# Dobby's New & Improved Habitat!



## Iziezi (Nov 5, 2010)

So I finally got all the elements together for Dobby's jar yesterday: Java Fern, Wisteria, and a small faux-stone pagoda lamp. (PS - The jar doesn't really get _that_ much light, I had to over-expose it to be able to see the inside of the jar, rather than the wall & window behind.)










I'm so excited, because he seems to really love his new environment! 










He's been swimming in and out of the pagoda all morning ~ in & out the top, in & out the bottom, in the top & out the bottom, just hanging out inside ~ Plus he's been exploring in the plants, too.

He's been so much more active and alert since I added these elements yesterday - swimming around & exploring way more than when the jar was nearly empty. Plus he's started swimming up to the glass to interact with me again. When he knows I'm in the room, he'll swim to the glass from where-ever he is, and follow my finger as I trace it over the glass.


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## dragonfair (Sep 21, 2010)

Nice! Looks like he really loves that pagoda!


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## LikeDiscoSuperfly (Oct 18, 2010)

I wish my betta would go into his cave, cute!


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## JKfish (Apr 8, 2010)

That looks awesome! How big is the jar, it might just be the perspective, but it looks pretty good sized.


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## kfish (Oct 5, 2010)

It looks cute.  I almost bought that pagoda!


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## Iziezi (Nov 5, 2010)

Thanks everyone! I'm super excited that he likes his pagoda. He takes naps in there too. He'll swim in the top hole so that his front fins are resting on one side, and his tail fins are resting on the other, and just rest. 

TBH, this pagoda is one of the few decorations that _I_ liked that would fit in his jar, lol.

JKFish: It's a gallon jar that I found at the Goodwill. I know most people here would recommend a 2.5 gallon at the smallest, but I just don't have room. I siphon the rocks 2x week (25% - 50% WC) and then a 100% WC on the weekends. Plus the plants should help with ammonia, and I have an aquarium multi-test kit to keep an eye on the water quality.


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## TaylorW (Sep 4, 2010)

I love your jar!  I think one gallon is fine if you're a dedicated owner, and you seem to be!  I think everyone says 2.5 so that people that don't go shoving their fish in the smallest container they can find and not change the water 

I love the stones at the bottom and the pagoda!


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## MizzVamp115 (Oct 2, 2010)

It looks nice!

And LikeDiscoSuperfly, if you maybe say you wish he'd go into his cave out loud maybe he'll hear you lol. Shuester never went into his cave until I started telling my husband that if he wasn't going to use it I was going to give it to one of the other boys. Now all he does is swim in one end and out the other lol.


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## LikeDiscoSuperfly (Oct 18, 2010)

MizzVamp115 said:


> It looks nice!
> 
> And LikeDiscoSuperfly, if you maybe say you wish he'd go into his cave out loud maybe he'll hear you lol. Shuester never went into his cave until I started telling my husband that if he wasn't going to use it I was going to give it to one of the other boys. Now all he does is swim in one end and out the other lol.


Bwhahaha, I will start trying that! Too funny! :-D


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I have that same pagoda and NcGee loves it.


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## FishyFriend1 (Oct 29, 2010)

About the cave,
When i study at my desk and i look over beside me to look at charlie, and i think "i wish he would go into his cave" he does!!! No Joke!
Same with my sister, i was teaching her how to siphon her water and i asked her if her betta used his cave and she said no and then he stared swimming through it!
It's crazy


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## FishyFriend1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Also, it looks like your betta doesn't have much room to swim in there.... Just wondering


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## serenarenee (Nov 9, 2010)

What kind of plant is that? 
I think a one gallon works fine if you do what you already said you do. =)
Nice tank. =) I like it a lot.


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## Iziezi (Nov 5, 2010)

I have two plants in Dobby's jar: The big one behind the pagoda is a Java Fern, and the leafy ones on the side are Wisteria. 

Dobby actually has a lot of space to swim, and he's way more active now than he was when the jar was nearly empty. The pagoda is completely hollow, and has four entries (round top window front & back, and domed bottom entry front & back) and there's room to swim behind it also and between the plant stems and leaves. I've also replaced the submersible heater with a wetsafe heating pad under the jar, so now he's got a little bit more space. :-D

*Pagoda Adventures:* The other morning I got up, and couldn't find Dobby anywhere in his jar. Sometimes he can be hard to spot because he's in the curve of the glass where it's hard to see, but he seemly wasn't in his jar at all this morning. I looked through both openings in the pagoda, no Dobby. The lid was still on, so he couldn't have jumped out. I tapped on the glass a couple of times, and finally see a shadow moving inside the pagoda, and then Dobby pokes his head out of the top window, "What's up?" LOL :-D

And last night when I was changing his water, I took the pagoda out so I could siphon the rocks, and as soon as I put in back in, he swam under it, "Yay, my hidey hole is back!"


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## peaches3221 (Jun 1, 2010)

TaylorW said:


> I love your jar!  I think one gallon is fine if you're a dedicated owner, and you seem to be!  I think everyone says 2.5 so that people that don't go shoving their fish in the smallest container they can find and not change the water


I totally agree! Lonnie lives in a one gallon jar, and he is fine! love the decor btw :-D


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## alidawn15 (Jan 31, 2011)

Please tell me that's a Harry Potter reference. Mine's a Dobby too!!


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## Iziezi (Nov 5, 2010)

Yes, it's a Harry Potter reference. He came with the name when I adopted him from my cousin who is an avid HP fan. I enjoy it too, I'm just not into it as deeply as she is. =)


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## baylee767 (Nov 5, 2010)

Hey, welcome back!

Is Dobby's jar still the same?

Also... 1000th post!


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## alidawn15 (Jan 31, 2011)

My 23 year old boyfriend thinks we should name the next fish Pascal for the critter in Tangled...he works at a theater if you can't tell


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## Iziezi (Nov 5, 2010)

Hi Baylee, thanks! =) Yup, Dobby's jar is mostly the same. All the wisteria died, too easily, so I haven't replaced it, and I added bubbles (exterior air pump with a hose and air stone) - I only run it once or twice a day for maybe 15 minutes, Dobby likes to play in the bubbles for a while, swim in the bottom and let them carry him to the top. But when he gets tired, hanging out inside the pagoda or on the far side where he's protected from the current, I'll turn it off again.


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## ansalong (Nov 3, 2010)

Nice! Where do I get that pagoda? I love it. My fish doesn't use his cave either, though I'm going to try saying it loudly as suggested :lol:


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## kfish (Oct 5, 2010)

Iziezi said:


> Hi Baylee, thanks! =) Yup, Dobby's jar is mostly the same. All the wisteria died, too easily, so I haven't replaced it, and I added bubbles (exterior air pump with a hose and air stone) - I only run it once or twice a day for maybe 15 minutes, Dobby likes to play in the bubbles for a while, swim in the bottom and let them carry him to the top. But when he gets tired, hanging out inside the pagoda or on the far side where he's protected from the current, I'll turn it off again.


I give Mr. Fish bubble play time, too.  He likes to pop the bubbles, especially if they accumulate under his bridge.


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## Iziezi (Nov 5, 2010)

@Ansalong, I got the pagoda at PetSmart - http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4368172 I think they're the only store that sells it.

@kfish - that's so cute! =D


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## Iziezi (Nov 5, 2010)

*RIP Dobby*

Dobby died sometime last night.  I wrote a longer post in the memorials.


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## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

I'm so sorry! 


His tank is nice, though.


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## Iziezi (Nov 5, 2010)

I do want to get another Betta - I've even got a name picked out - but right now, I can't imagine any other fish swimming around in Dobby's jar. It would be too sad, because it wouldn't be Dobby, you know?


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## ansalong (Nov 3, 2010)

Oh no I'm so sorry! He was a very pretty and adorable boy.
Thanks for the pagoda tip though :-(


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