies from the rest of the family. They're behind some cards so they don't get direct light.
> 
> Themamaj, I had brown algae on my silk plants, too. I never could get it all wiped off. I've since moved to 100% live plants except for 2 fake hornworts, which didn't algae up as badly as the broad leafed ones. Maybe some floating live plants above your silk plants might give the silk plants some shade to help keep the algae level down.


I love how the bettas turn into "sharks after seals" when the flies drop in the tank. Hehehehehe.... Simeon is paticularly satisfying. He lunges unnecessarily out of the water with his mouth gaping open. Soooo violent.

I have so many odd little "projects". The Husband didn't bat an eye at my fermenting fruit fly paste. LOL. I ferment a lot of food anyways, sauerkraut, milk kefir, water kefir, Jun tea (like kombucha but with green tea and honey), mead (honey wine) and sour dough bread (although not recently as I prefer an easier quicker bread these days...) I guess I have slowly desensitized my family. *snicker* lookit this nasty lil' thing I am working on!! Maybe they're just glad this time it isn't for them to eat. I really liked the latest fermentation of broccoli, raisins, onion and green grapes. Mmm! So fizzy.

I just can't be normal.

I haven't seen Snippy Snappy the female CPO now in about 40 hours. I even turned the root ornament upside down incase she was in there. I fear she may have climbed the heater cord out of the tank.  I can only hope maybe...maybe she is hiding, molting, or laying eggs? But it has been so long... I see Candy Claws all the time. He is super active and comes up to the glass to see me.

I forgot to mention the fruit fly recipe needs a coffee filter or something for the flies to rest on.

Have you guys seen Shadow Panda shrimp? They are AMAZING. Some day I would like to have a shrimp tank full of amazing shrimp. The Carbon rlli are awesome too. I go for blue shrimp like crazy.


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## themamaj

Never seen shadow panda shrimp. Have seen pictures of bamboo shrimp that are so pretty! I really like all the bright colored ones, but may have to have a specific tank if ever want to keep them. Bryant down to one ghosty and one cherry shrimp. Blizzard has kept all three. They are super active and crawl all over the place. Chance still has his one. I am not sure what has happened to all of Bryant's. Only found 2 dead ones (both cherry). The ghost ones, six added, have literally disappeared. Hmm. 

I hope Snippy Snappy shows up IN the tank. Maybe I should look behind my tank. Hope ghosts didn't escape out back. 

Oh and good idea about floating plants Sadist. I had all my small tanks planted but lighting didn't seem enough. I may try again with super low light plants. Betta Splendid you are right all have pros and cons. 

How are your new guppies doing?


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## BettaSplendid

Guppies *seem* fine. No more deaths. None that make me go "uh oh" when I look at them. Water continues to test perfectly, 0 ammonia, still changing 10% daily, just in case.

The Pepper cories are doing fantastic. The panda one is much younger. That one seems depressed. Hardly eats, just sits. Maybe because it is young? I am reading lots but there is so much to learn. Maybe it is lonely for more Pandas or some its age or maybe sick. He seems to be happier in the evening when the aquarium light is off so that makes me think he is acting shy because he is a baby.

Candy Claws hugs the entire shrimp pellet and gnaws on it. Very, very cute. No sign of Snippy Snappy.

I don't understand why corydoras food is so big? Can they really eat it? Should I be crunching it down smaller? It is like they nibble and nibble at it and I don't see any bites. Or do they eat it once it has soaked long enough? I have been feeding them Omega One shrimp pellets, API bottom feeder and Omega One mini pellets (those I know are small enough!) and I guess they get Omega One flakes that sink too. Lots of variety.


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## themamaj

Mine are more active in the evening. They tend to come out to feed in am and then nap around the plants through the day, of course swimming around periodically. Their burst of activity is at night and get even more active when turn lights down. When mine first came home they were very shy. Have gotten more outgoing as time went on but they will still dive in a plant if I startle them coming up to the tank too quick. The shrimp pellets are fine as they are. My store told me to feed one pellet per fish but don't always do that as seems like a lot. They will go right for it when I drop it in and gnawed on it. I guess it dissolves as gets softer, though sometimes Goliath gets it before it can get soft! My guys will also eat algae pellets from the snail. Sounds like you have a very good variety. They should do fine. Do you just have one panda? You could always get him a panda friend, but he will learn to schoal with the others. Mine will schoal together but will always go back to the pair of their type if have an option.


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## BettaSplendid

Okay, that makes me feel better. The Peppers are quite active even during the day, but the Panda is less active. I did see Panda pooping, so I know he does eat.  Dustin on youtube (Dustinsfishtanks) said, "cories suck when they're babies but get cool as adults" or something like that....I have a hard time deciphering ghetto...ahem. I wish he had expounded on that. How exactly do they suck? LOL. I was assuming he meant the babies were shy and less active, like Panda. "WHATTUP FISH TANK PEOPLE!!!" his poor wife...

Unfortunately Panda was the only panda and only small cory at the LFS. I definitely would have bought more pandas had they been available. They likely have some now but I feel like I added SO MANY fish and should let my BB in my filter catch up... I am sure Panda wouldn't agree... Maybe right after Christmas would be a good time to add 2 or 3 more pandas.


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## Sadist

One of my dwarf crayfish is guarding the entire wafer from the otos. I see several waiting their turn. I did drop a second one in, but the current carried it to a different area than normal.

I hope your panda perks up and that Snippy Snappy turns out to be molting and hidden instead of lost.


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## BettaSplendid

I FOUND SNIPPY!!

Words cannot describe how thrilled I am. It has been 4 days since I last saw her. I picked up the driftwood and peeked under it and there she was!! Happy and busy. She has made a little depression in the gravel and had a nice little cave with the wood over her. Maybe she is molting, maybe she is protecting eggs. I was just so delighted. :-D. I was attached to the little thing before I even got her home.

Panda is doing good. He is busily rooting around right now.


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## themamaj

YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!! So happy found and safe!


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## Sadist

Awesome!


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## BettaSplendid

Hehehe...ghost shrimpies have a really good sense of smell. As soon as I put food in the tank heeeeeeeere they come, booggedy, booggedy, kick-paddle-kick-paddle! I saw something new this morning. A shrimp swam up to the surface, turned upside down, and grabbed a floating flake and took it down. He ate it like a little crazy man on the side of the root ornament. So cute. I really don't know how much longer I can resist before batting my eyelashes at poor Husband...sigh..."I want some shrimp." "...okay..." "some pretty blue shrimp" "okay. Where do you get them and how much?" "online and about a million dollars for a pair" "what?" "40 dollars should do...*cough*...plus shipping..." 40...IF I don't look at those panda shrimp. :shock: I think...if I were to get some super duper expensive shrimp like shadow pandas...18 dollars a piece!...I would put them in their own shrimp palace. I don't know...I would be so nervous! Should start with cheaper easier shrimp...I like the blue ones.
The Gup Gups have shown absolutely no mind to anyone but each other. Have they even noticed the cories and shrimp and crayzies?

Both Snippy Snappy and Candy Claws are out and about. They had been hiding under the driftwood for a week at least. Must have molted? I was hoping they were working on a family. 

It has been strangely warm lately. Even found mosquito larva! The bettas are soooo happy.


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## Sadist

My ghost shrimp hang upside down from the floating plants and pick invisible things from the roots. They've stolen food from the guppies that way, too, just lunch out to where I was feeding them! Silly guys. They also balance sideways on the tank wall and eat algae that way.


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## BettaSplendid

Awww! I have seen mine in the hyacinth roots, head down. They are busily feasting away at things I just can't see! Good job, guys! What sort of floating plants do you recommend? I think I need to take the hyacinth out of the guppy tank. It just doesn't get enough light and the filter would certainly push the duckweed down. I need to contain it somehow under the light and away from the filter... I am wanting to try something new...nice floatie plants.


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## themamaj

Aww shrimp sound too cute! Bring out the extend lash mascara...those blue shrimp are the cutest!!!!  I saw Pinchy Grinchy's tummy this am. I think he is a boy but will have to review my cray anatomy. Oh that could be a new show Cray's Anatomy...what do you think?? We could do our own show on the life of fish and invertebraes. The joys, the suspense of a mia, drama it is all there!! 

Have a Merry Christmas and blessed day with your family!


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## BettaSplendid

*gasping* ROFL

Cray's Anatomy....HAHAHAHAHA. hehe. I cracked up. Extendo lashes, got it! The weather is warm, perfect for shipping.

I want to move the ghost shrimp into Zadok's tank so bad but I worry because his doesn't have a filter since I am trying the plant-only method AND yes, the dirt keeps farting.  What would that do to shrimp? I can't smell it actually. I poke at the bottom with a chopstick and just about everywhere I poke bubbles come up. I was thinking whenever the soil gets past this gassy stage it would be safe for shrimp? Oh but on that NPT they add shrimp right away...but also trumpet snails. Hmm. Maybe it is safe.


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## BettaSplendid

The Husband readily agreed to ordering special shrimp. He makes it too easy, too easy.  Enabler. So I ordered 5 Blue Dream and 5 Carbon Rili...and a ton of other stuff. Plants and food and...I am excited about this, Malaysian Trumpet snails!! They are coming from Flip Aquatics, on youtube LupDiesel. Not sure when they will arrive! Haven't gotten a shipping notice yet. I hope I get tracking and the post office doesn't do something like NOT leave them but takes them back to the PO to be delivered in a few days. Argh, their favorite trick.

Today I went to Fintastic with my Christmas money and got a piece of Malaysian driftwood, a net breeder box and 5 ghost shrimp. The breeder box is for the shrimp coming in the mail, in case they are tiny...I don't want anyone to be eaten! And the ghost shrimp went into Zadok's tank. They BETTER still be there in the am, Zadok! I am serious. I requested 5 BIG ones and they gave me very big ghosts...still he gilled them...I turned the lights off and am hoping for the best. Between them and the MTS his naturally planted tank will be complete!

The new driftwood looks AWESOME. AWESOME. It is standing vertically behind the other driftwood piece. The new one has lots of nooks and crannies and even "hallways" it seems. Candy Claws has been exploring it already. I am hoping the shrimp will love it. Lots of hiding spots.


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## themamaj

Cant wait to see pictures!!!! Very excited for you.


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## BettaSplendid

Zadok's new ghost shrimp being acclimated. 


I put the 1 gallon bowl inside the larger Sterilite container that also has warm water in it, to keep the bowl from cooling off. I didn't KNOW shrimp can JUMP. Turns out they are terrific jumpers. :shock: There was only an inch or two of water in the bowl and one shrimp jumped WAY high out of the bowl and smacked into the side of the container and fell down into *my* water. That is some fast "acclimating". :roll: He was only in there a few seconds, hope he is okay. I dripped acclimated them for a long time while we did schoolwork and then I milked the goat and made dinner. Probably a good thing since it was dark when they finally went in with Zadok and I could turn out the lights.

Snippy Snappy making a rare appearance. She has dark stripes and Candy has spots.

Son got Lego Technix for Christmas and is assembling it in front of Twinkie and Stormy. They have enjoyed watching it all go together!


My mom got this picture of me and my babies during her visit. 


And here is the full guppy/cory/crayfish/shrimp tank with new driftwood:
I found a tiny lobster toy, hehe, how appropriate. And I just adore stingrays and hammer head sharks.

Shew! Lots of pictures!


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## themamaj

Oh I love each and every picture! Forgot to warn you shrimp were jumpers. I lost a cherry one that way. Aren't the ghost shrimp cute? I loose them in my tank all the time, but then all of a sudden you will see this random movement swimming up through the water. Mine now start stalking the front of tank for food in the pm. It is funny how quick they train! I am impressed how extensive you acclimated the shrimp. Good fish owner. I just floated mine then threw them in yikes. The other thing I will mention is that the molted shell threw me off and I thought I lost one. How funny I felt when I saw it swim by the next day. 

Aww Lego Technix!! My sons used to build those. I remember they would do Legos for hours and hours. My grandson is starting to be interested in Legos. I got him one of the Lego junior sets for xmas. I liked the fact that the directions were just two steps at a time and it had the baggies sorted into the three parts of the set. Maybe you will have a future engineer 

That is interesting that one of your crays is striped and one spotted. I think all of mine are striped. Well could probably verify if they all actually came out at once haha.

What a great picture of you! I really am amazed you cook, you homeschool, milk goats...I'm telling you hubby needs to buy you lots of pretty shrimp 

Love the driftwood! It is really a very nice complement to your tank. Did you have any trouble getting it to sink? Thanks for posting all the pictures! I love seeing all the new things you are doing.


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## themamaj

Oh one more thing on your little figures. Have you ever seen those TOOBS? I think that is what they are called. I have bought several at Hobby Lobby( about $10 but HL usually has a coupon online for 40% off one item), but Toys R Us might carry them as well. They have all kinds of themes. I have used them a bunch in sensory bins, but also for teaching different science or social studies units. They have bugs, sea creatures, safari, river animals and about anything you could think of. I bought the Indians and Pilgrim ones last year. We made a little settlement like Jamestown out of popsicle sticks and made some teepees out of paper. It was a good "hands on" way to teach and act out the story.


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## BettaSplendid

Haha! Never assume I know anything! LOL. This time last year I had ONE betta, that is it. Just Twinkie. Glad to know the shrimp jump so hopefully I do not lose a blue or cabon rili one! I will keep them covered.

Malaysian driftwood sinks right away! Part of its appeal.  My tank is a nice tea color this morning. I love dark water but I guess I am in the minority. I rinsed the wood off under hot water for a few minutes and then put it in the tank.

I have seen those TOOB toys, at Michaels! Very detailed. Sometimes we get "hand me down" toys. Someone gave us a whole PILE of nice sharks and some fish. I had to keep a few for me but let Daughter have the others. I was nice and gave her the Narwhale. She longingly looks at my stingray though...

This is our first Lego Technix set. We are VERY impressed. Great for learning how machines work and it has a battery pack too. He is still working on it. It will be an excavator on crawler tracks. I am watching him now, on the porch, working on a chemistry set he got for Christmas.

Well, the little ghost shrimp are still alive and not missing any parts! Zadok has repeatedly swam over them and not attacked. He has a new purpose in life though. Patrol that tank! If shrimp can "fall in" who knows what is next? Maybe he will be inspired to build a bubblenest. 

My fruit flies are MULTIPLYING! I had a bunch this morning. Happy Antigua, Twinkie and Simeon. (Hatzie and Zadok won't eat them.) I forgot Stormy! So I set the jar next to her tank and when they get a chance to crawl back up she will get some. I bet each fish got 10. Good breakfast.

Zadok this morning. There were 3 shrimp under the moss ball (well, what is left of it, I tore that one to shreds so it is flat) on the very left hand side.


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## BettaSplendid

Very pretty! The micro swords love the real soil and sunlight from the window. There are two shrimp in this picture, can you see them?


"have you seen my fwends?" (look on the quartz)


"friend..? I will play with you if you promise to not try and eat me- again!" (no, shrimp! Never trust a betta!)

"oh, but you look so TASTY!"


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## Sadist

Love the shrimp! Mine are daring and even hang off the floating plants and try to steal the fruit flies.


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## themamaj

Zadok you are so silly! He looks like he really likes his new role in tank patrol. Your shrimp are so cute! They look good size so I don't think they will have a problem. Chance did pick off one of the small ones. He got it in his mouth and it got stuck. He spit it out never to touch another one. The remaining one just swims right up next to him and he just looks at it and moves on. Guess he learned his lesson! Flare was my buddy that had the shrimp molt in his tank. Poor guy I called him shrimp killer all day. I felt so bad when saw it swim by. Flare got extra guilt food that night. haha. What was really funny though is I put in part of a algae wafer to supplement the shrimp and the shrimp and Flare went into a literal tug of war with each of them having one side in their mouths and not giving up. They wrestled all over the tank. Flare finally came up with it in his mouth shouting VICTORY until he dropped it and then the shrimp got it hehe. Zadok will have lots of fun with his new friends!

I have looked at the mopani wood in petco. Is that the same as Malaysian drift wood? I tend to like the look of brackish water as well. I usually keep IAL in my tank. It will also give it a slight tea tint. The cholla wood and spider wood will too. 

The microswords look really good. I have never tried those. Are they pretty hardy and do they have high light requirements? 

I am about ready to drop kick a mystery snail!!! If you see one flying your way you will know where it came from. Arrrr. It is bound and determined to wreck my crayfish caves and stay in the one corner I know the crays are safe. I move it and it goes right back. OVER this snail!!!

I probably have asked you this before but what is the floating plant in Zadok's tank? Is it anarchias or hornwort?

Tell your son we would love to see a picture of his lego when gets it finished. Sound so neat! I bet the chemistry set would be lots of fun as well. I love science stuff.


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## BettaSplendid

Okay! Will post a picture of the finished Lego set! He said if you need anymore crayfish names, let him know. LOL. He came up with Vader Claws this morning.

The floating plant is anacharis. I had horrible luck with "easy" hornwort. What a mess! The anarchis likes me though (it doesn't like moving from tank to tank however). Water wisteria can also be left floating and look nice.

Micro sword...ah, micro sword. It is a bit difficult. It likes high light, I would say, and rich soil. It is hanging in there in Hatzie's tank with gravel and low light, growing taller in Simeon's tank with potting soil and medium light, and thriving in Zadok's tank with soil and direct sunlight. It is actually spreading. 

Sadist, I didn't know shrimp would eat fruit flies! I will have to try it once they have settled in and get braver. There is a lot of duckweed in their tank so maybe they won't be able to find them.

I love Indian Almond leaf! I ran out of it months ago but have some ordered along with the shrimp.

Zadok is slowly marbling.

Eta, mopani is different and it floats. They sell that at fintastic too. They have some presoaked but then it is in their tank water...
And I will.watch out for flying snails! Eeek!


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## themamaj

So where did you get the Malaysian driftwood from?


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## BettaSplendid

The Malaysian wood came from Fintastic. I *think* Petco has it. And I found a small piece of it at Pet SUpply Plus too (but it was in the reptile section-nothing in the fish area). My Petsmart never has real wood, only fake ornaments.


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## Carlos Vicente

The tank is looking good, I love the plants all over the place, can't wait for my plants to start growing.

Your white Betta looks splendid, (no pun intended)


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## BettaSplendid

Thanks, Carlos! Yes, your tank will be an amazing betta paradise with full grown plants! Kiko (?did I remember his name right?) is in for a wonderful life.

Here is a picture comparing Candy Claws and Snippy Snappy. See? Candy has spots! Like freckles, no stripes.


And Candy on patrol. After taking this picture I realized how much I needed to clean the glass! All better now.


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## Carlos Vicente

You have been doing an splendid job in your tank...
Keep it up it looks good


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## Sadist

My ghost shrimp seem to spend a bunch of time hanging upside down in the roots of my salvinia. I see their claws come out to attack whatever I'm feeding to them and the guppy.


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## themamaj

Sadist said:


> My ghost shrimp seem to spend a bunch of time hanging upside down in the roots of my salvinia. I see their claws come out to attack whatever I'm feeding to them and the guppy.


That is so funny. I have some salvinia and duckweek in my shrimp tanks too. I will have to look and see if they do that. Not a place I thought to look!


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## themamaj

Surprised how different your crays are! Mine are definitely the striped variety. And both showed up in the shrimp tubes today!! They build little walls out of gravel at entrance. Pretty funny. Candy Claws is too cute and of course Larry the plastic lobster is a very nice complement. Look out she may be hunting for some extend lash mascara to impress him!!


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## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> My ghost shrimp seem to spend a bunch of time hanging upside down in the roots of my salvinia. I see their claws come out to attack whatever I'm feeding to them and the guppy.




Oh! The metal image you gave me! Hehehehehe. Sweet.

I love mamaj's descriptions of crays building walls and covering pellets too. Cute!! And the wafer tug-o-war. 

I watched a ghost shrimp hogging a pellet this morning and a cory was like, "...hey...I see you have food...wanna share...?" and shrimpie is all "NO THIS IS MINE ALL MINE!" and he tried to swim off with it, he did about as good as Will and Orville's first flight. But he did get away with it. Cory, "awww...well, okay..."

Anyone else getting tons of rain?!

No shrimp in the mail today. Hoping tomorrow. Flip Aquatics ship on Mondays and Saturdays. I hope they already shipped Monday. By Saturday it will be cold again


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## themamaj

Yes we pretty much could paddle the ark around here. My rain gauge was full the other day. We have had a brief break in rain, but started back. I think more coming. Weather has been crazy warm like up to 74 one day. Where is winter and my snow????? Can't wait for snow but hope no power outages or may be carrying fish tanks downstairs to sit by the gas logs. Now wouldn't that be a sight! Hope you get your shrimp soon.


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## Sadist

It went from crazy rainy to sunny and hot here. It started cooling off again today, and tomorrow is supposed to be back to winter temperatures.

I have to say the salvinia in the shrimp tank have the best roots. I don't know if it's because of the natural sunlight or because the shrimp are cleaning the bad parts off (you know, the dying root pieces from shipping).

My crays built their own cave underneath one that I provided. I have seen them drag an entire wafer into the cave and try to hide it in the java moss. Big ol' hogs!


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## BettaSplendid

Tried a more artsistic approach to some Zadok pictures.




Big Mama the Pepper Corydoras laid eggs! Probably none of the babies will avoid being eaten though...


I see Snippy Snappy often now. She must be armoured up now and feeling confident. She is beyond cute. So photogenic! Whattalady.


I can't remember why I uploaded this picture or if I already posted it?


One ghost shrimp was found dead in Zadok's tank. It was in one piece though. Not sure if he killed it or if it was the "speed acclimator" or if just...died...for some other reason. The others are busy and Zadok seems calm now, no longer hunting them...actively anyways. They do not boldly make their presense known, however, like the fearless ones in the guppy tank.

SOMEONE grabbed Spotty's tail and ripped 2 large chunks out of it. The size of 2 claws. I am looking at YOU, Candy. His *beautiful* tail! <cries> I hope he is okay, he seems pretty stressed...he did eat a mosquito larva though.


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## themamaj

Beautiful pictures! I especially love the first one of Zadok. The plants almost framing him and light shining behind. So pretty! Your floaters look amazing as well! 

I can't believe your catfish laid eggs. So exciting. Where did you find them? She is a pretty catfish with very pretty markings. 

Snippy Snappy is so cute! I hope mine will get more active in plain view. I moved Classy Claws rock cave up to the front of Bryant's tank so can see better. Rock Lobster in Nikolai's is barricaded himself in shrimp tunnel. He goes out to grab food and then retreats. Pinchy Grinchy has gone MIA for last few days. Not too worried. I think his time to molt but boy do they find good hiding spots when they do!

How's the Lego construction going?


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## themamaj

Poor little Spotty. Candy we are watching you.....


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## BettaSplendid

Big Mama laid her eggs on the glass and on plants, randomly. I *could* get them out with a razor blade and try to hatch them...but honestly I am not up to that, at least not this time. I lowered the temperature in their tank from 80F to 75 or 76F which suits everyone better than "betta temp" as I call 80F. The cooler water must have encouraged them to spawn. I think maybe the tannins from the driftwood might would have inspired them. Roooomantic tannins. So nature-y.  

Do you SEE Spotty's lovely tail in that last picture? <whimper> He was so proud of his tail.

I love your stories. You named one Rock Lobster! I am so proud, that was *my* name idea! Grinchy Pinchy was daughter and Classy Claws was son's. We're all represented...by crayfish! Hehe. I am tickled by that.

With all the rain last week our well water is tinged from the pine needles. I wish I had a TDS meter. I hope is safe. It is probably good, actually. ...as long as I do small water changes.


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## themamaj

Oh my goodness *ROFL!!!!!!!!!!! *Romantic tannis. Love it! This after I found a piece of Malasian drift wood for tank at Pet Supply Plus. Thanks for tip of where to look by the way. It was in the reptile section. *Still laughing!!!!!! *Can't you just see daddy catfish swim up next to momma and say hey have I shown you around the driftwood? lolol 

Poor little Spotty. We won't tell him


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## BettaSplendid

Sometimes I set the mood by sprinkling shrimp pellets over the driftwood too, just before dimming the lights at night.

Do you remember that scene on The Little Mermaid where all the fish are singing and Ariel amd Erik are in the boat... "dere ya see her...sittin dere 'cross the way. She don't have much to say, but dere's sumting about her... Lalalala you know you wanna kiss de girl, shalalalalala don't be shy...." guppies and cray fish and ghost shrimp circling around the cories...

:shock:

I can see it.

ROFL, here! https://youtu.be/TrRbB-qUJfY
That's my aquarium! Tee hee.



Oh! The Lego crawler excavator thing is finished! I had to chase him outside to get some fresh air before the sun sets! That thing is awesome! It crawls forwards and back, boom goes up and down, claw opens and goes up and down too. Hmm. Has controls on the back that he hooked to a bunch of gears and then battery pack. Pretty amazing, he built it piece by piece. I will upload a picture. Twinkie and Stormy watched the whole assembly.

Eta- so glad you found some Malaysian driftwood!! The tag even says for aquariums but they hide it away from the fish. I just happened upon it one happy day and was like HEY!!! DRIIIIIIFTWOODZ!!


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## themamaj

Lolol you are so funny! My favorite scene from movie. Cant wait to see the big reveal of this Lego creation. Sounds impressive


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## BettaSplendid

Gears, gears, gears! Can't properly appreciate this in pictures. Over 1000 pieces, took a week!


Oh look, a fish! Zadok has some color coming in on his top half and over his eyes.

Antigua, my love, began a bubblenest today! It took him a month to get used to his new tank. My sweetheart.


Hard to belive this is the same boy as the one in my avatar!


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## themamaj

Wow that is the most incredible lego ever seen! Tell him he did a fabulous job! My older son would be so impressed. I'll show him pic when get home. The neat thing is it is a great experience to assemble something like that but then it is an incredibly cool toy too!

Zadok looks like some red coming out on top. Antigua is so pretty. Amazing how those dragon scales blue up. Lovely tanks!!!


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## Sadist

Wow, I love all the pictures! Legos have really changed since I had them. I'm impressed!


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## BettaSplendid

Ah, Legos. I have to keep watching "demonstrations" with the crawler crane or whatever it is called. "watch!" I can't look away, I get chided, "watch! Keep watching!" as it painfully slooowly lifts the claw. *whimper* He is playing with it right now, mercifully in another room.

Well, well, well look who decided to explore the driftwood. Little Snippy Snappy! Oh, and now that she has a cool new hiding place, she thinks she is a wild craw dad and lurks in the crevices, claws dangling out menacingly, a warning to anyone who would DARE come near her hide-away.


After taking this picture she shot back inside into one of the deep dark crevices. "NO visitors!" forgetting that mere minutes before she was a tame crawdad who merrily trapsed about the aquarium in plain sight of the entire internet world.


I kindly dropped a shrimp pellet in her crevice. We don't all have to be crabby.

Spotty's unfortunate tail


This is Socrates! We call him Soccer, affectionately. Sweet lil' guy. He is 2 years old.


----------



## Sadist

Hehe mine decided I'm a monster to be scared away from their territory. I was trying to do an oto count, and one of them came marching forward trying to scare me with its claws.


----------



## themamaj

What a cool hide out! I am amazed how comfortable yours are to explore. Boy Spotty had a good chunk out of tail. Do guppy tails grow back as easily as bettas? Love your dog! So precious. What kind is he?


----------



## BettaSplendid

Sadist, the crayfish are quite sure the whole aquarium IS theirs, aren't they?

The guppies have decided shrimp pellets are the best thing ever so they look on the bottom for food now. Spotty has such a big tail and he doesn't watch whose face he swishes it in. Maybe he will be more careful now..? MamaJ, yeah it'll grow back quickly and recover color. I think at first it is clear and then the color returns. 

I am not sure what breeds Soccer is! The people down the street have 2 little dogs and he was from them. The people we rent the cow pasture from, actually. Some sort of chihuahua mix. I think mommy is fixed now but boy did she have some cuties, small dogs are always wanted.


----------



## themamaj

That is funny renting a cow pasture. When we first got married we lived in duplex next to a big pasture. The had two black cows. I always enjoyed watching them.

Are all you shrimp in guppy tank? Crays as well? Did you get blue shrimp? I have been looking at different kinds online. Have you seen red crystal shrimp? There is black and white version as well. Each variety so different and unique. I read a good book on Kindle app on Invertebrate tanks. Do you think all different kinds can live together?


----------



## BettaSplendid

Nope. My shrimp haven't come in yet. :-? If they do not come by Wednesday I will email about it and ask. It is too bad, I had ordered them that week with the beautiful weather! Now it is cold.

I know if you get lots of different colors in one tank the babies will have a wild type coloring. And some types are more sensitive than others too. The ones I chose are NeoCarindina, one of the easier ones to start with. The more beautiful they are the more sensitive they are because of inbreeding. Sounds familiar...bettas anyone?

So Zadok has 4 ghost shrimp and then the guppy tank has 3 ghost shrimp and the 2 crawdads (and cories). I am QUITE nervous now... the ghost shrimp have been thriving but they are full grown and a larger shrimp anyways than what I ordered. I am hoping the Blue Dreams and Carbon Rilis will be big enough not to be eaten or will be able to live in the breeder net a while. I do not know what to do. I really didn't want a shrimp only tank right now... I have been reading an overwhelming amount of shrimp information. it all is scary and new. I know I would have to take the new shrimp out of the guppy tank if I wanted baby shrimp but do I really need a bunch of shrimp? I could be happy with a few... and maybe in a while get them a grow out tank for babies? or just order new ones when these get old. Ah, I just don't know. I am so nervous that I do not really mind that it is taking a while for them to be shipped!! except that they missed the warm weather that is.

well, off to hyperventilate! ;-)


----------



## themamaj

Carbon Rilis are gorgeous. Just looked them up. NeoCarindina are just a species of shrimp? Who did you order from if you don't mind me asking. You can pm me if rather. Do you have some good links you recommend reading? Have been trying to read as much as can as would like the ones I have to do well. I really didn't think I would enjoy them as much as I have. Crayfish included in that. (Snails on the other hand, meh! At least mystery snails and darn pond snails I am over! I do love my little nerite and MTS.) I am like you in that overwhelmed just absorbing material. My old brain needs lots of repetition lol. I have pondered idea of a shrimp only tank. It would be really neat to see them reproduce but not sure i would even want that as much as just a variety of different ones. My ghost are very big for shrimp I guess. They also seem very hardy. The cherry seems much more shy. I'm not sure if that is typical or not. I guess I like the cherry the best because of the bright color. Blue and Yellow are also beautiful. I wondered if guppies would leave the bright colored ones alone. I was reading a link on shrimp that was older on site. Linda had a picture of her tank that had some mess dividers to allow invertebrate to still be in the same tank but escape from too curious fish. I thought that was a neat idea. I have tried to put my shrimp tunnel for crays hidden in plants to create hide, but still natural look. Always a challenge to make the aquascape look aesthetically pleasing but more importantly provide for the needs of each of the tank inhabitants.


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## Innerbeauty

Catching up on your journal. I've sorely missed it!

Carbon Rilis are so gorgeous!!! I am anxious to see pics.

I love your son's lego creation! So complicated. Smart kid


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## Innerbeauty

Oo! Also, forgot to ask- what curriculum do you use, again? I am shopping and need input....


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## BettaSplendid

Ah, I had just about finished typing out a long reply to ya'll...lost it. Rrrrrr.
https://www.flipaquatics.com/product-category/neocaridina-shrimp/
This is where I ordered from. He just opened his website in December and got flooded with orders (so I am not too worried about it taking a while, I am sure he is getting everything sorted out in his new business). You can see his shrimp and setup on youtube, LupDiesel.
The Blue Dreams and Carbon Rili can breed together and have offspring called Blue Rili, super gorgeous. So it is good if mine mix.

And I have been reading the forums at shrimpspot.com. I am just going back, back, back through all the old posts!


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## BettaSplendid

Innerbeauty it is SO GOOD to see you! I have been missing you and wondering how you have been. The last I heard your well water changed and you were going through a tough time. Ooooh Emmett.   Did you lose more? I hate to ask but also...it is good to talk about it. But if you don't want to, I totally understand.  Sometimes life is sad. Losing pets is terrible amd I go through such deep sadness I want to move to the city and NEVER have another pet again because that was I can't hurt it. Sigh. But then I pick my self up and try to heal and go on and take care of the ones I do still have and they make me smile again. I was wondering if a Brita water filter or something like that would help but you probably have it all worked out by now.

We use and love Heart of Dakota. See here:
http://www.heartofdakota.com/board3/viewforum.php?f=6&sid=8bcd478fc554cb68d6c5aaa03ee29fec
http://www.heartofdakota.com/board3/index.php?sid=33d8fa48688c2a017c63b9f71e494b70

And here, main page: http://www.heartofdakota.com

I would suggest requesting a free catalog! I think it is easier to sit down and thumb through a paper catalog than navigate a huge website.

We are using Preparing Hearts for His Glory right now. I have pictures of Son when all his books came in. I see if I can dig them up on photobucket.


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## BettaSplendid

Aaaaaall this information will he absorbed by my Little Sponge, aka Son, this year:



He spotted the new grammar book. He loves grammar! Woot! 



...you can't fake a smile like that!


----------



## feistygirl

You are such a cool mom, Splendid, and a beautiful lady. Your children must take after you since they are beautiful too. I love your journal. It has been so much fun to read. Your comics are creative and fun, and your pictures are always so lovely. Your camera takes such good pictures, and you always get such great angles. I love how you have decorated your aquariums! You have such talent. I love seeing and reading about all your pretty fishies. Your aquarium room is sooo cool. Oh, it's wonderful how understanding and supportive your husband is with your fish keeping hobby! He is so good to you and that is wonderful!

All your farm animals too!!! Wow, you are very blessed and that's so great! You have such fun animals and such a fun-filled life. It is a joy to read! Thank you for sharing your life with us in your journal. Looking forward to reading about more of your life, adventures, projects, and what nots. :thumbsup:


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## themamaj

Your son is the cutest thing! How lucky are you to have a child that likes grammer!!! The homeschool curriculum looks amazing. I wish I could come to your school. So many neat things to learn and I love that it is incorporated with Christian values. Your children are very blessed to have you!


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## BettaSplendid

Aaaaaaaww, thanks fiesty and mamaJ! I will cherish those kind words. I try my best to be a "good mom" and make even the least enjoyable subjects as fun as I can, be patient and kind....even so Son said he was "moving out" today, during school. I don't remember why. Maybe he was laying on the floor? I don't really care until he starts getting TOO fidgety and starts to sneak farther away while I am reading. LOL. I must have *gasp* asked him to sit on a chair. He has NO idea how lucky he is. Try sitting in a chair for 8 hours! So...sometimes it is a thankless job. 

We usually have fun though and can get really silly. We were reading about King David and how he slept in caves. We got totally off track and started laughing at the idea of air mattresses while camping and the Philistines hearing, at sunset, this whirring motor sound. "There is that sound! David is in THAT cave, I can hear him blowing up his mattress! Get him!" I guess it is a good thing he just roughed it and slept on the ground.

I have a really weird brain. I will start laughing for seemingly no reason because you never know what strange thing I am thinking about. I seem to have passed that down to my kids. ALL of our animals have personalities and "talk" (we talk for them).


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oh, MamaJ, if you want to do a little bit of homeschoolin' with your grandson when you have him, he would LOVE this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Grandpas-Box-Retelling-Biblical-Redemption/dp/087552866X

It is one used in our curriculum and THE most looked forward to book I have ever read to my son. He literally begs for it. I must say, it is fantastically written and especially appealing for boys.


----------



## feistygirl

Splendid, where do you get your floating betta logs from? Do you order them online, or get them locally?


----------



## BettaSplendid

I got them from Petsmart. Pretty sure Petco carries them too.


They are "Zoo Med floating betta log". Definitely a favorite. I have 3 and want to get more.

I was thinking the floating log might make a good shrimp feeder too... The cories are unlikely to go looking in there and the guppies don't seem to like going in ornaments either...might be a good shrimpy place to hide shrimp food. I was wondering how to keep their food seperate. Maybe a little dish on a suction cup. It is popular to feed shrimp in a tiny glass dish on the bottom of the tank but that wouldn't work with my community!


----------



## feistygirl

BettaSplendid said:


> I got them from Petsmart. Pretty sure Petco carries them too.
> 
> 
> They are "Zoo Med floating betta log". Definitely a favorite. I have 3 and want to get more.
> 
> I was thinking the floating log might make a good shrimp feeder too... The cories are unlikely to go looking in there and the guppies don't seem to like going in ornaments either...might be a good shrimpy place to hide shrimp food. I was wondering how to keep their food seperate. Maybe a little dish on a suction cup. It is popular to feed shrimp in a tiny glass dish on the bottom of the tank but that wouldn't work with my community!


Thanks! 
Yeah, that's a good idea. Worth a shot anyway. Try it and see what happens.


----------



## themamaj

I didn't know guppies didn't go in ornaments. Good to know. I hope to go get my 10 gallon tom when off. Had planned to just plant it and add some cholla for hides maybe for some more shrimp. Also been researching ADF. Probably loosing my mind, but wanted to follow through with guppy tank for grandson since promised. I will have to be stealth like and get it set up before hubby notices haha. Then make him a big dinner to soften the blow of another tank in the house


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## themamaj

BettaSplendid said:


> Oh, MamaJ, if you want to do a little bit of homeschoolin' with your grandson when you have him, he would LOVE this book:
> http://www.amazon.com/Grandpas-Box-Retelling-Biblical-Redemption/dp/087552866X
> 
> It is one used in our curriculum and THE most looked forward to book I have ever read to my son. He literally begs for it. I must say, it is fantastically written and especially appealing for boys.


Just looked up link. Looks like a really great book! I am going to order it. I would love to reinforce Biblical principals in a fun way like that. I think I would learn something as well. Thank you for the link. Any other kindergarten level material you would recommend?


----------



## BettaSplendid

I emailed Flip Aquatics with a copy of my order and told them I hadn't received it yet or gotten any shipping notice. It must have gotten lost in the craziness of after Christmas orders. Within a few hours I got an email saying they shipped and a tracking number. Oh. My. Gosh. I am completely nervous. I am excited for the Malaysian Trumpet snails but the shrimp?! I am scared. I am probably going to get a 10 gallon and a heater. I have spare filters and lids. :| I am just so scared the shrimp will be babies and then I will have to keep 10 in the breeder net and they will cannibalize! See?! I READ TOO MANY SHRIMP POSTS! I AM GOING CRAAAAAAZY! I don't know what to expect. Where would I put them? I could put Stormy in the new 10 and use her 5 for the shrimp breeding/ grow out tank. ? I have a tank stand for a 5 gallon... Then I could put the shrimp anywhere. I may just do that. Still thinking about things...obviously. 

I always feel bad for Stormy. She is so curious and playful and always seems bored. If she was in a 10 maybe she could have some corydoras friends? Just do a sand bottom...hmm...I like that idea. It would give her some much needed stimulation.


----------



## themamaj

Forgot Spice was the goat name. Lol too funny. 

So excited for your shrimp. I am with you on panic attack of shrimp preservation. They are so pretty and too expensive for gourmet betta dinner! 

Sounds like Stormy would have a good personality to go with cories. The cories definitely keep Goliath entertained! What would he do without having all those shrimp and algae pellets to hide? 

You will like the MTS. They are really cute and they burrow. Don't panic if they seem to disappear for awhile. Sometimes you can see substrate moving where they are. Other times they just pop up. Pretty cute. The other great thing they do is aerate your soil of the NPT. I just have to try to locate mine before do major vacuum as to not suck them up because on small side.


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## BettaSplendid

Oh, I didn't even consider that the MTS would be small too! In my mind I was picturing half inch snails. They will probably be babies though. Hmm. That shouldn't be a problem though.

I have been thinking about your kindergarten question. I think at that age they really get a lot out of videos. I showedy son a lot of animated bible cartoons on youtube. There are so many! I really liked the ones by Nest...that was the film producers though, not a youtube channel. He got SO much more out of seeing videos than he did from me just reading his childrens' bible. Sometimes I would show him the video first and then the next day read the story and he would be SO excited that he knew the story already and tell me what he remembered. Aww.. He was 5 then! Awww! He was so cute. Oh I am goina tear up. Kindergarten....sigh. so cute..


----------



## themamaj

We have a few Adventures in Odyssey and Max Lucado movies. Found a good David and Goliath cartoon one day I think on youtube not sure. He seems to get stuck on a story and wants to just read that one. Sometimes hard to get him to branch out to a new one. I know he understands and retains though because amazed at recall from Sunday School lesson. I wish I had him 5 days a week like I did up until he was two. Unfortunately, he is in a really hard situation. My middle son and grandson's mom were 14 when I learned I was a grandma. Stunned, numb, heartbroken and more emotions than I can state. My son has made a lot of bad decisions even though he has always been raised in church. The birthmom has also made lots of bad decisions and continues to be hateful and hurtful at every opportunity. My son is now 20. He and birthmom graduated high school. My son owns his own business now and birthmom going to college. We have been through lots legal stuff. Now only limited visitation. I essentially helped raise him first two years. I wouldn't trade that child for anything in the world. He is an incredible blessing and didn't ask to be born into that situation. He goes through so much and is bounced back and forth. I have really grieved loosing time with him but boy do we make the most of every second we get. Anyway, sorry to get into all of that but some background of why I want to encourage him spiritually as much as possible. He has a tender, moldable heart. I pray if he remembers anything about me one day it was unconditional love. Another reason I got into fish was that I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands. I needed to focus on something positive and something felt like could make a difference.


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## BettaSplendid

Aaaww! That is tough. I have no doubt he will remember what you taught him and that you spent quality time with him. Just looking into a childs eyes when they talk means a lot! Or holding them whenever you can. My son had a serious case of the wiggles at that age but I noticed if I simply put my hand on him while I read, or petted his back, he would sit still amd listen. Some. Boys.  They can act tough but they do want and need to know someone REALLY cares about them. That gets their attention.


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## themamaj

Thanks. I love to pat, snuggle, hug and lots of silly kisses when can grab him long enough. I think he likes all the attention. Of course, it's a thrill when he will climb up in my lap to read or watch a movie. My older kids think I'm crazy. They will say did you act this way with us? Did you sing us these songs? Yep and with all the practice my singing never got better haha!


----------



## themamaj

http://www.planetinverts.com/shrimp_species.html 
Have you seen this website? Has lot of good shrimp info thought you would like.


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## BettaSplendid

They're here!!

Khanan waited with me by the mailbox. He is sooo cute it hurts me. His ladies wandered off but he stayed! *squeal*

I love his perpetual smile:



The shrimp are beautiful! Lovely! And SO SMALL! I am so glad they have their own tank! They wouldn't last a minute in the big tank.

Here is how I acclimated them for 2 hours. 1 drip per second for 2 bags. They gave me 6 Blue Dreams and all are alive. I forgot to count the Carbon Rili! But they are all alive too. Right now both bags are in the tank and acclimating to temperature before I release them. I ordered 5 Rili and 5 Dreams.

You can see their "new" tank above Zadok's. I really like them there. I can sit on the couch and see shrimp and Zadok at the same time.


I plopped all the Malaysian Trumpet snails in with Stormy while I fixed the shrimp acclimation stuff up. Later I seperated them into little cups and floated them in each tank. I added tank water now and then.


Isn't Stormy beeeeeeeautiful? She is an amazing color. And she loves her new 10 gallon tank! I got enough plants out of Simeon's tank to plant hers and the shrimp tank.


----------



## Sadist

Awesome! I love blue shrimp!


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## themamaj

Khanan what a precious smile you have! I love your blue shrimp! They are really a beautiful color. What size tank did you put them in? Love to see more pictures of shrimp and of the tank when you get them settled. Stormy is such a pretty color! She looks very happy in her new tank.


----------



## BettaSplendid

I tried to get pictures of the Carbon Rili but they just didn't turn out good.

The shrimp are in a 5.5 gallon, Stormy's old tank. The tank stand I had is a bit too small for a 10 gallon. 

I can't take good pictures of the shrimp tank yet, either, because the light is off. The little shrimp (and snails!) have been through SO much, the poor dears. I will turn the tank light on tomorrow and try to get good pictures.

The Blue Dreams are so dreamy.  And I really like the Rili. Haha. No, seriously, I really like the Rili because each one is different. Different little speckle patterns.
http://www.planetinverts.com/Why Ship Young Shrimp.html

Reading this website about shipping shrimp. Gosh it was hard to get them OUT of Kordon Breather Bags! The bags are not sturdy like normal plastic fish bags. Wish I had known. I ended up cutting down the side with scissors.

Simeon is in love with one of his pond snails. When he sees it he swims beside it with his fins out and taut and swishes, swishes, swishes his body in a wave motion. Then he tries to entice it over to his bubblenest.  The snail never responds. Poor Simeon! He is a Lover Plakat, not a Fighter Plakat. Zadok just wants to kill everything. Made me think about switching them. Simeon might be kinder to the ghost shrimp...try to flirt with them. They are terrified of Zadok! But Simeon has never been happier! He loves his 5.5 gallon and his snail. What if I devestated him by moving him..? What if he went back to glass surfing?! Zadok's tank is a jungle now though.... Eh, I will keep thinking about switching them.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

Khanan!!!!! *squeeeeeeeeal* no words.
Oh yeah and the shrimp are cute too...but Khanan just makes me happy!!!! *makes mouse-squeezing noises*


----------



## BettaSplendid

Overprotective Fish Lover said:


> Khanan!!!!! *squeeeeeeeeal* no words.
> Oh yeah and the shrimp are cute too...but Khanan just makes me happy!!!! *makes mouse-squeezing noises*


Like this, "EEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeee!!!" ?? That is what happens to me too. A normal alpaca viewing reaction. Falling on the ground in front of him squealing is also normal. The other two 'pacas are cute but not *Khanan Cute*. LOL. I am a mess. Can't wait to see how fluffy he gets before I have to shear him in the spring. Soooo fluffy!


----------



## BettaSplendid

They seem to be doing alright this morning! Shew! I crumbled up an Indian Almond leaf. You can see how much they enjoy it! Nom nom nom.



See the two hanging upside down? They'll really love it once it gets soft!

Maybe the tank will be easier to see later today if the sun comes out. All overcast now. But here is their tank from 3 sides. They have a lot of cool plants. Anubias, java fern, java moss, hornwort, crypt Undulata, Amazon sword, water wisteria, Scarlett Temple and Marimos. Most all of it came out of my other tanks! Especially Simeon's. The Java fern came from Flip Aquatics along with the shrimp. It is Trident Java fern. Has a neat stag horn look to it.

The Malaysian driftwood just looks like a dark blob in the picture but it has nooks and crannies and they can go under it like a cave.

Also got a tiny Topfin cave for them, it is the beige looking object.

I put a Fluval intake sponge on the filter. The shrimp most likely would have been sucked up with out that. :shock: Probably the most crucial item in the tank.

A Carbon Rili is just playing in the filter current. Aww! They are really good swimmers!

Husband asked at breakfast, "How many tanks do we have now? Six?" *blush* "...eight..."


----------



## Sadist

Mine thinks our 4 are overmuch. He wants to put all the animals into the biggest tank and get rid of the others. I had to explain that the two bettas would kill each other, causing an ammonia spike, which would kill everything else. Maybe the hitchhiker snail or gammarus shrimp would survive, whoopee!


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## BettaSplendid

Dems fightin' words!



I have always been an animal person. People DRAIN me. I need a lot of "alone time" to be with animals who literally charge me. And reading. Preferably reading by my fish tanks. I think Husband realizes animals are necessary for my happiness. LOL. He often says to the kids when he gets home, "Ya'll stay on this side of the house and don't bother Ma!" so I can rest with my fish.


----------



## themamaj

So are all alpacas social? Of course Khanan's face is so cute it makes me want to squeeze him. What is difference bet a llama and alpaca?


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## BettaSplendid

Hmmm...I would say no? It really depends on how an alpaca was raised. It is very important to them to have other alpacas. They aren't happy without another alpaca. Some are more people oriented, some are very wary. Probably mostly because of their experience with peoplez. They are very respectful. They won't like rub on you like a horse or goat would.

A llama is bigger and is more suited to carrying weight on its straight strong back. They can pull carts, be riden or used to carry your stuff while they go hiking with you! Alpacas are smaller and are primarily used for fiber. They have dense luxuriously soft fur. Warmer and lighter than wool and without the lanolin that makes people allergic to sheep wool. Alpaca hair is "dry" not greasy. Besides their fiber they make beautiful pasture ornaments. A lot of people who have them show them or use them in 4H because even a 2 year old child can lead an alpaca (remember, they are gentle and respectful unless grossly mishandled as youngsters). A few years ago they were like the "beanie baby craze" where people thought they could get rich quick by raising alpacas, selling the babies for thousands of dollars. Very quickly the market got saturated and now the prices have leveled out and is much more reasonable...maybe even free. Khanan was free! We bought Yara and the farm gave us Khanan. A farm only needs one male really so males can be found cheap. And their fiber is softer usually...and I think males are cuter too. Gelding them can be expensive though if you wanted to make a herd out of "free" males. Khanan is still intact and hopefully we will have little Khanans running around by next year.


Yay, pacas! I am not interested in showing...I just like seeing them.
https://youtu.be/s5DpFnB-BAU
Cute video about alpacas


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## Sadist

BettaSplendid said:


> Dems fightin' words!
> 
> 
> 
> I have always been an animal person. People DRAIN me. I need a lot of "alone time" to be with animals who literally charge me. And reading. Preferably reading by my fish tanks. I think Husband realizes animals are necessary for my happiness. LOL. He often says to the kids when he gets home, "Ya'll stay on this side of the house and don't bother Ma!" so I can rest with my fish.


Me, too. My family doesn't understand, but they do try to give me space when I need it.


----------



## BettaSplendid

https://youtu.be/QncSQex0pdg

I have always loved this channel..oh the things that are possible with alpaca training! Amazing. These alpacas live in Alaska.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> Me, too. My family doesn't understand, but they do try to give me space when I need it.


Yeah, that is hard. My husband and kids are social butterflies and I am like, "Eh!" :-? LOL. I am veeeeery awkward socially. LOL.


----------



## Sadist

Me, too. My animals' accomplishments make me as excited as my kid's. "Oh, they've got eggs! Wow, look how Tigress is protecting them and threatening me so much!"


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## BettaSplendid

https://youtu.be/qByiU-3ooyk

ROFL. I am on a roll. And so is this little alpaca with the funny haircut. He "plays dead" and rolls over on command.


https://youtu.be/-hZXw3NG-QA
And this one is just a funny alpaca video. What it would be like if alpacas worked in your office.

See, I was trying to find this funny video for OverProtectiveFishlover...I know she would love it. The alpacas are talking "alpaca fiber is warmer than wool, alpaca fiber is lighter than wool..." and it is soooo precious. I have found every video BUT that one. Hmmm...


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## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> Me, too. My animals' accomplishments make me as excited as my kid's. "Oh, they've got eggs! Wow, look how Tigress is protecting them and threatening me so much!"


Oh gosh, me too. This is terrible but I have WAY more pictures of fish on my phone than my kids.  I love my children but the fish are so relaxing! And their tanks so pretty that I just want to stare at them. :shock: like that.

Eta, speaking of...I think Snippy Snappy is working on a saddle. I think there are eggs in her. I need to look up some pregnant CPO pictures...


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## Sadist

How exciting!


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## Overprotective Fish Lover

Oh my goodness...alpaca overload! I swear, I can be in the worst mood ever, and all I have to do is watch a llama/alpaca video and I'm smiling in seconds. They're the funniest, cutest little dudes ever (besides Gabe of course)!

I need to convince my dad to send away the potato farmer who currently rents our back field, and get a llama/alpaca farmer in there instead. Although I might have trouble concentrating on anything if they were out there.


----------



## themamaj

Just catching up on alpaca videos since had grandson this weekend. Oh I think I am going to pee on myself ROFLLLLLLLLLL!.... alpaca at the workforce oh my best laugh had in long time! The slobber on the desk and toilet paper on feet about sent me over the edge laughing. I could just see the face of my totally type A boss!!!! They are so cute and have won me over! I never thought they could be teachable to do tricks. Who needs a maid when you could have Gypsy the alpaca pick up your dirty socks. So precious. Ok pressure is on now. What can Khanan do?????

I certainly can relate to your love for animals. Fish are therapy for me. I greet people coming and going at our preschool. With 105 or more kids on roll, that is lots of parents, grandparents and children. Not to mention who I talk with on the phone. By the time I come home, I want to retreat and be quiet with my fish. I grew up an only child so I tend to have a personality that longs for alone time. 

You have a set of very lucky shrimp! I bet they think they are in paradise with the big tank and all the luscious plants. The neat thing about a separate invertebrae tank is you probably will get to see much more natural behaviors out in the open, unlike my "oh I'm going to die Nikolai on patrol for food! Head for the tunnels!" Really love the blue colors.


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## BettaSplendid

HAHAHAHAHA...Khanan can't do a thing. No tricks. I did BUY a "clicker" training tool... See, I need them to have a baby so I can work with it as it grows. My alpacas were already grown and they're not really...into being touched I guess. But I have alpaca training books and video and stuff...just waiting for a baby. Gypsy is just a fluffy muffin! Have to be, in Alaska.

I loved the toilet paper and drool part too! And the look on the peoples' faces.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Do you ever get that creeeeeeeepy feeling that you're being watched?








Look who was peeping in at me early this morning. Earnie! "Well cock-a-doodle-doozies! You're awake! Weeeeeell good, good! Hows about comin' and givin me and my ladies here a little bit of scratch grain?"


Carbon Rili! They look bigger to me now. I am probably just getting used to them though.


Uuuuumm, good job, Flip Aquatics! Could his Blue Dream be any more perfect?! This color is WOW. And they get even more colorful as they grow..?


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## BettaSplendid

Oh no. Candy Claws died. 

I saw his perfect little moult, but he did it out in the open- in the spot I feed no less! And his little body not far away...

I wonder what happened? Would Snippy have done it? I think it happened during the night.

There is no lack of hiding places and he moults *there*?! Oh Candy! You will be missed.


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## themamaj

Oh no poor Candy. I'm so sorry. One of mine died like that shortly after molt. It makes you wonder if something went wrong with molt. Candy you will be missed!

That blue dream is the most gorgeous blue I have ever seen! I could just envision a whole tank of just that color soooo pretty! The shrimp really do look bigger. Is the carbon rili black and white or really dark blue? Gorgeous markings! 

That rooster lol cockadoodledoo! Oh that makes my day!! He is the funniest thing? What is his name? There is one that lives down the hill with the neighbors goats. It cockadoodles all day long! I didn't think they would do that but maybe he's trying to impress the chickens??? That rooster's face is funniest thing! I will be thinking on that and cute Khanan all day now


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## themamaj

Now are all your shrimp alone in your tank? Is Snippy with guppies? Give us a run down on tank inhabitants again.


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## Sadist

Oh, poor Candy Claws. One of my ghost shrimp did the exact same thing. I assumed one of the shrimp attacked him while he was vulnerable, but maybe there was something wrong to make them molt in the open instead of in hiding.


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## feistygirl

BettaSplendid said:


> Dems fightin' words!
> 
> 
> 
> I have always been an animal person. People DRAIN me. I need a lot of "alone time" to be with animals who literally charge me. And reading. Preferably reading by my fish tanks. I think Husband realizes animals are necessary for my happiness. LOL. He often says to the kids when he gets home, "Ya'll stay on this side of the house and don't bother Ma!" so I can rest with my fish.


Oh, I thought I was alone. People drain me too, and animals refresh/recharge me.


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## BettaSplendid

More research is in order...why crayfish would moult in the open.

Augh, ya'll...I am sick.  So is my daughter. Just been in bed for 2 days, coughing, headache, sore body all over. I feel queasy but haven't hurled. It is 6pm and I finally feel like sitting up.  My back hurts so bad from laying down for so long.

The new fancy shrimp are in a 5 gallon, by themselves. Well, plus 2 or 3 MTS that is.

Now I am wishing I had put the shrimp in Zadok's 10 and put Mr. Grumpy (Zadok) in the 5.

*cough cough* ouch my head.

Big black rooster is named Earnie. A looooong time ago (15 years?) I had a tiny black Cochin rooster named Earnhardt...he was named after Dale Earnhardt, the NASCAR driver with the solid black car. My mom and I had ordered so many peeps from Murray McMurray hatchery! They came in the mail. We raised them in the house. So tame! Earnhardt was my favorite and at work people had to endure my nonstop chicken chatter (this is me pre-betta!) and one of my coworkers nicknamed Earnhardt "Earnie". Little Earnie would dance for me.  He would run up to me so I could pick him up....sigh, good memories. He would find me stuff too. Once he found a grub and excitedly dropped it in my lap as I was sitting outside with him. Bleh! He watched intently to make SURE I would eat that grub. I was gagging. He was so proud. Finally he looked away and I tossed it behind me. Then he looked at me suspicious for a while. He brought me a nail too. Good boy, don't want nails out in the pasture!

So anyways, now I have this big black roo named Earnie 2.0. I have had him for at least 4 years now and he is sweet...but not like the original Earnhardt.

Did you know roosters have individual crows? I still remember little Earnie's crow, "Er-er-er-rrrrrrrr! Grrrrrr...." he always added a little grumble/coo sound at the end.

The ghost shrimp, cories, guppies, and Snippy Snappy are together in the 29 gallon. Zadok has 4 ghost shrimp with him too. I am still thinking about swapping tanks between Zadok and Simeon.

Candy Claws little moult was all in one piece.


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## themamaj

So sorry you and family sick. Hope you feel better soon!


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## themamaj

Now that I am home and can actually read your post, mail order peeps LOL!! Oh Earnhardt sounds like a jewel. What fun experience you had with him. He sure knew how to "nail down" that grub hunting hahaha. Glad you have another Earnie. I had no idea they had different calls, but I guess that makes sense like voices are different. Gosh I have missed out life on a farm!! My boss loves to tell me farm stories just to see my reaction. This here is a city girl grown up in an "atomic city" of all things. I may glow in the dark though you never know  I raised tree frogs, salamanders, crawdads and my dad had 12 box turtles. He was like the resident turtle rescuer. I remember we would even stop on side of road at times to rescue one. Sweet memory. I had a cat when I was a toddler. Apparently I tried to put it in my mouth and my mom freaked. Last cat I had till adult! My mom's idea of a pet was a poodle. The one we had was so nuts he would chase this toy car with his shoulder until he would fall over. Unfortunately he also liked real cars which didn't go so well for him. I think I did get a pet duck for Easter one year. It was so cute. Neighbors dog thought so too  I guess my kids have made up for other pets. We have had cats, dogs, hamsters, guinea pigs, turtles, caterpillars, snails (the outside kind) and of course fish! My mom got me a little bear figure a long time ago that was a momma bear holding all these pets. I bet she didn't know when she got it how appropriate it would be.


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## Sadist

themamaj said:


> Now that I am home and can actually read your post, mail order peeps LOL!! Oh Earnhardt sounds like a jewel. What fun experience you had with him. He sure knew how to "nail down" that grub hunting hahaha. Glad you have another Earnie. I had no idea they had different calls, but I guess that makes sense like voices are different. Gosh I have missed out life on a farm!! My boss loves to tell me farm stories just to see my reaction. This here is a city girl grown up in an "atomic city" of all things. I may glow in the dark though you never know  I raised tree frogs, salamanders, crawdads and my dad had 12 box turtles. He was like the resident turtle rescuer. I remember we would even stop on side of road at times to rescue one. Sweet memory. I had a cat when I was a toddler. Apparently I tried to put it in my mouth and my mom freaked. Last cat I had till adult! My mom's idea of a pet was a poodle. The one we had was so nuts he would chase this toy car with his shoulder until he would fall over. Unfortunately he also liked real cars which didn't go so well for him. I think I did get a pet duck for Easter one year. It was so cute. Neighbors dog thought so too  I guess my kids have made up for other pets. We have had cats, dogs, hamsters, guinea pigs, turtles, caterpillars, snails (the outside kind) and of course fish! My mom got me a little bear figure a long time ago that was a momma bear holding all these pets. I bet she didn't know when she got it how appropriate it would be.


That description of the picture reminds me of A Mother for Choco, one of my daughter's favorite books. It's about an orphan who eventually gets adopted by a bear. When he gets home to her other children, they're all different types of animals, too. In the end, she gives all the children a big bear hug, and he's happy that she's just the way she is.


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## themamaj

I love that book! How are you feeling today?


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## BettaSplendid

Ugh.


Finally feeling better. That was a rough week.


Well guys, it isn't looking good for my shrimp. I think I lost most of them. Now I could be wrong; they _are_ hard to see. I know I have found at least 4 bodies though. They do not eat the things I try to feed them. I see them picking at biofilm growing on the leaves. I did get them AE Bacter, a shrimp food that encourages biofilm to grow so maybe they are happy with that so they ignore pellet food and various dried herb leaves I give them (that shrimp people rave their shrimp go wild over).

I am pretty bummed.

I took out a dead Blue Dream yesterday and again this morning, another Blue Dream.

I think the worst thing was that huge amount of rain we had a while back that caused my well water to be so cloudy. And of course that was when the shrimp arrived. It is all normal NOW but...it certainly didn't help them transition when they first arrived.

The tank appears to have a fine cycle. I used Stormy's tank and Antigua's filter. Gave Antigua Love the new filter. 

Well. I am trying not to take it too hard. I just have to accept they may not make it. I feel certain I will order for more in the spring. 

Getting sick didn't help anything either of course as I wasn't able to dote on them.



That is how it goes sometimes.

Pretty sure I feel good enough today to attempt the great betta switcheroo between Simeon and Zadok. My dear Simeon. I hope he will handle it okay. He will be getting the sweeter deal, a bigger tank even more plants. Yet I worry how he will take it. He seems...sensitive. I have really come to appreciate Simeon lately and I love him *almost* as fiercely as I love Antigua. Simeon has a sweet personality and I really connect to him. I decided that of all bettas I like EE halfmoon plakats the best. That is what Simeon is. A handsome rich denim blue rimmed in a thin edging of white with white wing-like paddlers fluttering around his face. Precious. It is a crying shame Petsmart wants $15 for EEHMPK because I see these absolute beautiful and special boys languish for weeks until they....well...because most people are not going to pay that. They just grab a $4 one. I had to pay full price for Simeon because after 4 weeks of watching this beautiful fish go from amazing to pale, dull and devoid of hope, I couldn't take it anymore and brought him home.


----------



## themamaj

I am so glad to hear you are feeling better. I am sorry about your shrimp. I hope the others will hang on for you. I have had a fair amount of losses too. They seem more sensitive than I would have thought. My ghost shrimp will eat the pellets fine, but the red rili I have will only eat plant matter and algae that I have seen. 

Your Simeon is such a beauty. EEHMPK are so pretty to watch flutter around. If I am able to breed with any success, hopefully I will have some pretty ones to share. I'm glad you saw how special Simeon was. He is a lucky boy! How does Zadok do with change? Would love to see some pictures when you get everyone moved around.

Have you all had any snow yet? I figured you would also get some from this system that is hitting us at moment. I think we have at least 3 inches which is big for TN! It is still snowing pretty good so hopefully we will get lots more! I love snow. I told the fish today was their first snow. I don't think they were as excited as me, but maybe they will change their minds when I tell them again as they eat their brine shrimp haha. Have a great day.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Wait. You got red rili? I missed that!

Yes, yes. So different than the ghost shrimp. The ghosties are big and just gobble up anything they can touch with gusto! That, along with their cheap price, makes them a lot less stressful. My blues and rilis will not even eat algae. Uuuuuuuugh. Maybe it is because they're still small?

The Husband said snow would be here Friday? We have a generator... Snow is usually fine but ice knocks down limbs and power lines.

When are your breeding pair to arrive again? It is very exciting. I so rarely see white bettas. These betta stay white!  and EE to boot. Goina be special! Even the female is EE? I was wondering that last night. I do not think I have ever seen a female EE and then thought, "wait...didn't mamaj say she was getting one?" hmmm...should have been sleeping. Thinking about bettas instead.

Everyone went wild over some Freshwater Frenzy this morning. Aptly named. It is a frozen food for anyone not familiar. I put a bloodworm on a chopstick and drag the worm along the surface so the bettas can chase it. LOL. They love that. Little killers. 

Zadok doesn't mind moving but it does make him marble! So we will see. His colors hold steady unless I move him to a new tank. I should take before and after pictures incase it happens again.


----------



## themamaj

They do love the thrill of the hunt dont they?! Can't wait to see if Zadok's marble comes out more. It is crazy things that trigger it. I had changed plants in Avalanche tank and added a brighter plant light. He up and turning turquoise! 

Yes had bought 4 red rili shrimp after I lost the last of cherry shrimp. My ghost shrimp are holding own but considering initially started with 12 ghosts and now down to 6 not good ratio. I lost most at initial but they just disappeared for most part. Lost 1 of 4 rili first day but others doing well unless Max has done something I dont realize yet. One is more red. I call him big red like the gum. Others stay hidden. I hope can keep these alive. I really like them. 

Yes I think female is also EE. I have not seen picture of her. Parents pur white and this pair pure white so hopefully that will hold next generation. You never know what recessive gene might decide to pop out. The pair was really a surprise. I found out about them after already committed to two new adoptions so all of a sudden lots of fish coming and crazy woman trying to get ready. I am equally excited about adoptions. Cant wait for everyone to get here safely.


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## BettaSplendid

I switched Simeon and Zadok a couple days ago. I lured them into containers using the old bloodworm on a chopstick trick. They sure were surprised when they got lifted out of the water and went flying through the air and landed in different tanks..! Must be a really strange experience, for a fish. Simeon at first panicked. He tried to swim through the glass. After a few minutes he began exploring and his color deepened. Today he has a bubblenest going and he danced for a snail. He lays on the bottom and stares at the ghost shrimp. Studies them. Faaaaaaascinating. He is really curious.

Zadok was immediately okay with being moved. He flared around looking for something to kill, and, finding nothing, settled down. I think he noticed the tank is smaller and has asked me to "do something about that"...but for the most part he is content.

The ground is flooded. Cold and raining. Miserable weather. Windy too. 

Son is just thriving in his schoolwork. He impresses me so. I think I like his cursive better than my own. He is a fantastic reader. He uses different voices for each character, changes his tone to fit the story...just lovely to listen to. And he remembers every stinkin' detail...even after months have passed. We were reading about the Spartan army (great topic for boys) and he made a "scytale" secret message. His said, "I love you Ma." I doubt any little Spartan boys ever wrote that. We're learning about the Phoenicians and their Alpha Bet, he is reading about the Trojan Horse and dinosaurs...just had a great time today. Horrible weather outside but inside nice and warm and just happy times. He is growing so fast...9 years...but still lovey and snuggly and sweet. 

Well I need to go fix dinner...meatloaf, broccoli, baked potato and garlic bread. Mmm...


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## BettaSplendid

Rayah with ice ear tassles:


And my son on his first birthday!! Oh my gosh!  He was so cute. I think I am having...I dunno...I am having a hard time believing he is 9 now! Halfway to full grown.



I was a supurbly crunchy granola mommy back then. He ate millet and Brussels sprouts with miso for breakfast. He liked broccoli and lima beans. I NEVER gave him sugar. We went to Ryan's and they brought, without asking me if was okay first, this CAKE. He didn't even recognize it as food. He poked at it, wiped the icing on the table...LOL. I thought that was funny. I was super, way over protective of him. I wouldn't even let anyone hold him. My first baby. Sister has had a much different life.

His fat rolls, gotta love breastmilk:



I even did "elimination communication" with him beginning from newborn. I knew when he had to pee or poop and held him over the potty, gave a cue, and away he went. Once he could crawl he got on his little potty himself.


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## themamaj

What precious pictures! He sounds very advanced for 9 years! 

Love Rayah's icicles. How is the rat?


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## BettaSplendid

Don't understand why the alpacas will just stay out in bad weather instead of go in a barn. Maybe it feels good to them. They are from the Andes.

You mean our pet rats? They usually live outside in a huge rat mansion. It even has a screened in porch. But on cold or very hot days we bring them in the house and put them in a smaller cage. Right now they are curled up in little balls of love and warmth. Melchi looks like a scoop of vanilla ice cream. They sure got lucky. Life can go two ways, when you're a petstore rat. You either get a "snake home", which ends badly, or you get what I call a "Rigatoni home" where you get a rigatoni pasta box and nesting materials and all you can eat sunflower seeds, mango and kisses.


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## themamaj

Definitely sounds like a mansion! Do the alpacas play around in the snow? 

That picture of your son looks like the Michelin baby. So precious and those cheeks! 

We got another round of snow here but not as good as the first. We did go out and played today and did sledding and hockey.


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## BettaSplendid

The rats' house used to be a chicken coop, actually. Husband built it for my tiny chickens I had a while back called Seramas. Full grown they are the size of a soda can. Unfortunately their small size made the vulnerable to hawks and everything else. Now I have BIG chickens.

You know it hasn't snowed here. Freezing rain at first then just LOTS of rain. Alpacas do this thing called "pronking". It looks like they have springs in their feet and they gracefully (and comically!) spring about, all 4 feet come off the ground at the same time. Leap, leap, leap, leap.

Son is cracking me up. He is writing his vocabulary card... Word is "Laconic" and he wrote, "IF!" Oww, my sides. Seriously, I pulled something. He is actually king of Laconic writing, using words sparingly. "How can I write the answer using as few words as possible...hmmm...maybe I can just draw a picture...." I am pretty sure that is exactly what he is thinking throughout most of his schoolwork.

One little shrimp is going wild over a red raspberry leaf. I see....3 shrimp. Well, that is more than I thought I had.  *sigh*


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## BettaSplendid

http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/03/cheesy-meatloaf.html

When I find a new recipe I like I tend to make it over and over and over... I made it again tonight. It is baking right now.

Simeon just loves his snails. He is always trying to entice them over to his bubble nest. Well tonight one just so happened to slink out onto the anacharis right below his nest. He got all kinds of excited and pulled out his best moves on that snail. He flared and swished, he showed fin from every angle. He fluttered and pressed himself onto the snail. He carressed it with his pectorals. I think the snail was oblivious to what it had started. I got a series of pictures of the Love Machine in action but it isn't like seeing him go in person. I should figure out how to upload videos.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

Holy cow I loooooooooooove this journal. Rayah's tassels!!!!!! Squeal!!!!!!

Simeon cracks me up lol.


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## BettaSplendid

Gabe's fan mail has been sent out! Yay! I wonder how long it takes for mail to go from USA to Canada?

I have 3 shrimp that I see all the time. Pretty sure they are the only ones left. Looks like 1 Blue Dream and 2 Rilis. I sure hope these make it. Everyone did very well until I got sick. No doubt someone died that I didn't see and polluted the water and I felt like...miserable and was not doing water changes every day. Gosh, really sad. Reeeeeally sad. The 3 remaining ones are doing well though. They really like the raspberry leaf I put in there. They have eaten almost the entire thing. Only a little left.

We went to co-op today. Had a long (or it felt long) winter break and now we start back with co-op each Tuesday. Son has 4 classes and so does Daughter. There are so many great classes it is hard to choose. We have a lot of homeschoolers here.


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## themamaj

Who's Gabe? Glad shrimp doing well. Hope they continue to thrive for you! Are you sure you haven't snuck into fish room and run off with Sterling? I see Zadok and think hey that is good picture of Avalanche and see Simeon and think Wow good pictures I dont remember taking that. Lol we have twin fish! What classes did kids sign up for at co-op?


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## BettaSplendid

Who's Gabe?! Hehehehe, he is THE cutest betta eveh. OverprotectiveFishLover's betta, Gabriel, the Gabalicious Gabby Gabster.  Daughter and I freak out, squealing, bouncing around, the works, whenever we see a new Gabe picture. So we sent him some fan mail.  Daughter drew bettas for him, I drew him, LOL, and sent him a leaf. He is a betta celebrity. Hehehehe. 

Sterling looks like Simeon? I need a Sterling picture. And yes, Zadok and Avalanche is still think are from the same spawn. 

Son is taking Contenders for the Faith, Books and Beyond (Swiss Family Robinson...read a few chapters, discuss, do a craft or knot tying...stuff like that) ummm...I am getting a blank on one class....PE is last. He had a blast in that. I think over 20 kids signed up for that one class. Oh! Middle Ages was the other class. They talked about Vikings and made a ship. 

Daughter has "my" class 1st. I teach Beginning Readers. We talked about "ar" says "ARRRRR!" like a pirate. Made little cars with a slip of paper with t, c, st, b written on it and "ar". Slide the paper up and down to make words. Then she has "shapes" class, and then another class with me "Brain Games" we just play a ton of board games and group games. Finally she has story and play time.

Best of all is seeing their friends and the free play at break time and afterwards.  Such sweet children.


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## themamaj

Here is Sterling or is it Simeon??? What neat classes. I really like the idea of the defenders of the faith one. Studying Vikings and Pirates Rrrr, I think I would have loved school. That is one idea I love about homeschooling is that you can pick and choose topics to focus on and encourage interest and desire to learn. I wondered if you worked at the co-op. A lot homeschooling moms I know around here also teach a class or help some way at co-op. I have never heard of fun classes like those. Most of ones I hear about here are more traditional ones, especially as get closer to high school where the kids have more opportunities to do labs for Biology and Chemistry. I have probably talked with more moms with older kids though. I love hearing what all you are teaching and kids are doing! Great admiration for you and other homeschool moms!!


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## Sadist

So raspberry leaves are okay for a tank? I've been putting some loose rooibos in mine for the shrimp. Like IAL, it sits on the surface for a while before it sinks down. Did you use fresh raspberry leaves from a garden or dried ones for tea?


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## BettaSplendid

Hahahaha! Wow! Sterling does look so much like Simeon! I think my Stormy looks like one of your ladies too. She is turquoise/blue.

Yeah, lots of co-ops have different goals. Some are more acedemic and have homework. And the older kids do have some classes like that. I prefer to do all the important teaching at home and have co-op just be fun. It is educational but I do not use it to replace any teaching at home- more of a supplement. Different classes each semester. In the fall he had science and US states along with Middle Ages and Ecology.

I was thinking of doing, next year, an entire years worth of classes on the Pilgrims. I really enjoy reading about them and could think up some fun crafts and activities to go along with the readings.

Here is the class description for Contenders:



> Contenders!	(7-9)	SPRING (Suzanne	)
> Contenders	will	be	a	fun	and	engaging	class!	We	will	be	learning	new	skills	and	overcoming	challenges	we	all	face	as	we	grow
> up	and	become	successful	adults	that	bring	glory	to	our	maker.	The	children	will	be	earning	actual	badges	in	the	areas	of
> becoming	a	prayer	warrior,	genealogy,	tools,	stewardship,	storytelling,	first	aid,	plants,	hospitality,	etiquette	and	personal
> journaling!	We	will	be	using	the	Keepers	of	the	Home and	Contenders	for	the	Faith guidebooks	by	Keepers	of	the	Faith.	I	am
> excited	to	share	these	topics	with	your	children	and	watch	them	grow	in	knowledge	and	wisdom	and	personal	confidence.	So
> do	you	want	to	be	a	Contender?


I usually stay with my daughter so I miss a lot of my son's classes.  


I am impressed by how quickly the plants are growing in the potting soil tanks. I have not seen the MTS since putting them in the cory cat tank. They just *poof* dissapeared. No lack of hiding places. I wonder if they are in the sand or the gravel. I never see them on the glass in that tank. I noticed MTS are very shy. If they sense anything they pull into their little shells. Maybe they do not like all the activity in that tank. OR maybe they're happy and content and I just never see them.

Teehee, Simeon is building his nest. His little lips coming out of the water. Oooooh my goodness. Soooo cute. Only Antigua has cuter lips. Ooooooh those little lips.


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## themamaj

I am amazed at course description! Makes me wish I could take the class. It is nice that you have special time with your daughter as well though. Does she enjoy school? 

I wouldn't worry too much about MTS. Mine stay hidden a good part of the time. Then they will resurface for a bit only to take another dive down in substrate. That means they are doing their job. 

I am intrigued on raspberry leaves. Where do you get those? Do you blanche them before putting in tank? Have heard shrimp also like blanched spinach leaves. I love spinach salad so figured I would try one in tank in see. LOL guess I need to google how to blanche something!


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## BettaSplendid

Oh boy, Daughter is a serious little scholar! She is jealous that Brother gets to "Do school a LONG TIME AND i only get a LITTLE!" *pout pout* To which I answer, "Well Brother is in 3rd grade and you are in Kindergarten. When he was in Kindergarten he did the same as you..." which satisfies her...umm...some. The Little Thing (Daughter) listens in on his schoolwork though! Oh boy does she. And she BLURTS OUT answers to his questions many times before he does. Especially grammar. What is it with grammar and my kids?! They are like ravenous little grammar monsters who eat up grammar! She will answer even without the benefit of seeing the book because she is a few feet away. *and she is always right* which impresses Son. She learned skip counting by evesdropping too. And history... I said, "what am I going to do when you tell me that you already know this stuff?!" She will be easy to teach anyways. She loves phonics and math...handwriting...anything school related. Brother is smart. He is good in all subjects but he is reluctant. He would rather be playing with Legos or ANYTHING ELSE than actually doing schoolwork. Typical boy. I have to constantly rein him in and remind him to focus. Heh. He loves co-op. He loves the people and the praise he gets. LOL. And all the crafts. Most of all the attention from adults. Heh. First born...he just craves attention. He gives out hugs and greetings like a politician. I told him I am going to enter him in public speaking in 4H. 9 years old is their competitve age so now he can win awards. Once you meet him you will never forget him. Very charismatic.

They are soooo different from me.

So I get red raspberry leaf in bulk from my local healthfood store. I drink it as a tea and it tastes a lot like black tea but without caffiene. It is great for menstrual cramps (actually, that is why I first started drinking it, and yes it absolutely helped!) and toning uterus during pregnancy. Full of vitamins and minerals. I didn't blanch it; just dropped a dry leaf in the tank and the shrimp picked at it until only the veining was left. I tried dropping in some Omega One flakes too today and they ate that also! They wouldn't touch any sinking pellets before but maybe I should try that again.


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## themamaj

Hmmm. May have to go in search of it here. I love hot tea as well and if it has female benefits then all the better!! 

Wow your kids are so smart! I'm sure you have done a great job teaching as well, but to have such a zeal for learning is a real gift! My boys always needed more prodding for school work growing up. My oldest one was very bright in math and science, middle one very creative and great at art, and daughter is super self motivated, incredibly organized and good at writing. Funny how all so different.


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## BettaSplendid

Mmm-hmm, prodding. Yup, yup. Boys.  And they eat so much! Little rascal ate an 8oz container of deli meat in one sitting today. What do you DO when they become teenagers?! Scary thought. I am guessing they wouldn't be happy with beans and rice!


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## themamaj

BettaSplendid said:


> Mmm-hmm, prodding. Yup, yup. Boys.  And they eat so much! Little rascal ate an 8oz container of deli meat in one sitting today. What do you DO when they become teenagers?! Scary thought. I am guessing they wouldn't be happy with beans and rice!


Lets just say you will be buying several gallons of milk at a time and pretty much have to put a lock on fridge or hide anything of value. My son, Micah, was the world's worst to eat everything. I would sometimes hide things in the vegetable bin I needed for lunch next day. Usually he would stay out of that drawer! haha. Paul would eat all the bread and meat in the house. Enjoy every minute it goes by way too fast!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oh my gosh! Haha! Good advice. Lock and vegetable bin. Hehehehe.

I actually have to sit with daughter to make sure she eats! Boy eats everything, girl is picky, would rather starve.


----------



## Sadist

I'd read that raspberry tea was used by doulas to induce labor, so I never drank it pregnant! I craved it the whole pregnancy, too. I'll have to try it out for my female problems, too.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Daughter and I went to town "grocery shopping" today. First stop was Petsmart 'cause I had a $10 off coupon. Got another LED track light. It comes with 2 pods (white and blue) and I got an extra bright white and a plant growth pod.



Here are two of my buzzy little shrimp. They seem to buzz about like bees. Busy and finding stuff to graze on. Both are rili, one is black and clear and the other is black and clearish-blue. I like them so much. They seem to have grown so they must have molted successfully? Oh I hope so! The little Blue Velvet is on the other side of the tank.




Khanan, doing "marshmallow peep". I would totally buy Marshmallow Pacas, wouldn't you?


Even his tail is fluffy and cute. He is such a MUFFIN.


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## BettaSplendid

Oooooooookay, who is clipping the crypt?! Cories? _Snippy?_ Just a few daya ago I had 3 nice sized crypts and today I have 1. Well there is one stem sticking out of the soil where #2 should be. So who did it? Fess up. And don't blame the guppies. 

:|

Stormy absolutely loves her new tank. Well, she has been in it a month. She never looks bored anymore. She is so dark and richly colored. Used to be she would always be staring out of her tank hoping for interaction. Now I usually do not see her. I peer into her tank and look and look and finally find her. She is busy. I like that.  I was thinking I wanted to put someone else in her tank with her...either more mini crawdads or cories or possibly frogs (they are too cute, MamaJ!) BUT when I had that bag of MTS in there, she paced for days afterwards, pale. I would hate to get her a tank mate and stress her out the rest of her life. Her plants would have to grow in more before I put anyone else in there anyways. Probably CPO are best bet as Stormy is his (eta- son's betta) and he loved Candy Claws, PIP (Pinch in Peace). We sure miss Candy Claws. Snippy Snappy has grown quite a bit! I bet 1 and 3/4". She seems to be doing good.

Simeon has bubbled an Indian Almond leaf. Lifted it out of the water. That oughta impress the snails. Simeon does okay with the ghost shrimp. I think he just wants to look at them like he does the snails. He may nip at them but he doesn't pursue them like Zadok did. I see the ghost shrimp a lot more. That must be a good sign that Simeon isn't as aggressive towards them?

ANTIGUA'S LIPS ARE GETTING A TURQUOISE SHIMMER TO THEM! And yes, that warrants all caps if anything does. His lips were already the cutest.   I like how he carefully chews each pellet. 'Teeg doesn't just wolf down his food. I unbaffled his filter and he LOVES the current and extra bubbles. He seems to be the happiest betta in the world. Love, love, love.


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## IslandGirl7408

Whew! I'm finally caught up on your journal-- love it! I'm so glad my kids suggested I subscribe to it!
I'm a homeschooling Mom too! I love hearing about your fishies, your kids, and of course, your alpacas! 
Great journal!


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## themamaj

How did you get a $10 off coupon??? Great light! Did the pods come on it or did you have to buy separate? Your tanks are so beautiful. Little shrimp is so very cute. BUT CUTE has nothing on Khanan! Whew cuteness overload again!!! Oh I could squeeze him. He looks like little pile of fluff. You know you just can't help but smile when you see an alpaca face  Any more rooster sightings?


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## BettaSplendid

IslandGirl7408 said:


> Whew! I'm finally caught up on your journal-- love it! I'm so glad my kids suggested I subscribe to it!
> I'm a homeschooling Mom too! I love hearing about your fishies, your kids, and of course, your alpacas!
> Great journal!


Oh yay! There have been many journals paaaaaaages long and I spend hours (over the course of days!) just reading. So interesting!

Hello to your children! I think they're great and glad they try to entertain their fishy friends. I have read quite a few posts of yours about them.


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## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> How did you get a $10 off coupon??? Great light! Did the pods come on it or did you have to buy separate? Your tanks are so beautiful. Little shrimp is so very cute. BUT CUTE has nothing on Khanan! Whew cuteness overload again!!! Oh I could squeeze him. He looks like little pile of fluff. You know you just can't help but smile when you see an alpaca face  Any more rooster sightings?


Well the coupon came in an email. Petsmart is stingy with coupons. I hardly ever get any from them. 

It is a National.Geographic LED track light and it comes in a turquoise box. Perfect, perfect size for a 5 gallon (or smaller). Could work for a 10 too, most likely but I have them on Zadok's 5 and the shrimps' 5 gallon. The only problemo is no one seems to carry a glass 16" lid! So I have been using a....cookie cooling rack! It does let water evaporate but not fish.  PetSupplyPlus has been trying to get a glass lid for me for a month. No luck yet. Weird?

So the light comes with 2 pods and then has room for 2 more. Which is nice because there are options. Each pod is about $7. LED last so long so it works for me. Fluorescent needs to be replaced yearly. The light itself is around $30. 

I can't wait until.spring when I get to shear Khanan! Hahahaha! I will be aaaaaall in that fluff. He IS a pile of fluff! No one needs to be _that_ cute. I wonder how he will do. Rayah is such a good girl and stands still while I trim her legs and belly and then she lays down and I sit beside her and clip her sides and back and neck. She never spits at me. Khanan grumbles if I do not get his grain poured out fast enough. Soooooomething tells me he is goina spit on me when I clip his fluff. Eeew. Maybe not!


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## BettaSplendid

Simeon has got it made. I cannot believe how fast everything is growing! And such deep greens.

Here is the same tank when I first planted it (look at the 2 swords and the red Scarlet Temple!)


Son taking Howdy for a bike ride. Howdy loves that. Whiskers in the wind! No that isn't snow. We have a spot of pure white sand. The alpacas love it for dust bathing (just like chinchillas)!


And Miss Daughter lookin cute. She loves Elsa.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

Who needs medication? A daily dose of Khanan fights off grumpiness, complaining, and bummed-out-itis!

I know this is weird, but I just love their chubby, furry little rear ends with those adorable tails! Sigh. Alpacas are the best. If you wake up one morning and find Khanan gone, it's probably because I stole him and took him home with me.


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## themamaj

Wowzers! Look at the changes in that tank! You have to share you secrets! Are you supplementing, types of root tabs, lighting doing this? Please come visit me and give me plant tips. I was replanting over and over and over some anarchias last night. Dumb stuff will NOT stay in substrate. Oh...I was determined I was going to be killed on the spot...DEATH BY PLANTS!!!!!!! I try so hard and they drive me nuts at times. I finally caved and put a weight on it. Rrrrrr

I love the pictures of your kids! I assume Howdy is a rat? He will actually stay up on his shoulder like that? That is so cool. Ok you are kindof making me like these rats. I am seeing cuteness qualities. Precious little snow queen! She is so cute I would cave and sing "Do you want to build a snowman to her". Your kiddos are at the most precious years. I remember those special times with mine. It seems like yesterday we were playing on monkey bars and riding bikes. Subbing....I am glad I get to share that with grandson now. I think I treasure it all the more each milestone. You love your kids intensely but there is something so special about seeing your child in your grandchild and to see your child parent. A special thing to look forward to one day many years down the road 

Khanan just makes me laugh. I can just hear him making little grumblings like can you not get my food out a little faster???? I wish I could be a fly on the wall to watch you trim them. I may have to add that to my bucket list. Hang out with an alpaca one day. hahaha I'll have to make friends with someone at local zoo.


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## BettaSplendid

Yeah, Khanan. He is so rude. LOL. He does grumble.

A lot of alpaca farms actually strap their alpacas down on a table and whip some electric shears out and BUUUUUUZZ!! "NEXT?!" BUUUUUUUUZZ!! I guess if you have 100 furries to shear that is what you have to do. I only have a few and do one a day. I put some music on, lay a sheet down for them to sit on and hand shear. I really ENJOY it and go slow and relish getting to pet them all over (because usually I do not touch them). I will take pictures. Probably in April. When it gets warm and last frost date is past. Khanan was actually very well behaved when he got his Ivermectin shot. So maybe he will be fine with shearing. He had JUST been sheared when I got him and Yara last spring. I was a bit sad I missed all that fur! The lady I got them from actually had a spinning wheel though.

Oh, the plants! Well it is just the Miracle-gro with sand cap and then a lot of sunlight, direct, from the window. I put the lid with LEDs on when the sun isn't shining. I just let the anacharis float. There are so many plants in there that there isn't a speck of algae despite the window. (Hatzie's tank is a mess of algae! Not enough light comes through his window in the winter, apparently, to keep his plants growing fast enough...but it is enough light for algae! Maybe I keep his light on too long.)

What is it about Frozen?? It is still just as popular as it was when it first came out. LOL. Daughter is wild about Elsa.

Howdy is a love ball. He is just so sweet. He does stay on Son's shoulder. We call him a "shoulder rat" because it is his favorite place. I taught Howdy to come to his name which comes in handy because daughter has LOST THEM OUTSIDE like 5 times..! I call, "Howdy! Melchi!" and here they come. Once Howdy was gone for 2 days though and I had given up hope, figured a snake got him...and then there he was, little paws on the french door like, "LET ME IN THERE ARE NO MANGOS IN THE WILD!" You would never get that from a hamster! They would be like, "FREEEEEEEDOM! You will never see me again! Hahahaha!!"


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## BettaBoy11

BettaSplendid said:


> Yeah, Khanan. He is so rude. LOL. He does grumble.
> 
> A lot of alpaca farms actually strap their alpacas down on a table and whip some electric shears out and BUUUUUUZZ!! "NEXT?!" BUUUUUUUUZZ!! I guess if you have 100 furries to shear that is what you have to do. I only have a few and do one a day.


I'm just picturing someone with 100 alpacas... :-D:-D:-D:-D:-D:lol::-D


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## BettaSplendid

BettaBoy11 said:


> I'm just picturing someone with 100 alpacas... :-D:-D:-D:-D:-D:lol::-D


It happens! People think they are going to get rich selling pacas...but usually they are left with 100's of over priced fluff balls they now have to feed. I will enjoy just a few. 

I got this super.close up and slightly in-focus picture, LOL, of shrimpie.


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## themamaj

That shrimp....GORGEOUS!!!!! Love that rich blue color. Really stunning and fabulous picture. I lolol at Howdy standing at the door with little paws. Your animals are a hoot. And Khanan I can just see him lounging on a nice sunny day on the blanket, nice relaxing music playing. He is getting a Spa Day! Love it. What is the shot for? If you have to have them vet checked, does a vet come out?


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## BettaSplendid

The Ivermectin is just a general parasite dewormer. It covers just about everything. He had begun coughing after I got him and I suspected lung worms. We dewormed everyone just in case and his coughing fits stopped. Scary. 

And yeah, vets will come out although you have to pay a farm call fee.

When I was 12 I had a hamster and it got loose. It took me 2 WEEKS to find that little rascal. I finally found him in a closet chewing on, of all things, my mom's art portfolio full of her art from her...whole life, from little girl to adult. that little devil! He was making a nest with it. Did you know that happened to John Audubon?! He had stuffed all those birds and painted their pictures and stored them in a chest.(eta-he stored the paintings, not dead birds in the chest! LOL) I think he was broke moneywise. When he has all thr portraits he needed for his book, he looked in the chest, and there were 2 rats merrily making their winter home! Lots of nesting materials. He was devastated. 

At least that is how my brain remembers the story. We studied Audubon last year.

In my case it was a hamster though.


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## themamaj

Oh goodness of all things to chew on. We have had 2 hamsters. They do love to nest. They were really cute scooting through tubes. I dont miss cleaning cages though.


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## themamaj

I saw this on Pinterest and thought ideas your kids might like to build. Pinterest has all kinds of cool lego ideas.


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## BettaSplendid

Hah! The zip line is so cool! I will show him those.

The hamster tubes are why I strayed from rats momentarily. Rats will not fit in those tube things. I had like 4 packages at least of tubes and wheels and little compartments. I twisted the tubes up, up, and away! Aaaaaand the hamster would go in and be all, "nah nah you can't hold me!" And he would pee in the tunnels. :/ I had to wash the whole deal out with the garden hose. Hamster wanted to sleep all day and would bite when I woke him up. So I would (gently) wake him with a pencil. He would bite the pencil so hard! Once he was awake I miiiiight be able to pick him up. Maybe. I was over hamsters after him. Rats are ready to play whenever, where ever. Any time of the day. Open the cage and they come willingly. I can let them run around and they never hide from me. Oh, there are lots of cute "rat trick" videos on youtube. They can learn all sorts of neat tricks. Jump through hoops, put tiny "clothes" in a tiny washing machine, weave in and out of poles like agility courses for dogs. Neat. Maybe hamsters can do that too. Maybe mine was just extra ordinarily cantankerous. LOL.


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## BettaSplendid

Simeon swimming past one of the ghost shrimp. He likes to find them but doesn't seem to attack them. Do you see the shrimp? He is on anacharis...







A closer up shot. Isn't it neat that you can see the leaf behind him? Ghosties arr underappreciated; they really are cool.




2 days ago I went to feed the rats and opened their hutch and poor Howdy was laying on his side, little feet curled. I gasped and thought he was dead. But then he opened his eyes. He could barely move. I think he fell. They have a two story. They can climb up and down but they choose to jump down instead. I think maybe he landed on his head or just hurt his spine. I boiled eggs and he has been eating egg yolk, grapes, oatmeal and whatever I think he might like. His appetite is very good. Later in the day he was able to crawl on a circle... The next day he could sit up and eat, albeit wobbly. Then he began walking again. He is still wobbly today but moving around. Melchi actually came out of their nest and got breakfast and _brought it back to Howdy_ and then came back for food for himself. I was flabberghasted. I have NEVER seen a rat...umm, share! Melchi has been taking good care of Howdy. And it was donut soaked in milk too. How can you share that?? But he did... Oh, Howdy, get better soon.


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## themamaj

Simeon and shrimp look awesome! So envious of your anachias. Mine is melting  Do you think there is a chance it will make a come back if I float it? Poor Howdy. Well wishes for speedy recovery. I have grown a real fondness for him and Melchi. How sweet he shared his food. Definitely a first in the rat world haha.


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## Tealight03

I have to say rats creep me out but seeing yours mKes me reconsider! I hope Howdy feels better!


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## BettaSplendid

Aww, my mom got me a rat when I was 4 or 5. I never got a satisfactory answer as to WHY. She could.have gotten a normal pet, but she came home with a white rat I didn't ask for and didn't pick out. I named it Snowflake and loved it. A few years later, I picked out a black and white female and named her Lucky. Lucky was pregnant! I came home from school and my mom told me Lucky had five babies! We kept one and gave the others away. I took Lucky and her (now grown)baby, Mc Snug, in for show and tell. They were so popular that the teacher invited them back for monthly visits. Hehe. Most of the kids told me they were going to ask their parents for pet rats. I began to think of myself as an ambassador for pet rats. 

As hard as I worked as an ambassador, I never accomplished what Marty Mouse and the internet have done! If you see Marty (who is actually a "dumbo" rat meaning his ears sit low) you'll be a fan of rats. He is just that cute...coupled with fabulous photography.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/kaelintully...hange-how-you-feel-about-pet-rats#.gaVO85JAzB


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## Innerbeauty

BettaSplendid said:


> Innerbeauty it is SO GOOD to see you! I have been missing you and wondering how you have been. The last I heard your well water changed and you were going through a tough time. Ooooh Emmett.   Did you lose more? I hate to ask but also...it is good to talk about it. But if you don't want to, I totally understand.  Sometimes life is sad. Losing pets is terrible amd I go through such deep sadness I want to move to the city and NEVER have another pet again because that was I can't hurt it. Sigh. But then I pick my self up and try to heal and go on and take care of the ones I do still have and they make me smile again. I was wondering if a Brita water filter or something like that would help but you probably have it all worked out by now.
> 
> We use and love Heart of Dakota. See here:
> http://www.heartofdakota.com/board3/viewforum.php?f=6&sid=8bcd478fc554cb68d6c5aaa03ee29fec
> http://www.heartofdakota.com/board3/index.php?sid=33d8fa48688c2a017c63b9f71e494b70
> 
> And here, main page: http://www.heartofdakota.com
> 
> I would suggest requesting a free catalog! I think it is easier to sit down and thumb through a paper catalog than navigate a huge website.
> 
> We are using Preparing Hearts for His Glory right now. I have pictures of Son when all his books came in. I see if I can dig them up on photobucket.


Yet again, I am catching up on your journal!  You are such a breath of fresh air! You really inspire me, it has been so rough for me lately. I have taken screen shots of some of your posts with pictures (I now have one of Earnie the rooster and Khanan...!) and when i am feeling pretty low I like to read it, laugh, and feel re-inspired!

You said in a previous post people drain you and animals charge you. That is the way that I am so I know you understand completely how devastating it can be losing pets. I lost everything in my tanks but Miracle, Ivana, and Firework. I even lost little Lucy. (the one all by herself in the bathroom tank, she had red lips and blue eyes, red koi coloring) A huge part of my plants died as well.
Two days after I lost Lucy, my very expensive-have-lots-riding-on-her-had-her-AI'd-to-an-expensive-bull heifer lost her calf first trimester. I don't know why. She will be two in April and chances of getting her bred after that are slim according to studies on heifers that age._ I don't know what to do. _My husband isn't really offering any help. The very nice lady who sold her to me offered to trade her for a GORGEOUS milker due in May. Hubby doesn't want to have to drive my heifer there.  I am also at odds with him on cattle nutrition and how much they should be fed. I told him to just sell them all and be done with it, as I won't keep something if I can't take care of it properly. That didn't get me anywhere, he won't do that. To say this is disappointing is a huge understatement, but the kicker is he is a good man and I do love him with all my heart and here is the only area we fight. (or rather, I fight. He just ignores for the most part and stops being nice to me) I've probably said this before, but my husband is NOT an animal person. His family raised cattle and that is why he wants to keep them, he sees them as dollar signs and nothing more.

*whew* sorry for that whole venting thing. That partly explains why I have been gone. It' been a lot to process for me and keep up with school, laundry, etc.... My boys are both a year older now. (4 and 6! where are my babies?!) It saddens me I can't have more. This last month I thought I might be expecting, I was relieved and sad all at the same time when I wasn't. My hub and I have both been off and on again sick. I found out the latter part of November I have hypothyroidism. I'm treating it naturally and having success, but it is hard to keep up with. The place we rent is for sale. My husband doesn't want to move. I am afraid we are going to get kicked out by new owners. 

I LOVE the story about your rat at the door. I laughed so hard and told my husband. He still can't get over that you have a rat. He also thinks it is funny your daughter lost them outside. hehehehe *giggle.* Kids are precious. Let me guess, when she figured out she lost them she was pretty distraught. My youngest son is that way with everything. He loses things. all. the. time. Every hour. I think for the most part it is his lack of concentration. Like a person with their glasses on top of their head and they are still looking for them.

My boys would like to see more of your son's creations! They love lego, but aren't that skilled yet. Joshua (4) says he is, and I quote, Amazing! An Amazing Big Kid! (Being called a Big Kid is his highest form of respect ;-))

HOW do you manage to have those cute alpacas and never get to cuddle them?! Those faces... must be stroked and pinched and ears must be rubbed.... perhaps you need tranquilizer shots for them :twisted: 

Do your carbon rilis have any blue on them? I can't tell from the pictures...


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## Tealight03

BettaSplendid said:


> Aww, my mom got me a rat when I was 4 or 5. I never got a satisfactory answer as to WHY. She could.have gotten a normal pet, but she came home with a white rat I didn't ask for and didn't pick out. I named it Snowflake and loved it. A few years later, I picked out a black and white female and named her Lucky. Lucky was pregnant! I came home from school and my mom told me Lucky had five babies! We kept one and gave the others away. I took Lucky and her (now grown)baby, Mc Snug, in for show and tell. They were so popular that the teacher invited them back for monthly visits. Hehe. Most of the kids told me they were going to ask their parents for pet rats. I began to think of myself as an ambassador for pet rats.
> 
> As hard as I worked as an ambassador, I never accomplished what Marty Mouse and the internet have done! If you see Marty (who is actually a "dumbo" rat meaning his ears sit low) you'll be a fan of rats. He is just that cute...coupled with fabulous photography.
> 
> http://www.buzzfeed.com/kaelintully...hange-how-you-feel-about-pet-rats#.gaVO85JAzB


Ok that is one cute rat.


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## themamaj

Oh that is the cutest rat! How is Howdy feeling? What do a rat habitat look like?


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## Innerbeauty

I just checked out that Marty that rat link.... I'm sold on rats now. I never thought that would happen.... My experience with rats has always been those horrible pack rats... ugh they are so mean and nasty and what little _thieves_! 

Is it hard to clean up after them?

And yes, how is Howdy? The story of Melchi feeding him is so heart warming!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Innerbeauty said:


> Yet again, I am catching up on your journal!  You are such a breath of fresh air! You really inspire me, it has been so rough for me lately. I have taken screen shots of some of your posts with pictures (I now have one of Earnie the rooster and Khanan...!) and when i am feeling pretty low I like to read it, laugh, and feel re-inspired!
> 
> You said in a previous post people drain you and animals charge you. That is the way that I am so I know you understand completely how devastating it can be losing pets. I lost everything in my tanks but Miracle, Ivana, and Firework. I even lost little Lucy. (the one all by herself in the bathroom tank, she had red lips and blue eyes, red koi coloring) A huge part of my plants died as well.
> Two days after I lost Lucy, my very expensive-have-lots-riding-on-her-had-her-AI'd-to-an-expensive-bull heifer lost her calf first trimester. I don't know why. She will be two in April and chances of getting her bred after that are slim according to studies on heifers that age._ I don't know what to do. _My husband isn't really offering any help. The very nice lady who sold her to me offered to trade her for a GORGEOUS milker due in May. Hubby doesn't want to have to drive my heifer there.  I am also at odds with him on cattle nutrition and how much they should be fed. I told him to just sell them all and be done with it, as I won't keep something if I can't take care of it properly. That didn't get me anywhere, he won't do that. To say this is disappointing is a huge understatement, but the kicker is he is a good man and I do love him with all my heart and here is the only area we fight. (or rather, I fight. He just ignores for the most part and stops being nice to me) I've probably said this before, but my husband is NOT an animal person. His family raised cattle and that is why he wants to keep them, he sees them as dollar signs and nothing more.
> 
> *whew* sorry for that whole venting thing. That partly explains why I have been gone. It' been a lot to process for me and keep up with school, laundry, etc.... My boys are both a year older now. (4 and 6! where are my babies?!) It saddens me I can't have more. This last month I thought I might be expecting, I was relieved and sad all at the same time when I wasn't. My hub and I have both been off and on again sick. I found out the latter part of November I have hypothyroidism. I'm treating it naturally and having success, but it is hard to keep up with. The place we rent is for sale. My husband doesn't want to move. I am afraid we are going to get kicked out by new owners.
> 
> I LOVE the story about your rat at the door. I laughed so hard and told my husband. He still can't get over that you have a rat. He also thinks it is funny your daughter lost them outside. hehehehe *giggle.* Kids are precious. Let me guess, when she figured out she lost them she was pretty distraught. My youngest son is that way with everything. He loses things. all. the. time. Every hour. I think for the most part it is his lack of concentration. Like a person with their glasses on top of their head and they are still looking for them.
> 
> My boys would like to see more of your son's creations! They love lego, but aren't that skilled yet. Joshua (4) says he is, and I quote, Amazing! An Amazing Big Kid! (Being called a Big Kid is his highest form of respect ;-))
> 
> HOW do you manage to have those cute alpacas and never get to cuddle them?! Those faces... must be stroked and pinched and ears must be rubbed.... perhaps you need tranquilizer shots for them :twisted:
> 
> Do your carbon rilis have any blue on them? I can't tell from the pictures...


One carbon rili is black and clear-blue. The other is black and clear w/o any coloring. And then "Little Blue" is my only Blue Dream left.


I am so sorry you lost your babies. Yes, of course I remember Lucy. That is heartbreaking.  It is hard to be a wife.  I try to look at it all as spiritual training. Slow to anger, slow to speak. Lots of prayer. God truly is my Counsellor or I never would have made it without His intervention! I am a different person now than 10 years ago (although certainly NOT perfected). How can I run with horses if footmen have wearied me? I look at every annoyance or grievance as an oppurtunity to humble myself, swallow pride, be patient and forgiving... I realized I always have a choice. Either bitterness or forgiveness. Family gives ample practice sessions. Heh. 

I am confused about your heifer. Are you saying she likely won't get pregnant after she is 2 years old?? That seems so young! We have mutt  beef cattle and some of them are old...around 8, maybe older, and still having calves. But not artificial insemination. Maybe that makes a difference?

Sometimes I pet Khanan's fuzzy tail when he isn't looking... I know when they have crias though I will be able to raise them myself and they will let me touch them. My pacs were already adults and set in their ways (grumpy) so best not to push it.


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## BettaSplendid

Oh MamaJ, I forgot to mention...my anachris hates being moved and will melt on me. But just leave a piece in the tank and it will grow a new "branch" and then that piece will take off! Hornwort is the same. Hates being moved. At least in my experience.

I think Howdy has taken a turn for the worse. I was making lunch yesterday when son came in holding him! I couldn't believe he picked him up! He heard me telling daughter NOT TO MESS WITH HOWDY. So I don't know if that did it but today he never moved and he is waaaaay back in his house. I could only reach him with my fingertips. I saw his side going up and down though. Melchi seemed distressed. Not good.

A good habitat? Well, good ventilation (like wire cage instead of aquarium) and lots of room...gotta go


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## BettaSplendid

Son said he didn't know he shouldn't pick up Howdy. Guess I wasn't clear enough. It got cold overnight and I didn't bring them in...oh...now I am feeling really bad. I think it would be worse to try to get him out. I hope he and Melchi are warm enough...  

My mom gave me 2 Nerite snails. I put one in with Twinkie and the other with Hatzie. Those 2 tanks had bad green algae. Little snails are on the job! They really pack away the algae!

There is a yellow HMPK with elephant ears at Petsmart. So tempting. But I have no where to put him. 

One of my Rili shrimpies has eggs! I was thrilled! I wonder if they will really hatch or if she will drop them? It seems too good to be true. She is big now, about an inch long.


----------



## themamaj

Poor Howdy. I hope he is ok. Glad shrimp has eggs! good luck with them.


----------



## Innerbeauty

BettaSplendid said:


> One carbon rili is black and clear-blue. The other is black and clear w/o any coloring. And then "Little Blue" is my only Blue Dream left.
> 
> 
> I am so sorry you lost your babies. Yes, of course I remember Lucy. That is heartbreaking.  It is hard to be a wife.  I try to look at it all as spiritual training. Slow to anger, slow to speak. Lots of prayer. God truly is my Counsellor or I never would have made it without His intervention! I am a different person now than 10 years ago (although certainly NOT perfected). How can I run with horses if footmen have wearied me? I look at every annoyance or grievance as an oppurtunity to humble myself, swallow pride, be patient and forgiving... I realized I always have a choice. Either bitterness or forgiveness. Family gives ample practice sessions. Heh.
> 
> I am confused about your heifer. Are you saying she likely won't get pregnant after she is 2 years old?? That seems so young! We have mutt  beef cattle and some of them are old...around 8, maybe older, and still having calves. But not artificial insemination. Maybe that makes a difference?
> 
> Sometimes I pet Khanan's fuzzy tail when he isn't looking... I know when they have crias though I will be able to raise them myself and they will let me touch them. My pacs were already adults and set in their ways (grumpy) so best not to push it.


It is hard to be a wife. I agree with you, it is certainly a refining. I need to be in prayer more than I am about it. And yeah, I totally agree on the family practice sessions.... ><

My heifer has never been bred (aka "dry") and her chances of taking and keeping a calf after her 2nd birthday drop considerately. If she had already had a calf, I would not be worried at all. :-? Our other cow has not been bred yet this either, but she has freshened (had a calf) twice already so I'm not worried about her - she's just getting a break. 


I am so sorry about Howdy! Perhaps, if the end is near, you could try to get another rat so Melchi will not be so lonely if Howdy dies? Poor baby. 
Have you ever tried giving the rats tea? I'm not sure how rats do with herbs, but Comfrey is a strong bone knitter. Combine it with raspberry leaf and it will help heal broken/torn bones & tissue. Just a thought.... Mullien & Catnip are really good for pain, it calms the nerves so they are less reactive, but also causes sleepiness.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oooooh! I have all those herbs except mullien. I wish I had thought of it a few days ago when he was active and eating. I have white willow bark too, I use that instead of aspirin.


Good info about the heifers. I never knew that! I hope she is able to have a baby.


----------



## Tree

Omg I love your journal! so watching this. hehe

your kids and farm and fish are so adorable! keep up the great work!


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## BettaSplendid

Howdy was up last night! His fur is all crazy where he hasn't been grooming himself. He ate quinoa with vegetables and cheese, grapes, tangerines, a piece of leftover IHOP Swedish crepe...he ate for a good 30 minutes. Then I tucked him back in under 2 layers of polar fleece, hay and an insulated jacket. I debated for a long time whether or not to bring him in the house but I think he is best off in his normal house. I will go out soon and check on him this morning. Maybe with some warm oatmeal made with tea water from one or more of those herbs InnerBeauty suggested. Raspberry, catnip and white willow bark perhaps. He did good eating liquidy oatmeal. I am trying to make sure he doesn't dehydrate. Pull through, lil' rodent.

Thanks, Tree!! I enjoy your journal and bettas too!!


Yesterday was Daughter's birthday party. 6 years old! She went ice skating for the first time. They had these little metal walkers for little kids. She was terrorizing the ice rink, lemme tell ya. She would skate SO FAST, purposely fall and slide across the ice laughing hysterically. I hung onto her little walker behind her and she was actually pulling me like a frieght train. I pretended she was a sled dog. "Mush, Balto!" She quickly got to where she could skate on her own (not very well but still..) even. Son had a hard time. It didn't come naturally. He got upset, took off his skates and played arcade games. He was happy enough with that. Daughter got a bunch of...Cozy Cottage?...toys for her Tiny Town. Little furniture and stuff. Brought her to Toys-r-us after with her money.

I can't stop thinking about the yellow EE plakat at Petsmart.


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## BettaSplendid

Daughter with her cousin.


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## themamaj

A very Happy Birthday to your sweet girl! Sounds like ice skating was a blast! I remember those walkers. My daughter used one when she skated the first time about that age. I "can" ice skate but probably would want a walker now lolol! 

Howdy sounds like he is recovering in the presidential suite with a room service menu most rats could only dream of. How precious and sweet all the things you have done to keep him comfortable and aid his recovery. Such good news he came out to eat. You have a great knowledge of all the herbs and teas that can help. I would love to learn more about those. 

Did you happen to get a picture of the yellow EE at store? Sounds beautiful. A lot of times my receipts will have a survey on top and if you do it online they give you a code to write on your receipt or can print for $3 off next purchase. I didn't even know about those until a lady in front of me one day started using those coupons. I am a coupon queen so had to check that out. Survey was quick and worth $3 to me. Always good to put toward supplies or maybe a new friend 

Here is a funny for you...we were over at Dad's for his party and we got talking about fish and animals. I started telling him about Khanan. I pulled out his picture and everyone started passing around the phone to see him ooing and gooing at his cuteness. So you will have to tell Khanan he was the hit of the party! haha


----------



## BettaSplendid

Hehehe. There is something about Khanan. I need to get a good close up of his "bunny rabbit nose". Alpacas are strange kritters. Like a mix between sheep, giraffe, bunny, and...camel?

I brought Howdy in. It is just so cold outside and he would wander out of the blanket looking for food and then lay down. Eh. So I have him in a box with blankets in the warm house. He loved the oatmeal with herbs. He ate almost all of it. He ought to be feeling REAL good with all the white willow bark. That stuff will knock out a headache for me. Put chia seeds in the oatmeal too. I look around the kitchen like, "Hmmmm....what would Howdy like?" His food got cold fast outside. Now I can keep it warm.




I did not get a picture of the yellow plakat. I should have. It was faded like Simeon was. They never sell plakats. Most people looking for a betta want big tails. So I have to see the plakats slowly fade away. It hurts me. The females too...months they wait for a human. A human that never comes.  The yellow EE reminds me of lemon pie.

Eta- I love those survey coupons! I used one when I bought Simeon.  I rarely get one though. You asked about that email coupon I had for $10 off. Did I answer that question? I can't remember....but I had to sign up for emails at petperks.com I think it was. Petsmarts' site. The emails didn't automatically come when signing up for petperks instore. It was a bit confusing, actually.


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## themamaj

Aww he looks so warm and comfy. Lucky boy!


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## Tree

you're very welcome. I love all of your animals and boy is that rat spoiled. hehe I used to have 5 of them at one time. They are so awesome to have as a pet. =)

and Happy birthday to your daughter!


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## BettaSplendid

Finally got picture of Mama Rili. I guess she needs a real name. This is the black and clear one. She is working so hard! Fanning her little eggs. She looks like she is juggling.


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## themamaj

Wow stunning!!! What a mama. Gorgeous shrimp.


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## Sadist

Wow, that's a lot of eggs! I hope some hatch for you.


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## BettaSplendid

I found some cory eggs on a wisteria leaf. Pulled the leaf off and now it is floating in the breeder net in the cory tank. We will see if anything comes of this.

Several new leaves grew in on Antigua's Amazon sword plant that are clear. I picked up some Seachem Flourish tabs for that... And his tank is the one with Flora Max in it. Suppose to be a special plant substrate. Guess it still needs fertilizer.

The Nerite Cleaning Crew is doing a great job. They put a hurtin' on that algae. 

Dear little Snippy.Snappy died.  I saw her in her last moments, on her back. Legs twitched some. Right after a water change...but I did it slow and careful so I think that didn't cause her death. I didn't test the water beforehand. Maybe it was overdue for changing. I don't know. The ghost shrimp are still kickin though. You would think they would be more sensitive. Maybe my CPO's were old? 

I saw all 4 ghost shrimp at once in Simeon's tank. He does real good with them. They are feeling braver and easier to see now than when Zadok was in there. They still do not swim around freely. They stay under java moss or in the micro sword mostly.

Today was 4H day. All about Ettiquite in different situations. Son has a CRUSH on a little girl in our homeschool group.  He gave her a handmade Valentine at co-op and today he remarked, surprised, that she was "nicer to me than usual." LOL. Yeah...'cause she likes you too. She was proud of that Valentine.


----------



## BettaSplendid

I can pet Howdy all over without him squeaking so I am thinking he didn't get a spinal injury. I googled "can a rat have a stroke" and was surprised with all hits. I have had rats most of my life and they live 3-5 years and never a stroke! Howdy has all the symptoms. His seems mild compared to what could have been. He can sit up, albeit wobbly, and eat. He has an excellent appetite. He can move all four paws. He does kinda drag himself along though but he seems to be improving each day. He looks really good this morning. Fur is smoother and laying down. He looks like he has been sleeping well. I was scared to pick him up incase of an internal injury but he is desperate to be held. I just fed him and now he is sleeping but I think I will try gently picking him up in a while and stroking his whiskers (that was recommended). He is so happy to be petted. I aaaaaaalmost cried when I read the part about he may he physically inactive but mentally he is 100% alert. Makes you feel for the stroke victims in hospitals....all alone.  Touching is important. Well, I have been petting him plenty and talking gently to him.

Just thought I would update. He is a good little boy.


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## BettaBoy11

Yay! I'm glad Howdy is getting better!!!
Sorry about Snippy though.


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## Sadist

Poor little guy. I guess any animal can have a stroke. I'm glad you're able to keep him comfortable.


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## themamaj

Aww his first crush so sweet! I can just see him handing her the homemade Valentine. Awwwww. Precious. 

Can you get a picture of the cory eggs? Would love to see them. Your cories seem to do really well. I have never had any love in my tanks. haha

Poor Snippy Snappy. Seems like it would be hard to guess the age of a cray. Shrimp seem much more sensitive than crays to water. You always do a good job with your changes so I can't imagine that bothered him. 

Ghosties are really neat aren't they? I sometimes have a hard time finding them in the tank but then something translucent swims by and I'm like oh there you are! I love the way shrimp swim. All there little legs moving furiously.

Gosh I would have never even thought about the potential of a rat having a stroke. Poor baby. I wonder if he could have hit his head in fall and maybe trauma could cause those symptoms. Either way, I hope he will continue to improve and get stronger each day. I bet he is loving being petted now and all the comfort you have given him. Will he interact with Melchi?


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## themamaj

Have to tell you this funny. My mom was talking to me other day about how much she missed having a little animal (meaning dog) to hold and snuggle. She said "oh I wish I had a little animal that had little eyes to look into and warm and soft to snuggle on my neck". I said "Mom I know the perfect pet for you!!! Remember my friends rat I showed you????" Eeeeek! she said. lololol. Couldn't resist! They are really growing on me. I think the next time I go in Petco, I may ask them if they would let me hold or pet one just to see what they are like.


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## Sadist

I've read that males are more laid back, but it's also important to get them after they've gone through puberty problems because of aggression during that time. I'd like to get one for my girl when she's old enough to take care of her own pet, but it seems like it would be better if I went through a breeder than a pet store. I'm sure the hubby wouldn't like the smell, though.


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## BettaSplendid

LOL! Most people have been conditioned to fear rats, but readily accept other small rodents (who in my experience should be approached with caution!) Young rats have much more energy than the older ones. Howdy and Melchi are about 14 and 16 months old so are getting more snuggly. Any you hold in store will be younger, so heads up.  You never know how much handling they have had either. It depends on who is in charge of their care. Some people are gentle, and some pick them up by their tails! Ugh. That will not make them like people...

I got Howdy out and he was trying his best to walk around but was wobbly and would lurch and fall over. I said, "No scampering! You're not well enough for that." son said, "We need a Scamper Damper. It won't let the Scampers through." LOL. I laughed so hard. It sounded like a commercial. So I stuck Howdy in my shirt to damper his scamper.

So here he is snuggling "my shoulder" just like your mom needs. 


Foods like bloodworms and then a water change with cooler water does it for my cories. They feel the cooler water and think it is spring rains. They love it!


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## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> I've read that males are more laid back, but it's also important to get them after they've gone through puberty problems because of aggression during that time. I'd like to get one for my girl when she's old enough to take care of her own pet, but it seems like it would be better if I went through a breeder than a pet store. I'm sure the hubby wouldn't like the smell, though.


Howdy and Melchi never fought. I had always had females before so didn't know what to expect. They came from different stores even, so they were not raised together. They have just been best buddies. I found out Fin-tastic has a pair of breeding rats so the rats they sell were born and raised and handled (often and with love) there. I so want to get one from them. They had a male one, blue, with dumbo ears AND rex fur...it is like wavy fur instead of straight. But 3 rats would be a bit much. Oh man is he tempting though. I have a thing for "blue" animals.


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## Sadist

Me, too.


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## Innerbeauty

Awww, I am glad he is doing better! He looks so cute snuggled on your shoulder. 

Your shrimps are just gorgeous!!! Have you ever been able to see the shrimp babies after they are born? I'm curious what they look like.


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## BettaSplendid

This is the first time one of my shrimpers have gotten berried (eggs). I haven't had them very long...just a month. I guess the babies will be super tiny. They must be, to come out of those little eggs! They hatch as mini versions of the adults.  She still had her eggs today.


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## themamaj

Squeal Howdy is the cutest all snuggled up! So how would you classify your rats since there are lots of types apparently. Next time you go to Fin-tastic you must get a picture of the EE with wavy hair. Blue? I can't even imagine. 

Any idea of the gestation of shrimp?


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## Tealight03

Howdy looks so cozy!


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## BettaSplendid

Ooooooh it is a surprisingly long time! About 3 weeks till they hatch. IF she doesn't drop the eggs.

Well, they call blue but it is really a greyish blue, you know? I think it is very pretty. I bet the baby ratling has found a home by now... If not he must be full grown and then I wouldn't be able to resist. I didn't think it wise to try to introduce a baby to 2 full grown males. Maybe it would be fine? I would hate to have something bad happen to that cutie. I did hold him in store. He was so tame. They said they hold him often. Such a different atmosphere than a chain petstore.

There were some "blue" hooded ones too but they sold quickly.

Howdy is just a black and white hooded rat with a "saddle". No special fur type.  And Melchi is albino. They are nothing "special" color wise. But we love them. I have never actually had one of the fancier types. There are "champagne" colors and all sorts of varieties. Hard to find local breeders. Or at least it was the last time I checked.


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## themamaj

Did you know there is an American Fancy Rat Association? Had to google this blue rat. Did you know there is a Russian blue? Oh came across this guy....warning: *major cuteness overload *had to share!!!!


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## BettaBoy11

You're making me want rats (and alpacas/llamas).
Someone on another thread accidentally made me want to get clownfish, that massaging a parrot cichlid video made me want one of them, and you are making me want rats and alpacas. My house is going to become a zoo!


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## BettaSplendid

Aaaw, that baby doesn't even look real, does it? Like some sort of cute little plushie toy. That is how the baby looked (sorta) that I saw. It had rippley fur like that and ears that sat low. Face wasn't white though. Gosh, they sure are cute... Selective breeding can do amazing things!


Bettaboy...yeeeeeah, my place could pass as a zoo. We had a flying squirrel briefly too. SIL's dog had it in its mouth and my SIL scooted it into a cereal box and brought it to me (because that is what you do...bring me animals...) Amazingly it wasn't hurt and I was planning on keeping him a few days and releasing. Within minutes my son reafhed into the cage and fearlessly picked up this flying squirrel. You would think that would surely be the end of my son. But this squirrel was amazing! He never bit or struggled. If we put him down he would follow our feet. We would play "pass the squirrel" where we all stood in a circle and Humphrey would leap from person to person. He had his own nut bowl and slept in my coffee cups. In the morning I would peek inside my cup and there he would be, sleeping. He stayed with us 2 or 3 months before going back outside. I hope he has a nice big squirrel family. I never understood how a wild animal could be so instantly tame. ?? He slept in my clothes during the day. Oh, in fact, after Humphrey moved out we all had "squirrel sized holes in our hearts" and that was when I had to have Howdy.  2 weeks later I got Melchi.


----------



## Sadist

Amazing! One thing I really wish we could have as a pet is bats. Some of them have really cute faces. I remember seeing some roosting on the window screen as a kid. I think they didn't make it to their normal roosting spot. They sort of looked like little dark frogs clinging to the screen (just the way they were squished up trying to sleep).


----------



## BettaSplendid

Howdy died. 

He seemed to be getting better. He must have had another stroke because he couldn't move and was gasping pitifully for breath. I held him and tried to position him however seemed easiest for him. The sound of him gasping was unbearable. I cried. I just held him for an hour in the dark after it was all over. I just couldn't....bury him. He was warm and it was so miserably cold outside.  10pm I laid him back in his box and took a bath and went to sleep, emotionally drained. The kids helped me bury him in the morning. Dear Howdy, you were a sweet kissy boy. Thank you for the love you gave to our family. You're welcome for the mango. I would always share it with you.


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## BettaBoy11

Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry about Howdy. That's devastating.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

Oh I'm so sorry. Poor little thing.


----------



## Tealight03

I'm sorry to hear about Howdy.


----------



## themamaj

Oh no sweet Howdy. We will greatly miss your sweet little face and funny antics. I cant imagine another rat that has been as loved and well cared for as you. I would have never thought of rats as such sweet pets until I heard of you. So sad for you and your family!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Thank you everyone. He died way too soon. He was just over a year old...

MamaJ, during water change I spotted these cory eggs and got a picture for ya:


Have you seen the pygmy corydoras? I have never seen them in a store, only online. They are good for "nano tanks", so seems they would be a good match for a betta. They would be perfect for Stormy's 10. 

Daughter with Melchi. He always ends up matching her clothes. LOL. She says he is a vanilla scoop of ice cream with cherry eyes. She loves him. Poor Melchi...he gets tea parties and hats...basically humilated. It was his lot in life. 



Anyone heard of Frizzle cochins? They look like they walked through a windstorm. Backwards. This is Dust Bunny. He actually enjoyed playing tea party this morning.



Couldn't decide which picture was cuter, so you get two.



I love archways, yes. Good thing Husband knows how to build.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

You keep roosters too? Wow you have the cutest little animals. I don't know how you take care of them all though. I can barely manage 2 fish tanks. :/


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## themamaj

Awww now in cuteness overload! Dust Bunny love it! Have never heard of that type a chicken or see one. Love how daughter is matchy. She is most precious! Thanks for egg picture. Really neat. You have best animals and greatest names. So chicken, goats, alpacas, fish, rat what else?????


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## BettaSplendid

I never watch TV and I am not on facebook.  I am not interested in sports and I really do not have any friends (that I "hang out" with). That is how I have time for animals. I tried having a friend and she literally drove me batty! Uuuugh. Like called me everyday and wanted to DO STUFF. Ohhhhh I am not cut out for that. I am major homebody and got so burned out that I cut off all communication and was a recluse for about a year just to recover from a 2 or 3 month relationship. I sound so pathetic. Now when people say they want to be my friend I panic. No no noooooooooo... Seriously. My mom laughs because when she spends the night I am up at like 9am in full swing doin' water changes. 8) I can DO THAT. But no phone calls.  I like seeing my friends at functions but my home is my sanctuary and time must be spent wisely. 
Fishies to the reeeescue!

Cows and horses too, MamaJ. And guinea fowl. Daughter and I want PEACOCKS. That is the one animal Husband said "no" to. He is afraid they will get hit on the road (they wander). I did give the homeschool room a peacock theme though...trim color and a few peacock decorations and feathers. I am not really a decorator. That is an understatement. I am NOT a decorator. ;P

Eta- he also said I couldn't have an elephant.


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## themamaj

Guineas Ive seen. They are really cute. I don't watch much either. We cut our cable off couple of years ago since so expensive and not much worthy of watching. I do watch Netflix occasionally as i like the HGTV shows but fish are my tv of sorts.


----------



## Tree

I am so sorry about Howdy. He was such a lovely boy. He had the best life though. Always think of the great times ya had with him. ^^

I love your Chickens/Roosters!


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu

Your husband is a wise man to decline peacocks. Our neighbor had them and guess where they spent all of their time? Yep, with us. They poop everywhere; worse that geese! Cars and trucks seem to be a favorite.

And they must know when you're trying to sleep because that's when they make these gawd awful noises. However....they make great watchbirds.


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## BettaSplendid

Like this, "EEEEEEEEE-YOW! EEEEEEEEEEEEEE-YOW!!" 

They POOP ON CARS?? That is ghastly.



I found an old picture of Humphrie, the flying squirrel! Had to dig it off the lap top. I have my old phone charging because I think I have pics of him on there too. He was sooooo cute with his Egyptian eyes. His acorn looks like a football:


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## Sadist

I'm sorry about Howdy. He seems like he was well-loved and spoiled rotten.

The little squirrel is adorable!

I also didn't know you could play with chickens like that. My friend just got some hens and tells funny stories about how she gets covered in chicken poop whenever she's near them.


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## BettaSplendid

Oh my gosh. I am an IDIOT.

I unplugged Twinkie's heater?! Last night?? I must have thought I was unplugging Stormy's light.

Ooooooooooooh I feeeeeel sooooo stuuuuuuuupid.



He is laying on the bottom, inside his coral. I just drained water, added water, drained water, added water...it was at 60F now at 70F. Going to let the heater do the rest.  Twinkie is use to 80F. Poor pink baby. I cannot believe I did that! I am definitely a morning person. Cannot be trusted at night. 

In other news, the cory babies hatched! Yup, at least 3. And I added the eggs I found and took pictures of...so they should be hatching soon too. It only takes 3 to 5 days. Now can I actually raise them?? Hmmm... They should be eating their yolk sac today. They look like tadpoles.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> I'm sorry about Howdy. He seems like he was well-loved and spoiled rotten.
> 
> The little squirrel is adorable!
> 
> I also didn't know you could play with chickens like that. My friend just got some hens and tells funny stories about how she gets covered in chicken poop whenever she's near them.


The frizzles were hatched in an incubator and hand raised. That makes a big differnece in how tame they are! I think I have seen a gas station bathroom that your friend's chicken used. :shock:


----------



## themamaj

I am not a squirrel fan by any means because we battle continuously over bird food, however, that flying squirrel is the cutest thing! I would be ok with that in my backyard


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## Tealight03

BettaSplendid said:


> Oh my gosh. I am an IDIOT.
> 
> I unplugged Twinkie's heater?! Last night?? I must have thought I was unplugging Stormy's light.
> 
> Ooooooooooooh I feeeeeel sooooo stuuuuuuuupid.
> 
> 
> 
> He is laying on the bottom, inside his coral. I just drained water, added water, drained water, added water...it was at 60F now at 70F. Going to let the heater do the rest.  Twinkie is use to 80F. Poor pink baby. I cannot believe I did that! I am definitely a morning person. Cannot be trusted at night.
> 
> In other news, the cory babies hatched! Yup, at least 3. And I added the eggs I found and took pictures of...so they should be hatching soon too. It only takes 3 to 5 days. Now can I actually raise them?? Hmmm... They should be eating their yolk sac today. They look like tadpoles.


I've done that twice with Killian. He's fine, but itvs definitely not a good feeling.


----------



## BettaSplendid

I am a huge flying squirrel fan now.  They eat things you wouldn't expect, like eggs, mushrooms, moths. Humphrie would go WILD over oak twigs and leaves-not just the acorns. And he loved scrambled eggs and sauteed spinach. I had to stuff towels under my door at night or he would come find me around midnight and jump on my face like a furry pancake, "MOMMY! GET UP! LETS PLAY!" Not a good way to wake up. Noctural pet not so good. I tried putting him a cage at night but he was just SO SAD. He was very cute and well behaved, but not a good pet because of he and I disagreed on when was an acceptable time to play.  Plus, you would need more than one because they are extremely social. 

Last night it got down to 16 degrees and I only had the heater in the room set low.  Poor Twinkie.


----------



## themamaj

How is Twinkie feeling now?


----------



## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> How is Twinkie feeling now?


Aaww, thanks for asking! I believe he is fully recovered. He is out swimming around and now dancing for Daughter who is showing him "their baby", a little pink plastic fish bead. Ahem. She used to pile up easter eggs outside of his tank for him to hatch out in his bubblenest. Hehe.

We have had Twinkie 2 years now! I made SURE his heater was plugged in last night.

Does anyone else have Nerite snails? Do you ever see them? My mom said they were active at night. I haven't seen Hatzie's at all. Not once since putting it in his tank. Son found Twinkie's Nerite sleeping on his coral once. Is this normal? Maybe there is wnough algae they fill themselves up at night amd just sleep all day instead of still looking for food.

I put some java moss and hornwort in the breeder net with cory fry. I think tomorrow I will look for some fry food at the store.

Son made a 3 foot high cross for Howdy.


----------



## Sadist

I see my nerite snail munching all day usually. She crawls above the water line occasionally, usually if the nitrates reach above 20 before the water change. Mine is striped, and sometimes I have to hunt several minutes to find it. They do go dormant from time to time, too.


----------



## Tealight03

I do see my nerite more in the evening. Do you see algae disappearing? I have caught mine above the water line three times. I looked it up and apparently it's normal. I was freaked for a minute though.


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## themamaj

Mine will hide a lot under driftwood or around filter. They will go days where stay hidden more but still move around some and then other days they seem to be all over the glass. If you keep lights on your tank a lot or add some extra moss they shouldn't have any issues finding something to eat. 

Glad Twinkie is doing well. Poor guy must look at those Easter eggs thinking no way could blow a bubble that big! haha. Sounds like he gets lots of interaction and entertainment! 

Your son is 9 or 10? Ok maybe he can help me here. Trying to get stuff together for party bags for this weekend. Theme is Miles from Tomorrowland a Disney Junior show about space so doing some space themed party favors. Several of kids coming are 2nd grade so maybe your son can tell me if this stuff is still fun or neat for older kids. So far have National Geographic book on space and planets (got at Dollar Tree), an alien key chain, alien stickers, glow stick, glow stars, bouncy ball looks like a planet and a moon pie. I have been looking for some space theme pencil and erasers but no luck. May add some gum or other candy. Oh also thought about printing out some mazes on space themes. Have seen some neat printables that were rockets and simple mazes. My grandson could work a ton of those! Loves them. We are going to a bounce house for party to jump on moon bouncers so thought that would go with theme. Have been all over town today looking for stuff, but want it to be fun for all the kids. Can think of anything else fun to add?


----------



## BettaSplendid

He says, "pin the rocket on the planet"
"Death claws is another name for a lobster"- okay, focus boy. Party stuff.
Print out Miles from Tomorrow tic-tac-toe


Michael's has astronaut ice cream near their checkout. Use a coupon! 

We will keep thinking.

No lack of algae in Hatzallah and Twinkie's tanks. I am preeeeetty sure they are alive (the Nerites).


----------



## themamaj

BettaSplendid said:


> He says, "pin the rocket on the planet"
> "Death claws is another name for a lobster"- okay, focus boy. Party stuff.
> Print out Miles from Tomorrow tic-tac-toe
> 
> 
> Michael's has astronaut ice cream near their checkout. Use a coupon!
> 
> We will keep thinking.
> 
> No lack of algae in Hatzallah and Twinkie's tanks. I am preeeeetty sure they are alive (the Nerites).


Haha Death Claws or could be Darth Claws..the force may be strong with that one! Thanks for the ideas


----------



## BettaSplendid

Darth Clawder. LOL.


----------



## BettaSplendid

After co-op today, we ate lunch and then went to Staples. I was looking for Caesar, a computer game, for son. We have the old version but our newer laptop doesn't like it. I spent many an hour playing Caesar and 1602 went I was a teen. LOL. Played it with Then-boyfriend-now-Husband until my mom said she didn't want us hanging around her house on weekends. *sniff* Yeah... Aaaaaaanyways. They didn't have Caesar, but they had similar games and Daughter got all excited over finding FISHCO, a fish keeping game. $2 and it loaded right up and they're playing it now. Have to clean algae and upgrade filters, do water changes...keep up with who eats brine sbrimp, blood worms, pellets or flakes...learn different types of aquatic plants and lighting needs. The fish grow and you sell them at optimal age- and before they start eating each other. They have multiple tanks going. Where did they learn that from? ;-) Ooooooh my gosh....they are screaming now, "THE GUPPIES, THE ORANGE GUPPIES ARE KISSING! HEARTS CAME OUT OF THEIR LIPS AND NOW THERE ARE BAAAAAAABIES!"

ROFL.

Yep, that is how babies are made.

At least with guppies. I think.

I just did ACTUAL water change on shrimp and Simeon's tank. Guess who is preggo? Miss Blue and Black Rili! Black and Clear Mama Rili still has her eggs. So now 2 ladies are berried. Yeeeee!

Husband brought home Hikari First Bites for baby cories. It is a fine powder and goes right through the breeder net. I tried to get it to land on the almond leaf...hope that worked. Also, he brought home brine shrimp eggs and I just set up a hatchery of sorts in Twinkie's tank. Used an upside down water bottle rubber banded and taped to the side of the tank. :shock: and that sounds really...uh, professional, no? Yes? Put eggs in and an airline. In hour after that some salt goes in. And they should hatch tomorrow. That's what the package said. It's "easy". We'll see. The baby cories are still alive anyways.

The Husband expressed some concern that I would get attached to the Baby Brine Shrimp. Ah, c'mon! Like THAT would happen. (I actually have a plastic tub full of water bugs, why?!)

Kids say the Neon Tetras are kissing now. Their virtual reality is my reality.


----------



## BettaSplendid

A picture is worth a thousand words. Plus beaaaaautiful Twinkie and the lovely Stormy wanted in on the pictures.


I am SO HAPPY Twinkie is alright! Thank God! I love that little fish.


The Cardinal Tetras lay eggs but the Guppies have live birth. They have won enough levels that they can plant Anubias now. Ooooo! Anubias.... Love it.


----------



## Sadist

Oh, for a minute I thought you had switched to real life and had some guppies! Haha, my daughter would totally say that about the real fish.

I'm excited that you have two pregnant rilli shrimp! I was sad when so many of them didn't make the transition. The babies should have an easier time of it.


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## BettaBoy11

Ok, I just downloaded that game, and it is SO stressful.
"Ahh! My fish are hungry, AGAIN! I just fed them like 30 seconds ago."
"No!!! I Accidentally put a guppy in with a cichlid."
"If I don't feed this tetra soon it's gonna die!!"
Also, why do I have to buy guppy eggs? Guppies are livebearers. Why do males and females look the same. Also, the 'flush fish' button is disturbing. I'm still playing it though, phew!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Yeah, yeah, I hate the flush fish option. Grrrr. Also want to do water changes before the water is filthy, not once it nasty. Kids have a newfound appreciation for all I go through. *fish drama* I am taking a chai tea break right now in between water changes. (eta- REAL water changes, LOL. on cory tank and Zadok)

I didn't see the cory babies in the net. I took the hornwort out and left only the java moss. Hard to see in there. I had it jam packed.

I found 3 baby trumpet snails in my water change bucket. Hmmmm....seems they are reproducing like rabbit snails. I accidentally sucked up 3 with the sand? LOL.

I sure hope so, Sadist! I hope the babies have a nice rili pattern. Actually, I hope they all look different. I had such a pretty array of rilis at first...spots and splotches.  At least the 2 females and 1 male made it though...and one of each color at that. They have grown fast. One rili mama is 1" long now.

Antigua is beside me, in his log, peeking at me. *swoon* *squeal* Hullo, lil' Deam Plakat.


----------



## themamaj

That game is is so funny. Sounds like reality tv for us! Excited about all babies on way! Our lps has gotten some blue dreams in. So wanting to go by after drop off daughter tonight.


----------



## BettaSplendid

You must have a really good local store! I never see pretty shrimp for sale. I wonder what a blue dream and a red rili would make?


----------



## BettaBoy11

They just added the water change part! Help! I'm debating buying the full version for $4. Have you unlocked bettas in that game yet?Are the snails pets or hitchhiking pests? If they are hitchhikers, and it gets too bad, would you consider getting an assasin snail? 
I'm glad Twinkie is feeling better.


----------



## BettaSplendid

We haven't gotten cories or bettas yet on the game. It was a beautiful day so the kids spent all of it outside and I...cleaned.  My feet hurt now. 

I bought the Trumpet snails to do the borrowing thang in my tanks with Miracle-gro soil. I definitely would consider an assassin snail if they get out of control. I was surprised to see babies already. I wonder how many are actually in the soil. Hmm. I never see them on the glass at night.

I still haven't seen the Nerites. But I have seen Nerite poop. And where there is poop, there is life. Feel free to quote me on that.


----------



## BettaBoy11

BettaSplendid said:


> I still haven't seen the Nerites. But I have seen Nerite poop. And where there is poop, there is life. Feel free to quote me on that.


ooh! I like it. LOL


----------



## Sadist

It should be your signature.


----------



## themamaj

How much was fish game and where did get it? My friend daughter that adopted fish Raisa is going on homebound teaching from extended illness. I thought maybe that is something she might enjoy. 4th grader.


----------



## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> How much was fish game and where did get it? My friend daughter that adopted fish Raisa is going on homebound teaching from extended illness. I thought maybe that is something she might enjoy. 4th grader.


It was at Staples for $1.99. It would probably be just right for a 4th grader. Daughter has a bit of trouble because you have to be able to read to get your "assignment" for each level.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> It should be your signature.


LOL. I tried to add a signature. Is it showing up? I can see everyone elses... Nerite poop signature. Haha.





Eta, oh there, it is showing up now.

I will.quickly need to come up with something else witty that doesn't involve poop.


----------



## Sadist

"Where there is poop, there is life." -BettaSplendid Haha!


----------



## themamaj

$1.99 ill be calling staples thanks!


----------



## BettaBoy11

I got the game on the Canadian iPad App Store. The first 10 levels were free, though I had to pay $3.99 for the full version.


----------



## BettaSplendid

I found my Nerite, I found my Nerite! *sings*

The Little Pooper was under Hatzallah's root ornament. I took the ornament out and vaccuumed the gravel. Decided to leave ornament out and will do another vaccuum within a few days (lots of loose algae floating about). Snaily has been doing a fantastic job on the glass. It looks like new. There is algae on the plants. I wonder if he can climb those? Maybe he is too heavy. Gave Hatzie a new leaf...well, piece of one. They are so big.

Changed Cories' and Antigua's water too, and topped off Stormy. I cannot see any baby cories. I have the brine shrimp in the plastic top off the API master kit, still in Twinkie's tank for warmth. Gave them some algae powder and fry food. Thinking I will just feed them to bettas when they get bigger. I am looking for cory eggs on leaves. Hooefully I can actually raise some.

Hatzie is exploring his tank like he has never seen it before.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Do Nerites bury themselves in gravel?

I took everything out of Twinkie's tank- including Twinkie. Stuck the gravel vac down in the gravel and stirred even. NO NERITE. I lost my mom's Nerite?! *cringe* I looked all in Twinkie's coral. No, no, no, he is not there. I am thinking he must have come out when the heater was off that night. Would he do that? Go off looking for warm water? He may have made it into Stormy's tank then...maybe. Her tank is 2 inches away, literally.

Twinkie is NOT looking so good. He seems weak. The water change seemed to take a lot out of him too. He drapes himself over leaves and swims like his tail is an anchor. But he needed a deep cleaning and a snail.search and rescue mission.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Twinkie in a jelly jar. A raspberry jelly jar to be exact. How can an entire life be contained in a _jelly jar_? Daughter wanted to take his beloved coral out and replace it with the tree stump.



See the bulge on his right side? It has been there a long time though. His scales look raised as well, but then again, they have looked like that for a while too. He is about 2 or 2 and a half years old.



She cannot get enough of Dust Bunny. He got all decked out in flowers yesterday.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Dust Bunny is a perfect circle.


Oh, _there's_ his head.








Twinkie seems to be swimming a bit easier today. He is still lounging quite a bit though, and oddly draping himself....he appears to be sitting on his tail with his body sitting up, head pointed up. He gets up quickly whenever I check on him though. I keep trying to get a picture. His swimming involves a lot of wiggling and effort. Oh, Twinkie. I just last night read about "old tank syndrome". That is a new one to me. I heard about "new tank syndrome". Old tank syndrome is high nitrates that just won't go away. No doubt Twinkie's tank had that (but I wasn't testing so I didn't know). There was quite a bit of mulm in the gravel. Probably bits of algae. All that build up is what causes "old tank" syndrome. Hmm. I wiped the glass down and vaccuumed it all out, rinsed his filter media. I was trying to leave the algae for the snail, but snail is MIA...so no need for algae now. (I ended up putting the coral in Hatzallah's tank just in case snail was on it.) Twinkie could have been suffering from high nitrates. The Love.  I will just clean algae myself.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

I ADORE Dust Bunny. Holy cow. A month ago if you had asked me if I wanted chickens, rats, and shrimp I would have been like "what? why would anyone want those things?" But if you asked me now I'd squeal "yes yes YES!"


----------



## BettaSplendid

Daughter has some more cute chickies out there (you should see Snowy Snowflake!) but she keeps bringing Dust Bunny in because he runs up to her begging to be snuggled.

Cleaned the shrimp tank today. I decided to take their little cave out. I haven't seen them use it and it was taking up too much ground space to be in there if they aren't even using it. Mama Rili's eggs might hatch in one week. Why do their eggs take so long?! 3 or 4 weeks seems like a really long time. It is a shrimp, not a chicken.

Twinkie felt good enough to make faces at Stormy. That is a good sign, right? Beard out, gills out. LOL. Then he goes and rests again.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oh no! This is so sad!




That is Mama Rili's molt! With the eggs (that were due to hatch at the end of this week) still on it. That is soooooo sad! I was wondering what happens when one molts while carrying eggs. I hope the shrimp is alright. She was doing such a good job too. Fanning those little eggs. Ah, well....

Twinkie is swimming much, much better today. His body stays horizontally.

Yesterday was Stormy's water change day. I took out some of her old ornaments and gave her a different one (the big root ornament that was in with gups and cories). Her tank is too shallow so it sticks out of the water but she is having a blast with it anyways!


----------



## Sadist

I wonder if you can artificially hatch them in a jar with a bubbler and java moss.. There won't be much to eat except any powder food you can put in there and anything already on the java moss. I'm guessing without the mother's movement, they eggs will be prone to problems and may not hatch. Some may be strong enough to survive anyways, but you might lose most of the batch.

Good luck!


----------



## BettaSplendid

That can be done! I think you have to find them right away though and these eggs have gone maybe all night and today now... I may try artificial methods if this continues to be a problem. Probably because Mama Rili is so young; she still has a lot of growing and molting to do.

Just got done doing a deep clean on the cory and gup tank. I even took the driftwood out. Goodness, it was heavy! Vaccuumed and then rearranged the wood differently. I tried to put it in such a way that it wasn't blocking light to the bottom (as much).

Oh! And there are cory fry in the net still! And I found more eggs and added them to the net as well.

It took me well over an hour to do the big tank. LOL. Then I did Zadok's tank in just a few minutes. I gave Zadok the little cave that I took out of the shrimp tank. He hasn't gone in it yet. Zadok made a bubble nest! Finally! He made it around the heater cord.  
His hyacinth has been so happy with that National Geographic Track light that it made 6 baby plants. No...more than that 'cause I took some out a while back. I need to take more out because they start blocking too much light! I need a floater bigger than duckweed but smaller than hyacinth. Heh. For some reason my hornwort has decided to grow like crazy and NOT drop needles. Oh, it must be the different light.


----------



## BettaSplendid

"Wussup?" Little Zadok lookin cool. I love his bug eyes.  I have 3 of these little floaty logs. I need a few more so all my bettas can have one. Zadok, Simeon, and Antigua LOVE theirs. Their days center around these logs. 


One very happy betta:


It breaks my heart when I overhear petstore people recommend "quart size containers" for betta. They don't even TRY to sell anything better. "eh....it is just a betta." And some of their bettas sell for $15 or even more. Yet...throw it in a few ounces of water, whatever. /rant


29 gallon, rearranged. It doesn't LOOK as good, but it is more functional. The fish love it! They are having fun exploring the new landscape...erm, aquascape.



Different angle:


Could I put a betta in there? A big frilly one that can't swim fast? I want to!


----------



## themamaj

Dust Bunny is hysterical! She looks like a big ball of feathers with legs!!! Would love to see a picture of Snowy Snowflake! Is she white? Oh Twinkie. I hope he is feeling better but looks concerning from picture. I have never heard of old tank syndrome. That is unusual that a shrimp molted eggs as well. I hope cories will do well. Amazed you keep finding eggs. I guess Feb is month of love haha!!


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## themamaj

Love picture of Zadok peeking out of log! Precious! Your fish are all so fortunate to have such spacious lovely homes to explore and thrive in. I wish others could see the transformation in these guys when you put them in a large tank how that makes such a world of difference for them.


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## BettaSplendid

Do you have any idea what the bump might be on Twinkie? A tumor? I keep reading about bettas getting tumors...but his hasn't changed in size. 

I think my cories lay eggs everytime I do a water change...possibly even more often. Then they eat the eggs- unless I find them first! 

Dust Buuny has great eyes. I will ask Daughter to get Snowy Snowflake. (Daughter named her, and you betcha she is white! Fluffy too.)

I am not sure if I am a good mom or a bad mom for letting all these animals in the house. I guess it depends on who you ask. Daughter has to clean up behind anyone's behind  she brings in. Glad for wood floors. Carpet would be a disaster for me.


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## themamaj

Possibly a tumor. Really hard to say. How are his scales looking? I have noticed my boys that are older tend to get paler as age and more droopy fins. They tend to not be as active as well. 

Looking forward to Snowy's picture. Your animals have the best names! I think it is great you let your daughter bring them inside an interact with them. I think it makes for a more social and happier animal and great experience for kids. But yes wood floors make it easier for sure!!

How is Melchi doing after loosing Howdy? Do rats do ok by themselves?


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## BettaSplendid

Mama Rili today- and quite a bit bigger.


Twinkie, a few minutes ago. He was begging for brine shrimp. I am leaning towards Ailment of Human Incompetancy, aka, Nitrate poisoning. Hopefully he recovers. He is much more active now.


Zadok! This is how he greets me:


A few more pets around here. Fluffy Butt is named that because she has one HUGE booty. She is square shaped. Snowy had a wet beard and wasn't as cute as usual. Will try another picture later.

Eta add, the picture, haha


----------



## BettaBoy11

Still loving your signature


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## themamaj

Oh that Snowy is the cutest chicken I have ever seen!!!!! I could have a whole yard of Snowy Snowflakes sooooo cute! What kind of chicken is it? Love Fluffy Butt and Ernie too. Our neighbors chickens are brown. Are your chickens noisy? Is Rio a collie? I had one growing up named Chewy. Can you guess how he got his name?

Twinkie looks much better in those pictures. Zadok oh what a precious face! Simply gorgeous blue shrimp.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Chewbacca! LOL. Remember the show Alf? Collies look like Alf to me. Hehe.

My chickens aren't too noisy...Lebanon crows at night...near my bedroom. Sigh. 

I am sure Melchi is lonely. We need to go look at the petstores.


----------



## themamaj

BettaSplendid said:


> Chewbacca! LOL. Remember the show Alf? Collies look like Alf to me. Hehe.
> 
> My chickens aren't too noisy...Lebanon crows at night...near my bedroom. Sigh.
> 
> I am sure Melchi is lonely. We need to go look at the petstores.



YES I remember Alf. Lol that is a blast from the past. My Chewy I got about the time the "original Star Wars" came out. Boy that makes me old! He also liked to chew up everything in sight. Good name all around.

Maybe Melchi might like a little wavy haired EE friend? I have thought about him a lot. I sure hated he lost his buddy.


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## BettaSplendid

I will try to visit Fintastic soon and see if they have any males! That would be GREAT if that little blue boy was still there because he would be about full size by now. I am not sure how it would go...introducing a baby to an adult? I have never had to do that.

Got all my co-op stuff ready for tomorrow.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Ooooh, Twinkie seems to be fading. The storms and power outtage last night took their toll. The temp in his tank only dropped a few degrees but it made an impact.  He is just laying on the bottom. He doesn't seem to be in pain. He just looks exhausted.

I told him how much he means to me and thanked him for being a part of our family and told him he is beautiful...special boy. I hope he pulls through. His scales look smooth and he swims some but then lays back at the bottom.


----------



## Sadist

:-( At least he had a wonderful home while he was with you.


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## themamaj

Thinking of Twinkie


----------



## BettaSplendid

This is how he looks, most of the time. Just layin' there. I think he was watching the rainbows dance outside his tank (much more colorful than the picture shows). Sometimes he moves up to a leaf near the surface. His filter and airstone are going so I think he has enough oxygen wherever he is.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> :-( At least he had a wonderful home while he was with you.




Yes! He has had an amazing life. 2 years of being absolutely adored. Wish it was longer.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

BettaSplendid said:


> Could I put a betta in there? A big frilly one that can't swim fast? I want to!


I think I know who you're thinking about... 

I'm so sorry about Twinkie. Poor little guy.


----------



## BettaSplendid

*chokes on cookie*

Yeah....Gabey. I almost wrote, "Like Gabriel"...but nah, can't find one THAT cute. Everyone is so happy in the big tank. A betta might ruin the zen. OR it might be fine. I think I have a betta problem. I see water and just wanna put a BETTA in it!


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

BettaSplendid said:


> *chokes on cookie*
> 
> Yeah....Gabey. I almost wrote, "Like Gabriel"...but nah, can't find one THAT cute. Everyone is so happy in the big tank. A betta might ruin the zen. OR it might be fine. I think I have a betta problem. I see water and just wanna put a BETTA in it!


Haha yep pretty much. When I set up the 10 gal I said to myself: "Okay self. No bettas for this tank. Peaceful community fish ONLY." Introducing Humphrey the white plakat. :/ So much for that.


----------



## themamaj

Overprotective Fish Lover said:


> Haha yep pretty much. When I set up the 10 gal I said to myself: "Okay self. No bettas for this tank. Peaceful community fish ONLY." Introducing Humphrey the white plakat. :/ So much for that.


Haha GUILTY...I can't seem to have a tank without a betta either  How is Humphrey? Did he get used to the mysterious tank mates?


----------



## themamaj

Any change in Twinkie? Thinking of you both.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

Humphrey is doing great! He's not terribly friendly towards us but he gets along with the tetras really well. He has established that he is the king an they are his loyal subjects (although I suspect that they are not so much loyal as scared). I never catch him (or them) chasing or nipping but sometimes he'll give them a meaningful look which sends them swimming for the hills. Lol. Very aloof and kingly. Not scared of anything anymore. He's really a perfect addition to the tank - he gives them space and they give him space - and there seems to be very minimal stress, if any. Gorgeous fish too, though his eye hasn't gotten any better. :/


----------



## themamaj

Glad to hear he is doing so well! I love that he can give a mean face and all subjects fall into submission. Too cute! Watch out next he may give a royal decree of what he would like for dinner


----------



## Tealight03

I hope Twinkie pulls through. It's sad to lose them but they bring so much joy. 

I have a betta problem. I just put the two new boys in their tanks and am wondering where I can put another tank.


----------



## themamaj

I understand that problem Tealight!


----------



## BettaSplendid

So glad Humphrey is getting along swimmingly! 

Twinkie was out this morning, actively swimming. Dorsal fin up. He ate 3 pellets and is now resting inside the root ornament, out of sight. I guess he is just aging. He has to rest a lot. He has a tremendous appetite though.


----------



## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> Glad to hear he is doing so well! I love that he can give a mean face and all subjects fall into submission. Too cute! Watch out next he may give a royal decree of what he would like for dinner


"Bloodworms for the entire Kingdom, I say!!" -Humphrey
"HUZZAH!"-the natives. "Long live the king!"



Oh, I guess they crowned him lord of the 10 gallon.


----------



## IslandGirl7408

So glad Twinkie seems to be doing better! It's seems crazy how much we worry about these teeny little creatures...


----------



## BettaSplendid

Okay guys. Lets appreciate our old man while we have him. If you have an old betta, feel free to post a picture. 

Twinkie a few minutes ago, dancing for the love of his life, my daughter:


I love his blue eyes. Notice Daughter's reflection. They just adore each other. Twinkie is such a good fish.


----------



## Sadist

Aww, look how he came out for her!


----------



## themamaj

Good to hear. Precious pictures of Twinkie


----------



## BettaSplendid

He just can't handle even tiny temperature shifts. I will have to be extremely careful with water changes.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Hey! Twinkie is out and about, swimming normally! He has me on an emotional roller coaster!

It has to be where the power went out during the storm and his temp dropped. And, of course, a few weeks ago where I absentmindedly unplugged his heater on a COLD night. That was bad. Poor Twinkie. He does pretty well when his temp stays regular. Yesterday was "chase the bloodworm on a chopstick day", so everyone was happy.

Husband asked what I wanted for my birthday and I said a new purse because mine is literally falling apart- and I bought it at a thrift store like 4 years ago anyways! Now it really looks bad! I am always thinking the strap is going to break because daughter trots alongside me hanging onto my purse with her weight. LOL. Then I covered my face and laughed, "oh, you thought I was going to ask for FISH!" Husband said he was expecting "lemur colored shrimp", haha. That should be a thing. Ringtail shrimp.


----------



## Tealight03

Glad to hear Twinkie is feeling better. They do worry us don't they.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Daughter got this little doll kit from Michael's today. It has little plastic sewing needles and precut pieces. She sat with Twinkie as she sewed and he danced and twirled happily as he watched her work. Love. I am so relieved to see him active again. I will admit I choked up and cried when I thought I was telling him goodbye.  

I couldn't decide between two purses...one was southwestern, woven and colorful...the other fringed leather with turquoise stone. Husband liked them also and told me to order both...even though they were from different shops. *spoiled* Well now maybe I won't look quite so disreputable. Sometimes I am TOO thrifty and frugal. I do not mind spending money on animals but myself?? 

I saw the Nerite snail! Licking the glass in Hatzie's tank. Still no sign of Twinkie's.

LOL. Daughter's doll. She has sewn one leg, one arm and the girl's tiny kitty toy. It is an interesting mix of different kinds of stitching, over, under, whip...
Oh! Daughter is so much fun! Each year she gets more and more fun. If she likes this kit there is an entire aisle at Michael's of little sewing, beading, building crafts. Teeeheee. She tickles me.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Well this sucks.

I am holding Dust Bunny on my lap and I am not sure if he is dead or alive. Son found him floating in the water. He said his eyes were open and head was up. He scooped him out of the water and ran to the house. We were all screaming and crying. Our favorite chicken?! The sweetest one?? I held him upside down and then wrapped him in warm towels with a hot water bottle. I think he is alive....cautiously optimistic. His comb and wattles are red...


----------



## IslandGirl7408

Oh no! Keep us posted!


----------



## themamaj

Oh no! I sure hope he is ok!


----------



## BettaMommaHeather

I sure hope he is alright, such a pretty rooster.


----------



## BettaSplendid

He didn't make it. 








This is the sort of rooster that will NEVER be forgotten. Like my Earnie... I am just heartbroken. Dust Bunny was like a puppy dog, following us around, wanting to be picked up.



Of all the chickens to fall into the water! Never happened before and I have so many chickens....and it happens to Dust Bunny?

I still have him wrapped in towels with hot water bottle...but he feels stiff now.


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## themamaj

I am so sorry and heart broken for you! Big hug to you and family. No chicken could have had a better home than Dust Bunny.


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## Tealight03

So sorry to hear about Dust Bunny. Cherish those happy memories.


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## Overprotective Fish Lover

I'm so sorry. Sweet little dust bunny. :'(


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## BettaMommaHeather

Oh no, I am so sorry. Hugs to everyone. He knows he was loved and cherished, you and your family made him a very happy rooster I am sure. So sorry...


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## themamaj

How is everyone there doing today? Hope today is a better day. No signs of my blue shrimp. Are they more sensitive than red ones?


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## BettaSplendid

You have driftwood in with your shrimp, right? I find them HARD to see when they are on the wood. They blend right in! Gosh, well I would say they are sensitive...I had a horrible mortality rate. I feel it was mostly fault on my end rather than bad shrimp. First...we had all that rain which made my well water cloudy (must have skyrocketed TDS), then I got sick for a week... I have never owned the red ones though so I cannot compare. I hope yours are alive. How big were they?

My mom spent the night and went to co-op with us today. That was fun! She bounced back and forth between Daughter's and Son's classes. We made paper squirrels in my class for "sq" and read Busy Little Squirrel (I think that was the title).

We miss Dust Bunny TERRIBLY. I was used to seeing him come in the house each day and feeding/spoiling him. Daughter brought his brother Sizzle Frizzle in a little while ago. He is cute too, but not as sweet. He acts like...a chicken (not puppy dog). He found his reflection in the mirror and attacked! When roosters fight, they put up cackles (neck feathers). Usually it looks like an umbrella, but Sizzle Frizzle's feathers were halarious, they engulfed his head. Hehehe.... Uploading pics...


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## BettaSplendid

Hey! Who are you??


I don't like the looks of you! Take that!!


I had to take him aside and tell him not to attack mirror rooster. He is as bad as Antigua fighting the "mirror plakat" (his reflection).


Okay...I'm sorry. (He lied. He went right back to the mirror after his talk.)


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## themamaj

I do have Cholla wood. I hope just hiding or hard to see on black gravel. Co'op activities sound so fun! That is right up my alley. Glad your mom able to come. Were you homeschool growing up? No one could replace Dust Bunny! Definitely one of a kind. Sizzle Fizzle sounds very cute too. I had no idea they reacted to another rooster that way. So are chickens typically ok with human interaction? Not sure what normal chicken behavior would be haha. Love names all your animals. You will have to help me name fish getting from Olivia. He is a marble/koi plakat. Picture on journal. Thought of either something Biblical or beachy lol how's that for extremes?


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## themamaj

Ok I am ROFL while standing in line to vote!!!! I need to make a chicken screen saver. Where is is face in feathers. Hysterical. Love pictures! !! Watch out rooster..Fizzle Sizzle will take you down.


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## BettaSplendid

Hahaha, laughing in line...well, glad I made the wait...uum, funny? Entertaining?

"Normal" chickens just bumble about looking for food, scratch here, scratch there...looooook down...walk on....see a mirror, attack. Try to avoid being picked up and snuggled. Squirm. Jump down. Then there was Dust Bunny. "Hi! Wanna pick me up? Wanna play tea party? I like sliced banana!" I often saw Daughter with a bunch of stuffed animals and Dust Bunny enjoying a tea party/picnic. He sat very well behaved and ate off a little plate.  He looked quite pleased to be invited to the party, actually. Dust Bunny never noticed the mirror. Sizzle Frizzle is all like, "A FOE! IT MUST DIE!" 

A co-worker of Husband gave us these little chickens. She called them Frizzle Sizzle, like it was a real thing.......the name struck me as knee-slappin'-funny. I decided to name the little brown frizzle Sizzle Frizzle. It suits him. My mom was holding one today and said, "you know they sell frizzles for $50 a pair on craigslist, right?" whoa. I told the chickens, "hey, feel free to hatch out some peeps this summer." 

Most of my hens are too cool to brood. Too busy. Too much to do. They are free range and FREE to come and go. I let them keep eggs in their nests and only take what I need. There are hens that only DREAM of such a life (while they are stuck in little cages and every egg they lay rolls away) while mine squander every oppurtunity for motherhood. Maybe these little chickens will hatch something. I have had Earnie and his hens for 4 or 5 years and they have never wanted to go broody (incubate eggs).


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## themamaj

Aww can just see Dust Bunny in with the tea party. That will be a precious memory for your daughter. He ate banana? Would never dream a chicken would eat fruit! So when a rooster sees an enemy his feathers fluff up and rares his tail? Do they bite each other in a fight? I never knew chickens could be so cute! I like the idea of free range. I always buy my eggs that way. Seems cruel to cage them but I know many are kept that way. So do your chickens have a particular nest area they will lay eggs? Do they just wonder off and leave them after they lay them? Essentially is it up to the hen to decide she wants to incubate them? My boss grew up on a farm. I will have to go in tom and tell her all I have learned about chicken behavior  Yes it was pretty funny seeing me in this long line of very serious voters as I was laughing my head off. No doubt I caused quite a scene. What would have been funnier to explain was I was dying laughing at a rooster face off with a mirror! How that made my day.

Have you ever made Amish bread? My co-worker gave me two starters I am working with. I get to bake it in a few days. Can't wait!!! My first attempt at homemade bread.


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## BettaSplendid

Oh yes, they fight! Yeah, they fluff their neck feathers up and then jump and kick at each other. They grab each others faces and pull out feathers. Usually they steer clear of each other. For a long time it was just Earnie, my black rooster, and Lebanon the white rooster. They have their own hens and they go to different places during the day....but occasionally they like a good sparing session! Then this lady gave us all the Sizzle Frizzle cochins- and most are roosters! Oh boy. I hope they can all get along. 

The eggs are a neat thing. I know of 2 nests around the yard. So the hen lays the egg and then leaves. When she "goes broody" she will stay on the eggs for 21 days.(The peep doesn't begin to develop until the incubation begins!) Some breeds are "broodier" than others meaning they WANT to hatch peeps. Cochins and particularly Silkies are broody-peep-hatching-machines. !! When I was a teen, my mom and I had way too many chickens, LOL, and we had 3 Silky hens go broody at once, in the same nest. We called them The Sittin' Sisters. When one hen would leave to poop or eat the other 2 hens would roll away her eggs and tuck them under herself! But don't worry, she would get them back as soon as that hen left. It was ridiculous! When the peeps hatched, they didn't know who was their mommy. The 3 hens shared all the peeps and they all just went around like one very large family. I had a cochin hen start sitting on a Christmas ornament in the barn. I thought she was going to hatch out an elf.

I always get the cage free eggs too. If the store is out of free range I just won't buy any. It makes me sick to think of them in those cages.
It is worth the extra dollar or two to me.


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## BettaSplendid

Oh, what about a name of a favorite beach, for your new betta, MamaJ? I named Antigua after the island in the Carribean! Some tropical places have cool names.


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## BettaBoy11

Sizzle Frizzle is like a male betta. An agressive male betta. Like Pi... 
Yup, basically a chicken version of Pi.
I'm so sorry about Dust Bunny. It's terrible to lose such a social, special little pet.


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## themamaj

Too funny! That cochin could put a whole new meaning to Elf on a Shelf lol


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## Overprotective Fish Lover

Sizzle Frizzle is cracking me up. And the Sittin' Sisters. *giggle giggle snort snort* *teeheehee* *sigh*


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## Sadist

Do you get hawks? We have a lot of hawks here (and hubby hates noise), so no chickens. Plus, our yard floods when it rains.

I recall seeing a special on tv on "free range" turkeys for thanksgiving. The turkeys didn't have cages, but they were packed so tightly in the barn that they might have had more room to move in a cage. I'm not sure if they do the same thing with brooding chickens.


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## Tealight03

Yes you have to be careful about food. I read they will put the food and water in a shed or barn, which is where the chickens congregate. So even if they have access to the outdoors, they don't necessarily go out. Our food system is very sad.


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## BettaSplendid

Is Amish friendship bread like sourdough bread? I got a sourdough starter from a Farmer's Market and kept it up for a while.

We do get hawks if we have tiny chickens. Hawks never mess with my bigger chickens. Hoping they do not notice these "new" cochins...they look bigger than they really are because of their poofy feathers.

The turkey situation is most heartbreaking. Turkeys are very wonderful and loving.

I had to go look at my egg carton... Pete and Gerry's organic eggs...it says "outdoor forage" and small family farms...there is some writing inside the carton talking of loopholes and "organic" farms packing them into giant facilities....hmm... Hopefully Pete and Gerry's are telling the truth and really do have happy chickies. 

I buy store eggs for boiled eggs. My fresh eggs are harder to peel.

Peteandgerrys.com


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## BettaSplendid

Here's my baby, Antigua!! He is so humble...he never gills me.


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## themamaj

Antiqua is so beautiful. Great picture. I think the bread like sweet bread with cinnamon.

Vacuumed tank. No blue shrimp  All red accounted for.


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## BettaSplendid

No little bodies, either?  I am holding out hope that they will show up. They can be on one side of a leaf, under or inside your cholla...blending in somewhere!

I finally found an article that answered my question, "What is a Sizzle Frizzle?"

http://104homestead.com/frizzle-sizzle/

To be a Sizzle Frizzle, you take a Silky hen and a frizzled Cochin rooster. The babies should have frizzled silky feathers. So! Snowy Snowflake really is a sizzle frizzle and Dust Bunny and Sizzle Frizzle are categorized as Frizzles. I think that is right. Whew.

And their neck feathers are hackles, not cackles. LOL. Sometimes I write stupid things. 
Then, randomly, I will realize what I wrote was stupidly wrong...like days later while walking around outside or trying to fall asleep.

Daughter is sewing little pixie dust handbags out of Magnolia leaves. She got the hang of sewing! Girls are soooooo cute.


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## themamaj

I showed by boss picture. She thought really cute too. Would love to see project daughter sewing. So great she is learning. My daughter can do a little on machine but wish I knew enough to help.


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## BettaSplendid

I couldn't cooooontrooooool myself.......I ordered 5 more Carbon Rilis from Flip Aquatic.
https://www.flipaquatics.com/product/carbon-rili/

I need a bigger gene pool than 2 mamas and 1 daddy. I looked up Ohio weather and it looks pretty mild when they should ship. 

I know my tank is well established now! Hoping for the best. Thrive little shrimp, thriiiiive!!

I've gone loopy.


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## themamaj

How exciting. Hope they do well!


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## Sadist

Good luck with the rili's!


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## BettaSplendid

Aha! I found both Nerites. Sure enough, they were both in Hatzie's tank. So when I took Twinkie's coral out, that little Nerite WAS in there and he took a secret ride to Hatzie's where he met up with *gasp* another Nerite. "You mean I am not the only one?!" They have totally.cleaned up Hatzie's place so I moved them both to Twinkie's. I also took ornaments out of Hatzallah and Twinkie's tanks and gravel vac'ed/water changed. All fresh and happy. Then I did the shrimp tank. The crypts are coming along nicely in the shrimp tank. One mama shrimp is due this coming week. The other got re-berried last week. Both are preggo and bouncing their little eggs. Daddy is very proud. The one who is due soon has blueish tint to her clear areas. I am thinking of naming her Blueberry. So I can say Blueberry is berried. 

Stormy's plants are growing in so nicely that soon her tank would be ready for something else...probably a CPO crayfish.


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## Sadist

How exciting!


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## Overprotective Fish Lover

Hey! Your quote has proved true: "Where there is poop, there is life."


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## BettaSplendid

Yes! Never did see poop in Twinkie's tank. I knew it wasn't in there!


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## BettaSplendid

Haven't mentioned the baby cories in a while. They seem to be doing...alright. I see them in the net, though they do blend in with the Almond leaves and java moss. They aren't growing as fast as I thought they would. I am feeding them Hikari First Bites, a fry food. I am not sure how many babies there are.

We're going to visit my mom today...and she lives very near to a fantastic Petco that has beautiful bettas that always look fat, healthy, and clean. It is where Antigua came from, matter of fact. And where mom got her 2 bettas from. I half want to look for a halfmoon or rosetail, and half don't...scared it will not get along in the community tank...


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## BettaSplendid

This is the boy I picked out. There was a similar one with a rosetail. The one I got is halfmoon and I liked him just a wee bit more because he has cool blue bug eyes and some blue on his tail too. No name yet, but I released him into the tank 20 minutes ago and the guppies are TERRIFIED. They won't even move unless he comes close...then they freak out and spaz and run into things. :/ Betta could never catch them...too many obstacles and his fins slow him. Betta is amazed at everything. He is just cruisin' around looking at all the plants and wood.


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## Tealight03

He's a handsome guy!


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## themamaj

Oh pretty boy!! Love the blue eyes...could be a Sinatra???? That cracks me up that guppies are scared. Hit the deck.. his fins can take us alive! Congrats on new boy!  Love to see more pictures


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## BettaSplendid

Here's the one I didn't get. I had them side by side, looking back and forth. It was hard to decide. The rosetail really chewed up his tail. Poor guy. I felt guilty not getting him and setting him free.


This plakat BROKE MY HEART with his eyes. He was the most interactive of all the bettas and wiggle danced and begged me to buy him. His eyes! Uuuuuuuuhhhh... I just made myself promise NOT to get a plakat, but he made me wanna break my promise to myself. Sigh.


I got this book, The Betta Handbook, from Petco too. Husband was driving home and I read my book with Socrates on my lap. He slept and for once didn't hurl on me. (He gets car sick.) Daughter loved the pictures in the book.


And here is a baby cory. All the squiggly things come off the duckweed (it's not poop).


Guppies are gradually becoming more confident around New Betta. Silly things.


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## BettaBoy11

Does the betta handbook give good advice?


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## themamaj

Plakat eyes...subbing. What was his colors? Oh those eyes! Precious baby cory. Never seen one.


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## BettaSplendid

Betta Boy, the book has LOTS of maps (I love maps!) and info about wild bettas. There is a whole chapter devoted to mouth brooding bettas. And another chapter on bubble nest building. There is a chapter on diseases but I wish it had more details about symptoms for diagnoses (I was reading that last night hoping there would be something helpful for Levi, MamaJ). I liked the history of bettas.... Betta Splendins means "splendid battler". Hahaha! That is cute. Shoulda been "tiny warrior".

I am nowhere near done reading it. There is a lot of info on foods...some foods I have never heard of (worm cultures and such). I will likely mention it again as I read more.

Guppies are back to normal, flirting amongst themselves. New Betta ignores them so far. Right now he swam up to a cory and put his gills out. The cory of course didn't even notice him, so Betta put his gills down and backed away. No reaction is no fun so he will quickly lose interest in them. The guppies, gah, yesterday....if Betta put his gills out at them, they would freak out and dive headfirst into the sand, sending up a cloud of sand. BOOM. It was all the reaction a Betta could hope for! What fun! All powerful gills! Heh... But now they are ignoring him and his morale is dropping. "Where is the brilliant display of fear today?!" he is probably thinking. Betta is spending a lot of time right where I imagined he would...in the floating plants and log at the front/top of tank.

So that precious little plakat will probably marble black. I have a pic of his side, will upload.


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## BettaSplendid

"Neveh seen this before....neveh seen this before....oooo! Neat!" New Betta amazed by everything in tank, especially marimo balls and pebbles.


Wisteria forest.


Heart Breaker.


Snowy Snowflake, The World's Softest Hen.


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## Sadist

Cute little hen! I love the baby cory. I wonder if they'd be able to eat wormy things. Love the little plakat guy! I don't know how you resisted those eyes.

My guppies were afraid of a baby betta. She was maybe half a cm bigger than they were, but they just hid by the sand the whole time they were in her tank. Every once in a while, she would dive bomb them, and they would flee in terror. She didn't even have to flare! I guess they have that prey instinct when the other fish is bigger.


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## BettaSplendid

I know...I know....Plakat had _eyebrows_. Who can resist?? I hope he gets a good home. He had such a sweet personality! Little charmer.

The cory fry get excited when I put in the Hikari first bites. I might try baby brine shrimp again. I stupidly forgot to get a brine shrimp NET, again! No way to get them out for feeding...and I don't own any pantyhose. LOL.


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## themamaj

Thanks for looking for help for Levi. Love the plakat. Snowy looks like a cuddle buddy. So precious! Is your new boy golden color? Midas would be cute name. Too funny can just see him thinking wondering why he isn't sending guppies into retreat.


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## Sadist

Haha, and being curious about rocks and plants makes me a little sad even as I laugh at him.


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## BettaSplendid

It is kinda sad, Sadist, that he has never seen a pebble before. :/

New Betta is only slightly bigger than the guppies, bodywise. His fins make him appear MUCH bigger. The guppies never were afraid of Simeon or Zadok. Well, they're not afraid of New Betta now either. Apparently he is no threat. They swim right next to him now and he doesn't try to go after them. Hopefully, it stays like this and he doesn't start glass surfing like Simeon and Zadok did.

I keep forgetting to mention that Blueberry (the blue rili mama) didn't have her eggs 4 days ago. They were due to hatch so maybe they did...or maybe she molted. Hopefully they hatched. I guess they would be very hard to see because they are so tiny. The other rilis should arrive Friday.

New Betta is sorta a peachy color. I was thinking of the name Soloman. I felt pretty bad yesterday and stayed in bed most of the day...like super, super tired and muscles aching. I was going to think up names but didn't feel up to it. He does have a golden appearance and Soloman plated most of the temple in gold...that was my thought line. Heh. And then my brain got very tired. Soloman suits him, I think. I haven't decided 100% though.


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## BettaSplendid

Aaawww, here is New Betta before I picked up his cup. He looks REALLY bored. As soon as he realized I was interested, he puffed up all his fins and out came his beard. I can't believe I didn't get a picture of him gilling me! He was pretty feisty!


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## themamaj

Soloman is perfect. So funny I pondered that name for Kokomo. Great minds think alike. He is a very lucky boy to have found a home with you! Yes it is really neat to see how excited they get over new home but as you said heartbreaking too that they have never had even the most simple experience of exploring a plant or gravel. I look forward to following him. Really a gorgeous boy I expect will really. be magnificent as he grows. Hope you feel better.


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## Sadist

I hope you feel better today! I'm sure you'll get lots of pictures of him flaring once he's settled into his new place.


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## BettaSplendid

Okay, I will name him Soloman then.

He thinks he is a guppy. They like him now and he doesn't seem to mind them at all. He likes watching the cories. I got some Omega One "veggies pellets" for guppies and cories (and maybe shrimp? There was a shrimp picture on the canister)...ingredients are spirulia and kelp amd then goes into meats. Uuuuummm, well surprisingly, Soloman wolfed them down too. Hope its okay if he has a little.

Did water change for Twinkie, Stormy, Antigua, and Zadok. 

Twinkie....I am getting a bit worried. Daughter talks about how he is the bestest, most wonderfullest, most beautifullest betta in the whooooole world and there could be no better fish for her.  I did a search today for pink bettas and didn't find any. Also haven't seen any in store (ever actually). I seriously do think God prepared that little fish for her and sent him to Walmart at the right time that she would meet him...and kept other people from buying him. Really, it is amazing she found him. I don't know, he could live another year or two or he might go soon. He is much better than he was a few weeks ago but still not great. I wonder what will happen when he dies. Where will I find another pink betta?! I might need help, guys. If you see one somewhere and don't mind shipping... I think, honestly, time is near. She likes big floofy tails. Don't know if I could do outrageous aquabid prices though.
It makes me very sad to have to think about this...we love Twinkie.

Eta-oh, yes, I feel much better today! Went to bed at 7pm last night.


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## Sadist

:-( Pink is so rare. The closest I usually see are the salamander coloring on elephant ear bettas. I've never actually brought one home to see what the coloring changes to in a good environment. Cello's have a pinkish body, but it's really rare to find one that isn't a marble in disguise. I brought home a "pink" fish that marbled into a turquoise butterfly. Daughter was not amused as she also likes pink fish with big floofy tails.

I'll keep an eye out, though. I guess I have seen a few that truely looked carnation pink (one was a veil tail at walmart, another was on aquabid and was more magentaish).

Here's an aquabid of what I mean:

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwbettashm&1457544520

I do see these at our PetCo from time to time, and sometimes they look lavander/purple instead of pink like this one.


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## themamaj

Kirov is pink. Have seen similar at Petco. That store went to last yr in Nashville also had pink. Will keep eyes out. I agree with daughter Twinkie is beautiful one of a kind.


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## Sadist

Aww, I just looked back and saw the drawing your kiddo did of Twinkie getting married and blowing a bubble nest. So cute!


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## BettaSplendid

Solomon...augh, spelling fail.

Oh yeah...the "bubble pipe" picture! LOL. She draws the cutest pictures of Twinkie.

Oh man, that aquabid pink betta-yowzahs. With shipping I bet he was around $60. Beautiful though. He is worth the $30 but with shipping...that is a lot for a fishie.


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## Sadist

That's just an example. I see a lot of similarly-colored ones in our Petco, but I'm not sure how the pink will color up once in good water. I assumed it turns that maroonish color like this one's head.


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## BettaSplendid

Huh. I never woulda thought that even the pinks would change color. Twinkie was all pink, then he started developing plum colored dalmation spots-only a plus in the eyes of a little girl! She tells everyone about her "pink fish with purple spots" and they look at me and I say, "yep, its true".

I might just save up dollars here and there in a PFF, Pink Fish Fund, so when one comes up I will have the money set aside and no guilt. Heh. 

So you do see ones like that at Petco? Halfmoon? There were no pinkies at the one I just looked at. Would you feel comfortable shipping one? Maybe I should contact Liln. I read her journal some but all the pics actually lock up my phone! I find that amusing since I can watch videos fine and NO other website locks me up. The closest PETCO for me is almost 2 hours away.


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## ThatFishThough

I can check my stores to. Going today & friday.


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## BettaSplendid

Haha! Scour the USA! Find all the pink fish!


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## Sadist

I've never shipped before, and it'll probably be a month or more before I buy the needed supplies and get them shipped here. You know, bags from this site, heat packs from that site, dig through the garage for the right sized box. We probably have enough paper and paper towels and bubble wrap already. Mostly, I'm just nervous because I've never tried it. I probably could. It might take longer for me to find a local pink fish, too, since they don't pop up very often.


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## BettaSplendid

Yes. I know.........it would be NERVE WRACKING. I certainly wouldn't be volunteering to find a perfect pink fish for a 6 year old girl and SHIP IT. LOL. No way. Can you imagine the reaction to a DOA? Not good. NOT good. I in no way want to make anyone feel pressured to ship a fishie. I think I will save up 5 bucks here and there and if anyone sees one on aquabid or whereever, let me know. Or whoever feels confident shipping and has done it before or received fish and seen how it's done. I usually avoid looking in Walmart at the bettas because it is so sad...but maybe that is the place to randomly find pink ones?

Would they even need heat packs now with spring coming?

Twinkie looks pretty good today. He is loving the hornwort I gave him. Some came with the shrimp from Flip Aquatics and it is an extremely fluffy variety! And grows fast. Twinkie said it makes an excellent lounging spot near the surface. I got him a new "fine" bubble stone too. Gotta pamper him. He doesn't feel up to playing in his bubbles anymore though, but its there incase he wants to. He used to somersault nonstop in his bubbles.


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## Sadist

I could look at walmart (mine has been getting really cool colors lately!), but it makes me so sad to leave all the clamped up blue veil tails that no one wants there. I have more time this afternoon, so I can check another pet store after lunch today.


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## BettaSplendid

The shrimp came a day earlier than tracking said they would. I wasn't expecting them so I took my time going to the mailbox. Whoops. It is a nice mild day and their water is a good temp. Little rilis!

Oh, Sadist, I have full confidence that you could ship a fish FINE. I also understand if you'd rather not! I just don't want to pressure anyone. I would be so worried trying to ship one, ya know? A little life...in a box. In the dark. Gettin jiggled around. But the home he ended up at would make it worth it!

Now....on to acclimating these little guys- and I do mean LITTLE! It is amazing how fast they grow. They are very active in their baggie. Some are blue rilis *delight* and some are straight up carbon rilis. So. Cool. I am glad to have variety! Eeeeeee! They have great patterns too.


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## Sadist

Awesome! I hate when tracking is wrong, and things get left in the mailbox or *shudder* in the sun next to the garage door.

Pink with purple spots will be hard to beat. I'll go check Petsmart, probably not walmart today. I might buy a bunch of stuff at walmart, and I just spent $100 on new clothes for the kiddo yesterday.


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## BettaSplendid

I found this old "tank" I had when I was younger. I remember raising tadpoles in it. I cleaned out and have been using it to hold water during water changes. I think it is 2 gallons (eta- nah, it is probably 1...). For now I am using it to acclimate shrimpie friends. Have their bag clamped to the side and airline dripping one drop per minute in. They gave an extra shrimp again; six are in there.

Sadist, oh I thought blues were the most popular color for betta. Maybe the most common. Once I saw a very orange veiltail at walmart and was captivated. At the time I had 3 bettas and thought it insane to get another. LOL. Not so long ago I had sanity. No more.  Now I don't even pretend.


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## themamaj

My sanity gone long time ago! Blue shrimp gorgeous


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## Sadist

Awesome!

I didn't see any fully pink fish at PetCo, either. They did have some pretty colors, and a salamander ee geno guy. There was a young veil tail that looked pink, but I'm pretty sure he'll darken to red by the time he grows up. There was a purple veil tail, but that's not as good as pink, I'm sure.


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## BettaSplendid

Oh, purple! It is amazing the colors that are out there.

I realized the other day...Daughter is the whole reason we even have fish. The blame rest squarely on her, not me. Back then I had reasoning. She was a mere 3 years old when she first gave voice to her desire for a "pink fish". Had no idea where she even got this idea from...and her being 3 years old, well, I *reasoned* that she was too young to really WANT a pink fish and I figured she'd forget about it and we would go on with our lives. But she kept asking. Insisting she needed this fantasized pink fish. I asked what would she do with one if I did get her a fish? Her answer was she would BURY it "like a treasure". Horrified doesn't begin to describe it. Ummm, NO fish for you, young lady. Then she realized...okay, maybe you don't bury fish... Months go by during which she promised she would NOT bury her future pink fish. I think she was 4 when she went on "Man Day" with Husband. Sometimes the kids go to town with him and he always takes them somewhere to "pay" them for their help. So they went to WalMart. And went to the fish. And saw the bettas. And one was pink. The Pink Fish. There were only 2 bettas left. The other was red. Husband asked, "Which one do you want?" and she couldn't BELIEVE he was serious! Ma was far too practical for this pipe dream to come true, but with Pa anything is possible! Of course she chose the pink one. They got a little bowl, gravel, a cave and flakes. I was surprised when they got home with him. I knew NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING about fish. I knew his care was in my hands too. But he was sooooooooooo adorable I loved him right away. I also knew he wasn't going to stay in that little bowl for long, either. Haha. It was my mom who first informed me about bubble nests. I was amazed that he would build nests. I thought that was the cutest thing ever.


----------



## Sadist

That is so awesome! Mine asked for a purple fish for her 4th birthday. I bought a purple crowntail at walmart, and he turned out to be blue at home. So, it's totally my daughter's fault we have fish, too. It is my fault that we have more than one tank, though. "Let's get tankmates! Oh, this female crowntail is my most favorite blue color! Guppies would be nice now that the betta had to move to his own tank! I'll upgrade Mrs. Fish's tank and keep this little one as a plant quarantine!" Hehe :-D


----------



## BettaSplendid

Plant quarantine NEVER works for me, either. Then I am looking at this densely planted paradise thinking, "a betta would love this!" enter Simeon!

Too bad it wasn't your husband that bought the first one. The first one paves the way. They are so addicting. Son wants a gecko. Husband was going to get one until I said, "What if I really like the gecko and want more?" he got that deer in a headlight look, I swear. He quickly decided Son didn't need a gecko.


----------



## Sadist

The hubby was already "no rabbits, no snakes, etc" because our local store had the bunny area open. We would go at least twice a week to pet and feed the bunnies (she'd pick up their hay and hand-feed them). She also got to pet the snakes because the employees handled them often to keep them tame. We were so sad when they went out of business.

The plant quarantine: "Mommy, why do we have a whole tank for just this little plant?"

The kiddo and I both want some sort of reptile pet, but they just seem too expensive and hard to set up right now.

I forgot, I did see a pinkish boy at Petco, but he had a weird rash on his face. I don't have a quarantine tank right now (since my orange guy is using it) or medicine apart from salt and paraguard. I'm not even sure he would have stayed pink once healed up, either.


----------



## ThatFishThough

Saw some guys that looked like this...


(not my picture) My petsmart gets a new shipment Friday, i'll go back and get pictures of the two EE and the new arrivals. 

Edit: Pic didn't show. one moment please. ::


----------



## BettaSplendid

Pretty sure I am counting 8 shrimp in the bag. There are at least 2 veeeeeery small babies in there, less than an 8th of an inch. They must have snuck in unnoticed.

So that Betta Handbook is pretty neat. Bettas have been bred for aggression... The wild ones apparently aren't as aggressive and can be kept in groups-particularly the mouthbrooders since there is no nest to protect. And the fry do not have gills or labrynth organs working yet but absorb oxygen through their bodies. That is why daddy has to blow them back in there if they drop out. Hope I explained all that accurately. I read a little each night when I get in bed.

Solomon has a secret spot deep in a groove in the driftwood. His temple.  Driftwood is a beautiful thing to a betta. He seems to be enjoying his exploring. He does way more interesting stuff than the guppies. The tank is so fun to watch now.


----------



## BettaSplendid

I asked Daughter if she were to get another betta would she want another pink one? She said, "No, it would be purple-with pink stripes and blue eyes." LOL. I might just take her to different shops locally and see if there is one she just clicks with. I don't know if she would regret getting one spur of the moment and realizing later it isn't what she was hoping for. Maybe I am over thinking this. I want her to love her next fish as much as she does Twinkie.

Here, Son is removing a hyacinth with his Lego crane. Notice the odd position Twinkie sits in. Also of note, all his furniture. Daughter arranges things for him to look at constantly.


----------



## Sadist

Is Twinkie sleeping with the thermometer or watching the crane?


----------



## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> Is Twinkie sleeping with the thermometer or watching the crane?


LOL. Both. He was already in that odd position and then just watched the alien abduction of his hyacinth take place. "Bye, Hyacinth..." He sits in really weird positions, but then he readily jumps up and swims around when I talk to him.

I put the new shrimpies in their tank at 7:30pm. So they had 7 hours of acclimation! I had a thermometer in with them. I did everything I could to insure a smooth transition. I hope they all make it... Everyone I could see this morning looked good. No back flips ( _back flips are bad_ ). Rob at Flip Aquatics was kind enough to send me a generous amount of Salvinia Minima. For free. I shamelessly begged in the comment section. I have that quarantining in a tupperware.

Look at this awesome picture of Blueberry! Best shrimp picture I have ever taken.


----------



## Sadist

Wow, she's gorgeous! What an awesome picture, too.


----------



## BettaSplendid

More Twinkie fun.


Oh, I had another but it isn't uploading. Hmm. Well, he is in his favorite spot, the blue "coral" thing near the surface. He lounges on it. Usually he rests half on the blue thing, half in the hornwort.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> Wow, she's gorgeous! What an awesome picture, too.


Well, hopefully soon I will be over run with cute little shrimpies and I can send you some. I keep my insulated boxes that they came in. They get along fine with crays and gups-in my experience. Well, actually that is ghost shrimp. LOL. I am hoping these will too.


----------



## Sadist

Awesome, thanks! I gotta get my meds under control so I can stop being sick and keep up with water changes better!


----------



## themamaj

So you all are saying it is the children that got us into this love for fish? ...guilty as charged.

Twinkie and his furniture is so precious. He has his open concept floor plan going meanwhile the crane is doing major renovation in his front yard LOL. He is so laid back and just taking it all in. 

That is the best picture of a blue shrimp! So beautiful!!!! I hope they all do well for you. I may have to get me some more shrimp and try again.

How is Solomon doing? Who is the author of your Betta Handbook you got? Thinking of Khanan today. Can just picture him walking around with cheezy grin on this pretty day.


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## BettaSplendid

OH I PRESSED BACK AND LOST MY POST! WAAH



It was a good entry too.

Well, the short version was the author is Robert J. Goldstein.



I loved the comment about the open floor plan and renovations! HAHA. Yeaaah, nothing flaps old Twinkie these days. Not even a gigantic claw removing one of his plants.

Here is another interesting tidbit from the book. When mouthbrooders breed, the female releases eggs and the male catches them on his anal fin. Then the female recovers and she catches the eggs as they roll off his fin. Then she spits them back at him and he catches them in his mouth! How about that for teamwork!

Oh, I wrote about Khanan too, in the post I lost (it is just so irritating to lose a post...)

So today is very warm and Daughter and I hosed the 'pacas down. You wouldn't think they would like that, but they do! Then we laid on the trampoline enjoying the warm breeze. Khanan stood beside it humming. He is soooo strange looking! Just so funny that he ends up being cute. And yes, his perpetual cheezy grin adds to the look. I think winter may be over and now comes shearing. Then he'll look REALLY strange!


----------



## Sadist

Looked for pink bettas again today since I'd forgotten to look at stands yesterday. Nothing definite today, though I saw a cute black copper crowntail girl at Petsmart. She's smaller than Sky, and I so wanted to bring her home to play with the guppies. I somehow managed to control myself like I did with the black and red butterfly yesterday. I think the hubby would like a black fish. Hmm.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Uh oh! Your resistance is weakening. Searching for pink fish may be more dangerous than it first seemed.

I got this picture of my favorite out of the new group. I love the little speckles and my favorite part is the legs! Black, white, white, black. So cute. I hope it has babies like that.


----------



## BettaBoy11

BettaSplendid said:


> OH I PRESSED BACK AND LOST MY POST! WAAH
> 
> 
> 
> It was a good entry too.
> 
> Well, the short version was the author is Robert J. Goldstein.
> 
> 
> 
> I loved the comment about the open floor plan and renovations! HAHA. Yeaaah, nothing flaps old Twinkie these days. Not even a gigantic claw removing one of his plants.
> 
> Here is another interesting tidbit from the book. When mouthbrooders breed, the female releases eggs and the male catches them on his anal fin. Then the female recovers and she catches the eggs as they roll off his fin. Then she spits them back at him and he catches them in his mouth! How about that for teamwork!
> 
> Oh, I wrote about Khanan too, in the post I lost (it is just so irritating to lose a post...)
> 
> So today is very warm and Daughter and I hosed the 'pacas down. You wouldn't think they would like that, but they do! Then we laid on the trampoline enjoying the warm breeze. Khanan stood beside it humming. He is soooo strange looking! Just so funny that he ends up being cute. And yes, his perpetual cheezy grin adds to the look. I think winter may be over and now comes shearing. Then he'll look REALLY strange!


You can't talk about Khanan without pictures...


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oh, sorry.  I can see him out the window. He's pooping.

I will get a picture of him playing in the hose then.


----------



## Sadist

What a cute shrimp! My ghost shrimp had green speckles like that. I'm not sure what happened. It started hiding more, and Tequila may have eaten it. It could still be hiding, though. They're really hard for me to see when they go camouflage.


----------



## themamaj

Thank you for *not* getting a picture of pooping. ROFL. Glad you all and Khanan had a good day with the hosing. A wet alpaca has to be a sight! 

That shrimp is gorgeous! Love the little speckles. You are going to make my resistance wane too. More shrimp...must pay gymnastics...oh maybe have one more paycheck before have to pay gymnastic...hmmm maybe a few more shrimp?  I lost Big Mama cray this past week. Looked like a molt gone bad. Now only one cray, one ghost and three red rhilis. Big tank is seeming empty for inverts.


----------



## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> Thank you for *not* getting a picture of pooping. ROFL. Glad you all and Khanan had a good day with the hosing. A wet alpaca has to be a sight!
> 
> That shrimp is gorgeous! Love the little speckles. You are going to make my resistance wane too. More shrimp...must pay gymnastics...oh maybe have one more paycheck before have to pay gymnastic...hmmm maybe a few more shrimp?  I lost Big Mama cray this past week. Looked like a molt gone bad. Now only one cray, one ghost and three red rhilis. Big tank is seeming empty for inverts.


I am sorry to hear that, but cough *move the inverts to a smaller tank and put 6 girls in the bigger tank* cough

I love the little CPO, but scared to spend money on them. Are we doing something wrong or are they just...umm,prone to dieing, like unexpectedly? They are really cute and it is really sad to lose one. Big Mama, Pinch In Peace.  I guess she is playing with Snippy Snappy and Tigress now. *cry*

Alpacas are actually comical poopers. Their front feet are together but back feet spread a mile wide. Fluffy tail gets flipped up onto back. And then they have this dignified face-as they are pooping. It is funny to me.  They are very tidy. They have designated poopy spots. This is why sometimes you'll hear about them visiting retirement centers. They won't just poop inside the building. You take a lil' poop in a jar and sprinkle where you WANT them to go and they will. "Poop HERE." yes? Glad to know that? You can share that at work. That lady at work is goina be all "....okay, who have you been talking to?!"


----------



## BettaBoy11

BettaSplendid said:


> Alpacas are actually comical poopers. Their front feet are together but back feet spread a mile wide. Fluffy tail gets flipped up onto back. And then they have this dignified face-as they are pooping. It is funny to me.  They are very tidy. They have designated poopy spots. This is why sometimes you'll hear about them visiting retirement centers. They won't just poop inside the building. You take a lil' poop in a jar and sprinkle where you WANT them to go and they will. "Poop HERE." yes? Glad to know that? You can share that at work. That lady at work is goina be all "....okay, who have you been talking to?!"


I laughed way too hard at that... THAT needs to be your signature.


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## BettaSplendid

LOL! Would you re-read it everytime I posted something? Hehehe. Another funny thing I forgot to mention is they "wait in line" to use THE poop pile. They won't just go just because they need to, but they wait their turn.

They can be taught to "go" right into a bucket too, dunno how, it isn't on my "to-do" list.


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## BettaBoy11

BettaSplendid said:


> LOL! Would you re-read it everytime I posted something? Hehehe. Another funny thing I forgot to mention is they "wait in line" to use THE poop pile. They won't just go just because they need to, but they wait their turn.
> 
> They can be taught to "go" right into a bucket too, dunno how, it isn't on my "to-do" list.


That is gross... But SO AWESOME!


----------



## themamaj

Hahahaha oh my boss would love that story! Makes me think of that video of alpacas in the workplace. I may have to go watch that again. 

Yes the CPO loss has frustrated me. Big Mama was really big so maybe she was an older mama? Maybe she got in fight with other cray? I am pretty vigilant on vacuuming and water changes so my perimeters stay stable. On shrimp, they have just disappeared. Don't know if were eaten, accidentally vacuumed up or what. The reds seem to hold their own fine so if I get more it will be reds. I know *cough* I need to set up a separate shrimp tank so I can enjoy them without worry. Maybe if I do set up a sorority then it would be easier to do that since I would be reducing number of active tanks instead of adding. Can I do a sorority in a 10 gallon?


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## BettaSplendid

Tree's is 10 gallon. I think densely packed with plants is key. And adding all girls at once before anyone claims the entire tank as her own.


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## BettaSplendid

Blueberry molted today! That must mean her eggs had hatched and she did NOT molt last week when her eggs suddenly "dissapeared". Maybe I will see little babies soon? Oh, and now Blueberry is re-berried as well. They waste no time. I wonder if Little Blue is the daddy again. He is my only Blue Dream. I really hope the babies make it! Can you imagine Blue Dream Blueberries?! Das alota blue.

New shrimpies seem to be doing just fine.

Did water change on big tank. Solomon was very interested in what I was doing as I scrubbed the glass and fluffed Amazon sword leaves. He seems really content. He likes exploring but also hangs out relaxing too. No extremes.


----------



## themamaj

Berried Blueberry so cute! I sure hope those babies do well. Would love to see that combination. 

Can you post a new picture of Solomon?


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## BettaSplendid

Solomon this morning:


Guppies zipping by:


I had a full tank shot too, but it just won't show up at photobucket! Tried sending it 3 times. Maybe later.

Solomon is just too cute. He has figured me out, for sure. I mean pellets.

Daughter and I watched a few corn husk doll making videos on youtube. She said she wanted to make me something. So I suggested that. We had corn in the barn so off she ran to get some and I gathered yarn and ribbons and stuff. She is working on it right now. She is always crafting up something! She is soooo messy but so creative. I try to just go with it. Just gotta keep her well stocked with papers, glue, TAPE, yarns, stuffing and the occasional idea to get her started. Then stand back 'cause she is a "do it myself" type. LOL.


----------



## Tealight03

Solomon is so cute. 

The dolls sound like a fun project!


----------



## Sadist

He's gorgeous!


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

I was in Boston recently, and on the drive home we stopped by a Petco as there aren't any in Canada. I almost died. Gorgeous bettas: decently healthy kings, dumbos, butterflies, rose tails, etc. And the live plant stock was extremely healthy, unlike the half-dead ones here. There were a few little dumbos that were white and burgundy just like Gabey used to be! I called them "little Gabey's" and it broke my heart to leave them. Unfortunately I don't think you can take live fish and plants over the border. *sigh*

Do you have any Petcos around where you live? Maybe you could find some pinkish bettas there. The whole time I was looking at them I was thinking "wouldn't Bettaspendid's daughter like this one" and "ooh I bet Bettasplendid's daughter would like that one" haha. I don't think I have enough experience to ship though.

Anyway, just a thought.


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## themamaj

He looks great! Has colored up more. Is he sort of a gold or peach color? What brand of betta log do you have? Have thought about getting one but read mixed reviews on different brands.

What a fun project to try with corn husk dolls.Love to see picture of her finished project.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Petco is where Solomon (and Antigua!) came from! But it is almost 2 hours away so I cannot check new stock frequently. I KNOW AMAZIIIIIIING BETTAS, right? Each one squeal worthy. It is probably a good thing one is not closer to me. Petco is about 5 minutes away from my mom though, so I go when I visit her. I have a Petsmart near me but it isn't nearly the Betta Bonanza as Petco is.

So that log came from Petco too. DH made the mistake of sending me alone with the credit card while he and the kiddies stayed at my mom's. *cackles* It is a ZooMed floating aquarium log in size "small" (7 inches long). I think my others are "mini". Again, I saw that and snatched it up because my Petsmart only has mini! So I was happily walking around with Solomon, a betta log, a betta book and pellets. I resisted the live plants.

Yeah, maybe his color is changing! That or it is because I wiped down the glass. It was kinda hazy. But I think you're right. His body is looking more yellow and fins a peachy/orange. I hesitate to say gold because I have seen a GOLD betta before and it is amazing. I will upload that. You'll lose your mind. I think he was a google image. Maybe aquabid but who would sell this betta? You'll see...just gotta dig through my saved pics.


Okay, got some pics of Daughter with her doll! She is started on #2 now.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Full tank shot. Is there any question who is king of the tank? Bettas rule. Guppies and cories are subservient.


Corn Husk doll, attempt #1 . Says her name is Ryzee. I say, "okay, lemme get your picture. Pick a tank to stand in front of!" She chose Antigua. 


THIS is why I hesitate to call Solomon "gold"!! *faints*


And this one is just awesome as well.



I can't even IMAGINE such a fish could be possible...maybe it is photoshopped. I hope it is real.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

HOOOOOOOOOLY GUACAMOOOOOOOOOOOLE that black and gold guy! *faints*


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## BettaBoy11

Antigua isn't the same guy in your avatar is he?


----------



## themamaj

LOl I think I have seen that betta and save image as well somewhere. Oh yes to dream of such a betta blows my mind. That is Olympic Gold! Definitely drool worthy. Solomon comes in a close 2nd though. He is gorgeous. 

Antigua, was also a white fish, hehehe Love his tank. Actually I love all your tanks!!!

I am so impressed with daughter! What a cute doll. She has great artistic talent. It is wonderful you give her so many opportunities like that. Those would make great gifts 

I saw my red rili shrimp this am that is berried. Maybe that makes her a raspberry!


----------



## BettaSplendid

BettaBoy11 said:


> Antigua isn't the same guy in your avatar is he?


Yup! He was my crash course in betta marbling. :lol:

He started changing and I was like "whaaaaaaaaaat is going on here?!"


----------



## BettaSplendid

Overprotective Fish Lover said:


> HOOOOOOOOOLY GUACAMOOOOOOOOOOOLE that black and gold guy! *faints*



Ouch! You fell on me! There is just going to be a pile of admirers on the floor around him.

Hahaha


----------



## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> LOl I think I have seen that betta and save image as well somewhere. Oh yes to dream of such a betta blows my mind. That is Olympic Gold! Definitely drool worthy. Solomon comes in a close 2nd though. He is gorgeous.
> 
> Antigua, was also a white fish, hehehe Love his tank. Actually I love all your tanks!!!
> 
> I am so impressed with daughter! What a cute doll. She has great artistic talent. It is wonderful you give her so many opportunities like that. Those would make great gifts
> 
> I saw my red rili shrimp this am that is berried. Maybe that makes her a raspberry!


Raspberry! Eeeeeee! That is adorable. I have a carbon rili berried that is nearly solid black. She shall henceforth be dubbed Blackberry. She was Mama Rili (the one who molted outta her eggs a while back) but Blackberry suits her. Bery berried Berries. You need a Strawberry Shortcake.


----------



## ThatFishThough

Sorry to crash your party guys, but that gold Betta is photoshopped. 

Loving your Journal!


----------



## themamaj

BettaSplendid said:


> Raspberry! Eeeeeee! That is adorable. I have a carbon rili berried that is nearly solid black. She shall henceforth be dubbed Blackberry. She was Mama Rili (the one who molted outta her eggs a while back) but Blackberry suits her. Bery berried Berries. You need a Strawberry Shortcake.


That would be a super cute name!


----------



## BettaBoy11

And I thought Pi's marble was impressive, LOL.


----------



## BettaSplendid

ThatFishThough said:


> Sorry to crash your party guys, but that gold Betta is photoshopped.
> 
> Loving your Journal!


Aaww, I don't know whether to be sad or relieved. I wanted him to be real! Was he on snopes or something?? What about the second one? So maybe Solomon *is* gold?





That gold and black betta was my hero. I am like a kid who has been _told_ about santa.


----------



## BettaBoy11

Don't worry. Search for 'golden betta' on Google. You will get lots of results


----------



## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> That would be a super cute name!


I asked Daughter to tell me about all the characters on Strawberry Shortcake. Raspberry Torte was one. Precious shrimp name. Oh and now my Blueberry will be Blueberry Muffin. Hahaha. And I am going to name the favorite one I posted a few days ago Angel Cake. I had been trying to come up with something cute. Strawberry Shortcake cartoon has lots of inspiration.


----------



## BettaSplendid

BettaBoy11 said:


> Don't worry. Search for 'golden betta' on Google. You will get lots of results


*sniff sniff* *blows nose* *wipes eyes*

Okay....off to google.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Google image therapy. I feel a little betta now.  just don't tell me this one is photoshopped, because he is my New Love. 


Just ship him to my door, thank you very much. My goodness. Want want want. LOL.

And this....believe it or not, is Daughter. 6 years ago exactly! She was my little cabbage patch baby sitting in father in law's cabbage. Now she wants Cabbage Patch baby dolls.


----------



## ThatFishThough

Hehe, second is good. Theird is too. Although, somethings wonky about his top line.


----------



## ThatFishThough

I like this guy....


----------



## themamaj

ThatFishThough said:


> I like this guy....


Subbing over photo shop one! I like this guy too! Beautiful color.

EEEEEEEEk that is the cutest baby picture I have ever seen! That is like an Anne Geddes picture. Yes she definitely needs to go adopt a Cabbage Patch baby. Precious!!!!!


----------



## BettaSplendid

ThatFishThough said:


> Hehe, second is good. Theird is too. Although, somethings wonky about his top line.


He is a bit curvy. I want him anyways. Such color!


----------



## themamaj

Still squealing on cabbage picture! That is so precious with cabbage leaf on her head too. It would be so cute to get a picture of her now holding a Cabbage Patch doll.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Maybe Twinkie's problem is something as simple as constipation?


http://allnaturalpetcare.com/blog/2...treatment-constipation_bloat-freshwater-fish/

There are so many good articles about fish here. This particular article made me sit up and go, "oooooohhh..." being constipated causes bloating which can cause strange swimming and raised scales, often confused with either swim bladder disorder or dropsy, both of which would be the wrong treatment. Twinkie certainly is...erm, round. To make it worse I gave him 2 bloodworms yesterday and they are on the "do not feed list" because they can cause constipation. Oops. I think I will try just frozen brine shrimp and things like that. See if that helps him. Sure enough, after eating the blood worms last night, Twinkie's scales are raised again and he looks pretty miserable. He has a teaspoon of aquarium salt in his tank. I put that in last night in case his problem was bacterial. Maybe he needs epsom salt instead. Hoping just changing his food will help.

I want to get this Buggy Bottom Bites for Omni-Insectivores food

http://www.allnaturalpetcare.com/Na..._Invertebrate_Applesnail_Dehydrated_Food.html

For Rainbowfish, Tetras, Killifish, Livebearers, Betta, Gourami, Cichlids... the vast majority of fish eat insects, larvae, eggs, worms and small crustaceans in the wild, yet no food on the market focuses on these ingredients. The unique nutrient profiles of these ingredients suggest that their absence could leave the diet seriously lacking in essential nutrients. To address this nutritional gap, we've researched, balanced and formulated a unique, premium blend for omni-insectivores. Omni-insectivores (such as Rainbows) eat a large amount of the aforementioned creatures, along with some vegetation. For more information: The Natural Diet of Omni-Insectivorous Aquarium Fish

Ingredients: Shrimp mix, Canadian krill, daphnia, mealworms, earthworms, crickets, cultured (sanitized) tubifex, rotifiers, decapsulated brine shrimp eggs, 12 super-vegetable blend, 9 seaweed/algae species blend (brown, red & green seaweed/algae), 6 super-fruit blend, phytoplankton, therapeutic herbal blend, garlic, calcium montmorillonite clay, rose hip, Bee Propolis, acai fruit extract, Myrciaria dubia (Camu Camu) extract, palm leaf & fruit extract (Tocomin), marigold extract, natural vitamins and minerals, probiotics, mixed natural preservatives. Vegetable-based binders (no fillers).


It is expensive with shipping. In the meantime I will just do the brine shrimp for him.


----------



## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> Still squealing on cabbage picture! That is so precious with cabbage leaf on her head too. It would be so cute to get a picture of her now holding a Cabbage Patch doll.


It is funny to see her little like that. She was unable to do anything! She is so active now, always busy, making, doing, saying, singing. She must have been miserable stuck in the rolly polly can't even crawl body. Before she was born she was always MOVING in the womb. Like really having a big ole' time in there. (Son was so calm and gentle.) Then she was born and gravity got the best of her. It was a struggle to get that little yellow dress on her. So fat.


----------



## Sadist

BettaSplendid said:


> Maybe Twinkie's problem is something as simple as constipation?
> 
> 
> http://allnaturalpetcare.com/blog/2...treatment-constipation_bloat-freshwater-fish/
> 
> There are so many good articles about fish here. This particular article made me sit up and go, "oooooohhh..." being constipated causes bloating which can cause strange swimming and raised scales, often confused with either swim bladder disorder or dropsy, both of which would be the wrong treatment. Twinkie certainly is...erm, round. To make it worse I gave him 2 bloodworms yesterday and they are on the "do not feed list" because they can cause constipation. Oops. I think I will try just frozen brine shrimp and things like that. See if that helps him. Sure enough, after eating the blood worms last night, Twinkie's scales are raised again and he looks pretty miserable. He has a teaspoon of aquarium salt in his tank. I put that in last night in case his problem was bacterial. Maybe he needs epsom salt instead. Hoping just changing his food will help.
> 
> I want to get this Buggy Bottom Bites for Omni-Insectivores food
> 
> http://www.allnaturalpetcare.com/Na..._Invertebrate_Applesnail_Dehydrated_Food.html
> 
> For Rainbowfish, Tetras, Killifish, Livebearers, Betta, Gourami, Cichlids... the vast majority of fish eat insects, larvae, eggs, worms and small crustaceans in the wild, yet no food on the market focuses on these ingredients. The unique nutrient profiles of these ingredients suggest that their absence could leave the diet seriously lacking in essential nutrients. To address this nutritional gap, we've researched, balanced and formulated a unique, premium blend for omni-insectivores. Omni-insectivores (such as Rainbows) eat a large amount of the aforementioned creatures, along with some vegetation. For more information: The Natural Diet of Omni-Insectivorous Aquarium Fish
> 
> Ingredients: Shrimp mix, Canadian krill, daphnia, mealworms, earthworms, crickets, cultured (sanitized) tubifex, rotifiers, decapsulated brine shrimp eggs, 12 super-vegetable blend, 9 seaweed/algae species blend (brown, red & green seaweed/algae), 6 super-fruit blend, phytoplankton, therapeutic herbal blend, garlic, calcium montmorillonite clay, rose hip, Bee Propolis, acai fruit extract, Myrciaria dubia (Camu Camu) extract, palm leaf & fruit extract (Tocomin), marigold extract, natural vitamins and minerals, probiotics, mixed natural preservatives. Vegetable-based binders (no fillers).
> 
> 
> It is expensive with shipping. In the meantime I will just do the brine shrimp for him.


Wow, that reads like a really cool food. Now, I want to try it with my fish! 

Do you have frozen daphnia locally? I couldn't find any here, so I ordered Tetra Freshdelica daphnia, which is ground up daphnia in a vitamin gel. It's stored at room temperature. My fish aren't crazy about it except maybe as a once a month treat. I think the vitamin gel probably throws them off or something (it has a bit of that vitamin smell to it).



BettaSplendid said:


> It is funny to see her little like that. She was unable to do anything! She is so active now, always busy, making, doing, saying, singing. She must have been miserable stuck in the rolly polly can't even crawl body. Before she was born she was always MOVING in the womb. Like really having a big ole' time in there. (Son was so calm and gentle.) Then she was born and gravity got the best of her. It was a struggle to get that little yellow dress on her. So fat.


Haha! Love little chubby babies.


----------



## Sadist

Saw a pink-tinged boy at Petco today. His body was yellowish pastel, and his fins look pastel like MammaJ's Snowflake boy. I'm not sure what he'd do with some warm water, though. I also saw a cute little marble baby that was hard to pass up. She has blue speckles on her body and red on the end of her caudal.

There was another pinkish boy, but he had an orange dot on his caudal. Who knows what he'll turn into in warm water!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Not daphnia alone...but Freshwater Frenzy has daphnia in it, its the frozen food by Sally's San Francisco Bat brand that most petshops carry. Their Emerald Entree looks good for Twinkie too, main ingredients being mysis shrimp, brine and krill and plankton... I am going to thaw one of those out and feed everyone. I haven't fed Twinkie yet today and he looks better. Poor baby. I feel like I am finally understanding and getting down to the problem. I just hope irreversible damage hasn't been done. I am totally going to order that food, it comes out to about $23 with shipping for a small package. I think with shipping it would make sense to save up and go for a bigger size. 

Mosquito larva are out now too and that is VERY good. In the warm weather times that is mostly what I feed my fish. Twinkie looked great until his larva went away. Right now I doubt he could even catch one. I might try and see though. 
Gotta go fill up some more buckets- I have a lot more mouths to feed now than I did last year when it was only Twinkie! My life is so different from 1 year ago.


----------



## themamaj

*Alpaca Mania*

What are the odds as sitting in mri office waiting on daughter when look over at magazines to see Modern Farmers. Number one didn't know magazine existed and two guess what was featured? All about alpacas! That had me squealing in delight as daughter walked out wondering why my fascination with farming! What little I got to see of articles was talking about benefit of fur being so water repellent. Loved these cuties and their haircuts. Couldn't wait to share with you.


----------



## BettaBoy11

AHHHH!!! Too many alpacas! Awesome!


----------



## BettaSplendid

HAHAHAHAHA! That's great! Alpacas get the goofiest haircuts, don't they? Those pictures had me rollin'. I actually came here to post pictures I took around the farm. I just got in from milking Spicey. About 2 hours before sunset and the lighting was so pretty....lots of fresh spring colors and flowers around here. I LOVE IT.

Here is Lebanon, my white rooster, and his ladies. The dark brown one with the big fluffy beard is Grimbeard the Ghastly- Husband named her. And the yellowish one with white tail is Custard. I try to name everyone but some look too similar to remember who's who. Couldn't figure out which pic was best so collage it is. Notice how Lebanon doesn't move. He watches out, stands on guard while hens haven't a care in the world. He is a good rooster. These hens all lay pastel green "Easter eggs".



KHANAN!! And Yara. Next time you see them they'll likely be shaved. Eta- see Earnie with his hens in the background?



He is very water resistant.  Winter weather is laughable to them. "Bring it, Old Man Winter, I can take it."

And Spice! She gave lots of milk today. She is so sweet and snuggly. Her 4th birthday is on March 23.


----------



## BettaBoy11

Ahh!!! Khanan!!! I need more Khanan pictures! Every day. That is the cutest alpaca ever! Ever. Wow! I can't wait to see them shaved!!!


----------



## Tealight03

I hope it is just constipation troubling Twinkie. Epsom salt will help. And fasting till he poops. I don't have daphnia locally. I've used frozen brine shrimp. There always seems to be poop thr next day.


----------



## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> What are the odds as sitting in mri office waiting on daughter when look over at magazines to see Modern Farmers. Number one didn't know magazine existed and two guess what was featured? All about alpacas! That had me squealing in delight as daughter walked out wondering why my fascination with farming! What little I got to see of articles was talking about benefit of fur being so water repellent. Loved these cuties and their haircuts. Couldn't wait to share with you.


I keep laughing at the blue eyed one. IT'S AN ALIEN! It is so funny looking! Some alpacas are really cute and some....well. The haircut has a lot to do with it.

Just. Can't. Stop. Laughing. 

Were you laughing in Dr. office? I would have been hysterical and asking receptionist HAVE YOU SEEN THIS? HAVE YOU!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Tealight03 said:


> I hope it is just constipation troubling Twinkie. Epsom salt will help. And fasting till he poops. I don't have daphnia locally. I've used frozen brine shrimp. There always seems to be poop thr next day.


I am really excited and hopeful that he can get better! I resisted feeding him all day. It was really hard. His scales have laid back down and his swelling has gone down, too, from what it was this morning. Hang in there, Twinkie! I will try giving him just a little bit of brine shrimp tomorrow.

There is a stray Siamese-looking cat that has been hanging around. It is NOT tame. It runs away when I try to feed it...but always come back. It is absolutely beautiful. I have been trying to teach Daughter the Siamese cat song from Lady and the Tramp, "we are Siamese if you pleeeee-eease, we are Siamese if you DON'T please. We are former residents of Siam. There are NO finer cats than I am..." I think that is how it goes. Doesn't matter becuase nailing it she isn't.


----------



## themamaj

Yes tickled to death at office but tried to constrain myself as no one in there other than me would appreciate a alpaca and farm magazine! 

Do you ever find that the outfit you tend to wear most is duckweed? It is like glitter. Once you have a little it is ALWAYS with you.


----------



## Sadist

Laughing at the duckeweed comment! It's like that with my salvinia minima, too. 

Hrrmm, should I check for a pink fish today? I keep finding fish that might turn pink but am afraid they might instead turn blue or red or something and their current coloring is from stress.


----------



## BettaSplendid

I don't know.....now I am hopeful I can turn Twinkie's condition around and get him back on his fins. If you see THE PERFECT pink fish, like that one on aquabid, then how could I say no? I am thinking she could find another fish to love locally though, and save the hassle and money of shipping. But, like I said, for an awesomely perfectly pink one...I would be interested.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Duckweed....kinda regretting putting that in my tanks. It just multiplies SO FAST. Which I guess is the point and a good thing but....


----------



## Sadist

I see fish like the aquabid one here, at least color-wise. So many of them have a blue or purple spot somewhere that I'm sure will cover the whole fish in time. Even the ones that stay that color look more maroon to me, but I could certainly get one. I'm sure Lil gets them at her store, and she's more experienced with shipping.


----------



## BettaSplendid

I will keep looking locally then and at Petco when I get the chance. We should be getting similar ones to ya'll, right? Twinkie's tail is mostly purple now. She likes that though.


----------



## Sadist

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwbettashm&1458142798

Another ee geno "pink" (actually salamanderish)

We do have similar colors locally, but I'm not sure if they're hm/delta or pk. I think you should get similar at your local store. We have a lot of the more purplish looking ones at our stores than the salamander ones.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Stormy, lookin' particularly fabulous today. What a lady!


She likes Son to pet her. She is a social little thing. She is happy beyond belief with her tank and plants. Just look at that rich color.



She was betta #2 to come into our family. Twinkie first, over a year he was our only betta, then we saw Stormy and just HAD TO. Not long after I saw Hatzallah...then Antigua...Simeon soon followed. I was good for a few weeks and then Zadok got me. Good for months...and then had to get another betta for the community tank: Solomon.

Hah. Betta addictionz


----------



## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwbettashm&1458142798
> 
> Another ee geno "pink" (actually salamanderish)
> 
> We do have similar colors locally, but I'm not sure if they're hm/delta or pk. I think you should get similar at your local store. We have a lot of the more purplish looking ones at our stores than the salamander ones.


Veeeeery interesting. Thank you for teaching me so much about pinks and how they may change. I can see how that one would end up burgandy.


----------



## Sadist

No problem! Those are pretty much the only pinkish ones I see. I used to mistake the fleshy parts as pink if they didn't have color on it. The "pink" fish I bought turned out to be a turquoise marble.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Can you see the tiny shrimplet?






Strain....eyes....strain....




It is there, I promise.....



....about as big as a strand of java moss is wide....




See it now?  Soooo tiny. About a week ago it was REALLY REALLY tiny. Not easy to get it out of the shipping bag, lemmie tell ya.


----------



## Sadist

Wow, it really is tiny! Great hider.


----------



## BettaSplendid

OH MY GOSH! There are BABIES EVERYWHERE! Little, little shrimplets! I thought I was seeing the 2 that came in the bag, but no, they are EVERYWHERE! Blueberry Muffin's babies! And they all look different. I am just WHOOOOHOO! Maybe that little one I just posted the picture of it one of her babies.


----------



## Sadist

Wow!


----------



## themamaj

WOWZERS! babies!!!! How exciting. So tiny yet so perfect and cute. 

*Love *the chickens by the way. What a great thing to have all those animals. I went to the zoo today to get my animal fix


----------



## BettaNard

Wow those babies are really tiny, took me a while to find them! They look like an awesome addition to a tank, I might consider getting some


----------



## BettaSplendid

I can't get over this. Every one of Blueberry Muffin's eggs must have hatched. She is already starting on batch #2 too. Blackberry (Blackberry Tea? I keep wanting to call her that. The kids say there isn't a Blackberry on Strawberry Shortcake) is also due soon. It will be very interesting to see what color her babies turn out. She is solid black and daddy, Little Blue, is solid blue. The babies buzzing around now are light blue, dark blue, clear and spotted...just an assortment! They are very active and "fly" around like little helicopters. So fun to watch. Daughter and I watched and squealed for a long time. 

Just yesterday I was googling baby shrimp food because I was wondering if Blueberry Muffin's babies hatched and then died for lack of food- 'cause I wasn't seeing them. And then THERE they are, all of a sudden. I couldn't see them at all and then could. Isn't that strange? They are SO obvious now. Can't miss them. And what I am feeding them does work for babies and adults (Bacter AE).

I am really wishing I had them in a 20 long though. With the piece of driftwood and a few plants that 5 is packed tight. I cannot imagine trying to move everyone either. I am not good at catching anyone with a net, heh.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

Awwww shrimpy babies!!! Cuties! Blueberry Muffin sounds like a pretty good mama.


----------



## BettaSplendid

You didn't miss the latest Khanan picture, did you OFL?


Just did another extensive cleanse on Twinkie's tank. Added more salt and an IAL.


----------



## Sadist

Have you looked at the local stores to see if they sell ee geno fish?

I hope Twinkie makes it, but it would be nice if your daughter had another pet lined up in case he's getting old. I bought my walmart guy just a little over a month ago, and he's already exhibiting old man symptoms.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

BettaSplendid said:


> You didn't miss the latest Khanan picture, did you OFL?
> 
> 
> Just did another extensive cleanse on Twinkie's tank. Added more salt and an IAL.


Nope! Khanan is SOOOOOOOOO cute. I need an alpaca in my life...honestly. Just looking at their fluffy little tails and funny grins makes me happy.


----------



## themamaj

What are you feeding your shrimp?


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## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> What are you feeding your shrimp?


I have this:
https://www.flipaquatics.com/product/bacter-ae/

But I want to get this stuff soon, as more and more shrimp hatch out I will need more food:
http://www.hanaquatics.com/han-special-blend/

And
http://www.hanaquatics.com/omnia-pro-edge/

Those 3 food are what I keep seeing recommended over and over. Bacter AE was sold by Flip Aquatics so I ordered it along with my first batch of shrimpies.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> Have you looked at the local stores to see if they sell ee geno fish?
> 
> I hope Twinkie makes it, but it would be nice if your daughter had another pet lined up in case he's getting old. I bought my walmart guy just a little over a month ago, and he's already exhibiting old man symptoms.


This is what I am waffling about. Should I divide Twinkie's 10 and put her new betta in there or maybe a seperate tank? Go ahead and get one now or wait until...:-(


----------



## BettaSplendid

It would probably be too stressful on Twinkie to have another fish in his tank. He is pretty cranky about his space. He'd likely wear himself out gilling it and be constantly fretting. That means I would need to have it in its own space. I have that little tank and also 8 gallon Sterilite containers...a small spare heater, lots of extra ornaments. That would be the best bet.


----------



## Tealight03

I am so jealous of the baby shrimp! I would love to try some ghosts but worry about parameters.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Miss. Stormy's full tank view. My mom hates that upside down ornament! Hehehehe. Stormy likes it though. Stormy gets battleships outside her tank.



I just did deep cleanse on community tank and Hatzallah's tank. I took the breeder net out. I think all the baby cories died and snails were breeding like bunnies in there. I have ideas for cory babies that might work better. Anyways. So now Solomon's domain is extended. I put more hornwort in around his log (bedroom).


He is so beautiful and lovin' life.


He loves Marimos. "Mosh bawlshs" he calls them.

Uh oh, photobucket acting weird...to be continued


----------



## BettaSplendid

Antigua's full tank. But where is Antigua..? He's there! He is my hardest fish to find, he's always sneak-hiding.





Last night I peeked in Zadok's tank well after lights out and he was asleep in his log. Oh, it was precious. He was actually laying down inside it. Zzzzz... I always wondered if the laid down or just hovered all night.


----------



## BettaNard

Woooooow your tanks are so amazing!! I plan on having big tanks like that when I have my own place haha!! Your fishies are definitely lovin' life :lol:


----------



## themamaj

Gorgeous Solomon!!!! Stormy's tank reminds me of the forest preserve at Hilton Head I like so much. All tanks are amazing....and protected should an intruder come by the battleships are ready!


----------



## BettaSplendid

I forgot to mention, yestrrday when I was cleaning the community tank, Solomon let me pet him. He is super friendly. He would swim right up to my fingers and watch. I stroked his fins and he seemed to enjoy it. I didn't touch his body though. He is turning out to be a little love ball.

Twinkie was resting on his IAL this morning. His tummy looks WAY better since only getting brine shrimp. He did a huge poop yesterday. Also, I turned off his airstone. Figured if he was having trouble swimming then less current is better.

Here's Hatzallah. He has been chewing his beautiful crown points off his tail. I have been hoping he would let them grow back but this might be his permanent new look. He is hard to photograph because he is fast. Or he will stop under the shadow of something. Hatzie is an amazing nest builder. He is Husband's favorite fish.


----------



## Sadist

Well, at least with him zooming around, it's harder to see his chewed off tail bits. I love his coloring!


----------



## Sadist

There was a salamander colored one at Petsmart today. His body was pink like the aquabid one with none of the darker spots. His fins were the darker maroon/magenta coloring. His pectorals looked normal sized but were opaque white instead of translucent. I ordered fish shipping bags, so if he's still there for a few weeks, I can get him for you! Assuming that Twinkie is old that is. Or I could get one of the lavander/purplish colored ones instead.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Twinkie this morning. He looked fairly good, scales smooth.


Twinkie now, 7pm. Scales raised over where his "bumps" are, on his sides.


So...dunno. He hadn't eaten all day. Just now I fed him 4 or 5 brine shrimp. He wanted more, but I told him no. His initial problem might be obesity. :/


Right now he is busy...movin' around. Now he is sitting on his suction cup leaves...now his IAL...now the gravel...

Any idea what the bumps are?


----------



## Tealight03

Hmm. I'm not sure. Is his poop normal? Did the bloating go down after he pooped? I would think it's constipation. Although he does look like a chunker.


----------



## Sadist

I'm not sure what organs are there. Bloating that I've seen is usually just in the belly area -- the intestines are all at the front by where they poop. I know the swim bladder goes back that far. He does look a bit chunky, but I've seen pictures of a sorority where all the girls were twice as wide, and there were no raised scales. Good luck with him! 

I did see a really old betta that had dropsy for a few weeks before he finally passed. He had a horrible living situation, and all I could really do is donate a silk plant, which he built nests all over while he was dying with dropsy. The school had kept him in a .5 gallon for 4 years with no heater, no plants, and water changes every few months when the water was so filled with food that it was cloudy.

Sorry for the depressing thing. I get all worked up over things I can't fix sometimes.

I hope Twinkie pulls through! I'll see if I can find a betta anatomy somewhere and help you figure out what the bumps are.

edit: I don't think I'm allowed to share the picture since it isn't mine, but I found quite a few drawings of internal betta anatomy. The only organ in that area is the swim bladder. It could be tumors. I'd expect an infected swim bladder to cause swimming problems, floating sideways, can't swim to top by self, etc.


----------



## BettaSplendid

I will look up "infected swim bladder" and see if symptoms match. I didn't know that was a thing. He is able to swim upwards but he wiggles quite hard. It is like his tail is an anchir and he has to wiggle extra hard to swim. He moves about but always looks for a new resting spot. He doesn't swim far before needing to stop for a rest.

His poop looks normal to me. Dark, good size. He pooped again over night.

Off to search about swim bladders. Thanks!

And that POOR school betta. That is incredibly heartbreaking. Humans did that to him. Humans. Supposed to be smart and developed. Idiots.


----------



## themamaj

Let me know what you find out on infected swim bladder. I think Levi has something affecting his. His poop is normal now and he eats like a horse but he has a lot of similar symptoms like Twinkie of can't do much without rest. Even if food falls toward bottom almost like not enough energy to chase after it like once did. Heartbreaking to see. He has so many older fish symptoms too. I think I am better at preschool than geriatrics lol. Thinking of Twinkie. He is a special one!! Glad Solomon let you pet him. I would love for one of my guys to allow that. I have tried with Chance but he is not sure about that. Goliath likes to brush up against me with water changes but it usually scares us both to death when he does as so unexpected. Your crown tail boy is really pretty!!!


----------



## Sadist

BettaSplendid said:


> I will look up "infected swim bladder" and see if symptoms match. I didn't know that was a thing. He is able to swim upwards but he wiggles quite hard. It is like his tail is an anchir and he has to wiggle extra hard to swim. He moves about but always looks for a new resting spot. He doesn't swim far before needing to stop for a rest.
> 
> His poop looks normal to me. Dark, good size. He pooped again over night.
> 
> Off to search about swim bladders. Thanks!
> 
> And that POOR school betta. That is incredibly heartbreaking. Humans did that to him. Humans. Supposed to be smart and developed. Idiots.


It was the school's policy to have class pets. The teacher said she didn't know anything about fish, and she would rather send the fish home for someone else to adopt. I wish I had fought hard to change that policy, but I didn't really know where to start. Change the classroom pet to a plant or something. Pothos are really hardy.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oh it is so hard for me to read post after post about sick bettas. I just cry like a baby.

Now I am looking into Fatty Liver disease. Also, could be a tumor.

I just can't read anymore about it right now. I get overwhelmed, emotionally. Especially when a thread just ENDS and then you check...the owner never posted again.  Not to mention the frustration of conflicting advice and ideas given that you know are plain wrong.

So Sadist, they MADE her keep a fish? And left her on charge of the poor thing?! What could be more fun for kids than to see a suffering betta.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

Gabe tends to have chronic constipation issues (1-3 poops a week, occasionally none). When he has a bad week of it, he does get a bit...ahem..._poofy_...but his scales never stick out like that.

I hear that frozen daphnia and mysis shrimp are good for constipation, especially daphnia (I feed daphnia). I also turn up Gabe's temp when he gets constipated as I've heard that it can help (although since Twinkie is so temp-sensitive you might not want to do that).

Gabe got reeeeally _poofy_ once and I gave him an Epsom Salts bath that really seemed to help. I moved him to the hospital 2.5 and slowly added 1/2 tsp of salt (although since then I've heard that 1-2 tsp is more effective). He took it great and it helped to get things...er...flowing again.

Maybe you could try one of those things for Twinkie? Just some suggestions. I hope the poor little guy is ok. Is it possible that he has internal parasites? I've heard that it can cause bloat.


----------



## Sadist

She said my daughter is the only one who noticed the fish. I started doing daily water changes on it, and got the kids involved. Then, the director saw it and made me stop. It was "too disruptive" to the kids' transition from home to school. Ugg. At least he loved his little plant.

Epson salt does help with internal things that need salt. The disease section has info on salt dosages (I think). Just make sure it's plain epson salt and not scented or with added herbs or anything.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Thanks for the leads, everyone. I will look up bloat and internal parasites and also bloat and epsom salt.

We're at the hotel near the zoo now. Twinkie will be all alone until Sunday... I cleaned his tank before leaving. It was seemingly pristine, but I cleaned it anyways.

Blackberry Tea was due any day but she molted AGAIN and lost her eggs. Aaaagain. Blueberry Muffin's babies look fabulous. They're really gettin' blue.

Daphnia and mysis shrimp...I know I have seen both of those on one of my package's ingredient lists for frozen food. How small is the daphnia? It is hard to know which thing I should pick out to feed Twinkie. I think I know which one is mysis. Good to know I should give him that one. Apparently bloodworms are constipating! No more of those for Twinkster.

Cannot BELIEVE they stopped you from volunteering to help that little fish. Uuuuuugh. His little plant......


----------



## Tealight03

That story is very sad, Sadist. Poor guy.


----------



## Sadist

Poor Blackberry Tea! Hopefully, she'll stop growing soon and molt less often. 

I was close to ordering live daphnia for my guys, and the kind I'm ordering is red. They have two big legs, but different kinds get different sizes. The frozen mysis shrimp I have is white with black eyes. I remember when the guppy babies were tiny, I fed them just the eyes.


----------



## BettaSplendid

We're back home now. Twinkie is pineconed.  The darling was still excited to see me though, and ate his brine shrimp. He doesn't act like he is in pain...but maybe he is.


----------



## themamaj

Sadist said:


> Poor Blackberry Tea! Hopefully, she'll stop growing soon and molt less often.
> 
> I was close to ordering live daphnia for my guys, and the kind I'm ordering is red. They have two big legs, but different kinds get different sizes. The frozen mysis shrimp I have is white with black eyes. I remember when the guppy babies were tiny, I fed them just the eyes.


That is wild sounding. I buy the frozen daphnia but haven't really noticed a lot of detail about them. Fed frozen mysis shrimp last night first time. The do have the white with black eyes. I can see the black eyes on the brine shrimp as well. Crazy question, but what is really the difference between mysis and brine?


----------



## Sadist

I'm assuming they're a different species, especially since mysis is singled out as better for fins than other types. I do recall reading that mysis shrimp live in salty water like brine shrimp. Maybe I'll find an article about it today while I'm home resting.

Good news is my shipping bags come in today! Funny how USPS can rush those here but not live animals. So if you want any extra girls for the sorority, I'm good to go.

I'm sorry about Tinkie. I think he's probably on his last fins and age has caught up to him.


----------



## themamaj

Glad you got your bags Sadist.

So sorry Twinkie is continuing to have issues. He couldn't be in a more perfect family for him. Good that he is still very interactive with you. 

I thought of you this am. Had made a box for little baby bunny with old towels and put a cover over it since it was suppose to get so cold last night. He had a way to get out if he wanted which he did. Hopefully he found a warm bunny hole. Looked in box and what did I find but poop! I thought ok that is a good sign as Betta Splendid says where there is poop there is life haha. Hope bunny comes to visit again.


----------



## Sadist

Or you could get a big tank and get axolotl! They look pinkish with red or darker pink gill fringes. Seriously, what little girl wouldn't squeal with joy to see one of these?


----------



## BettaSplendid

She has thrown me for a loop. She wants a gourami.

Last night I saw her go skipping up to Twinkie's tank singing, "Oooooh Twinkie!! I made a love letter for yoooooou! See? This is you. And this is Stormy. She looks like a SHARK and is chasing all these little fish..." and he was swimming...with the last of his strength...trying to see his love letter. He loves her.


----------



## themamaj

Sadist said:


> Or you could get a big tank and get axolotl! They look pinkish with red or darker pink gill fringes. Seriously, what little girl wouldn't squeal with joy to see one of these?


Oh my goodness! What a face. Looks like those wiggly eyes.


----------



## themamaj

BettaSplendid said:


> She has thrown me for a loop. She wants a gourami.
> 
> Last night I saw her go skipping up to Twinkie's tank singing, "Oooooh Twinkie!! I made a love letter for yoooooou! See? This is you. And this is Stormy. She looks like a SHARK and is chasing all these little fish..." and he was swimming...with the last of his strength...trying to see his love letter. He loves her.


Love letters for Twinkie. That makes me teary eyed.


----------



## Tealight03

Aww. How sweet. Is he still hanging on?


----------



## BettaSplendid

We just got home from picking up co-op supplies for tomorrow and visiting the library. I peeked inside the coral and he is laying on the bottom in there. I can't tell how he is doing. Not too good, I am sure. He is THE most loved betta, ever. I can say how much i love Antigua...but Twinkie gets love songs, daily...he has been so appreciated and just the most wonderful boy. Daughter really gave him a special life. I am very proud of her. I never had to remind her to give him attention. He was never bored. Never lacked. We praised each and every bubble nest. He'll have some stories to tell Dangerous.

It made me cry, too, mamaJ.


----------



## Sadist

Oh, that is so sweet!


----------



## BettaSplendid

He came out. The poor baby! I blew him more kisses, to add to his collection. He has had countless. I cried as I talked to him...his blue eyes would move as he studied my face. Your first betta is...very special. I know there is a special place for First Bettas, our Teachers. He taught me so much. There wouldn't be a Stormy, a Hatzie, a Simeon, an Antigua, a Zadok, or a Solomon...if it weren't for Twinkie.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

This is so sweet and sad  makes me want to cry. Poor little Twinkie...


----------



## ThatFishThough

I'm going to PetCo tomorrow, although they generally don't have the most colorful fish, I could take pictures of out crays/gouramis/anything close to a pink betta.


----------



## themamaj

Thinking so much of sweet Twinkie.


----------



## ThatFishThough

Oh my gosh, I was on the wrong page! I'm soo sorry to hear about Twinkie! I really do hope he recovers.


----------



## IslandGirl7408

If it helps, the frozen daphnia we bought is very small-- doesn't even look like shrimp. It is supposed to be easier on the fish, and better for constipation. The frozen brine shrimp we have is much bigger and actually looks like little shrimp.


----------



## themamaj

How is Twinkie this am?


----------



## Sadist

I've been thinking about Twinkie, too. There was a lovely salamander ee geno (but with small pecs) boy with long fins at Petsmart yesterday. There was a smaller boy with shorter fins that looked pastel, but he was more active. Would probably turn blue and purple or something. Your family is in my thoughts!


----------



## BettaSplendid

He passed last night.  Poor Daughter. 

We love you Twinkie. I dug him a heart shaped hole and we lined it with love notes, since he always appreciated those...


He is in the pink tissue paper heart...


Swim in Peace, dearest Twinkie. I was thinking last night I will surely see him again, he obviously had a spirit- and that never dies. His little body wore out, but he's not gone.


----------



## Sadist

I'm so sorry. I still have our memorial to our first betta. We both drew pictures of him on the same paper and put it on the wall while we were in mourning. You and your family are in my thoughts!


----------



## Tealight03

SIP Twinkie. He will always be with you.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Thanks. I am contemplating where to go from here. She said the reason she wants a gourami is because, "no other betta can be as wonderful as Twinkie..." I like gourami, so I am not opposed to getting one, however....I don't think that is a good reason to get one. I think....I think she needs some time to process his being gone. I feel like she won't be happy with any other kind of fish. She was so used to singing to Twinkie and he gazing into her eyes...or drawing pictures and him studying them and approving. Bettas are special like that, and Twinkie was REALLY special. Very tuned in. I know she wouldn't be happy with a fish who simply ignored her. I am not sure how aware Gourami are of their people. We would go with a Honey Gourami. I am hoping though that given some time and a few pressure-free trips to the pet store just to look, she will realize she'd rather go with a betta. 
I am wondering how to keep the cycle going in the tank. The two Nerites will need to be moved to Hatzie's tank soon because he is getting algae again. I might just redo Twinkie's tank and make it a planted tank.


----------



## Sadist

The gouramis I've seen at the pet store seem to be attentive, at least in that they swim over to study me and follow my finger. I've never had one as a pet. Twinkie's special, and even another betta will likely have a completely different personality and attentiveness level.

Maybe some pure ammonia for Twinkie's tank's cycle. If you redo everything and get a fish that needs the cycle already happening, you'll need some pure ammonia anyway. It might be wise to do a complete disinfection in case he had some medicine-resistant bacterial infection, too. 

Hugs.


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## Overprotective Fish Lover

I'm so sorry. Poor little Twinkie - a truly special fish. I will miss reading about him. It must be so hard. :'(


----------



## themamaj

Dearest Twinkie no friend could have been more loved or brought so much joy. You will live on in our hearts as you touched each that knew you. Swim in peace buddy. I could not have thought of a sweeter memorial as a heart shape grave with such special notes. Brought tears to my eyes. Very heartfelt thoughts and prayers for your sweet family.


----------



## BettaBoy11

Oh no! I'm so sorry


----------



## BettaSplendid

My mom sent me a link to this youtube video of *amazing* rat tricks. The rat can read?! I never tried to teach mine tricks, but wow...look what is possible.

https://youtu.be/-LMgkGesoVI


----------



## themamaj

BettaSplendid said:


> My mom sent me a link to this youtube video of *amazing* rat tricks. The rat can read?! I never tried to teach mine tricks, but wow...look what is possible.
> 
> https://youtu.be/-LMgkGesoVI


That is great!!!


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

Oh my goodness.

SOOOOOOOOOOO adorable.

There is nothing more to say.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Ooooooo, naughty, naughty boy. Solomon has been biting the guppies. I just saw him nip at Pixie's tail and Ballerina has a chunk missing out of his. Tsk, Solomon. They got fearless and got too relaxed around him...starting to swish around in his face. He must of took a nip and then decided they taste good.

I was enjoying peering into the shrimp tank this morning. So many babies! There were five on the end of the heater, with daddy Little Blue and more babies on an Anubias, mama Blueberry Muffin not far away...and more babies everywhere I look, plus the new ones. They're pretty cute and busy. They do not notice me at ALL. Which is kinda funny...a few inches away is Simeon. "Hey! Hey! Hey, mommy! Good morning! Hey!" So cute. Husband was sitting in "my" spot on the couch, beside Simeon. He said, "Who is this? Antigua? He is doing a lot of flittering and fluttering." Simeon was flapping his EE's like crazy trying to get Husband to talk to him. And nooooo....that is not Antigua. Augh. He really doesn't pay attention to my betta jibbering, huh?

Twinkie's empty tank hurts me. I keep glancing over expecting to see him...he was always ready to interact...even up to the end. He was 2.5 years...I guess that is pretty good. I was hoping he would make it to 4! He had a magnificent life though. The pain of losing him doesn't compare to the JOY of having him in my life for 2 years. A third of Daughter's life. I feel comforted knowing he was truly happy and very loved and we did that for him. Anything I could think of that he might like I did. He even had a perfect view of both outside the window, Stormy beside him and Daughter's play area in our homeschool room. She ate lunch with him each day. Drew pictures in front of his tank. He saw her so much. He loved to watch her draw. He loved her pink and purple dresses she wore just because they were "his colors".



Twinkie.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oh boy, the filter in the community tank got loud all of a sudden. 9pm...wonder if I should just unplug it overnight? Uh oh.... Hmm, no, I think I will just put a different one on there, maybe Antigua's. Hmm, hmm, hmm...


----------



## themamaj

Funny was just going to ask you how Solomon was doing. Naughty naughty!! Lol a little guppy grazing I hear  He may have to join Millie in the time out box. She is back to old chasing and nipping so now in the 2 week time out! That is unless I cave again but breeder box so much better set up. 

Oh your shrimp sound divine. You are definitely doing everything right to have such a burst of babies. That is really amazing. 

Aww Twinkie. I understand the empty tank feeling. It just is heart wrenching and you go expecting everything to be normal and it's not. Sometimes it has helped me to move tanks around a little. It doesn't replace them but sometimes seeing a different set up eases the emptiness a little. He sure was a lucky boy to have such a loving family for such a long time.

Ugg and hubbies...mine just comes in the room and looks like a deer in headlights. I don't know if he could name any of the fish lol so maybe your husband is doing good to get one name out of the bunch even though wrong fish haha.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

I remember when my first fishy Poseidon died. I was sooooooo heartbroken. I went up to bed that night and the desk looked so empty...and the room was so quiet without the filter... I ended up taking a fan upstairs to "mimic" the filter noise so I could sleep. And I only had Poseidon for 2 months! I can't even imagine what it would be like after 2 1/2 years. First bettas are special I think. They teach you just how attached you can get to something small and scaly. Poor Twinkie. I'm praying for you and daughter.

Uh oh. Bad Solomon, bad! Do your guppies ever chase & torment each other? Are they all males or are there females too?

Awwww, so many little shrimpies. What will you do with them all if they live? Could so many of them not max the bioload?


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oh yeah, the guppies chase and torment each other!  little stinkers. They are all males. They are not even bothered at all by Solomon and continue their business as usual. I think his biting their tails is more like, "GET OUT OF MY FACE you weird little fish!" more than aggression.

I may move the shrimp to a larger tank if they seem to be over crowding the 5 gallon. So far so good. I was planning on moving the "culls" to other tanks too and leaving the prettiest behind for breeding in the shrimp only tank. Simeon does well with his ghost shrimp. I think Stormy would too. Her tank is a jungle! And Solomon could handle some shrimp as well, I think. I would be up to sharing them too...pretty sure I could ship them successfully. I was surprised how many babies there were, for sure!

I "made" Twinkie "talk" to Daughter all the time. She'd say, "Gooooodmorining wonderful Twiiiiiiinkiiiieee!" and I would do his voice, "Goodmorning, Love. I like that dress. Spin around so I can see the back. Ooooh, niiice." LOL. I talked with her last night and told her she didn't have to decide on any type of fish right away and when she finds one she can't live without we will get it. Gourami, betta...her choice. We will just leave the tank going. I did tell her that I thought she would be happiest with a betta and why, but that she could decide. I focus more on how wonderful she was to him and what an amazing and happy life Twinkie had. She is mostly sad wondering if she will see him again. I think she will. "Maybe Granny is taking care of him for you."

I did take Antigua's filter and put it on the community tank. Much better! It will do until I can get another. I really want to try a Fluval Aquaclear.


----------



## BettaSplendid

https://youtu.be/-ccHF9RuiNE

Cutest Axolotl video yet. Eeeeeee...I wanted to forget about how cute these are but now YouTube is all, "hey, here is ANOTHER axolotl video! Make sure to tell Sadist! Share with everyone!" and I am helpless, must comply, "oookay, You Tube, I will watch."

Whyyyyy so cute. Look how attentative they are to the camera.


----------



## Tealight03

Well, if I were Solomon I would bite the guppies too. Do what we say, not what we do. Lol. 

I bet Twinkie is watching over you and your daughter.


----------



## BettaBoy11

BettaSplendid said:


> https://youtu.be/-ccHF9RuiNE
> 
> Cutest Axolotl video yet. Eeeeeee...I wanted to forget about how cute these are but now YouTube is all, "hey, here is ANOTHER axolotl video! Make sure to tell Sadist! Share with everyone!" and I am helpless, must comply, "oookay, You Tube, I will watch."
> 
> Whyyyyy so cute. Look how attentative they are to the camera.


Ahh!!! Their little smiley faces! Cuteness overload!
*CoughyoushouldreallygetoneCoughCough*


----------



## BettaSplendid

Daughter decided she wanted to go get her betta. Actually, "ALL the bettas in the whole world." I was like, "Me too! We are so alike."

I drew out some pictures of random bettas and put Heart Breaker plakat (remember him? The one with thr expressive eyebrows and playful personality?) in one cup. Then I asked which betta (drawing) she would pick-and she picked Heart Breaker. Hmm.

She always puts party hats on everything.

Son spent the night with his cousin last night so today Daughter and I had GIRL DAY. We drove the whole 1.5 hour trip to Petco (there was NO selection in our town, I've been looking) and we looked through all the bettas. So many Hopefuls. "Pick me! Pick me!" She even got dressed up for them. "Which betta wants to go home with a Mermaid Princess?"


Well, we looked and looked and couldn't find Heart Breaker.  She was disappointed and then tried to decide between the ones left. The sunlight was coming in all pretty on them. Then I saw a label for a Halfmoon Plakat that somehow we missed and I peered into the cup and lo and behold, HEART BREAKER! He was a bit more subdued this time. He has been waiting a long time. I put him down where she could see him and she squealed in delight and absolutely wanted him. He is a cutie.


Now I must admit I was surprised she liked him so much, being a Plakat with NO pink whatsoever. I had her look at floofy colorful bettas but she was drawn to Heart Breaker. It was hard for me to leave him weeks ago but I knew I needed one with a big tail so I couldn't choose him. So we put him into her basket and picked out a floating log for him. Then we went to eat lunch. LOL. "lunch" We went to a neat looking bakery/bagel place. I am RUINED. They had donuts like manna from heaven.  It is soooo far from me. All we have is yucky Krispy Kreme. I got a jelly donut AND a cherry danish and she got a vanilla sprinkle donut-it was like Angel food cake quality. Oh my gooooosh...ruined. I cannot ever eat a donut anywhere else. *cries* And they had hot tea with real honey and real cream and real milk. Ruined.

So then we headed home with our new little guy and leftover pastries. That is a good Girl Day. Daughter thought up names on the way home. I think she settled on Smokey. He is all acclimated and checking out his new place. Amazed. He looks like he cannot believe what he is seeing.


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## Tealight03

Pictures! I want a pk but am trying to talk myself out of it due to space and fund limitations.


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## BettaSplendid

He is...overwhelmed. He is very tiny, just a baby. He explores a little, slowly, and then goes and rests inside the floating log. It is actually Antigua's log because I always soak new ones for about 4 days before putting them in the tank.

Here, he can't believe he has _furniture_. He has this wide eyed look.


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## Tealight03

Aww. Hope he settles in. He does have the "I can't believe all this is mine" look.


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## Olivia27

I've been silently lurking through this journal for a short while. I'm really sorry about Twinkie. I know the empty tank feeling all too well :'( I'm glad his passing didn't throw your daughter off the hobby the way it almost did me. Congratulations on your new addition x


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## BettaSplendid

Thanks, Olivia! Yes, I wouldn't want that either. I kept stressing how he did have a long life for a betta (well...average) and she made it AWESOME! We talked about all the good things. I was getting sad though, not being able to do Twinkie's voice though. And seeing her sit in front of his tank and draw after he was gone was particularly hard.

Just out of curiosity I did an ammonia test on his cup water. It was...very green. Hard to say but definitely one of the bottom two, 4 or 8ppm. Guess the betta-lover girl that used to work at that Petco is gone. I noticed she wasn't there. She used to change the bettas every two days and kept them fed. This was back when Antigua was there, this past summer. The yellow rose tail was there still, the one I was deciding between him and Solomon. Very sad. And Tealight, I saw one who's fins were streaked oddly with bright red-it looked like that sickness you were describing.


----------



## Tealight03

Maybe Costia? I need to go back and get exact names, but Costia was one. It could also be caused by external parasites and bacteria. Very sad that their care has gone down just because one employee left.


----------



## Sadist

Oh wow, I'm so glad you got to take him home! Heart breaker, don't cha mess around with me! Sorry, I think of songs for everything some days! I love the axolotls! I really want one, but I don't think we could keep the water cool enough in summer without the $600 cooling system thing.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Tealight03 said:


> Maybe Costia? I need to go back and get exact names, but Costia was one. It could also be caused by external parasites and bacteria. Very sad that their care has gone down just because one employee left.


Yeah.  I can just imagine the other employees thinking she was nuts for caring so much...but at least the manager allowed her to do what she could to help the bettas. She told me she offered to change the bettas' water at WalMart FOR FREE and they told her NO. Only employees can (could...since they don't) change their water. She was clearly frustrated and I was clearly in love with her for being so awesome. Wish she was still there at Petco.

I wish I had a bottle of Methylene Blue now....would have given Smokey a bath in it for all that ammonia he had to endure. I just think it is plain disgusting to charge $15 for a fish and not provide your BEST care for it. C'mon. You are shorting its lifespan and causing health issues and distress. *sigh* To me it would be comparable to walking into a grocery store and seeing unrefrigerated milk for sale. You complain, manager replies, "it is _just_ milk, milk can sit out for a day without spoiling, and if it does we'll just write it off." Except milk gets more respect than bettas.

Sadist, yeah, I totally don't need an axolotl! Whew! My bedroom stays dark and cool but still...I don't need to be sitting in there staring at axolotl all day, overcome with cuteness.


----------



## Sadist

I might be able to if I got rid of the other tanks. All the heaters, lights, and filters pay a toll. I don't want to give up my 10 gallon; I've put so much effort into it!


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

Awwwww love Heartbreaker!!! He just looks so pleasantly surprised all the time. "Ooh! A little girl! Oh! Bumpy ride! Oooh! Big tank! Whoa! Lots of stuff!..."  so cute.


----------



## Flashyfins

I love the drawing and the setup of your tank. Your bettas must be very happy.


----------



## themamaj

Awww love Smokey! That is the most precious picture of daughter standing by betta display. What a cutie in her boots. Such a lucky boy. Cant wait to hear more. Glad you had such special girls day! And donuts and tea what a treat


----------



## BettaBoy11

I love Smokey! So cute! How's he doing?


----------



## BettaNard

Smokey looks so surprised at everything, it's cute! "What do I do with all this space?!?" :lol:


----------



## BettaSplendid

:lol:

Smokey is so cute he tickles my tummy when I look at him.

He seems to be settling in nicely now. He has let his ventrals drop down. Relaxing some. Stormy, the girl next door, is freaking out, "Who are you?! Wanna fight? It'll be fun! Lets go!"
She is bigger than him. I wonder if Smokey will be forever stunted from being in that cup. Or can he recover? Apparently he has been there at Petco for a loooong time. I noticed he had another sticker under his "halfmoon plakat male" label. It is the "baby boy" label. :| So he spent his "growing time" in dirty water, cold and hungry. That can't be good.



I know Daughter will have fun drawing him. His expressions are priceless.


----------



## BettaBoy11

Do you think he's going to marble? He looks a lot like Pi did midway through his transformation.


----------



## Sadist

What a cutie!


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## BettaSplendid

BettaBoy11 said:


> Do you think he's going to marble? He looks a lot like Pi did midway through his transformation.


Yup! I am sure he will. Do you think his fins will change color too?


----------



## Olivia27

He might as well. I see that in marbles, any cello body parts often turn colored real fast.


----------



## BettaBoy11

BettaSplendid said:


> Yup! I am sure he will. Do you think his fins will change color too?


Probably.


----------



## themamaj

Cuter ever time see him!


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## BettaSplendid

Speaking of marbling...remember when Zadok was all white? He has gotten splashes of color here and there. I think he looks even prettier now! Just a gorgeous little grumpster crowntail.  


He just got done hunting mosquito larva. Everyone got some. Little Smokey caught on real quick- as soon as one wriggled he gobbled it down. Solomon tried to decide whether or not he should be eating them as the guppies swallowed them down in record time. I think Solomon got a few. Watching them hunt larva is probably my favorite thing to do with them. Even after they're all gone the bettas still hunt actively searching for more.


----------



## Tealight03

Where did you find larva? 

Poor Smokey being in that cold, dirty cup for so long. So glad he is with you now!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Tealight03 said:


> Where did you find larva?
> 
> Poor Smokey being in that cold, dirty cup for so long. So glad he is with you now!


I know. I think about all the bettas still there, languishing. Sometimes it haunts me and keeps me up at night. :-(

I filled up 4 buckets with water and keep them for harvesting larva during the warm months. I know if I see "tumblers" they will be mosquitos soon, but as long as they look like little worms it'll be awhile. The tumbler stage looks like a comma. I have a well, but if I had city water I guess it would need Prime? But that wears off in 24 hours I think...so not sure how that would work.


----------



## Tealight03

Interesting. I had read about how to collect but then got worried about pesticides and such. Do you think that would get transfered to larva? I run a very organic house lol. Larva pesticide is a concern. 

So sad to think about the ones that never find a home.


----------



## themamaj

Cant believe how Zadok has changed! Love him more with colors. How fun to watch them hunt. Would love to see that but haven't worked up nerve for that yet. Lol


----------



## BettaSplendid

Tealight03 said:


> Interesting. I had read about how to collect but then got worried about pesticides and such. Do you think that would get transfered to larva? I run a very organic house lol. Larva pesticide is a concern.
> 
> So sad to think about the ones that never find a home.


Well, I don't know! Hmm. I don't know how tough they are, like if they could survive in water that is polluted with chemicals. Where would you be collecting from? A pond or lake? Sadist has just started up with daphnia, that might be a good option for you too, for a live food. She is just keeping them in a big jar or bucket and they eat powdered spirulina I think she said. I would like to try daphnia too. Here in the south, well, I have enough live food sources volunteering shall we say, in the summer at least. In winter I need to get creative. Hehe. I accidentally found out bettas like water bugs/beetles too.


----------



## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> Cant believe how Zadok has changed! Love him more with colors. How fun to watch them hunt. Would love to see that but haven't worked up nerve for that yet. Lol


I like him too. I thought I wanted him to stay all white but I really like the colors he "chose". He looks all tie dye. He is marbling sloooowly too, so I can really enjoy the changes.

An odd thing about Zadok...his mouth is always open and with each "breath" he takes his tongue goes up and down in his mouth. It goes up to "shut" his mouth. It is really strange. I hope it doesn't bother him. It is like he HAS to breathe through his mouth, maybe they all do that? It is really noticeable with Zadok. I guess it is a minor deformity. Each of my bettas has a different shaped mouth.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Another picture of Zadok, chillin' in his bedroom. I like how he settles down at the bottom.








And one of Hatzallah, he hates it when I call him Hatzimuffin.


----------



## Tealight03

Interesting. I would likely use a bucket on my porch. I guess there might be puddles at my mom's if I got over there fast enough. Daphnia sounds like a good option too. Will look into it.


----------



## Sadist

BettaSplendid said:


> Well, I don't know! Hmm. I don't know how tough they are, like if they could survive in water that is polluted with chemicals. Where would you be collecting from? A pond or lake? Sadist has just started up with daphnia, that might be a good option for you too, for a live food. She is just keeping them in a big jar or bucket and they eat powdered spirulina I think she said. I would like to try daphnia too. Here in the south, well, I have enough live food sources volunteering shall we say, in the summer at least. In winter I need to get creative. Hehe. I accidentally found out bettas like water bugs/beetles too.


I'm feeding mine powdered spirulina, but I'm not sure it will work long term or not. I've only had them a few days. The seller said she feeds them alternating green water and yeast water. I'm trying to gut-stuff mine with spirulina to give the vitamins and health benefits to the bettas that way.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Ah, I remember you mentioning yeast now. There are also vinegar eels, they sound...horrible. LOL.

Bucket on porch shpuld work, Tealight. Drop a few leaves in there for the mosquito to land on.


----------



## Tealight03

Excellent! Excited to give it a try. Had thought about worms but got creeped out lol. 

Zadok looks great! Marbles are the best aren't they.


----------



## BettaSplendid

We had our homeschool co-op today. Afterwards we went to the library and playground and I actually got a decent picture of the two of them together- no easy task! :lol: Son is a super snuggly ball-o-love that just will cuuuuuuuddle and puuuuurr. Adults love him because he always says the sweetest things and has hugs. Daughter is the fast-paced, always up to SOMETHING creative, lets go go go one! She tries to snuggle too but can't sit still for long!





Smokey has absolutely decided he loves us now. He swims right up to the glass when I go to see him. "Hi!!" Larva is the way to his heart. Gave him some more when we got home. Solomon got the hang of snapping them up before the guppies could. Mmmmm.

Husband had gotten me the Fluval Aqua Clear 50 to replace the Marineland but some parts were missing! I think someone stole the parts...that is sad. So he returned it and today I set up the new, new one. I have it running side by side with the older established filter from Antigua's tank. The fish are all, "WWWWEEEEEEEEEEEE-HOOOOOOO!" having fun with the extra current.


----------



## Sadist

Sweet!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Tealight03 said:


> Excellent! Excited to give it a try. Had thought about worms but got creeped out lol.
> 
> Zadok looks great! Marbles are the best aren't they.


Which worms...? I know there are micro worms. If it is earthworms, then yeah, I am with you- I am NOT cutting up earthworms. I carefully tap the ground before digging holes to shooo off the worms and if I do accidentally chop up an earthworm with a shovel I feel REALLY TERRIBLE about it. :-( I like them...I always rescue the ones on sidewalks so they do not get squished..._sometimes I even bring them home..._

I get happy feeding mosquito larva though, hate those.


----------



## SplashyBetta

I'm with you on the earthworms. I think they're too cute to cut up!


----------



## Sadist

BettaSplendid said:


> Which worms...? I know there are micro worms. If it is earthworms, then yeah, I am with you- I am NOT cutting up earthworms. I carefully tap the ground before digging holes to shooo off the worms and if I do accidentally chop up an earthworm with a shovel I feel REALLY TERRIBLE about it. :-( I like them...I always rescue the ones on sidewalks so they do not get squished..._sometimes I even bring them home..._
> 
> I get happy feeding mosquito larva though, hate those.


My daughter rescues earthworms, too. We aren't late to school because of wrinkled socks, we're late because it rained and there were 30 worms on the way to school


----------



## BettaSplendid

SplashyBetta said:


> I'm with you on the earthworms. I think they're too cute to cut up!


When Daughter was 3 or 4 she was outside and suddenly started wailing and carrying on like I had never heard before. But she was just standing there, screaming, not trying to run. I thought, oh there must be hornets in her clothes and ran to her and checked her all out. Couldn't find anything amiss. Finally, she calmed enough to sputter, "I lost my worm! Pinky!"


:shock:



I was like, "your....worm...?" relief and unbelief mingled together and washed over me. All this about _a worm?_ She had found a big, wiggly, very pink earthworm and was merrily carrying it around when it fell into the grass and made a mad dash for its life, apparently, and disappeared into the earth. She was SO upset. We really are so much alike. As a child I had her boundless energy and creativity and obsession over animals. Son, though cute, was and is a mystery. I can totally relate to Daughter. I helped her look for Pinky the worm but alas, he was gone for good.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> My daughter rescues earthworms, too. We aren't late to school because of wrinkled socks, we're late because it rained and there were 30 worms on the way to school


Yeah! Good for her. They need rescuin'. It amazes me that people do not look at what they are stepping on!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Here is a totally serious lecture on planted tanks. Uh learn'd sum stuff.
https://youtu.be/AgXQ6mBvhK8
Subscribed and will watch more of his videos. It was very interesting. About nutrients in substrate ans water column, what size of roots mean and tips for soil based tanks.

And this one was a very unserious cage tour by some very adorable talking rats. I laughed and laughed.

https://youtu.be/V6OSTAdWJDk

I feel as if I would be doing the world a disservice by not sharing those two videos.

Ahem.






And a close up of Smokey! He looks like he has more black already. This picture shows his blue very clearly.


----------



## themamaj

BettaSplendid said:


> Another picture of Zadok, chillin' in his bedroom. I like how he settles down at the bottom.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And one of Hatzallah, he hates it when I call him Hatzimuffin.


Interesting about Zadok's mouth. I noticed my Bo has his mouth open a lot. Mr Hatzimuffin is too cute and looks like swimming in the coral reefs. I am a bit jealous of him. What a view!


----------



## ShelbysFish

His color is coming in very nicely.


----------



## themamaj

Those worm stories are hilarious! My grandson had a bloody meltdown one day over a pet snail he had taken with him in the car. It was in a little box and he dropped it. Mr Snail went somewhere down between the seats. We about took car apart looking for him. 

Picture of kiddos is so good!! Such a cute moment together you captured. It is funny if you look at picture your son looks so laid back and relaxed as you described his personality and daughter looks like ready to head to next adventure. Precious!


----------



## Tealight03

Earth worms are cute. I think I used to save them when I was little too. But the thought of keeping live worm cultures for the bettas I could not handle. Black worms, micro worms, any worm. Mosquito larva and daphnia it is lol. 

Glad to hear Stormy is feeling better!


----------



## BettaSplendid

I just realized how much Solomon has grown! His body size was like the guppies when I first brought him home. He is quite a bit bigger now. Solomon is _thriving_. He was the perfect pick for this tank. He just happily goes about his business. He explores the entire tank. His favorite places are his log and his Marimo pile. He tolerates the guppies. He studies the cories. Plays in the filter current. Blends in with the sand. No bubble nests yet. 





I have three plakats now! Whaaaa? It is fun seeing Solomon's fins spread out! What a treat! He tries soooo hard to swim fast, but gets nowhere fast. Plakats and halfmoons are so night and day.


----------



## Tealight03

It's great Soloman does well in the community tank! You have me thinking about one. How big is yours?


----------



## BettaNard

Smokey is so cuuuuuuute!! And wow, I am diggin' his ventrals!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Tealight03 said:


> It's great Soloman does well in the community tank! You have me thinking about one. How big is yours?


It is 29 gallons, although it has actually much less water for all the driftwood in there. Heh. I like it. Not too big, easy enough to reach the bottom when gravel vac'ing.

Oh, here is a tid bit of interest I keep meaning to mention. :lol: When I got Solomon I raised the temperature from mid 70's to upper 70's. The cories immediately stopped laying eggs ALL OOOOVER THE GLAAAAAAASS. Nice for me, maybe not for them. They used to lay eggs every day, I am serious. Gah. Glass is nice and clean now.


----------



## Tealight03

Interesting. Ruby was initially going to be in a community tank. Maybe some platies or cories. I never did it because I got scared she would freak out. Maybe Grayson would do well. Hmm.


----------



## BettaNard

Yeah cories will lay eggs in cooler water! That's why I keep my tanks around 78-80  

As much as I would love little baby Pygmy cories in my tank, I don't think Castor would appreciate it


----------



## BettaSplendid

I am about to unleash a bit of my weirdness on ya'll. I have been called a "freaking granola nut" by my sister in law. I do like cooking healthy food, avoiding GMO, refined flours and corn syrup and that sorta thing, frequent the health food stores, etc. I read quite a bit of health related articles. Usually it doesn't have much to do with fish other than influencing my desire to feed them more naturally (larva, insects). But. Okay...I came across an article about how blue light is a bad thing _at night_. I was like, "whuuuuuuuuut." You know, because blue LED light is a big marketing thing right now. I even bought, umm, 4 lights for my tanks that have special "moonlight" settings. Now I am thinking THAT was....wrong. Turns out we should be exposong ourselves (and fish?) to a redder or orange light at night. I like to transition at the end of the day, turn their lights down...then completely off by bedtime. 

Here are some articles, in case you guys want to look into it too.

http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/01/is-moonlight-blue.html?m=1


http://wellnessmama.com/15730/orange-sunglasses/

Quote:

"There is a lot of research showing that blue light after sunset can disrupt circadian rhythm and suppress melatonin production but recent studies are showing that this has even more serious consequences.

Think about it, until the invention of electric light bulbs, people relied on the sun for the majority of their light and used only natural sources like candles, campfires and lanterns after dark (all orange lights). With the dawn of modern electricity, we suddenly had the ability to stay up with lights on for many hours after sunset.

With computers, TVs, tablets and phones, this use has extended even more and these new technologies are especially high in blue light." 
end quote


http://wellnessmama.com/91779/blue-light-improve-health/

Quote:
The body has built in systems that help regular circadian rhythm, and it relies on outside input (especially blue light) to signal times the body should be awake vs times it should be sleep. In other words, there are abut 30,000+ cells in the eye that sense blue light and these cells signal the brain to turn off melatonin production. Melatonin is necessary for sleep, and when it is suppressed at night, when it should be increasing, it can affect sleep quality.

Blue light wavelengths would be seen in nature during the brightest hours of the day and are found in sunlight. These wavelengths are not present in fire or other natural light sources that would have been used at night. Ever sat around a campfire at night? Most people describe natural light sources like fire as being soothing and promoting sleep, largely because of their lack of blue light (and obvious natural beauty).

End quote


----------



## Sadist

I've been trying to tell the hubby screens at night are bad, but he thinks it's a bunch of hooey, especially since there are so many bad info sources on the internet.


----------



## BettaNard

Ah yes, I've read a lot about blue lights too and how bad they are for night, that's why I have an app on my laptop that slowly changes the screen colour to an orange tint which becomes more deeper orange as the night progresses, it really helps, I feel like I fall asleep easier.

But omg I totally didn't notice how I also use the moonlight setting for my fishies at night, I've always thought it was quite cool and helped them get ready to sleep. So I'm guessing the blue light isn't just bad for us but for animals too?


----------



## Tealight03

Very interesting. I don't have a moonlight setting. I turn their tank lights off and the kitchen light on to give them a dimmed effect before I turn everything off for bed. 

As for me, maybe if I put down my phone I'd sleep better. I'm all about natural and organic stuff too. Light hadn't really crossed my mind. Thanks for the info!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Great responses! I really enjoy reading your thoughts, everyone. What a cool app, changing the light. I am going to see if that is available for me.

I do that too, about turning tank lights off but room light on, then I will turn the room light off, but the light on in the next room over. I sound...obsessive. Gotta have a good night sleep for my fishy babies.  I really liked the blue light on the fish at night too! It made them glow. But now I do not use that setting.  The blue lights are in use during the day, so all is not lost.

Someone on this website, Liln? has a tank light with a sunset feature- a reddish light. I know I saw it! Just having a lamp in the room with a red bulb would be cheaper though and give me light to sit with them.

Just something to think about. I might get the red bulb. I saw them at Home Depot.


----------



## BettaNard

Hmmm, a red/orange warm light might be interesting and a bit different, still would be pretty cool I suppose! 

Oh and that app is available on Windows/Linux/Mac: https://justgetflux.com/

Basically it'll use your location settings to figure out the exact time of sunset and sunrise and it'll adjust the tint of your screen accordingly. So at sunset it'll just be a light tint of orange on your screen then say maybe around 10PM it would have gradually become a very dark orange tint. It's great!

If you don't want it using your location, you can manually set the time when it kicks in and turns off I think.


----------



## themamaj

Solomon has really grown I can see! Wow more gorgeous every time you post picture. What a great tank to explore. Hmm on cories. I keep my tanks at 80 so maybe that is why I have never seen babies. Light info very interesting.


----------



## BettaSplendid

_This_ is childhood. Daughter is really good at living in the moment and just enjoying life.

We were at the annual homeschool group Easter egg hunt.

She made a little Plakat for her cup.





Apparently Stormy likes Smokey, she got EGGY! Boy oh boy. It is worse in person. Her belly...LOL.



I think Smokey is getting orange on the top of his head. He had a little this morning when I woke up and _more_ orange when we got home this afternoon.


----------



## Tealight03

Oh dear. Hope she absorbs or releases them.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

Love those rat videos. The little British chipmunk voices!! I can't believe I'm saying this but I kind of want a rat now. *Sheepishness*. My grandmother would never forgive me if I did though. Not to mention that she'd never visit anymore haha.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

I have a few questions about your shrimpy tank mates, as I think they're pretty cute and like that they have small bioloads. First, how big are the shrimpies that you keep, and do your bettas eat them? Second, I heard that cherry shrimp eat algae. Have you ever had cherries, and did they eat it? Third, do you ever see your shrimp, or do they just hide all the time?

I was thinking that a small population would be nice in the community. I'm not sure if I can get my hands on any though, it's rare to see shrimp around here and I don't know if I want to order from somewhere else. Just wondering if it was worth my while to go looking for them. I don't want to spend a lot on shrimp just to have Humphrey devour them all the next day, or to only see glimpses of them every now and then.


----------



## BettaSplendid

I haven't put any of my little shrimp in with bettas yet. I have ghost shrimp in with Simeon and he hasn't killed them. That might be a good option for you too. Ghost shrimp are usually sold at local fish stores even if they do not have fancier varieties- and ghost shrimp are cheap. I do think they need a lot of cover though. They need to be able to hide from the betta.

Now the fancy blue ones are different. Because they do not have any perdators to worry about they are carefree. They do not hide, but I do have a LOT of plants in their tank too. They are fun to watch, but they do not interact with people. I did see them eat algae at first, but then my plants took off and out-compete algae so now I do not have any algae.

Eta- oh, those ghost shrimp are about 2", and the biggest blue shrimp I have is about an inch, most are around a half an inch. Actually, mama Blueberry Muffin is probably over an inch now and almost full grown?


----------



## themamaj

Can you give me shrimp food link again? How's Solomon?


----------



## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> Can you give me shrimp food link again? How's Solomon?


Haha, is Solomon your _favorite_? I noticed you ask about him in particular most often.  May I tell him he has a fan? He is doing fantastic. He is such a sweet boy! You could hide a guppie in his dorsal fin alone, wrap it up like a burrito. Solomon...I think he sleeps in his Marimo ball pile, LOL. I like to sneak up to the tanks after lights out...I have this innate desire to KNOW where my fish sleep. ?? He was tucked into his moss balls. I guess the water is oxygenated enough he doesn't need to be near the surface.

Soooooo...my order of fish food came from All Natural Pet care.

http://www.allnaturalpetcare.com/Na..._Invertebrate_Applesnail_Dehydrated_Food.html

I got a package of each of their 3 foods because I had a fish or shrimp from each category. I have been testing the food for about a week. I didn't want to review it until I had tried it awhile. But since you asked about the shrimp and now I have fed it to them a few times, I can say THEY LOVE IT. The shrimp get the Herbivore blend. A little bit goes a veeeeery long way. It swells quite a bit (4x maybe more?) once dropped in the water. The shrimp smell it right away and come-a-runnin'. Yum yum yum on it 'till it is gone.

I give the omnivore Bottom Bites to cories. Again, they go WILD. They sniff that stuff out and just attack it. Their black "pepper" spots are bolder. They looked faded before, in comparison.

Guppies and bettas get the omni-insectivores version. "Buggy Bottom" It had a bit of learning curve as you have to scratch at the food to crumble it apart with your fingernail. I am getting the hang of it now, to get the size of crumbles right. All 3 varieties come in like...chunks?...rather than pellet sized pieces or flakes. You know what, I will try to get some pictures for ya'll tomorrow. All my bettas and guppies love it too. Just takes a bit of effort to crumble it for them just right. For the shrimp and cories I just let a chunk sink in one piece. It is possible bettas might just nibble off a chunk at bottom. I need to experiement more.

So, very good products. I think it was about $44 US including shipping for all 3. It is a Canadian product. You get a LOT of food. 4 oz goes FAR.

And the other product I mentioned before was Glasgarten Bacter AE, a powder good for freshly hatched shrimp and adult shrimp alike.
http://www.hanaquatics.com/bacter-ae/

And Hans Special blend
http://www.hanaquatics.com/han-special-blend/

And Omni Pro
http://www.hanaquatics.com/omnia-pro-edge/

I haven't tried the last 2 but they are most recommended on shrimp forums. I won't be trying them anytime soon because they love the Bottom Bites herbivore and I have enough to last a looooong time.


----------



## themamaj

Yes Solomon has a big fan. I love all your fish but he is just eye candy with those gorgeous fins! That is too funny he sleeps with the marimo balls. I may have to get me some more of those balls. I had a bunch of small ones at one time but they eventually just fell apart. The bigger ones I have had in the past did much better. Ok I confess I also like to peep after lights out to see where their favorite night time perches are. Nimbus likes to cuddle under his tree branch. Soooo cute. 

Thanks on the food link. I really need to get something more for my red rilis. They are big algae eaters but I think they need something more. I had to catch them to move them when cleaned tank last night. Since I did a 100% change and thorough cleaning I was afraid to put them back in as cycle will have to reestablish some even with the stability and prior filter. I moved them in with Bryant for now since he has a good stable tank. I put a ton of java moss on their to hopefully keep Bryant from snacking. I would really like to get a good shrimp community going but probably need to set up a shrimp only tank to see babies. (Like I need another tank LOL)

Smokey really has some neat marbling. He will be a fun one to watch. Zadok has changed a lot too.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Daughter's Twinkie pillow came this morning! She rarely accompanies me to the mailbox, but today she did. I was like "Oh, looooook, a package for you..!" She never gets mail so she was surprised and excited and carried her package proudly. She had no idea what was in it.

SHE LOVES IT. "I can have Twinkie with me forever now. I gave him flowers every single morning, now I can again." The pillowcase looked like Smokey to her, so she immediately claimed that as well. Thank you, Dangerous Angel.  They're very sweet and made her very happy.









And here is Smokey this morning! See his orange? And more black!


----------



## Sadist

Aww, so cute! Look at Twinkie's pretty flare, too.


----------



## BettaBoy11

How's Stormy doing?


----------



## BettaSplendid

His gills looked like big ears. LOL. Yeppers, he was a cute one. We miss him so bad. Daughter will cry out, "_Twiiiiiiiinkiiiiiiiie_ in a wailing, mournful voice. :-( and that is all she'll say. Then it happens again a few hours later.

Stormy is good! She must have dropped her eggs. "I make my own food!" ergh. She is crazy about Smokey. They look at each other quite often and go up and down the glass...but it doesn't look aggressive. Like she wants to get over to him. No, no, none of that. I do not need hundreds of Stormys. :shock:


----------



## BettaBoy11

Though that would be pretty adorable...


----------



## themamaj

Awwww subbing at picture so sweet! Your daughter has the sweetest and most tender heart for these fish. Chance's has a pillow on the way! Can't wait!!


----------



## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> Awwww subbing at picture so sweet! Your daughter has the sweetest and most tender heart for these fish. Chance's has a pillow on the way! Can't wait!!


Ah, Chance's pillow will look perfect in your fish room!

She certainly does have a tender heart for her fish....look at this picture, it will break your heart. She was talking about Twinkie. You can see a line across each eye, those are tears actually filling her eyes. Poor baby!





But I am glad she cares so much. I remember praying in the shower, Lord....a little girl, one who can draw and loves animals and is sweet and playful and, and, and...I had a long list. I got pregnant later that week with her and she is *everything* I asked Him for. Everything. She is a wonderful gift from God.


----------



## Sadist

Such a sweetie!


----------



## themamaj

Poor baby


----------



## BettaSplendid

Ah, there's the All Natural Pet Food. It comes in big bags with a label. I get out what I need for a day or 2 and store the rest in the freezer. They added a cute little fish notepad and a pencil too, but Daughter claimed those as well. She always takes my cute stuffs. ;-)

I need to do water changes today, particularly for Hatzie, Solomon & co., and Antigua. I usually do them by rooms, the 4 tanks in the sunroom will be today. Then I will do the school room tanks another day. I changed Smokey yesterday because his hornwort died and I had to vaccuum it out. It didn't like me having the aquarium light off for 4 days while new fishy adjusted to new home. Hornwort just looks for reasons to die. "You don't care!! _pppphhhhpppptt_" and it's dead.


Eta, I want to get a brightly colored veiltail and name it Confetti. Hehehe. Isn't that cute? 'cause their fins look like strands of confetti floating around them. ? Yes?


Don't need anymore fishies! Feel free to use the name!

Eta 2- okay, this one is a worthwhile edit. That bit of food in my hands is enough to feed ALL my bettas for 2 days. It goes far!


----------



## themamaj

Do you crumble it? Love the note pad. You still do much better with hornwort than me. Mine drive it home and put in tank...2 days later dead. It does not like me! They had the most beautiful new bunches in stock other day at store. I haven't tried just floating it so maybe try one last time. I need to do water changes to do too. You will have to post some new pictures of Hatzie and Antigua. Confetti....oh what a cute name....may have to keep that one in mind


----------



## BettaSplendid

Yeah, I scratch at it to get it to crumble into the right sized pieces. I try to get it pellet sized. It is definitely easier to feed to cories and shrimp, just drop in a chunk. Will see if bettas look better on this stuff, to see if it worth the mild "hassle" of having to crumble it. I think the guppies already have noticibly brighter coloring. One, Pixie, has gotten purple on dorsal fin with *spots* since feeding the Buggy Bites and I think he looks so much prettier now. New colors developing. I haven't noticed new colors on bettas yet though. Did notice how fat Hatzie looks...he looks good. Has a sorta filled out healthy look.

Oh, I might try chopping a chunk of Buggy Bites up with a knife. If nothing else, it will crumble.


----------



## BettaBoy11

*Major Enabler Alert*















Confetti is such a cute name!!! You need to get one now... I know you probably have a spare tank somewhere... Or you could get an EE...


----------



## BettaSplendid

BettaBoy11 said:


> *Major Enabler Alert*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Confetti is such a cute name!!! You need to get one now... I know you probably have a spare tank somewhere... Or you could get an EE...



*considers*








I do love EEs.....


----------



## BettaBoy11

Yes. With their big white fins that they wave at you whenever you come near the tank. Big puppy dog eyes...:twisted:


----------



## Sadist

I imagine a fish like Twinkie named Confetti. 

I really want to surprise my daughter with a fish in her room all to herself, but I don't think it'll fly with hubby. Maybe when she's 10. She's good at feeding them (if reminded) and dutifully measures out the pellets one by one. She likes doing the frozen food because they attack the toothpick. "I can feel her!" Hehe.


----------



## BettaSplendid

How about some Muffin family pictures? Blueberry Muffin's children are growing fast. They are already half an inch long. Some are striped, some are spotted. Some have black heads and bootys with blue speckles. Such an assortment! Each one is unique.









Ah, there were some really pretty ones, but I just couldn't focus on them! Too bad. I tried and tried.


Smokey is unrecognizable! Daughter was talking about his "fin crust" (that sounds yuck). She meant the black edging he has now around each fin. It looks like the crust around a slice of bread to her. He is a nice RICH black now. Very healthy looking! With lots of blue "irid" spots and some orange here and there. Very eye catching. Very different from the other fishies here. I will try to get some non blurry pictures tomorrow. He just wiggles for joy when I try to take pictures.

It has been SO COLD! Glad I didn't shear the 'pacas. It was in the 80F temps for a while and now this month has been chilly. Down to freezing. Khanan is still fluffy.


----------



## Tealight03

Can't wait to see updated pictures of Smokey and his crust! Lol. I love your shrimp too. I would love to have some but worry about water parameters.


----------



## Sadist

Good luck getting pictures of everyone! Everything always moves during picture time.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Gah!

He marbled so much over night that his "fin crusts" are almost gone! So here is a picture from 3 days ago, when the crust was just baking/forming:


I didn't share the pictures then because they were so blurry! He moves so FAST though it is nearly impossible to get a clear shot AND no glare from the glass.

And here he is this morning.




He was just saving up his Marbling Powers for some warm, clean wasser!


----------



## Olivia27

Don't you just love marbles  glad Smokey is doing so well x love your shrimps too!


----------



## BettaBoy11

I hope your daughter doesn't mind a dark fish!:lol:

What a transformation, and I bet he isn't even half done! Wow. That's amazing.


----------



## themamaj

Unbelievable how different he looks! Gorgeous. That shrimp has me craving blueberry muffins now lol.


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## Tealight03

He looks great!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Kids and I were watching betta daddies taking care of fry on youtube. Then we started looking up certain betta colors/tail types. When THIS video started, we all went, "AAAAAAWWWWWWWWWW!!!" in unison. He is THAT cute. Plus it has thr "feels" music that tugs at your heart strings. Cutest betta eveh.


https://youtu.be/mdySki0A5zs


----------



## themamaj

what a gorgeous fish on video! kindof partial to Kenny G music too  thanks for sharing it! 

I bet Khanan is glad he kept his fur. These cold nights have been very unexpected this late in April here. My nighttime puppy trips outside have reminded me how cold it is getting. 

My friend that brought the chickens into work the other day told me their favorite chicken's name is Stella. Stella is named after Dolly Parton's sister. Pretty funny. She said the chicks had grown so much I probably wouldn't recognize them now. 

How is your rat doing? 

Tell Solomon his number 1 fan is thinking of him this am. I can just imagine how pretty he must be in morning sun. 

Hope Co-op going well. Are kids enjoying classes?


----------



## ThatFishThough

BettaSplendid.. I didn't get pictures, but yesterday at petco they had a Twinkie look-alike. She was a veiltail, beautiful "Pink" Dalmatian. Poor girl was clamped, and gone today. .-.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oh, I would.have wanted her too! Son announced today he wants to get more females to go i to Stormy's 10. A pink girl?! Daughter would go *insane* for that.

Melchi is doing........_okay_. We really need to get him a buddy. Husband doesn't want them in the house though, I use to let them scamper in the school room. Now... Eh, I guess I still need a.friend for him. We have yet to go to Fintastic to see if anymore blue cuties have been born.

Just one more day of co-op left and then it atarts up again in September! Loooooong summer.... I signed up for 2 classes next year. Will be doing classes on the Pilgrims, one for 4 to 6 year olds and the other for 7 to 9 year olds.

I changed up ornaments in Antigua's tank after his water change. He LOVES exploring! He is ky "minature Arowana" explorer plakat! He goes right in new toys, no hesitation. I just love his personality.  




For you MamaJ, Solomon this morning. I love the little blue dots on his body. He is loving life. Solomon is doung good still in the community. Guppies haven't gotten bit again since that initial chomp.




Taking pet snail for a walk? Taking picture from above, rather than through glass gets a much more accurate color. He is macaroni and cheese color! Kids giggled at that.





....and I have a BIG surprise...!  Commence guessing?







Eta-there are so many typos in this post. Ugh. Just....sorry. I don't feel like fixing them.


----------



## ThatFishThough

New Betta?
Baby guppies?
Another tank?
New farm animal?
Did I win? XD


----------



## Tealight03

Solomon has really colored up!


----------



## BettaSplendid

All good guesses and highly plausible!




.....but, nope. 





Oh, I did see the new Muffins today. Well, 2 of them. From Blueberry Muffin's latest hatching. They are... An eighth of an inch, maybe? 

It rained yesterday and Khanan is cuuuuuuute when soggy. *so cute* Did I mention I accidentally petted him last week? I think I forgot to write that. I usually do not touch the alpacas 'cause they don't appreciate it. But Khanan was eating his grain and I was standing next to him absent mindedly digging my fingers down into his deep pile-o-fur and scratching his back. I petted him for about a minute and he didn't seem to care.


----------



## Tealight03

My guess is a new betta. Oh or blue rat or baby alpaca. Lol.


----------



## DangerousAngel

Solomon is GORGEOUS! I noticed his cute little curly mustache!!

Ooohh I can't wait for the surprise!!! Maybe it's a new Betta? Or something relating to your shrimps?


----------



## BettaSplendid

Ooooph, good guess. I am expecting baby alpacas. It takes 11 or 12 months gestation and I think I got Khanan and Yara in June? BUT that is not it either. I need to think up some hints.

Thank you for pointing out Solomon's moustache! I went back and looked- yup, I see it! That is funny. :lol:

_Psalm 139:13_

Daughter was trying to turn on Stormy's light, and without telling me she switched off the power strip to both Stormy and Smokey's tanks. Last night. This mirning I noticed Smokey's filter wasn't going. Then I noticed pale Stormy. Her water was at 59 degrees! And Smokey's at 61F because he had his tank lid on. Miserable night for them. I hope this doesn't cause health issues for them. Someone had a talking to about messing with electrical stuffs. :|


----------



## Sadist

Oh my, look at that moustache! I wouldn't have noticed it. He looks like he's trying to impress some ladies with that.

Oh no, the power strips! I hope they recover okay.

Baby alpacas! It would have been my guess. Or baby humans.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Ding, ding, ding! Sadist, you guessed it! I am pregnant! 





So that explains why I was SO TIRED last month. LOL. I haven't told the children yet since I am still in the eh, fragile zone. They would be devastated if I miscarried.... They ask me all the time for a brother or sister. Actually, I have only told the Husband. He is sooooo excited. It is hard to believe Daughter is 6. I think of her as a "baby", but she is HUGE. Hah. Will let my mom know when I see her in person next. She is busy, busy with her sheep having lambs so I haven't seen her in weeks. *_cough*try to put off telling inlaws forever*cough*
_

I am watching this series on youtube, one episode is being put out each day. Last night, episode 2 was released and it was quite good. The producer is Ty Bollinger and I have had his book for a few years (8?) and really enjoyed it. His series is about cancer, preventative and alternative medicines. Totally up my alley.

https://youtu.be/VK_sX5ko8SE

Poor Stormy, her blue was grey and her red areas brown. So cold. And stress stripes like a chipmunk. Her heater is going and the sunlight is streaming in...he stressr stripes are fading out but color hasn't returned yet. She is about 70 degrees now. Smokey's filter media was all dried out. *sigh*


----------



## ThatFishThough

Yaaasssss! Congrats!

*cheers*


----------



## Sadist

Congratulations! My daughter always asks for baby siblings, too. She even asked why she wasn't making babies already (at 5 years old). Funny how the baby can make you feel so tired even when he or she is still a speck in there!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> Congratulations! My daughter always asks for baby siblings, too. She even asked why she wasn't making babies already (at 5 years old). Funny how the baby can make you feel so tired even when he or she is still a speck in there!


Aaawww! Daughter pushes her tummy out and claims she has "23 baby girls" in there, hahaha, all at once.


----------



## Tealight03

Aww congrats!


----------



## themamaj

*WAIT WHAT????????* I know that verse Psalm 139:13 -"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb." and have to include 14
"14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made"...that is our preschool program verse! 

WOWOWOWOW! *Congrats!* That is more exciting than a baby alpaca. I am missing a lot being at work!


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

Congratulations! Wow! You must be thrilled.

I don't suppose...you have a picture of Khanan being soggy?


----------



## themamaj

Oh yes would love to see a soggy Khanan! Heck love to see any pictures of Khanan. I thought that was hilarious that you "accidentally" petted him. I had no idea they didn't really like that. He is so cute I don't think I could help myself he would get major lovin.

Solomon what a gorgeous boy you are! He glistens like gold with those beautiful fins. I will think of you now every time I eat macaroni and cheese LOL


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oh, MamaJ..... *cries*....._Solomon died._ I found him with his tail sucked up the filter intake. I feel HORRIBLE. Just horrible. The intake tube needed a sponge over it, I guess. There is a chance he just died of something and then floated with the current....but I don't think so? He was so healthy and active and normal when I went to bed. Oooooooooh....he was the perfect betta.  So happy with his life. I feel it is my terrible fault. I should have figured with a tail like that....  


Now macaroni and cheese will be a sad thing.  Kids in shock about it. We just sat around his grave grimly.


Poor Solomon....poor sweetie. I couldn't find him in the tank which is normal because he had so many secret places. I started to get worried and unplugged the filter and then I saw him and screamed in anguish. What a horrible way to die. Oh it is just tragic. Daughter started scream-crying and I had to calm her down even though I wanted to do the same thing. Just....not good. I will be picking up the intake sponge cover.

I am sorry to hear about your daughter's goldfish too. What was its name? I do love puffer fish, would love to gleen info off you if you get one. I am very proficient at breeding pond snails. Did you know puffer fish in the ocean make beautiful designs in the sand? The puff out the sand _poof, poof, poof_.

Aaw, I didn't get a picture of soggy Khanan. It was still raining when I went out to milk the goat that day so I didn't bring a camera. His little curls on his head get weighted down and drippy. Imagine a reeeeeeeeally handsome guy at the beach, but better, because he is an alpaca.


----------



## Sadist

This morning, she played a game of having a baby in her tummy and kept stuffing toys up her night gown. She had a lot of breech births, but the babies were all healthy and happy! Hehe.

Oh no! Poor Soloman. You know those pet stores always have dead fish on the filter intake -- I think he died of something suddenly and just got sucked on there. If he was healthy, he could get his fins off of it even if they tore. Sometimes, they die mysteriously. I'm glad you got some good pictures of him on his last day.


----------



## themamaj

:-( Oh no not Solomon! I can't imagine as active as he was getting pulled into filter. Subbing. So heart broke for you all!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oh goodness. Then it is anyones guess what happened. I hope he went quick then. Poor dear. He was so lovely and sweet.



Eta-but if he died and just drifted over, wouldn't his tail be wrapped around the intake mesh area? It was all in one slot up to the base of his tail, like it got sucked in and he was trying to swim away. I guess that could have happened if he drifted tail first. Ugh. It is too morbid to think about too much. 



I love the multiple breech births. Hahahaha. I can totally see that.


----------



## Tealight03

That is terrible! I'm so sorry. SIP Soloman.


----------



## SplashyBetta

Oh dear, I'm so sorry to hear about Soloman :-(


----------



## BettaBoy11

I'm so sorry! SIP.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

Oh no! Poor Soloman. I am so sorry. SIP 

I don't think he could have died because of the filter. Gabe & Humphrey have gotten sucked in by the intake multiple times each and it is always no problem for them to swim away. I suspect that he suddenly became sick, and when the filter sucked him, he was too weak to swim away. I cannot imagine the filter alone killing him.

*hugs* so, so sorry.


----------



## BettaSplendid

.....it makes me feel better atleast to know it was something out of my control. It is a big powerful filter, rated for up to 50 gallons. I don't know. He just looked so perfect and healthy. The tank looks so boring without his wonderful self exploring it. Just guppies and cories don't do it for me. I am a Betta Lover through and through. I still want to get an intake cover before putting another betta in there. It was a traumatizing sight.


----------



## Olivia27

I'm so sorry  I have to agree, though, it can't be the filter killing him. Merah shredded his anal fin the same way, and I've seen someone (was it Cypris or Sapho?) accidentally swam too close to the intake and got pulled in like fork to a magnet. But a healthy fish can always pull away no problem. Sometimes fish just die  

I'm sorry again xx


----------



## Nova betta

Yeah I agree a filter shouldn't pull in a healthy fish.
SIP sorry for your loss some things are just out of our control!


----------



## DangerousAngel

OHH NOOO!!!! I'm SO sorry to hear about sweet Soloman! That's devastating!

And congrats on the pregnancy!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oh, okay guys. Thank you so much for the moral support. I was being hard on myself. Atleast now I don't feel like it was my fault. Wow, hard to believe they can go from lookin' fantastc to dead overnight. Hatzallah, my little rescue betta looked like DEATH when I brought him home "to die". I thought he wouldn't make the trip even home but I couldn't leave him to die at WalMart....but he amazingly recovered and is still kickin. I guess some are just stronger.

Stormy regained all her color back and her breeding stripes as well. Both she and Smokey are glass surfing though. I hope they stop that soon. I hate glass surfing. :shock:


----------



## BettaSplendid

I cannot find Hatzallah's 2 Nerite snails. I haven't seen them for days. I did an ammonia test, got 0. Took out his ornament and peered inside. I didn't see any snails. Gravel vac'd. No snails. Where did they go?? Also did a water change on...community tank. I want to call it Solomon's tank.  It had perfect water too. Took some corydoras eggs off the glass and nestled them into the hornwort in uncle Zadok's tank. Maybe they will hatch and he won't eat them. Hmm, yeah right. Zadok loves being sang to! He moves his eyes like a chameleon and watches my mouth move. I think he likes my singin'...Made my day. I have ONE fan. Woot. He doesn't swim off until I stop singing. "_Surely You desire truth, truth in the inward parts....and You teach me wisdom.....hide Your face from my sin and blot out my iniquity. Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit in me. Cast me not away from Your presense oh Lord and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation. Grant me a willing spirit to sustain me._" Psalm 51, ah, one of my favorites.

Here he is.


----------



## Tealight03

My mom always sings Jingle Bells to Killian. He flaps his pectorals at her. Sometimes she sings to Liam but never to the others lol. And never another song lol. Glad Hatzie likes your singing.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Beware of Betta!




He is working on his nest. Hornwort with cory eggs in it behind him.

So, everyone's fins are more colorful since starting on Buggy Bites. It is really noticeable on Goldie's tail. The fins keep getting thicker and thicker. There is only a little bit of the thin area left, at the top/end of tail. Maybe it does this for bettas too.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Tealight03 said:


> My mom always sings Jingle Bells to Killian. He flaps his pectorals at her. Sometimes she sings to Liam but never to the others lol. And never another song lol. Glad Hatzie likes your singing.


Aaaaaaaaaaaaww! I love it when they flap. Maybe clapping, betta style?


----------



## Tealight03

It does look like clapping!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Or that thing mimes do beside their face with their hands to convey excitement?

LOL, hehehehe.


----------



## ThatFishThough

LOL.


Will you get another community betta?


----------



## BettaSplendid

Yes, definitely! Don't know if I can find another macaroni & cheese colored one...I guess whoever catches my eye- and heart.


I.am wondering what Petsmart would do if I said, "hey, I am buying this betta. Please test his water for ammonia." would they do it? I think that would make them squirm if the tests were bad.


----------



## Tealight03

I bet they'll argue and say whatever the horrible level is is normal. But hey maybe they will surprise us and take it seriously. We can dream.


----------



## BettaBoy11

You HAVE to do that.


----------



## BettaSplendid

How about just taking a sample of water out of the cup, testing it at home and then bringing it BACK to the store (without betta) and saying "is this safe?" and when they FREAK OUT, "oh you can't put fish in your aquarium! Ammonia is off the chart!" answer, "actually it is YOU who keep fish in it." *hiss* "let me.speak to your manager"

LOL, they would hate me forever.

I found the Nerites. They magically appear once night time arrives.


----------



## ThatFishThough

Rofl! 

Do you like Yellows? My Petsmart *Always* has Yellow Sally Dumbo's. :3


----------



## BettaSplendid

Hahaha I like ALL the bettas! All your betta are belonging to me.

I am specifically going to be looking for another halfmoon. Are your EE's plakats? I have only seen EE with plakat tails at my Petsmart- and that is what my Simeon is. But I want someone with a big anchor-tail for the community tank. Gotta slow 'em down and give the guppies a chance. 

The Muffin family gathered around for breakfast, look for the wee little one!



Husband came home with this, for Daughter:



Her name is Ella, but Daughter is renaming her Crystal Rose Cookies and Cream*. ;-)




The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a girl!


*Eta, name subject to change, repeatedly and without warning.


----------



## Olivia27

Aaaww I love horses! Your daughter is so lucky  

As for EEPK, I have one in my Petco for now. But I'm sure we'll get more soon. Here's a bad photo:



And non Plakats (scroll down to my post): http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=488713&page=85

Good luck on your hunt  x

EDIT

I just *have* to show you this guy. He's a bicolor HM with light pink body and blood orange fins. He looks like strawberry yogurt LOL


----------



## Tealight03

He's a beauty. The EE Olivia posted. But the horse is also gorgeous. Your daughter must be over the moon. 

Grayson is a HMEE. They must be out there. Lil might have some locally.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Olivia27 said:


> Aaaww I love horses! Your daughter is so lucky
> 
> As for EEPK, I have one in my Petco for now. But I'm sure we'll get more soon. Here's a bad photo:
> 
> 
> 
> And non Plakats (scroll down to my post): http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=488713&page=85
> 
> Good luck on your hunt  x
> 
> EDIT
> 
> I just *have* to show you this guy. He's a bicolor HM with light pink body and blood orange fins. He looks like strawberry yogurt LOL


*happy sigh* I would totally pick up that pinky pie dream if I saw him!! I want to look in my local Petsmart this Tuesday when I will be in town. I doubt Mr. Strawberry Yogurt will still be there next time you look? He sure is handsome. So is Techno. One prone to swim bladder might be a bad idea in a community tank though, too much food available that isn't meant for bettas (cory's food).


----------



## Olivia27

Nah don't worry, fish in my Petco sits there forever and ever. I took that pic... what, last week? When I went to pick up Techno two nights ago Mr. Strawberry Yogurt is still there. Honestly now that Ice and Cane are leaving I'm super tempted to pick him up anyway to sell LOL I'm horrible.

EDIT: and yup Techno might have to be on a restrictive diet all his life. Thanks for considering him though!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oooooooohhh....I will get back to you then after I look locally on Tuesday. He is really cute. Is he $15 with $15 shipping? I have never had one shipped, just my shrimpies.


----------



## Olivia27

Where are you again? If your weather is roasting like how it is over here (constantly above 55F) shipping would be $10 (usually $12-$15 depending on zip code) because there's no heat pack fee. Actually, I'm going out to buy shipping tape right now. I'll go visit Petco and take more photos


----------



## BettaSplendid

North Carolina.


Ah, but you would need a commission/ compensation for your time. Yeah, yeah, more Yogurt pictures! I think you should get him. I can't be the only person interested. He is so pink!


----------



## Olivia27

Noooo Petco labeled him as a rose petal! With my Pals Rewards he'd still be $15, but it annoys me still >< He's one of those fish that changes colors slightly depending on lighting apparently. Here he is in dimmer lighting


----------



## Tealight03

Think they would reevaluate if you pointed out he isn't an RT?


----------



## Olivia27

It's gotta be with their aquatics specialist - who isn't around every day. But even then I wouldn't know unless he flares


----------



## BettaSplendid

Rosetails, are they $20? It would be cool if he really was a rosetail! Impossible to find locally for me.


----------



## Olivia27

Yeah Rose Petals are $20. I got $5 off for Pals Rewards though. But by the looks of it...







... I can't capture his whole tail on camera! >< but it doesn't look like it's overly ruffled


----------



## ThatFishThough

Oh my gosh! What a beautiful pony!

I love Appy's. She looks like a Black Snowflake Appy. Do you know her actual color? (Its hard to tell from the pictures, she could be antyhing. LOL!) Or maybe a Fleabitten Grey?


----------



## themamaj

What an awesome Daddy to come home with a horse! I bet she was over the moon excited. She does look like cookies and cream! So envious of all your beautiful blue shrimp. You definitely have the special touch with shrimp. How are you feeling by the way? Have you decided when to tell kids? very exciting. Olivia that strawberry yogurt betta is gorgeous and they are always even better in person!!!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Daddy has too many horses. Erg. They are big and eat too much. At least this one will be useful and Daughter will play with it...unlike the horses out there with his cows.

I think I will tell the kids once I get to the 2nd trimester. Unless I get tired of them calling me fat before then and scream, "IT IS A BABY!" haha. I am feeling better each day, not so tired, getting adjusted to the new hormones. The first months are the hardests for me, feeling so drained. I never get morning sickness though. The baby is "the size of a grape and active" at 9 weeks and I swear I can feel thumping and bumping-even though I am not suppose to be able to yet. But if I lay very still........OR it could be food digestng. But that is not so much the romantic thought as a baby moving. LOL. ;-) I have "The Pregnancy Journal" that I used for Son and Daughter and it is cool being able to go back and read my notes from them. It has info and stuff for each day of pregnancy and space for notes. I have "lots,lots,lots of rolling and kicking" for day 210 for Daughter. She was always so active. And "calcium, bananas, melatonin, exercise and passionflower tea seem to help sleep and keep hips from aching at night"- glad I wrote that down! Here is Son, day 237, "lots of hand/foot movements, body shifting. Can feel shoulders." haha. He just gently, gently moved. Daughter was like a wrecking ball.

How about, "day 55, feel a grape rolling around. Might be really just a grape."

I am going to the library today and will be stopping by Petsmart. But I thought about Yogurt all night. (He even had a bubblenest in his cup!)


----------



## Sadist

Haha, I remember those early pregnancy days! It was quite a while before I could feel mine move, but I saw her on the ultrasound. Size of a bean, and she was kicking so hard that she was deforming the amniotic sack shape. By the last trimester, you could see her body parts pushing against my skin. The hubby thought I was making it up until he saw it. He thought an alien was about to burst out! Hehe.

Anyways, congratulations again! I love your little pregnancy log.


----------



## themamaj

I think you can feel movement earlier with subsequent pregnancies because you are much more aware of what a baby's movements feel like where as first one you think hmmm gas hehe. That is sweet you have a journal. I didn't journal my pregnancy with oldest son but did journal adoption journey with middle son and daughter. I may need some of that tea. I could really use a good nights sleep and a day without joints hurting. Had a very busy weekend with grandson and feeling every movement today but we had so much fun it was worth it. Are you using photo bucket for your pictures?


----------



## BettaSplendid

As I was leaving:





Yeah, need to milk the goat!











There were THREE pink bettas at Petsmart! A "dragon scale" veil tail and 2 halfmoons. The veil tail was the most amazing Barbie aisle pink. The halfmoons were close but I was drawn to the veil tail. AND I got a very yellow crown tail female for Son.

Daughter wouldn't let me put the pink fish in the community tank though! Of course, she claimed him right away and named him Smoothie. So I am trying Smokey in the community tank. He is currently gilling and chasing the guppies and he is fast. This might not work.

Son loved the yellow crown tail right away and named her Lemon Drop. She is chillin' in the breeded net in Stormy's tank. She has a lot of floating stem plants for cover.

Smoothie has taken to his new home.

Oh Smokey....if he settles down, then great! Okay now he is just exploring.

Here are their cup pictures:



Smoothie looks rather orange here but he is unbelievable-pink.



Lemon Drop, cold and miserable (but happy now!)



And the runner-up, oh it was hard to pick. If Smokey doesn't behave I may go back and get this one and just put Smokey somewhere else.


Runner Up was so tiny! Just a wittle baby.


----------



## Olivia27

Aww I love the name Lemon Drop! Congrats on all the new additions  x


----------



## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> I think you can feel movement earlier with subsequent pregnancies because you are much more aware of what a baby's movements feel like where as first one you think hmmm gas hehe. That is sweet you have a journal. I didn't journal my pregnancy with oldest son but did journal adoption journey with middle son and daughter. I may need some of that tea. I could really use a good nights sleep and a day without joints hurting. Had a very busy weekend with grandson and feeling every movement today but we had so much fun it was worth it. Are you using photo bucket for your pictures?


The passionflower tea is for falling to sleep- especially if your anxious or can't shut your brain off! I happen to have a passion fruit vine, they grow good here and have THE most exotic looking flowers. Or you can just buy the leaves. Catnip tea helps you fall asleep too. But the magnesium and bananas I found helped my joints. My hips hurt at night when pregnant...or did until I found the right routine.

Yes, I use and love photobucket. It will also act as a backup to your computer pictures, in case something happens. And I think you can also order prints through them. I like it because I can email photos easy peasy to photobucket and they go straight to my album.

Lemon Drop, she is soooo cute.






Smoothie:



Smokey is pacing in the back. He was glass surfing in the 10. I could put him in that little hexagon tank, heavily planted. He might like that? Will think on it.


----------



## Sadist

Lemondrop is a cutie! Keep your doors locked, or she may disappear ;-) Good luck with Smokie!


----------



## Tealight03

They are adorable! Hope Smokey behaves. 

Very excited for you! I've been thinking about having a baby. Not sure the time is right. But when is it ever?


----------



## BettaSplendid

Haha, I sure wasn't expecting to he pregnant. I have a hard enough time keeping the house even somewhat decent. I took away most of the kids' toys :twisted: so now it is a little- no a lot- easier. And packing away ALL winter clothes will help too. So tired of piles and piles of jackets and sweaters and blankets. I need to go minimalist.

Kids totally change your life, but for the better, in my experience.


I saw Antigua sleeping in the water wisteria. Precious boy. He still hasn't figured out his reflection isn't another fish though. He gets jealous when I talk to him and has to chase away "that other fish" and then come back to me...and then go chase away the other fish...repeat. What can I say.


----------



## Tealight03

Darn that other fish that just won't leave! Lol.


----------



## DangerousAngel

Ohhh Smoothie!! I love it! Congrats on your new additions!! 
I might actually need to check out that tea, I have a really awful time with my brain bothering me at night, almost to the point of having anxiety attacks sometimes. Sometimes I wish my brain wasn't mine! ;-)


----------



## Nova betta

He's really cute!


----------



## BettaSplendid

The kidzies picked out a female betta for each of them. I felt bad for the ones that didn't get chosen.  There was an EE that was resting on the bottom of his cup on his EEs. They were pressed against the plastic....so cute but sad too.

So the chosen ones:




The one looking down, a veil tail, is Daughter's. The red one on top is one I picked out, and the bottom right 2 pictures are Son's, a crowntail. 2 pictures because color looked different. 

So we acclimated them and let Lemon Drop loose and put Stormy in the net. Then let the 3 news ones loose. So the 4 of them (Lemon Drop and 3 new ones) explored for quite a while before there was a show down. They circled each other and nipped some. Then they all seperated. I have their tank jam packed with plants. Will keep Stormy seperated for a while, probably. She is quite a bit bigger and it is "her" tank....so...


----------



## Tealight03

Sorority? Exciting! I would love to have one, but I'm scared.


----------



## 206Betta

Nice, can't wait to see them after you set everything up.


----------



## BettaBoy11

WHAAAATTT??? Khanan PICTURES? I should have gotten 10 e-mails... "ATTENTION-BETTASPLENDID has posted pictures of Khanan."

Are you setting up a sorority??? Is Stormy going in it???
Smokey's in with the gup-gups?
You got a new Betta? Wait... 5 new bettas...

WHAT's GOING ON? THIS IS AWESOME!!!


----------



## BettaBoy11

I just noticed the third Alpaca in the background!


----------



## BettaSplendid

BettaBoy11 said:


> WHAAAATTT??? Khanan PICTURES? I should have gotten 10 e-mails... "ATTENTION-BETTASPLENDID has posted pictures of Khanan."
> 
> Are you setting up a sorority??? Is Stormy going in it???
> Smokey's in with the gup-gups?
> You got a new Betta? Wait... 5 new bettas...
> 
> WHAT's GOING ON? THIS IS AWESOME!!!


It didn't work? Gotta work out the bugs on my "instant notification messenger ALERT Khanan pictures just went up" system. Sorry bout that.



He is one goofy looking critter though. Usually he just looks cute but sometimes I laugh when I look at him. He is comical.

Did I really get 5 bettas?! I have some issues! But I didn't buy ANY new tanks. 

Yes, a sorority! Son kept shooting the idea down, and it IS his tank. Then one day he said he would like more females and I was like, "OKAY!!!" When I saw Lemon Drop I knew it was Time.

All seems calm this morning. It appears the blueish crowntail is highest ranking, then Lady Red, then the blueish veiltail and Lemon Drop just stays out of the way. Stormy is still in the breeder net. They just ate breakfast. I will get good pics once the sunlight starts coming through the window.

Smoothie is doing GREAT. He doesn't know what to think of all the ladies and gawks through the glass. He has very fluffy ventrals when he lets them down.

Saw Smokey glass surfing.


----------



## BettaSplendid

BettaBoy11 said:


> I just noticed the third Alpaca in the background!


The black one? That is Rayah. She is a hard one to photograph because she looks like a shadow.


----------



## BettaBoy11

Is Khanan the one on the right? And yes, I was looking at Rayah
I'm so glad the sorority is working out! How big is it? 
It's too bad that Smokey isn't liking the community...


----------



## BettaSplendid

Smokey didn't like being alone in the 10 either...he paced back and forth. *sigh*

The ladies are in a 10 gallon.

Yeah, Khanan is on the right, the tan colored one.


----------



## Sadist

Too awesome! I hope the ladies continue to do well together.


----------



## BettaBoy11

And who's the light-coloured one on the left?

A 10 gallon sorority is too tempting... Hmmmm...


----------



## BettaSplendid

On the left, that must be Yara. She is "rose grey" with a brown "hat" and white face? She is old, which is why I was able to afford her, but she may still have babies. Khanan is young.

Yeah, 10! They still seem good. Surprisingly peaceful. Maybe I will upgrade to a 20 long sometime. Give the 10 to the shrimp and put a betta (Smokey?) in the 5 that the shrimp are currently in. I really like the sorority!

I was able to get some nice (I think) pictures.

This is the Sorority tank, they are in there....I promise. 




Spike, Lady Red, and Rainbow (that is also their pecking order). Their names are descriptive, but in case anyone is extremely dense.  Spike is the crowntail, Lady Red is the red.one and Rainbow is Daughter's veiltail. Little Lemon Drop likes to explore alone. 




Eta, that is BAD picture of Rainbow....she has lots of color.

I am surprised how often they will rest right beside each other. Maybe they will get more aggressive later on?

Smoothie! I love this little fishy. Is he metallic? He was labelled "dragon scale" but that isn't so, he IS super reflective...he has somethin' special goin' on.

His face is adorable.


----------



## Olivia27

Naw, he just has lots of irid  what makes a dragon a dragon is thick, non reflective scaling. Happy to hear the sorority is going well!


----------



## BettaBoy11

Your sorority is tempting me...
So how many tanks do you have? What sizes? The 10 gallon community with Stormy, the 10 gallon sorority, a 5(?) gallon for Antigua, and a 5 for the shrimp?


----------



## BettaSplendid

Okay, a 29 gallon that has Smokey, cories,and guppies.
A 20 that houses Antigua alone (he is very spoiled)
A 10 that has Hatzallah and 2 nerites
A 10 with Simeon, naturally planted, with ghost shrimp and lots of malyasian trumpet snails that he flirts with.
A 10, naturally planted, with Stormy and 4 other females and some MTS
A 10 with only Smoothie
A 5, naturally planted, with Zadok
A 5, naturally planted, with.... A lot of shrimp.




Oh my gosh, I am crazy.


----------



## BettaBoy11

Wow... My guesses were terrible. Where did I get the notion that the community was only 10 gallons?
Wow!!!! Wow!!! That's a lot of tanks! How do you get time to clean them all?


----------



## BettaSplendid

I made a little "cave" with a folded-over Indian almond leaf. It proved so popular- 3 girls immediately went in like a girl scout camp-out tent. I had to quickly pitch another tent! Then they all checked out that one too.









Bettas love their leaves.


----------



## Sadist

Simeon and his snail fetish


----------



## BettaSplendid

BettaBoy11 said:


> Wow... My guesses were terrible. Where did I get the notion that the community was only 10 gallons?
> Wow!!!! Wow!!! That's a lot of tanks! How do you get time to clean them all?


I kinda get on a roll....do 4 one day, then a few days later I am recharged and do the other 4. But it does take a while...just treat it like part of house cleaning I guess. I never watch TV and I refuse to join Facebook because I see how it steals time from other people...so tanks are my "time sucker-upper", but I do enjoy it. I do feel I am at my limit though...hesitant to move Smokey to his own tank...but I might.

Oh, I must say that the naturally planted ones seem to always have great water. The plants do seem to keep everything clean and fresh.


----------



## Olivia27

*gasp* a shrimp-only tank! Quick! Add a Betta!  

Your girls are too cute Splendid. Maybe one day I will experiment with sororities. But then there will have to be a strictly "no emotional attachment" rule or else I'd get mega paranoid ._.


----------



## SplashyBetta

I love seeing a heavily planted sorority! And your girls are gorgeous!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> Simeon and his snail fetish


I am tellin' you what. He is serious about them. I wish he loved the ghost shrimp as much.


----------



## Sadist

At least he isn't trying to wrap your finger. I don't remember who that happened to.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> At least he isn't trying to wrap your finger. I don't remember who that happened to.


:shock:




hahahahaha!





That is like our little flying squirrel, he loved Daughter's wrists, literally. They were apparently just the right size.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Olivia27 said:


> *gasp* a shrimp-only tank! Quick! Add a Betta!
> 
> Your girls are too cute Splendid. Maybe one day I will experiment with sororities. But then there will have to be a strictly "no emotional attachment" rule or else I'd get mega paranoid ._.


I will be moving the "culls" to the betta tanks, once they're big enough to atleast have half a chance of surviving.........but a betta in my shrimp tank would be a disaster. I know it would get my favorites (which is most of them :roll: ;-) ) The babies are tinsie tiny.



Girls are still doing well. Usually they are apart, doin' their own thang. But they don't act weird if they happen to get near each other. Maybe that initial fight was as bad as it would get? I watched a while and then left so my presence wouldn't be dragging out their workings and sortings of who's who. When I came back an hour later they were all fine. I was expecting a knock em out fight.


----------



## themamaj

Sorority yeah!!!!!!! How exciting and love the girls you picked. Your tanks are a dream sorority with perfect plants. Have you caught yourself doing head counts. 1 2 3 4...1 2 3 4...ok everyone still in one piece. haha I still do it. It is definitely a different experience getting to see how they interact with each other. It sounds like you have a good personality group. 

Loved the tank line up. Very lucky crew! And no you are not crazy I am!

Ok I might have to become a Smoothie fan. He is really gorgeous. Such cute expressions. 

And yes need instant notifications of Khanan alerts


----------



## BettaSplendid

I adore Smoothie....wish he was mine! LOL. I had left the kids with Husband so I was alone when I went in Petsmart and got Smoothie and Lemon Drop. It honestly didn't occur to me that she wouldn't want me to put him in the community tank. She kicked poor Smokey out of the 10 faster than you can say, "pink fish". Smokey is doin' okay still. The guppies are like, "hey....we LIKE bettas...we want to be friends...you can school with us, alright? Is there something you would like to talk about? No? Well....we are here if you decide to want a friend...in fact, we will STAY RIGHT WITH YOU FOREVER." And Smokey is like GET ME OUT OF HERE! I think he would be a good candidate for a small, small tank. I miss Solomon so much. He was so perfect. The guppies miss him too, I think.

How old are females when they are seperated from their sisters? Or is it when they are ready to sell? Maybe these girls are used to being around other girls. They are small, very young. Smoothie is tiny too, I know he doesn't look small in pictures, but his body is tiny. I hope he gets big. He will be a looker as his fins grow!


----------



## Sadist

My guppies try to get the betta to play with them, too. 

"Are you a girl?"
"No, are you?"
"Hi, Blackiechat! You're really big! Are you a girl?"
"I like shrimp!"


----------



## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> My guppies try to get the betta to play with them, too.
> 
> "Are you a girl?"
> "No, are you?"
> "Hi, Blackiechat! You're really big! Are you a girl?"
> "I like shrimp!"


ROFL


"Hi Smokey. We think you're pretty."
*gills out*
"okay, we'll talk more later" 2 seconds pass "hi Smokey! We think you're really pretty! Want to be in our group? We already added you. That means we are going to swim with you ALL. THE. TIME"
*glass surfing*
"okay, we can do that with you, because we are a group now!"




Feeling sorry for Smokey now.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

themamaj said:


> Sorority yeah!!!!!!! How exciting and love the girls you picked. Your tanks are a dream sorority with perfect plants. Have you caught yourself doing head counts. 1 2 3 4...1 2 3 4...ok everyone still in one piece. haha I still do it. It is definitely a different experience getting to see how they interact with each other.


Definitely know that feeling. Tetra head counts...more like tetra head aches. Wouldn't it be nice if you could blow a whistle and they'd all line up, or at least stay still? As of now, it feels like some sort of a speed race. Trying to count superfast before they move..."onetwothreefourfivesixWAAAAIT STOP!!! Onetwothreeforfivesixseven...no that's seven...is this one eight or is it seven again? Onetwothreefourfivesixseven where's eight? Oh wait, there's eight...is it? Onetwothree..."

Oh my goodness a sorority!!!!!! They are SO cute and little! I'm glad everything is going ok!

Smoothie makes me want to cry...JUST...TOO...PINK. I am so envious. Is your daughter excited about a new pink fish?

OOHHHHHH KHANAN. That literally just made my day. I am alpaca-obsessed. Can I steal him? Can people ship alpacas?


----------



## BettaSplendid

Aaaw, I wish we had some Star Trek technology. I would beam him to you. Insta-paca. Unpack your paca. When a mama alpaca gives birth "the" alpaca people actually call it "unpacking". "She unpacked." :lol:

I was filling up water troughs yesterday morning and Khanan came over to be sprayed with the hose. Then he laid down beside me, inches from me. He likes to sit in the puddle and be sprayed. The Husband sharpened my sheers this morning for me and it is starting to stay warm.

Goat is up in Sons tree house right now. She is....such a...._goat_.


----------



## Sadist

BettaSplendid said:


> ROFL
> 
> 
> "Hi Smokey. We think you're pretty."
> *gills out*
> "okay, we'll talk more later" 2 seconds pass "hi Smokey! We think you're really pretty! Want to be in our group? We already added you. That means we are going to swim with you ALL. THE. TIME"
> *glass surfing*
> "okay, we can do that with you, because we are a group now!"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Feeling sorry for Smokey now.


Haha, like a facebook group! You're added, you must join us and make a post!

Haha, goat up in the tree house! Too funny. Can she get down by herself?


----------



## Tealight03

Haha. Poor Smokey. I imagine it is difficult to find a good community betta.


----------



## Tealight03

Did the gups follow Soloman like that? I'm just curious if because Smokey is a pk they think he is a guppy?


----------



## BettaSplendid

No, they didn't follow Solomon. He did his own thing. I think that the fast pacing that Smokey does draws the guppies attention. They are very interested in him. They might think he is a female guppy. Solomon was so slow and would wander about, checking out his log, then his moss ball pile, then weave through the plants...rest on some plants...go check out the gravel...too boring for guppies! 

Solomon.............why, why.... I miss my macaroni & cheese betta with the poof poof tail... :-(

I will give Smokey a bit more time. If he doesn't chill and ENJOY that space he needs to come out.



We told the children about the baby! Then we went to eat at IHOP. Kids kept giving me their food "give this to the baby!" I had chocolate milk, even. 2 cups shoved into my face at once, sprinkle-cupcake-pancakes, turkey bacon... Oh, and IHOP is having a special every night starting at 4pm kids eat free. I showed them pictures of what a 10 week baby looks like. Little bones! Tiny legs and feet, little rib cage...pretty amazing! "I am going to be a BIG, big brother! And you'll be a big sister!!"


Eta- yeah, the fort has a ramp going up to it...and a steep one out the back with a rock climbing wall that goat RUNS DOWN. crazy. This is not my milking goat, Spice, but Daughter's goat Penelope. Penelope even gets up in trees.! She has to get up in stuff. Spice likes to keep her hooves on the ground.


----------



## BettaSplendid

http://www.tulababycarriers.com/products/alpaca-hearts-tula-ergonomic-baby-carrier








*squeals* At IHOP Husband asked if there was an alpaca print baby carrier and I was like, "yeah right." OH MY GOODNESS THEY EXIST MUST HAVE MUST HAVE ALPACA LOVE KHANAN CARRIER BABY MUST LIVE IN THIS I WILL NEVER TAKE IT OFF HUSBAND WONT HEAR THE END OF IT MUST haaaaaa_aaaaaaave it......._


----------



## Tealight03

Yes you must have! And I read that whole thing because I'm obsessed with babies lately. We won't even discuss the ebay incident.


----------



## themamaj

Aaaaa you must have oh cutest carrier ever!!!!!!


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT ALPACA PRINT BABY CARRIER AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!
So cute. So cute. So cute.

Haha I like Insta-Paca. If only...!!! "Beam up the llama, Scottie"...


----------



## Sadist

We had a lot of ultrasounds, so the kiddo got to see what she looked like when she was teeny. 

"And here you are the size of a bean! Look how you were kicking so hard the water sack got poked to the side!"


----------



## BettaSplendid

Tealight03 said:


> Yes you must have! And I read that whole thing because I'm obsessed with babies lately. We won't even discuss the ebay incident.


Well, now you must tell.



;-)


----------



## Sadist

It would be nice if your kids could see the second and third trimester ultrasounds. I got to watch my girl suck her hand in one!


----------



## Tealight03

I purchased an organic crib sheet and two yellow onesies. I couldn't stop myself!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Tealight03 said:


> I purchased an organic crib sheet and two yellow onesies. I couldn't stop myself!



Aaaaaaaawww. Oooh...organic too. I can totally relate. I bought like hundreds of dollars worth of cloth diapers and also baby clothes and natural childbirth books...carriers...maternity clothes, all sorta stuff- back when I still lived with my mom! I figured I had a job and wasn't married, so might as well prepare ahead of time. It made sense to me....my poor mom freaked out. :shock: She couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that I would buy all this baby stuff if I wasn't pregnant. It got a little harry there for a while. But like you said, "I just couldn't stop myself", i was compelled. I am so glad I did too! No way would we have been able to afford all that after I got married. I had lots of cool stuff that I researched in my leisure- rather than in the whirlwind of "oh my gosh, I am pregnant I need all this stuff! What do I get?!"


----------



## themamaj

I wish 3D ultrasounds had been available when I was pregnant. I have seen pictures now that look like photographs. OK we have decided a theme for this baby for you... alpacas &#55357;&#56362;


----------



## themamaj

*Alpaca baby items!*


----------



## themamaj




----------



## themamaj

http://www.houzz.com/photos/41820463/A-Alpaca-Art-Print-traditional-kids-wall-decor

A is for Alpaca print for wall. Soooooooooo cute!!!


----------



## themamaj




----------



## themamaj




----------



## themamaj

Oh so many alpaca items must google!!! I love a good theme.


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## BettaSplendid

*hyperventilating*







Alpaca baby stuff! That last shirt....oh my. I bet that is what Khanan looked like as a baby/cria. Cuuuuute.

Can't miss this one, exclusive Llama print diaper...has baby llamas on it too.

http://www.nickisdiapers.com/smart-bottoms-limited-edition-exclusive.html


----------



## themamaj

*Khanan cookies????*

You may have to block my internet. You would not believe the alpaca items I found. Now wouldn't your daughter love making Khanan cookies????


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oh my. No, block MY internet..! I made some "gummies" out of strawberries and yogurt in the blender with gelatin...and used cookie cutters to cut them out. But they were leaf and pumpkin shaped....found a playdoh "cookie" cutter shaped like a bunny too. Hahahahaha. I am certainly lacking in appropriate cookie cutters, unless it is fall.

Son said, "are you sure you should be walking around, since you're pregnant?" Husband said, "she can walk around- what she can't do is clean." *winks at me* Son is like, "really! I can help!" *I try to stifle a giggle* if only he would follow through.

I am lovin' that sorority! They are just so cute, especially together. The most aggression I see is Spike will occassionally put her gills out at someone, but that's it. No fighting. And usually they just swim past each other without incident, even if they touch. They like to squeeze between the glass and Stormy's net and sometimes more than one girl will be squeezing at a time through there. Also common to see more than one using the IAL "tent" secret club house meeting.

They are growing FAST too. Lemon Drop is already half Stormy's size. She was a third her size when I first brought her home. No one has stress stripes either. They look like they are having so much fun.


----------



## themamaj

Awww so glad they are doing well. Never thought of trying to make gummies. Son precious. Hopefully you will get some good cleaning help wink wink


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

Ohhhhhh MamaJ! Too...much...alpaca... 

So glad your sorority is working out. You'll have to keep updating.


----------



## BettaSplendid

MamaJ, you need to use your internet sleuth abilities and tell me......_are there betta items_ for human babies. ?? :squint: 

When I see fish items it is usually goldfish. Okay....goldfish, cute, sure.....but where is the betta love? They are over looked, in my opinion.

What about a diaper with a flaring betta, "you betta change my diaper!"

LOL.


----------



## themamaj

Hahaha love it! If not I know my computer worker would make one. She is vinyl queen. Been after her to make me a betta mug with screen name.


----------



## Tealight03

BettaSplendid said:


> Aaaaaaaawww. Oooh...organic too. I can totally relate. I bought like hundreds of dollars worth of cloth diapers and also baby clothes and natural childbirth books...carriers...maternity clothes, all sorta stuff- back when I still lived with my mom! I figured I had a job and wasn't married, so might as well prepare ahead of time. It made sense to me....my poor mom freaked out. :shock: She couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that I would buy all this baby stuff if I wasn't pregnant. It got a little harry there for a while. But like you said, "I just couldn't stop myself", i was compelled. I am so glad I did too! No way would we have been able to afford all that after I got married. I had lots of cool stuff that I researched in my leisure- rather than in the whirlwind of "oh my gosh, I am pregnant I need all this stuff! What do I get?!"


I imagine it would be very overwhelming to be pregnant and not have a head start or a plan. Plus the expense. I want to try to get a couple things a month. Next month glass bottles. 

Do you follow Wellness Mama? She has a blog. Very helpful tips about all kinds of stuff. She even makes her own soap and stuff. I saw a post from her about organic baby stuff and prioritized the crib sheet. No way can I afford organic baby clothes lol. 

I love all the alpaca items! You have a theme! And it is an excuse to buy more baby stuff.


----------



## Tealight03

Search on Etsy. I found someone who makes children's books. She has templates or you can make your own. Anyway, I bet you could find someone who would do custom stuff!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oh yes, love Wellness Mama, even if the Husband snorts whenever I say that name.

It is actually where I first learned about the blue light being bad at night. And where the gelatin/yogurt/strawberry gummie recipe came from, not to mention the coconut milk and chia seed recipe I told Sadist about. Just a wealth of info.

Maaaaaaaaaaaybe i should get a plain white changing table pad cover thingie and paint my own betta on it. Or the whole sorority! Oh oh, they would be cute as a mobile....hahaha.


----------



## themamaj

Love idea of sorority mobile. Too cute! See we have better ideas than stores.


----------



## Tealight03

Mamaj yes we do! I must have a betta mobile for future baby! 

I love the coconut milk and chia seed recipe! It's hard for me to find good quality coconut milk though. I don't care for carrageen or whatever it is lol.


----------



## Tealight03

Here's an Etsy custom mobile store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/dropsofcolorshop

There's also a couple people on here who make stuff. Dangerous does pillows and someone else does betta stuffed animal things. Maybe one of them would be able to make itty bitty bettas for a mobile. I'm obsessed now.


----------



## BettaSplendid

My mom needle felts. I will ask her if she will make an alpaca mobile or just some cute hanging alpacas- using fluff from Khanan, Rayah, and Yara. Going to have to work in bettas somewhere though......have to start 'em young.

Wish Smokey would slow down and explore. He surfs along the end of the tank, back and forth, not even the long front or back panel, but the side. I was wondering if maybe I should switch Smokey ans Zadok. I tried Zadok before in with the guppies and he glass surfed as well, but that was a different tank. There is always Hatzallah too. Ahahahahaha. Dear Hatzie. He "cooks" each pellet I put in his tank. He won't eat anything with out first putting gills and beard fully out and then lazer beams shoot out of his eyes and the water starts to boil. Then he eats the pellet. Not sure how he would do with "friends". Then again, he migbt enjoy having someone for....his entertainment.

Okay, that was a slight exaggeration. Slight.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Tealight03 said:


> Here's an Etsy custom mobile store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/dropsofcolorshop
> 
> There's also a couple people on here who make stuff. Dangerous does pillows and someone else does betta stuffed animal things. Maybe one of them would be able to make itty bitty bettas for a mobile. I'm obsessed now.


This is interesting....I may try to make felt bettas. Thanks for the link. Felt is something I find easy enough to work with. 

The stuffed bettas are on Etsy. I love those. AND they make axolotls too. Like spectacular-level-cute. There is cute and then there is CUTE. This is CUTE. 

I was just sitting with bettas in sunroom. Fed everybody their Buggy Bites. I could probably get away with dividing Hatzallah's 10. He isn't _that_ active anymore. Oh, I don't know.  Smokey, you are driving me crazy. I don't know what to do with you. LOL. I keep trying to think of the perfect thing to do with him. That doesn't involve another tank.

We're coming up on Stormy's one year anniversary with us! I think I got her in May. I need to find the calendar I was using. Then, not long after came Hatzie. Then Antigua followed by Simeon. I want to know exact dates so...so....uh. I can congratulate them? 1 year of 80F water! Wooohoooo! Aren't you glad I picked you. *kissy lips on glass* Sometime during the year I switched to using a 2 year planner. 

Maybe I will try to make a divider. Are all components available from a craft store? I could go by Michaels and look at felt and craft mesh. But the things that go on the sides of the mesh...okay, off to google. The dividers at Petsmart, are they no good?


----------



## Sadist

I don't know anything about dividers, but I recall DangerousAngel making betta pillows and pillow cases. Maybe she could make smaller, mobile-sized ones if you can't find felt pieces that work? My MiL crocheted a bunch of mobile toys that later became normal toys. She found the pattern/recipe/whatever it's called for free on youtube and in a magazine I bought her.

All those alpaca baby things are so cute!

Oh, oh! http://www.zazzle.com/betta+fish+baby+shirts They aren't onsies, just shirts, but still!


----------



## SplashyBetta

The binder sliders that go on the side of the dividers.. I got mine at Staples. I looked at the local Michaels and they didn't have them.


----------



## BettaSplendid

The more I think about, the more I do believe I will divide Hatzallah's tank. I will use 1/3 of the tank for Smokey, likely, leaving Hatz with the larger portion. Will try to find the mesh and binder sliders today. Smokey is not happy. I think he was in that cup too long. Might also get a matching coral ornament so both sides are congruent. I have never liked the look of divided tanks, sigh. I like a harmonious, natural looking tank, and dividers just ruin that. But....for now I can think of no better solution. If I can find black mesh and black or green sliders that would be less of an eyesore. The gravel is black and there are lots of green plants. Must keep in mind this tank will have brightly colored artificial coral too...so it will only look just so natural (not much). LOL.

Sadist, bookmarked that. I will find some plain tiny t-shirts and get some fabric paint and make my own though. But those gave me good ideas. I love the outline plakat one. I always have the urge to paint/craft when pregnant and when baby is little and stationary.


----------



## Tealight03

I wish I was craftier lol. 

The dollar store should also have the sliders. Well any store like Walmart, Target, Staples, etc.

My glass surfers always surf the sides too. I guess that's where the reflection is the brightest? Hope you can figure something out for Smokey. And congrats to Stormy for having warm, clean water and love for a year!


----------



## themamaj

Tealight03 said:


> Here's an Etsy custom mobile store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/dropsofcolorshop
> 
> There's also a couple people on here who make stuff. Dangerous does pillows and someone else does betta stuffed animal things. Maybe one of them would be able to make itty bitty bettas for a mobile. I'm obsessed now.


Etsy has all kinds of neat things. I have gotten ideas from them before and then done my own. I saw some neat ninja turtle prints (for grandson room) that gave me idea. Googled images I wanted and printed to make a template and then painted myself on canvas. Turned out cute and for lots less money. Would like to try that for fish too. 

Ideas of mobiles are so cute! I wish they had pinterest and all of these things when my kids were little. Oooh now I can implement in future grandkids though! I can just see future of daughters face of shock when she opens up a gift of a fish mobile one day. I think she would kill me haha. Maybe will have to save that idea for gma's house hehe.


----------



## themamaj

I got black mesh panels at Hobby Lobby for very cheap. Report binders you can get at Walmart or about anywhere. I wonder if you can find black binders. Black mesh would look good with black gravel. 

I could just see Hatzie trying to laser beam the pellets with eyes! I just love your descriptions!!! ROFL


----------



## BettaSplendid

So frustrated!!

I went to WalMart, Target, and 3 dollar stores looking for those sliding binder things! *screams* I finally found them and had my ONE item and get to the checkout and there are these people with carts loaded like they do grocery shopping at Dollar Tree. I would have been waiting for half an hour. And we had a birthday party to get to in 6 minutes. I will have to go back on a NOT-A-SATURDAY and hope for a quick check out. I did, however, find black craft mesh at Walmart, and felt. Got the extra coral piece from Petsmart too. Didn't even make it to Michaels. The party was fun. Was there until almost 8pm. ALL of Daughter's potential husbands were there. And some of her little girl friends too. They played and played.

My mom said she could come for a brief visit tomorrow. I guess now I can share the big news with her.  

Wish I could get that divider put together. I am anxious to see if Smokey will relax in a smaller area. Or will it be worse being in a tank where he can smell another male. Augh. Musical tanks.


----------



## themamaj

Oh I hate it when that happens or get in line behind someone using a debit card for the first time. Have had a couple of bang head on steering wheel when got to parking lot episodes.

Glad had fun at party. I know your mom will be soooo excited! Nothing beats a grandbaby


----------



## BettaSplendid

Yeah....this past summer (whoa, almost a YEAR AGO!) I was talking about babies, and she said, "Wait!! You want another?? *squeal* I had given up hope!" I was like, "really...?" Then I thought, well Daughter *is* 6......but to me the time has gone by so fast, it doesn't seem like 6 years at all. But I can see where she got the idea... Actually Daughter was 5 then. That isn't _that_ old.

I found my old calendar. 
Stormy's 1 year anniversary is May 2-comin' right up!
Hatzallah is May 18.
Antigua June 21

Smoothie is very interested in the gravel vac. He is one of those bettas that has to watch with his nose down there. I accidentally sucked Simeon up once. He was swirling around inside. Skeered me.


----------



## DangerousAngel

You should look for a Betta journal and write the gotcha dates of all your Bettas in it~








There's this one too!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/230762...ch_query=Betta fish notebook&ref=sr_gallery_1

I got one for Christmas and use it whenever I get a new boy. I also write the date they passed.


----------



## themamaj

Oh how pretty!


----------



## Olivia27

Eeep awesome find DangerousAngel! I made a list of mine at the back cover of my school note book LOL other than that I have a file titled "dates" in my laptop as well. But now that I think about it I should probably change the file name to something more specific x)


----------



## BettaSplendid

Olivia27 said:


> Eeep awesome find DangerousAngel! I made a list of mine at the back cover of my school note book LOL other than that I have a file titled "dates" in my laptop as well. But now that I think about it I should probably change the file name to something more specific x)


"Hot dates" maybe?


----------



## Olivia27

I almost spat out my lemon tea LMAO I wish!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Olivia27 said:


> I almost spat out my lemon tea LMAO I wish!


Can you imagine the disappointment of some snooper person who had to look in your "hot dates" folder though? ......actually, no...it would be scary if you also tracked the "death" date too. :shock: "What IS this?!" First met....brought home....died....OMG.


----------



## Overprotective Fish Lover

This is too funny.


----------



## themamaj

My sides hurt laughing


----------



## Olivia27

BettaSplendid said:


> Can you imagine the disappointment of some snooper person who had to look in your "hot dates" folder though? ......actually, no...it would be scary if you also tracked the "death" date too. :shock: "What IS this?!" First met....brought home....died....OMG.


I actually DO track the death dates as well :lol: nothing teaches you more not to snoop around I suppose XD


----------



## BettaSplendid

Staples had the report binders. Black ones cost $9. No. Returned to "Everything's a $1.00" (not Dollar Tree, I get them all mixed up) where I saw them before. No long lines! Grabbed 2 packs. Figured if anyone else is having difficulty finding them or whatever, I will have some extra. I don't know...maybe there is a new style of report binders but these were SO hard to find.

My mom is very excited for the new baby, as expected. She already took pictures and video of my very modest baby bump. Son went home with her yesterday. Daughter said she is going to own and run a fish store when she grows up and call it "Twinkie's".  She is busy setting it up now, with paper bettas in plastic storage bins. She made a sorority too, complete with paper "heater" taped to the wall or the container. I "bought" a male, Candy Cane and a female she said he liked, Wisteria. She caught them with a net and put them in the betta cup. So, if you visit Twinkie's the bettas are in decorated and heated tanks but go home in cups. PLUS, Twinkie's is also a hotel...so if you drive a long distance you can spend the night. She didn't even charge me. I think she should pursue this idea.

The cup even came with a mini heater for the journey home. 


ROFL, she just appeared in front of me, "_I can even make paper bubble nests!"_ *crazy grin, missing top front teeth*


----------



## themamaj

Love her! I would so shop there and she can book me for first room available in hotel. Precious!!


----------



## BettaSplendid

*giggle* Will do, mamaJ.
She goes into betta care too, with each purchase. Sold me a "12 gallon" "tank" too. She told me not to touch them because that would mess up their slime coat and they would *die*. And instructed me not to touch their eyes. I promised I wouldn't. Can't believe she knows what slime coat is? It is funny what they pick up when you do not realize they are listening.

I just got done dividing Hatzallah's tank. He was one MAD lil' fishy when that divider went down and seperated him from his beloved coral decoration! He flashed around angrily, sulkily. I knew exactly what he was sayin'. I had to move a plant and then was able to put down an identical piece of coral on his side, which he promptly went in and was happy thereafter. Shew. Can't have Hatzie upset. It is a good thing I got an identical piece.









Now sitting here, watching. It looks pretty flush to the tank walls. Perhaps I should lower water level some before adding Smokey. Hope he is easy to catch.


----------



## Olivia27

Ohh nice divider! Will you add any non-Betta "centerpiece fish" into the community tank then?


----------



## themamaj

Divider looks great. Did you have to cut to fit or did it fit snug? Any anchors at top needed? Good thing for matching coral or you would be in big trouble haha. I am amazed that your daughter understands more about fishing keeping than most adults. You may have a future marine biologist


----------



## IslandGirl7408

I've got a project for your kids. They can make a picture card for each letter of the alphabet.
A is for Alpaca
B is for Betta
C is for caudal
D is for Dorsal
E is for elephant ear
.....
L is for Llama
...
S is for Slime coat.
You get the idea! And you can decorate the baby's room with them. My daughter could point to and say 18 letters when she was 13 mos old because I had them around her changing table to distract her during changes! " No, nondon't squirm...what letter is that? Stay still...point to the C! Keep your hands away from the poop...can you find a p for poop?" Etc. Did it for my own sanity, but it had a positive result!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Olivia27 said:


> Ohh nice divider! Will you add any non-Betta "centerpiece fish" into the community tank then?


I want Solomon back.  I love bettas so much. I just want another betta that will "work" in there. Smoothie was suppose to go in there, but Daughter wanted him. I pretty much knew Smokey wouldn't be a good fit but figured I would give him a chance. Solomon was perfect....just perfect. I miss him so much. I still walk around, slumped...moaning about Solomon..........miss him.

Visit to Twinkie's fish store:



She pointed out the dish towel between tanks is because they gill at each other.

I picked out Sun Burst. She wouldn't sell the bubble nest.








Alpacas getting sprayed. I happened to have my phone with me to get a picture.



Islandgirl, laughing about "p is for poop!" LOL.


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## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> Divider looks great. Did you have to cut to fit or did it fit snug? Any anchors at top needed? Good thing for matching coral or you would be in big trouble haha. I am amazed that your daughter understands more about fishing keeping than most adults. You may have a future marine biologist


I had some suction cups that I was going to use to keep it in place, but I ended up not needing anything. I held the mesh up to the end of the tank and cut it the same size (kept it a bit taller though). Then the report binders fit very snuggly between the bottom of the tank and under the rim. I actually had to push/pop them under the rim. It is quite a firm fit! Like it was made for this purpose. Report binders find their destiny/true purpose in life.

Maybe you can see in this picture how the report binders go right up to and fit snuggly under the rim. Then I made a little snip horizontally in the mesh so the rim doesn't crinkle the mesh inwards (sorry, that sentence made no sense).

A picture is worth a thousand awkward words:


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## themamaj

Love it love it! Perfect. Great ideas IslandGirl


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## themamaj

:welldone:Oh she is netting fish into cup! Awwwwww. You must put this in her memory book of childhood. She has thought of everything with fish towel. What great role play ideas! How much does she charge for bettas and tank decor? 

Aaaaalpaca sprays....Yeeees :blueyay:


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## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> :welldone:Oh she is netting fish into cup! Awwwwww. You must put this in her memory book of childhood. She has thought of everything with fish towel. What great role play ideas! How much does she charge for bettas and tank decor?
> 
> Aaaaalpaca sprays....Yeeees :blueyay:


She made money and gave it to me to use. LOL. Good deal. I just asked her how much each betta costs...$1. Her angel fish are $9. Kinda steep there. She needs to speak to "Dale", her importer about more bettas, she says. She is deep in play mode. She just cupped an angel fish for me and I am like, "oh no...too expensive!" and she goes, "ssshhhhh, it's _pretend money_." ooooooh, you had me there. Okay, she is going to make some plants and decorations. Now she is selling me a puffer fish that absolutely looks like a poop ball. With a face. She says no it looks like an icecream ball. No, it doesn't. It is too funny.

I put some pellets in a betta cup and Smokey went right in. Transfered him over to new tank. Hatzallah is having a BLAST gilling him. He has been waiting and training for this moment his whole life. An enemy! A foe! Enter the fray!


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## DangerousAngel

Oh, none of your pictures are showing up! 

Your daughter is adorable! I will have to book me a room at Twinkie's, then go check out the Bettas! LOL @ 'Gill at each other'!


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## BettaSplendid

DangerousAngel said:


> Oh, none of your pictures are showing up!
> 
> Your daughter is adorable! I will have to book me a room at Twinkie's, then go check out the Bettas! LOL @ 'Gill at each other'!


Hmmmm...it must be a problem on photobuckets end? Because they were showing. 
Daughter said she would hire me because she doesn't want to have to call Aqueon and order the tanks. She will take care of water changes.

She has been playing this game for hours. This is what happens when Brother isn't here? He has been busy making teepees in the woods with my mom.


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## Tealight03

Your daughter is so precious. Hope Smokey does well in the divided tank. And Hatzie lol. Too funny he freaked about his coral.


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## Olivia27

Aww your daughter is so beautiful Splendid! As for photos I see everything but the last one. It says that you linked it "incorrectly" :0

I'm sorry again about Solomon :'( I'm in the same boat if it makes you feel better. The things I would do to have Seren back....


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## BettaSplendid

Oooooh, Seren. They are more than "just fish". Each one is precious, different, a life worth celebrating. Must cherish the short time we get with them...

I tried again to copy the link to that last photo and again it gave an error. If it doesn't show by tomorrow I will try uploading again and getting a new link. ?? Odd little problem.


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## SplashyBetta

I'm sorry about Solomon. It's so hard to lose them. I'm still mourning my ebay boy and I only had him for two weeks *sigh* :-( I guess it just proves how much love and commitment we put into our fish.


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## BettaBoy11

BettaSplendid said:


> Can you imagine the disappointment of some snooper person who had to look in your "hot dates" folder though? ......actually, no...it would be scary if you also tracked the "death" date too. :shock: "What IS this?!" First met....brought home....died....OMG.


Oh my goodness... That... I'm still laughing...


----------



## BettaSplendid

SplashyBetta said:


> I'm sorry about Solomon. It's so hard to lose them. I'm still mourning my ebay boy and I only had him for two weeks *sigh* :-( I guess it just proves how much love and commitment we put into our fish.


Yes, that was particularly sad. Can't imagine finding one I like enough to order and the excitement of him coming in the mail! And then losing him so soon and never knowing what happened. (((hugs))) I only had Solomon a few weeks as well. I thought he looked very healthy and his death was a complete shock. His water parameters tested out perfect, everything seemed good. I just don't know.


----------



## BettaBoy11

BettaSplendid said:


> Alpacas getting sprayed. I happened to have my phone with me to get a picture.
> 
> 
> 
> Islandgirl, laughing about "p is for poop!" LOL.


"Photo? No thank you!"-Rayah


----------



## BettaSplendid

Looks like the "incorrectly" linked link decided to work. So is the picture showing up now? I can see it. It is the one of Hatzie and Smokey on either side of the divider.

I will try putting it here too.





All is good this morning. They are both on their own sides. Smokey came out of his coral, so he at least wasn't glass surfing. I am sure Hatzie was hoping for a female, but a fighter plakat will do. FP vs. CT. That would be quite a battle, they better stay put.


----------



## BettaSplendid

BettaBoy11 said:


> "Photo? No thank you!"-Rayah


Hahahahaha! Yeah.... You know how when you're outside you cannot see the screen 'cause it is too bright. Plus spraying 3 alpacas with a hose at same time. LOL. I just blindly took a bunch of pictures and hoped one would be remotely worth sharing. They all want to be sprayed and get in front of each other. Well, Yara is pretty polite. Khanan would hog all the water. Soggy muffin.


----------



## BettaBoy11

BettaSplendid said:


> Hahahahaha! Yeah.... You know how when you're outside you cannot see the screen 'cause it is too bright. Plus spraying 3 alpacas with a hose at same time. LOL. I just blindly took a bunch of pictures and hoped one would be remotely worth sharing. They all want to be sprayed and get in front of each other. Well, Yara is pretty polite. Khanan would hog all the water. Soggy muffin.


LOL! Khanan's face in that picture!


----------



## BettaBoy11

BettaSplendid said:


> Looks like the "incorrectly" linked link decided to work. So is the picture showing up now? I can see it. It is the one of Hatzie and Smokey on either side of the divider.
> 
> I will try putting it here too.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> All is good this morning. They are both on their own sides. Smokey came out of his coral, so he at least wasn't glass surfing. I am sure Hatzie was hoping for a female, but a fighter plakat will do. FP vs. CT. That would be quite a battle, they better stay put.


I almost didn't recognize Smokey!


----------



## BettaSplendid

BettaBoy11 said:


> I almost didn't recognize Smokey!


I know it! Don't you love his tail?! He is very shiny and sleek with bursts of unexpected turquoise. I was expecting him to marble solid black. I like his idea better. Just the tip of his face seems to want to stay white, which is cute. It highlights his mouth.


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## DangerousAngel

AHHA They are showing up now! I cannot get over how adorable your daughter is! How fun!!
And I also completely understand how you feel about sweet Solomon, If I could have Dangerous back..*sigh* At least we know that they are all together watching over us and our other boys and girls.


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## Sadist

What an awesome game your daughter made up! I love how she did all that stuff on her own.


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## BettaSplendid

Smoothie made his first bubble nest! He put it under an Indian almond leaf, of course. Simeon has several little nests all over his tank-wherever happens to be a snail, no doubt.
Zadok has made the best nest of his whole life. It starts under a leaf, goes through his floaty log, out the other side, and wraps around towards the back of his tank and finally culminates in a frothy display around the base of his hyacinth.
Antigua has a nest inside his tall mangrove root ornament. I can just see the bubbles in there through a small hole at the top, like glimpsing into a Mexican quartz crystal cave, all sparkly and mysterious. So that is what you've been up to!

I can tell it is spring!

Hatzallah is enjoying his new roomie. I was worried he would be obsessively trying to fight through the divider, but he doesn't. Hatz just mostly does his own thing, guards his coral looking grumpy, weaves through his plants, checks out his floaty log. Smokey is just....sigh. He is high energy. He never just chills out. Even during feeding time he flips around and just never stops! Maybe he will calm down as he gets older. He is way too energetic for a betta. He missed his golden oppurtunity for a large tank to get his energy out. Ah well. He reminds me of a guy I used to work with, so annoying and high energy, but never used it for anything useful. Jittery.


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## Tealight03

That made me almost spit out my yogurt lol. In Smokey's defense, he didn't want to be a guppy. Who could blame him?


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## BettaSplendid

How do you pry a Nerite off the glass..? Both are "locked" over on Smokey's side, I need to move one to Hatzie's side and the other to Smoothie's tank. I get all eeewie when they hold onto the glass. If only they would fall for the lettuce leaf trick, but Nerites wouldn't care about lettuce, right? My mom is like, "oh for goodness sakes, Splendid!" and unceremoniously rips them off the glass. Eh. I have too much finesse for that. I coax animals. I guess squeamish might be more apt. *big breath* How pitiful would it he to call my mom and ask her to come move my snails? Actually, they are HER snails, I am just borrowing them.


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## Sadist

I love your bubble nest stories! That Zadok and his nest! That has to be even better than Mr. Fish's. I recall Mr. Fish making a 4x6 inch nest that was half an inch thick (holding the IAL above the water line!). Silly boys and their nests.

I feel bad moving my nerites, too. I'm afraid I'll hurt them if I pull too hard. I pull gently, and eventually they let go.


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## BettaSplendid

I am nervous about pulling on the Nerites because their shells have a lot of weak spots. They look like they have improved some since my mom brought them to me, but still...lots of white pitting. I worry with pressure the shell might just SNAP or something and then I would carry guilt the rest of my life like when I stepped on that grasshopper when I was 11. BUT! Happened to catch a Nerite on an anubias and snatched the whole thing out of Smokey's place ("Hey....! My plant..!!") and put it into Smoothie's tank. I was so happy. I just love Smoothie. He is so fantastic. Smoothie's glass was just starting to get green "fur" on the glass, so little Nerite can fix that up for us.

In sorority news, Lady Red is now leader. Too bad. Spike was a great leader who would simply gill the others to keep them in line. Lady Red is quite aggressive and chases and nips. Spike had to move down. Lemon Drop is a nice girl. She seems to be the type no one wants to fight, very confident and doesn't cause trouble but she is no pushover. Poor Rainbow just hides all the time and if she is seen she gets chased. On May 2, Stormy's anniversary, we are planning on letting Stormy loose. I wonder what Lady Red will do then! Ya bully. Everything was peaceful when Spike was in charge. Maybe Stormy will be leader and calm the sorority down. Or all hell breaks loose. One or the other. Did you know the queen bee decides the temperment of the entire hive? A mean queen makes the whole hive aggressive. (Husband and Son are beekeepers and do the whole, "Did you KNOW" on me a lot. And I am like, "No! Tell me more!" Bees are fascinating.)


----------



## 206Betta

Sounds like you have a bubble making army LOL Seems like most of your fish having been doing good. 

Moving nerites that are stuck on the glass is kind of tricky. Usually I would try to nudge them off. Although, sometimes I just slide them out of the tank. Seems to be the least aggressive method if they cooperate. Good luck on your nerites, mine still have cracked shells too. So, I can understand what you're going through.

Great journal by the way!


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## BettaSplendid

Zadok's masterpiece. This is the first serious nest he's ever built. I like how extensive it is. Twinkie used to build fluffy towers. And Hatzallah lifts full size almond leaves out of the water. Which reminds me, I need to give him a leaf. I took his old one out when I was setting up the divider and never gave him a new one. He sets to work as soon as I put one in there. To me, bubble nesting is one major reason to have bettas, I absolutely love seeing what they create. It makes me so happy. Haha. I know Gouramis bubble nest too but they just aren't as pretty and unique as bettas are. Maybe one day I will get one. Daughter hasn't forgotten about the honey grourami. I guess I _could_ put one in the 29, but I would rather get a halfmoon.

I wonder if Zadok's cory eggs ever hatched and if he ate them or not. He always misses pellets. I was thinking they would have plenty to eat and they could hide in the gravel and under plants. He is usually near the surface rather than hunting.

I do believe Smokey is happier now! He is still very active, but it isn't a frantic active. Does he need more stimulation or less? A bubble stream or betta-yoga-dvd? Chamomile tea bag? Hmm.

My mom brought Son home today! We've never been apart so long! She had him 5 days! They got into a little routine and just had a good time.
I ordered the alpaca baby carrier, a nursing bra, flannel wipes and butt spray, a really cool horsie print cloth diaper and....oh, a llama diaper bag! Goin' with that llama/alpaca theme.  I remembered I have some plain white diaper covers. Once I dig through storage and FIND all my baby stuff I will paint bettas and maybe alpacas on the white covers.


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## Olivia27

Honeys are better off in a shoal of at least 4 anyway  not a gregarious fish but according to articles: "they do enjoy the company of their own kind". If you want a solo gourami, C. Lalia (dwarf gourami) is your guy. 

Yay for the alpaca theme actually taking place lol


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## BettaSplendid

Researching Gourami makes my head spin. So 4...what is the male to female ratio? I read about them a while back but it is fuzzy now. I remember reading females are hard to find, blah, blah, blah and stuff and it is all so confusing and contradictory. Have you kept the Honeys? I know they stay pretty small and are less aggressive than some other Gourami.


Haha, yeah, alpaca theme....I also found llama print flannel wipes on etsy but by then the credit card was starting to smoke and it began whimpering pitifully so I am saving them for later. Wait till ya'll see the horse diaper (THAT sounds bizarre!) it is a piece of art. Seriously. And the llama tote is funny/silly/cute. Not sure if I can save pics on etsy...I guess I could link to it or just wait till they come in the mail. So excited about llama carrier! Hop on, Khanan! :lol: whoa, no, not actually for carrying llamas. *falls over backwards*


----------



## BettaSplendid

Here is the diaper I ordered. Definitely the most expensive one in my stash. I have been using the same ones since Son...so feeling like getting some/a few nice/new things this time.


And while.searching for that one on google images I saw an out of stock print....RRRRAAAAHWHATWOULDINOTDOFORTHISLLAMADIAPER! ridiculous. It is so awesome. But wasn't on her etsy store.


Sad about missing out on that one. It is very pretty. Yeah, a diaper is pretty I said. LOL. Pregnancy makes you lose yo mind. They're made by BoBe Boutique on etsy.

....will now try to forget about the llama print one. Kissing llamas....


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## Olivia27

Lol that is too cute. Never had gouramis before but has been reading about honeys and dwarfs for a while


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## themamaj

Great covers! I love the theme!!!


----------



## Tealight03

How do you like cloth diapers? I don't think I have it in me to deal with the yuckiness. Was reading on Wellness Mama about inserts and stripping the diapers.


----------



## BettaSplendid

It isn't gross as long as it is your kid. ANY diaper, cloth, disposable....nasty if it isn't your kid. My kids poop cherry blossoms. Hehehe. But seriously, it is pretty easy. I don't remember being grossed out anyways...I have/had some little sprayer attachment that goes on the toilet I remember liking a lot. I do elimination communication with my children anyways too, ever heard of that? Babies make certain sounds/movements before they pee/poop and I am really good at...eh, listening? And I put them on their little potty and they go. Disposables are actually gross because they stink up the trash. I don't know, cloth just works well for me. It has been a long time since I used them so I will share more details I suppose when that time comes again.


----------



## Tealight03

It's funny because my friend says the same thing: it doesn't matter when it's your kid. I really appreciate your insight. Still in the planning and learning phase.


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## BettaSplendid

Your own children are nothing like other peoples', LOL. It is true. I keep hearing grandchildren are even better. 

Here is a good video comparing cloth to diposable, some things I hadn't heard of like how hot disposables can get. https://youtu.be/9YxIvhjkC7g

This picture is just wow. About where the Little One and I are at too.


It is amazing how fast they grow and develop! By now the baby has all organs, can hear...just gotta.grow bigger and develop more. Fingernails even.






Here is Husband with SOME (not all!) of his horses. LOL! See, this is why I get away with all my bettas.  He was bringing Cookies and Cream up to the house so Daughter can play with her more often. That little pony nearest me (camera) is Rosie. Hopefully gonna sell her soon. She is cute as a button but I am more comfortable with a full sized horse. Rosie is too little for Husband to ride and work with so I am loathe to ever put Daughter on her if I am not leading her. Cookies and Cream I just feel way more comfortable with if I see Husband ride her and she does good. Rosie sure is cute though. I need to get pictures of his cows too. My mom took some when she visited but hasn't sent them to me. I do have one cow, she is black with a white face and an eye patch. I named her Swashbuckler. And she has a matching baby named Arrrrrrgh (say it like a pirate).


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## Sadist

I think the picture is a little misleading. I think they're closer to 4 cm than 4 inches at that point. That looks more like 20+ weeks. I think mine was around a pound at 22 weeks when I had to go to the hospital. At 11 weeks, she was about the size of a lima bean and kicking and kicking away already. I'm sure all the parts look like that, just smaller!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Really? All my books and websites and apps, Videos, etc. say around 2.5 inches at 70 days.
Dime sized at day 37. It is day 68 for Little One today.


----------



## Sadist

Hm. They told me mine was 4 cm at 11 weeks (about 2.5 inches). I guess that size of a baby would look like that picture on my hand, but I thought it was on a man's hand, which is much larger. They still have all those parts and pieces at 2 inches big, and they move around which is important to me when people say they don't have a soul until the mother feels them move (as if they weren't moving before then and were just a lump of flesh, come on!).

Love the horses!


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## BettaSplendid

Well, to make things more confusing...LOL...they measure "crown to rump" so that 2.5" is not including legs. And the model baby is sitting at the base of the guy's (?) fingers, head not to the top of fingers. The way the hand is cupped around baby makes it look like it is sitting near middle of palm, but you wouldn't measure from there. Yeah, confusing. But it is cute still. Your "eleven weeks" may have been 9 actual weeks gestation, too, because doctors measure time from last period which adds on 2 weeks. Tsk. It gets crazy.


But guess what! The Tula Llama carrier already came! That was fast shipping! The kids were so excited the baby got stuff (relief...not jealous?) and tried out the carrier on themselves and the diaper on Cabbage Patch dolls. Eeeeewed over my nursing bra and baby butt spray. Haha. The carrier has alpaca on it too, not just llamas.


----------



## themamaj

Awww what an exciting time! Are you going to find out if boy or girl? Pondering any names?


----------



## Sadist

Awesome!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Hmmm, I will probably not find out. I do like to test out my intuition. When I was pregnant with Son, I had a dream I was walking through this house with empty white rooms, very lit, big windows but no furniture or curtains or anything. Room after room...finally, I found Husband laying on his tummy on the floor and in front of him was a chubby baby boy. I instantly recognized him as my baby and said, "Nathan!" Interestingly, at 6 months he did look just like the baby in my dream. Daughter I knew too...I only bought girl things and with all confidence. They had scents too....craved sandalwood essential oil with Son. Daughter it was jasmine. There were other things too. I want this one to be a girl, but I haven't felt "sure" yet. LOL. Just something I think is fun to do...try to guess. 

Picking out names. Uuuuuuuuuugh. Yeah, I am thinking about it.


Hey! So today is Stormy's one year anniversary with us! We let her loose an hour ago. No big fights yet. She isn't intimidated by Lady Red.


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## Tealight03

I've had three or four dreams the last six months that I'm having a boy. It doesn't help my baby urges at all lol.


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## Olivia27

Olivia is a great name, in case you're taking in suggestions LOL


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## Sadist

Hmm, I always wondered if the smells were an indication of gender. I was totally sure I would have a boy, but the only shampoo I wouldn't gag on the smell of was cherry blossoms. She turned out to be a girl


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## BettaSplendid

Olivia is a very pretty name. Baby already has a cousin named that though.  
Need more suggestions. Sometimes movie credits are a good thing to check out. "oh, that is a cool name..." 

Oh Tealight, you got it bad. 

Sadist, the highly scientific smell method of predicting baby's sex. Hehe. I just haven't been drawn to any certain scents yet. Still early though. My affinity for pistachios and also Swiss cheese kicked in though. I always get those 2 as my cravings.


----------



## Tealight03

Yes, it's a situation over here lol.


----------



## IslandGirl7408

I guess I have no intuition. I was convinced my first was a boy--she was a girl. And my second pregnancy was so identical to my first I thought it was another girl-- wrong again! I was right about WHEN my babies would come, though. When I was 3 weeks from my due date, I told everyone on a commitee I was on that I didn't think I'd be there the next week, as I'd be having my baby. They thought I was crazy-- figured my first would be late. I was right to the day!
For my son, we had ordered a new couch and they said it couldn't be delivered until Thursday the following week. I told them that I wouldn't be home as I'd be having a baby. Right again! Both kids 2 weeks early and born within an hour of each other's time.


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## Sadist

Wow!


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## BettaSplendid

Today the magnolia tree opened it's first flowers, Daughter wasted no time.






Why? Why are you so cute?! Am I suppose to be able to handle it? I loved the stem and leaves.

Eta, should redo this picture with a pretty dress. She was washing my car in her bathing suit when she spotted _the flowers._


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## Sadist

Aww, it's cute in the bathing suit, too. With just the shoulder shot, it looks like a classy, strap dress.


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## ThatFishThough

Newest fashion. Yass!


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## themamaj

Soooo cute! Even more precious with toothless smile. Need to put that with cabbage picture.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Whew. Just finished trimming Rayah. She looks so sassy. Gave her a sporty little bob hair cut around her face, knee high "leg warmers", and her tail. Everything else got cut short. I was going to do Khanan next but could feel blisters wanting to start on my hands from the sheers. Probably good I stopped after just one 'paca, I bet my muscles in my hands hurt tomorrow! She is ridiculously well behaved. I put grain in a 9x9ft chainlink fence (dog kennel?) and in they all go, plus a goat, shut the door. Can walk right up to Rayah and put a rope around her neck, but she stands still like a good girl so really don't need it. I can even sit on the ground to do her belly and legs. Had to "no, no" Khanan because he figures _while I have her occupied he might as well.......sniff, sniff on her_. Shaking my finger at him and telling him "no" was enough to keep him more or less in line. Rayah looks soooo little now.

The sorority seems to he more peaceful now? I think Stormy is keeping Lady Red in check. I know things are apt to change bit for now all is good.


----------



## BettaBoy11

*squeal* Rayah pictures please!


----------



## themamaj

I bet Rayah is so cute with new haircut! Can't wait to see. Khanan is a sneaky one isn't he?! haha


----------



## BettaSplendid

Aaaw, I uploaded one but now photobucket isn't working. Maybe in a little bit. 

Yeah, Khanan, sucha lil' rascal. It looks like a crime scene in the chain link fence. Fur everywhere. My hands are covered in liniment and I am going to go soak in the tub. 

I think I gave her a 'graduated bob'. 


Nope, photobucket still won't show the new pics.


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## BettaSplendid

Bwhahahaha, my fault. I had changed my email password and forgot to update the change on my phone so my emails and pictures were all stuck. Duuuuuuh.

Rayah in her go-go boots:


Khanan just couldn't wait to get out of the chainlink fence to go to his special poop spot. HAHAHA. 


:twisted: ;-)

That is payback, Mr., for booty sniffing while I am trying to keep everyone calm.

How should.I trim Khanan, lion cut?


----------



## Sadist

Are you going to spin their hair into yarn and make stuff with it? I bet that would make some cool sweaters and mittens. Water proof mittens!


----------



## Olivia27

Love Yara's boots lol she looks classy!


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## IslandGirl7408

I was going to ask if you use the fur for knitting too!


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## themamaj

Hahaha Khanan and and his poopersonality spots! Love Rayah's boots and hair don. Khan and would be cute with lion cuts. Loving these alpacas!


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## BettaSplendid

A before and after (not my alpaca) They really are small animals, the fluff is deceptive. 



I was looking at alpaca hairstyles on pinterest and started giggling and woke the Husband. ".... What...... What.... Are.... You laughing at?" 

This. 



A pacasaurus! I may attempt this look for Khanan. I probably won't be able to get it so exact. Saw lots of sad pics of alpaca laid down flat being trimmed or strapped to tables. That is how most people do it. I try to preserve their dignity, somewhat.... Says the person who is going to attempt Pacasaurus hairstyle. 

And this is the sweetest alpaca picture ever. Needs to be a poster.


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## Olivia27

Sad how they strap them to the ground being trimmed  but oh goodness gosh that hair style is hilarious XD


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## themamaj

Love Dino cut! Sweetest pictures. Amazing how skinny they are under the fluff


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## BettaSplendid

I love how proud that guy looks of his alpaca hair styling skillz. Note his zombie alpacalypse shirt. 

My mom needle felts so I will be giving her some fiber. I do not currently use it. Just wanted alpacas, now gotta deal with the fur. Need to see if Petsmart will believe me that Khanan is a poodle mix and do the dino style for me. lol 

Is Lemon Drop giving him the answers? No cheating! 



And yes, Daughter smeared paint on the table. Eeeerg.


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## Olivia27

Splendid if you want that guy's T-shirt I have a very good idea where he got it from. Check out online clothes store Tee Turtle. I got my Guardians of Galaxy - Mario Bros mashup T-shirt from them LOL been following their Facebook page since forever too, so pretty familiar with their work. Not sure if they still make it though they do release new designs periodically and probably discontinue the old ones


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## Olivia27

Oops never mind it's not their design. Tee Turtle is still worth checking though!


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## Tealight03

Love the go-go boots! Khanan would look great as a dino! Why do people strap them to a table or the ground? Kinda makes me sad.


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## BettaSplendid

It is like an assembly line. They just wrestle them down and one or more people hold them while another uses electric clippers as fast as they can. Or.... If you have one you walk them up to a table and strap them to it. I guess because they struggle (wouldn't you?) it is all about speed and efficiency. Some people have a LOT of alpacas. I have no interest in the business side, they're my fuzzy buddies. I studied Camelid Dynamics when I first got into alpacas, it is a more natural training technique/how to relate to them. So I try to figure out what makee them comfortable amd go from there. Putting them in the "dog kennnel" keeps the herd intact and so lessens stress. So I have the 3 of them together in a small space where they can't run away but they are free to move away from me. I don't restrain them. They seem so relaxed, they just stand calmly while I trim. Sometimes Rayah even lays down... I move slow and talk to them quietly. Plus, I use hand shears which are silent.


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## BettaSplendid

https://youtu.be/FYtplLBJuno
This is a shearing table... I saw one while visiting an alpaca farm. Looks frightening for the animal and those loud shears! Not my style. 

And shearing on the floor.... Note they hold them by their ears at 2:30

https://youtu.be/KA8WG5j1UBk

If that was how you had to interact with alpacas I would never want one! Can't keep bettas in little bowls either though. 

Here is a Camelid Dynamic event to purge your eyes from the first 2 videos, lol

https://youtu.be/Ce4gAHOVk50


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## Tealight03

I'm too scared to look at the videos. I would be upset if I were them too.


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## Sadist

No wonder they don't like being touched if that's how most people handle them! I like your idea of having them all come in and hand cutting their hair off.


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## BettaSplendid

I have seen worse on youtube. Alpaca halter training. Oh. My. Gosh. Alpacas in wheelbarrows because people can't get them to lead. Deep breath. It stands to reason if you seperate a herd animal from its herd it will be nervous at best.


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## ThatFishThough

I saw a video where the aplac was having teeth pulled bedause he was biting other intact males. >>


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## BettaSplendid

Got this guy from my mom's local Petco. She didn't even try to talk me out of another betta- number 12! He is going into the 29 gal community tank. Have him acclimating now and eating my "I got a new betta" Tiramasu celebration cake from that bagel store we stopped at when we got Smokey. Get a betta, go get a celebration Danish...or 2. Son got some amazing cake with a Cannoli on top and Daughter picked out a mint chocolate chip cake. Spent the weekend at mom's for Mothers' Day. Got pics of her sheep and bettas this time. Will share later...need to go put some new water in Psalm's cup (Daughter came up with that name and I thought it was cute). Kinda sounds like Solomon *sniff* I hope Psalm gets along as well in there as Solomon did. Guppies better not have some mysterious betta killing disease.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Psalm looks like a beautiful Iris flower in all its glory. He approves of the tank and already tried out mosquito larva too. Said it is the best thing ever. Guppies are happy to have a betta again, the little weirdos. Psalm tried gilling them but they are not at all afraid of him so he gave up and went to exploring.


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## BettaSplendid

Mom's betta tanks. Both are 16 gallon bow fronts. The one on the left houses Marlin, a king plakat. The one on the right is Skye's tank, a delta, and 5 mountain minnows.




Skye:



Marlin:


She has such lovely quartz crystals in her tanks. Skye likes to "lurk" between the crystals and anubias.




Mom gave us a "felting class" while there and after a few instructions we dug into her sheep wool and some of Rayah's fiber I had brought. I made a bunny! My first attempt ever felting anything. It has a black tail and feet too...and blue bead eyes. I washed it afterwards because it reeked of lanolin, a smell I am disgusted by, LOL. I need to get some felting needles...felt a little Khanan with his own fiber.


----------



## Sadist

Love the new Psalm! What an awesome name. Your mom's tanks are gorgeous, too. I love Psalm's and Skye's double tail gene dorsals. Your bunny is awesome, too.


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## BettaSplendid

Thanks about the bunny. I was surprised how easy felting is...bunny went together so quickly! I am wondering if pioneer/homesteaders way back when felted? You always hear of rag dolls and corn husk. This would make a much sturdier doll. Of course I did stab myself. Twice. Heh.

We had our field day too today! With our homeschool group. I did face painting which was good, sit in the shade and not have to be social. *snort* Works for me. I do like talking to the children though. Even so, I ended up with a headache that is still with me. I would make a fantastic hermit...maybe a creepy old woman who lives alone deeeep in the woods in a moss covered stone cottage with a whole bunch of animals. I should be ashamed of myself.

Here is Daughter with a friend



Psalm is doing good! How do you know he has a double tail gene from looking at his dorsal? Because of its width? Is it different from a regular delta? Before Skye became a tail biter, he had a heart shaped tail. It was like an almost double tail. But I wouldn't have guessed that about Psalm. I haven't really studied Deltas and genes and all that. I really wish I could find an EE halfmoon locally! Simeon....I love his paddlers. Now all my tanks are full and I am not in the market (I will see one for sale now, huh).


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## themamaj

Just catching up. Psalm is gorgeous! What incredible fins. He really does look like a little flower in the tank. I love the name  Your mom's tanks are very pretty as well! I have been eyeing some of that quartz in the store but wondered what it looked like in the tank. Very stunning may have to try some. Bunny out of Rayah fur awwwwhhhh!!! You all are so creative. Corn husking and felting...wow. Field day looks very fun for kids. And an amazing painter you are too!!!


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## Sadist

Don't be ashamed of not wanting to be social! At least you got to see the kids, and they're way more honest and fun than most adults.  

Yes, that super wide dorsal is an indication of double tail genes. Mr. Fish had it, too. He tried to bite his tail into a double tail but just looked like a strange crown tail. Silly boy. I assume the big dorsal helps with balance in the double tail form (I've notice they often have tall bodies, too). That's the extent of my knowledge, and some of it is just guessing


----------



## BettaSplendid

Ugh. I have been feeling sick. Daughter threw up and then I did too. Just been in bed. Was horrified when I ventured out and saw what they did to the house. Son managed to get the dishwasher going but I was suspicious amd peeked inside. Empty. Dirty dishes all over the house and he is running an empty dishwasher! Cut up bananas and peel on the couch without a plate... Ants all over it. Cries. And many more delightful discoveries. One bright spot, I checked the mail and there was a letter from Gabe! This is even better than whwn I was 5 I wrote to the actor who played Beast on the 1980's tv show (Beauty and the Beast? Not even sure of the name of the show) and he sent me a signed picture. Gabe is so much better! Haha. I loved the stories! Son was laughing, he really enjoyed the one about the marimo ball, Bettaboy11, and I began the one about Theodore until I began to feel hot and sick again so I had to quit reading. They're so cute. The last line of the poem made me gasp, so sad. I can't wait for my children to write such creative stories! 

There were 4 tiny bubble nests in the sorority tank! It has remained peaceful so far with Stormy in charge and not Lady Red. 

Psalm is doing great. He ignores the guppies and they ignore him. I wanted to do water changes today but not feeling up to it.


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## DangerousAngel

Oh I'm so sorry you're feeling so sick!
That is adorable that you are getting letters from Gabe! What a fun idea!


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## BettaSplendid

I feel all better today.  Did some cleaning; house feels better. Heh.

Smoothie is soooooo perfectly pink. I just love him!


Son's girls love to be petted! They swarm around his finger and throw themselves onto their floating plants. "peeeet meeeeeee! Pet me!"








Lemon Drop is still the sweetest.  She gets along with everybody.


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## BettaSplendid

Another sorority pic


They go bonkers watching the tip of Son's pencil while he is writing too. Must. Bite. It. !! The girls are really entertaining. A tank full of colorful little bettas all clamoring for attention. Whenever Son sticks a finger in they all rush over to be petted. Very amusing. Girls are great! So under appreciated. It makes me sad to see how many are stocked and over looked at the stores... Life is good for them with Stormy in charge. I just hope she stays the leader and Lady Red doesn't beat her up later... Right now Lady Red is smaller and intimidated by Stormy's size. Stormy can keep her in line with her gills and by not backing down. But later....once Lady Red is the same size and she is ready to fight, not just put on a gill-show....well, things might get ugly again. I hope not. For now there are no stress stripes to be seen and fins look good.

Psalm today:


Seems his tail needs to catch up to the rest of him. He has me all figured out. The Food Lady.

I saw Smoothie's Nerite slide off the glass and onto the gravel so I quickly grabbed him and moved him back to Hatzallah's tank. He just finished all Smoothie's algae and now Hatz needs him. He just goes back and forth, wherever he is needed. "weeeeeeeee!"


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## Sadist

Hehe, I see a little guppy peeking over Psalm's back. How cute! I love Psalm's coloring, too. And petting the sorority! How awesome!


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## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> Hehe, I see a little guppy peeking over Psalm's back. How cute! I love Psalm's coloring, too. And petting the sorority! How awesome!


Hehehe! I hadn't noticed that! How cute! There are more hiding behind him too, I can see their reflections on the glass. LOL. They do love their bettas. They don't bother Psalm like they followed Smokey. Smokey's frantic pacing attracted them (too similar to how a guppy moves!)

I had some leftover cheese grits so brought some and an apple core to Melchi and the rest I took to the goats' barn where 2 hens are setting. One hen's eggs hatched! The soft tiny grits were perfect for the peeps. We saw 4, 1 black, 1 tan, and 2 white/yellow. Snowy Snowflake is sitting a few feet away, looking grumpy, because her eggs haven't hatched yet.  Maybe tomorrow. I am not sure what day the two hens started sitting. They're just so cute! I hope one ends up as wonderful as Dust Bunny. He was really special.


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## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> I love Psalm's coloring, too. And petting the sorority! How awesome!


Yeah, I am wondering what he will marble out to be. His fins have big purple blotches near his body but there are some smaller red spots here and there as well. And body has pink spots. I was hoping pink with purple fins. LOL. Now someone wiser than me will come along and say, "nah, he will be blue body/red fins." . I figured he would have begun changing already like Smokey did. He marbled so fast! Zadok still has a white body and splashes of color here and there, I figured he would be completely changed by now.

Smoothie is also loving the sorority. He just gawks through the glass. I swear the girls giggle at him and tease him. He doesn't know what to do with himself. Plllleeeeeeeeeeaaaase let me go over there...? He wouldn't last a second. They would turn into 5 piranha and shred the life out of him, I think. Best just to look through the glass.


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## goldfishfanforever

I have just read through your whole journal and wow what a journey! I really loved Solomon and he was such a nice colour . I can't wait to get my betta (hopefully in less than 12 hours) but I want to eventually setup a sorority tank when my dad isn't already annoyed with how many tanks I already have :roll:. Anyway I can't wait to read more updates and like you my favourite betta was my first called Charlie and he was just so special :love2:


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## BettaSplendid

How exciting! Let me know how it goes, picking out your betta! Yeah, still so sad about Solomon... Psalm is a wonderful boy too and I am so glad to see him enjoy the tank like Solomon did. Daughter still cries over Twinkie, not everyday, and just soft whimpers and wistful talk of him... So, I guess time heals all. Glad she still think of Twinkie fondly. She just yesterday drew Smoothie and really talked to him for the first time. She told him all about Twinkie amd Smoothie listened intently. He said he is glad to have found her and hopes he can offer her as much love as Twinkie did. She said, "I am going to draw you." and got a sheet of paper and 4 shades of pink crayons. LoL. She noted his diamond shaped ventrals. Smoothie liked it. He acts a lot like Twinkie, actually. Daughter thinks Twinkie sent Smoothie to her.  

Was that a picture of Charlie? All I see is a little box, but no picture. I'd love to see him.


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## ThatFishThough

Splendid. Lol, I just realized I have a "pink fish". I saw her under the right light..... She looked like this when I first got her.


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## goldfishfanforever

BettaSplendid said:


> How exciting! Let me know how it goes, picking out your betta! Yeah, still so sad about Solomon... Psalm is a wonderful boy too and I am so glad to see him enjoy the tank like Solomon did. Daughter still cries over Twinkie, not everyday, and just soft whimpers and wistful talk of him... So, I guess time heals all. Glad she still think of Twinkie fondly. She just yesterday drew Smoothie and really talked to him for the first time. She told him all about Twinkie amd Smoothie listened intently. He said he is glad to have found her and hopes he can offer her as much love as Twinkie did. She said, "I am going to draw you." and got a sheet of paper and 4 shades of pink crayons. LoL. She noted his diamond shaped ventrals. Smoothie liked it. He acts a lot like Twinkie, actually. Daughter thinks Twinkie sent Smoothie to her.
> 
> Was that a picture of Charlie? All I see is a little box, but no picture. I'd love to see him.


Aww that sounds like it was fun for your daughter . Also no that wasn't a picture it was meant to be an emoji but I do have some more pictures of my other past bettas that I will post on my journal


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## BettaSplendid

ThatFishThough said:


> Splendid. Lol, I just realized I have a "pink fish". I saw her under the right light..... She looked like this when I first got her.


Very cute. A lady too! Smoothie looks best in the morning sunlight when it comes through his window. I call him "Barbie aisle pink".

I will check out your journal, Goldfishfan! I saw you started one.  emojis outside of the ones this site offers never show up for me. A shame because I have a few I would like to use now and then, more variety.


----------



## Tealight03

Glad you're feeling better! Shuddering at the thought of aunts on the couch. All your fish look great! So glad the sorority is going well.


----------



## goldfishfanforever

BettaSplendid said:


> I will check out your journal, Goldfishfan! I saw you started one.  emojis outside of the ones this site offers never show up for me. A shame because I have a few I would like to use now and then, more variety.


Thanks I'm not sure if the pictures of my bettas are any good on my journal but hey they are what they are. I have started setting up the new bettas tank with some aquatic compost I sifted then I added some black tiny rocks and some play sand


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## BettaSplendid

I cannot get over these girls! Normally, they are spread out all over the tank but when Son is doing his schoolwork they are right there, staring at him, begging for attention and dripping with enthusiasm. PET MEEEEEEE! They are serious. As soon as he dips a finger in the water they all rush over and take turns getting their bodies and tails stroked. It must be a nice sensation? If he puts a few fingers down in the water they weave through his fingers or even sit on them. Then he lifts them up! Once they hit the air they slide off his fingers and back into the water and return for another ride. And they ALL want a ride.

Favorite Spike- sucha fat tummy!



Stormy likes it too, she hasn't been in my pictures lately, guess she just moves. Eta- oj wait, I can see her in this picture, she is kinda blending into the background.




They're so colorful and fun to photograph.


----------



## BettaBoy11

Those girls are so adorable!!!!


----------



## ThatFishThough

*squeeeee*

Be careful. My girls turned into tiny sharkes as soon as they saw me touch the bloodworms. Did you know, betas have teeth! And it _hurts_ when they bite?


----------



## BettaSplendid

He loves it when they bite! LOL! Only Stormy and Lady Red do so far. He taught Stormy to jump out of the water and bite his finger. Sometimes she hangs on! Eeeep! Tank full of tiny sharks is right! The veiltails have little shark dorsal fins. Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, duuuun!


----------



## BettaSplendid

I started shearing Khanan this morning. He was not exactly appreciative. He grumbled the entire time and threatened to spit on me. Haha! The stinker! I got his belly on both side, leaving a strip of fluff along his spine (for the dino scales, I hope that works out). He did NOT like it when the shears were down on his belly. I figured I better not push his limits and didn't finish. I still got an entire grocery bag full o' fluff though. His hair is soooo thick. It took much more effort to even get the blades of the shears into it. But it is soooo soft. Luxuriously soft and smells so good. If you like the smell of kitty cats, it is kinda like that. Mmmmm... Unlike a male goat who stinks out of this world! Male alpaca smell wonderful and they're so gentle too. No way would I lock myself into a small pen with a male goat!





Since I had my camera outside I took some quick pics of the new peeps. I was standing inside the grain barn and took the picture through the opening in the wall for the hay feeder, LOL, that is what the wire is for, the Husband's very helpful idea.




I feel so sorry for Snowy Snowflake! Still her eggs haven't hatched. I just assumed she began setting when Puffball Head (Daughter named her Honey Dew but Puffball Head is more accurate) did. It takes 21 days. Snowy did get off her nest daily to stretch her legs...I hope her peeps/eggs didn't cool off and die. Puffball Head hardly ever got off her nest, soooo.... Puffball Head had 7 peeps hatch and Snowy just glares at her. Sad.

Closer up. They were eating pancakes.


----------



## Sadist

Oh my goodness! Is that giant white fluff a chicken? Wow!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> Oh my goodness! Is that giant white fluff a chicken? Wow!


Yes, yes! :-D

She has "silky" feathers, it is a mutation and looks more like soft fur than feathers. She is really cute and gentle too, she can be picked right up without a struggle. I sure hope her eggs hatch... She is trying. She is actually very small though, for a chicken.


----------



## Sadist

She reminds me of those long haired bunnies. We used to pet them at the local pet store before it closed forever. We miss it. The bunnies were in open boxes, and we'd spend an hour every morning feeding their bits of grass to them. They also handled all of their animals a lot, and we got to pet whatever was out that day (birds, lizards, snakes, even a crab once).

I remember reading about your silky feathered chickens, but I guess none of the pictures were of one trying to hatch some eggs. Maybe the wind was blowing so I could see the head better.

Those little chicks are cute, too. I love little fluffy chicks!


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## BettaSplendid

That sounds great! It must have been an independent pet shop? It was good for the bunnies to get so much attention rather than be behind glass and suddenly bought, I would think.

When Snowy is sitting there, her head sinks down into her feathers until you can barely see it. Her neck feathers grow upwards which makes it even funnier looking. Remember the picture of Sizzle Frizzle fighting his reflection in the mirror? His neck feathers were engulfing his head too. It is just hilarious looking. "I can't see!"


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## themamaj

Squeals at little peeps! Sooo cute. Snowy looks like a big ball of fluff. I hope the eggs hatch. I would love to see those chicks. 

Khanan is such a hoot. He looks so soft and fuzzy you just want to squeeze him. Oh those goats. I love seeing ours down the hill but if the wind shifts we get a really good dose of goat smell up here. You can just walk outside and feel like you are out in the barn lol.

Psalm is incredibly beautiful. I can just see him pining over the girls. hehe. Love his markings and so neat he gets along well with guppies. How long have you had the guppies in that tank? 

Smoothie is such a gorgeous pink. I am glad your daughter is bonding with him. So special the relationship your kids have with the fish. Your fish are so lucky to have such interaction and to be able to watch your kids throughout the day. 

Glad you are feeling better. How many weeks are you now?


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## BettaSplendid

13 weeks! So now in 2nd trimester.

Snowy's eggs still haven't hatched.  

I did a water change on the sorority yesterday and took out the volcano bubbler (that had filter media inside) and replaced it with a HOB filter. That opened up some floor space so I added in a small cave. They enjoy that and the small Egyptian vase. 

Noticed one of Zadok eyes looks swollen. Changed his water last night and again today. About 60% water replaced. 5 gallons drain fast. Gave him an entire Indian almond leaf as well. Hopefully this will help. I might need to take him out and do an epsom salt quarantine for a while if he doesn't seem to get better. His eyes are always bulgy, but one is obviously more so now. Not cloudy though.

I am excited, I get to order son's 4th grade curriculum soon! Maybe tomorrow.


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## BettaSplendid

Smoothie loves all the attention from the girls! Here he is showing off



The freshly cleaned tank with new cave (originally bought for shrimp but they never used it)




Lady Red glows in the morning sun





And a funny for ya. "Living with MTS", who here cannot relate to this video. It isn't about Malaysian Trumpet snails. https://youtu.be/GzRxSqdZhFo


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## themamaj

Oh my goodness I am *crying big crocodile tears laughing till sides split at that video*. Ok I am confessing up front...I have MTS! (and a lot of snails too lol) That one picture of one chair in middle of room of tanks...ROFL my fish room. You find best videos!!!!!

How are all of your fish and animal friends doing? Haven't heard much about your rat lately. Is he getting along ok? Have you all finished up school for the year yet? Any big summer plans?


----------



## Sadist

Haha, that video is amazing! I really want to show it to the hubby, but I'm not sure he would get it.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Well originally I thought it was a video about out of control Malaysian Trumpet snails which is why I clicked on it, lol, because they are breeding like crazy in the shrimp tank! I loved the sad dog face "anything with 4 legs can hold a tank..." yeah, and the chair.... One chair. Hahaha, I think that was the living room? I squealed over all the fish breeds too. I had to watch it twice. 

Animals doing pretty good. It has been so cold? Haven't even tried to finish trimming pacas. It is almost June! I suppose it will suddenly get hot soon and stay that way. Poor Zadok still has a puffy eye. I just did move him to a quarantine this morning. He is mad about that. All he has is 2 almond leaves and his floaty log for toys. I liked what you said, mamaj, about the fish getting visibly excited over toys! It makes me sad to see a betta with nothing to explore. They get BORED. So he has his heater at 80, I might make it even warmer, the leaves, and some epsom salt. 

There are tons of little white... things... on the glass of shrimp tank. I think they are newly hatched shrimplets. When they swim they move just like shrimp. If not then I will trap them and feed to betta. But I really do think they are shrimp. Too small to see good. 

Oh and we have to school year around. With co-op and 4H and field trips and my mom visiting and taking off for beautiful weather in spring and fall there is just no way I could finish in a traditional school year! We actually get more done in summer with the long hot days than winter! But I am okay with it. I bet we finish in August or September. Son and I celebrate by going out to eat and then he picks out a toy from the store. Then we just start in with the new grade! After doing a CAT test that is. Our homeschool group is having a end of the year party at a water park soon. We will be going to that, tis the end of co-op anyways. :wink3:


----------



## themamaj

I know what you mean about the weather. Poor Khanan may be glad to still have his coat. It has been so cool here up until today finally a warm streak. I think by Friday they are saying something crazy like 90? My daughter and I were talking that it doesn't even feel like summer yet. Am in count down for beach. Leaving Sat and grandson gets to go with us which will be lots of fun. No sitting for gma though haha. Went back to used book store today and got me several good books to read for the ride down. Axolotls, Amphibians, Newts and Salamanders, and Geckos along with a few dog training books. Haha and most people read novels. May bring along a few betta books as well to read again. 

Last time I took grandson had lots of fun craft and learning activities ocean related to do. Have any good ideas of something fun to teach?

So sorry to hear Zadok having issues. You might turn his temp up a bit and like you said add some Epson Salt. If his eye doesn't respond after that you might try a round of antibiotics in case bacterial in nature. Leo responded really well to Tetracycline when she had pop eye. I need to post a picture of Avalanche to see if they still resemble each other in coloration. He has been so naughty with biting. I finally just threw my hands up and said ok fine you want a crew cut just go with it. Ugg drives me nuts but at least he has bit them all off the same length. 

Have fun at the water party. Sounds like your homeschooling is so fun I bet kids enjoy doing it year around. At least like you say that way you can take off some time when need to or want to visit family or trip.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Zadok has his temp around 82 and IAL and epsom salt. Tetracycline a good recommendation. I wouldn't have known which medicine to try. It isn't getting any worse at least. It may be slightly less puffy this morning so we will see. I have him right next to my kitchen sink so it is easy to do water changes. He has a good appetite. 

Axolotl reading on the beach! That just makes me happy.

Yeah, I may be too relaxed about homeschool schedules. I know most in my group do five days a week, every week, and take summer off. I am like, "WHOOOOO BEAUTIFUL WEATHER! PLAY OUTSIIIIIIDE!" shrug. At least while they're young. I love to see them happily playing outside and making up games or building things. Creativity and sunshine!


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## Sadist

That's one of the reasons I can't homeschool. "It's sunny, let's learn socialization at the playground!"


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## BettaSplendid

Zadok today. He has been in an epsom salt and Indian Almond leaf QT bath for...3 days now? No change. So I just did a water change and added the Tetracycline. He has an airstone too since the water is warm at 82F. I gave him his beloved floaty log, his "lovey", after I was done w/c and now he is resting in it. His spine isn't really crooked, he is just turning around in this picture.

The Psalmist is doing good. He never does anything wrong. Perfect little betta. He likes to rest in his Marimo ball pile. Oh! And a few days ago he made his first bubble nest! But he didn't maintain it.


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## Sadist

Poor little Zadok.


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## themamaj

Aww Psalmist sounds too cute. Feel better Zadok!


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## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> Poor little Zadok.


I know. 



He is just so pitiful. I imagine it is like having a migraine in your eyes...

He went and hid under his heater after the w/c. I think maybe I got the Tetracycline too strong so added another gallon of pure water and then he seemed okay. He is back in his log now. I will keep watching closely...


A few days ago was a Finding Dory event at Petsmart and I missed it like a dummy. They were giving away free tickets. Aaaaaugh! And fish bowls. LOL. I do find uses for those...sometimes you need a small bowl...but I am not going to support it with my money! I just use storage containers.... Had Twinkie in a jelly jar once. 







Here is Psalm! Find the guppy, Sadist!


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## themamaj

Gorgeous!!!!!!! 

When does movie come out? Look at handprint craft for movie theme.


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## BettaSplendid

I looked on our local theater's page trying to figure out when Finding Dory starts playing, but I just couldn't find the info! I think it is June... That handprint craft is tooooo cute. Might do that tomorrow, I already have the paints out since we were using them today. Psalm is so sweet, he has like 0 aggression. Smokey took quite a few bites out of the guppy tails, but Psalm hasn't hurt them at all. Of course he is slow with his big tail, but he doesn't gill them or anything.


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## Sadist

I spy with my little eye -- a guppy following Psalm! It looks like it's copying his breath at the surface movements. Does Psalm have more spots, now? He's a beauty!


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## themamaj

Isn't it funny how different their personalitit's can be?


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## BettaSplendid

Psalm does have more spots! He is slowly marbling. I call him Jelly Head as a silly nickname because it looks like someone smeared strawberry jelly on him. So adorable. 

We're studying coral reefs now so this movie is perfect timing. I might let them pick out a fish from the book we are reading to paint on their hands. 

Zadok is the most pitiful thing. He seems worse, just resting in his log, sometimes leaning against the inside it. He never got very big. His body is so small and he has always breathed weird too. I wonder... if there just isn't something wrong with him. :/


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## themamaj

a rough week for fishes!


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## Sadist

Maybe Zadok was stunted by bad handling before you got him. I feel that way about Sky, too.


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## BettaSplendid

He was just arrived at Petsmart when I bought him. Maybe just weak genetics? I just loved his solid white little spikey self though. I quickly syphoned the bottom of his qt tank and then added the next dose of Tetracycline. He ate 4 pellets this morning. It occurred to me he might be very hungry being in such warm water. I think tomorrow I remove 25% of water and replace with fresh and then he gets another dose of medicine. 

Melchi died. I think he had a stroke just like Howdy. I noticed his front foot was curled and he didn't want to walk 2 days ago, but he ate a strawberry I held for him. Then last night he was dead. He went quickly and seemed peaceful at least. 

Some good news? I finally took the time to figure out how to print wirelessly from my tablet. LOL. Seriously, I kept meaning to do that but putting it off. So now my tablet has been introduced to Mr. Printer and the 3 of us are having lots of fun. 

All the peeps are doing good. Amazingly, the hens haven't lost any. There is an assortment of colors and feather types! We were holding them this morning and I got some pics. 

Three different feather types, straight, frizzle, and sizzle! 



Snowy Snowflake's peep, whom Daughter claimed. 



And Earnhardt the Third, Son's most favorite peep





They're old enough now the hens let them explore outside. I saw little Earnhardt eat a whole earthworm! His tummy was huge afterwards!


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## themamaj

Squealing at cute peeps! Wow how grown. 

So sorry to hear of Melchi. Those sweet furry faces gave me a whole new appreciation of what a fun pet they could be..

Yes increase temp increases metabolism so could see where he would be more hungry. Hope Zadok continues to improve.


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## BettaSplendid

Melchi did good for himself though. I was holding him Wednesday and he seemed fine then. He had a good life. Probably at least 2.5 years old, if not more. He was full grown when we got him from Petco. Howdy was still a ratling then. He had a full life of playing, snuggling, interesting food and most of all, no snakes. 

Daughter makes up praise songs and usually they're really good, actually, I must say. Like, "You're made of redemption and loooooooove!!" was the chorus of one recent song. She sang, "Jesuuuuus, You're even better than warm chocolate milk with maaaaarshmallows, oh yes, better than warm chocolate milk with marshmallows..." she sang it so seriously. I would say I tried not to laugh, but nah, I laughed. She is just so cute, augh! A few minutes ago I hear Son exclaim, "what are you eating?!" and she answers, "Ma's pesto." He is like, "Pesto? Isn't that bug poison?" She didn't have pesto, she was eating my pistachio halva. Their little conversations are just too funny at their ages.


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## themamaj

How precious! You know Jesus must be smiling big to hear that sweet song. Too cute!


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## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> How precious! You know Jesus must be smiling big to hear that sweet song. Too cute!


I know! What higher praise from a six year old. She was so sincere. Had to write, er type, it down so I do not forget. I need to start keeping a paper journal again. I go through phases. I forget too much if it isn't recorded. 

Last week was Hatzallah's one year anniversary with us. I noticed it too late on the calendar. :serious: I thought he wouldn't survive the trip home and here he is, 1 year, no thanks to Walmart. They tried their best to kill him but I foiled their plans.


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## themamaj

Happy Birthday to him!! Sterling's is tomorrow. Funny how we got several of our fish same time


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## BettaSplendid

Happy 1 year to you and Sterling! 

Here is an awesome axolotl setup






It is at an aquarium show. 


And then this, it is just adorable. Mini movie about a border collie, a cat, and a rat (that looks just like Melchi, but a girl) 






Zadok's eye is still the same. What is going on?! Nothing seems to help. 

I am in full blown nesting mode, now that the super sleepy first trimester is behind me. Every dresser in the house got moved today, cleaned. 

Last week Son said something that made my heart soar! "I am really getting into reading now, can you get me some books that I can read at night before I go to bed?" UMM YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES! Eeeeeeee! I cannot tell you how happy that made me. I taught him to read. And he loves it now! It is an incredible feeling. I taught him each letter and sound, sat with him for countless hours of phonics and sounding out and now he is a very good reader AND HE LIKES IT! Last night The Husband and I went to Books a Million and picked out a stack of books we think he will like and this morning I ordered more off Amazon. Even had them shipped with his name on the label.


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## BettaBoy11

Sorry about Melchi


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## themamaj

*Amaaaazing Alpacas!*

Axolotl tank is a dream tank!! Love seeing things that are aquascaped as natural habitat. I would have given him first place! 

Exciting to hear you are getting that burst of energy now. It is so fun to be able to prepare for little ones. 

How wonderful your son loves reading!!! What type of books does he like? I bet he will be so excited getting books in the mail 

Sitting here watching the lagoon alligator swim by. He cruises up and down the lagoon all day. He likes to sun himself a few doors down. I keep waiting to open the blinds and see him sunning on my porch. That would wake me up in the am!!! haha

We went to the stables today which is a favorite thing to do. They have a huge Clydesdale horse, pony rides and a little petting zoo. Guess what animal they had???????? ALPACAS!!!!!!! My daughter was reading out loud the differences between alpacas and llamas. My family no doubt didn't understand my excitement but the little brown guy gave me a Khanan smile and I KNEW it had to be an alpaca. They are so soft! I was in alpaca heaven. They all wanted to show me their cute sides.


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## BettaBoy11

That white one... Wow, @themamaj Too much cute! 

Are all your 'pacas all sheared now, @BettaSplenid ?


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## themamaj

BettaBoy11 said:


> That white one... Wow, @*themamaj* Too much cute!
> 
> Are all your 'pacas all sheared now, @*BettaSplen* id ?


I loved the white one the best too. Reminded me of big snowball of fluff. Of course when the light brown one showed me his teeth he was hard to resist as well!!


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## BettaSplendid

*giggles* The pacas look like Marshmallow Peeps when they lay down, don't they? Hehe I need the Husband to sharpen my shears some more so I can finish Khanan. His fur is soooo thick. Your vacation sounds so Southern Relaxing. Whew. Lovely. 

Son likes non fiction best, history usually. He read about Pompeii and the Titanic, but also likes biographies... Science related books are good. I did get him a few about Star Wars. He is very into World War 2... Still waiting on quite a few books in the mail. I found choose your own adventure books which I think he will love. Trying to keep it at or below his actual readi g level because he reads these on his own at night after I go to sleep. Then he tells me aaaaall about it in the morning as soon as he sees me! It is really boosting his confidence. He is reading Minstrel in the Tower to my mom over the phone, a chapter at a time.


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## BettaSplendid

BettaBoy1
1;7451018 said:


> That white one... Wow, @themamaj Too much cute!
> 
> Are all your 'pacas all sheared now, @BettaSplenid ?



Yup, too much cute! I lime the thick beard on the brown one! I saw an alpaca farm while we were driving past on a highway. People probably spent a million dollars buying their "dream farm" and put all their white alpacas out there... Then dismay. The ground of the farm isn't sand or dirt but red clay! And all those white alpacas were STAINED ORANGE. All that valuable fiber! You have to think of everything when buying land, I guess! Would have been fine for any animal except a white one that you shear and sell the fur! Just awful. 


Oh and Zadok's eye is still swollen. The Tetracycline was taking a toll on him so now I am doing 25% water changes until it is gone. Don't know what to do. I was thinking he would die, seriously, if I kept him in meds. Laying on his side on bottom.... Gasping. He is doing better today after water change. He has 3 almond leaves.


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## Sadist

Poor Zadok.


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## themamaj

Poor Zadok. I think doing the 25% changes until med out good idea. Meds are hard on them so if they become too stressed it is better to stop. Pressure from sinus cavity in form or fluid or tumor can cause the popeye, along with bacterial factors. It sounds like with all you are doing, you would have seen some improvement by now. Occasionally, I have had one resolve it on own with just epson salt and clean water. Hang in there little buddy. 

Not sure son's reading level but when gets older maybe would like CS Lewis books. Those are some of our favorites. I love non fiction and biographies too. His love for reading is definitely a testimony of how much love and time you have spent with him teaching him to read. That is something he will love for a lifetime !

I have to show you this picture on this magazine here. Every time I pass it I think of your daughter and her cute cabbage patch picture. If you have another girl wouldn't this be a cute picture with the flower headband? Actually I bet your daughter would have fun making one of these too.


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## BettaSplendid

Aaaaaww! For Christmas I got her a box of floral wire, various colors of ribbons and lots and lots of silk flowers and we made some flower wreath things like that! It was really cute! The ones I assembled turned out.... *cough*... a tiny bit better than hers but she had so much fun with it! 

Oh Zadok muffin! He just lounges in his floaty log. He is upright in there though, not on his side. He has a great appetite still. I know! You would think his eye would be better by now.... It has been 3 weeks, I think. I am just going to keep him in quarantine with pristine water, lots of warm water with his airstone, and see how it goes. Since the epsom salt didn't help either, sigh, I quit adding that as well. I will lessen the stress on his body as much as I can
No bright lights. I may, though, move his tub to a window for sunshine which is such a good healer, but not yet, for now he is resting without bright light. He is blind in his right eye now. Maybe that will resolve once it isn't swollen, but for now he cannot see a pellet to his right. How can you telp if it is pressure in sinus cavity? I feel so... defeated. He is trying. I have some probiotic pills. Should I roll his pellets in the powder? I was waiting until the meds were gone from the water to build his good bacteria back up, hopefully. What to do, what to do. If his body is healthy he should be able to recover.


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## themamaj

I usually open prebiotic capsule and sprinkle over frozen food or you could wet pellets in some tank water and add. Appetite is a good sign so maybe just needs some time to recover. 

I bet your floral bands were beautiful!


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## Tealight03

Catching up on your journal. Poor Zadok. Hope you find out what is causing his swelling.


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## BettaSplendid

Tealight03 said:


> Catching up on your journal. Poor Zadok. Hope you find out what is causing his swelling.


Hey! It is good to see you! I had a few, "where is Tealight?" days. 


Stayed up too late last night watching this video about what it is like owning a fish shop. Can Daughter handle it when she opens Twinkie's Fish Store? If anyone can, it would be her! She would approve of the betta system, I think..clean water at least. AND ALL THOSE KOI. She talks of koi quite often. What have I done? She is fishie obsessed. 







And youtube decided to bless me with a Grumpy Cat video. Gotta love that. :grin2:


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## Tealight03

I was completely distracted in D.C. then Boston. Good to be back. It sounds like you've created the best kind of monster in your daughter.


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## themamaj

Love videos especially Grumpy cat!


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## BettaSplendid

Yara just had her baaaaaaabyyyyyyyy! :grin2:

It's a boy! Khanan had a son! Teehee. The boys are always cuter. Glad she had him in the morning before it got hot. And he looks just like mama, white face, neck and also has one white back foot. I sat and watched him and he came over and sucked on my collar bone, LOL, then went and nursed Yara. 

A baby, a baby! Baby pacas are called "cria", actually. She finally "unpacked"! I knew it was ssoon because yesterday she was swollen and pink under her tatail amd her udders looked larger. 






Lookin just like mama







How about that. Maybe Rayah will have one? She doesn't look as big as Yara did but maybe.... Khanan did breed her- several times. LOL.


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## BettaBoy11

What on earth?!!! Baby alpacas!!!! Yayyy!!! Khanan Jr. LOL


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## BettaBoy11

Love the Grumpy Cat video by the way.


----------



## Tealight03

Baby Khanan is too cute!


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## themamaj

Awwwwww baby alpacas! Cuteness overload! What will you name him? How exciting you are a grandpaca


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## Sadist

Aww, a cute little boy!


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## BettaSplendid

Weeeell, when the Husband got Yara and Khanan for me last year, the kids were super jealous! I promised them they could have the first babies born. Son claimed Yara's and Daughter wanted Rayah's. So he gets to name the baby. He is very excited about his "first alpaca". Lets just hope Rayah has hers, to be fair! Son's hen had 7 peeps, remember, while Snowy only had one, granted Daughter loves that one peep. 

I got to see the first moments when Khanan saw his son! Yara had baby hidden away for the morning until Khanan followed me over there. He sniffed it gently and seemed surprised. Just in time for Father's Day! Then he grazed nearby, looking pleased. Rayah seemed interested, slightly jealous. 

Oh, hehe, I asked Son if he wanted to go with me this morning to milk the goat and "see if Yara had her baby". I went to set the milk jars down in the barn where I milk and was startled by what looked like an exploded animal! Then I quickly realized it was the placenta! HAHAHAHHA! Then we knew she had a baby and set off to find them. We saw a little brown fluff pile beside her, sleeping. Eeeeeeeeee, yup, baby paca. I think he had been born about an hour or less before we came out, he was still unsteady and toddle-y. We fed Yara grain and son went and got my camera and sister. 




I think Zadok seems better. He ate brine shrimp with the probiotics MamaJ, I think it helped.  His eye looks the same but he is more active and alert.


----------



## BettaBoy11

Awww... Love the pacas.


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## themamaj

Glad it helped. What a special paca for Father's day. Let us know what he decides to name him. Feel free to take lots of pictures! Tell Yara she is a great mama. I hope Rayah has one too. Khanan has been a busy boy. Haha


----------



## BettaSplendid

Turret. Haha. Son named him Turret. Yeah, he is totally into battleships. " Turret the Mighty" full name.


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## themamaj

Love it! Too cute and curly to be mighty yet but so precious! Any signs from Rayah?


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## themamaj

Will the baby let you pet it? Is mama protective of you being around him? Do daddy pacas interact with babies at all? How long before they are weaned? Have visions of alpacas playing through yard. Keep thinking of white one i saw. Perfect marshmallow peep


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## BettaSplendid

Yara is very nice and lets us sit down next to the baby, erm, Turret.  Sometimes Turret is up walking around and he will come up to us. He gazes into your eyes. Very inquisitive. We petted him some but not a lot. I don't want him to feel like we are gonna just grab and touch all the time if he gets close to us. He hums constantly to mama and she answers him back, very cute. Daddy likes him. They were all together this morning when I went to check on them. I love how gentle Khanan is with him. He added little Turret right into the herd, no problems. They have an actual herd. A real family now. It is cute to think of. And Yara gets to keep her baby. Her whole life she was a baby factory and her life micromanaged. All the males were kept in solitary small pens. Now he has a family and can come and go as he wants. They have a little routine and I know about where they will be on our property at certain times of the day.

I am not sure how long she will let him nurse. I will leave that up to her. No signs from Rayah yet. She likes to be sprayed with the hose and when I spray her booty she flips her tail up. lol Everything looked normal.


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## themamaj

That is so sweet to think they can be a herd and own little family. How it should be. Sad to think of ones that cant have that opportunity. I never thought about sounds they make. How cute they communicate in thst way. 

Hope Zadok doing better.


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## BettaSplendid

Zadok looks worse. He is laying under a sunken IAL, breathing heavily. I have his airstone going full blast. He ate 3 pellets yesterday, reluctantly, or with difficulty anyways. He let all brine shrimp sink. I don't know, it isn't looking to good.


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## themamaj

So sorry to hear.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Now he isn't breathing heavily... In fact, his gills barely open and shut. Still at bottom, hasn't visited floaty log at all today. 



Stormy is full of eggs again, I think, or just super fat suddenly. 





She isn't even fish shaped! She looks like a tadpole shaped blimp. Like she swallowed an m&m... or two. Smoothie loves the look. He has some Smooth Moves for her. "How do you like my gills? See my beard? Look at my tail!" Stormy's reply? "I make my own food!" (eggs) 

3 of Son's books finally came in the mail today. He started on the Bermuda Triangle one right away. He is wide eyed and full of theories now. I had to pry it out of his hands so we could start his schoolwork. He was equally excited about the D Day book and Naval Battles. He wanted to know what else I ordered... Have to wait and see! Apparently I picked good topics.


----------



## themamaj

Great books! She is huge!!! Love her really does look like swiped m&m. Looks like sorority doing well.


----------



## Sadist

Wow, first baby alpaca is so exciting! I'm a little surprised Yara didn't eat the placenta. It must have been quite a shock to come upon it! Exploded animal, ha! I could have sworn the nature video I saw of them, the mommies ate it to get some of the vitamins/iron from blood loss during birth back. Their breeding was very gentle, too.

I'm so sorry about Zadok. It looked like he tried to come back for a bit.

Haha, look at Stormy! Little Sky is like that, too. Big, round with little fin sticking out.


----------



## themamaj

Watching a animal show on alpacas. I didnt realize only have a bottom layer of teeth. It said in this one area that they are very watchful and if a fox got on property they would chase it and possibly kill it. Surprising. It also talked about how they hum to let others in pack know where they are.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Yup! Just gums on top, in the front atleast. Goats are the same way! 

Mr. Mighty is doing good. I think he has grown quite a bit. He looks very sturdy now and races around his mama. It occurred to me that Rayah got bred 2 to 4 weeks after Yarah did. I have it written on last year's calendar, wherever that is. Because Rayah was scared to death of them and hid for a long time from them. She stayed with the goats. Finally she started to trust Yarah and Khanan, but it took a while! Which surprised me because I thought she would want paca friends. Anyways, she might have a baby in a few weeks. 

Amazingly, Zadok was out amd swimming around today. He ate 5 pellets or more. He spent time in his log. I seriously was expecting him to be dead this morning but he was looking so much better. Not sure about his eye. It still looks the same, I think. Now I am wondering about that garlic juice? Is it made by Seachem? Maybe that would help... I think maybe I overdosed him on probiotics and made his tummy hurt and that is why he was laying on bottom for 2 or 3 days. What if the garlic upset him too. 

Aaw, that is cute. Son is sitting beside me reading his coral reef book. Sea anemones close up during the night with the clown fish inside, safe and sound. It looks like a ball with a slit and the clown fish is peeking out.


----------



## themamaj

Garlic is an appetite stimulate and should boost immunity as well. Very good sign Zadok up and swimming and eating! Hopefully whatever was bothering him has past...one way or another  

So nice to hear of sons love for books! That is really a treasure.

How are you feeling? Have you been to dr? Any ultrasounds?


----------



## BettaSplendid

Sigh. 


Zadok didn't seem to be improving in quarantine so I cleaned his tank and movee him back in. At least now he gets bathed in sunlight. His eye is no better. He seems to have difficulty seeing at all. He needs a bright light overhead to even see his pellets and his aim is bad. He can't even see a pellet right in front of him. As a desperate last measure, I soaked a slice of garlic in water and then poured the "juice" into his tank. I have no clue what is wrong with him or how to fix it. 

His bad side




His good side




Turret the Mighty, aka Mr. Mighty, was running around like a mad man this mornig in the cool morning air. He goes blasting past mama and then suddenly stops when he feels he has gone too far away from her, then he turns on a dime and blasts off towards her again, past her and makes a huge bucking leaping scene. He tried to get Khanan to run with him. Mighty would leap up in the air and slam into daddy and push into him. Khanan is like, "oh! Hey Little Buddy. Whoa! Whooooa! Uumm, Yarah? Your.... Whoa! Your son. OH DEAR GOD DELIVER ME!" I was laughing. It is funny when it happens to someone else. 

Speaking of Khanan, I gave him the most awful haircut ever. He looks like he has mange. It is that bad. He is such a baby about his haircut. He cried and grumbled like I was killing him, brutally. He kept turning his face at me threate ing to spit so I had to keep telling him "no" and directing his nose forwards. Finally called Husband to help. That helped tremendously. Husband stood beside Khanan and kept him facing forward and talked soothingly and rubbed his neck. There is so much fur in the barn. I got two bags for felting with and left the rest. The next day was terribly hot too. 

The divider came loose and Smokey got onto Hatzie's side. They just looked confused. I had just looked at their tank not long before and they were where they should be, so it must have just happened. I scooped Smokey up into a betta cup and then cleaned the tank and added aquarium salt. I moved the divider to the center so Smokey has more room now too. He had recently stopped pacing and was ready for more room.


----------



## Sadist

Haha, alpaca adventures! Silly divider, too. Stay put!

Poor Zadok. You've done everything you can. People take care of blind bettas with diamond eye, so hopefully you and Zadok can adapt to his vision impairment without too many problems.


----------



## themamaj

Khanan must have had the greatest express with Mighty buzzing all around. I can just see him giving Yarah tbat look like please do something with your son. Hehe What great fun they must be to watch. Any signs from Rayah? 

Oh i feel for Zadok and that eye. He probably will be more relaxed in own tank.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Yarah was busily eating grain in peace while Khanan babysat. "I need back up!!" *Yarah pretends not to hear*

Rayah looks bigger in the belly (so do I! Whew!) but her eh, undercarriage, all looks the same. Mighty needs a playmate!


----------



## themamaj

Haha make Daddy take over awhile. Good for Yarah!. How many weeks are you now? Any ultrasound?


----------



## BettaSplendid

16ish weeks? I never know how to answer that. It is week 16 from actual conception or 18 weeks from last menstrual period, which is how Dr. measures dates, but that always irritates my sensibilities. It adds 2 weeks.! LOL It is day 110. Or is it 125 days... Ah hem. I won't be doing ultrasounds unless I really feel there is an issue. I can feel baby fluttering and kicking now. I have been feeling activity deep inside for a week or so and finally felt with my hand yesterday. Very cute. 

I have totally random food cravings too. They are very specific. Fruity Pebbles cereal. Twice baked potato with everything- sour cream, chives , butter, cheddar, salt... Might as well ask for a steak with the potato craving. Snapple fruit punch? What kinda craving is that? It is a hard one to find too. I can't get enough sprouts either. lol. Broccoli sprouts, alfalfa, clover and mung bean sprouts are like my new best friends. I don't think that is so much a craving but rather I know how nutritious they are and am eating them every day.


----------



## themamaj

Good you are having healthy cravings like sprouts. I craved spicy food. Mexican, Italian, BBQ and the spicier the better. Funny those are my son's favorite foods now. Do you have any smell or food aversions? One pregnancy I could not smell red meat. It would make me so nauseated. Smells were super magnified. Funny how your body does crazy things when pregnant. That is so sweet you are feeling little movements and flutters. When is your projected due date? Do you have a birth plan? 

How is Antigua doing? Love to see pictures of your crew.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Antigua! I need to clean his tank... He is doing okay. He still hasn't figured out his reflection isn't another fish. I wonder if he would be happier if I divided his tank and gave him a real fish to gill at. Hatzie has been having so much fun with Smokey. He has a whole new purpose in life. 

I have been so bad, not taking pictures.  

I am all about Mediterranean food. No adversions- YET. Waiting for the gagging to happen with onions. I am loving Swiss Chard right now too. Cooked with butter and balsamic vinegar, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. Basically, I will eat anything and have gained 9 pounds. Haha. Bring it. I need it for breastfeeding later. Hoping for a homebirth, because me and a room full of people do not mix. Heh! Both Son and Daughter were born at home, waterbirths. Oh, the "due" date is Nov 15.

Everytime I try to take a picture of Psalm he closes his fins. Then when I don't have the camera he spreads them out all around himself. It is a huge spread and still I have never seen him flare. I haven't wanted to encourage aggression since he has tank mates. There is an outbreak of Trumpet snails in his tank. It looks like little ice cream cones all over. Eeeee... 

Son finished the 2 choose your own adventure type books. He couldn't believe he survived WWII yet he went down with the Titanic, sadly, locked in a room. I wonder if Daughter will have any interest in these. I have been only visiting the boy side of Amazon, apparently.


----------



## Sadist

Love the food cravings! I was all over the fruit. Grapes every day. Melons that the hubby hates. Lime popsicles. Flower-scented shampoo that I had to throw away after I gave birth because I hate the smell and am allergic to perfume.

I'm glad you're getting nice cravings like leafy greens!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oh, oh, lime popsicles! That sounds good on a hot day. I forgot to mention, I ate chicken salad and tabouli for BREAKFAST every day for 3 weeks straight and recently decided to quit that. Now it sounds gross. For breakfast?! I also had raspberries on the side. At the time it seemed totally reasonable. Like washing the outside of the washing machine, which I did 3 days ago. Yep... I normally would NOT do something like that. 

The peeps are so big now! The frizzles are super cute. I just cam e in from feeding everyone dinner and milking the goat. Daughter is singing Frozen songs at the top of her lungs. How many years has she been singing that..? 

It is almost 7:30. I think it is bath time and then to bed to read. I keep going to bed too late and then am too sleepy to read.


----------



## Tealight03

Really enjoying the alpaca stories. Khanan probably had no idea what to do with Turret lol. 

Poor Zadok. His eye looks terrible. I heard banana plants or dried banana leaves are supposed to help diamond eye. Not sure if it would work in this situation. 

Soo funny story. I was reading wellness mama and a couple of her birthing entries. I was a little traumatized by her hospital one. Yes I'm still obsessed lol. I don't even know how I got there. 

Anyway, glad you're doing well. Sounds like very healthy cravings.


----------



## BettaSplendid

:surprise:










Look, look, my first youtube video! It did upload fast, MamaJ. I figured it would be some long dragged out process like all night. I am still scarred by dial up, hahaha, and in recovery with wifi. :grin2:

The first rooster you hear crow is Earnie. 

2 dogs from across the street wandered over and one barked at them. I was going to run it off but Khanan took care of it. Alpacas hate strange dogs. Scared poor Penelope the most! That is Daughter's goat.


----------



## BettaSplendid

And here is one bad video of the sorority eating mosquito larva. Hard to hold tablet and a net and all at the same time. 









My phone takes clearer pictures and video but the memory is full... can't seem to bring myself to delete stuff even though it is backed up by my laptop.


----------



## Sadist

I love seeing them zip around, catching larvae!


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## Autumncrossing

Oh my goodness your video just made me want a sorority lol! All the different colors are so beautiful and I love that your tank is crammed full with plants! How do you catch your mosquitos? Do you have a breeding pond or something for them? Any of them ever grow up and bite ? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## BettaSplendid

I just have a 5 gallon bucket full of water and "harvest" them out of that. I like the fine white mesh net for this. I live in the south in the country, so there's always mosquitos, but not from my bucket. Once they reach "tumbler stage" where they look like a comma I need to feed 'em to the the fish quick or dump the bucket because they will hatch into skeeters soon. I have 12 betta so finding a hungry mouth is never a problem. Hehe. 

The sorority is GREAT! I had just Stormy for a year and she always seemed bored. I think she enjoys her "sisters". They get along surprisingly well. I think it is the dense plants. I desire to get a 20 long for them. It would look amazing, all that uninterrupted planted area flashing with colorful ladies. Sometimes I call them "gummy bears" because they're tiny and colorful like a handful of candies.  


How do you like tapatalk? I am curious how it works. How is it different from the regular forum?


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## themamaj

All i could do from squealing at alpaca video watched on break at work. Soooooo precious!!! Sorority is beaitiful. Really fun to watch eat larva. Never seen that. Lucky girls. All seem to be getting along well.


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## Autumncrossing

BettaSplendid said:


> I just have a 5 gallon bucket full of water and "harvest" them out of that. I like the fine white mesh net for this. I live in the south in the country, so there's always mosquitos, but not from my bucket. Once they reach "tumbler stage" where they look like a comma I need to feed 'em to the the fish quick or dump the bucket because they will hatch into skeeters soon. I have 12 betta so finding a hungry mouth is never a problem. Hehe.
> 
> 
> 
> The sorority is GREAT! I had just Stormy for a year and she always seemed bored. I think she enjoys her "sisters". They get along surprisingly well. I think it is the dense plants. I desire to get a 20 long for them. It would look amazing, all that uninterrupted planted area flashing with colorful ladies. Sometimes I call them "gummy bears" because they're tiny and colorful like a handful of candies.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> How do you like tapatalk? I am curious how it works. How is it different from the regular forum?




Awesome! I'll have to try that with my guys too I'm also in the South . Lol gummy bears that's adorable . Tapatalk is pretty good most of the times. Sometimes photos don't show up and I can't see anyone's signature including my own but it's fast and mobile. Its basically streamlined and all of the extra things have been removed to make it easier on your phone to navigate. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## BettaSplendid

Betta ladies love attention! Son is talking for Stormy, from her point of view, so beware, loud and high pitched, turn your speakers down! Sorry. "That's ME!"-Stormy


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## themamaj

Video says private . Do you know how to view? Other two showed up fine. Rooster crowing so funny
Didnt know goats would shake when scared!


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## BettaSplendid

Oops! I am still learning. It is set to public now.





Twinkie! SIP, dearest Twinkie. He loved his air stone and played like this in it ALL the time until he got too old, about 2 months before he passed.






Daughter still, out of the blue, cries out mournfully, "TWINKIE! I MISS YOU!"  


He was so playful. Glad I had this video of him. A still picture could not capture his personality-and that TAIL! What a lovely long tail he had...


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## Tealight03

Twinkie video is set to private. Must watch lol. 

Love the alpaca video. Khanan is on the lookout and Turret looks like he doesn't know what just happened lol. Poor Penelope.


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## themamaj

Still private  Do you have a channel I can subscribe to?


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## BettaSplendid

Whaaaaat. I set them all to public. I just did it again and made sure to press "save". Viewable now?

Yes. Poor Penelope! She is very afraid of dogs that she doesn't know. And these were barking, albiet playfully.

I so wanted to get a video of Mighty trying to get Khanan to play!


Eta, channel name is V Betta.


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## themamaj

Yeah got it!!!!! Awww Twinkie so beautiful with pink colors and long flowing tail. Swim swim flutter flutter....oops tail flies up in bubbles! Giggles. Wait that was so fun let's do it again!! How priceless a video with daughter's sweet voice in background. No wonder he would spin and twirl for her. Twinkie we miss you! Thanks for sharing video. Will look for channel.


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## Tealight03

Aww Twinkie was special. I'm sure he is watching over your family, especially your daughter.


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## BettaSplendid

Twinkie is very, very missed, for sure. I miss the way he would move his eyes and study my face as I talked to him. I miss the shape of his pectorals. They were spade shaped. And he had the prettiest lips. I miss his frothy bubble nests. 


Here is another sorority video. They are just sooooo much fun, I have to share. I hope I am not getting annoying with it.






Son picks up 3 girls at one time! As soon as he puts his fingers in the tank they all rush over to play. Silly. We joke about wading through a rice paddy and getting mobbed by female bettas. Maaaaaaaybe wild ones aren't quite as friendly. I do worry maybe...maybe they will take over the world. They pay very close attention to his schoolwork. Lemon Drop is particularly interested in math. We do use Singapore math, so perhaps she already knows it and just wants to check his work.

Ya'll...poor Zadok. He won't even eat a bloodworm and is basically just sitting on the bottom. I do not think he will recover. His eye is still the same. It may be a symptom of his body shutting down for whatever reason. I mentioned a few months ago that I always thought he breathed weird. He may just have some issues that cannot be helped. My dear little love. It might seem strange to be so attached to one fish when I have so many, but truly, they are ALL special and each loved. They may just be little fish but I love them just as much as my more unique animals outside.


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## themamaj

Love love the videos! So neat how girls will allow your son to pick them up. They seemed delighted to play with him. What a treat! 

Well since you said rice patties i will share my silly selfie from today. Found this hat in dress up clothes. What do you think? Could i pass for betta farmer? We were having loads of fun being silly today. I have great coworkers.


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## BettaSplendid

Oh, oh! I love the hat! Hehehe! I told Husband I need a rice paddy hat to wear during water changes. For sooooome reason he wants to get me in a silk komono "for water changes". I am like silk?! Hahaha. I know, it is because they are pretty, but I need real workin' clothes for wc, like hats! Yup.


Those betta girls just love son, for sure. I am glad he is enjoying them.

Son and I were sitting there at their table, doing his school work when Daughter came in the room. All of Smoothies fins went up and out, fluffy, and he watched her excitedly. Then she opened the door to the outside, went out, and shut the door behind her. Smoothie's fins deflated, closed and drooped. Son and I were like, "ooooooh, did you see that? He was so dispointed she came and went without saying hi to him!" Then she walked back in the house and up goes his fins again and a little wiggle dance too. It was precious. Of course we told her.


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## Sadist

Wow, those sorority girls are so nice and friendly! My girls attack any body parts in their water.

Poor Zadok :-( 

Smoothie reads fantastic! My fish all love my daughter, but she doesn't pay enough attention to them for them to react that way. I really love the video of Twinkie, too. What neat coloring! And your daughter playing in the background is precious.


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## BettaBoy11

Love the videos! Turret is the cutest.
Sorry that Zadok isn't recovering. :-(


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## Tealight03

Aww. Glad Smoothie is so attached to her.


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## BettaSplendid

Library program this morning. Daughter in plaid dress, Son in camo shirt.

She drew a few MORE axolotl drawings at the library. She has become quite obsessed. I sang a song for her this morning about having "alottle axolotls" (a lot of axolotls) and she danced until her "tummy got tired". Haha. 


Zadok continues to be exactly the same. He looks so good on his GOOD side, very normal. I cup him each day and he finds his pellets with some difficulty. He seems to do better if I do not try to hold them still for him. He finds enough to round his tummy and then I release him. It is like he cannot see the pellets, yet he can see ME because he reacts when I am looking at him. My dear. I wonder if I should try another med... If epsom salt didnt help and Tetracycline didn't fix the problem, then what would be another option? Hmmm. His eyes are not cloudy. His scales are smooth. It could be an injury, but wouldn't there be healing by now? It has been a month.

Mr. Mighty is 16 days old now. So fast! He still has his umbilical cord stump. Yesterday I saw him drink water and then he was eating hay with the adults too. One strand of hay at a time. *snicker* It was cute. More like just "exploring hay", figuring out why they eat this instead of milk?


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## themamaj

Oh I love that picture! Very cute video! Having hard time naming wild. Do they have any ideas for Coconut's buddy?


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## Autumncrossing

How about... WILD THING?! You know the song right? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## themamaj

Autumncrossing said:


> How about... WILD THING?! You know the song right?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/QUOTE
> Haha.


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## BettaSplendid

Daughter was slipping in the creative name department. Grape? Blacky? Dragon? Spot? I dunno... The best she came up with was Sweetie. Sorry. I will keep pressing. She was, however, pleased that you asked her.  And I have NO IDEA what I would name him. We're all taking a summer vacation in the name-game department, apparently. Well, Tealight's Wild Thing makes me think of Wiley. As in Coyote. Am I spelling that right?


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## Tealight03

Do you know what your ph is? Tetracycline loses its effectiveness in higher ph.


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## BettaSplendid

Oh! I didn't know that. The quarantine water has long been dumped and my ph does tend to fluctuate since I am on a well. But I will check the water he is in now and see if it is crazy in one direction...


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## Tealight03

I wondered about Triple Sulfa for you too, but I don't think it would be strong enough. I wonder if the problem is bacterial or fungal?


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## BettaSplendid

I don't know..... Nothing looks weird except the eye being swollen. There isn't even any cloudiness in his eyes. He is extremely lethargic today. Hasn't come to the surface do I can cup and feed. He is under a ton of plants. I am wondering if I should haul him out to feed him or if he'd rather be left alone. 

I keep reading about a med called Maracyn II I think it is called. This is a super stubborn case. Hatzie had popeye once in BOTH eyes, with cloudiness, and I had it gone in 3 days. Just epsom salt, a IAL, and warm water, daily w/c.


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## Tealight03

I think Maracyn is supposed to be good. Feel like I read somewhere you can combine I and II to treat bacterial anf fungal? 

Poor guy. It is so frustrating not knowing what to do to help them.


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## themamaj

I did not know that about Tetracycline and ph. Glad you shared that. I have read that Macacyn 1 and 2 are good to use in combination but not easily found around here. 

Just watched Rachel's Tuesday tips. She was highlighting some of her tanks shrimp, nano and 150. Absolutely amazing aquascaping! You would love watching her shrimp swim all over.


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## BettaSplendid

Today is the 1 year anniversary of Antigua coming home! Here is a video of him today, my special little love. My voice is SO ANNOYING in this video. *cringe*

And here is Antigua 1 year ago!


https://youtu.be/9V_kprWaRVE
Hello marble gene!


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## themamaj

Aww Antigua Happy Day! How sweet he looks swimming through the most incredible lush tropical forrest. Love that root. So pretty the way you have done your tanks! He is such a lucky boy. 🐟🎈


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## BettaSplendid

He is sweet! He isn't my smartest betta, LOL, but he is very sweet. He still is upset over his reflection. "Dat bad pwakat, mama, he makes mean faced at me. He puts his gills out at me, mama." "That's you, dear.








Trying to figure out why his 2nd video didn't imbed. Eta, now it shows up.


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## Tealight03

Happy Anniversary Antigua! That marble gene is serious!


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## BettaSplendid

Shrimper picture. I haven't mentioned them lately. They're just not interactive like a betta and I confess I have an urge to just put a betta in that tank and see what happens. Buuuut I do really like some of the shrimp and of course those would be the first to be eaten. Soooo... Keeping it shrimp only... For now. The population isn't out of control or anything. 

I trimmed Yara this morning! What a good girl. I got all the 'pacas in my milking area of the barn and closed the gate. Yara stood very still and wonderful. Mighty nursed while I trimmed. :smile2: I was a bit worried she would be crazy like Khanan was. I blame his... hormones. If I were to geld him I am sure he would be a breeze too. He has cute babies though. I can't see me having more than like 5 or 6 alpacas however so maybe he should get gelded... Poor Khanan. Yara is very old and probably won't be having many more babies. That is what the people who sold her said anyways. Khanan is young. So is Rayah. Random thoughts. Anyhow, she stood perfectly still and I was able to do a nice haircut and get a big bag of grey fur. Would make a cute felted squirrel or something.


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## themamaj

Love the video! Blue shrimp are a dream. You have done so well with them. Really beautiful!!!

Yara and Mighty sound like doing so well. I bet Yara and Rayah so cute after a trim. Any further signs from Rayah that she might be having a baby? How old is Yara and Khanan? I bet Mighty is growing like a weed. How long will they typically nurse?

How are you doing in baby department? Are you feeling more flutters? Pondering any names?


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## BettaSplendid

I had to go dig out their registration papers and gasped. Yara was born September 8, 2001. Whew. Only reason I got her so cheap. She is an old lady. She was $22,500 when they bought her in 2005. I paid $475. Khanan was free. Oh, huh, Khanan was born August 9, 2004. I thought he was younger. And he only ever had 1 baby for them. Gosh... Okay they gave me a lot of papers... Looking through them. Found Khanan's daddy. He was sold for a whopping $600,000.00 are people CRAZY?! And his stud fee was $5000, oh but you can get financing for 6 months with a 5% interest rate. The world is insane. I only wanted a pet. His name is PPPeruvian Royal Fawn and he looks exactly like Khanan. 

I never even bothered sending in their papers when we bought them. Not selling babies, not showing, plus I am lazy. I am always astounded how some people go absolutely crazy with prices and showing and ribbons and just... I don't get it. It is like the Tulip Craze in Holland. The outrageous alpaca prices have since plummeted, hence, free Khanan. 

No baby outta Rayah yet. Son pointed an accusing finger at her and said, too loudly, "YOU! YOU HAVE NOT HAD A BABY!" I don't know why, but that struck me as so halarious. Her innocent face stared back at him. 

I bet Mighty will nurse at least 6 months, just for comfort, he is already grazing amd drinking water! He will be 3 weeks old tomorrow. 

My baby is kicking like wild! Very active. Especially at 6:30 am and around 11 am and then again somewhere around 5. Like a party inside of me. I feel great now. I trimmed Yara, milked the goat and still wasn't worn out.

Eta, oh the names. Well I have always like Faye. Also like Katie, Alice (Allie), and Kierra. For boy, Lane, Caleb, Wesley, or Colt... Can't get anymore cowboy than Colt... Hahaha. But I am open to suggestion! I do not like currently popular names where half the kids they know have the SAME name.


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## BettaSplendid

https://www.openherd.com/alpacas-for-sale/991/ppperuvian-royal-fawn

https://www.openherd.com/alpacas-for-sale/24530/ppperuvian-royal-fawn--

:surprise:


eeeeeeeeeeee! MAJOR SQUEALING KHANAN'S DAD. He haz cheekpuffs! 

A google search for PPPeruvian Royal Fawn brings up Khanan's brothers and sisters. So precious. I actually think Khanan is cuter, as any mother would say. :wink3:


----------



## themamaj

Wow who would have thought alpacas could cost so much!!!! Daddy is a cutie but no one beats Khanan and his smile! 

Love all boy names. I'm like you as tend to like traditional names and ones that are different. Colt is so cute and love Caleb. I have a niece named Allison and they call her Allie. Faye is one not heard in awhile. Have family friend with that name.


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## Sadist

I like Boone and Buck, too. Cousin names. I had a giant list of girl names when I was pregnant, but hubby didn't like them. We barely agreed on a name. He wanted all those older girl names that start with Beau but sound less pretty in English.


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## themamaj

We have friends that boys named Corbin and Boone. Both KY cities.


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## BettaSplendid

Sooooo... at the library program this morning, sweet innocent Daughter had to endure waiting in line behind 2 very rambunctious boys. Her facial expressions were so hilarious. It is so hard to be a princess sometimes! She contained herself, but barely. I fear for them, had they bumped into her. She is a wild cat.


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## themamaj

ROFL!!! 😂love her!!


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## Sadist

That's too cute! And funny!


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## BettaSplendid

I wish it was longer. It cut off when I ran out of memory, had just video'd her doing some of the games and then noticed her waiting in line doing facial contortions. I laughed for a good 30 seconds at least before realizing I must record this. So funny.


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## themamaj

A video you must keep. So funny her trying so hard to contain herself with those goofy boys. Great expressions!!


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## BettaSplendid

:surprise:


I just saw Lady Red drop her eggs! Son and I happened to be looking at exactly the right moment! In just a second or 2, a spurt of white eggs shot out of her and she and Stormy gobbled them down. I frantically grabbed my camera but it was too late. It was really cool to see though. And she is going through the girlie fishie equivalent of some of the worst PMS I have ever seen. Good grief! The whole tank does NOT belong to you, Lady Stinker! So mean. > I keep thinking back to that little halfmoon Cambodian female I aaaalmost picked instead of Lady Red. SHE looked sweet.


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## Sadist

Looks can be deceiving when they're alone. Mrs. Fish seemed like the biggest scardy cat, but she viciously rips apart anything that enters her water. Fingers and faces outside the tank, must hide! Mirror, oh no must hide! A bite of human food, the scariest thing on the planet! Nerite snail, death to the invader!


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## themamaj

Wow that is incredible you saw that! I'm telling you these feisty red girls. Shudder haha


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## BettaSplendid

MRS. FISH VS. CHEEZIT

I kinda want to take Lady Red out and stick her in Antigua's tank, with a divider of course. Heh, Antigua... He is so silly always obsessed with his reflection. I think it would do him good to have a real fish to interact with. The only thing stopping me is the "divider" stuff I have fits a 10 gallon and probably wouldn't work for a 20. Petsmart has actual dividers that would work though. 

Every time I walk by a mirror I am like, "WHUT?!" MY BELLY IS HUGE. These past few weeks is when babies grow SO FAST. Yep. It is funny 'cause I feel pretty good and move about fine, I forget actually how big my tummy is now.. Until I catch a glimpse in the mirror. Then I am like Antigua. "Who are you?!" I actually did my prenatal belly dance video. That was fun! I am not the most coordinated person ever, but I can laugh at... Er, with, myself. Maybe I will get better. I totally need to do that routine like RIGHT before I head to the chiropractor. Aaall limber. 

My mom is coming tomorrow, woot! I think she hasn't been here in months? She hasn't seen Mr. Mighty yet anyways. Mighty sits right in the hay pile which is a NO NO NO for alpacas. He is so cute however that none of the grownup pacalacas tell him to get out of the hay. They just eat around him. And no, no baby from Rayah yet. Mighty really likes auntie Rayah and often sits with her. Rayah amd Yara got into a screaming fight this morning. They were just squealing at each other like crazy. Then Yara bit Rayah's ear and pulled it and then spit on her. Geez! Son came running up asking what was all that screaming??? It sounded awful. Somebody is hormonal. My girl animals are going insane, apparently. 

I'm just going to hang out with Khanan.


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## themamaj

Hormonal hot flashing alpacas. That makes me chuckle. So funny to think of them getting into feuds. Giant tortoises at zoo had each other pinned down like a wrestling match. In this case boys but trainers had to go try to break it up. Died laughing seeing them trying to prie these enormous turtles apart. I left before saw who won. Very silly animals. Aww Mighty. I can just picture him all proud sitting on top of hay. 

What a fun stage of pregnancy. I remember bumping into everything. I bet your mom will be so excited to see you.


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## BettaSplendid

Yeah.  Mighty did look proud. Okay, I need to get a picture of him sitting in the hay. He does it every day. It is even cuter because I use a child's plastic sandbox (you know the one, shaped like a turtle) to put the hay in. So he is sitting in the sand box like a kid. Hehehe. 

Those girls were just awful today! Usually alpaca are so... well, respectful. They're acting so hateful. I can only assume it is because Rayah is nearing her birthing time/date? If that isn't it then they've lost their marbles. And then I try to reason with them. "Ladies, please! You're herd animals! You LOVE each other! You would be miserable without- hey! Don't do that! Oh Yara-okay, that was just rude. WHAT?! Ugh! Don't be mean to Rayah."

I did water change tonight on Psalm's tank and got the little Ozelot sword planted. Had it quarantined for a few weeks since they had fish in with the plants. Just in case... Then changed water for Hatzie and Smokey. Also added 5 white quartz rocks to Hatzie's side. I arranged them in such a way that they make a cave and also little passageways between the rocks. He wasn't terribly impressed. He only cared to get his floaty log put back in when I was done and quite pleased to get a new Indian almond leaf. Smokey got a piece of leaf too since his sank. Smokey has calmed down and acts like a normal betta now, no pacing. Yay! He EATS more than any of my fish though. He is a bottomless pit. A few pellets and the others are satisfied but Smokey easily eats like TEN and still wants more food. And his belly never looks big. He flips his body around smacking his mouth open and shut when he sees the food container. I honestly do not know where he puts the food, I know he eats it because I watch. And even after all I give him he searches the gravel afterwards. He has the appetite of a king betta. Strange little guy.

I loved the tortoise story! I didn't realize they wrestled like that. Like Sumos! They get quite heavy. I thought they were just slooooow and peaceful. Surprising animals are (Yoda?)


----------



## Sadist

I remember bumping into things, too. Trying to sit at a table, couldn't lean over plate, cleavage filled with food. Bumping onto tables and people and chairs.

Wow, I had no idea herd animals would get all cranky with each other! Poor ladies. Maybe they're fighting over Mighty? "That's my baby, leave it alone!"


----------



## Tealight03

Catching up....

I wonder if Yara doesn't like Mighty hanging out with Rayah. Would it be bad to seperate them?


----------



## BettaSplendid

They seem to fuss mostly right after eating breakfast when they head over to get water, when Mighty isn't even near. He is usually chillin' in the hay pile then. It would be stressful to seperate them. I don't _think_ they're fighting over him. He doesn't spend a lot of time with Rayah. She definitely isn't trying to take him. He likes her more than she likes him. LOL. Other times of the day they all happily hang out together. The squealing always happens over the water buckets- and there are two so they are not fighting over water either. Very curious. I think it is just grump grumps for no good reason. 

Husband got some Betta Revive for Zadok. It has methylene blue and malachite green amongst other meds. Just goina keep Zadok in a betta cup soaking in that stuff for a few days and see how that goes. I can get him to swallow down an Omega One flake but then he usually spits it back out a few seconds later. It is very hard to position a pellet right over his mouth so he can eat it. I am out of bloodworms... That might be something to pick up tomorrow if I can... Poor Zadok Muffin.


----------



## Sadist

Silly girl hormones. "My teats hurt from nursing!" "My everything hurts from pregnancy!" *bite* *spit*

Poor Zadok. I hope the meds help out.


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## Tealight03

Hope the meds help poor Zadok. Let me know how that med works. Killian will spit up pellets from time to time. I have been crushing them up and that seems to stay down. 

Meant to ask how you like zumba. I heard it is easy on joints and a pretty good workout. I'm thinking about adding it to my workout routine. Actually doing more activity in general would be an accomplishment lol.


----------



## themamaj

Rayah showing any signs of delivery? Have you tried Mighty with water yet? Thought they liked being sprayed down. Poor Zadok. Have been thinking of him wondering how he was doing. I hope meds help him. Love that Psalms has such great appetite. He sounds like such a happy boy. Love to see more pictures of him and Mighty in sandbox! Oh that would be too cute. Bet he is growing fast.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Do you mean the belly dancing? I actually have taken a few Zumba classes-with the kids! LOL. It is super fun and constant movememt but no special equipment is needed so that is nice. Once I get the repetitve steps down I am good to go but at first it is awkward. Again, I am not coordinated. I am better with yoga and pilates and slow stuff. I took Shotokan karate with Son for a few years but I have such difficulty remembering the katas while it comes so easy to everyone else. Rather frustrating. But karate is a tremendous workout, especially for the legs. I did the belly dancing again today, a dvd, and feel it is very good at loosening the back and hip muscles, and oddly enough it is relaxing. Very rythmic. 

No signs from Rayah yet. Then again alpaca are pretty sneaky. Hehe. I keep forgetting my camera when I go outside to feed. He was in the hay again today while he watched the kids running around the yard. 

I do worry about Zadok. His appetite isn't good. My mom said he looked thin. She was the one who suggested methylene blue.


----------



## Tealight03

My core could use some work lol. I am not a dancer at all. But it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Dear little Zadok passed away today, around 4pm. His suffering is over. Swim in peace, Sweetheart, you will be missed. Long live your memory. 

Cute little surprise today on my pregnancy app:


----------



## themamaj

Aww cant believe axolotl on pregnancy app!!!

Sweet Zadok. He has fought so long and hard. I know he was loved much. So deeply sorry. SIP Zadok


----------



## Tealight03

So sorry to hear about Zadok. At least he isn't suffering anymore. SIP sweet boy.


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## BettaBoy11

Sorry about Zadok. SIP little guy.


----------



## Sadist

Hugs.


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## BettaSplendid

He really did fight. Over a month. 

After grocery shopping today I returned library books and stopped in at Petsmart to see if anyone irristable was waiting for a home. I immediately spotted him. A halfmoon dumbo! I have been WAITING for this! Never seen one at my petsmart and he was on sale too. I said, "you're the one!" and took him to the register, no hesitation. 

Introducing Shema (shem-ah) 



Shema means "hearing" in Hebrew, perfect for those big ole' elephant ears! Just like Simeon's name. 



And og my goodness, they had the biggest, squishiest looking male rat, with white body and light colored hood and saddle. He was busy grooming his beauuuutiful body so this was the best picture I could get. Reminded me of Tealight saying she looked for rats at Petsmart. I just wanted to squuuuueeeeeesh him and love on him. Resist! :smile2: 



Shema is acclimating now. Ate some pellets and mosquito larva. Living candy! Put the groceries away.


----------



## Tealight03

Ohh sale? Must resist... Shema is gorgeous! 

Waa my Petsmart didn't have rats.


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## themamaj

Shema! Love name! How perfect for a big beautiful dumbo ears. He is so cute. I am so glad you got him. I know you had been wanting a dumbo. Can't wait to see him in the tank  Yes, never thought I would say this, but rat looks so cute and cuddly. You gave me an appreciation for how fun they can be as pets. I still like those curly haired big dumbo ear rats. Super cute.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Our Petsmart doesn't always have them in either. Or did yours say they never carry them? He was sooooo rollie pollie. They were proud of him too, he was around $12. I do like to see them with a high price though, less likely to go home to a snacky snake. Eeep! All the rodents had red, white, and blue litter. LOL

Shema is settling in nicely! I wonder what he will look like once he is calm and his colors get richer. 

I hadn't realized how BIG Psalm and Smokey had grown. They were very tiny, now they're so big. Psalm's tail is 2 layers thick in a lot of places, from his double tail genes I guess, even though his tail is one piece, it folds over on itself like crazy. I have never seen him flare, it must be a sight! He would be all fins. And Smokey has grown so big he is now bigger than Hatzie. He was smaller than the girls. Now Shema is the baby.


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## themamaj

Shema looks like a salamander coloration.


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## BettaSplendid

I will google salamander bettas.  

Psalm is so modest. I have taken soooo many videos of him, trying to get one, just ONE, video that shows off his fins. He finally opens them up at the end of this video. Until then you just have to giggle at his cutie patootie face. He is just so cute! You can see his ruffly tail at least.


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## themamaj

Aww wiggling through plant. His fins are wow! Such pretty colors!!! Loved video


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## BettaSplendid

Maybe too many plants. "Mama, I don't have room to flare!" 

There are lots of open spots though. Maybe I should show him a mirror while I have the video going. 

I found this. Salamander Spawns - Victoria Betta lots of super good pictures of his spawn! You'd love it!


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## Tealight03

Psalm is so sweet. He does have quite a lot of plants lol.


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## themamaj

Was that water wisteria he was wiggling through? Where do you usually get plants from?


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## BettaSplendid

Yep, water wisteria. It came in a tube from Petsmart and has grown so much that I have clippings of it just everywhere . Scarlet temple is another that takes off for me and I can take clippings and move to new tanks. I would say most plants came from Petsmart? Also have gotten some from Fintastic and ordered some from Flip Aquatics when I bought the shrimp. Oh and I got obsessed about Marimo balls at one point and ordered a boat load of them from Aquatic Arts, they are very good quality and still healthy. Piled up they make a neat little betta hide-a-way. 

Psalm is a really sweet boy. I never see him act even the tiniest bit aggressive. Even when the guppies are eating in his space. And his tail is getting so purple! I would love him no matter what color he marbled, but I was hoping for purple fins.


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## Sadist

Wow, Psalm is so gorgeous, and I am in love with his tank! No wonder bettas rip their fins on plastic plants if they play with them the way he did with his wisteria.


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## BettaSplendid

Bettas do like to squeeze! A tangle of anacharis is a happy spot too. 

I couldn't believe it when I saw Shema already made a bubble nest! He is just a tiny little guy! It sent me into a fit of baby talk, "what is this? What did you doooo? You made a bubble nest already?" The wonders of warm water! 





His mouth... Looks like Gabe..... And his eyes are like Simeon's, they have a human look to them with the white around the edges. That might he a dumbo/EE thing. Shema is very friendly and wiggles at the glass for me already. Not a shy guy at all. I am loving his personality.


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## themamaj

He is so beautiful and looks so happy! Shema you have the cutest little bubble nest ever. What a good boy you are! You are so lucky to have such a special new home. You will be loved and adored!!


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## BettaSplendid

Ah, I got a video of Mighty in the sand box. Yup, typical. He tries to rare up and jump on Rayah's head but slips instead and falls with an "I meant to do that!" attitude. The little stinker. This video is like... trying to take a sugared up toddler to Ruby Tuesdays. Food flyin', kids crawling on and under the table, nasty looks from the other patrons. I could just nurse him, if that would help? Bwhahahaha.


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## themamaj

Precious keep watching it over and over. Reminds me of my kids playing with mashed potatoes as baby wanting to full explore food. Mighty sitting in food dish. Haha. Love clumsy stage but still trying to act so big. Others trying to be so patient eating around baby who is jumping on their table  Love it!!!


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## Autumncrossing

Shema is so sweet, love those big dumbo ears! I've been looking for one just like him too, hope to find mine someday!


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## BettaSplendid

Rayah's flanks looked fuller today, like maaaaaybe there is a baby headed for the birth canal. Also, she couldn't make up her mind if she wanted to be sprayed with the hose or not. Feels good, but don't want to be messed with. I am sure all the adults will rejoice if Mighty gets a playmate. 

I spotted a black rili shrimp in Simeon's tank! A while back I had moved a hyacinth from the shrimp tank to Simeon's, hoping there might be a hitch hiker or two. And so it has survived! I caught 3 or 4 more rilis and put them in with Simeon too. This is great! Maybe I should move some in with Shema while he is still small. 

I did water changes for Smoothie, the ladies, and Hatzie & Smokey this morning. I utterly destroyed Smokey's nest, sank the leaf and everything. I gave him a new one when I was done. 

We went to see Finding Dory last night and loved it! I had fishy thoughts of transporting fish in tanks with no lids, Dory not being acclimated when dropped into the Open Ocean... stuff that probably didn't even occur to anyone else in the theater. We ate at Panera Bread for dinner and watched the fireworks.


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## Sadist

Haha, I felt the same way about Finding Dory. Oh no, a bucket with cleaning chemicals! Ahh, a juice cup!


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## BettaSplendid

Ooooooh the yellow mop bucket, that one made me talk to myself, utterings of chemicals, yes. Luckily Dory is seemingly a very resilient fish, indestructible. Haha. Husband always has to remind me, "it is a cartoon, Love." I loved how all the Blue Tang fish had different faces! To them, all people probably look alike.


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## themamaj

Come on Rayah! Hope baby soon. How funny thinking of movie as far as acclimating and oh the germs that octopus could have brought to tank slithering. Such a cute movie! Did your kids like movie?


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## BettaSplendid

Daughter said it was kinda scary! I was like, "really?!" I guess the big screen is intense. Good thing they weren't showing it in 3d yesterday! She happily munched popcorn throughout and then snuggled on Pa, so wasn't _too_ scared.  Son liked it but also agreed it was a bit scary. Heh. This coming from the boy who just watched my Lord of the Rings dvds? Okay then. 

A storm just came in. Hope it cools down for Rayah. Hot today. Ooh... Husband is on his motorcycle.


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## Sadist

Being lost is probably really scary for kiddos. Most don't seem to have the mindset to stay calm and find a solution when they're lost. They probably expect, on some level of their brain, that someone will help them if they ask instead of ignore them, too. Funny how they can get scared of the disney movie hitting those types of fears and be fine with video game exploding monsters.


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## BettaSplendid

Oh, I bet that is it! It didn't even occur to me. Some of those fish were very rude to Dory, so unhelpful and uncaring. When we get someplace new or crowded I usually brief the kids on who to ask for help and what to do (don't try to find me! Stay where you are!). For some reason kids worry that I would leave without them. Never, never, never. But I remember thinking my mom left me too, in a store, when really she was just on another aisle. Kids' minds think so differently.


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## BettaSplendid

Shema! I just cannot handle his CUTE! At the 21 second mark he flutters one pectoral and then the other. :laugh: 

I am so in loooooove with Shema, love, love, loooovie. 









And the sorority from above. Spike is really fat. I don't think there is anything wrong with her, like swollen... She sure is big though. Gotta keep an eye on that. 


Husband did get caught in that storm last night. He had to wait under an overpass. 50 to 60 mpg though.


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## Tealight03

Loved the alpaca video. Mighty is a bit spoiled isn't he.


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## BettaSplendid

This picture just makes me so happy. LOL


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## BettaBoy11

bettasplendid said:


> this picture just makes me so happy. Lol


yesssss!!!!


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## themamaj

Shema is so beautiful. Fluttering fins just win your heart! Sorority looks great. Love alpaca pix!!!


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## BettaSplendid

Shema today. He is _pretty sure_ I bought him and then turned him loose. Plants, check. Dirt, check. Leaf to bubble, check. Sun light, check. Larva, check! Wait! Larva! Gotta go! 


He is still hunting. Keeps them busy for quite a while. Daughter was in the background talking to Smoothie, if you hear something but can't tell what she is saying, it is, "Smoooooooooothieeeeeeeeee! Smoothie!" she was helping him find his larva by pointing to them.


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## Sadist

Awesome! I love his tank! It's like a little jungle. How lucky he is to get some larvae.


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## Autumncrossing

Wow he looks so happy! I love all the plants you've got in there really does look like a jungle. I spy I think some anacharis...? What else?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## BettaSplendid

Ah, too many plants for a 5 gallon, but Shema isn't complaining. Yes, lots of anacharis, crypt, rosette sword, amazon sword, scarlet temple, anubias, micro sword... Is there java fern? I am laying down resting so trying to recall. Even some water wisteria in the back. I like how Shema blends in with the red scarlet temple.  

I had a "full meal" craving, rather than a particular single item. Sloppy Joes, cole slaw, and cherry pie. Very specific. I haven't had sloppy joes in years and years, where did I even get the idea for them? Not sure I have ever bought cole slaw before. So weird. Husband dutifully picked up the ingredients for me. He never questions, just, "text me a list". Sure enough , he brought it all home last night but I had already made dinner so I will work on the sloppy joes tonight.


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## themamaj

So many wonderful plants. It took me a minute to "spy" Shema! I saw a larva swim by. So cool! You have luckiest bettas! I bet he is loving new home.

Haven't had sloopy joes in awhile either. Sounds yummy. How many weeks are you now?


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## BettaSplendid

21 weeks, over halfway! I feel really good now, although I do not like standing still for long, like in the kitchen. I have a stool in there I sit on while preparing food. LOL. And I sit on a yoga ball while homeschooling son which is awesome. Regular chairs or couches, ugh, so uncomfortable. The baby can kick really hard! It is weird that baby will be super active and then Husband comes home and Baby immediately goes to sleep. He hasn't really gotten to feel kicks yet! Happens everytime. It reminds me of that scene on Ice Age when the mammoth pretends to be asleep and ignores the sloth. "C'mon, Manny, no one falls asleep that fast!" 

Son will be done with his 3rd grade curriculum soon, a few weeks? He is looking forward to our "special day" as he calls it. We do his CAT test and then we go to town, just the two of us, and he picks out a toy and then we go out to eat together. He keeps bringing this up. He has worked so hard this year and grown tremendously academically. He has done well in all areas, but I am super pleased that he reads for fun now! He didn't exactly enjoy learning _how_ to read in years past.


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## Sadist

I don't think it's too many plants unless they die from lack of light 

Isn't it funny how the babies always stop when Daddy is around. Hubby didn't believe me until we had company over and watched tv in bed instead of the living room. Then, he was freaked out seeing the foot move around.

That's so awesome that your boy has a special day with you. Keep up the good school work!


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## BettaSplendid

Hahaha! The foot! 

I continue to clean, clean, clean the house too. Nesting is supposed to happen like days before labor, but hey. 

My very special Trident Java fern did die from lack on light in the sorority tank. Daughter rearranged plants in there (without permission, ah hem) and I didn't want to discourage her interest in aquatic plants.... But yeah. Trident died very quickly after that. Like in a week, pffft. "pffft" is the sound of a dieing plant, by the way...


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## Tealight03

Loved watching Shema hunt larvae. He is one lucky guy to have so many plants!


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## Sadist

She kept kicking the same way for over a month after she was born. I recall the doctor having problems getting her socks back on during a check up. I had expertly learned to hold the sock where her foot would go.


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## BettaSplendid

That is awesome. I was convinced newborn socks were some cruel joke and whoever invented them was laughing at me. They never stay on! 

I have been packing away soooo many toys, especially small items. Better to do it now while I still have the time rather than wait until Baby is getting mobile and wanting to put objects in mouth. I even got all my art supplies sorted into little plastic bins amd stored in ONE place, rather than 4 places. That was a major undertaking. I organized Daughter's messy desk and shelves above it. All those books! All her artwork... Oh my. She churns out some drawings. Got the 4th grade curriculum ready. I forgot to order the history books! Agahst. I can't believe I did that. Will have to pay shipping now. I cleaned the playroom closet out completely. Put most of the toys away not to be seen again for a while. Don't feel bad for the kiddies; they still have plenty to do. It will (and already has) be a major help. Not so much to clean up now and less stress for me. I went through everybody's clothes and took away anything that is out of season or won't be worn right now. Why do we have so much clothes? Can only wear one outfit at a time. My mom calls these "frontiers", the major areas that need to be cleaned. Her problem area is paper! Or was. She has gotten better at filing away. But I have 4 messy people to clean up after (I include myself). Oh the shoes! I organized our shoe area! So many shoes.... Ugh. In the winter jackets become another issue. I could go on and on. Just been soooo busy. I am learning to just put stuff away, hidden, to not have so much out and available unless it is something that is used constantly.


















Eta, if you read all that house cleaning ramblings, you deserve a reward:





Husband always sends the cutest pictures.... It is kinda sad, but so cute at the same time.


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## themamaj

How I need your energy burst here! How can house get so dirty with fewer people??? Those cats must be sneaking about when not looking! Hehe


----------



## BettaSplendid

Yesterday I took a whole bunch of plants out of the shrimp tank. It was so densely planted that it was dark as night even with the light on! Hornwort made several laps around the top section, plus a happy hyacinth blocking out light from above. I tried to pull out an Amazon sword. I regret putting that in a 5 gallon. The leaves have grown out of the water by a good 6 inches or more. Should have put a rosette sword in there since it remains petite. But the amazon was firmly rooted and threatened to take up all of the substrate with it like a mat. It looks so different now, bright and the shrimp are happily buzzing around like they're showing off. There is a gorgeous blue that is berried. There are lots of berried mamas. I siphoned the bottom and got out a bunch of little Trumpet snails and unfortunately quite a few tiny shrimplets. Daughter thinks my water change container is a shrimp nursery now and sang to the babies and told them stories. I am catching them in a measuring cup and putting them back in their tank. That is a chore. 

I put 2 adult rili shrimp in with Shema. He chased them but they are fast and zipped backwards at light speed. 

Simeon still has his rili shrimp and his huge ghost shrimp. 

Pretty sure the little rili shrimp wouldn't last a second in the sorority.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Not only does Simeon have all his shrimpies still, but one is berried! I expect he will eat all the little shrimp he can and that is okay. His one year anniversary with me was on Wednesday so he deserves some good food. 

Hatzie has THREE bubblenests. I think he enjoys tank sharing with Smokey. It gives him a good reason to patrol and nest. 

This baby has completely domesticated me. I cannot stop. I painted every cabinet in the kitchen just because. I washed the outside of the dryer. I cleaned completely the refrigerator and reorganized it, along with all cabinets. I MADE YOGURT. I have the urge to dig out my bread maker. I got my kefir going again (probiotic drink sorta like yogurt). I can't stop cleaning. lol halp! Also can't stop cooking. Son is loving this. I kinda just make up stuff. For lunch today I made burgers. Ground beef with 2 eggs, a bit of milk, sauteed green peppers and onions, chia seeds and nutritional yeast and baked, added sharp cheddar, chive cream cheese and sliced tomato. Just put ALL the food ALL together into one meal. Yay! Oh, and wrap it all in lettuce. 

Rayah still hasn't had her baby. Hah! I have been expecting it for 2 months! She is definitely big though. It is too hot to be that pregnant and covered in black fur. I hose her down several times a day which she loves. Mr. Mighty is absolutely a love ball. 

Okay, Son is done with his timeline drawing, so must go. Too busy.


----------



## themamaj

I need some of that energy! Happy 1 year to Simeon. Did you and son get to have special day?


----------



## BettaSplendid

Not yet, but so close to finishing. Was thinking of taking him to the water park too. They have evening hours. We haven't tried those hours, maybe less worry of sunburn? 

I happened upon this app that I have been having a lot of fun with. I actually got $20.00 in no time and successfully got it put on an amazon gift card, which took like seconds to do. I was expecting it not to work, lol, but it did. The app is easy to use and fun, really fun, plus it is stuff you're already buying like milk and eggs and bread... And chai tea. Hehe. The money you save can go on various gift cards or even into paypal (like secret money, if ya get my drift, for aquabid, lol). Actually, any money I make I am using on Amazon for baby things on my wishlist.  After grocery shopping tomorrow I should have another $20. Wee! 

Check out Ibotta to get cash back! Use my referral code, dnjcncl, and you can earn an extra $10. Sign up at https://ibotta.com/r/dnjcncl


----------



## BettaSplendid

Yup, awesome, I got another $20 using the ibotta app. I made it like a scavenger hunt, showed the kids the picture of a product on sale and once they found it they scanned it with my tablet to see if it matched. Son was pushing one of those tiny shopping carts and somehow left it somewhere in the store. Didn't realize until we got home and I am like, "wheeeere is the cabbage and the green peppers?" They weren't on my receipt. Then we realized he must have forgotten his cart. Oops. I was going to make cabbage lasagne tonight but that is okay, will pick up those items later. Husband is still no carb dieting and cabbage leaves make an excellent replacement for pasta, actually, I think it tastes better because it is sweet. 

I have the urge to get some new guppies. I could quarantine them easily now because I wouldn't need a heater and could just set their tank near a window for light. Psalm gets along just fine with them. He knows his tail slows him down so doesn't even try chasing.


----------



## Sadist

Wow, that is some major nesting! I'm glad you get to experience it.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Lookie! Mr. Mighty! He gets cuter every day. It was raining lightly when I took this picture. I love soggy alpacas.


----------



## ShadeSlayer

Great journal, Splendid!! I’ve been reading it this weekend and loving all the adorable pics of your animals. Mighty's my favorite. Too cute. How old is he now?


----------



## BettaSplendid

Mighty is irristable.  He is soft as bunny rabbit fur. He will be 2 months old on August 4th. He still nurses some but I see him grazing a lot. Surprisingly, he doesn't eat grain yet.


----------



## Sadist

What a little cutie! I wish we had more room for animals and animal babies.


----------



## ShadeSlayer

Ditto, Sadist. So envious of Splendid’s fish room.


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## BettaSplendid

Penelope and Spice could not be more different. Penelope HAS to get up high. She is either in a tree, up in Son's tree fort, in the playground equipment, on top an old truck or... riding a tractor?! Spice is always relaxing on the ground below. Not all goats are alike. 






My pawpaw tree is doing good this year. This is an amazing fruit you're likely never to see for sale because it needs to ripen on the tree and is super delicate so cannot easily be shipped. The fruit tastes like vanilla custard, just slice it open and eat with a spoon, no cooking or baking needed. It is sooooo tasty. I think this is the "mango grafted pawpaw" and beside it is another, its pollination buddy. 





The children enjoyed lovimg on this bearded dragon at Petsmart. Of course, now they both want one. The employee talked Daughter out of a chameleon. She said they get sick easily and shouldn't be held much? Anyone heard of that? But she brought out the dragon and they loved him. 




Husband had eye surgery 3 days ago and is still recovering. I have been taking care of him, bringing pain killers and eye drops and tea, running epsom salt baths. It was like Lasik but more involved? Can't think of the name right now. The first day was rough. I drove him home and the light was torturing him. He had tissues stuffed behind his sunglasses because his eyes were watering, his hat pulled down and a blanket over his face and the light still was too strong. I told him the sky was actually so dark with rain clouds that it was a darker grey than the road was. The children have been at grandma's since Friday morning. The house has been so quiet, and clean, LOL. I went to town alone, amazing, yesterday and meandered slowly and without interruption through a few thrift stores and found some very comfortable maternity jeans, some long skirts for fall and a few new-to-me shirts that appear they will be good for nursing in. Then went to a kids' consignment store and found a nice baby swing that plugs in rather than eats D battery. It was half what it would cost new plus I had a 20% off card, so got a good deal there. And final destination was to get raspberry coffee cake on the way home. These cravings, I tell ya. I need to get a good picture of me with baby belly for ya'll. Pretty substantial tummy for 25 weeks. Baby loves to be rubbed and massaged and will lay still contentedly, but if I stop rubbing I get a few kicks, hard, in protest. "Keep rubbin'!" Sometimes, depending on how baby is laying, I can feel back on one side and legs and arms on the other. Really cute. 

Husband just wandered out, sunglasses and big smile. This is the first time I have seen him outside of bedroom or bathroom. He announced he is getting a bath, so I am going to go make him some tea.


----------



## Sadist

Awesome pictures! I didn't know pawpaws were real. One of daughters children songs cd's has a song about them, but I thought it was made up.

I have read that chameleons shouldn't be handled much. Something about stress (and I guess stress could make them sick?). Bearded dragons were the lizard of choice for possible future reptile pets after my limited research on care and handling.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Pawpaws grow wild from what I understand, in NC and probably also in TN then. But you have to get a grafted variety to insure a good fruit. I am sure possums enjoy chowin down on the wild ones. My mom has some wild persimmon trees on her property and they actually are good. She also has a cultivated variety with bigger fruit. You never know what you'll find. When we go for walks in parks I see leaves that look like my pawpaw but it is hard to say without seeing the fruit too. It has pretty distinctive long leaves. I remember Granny Clampett on the Beverly Hillbillies talking about "pickled pawpaws" and wondering what in the world that was. Then I saw them in a plant nursery catalog. 

Okay then! I had no idea about stresssed out Chameleons then! Not a good pet for Daughter. She has plans to dress the Dragon up in outfits and get it a harness leash. If you are ever bored and in need of a laugh do a google image search of bearded dragon costumes. ROFL. Husband can make anything so I have ideas for a 3 sided wood, large of course, habitat, with a dual sliding plexi glass door setup... Lights on the inside. The hard part would be getting the children to agree on who's room gets the Dragons. I read the heat lights and all is expensive to run, it makes more sense to 2 together IF we got them. And I would heed to figure out how to breed and raise crickets, I think. When they're young they need lots of crickets, then they can eat more pellets and veggies and variety later, from what I read. Daughter loves the idea of giving them baths. I think she just needs a petstore. Or a pet nonstore because she wants to keep them all. She keeps talking about Gourami and Axolotl too. And hamsters. Son wants a bird. I draw the line at noisy animals. No birds, no guinea pigs... They're always bringing in toads but I make them return toadies back outside wherever they found them before bedtime.


----------



## Sadist

I recall reading that they eat so many crickets as babies, that it's an actual expense. Another journal had some sort of super cricket food that they like, but I don't remember which one. I've seen that the stores seem to give them mostly mealworms instead of crickets, but we all know how great stores are at taking care of animals. Another good lizard is iguanas, but they get huge. I liked that they're vegetarians. Bearded dragons don't get quite so big, and I think that's a better payoff. I thought about harnesses and taking them on a walk around the neighborhood when they're big enough for that, too. I think you have to be careful on the harness material, so the scales don't get rubbed raw. What an awesome show and tell that would be, too! I remember taking my guinea pig in his carry cage to school a few times at age 10. His hair was so long, it was hard to tell one end from the other until he moved. I even let him run around on the playground a bit, but that was when playgrounds had grass ground instead of woodchips or rocks.


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## ShadeSlayer

A word of warning on the dragons- they get really big and the females are a lot of times nasty to the males they share a tank with when they mature. My best friend has two and they had to separate the male and female after the female got grouchy and nipped off a good inch of his tail. Males seem a lot more mellow than girls. I’m not sure if all girls are moody, though. Maybe it’s just my friends girl with attitude issues. I’m not sure if males can live together, either. But dragons are pretty much the best pet lizards to have. They’ll cuddle with you, too. Sooo cute!!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Excellent info, guys. Thanks. I would research, research, research before ever getting 1...or 2. I giggled so hard at the though t of your furry guinea pig! Hahahahaha! I do love them, but the noise they make, uuuugh. Weeeeeet! The older I get, the more sounds bother me too. Females are moody, eh? Who woulda seen that coming. 

We had an iguana when I was little. He was my mom's I think. Not sure I ever interacted with him much. He did get big. She ended up giving him away to a guy who absolutely adored him.


----------



## Sadist

I hate that they sell the iguanas as babies (like some of the big fish). I remember a friend had one in a little cage, like one too small for a rat. They get 5+ feet long and need some sort of full sunlight outside cage 20 feet long that costs thousands of dollars as adults. I like that they eat veggies (so I don't have to worry about growing live food for them), but I don't think I could convince the hubby to get one knowing how much money all the adult cages will cost.


----------



## themamaj

I think that is the tree my husband was in search of the other day around the park area. Awesome you have one nearby. Love all the pictures. Penelope is too funny up on the tractor. When we go to Oakes Farm for daylilies or pumpkins they have this really neat goat pen with all of these levels and perches for goats to climb on. We were on a hay ride one day and went by the pen. This family from Florida just couldn't get over goats walking up and down these to these high perches. Hehe yeah come to TN for great tourist attractions  

Loving picture of the bearded dragon. They are so cute and make great pets from what I have read. Of course so do leos but I'm a bit partial there! Dragons probably enjoy the handling the most though Sofie is allowing me to do more and more with her. Funny to think of all the critters that we have had over the years...dogs, cats, guinea pig, hamsters, fish, turtles, gecko, salamanders, axolotls and of course backyard birds not to mention other temporary critters such as lightening bugs, grasshoppers, ants, crickets, baby bunnies, caterpillars and wooly worms. I think I have feed the entire food chain! How great your kids have also grown up with so many great animals and learned so much. I fully expect your daughter to open her own pet store one day and the bettas will have the greatest tanks ever  

So sweet your baby responds so well to your touch. Special times feeling those kicks and movements. Still pondering names? Is this pregnancy more like your son's or daughter's? Sounds like you had a wonderful day out finding great deals. I love thrift stores. I have found so many great things for grandson that is like new and paid only a few dollars. 

Hope your hubby eyes do well. My hubby had the lasik must have been over 10 years ago. Best thing he ever did.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Penelope would LOVE one of those goat playgrounds! She makes use of the tree fort, it has a steep ramp on the front she goes blasting up, bucks around at the top and then RUNS down the "rock climbing wall" on the backside. It is crazy. Spice won't even go up there. 

We're leaving soon to go to my mom's house because she lives very near the eye doctor. Husband has an appointment tomorrow to get the "bandaid contacts" taken out. It was rough there for about 3 days but he started feeling much better yesterday. I have really enjoyed having him home and contained as he is usually very busy and hardly see much of him. Son and I played Clue with him. He never played before and listened to the rules and then... won. He is quick. Need 3 people to play that game so Son and I are always on the lookout for a 3rd player. 

As I am typing this, Daughter is bemoaning the treatment of bettas in petstores. Yes, I think you're right, MamaJ, she will have a fantastic petstore.


Eta, here are the pawpaws for sale. http://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/pawpaw-trees so many varieties now! I bought mine like eh, 12 years ago? There were 3, maybe 4, varieties then? Mmmm... The description.... Makes me hungry.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Daughter is loving all the baby stuff. Her Cabbage Patch fit perfectly!


----------



## BettaSplendid

I requested a funnier video and she delivered. I love her made up words, "rimmings" and "meat toads". Kids are funny critters.


----------



## themamaj

What a precious little mama! Did the baby have to tip her a dollar for dinner? Hmm wonder how much meat toads would cost  Too cute. I bet she is having a blast with new baby stuff.


----------



## Sadist

Haha, the chicken butts were the faces of the meat toads! If only she knew!


----------



## BettaSplendid

5 hours. 

I spent 5 straight hours cleaning-_deep cleaning_- 3 tanks. I started out doing Hatzallah and Smokey's divided 10 gallon at 10am. I took them both out. Smokey was extremely upset about being back in that little betta cup. He was running into the sides amd flipping around for a good 15 minutes. Hatzie was chill about it. I took out all decorations and the divider too. Everything but 2 rooted plants. I arranged it differently so they could have new stuff to explore. Cleaned thoroughly the filter also. Added new Indian almond leaves. It was around 12 when I put them back in. They were very excited and checked out their new toys. 

Next up was Smoothie, Daughter's pink veil tail. I scooped him out and set him on Daughter's Tiny Town. He was quickly surrounded by admiring princess dolls. She entertained him quite well. Took everything out but the Nerite snail. We decided to give him all different toys too. He got the big brown Top Fin root. I love that decoration because they can swim all inside it. Took his filter all apart and cleaned with pipe cleaners. Smoothie loved it. He set to work rebuilding his nest under a new leaf. 

I then turned my attention to the girls' tank. Drained that with them in it, down to about an inch or 2 of water. Took out a lot of plants. It was too dense and dark and some plants were suffering. Gave them the "mountain" hide that Smoothie had, plus their usual toys. Without all the plants in the way the filter could make a nice strong current. They looove playing in that current. Added a lot of their hornwort back in around the top corners of the tank so they can sleep securely. 

It was 3pm when I was done. My feet were throbbing. Yeah, I think that was enough tank cleaning for today. 



Hatzie and Smokey



Closer up of Smokey and the quartz "maze". Java fern does well in this tank. 



And Mighty pictures that Son took. He loves his little alpaca. Mighty lets him spray him with the hose now, legs and sides. 



Oh goodness, there is another picture but photobucket is driving me crazy with ads... Will share other picture later.


----------



## Tealight03

The tanks look great! I especially love the quartz. Mighty is super cute too.

Catching up: Glad you're feeling good. I love thrift stores! Is your daughter excited about being a big sister?


----------



## BettaSplendid

Tealight03 said:


> The tanks look great! I especially love the quartz. Mighty is super cute too.
> 
> Catching up: Glad you're feeling good. I love thrift stores! Is your daughter excited about being a big sister?


And it is good to "see" you back! It was a lot of scrubbing. Algae really took off these past few weeks. The tanks are very relaxing to look at now. Daughter is SO excited. She talks to the baby "through" my belly button, like full conversations.


----------



## themamaj

Tanks look amazing! Trying to push myself through tank cleaning tonight. Mighty has grown so much! He is so cute I could just squeeze him! So precious daughter talking to baby. I bet baby will know her voice well


----------



## Tealight03

I was being a lurker for awhile. 

Do you have any "feelings" about gender? I'm sure baby will love his big sister!


----------



## Sadist

Wow, will you come deep clean mine, too? Hehe. I completely skipped nesting during my pregnancy. I guess it's good for you to get every thing sparkling clean for when you're too busy with newborn to do anything.


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## BettaSplendid

I am leaning towards boy. I am not SURE like I was with Son and Daughter. Just an inkling... I found some cute bibs on etsy made with organic cotton in cute patterns. I got a goat one and 2 in a flying squirrel print. Not something you see everyday. She had some amazing prints. 

Simeon isn't doing good. He is my blue EE plakat. He has been lounging in his log for a week, not exploring. Now he is eating less, if anything. This morning I put him in quarantine with his log and one hidey rock, no substrate or plants. He actually looks good? Rich color, no swelling. But he is lethargic. Hoping the very clean water will help. Hope it isn't too late. I noticed him acting weird last week but was busy taking care of Husband. He recovered nicely, he just went back to work yesterday.


----------



## DangerousAngel

Those other pictures aren't working for me 
The one of the alpaca is ADORABLE!!! SO fuzzy!!!
I hope little Simeon will be OK <3 It's always so scary when they start acting funny.


----------



## Sadist

Aww, I hope he perks up. It's so frustrating when lethargy is the only presentation of an illness. It's so hard to diagnose! I hope he gets better on his own.


----------



## BettaSplendid

The girls this morning. Stormy is huge again. Eggs..? She looks all lumpy this time though. Is she okay? She acts fine and has a great appetiite. 






Smoothie's place





Peeking out of the Top Fin root. It fits nicely in a 10 gallon. 





The missing Mighty picture. He has a cute mottled nose. 





Quick video of the girls


----------



## Sadist

Poor Stormy and her eggs. She might be getting more than her fair share of the food or something, too. Maybe some daphnia or something? My girls get all huge and lumpy when they're eggy, too. I guess as long as she's acting healthy, then she's likely to be healthy.


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## BettaSplendid

Okay, yeah the lumpiness was worrisome, good to know you see that too and they recover. I just played a youtube video for them of a male blue betta swimming back and forth. They loved their movie. They were all glued to the side of the tank and making... Ummm... comments. Ladies, ladies... 

Son gave Smoothie an award for most impressive bubble nest. 








Oh! And Simeon was out and about this morning, exploring his quarantine and eating. So that is good.


----------



## ThatFishThough

Maybe Simeon doesn't like bigger tanks?


----------



## BettaSplendid

I don't know. He has been in the same tank for half a year or so. I was wondering if maybe there are too many snails pooping. (He would be very mad if I took his snails, I think he named them all.) The shrimp seem fine in there and they are more sensitive than betta. I will do a few water changes before adding Simeon back in, just in case. But he seems to be doing better! He was out of his log again, cruising around calmly. He ate all his food today and pooped. Head is black, body dark blue, no raised scales or anything odd. I just did an 80% water change for him which he tolerated fine. 

Today is the beginning of the 3rd trimester! My belly button hurts. It isn't popping out, but being stretched sideways. Son kindly offered to use masking tape to pull it back together. Whimper. 

I really want orange juice with a whole lotta pulp.


----------



## Sadist

Haha, helpful son! I'm glad you're having healthy cravings, too.


----------



## BettaSplendid

I just saw Simeon "sneeze", he did a quick shake of his head and then a spaz movement and shot forward. Something is clearly wrong even though he looks fine. Could it be parasites? It perplexes me that his color is dark if he isn't feeling well. Parasites, infection? I don't know what to treat him for. Oh, amd he is eating really good too. Only signs something is up is that he is spending too much time in his floaty log and his dorsal fin looks sad. Wondering if whatever is wrong will resolve itself in quarantine or get worse. Meds all have side effects and choosing the wrong one can be detrimental. He does appear to be getting better, not worse. I guess I will just keep on with fresh water until he gets better or a clearer symptom shows up.


----------



## Tealight03

Hope you you figure out what's going on with him.


----------



## themamaj

Have you seen poop? I prob would just watch him. You could do a salt treatment if fins look worse. A lot of times I do a water change first, then try aquarium salt and then meds if no improvement. It doesnt sound like anything major. Sometimes I wonder if piece of debris in water they could breath in accidentally causing him to clear it that way. I see mine open mouth real big occasionally. Almost looks like burping lol.


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## BettaSplendid

Sounds good. I have seen the "burping", the sneezing was new, LOL. His dorsal fin isn't damaged, just held at half mast. Not high and proud like when they feel real good. I did see a clear something above one gill. Like slime coat? I do not know how to explain it. It was nothing like a parasite, more like when skin is peeling off after a sunburn, but it looked like slime coat, barely visible. Maybe gill irritation. His gills look okay though, not swollen or anything and he isn't "panting" or gasping. 

Oh yes, lots of poop! I can see it all since the bottom of his qt is bare. He is eating a lot and pooping a lot and it looks good, well, good for poop.


----------



## themamaj

Wonder if he scraped gill on something.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Smokey is now doing poorly. What. Is. Going. On. With. Our. Fish. 

Seems like everyone 's bettas are acting weird. So yesterday Smokey was fine and this morning he is not moving, just resting at the surface. Every now and then he gulps air and then makes a big bubble. He is usually extremely active and hungry too. Today he won't eat. Hatzie is fine, whom he shares a tank with. 

I deep cleaned Simeon's 10. Took out driftwood and rocks and really got it nice. I pulled out an amazon sword that grew way too big for the tank. There are lots more shrimp in there than I thought. Saw lotsa babies. I didn't know there were little shrimp when I was taking out the water. No doubt I suctioned up a lot. I will look carefully through the water I took out. Maybe put some food in a net and see who goes in. I think Simeon will be ready to go back in his tank tomorrow? He seems good and now it is all fresh and clean for him.


----------



## themamaj

Yes all very strange. Exciting lots of shrimp! Saw some tiny babies at store in tank. Couldn't believe how tony they were.


----------



## Tealight03

Hope you figure out what's wrong. How frustrating.


----------



## BettaBoy11

Haven't read this journal in forever! Too bad the fish aren'tfeeling well.


----------



## BettaSplendid

I was very sad to see Smokey had passed during the night. Poor Love. I just don't understand. One day he is normal and the next he isn't moving. Hatzie is looking for him through the divider. I got Smokey out with the net and was struck by how beautiful he had become. Gorgeous color and shape. He got big too, remember he was smaller than the girls. 

_sigh_

I am wondering if I might have took out too many plants from Simeon's. I am just a bit worried the shrimp won't be able to hide from him. I was in town most of the day yesterday and tired when I got home so I didn't move him back home yet. When I was cleaning his tank out I pulled out a rock and it had an anubias attached to it. The roots actually went into the rock. I stared at it. Nature... life.... Amazing.


----------



## ThatFishThough

SIP Smokey!

I feel so bad.. Nobody know's whats wrong. Maybe it's just something in your water?


----------



## BettaSplendid

I thought about that. The water. Except Hatzie appears to be fine, but I will be keeping a close watch on him. Shema, the girls, Smoothie, and Psalm all got big water changes recently too, and seem fine. They all eat the same foods. Hmm. Well, Smokey might have just had some problem and it was just his time. I wish they could talk.


----------



## themamaj

I am so sorry about Smokey! Such a special boy. Sometimes I wonder if maybe a genetic issues comes into play. As you said I wish we could understand what was bothering them. It is so frustrating not to know cause. Blizzard did that to me. Fine one min. Gone when walked back in room. 

Roots penetrating rock sounds lovely. Amazing seeing nature at work.


----------



## Tealight03

So sorry about Smokey. That's how it was with Ruby. Fine one minute and gone the next.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Simeon is back home now. He ate 5 pellets, but he is still just hanging out in his log. His eyes look cloudy now that I can see him under bright light. Hopefully that will resolve with clean water alone. I did take most of the snails out. The little poopers. 

Thinking about putting Lady Red in Smokey's side of the tank. She is such a... Well, I won't say, but I doubt the other girls will miss her. I am sure Hatzie would be thrilled to get a lady beside him.


----------



## themamaj

Oh boy the woman scent in the water may spark big bubble nests!


----------



## Sadist

Oh, not Smokey! Maybe his life was shortened because of his stay at the store. Genetics and the time at store I think pay a huge part in overall lifespan. I hope you and your daughter aren't too crushed by the loss.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> Oh, not Smokey! Maybe his life was shortened because of his stay at the store. Genetics and the time at store I think pay a huge part in overall lifespan. I hope you and your daughter aren't too crushed by the loss.


Mmm... Yes, the ammonia in his store cup was green on the API test. Terrible. And he had a "baby boy" sticker under the "plakat" sticker on his cucup. So he had been there a LONG time. Very dirty water, cold, and hungry. Poor Smokey. Gosh did he enjoy life once he got Hatzie as a roomie though. I am glad he at least got that. No one but me was even upset. I was a bit irked, actually. I was the only one who ever talked to him. He was our most under appreciated betta, for sure. I thought he was gorgeous though. :frown2:


----------



## Sadist

Poor little guy! I thought your daughter had picked him at the store, too. Hang in there!


----------



## Tealight03

Aww, I liked him. I'm sure he loved you and living with Hatzie.


----------



## BettaSplendid

I think she didn't like him because he marbled. But he was so pretty to me! Deep blue fins with turquoise stripes. She loves her Smoothie though. 

I did a quick water change and then wiggled my fingers in the sorority tank. Lady Red rushed right over to be petted and I scooped her into a measuring cup. LOL. Too easy. Hatzie lost his mind. He is absolutely delighted to get a girl neighbor. He said, "this is both the best day of my life and the worst", poor fella. He hates that divider now. He has fins and beard stretched to the limit. Everyone in the sorority is just chillin'. It looks so peaceful now. It was always Lady Red sneaking up on others and causing trouble. Hopefully all will remain calm with just the 4 of them. Or maybe now someone else will become the bully. We'll see.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Well that didn't take long. 

I took the lid off the divided 10 and sat down with my banana, lol, and looked and looked for Lady Red. Didn't see her. Then my eyes traveled over to Hatzie 's side. Lo and Behold, the happiest betta in the house. He is dancing for all he is worth with a little red lady beside him. Goodness. I wonder when she got on his side? She was where she was supposed to be when I went to bed last night. They are definitely not fighting. I took some pictures and ate my banana. Haha. A little show. She is exploring his tank and plants and coral and log. Wow did Hatzie get excited when she went in his log! "I will put a bubble nest in there for you, Lady Red! The _human_ destroyed it during yesterday's water change." *glares at me briefly*

Blurry picture, someone wasn't holding still


----------



## ThatFishThough

Hatzie is a character! <3


----------



## BettaSplendid

He is. Have you read his story? It is probably on page 1 of this journal. He had a miserable start to life and Walmart tried their best to kill him. He is an old man now and looks particularly rough since he decided to chew off most of his crown points. Hah. But we still love him. He has a huge personality.


----------



## ThatFishThough

I've read your entire journal! <3 I eagerly await your updates every day! 

(Gosh dang Walmart)


----------



## Tealight03

You might end up with little Hatzies!!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oh no no no! No little Hatzies! I rescued him out of pity, not because he was pretty. lol The kids are so excited. "Can she stay with him? Can I put Lemon Drop in with Shema?!" I showed them a video of bettas breedimg and how the eggs fall and daddy collects them off the BARE bottom. Okay, between the gravel bottom and hopefully their voracious appetities and me destroying any fertile bubble nests... No little Hatzies! So far they are getting along fine, she seems more content with him than the other girls. He is now working on "something" in his coral and she is exploring. I took the divider out since it didn't contain her anyways, so they have the full 10 gallons. Now she is resting in the floaty log. 

Both the children have mentioned Smokey several times, which makes me feel better. Every fishie needs love.


----------



## BettaBoy11

Oh no. I'm so sorry about Smokey!


----------



## BettaSplendid

BettaBoy11 said:


> Oh no. I'm so sorry about Smokey!


Thank you. I know you really liked him. At least he enjoyed his time with me and when he went he went relatively fast and seemed peaceful enough. He was gorgeous and perfect. No outward signs of illness. Something must have happened inside like I don't know, a stroke? It was just like, "boom", suddenly he wasn't moving... just rested on some wisteria leaves at the surface, then he was gone. 

It is scary that they can go that fast. I still check on everyone as soon as I wake up. The FIRST place I look is the filter intake in Psalm's tank, where I found dear Solomon. That has traumatized me. Every morning I look, breathe a sigh of relief, and then look around for Psalm. He usually comes rushing out to greet me. Then I check the others with less anxiety, heh. Although I was very surprised this morning to see Lady Red in the wrong spot. :O she looked like this > and Hatzie like this 0


----------



## BettaBoy11

BettaSplendid said:


> Thank you. I know you really liked him. At least he enjoyed his time with me and when he went he went relatively fast and seemed peaceful enough. He was gorgeous and perfect. No outward signs of illness. Something must have happened inside like I don't know, a stroke? It was just like, "boom", suddenly he wasn't moving... just rested on some wisteria leaves at the surface, then he was gone.
> 
> It is scary that they can go that fast. I still check on everyone as soon as I wake up. The FIRST place I look is the filter intake in Psalm's tank, where I found dear Solomon. That has traumatized me. Every morning I look, breathe a sigh of relief, and then look around for Psalm. He usually comes rushing out to greet me. Then I check the others with less anxiety, heh. Although I was very surprised this morning to see Lady Red in the wrong spot. :O she looked like this > and Hatzie like this 0


I know what you mean. The first thing I do in the morning is check to see if Humphrey is on the right side of the divided tank. He got into the middle section once (which just has the filter and heater, no fish).
Before Pi died, I would go right down and check in his favourite ornament. If he wasn't there, I would freak (with his internal tumor he often lay down on his side and not be very active. However, he lasted for 6+ months with the tumor)


----------



## BettaSplendid

:crying:

I didn't know Pi passed. I am sorry to hear that. It is hard to watch them slowly deteriorate, also not good when they go quickly. No good options. They should live forever on love. Is Humphrey still solid white?


----------



## BettaBoy11

*Sigh* just looked and Humph was in the middle again. This time he was pretty determined to get to Boo the dragon scale PK's side, but we got him back into his own side. 
Yes, he is still solid white.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Shhhh... Betta bedtime. I peeked in the dark and Hatzie and Lady Red were sleeping side by side at the bottom behind their Beware of Bettas sign. How appropriate. It was so cute. Can't I keep them together..? I haven't seen any aggression. They spent quite a bit of time inside the coral in private.


----------



## astrummortis

I don't know the answer to your question, but that is adorable.


----------



## Tealight03

Oh you can keep them together, you're just going to end up with little Hatzies lol. Or maybe one of them would become aggressive.


----------



## BettaSplendid

I can handle aggression. Then I can simply separate them without feeling guilty like I ruinied their happy family. But if they keep on snuggling and being cute... "WHERE IS MY WIFE?! WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HER??" I can hear it now. He already gills me for simply looking at him. Oh man. I don't need to give him reason to despise me. I thought it was hard to raise betta baby, it is so involved... Are you teasing me? LOL, I can't tell. This may not have been my brightest idea. I did want cory cat fry but they couldn't stop eating their own eggs and the ones in the breeder net just didn't make it.


----------



## BettaSplendid

astrummortis said:


> I don't know the answer to your question, but that is adorable.



I know, I know. It was too cute. I am ruined. 
*goes and hides under comforter in bed*


----------



## Tealight03

Lol poor Hatzie. And you. Seriously I imagine there will be eggs. Maybe not? I guess watch them and see what happens.


----------



## astrummortis

BettaSplendid said:


> I know, I know. It was too cute. I am ruined.
> *goes and hides under comforter in bed*


Your ruination is mine. I have perished. Alas!


----------



## themamaj

I can just hear Hatzie singing that song "Lady in Red is dancing with me...check to cheek..." This is for you Hatzie!


----------



## BettaBoy11

Oh my goodness, that is SOOO cute... Hopefully there are no babies (though that WOULD be cute) and no aggression.


----------



## BettaSplendid

I forgot about that song! So sweet. Now Son is walking around singing it in Hatzallah's voice.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Ah, I will be moving Lady Red back to the sorority. Hatzie has taken to chasing her now when he sees her. She swims up to him and dances and he chases her away. Silly old man. Poor girl, she doesn't really fit in anywhere. Probably a good candidate for her own tank but that would be tank #9. Going to see if she learned not to be a bully now. 

Simeon is doing better. He was cruising around looking at the shrimp and at one point I had to tap the glass to get his attention off a full sized denim blue rili. "No! Simi, those are _decorative shrimp_, not eating shrimp." Gave him 5 pellets which he ate and promptly forgot about the shrimp. I see 5 large Malaysian trumpet snails on his driftwood. Gah. Those need to go. 

Does anyone in the USA breed and sell giant bettas with long fins, like Logisticsguy's bettas? I love his but he can't ship to the US. Or know of an aquabid breeder that has big pretty giants? Just for future reference. I am not in the market right now.


----------



## Innerbeauty

BettaSplendid said:


> I know, I know. It was too cute. I am ruined.
> *goes and hides under comforter in bed*


 LOL! 

Poor lil Lady Red. Those girls are just so hard to handle, sometimes. That's why I didn't restart my sorority. As rewarding as they are... I don't want to sit there all day telling them how to behave.

You may have already done this, but something I would do was 'cup' a girl acting naughty and make her sit there for awhile, possibly even feeding everyone else without her. It seemed to work to take her down a notch and realize she's not quite so *bad.*

I really got a kick out of the Meat Toads and Rimmings!!! She is so adorable. My son makes up names, too... 

I had tears in my eyes watching the video of her waiting in line behind the boys. Oh. My. Goodness. I had to show hubby, he thought she was precious, too. You should tell her it only gets worse, LOL

I just love reading your journal! J enjoys it, too... he likes to plop his wiggly bony butt on my lap while I'm reading.

"What's that El-paca's name? Aww, she's just so cute. Do you know you're cute, Rayla El-Paca?"

and

"Why is her son doing homework in front of the fish tanks? His mommy let him do that? He has a nice mommy. Mama, can we do that? You should talk to Betta Splen-Lid and ask her the best way to do that. We would learn faster.... That boy looks so nice. He looks like a friend. He is my friend!"


----------



## astrummortis

BettaSplendid said:


> Ah, I will be moving Lady Red back to the sorority. Hatzie has taken to chasing her now when he sees her. She swims up to him and dances and he chases her away. Silly old man. Poor girl, she doesn't really fit in anywhere. Probably a good candidate for her own tank but that would be tank #9. Going to see if she learned not to be a bully now.
> 
> Simeon is doing better. He was cruising around looking at the shrimp and at one point I had to tap the glass to get his attention off a full sized denim blue rili. "No! Simi, those are _decorative shrimp_, not eating shrimp." Gave him 5 pellets which he ate and promptly forgot about the shrimp. I see 5 large Malaysian trumpet snails on his driftwood. Gah. Those need to go.
> 
> Does anyone in the USA breed and sell giant bettas with long fins, like Logisticsguy's bettas? I love his but he can't ship to the US. Or know of an aquabid breeder that has big pretty giants? Just for future reference. I am not in the market right now.


Cranky old man realized that the young ladies are too much energy. hehehehehehe >


----------



## BettaSplendid

Aaawww, your son is precious. Sometimes I have to lean a book against the tank so Son can't see the girls while he does school work. Just like having to put up a sight-blocker between two tanks. They can be distracting, begging to be petted! 

It is raining now and the air is so much cooler. Sweet relief for the El Pacas, hehe. Rayah's tummy is so big. How is she still pregnant? I am absolutely surprised each morning that she hasn't given birth yet. 

Co op and Lego League start up next week. Lots of cool classes. 

This morning Son and I were playing Horseopoly, a version of Monopoly. It was laughable how bad it went for me. Every spot I landed on was worthless. Nothing to buy or something I had to pay for. At one point I had $4. Then I landed on Bording Fee, pay $75. I was ready to cry. It was bad. No good luck, none. Son said I could roll again. I passed "go", collected $200 and promptly landed on "Stud fee, pay $200". Oh. My. Gosh. For real?! Son had 500 dollar bills out the wazoo and horses (like the properties) and I am just struggling. I did get the idea to make a Bettaopoly though, so one good thing came of it. Instead of houses they can have floaty logs. Instead of railroads there are multiple female bettas. Instead of jail there is quarantine. I was giggling and it was the only thing keeping me going.


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## Tealight03

Aww poor Lady Red. Hope she behaves in the sorority. 

Bettaopoly would be great!


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## Sadist

Poor Lady Red. So much for time out and divided tanks. I meant divider and not border, but I'm so fatigued I can hardly keep words straight. Hopefully, that will get better as I adjust to non summer day hours.


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## themamaj

Horseopoly would be neat but Bettaopoly would be great!!! That might actually hold my attention for the hours we play. haha

Son so lucky to work by tanks. Would love to have a big tank next to my computer at work. 

Have wondered about Rayah. Poor girl. Such a hot summer for alpacas. Hope she has her baby soon!

Lego Leagues...how fun! Would love to hear what kids choose at the co-op.


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## BettaSplendid

Bettaopoly might hold your attention! Hahaha! I laughed a little too hard at that. Monopoly can draaaag on for hours. I landed on his property, paid, next turn, roll a one, hit the next property. It was bad. "uuuuuhhmm... You know what? I just remembered I have to do.. uh.. the laundry-oh! And start dinner! And uh... then get a bath. Sooo yeah I think I am done..." It is bad when a 9 year old tells you to mortgage your horse so you can keep playing. 

Lets see. Son is taking North Carolina history studies, PE, Artistic Pursuits, and STEM which if I remember correctly off the top of my head is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Daughter has Pilgrims (I am teaching that one), French, Bop till you Drop (dance, exercise, yoga), and Drama. I think they will enjoy those classes. It can be hard to choose. There were Renaissance history and some sort of car class like tire changing and checking oil he wanted to take. Honestly, he does that stuff with Husband though, so while fun, I wanted him to do new stuff. We studied the Renaissance period just recently. He did get mad at me briefly about those last 2 classes not being on his schedule, but "Mother knows best!" He is over it now. Son has really blossomed in his drawing ability this past year and I am excited to see what he learns in art. 

Lady Red seems less aggressive. She is probably tired of answering all the questions. "we thought you were abducted by aliens!" "No, I thought they returned you to Petsmart!" "Tell us more about Hatzie! "


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## BettaSplendid

Daughter found the little jellyfish ornament in with her toys, and brother washed it and gave it to the girls. They love getting new stuff and took turns going inside of it. I am impressed with how well they seem to get along. Notice poor Stormy, she looks like she swallowed a peanut m&m. 






Lady Red adjusted back to the single girl's life. Hatzie gills me grumpily when I talk to him. Hey, it is his fault his wife left him. Stinkypootpoot chased her away. 

Hornwort decided to melt in Simeon's tank. I see needles all over the bottom. Why. That will be loads of fun vacuuming up while avoiding tiny shrimplets. I see he started a small bubble nest in his floaty log. Maybe he is feeling bettter..? 

The first day of co-op went well, except Daughter was not a fan of French class. We'll see if it goes any better for her this Tuesday.


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## themamaj

Love video! Grandson's been trying to sneak those jellyfish in buggy when at Walmart. Lol are really cute. I may have to get one for fish to play in. 

How neat they offer French for younger kids! I took 3 years of French. Great food parties...crepes, fondue, cheeses and breads. Yum!


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## Sadist

Stormy does look quite lumpy. Do fish get ovary cysts?


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## BettaSplendid

Okay, I looked that up. Apparently, cysts will burst within a few weeks. Could be tumors. I found a thread with a female betta that looks to be in the sa, e condition as Stormy, huge and lumpy. People suggested tumor over and over. The thread was updated a year later by the owner of the betta saying she was still around and doing good, that by changing the water every 3 days the swelling went down and she is happy and normal. So... Stormy does not have stress stripes and her coloring is extremely rich and shiny, she eats normally. I think I will try changing the water as often as I can. 

Good suggestion! Let me know if you think of anything else, I will look into it. Often, one idea leads to the next and eventually an answer comes.  BTW, Stormy had a pretty good beginning. My Petsmart had just opened when we saw Stormy, so she wasn't there too long. And I have had her for a year and 4 months.


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## themamaj

Even if a tumor they can still live and be active a long time. Funny I think Goliath's have gone down slightly since being in his catfish tank. He is just as active as ever. Maybe the space and water changes has helped. Stormy is such a cutie! I hope she will cont to do well.

Any updates on Rayah? How is Mr Mighty? I bet growing fast!


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## BettaSplendid

Rayah still the same. Mr. Mighty is oh-my-goodness-cute. He makes these unsure faces if we get too close to him or if kids touch him, yet he stands firm. "Mom said you were going to eat me, but I don't believe her." He likes to watch the kids bounce on the trampoline. Sometimes I can see his bottom teeth, he may have daddy's smile. LOL It has been cool the past few days and all the El Pacas  have been busier, grazing all day rather than hiding in the shade. 

You took French 3 years! Can you still speak it? Foreign languages are SO HARD for me except if you tell me a Hebrew word I retain it. It is weird, but helpful during Bible study, so I am not complaining. Hah. 

Daughter has gotten into poison ivy. She is so allergic. She complains about every remedy I try too, "it stings! It tastes bad!" It is on her eye lid, cheek, neck, sides, and one finger. Making her take children's Benadryl at night. Using creams for poison ivy which she hates... Best thing is tea tree oil with Bentonite clay, sucks the oil out of the skin and dries it out. She doesn't complain about those last 2 things and laughs as I pat her down with powder. Son isn't allergic at all, neither is Husband.


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## themamaj

Mighty with Khanan smile might be too much cuteness! I can just imagine it  

Still remember a little French. Actually it was quite helpful to me when learning Russian as some words similar. Now Cyrillic reading no way! I can speak toddler Russian...nap, juice, potty etc haha. 

Sorry daughter so allergic. Can she do hydrocortisone cream? My hubby very allergic. I must not be as only had mild case once. 

How many weeks are you now? Have they told you what the heartrate number is? Sometimes good way to guess boy or girl. Boys usually run lower and girls higher.


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## ShadeSlayer

Ah man I feel bad for your daughter. My brother is super allergic to poison ivy/oak and I'm not a fan of it either. There's this product called Technu that washes off the plant poisons. He always uses it after we go on a hike or are crashing through the bushes.


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## Sadist

MIL insists on a remedy that works really well. First, run hottest water over area (not great for faces or small children :-( ), next wash with super strong soap like dish soap. She says the hot water brings the oils to the surface, and then the dish soap gets rid of the oils. It probably wouldn't help much for children faces. We're lucky, no one in the house is allergic to it, though I get a rash from normal grass. 

I'm anxious to read about your pregnancy, too! Still having fruit cravings?


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## BettaSplendid

Son took some pictures of me earlier this week. Not too blurry. He was actually pretty good at directing me. "Turn your head a little, smile, look down, look at your belly, pull your shirt in..." 

Life has been busy. Co-op, 4H, Lego League, end of grade testing, starting 4th grade with Son and 1st with Daughter. All this stuff happens in September. Poor Simeon died. Stormy is still hanging in there. I have her quarantined. She was soaking in Methylene Blue and Malachite green for 4 or so days. No change. Now she is in Tetra parasite guard. If it were dropsy wouldn't she have passed by now? She has been bloated for so long! Sweet Stormy. I am keeping the water level very low, just enough to cover her body so she can easily reach the surface for air. She still eats good. No problems in the sorority tank having only 4 girls. Very calm. Rainbow is so big I wonder if she doesn't have giant genes somewhere in her line. Very pretty girl, lavender body. Simeon's tank is bettaless at the moment, but has about 20ish shrimp in it. Nice watching them swim about carefree for now. So now have 2 shrimp only tanks. I want to move Shema into there but for some reason Son likes to sit in the sunroom in the morning and talk to him there. He doesn't want me to move him. Hoping I can find another fluffy betta like him to go in with the shrimpies. Shema hasn't been able to catch the 2 shrimp I gave him and they're almost full grown now, yay.


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## BettaSplendid

Oops, I just realized I made a mistake-o. Baby is 32 weeks, not 23. Ah man. Snigglefits, now I need to redo that collage.


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## themamaj

Oh what special pictures!!! You are so pretty and glowing. Can see love in your eyes for this baby. So sweet. Son the photographer? He is great! 

I am so sorry to hear about Simeon! It seems like stuff happens at busiest times too. It is always sad to have an empty tank. Just killed me to see Kirov's tank empty and made me miss him all the more. That's why went in search for Cider.I think Kirov would want me to give another a home.

Your sorority is doing well with 4? Have pondered on mine but see how things go after meds. Melia is floating in breeder box but she flares at everyone. Other girls pick on each other less though with one more in tank. 

I hate to hear Stormy struggling. It depends on dropsy since it is a symptom not a disease itself. I have had ones pinecone and be gone in 24 hrs. Have had others that have treated and it might improve but never really went away but lived a month or so longer. I hate that disease and others that are so hard to treat. I had to make decision to put Kokomo down this week too. He had been struggling with those neuro episodes for months. They got worse and kept finding him face down in gravel gasping or contorted in a ball and not able to lift head to eat. At that point I knew it was time. Always difficult. I hope you are able to find another special one for your tank.


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## Sadist

You have been busy! 

+1 MammaJ's dropsy. The poor betta at my daughter's Pre-K class (wow, has it really been two years?) had dropsy for more than 6 weeks, and he had been living in those horrible conditions for 4 years. I think it depends on the toughness of the individual fish and what caused the dropsy symptom. 

I'm sorry about Simeon :-( 

Your pregnancy looks really good! You're staying in good shape. Are kiddos excited when baby moves?


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## Sadist

https://www.facebook.com/hahasforho...612096342420/1194985183905101/?type=3&theater This reminded me of you. It's a sarcastic blog about children, babies, breastfeeding, etc. But you're getting close to the week described here!


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## BettaSplendid

I loved that link. Funny stuffs. I did have a rather amusing craving, not so many now as in the 2nd trimester, but this one made up for the craving lull. So I awake to the thought, "I need a cake with SPRINKLES IN IT." As in, in the batter, sprinkles mixed in. That is reasonable, right? *wakes up Husband* "Hey, I need a cake with sprinkles in it." "Oh no." "Yeah." "... do we have that?" "No." silence ensues. Did he fall back asleep? "You know what? I will take pancakes with sprinkles in them." "............ do we have sprinkles....?" "YES!" GIDDY. Then a looong wait. "So, are you going to get up?" "Oh, you want me to make them?" YES! Get in the kitchen, Husband, and make me some PANCAKES. 

They were really good. Hit the spot.


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## themamaj

What a good hubby! Decided on any names? Can't wait to hear if it will be a boy or girl. 

How's Mighty? I bet so big now!


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## Autumncrossing

Lol loved the pancake story, what a guy!! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## BettaSplendid

It is funny how happy those pancakes made me. I was all giggly eating them. Plus, I got a bonus omelet. I loathe making pancakes. Too tedious. Husband made the mistake of telling me he didn't mind making them. He shouldn't have said that.  He could have slept longer. 

Mr. Mighty seems good. It has been rainy for a week? Today we had sunshine, but this morning Mighty was still soggy. Son was sitting beside him and called me over, "you HAVE to get his musk. He smells REALLY GOOD like mangoes when he is wet, like 5 times stronger than when he is dry." How could I turn that down? So I nonchalantly stroll over and slowly squat down and lean in, mmmmm, he does smell sweet. Why does he smell so good? He tolerates our weirdness. No Rayah baby. I am dumbfounded. She seriously looks so round to me! 

I put an empty paper coffee cup on my tummy while Baby was kicking wildly. Son thought it was halarious seeing the cup rock back and forth. I had to promise it wasn't me doing it. Need a jar of milk so the baby can make butter. Daughter used to actually knock objects off my tummy before she was born. She was wild! Still is! I call her The Little Pink Twister (instead of "sister") 'cause she is so busy and fast all her waking hours. We really like Samuel Colt for a boy. Likely would choose Faye for a girl, I just think it is a boy though.... 

No change in Stormy with the Parasite dewormer stuff. She seems a bit disoriented? If she doesn't pass any worms soon I guess I will quit with this stuff. Ugh. I hate to see her uncomfortable. I just don't know how to help her or even if there is anything I can do. Maybe it was the stress of being top betta.


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## Tealight03

Great pics! Glad to hear you're doing well!

Hope the meds work for Stormy. Poor girl.


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## themamaj

Lol sniffing wet alpaca! My sense of smell was always crazy heighten when pregnant. Certain smells would do me in. Funny all changes body goes through. So cute kicking cup. My oldest son would move to one side and it looked like alien movement when arms and big feet poked up. Aww fond memories! Now almost 26. How did that happen?! Love both names. Have you had any ultrasounds?


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## Sadist

Awesome stories! I have seen cake mixes that have sprinkles in the cake. Funny cravings! I recall wanting to tell my parents "something without meat" when visiting and they wanted to take me out to dinner.


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## BettaSplendid

Gosh, I thought the goldenrod and various fall plants that are blooming had me an allergic mess with sore throat, stuffy and runny nose and feeling "blah", but maybe I was just sick? I am feeling better now, albiet a bit stuffy. 

So Son and I had our special day. His test scores came back, very good in all areas except spelling. Daughter is a natural speller; Son not so much. Anyways, he chose Golden Corral for lunch. We got miserably stuffed and waddled back out to the car. Onwards to WalMart in search of a certain Starwars Lego set. I let him choose 2. Then we drove down the road to Fintastic. Waaah they had SO MANY PERFECT BETTAS. There was a gorgeous orange butterfly veiltail, lots of EE halfmoons amd I swear that same yellow bumblebee plakat I saw back in June? Hard to resist that orange one for $3. The EE were only $8. The bumblebee broke my heart. But we were there for Son and he headed STRAIGHT for thr fancy rats. There were 3. They were $9 each but she said if we got all 3 we could have them at 5 each. So yup. They had the rodent of my dreams, blue dumbo with white belly. Son picked out a blue hooded one and the 3rd is white with black eyes amd a blue patch behind one ear. That one will be for Daughter. We're back home now, but Daughter is with MIL. We're sitting in Son's room and the rats are running around like, "best day EVEH!" They are already tame. I have never gotten already tame ones, just feeder rats, lucky ones. 










He named him Mr. Smuckers. Like the jelly. He freaked out last week when he had an epitome, "Mr. Smuckers is the perfect name for a rat! When I get a rat that is what he will be called!" came running to me with a jar of marmalade in hand. Lol.


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## BettaSplendid

These 2 are dumbo eared. 


Whew, hard to photograph! Being juveniles, they are very energetic.


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## Tealight03

Hehe I love that last pic. I can't find rats here. I flirted with it for awhile. They sure are cute.


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## Innerbeauty

YAY, you got rats!!! Better yet, you got adorable rats! And Mr. Smuckers.... I mean, really, can a name get better than that?! Kudos to your son.
It certainly would be nice to see some more pictures... *hint hint*

I envy your perfect baby belly. You look absolutely amazing and your skirt is gorgeous. 

Your poor daughter. Poison Ivy stinks. My eldest son gets it all the time, and is thankfully the only one of us that does. He can sympathize with her. He has so much trouble with it that when we meet people, it's one of his ice-breaker topics. He sounds a little shakespearean when he says, "Oh, the 'toison! It burns." He gets it on his face, like her. Something he says helps tremendously is to take an oatmeal bath. (Put oats in a sock and secure it to the bathtub faucet with a rubber band, and let the water run through it, then add lavender to the water.) Perhaps you have already done that, being the all-natural supermom that you are.


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## themamaj

Mr Smuckers oh so precious!!!! Grandson and I looking at pictures. He was very impressed with Legos son earned. I told him he earned that for doing so good at school. My negotiater..."grandma I can do really good at church! "  Love dumbo grey and white. Soooo cute. I bet daughter over moon too with new friends. Glad you got special day with son! I know those are fun times he will always remember. Sorry you have been feeling bad. Allergy stuff so yucky. If you could see my house right now you would feel much better about yours haha. Clean is short lived here. What are other rats names?


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## themamaj

Marmalade...oh that reminds me of Paddington movie. Paddington and Marmalade would be cute rat names 🐀


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## Tealight03

Also, clean is rare over here and I have no excuses.  Can't wait to hear the names of the other two.


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## BettaSplendid

Ah, being good at church definitely counts! Son went through a phase where he wanted to spend his entire class time under the table, lol, but he was 2 or 3 then. Boy did he hate chairs. ?? Son looks forward to his Special day with Ma ALL year. I try to do everything he wants, within reason. I felt bad because the last thing he wanted to do was go visit his great grandparents' graves and I forgot! I remembered that today.  They lived across the street from us. Grandaddy died 2 years ago, Granny last year. He was very close to them. The graveyard isn't far, like a mile from our house. 

So I named mine Possum, because he is grey and carries his tail silly, curled up like the handle of a teapot... so he looks like he has a possum tail. Daughter LOVES her little rat! She carried him around for hours this afternoon. I finally convinced her that he was a baby and needed to sleep! She changes his name every few minutes. Jivvers, Snowflake... MamaJ, you said "moon" in your post, she might like that for a name, I'm going to tell her Moon would be pretty.


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## themamaj

That is so sweet he wanted to visit their graves. What a tender heart he has! 

Lol have had one of those under the table kiddos in class before  

Have been watching Ratatouille all weekend so funny to see rat pictures today! I'm sure daughter will come up with great name. Cant wait to hear.


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## Sadist

What a special day with your son! I'm glad he had a good one.


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## BettaSplendid

So here's uuuh... Jivvers? She says jivver instead of jibber. What a sweetheart of a rodent! He is just so gentle and calm, especially for a baby. And so soft. They even trimmed all their nails for us at Fintastic before selling them to us. What service! Hehe. 

Long day. I teach the same class twice at co-op on Tuesdays. First period I teach 4 to 6 year olds, Daughter is in that class. It went really well. I start the class with a brief review of what we talked about last week, then read a new chapter out of the book Stories of the Pigrims https://www.amazon.com/Stories-Pilgrims-Margaret-B-Pumphrey/dp/1604595329 and then we do some sort of painting, craft, science experiememt or geography study to go along with the reading. I love how enthusiastic the first class is! And then 4th period I do the same class again, but with 7 to 9 year olds. They are SO BORING. I think it is just the particular kids and not their age but holy cow they stare at their laps and I think are not even listening. They usually cannot answer a question about the reading. I hope they are getting something out of the class... It is info you don't usually hear about the Pilgrims. I am suuuuuper irritated with one of the moms who is supposed to clean the room AFTER 4th period is over. She comes in DURING my class, while I am reading and starts vacuuming. Ruuuude. I said, "that is too loud." and she is like, "really?" yeah... :serious: So then she leaves and a few minutes later returns, gah, and TAKES MY ONLY ASSISTANT out into the hall and talks for almost the remainder of the class period. I needed her help too because I had a bunch of experiments planned. The Pilgrims were on their way to Holland so we were doing all the fun water density and water tension experiments... But I had to run back and forth to the bathroom to fetch water and soap and you know, everything I was going to send, my helper to get. Assistant far to polite to just walk away from motor mouth. 

Is this my first rant on this journal? I have been amazingly chill during this pregnancy but this week I can feel I am getting more irritated with minor things. 

So I was having to do a lot of unnecessary walking even though I feel like I have been kicked in the crotch repeatedly with a steel toe boot. Not happy. 

The class got done thanks to my awesome perseverance and the kids finally got into it and didn't spill too much water on their little lab sheets, haha. 

After co-op I have a 40 minute window before First Lego Leauge starts. We stopped by the kids' consignment store because I always check for this ONE item that they never have and guess what?! It was there! I was looking for a rock and play sleeper for the baby and I found THE one I wanted! Automatic rocker plus it is the deluxe edition. $25.00. I just looked on amazon and it is $169 new. I am thrilled. 

We stopped by the library and returned books and found too many new ones, always do. Then to Lego League. That same woman goes to that too and yes she continued to annoy me. The competition day for the season is Nov. 19th. My due date is Nov. 15. NO I AM NOT GOING TO THE COMPETITION. I am not! I won't go if I am still pregnant and not with a newborn either. She is like, "But you HAVE to go, all team members have to be there or we can't compete." c'mon, please. What if someone got sick? The whole team misses out? I think someone is being a bit dramatic. I just did the face again. :serious: It is a 2 hour drive to the competition, get there at 7am, sit all day, drive home at 5. Not. Going. Then she offered to just take Son with her. Nope. Her son is the most annoying kid I have EVER met in my life, no way would I make my kid be trapped in a car with him. But... I would send him with one of the other families so we will see. Husband might take him, depends on what little Pokey decides to do (I sometimes call the Baby that, poke poke little feet out). I am the most NON competitive person you will ever meet, I couldn't care less about the actual competition, it sounds like a nightmare to me. 

Releeeeease all the negativity.... Breeeeeathe.... I don't "do" people, clearly, huh? Grumpy cat is me in an animal version. 

And now, ahhh, I am home. Had some tea, goina get a nice hot bath.


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## BettaSplendid

Oh and this is about First Lego League, it blows my mind. Kids have to build and program a robot to do certain tasks. 











Legos on steriods. ? The kids seem so young but somehow they do this stuff...


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## themamaj

Jivvers gives me shivers....cuteness overload! I knew she would have perfect name. My daughter and I went in pet store next door to book store today. She said "mom I want a hamster. (Of course would say *no* been there done that have tshirt). I said " but a rat would be so cute!" Couldnt convince her that rat just like big hamster but with tail lol. I think my quiver is full but sure would be fun to pet sit one 😊

Love your heart. I know you spend so much time and effort preparing for class. ( so glad posted link. Bookmarked that one to order. Great for grandson) Much better restraint than me on lady. Cant fathom how it wouldn't occur to her vacuum is disturbing during reading????? And yes you definitely need an assistant. On second one, what in the world was crazy mama thinking you would just handle the lego competition either 9 mo pregnant or with newborn entering flu season....uh NO! Never been to a lego competition but my SIL,BIL and niece all have worked them. Pretty amazing stuff they have told me about. Great experience for kids to learn robotics and programming so early. 

Glad found baby item wanted. Sounds like great deal!

Nov great time for babies. I have two born 11/28!

Prop your feet up and enjoy that tea. Hope tomorrow a restful day.


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## MysticSky22301

Hello again! Glad to see everything is going alright ^^


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## BettaSplendid

Thanks guys! I slept really good last night. Rubbing arnica oil on my hips before bed really helps. Yay! 

Oh that book is so good, MamaJ. The chapters are just the right length, the vocabulary is great. It is part of our curriculum but rather than do it at home I figured I would just make a class based around the book and teach Daughter at co-op and really have fun with it. I can really get a lot of subjects out of the class too, not just history!  Next week I will be reading the chapter where they first arrive in Holland, the possibilities for that class are limitless. I think it will need to be a geography study though. I am looking forward to it. 

Yeah, that lady has interrupted my class almost every time, just once she didn't come in. Emails have gone out about not going into classrooms while a class is being taught. She is one of those overly social people who you cannot get away from, you try to walk away and they follow you type. Or they talk and talk and you never can get a word in. I think she likes me, so that makes it worse for me. LOL halp! She interprets my patience and quietness as me wanting to hear what she has to say, I guess. Inwardly I am plotting my escape. It just isn't cool during the class though because big YES it takes me a long time to plan a class and prepare and organize. 

I forgot to mention Daughter decided she likes French. She was trying to teach the librarians yesterday.  She loved Jivvers the moment she saw him. She pushed him around the yard in Baby Pokey's jogging stroller. Aaaahehehehehe. She loves the book Charlotte's web, she is so much like Fern, all about the little animals. Bonus, I do not want to eat Jivvers. Eew. 

https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price...g_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=K6PTEJHJCD2SE0X38ZWC

That is the item I got yesterday. They come in different versions, and there is a huge range of prices. Some automatically rock, some vibrate, some are bettter padded. But the one I found yesterday is the top of the line one I was practically doing happy dances in the store! $25! Hah! The kids were so happy for me too. "That's it? They had it? Yay, Ma!" We have been checking weekly. 

Stormy is still hanging in there. Still eating, still bloated. *shakes head* I think I will raise her temp today, she is set at about 78F, will raise it to 80F. I don't think her problem is bacterial, fungal, or parasites. I have treated her for all those things to no avail. Now I am focused on simply making her as comfortable as possible.


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## Sadist

Wow, lots going on with you! Lego competition is too close to due date, surely another person who's given birth before knows that! It's okay not to go. You don't need her negativity. Same with the lady disturbing your classroom. The kids don't need all those interruptions, and neither do you! Extra interruptions for having to run around doing assistant's job, too.

Robot legos are super awesome! I'm not sure even I could make those. It's neat that they have stuff like that for kids, now. We seem to have the most fun just playing oooooooold games like mud soup, tag, and hide-and-seek.

Maybe Stormy just likes being fat, now. Mrs. Fish and Sky both hold their ovaries different than the average females I've seen. Maybe it's a crown tail thing. It makes them look like they have a marble all the time.

Hang in there!


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## Tealight03

What a great deal! Love great finds like that. Hope things get better. I would be very annoyed at her too. Probably wouldn't hide it as well as you lol.


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## BettaSplendid

Your girls are this big too? She looks like she has a peanut m&m in there. She is still quarantined away from the others. I have her in an 8 gallon Sterilite container with heater BUT she is also inside a net breeder box to keep her up near the surface. In her box she has java moss to rest on. She is eating and pooping regularly. Her skin is stretched to the max. I worry she will split! I guess I do have 9 tanks now. LOL

Yes, simply playing outside in nature IS the best thing, for sure! I try not to have too much going on. I believe kids need downtime to develop their imaginations. Otherwise they get where they have to be entertained by something or someone else ALL the time, like a tv or a new toy. I do see the value in co-op and Lego League. I miss karate but that is quite a commitment... just can't right now. It was great when we went to karate as a family. Husband's work schedule changed and it isn't such a good fit now.


----------



## Sadist

Mine are fat there, like their ovary cone is up and down instead of side to side. Stormy looked a tiny big bigger than they do to me, like on blood worm day and get an extra worm or two more than they should.


----------



## themamaj

Sassafras has a very big tummy/ovaries. Have seen some females out and about that look similar. Sometimes it is like hello ovaries. Have to laugh. Maybe just how some girls carry them. Hope Stormy does ok for you.

Daughter is so precious. I can just imagine her pushing Jivvers around narating the whole time for him  Love that she is learning French. Such a fun language and great food too!

Excited about book. Grandson pulled out Indians and Pilgrim Toobs the other day. Would love to teach him some fun new things. Maybe his kindergarten teacher will be impressed. What kinds of crafts have you done with younger ones? 

Didn't know you all had done karate. My kids all took. Older son black belt. Great exercise. Maybe something you can go back to later on after baby bigger.


----------



## betta8

Just wanted to say that this thread is awesome, I subscribed! :thumbsup:


----------



## Sadist

I've been looking for aikido lessons for children, but I haven't found any locally. It seems like a good defense that doesn't teach hitting.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Thanks, Betta8! 

Sassafras is also crowntail? Stormy is actually a veiltail. Maybe it just happens to older females? She is about 2 years, probably, we have had Stormy 1.5 years now. 

Yesterday Daughter had Jivvers on her doll town table and the sweet little guy rolled up and went to sleep inside one of the buildings. He is just precious. I had all 3 of them inside my robe this morning and made several laps around the yard with them. Good exercise first thing. It was quite cool out so they were happy snuggling and keeping one side of me warm. 



Triplets! Teehehehehe


Normally I leave the notebooks at the co-op building (actually a huge church that lets us use their building) but I had one student whose family isn't coming anymore so I brought his binder home. I had been compiling their work into individual binders to act as sort of a timeline, rather than just letting them take each paper home each week. Anyways, here's a sampling of Timothy's work:


A summary of what we learned the first day:



On the front they drew stones and painted a green vine, then glued crumpled red tissue on for the roses. This helped them remember Scrooby Inn, where it all began. 




It made a nice first page for their binders. Next pages are some coloring sheets I found online of William Bradford, the leader of the Pilgrims. 

There are some ppages missing out of binder when he was absent... Onewas a page where the kids cut out a dark house and dark silhouettes of people to represent the Pilgrims having to meet in secret at night in the dark. Here, Timothy drew a barn in crayon and was suppose to paint over it in black paint but he didn't trust me that the wax would repel the paint.  Anytime I let them paint is a good day for the kids. They LOVE painting! 




All the completed lab sheets are at co-op, they are so cute, but here is a blank one



And the other side:



Maybe I will bring home Daughter's binder, she hasn't missed any days so hers is complete. Timothy has quite a few pages missing.


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## Tealight03

The triplets are precious!


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## themamaj

Love ideas! Triplets squeal! What perfect company for a walk. I bet Jivvers was so cute in dollhouse. Lucky babies!


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## ShadeSlayer

Sooo. Cute. Makes me want to get rats. How big are they?


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## BettaSplendid

I would say they are 1/3rd the size they will be once full grown? I like big squishy male rats! I haven't measured them though so not sure how long they are exactly. Jivvers fells asleep in a Barbie bed yesterday. It will MELT you. He chose the spot too. I was reading about Dumbo earred rats. Apparently they were developed especially for the pet trade. Cuteness and calm personality. Jivvers is way calmer than Howdy amd Melchi were as babies. You could barely hang onto them when they were young. These new 3 are just so laid back, they are fully content to just snuggle. Possom lays on the top of my tummy and the warmth puts him right to sleep, haha. 

I am worried I contributed to the demise of Howdy and Melchi. There are some things they aren't supposed to eat that I wasn't aware of like avacado, raw peanuts, mango amd pineapple?! and some other thing s I probably fed them. I need to print off a no-no list and keep it in the kitchen. Oh and I fed them horse grain which was probably too rich. 

Rain, rain, rain! We're getting lots of rain today, keeping us inside. I made yogurt, made strawberry cheesecake freezer pops with my silicone molds, cleaned the bathroom. Laundry, dishes... Having a quick break now with some tea. Need to start lunch soon. One of my favorites, so easy, put raw chicken breasts in a pan, put basil pesto on it, slice roma tomatoes and arrange that over the dish then sprinkle with parmasean cheese or mozzarella or whatever and some herbs like parsley, thyme or oregano. 350F for 35 min. Sooooo easy and good. It is awesome with Swiss Chard as a side. I cut it up and cook it in butter and Balsamic vinegarette with onions. Good with cheese also. Also been eating broccoli and mung bean sprouts wrapped in lettuce. Husband found some neat sprouted red kale, cabbage and different red plants. All those little sprouts are high in nutrition and good with a little dressing. People Husband works with are always interested in what I packed him for lunch, lol. "Can't you just eat something normal?" just jealous. Lolz

Hatzie looks pale lately. Seems to be breathing heavier too.


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## BettaBoy11

Oh! I love the rats!


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## MysticSky22301

Rats are awesome^^ and why eat normal when you can have healthy tasty food


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## Tealight03

People always tell me to eat normal too. While I look at their plate with disgust....lol. 

Love the chicken idea for lunch. Will have to give it a try. Looks tasty! Speaking of, what am I having for lunch...


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## BettaSplendid

Yay! The power came back on at 5:40pm! I had walked back inside the house and Son was looking at the printer confused , "the printer is trying to print something?" I am like, reeeally... It can't do that without electricity. Then I noticed the light on the shrimp tank was on and we realized the power HAD come on! Oh sweet relief. I set to work turning filters and heaters on!! I set the temps to about 73ish so as not to heat up the fish too quickly. They began moving again and swimming around their tanks and wanting to eat. They were soooo cold. Poor Psalm has been draped lethargic in his hornwort, too cold to move, for days. Sad part... When I got to Stormy's quarantine tank she was dead.  oh lady. She made it through all that and then died right before the power came back. Son and I shared some sweet thoughts about how wonderful she was and how hard she fought. Hatzie also died. I knew he wouldn't make it. My lovely grumpy little Hatzallah. A guppy also had a rough time and I will be surprised if it is still alive in the morning. It is swimming on its side. I hope everyone else will be okay. We had around 18 inches of rain in less that 24 hours. Insane, my driveway looked everybit a rushing creek.


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## Tealight03

So sorry to hear about Hatzie and Stormy. Hope everyone else will be ok. Glad you have power back too!


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## themamaj

So sorry to hear about Stormy and Hatzie! What a praise for power!!!! Unreal amount of rain. See stuff like that on tv and cant even imagine. When ground gets saturated no place for it to go. Very scary. Have you been able to check on chickens, goats, alpacas and horses? Hope they had a safe place. You have been on mind all day. So happy you have power!


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## ThatFishThough

'Pacas? How are they? And rats?


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## Sadist

Aww, poor Stormy and Hatzie (and probably guppy, too). I'm glad everyone else inside survived, and I hope they continue fighting as power fixes the tanks. Do you have clean water in the pipes, too? I also hope all the outside crew did well.


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## themamaj

In all of your spare time  would love to see a rat video of the triplets. Jivvers in a Barbie bed sounds like overwhelming cuteness! Do they squeak much or make much noise? Was watching some youtube videos for fun earlier. One lady said that the dumbo rats ears are more on the side of the head thought that was interesting. Are they mostly veggie eaters?


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## Sadist

I may have to push rats for daughter's first pet to take care of alone when she gets older. So cute!


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## ShadeSlayer

Man, sorry about Hatzie and Stormy. S.I.P little fishes. We got a ton of rain over at my place last sunday. It DUMPED for 24 hours and then was sunny the next day. Fall is so weird.


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## BettaSplendid

Augh everytime I try to respond I get interrupted. LOL

I totally recommend rats for a little girl, hahahaha! I got my rat Lucky when I was in Kindergarten. She never did anything wrong and was a wonderful pet. 

I think most people give them a diet of seeds and pellets, MamaJ. I learned alfalfa is another thing rats shouldn't eat. Pretty sure I fed that to Melchi and Howdy. I have a bag of mixed seeds with a few pellets. They sell special rat food at petstore, for real, it is a thing now. Never saw that when I was little! They like treats like carrots, broccoli... I end up giving them tiny bits of whatever we're eating, usually. They love boiled egg! And cooked spinach. 

Oh my brain... Son is asking me an endless stream of riddles while I am trying to type this. *whimper*


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## BettaSplendid




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## BettaSplendid

Teeheeheee! Daughter just told me, "He is in Snowball mode!" meaning he is asleep in a ball on his Barbie bed. Got a picture! But first, a video of Jivvers and Daughter. 
Picture hasn't shown up on my photobucket account yet.


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## themamaj

Squealing. They are the cutest!!! 😍 Cant believe how curious and friendly they are. Love little ears, cute little noses and whiskers. What a great hutch for them. Do you have an indoor one as well? Do they do better in groups? Can you tell if male or female? Love video.Thanks so much for posting it. Daughter seems so good with them. Mine tried to talk me into a rabbit the other day. No deal but if she ever wanted a rat I might bend 

Has your hubby been able to get home yet? How are roads and bridges now?


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## MysticSky22301

males are obvious lol the testes are judge for such a small creature, in the video you can actually see them on jivvers when his tail is tward the camera. I love rats I just don't have one (or more) at the moment. not with a toddler! You have to watch other pets with them as rats are naturally a prey item. Housing them in groups completely depends on the rats themselves, some are highly territorial with other rats. My boy would have killed another male, and was a known mouse killer. He even taught the cats to leave him alone by grabbing their paws and hanging on until they completely panicked! ( No cat was actually hurt just saying) he never bit a person he would sleep in a bucket while I changed/ cleaned his cage, he wouldn't rat blocks he was just a doll


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## BettaSplendid

No! Husband hopes he can come home tomorrow! Bridges closed and most roads have significant chunks missing. It is kinda funny? Can't go anywhere. Husband works at a prison and the National Guard had to bring him in by boat, he said. I am looking forward to a bizarre tale when he gets home. I spoke with him briefly yesterday. He has been working 18 hour days. 

We do have a wire cage. When the weather is too cold or too hot we bring them inside (well, Melchi and Howdy, haven't had to use it yet for these 3).

Rats are very social, definitely do better with 2 or more. I am enjoying having 3, actually. I've only ever had 2 at a time before. Seeing them snuggle together is adorable. Oh believe me, it is reeeeeal easy to tell boys and girls apart. Lets just say the boys carry around little cushions to sit on, haha. Girls are generally smaller and more active, boys snugglier and sleepier. Both are wonderful. Dumbos are snuggliest of all! I am SOLD on dumbo hand raised babies now!


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## themamaj

Wow traveling by boat would be quite the adventure! What city are you in?


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## Sadist

aww, your daughter is so good with Jivvers! Showing him the stamps and making pictures for him. I think it helps that he's calm.


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## BettaSplendid

Goldsboro, well, of course I do not live in city limits. See here:
Goldsboro Daily News - Goldsboro News, NC - Goldsboro Daily News - Goldsboro News - North CarolinaGoldsboro Daily News ? Goldsboro News, NC

Husband's work is about an hour away.


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## BettaSplendid

Sadist said:


> aww, your daughter is so good with Jivvers! Showing him the stamps and making pictures for him. I think it helps that he's calm.


Our daughters would be instant friends. :laugh:


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## Tealight03

Loved the video! Your daughter is so cute.


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## BettaSplendid

Hmm, so there are STILL people without power in my county. And roads still washed out. We're on much higher ground here at my house and surrounded with large trees which buffered high winds and while we saw a lot of water fall, there was no flooding in our yard or street. I haven't tried to drive anywhere, have plenty of food stored up. I saw pictures of our local post office which is located a stone's throw from the Neuse river (whose idea was that?!) It is underwater. Thaaat explains why we have not gotten any mail.


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## Aqua Aurora

The rats are adorable. I thought about getting some for my husband as he's owned a few before we'd met, did a lot of research on them, but he said he's rather I got more fish >.> (then we got goldfish). Fun times with flood waters! Hope you weren't expecting anything in the mail! Get a delivery of white mush that was once letters haha. Was your hubby able to make it home yet?
I remember as a kid being in school in a trailer class room through hurricane Fran before the school had the funds to construct another building (guess my school didn't think the hurricane would make it all the way to us). Roof didn't rip off but we couldn't really have class as all the noise of debris crashing agaisnt the metal trailer was too loud.


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## BettaSplendid

A little pile of white mush! ROFL hehehe Can you imagine how distraught I would be had I been expecting a betta or shimp in the mail?  I only had 2 books from Amazon I was expecting, but I doubt they got to the post office before the hurricane anyways. They're probably stuck somewhere dry. I hope. They were 2 books for my co-op class for if/when I won't be there and someone else has to teach my classes. 

I have a very serious question, who can answer? I have been thinking this for weeks. Did Anakin Skywalker program C3po to be so annoying? Did he? I mean, he built him, right? It has been so long since I have seen that movie. What does that say about Anakin? Does it make you fear Darth Vader a little less? 

Yeah, I am serious, I want to know. 

I had another equally important question too but can't think of it at the moment.

Husband is on his way home, and with IHOP! I talked to him earlier and he is pretty confident he found a route with open roads.


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## MysticSky22301

I wasn't really afraid of Darth Vader to begin with he was corrupted and lost the love of his life. who wouldn't go completely crazy?


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## BettaSplendid

His story is just so tragic, and being manipulated and groomed by Palpatine since childhood. Ugh. I grew up on the original 3 movies and didn't see the others until adulthood... It was like, "whoooooa.... Poor guy..." seeing the back story. Obi Wan told me you killed my father! No, Luke, I AM YOUR FATHER! Say what?! Makes me hurt a little.


----------



## themamaj

Haha cracking me up on Star Wars. I am still not over them killing Han Solo in latest movie. Did hubby get home with IHOP? How are roads? What is your birth plan? Have had many people ask about you and praying for your family during all of hurricane aftermath.


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## Tealight03

Hmm good Star Wars question. I watched them all a few weeks ago. Yes, it was a lot. Hope the roads are clear!


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## BettaSplendid

WaaaaH wah wah! Oh I thought for sure the roads would be clear by now to get to Fintastic. It turned i to a wild goose chase of detours and wasted time and I never could get to the right city. This is ridiculous! I tried to stay on main roads, like a highway! I keep thinking about the bumblebee plakat who has been waiting half a year in that stoooopid little cup! I have to rescue him! heavy sigh. I didn't know where I was, out in the country and on empty. Finally found a gas station and back home. 

It took Husband 4 hours to get home that day, MamaJ. He had to go waaay out his normal route to the one open bridge in the area which of course was receiving heavy traffic and only one direction was open at a time. I called him as he was slowly crossing it, walking beside his motorcycle because traffic was crawling. The IHOP was good.  

Ah well the plan is to stay as active as possible in labor, I want to try more movement than I have in past labors, maybe even walking outside during early labor. Daughter's went so fast, 4 hours from first contraction to babe in arms nursing. So hard to pla,n, you never know how it will go. I started freezing meals for myself postpartum for when I am alone the weeks after. I know I won't cook for just me. 

We went swimming after Lego League and the library Tuesday. Daughter finally swimming, well 10 feet at a time. Okay, my kids are not very athletic, I know most kids learn to swim earlier, heh. Just glad she finally is. 

Yesterday we went on a field trip with the other homeschoolers to a corn maze. Husband came too. Was lots of fun. They had so many other thi gs too, like big bouncy things and well, all sorta stuff, but too tired for detail. Saw one of those zombie paintball places nearby also. Wonder if it was scary. 

I am so sad about not getting the bettas. 

This is cute, for daughterJ and Marmalade:


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## Sadist

I'm glad everyone's doing well even if you can't go get bumblebee from the store.

Funny how birth is never how you plan it. Mine was 10 days early, thought was the fake contractions. Couldn't pee and had to go to ER and get a catheter because baby's head was in the way of peeing. "You feel those contractions?" Was already at 2 cm but went home because active labor stopped. Went back a few hours later (after a giant hamburger meal) with real contractions and sat in waiting room for 2 hours in labor with 6'8" hubby fuming and yelling at doctor on the phone and intimidating everyone who could be intimidated by large, angry daddy to be.


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## themamaj

Awww what a cute video! Marmelade got a piece of broccoli I saved from lunch today after work. She took it right away and held with tiny little hands. Lincoln Logs! We have those. Oh could make her little pilgrim village to explore  

Wow super fast labor. Did you have daughter at home or in hospital? I hope everything goes very smoothly for you this time too! Is your hubby nervous about labor? 

Glad you got to go to corn maze. Always a fun fall activity. Hope able to get to fish soon.


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## Tealight03

Hope the roads are better soon!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Yes! Husband told me how to get to Fintastic and I got there no problems. I had the hardest time choosing a betta. They were all so pretty and special, but one REALLY wanted to go home with me and did the whole eye contact and wiggle dance routine. I think it was the veiltail I had in mind anyways, but he wasn't orange anymore? Definitely red with white tipped fins. And of course the bumblebee plakat! The owner rejoiced that I was getting him, marveling that no one had gotten him sooner. He even has bright blue eyes. Daughter fell in love with a yellow baby girl, I was like, "eh, why not." So, three bettas. I brought a box with baby blankets to secure around them. Girl went in net breeder box in Smoothie's tank. Once she gets big enough she will move to sorority. She Betta not get out. Typical female betta, she is bold and friendly. Smoothie doesn't know what to think. 

Red betta went in Simeon's tank which has a large number of shrimp now. Son wants to name him after the French general Lafayette. I haven't decided yet. I kinda like Mesa, but Lafayette is pretty. He is scared but exploring. 

Bumblebee plakat got claimed by Son on way home. He named him RMS Titanic or whatever the Titanic's full name was. He went into Hatzie's tank. He has one yellow ventral, one black one. Adorable. He is so very tiny. He looks out of place in 10 gallons. 6 months in the cup at store. He may not last long, but the rest of his life will be good. Warm water, filter, real plants, quartz crystal cave.  He was delighted to get food. Does look nervous and he hides a lot, but that is to be expected.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Very pale and skeered. _ Gotta make sure there are no bigger fish in here and then I am claiming it as my territory! _ Hopefully he owns the tank tomorrow and not glass surfing, kinda expecting glass surfing... 






Jivvers being adorable. I don't think I posted this before. He has a teddy bear!


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## Tealight03

Is that the plakat? He is lovely! 

Jivvers is adorable!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Jivvers is one cool little dude.  So snuggly. Son held some more rats at the petstore today and they weren't nearly as laid back and tame as the 3 we got. They are just super mellow little love buckets. 

Yup, that is the bumblebee plakat, Titanic. He is soo scared, poor fella. He spent what must have felt like an eternity in that tiny cup to suddenly going on a car trip and then released into a huge area full of new things, current, *food*, and people staring. I tried to leave him be and just check now and then.


----------



## Tealight03

Hope Titanic settles in. Can't wait to see pics of the others!


----------



## Sadist

I'm glad you were able to get to the pet store and pick up 3 new fish!


----------



## themamaj

So happy you got your bumble bee!!!! What a lucky boy. Jivers with a teddy bear. Makes my day!


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## BettaSplendid

Aaaah, Son changed his name from Titanic to Hunley. Hunley makes more sense, since it was a very small Confederate submarine rather than a massive ship not intended to go underwater. Hehe. I think Daughter named her little fish Mermaid Treasure. 

Son insists my red betta should be Lafayette. So here he is, hard to photograph. 



Lafayette so far is doing good with the shrimp. He is keeping himself busy building 2 seperate bubble nests.  He looooves the sun light coming in on him. Hunley also built a little nest today! So glad to see him happy. He has _stuff_! "I knew there was more to life than that little cup! I am going to celebrate by... by... hmm, I have the urge to blow bubbles!" Sometimes he swims quickly around but no glass surfing. I think it is a good sign he feels comfortable enough to be still and nest. Oh and he knows what I am for! Whenever he sees me he swims up to the surface and waits for pellets. LoL


----------



## themamaj

Great to hear fish all doing well! 

Went to Cracker Barrell today after competition. Xmas decor up. Guess what caught my eye...reminded me of Jivvers


----------



## themamaj

Here is funny question do rats poop as much as hamsters? Marmelade the pooping queen. Cleans out when hold her lol.


----------



## BettaSplendid

That does look like Jivvers! So cute! I love Cracker Barrel. I really like their "eggs in a basket", the eggs cooked inside a piece of toast. Mmm. 

Actually, rats seem to "hold it" and wait to go poo and pee once they get back to their cage. I have seen many youtube videos with litter boxes in the rat cage too, but I have never tried to train mine like that. Interestingly enough, I think the rats go potty out on their "front porch" which also receives rain and sun and hay and I think it just composts! I have never noticed a smell. It is like the ultimate rat home. Now when they're inside in their little wire cage we have to clean it often. I keep meaning to look up "composting flooring" to replace like the traditional bedding, but I am unsure what term to use. Like what about dirt and earthworms as a flooring? I dunno, just a thought. I think up strange things at night. But it would be like the cage that always stays fresh... Mother Earth News style. Heh. Rats would probably eat the earthworms so they might need to be replaced now and then. I wonder if also you could grow some greens in it and the rats would eat that too. See, my mind is a strange place.


----------



## themamaj

Thanks for book link on Pilgrims. Reading it today. I 

Also sending you pm.


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## BettaSplendid

It is a great book! Our co-op building flooded. I forgot to mention that. Co-op has been canceled so our Pilgrim studies have been put on hold. We have a new building now, a church further down the street offered to let us finish our fall classes there, so next Tuesday we should be good to go. We are at the chapter when they're finally arriving in Holland. 

Lafayette is a WEIRD little fish. Remember I picked him because of his wiggle dance? Well, he still does it. Constantly. Whenever he sees me it is like he tries to swim to me but the glass is in his way buuuut he doesn't let that stop him from trying. I feed him and he eats and then resumes trying to get to me through the glass. _looks like we picked up a weeeeirdo_ He is doing it now. Little circles along the glass, head first into the sand. I hope he doesn't scratch his eyeballs out. Acknowledging him just encourages him, lol. If I leave he goes back to bubble nesting business.


----------



## Sadist

Haha, such a silly boy!


----------



## themamaj

Aww Leo would do that little dance and crash when first got her. I think she was so excited for attention she didnt know how to channel the energy. Lafayette sounds precious. 

So sorry about flooding at co-op. Glad church offering use of space. Get grandson this weekend. May try to get a pilgrim lesson together to start on 😊


----------



## BettaSplendid

He is certainly enthusiastic. He was pleased I was videoing him and didn't face plant into the sand, but here he is happy for attention. (and awww, Leo danced!) 









Eta, actually that is a lame video, sorry. Hahaha. He liked the camera. Now that I am sitting here ignoring him he is way more aggressively trying to get my attention. He still is pretty though... Enjoy the pretty betta. LoL


----------



## themamaj

I would dance for that tank too! Oh he is gorgeous with cello on fins! Cute little shrimp photo bomb lol.


----------



## themamaj

Just came from library checking out some fun children's books for weekend. I guess I am old generation as love real books. Told daughter going to library and got a resounding why?????? Children of electronic age. Nothing like real book!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oh I definitely prefer real books! So relaxing. They do take up a lot of space though... Just have to make sure the ones you have are worth it!  The library is great, can just return them, hehe. Son likes to read to Daughter in the car which makes my heart happy.  Look at your library for Bill Peet's The Little Bighorn, it is adorable! Also Capyboppy by same author. Grandson is the perfect age to enjoy them. 

So far Lafayette is doing well with his shrimpie friends. There are so many of them maybe it seems futile to chase them? I don't know. Shema has 2 in his tank he hasn't been able to catch and so just ignores them. Both males. I should drop a female in there now, I think she would be fine.


----------



## Tealight03

Lafayette is so pretty. Love the plants too. Mine are not looking great.


----------



## themamaj

Will have to look for those books too. Got a fun Halloween one called "Where is my Mummy". Little mummy wants to play hide and seek instead of getting ready for bed. Has Mummy count her bandages while he hides. He meets Drac, Bones and a mouse all who are getting ready for bed. It is really cute. Found one on Amazing Animals at Night about nocturnal animals, Stellaluna the bat, great one on bird identification and two Thanksgiving favorites: Thanksgiving Day and One Little Two Little Three Little Pilgrims. Great pictures. Hope to read him some in Pilgrim book too. How wonderful your son reads to daughter! My heart would swell over that too.

Glad your bettas do so well with shrimp. Strasse totally ignores his unless I put food in for them. Have had some bettas do well and others like to snack lol.


----------



## themamaj

Pull out your knitting needles...winter is coming 😆


----------



## Sadist

Haha!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Aaaaaw.  That last one, a Polish tophatter, LOL, so cute. Husband is now nesting. He picked up yarn and a needle and is making a blanket for Pokey. So cute. I do not knit or crochet. His grandma taught him how when he was little. 

My mom is visiting.


----------



## themamaj

How are you feeling? Any labor signs?


----------



## BettaSplendid

I had a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions while my mom was visiting. No doubt to too much activity and not taking any breaks. But those aren't really a sign of labor anyhow. Nothing else. Tomorrow is the beginning of week 39. Would love to go to 40. I must admit though, things are getting a bit uncomfortable.  Rolling over at night is like an Olympic sport. 

They added on 2 days to the end of co-op to make up for the ones we missed due to flooding. It was supposed to be over on the 15th but now will go on till Dec. 6th. Was busy yesterday making up 3 lesson plans and getting books together for whoever will fill in for me. I am planning on going tomorrow, but not to anymore. Might get MIL to take kids at least. Son doesn't want to miss seeing Katie, he said.  

My mom was fascinated by Hunley, the yellow koi plakat. That little guy has quite an appetite. 

I need to go ahead and clean all tanks. Especially the girls'. Their filter quit for some reason. Probably got blocked with plant material. Hopefully after being unplugged and cooled off it will start up for me.


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## Sadist

Good luck on the filter! I hope you're able to hold baby inside for a full 40, too.


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## BettaSplendid

Wanna see my ridiculously large tummy? 39 weeks, 3 days. 








Oh, once again , my little personal photographer took these. Maybe I should pay him. 







People have been telling me for WEEKS I will have the baby "within days". LOL. They ALWAYS say that, every pregnancy. Personally, I think I will go to around the 22nd. "Due date" is the 15th. What do you think? There is the Super Moon coming up though, that might do something. Whenever Pokey wants is what is important though, don't let the moon pull ya out, little buddy.


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## BettaSplendid

Oh and I found the problem with the girls' filter. There was a trumpet snail in the impeller! Little stinker! And 3 more tiny ones cruising around in there too. I got them out with a q tip, plugged the filter in and it started right up, thankfully. So glad I didn't have to buy a new filter. I sooooo regret ever getting trumpet snails. *cries* I know, I say that periodically. It bears repeating. I swear they don't do a good job aerating the substrate either 'cause if I poke it bubbles still come up. We hates them, Precious. - Smeagol. 

Been cleaning like crazy lately. Sigh. I feel better than I have the past few months so I have been able to get more done. I wake up in the middle of the night ravenous and have to go eat. 

This site had switched to "enhanced mobile" version. I had quite a time convincing it to go back to normal. Wasn't able to read posts or anything. Now need to catch up.


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## Tealight03

Beautiful pictures! Add me to the any day now crowd lol. 

I feel the same way about my bladder snails. I have snail murdered many but they keep coming back. 

Oh my gosh the site was driving me crazy this morning. At first I was all yay I can post pics. But I couldn't see any text or post a new post on my journal. So frustrating.


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## themamaj

Yes having fits with site on my phone. How did you get it to fix? Glad filter issue resolved. 

Wow beautiful setting with glowing Mama! Great pictures! Little Pokey so cute! Did you have noticeable drops with other babies? What did other two weigh?


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## Tealight03

I went up to the menu (top left I think) and there was an exit enhanced mobile view link. Then it asked me why. Because this sucks? Lol.


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## MysticSky22301

At 36 weeks my Braxton Hicks turned into labor XD I didn't have them before then^^ 

Turning over was exhausting x.x poke hubby and get him to help you lol the extra leverage is a godsend!


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## BettaSplendid

It could be "any day" now and that is fine. I got miffed at people saying it when I was at like 35 weeks. They're all "don't worry, you won't be pregnant another week." Don't worry? Premature baby? I don't let them get to me though. 

Son was 6 lbs 13oz and Daughter 8lbs 11oz. I remember Son dropped the day before I had him. I can't really remember with Daughter, hmmm... I kept a written journal with her. I bet it says. Sometimes Pokey gets reeeeal low and I waddle. Heh.


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## BettaSplendid

Tealight03 said:


> I went up to the menu (top left I think) and there was an exit enhanced mobile view link. Then it asked me why. Because this sucks? Lol.


Oh that did nothing for me. so frustrating. I eventually was able to hit "exit mobile" as the page was loading. After the 100th try it worked and threatened it will do this again in 90 days.


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## Sadist

I think Pokey will stay in there a little longer. Your tummy doesn't look super low or giant. Big, but not "any day now!" sized  Maybe because you are so slender, the belly shows more than people are used to.

When daughter dropped, she blocked my urethra and I had to go get a catheter! Nurse said, "Your baby must be _real_ low; I can feel something here!" as she jammed the tubing through.


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## BettaSplendid

Ouch. I think of you everytime I go pee now. ;P


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## Sadist

Hehe. Do you think Pokey will be bigger, like your daughter? Since s/he is staying in there longer?


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## BettaSplendid

I don't know! I am measuring a wee bit bigger, but that might just be me weighing more. Hah. Daughter was 11 days "late". Pokey would have to arrive Nov. 26th to be as big. I can feel all my muscles and ligaments relaxing and preparing for birth so maybe it won't be that much longer. I feel like I am coming apart at the seams down there. That is good albiet uncomfortable. 

You need to update your siggy.


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## Sadist

Oh, I forgot about my signature. Poor Mrs. Fish.


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## themamaj

Was your labors about same length of time with both kids or shorter with daughter? Sometimes it goes faster with subsequent children since your body already knows what to do. Bless your heart I remember the waddling stage. Hopefully wont be to much longer. I know you are excited to meet Pokey as are we!!!!!! How is hubby doing on his blanket?


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## BettaSplendid

Haha, his blanket! He ran out of yarn and needs to get some more. It is turquoise and brown plushy yarn. 

Son's labor was slow and gentle, began at 4:30am and I had him at 4:30pm. His labor was very much like his personality. Very relaxed. And Daughter's just like her personality too! Very first contraction was at 7:30am. I was holding her 4 hours later. Fast and active. Very intense! Silly kiddos. 

I have a freezer full of meals now! All sorts of things from a pile of burritos I made to burgers Husband made. Lots of Creamy garlic Tuscan chicken, etc. This is something I hadn't thought to do before. Okay, Son is ready for his me... He just wrote a paragraph about me. Hilarious. Back to schoolwork now.


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## themamaj

I think I am nesting for you. Cleaning like a crazy person today. Maybe super moon inspires super energy haha.


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## themamaj

How's things going? Any baby news?


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## BettaSplendid

Hehehehehe. Pokey is quite happy snuggled in the womb. MIL has been taking the kids to all their meetings for me. There's been something everyday this week, sigh, so glad she offered to take them. They're spending the night with her tonight too, because Lego League meeting at 9am tomorrow. Son's competition is Saturday! He'll be riding there with a team mate. Pokey and I went to town and walked and walked and walked. Picked out some nice fall clothes that hopefully will fit. Heh. Good grief I looked soooooo fat in the changing room mirror. My legs, geesh. I need to do some serious pilates and jogging once recovered. Got Pokey some random things too like the Halo sleep sack and some vanilla orange scented lotion and other stuff. Was nice to get out "alone". I resisted going into any petstores. 

Just waiting!


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## themamaj

Glad you had some alone time and kids with gma time great too. A lot of our babies at pdo have sleep sacks. Had never seen one till last couple of years. Pretty cute. 

You did good avoiding pet stores. Was trying to do bday shopping today for my son and daughter that share bday the 28th. Found a couple things for daughter but frustrated nothing for son yet. May resort to online for him.


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## Tealight03

Hope the waiting flies by! 

Ugh shopping. I try to have all mine done by Black Friday. I'm not even close.


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## BettaBoy11

Hi! I haven't been on that much lately! How are the 'pacas?


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## BettaSplendid

Soooooo.... 






















Pokey arrived! Yesterday, at 9:29am. :grin2:








Antigua and Shema tanks in background.  



I am going to bed now, but had time to share at least some pics. Now, is Pokey a boy or a girl? :wink3:


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## Tealight03

Congrats, beautiful baby! Umm I vote boy.


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## Autumncrossing

I'll guess girl! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## DangerousAngel

Ohhh my goodness!!! Congratulations!!! What a beautiful baby! I'm going to guess maybe Girl? I hope you're feeling well! <3


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## ThatFishThough

Congratz on your baby! He (my guess) is so cute!


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## Sadist

I guess boy. What a big cutie! Did you give birth at home? Congratulations!


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## BettaBoy11

Yay!!! I'll make a guess: boy?


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## themamaj

Awwww Praise the Lord! Wonderfully and fearfully made!! So precious. Are you doing well? Labor ok. How are other kids doing? Proud siblings I'm sure! Precious of hubby and baby. Sooooo tell us boy or girl???? Name????? So excited for you!!!!


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## BettaSplendid

Boy! Intuition wins again. We named him Samuel Colt. Yes, home waterbirth. It all went well and fast. Will write more details later. Nursing him now. Son LOVES him. Daughter is extremely jealous.


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## themamaj

Can't wait to hear all the details and see more pictures! How much did he weigh? I thought might be a boy  He is so precious! He looks like your son. Are you going to call him Samuel or Colt? Love the name. My fish Manning's first name is Colt so he already has a fish namesake haha. This will be a special Thanksgiving for your family. Hugs and Congrats to all of you!


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## BettaSplendid

8lbs 1oz. He is just 19 inches long. He is laying on me asleep right now. So cute. So looooove. Daughter is singing about Benjamin Franklin, lol. Oh, he goes by Colt, and Pokey still.  force of habit. Haha, he does have a namesake fishy at your house.  I have all my notes from labor handwritten, I will hopefully type them here tomorrow.


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## Tealight03

Aww. Daughter will love being a big sister, I'm sure. Interested to read about the delivery. Having a baby is still on my brain. As is doing it as naturally as possible.


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## themamaj

Perfect weight. I keep looking at his picture. Soooo cute! Those cheeks! Would love to read your notes. What a neat thing to have notes during labor. I was not nearly that organized or even had the thought for my first son. I wish I did. I do have a prayer journal I wrote all during wait for my son adoption and more of a book/journal of my daughter's adoption. That will be a special thing for Colt as he gets older. How neat water birth. My neighbor had one with her third and said it made labor so much easier.


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## DangerousAngel

I adore his name!! Congratulations again, I'm so glad your birth went so smoothly! Get some rest, I can't wait to read those notes!


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## Autumncrossing

How wonderful just in time for the holidays!!! I bet you are just over the moon right now ! Beautiful name and so sweet, loved the pictures too! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## themamaj

Not only does little Colt have a namesake but realized he shares a birthday with Dakota! Dakota was really excited about that  Hope you all are having a good day today.


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## themamaj

How long was your labor this time?


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## BettaSplendid

I didn't get online at all yesterday. Sorry. 

So it all started around 4 am, something like this:

Uterus- hey guys wanna have a baby? 
Body- too sleepy
Brain-yeah, sleepy

Uterus-hmm. Well, Brain, it is a nice time of day to start. The house is dark and quiet and warm, oh and Body, you just slept all night. 
Brain-that is a good point, plus the kids are at MIL's. 
Body-okay, but I am not getting out of bed yet. 
Uterus- great! Lets start then! 

×contraction×

Body-ouch! What the?! That was kinda strong for a first contraction. 
Uterus-yeah! Lets get this rolling! Weeeeeee! 
Body-I am still not getting out of bed though. 
Brain- That's okay, just lay there on your left side. Now with the next contraction imagine your cervix opening and slipping over the baby's head, work with me. 
Body-okay, that makes sense. So you are telling me the 3 of us need to be in agreement? 
Brain and Uterus- yes! 

×contraction× Brain, Uterus, and Body work together while Body still stubbornly refuses to get out of bed. Brain notes though that when she agrees with Uterus during a contraction, she really CAN feel the cervix opening. Body might be lazy right now but she is doing a good job. Uterus is overly happy. Brain is amazed. When Brain resists or forgets to mentally visualize the cervix opening there is a menstrual period like cramp and sharp feeling, but when she imagine cervix pulling back effectively the pain melts away and she feels Uterus open amd rejoice. 

Around 5am they convince Body she isn't going back to sleep, so the 3 of them wander out to the kitchen, letting Husband sleep. He will be needed later. 




I swear that is how it started, with the 3 way convo. To be continued, after I got out of bed I began timing things and writing them down.


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## BettaSplendid

4am-ish- started contractions, tried to keep sleeping, imagined cervix opening
5am- got up, contractions picked up immediately. Now every 4 minutes. Feels much better, upright, walking. Put arnica cream on perineum and tummy. 
6am- 3 minutes apart now. Take late pregnancy tonic from Wish Gardens. Make red raspberry leaf and Nettle tea. Drink juice, eat Belvita breakfast cookies in between contractions. Going pee often. See a tinge of blood on toilet paper. Ahh! Cervix IS opening. Get excited. This is for real. 
6:50-poop. Sorry, TMI. I was happy though to be "empty" don't need any extra umm, stuff in the way down there. 
So all this time, during each contraction, I would begin walking laps around the house, through the kitchen and dining room, always clockwise. As long as I walked there was no pain, I continued to visualize my cervix opening, the muscle moving from cervix to the top of my uterus, making a big strong muscle to push Pokey out. I could "see" his little head wanting to move down into the birth canal. Put on more arnica cream (it helps muscle trauma, bruising, swelling, and soreness). Keep drinking tea. Sit on stool in kitchen in between contractions taking notes and using a contraction timer on an app. 

7:04- intense contraction! Stop walking and start circling hips. Started feeling hot. That is interesting, with Daughter that meant I was in transition almost ready to begin pushing. 

7:08- one huge 2 minute long contraction! Wowza! I hold onto the edge of kitchen sink and make large fast circles with my hips. It is interesting that though insanely intense, taking all my attention, as long as I continue to visualize the purpose of the contraction there isn't any pain. It is like a huge effort picking up something heavy kinda intense. I never make a sound. I note then how great it is to be alone, unwatched, completely free to act however I want and do what feels right. The house is still dark and quiet with only a few red lights on. 

The contraction fades away amd I begin to boil water for my perineum wash I will use in a peri squirt bottle after the birth. Pour the water over my mix of herbs like comfrey, sage, plaintain, uva ursi that I picked out because of certain healing properties. 

Note, long break. Hmm. Body is up to something and giving me a long rest. Drink tea nonchalantly and wait. 

7:15- BIG intense contraction! I feel it coming and get off stool and grab my sink, lean back and CIRCLE wildly with my hips while breeeeaaaathing deeply. Afterwards, head to bathroom, pee (important not to have a full bladder which would keep baby's head from descending). Now I am just sitting on toilet and so deeply relaxed, like I am dreaming peaacefully. My eyes are shut. Oh, now I realize it must be a major rush of oxytocin hormone, the "love hormone", so nice. It is released in huge quantities during a natural birth and also during breastfeeding. 

7:21- stand up, immediately feel another contraction... 


Oh baby awake, to be continued


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## themamaj

So is hubby awake yet? I would dragged mine out of bed by earlobe with those contractions lol. Wow you were so calm. I am so impressed with how well you could focus the strength of the contraction to let your body work efficiently. Cant wait to hear more. Are kids still with MIL?


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## Sadist

Wow, that is amazing! Way better than hospital.


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## BettaSplendid

7:21-stand up, immediately anpther contraction begins. Walk from bathroom to kitchen sink. Circle hips. Sit down on stool. My eyes shut again amd I am so completely relaxed (not tired), my chin tucked in to chest, eyes closed, resting. 

7:30- deep contraction (now I am not sure what that means, but it is what I wrote at the time), this one feels different. Instead of grabbimg the edge of sink and countertop and circling, this time I lean forward, so far forward my forehead is laying on the divider between the sink sections. I hardly move. I can feel Pokey pushing down, then, with a great popping sensation he moves suddenly. He felt fine before but now he feels even more comfortable. He must have moved into a more favorable position. He is getting ready to descend, now I know it. I have the thought that he will be a no nonsense and very efficient person, if his labor is reflective of his personality like my other childrens' labors were. For the first time I really begin talking to him, "We're doing it Pokey. We will get to see each other soon. You're doing a good job. I love you." 

I wake up Husband and tell him to "fill up the birthpool, do NOT delay." He says okay and I rushmoff to the bathroom where I alternate sitting on toilet and standing with my hands on a stool in front of me. The 7:30 contraction was the last sweet moment of this story, LOL, it is ON now. My uterus has taken over, fired my conscience mind, and doesn't ask permission for anything. I am simply along for the ride. I am grunting loudly with each involuntary push. I hear Husband finally roll out of bed, slowly get dressed, wander out to kitchen amd what is that sound..? He is opening mail? I am vocalizing like crazy, I can't stop. Eventually he pops i to bathroom, looks at me a moment and asks, "is it time?" I look at him in disbelief and have just enough time to sputter, "time for what?! I told you to fill up the pool!" and he is like, "oh! I didn't hear that..." GEESH. Then another pushy contraction hits and I am like RRRRRAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHH! and he retreats. I soon hear the pool filling up. That's right, go fill up muh pool. In a few minutes I go into bedroom and lay back down on bed, left side. This helps slow Pokey down a bit. I need a moment. I am still growling with each pushy contraction. Husband turns off water and announces the hotwater just gave out. He got it almost full but now he keeps himself busy boiling water on stove and pouring it in, knowing how much I appreciate a hot bath.  

After a few contractions on the bed, I wonder if laying on my side is effective for moving him down, my breaktime is over as I decide to try to make it into the pool. NOW I understand the "no diving" warning on the pool. We had laughed about it earlier. Who would dive into a 3ft deep blowup birth pool? Me. Right now. As soon as I get out of bed and stand up POP my water breaks. All over my feet and the sheepskin rug I am standing on. "Water broke." I call out. Husband comes. I am trying unsuccessfully to get my leg high enough to clear the wall of pool. Cannot. Husband helps me in. I sink down into the hot water with a sigh, arms draped over the edge. 

Pushing is getting SERIOUS now. I absolutely cannot control it, I just try to go along with it. LoL. I am so freaking loud, I know the kids wanted to see the birth but now I am glad they are at MILs. The worst part of the whole thing is right now my butt literally feels like it is exploding. I may have whined about that to Husband. "He is coming out my butt!" I just knew he was. I try standing, try sitting, try squatting, try standing and circle my hips like belly dancing. Now I am kneeling, draped over the side of the pool. I start scrambling for someting to hold on to but there is only slippery side of pool. I ask for Husbands hands and grab them with a vice like grip just in time for the biggest involuntary push ever and I begin screaming AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! then the butt pressure disappears completely and I feel Pokey crowning. That feels better than my tailbone under pressure, believe it or not, but I don't let that stop me from biting Husband's hand, for which I later appologized. Pokey's head suddenly pops out much easier than I anticipated. I have doubts it even WAS a head. "_Something_ just came out" I announce, thinking maybe the water bag? Mmm, no water already broke... Huh. Husband tries to look but I cry out "don't move!" and he gets back. Another contraction comes, Pokey twists and slides out easily as I turn Husband's hands loose and he guides the little person out into the warm water. "It's a BOY!" he announces giddy. I turn over and lift my leg over the umbilical cord and Husband lays him on my chest. I am overcome with humility amd thankfulness towards God. This baby is absolutely gorgeous! He is amazing! "oh he is so cute! So cute!" I kiss him. Husband says "hi Colt!" and I about get whiplash as I turn to look at Husband with a huge grin. Yeah, we knew he was a boy.  Kiss Husband. Husband begins counting fingers and toes. Pokey gives a good 2 second cry then looks around in wonder. We have the room very dark with only a red light on. He isn't red or wrinkly at all. Just pink healthy skin and a nicely chubby body. Bald, of course, my babies never have hair. We do APGAR assessment at 1 and 5 minutes. I stay in the pool for an hour while Husband contines to add hot water. He also brings me Wish Garden's Afterease tincture 'cause afterpains are the worst. He brings me Throat Coat hot tea with honey cause my throat is sore after all that grunting and growling. After an hour I decide to get out of pool. Pokey not a fan of leaving water, cries. Wrap him in towel. Cut the umbilical cord and Husband takes him while I go to clean myself up. 

And that is the story of Pokey's birth.


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## Tealight03

Thanks for sharing. So you didn't use a midwife? I really admire you doing it naturally at home. Especially being alone! 

Hope you and the family had a nice Thanksgiving!


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## Sadist

That is so amazing! Thank you for sharing.


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## themamaj

You are so brave! Beautiful story and so thankful healthy baby and mama! So sweet able to spend first family moments together.


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## BettaSplendid

Eeeee! I just did a water change on Psalm's and Antigua's tank. I found a baby cory cat! Aaaaaah! I am so excited. Unfortunately, I saw him as I was pouring out the syphoned water. Hopefully I didn't pour out any siblings. I saw this little tadpole lookin thing and quit pouring and scooped him out for a closer look. Already has his pepper spots.  Back into tank he goes. Maybe there are more?! I am going to name him Lucky.

So add me to the list of recent "I just sucked my fish up during a water change" occurrences. A fish I did not even know I had. 

I also sucked up a ton of evil trumpet snails. On purpose. Grrr. 

Yeah, I think I could be good friends with a midwife but personally never wanted one present during birth. It would irritate me beyond belief having someone constantly touching me or talking. When we registered Pokey for his birth certificate and social security number, the registar said she gets LOTS of homebirths with midwife in our county, but I am the only one so far who does it alone. "well, there always has to be a weirdo..." I reply. To which she says, "you just pop em out too, healthy little babies." she has registered all 3 of our kiddies and wants one more before she retires. LOL


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## Tealight03

Sucking up fish is really going around. Exciting you found a baby though! 

My bladder snails drive me nuts. I just pulled one out of Killian's tank. No idea how he got in there because Killian has no live plants. Hate them. 

Hopefully you have time to work on that fourth baby before she retires lol. How funny.


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## BettaSplendid

Photobucket decided to change on me. Seems I cannot email pics to my account anymore? After some frustration I decided to try their app. That seems to be working, but tell me, are the pictures huge? Like annoyingly big? I can make them smaller, I think. 

The above picture was when Pokey was 1 day old. Daughter clearly not happy with him. She spent a few days hugging her knees with all her hair covering her face and repeatedly asking who we loved more, her or the baby? Son is in love with him, from the get go. 

Glad to say Daughter now realizes she has not been replaced and she likes Pokey. She tells him he is cute, kisses him, and brings him toys. 



Here she is, quite content, then he pooped and she suddenly had no use for him, lol. 



2 sons! Eeeeeeeee! 



Husband's blanket for Pokey is coming along. He works on it in the evenings. He is soooo dirty, yes, spent all day working outside. He is building an addition on the house, new bathroom and a sunroom... that I will fill with fish.  No new fishies though, just might move the 29 gallon in there. Thinking of putting the girls in it and putting Psalm in their 10 gallon. That would make more sense? 

Tealight, here is the picture of Treasure. She is a little pineapple girl with cello fins, reminds me of your male Pineapple. 



She is still living in breeder net in Smoothie's place until she is full grown. Smoothie enjoys her company. 
He has so many girlfriends. 4 girls next door and one in his tank! Life is good.


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## Sadist

The pictures came out in a good size for me! I'm using a computer to view them.

I'm glad daughter is coming to terms with not being the baby any more! Pokey's such a big boy already, too! Internet hugs so I don't pass on our sniffles germs.


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## Tealight03

Pineapple girl does look like my Pineapple! She is a lucky lady to have plants in her breeder box. 

Beautiful family pics. It must be hard on daughter not to be the baby anymore. Glad she is adjusting.


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## themamaj

Love each of family pictures! Hubby working on blanket....love! Too cute. You have such beautiful children! Love seeing each expression. Older son just beaming. Daughter is too cute holding him. It is hard learning to adjust to siblings but she is *only* girl so I'm sure as my daughter with two brothers has learned she can get extra special attention for that and enjoy girl time  Thanks for sharing such special pix. Love fish too.


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## themamaj

How is everyone doing?


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## BettaSplendid

We are doing well! Days are full so I am mostly just reading here when I get a minute. Son is holding Pokey now. My mom visited last week and I got all my tanks water changes done. Yay. That always feels good. Planted tanks are much messier than non planted. Eh. 

Pokester will be 3 weeks tomorrow. He is a sweet little thing, very happy. I feel all recovered and brought the kids to co-op amd the library yesterday. So glad to be "back in business" and homeschooling again! I get so happy. Lol


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## BettaSplendid

Son is having lots of fun with his little brother. I gave him the big box my glider chair came in and they had fun in it.  



Also, Pokey loves balloons and Son got him to hold the string. Lol, proud Big Brother.


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## Tealight03

Aww they are too cute. Does daughter feel left out? Is she demanding a sister yet?


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## BettaSplendid

She was complaining this morning that she wanted a sister. That only made Son gleefully rejoice over having a brother. Not really helpful. Haha. I wonder if she would actually be happier had Pokey been a girl. Hmm. I guess a new baby is always hardest on the former "baby". 

Psalm doesn't seem to feel well today. He is resting in his plants near the surface and didn't want his breakfast. Hoping he just ate cory food...


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## Tealight03

I imagine going from the baby to the middle child would be difficult. Maybe Pokey will grow on her.

Hope Psalm feels better!


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## themamaj

Too cute!


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## BettaSplendid

Psalm died yesterday. Dear Psalm! We went to a Gingerbread breakfast where all the supplies are set out for making the little houses and all you want muffins and hot chocolate. Then to a birthday party. When we got home Psalm was laying on the bottom of the tank not breathing. I am not sure what went wrong. :frown2: He didn't have any outward signs of parasites. Ugh! I am so frustrated and sad. I never know how to treat them amd then it is too late. I have several meds on hand but never sure what to use. His tummy looked very full like he ate too much, but not crazy big like swollen or weird... Just like he feasted. And maybe he did. He would eat his pellets, then go for the guppy flakes and sometimes the corydoras food as well. Kinda rethinking adding the girls to the community tank, they eat like piranhas. I guess I could always just take them back out... 

SIP little guy, you will be missed greatly.


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## Tealight03

Oh no! SIP sweet Psalm.


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## Sadist

Oh no! He's my favorite of your boy fish. Maybe it was just his time. I think they get a shortened lifespan when they're at the store a long time, especially the ones that are special-looking like he was.


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## themamaj

I am so sorry!


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## ShadeSlayer

I'm so sorry for your fishy loss, @BettaSplendid . Psalm was a beautiful fish. I loved his colors. 
Some time you need to give me a full rundown of what you do to make your fish tanks SO AMAZING!!! From substrate to lighting to additives, I want to know your secrets! lol
Congrats on your new little boy, too! Such a cutie.


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## BettaSplendid

A few days ago I noticed Treasure has a growth on one of her gills. :/ She is so young! Treasure is the little pineapple lady in Smoothie's tank. I guess she will never be fit for sorority life. Poor girl. It looks like a little yellow bump right now and her gill on that side opens further than the other side when she breathes. 

Shadeslayer, thank you! Each tank is a little different. The 29 gallon was Psalm's tank. On the right side it has gravel, eco complete and regular gravel. On the left side of the tank is organic Miracle-Gro soil (just soil, no weird fertilizers) with play sand over it. As the cories dig through it some floats around amd settles down on the gravel side which maked the Amazon sword happy. It needs a better light though, just has one long "daylight" bulb. The wisteria in there theives in low light. Also has crypts and Ozelot sword amd a red rubin, both of which suffer and barely grow for want of stronger light.


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## themamaj

Your tanks are always amazing. I know you must be heartbroke about Psalms. I hate to hear Treasure having an issue. I don't understand tumor development. Seems like just show up over night sometimes. Most of mine that have had them lived a long time with them so hopefully Treasure will too. It is so frustrating though trying to do everything right and still stuff happens. 

How is little one doing?


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## ShadeSlayer

BettaSplendid said:


> A few days ago I noticed Treasure has a growth on one of her gills. :/ She is so young! Treasure is the little pineapple lady in Smoothie's tank. I guess she will never be fit for sorority life. Poor girl. It looks like a little yellow bump right now and her gill on that side opens further than the other side when she breathes.
> 
> Shadeslayer, thank you! Each tank is a little different. The 29 gallon was Psalm's tank. On the right side it has gravel, eco complete and regular gravel. On the left side of the tank is organic Miracle-Gro soil (just soil, no weird fertilizers) with play sand over it. As the cories dig through it some floats around amd settles down on the gravel side which maked the Amazon sword happy. It needs a better light though, just has one long "daylight" bulb. The wisteria in there theives in low light. Also has crypts and Ozelot sword amd a red rubin, both of which suffer and barely grow for want of stronger light.


Man, Me thinks I need to try miracle grow and get a new light/hood. I just absolutely adore your tanks. Goals!!


----------



## Tealight03

Noo not Treasure. Poor girl. Hope it doesn't affect her too much.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Yes. 

Now I am left wondering what to do. I am thinking of putting the 4 ladies into the 29 gallons and then letting little Treasure go into their 10. BUT I still have 1 very lonely guppy in the 29. Wondering if the girls will attack him. Also, I want to get more guppies but would also need another heater and possibly a filter so I can quarantine them a few weeks. I wish I had done it this summer but I was too exhausted. Being preggers is hard work. It is possible that the girls would ignore a group of guppies but pick on one, I am thinking. Oh, I don't know what to do. Adding another tank is not an option. Hmmm. Well, I could put the girls in the 29 and if they pick on Mr. Guppy, take him out and put him in the 10 for now. Maybe him and Treasure could be in there together. Speaking of Treasure, I added water to her and Smoothie's tank, too much water, and she jumped out of her net and into Smoothie's area. I saw her right away before she began exploringing and got her back into her net. After screaming and a round of panic, of course. Luckily, Smoothie never saw her.


----------



## ShadeSlayer

Wow. Fish and their antics. I'm with you on the guppy debates right now. I have one guppy and one endler and they're both males and won't stop picking at each other. I wish I could give you my boys to balance out their male hormones a little more XD. Have you ever had female guppies?


----------



## BettaSplendid

Pokey wearing the frog outfit... It was Son's when he was newborn. Sigh. So cute. 




Today Pokey is 1 month old! Wow! Picture from today:



He is getting quite pudgy! I just set him up with that mirror, he was pretty amazed. 

Son amd I moved the girls, including Treasure, to the 29 gallon. So far so good. Treasure actually gilling the others who are pretty tame with each other, they are used to the company. Guppy is delighted to have "friends". Keeping an eye on everyone though.


----------



## ShadeSlayer

Guppies are so happy-go-lucky they'll befriend anything with fins. Love them I wish they were hardier.


----------



## ShadeSlayer

Guppies are so happy-go-lucky they'll befriend anything with fins. I wish they were hardier had more healthy runs.


----------



## MysticSky22301

I love guppies ^^


----------



## themamaj

Pokey is getting so big! I can tell he has already grown. Aww miss those baby stages. It is so sweet to see him wearing one of your son's outfits. That is very special. What size is he wearing now and how much does he weigh? How is your daughter doing? I hope she is adjusting and starting to enjoy her big sis roll. How are your rats and alpacas doing? 

So can some of you guppy keepers out there tell me a little more about betta and guppy interaction since I am pondering this. For the most part will the betta leave the guppies alone? Is it better to have bigger groups of guppies with betta or just a couple ok?


----------



## ThatFishThough

I have two fem guppies with Akuma, and they're okay, but they can see the two boys through the divider. The two fems had a sister, but she jumped out of the cub during a w/c and got eaten by the cat. ;-; Akuma has such long, heavy, fins that he can't chase them often, but I've seen him do it.

Love the pics of Pokey. <3


----------



## Sadist

themamaj said:


> Pokey is getting so big! I can tell he has already grown. Aww miss those baby stages. It is so sweet to see him wearing one of your son's outfits. That is very special. What size is he wearing now and how much does he weigh? How is your daughter doing? I hope she is adjusting and starting to enjoy her big sis roll. How are your rats and alpacas doing?
> 
> So can some of you guppy keepers out there tell me a little more about betta and guppy interaction since I am pondering this. For the most part will the betta leave the guppies alone? Is it better to have bigger groups of guppies with betta or just a couple ok?


Pokey is looking so big and healthy! It's hard to believe he's already a month old.

Blackiechat mostly leaves the guppies alone. I saw him flare at Cornelius one time, but Cornelius also had lots of bites out of his caudal. I'm not sure if the bites came from the female guppy or Blackiechat. The females all have all of their fins there and seem to get along just fine with Blackiechat. Also, it's up to the betta if they'll take tankmates or not. I recall Mr. Fish living with ottos for 6 months before he went crazy and started a killing spree (too much stress with them moving around and happy with the filter, also some of them got stuck in a veggie clip, and maybe Mr. Fish smelled the injuries).


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## themamaj

Lol Mr and Mrs Fish were quite the pair. Like you said it depends on betta. Funny though tbe ones I have thought to be passive have been tbe most territorial. I have seen some beautiful long tailed Moscow guppies. Do females do better together or males? Betta Splendid what are your guppies and how many do you have now?


----------



## cutesybettas

Totally unrelated, but I read through your entire journal these past three days and loved it! Your fish and kids are so beautiful :laugh:


----------



## MysticSky22301

themamaj said:


> Lol Mr and Mrs Fish were quite the pair. Like you said it depends on betta. Funny though tbe ones I have thought to be passive have been tbe most territorial. I have seen some beautiful long tailed Moscow guppies. Do females do better together or males? Betta Splendid what are your guppies and how many do you have now?


Most people keep male's if they don't want babies, because females can hold sperm to fertilize themselves for MONTHS even breeding during adolescents and popping out babies when it seems they shouldn't be able to


----------



## BettaSplendid

I just have the one male guppy now. I have never tried females... I was scared they would have a million babies each month, lol. 

Pokey is wearing 3-6 size clothes now. He is growing FAST. 

Girls doing good in the 29 gallon. No fighting. Each girl has her own territory; I know where each one will be. Very cute. They do swim around and mingle too though. 

I moved Antigua to the 10 gallon that the girls were in. He is SO MUCH happier. A few weeks ago I mentioned that all he did was hang out inside an ornament. Now he is back to his old curious self.  Plus, he is in the schoolroom where I spend most of my time so now I can see him more. Falling in love with Antigua all over again. He is so cute. Daughter got playdoh for Christmas and I made a playdoh plakat and stuck it to his aquarium. He gilled it. Hehe. 



Husband got me glass aquarium lids (he told everyone he got me "tank tops" for Christmas. Lol). I had black plastic covers but only used them at night since they block out so much window light. Within seconds the glass lids fogged up. Must have been losing lots due to evaporation, eh? So now I can fill the tanks up to the brim too. 

You can see the lid in this picture:



So now after playing musical tanks, Antigua's old 20 gallon is free. I am toying with the idea of fancy guppies. I had looked into them before and there were some blue ones that I really liked. I think they may have been those Moscow ones, MamaJ. But I am not sure. That rings a bell though. But I want to move the 20 out of the small sunroom. It is too cramped in there with 4 tanks. I kinda went tank crazy... and betta crazy... any free outlet looked like an invitation for an aquarium, I am sure you understand.


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## MysticSky22301

Yeah they can have up to 200 babies at a time, the average is 30 though


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## themamaj

Tank tops ROFL!!!!!!! Love it!


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## BettaSplendid

Husband is very clever with his wording. People are like, "why would you get her tank tops for Christmas?" with a "you're going to be in the dog house" tone. Hah. 

200 babies. Yeah, lets not do that. Yikes. 

Okay, okay, I was googling fancy gup gups and came across peacock grudgeons. Oh so cute! I might... Miiiiiight have to get some, fiiiiiishies! Seems they hang out towards the bottom, could still get guppies too. Oh, GUDGEON, not grudge. Oops. If I get some they are going to all get grumpy names like Grudge. LoL. 

https://aquaticarts.com/collections/freshwater-fish/products/peacock-gudgeon 

Antigua has built a massive bubblenest. He makes me so happy. Smoothie is beyond disgusted. He keeps asking where all his girlfriends went? Why the bleep bleep did I take them away and put a guy next to him?! LOL hope he calms down soon. He did enjoy having girls next door. Now Hunley can see them. He got big, by the way. He is the yellow and black plakat that was at the store for 6 months, remember. He is one happy little dude. That cup is just a distant memory now, never again little buddy.


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## themamaj

Haha and you were thinking tank tops the best gift ever! 

The gudgeon are such a pretty colored fish. I am not familiar with them so that will be an interesting one to read on. I like learning about different species. I still want to try some celestial pearl danios in a community tank. 

I thought it was so sweet that you said falling in love with Antigua all over again. Wonderful that he is so happy and feel special in new tank. Poor Smoothie. Haha guess I can't blame him for pouting. Would love to see a new picture of your koi boy. I bet his colors have really come out now. I love all the koi patterns but I think yellow and black is my favorite as such stunning contrast of color. 

Super cute playdough fish!


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## BettaSplendid

Couldn't get a non blurry picture of Hunley, mamaJ, you know how plakats are. :wink3: Got a video instead. Went ahead and video'd all 4 tanks in the room. Apologies for Shema, he is a grumpy gills in the morning. LOL

Pokey loves fish. :grin2: He likes looking at my tanks. I took him in Petsupplyplus and showed him all the fancy goldfish, there were too many crammed in the tank of course but it made it easy for him to see them. He kicks his feet and waves his arms excitedly.


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## BettaSplendid

I cleaned Flameo's tank yesterday. I have to remove plants monthly for him. They grow so fast and then it gets dark and crowded. Now he has a nice sunny pretty tank again. Lots of shrimp in there still. No shrimplets in there or the shrimp-only tank. I think it is because it is winter though. And yes, I changed his name. Lafayette seemed too stuffy or something. He is such a silly goofy fish, so Flameo Hotman it is. Looks like a little piece of Betta Heaven, his tank does. Except for the thermometer and heater showing you might think he was being filmed in the wild? That was my goal when I first got into real aquatic plants.


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## themamaj

Shem is so beautiful. I would never get anything done for looking at him. I love that Hunley has different ventricle. How unique. Great videos. Tanks and fish beautiful as always! 

I knew Pokey would be a fish lover. How cute he got excited to see them.


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## Tealight03

Flameo's tank is amazing! So jealous!


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## Sadist

I love his tank!


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## themamaj

Do you have hortwort in your tanks? I got some to try last plant purchase. It is in tank with a lot natural light and root tabs. Looked good initially now looking sad.


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## BettaSplendid

Hornwort? I have that. It can take time to establish in a new tank, but once it does, look out, it is good to go. I leave it floating. 

You wrote hortwort, maybe that is something different. Can't type too much, Pokey sleeping on my arm.


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## Tealight03

It melts but comes back nice and strong. I think it likes more indirect light instead of bright light.


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## themamaj

Sorry cant type either same plant.


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## ShadeSlayer

Love your sorority tank, @*BettaSplendid* . So many gorgeous girls.  Yesterday I finally managed to take a new rescue home after seeing him at Petco for far over three months. I think he's a dragon scale veiltail. (or that's what his wore-out cup was labeled) He reminds me a little of your Twinkie- pink fins, sweet personality.


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## BettaSplendid

Oh sweet boy, 3 months. He is pretty. Smoothie was labeled the same, dragon scale veiltail, but he got scooped up by me quickly after just arriving at Petsmart. He was exactly what I was looking for! 

Oh how we miss Twinkie! He had an amazing personality.


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## ShadeSlayer

Yeah Twinkie seemed like a super special and amazing little guy. he was a great introduction to the hobby, too. Did you ever get another pink betta sort of like him? there's another like Midas at Petco but with longer fins and without the managed Mi's has.


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## ShadeSlayer

Well Midas has been renamed Caspar by my mom. It means Treasure, and treasure he is!


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## BettaSplendid

ShadeSlayer said:


> Yeah Twinkie seemed like a super special and amazing little guy. he was a great introduction to the hobby, too. Did you ever get another pink betta sort of like him? there's another like Midas at Petco but with longer fins and without the managed Mi's has.


I haven't seen another like Twinkie. Not in person anyways. He was bubblegum pink and developed plum colored spots on his fins, plus he had amazing blue eyes. And he was a great listener. He made eye contact while you talk to him. He loved to watch Daughter draw. 

Smoothie was the closest I could find. He is more Barbie aisle pink with silver "wash" over his body. His eyes are dark. He has a typical betta personality. :laugh: 




Pokey is 7 weeks. He has started putting his hands together so I am going to see if he can hold a toy today. He does this funny thing where he tries to suck his thumb but his thumb is trapped between his pointer finger and middle finger. So cute! See:




I made stew yesterday and was so impressed with my cabbage, it looked like a turtle! :grin2:
Appreciate it. lol


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## Sadist

Aww, what a cutie!


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## themamaj

Can't believe Pokey is 7 weeks already! He is the cutest with his little fingers bunched up. Is your daughter getting more used to him now? Love the cabbage. It does look just like a turtle!! I do things like that for grandson. Makes lunch or dinner fun!


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## BettaSplendid

Well....she doesn't scowl at him anymore, but I wouldn't trust her alone with him, lets say that. She has said things along the lines of "wouldn't it be funny if such and such happened to Colt" something that hurt him, I don't remember what it was now. Son on the otherhand still loves him. If I need my hands free for cooking or whatever and ask, "will you hold him?" I get a most enthusiastic, "yEEEEsssss!" and he cheerfully comes and gets his brother and whisks him away singing and bouncing. Pokey LOVES him. Huge smile. It is precious. They already have quite the bond. I was able to deep clean 2 tanks even while Son played with Pokey for over an hour. I was looking for the baby cory cat. Sadly, I never found him.


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## ShadeSlayer

Sometimes corys disappear and show up later. They're funny little fish. Do yours ever startle and go crashing into the glass at 100 miles an hour? Mine do sometimes when i dash into my room or turn the lights on in the morning, but placing my hand against the glass they're running into helps. I need to deep-clean my tanks so badly. I want to scrub the walls and get all the brown algae off that clouds up the sides but it is such a pain because the scrubber scares the fish and uproots the plants... sigh.
Going from the baby to middle child is rough, I guess. I'm sure she'll warm up to being a big sister sometime... hopefully. That's pretty hilarious about the contrast between your two older kiddos. I wonder if you had a girl if sister would be very enthused. Kids are characters.


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## Tealight03

Pokey is too cute! Also love the cabbage turtle! Hope daughter warms up to Pokey.


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## ThatFishThough

Cabbage turtle... LOL!


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## BettaSplendid

ShadeSlayer said:


> Sometimes corys disappear and show up later. They're funny little fish. Do yours ever startle and go crashing into the glass at 100 miles an hour? Mine do sometimes when i dash into my room or turn the lights on in the morning, but placing my hand against the glass they're running into helps. I need to deep-clean my tanks so badly. I want to scrub the walls and get all the brown algae off that clouds up the sides but it is such a pain because the scrubber scares the fish and uproots the plants... sigh.
> Going from the baby to middle child is rough, I guess. I'm sure she'll warm up to being a big sister sometime... hopefully. That's pretty hilarious about the contrast between your two older kiddos. I wonder if you had a girl if sister would be very enthused. Kids are characters.


:grin2:

I cracked up at your "sometime.... Hopefully." yes! My thought pattern exactly. She did surround him with Cabbage Patch yesterday and tell him he could, "have this one. It is not my favorite anyways." LOL. She an anounced her quest to make him like girl toys. 

Yeah, goofy cories, I do startle them! And you're right, they are good hiders. I often can't see all 4 at once for weeks at a fime.


----------



## ShadeSlayer

Hope you find the baby Cory. I had a guppy pass while I was on vacation and my dad was diligently watching over the fish but he disappeared completely. Strange and odd.


----------



## BettaBoy11

Wow, I haven't been on in a while. I have lots of reading to do.


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## BettaSplendid

:frown2:

My dear sweet Antigua died. The breaker in his room flipped (or whatever it is called) over night and all heaters were off. His tank was at 59 degrees. Smoothie and Flameo also got cold but are okay... They are younger, maybe that is why. I am heartbroken. My dear little plakat who really sparked my betta love. I just buried him... Was hoping to have him for a couple more years. 1.5 wasn't long enough. He will be greatly missed. Son had just sent me a very cute picture of him which I will try to post later. Oh Antigua... I always sang this song to him, "Mr. Tea, Mr. Tea, little mister Special Tea." It was his jingle. :frown2:


----------



## Sadist

I'm so sorry :-( This winter has been hard on our fish babies.


----------



## themamaj

What a sweet jingle. So very sorry about Antigua! I know he was a special plakat and so loved. He is your avatar before marbling? I will remember him fondly. Hugs


----------



## Tealight03

So sorry to hear about Antigua. I bet he will hear his jingle from the rainbow bridge.


----------



## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> What a sweet jingle. So very sorry about Antigua! I know he was a special plakat and so loved. He is your avatar before marbling? I will remember him fondly. Hugs


Yes, that's him. 

I was visiting my mom when I saw him at her Petco but didn't buy him. Later I was sitting in her living room and staring off into space when she asked what I was thinking about. "That plakat." She said I should go get him. Lol, we're no good at restraining each other. So on my way home I stopped by the Petco and got him. Then I joined this website.


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## themamaj

I am so glad you got him and we got you  Special fish will never be forgotten.


----------



## ShadeSlayer

Oh I'm so terribly sorry about your little guy. He was so cute and sweet. His marbling turned out so nicely, too. SIP Antigua. 
I feel you about the heat issues. My old boy Sam is slowing down so much I fear if we lose power again it'll really be bad. This morning I did a water change and so sand got stirred up and all over him. I felt terrible but he's somehow okay. I've considered putting him down sometimes but I feel he's still responsive and eats like a velocoraptor still. He's betta scoliosis is so hard on him.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oh man, he has scoliosis? I do too! Imagining taki g him to chiropractor with me... 

Quick update for now, moved the girls to the 20 gallon because I was afraid they would kill themselves eating all the cory food. That left the 29 gallon free. Got 4 more cories and Daughter finally got her dwarf gourami. It was so cute how the adult cories took the babies right in. 

I miss Antigua. Got an orange veiltail in his tank now, named Tangie, he looks like a tangerine. He built a cute bubblenest overnight.


----------



## themamaj

Glad daughter got her dwatf gourami. What did she name it? Tangie sounds like a cutie. I know he will love his new home! Would love to see pictures when have free moment. Lol I know how often that happens with 3! Just having 2 here run me constantly  Had grandson this weekend and got him back after school today through Wed as school out here for illness. I sure hope we all stay well with party this weekend. Hope you all doing well.


----------



## Tealight03

I also can't wait to see pics of Tangie. Is it hard to adjust to someone new in Antigua's tank?


----------



## themamaj

I was looking on Pinterest for ideas for grandson. Thought of your daughter when saw this 

http://pin.it/8bi_4ug


----------



## BettaSplendid

So hard.  Antigua was extremely active, constantly in and out of decorations and fighting Mirror Plakat. Always had his fins wide open. Love Tangie though! He looks like a little orange flame. They are all unique and loved here, lol. Antigua will live forever in my heart.


----------



## Tealight03

Yes, I'm glad to see Pineapple enjoying his new tank, but part of me is sad because it's really Poe's. Poe is also still swimming (kinda) so that's probably harder for me. It's always nice to give a new fish a home.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Tangie! He is really small, half grown. 



He has a black spot



He is very friendly. He took to me right away, never acted scared. Good appetite. 

Here is the picture Son took just a couple days before... Antigua died. He gave Antigua a light saber to fight Mirror Plakat



Oh, and if you noticed in that picture a cat, yes, we had 2 cats adopt us. Their owners moved and left them behind. They came to us begging for food. Very friendly so we decided to keep them. Well, on one condition, kids have to do liter box duty. Kitties sleep with Son amd Daughter too. Basically, their cats
LoL. Kids are thrilled. 

And this is a very short video of Pokey talking. It is hosted at Photobucket, not youtube. Can you play it? Would love feedback. 



Eta, it makes me click on the image and play the movie at photobucket 's website... Hmm... Don't like that... Trying to just backup my pics and videos though...


----------



## themamaj

Awwww yes can hear little Pokey! Oh sweet baby sounds. Nothing better! 

Tangie is beautiful. Like his spot. Love unusual traits. 

Antigua was so special. How many fish get to fight the mirror with a light saber. I know he is greatly missed!


----------



## Tealight03

Aww Tangie is a handsome guy. He looks happy. Glad the cats found a good home. I bet Antigua enjoyed his battle with the lightsaber. 

Pokey is too cute!


----------



## Sadist

I can never get the photobucket videos to play for me. I do see a picture of him, though, so cute! I love the new boy and the last picture with the lightsaber and interested cat watching the battle.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Huh, the website changed, or is it just me? 



Daughter's gourami!


----------



## Sadist

He's gorgeous! Let me know how he behaves. I was thinking of one for us in the future.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Ah, I figured out why the site looked different to me, it had gone back to "mobile" setting. 

I am babysitting my mom's 4 gourami and one betta, Skye. I divided a 10, so Smoothie and Tangie are sharing a tank. They are having The Ultimate Bubble Nest Building Showdown. Each morning I am the judge. Tangie won 5 days in a row and now, finally, Smoothie won. Tangie's nest was bigger, but Smoothie had better form and height. Extra points are awarded if they work some floating plants in. Skye is next door in Smoothie's 10. He hasn't been inspired to build a nest, but then again he is elderly, about 2 years old. 

The gourami are doing great. They get along surprisingly well. Daughter's blue one is named Ocean and the yellow one is Sunset. Sunset is still small so he is chillin in the breeder box. If I do not drop pellets in fast enough, Ocean spits at me! Haha! I love it. He only gets the stream like a quarter inch above surface level. Like a warning shot. I know gourami knock insects off leaves by shooting them down with a stream of water. Maybe one day I will get gourami spit to the eyeball. They are ravenous. They eat a lot. Flakes, pellets... They like the Buggy Bottom Bites food too, they share that with the cories. Best of all is how LOUD they are when they eat. SMACK, SMAck SMACK. Oh and Ocean built a frothy bubble nest too. 

Listen to their eating:








Tangie and his nest



Skye


----------



## themamaj

Gouramis are really neat. Loved video! So cute boys making bubble nest to out do each other.


----------



## BettaSplendid

themamaj said:


> Gouramis are really neat. Loved video! So cute boys making bubble nest to out do each other.



lol

It is funny because I make all our animals talk. Smoothie is always grumpy and Tangie is always bubbly and happy. I ought to video them "talking" to one another. They insult each other's nests. 


Nice video, basic gourami stuff


----------



## MysticSky22301

BettaSplendid said:


> Huh, the website changed, or is it just me?
> 
> 
> 
> Daughter's gourami!


These are two different species ^^ the blue one is a dwarf powder blue, the orange one is a honey. The honey will stay smaller than the dwarf so keep that in mind

I adore honey's, dwarfs are just not right for my community setup. I had a beautiful pair of honey's that passed away a couple of months ago


----------



## ShadeSlayer

Wow, you're fish always amaze me how pretty they are. I love the gouramis. Maybe I'll get one some day. So cute, the smacking sound when they eat. Luc does that. He chews like a horse.


----------



## Tealight03

They all look great! Loved the video.


----------



## BettaSplendid

MysticSky22301 said:


> These are two different species ^^ the blue one is a dwarf powder blue, the orange one is a honey. The honey will stay smaller than the dwarf so keep that in mind
> 
> I adore honey's, dwarfs are just not right for my community setup. I had a beautiful pair of honey's that passed away a couple of months ago



:surprise:

Ah! I had never seen a honey in person before. So, is he full grown? Once my mom comes and picks up her 4 gouramis there will only be Ocean and Sunset in the 29 gallon tank. Will that be okay? ... I could return one... Fintastic said they'd be fine together so if they are not compatible then they should take one back. I must say though I am very attached to both of them. :grin2:


----------



## BettaSplendid

:crying:
That was really well done. Obi Wan is my favorite character. Love Han too. 





Gotta say... Pokey is sooooo wonderful. He is so sweet. He is just so happy all the time. I just want to kiss him and love on him all day-and I do! Hardly ever put him down, basically just when I am cooking or filling up the bathtub or feeding the animals. Well, and at night of course. When he wakes up in the morning he looks like :grin2: and I am all *squeal* :kiss: love love love Right now he is nursing and trying to sleep and oh so delightfully adorable. We usually go to bed around 7pm. Yes, I do go to sleep that early. He wakes up around 12 and then again at 3am, sometimes 5am, then around 7 or 8am we get up for the day. When he wakes he just nurses and falls right back asleep.


----------



## themamaj

Sounds like a wonderful baby! Makes it so much easier when the third is easy going 😊


----------



## BettaSplendid

I just moved the honey gourami to the shrimp tank. His little mouth is soooo tiny. I think the shrimp are safe, well, at least the adults. There is a lot of plants, especially java moss, in that tank so babies should be alright too. If not, well, I will move him again. He is currently in Freak Out mode glass surfing. Gourami seem to be veeeery sensitive little things. Betta are so "whatever, cool" with everything. The shrimp are happy. I put an Indian almond leaf and an anubias in there too. Busy investigating. 

Ocean built a pretty impressive nest. It is a sturdy wad of dead leaves, moss, and bubbles. I can even move it around and it doesn't fall apart or pop. He is proud of it though. The other fish are not allowed near it. I will be glad when mom comes and gets her fish. I have Gourami drama! I think one per tank is all I can handle. LoL Maybe Ocean, the cories, and some small schooling fish for the 29 gallon. This morning I about freaked out. I glanced at the tank and little Powder was laying on his side on the bottom. I think Ocean was chasing him and stressed him. Powder is my mom's favorite one. Luckily, when he saw me he perked up and came to the top for breakfast. Now he is in the breeder net since the honey one went to the shrimp tank. Can't take ANY chances with Powder being victimized. Nope. 

Gourami Drama. I need a paper bag. 


Ocean's nest that he is so proud of. He is at the bottom and Powder at the top of the picture, before Powder was put in the breeder net. 




Switching gears here. I made up little menus for breakfast amd the kids get to order what they want. Made little credit cards too. We had fun playing cafe this morning. They really got into it. Son even asked where our bathroom was. LoL They ordered crepes stuffed with cream cheese, turkey sausage and hashbrowns. I take their order on a note pad. I made sure everything was something QUICK AND EASY, don't worry! Frozen hashbrowns and sausage. The crepes were ready made too. Oh, heh, they ordered coffee too, lol. Made it with mostly milk though.  Son pronounces crepes as "creepies" to make me laugh. I got a $2 tip too. Haha. They have to sign the bill after swiping their cards. They both enthusiastically thanked me for playing with them. Hey, gotta feed them anyways, might as well make a game of it. Plus it gave opportunity to discuss how hard waitresses work and why we tip, restaraunt etiquette, ect. They needed "fun ma time" since I have been so busy with Pokey. He will be 14 weeks tomorrow!


----------



## Sadist

What an awesome game!


----------



## themamaj

You are so creative! Love game idea. Will have to do that with grandson. Cant believe Pokey is 14 wks! Do gouramis make bubble nest too?


----------



## ThatFishThough

@themamaj, I believe so. They are in the same family as Bettas... Anabantoid? I have no clue how to spell it.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Yes! They are a lot like betta! They can breathe air too. Son was watching Ocean build his nest. You know how betta so purposely get air fron one spot and carefully place each bubble? Son said Ocean would get air and swim under his nest and release a few bubbles at a time and let them float up wherever. Plus, he works the pplant material in. 

My betta book from Petco had a gourami section in the back, but I can't find it. Maybe Daughter knows. I think she asked if she could have it...


----------



## MysticSky22301

BettaSplendid said:


> :surprise:
> 
> Ah! I had never seen a honey in person before. So, is he full grown? Once my mom comes and picks up her 4 gouramis there will only be Ocean and Sunset in the 29 gallon tank. Will that be okay? ... I could return one... Fintastic said they'd be fine together so if they are not compatible then they should take one back. I must say though I am very attached to both of them. :grin2:


You should be OK ^^ I would suggest getting another honey or two if you want more gouamis it will keep any possible aggressive behavior down I had a pair that I absolutely adored ^^


----------



## ShadeSlayer

Lol Star Wars Fam!! Have you seen Rouge One yet?
Love the gouramis. I've been wanting them and ADF this week and my parents keep giving me the 'silence child your fish talk is obsessive' look.
Pokey seems so sweet and mellow. My cousin has a little girl who's under a year and she is soooooooooo amazingly sweet. She chills whenever you put her. When I first met her they just gave her to me and I was kinda nervous she;d start crying but she just stared at me and my brothers beanie and that was that. 
So what's the fish count these days? I have a total of... um...
3 bettas
1 gup
10 rasboras
18 corys (five species) 
3 endlers
3 nerite snails, 5 assassins, pest snails and waayyy to many plants between all the tanks. I can tell my corys apart mostly and my dad thinks I'm crazy. When we're on a vay cay and he watches the fish I'll ask him how Sam is and he'll be so confused as to which fish it is. I made him name cards so he knows.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Awesome. I love the name cards. 

Bettas... 9? There are Tangie, Smoothie, Flameo, Hunley, Shema, Lady Red, Lemon Drop, Spike and Rainbow. The girls are biiiig and robust and friendly. 

7 pepper cories. 

2 gourami. One is a powder blue dwarf named Ocean and the other a honey gourami named Lemon. Daughter keeps changing the name. 

Oh, and lots of shrimp! And plants! 

Plus, babysitting Skye, my mom's betta and 4 gouramis.


Yes! I saw Rogue One in the theater. We were a few minutes late so I am looking forward to seeing it again as I missed the beginning. The worst part is a lady behind me tapped me on the shpulder and asked if I would watch her son while she went to the bathroom. When I turned back around I saw the last second of Vader in thr bacta tank. That was the scene I most wanted to see and missed it. So disappointed. I will never get to see it on the big screen now. The movie gave a whole new depth to A New Hope! Really good.


----------



## ShadeSlayer

Haha, I get the names changes. My brother has renamed his endlers 3 times. Bummer on rouge one!! I watched The Force Awakens in the theater. It was my first Star Wars movie and I've binged watched them ever since. As a Han fan, I hope you don't eternal begrudge me due to the fact I'm a Kylo Ren fan. (Though I do love Han. So sassy) I can't wait to see Rouge One. I haven't seen it STILL and all my friends have spoiled it.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Daughter has finally come around, this week, to liking her brother. Pokey is 17 weeks! And very playful. He has such an awesome personality. I am soooo in love. Sigh. 



He loves this mobile. 


Uuum, I uploaded videos, I thought. Gotta go eat though.


----------



## themamaj

Squeals! So precious. Pokey is the cutest!!! All your kids are beautiful. Excited to see a post from you. I'm sure life is very busy these days. Hope all animals doing well too.


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## BettaSplendid

Duuuuuh the videos are hosted at youtube. Where is muh brain. 






Husband rocking 2 at once. Melt. I ran for my camera. 






Pokey and his mobile, much better than a still photo. 






Son's squirrels 






Big Son and littler one


----------



## ThatFishThough

Wait, Squirrels?

How are the 'pacas?


----------



## BettaSplendid

Last week Son went on "man day" with Husband. Sometimes he takes one of the kidlets with him and they help hand him tools or clean up around the jobsite and he pays them. Hubs works nightshift as a correctional officer and during the day he remodels houses, puts on roofs, etc. He never sleeps. Eh. Anyways. They were removing siding off a house and found a nest of 3 squirrely babes. New siding needed to go on and the homeowner did NOT want the squirrels. Imagine. Son begged to keep them. Husband called his friend who often raises orphaned squirrels and got the recipe for the milk. 12 oz evaporated milk, 12 oz water, 2 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons karo syrup. Feed every 4 to 5 hours. Son has been doing really good with them! They should be ready to release soon, I think. 

The other animals are doing well. Time to shear the pacas. Rats are huge and fat, Possum just got stuck in a Cinderella carriage. I got a picture...


----------



## Tealight03

Love the pictures! Pokey is too cute. So glad your son loves animals. So sweet he's taking care of them.

Did Rayah have her baby? Not sure I spelled that right.


----------



## themamaj

Those are the cutest videos!! Heart melts seeing how sweet kids are with their daddy. Pokey is quite the little talker. He looks like loves that mobile and has so much he wants to tell you about. Boys together is so precious. Pokey just lights up with his big brother. Squirrels. Hmmm. Never been a squirrel fan as bird lover but those babies are so stinking cute I might have to like them. Until they find the bird feeder that is haha.

Would love to see a new Possum picture. Still laugh at thought one in the Barbie bed. Any plans for fancy Khanan hairdos this year?


----------



## BettaSplendid

Lol IT WENT DOWN MY SHIRT





Also, I trimmed my own bangs and they look horrendous. Eh. 







Getting bigger and playful. Not ready to be turned loose yet though.


----------



## ryry2012

Beautiful family & adorable squirrels!!!


----------



## Tealight03

Ahh the squirrels are so cute!


----------



## themamaj

So cute!!! Are they still eating the formula? How can you tell ready for release?


----------



## BettaSplendid

They are still getting formula. They are also eating some regular food too now! They like puppy chow. Also have given them things like apples and carrots. They like chewing bark and nibbling leaves and pinecones. They look like regular squirrels now with nice fluffy tails! Son takes them into his tree fort during the day and they scamper and climb about. They could leap onto the nearby trees but haven't yet. They still want their milk every 5 hours, during the day. Son is content and not in any hurry for them to grow up. LoL. They talk to the wild squirrels sometimes while outside. 

My Amazon swords have made runners with baby plants! Pretty cool! They put the new plants near the surface and then send down long roots towards the bottom. I have seen 4 baby plants. But what to do with them. Amazon sword get big. 

I made a Shepherd's sling yesterday and Son has been spending HOURS outside practicing with it, slinging rocks, getting his technique down. So neat to watch! At first the rocks would fly everywhere, even behind him. Haha. It is funny how the simplest thing s entertain kids while expensive toys actually get old after just a few minutes. I think most toys are too limiting and do not need imagination to use, so they get boring fast. Who knows what is going on inside his head as he is slinging. Heh! We learned slings are still used, to propel grenades. 

I am going to go outside now with Pokey and watch the fun. The weather has been beautiful lately!


----------



## themamaj

Missing you BettaSplendid! I know you are busy loving on kiddos but miss seeing your posts. Hope you are doing well and had a very Happy Mother's Day.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Son started a journal here. His user name is Hunley the Betta.


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## themamaj

Oh that is great!! Looking him up! 😊🖒


----------



## Tealight03

How are the 'pacas? Saw some a while back and thought of you. Is Smoothie doing any better? Hope he makes it! Hope everyone else is doing well! Glad your son is on the forum!


----------



## BettaSplendid

The alpacas are doing okay. I am sure they're hot though. Then again, they lay out in the sun in 90F heat rather than the shade. I don't understand that. 

Smoothie... I have him in a little basket near the surface. His scales are still raised and he looks so pitiful. He eats enthusiastically and is pooping though. Poor little guy, it is only a matter of time. Each morning I am surprised he is still with us.


----------



## themamaj

Poor Smoothie. Glad you are keeping him comfortable.


----------



## Tealight03

That's how Poe is. Eating and pooping but spends most of his time laying on his side looking terrible.


----------



## BettaSplendid

I hope it is nothing contagious. All the other fish seem fine. I do fuss over my fishies! Son was rearranging Hunley's tank and Daughter was looking on, wistful and sad, wanting to do something for Smoothie. I hope he isn't in pain. I berate myself, wishing I could just be strong enough to put him out of his misery, but I can't.  He is actually in a white plastic basket that some strawberries came in. There is something cute about being in a strawberry basket. It has a solid bottom but the side have that woven look that allows the water to flow through. It is actually perfect for a hospital room for a fish.


----------



## Sadist

:-( I'm so sorry.


----------



## Tealight03

I say if they're eating it's not time yet. Just my opinion. I debated it with Poe when Killian passed. 

Sounds like he has a nice tank/medical setup.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Dear little Smoothie passed away during the night. Very sad. I am glad that he is no longer suffering. He was such a sweet fish. There simply isn't a better type of fish than a betta, as far as I am concerned. They have so much personality and such an array of colors and fin shapes! Just beautiful. I remember how excited I was to see Smoothie in Petsmart. There was no hesitation. He was perfect. I thank him for the time he gave us, blessing us with his presence. Daughter loved him. I have lots of Smoothie drawings and paintings she did of him. 


Smoothie in his favorite spot


----------



## Sadist

He was a special little guy.


----------



## Tealight03

I'm glad he's not suffering anymore. SIP sweet boy.


----------



## themamaj

Oh sweet Smoothie. I am so sorry to hear that. He was so beautiful with his pink color fins and seem to have a endearing personality. I know he was greatly loved. Hugs to you all.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Pokey is 7 months! He kept grabbing my spaghetti by the handfuls. 



He sits up, rolls over, and has 2 teeth. He isn't too concerned with learning to crawl, pretty content with the rolling. LoL oh my gosh he is sooo snuggly and super love. Mmmm I love him, little rolly thing. He is sleeping on me right now as I type. I like to watch him sleep. 

Driving his little car



Son made a pool monster out of floaties at the pool. It struck me as so funny. It has eyes! 



Son working in Hunley's tank. It makes me so happy to see him with hands in a fish tank! They betta have bettas when they grow up. :wink3::wink3:


----------



## Tealight03

Aww beautiful pictures. Pokey is too cute. Is daughter doing better with being a big sister?


----------



## BettaSplendid

She loves him now! He is less helpless newborn and more a playmate.


----------



## themamaj

Aww love seeing your pictures!!! Spaghetti faces 🤗 Love pool monster and seeing son caring for his betta is sweetest thing ever.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Husband brought home an orchid for me. I tied it to a piece of drift wood. The roots aren't in the water but the wood sucks up the fishie water and moistens the orchid's roots. My mom thinks it will get too much sun by that window so I may move it. It has been overcast lately so I haven't been able to see just how much light will reach it. I love the way it looks. Hunley is quite taken with it and set to work building a nest beneath it. 




Shema is jealous. 



He is so cute when he hooks his big flapper doodles onto a plant and chills. Erm, pectorals. 

I just finished doing a major deep clean on the 29 gallon. I took all the driftwood out. It has so many nooks and crannies that it just catches too much debris. Gross. Replaced it with an artificial hollow root. This tank has the 7 pepper corydoras and Ocean the dwarf gourami. 

I completely took down Smoothie's tank and bleached everything, even the gravel is out. It is sitting dry. Daughter is looking forward to payday and a trip to Fintastic. She doesn't have a particular color or fin type in mind but wants to let the betta choose her. See which one gets the most excited to go home with her. Sounds like a plan to me! Might get a breeder net and a girl to go in it too. 

Pokey has been waking hourly at night. I think his top teeth must be coming in. He slept bad when his bottom ones came in a couple weeks ago. I am hanging in there, lol.


----------



## themamaj

Beautiful orchid! Love pictures and those flappers 🤗
Cant wait to see what daughter picks! Poor Pokey. Those toofers are tough. Hope he feels better soon.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Pokey was loving this little red car at Sonic! Good thing I had lots of quarters. Daughter is in the truck (red dress) trying to draw while the truck is moving, lol, she is perpetually drawing. Eta, oh, it wasn't moving in the video, lol


----------



## themamaj

That is the cutest video! Had to watch over and over. Son in Nascar outfit? He just dotes on Pokey. So precious. What does daughter like to draw?


----------



## Tealight03

Oh Pokey looks so big! He is precious.


----------



## themamaj

Have loved your Youtube videos!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Yeah, that was Son in his Dale Jr outfit. He made money workin for his Pa and ordered it off Amazon. Amazing that it actually fit and I HAVE to call him "Dale" when he is wearing it. Hah! Daughter draws loooots of animals, and people, mermaids, flowers, she writes lots of little stories too. 
This is out of her notebook, all her nocturnal animals




So cute! 

She got her betta July 6th! He has a big heart shaped tail. She has enjoyed drawing him over and over and over. Pink body, red fins. 




She named him Spangles. He has a really cool personality. He is super focused on her, but also very chill. He wasn't scared at all of his new tank, he just explored everything, very curious. He watches her draw. Couldn't ask for more! I am very happy and she loves him already. He acts more like Twinkie who was very focused on her too. Love him. She drew 3 pictures of him and cut them out and taped them to his tank. 






She is quite taken by his heart shaped double tail!


----------



## themamaj

Love name! Double tail and heart 😍 What a great artist!!


----------



## BettaSplendid

*WHAT IS THIS? WHAT IIIIIIIS THIIIIIIS! *


















:grin2:








Lady Red and Shema and Flameo had babies! :surprise:

She had happily been living with sweet Shema for 3 months. He was so sweet to her. I finally took her out though because he was getting skinny and weak. He would just dance for her when I tried to feed him and she would gobble up all the food. He recovered quickly once I took her away and immediately began eating again. I moved her to Flameo's tank for a few days but he was aggressively chasing her so I decided she needed her own place. That was like 5 or 6 or 7 weeks ago? Imagine my surprise as I am doing Son's math with him and I look over and see a little white fish! 

I start squealing with delight and take pictures and call my mom who starts squealing with me and the kids are going crazy. Then Daughter checks Shema's tank and he has 2 babies too! I set up 2 plastic Sterilite bins and remove Shema and Flameo. 

The only reason they survived is because the 2 tanks they are in are as natural as an aquarium can be. Dirt bottoms and dense thriving plants provide cover and little tiny live foods like planaria no doubt. Now that I know they're in there I will be feeding them. 

So glad there aren't 100 of them, but I can handle a few! 

Lady Red is solid red, Flameo is red amd cellophane butterfly veiltail, amd Shema is an EE.


----------



## themamaj

😂🤗 bbbbbabies!!!!! Aww how precious and wonderful! So excited for you and kids!! Post losts of pictures. I can't wait to see more.


----------



## BettaSplendid

I will! So excited. I saw 2 at one time in Shema's tank. I hope they're EE. One for sure in Flameo's. Daughter saw another but it may have been a shrimp. The plants are so dense in there that it is easy to "lose" a full grown betta. I have to look a long time to find Flameo, lol. I really don't need a bunch of babies but I can't help hoping to see more.  

I never mentioned the baby squirrels. They are happily living outside in the trees surrounding Son's tree fort. For a while they would come down the tree and eat dog food out of a container that I held for them. Now they are fully wild but I see them watch me calmly from above. They look at me. All the other squirrels just ignore me, normal squirrel behavior. I say, "hey Bebe Squirrels!" So it was a successful mission, they've been raised and turned loose and doin fine. 

Pokey is 9 months old and just today he learned to clap. Also today he learned how to maneuver his little walker. He has been tearing around the house at top speed.


----------



## Tealight03

Aww I love the babies! That's great news! Hope everyone else is doing well!


----------



## BettaSplendid

They're hard to video! Here they are together, Shema's babies.


----------



## themamaj

So special!


----------



## BettaSplendid

The little boogers are doing good! Husband said they looked like boogers and the name stuck. There are 4 altogether. 2 from Flameo, a pink one and a grey one, and 2 from Shema, a clearish one with tinge of blue and one with tinge of red (picture above). I wonder what color the grey one will be as an adult? 

I love them. They go bonkers for mosquito larva. They blast up to the front of the aquarium and beg shamelessly. LoL. I feed them several times a day, ravenous little beasts. 

It got cool last week and I put heaters back in all the aquariums. Bye summer! So looking forward to fall. I want hot chocolate and cozy plushy sweaters.


----------



## Tealight03

They are so cute. Will you keep them?


----------



## themamaj

They are growing! So cute!!! I cant wait to see adult colors. Can you tell fin type?


----------



## BettaSplendid

I am sure we will keep them. Someone would REALLY have to want them bad for me to part with them, and I do not know anyone betta obsessed like that. LoL

I think all 4 will be different. Since Flameo and Lady Red are both veiltails, the babies will be too, but one seems like it will be red and the the other..? Some dark color? Now Shema's I am curious... He is a halfmoon EE, red, white and blue. 

Pokey had a fun day! We went to a baby music class and then went swimming afterwards. He loves music and was really getting into it.


----------



## themamaj

Cough cough you do know a few betta crazy people  but glad you are keeping them!! Genetics fascinate me so will love following their progress.

I bet Pokey is getting so big. Is he pulling up or cruising? Birthday in Nov? Music class sounds so fun. Can just visualize him patting to music with big grin. Does he like swimming?


----------



## Tealight03

I second mamaj's you know a few people comment. I'm excited to see them grow up. It must be exciting to get to raise them from little bitty fry! They are lucky to have you!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Oh man, he loved the pool! If we can go to music class each week then we could go swimming afterwards each time. We have a YMCA membership but hardly EVER go just because.. never seems like a good time. I could make this a routine because music class is early in the day. Pokey had a little baby floatie and Son was pushing him around like he was a battleship. Pokey was waving at the lifeguard and saying, "hiiiiii!" It is too cute, I cannot haaaandle the cuteness. Little swim diaper, baby fat rolls. Help me. He does pull up on the couch, but that scares me. I worry he will fall. He really does have a wonderful personality. Always so happy. He stays awake all day except for like a 30 minute nap around 2pm. Just happily stays awake until I put him in bed around 8pm, then it's like "okay, goodnight". So different than Son who slept a lot during the day and woke so often at night that I felt like I was a zombie for 3 years. 

The baby bettas grow so fast now, each morning they look different. I hope I can get a picture of Flameo's fry. The plants in there are so dense it is harder to see them. Will try today. 

Oh well now I didn't figure someone would want me to ship one of the Boogers. LoL Daughter wants to breed Spangles, her doubletail. If I were to actually try that I would get a double tail female though. Doubt I would. I must admit it has been exciting to see these little ones. My mom said this experience is probably more representative of nature. I had said, "but I thought they couldn't raise babies unless they had a bare bottom tank.." and she said well breeders are trying to get maximum number of fry, in nature she doubts they hatch out 100 and all survive to adulthood. Makes sense. I can handle 4. I would have FREAKED OUT if I had 100 hatch. Major oops. This was just a pleasant surprise. Someone gave Husband a 10 gallon with 2 heaters, 2 small filters, a Whisper air pump and airstones, I was like, "yeeeeeeees!" Good timing. 

Pokey waves to the fish and tells them all hi too. He loves Lemon the gourami the most.


----------



## BettaSplendid

They are so hard to get pictures of. Video is a bit easier. Here are Flameo's babies! The dark one is a mystery to me. Red parents. *shrug* what color will he be? He is the shiest of the 4 too. 







They grow so much each day. They love larvae. Mmm, who doesn't.


----------



## themamaj

Wow They are growing so much. So cool to aee them hunting. Do you raise own larva?


----------



## BettaSplendid

I have several buckets outside that I get larvae out off with a fine brine shrimp net. The boogers eat A LOT and I might need to fill up more buckets and actually TRY to get more larvae. Imagine that. Even when their tummies are full they are begging. Ridiculous appetites! But they are cute little beggars. 

So I had to seperate them this morning. There was a bully in each baby tank. The bullies were removed, bwhahaha, and the underdogs were left in planted paradise. I will get pictures later. They're each in about a gallon and a half with little heaters and some plants and decorations so don't feel too bad for them.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Too cute.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Flameo's baby, now alone in the 10. He is growing so fast! Looks like a fish now. 



And this one was removed. He is in a huge Milkbone container, lol. Not permanent. I need to know how many are males or females before deciding permanent housing. 




Shema's little darling, I love this little thing. I think it is a female or a very laid back male. 



And this one got banished for picking on darling. 



But it is cute...


----------



## Tealight03

They're so cute! They don't look too upset about their new living quarters lol.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Yeah they were surprisingly okay with their new homes. I think they were relieved to get their own space. When I checked on them in the morning the one in the Milkbone container was chasing the dark one relentlessly. Time to seperate! They seem kinda young to be that crotchety, but whatever. Grumpy little things. They're happy now. The Milkbone one is named Vesuvius after the volcano that covered Pompeii in ash. Son named him, and claimed him. The other one in the smaller tank, Shema's baby, Daughter claimed, but she keeps changing its name, could be Orchid or Warrior, or something else. The other two are mine! I think I will name that one Darling. The dark one still needs a name then. 

I have 11 seperate fish tanks or containers now! *passes out* 

I was trying to simplify.


----------



## themamaj

Your daughter is so precious! Just makes my day to hear her read her comic! Such a great artist and wonderful idea to do comic. I am very impressed with her reading!

Oh those baby bettas. Just when I think I can't get any more cuteness overload I see those little fins and faces!! I just laughed out loud at 11 containers. The milk bone container tickles me. You have been so creative with their new tanks. They all look like they are thriving. Any idea how old they are now? The colors look to be coming in well. Shema's baby may be my favorite but sure love those reds too. Love seeing the pictures!! Keep them coming.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Well, she wasn't reading it exactly, but she knew it because she had me write the words for her. She is pretty timid about reading actually and thinks she "can't" even though she is almost done with her reading lesson book. I guess she is comparing herself to big brother. She loves to make comics and books every day though. Had to share this betta one. 

So Shema has two ba ies, I think you mean Darling is your favorite? Darling is my favorite too. So sweet. Darling's brother is Laverne, Daughter named him. Then Son named his, a Flameo baby, Vesuvius. I named the other Flameo baby "Ember", I think he will look just like daddy, Ember is the dark one. I need to make a collage of them with their names so it isn't confusing. Daugbter wants me to write that Laverne is a character off of Pokemon. 

Ember and Laverne have MADE BUBBLE NESTS. Whut. They're babies and already planning on raising little ones of their own?! 

I will have to think about that, how old are they exactly. Hmm. I think they were around 2 months old whwn I first saw them? Uh, okay not sure about that.


----------



## Tealight03

Aww I love the baby stories. I want babies. I shall live vicariously through you since breeding is terrifying. Maybe ai need a Petco baby. 

I love your daughter's comics! Wish I was that creative!


----------



## BettaSplendid

Pokey is crawling! For the longest time he was only army crawling with his tummy on the floor. Then today he is up and crawling and standing up a lot holding onto furniture. Right now he is laughing at siblings. Son is saying, "try to hurt me!" and she is punching him as hard as she can and he is laughing. Oh geez. She keeps launching herself at him and missing completely. Well. She will wear herself out and hopefully sleep good. Hahaha, now she is squeezing his ankle and pumping his leg up and down trying to find pressure points. Son wiggled his toes and she tumbled backwards. Give it up. 

What I came here to say was Ember is making a nest. So Ember, Vesuvius, and Laverne are males? They are growing so fast! Laverne is red with blue wash which gives him an overall purple look. Vesuvius is red with cello tips like dad. Ember is red with black tips, Darling is yellow of all things. She is a PRINCESS. Refuses brine shrimp and holds out for larvae.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Little Darling, the yellow one, and Laverne. So far no signs of EE pectorals like dad has.


----------



## BettaSplendid

Uh ooooh, someone made a bubblenest... I just saw it. Little Darling might be a male. That is okay really. Just means fluffier fins. Sometimes females do make nests. Lady Red did. Darling is probably a boy though. 

Picture from yesterday, we went to a corn maze. 



Little Pokey is 11 months old and well...no longer a baby, he is a little man now. 












:grin2: He is a fun lil' guy. :grin2:


----------



## ThatFishThough

Love Little Darling! He does look like a male to me.  Pokey is so cute, I love watching him grow up!


----------



## themamaj

🤗 oh those videos make me smile! So precious!! I cant believe Pokey is coming up on first bday. Time goes too fast. What a great family picture. I sure wish we lived close. 

Darling is going to be a gorgeous betta. Well already is. How fun to watch these fry grow up.


----------



## Tealight03

Beautiful kids. Pokey is so cute. 

Hmm I'm not sure about Darling. Mystery! Lol.


----------



## BettaSplendid

ThatFishThough, holy cow. Your new fishies are beautiful. That goes beyond koi coloring, more like Bengal Betta, like little tigers. My jaw dropped and I officially freaked out over your avatar. Well. It is amazing the colors bettas are coming in now. 

Little Darling doesn't have an egg spot and he is quite big now, must be a boy. But he is so sweet still. He never gills me. Vesuvius, a Flameo baby, tries to vaporize me with his gills and beard everytime he sees me. Don't tell him, but it is funny. He thinks he is terrifying. I try to boost his moral by acting scared.


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## BettaSplendid

Oh, my mom sent me a link to this article about fish depression. They recommend bettas have at least a "2 foot" tanks with lots of toys. Awesome. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/16/science/depressed-fish.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur


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## Tealight03

I can't wait to read the article! 

Rofl at you pretending to be scared. Liam always flared at me the most, the rest hardly ever do. I'd be all "Liam James why are you flaring at me?" He'd look at me and then stop. Unless my finger was on the glass, then it was on lol.


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## themamaj

Hope your kiddos had a fun Halloween. What were their costumes? Our church had a big trunk or treat. The weather ended up good so it was super crowded but lots of fun. Grandson seemed to have a lot of fun. He got so much candy. He came home and dumped it in the floor, laid in the middle of it and made a "candy angel"lol. I sent a good bulk of it home to his mom's hehe. Grandma's can do that 

I thought of you when I was at the expo. They had so many pet rats. I saw some dumbo ear ones. They were so cute! I tried to get some good pictures of them. They also had these hamsters that were hysterical. They literally looked like someone had pumped them full of energy drinks as they bounced back and forth on the tank. 

How are the alpacas doing? Is their hair getting big and fluffy for cold weather? You will have to get some pictures. I might need my alpaca fix.

I can't believe little Pokey is almost a year old now. He has grown up so fast. I know you have so much fun with him. Each of your kiddos are precious. I enjoy all the videos you post of them!

How are those baby bettas doing?


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## Elizabeth08

Just reading your journal now. It’s awesome! Why did you stop posting?


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