# Cross's Aquatic Adventures



## Crossroads (Jun 28, 2014)

I figured I'd make a journal to catalogue my adventures in being an amatuer aquarist.

I got into bettas when I was around 6 or 8. I had a red/blue bicolor VT who's name I don't remember. He was kept in a bowl and cared for by my mother. We were forced to get rid of him when we moved as we often did when I was young due to on and off relationships with her ex-husband.

I hadn't owned bettas or any fish since then up until three months ago.

3/26:
Mako was half-planned but mostly an impulse rescue. I had hovered around the betta section of my local Walmart because I've always loved fish. Especially bettas. On a whim I inspected them closer and found him. He was perfect. I had never really paid attention to the crowntails until him. His colors were dull and despite some lethargy(I think from loneliness) when I picked him up he swam to me and blew some bubbles. I put him back, staring at my empty bank account and knowing I got paid in two days. I couldn't leave him.


3/28
In the two days since, his water had gotten worse and was the nasty orange brown of a neglected betta. His fins were in slight tatters and his color had dulled out more. I bought him almost immediately, scooping up everything I needed and spending way more than I should have to set him up in a temporary 1.5 gallon. 









4/6
Then I really began to do my research, and when I went to petsmart to consult one of my aquarist friends there, she pointed me in the direction of some tanks properly suited to real betta keeping. She helped me pick gravel, a filter that wouldn't harm his fins, live plants, decor, and got me all set up. That was when I found...Thanatos. He was shy and small but a gorgeous Black Devil dragonscale crowntail. I ended up spending over 130$ getting my boys set up and not a single regret about it.









Weeks went by with my boys getting prettier and prettier.









Weeks turned into months, and Thanatos has gotten bigger and Mako is a beast. He dwarfs my other bettas. I got Thresh and Erebus, and battled some slight ick with them both that apparently hadn't cleared up after i deemed it treated in the hospital tanks. Thanatos comes down with a particularly stubborn case but several treatments of Ick Guard. Mako's ick was more easily treated and cleared up in a few days.









6/22
I impulse rescued Natal and Red Fish, both suffering from Walmart neglect and fin rot.








I got them set up in 10 gallon tanks and began to try to save them from their neglect.

6/23
Natal is doing well and has settled in nicely. "Red Fish" seems to have perked up.

6/26
Red Fish's swimming has turned erratic and is worrying. He favors the top of the water and darts about. A small bubble nest can be seen in the corner of the tank however. Natal has built a substantial bubble nest.

6/27
Before heading to work, I noticed that Red Fish had seemed to calm but still favored the top of the water. Natal's fins have begun to grow back. Returning from work I found Red Fish dead. No clamped fins, only the erratic swimming as a sign something was amiss.

6/28
Natal is still doing great! To fill the empty tank left by Red Fish(who I had not gotten a chance to really bond with. I am sad that he still died but I'm not nearly as devastated as I would be if Mako turned up dead), I set out to find someone to fill that hole. I found Nereus.

















Gonna load some more photos of some of my boys all puffed out next post.


----------



## Crossroads (Jun 28, 2014)

6/29
After noticing some lethargy in Thresh yesterday, I opted to move the plecostomus to a hospital tank. His fins are tattered and though they were getting along fine before, I believe Mako has turned more aggressive and engaged in attacking and bullying it away from food. It is half the size of Erebus and acting very weak. I placed some Emerald Entree in with it in hopes that the soaked algae,seaweed and other veggies will do it well. I've added stress coat to the hospital tank as there are no signs of bacterial or fungal illness only what I believe to be fatigue combined with hunger. Now all I can do is wait.


Pictures of the boys puffin, like I promised


















































None of Natal or Nereus due to them being uncooperative :T


----------



## Crossroads (Jun 28, 2014)

6/29 Funny Stuff:

I fed my bettas bloodworms yesterday. Only Natal recognized them for food immediately. Watching them eat blood worms is probably one of the funniest things I've seen them do. Natal charged them, and ripped into them like he'd never eaten before. Though once he was more full and slowed down I caught him sneaking another worm just before I pulled the cube out. He crept forward ever so slowly, grabbed one in his mouth as though I wasn't looking and slowly swam backwards with a worm sticking out of his mouth. And then he dropped it and darted after it like NO MINE when I went after the bloodworm cube.

Next came Nereus because they live side by side. Nereus didn't pay them much mind until a few fell and he went after them like a madman. After they settled on the gravel, he set about gracefully plucking them off the floor and slurping them like spaghetti. Although there was this one that was huge that he surped halfway down and carried the rest around like a trophy, even coming to see me with it sticking out of his mouth like Look mom! See what I brought you?

By the time the cube got to Thanatos' tank it was easily portioned and I divided the remainder between Mako and Thanatos. Thanatos, the ever voracious eater went after them in a flash after circling them with his fins flaired once they began to fall. Mako....paid no mind to them and after 5 minutes of them being in his tank I sucked them out with my turkey baster.


----------



## Crossroads (Jun 28, 2014)

7/1
Thresh put a good fight, going after his food and responding well to the stress coat. Or so it seemed. However, this morning when I woke up I found out the poor pleco had passed sometime in the night. I will not be adding future tankmates to Mako's tank even if I upgrade his tank size. He is far too aggressive.


Natal has started to really perk up and is now playing games with me. His favorite is "hide n' seek". I'll peek into his tank and he'll swim off and hide behind a leaf and then peek at me. When I look away, he swims back.
Nereus has taken to making a bubble nest. Its a cute little dome-shaped thing.


----------

