# The Punny Fish



## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

I got my first betta when I was quite young (5ish) and looking back now, I probably took terrible care of that fish, but he lived forever and started my betta obsession. I had a string of bettas and guppies as I was growing up. My last "childhood" betta moved with my family from Illinois to Texas in the passenger seat of the car inside my crayon tank, and then lived another four years after that. I don't really remember why I got out of the hobby, but a few months ago my roommate randomly decided she wanted another fish, and one thing led to another...and that is how I acquired "Swim Shady".

Our beginnings were not the best. My roomie bought a female at Petsmart (I saw a marble who caught my eye but balked at the "premium" price), so I told myself I would buy a tank first with her at Walmart before going back to get a fish. At Walmart we went the cheap route and bought one gallon tanks, water conditioner, a few decorations, gravel, and food. The Walmart had a tiny fish display and about seven bettas on the shelf. Five of them looked close to death, but in the front there were two CTs who still had the spunk to flare at each other. I liked the red fins on the one and took home "Sushi". 

We took the fish home, set up the tanks, and acclimated the fish. "Sushi" was quite the ornery fellow, he tore his plastic plants out of the gravel and in general was a huge grumpy-gus. All my friends blamed his bad attitude on the fact that I named him as something edible, so "Sushi" became "Swim Shady". 

Hindsight is 20/20 and the longer I had Shady the more I realized he deserved better than that dinky one gallon, but lacked the funds/space at the moment to remedy that problem. Instead he got driftwood and marimo moss balls to spruce up his living space. Shady moved home six hours with me and got a new 2.5 gallon tank (National Geographic Aqua Oasis). He enjoys the space, but also likes to scare me half to death by wedging himself in the most precarious positions possible. 

A month or so later he seems like he 90% made of fins and will flare at anything and everything (nothing) he sees. Shady is a very picky eater and either refused or choked on all the food I tried to give him (soaked, pellets, flakes, frozen, etc) until I found the Hikari Betta Bio Gold, which he loves. The only problem with him is he hates the current from the filter in his tank, which I think is a by-product of him being all fins, so his filter is baffled with a water bottle. He is not the most visually stunning fish to look at, if he isn't in the light he just looks "Shady", so his new name fits him quite well!

He doesn't have a heater, but it is so hot here his tank is always right around 78 degrees. I'll probably look into one when winter gets closer, but since it is only going to get hotter here I don't think its an immediate need.

There's a few pics of Shady, his tank has always been on my desk in my room so he loves to spend all day interacting with me. The newest pic is the one with the pot since I had to do some re-arranging with the new addition (see next post).

Since I probably won't have too many updates after a while, I'm going to space out the introductions, etc so these aren't unbearably long. Hopefully I can look back and watch how far the boys have come!


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## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

Looks like a very healthy, happy, and beautiful fish! Nothing beats the classic look of a blue CT.


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

You stole my CT.

Nice fish I love that blue.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

About a month ago I went to Petsmart to get a new filter cartridge for Shady's tank (learned my lesson about quarantining live plants the hard way), and I made the mistake of walking past the betta display. A few of the cups had yellow stickers on them and said they were 20% off because they were close to their "sell-by" date. One little white guy stood out to me, but I told myself I didn't need another betta, we had company on the way and I had just upgraded Shady's tank. 

So I went home, but I couldn't stop thinking about him and I told myself if he was still there when our company left in a week I would go back and find him. Long story short he was there and looking in worse shape so I scooped him up. The funny part was he was on the front row of the cups (max exposure), but no one was interested in him until I picked him up, and then two people asked me if I was taking him because they thought he was interesting looking. But by then he was in my hands and coming home with me no matter what. 

Since he was kind of an impulse buy, he got put in Shady's old one gallon when we got home. I never realized how small he was/how big Shady had gotten until I set his cup near Shady's tank, he looked to be half the size of Shady, and he made the one gallon he was in look huge. I also didn't notice until I got home that his ventral fins were curled in on themselves, and not just really short.

It took me a while to settle on a name for him, he was originally "Arlequin" (after the french black and white clowns), but i finally settled on "James Pond" (JP) to go with the punny theme.

JP got upgraded to the same tank as Shady. The two of them could not be any more different personality wise. JP has only flared like twice the entire time I have had him. He is super friendly and active, he loves riding the current from his filter. He is always up at the front of his tank (on the other side of my desk) waiting for food. 

I can't wait to see how he marbles out and for his fins re-grow and straighten out! He is definitely Mr. Personable, and I am so glad I went back for him!


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## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

Another stunning betta! He will look even better once his marbling takes effect.


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

> A few of the cups had yellow stickers on them and said they were 20% off because they were close to their "sell-by" date.


I wonder what they mean by close to sell by date? Unless the fish is dead it can be sold, Betta keepers are famous for buying unwell bettas and nursing them back to health.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

I don't know, they also say "short date" on them as the reason for the discount. I went back to the same store the other day and they still had quite a few of the same bettas on sale, but there were now 40% off. They didn't look like they were doing too good, and it was a struggle not to bring any of them home with me.


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

> They didn't look like they were doing too good, and it was a struggle not to bring any of them home with me.


Every time I see something like that it breaks my heart.

Heres how a good Petshop houses Bettas, Those cubes are heated and filtered.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

It's too bad it isn't like that everywhere! These are a few that I recognized from the previous time I was there, and are now at a bigger discount.

The store didn't seem to have any additional "sale" bettas this time, only the ones that were there before. Hopefully they won't have such a large amount at one time again.


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## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

That dark one has such great coloring, love his eyes. Can't believe no one wants him.


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

> Hopefully they won't have such a large amount at one time again.


Sadly they will, When this batch is " Expired " they will get another batch in, and another and another. You will find that places like that get their bettas from a farm for about $1 each.

This is not in English, but watch it anyway this is how Bettas are bred.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

He is gorgeous, he was even more vibrant the first time I saw him! He is a "premium butterfly" so maybe the high price is putting people off. He would have come home with me if I had the room.

Instead I only got a few new plants that were discounted for not looking so good. I think I am developing the good/bad habit of wanting to save everything I see!


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

NickAu said:


> Sadly they will


Unfortunately I know there is a high probability they will but I have been going to that store on/off for quite a few years and have never seen the "sale" stickers before. I hope it is a temporary thing instead of a new habit. But I know it probably isn't.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Last time I went to the store to check on the "sale" bettas I happened to spot some plants that were on sale too. I only have anacharis in Shady's tank and I'm down to only 2 stalks of it now. I learned my lesson about quarantining plants the hard way (there were worms and decay and it was gross). 

I picked up a tube of Amazon Sword for less than $2 that had a few brown leaves. I also got a piece of "Mondo Grass" for $1 that I am conducting an experiment with to see if it lasts as an aquatic plant (I've heard mixed reviews and for $1 its worth trying).

So my old one gallon is now a plant quarantine/grow out. I was really excited to discover when I got home that there were actually two swords in the tube and after less than five days have both shot up a couple new leaves. I'm waiting for the anacharis to grow out some so I only have to replant the boy's tanks once, but even that is growing at a phenomenal rate.

I can't wait to get to all live plants!

I'm also debating starting a 10 gallon community tank with JP because he has to be the calmest betta I have ever owned. He's the only betta I know that likes to interact with his reflection in a non-aggressive way. He also didn't respond at all to Shady's flaring when they were temporarily next to each other as I was cleaning. It would be a while before I got the tank set up, cycled, and plants grown out to where I'd want them, but it might be worth a shot.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

We're live! 

My little discount swords are finally big/healthy enough to add to my tanks, so today the boys got an overhaul. Neither of them really liked their pots so I decided to re-scape without them and made the hardscape I do have work. I'm glad there are no more plastic plants and that my live ones are growing at a pretty fast rate.

Now my little one gallon in my window is looking pretty sad and I really want to start a ten gallon community with JP. I made the mistake of going to Petco today and I've got the bug again, we'll see what happens!


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

I'm so excited, today is the first day both boys have made bubble nests at the same time! Shady's is pretty small and in the corner I thought he hated while JP's is about 3x the size. I've been sitting at my desk on/off all day, but I didn't notice them until now.

I was cleaning out my one gallon corner plant grow out/hospital tank today when I realized I had a clear plastic storage bin that might work for a replacement. It has a larger "footprint" than the 1gal (which I hate because of its inconvenient shape) and holds over 1.5 gallons. Right now I filled it up, added a thermometer and an air stone, and put my tiny anacharis trimmings back in. I'm going to do water testings and monitor the temperature to see if it could be safe to use as a hospital tank if I give in and "rescue" another betta, if it doesn't work I'll just use it to grow out my plant trimmings.

I added pics of the boy's bubble nests, plus their usual poses upon seeing me (JP coming over to say "hi" and Shady flaring because he didn't get food).


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## BettaStarter24 (Mar 24, 2014)

That tub should be perfectly fine to house a betta. I had Sammy in a small tupperware tub when I first got him.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Thanks, that's what I'm thinking but I am trying to convince myself I'm stopping at two bettas for now. Though the dollar per gallon sale is awfully tempting at the same time!


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## BettaStarter24 (Mar 24, 2014)

Who needs to stop at 2? When you can have 16!


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

I gave in and bought a 10 gallon today. I wish I had room for a 20 long, but the 10 fit perfectly on my nightstand. I'm going to set it up tomorrow and get it cycling asap.

I'm debating on whether to make it a community tank with JP and then get another betta to fill JP's tank once I'm sure he is going to be alright in the community, or make it a divided tank and get even more bettas. Decisions, decisions.


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## BettaStarter24 (Mar 24, 2014)

Get a giant betta they're fun


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## mingking (Mar 7, 2016)

Oooooo can't wait to see what you decide to do with the 10G! 

I love Slim Shady's spunk and spunky animals in general. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Shady is quite the character, I love it! He now has a leaf hammock that he uses to perch on in the front of his tank and judge my life choices (at least that's what his grumpy face seems to portray). 

I'm waiting for my Amazon order to come tomorrow with my heater, filter, light, etc for my new tank (yay giftcards!), but I set up the hardscape tonight because I can't wait until tomorrow! I'm excited for how it is coming along. The background is cut from a $1 poster board, the gravel was half off (yay!), and the rocks were free (double yay!). I love all the little caves created by the rocks and hopefully they will provide shelter, if necessary, for the future inhabitants!

I'm debating what to do for plants, because I realized that I am not patient enough to wait for the ones I already have to grow large enough to fill up the bigger tank. I may just end up buying a package online and add the extras to my other two tanks.

Excuse the condensation at the bottom of the tank, I just rinsed the gravel and it was still a little warm when I put it in. I'll probably rearrange it again and again later haha


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## mingking (Mar 7, 2016)

Looks great!!!! How were the rocks free? I love rocks but they're so expensive. 

I also love the poster board background idea. 


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

mingking said:


> Looks great!!!! How were the rocks free? I love rocks but they're so expensive.
> 
> I also love the poster board background idea.


Thank you! I like the poster board because it's more of a matte black and makes everything else stand out. The rocks were from a friend, but I'm not sure where they got them from. I did the vinegar test, scrubbed, and boiled them, I'm going to monitor the pH and make sure they don't change anything before adding the fish.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

It's been a while, and a lot has changed!

The 10g is planted and was cycling with five platys without any problems for a couple of weeks. I then realized three of the platys had ick, and quarantined all of them in my hospital "tank" (which is really a 6g plastic IKEA tub that I emptied of substrate and live plants and then added my old plastic plants). I raised the temp to 86 degrees and added an air stone.

Just after the 10g was set up I found 10 red cherry shrimp on craigslist for $10. Since the 10g was immature I put them in my already set up hospital tub, for lack of better options. They were flourishing in the tub, but when the platys got ick the shrimp had to be moved into the 10g for lack of a better place to put them because it turned out my heater couldn't hold the whole 10g at 86. I was really scared to put the shrimp in the immature tank, but they have been doing great! I've only lost one, and I was out of town for two weeks and my fish-sitter didn't pay them as much attention as I would have liked. The rest of them are doing fine, and the best part is (as of four days ago) I now have babies, one berried female, and another saddled female. My favorite new past time is counting all the tiny babies I can see!

I've left the platys in the quarantine tub for the moment because I want the main tank to have enough time for the ick to die without hosts and give the baby shrimp time to grow past snack size. I know it's a little small and the water changes/poop siphoning are a pain, but they are doing fine in there.

I also had to deal with a minor pond snail invasion in the 10g (still puzzled where they came from), but I've sucked up all the snails I can find and they are doing a great job of cleaning out my surplus plant bucket at the moment. 

JP and Shady are both fine they've both gotten more plants that were leftover from the 10g. Shady's tank has gotten diatoms (grr), so that is a pain, I wish he wasn't so aggressive and I could use a couple RCS to clean up some.

Here's a few pics of the tank (before the ick), the hospital tub (after the ick), and a few shrimp/babies shots.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

I got quite the surprise a few days ago when I was gifted with a large piece of driftwood. It was cleaned and spent two days soaking before I added it to the 10g. I was terrified of rescaping with the shrimp and babies still in the tank but everything went smoothly and the wood is in. It is being held down by several rocks now, and the tank looks really cluttered (need to do some trimming), but I can't wait to see it without the rocks. It's got a lot of great holes and crevices that the shrimp love climbing on. 

There was also a deal at my LFS and I got a little nerite for a song. He's going to live in the 10g but do some contract work in the two 2.5g to give the 10g time to "re-charge". If all three tanks run out of algae (ha), I have a plant "tub" he can go to town in. So meet Larry the Algae Guy. I've given up on naming the shrimp (there are like 3 I can ID on sight), but two of my female bumblebee platys need names still.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Tannins and babies everywhere!

It's been a while, huge family emergency came up and I feel like I've been "neglecting" my tanks. If its not involving feeding and water changes, I haven't been paying attention. Everything has calmed down and I realized that my little 10 RCS colony has exploded into 40+. The huge piece of driftwood is leaking tannins like no tomorrow, but I'm realizing I don't mind the water color. So the 10g has the RCS and the nerite (now named "Shelldon"), as well as two bumblebee platy fry.

I was not expecting platy fry any time soon. The five platys are still in the 6gal plastic tub, two of them are being donated to a school aquarium when I have time to take them over, which will leave me with all 2 female and 1 male bumblebee. I was really surprised to find a surviving fry a week ago, and I moved it to the 10g so it wouldn't get eaten. I was even more surprised to find another fry in the tub last night, just hanging out. They're both pretty big and I'm not sure how I missed them all this time. 

Once I have some more time and get rid of the two platys I am going to focus on raising the RCS and bumblebees. I've found a LFS locally that is interested in buying some and might sell a little on craigslist/etc. I'm debating how I want to segregate baby/adult platys/RCS between the 6g tub and the 10g tank. 

Both bettas are doing great, and I've been experimenting with ceramics to make homemade tank decorations. I'm also debating starting a 1gal planted tank to sit on my desk. I don't have any pics of the platys yet, but here are a few of the 10g and the shrimp explosion (please excuse the dirty glass).


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## MysticSky22301 (Apr 16, 2016)

BettaStarter24 said:


> Who needs to stop at 2? When you can have 16!


I've got 23, 24, and 25 showing up this week! I mostly have girls in sorority tanks ( upgrade coming soon) but I'm starting what will end up as a show project with the pair coming ^^ if I can ever find shows close enough to me -_-


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Moved the boy's tanks onto my new bookshelf. I love how the tanks fit into it and it's fun to sit in my "nook" to watch the boys and read. Shady had a small but of fin nipping, but everything has grown back in great. JP has started to marble and is getting a black outline on his body and starting to shade in. I have a bunch of plants coming in and when the 10g is done with ich (ugh) and even more planted JP is going to move to the 10g. 

My MTS is increasing, right now I'm at 5 tanks (the temptation to get another 2 tanks for the shelf is growing), and I may/may not have just bought a new filter on Amazon (on sale for $8!) "just in case". I'm trying to convince myself I don't need a new 20L while the $1/gal sale is going on. I have a LFS that is interested in buying the bumblebee platys and RCS I am breeding, so I'm trying to justify the new tank in that I can breed more and increase my "profits".

I'm very excited at the progress my RCS are making. I bought the original 10 in June and the first batch of babies are maturing quickly. I counted 9 saddled females in the 10g last night and I made my first sale which payed for their initial purchase!


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

I traded 10 RCS for some stem plants and was not expecting to receive 3 gallons of hornwort and anacharis in return! The only logical next step was to get the 20 long I have been longing for. Being as this would be my 6th tank I needed to save some money and went the DIY/cheap route on this one.

The substrate is pool filter sand and the hardscape is from existing tanks and was free in the first place. I'm running a Marina S15 I got on Amazon for $8 along with a sponge filter that was in my shrimp tub. Right now the only inhabitants are about 15 RCS from my tub. Both the boy's tanks got a makeover with the leftover sand and plants. Even after doing the 20g, two 2.5gs, and adding to my 10g I still have a TON of plants left. I was skeptical about the sand, but now I love it and am debating rescaping the 10g with it once the 20g has matured. 

I am amazed at how fast JP seems to be marbling, the picture from today is just 4 days from the last one and he has a lot more black/blue. Shady likes his renovated digs, but JP absolutely loves all the plants. He already liked to wedge himself so he can lay in the weirdest positions all around his tank and delights in scaring me half to death thinking he's going to get stuck one day.

Once the 10g finishes the ich treatment I'm going to move the platys and some of the RCS to the 20g, along with JP. I'm hoping I can also move Shady into the 10g, but I'm skeptical about his compatibility with anything (even though there's a pond snail with him he hasn't bothered).

Also found out there is an awesome LFS close to where I work that supposedly sells ALL their bettas for under $3, so if the boys get upgraded I might be getting another. I've looked at their online stock list, and am really excited because they are remarkably cheaper than other stores and have been highly recommended.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

I can't believe how much JP has changed. He's such a goof, he loves to wedge himself everywhere, refuses to use his leaf to rest on, but gets huffy if I take it out. His "t-rex" ventral fins are still tiny and adorable, and he makes the biggest bubble nests. It's so much fun having these guys on my desk and interacting with them all day. I love that they get excited to see me and gosh forbid I feed the other fish first.


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## MysticSky22301 (Apr 16, 2016)

He's beautiful!


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Went to Petco early this morning and they were "cleaning" the betta rack. One of the guys I took pictures of earlier in the week was not going to make it back on the shelf, if you know what I mean. I've made friends with a few of the workers there and offered to save him, so $1.00 later he's at home in a temporary one gallon. I'm still deciding what to call him but I'm leaning towards Vincent van Goby because his coloration reminds me of "The Starry Night". He's quite shy and hasn't flared even when sat down next to another tank. Obviously he has no experience with plants and can't figure out why he can't just swim right through them. He has colored up just since I've had him and I can't wait to see what he looks like settled in and healed up a little.

I wish I had taken a picture today in the store because he looked 10x worse. When he's ready I'll shuffle things around and find him a real tank. Hopefully if I go back next week the other guy I took pictures of won't be on the chopping block, I don't have any more room (which is what I told myself 2 bettas ago).


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

van Goby is settling in well. He now has a 10g with some RCS for company. He took a token swipe at a few of the shrimp in the first day but they're all full grown and used to the shenanigans of my platys so one betta is a cake walk. He built a bubble nest right next to the filter outflow, he seems to enjoy "riding" it around. He is quite hard to get a pic of, especially because he wasn't looking/feeling that great when I got him. 

He just discovered he can see himself reflected in the glass and flared for the first time. So here's a few pics because I think he's gorgeous! I wish his colors were better reflected in the pictures, the red and yellow are much more prominent in real life.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

It's been a rough couple of months, between family emergencies and a failed sorority tank its been a struggle. I haven't had any time to sit and appreciate my fish, which is on of my favorite things. Finding a couple fry in my 20g community tank kind of re-kindled my obsession again. So update time:

Shady is starting to marble a little bit, he loves the wild jungle of this tank and is relishing in all the attention he has been getting lately. 

JP's marble seems to have stabilized for the moment, I am glad his face remains white, it makes his "goatee" stand out more. I think he is actually a dragon scale. JP doesn't appreciate his plants as much as Shady does, he prefers to lay on the bottom amid his decorations. Right now he is betta-testing (get it haha) a ceramic piece I made, he seems to love it so far.

Vincent van Goby is still living it up in the 10g with some RCS. He got a rescape when I had to trim the 20g and I made a terrace that he and the shrimp really like. He is also betta-testing a ceramic castle "tower". 

The 20g started out as a sorority but due to a mix of ill preparation and sick fish, had to be disbanded. I ended up keeping one of the girls "Georgia O'Reef", she is currently living with 5 platys, 6 peppered corys, about 15 RCS, as well as some platy fry. She was the least aggressive of the girls I had left and seems perfectly content with her new roomies, it helps that the platys are fearless and don't take any of her crap. Judging by the number of fry I see hiding in the plants she isn't aggressive enough (I was counting on her for some population control). I really like how the scape is now but the plants are growing a little too well and it requires trimming every week or so to keep it manageable. I have a tub of "extra" plants that I need to find a use for soon. 

The other girls from the failed sorority were re-homed to a friend who recently lost her tanks in a move, I had room for all of them, but this way they're getting a lot more attention. 

I've been trying to get back to doing the things I love doing, so here's to diving back into fish and art projects!


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

The ugly: my father suffered a massive heart attack and while his heart was easily repaired he suffered an anoxic brain injury and his recovery is now measured in years. I've moved home to be his caretaker, so all of my tanks and I moved 6 hours home. 

The bad: when I tore down all my tanks I discovered Van Goby has camallanus worms, so the the entire 10g is infected. I've ordered some meds, but from my reading I've heard it's hard to beat. I'm really glad I kept everything separated during the move and that I have different tools for each tank so no one else should be infected.

The good: everyone else is doing fine in their tanks, when we moved everyone got a rescape and I found some baby corys in the 20g, I'm surprised they're there at all, they have a lot of hiding places but also a lot of tank-mates who will try and eat them. 

Just taking it one day at a time for now!


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Since I'm at home most of the day now, I've had some time to take new pics, here's a few of them. featuring Shady, Georgia O'Reef, and JPs disappointed face.

I love watching them marble! JP is getting black through his fins, Shady is turning white, and Georgia is turning blue/red, she looks like she might marble into a butterfly.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Quick re-cap since I haven't been posting in my journal:

1. Lost the battle with camallanus worms in my 10g, only the shrimp survived, they're in their own 1gal in my windowsill and loving it.

2. Tried to breed JP and Georgia in the since cleaned 10g, everything went perfect (nary a nipped fin) until the fry were 3 days old and JP ate them all overnight.

3. Found a rimless 3ft tank with a working light at my local thrift store for $9

4. Been overrun by duckweed, if anyone doubts how quickly it multiplies I started with 5 leaves four months ago and now have enough to cover most of my 20L, half of the new 3ft tank, and part of the 10g.

5. Was "gifted" with 4 female bettas that were the "leftovers" from a craft project *shudder* 4 days ago. It's like the universe knows when I have a tank or two empty and I have a flashing neon sign over my head that says "will take unwanted fish". 

6. Went to Petco to find at least one other girl for the eventual sorority I am apparently now building. Came out with 2 intentional purchases, 1 rescue, and a job offer.

7. Thought the rescue CT girl had at least one fin in the grave, floated her in the 10g with the others and found out she will try to kill ANYTHING that moves near her.

8. Ordered more plants for the 3ft tank and to rescape the others.

9. Got a call that the craft people had the other female returned to them, picked her up on the way home from the hospital yesterday. She was still in her original Petsmart cup and has some obvious swim bladder problems.

So hello 8 new girls and 2 new tanks :/


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Not the best two days:

Lost the little gold girl, who was the last "leftover", it was too late to fix her swim bladder problem.

Had to euthanize Little Miss Sunshine (the CT rescue from Petco), her kidneys were failing and she was suffering 

Got my plant shipment in, and it was rather lackluster, hoping the seller will make it right!

As I was doing WCs on the girls cups this morning one of the cups broke as I was putting it back in the tank, after a few minutes of frantic searching I found her on the carpet, luckily she seems to have suffered no ill effects, and is enjoying being free in the 10g.

Better news:

My RCS colony in my 20g has exploded, I counted over 50!

The 3 foot tank at least has plants in it, now to wait for them to grow in and the girls to go through QT. I threw in 10 RCS, just to clean up the plant debris. 

I'm debating picking up another girl since I've lost some, I've read 6 is the minimum, but then I've heard more is better. AqAdvisor says I could keep 17 bettas without being overcrowded (holy crow what a difference a large surface area makes!).


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

Loving the Journal. Just read through all of it!  Sorry to hear that your dad isn't doing the best. Keeping you in my thoughts!


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

ThatFishThough said:


> Loving the Journal. Just read through all of it!  Sorry to hear that your dad isn't doing the best. Keeping you in my thoughts!


Thank you!


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

I've been meaning to upload pictures of the girls so here they are, I named them after the 7 deadly sins, but since the little gold girl passed away, they're the 6 sins right now. The pics aren't the greatest, I was in the middle of switching them to their .5gal containers. 

Superbia (pride): flashy and always hungry









Acedia (sloth): least reactive girl









Ira (wrath): HATES her WCs









Invidia (envy): little miss I won't eat anything









Avaritia (greed): has jumped out of her cup during a WC and when her cup snapped mid-WC she fell on the carpet, has a sign on her cup that reads "I'm why we can't have nice things"









Gula (gluttony): ALWAYS hungry, tries to eat the duckweed and everyone else's food


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

I have to say, Superbia is my fave girl. <3


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

So I'm a terrible person and I've been stalking the betta rack at a different Petco than my normal one. They seem to have a better variety and take better cares of their bettas. I've been watching the same two girls for the past 2-3 weeks. I went today just for fun and one of them had been sold, come to think of it all the girls except the one I got and another CT spitfire were gone. I've always wanted a koi, so I scooped her up. It was so hard to tell she was a koi at all, she honestly just looked like a black and white marble, and if you held her up to the light you could see a tiny bit of blush color. So I brought her home, and I have been amazed at how quickly she has colored up. I forgot to take a picture of her at the store, so these are right when we got home and less than an hour later. I love her blue eyes! She's probably going in the sorority with the other gals, she shows barely any reaction to the others, and the others have calmed down since she's been in there, things had been a little tense ever since the other girl passed. Maybe seven is their "magic" number.

So meet the last of the seven deadly sins: "Luxuria" (lust)


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Envy finally ate a few frozen brine shrimp, fingers crossed she keeps eating (though I would love it if she'd just eat everything I offer like the other girls). I also found out she HATES the sight of my phone when I'm trying to take pictures. 

I have to say I LOVE the koi girl Luxuria, she's so cute!

Two of the girls hate their WCs, which is unfortunate because they happen everyday. They're all in their bigger cups and I rotate who they are next to so everyone gets acquainted with everyone else. It's great that I can monitor what everyone eats and how much they poop everyday during the WCs. Ira seems to either be a little eggy or constipated, though I fasted her when I first got her and she pooped and her belly went down a little bit, but she seems to bloat a lot while she's eating. I think I might fast her again, just to be sure. 

I'm getting a replacement shipment of Ludwigia later this week, to make up for the sub-par group I received last week. I'm hoping this set is much better. I'm waiting for the tank to grow in some more, I'd like the two parts on either side of the "river" to meet eventually in the middle. I added a few more rocks and a PVC pipe since I had them lying around. You can't even see the white pipe through the hornwort, so that's a plus. 

JPs tank got rearranged, along with the 20 long, I'm waiting for the replacement plants to come in to replant some more.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

I was bored and messing around in Photoshop today, and this was the result (excuse Ira's belly, it happened to be the most true-to-life color wise, and shes fasting right now to try and reduce it).


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

After 2 weeks of QT, the girls have been together in the 3ft tank for about a week now. So far everything has been going well, they've definitely been developing the hierarchy, but there haven't been any major fights and everyone has their fins intact. I think the fast current of the filter in the only open space has been a great help in breaking up any chasing. The girls love the plants and so far have been ignoring the RCS, I can't ask for much more! They get along great at meal time as well.

It's so hard to get good pictures of the tank, because it's soo long. Since I work from home I spend a lot of time at my desk and interacting with the girls, I'm constantly counting them to see where they all are. (ignore my dirty desk please!)










It is hard to believe this is the same pale little girl I grabbed a few weeks ago. She's the queen of the jungle.










The only hiccup is that Ira's bloated belly is back, so she is getting fasted again :/ Thankfully she's a little more skittish than the others and doesn't come as readily for mealtimes.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

I've never had this problem before, but the sorority is over planted. The girls can't push through so they congregate in the open areas. The aggression isn't really a problem, but I'd like them to be able to use the entire length of the tank. Knock on wood though, everything else has been going great with them. Time to thin out the jungle.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

While pruning the girls' tank I realized part of the new ludwigia I received was rotting. I ended up ripping out the entire thing and decided that while I was at it I was going to re-do the substrate. I had also been gifted with a piece of driftwood so the girls got a major rescape. I'm so happy I decided to change the black gravel to sand like my other tanks. I realized I was having a hard time finding the darker girls and now they pop against the lighter substrate. Since I lost so many plants the tank isn't quite as densely planted as before, but it doesn't seem to be a problem. The poor little sword was not thriving in my 20g like the others, so hopefully it will eventually outgrow this tank. The girls actually get along better now than before. 

I'm so glad I re-did the tank, it's my favorite one and since I work from my computer, I spend a lot of time looking at it. The girls are great, and watching their interactions and figuring out their personalities is so much fun. I'll have to do a whole other post just on their personalities, maybe a video.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Woke up early this morning to see the girls all sleeping on the new driftwood together.

Then I looked over a minute ago and Ira was swimming around with a little bladder snail in her mouth. She shook it around and then sucked out the unsuspecting snail. I'm re-thinking my plants to add a snail to eat the little bit of slime on the new driftwood. I'm surprised, considering all the RCS are intact. 

We can never have nice things around here.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

So I went to look for frozen daphnia at Petsmart and ran into an actually knowledgeable employee. I was so impressed when she asked me good questions and then a mother and her young daughter came over (the little girl wanted some ADF), the employee did a great job of talking them through what would fit in their existing tank and even talked them into buying a larger tank. I had to leave before they finished picking things out, but it was great to hear her talk about her own fish and explaining it to the little girl. 

Then I went to Petco (Petsmart was out of daphnia) and was browsing the betta rack and this woman walked up and started looking as well. She turned to me and goes "so you just keep them in the little cups, right?". I told her my bettas at home all have large tanks and that they need more space. I explained to her how getting a larger tank is actually easier because it is easier manage the water quality. She nodded, grabbed a little red VT (saying how she feels so bad for them) and then grabs a .5 gallon little "kit" and walks away.*facepalm*

I actually saw her checking out and she decided at the last minute to put the betta back, I'm not sure if he would have been better off in that little .5g or back on the shelf.

Side rant: that PetCo takes the WORST care of their bettas, they only ever have like half a rack full and they're always in rough shape. I'm not usually a red betta person, but there was a stunning red rosetail that had some swimming problems (nothing that couldn't be fixed with some clean water). 

I have an empty 10g that I can't decide what to do with. It's cycled and sparsely planted right now with about 15 of my best RCS. I can either leave it solely a shrimp tank and sell the shrimp, divide it to give JP and Shady a slight upgrade (only problem is Shady hates being in anything bigger than a 3g, maybe if I divided it 3 ways he would be okay in that space), attempt breeding again and use it before the growout, or get a new betta. Decisions, decisions. 

I also saw a 3g bowl at Goodwill the other day and I've always wanted to do a planted bowl, maybe I could put some shrimp in there.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

I couldn't stop thinking about that poor rosetail at Petco so I went back for him the next day, and he was gone  They had "cleaned" the betta rack and all the sickly looking ones were gone. It's very frustrating to see all the new bettas they got in are the more expensive ones, when they hardly sell any at all. I did fall in love with another rosetail who was a dragonscale and had the prettiest blue eyes, but I couldn't convince myself to pay the $20 for him.

Good/bad news: I got a job offer and will moving across the country (yay), bad news is I have to figure out how to move the fish with me, and quickly. So far I've condensed the boys from their individual tanks into the now divided 10g. I made really quick dividers by cutting off the front and back of a plastic binder (which fit perfectly) and hole-punching holes in them. I'm not quite sure how secure they will be in the long run, but I have to push pretty hard to get them to move and they're wedged in there with all the rocks. I've put Shady and JP on the ends so if one of them does push the barrier they'll just end up with the middle section. As predicted Shady is freaking out at the space and flaring at everything, he does NOT like change at all. JP couldn't care less. 

I also stopped at goodwill and found a 2 gallon bowl and made a NPT shrimp tank. I've always wanted to do a bowl and this one holds a surprising amount for it's size.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Thought I'd do a picture/update on all the bettas, so here's the first one:

Swim Shady
Almost 3yrs old
Multi CT (now marbling)

Just moved Shady to the divided 10g, as I predicted he is less than amused. My poor little Walmart baby, he's always had fin problems, and has started to marble in the last 6 months or so. Very feisty, will flare and anything (and nothing) at all. Got me back into bettas again.

Edit: no idea why it turned the pics sideways


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

James Pond "JP"
1.5 years old

JP loves to hang out wedged between whatever he can find. He enjoys giving me heart attacks when I think he is going to get himself stuck. Has a perfected disappointed face, which he employs quite frequently. Fins never fully recovered from the ammonia burns he suffered before I got him. Love my little discount boy, he's changed so much since I got him.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Got a new boy, I got tired of looking at the empty section between Shady and JP. It makes me so mad how little effort it takes to fix a "sick" betta, from a business point of view their profit margins have to be astronomical in order to be able to afford the money they are flushing down the drain (pun intended). I intentionally picked a boy with some swim bladder issues, he wasn't in the worst shape of those there (and it was a PATHETIC selection) but he caught my eye, he was also mislabled as a double tail when he just has a small split. He perked up incredibly fast, the powers of clean water are amazing :/ So meet Paul McCarpney, he's in the boys old 2.5 temporarily for QT. I was also tempted by a yellow female koi while I was there, she was stunning!

Avarititia has a lump on her side, I thought she was just marbling to a darker blue, she's had the spot since I got her and it has gradually increased in size, but lately it's become raised a sort of looks like a callous. I'm wondering if its a cyst or something treatable. Her behavior is unchanged and I'm hesitant to remove her too soon and disrupt the hierarchy for something benign. Plus, if it's contagious I'm going to have to treat the entire tank anyways.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Really love your journal. Your fish are gorgeous and I am right there with you on the pet store rants. Oh shudder to think what they do when they "clean" the shelves. Heartbreaking for sure. You have done a great job with your tanks. What type sand did you use in the divided 10? Looks similar to some Carib Sea I have in one of my tanks. I like that rock as well. What type of stone is it? Really lovely red boy you got. I'm glad he was lucky enough to find a home with you. Your little female might have either a cyst or small tumor starting. I have had several with tumors and they have lived a long time with them. She has a very interesting color pattern with the spot which is so unique. I am amazed at JP your discount boy. Wow he doesn't look like the same fish. Genetics is so fascinating to see come into play. Congrats on new job. Hope you are able to move everyone smoothly and safely. Look forward to following them more.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Thank you! The sand is pool filter sand, which is what I use in all my tanks. I love it, but it definitely needs a good rinsing before it's ready. At $6 for 50lbs, I can't complain. The rocks may/may not have been appropriated from the landscaping in the parking lot of Petco  it's just a red river rock that is inert. I rarely buy my decorations, so I've gotten good at the vinegar test and cleaning the things I find. I love how the new boy's red coloring pops with the plants, can't wait for his QT to be up so he can join the other boys. That's what I'm thinking for her as well, the color change threw me for a loop though. I figure the other girls would have caught it by now if it was something contagious, and as long as she isn't suffering I'm fine with it. I didn't end up moving, the job fell through last minute, which stinks, but I'm not positive what I want to do with my life anyways, and I'm sure something else will come along. On the plus side, all the tanks are moving ready, and I have two empty 2.5gs that are calling to me...


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Rofl so I need to scour parking lots for stone eh? Actually that is great you have been given a lot of decor. Funny when people find out our passion for fish, tanks, decor and more fish seem to come knocking at our door  I have a co-worker bringing me a tank and supplies tomorrow. Only problem with having a lot of empty tanks sitting around, as you know I'm sure, is this desire to fill them. My girls middle names are the fruits of the Spirit. I may have to start naming the 7 deadly sins to keep me in check haha. I got into betta rescue a couple of years ago which is a good part of how my fish room came to be. When you see ones in great need it is really hard to walk away especially when you know you have the knowledge and ability to fix it. I've gotten better about walking away but it always grips my heart. Then there are days like today I come home with a fish just because I really liked it. Sorry the job didn't work out. I'm sure the right job will open up for you at the right time. Any tips on shrimp breeding? I have had some limited success with a small group, until Alek decided he liked to snack on them. I am looking into doing a shrimp only tank and would love to get them breeding better.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Scouring the parking lot has worked for me haha! I believe the universe just knows when I have an empty tank, and people seem to see a flashing neon sign above my head "will take fish". Naming them the seven sins has kept me honest so far and not adding any more girls, it's kind of sad that the fact that there isn't an 8th sin seems like a harder problem to solve than not wanting to mess with the group dynamics. I have the same problem when I get fish, I'm trying to combine my bleeding heart with picking out bettas I really like. Don't get me wrong, I love all my fish, but Shady would have never even been on my radar besides the fact he looked so pathetic. As for the shrimp, I've been really lucky, I have not been as cautious with them as people say to be, mine have been very hardy. I've also never had any (that I've noticed) eaten by bettas, and they've been in tanks with all of them except Shady. Make sure you have driftwood in the tank, some type of moss, and feed them a varied diet. Mine get everything the fish get, algae pellets, pellets, and various frozen.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Good news driftwood is clean, bad news snail poop EVERYWHERE. I moved some of the snails around and the nerites are going to town on the algae and slime on the driftwood in the sorority. I threw in a rather large pond snail first to test the waters and see if Ira was going to attack it like she did the smaller ones. She surprisingly ignored it so the nerites got the green light. 

I can't get over how much I love the sorority! I don't know if it's because the tank is on my desk and I spend a lot of time looking at it, but I love it so much. Watching the girls interact is fascinating and they're so interactive with me, it's just a joy. It's been a few months and (knock on wood) the aggression level is very low. Every once in a while there's a halfhearted flare and chase that ends in less than 10 seconds. It is great to see them in the morning when there's usually 4 or so of them sleeping together on the driftwood. They've also surprised me with how well they get along at mealtimes. 

I wish the tank photographed better, because it's so long, it's hard to get good shots of the entire tank. I use Ira as my barometer, she is very sensitive to water parameters and will stress stripe at the slightest change. It was nice in the beginning when I was establishing a WC schedule and now I usually beat her to the punch. 

McCarpney is eating well and revealing his spunky personality. Shady has finally stopped flaring at everything in his new tank and JP is enjoying all the interaction he gets now that he's close to my bed. 

I'm becoming disenchanted with the 20g community tank, I think it needs a rescape and a better piece of driftwood. Everyone in it is doing great, there aren't too many platy babies (which is a good thing in my book) because I've been feeding less. The corys are still breeding, but it would be a miracle if the eggs make it in there. I still love the bumblebee platys, I think I might give the large other colored ones to my friend who gave me all the plants. 

I really should sell the boys old 2.5gs so I'm not tempted to get more, but I keep thinking "I'll keep them just in case". I'm not sure what I'm preparing for, but it seems silly to get rid of them now.


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

Haha, when can ANYONE deny an extra tank?! There are so many beautiful bettas waiting for you! <3

(You're on a forum of enablers with two empty tanks... They won't be empty for long. >3)


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Small update:

McCarpney has finished his QT period and is actually turning into a rather stunning fish. His swim bladder problems were easily solved and his fins look wonderful. It always amazes me how simple it is to "cure" the problems the pet stores lack of care gives them.

Shady is becoming more white colored and JP is becoming more black/green colored.

Avaritia's "necrosis" hasn't gotten any worse, but it hasn't gotten any better either. Her behavior remains unchanged, so it's just a waiting game. 

In kind of unrelated news, I'm exploring several job offers and realizing I'm probably going to have to reduce the number of tanks I have down to one or two. I'm trying to mock up plans for my tanks and depending on how many tanks/gallons I can have it will change. For sure I'm going to take the sorority, it's my favorite tank and I wouldn't trust just anyone one else to take care of it, I also can't imagine trying to re-home 7 separate females. One of my mom's friends who is a teacher/avid fish person could potentially "foster" the 20g community tank until I can take it again. That leaves me with the boys. Ideally I could just take them as well since they're all in a 10g, but if I'm only allowed one tank I'll have to figure something out. I feel bad because Shady is getting older, JP isn't a spring chicken himself, and I feel responsible for them since they're all rescues. I have 2 empty tanks so I could split them up if someone only wanted one and not the divided 10 with all of them, but who knows. There's no way I'd ship Shady, he wouldn't be able to handle it. Ugh. The shrimp tanks are less of an issue and can just be added back into the community tank where they came from or sold. 

Ugh, adulting stinks sometimes.


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

If you weren't so far away I'd offer to take them. I don't feel comfortable shipping fish...

Still love the sorority.


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## DangerousAngel (Mar 26, 2015)

What part of Texas are you from? Maybe I could take them if needed.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

DangerousAngel said:


> What part of Texas are you from? Maybe I could take them if needed.


I live outside San Antonio, but if the job goes through I'll be driving north through Austin and almost to Dallas, so if you live anywhere there I could bring them to you. Thanks for the offer!


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## DangerousAngel (Mar 26, 2015)

halleyana said:


> I live outside San Antonio, but if the job goes through I'll be driving north through Austin and almost to Dallas, so if you live anywhere there I could bring them to you. Thanks for the offer!


I really wish I lived closer to Dallas, but I live about 2 hours from there. Darn it! I really hope you can find some good homes for them!


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Quick update:

I had an interview on Tuesday here in town, so maybe I can keep all the boys for now (fingers crossed!).

McCarpney is still in his 2.5g, hopefully I'll move him tomorrow. Shady is clearly aging, but still chugging along. JP is marbling more and more each day and is less than pleased with me since I pilfered some of his plants to fill in where I had some melt in the sorority.

I'm down to only one male platy in the 20g, so less babies (yay!)! I think Georgia O'Reefe might be part giant, she is HUGE!

The sorority is still my favorite. Ava's necrosis is slowly advancing, but she remains unaffected by it. Ira is marbling white and Lux is marbling black. 

I'm getting the rescape bug, so maybe the new job will come with some new plants! I walked into Petco yesterday and the struggle to not pick up the yellow koi girl who has been there forever was ROUGH!

Here's a few sorority shots (ignore the dirty glass please!)


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

What beautiful girls! I love your wood piece in the tank. Really neat lines to it! I hope you hear some good news from your interview. It would be great to keep all your babies.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Thanks! I love that piece too, it was a root ball that I dried out for years. I just started a new project and am making ceramic "manzanita" branches to rescape the sorority. I lost a bunch of plants to melt and need to re-do it anyways. I want to make a sort of mangrove root scape. I've made about 10 branches so far and I'll have to get pics of them in the morning. I think it will look neat and will be ideal for breaking up lines of sight in a sorority. Hopefully I can get everything into the kiln quickly. I'm also thinking about making a kind of log/hobbit hole scape for the 20g. We'll see how much clay I have and how much room is in the kiln.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

"Mangrove roots" in progress. I've made more, hopefully I've got a few extra to play around with. Can't wait to get these in the kiln!


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Mangrove roots are in the kiln. It's going to be interesting finding the right glaze colors. Can't wait to get them in a tank!

Had one platy pass away, so now there's only one male. Hopefully that'll slow down their reproduction rate. 

McCarpney is blossoming into an absolutely gorgeous fish. I need to get some flare pictures, I'm so happy with his progress. I'm thinking about breeding this summer and he might be a great candidate. 

Avaritia's necrosis is advancing. I wish there was a cure, but at least she still seems unaffected and isn't suffering. Who knew a tiny little blue spot could turn into this. It's just a waiting game now, but it stinks. I hope her inevitable death doesn't throw off the dynamics of the sorority. It's hard to imagine it without her; if you only saw her other side it's impossible to tell there's anything wrong with her. 

Still waiting to hear back on the job, so everything's at a standstill. Hopefully it'll all fall into place, those student loans aren't going to pay themselves.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Excuse the bad cell phone camera quality, but I'm so happy with his progress! I'm going to try and get better pics of everyone this week.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Quick Update and Transformation Pictures:

Shady has started fin nipping a little, he still isn't happy with his larger space. We'll see if all the extra plants help soon or he might have to go back to his 2.5 gal. 

I found a picture from when I first got Shady and now. His marble is amazing!

Every time I think it's time to euthanize Ava, she proves to me she isn't ready yet. I've told myself when she starts having swimming problems and not eating, it'll be time. Nothing I've tried has done anything but slow down the necrosis. It's starting to affect her fins, and I don't think it will be long now. I can't believe one blue scale turned into all of this. *sigh*

I've been debating trying breeding again, the LFS is still interested in buying babies. I'm thinking of starting now so they'll be old enough to ship (if I end up shipping any) before it gets cold. It's already hot here, so temps shouldn't be an issue and I have all the things from my last breeding. I'm debating whether or not to use Shady, he did eat his children last time...

PS. ignore the dirty glass please, I never realize how dirty it is until I take pictures


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

Wait.... Is the picture Shady or Ava? Because I'm pretty sure the above pic is a boy.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

ThatFishThough said:


> Wait.... Is the picture Shady or Ava? Because I'm pretty sure the above pic is a boy.


That's Shady, I was just comparing his marble from his first day home to now. He looks rough because he is NOT happy about his tank upgrade. He likes small spaces and even with all the plants I stuffed his new digs with he hasn't quite settled yet. 

This is Ava from the day I got her to today, I woke up this morning and it had "popped" and took part of her dorsal fin with it. She's was still acting completely normal, which is baffling. I knew this was going to happen, and she's lasted 3 months with it slowly progressing, but it still sucks. That tiny blue spot in the first picture was the root of all of this. :/


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Today has been a day of surprises. 

Moved some furniture around in my room and bumped the nightstand the boys tank is on. I didn't think anything of it until 5 minutes later when I saw McCarpney on JPs side. Thankfully they were just sizing each other up and hadn't started any fighting. It turns out the bump moved one of the stones holding up the divider and McCarpney pushed through.

I'm so glad I looked over before anything happened. They were just swimming around each other, no nips or anything. Thank goodness I hadn't torn down the 2.5g tank and could put McCarpney in there until I can reinforce the dividers.

*phew*


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Finally a slightly better photo of McCarpney. He still isn't flaring, but it definitely shows his progress! 

Also more mangrove root progress photos. Just glazed them tonight. (The orange will actually turn a brown/green color, it still be interesting to see how they end up. Glazes are so unpredictable, you never know what will happen. Fingers crossed it will blend well.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Wow McCarpney looks amazing. Your branches are so cool. I can't wait to see them in the tank. Poor Ava. It hurts me for her but she seems to be amazingly resilient! She is a special girl. Shady has made quite a transformation as well with his marbling. I love seeing how genetic traits play out. Your boy JP is one of my favorites. His colors amaze me. Hope you hear something on your job soon.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Gah! Someone talk me out of getting another girl. Never mind that I have room and a coupon...must resist!

She ticks all my boxes, white, marble, one blue eye....


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

She is so beautiful! You never see girls like that. My kind of fish....not a good helper  Hoping you got her!


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

themamaj said:


> She is so beautiful! You never see girls like that. My kind of fish....not a good helper  Hoping you got her!


I can neither confirm nor deny that she is floating in the sorority right now....

Goodbye will power, it was nice knowing you.

I'm very surprised at how well the girls are taking her presence. They all swam over (as you can see), but more because I haven't fed them yet tonight and they're hungry. Once they established she is not edible they swam over to where I usually feed them to beg. There's been no flaring or anything from anyone. 

My first choice would be to integrate her into the sorority when I do the rescape with the new mangrove roots, but if she doesn't work in there I've got a tank set up and ready. She has to go through QT anyways, so I've got time to decide. 

She's getting a WC and everyone is getting fed, so I'll try to get some better pictures.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

So tickled you got her! I can't wait to see how genetics and marbling plays out with her. Keep us posted with lots of pictures. All the girls look so sweet together. Makes me miss having a sorority. You have an amazing tank for them.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Thanks! I love the sorority soo much! I'm going to try and get some video after the rescape.

I'm smitten with her, and I'm so glad I went back for her. I'm tempted to spawn her with JP and see what happens...

So far her name is Marlin Monroe, but I'm not 100% on it yet.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Had a bad day today and went to Petco/Petsmart to cheer myself up. And of course I found some great fish. I have to tell myself I'm going away for a week and don't need any more fish right now. The little girl was soo cute and the boy is gorgeous but not labeled correctly.

*sigh* it never ends


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Just found out I'm going to be out of town for a week, so I wanted to try the new girl in the sorority while I have time to monitor them. My fish sitter is not proficient enough to keep up WCs in her cup. The tank was going to get rescaped anyways, but the mangrove roots aren't done yet. I just switched the driftwood from the 20g and threw in some of the faux "carpet" plants in testing. The girls act like there's no one new and there's been no real aggression, which is better than I could have hoped. I'm going to keep a close eye on them, but fingers crossed it keeps going smoothly. They love exploring the carpet, so I'm counting this one as a win! It looks much less fake in person. (That's Envy in the carpet and peeking out like "nothing to see here")


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## Bettaloveee (Jan 30, 2017)

Your girls are just so stinkin' cute!


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

I've been out of town this past week for my cousins bachelorette party. 

Ava passed away while I was gone, there was no stopping her necrosis unfortunately. All the other girls in the sorority are thriving and the mangrove roots are going to be done Friday!

My fish sitter forgot to turn my tank lights back on, so I've got some major melt going on :/

In better news, I got the job!! I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

Still debating about spawning over the summer.....and still loving the sorority. I'll take new pics this week when I put in the mangrove roots.


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## Bettaloveee (Jan 30, 2017)

Swim In Peace, Ava. <3 

Glad the other girls are doing well! Congratulations on getting the job!


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

The mangrove roots are done! I'm soo pleased with how they came out! The glaze was a complete experiment, but I love it! Can't wait to get these babies in the tank!


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

So the mangrove roots are in! I lost a lot of plants while I was out of town...so there's lots to fill back in. I can't decide what I should add in, I'd like to have one type of plant in the entire tank. I like the simple look but need a lot of coverage for the sorority.


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

The mangrove roots look great in the tank! It's great that you don't have to worry about them getting rot or fungus... ;-) 


How is your father doing? I hope he is better.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

ryry2012 said:


> The mangrove roots look great in the tank! It's great that you don't have to worry about them getting rot or fungus... ;-)
> 
> 
> How is your father doing? I hope he is better.


Thanks! I love how they turned out...now time to fill in plants.

My dad is recovering remarkably and has exceeded everyone's expectations, thanks for asking!


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Welcome to the Jungle. The 20g got a rescape, I need to get back on my WC schedule, the tannins are insane in this tank!

Rescapes coming for everything else later this week!

EDIT: No idea why the photos are uploading so blurry, I'll have to break out the camera and take better ones once all the rescapes are done


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Mangrove roots look amazing! Sorry for plant loss. I have the same issues when travel that or major algae outbreaks. Your 20 rescape looks really good too. You have a great eye for aquascape. Glad to hear your dad is doing better.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

themamaj said:


> Mangrove roots look amazing! Sorry for plant loss. I have the same issues when travel that or major algae outbreaks. Your 20 rescape looks really good too. You have a great eye for aquascape. Glad to hear your dad is doing better.


Thanks! I'm so excited with how they came out. The plant loss is annoying...but I'm getting timers for my next trip, so fingers crossed this one will go better. My LFS sells bunches of water wisteria for $1, so I think I'm going to fill in with that, I don't want to leave for a week without putting something in. I've been trying to get better at aquascaping, and I'm glad the "carpet" is working out! Thanks! I'm thrilled with his recovery.


On another good note, I started my job yesterday!! Which means money to buy plants with :laugh:


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

It's been a while, between starting my new job and traveling for a wedding, it seems like I'm never home. I am definitely behind on my tank maintenance, right now I'm just making up for evaporation. 

The girls tank sat pretty empty while I was gone, thankfully they all get along so well and no one is worse for wear. I just got paid and went to my great little LFS that had huge mats of java fern on sale, so I bought the two they had and cut them up. There's also some rotala in there to try, I'm going to need to be more on top of my ferts, etc to keep it red. (Ignore the mess, I just stuck in plants, cleaning to come later).

Shady is definitely aging, but everyone else is doing great. I'm debating whether or not to start a breeding project and who I would use. My LFS is definitely interested in buying babies and I'm no stranger to shipping. I'm thinking either Shady (marble HM) and Lux (marble HM) or McCarpney (Red HM) and Ira (armageddon HM). Decisions decisions. I like ShadyxLux better for color, but McCarpneyxIra would have slightly better form....hmm.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

I love the mangrove roots you made. Tank looks so pretty with plants intermingled. Hope your new job is going well. Exciting to think of a breeding project! I would love to try that myself sometime if ever had the time to devote to it. I think seeing the genetic combinations would be fascinating.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Thanks! I really love my new job. my co-workers are great and I like the work. As an added bonus the office is in my favorite area of town, and the building is dog friendly so I get regularly interrupted for pets (which is awesome!). I love how the sorority tank is progressing, it could use some more plants (it is pretty sparsely planted for a sorority) but my girls have gotten along with far less cover, but I bought out all their java fern and I'm just going to let everything else grow in. I just got some iron to supplement for the red plants, we'll see how much it helps.

I've been intentionally leaving the light on a little extra to grow some algae for my nerites to snack on because they've been more efficient lately and my algae growth is behind. Can't believe I'm trying to grow algae...

My next plans are to get some better dividers for the 10g and give that a makeover, the boys have been a little neglected lately. 

I also think I'm going to try and spawn JP and the marble girl. I'd like to spawn Ira since she has such a nice form and is always a little eggy, but I'd rather cross her with McCarpney and I'm worried JP is going to age out before I have a chance to spawn him again. So time to set up my tubs, I've already got everything else ready. Marble babies here we come!


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

So excited for your spawn project!! I love JP so pretty tickled you are using him. Marble genes are fascinating to me. I might be interested in one of those babies  

Glad to hear you job is going well! To have animals around would be such a perk!


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Wow, I can't believe over a month has flown by since I've been on here. Quick update:

Breeding project aborted because I'm going to move soon and didn't want to do it with hundreds of babies.

Job is good, we've had a ton of projects lately and I'm exhausted, but I still like what I'm doing.

20g is chugging along, I need to get a timer for the lights.

Sorority is booming, I still love watching the girls and the java fern has taken off, there's babies coming in everywhere. 

Got better dividers for the 10g and finally reduced my tanks down to 3 (which seems like a lot in the face of moving them all).

Shady is aging semi-gracefully, but you can tell he's getting up there. JP is slowing down as well. McCarpney is still his playful self, it's interesting to see the impact of age side-by-side.

I'll have to get new pictures up soon, but we're all plugging along. 

Currently hunkered down and riding out Hurricane Harvey. We haven't been hit as bad as they predicted but they say it will only get worse over the weekend. Fingers crossed the power keeps coming back on every time it flickers! I live on a large hill, so flooding at my house isn't the real issue, the worst would be we will get stuck in our neighborhood because every road out is a low water crossing.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Not a good update.

I woke up on Sunday and JP was gone. No signs of illness, for him or any of the other inhabitants in his divided tank. Parameters checked out fine. 

Makes me wish I hadn't postponed my breeding project with him.

*sigh*

SIP James Pond


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

SIP JP! I've been silently following. Glad to hear that Harvey isn't adversely affecting you.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

So sorry about JP. He was one of my favorite bettas to follow that you have. Have missed seeing you online. Glad the job is going well and hope your move goes smoothly. Things seeing on news about Houston and Texas areas just seems to hard to even comprehend. Glad you have not been hit hard by all the storms.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Thanks y'all!

We lucked out with the hurricane, aside from some minor flooding and power issues, our biggest problem is that the city ran out of gas. We're now getting restocked, but people panicked and caused a shortage.

In fish related news, I'm at an impasse and trying to decide how to move forward. I would like to move in the near future and my desire to downsize (for the sake of moving) is at war with my hatred of empty tanks. 

Current tanks:
2-empty 1 gallon hospital/shrimp tanks
2- 2.5 empty 
1- 10 gallon (divided into 3 sections, one of which is currently empty)
1 -13g 7 girl sorority (which I added my shoal of peppered corys to (see downsizing above))
1- 20g long currently housing 7ish platys, one female betta, and numerous RCS

Option 1:
Give platys and/or female betta to a friend setting up a new tank
Empty 20g and store
Keep sorority with corys (plenty of filtration, no aggression issues, bonus the girls aren't overeating the leftovers anymore)
Remove one divider and give McCarpney 2/3 of the 10g because Shady would not be able to handle 5g

Option 2:
Give platys to friend setting up new tank (friend gives me plants in return)
Re-plant 20 and create another sorority (I know, ambitious, but I'm on a girl kick lately) (maybe add the corys back in, or get another shoal)
Put the boys back into their separate 2.5g to reduce footprint of 10g tank.
Store 10g

Option 3: some combination of the two/something I haven't thought of yet. 
Or I wait until I move, but who knows when/if that is going to happen.

I'm kind of over the platys, they're fun, but having an equally colorful and interactive sorority makes their surplus of progeny seem unappealing. I made the mistake of stopping at Petco while running errands and instead of being drawn to the boys, I fell in love with more girls. I'm coming to appreciate their colors and smaller size (plus the appeal of multiple bettas in one tank).

As bad as it sounds, I am also just waiting for Shady to pass, he has aged none too gracefully and his time seems to be approaching, but I'm not feeling the pull to get another boy to replace either JP or him.

I don't want to push my luck with two sororities at once, but I really like my system (though I'm aware there's no guarantee). 

*sigh* decisions decisions.


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

*chants* So-ror-ity! So-ror-ity!

:3 ETA: We're a bunch of enablers, lol.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Is it a bigger deal to water change 10 with dividers or several 2.5s? I would opt for the lesser or easier of the maintenance myself. I haven't ever had a divided tank though. If I have a larger tank it always ends up as a community. You do great with sororities so I'm sure setting up another would be fun. I do miss having one with all my girls zooming around. Even with their girly spats they were always so fun to watch. Next time I have a larger open tank I might have to do that again. I'm not the greatest at downsizing because can always thing of a really cool new tank build haha!


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## dennythebetta (Mar 8, 2017)

I just read through your journal. I love your sorority, and if I were you, I'd go option two. McCarpney and Shady are very stunning. Your tanks are beautiful.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

No progress so far on the tank situation. My boss apparently knows someone who manages some small apartment complexes near my office, so I'll be looking in to those soon. 

I started making some more clay "branches". I've had people say that they would like to buy them, but I've got to find a way to economically make them before I open them for sale.

Went to pick up a new nerite for the girls tank, they didn't have any at the petco I stopped at first, but of course I had to stop and look at the bettas. Y'all...the struggle to not start another sorority is killing me. 

So here are the girls I turned down at petco/petsmart: (sorry for the bad quality, I already feel like a creeper just coming in to take photos)

red koi
yellow vt
yellow koi
salmon vt
copper hm
black marble hm


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Oh cries at second fish! She would have been to the checkout before you could say betta. haha You have great will power to not come home with them all! I bet those koi girls would be stunning in a good home wink wink


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Picture updates! I can't believe Shady is the same fish. I would say he has aged gracefully, but he has not....haha

So the 10g is getting gifted to a friends recently adopted son, the boys are back in their 2.5g (Shady is thrilled).

I've decided I'm going to turn the 20 long into another sorority....so here's the first two girls. They're floating in the 12g with the rest of my girls (who could care less that they're there). I'm going to take my time picking out girls I love. The yellow girl is tiny and has some black on her that leads me to think she's going to marble. The pink girl looks just like Envy, but with blue irids. So excited!

Here are a few of the girls I am debating between adding, plus the ones from the last post....that pineapple! (But she is a little too close in color to the girl I already got...)


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

I am just now reading your posts after writing mine. You will laugh. Love your new girls. Oh it would be hard to choose between the other two as well. I like things about both of them. I really like the colors on number 5 but number 6 would be really cool to watch to see what her final colors would be. 

That is so special you gave your 10 gallon to your friend. Adoption is very special! I have two that are adopted. Tell them congratulations!


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

I've been driving to a different pet store every day after work. It seems like now that I've committed to building another sorority there aren't any girls I'm interested in. I'm sad I missed the little copper girl last week. So, we're slowly starting recruitment for Beta Epsilon Theta Sorority - Theta Alpha Chapter (BETTA). 

Here are the first five pledges. No names yet, but everyone is eating and they're all floating in the 20 to wait out QT.


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## dennythebetta (Mar 8, 2017)

Oooh!! I love the last one. They're all so beautiful. Glad you went with the sorority option. :-D


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

If you ever wanted proof of the power of clean, warm water: here it is. Same fish, taken less than 15 minutes apart. Don't discount a fish for its stress stripes, claimed find, or pale colors at the store. 

Ps. Two more sorority members


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

I bought these two out of pity...now I'm in love


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Girls are going through QT, I've only found 9 so far that I love, I'd like to find a few more.

I'll get individual pictures of the girls later this week, no one has names yet. I made a spreadsheet to monitor eating, and so far they're just being called by their colors.


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## dennythebetta (Mar 8, 2017)

I like your tank. Can't wait to see how the sorority pans out.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Thanks! It will be a while before everyone clears QT, and I'm sure I'm going to end up re-arranging the plants. Finally got everyone eating consistently. 

Here are the four newest girls. Turquoise dragon HM, pale pink/blue HM (who I picked up out of pity and was mislabeled as a VT, I didn't even realize she was a HM until I got home), what I thought was a cambodian VT but she turned flaming red after a WC, and gold VT.

Still no names. Debating doing punny names, another theme, or just random names...


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## dennythebetta (Mar 8, 2017)

Again, I like the last girl the best. I don't know what's up with me... :-D


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

I’m Alive! It’s been too long....work and a budding relationship has kept me preoccupied the past few months. I’ll get update pictures soon so everyone can see how the girls have changed. Only drastic update is my sewer malfunctioned back in December and I lost 3 girls in the 12g to contaminated water. The 20g girls settled in perfectly, except the one girl who wasn’t cut out for community life and lives happily in her own 2.5g. 

Hopefully I’ll remember to post pictures soon! I’m backpacking Europe in less than a month, so hopefully before then!


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Love to see updates and pictures when you get a chance. Backpacking in Europe how cool! Take lots of pictures and share away. Sounds like a new beau on the horizon? Very best wishes!


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## dennythebetta (Mar 8, 2017)

Exited to see how the sororitys are going!! I just recently got my first ever female betta, Asteria (not that I'm anywhere near a sorority) but I'm curious how your girls are doing. :-D


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Backpacking Europe was even better than the last time I went two years ago! We went to Dublin, Belfast, Paris, Copenhagen, and London. I'll post trip pictures when I'm settled in the new house. I'm actually moving in with the beau tomorrow....so excited/nervous! Bringing one tank with me for sure, we'll see what I have room for long term. We're going to make one of the bedrooms my craft/fish room (thank goodness he's so supportive). I'm debating selling the 12g, it is quite the space hog and since I got it for $12, I could probably make a profit selling it.....I'm hesitant to sell it to someone who doesn't know what they're doing with the girls, but they've been stable for over a year and I'd feel more comfortable than the newer 20g.

Both sororities are chugging along. I made some new roots, but haven't had time to fire them yet. I'm debating moving the corys back over to the 20g, but we'll see what happens with the move. The koi girl in the 20g is my little butt dragger, she's always had some swim bladder issues, but it doesn't seem to slow her down in the slightest (another reason I wouldn't want to sell the 20g). Other than her, everyone is perfectly healthy/happy. Can't wait to show you how different they look from their "baby" pictures.

New house will mean some adjustments, but I'm excited and it gives me the nudge to do some deep cleaning.


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

Good to see you. I'm glad to know everything is going well with you. I'm very sure your father is doing well  Can't wait to see pictures from your trip!


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## dennythebetta (Mar 8, 2017)

Me too!! I also want to see your sorority pics! :-D


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

What an awesome trip! Sounds like you have some exciting plans for the future. Look fwd to seeing pictures of all your babies.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Guess who’s back 😂

Long and short of past 2.5 years. Moved in with boyfriend, got two dogs, married boyfriend, went through three jobs, finally working from home for a place I LOVE, also starting a family soon.

The tanks moved with me, kept the 20g the whole time. Once the girls all passed away turned into a community tank with RCS, neons, and corys. Rescued a female betta from a coworker, she just passed away a while ago.

Was without a betta for a little bit and the bug bit again.

Meet Finneon: I’m pretty sure he’ll end up being HM once his tail grows back. He has a touch of SBD, but has rapidly improved in the two days I’ve had him. (Hubby is supportive and also addicted to Pokémon, so he’s on board as long as he gets to name them).

Also the mangrove roots are back. 🙌🏼

Having fun watching him get healthy and his personality blossom, also trying to stop the urge to get more tanks and bettas 😂 resistance is futile.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I just saw this. Welcome back! Am glad life is being so kind and generous to you.

Don't forget to let us know when the family expands.


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## halleyana (May 25, 2016)

Yep, the MTS is real and unbeatable. I had a gift card 🤷🏼‍♀️. Name TBD.

Also if you haven’t seen this tank, I REALLY like it! It says 5gal, it’s closer to 6. There’s a lot of room to customize your filtration, and it has an automatic pump that makes WCs sooooo easy. It’s the TopFin Dazzle 5gal (comes in 3 & 8gal as well).

Also thanks! First time in my life I can’t wait to be able to take a pregnancy test 😂


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