# Back to Bettas!



## AlwaysAnimals

My re-introduction to fishy fun started when I came upon Petco's baby bettas. (It has been _years _since I've had fish, but I've always wanted to have them again someday) I curiously looked into the jars, only "window shopping", not really expecting to get one. Well, I saw this pretty, shiny, multicolored, pale little thing who was so TINY. I found my heartstrings being pulled, and before I knew it, the little guy was in my shopping cart along with my intended purchase of dog food. Soon, little baby betta got the name Flash!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*Four days later...*

Three days after adopting Flash, I was back at Petco for some food for little Flash (I had been reading up on how to care for these fragile little guys!) when I perused back over by the baby bettas. I told myself I was just looking, but I knew I had an alterior motive. I really wanted to get another one! Amongst the dreary, grey babies, this little red, energetic fishy caught my eye. Somehow I managed to just walk out with the food and not the betta. However, the whole next day, 10/20/2014 while I was at work, I was thinking about the little thing and so what did I do? On the drive home from work, I stopped back and adopted baby betta number two! It took a couple days to decide on a name (Dragon for a boy? Ruby for a girl?) when finally the name Lava was decided upon.


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## AlwaysAnimals

Here are some pics of Flash on 10/20/2014, the day that Lava was adopted. In a couple of days, it seems like he'd changed so much! I noticed what might possibly be the beginning of marbling near his head? Also, a mysterious notch had formed in his tail. It didn't seem to affect him, though! I was beginning to learn that Flash was full of energy and spunk!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/21/2014*

Just some random pics on 10/21/2014


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/23/2014*

Pics from 10/23/2014... ONE WEEK "ANNIVERSARY" of having Flash!
So many changes in such a short time!


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## kjg1029

cute! i want a baby betta now! lol


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## AlwaysAnimals

kjg1029 said:


> cute! i want a baby betta now! lol


Truly sooooooo cute :-D And I love watching the personalities start to sprout!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/25/2014*

Pretty pics of Flash 10/25/2014


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/25/2014 #2*

Pretty pics of Lava 10/25/2014


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## kjg1029

wow their colors have improved so much already!


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## Schmoo

Such cuties! Flash has really colored up!


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## AlwaysAnimals

kjg1029 said:


> wow their colors have improved so much already!


Yes, I'm pleasantly suprised!


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## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> Such cuties! Flash has really colored up!


I can't wait to see if there are any more changes to come!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/26/2014*

BuBbLe NeSt!!
Flash made his first bubble nest on 10/26/2014. I guess it means we know he's a boy! Here are some pics of his first attempt :welldone::welldone:
He also is flaring his gills in one of them- so cute!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/27/2014*

Lava's ONE-WEEK "ANNIVERSARY"! Lava has now been here a full week. I'm starting to have my suspicions that S/he is a female... to me, the body type is female, she doesn't flare, she's more "stripey", just totally different from Flash. After posting pics here last week, some thought perhaps Lava was a male, but I'll put these new pics up for some examination...


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/27/2014 #2*

Also, on 10/27/2014, Flash and Lava got moved into a bigger tank. Thanks to helpful tips from this site, I was able to construct a divider. My first installation wasn't very secure, and I was suprised to walk into the room to find Flash in Lava's side! I watched for a moment, and Flash was flaring and darting like crazy, but Lava- ever the laid-back fishy, took it in stride. I then moved the silly boy back to his side, did some re-adjusting of the divider, and all has been fine since


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## kjg1029

just so you know females will sometimes make bubble nests too, its not a gender only thing.
im glad they got a bigger tank! what size is it? also is your heater set to around 82 degreees? baby bettas need a little warmer water.
my last suggestion is to get some silk, or easy live plants (anubis, java fern, java moss ect.) because bettas love their plants! they are cute! that last pic is adorable!

edit: oh yeah! make sure they cant jump over, youd be surprised how far the can jump lol


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## AlwaysAnimals

kjg1029 said:


> just so you know females will sometimes make bubble nests too, its not a gender only thing.
> im glad they got a bigger tank! what size is it? also is your heater set to around 82 degreees? baby bettas need a little warmer water.
> my last suggestion is to get some silk, or easy live plants (anubis, java fern, java moss ect.) because bettas love their plants! they are cute! that last pic is adorable!
> 
> edit: oh yeah! make sure they cant jump over, youd be surprised how far the can jump lol


I didn't know that females made them too, lol, you learn something new every day  I'm definitely slowly but surely adding things to the tank to make them happier... today I got a background sheet, a moss ball, and tonight I have been looking on Amazon at plants and caves etc.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10-28-2014*

The tank is getting some sprucing up... a backdrop and moss ball has been added, and I am looking at all kinds of other decor. 
But the biggest news is that Flast re-built his bubble nest in his new home! It's only been a day since their upgrade, and he's already hard at work. Cutest of all is that the nest is right at the divider... I think he has some fond feelings for his roomate  At least I hope... I don't want him to get too stressed out or frustrated that he's so close to the fish on the other side!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/29/2014*

I've heard that young bettas can experience color transformations but this is the first time I've had young bettas and have never witnessed it before... am I seeing some marbling appear on flash? I have no idea, lol. Plus, the jury is still out on whether Lava is a male or female, but do I see ovaries? My novice eyes can't tell!:hmm:


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/30/2014*

Failure & Frustration :frustrated:
I tried to make a betta tube today. I had lots of mesh left over from making my divider (I got a 6-pack at Walmart). First I tried the tying-it-with-thread method and that was very difficult... my thread was so small and thin it was like tying with a piece of hair. Then I tried to melt the plastic together (I had read that it might work...???) but NOPE. Ugh. I was so excited for Flash and Lava to have their tunnels!
I am thinking next step is glue, but I didn't want to buy any. If I were to decide on glue, what can I use? Or maybe I should buy fishing line??


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/30/2014 #2*

On the positive side, Flash and Lava got some new decor! Here are some pics of Flash...
(Playing hide-and-seek in the last one :lol


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/30/2014 #3*

Here is Lava in his/her new cave...


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/30/2014*

Lastly today, when I was shopping for the new decor, I went to Petco among other stores to shop around. Of course, I had to stop by the baby bettas. It was so sad... there were 8 babies. Of them, 5 were dead, 2 were very sickly (skinny, clamped, one with bent spine and one with velvet I think), and only 1 that looked active and healthy. Those poor things :sob: 
I also went to Walmart, and Petsmart. No babies there, whew.


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## DaytonBetta

I'd try fishing line or invisible thread with a needle and stitch the edges together. Then you'll just need a knot at the start and the end. The needle will make it easier to tie the knots. I think if you use regular thread it will get algae or mold being wet all the time and break apart.

I love your journal name!


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## AlwaysAnimals

DaytonBetta said:


> I'd try fishing line or invisible thread with a needle and stitch the edges together. Then you'll just need a knot at the start and the end. The needle will make it easier to tie the knots. I think if you use regular thread it will get algae or mold being wet all the time and break apart.
> 
> I love your journal name!


Thanks for the tips! I really love these tunnels and can't wait to suprise my fishies with them :-D


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/31/2014--happy halloween!*

Happy Halloween!

It's funny how different these two fish's personalities are! Flash is either hyper or grumpy, I can't tell. Whatever it is, he's always patrolling, darting around, flaring at Lava through the divider... just a nonstop guy!
Lava, on the other hand, is so friendly and passive. S/he can look at Flash through the divider, while Flash is flaring away and frantically swimming, and it's almost as if s/he shrugs his/her shoulders like "yeah, I see you. So what?" And then just swims casually away. Lava also likes to get as close to me as possible when I'm up against the glass. It's mostly because I think s/he expects food, but even if I don't have any, s/he sticks around almost as if to investigaste.
Niether of them show any fear of me, and both get excited when I come into view... hoping for food, I'm sure! They are smart, taking food right from the end of a little feeding tool I fashioned (a plastic fork which I took three of the four tines off of). They will even jump up OUT of the water to get it! I don't make a practice of having them jump because I don't want them to jump out some day when I'm not there... but I guess sometimes I'm just too slow for them and they want to get at that food!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/31/2014 #2*

I've decided I'm tired of writing s/he or him/her, lol. For now, I'm gonna refer to Lava as a she until she shows me otherwise! Anyway...

In addition to their different personalities, their eating styles are so different, too. Lava is a gulper; as soon as the food is dipped in, she gulps it down. If it falls down behind her and she doesn't see it at first, she makes a super speedy bee-line down to it and it never touches the gravel. And I swear, she never gets full! I have to make the decision of when to stop because she will probably never stop!
Flash, on the other hand, is slow, picky, and spits out food all.the.time. It's almost like he can't swallow pieces that are no problem at all for Lava. (I feed them frozen BBS and frozen bloodworms... tried crushed betta pellets when I first brought them home, but they got ignored.) He especially spits out BBS. Sometimes he makes one or two more attempts and sucking it down, but usually it comes back out.
I've taken to feeding him right above his hammock. Since I've never seen him lounge in it, it is more of a feeder now. That way, if he spits something out, it lands on the hammock instead of the gravel. And he also then gets to graze on his leftovers- which he does- I wonder if he needs them to soften up first? I've included a photo of his unique, specialized feeding style:


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/1/2014*

To help correct the pickiness of Flash, I asked on the betta care forum and from the advice, I think I'm going to only give him the option of pellets... I don't want to make him be too hungry, though, as he's only a baby still... Lava on the other hand, took to pellets today very easily! YAY for small favors!

The fishies got a water change today, and new plants! Now I'm pretty sure the decorating is complete. They have places to hide, and sneak through... I hope I made them happy! Some pics of their spruced-up digs:


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/1/2014*

Interesting observation this evening about Flash's scales. They are so pretty all of a sudden! There is now a distinct area of shiny scales around his whole body except for his head. It's like an irridescent sea green, or teal; is there a name for this coloring? I'm quite sure he's not a dragon scale (although wouldn't that be AWESOME!) Is he still just a multi-color cambodian? Lol, I am still trying to learn all the terms :hmmics below!


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## sweetbettafish

Flash and Lava are both beautiful little fish! Now I want to get a baby betta!


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## AlwaysAnimals

sweetbettafish said:


> Flash and Lava are both beautiful little fish! Now I want to get a baby betta!


Aw thank you! I am loving Flash's colors... they just seem to keep getting more vibrant :-D And Lava is the sweetest little thing, great personality!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/2/2014*

I can't seem to stop admiring Flash's scales. Today they also seem pinkish-lavender at some angles!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/2/2014 #2*

Lava gets some camera time 
I sometimes still wonder about the stripes on her. Do you think it's still baby camoflauge? How long does that last? I don't think they are stress stripes... she is happy, a great eater, active, inquisitive... could it also be more of a sign that she's a female? (Since she STILL has me guessing! LOL) I'm still leaning towards female because of body shape, the stripe, the lack of bubble nest, the lack of all-over color, lack of aggressiveness, smaller size of fins & tail... if she weren't so dark, maybe I could get a glimpse of ovaries. I try, but no luck! Or maybe it's because there aren't any ovaries and HE is going to suprise me some day! :tongue:


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/2/2014 #3*

Some cute "together" pics. Flash just flares away, and Lava says "Eh." LOL:lol:


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/3/2014*

I have to share my other little pal, my fluffy boy, Baxter! He is my 8-yr-old Miniature Schnauzer. He's truly amazing!! I love this little guy :welldone:


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## sweetbettafish

Flash is such a pretty little boy! It would be so cool if he turns out to be a dragon scale!


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## AlwaysAnimals

sweetbettafish said:


> Flash is such a pretty little boy! It would be so cool if he turns out to be a dragon scale!


TOTALLY! I'm not familiar with dragon scaling, and don't know if it's something that can just appear, or is it kind of there from the beginning? If it just appears, awesome, I will be monitoring for that! lol


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## sweetbettafish

I dunno. My little buddy Prince is a dragon scale HM, I believe.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/3/2014*

I saw even MORE changes on Flash today. His coloring, starting from where his tail connects to his body, is gaining some blue. I asked about this on the betta care forum (here is a link to the question- I hope it works... http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=478458 )
So I guess I can now call Flash a red and blue bicolor Cambodian with green irids. Here are the pics I showed in that post:


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/3/2014 #3*

So I was curious about what an adult version of Flash might look like, so I went to Google. Wouldn't it be sweet if this is what he would end up looking like? lol Wishful thinking!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/3/2014 #4*

Well, I couldn't stop feeling like I HAD to conquer the whole make-my-own-betta-tube endeavor, so I went hunting for silicon glue. I went to Home Depot yesterday... nothing. I went to Walmart today... none there, either. Finally I found some at a local hardware store... FOR $7! Eek, I didn't know if I wanted to spend that much, but I just wanted to make one successfully. I took the plunge, justifying it with the thought that at least we had this really nice glue on hand in case anything around the house were to break :BIGwinky:
Attempt #1 was a disaster. The glue is so thick. It didn't seem strong enough to hold the ends together. After holding the ends together for 5 minutes, as per the instructions on the package, the ends would pop back open. More glue was added... a lot of it got onto my fingers, I couldn't wash it off for a while no matter how hard I tried... I was so frustrated!
Attempt #2- I stepped away from my project for maybe a half hour, then came back, added some more glue (not just a bit on two ends like in Attempt #1, but all the way down the seam this time) and secured the two ends with big paper clips. Then I let it sit for over and hour, instead of just 5 minutes. Went back, removed the paper clips, and got this! Taadaa! Not pretty, but should work! I'm going to leave it to cure for 24 hours like the instructions say, file down some of the roughness, and give it to one of the fish tomorrow. Then I have one whole other tube to make!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/3/2014 #5*

Finally tonight, some more frustration! The lamp I have been using to light the tank (I don't have a lighted tank cover) stopped working! That was the perfect lamp, and not cheap! Although I didn't buy it for the bettas (it was already in the house) it was a $150 lamp from World Market. Even though I didn't have to pay for it (used a gift card I had received) I am very unhappy. It's too old now, like two years old, to return. And I know it's not the bulb, that was checked. I think it's something inside malfunctioned... a connection, fuse, wire... who knows, but now my fishies are in the dark 
Looks like tomorrow I will be shopping.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/4/2014*

Bought a new desk lamp today and am NOT happy with it :redmad: I saw a $10 regular desk lamp and a $15 LED desk lamp. I thought, "Hey, I'll splurge. LED is gonna be great, right? Bright light, no bulb to change, save energy, etc etc etc". I do not like it AT ALL. I don't know if I want to go allllllllll the way back to the store to return a dinky lamp, especially if maybe the $10 will suck, too. Gah.


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## kjg1029

I cut holes to swim through on my mesh tubes


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## AlwaysAnimals

kjg1029 said:


> I cut holes to swim through on my mesh tubes


Aw that sounds like a good idea! I think mine are too short to do that, wouldn't have much left afterwards lol. Maybe if I make another one I'll try to take that into account!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/2/2014 #2*

I decided to use the my phone camera flash today to see how the images would turn out. Pretty cool! Here is the flash on Flash! LOL


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/4/2014 #3*

Lo and behold, the use of flash on Lava turned up a suprise hidden color! Ahh, are these blue irids?! Saw some on the scales and anal fin AND in the tail, too! Makes "her" look more male to me now, yikes!
(I also noticed the flash makes Lava and Flash's eyes look creeeeeepy, lol. Oh, and totally gives away my need to clean the tank's glass! )


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/4/2014 #4*

I have some more of todays favorite pics of Flash. He's so handsome! I love the way his tail and anal fin have almost a progression of 3 colors... minty green, light blue, red. Then, one of the pics shows him hanging awkwardly off of his hammock. He never actually rests there... more like perches for a moment to survey everything, then move on. And finally, the last pic shows how super cute his pectoral fins are!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/5/2014 #5*

I tried to get some ovary (or lack-there-of) pics of Lava. This fish has me guessing so much! Flash is pretty much a stright-forward boy. Attitude, body shape, big ol' fins, bubble-nest builder... but Lava is so perplexing!! :question: Please, does anyone see anything?? Argh, lol.


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## sweetbettafish

Both of the Betta fish look great! You phone has a pretty good camera.


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## AlwaysAnimals

sweetbettafish said:


> Both of the Betta fish look great! You phone has a pretty good camera.


Thanks! I have a new iPhone 6 (somehow got lucky enough with the expiration of my old contract and a new carrier offering a rebate... I'm pleased!)


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/5/2014*

Got betta tube #2 done!! Will get pics soon!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/5/2014*

The tubes! Not works of art... not by a looooong shot, but I think I finally succeeded! Letting them cure, then going to introduce them to the fishies!


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## sweetbettafish

They look good! I bet the fish will have fun hiding inside them.


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## Nimble

Pretty sure that Lava is a girl, just judging on her shape and her belly especially. That big, round belly and the short fins make me assume female.

Both of them look fairly young, however... Flash especially. So it's kinda hard to tell.


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## Schmoo

AlwaysAnimals said:


> So I was curious about what an adult version of Flash might look like, so I went to Google. Wouldn't it be sweet if this is what he would end up looking like? lol Wishful thinking!


Judging by the pictures you've posted of Flash, I don't think this is too far of a stretch (depending on his tail type, of course). c:


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## AlwaysAnimals

sweetbettafish said:


> They look good! I bet the fish will have fun hiding inside them.


Thanks! I took some pics and will be posting them below. :-D


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## AlwaysAnimals

Nimble said:


> Pretty sure that Lava is a girl, just judging on her shape and her belly especially. That big, round belly and the short fins make me assume female.
> 
> Both of them look fairly young, however... Flash especially. So it's kinda hard to tell.


I agree! I mean, I've never had a female before but this is what I picture in my mind of how a female betta would look if she was "eggy." I don't think she is though, she was a Petco baby when I got her, and I brought her home Oct. 20, so I don't think she could be mature enough for that development yet. But again I say, I've never had a female before! What do I know? lol


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## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> Judging by the pictures you've posted of Flash, I don't think this is too far of a stretch (depending on his tail type, of course). c:


I would be pleasantly shocked, lol. I'm quite sure he's a VT, but the color is constantly evolving and getting bluer. What a fun suprise he would be, especially coming from his beginnings as a pale, almost see-through fry :mrgreen: This pic is probably a closer color example (DEFINITELY not a tail example ha ha ha)


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## AlwaysAnimals

Or this is actually what he'll probaby be LOL I'll love him no matter how he turns out!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/5/2014 #3*

Ta-Da! The betta tubes are in the tank! The consensus so far? Flash is a fan... I've seen him wander through it a couple times. No relaxing in it yet; he's too much of a busy body. Here are some pics of his tube investigation


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/5/2014 #4*

Lava on the other hand... well, I just love the sweetie pie. I don't know if she likes her tube because she is too busy trying to get my attention. I can never seem to watch her just interact with her environment because when she sees me, she is right up against the glass. She's like a betta version of a golden retriever, I think ;-) I wish I could devise a way to stay out of sight and just watch her. Oh well, here's a pic of her anyway


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/5/2014 #5*

Oh yes, an update on my lamp situation (so exciting, I know lol) Short version: went to Target, got the $15 LED desk lamp vs the $10 regular desk lamp. Didn't like the LED, should have gotten regular. Went to Walmart before I could return LED to Target; got an $8 regular desk lamp with plans to return LED to Target. Need bulb for regular lamp, used bulb from busted $150 floor lamp. Didn't work. Grrr. Try another bulb in desk lamp. Works. Whaaaaat? Does that mean it really WAS just the bulb in the floor lamp?? It didn't show the fried look of a burnt out bulb. Well... tried the working bulb from the desk lamp and put it in the floor lamp... it WORKS! Great news, I have my favorite lamp back! Bad news, I now have two unwanted desk lamps that I get the joy of returning to two completely different stores. Sometimes I wonder, lol.


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## kjg1029

there getting so big!


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## AlwaysAnimals

kjg1029 said:


> there getting so big!


I agree! I look at the pics of their first day home- it hasn't even been a month yet- and they are so different!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/7/2014*

*I shall name this post... All About Anxiety*

I'll start by admitting that I battle with anxiety... so if this seems a little over-blown, I apologize and own it, lol. Anyway, that being said...
... fish TB is contagious to people? What in the heck is this? Gah, I don't like learning new and unpleasant things. I will be doing some (hypochondriatic) research.

Next, I saw Lava this morning, FREAKING OUT next to her betta tube. It looked like she was stuck on something for a few moments, but before I needed to step in, she got free. I'm thinking it's a fine little string of glue?? I couldn't see anything but I might remove just her tube. I've never seen her use it anyway. I'll be keeping my eye on her all day to make sure she didn't harm herself. Ugh, the guilt!

Lastly, I've been posting on the betta care forum about just how good it is to have these two in a divided tank together. I'm posing the question on if it is too stressful. And is it torture to have a male and female next to each other. And someone said that their female once died from being eggbound because she was in a divided tank next to a male. And so on and so on. 

Oh yeah, and I'm starting to get a cold. Grrr.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/7/2014*

Flash built quite the massive bubble nest today. I definitely think he built it for Lava... it is right at the divider. I just hope I am not torturing him by having a girl constantly on the other side of the divider...


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## MiriamandMoonlight

Hi, I love you're journal and posts!  I love you're fish.

But I must warn you:

You feed you're fish way too much! They are way too bloated so they could get bad deseases. If you had been feeding them only pellets (they don't digest pellets as easilly) they probably would've already gotten into some health problems.

I would strongly suggest only feeding them the amount of food that is the size of one of their eyes! They have tiny stomachs!

But otherwise, they are great well-cared-for little fish! Good job except for the feeding.

BTW, what temperature is the tank?


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## Schmoo

Pellets are wonderful food for bettas. Don't worry about them having digestive issues. Also, I learned from experience that the "stomach the size of their eyes" thing is untrue. They do have small stomachs, yes, but not that small.

Just curious, how much do you feed your bettas? Lava does look a little bloated, but she could also just be eggy (that's also very likely, as Flash is building nests).


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## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> Pellets are wonderful food for bettas. Don't worry about them having digestive issues. Also, I learned from experience that the "stomach the size of their eyes" thing is untrue. They do have small stomachs, yes, but not that small.
> 
> Just curious, how much do you feed your bettas? Lava does look a little bloated, but she could also just be eggy (that's also very likely, as Flash is building nests).


It could be possible that they are just a bit overfed only because since they were babies, I was doing the three times a day... but I guess they aren't much of babies anymore! If they are old enough to lessen their feeding routine, it might be time for that. It's hard guessing, because their age isn't exactly known. Thankfully, Flash always looks sleek... Lava, on the other hand... I see what you guys see. Today she looks good, though. This is about a day or two of doing a more "adult fish" schedule.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/8/2014*

I am in a pickle! I have been hearing these past couple days that it might not be the best idea to have a male and female share a divided tank. Flash is nest building like he's trying to win a contest, and if Lava's tubby tummy is from eggs instead of food, I am worried for her. (My only point of relief is that she seems so uninterested in him, and she really is a piggy about food...) Someone told me their female, who shared a divided tank with a male, ended up dying from being egg-bound!
Here is Flash and his even BIGGER nest, which now looks like an igloo!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/8/2014 #2*

I've been wanting to do an update on Flash's tail for a while. Only a day or two after bringing him home, I noticed a pretty sizeable notch taken out of it. This is how his tail looked right after the chunk went missing:


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/8/2014 #3*

In my avatar you can see how it grew out a little bit later, and below, here is how it looks today! Not all the way back to normal, but looking good- and might I say, looking gorgeous! ;-)


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/8/2014 #4*

Tried to feed pellets to Flash again today. I hadn't fed him since yesterday morning, frozen BBS and frozen bloodworms. This evening I dropped a pellet in, he looked at it, and ignored it. I tried to trick him- you see, I give them their frozen food at the end of a plastic fork which I have broken all but one tine off. So it's like a plastic pointer. And they know this utensil well! So I took the fork and pushed on the pellet with it. Flash snatched up the pellet, hungry little guy... but then spit it out! I tried one more time, and again he gulped it but spit it back out. Then he jumped up at the fork like four times as I was removing it, trying to get some food from it. Poor fella! I might wait just one more day, or at least until morning, without frozen food... but I don't want to wait any longer being that he is so young still. Thank goodness Lava, piggy that she is, never hesitated when she got her first pellet!


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## Schmoo

AlwaysAnimals said:


> It could be possible that they are just a bit overfed only because since they were babies, I was doing the three times a day... but I guess they aren't much of babies anymore! If they are old enough to lessen their feeding routine, it might be time for that. It's hard guessing, because their age isn't exactly known. Thankfully, Flash always looks sleek... Lava, on the other hand... I see what you guys see. Today she looks good, though. This is about a day or two of doing a more "adult fish" schedule.


Lava looks much better. :3 Honestly, you can tailor your feeding schedule however you feel is necessary. Personally, I feed two small meals every day, and fast my fish once a week. That pic. of Lava is what you want your bettas to look like after a meal - rounded but not bloated or stuffed.



AlwaysAnimals said:


> In my avatar you can see how it grew out a little bit later, and below, here is how it looks today! Not all the way back to normal, but looking good- and might I say, looking gorgeous! ;-)


Gawd, I love Flash's colors! <3



AlwaysAnimals said:


> Tried to feed pellets to Flash again today. I hadn't fed him since yesterday morning, frozen BBS and frozen bloodworms. This evening I dropped a pellet in, he looked at it, and ignored it. I tried to trick him- you see, I give them their frozen food at the end of a plastic fork which I have broken all but one tine off. So it's like a plastic pointer. And they know this utensil well! So I took the fork and pushed on the pellet with it. Flash snatched up the pellet, hungry little guy... but then spit it out! I tried one more time, and again he gulped it but spit it back out. Then he jumped up at the fork like four times as I was removing it, trying to get some food from it. Poor fella! I might wait just one more day, or at least until morning, without frozen food... but I don't want to wait any longer being that he is so young still. Thank goodness Lava, piggy that she is, never hesitated when she got her first pellet!


Getting a fish to accept a pellet when they've had frozen goodies can be am aggravating process. You've got the right idea, though: if he refuses/spits it out, then remove it. If you keep it up, he will eventually eat it. Stand your ground. It may seem mean, but even young bettas can go for awhile without food. When he's hungry enough, he'll accept the pellet, and you will have won the war.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/9/2014*

Going to possibly do some rearranging of Lava's decor today. She doesn't use the leaf hammock or the betta tube (are both of those a more male favorite??) so I think I will remove those two things, and add another plant. I have an extra plant that I need to use anyway. Seems like a more female-favored type of decor, perfect for hiding and sneaking


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/10/2014*

I am so sick with the beginnings of a cold. Sore throat, pressure in the ears, exhausted... blah. Now that that's out of the way...

Nothing new today on the fishy front, but yesterday was interesting. It was a big WC day and it gave me quite a scare. After the change was done, Flash and Lava weren't acting the best. They were clamped, slow, dull colors- just uncomfortable looking. A couple hours later I realized I had forgotten to put the conditioner in! I felt so bad. I really hope being exposed to untreated tap water like that for a few hours won't do them any harm in the long run. A short while after adding the conditioner, they seemed fine, and today are totally back to normal. Full flares, bright colors, lots of activity, great appetites. WHEW.

I did remove Lava's tube, at least for now, and both leaf hammocks. I saw wire in the hammocks and didn't want them to start getting rusty. Flash still has his tube, and uses it a good amount. Yay!

Well, if I feel better tomorrow, I might take some more pics. They are so photogenic, and Flash is constantly changing. But this is just the start of this nasty bug. I sooo don't like being sick :BIGsad:


----------



## Schmoo

AlwaysAnimals said:


> Going to possibly do some rearranging of Lava's decor today. She doesn't use the leaf hammock or the betta tube (are both of those a more male favorite??) so I think I will remove those two things, and add another plant. I have an extra plant that I need to use anyway. Seems like a more female-favored type of decor, perfect for hiding and sneaking


Both male and female betta can enjoy using a hammock or tube, but not every individual betta does. Lava just might be one of those ones who doesn't. :3


----------



## autojoy

Hey! I just read through your journal & it was so exciting to see the little babies change so quickly! You seem like you're doing a great job with them  Hope your cold vanishes soon.

Subscribed here!


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## AlwaysAnimals

autojoy said:


> Hey! I just read through your journal & it was so exciting to see the little babies change so quickly! You seem like you're doing a great job with them  Hope your cold vanishes soon.
> 
> Subscribed here!


Thanks for reading, and thanks for the well wishes!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/11/2014*

Whew, I am running on empty. Feeling worse today than yesterday. Gonna go right to bed after this!
Took some pics of the fishies today to cheer me up. I'm a little perplexed by the coloration around Flash's head. It's turning pretty dark... I'm thinking (hoping) it's just more to do with him maturing and getting his adult looks. I've never had a pale (Cambodian) betta before, and from such a young age, so all of this is a little new to me. Here are the pics of the darkening around Flash's head:


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/11/2014 #2*

Here are some other snapshots of Flash today. Got a couple of good flare shots! I also like the one where his ventrails are crossed ever so elegantly, lol.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/11/2014*

And finally, some of my portly little cutie, Lava. In the last picture her tail looks kind of raggedy, but there is actually some transparent webbing that surrounds the end of it. It's actually around her anal fin and more visible there. I kind of tell myself it's her own version of being a butterfly betta, lol. 
I love this sweet girl. I never had a female betta before, and probably never would have gone out and gotten one, so I'm kinda glad I bought a "mystery" baby and it turned out to be her. Honestly, she has quite the personality, and cute puppy dog eyes!


----------



## Schmoo

Flash is coloring up BEAUTIFULLY! My goodness!

Feel better! <3


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## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> Flash is coloring up BEAUTIFULLY! My goodness!
> 
> Feel better! <3


He keeps impressing me, lol. Thanks for the well wishes... not over this cold yet but I'm over the worst I think!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/12/2014*

I'm feeling a little better today (emphasis on "little") so I went out for lunch this afternoon. On the way home I stopped at a local, non-franchise type pet store to look around. I saw the bettas and loved their selection, much more impressive than the local Petco or Petsmart. I didn't take any home with me as there is absolutely NO place for more fishies, but I took home these pics of them to share!!


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## Schmoo

Oooooh~ I love the first two on the right.


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## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> Oooooh~ I love the first two on the right.


If I could have taken just one home, it would have been the blue one with the dots on the anal fin... so unique!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/12/2014*

Well, I keep thinking back to that pet store visit... lol
And no, it's not a betta a keep thinking about. It's ghost shrimp! I saw a tank of them there, all different sizes, and they are so cool! (AND only 49 cents each...)
But I don't know much about them, so I'm holding off my temptation because I don't want to be irresponsible. I need to learn more about them. I'm mostly interested in them for the maintenace they could help me with in Flash and Lava's tank. If they create more of a mess instead of helping clean up some, then I will probably decide against them. Off I go to Google! lol


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/12/2014 #2*

Soooo... just over $2 later, I now have four new little friends. I have been so good not impulse-buying bettas. I have my two and that's it. But I couldn't get these interesting little creatures out of my mind. I went back and got some ghost shrimp! Here's what I figure... my bettas are still small, so if I were going to get them, I might as well get them while they stood a better chance against their new "roommates". I am acclimating the bag right now, and I decided to float them on Lava's side because she's always been the calmer one. She did show some uncharacteristic spunk at first, though! No flaring, but intense darting and following them while they moved around in their bag. She seems to have lost interest now. I'll show some pics... then tell you about my new predicament regarding these shrimpy shrimps!!
The Fantastic Four (and photobomb by Lava):









INVADERS!









"I am not an alien, I swear!"









"You can't see me... just swim on by..."









"Get us out of here!"


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/12/2014 #3*

More pics, just because I took a lot and these guys are so unique and cute!

Ready for its close-up

















OMG... is that a shrimp BRAIN????









The "bug-on-a-windshield" pose:









EyEbAlLzz









I.Am.A.Robot.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/12/2014 #4*

As promised, my new predicament; one of the shrimp they gave me is carrying EGGS! Like, full on, very obvious, babies on board! I didn't get to pick my specific shrimp; the lady just scooped who she scooped, and I didn't notice this until I got home. So now I have to decide... do I want to stick her in there like the rest and let whatever happens happen, or do I step in and see what I can do with these babies?? If so, I need more stuff from Petco tomorrow! Here are some pics of the expectant mama! YIKES! :shock::shock2::question:


----------



## Nimble

Go for it. More than likely, Lava will gobble up any shrimp babies she finds, so don't even worry about it. Some might survive, if they're careful.


----------



## andakin

Loved the captions!


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## autojoy

Oh wow! Let us know how it goes. I wanted shrimp (Amano shrimp specifically) for our tank, but I'm afraid our betta will just eat them or terrorize them into hiding  I love shrimp, though! They're so cute!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/13/2014*

The introduction of the ghosties went/is going well. I decided to separate the mama for now... if I don't successfully save the babies, at least I tried and am not out anything. For now, one shrimp was given to Lava, since she is a clean eater, and two went to picky guy Flash, who needs the most help cleaning up. When mama shrimp is done with her eggs, she'll go with Lava.
I bought two live plants today for the shrimp/bettas. Each side gets an Asian waterlily. I also brought back Lava's betta tube that I made... but not for her... for her pet shrimp . Instead of letting it float, I weighted it down halfway in the gravel and made it a tunnel for the shrimp to climb in.
Flash and Lava did a little chasing at first, but are leaving them alone now. The shrimpies are pretty big and my fishies are still pretty small, so no fights are breaking out. Whew! Pics to come soon!!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Thanks Nimble, andakin and autojoy, for reading! This shrimp escapade is a new one for me, so we'll see how it goes!!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/13/2014 #2*

I might start thinking of names for these little creepers, lol, but I don't know if it'll be easy to tell them apart!
I noticed another benefit of the shrimp- Lava is so curious about them, and spends some time here and there playing "find the ghostie". The nice part about that is instead of her spending so much time at the divider staring me down for food, she explores her tank more. And in turn, Flash also doesn't spend so much time at the divider. Usually it's food that holds Lava's interest, and it is Lava that holds Flash's interest! So maybe now they will be more adventerous and spend some time away from the middle of the tank :thumbsup:


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/13/2014 #3*

Picture time! A few more hours have passed all pets are alive and accounted for. 

Shrimpy is thinking "Just a liiiiiiiittle too close for comfort!"









Creepy glowing shrimp eyes!









More glowing ghosty eyes!









Can you find the shrimp? Flash can't!









Lava's little pet









Going out on a limb









I claim these ruins!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/13/2014 #4*

Lava was so curious about the live plants! lol


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/13/2014 #5*

Mama shrimp is just hanging out on her own.

"Just... don't forget I'm in here..."


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## Nimble

Decided to try and let the babies grow out instead of letting them get eaten?


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## AlwaysAnimals

Nimble said:


> Decided to try and let the babies grow out instead of letting them get eaten?


Yeah, I'm a softie, lol. And if it doesn't work, I'm not out anything. It'll be interesting, at least! 
:lol:


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## Aqua Aurora

What are you doing to give food for the babies? They do best in ages (running for a long time) tanks as the will have the microorganism a they feed on naturally. If you keep them in a seperate jar you need to find a way to generate food. If you have moss in an aged tank move it over to the shrimp let holding container, it should have some food on it or them.


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## AlwaysAnimals

Yep, I have moss that I can move over, also I read that they like decaying plant matter, so when I brought the Asian waterlilies home today and pruned them, I saved the pieces and put them in with mama. I sprinked some freeze dried bloodworms in there. I had them on hand and don't use them for my fish anymore. In addition, I have frozen BBS and frozen bloodworms on hand.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/13/2014 #6*

TBT!
I randomly remembered the other day that I have an old pic of my dog and my old community tank. I had some gouramis, tetras, a swordtail, a danio, and a red betta. I feel bad but I can't remember the betta's name! Anywho, the memory that I had this photo sent me rifling back through my old albums. So I present this 2008 snapshot of Baxter trying to hunt down my school o' fish!


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## LadyNightraven

The shrimp are so cute! You are seriously making me want some ghosties of my own now.  Aww, and Baxter is so precious!


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## JessikaSky

Not to sound really stupid but, how come the babies bellies are so big? O.O they look like they have serious bloat going on lol


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## Aqua Aurora

Adorable schnauzer, miniature? My mother use to have a shnoodle (schnauzerxpoodle) miniature long time ago (passed away 15 years ago).. had the "i can take on any big dog" issue some small breeds get.. would try to fight any canine taller than him.. even tried to fight a pair of dobies at the vet once (kept him restrained but yikes!).


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## AlwaysAnimals

Thanks LadyNightraven and Aqua Aurora! Yep, Baxter is a miniature schnauzer, 8 years old now. He's my little gentleman, lol. He sure does think he's bigger than he really is! But only in terms of wanting to play with big dogs, not fight with them. My friend has a Bernese Mountain Dog and they are good buddies! I love my little fluff boy


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/14/2014*

Lots of stuff got done today!

First, I made sure to finally fill the birdfeeders outside. I saw a cardinal yesterday and I want him to stick around! Darn squirrels are already overtaking the platform feeder, grrrrrr. I hear the cardinal right now actually, and he sounds pretty mad at the big, fat squirrel eating his sunflower seeds. Perhaps I should send Baxter out on a mission to chase him away. He'll never catch anything, but makes a lot of noise so maybe it will make the squirrels think twice!

Had one ghost shrimp casuality, but it wasn't completely unexpected. I figured I'd lose one or two based on what I read. They only live about a year anyway, in the bestest of best situations. And the one that died was pretty big-the biggest of my four- so probably on the old side anyway. So now Flash and Lava each have one pet, and mama shrimp is still in her "hatching suite". I put an air stone in with her, because I read that they make use of the current at hatching time to detach the eggs from their bodies. And I didn't want to put a filter in there to suck the little stinkers up.

On to the fishies... both are great and cute as ever. I tried to get Flash to eat pellets again, this time by flavoring them in garlic. He hasn't gotten food since about yesterday at this time. Did he eat them? NOPE. I hope his pet shrimp likes garlic-flavored betta pellets. 

Took some more fun pics last night and today- will post them soon!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/14/2014 #2*

Photo time!

*SHRIMPIES*

Hanging on the divider, looking at the neighbors









Flash and Lava conducting business as usual (Flash flaring and Lava waiting for food...) and niether one caring about the eavesdopper below them









Without the camera flash...









With the camera flash (and now I see how poorly that cave decoration is painted, lol)


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## AlwaysAnimals

*1114/2014 #3*

*Mama shrimp*

Chillin' on a moss ball










"Oooo an air stone..."

















I think I see EYES in the eggs! AAhhh so cute! I read that these things might appear close to hatching time, but they can carry their eggs up to about 3 weeks from start to finish... so who knows how long there is left. What do YOU see?!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/14/2014 #4*

I have more pics coming but have run out of time! I get to go out to eat tonight, so time to go get ready. I don't think I will be ordering the deep-fried shrimp off the menu, although it is one of my favorites... lol.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/14/2014 #5*

Had time tonight to finally add some more pics. Last night I was playing with the flash feature on my camera phone (still can't seem to get my actual camera to get a decent pic), and I noticed how AMAZINGLY different Flash's coloring looks with a change in lighting! See for yourself! 
Before:









After!:









Wow, right?! I SWEAR that's the same fish!
And for good measure, this super cute snapshot of Flash checking out his shrimp pet. Seriously, they got **thiiiiis** close, and left each other alone!









Another brilliant pic (although hello- creepy eyes)


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## Schmoo

Your ghost shrimp are so dang adorable! c: And I love the picture of Flash with the caption, "Can you spot the shrimp? Flash can't." It looks so posed. xD


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## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> Your ghost shrimp are so dang adorable! c: And I love the picture of Flash with the caption, "Can you spot the shrimp? Flash can't." It looks so posed. xD


Awww thanks, lol. Now the question is, could YOU spot the shrimp? Ha ha ha ;-)


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## Schmoo

AlwaysAnimals said:


> Awww thanks, lol. Now the question is, could YOU spot the shrimp? Ha ha ha ;-)


Nope. xD I really tried, too!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/14/2014 #6*

Flash's Flare Fotoshoot (aherm, I mean Photoshoot)

I got out a mirror to test his flare. I was always curious if the flares he gives Lava are different because she's a female. Sounds silly, I know. But his flares to her are not really "wholehearted" I guess... I wanted to see if he could do something bigger. Well, I wasn't disappointed! He really did not like seeing his reflection and tried to put on his best "Me HULK smash!" face and body pose! I wish the pics were of clearer quality!!


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## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> Nope. xD I really tried, too!


(Cough cough *check under the leaf in the foreground* cough)


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/14/2014 #7*

Here's Round 2 of "find the shrimp". And again, Flash is clueless. And here's a hint for him... it's in one of his new favorite places!! lol :doh!:


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## Schmoo

I see the little ghosty!


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## autojoy

Ahaha! The shrimp look like they're having a great time. I'm so glad they worked out...! Hmmm.... I'm still so on the fence about adding shrimps to my tank...

Btw, don't worry about the pellet thing too much with Flash! It took me 14 days to get my boy to accept pellets properly (fingers crossed). I felt awful, like I was starving him. But the pellets are good for them (the GOOD pellets are, anyway)... so, I felt like it was worth it.

Cute pics and captions as always


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## LadyNightraven

Flash and Lava and the shrimp are so darn cute! They make me smile every time I see their pictures and read about them.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/15/2014*

Yay Schmoo! And thanks autojoy! I really need to learn how to do multiple quotes in one response... can anyone teach me that? Anyhoo...

I saw lots of birds on my feeder this morning! Chickadees, juncos, sparrows, and a male & female cardinal! There were also TWO squirrels today, those darn critters. 

Down to 2 shrimpies  My success is now 50%. The remaining one in the betta tank is on Flash's side, and mama shrimp is still in her own personal suite. I hope they both can hang on past this initial introduction phase. If I lose them, I think I am done with shrimp. They are very cute and fun, but if I'm not cut out for it, why push it. It's weird because the most recent loss was the shrimp that was in Flash's betta tube, the one in the above pic. I had witnessed it swimming around, picking and eating little microscopic things... then just a few hours later, I see it legs-up on the bottom of the tank and it had turned from clear to milky white. Ugh, not a pleasant image. 

Fishies are good, although Flash is still a stinker about pellets. I find it hard to do the wait-him-out-and-make-him-hungry technique because he's still young. What age can he be strong enough to endure that kind of pellet training?? I just want to feed him and make him grow. If he never ever takes to eating pellets, what can I feed him to give him a well-rounded diet? All he will take right now are frozen BBS and frozen bloodworms. Does he need any plant matter? I know they are carnivores, but even the pellets have ingredients in them that cover the plant element. Can I do a seaweed, like I see at the pet store? Should I look for anything in the frozen section since he likes frozen so much? Gah this stubborn little mule! I just want him to be healthy, I wish I could explain it to him!


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## andakin

Click the MQ for the posts you want o respond to. After selecting the ones you want, click POSTREPLY.


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## Schmoo

I wouldn't suggest seaweed, as it's a plant and bettas are insectivores. They aren't able to properly digest plant matter. 

I would say Flash is old enough to be pellet-trained, and I'd really recommend it. Bettas do best with a varied diet, which can be easily provided with a good pellet.


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## AlwaysAnimals

andakin said:


> Click the MQ for the posts you want o respond to. After selecting the ones you want, click POSTREPLY.


Thanks for the help!



Schmoo said:


> I wouldn't suggest seaweed, as it's a plant and bettas are insectivores. They aren't able to properly digest plant matter.
> 
> I would say Flash is old enough to be pellet-trained, and I'd really recommend it. Bettas do best with a varied diet, which can be easily provided with a good pellet.


Sounds like that's my option then. Time to dig my heels in!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/16/2014*

Today is Flash's "One Month Fishaversary"! A month ago I went into a Petco to buy dog food for Baxter and found myself won over by a tiny, pale baby that had a bit of sparkle and attitude. I cannot believe how much he has changed!
Here he is, one month ago:









And here are some shots of him today!!!


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## Schmoo

They grow up so fast. *tear*


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## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> They grow up so fast. *tear*


All too true :sob:


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/17/2014*

Shrimplets!

I woke up this morning to a cute litte suprise! The shrimp eggs hatched! So far I see maybe 5 swimming around, but more could be hiding. They are almost invisible!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/17/2014 #2*

Mama shrimp got removed from the "nursery" and put in with Flash. Flash's last pet shrimp suprised me yesterday by somehow ending up on the breakfast counter, about twelve inches from the tank, all dried out and crispy. What the huh?! So mama shrimp is the last adult of the four. She is hiding in th plants right now, and I expect her to be molting soon. I read that they molt their exoskeleton once the eggs hatch.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/17/2014 #3*

I tried to catch some shots of these teeny shrimplets moving around. They are soooooooooo small, and see-through, that my camera had a hard time focusing on them!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/17/2014 #4*

I counted at least 11 for sure, maybe 13.
Took a couple of pics to show just how small they are!! 










There are 2 here, can you spot them?


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## Aqua Aurora

Do you have a lid on your tank? If so how wide is the opening in it (for equipment to go in) and how far is the water line from the lid?
Ghostshrimp can jump out of water and very far when they want! When I got some a few weeks ago, 2 lept out of a container I was drip acclimating them in and (fortunately) into a 5g bucket full of dirty tank water (just cleaned tank they were going into) about a foot way,all to avoid the fish net.. I didn't realize 2 ad done this, only saw one leap and fished 1 out.. next day when I dumped the water I was surprised to find another ghost shrimp bouncing around the utility sink. Now when I net them I have to put a hand over top so they don't go flying.. also been keeping a lid on the quarantine tank to help deter diving out.

Shirmplets are awesome miniatures of their parents and grow pretty fast! be very careful with water changes until they get to adult size, easy to suck one (or 3) out of the tank/jar by accident.


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## Nimble

Huuray for eetty beetty babby shreemps.

You may have lost three of the adults, but you have several lovely babies to replace them, should they all survive. I hope you're handling them well, and they survive to adulthood.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/18/2014*

Today is about day 4 of not feeding Flash anything and trying to train him to eat pellets. He still just looks at them when they drop in, and then ignores them. I know it's what's best for him but I feel sooooo bad :-(. :-( I'm going to keep at it, though.

Lava looks wonderful. She is turning out to be a beautiful female. Her colors might just be red, but she's such a pretty one.

More visitors to my birdfeeders... this morning I had a blue jay and a red tailed hawk!

Yesterday's male cardinal:









And today's hawk!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/18/2014 #2*

Ohmigosh Ohmigosh Flash just ate a pellet!! That's the good news! The bad news? It doesn't seem like he can swallow it! I saw him grab it, go "gulp gulp gulp" a couple times, and out it came. Then he tried this like 8 more times. So, I think he _wants_ to eat it... but is having trouble? I broke up another pellet for him and sprinkled the smaller pieces on the top of the water, but for now he keeps going after the big pellet. Looks like I might have to go buy those mini pellets, because I don't want him to get frustrated and have this momentum stop! Yay for breakthroughs! :shock2:


----------



## Schmoo

A lot of bettas (especially younger ones, like Flash) have trouble with normal-sized pellets. I feed Omega One micro pellets, and all of my fish eat them with no issues. c:


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## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> A lot of bettas (especially younger ones, like Flash) have trouble with normal-sized pellets. I feed Omega One micro pellets, and all of my fish eat them with no issues. c:


Awesome, I will look at my Petco for those. I looked on Amazon and noticed a big variety (color enhancing, betta buffet, etc), what do you use?



Aqua Aurora said:


> Do you have a lid on your tank? If so how wide is the opening in it (for equipment to go in) and how far is the water line from the lid?
> Ghostshrimp can jump out of water and very far when they want! When I got some a few weeks ago, 2 lept out of a container I was drip acclimating them in and (fortunately) into a 5g bucket full of dirty tank water (just cleaned tank they were going into) about a foot way,all to avoid the fish net.. I didn't realize 2 ad done this, only saw one leap and fished 1 out.. next day when I dumped the water I was surprised to find another ghost shrimp bouncing around the utility sink. Now when I net them I have to put a hand over top so they don't go flying.. also been keeping a lid on the quarantine tank to help deter diving out.
> 
> Shirmplets are awesome miniatures of their parents and grow pretty fast! be very careful with water changes until they get to adult size, easy to suck one (or 3) out of the tank/jar by accident.


I don't at the moment but am looking at lids on Amazon now. For the shrimp... and the fish!



Nimble said:


> Huuray for eetty beetty babby shreemps.
> 
> You may have lost three of the adults, but you have several lovely babies to replace them, should they all survive. I hope you're handling them well, and they survive to adulthood.


Thanks! I am trying as best as I can, being that this was all a big suprise to me, lol!


----------



## Schmoo

I feed Omega One's color micro pellets.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/19/2014*

I've got at least a whole 24 hours under my belt with this pellet success! Until I get the micro pellets (and who knows when that will be, with all this crummy new snow falling) I have been using my fingernail to crack the other pellets into a few smaller pieces. This seems to be working! And if there are a couple pieces that end up being too big, Flash will gulp & spit, gulp & spit, gulp & spit until they are softened. 
I've noticed that the broken pellets seem to lose their ability to float. They sink almost right away. Thankfully, my new little pellet-eating champ follows them down as they go! He's started to become an amazing gravel-grazer, lol. He's going to put mama shrimp out of business!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/19/2014 #2*

Speaking of mama shrimp...

She's still hanging around. I catch glimpses of her every now and then, and she is often on the side of Flash's tube against the glass. A perfect out-of-reach spot, where he can't get to her!

Here she is, (a pic I took yesterday) and no- the pic is not upside down. She is upside down!









LITERALLY hanging out!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/19/2014 #3*

Well, I WAS going to make this journal entry all about how awesome tonight's WC went. And it really was very positive. First, Lava showed her stress stripes as usual, but in the past, her stripes and pale coloring stick around for a while and she gets timid. Well, instead, tonight as soon as the water level was back up, she returned right back to her vibrant, red self and was right back up to the glass looking for food.

Flash was also impressive with this WC. He didn't even seem phased by it at all! He was right beside the vaccuum and the turkey baster as I cleaned, totally looking for all the floaty bits as they got kicked up. My little gravel-grazer, lol. Gutsy little guy! And finally, mama shrimp seemed a little shocked to have her hiding spot disturbed, but handled it fine as well.

HOWEVER, instead of just being able to bask in the success of this completed task, I am all worried. See, after a WC I always clean the counter top with Windex and a paper towel. Tonight, after tidying up and tossing said paper towl in the garbage, I was on my way to go wash my hands when I saw Flash's betta tube in an odd spot. I went over and did a quick adjustment... then realized I could have had Windex on my hands!! So now I'm all concerned that some chemicals could have leeched into the water with that quick moment my fingers were in the water. Ugh, I'm going to be keeping an eye on those fishies all night, and rushing to check on them in the morning!


----------



## Nimble

If your tank is properly cycled, the ammonia in windex should be taken care of fairly easily, though it will have a bit of a spike. Just keep an eye out on the fish, they might get a little lethargic tomorrow, but they should be fine in the long run.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Nimble said:


> If your tank is properly cycled, the ammonia in windex should be taken care of fairly easily, though it will have a bit of a spike. Just keep an eye out on the fish, they might get a little lethargic tomorrow, but they should be fine in the long run.


Thanks! It's morning now and whew, I think they're in the clear! Bright-eyed and "bushy-tailed" lol


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/20/2014*

Happy 1-month "FISHAVERSARY" to Lava!

One month ago today, I brought her home from Petco. She had caught my eye a few days before, and I just knew I had to go back and bring her home. She's my little beauty! Here she is one month ago:


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/20/2014 #2*

And here she is TODAY! A little fashion-shoot for her special day, lol.

....aaaand turn towards the camera 









Pouty lips and puppy dog eyes









"MY bubbles!"


----------



## autojoy

She is such a cutie ^_^ I am a big fan of hers!!!!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

autojoy said:


> She is such a cutie ^_^ I am a big fan of hers!!!!


Wow, she has fans!! Awwww, my little celebrity! lol :BIGcool:


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/20/2014 #3*

Since today is pretty much Lava's day, I'm going to bring up a couple things I've been wondering about her. First, I wanted to put up these pretty pics of her but was anxious about how her fins look. And not that I think they look bad... moreso that it would look to people like she has fin rot? But honestly, the pics are quite deceiving and if anything, her fins are just getting so long! In person, the ends of her fins and tail are see-through. It's like cellophane butterfly, lol (I don't even know if that's a type lol) But just let me know anyway if you think it's something to keep an eye on. I honestly think it's just her coloring, but I'm not a trained eye. So here are more of her fashion pics from today! 

Such a beautiful tail









Looks so much more like new growth to me...









Those darn bubbles









I love the black around each and every scale


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/20/2014 #4*

Second, this little cutie *still* gives me some doubts about her being a female. I mean I'm mostly sure now that she is, but then I get pics like this with such a male stance & those ventrals & that loooong anal fin... 


























And still not a decent shot of anything resembling ovaries...









*Sigh* I guess she's a really flashy female, or a late blooming male. On top of it, she is actually bigger than Flash, and Flash is definitely a male. Her body is so much bigger, stockier, thicker... it's crazy. Especially because I only got them 4 days apart (and she was second), and they came from the same store. If I can, I'll try to get a side-by-side pic but I can't promise!


----------



## Nimble

That's definitely new growth in her fins. It's much too regular and even to be fin rot, which is usually fairly chaotic in its decay. Not to mention that she hasn't really bitten or cut her tail on anything, which is how fin rot usually starts to set in, isn't it?

I still say female, just because her fins are growing out more like a female's would than a male's. It's going to be hard to find her ovaries since she's such a solid red, though.


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## AlwaysAnimals

Nimble said:


> That's definitely new growth in her fins. It's much too regular and even to be fin rot, which is usually fairly chaotic in its decay. Not to mention that she hasn't really bitten or cut her tail on anything, which is how fin rot usually starts to set in, isn't it?
> 
> I still say female, just because her fins are growing out more like a female's would than a male's. It's going to be hard to find her ovaries since she's such a solid red, though.


Awesome, that's great to hear. Yeah, she's never gotten any fin or tail injuries, and as you said, everything with the fins is nice and even/symmetrical.

I also still think female, and her behavior & personality also lean towards that as well. What a pretty one she is


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/20/2014 #5*

I took about 15 pics just to get 1 or 2 decent ones of the two fishies side-by-side. I hope you can tell, but Lava really is bigger than Flash! Flash's longer fins and tail help him look to be about the same size, but just body-wise, Lava is the bigger of the two.


----------



## Schmoo

Happy one month, Lava! Also, that's definitely her coloring. :3 No fin rot there!


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## LadyNightraven

Happy one-month gotcha day, Lava!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> Happy one month, Lava! Also, that's definitely her coloring. :3 No fin rot there!


I'm so glad  I wasn't expecting her new growth to be black, but it's pretty cool and I can't wait to see all her changes. And Lava thanks you! lol



LadyNightraven said:


> Happy one-month gotcha day, Lava!


Awww, I love "gotch day!" :-D


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/20/2014 #6*

Another development today; mama shrimp finally molted. It startled me at first, seeing her "body" laid out on the gravel, but then I realized it was just her shell. It was kinda neat, split right down the middle.










And later, I saw her hiding under the Asian waterlily, safe and sound


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/21/2014*

Well... what a difference a day makes. SIP mama shrimp! I have a feeling she was pretty vulnerable after molting, and I saw Flash harrass her a little yesterday, naughty guy. Now I have to decide if I want to move the baby shrimplets into the tank now or let them get a little bigger. I'm not so much worried about them getting eaten... if it happens it happens. I'm more hesitant about it because if they die on their own, and are so tiny and near invisible, I wont know if they have died and they will start to decay in the tank. Ugh, choices, unpleasant choices.


----------



## Nimble

Let them get a little bigger for now, after all, you don't want to lose out on your investment entirely. Not to mention they're the only thing you have left of the mama.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Nimble said:


> Let them get a little bigger for now, after all, you don't want to lose out on your investment entirely. Not to mention they're the only thing you have left of the mama.


That's very true, good points. I think I will wait, at least until their first molt. It's supposed to happen around a week old, which is tomorrow or Sunday. I believe their first molt is what changes them more from larvae to actual shrimp... if I remember correctly what I read. (Time to look that up again! lol)


----------



## Schmoo

Some advice for when it's time to add the baby shrimp: I would add some more to your tank. Shrimp like lots of cover and hide-outs from what I read. :3 You don't have to worry about over-stuffing your tank. Betta fish are designed to weave in and out of aquatic foliage. I mean, obviously you don't want to go overboard. xD;


----------



## Nimble

Yeah. Add some java moss or something to your tank... and you might as well get some more shrimp, too. Just to distract Flash from the babies, perhaps.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/21/2014 #2*

I thought I'd share some new pics of the shrimplets. They're almost a week old... but they don't look much different!

4 of the ten-or-so babies









Teeny and cute


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> Some advice for when it's time to add the baby shrimp: I would add some more to your tank. Shrimp like lots of cover and hide-outs from what I read. :3 You don't have to worry about over-stuffing your tank. Betta fish are designed to weave in and out of aquatic foliage. I mean, obviously you don't want to go overboard. xD;





Nimble said:


> Yeah. Add some java moss or something to your tank... and you might as well get some more shrimp, too. Just to distract Flash from the babies, perhaps.


I think it's definitely worth looking into. There isn't much to choose from in terms of plants at Petco, but if I head across town I can search out Petsmart, Pet Supplies Plus, and a local "ma & pa" pet store.

A plant question... I really like the look of the live plants I added recently (Asian waterlily), and would love to add more. What plants are the hardiest? I don't think I have a great lighting situation, and would probably want a tough, less sensitive plant.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/21/2014 #3*

Impromptu pics. How gorgeous is this girl, I ask you?!



















And last but not least, her "duck face".


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/21/2014 #4*

And not to be outdone, here's the fancy boy in all his glory:

Oh those colors!









So flowy









Flare-ish









He's got the overlap going on up top... the fins are getting long!


----------



## Schmoo

You really do have two stunning fish! 

In regards to your question about plants, I can't help a whole lot, but I believe anubias are pretty hardy. You can always pop into the planted tank subforum and ask. :3


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> You really do have two stunning fish!
> 
> In regards to your question about plants, I can't help a whole lot, but I believe anubias are pretty hardy. You can always pop into the planted tank subforum and ask. :3


Thanks! Not bad for $1.99 each, lol. Although someday I want to splurge on a fancy tail or color ;-)

I think I will head out today to look at plants at Petco, and then later during the week I might head across town. Then maybe I'm ready to move the little shrimpies over!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/23/2014*

Has anybody really looked closely when their (male) betta flares? Wow, it's intense! lol Today I saw Flash flare at something (not at Lava actually- he hasn't really been flaring at her much lately). His whole body kinda curved into an "S" shape and was very snake-like. And on top of it, he vibrated his fins & tail! Wow, something really ticked him off! 

I'm heading out shortly to run to Walmart for some groceries, and I am going to go peek at the bettas. I always peek, never purchase. I wish I could rescue, but I just don't have the room. But I do like to sneak some pics if I can, so we'll see. Also, next door to Walmart is Petco, and I want to look at the plants. Once again, I will sneak over to the bettas, both baby and adult  Just for the sake of wishing and window shopping. And maybe pics. I just love looking at betta pics, and in that spirit, I like to take them, too! Hopefully I'll get some to share for those who like to look at them, like me!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/23/2014 #2*

As I planned, when I was at Walmart I stopped over to see the bettas. Gosh, I feel so bad for them there. First, they are in that blue water. I know it's supposed to help them but it's so hard to see them in there, so I can't imagine it's easy for them to see out. Second, they are on a dark shelf, and there were so many that a lot of them were pushed way back in the dark. Got no pics of them because it just would not have turned out.

Second stop was Petco. I wasn't satisfied with the plants there so I didn't get any. I did, however, stop at the bettas like I had planned. There were no babies and no females! Usually this location always has them. So I'm hoping the ones that had been there previously found good homes. There were, on the other hand, LOTS of males. Some handsome fellas, too! To my suprise, I saw one that was labeled as a VT but I think it was a dragon scale. I know DS isn't a tail type, but it makes a difference on the price! A VT is $3.99 vs a DS which is $9.99. It took sooooo much willpower to not bring him home! Well, I successfully resisted the urge and left empty-handed. But I think he kinda got to me :doh!: I hope someone special brings him home and takes good care of him. Seriously though, get a look at this guy! 










Really just a VT, huh?









And here are some of the other pretty fellas:
Coppery!









What a pout

















Butterfly DT?









Not the clearest pic, but this guy was orange!









I love when fins have the dots on them









Just- wow


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## Schmoo

Butterfly DT, yes. :3 And a pretty one at that. Mace has made me quite the fan of DTs. Kudos to you for resisting the urge! You have a stronger will than many. ;] 

I think the main reason I haven't gotten into live plants is because my Petco's selection stinks, and the ones they do have look...dreadful...


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/24/2014*

I had another busy day zipping around to pet stores. First stop was Petsmart across town, to look at the plants (and bettas ;-)). While their plant selection was better, the prices were higher. I left there empty-handed (but took some betta pics, will post in a separate entry). 
Next stop was Pet Supplies Plus. They carry NO plants. But more bettas, and more pics! They are having a pre-Black Friday sale and I saw a 10-gal tank for only $8.98! It was just a rectangle tank, nothing else- no cover, stand, filter, heater etc., but I think it's a good deal. In fact I'm kicking myself for not getting it. Now that I'm home I've decided I should go back and get it... but we are now having a snow storm. GRRR! Yep, kicking myself. If the weather is ok tomorrow I will go back but it's not supposed to be good.
After that store, I went to a LPS that had NO fish or supplies- AT ALL. The sign said full service pet store, but I guess fish aren't a part of their service. :shake:
Finally I remembered that there was another Petco in town, all the way on the other side, and I said "Why not." Well, they had a pretty good plant selection! I found a neat banana plant. The lady removed it from the big tank and to her suprise, the root just kept going and going... it ended up being like 8 inches long! Then at the checkout, the clerk said "Oh, I've been eyeing that plant for like a month." Ha ha ha, sorry! I haven't put it in the water just yet. I want to do a PWC and put it in when the water level is low, since I will be playing around in there trying to bury that huge root! Plus, I want to have done the WC before putting the baby shrimp in, instead of after, to lessen the risk of sucking one up! So here is the impressive banana plant, still in the bag:


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/24/2014 #2*

As promised, I snuck some more pics of what bettas the pet stores have to offer. First was Petsmart. 









Then... oh my goodness gracious, there was this yellow/cellophane guy. The FACE on him! Talk about a puppy dog pout! He's not a color I'm interested in so I had no tugging at my heartstrings, but I HAD to get a pic of him!

















Is this not the saddest-looking betta ever? I mean, not in terms of being not well-off or sickly... I just mean like SAD, lol









He almost looks like a canary here. That face, those eyes!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/24/2014 #3*

Next & only other store I got pics at today was Pet Supplies Plus. Some interesting white DS bettas! This is one of them. The others were a little marbled. And I think they had some PKs there... the only time I've seen any in a store- or in person at all.









This nifty guy









And finally these 2 scaley faces


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## Aqua Aurora

I would not have the will power to resist that mislabeled veiltail.


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## Schmoo

Those puppy dog eyes! lol xD


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## autojoy

The yellow/cello guy is KILLING ME!!! What a face!!! Good luck with your baby shrimps, they're so cute! ^_^


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## AlwaysAnimals

Aqua Aurora said:


> I would not have the will power to resist that mislabeled veiltail.


I still think about him... lol



Schmoo said:


> Those puppy dog eyes! lol xD


Oh yes, almost doesn't even look like a fishy face!



autojoy said:


> The yellow/cello guy is KILLING ME!!! What a face!!! Good luck with your baby shrimps, they're so cute! ^_^


Thanks, I still have about 10 of the little shrimpies!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/25/2014*

ONE MONTH UNTIL CHRISTMAS!

The snow storm that showed up last night made for a very unhappy Baxter...

"What is this stuff..."









"Ugh, it's that cold white stuff that shows up every year"









"Let me in!!!"


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## Schmoo

OMG YOUR DOG! I love Schnauzers!


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## LadyNightraven

Aww, poor Baxter!


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## DaytonBetta

My family had a schnauzer when I was growing up near Buffalo. His paws and legs would get completely covered in little ice balls when I walked him. He was the sweetest family dog! 

Yours is really cute.


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## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> OMG YOUR DOG! I love Schnauzers!





LadyNightraven said:


> Aww, poor Baxter!





DaytonBetta said:


> My family had a schnauzer when I was growing up near Buffalo. His paws and legs would get completely covered in little ice balls when I walked him. He was the sweetest family dog!
> 
> Yours is really cute.


Thanks guys! He is my little love  I highly recommend schnauzers- they are so sweet, gentle, and super smart! (And I sure do know about those ice balls, DaytonBetta... not just on the legs, but his beard too, lol)


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/25/2014 #2*

Well, I had a couple topics I was all ready to chat about, but I guess they will have to wait because...

MEET MY NEW BETTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so proud of myself for not falling for those impulsive feelings that I had about that mislabelled DS, but I guess it was meant to be :-D
I still don't consider him an impulse buy because I didn't purchase him yesterday when I first saw him. Instead, I went home, thought about it, did measurements around the house for a possible new tank, talked it over, got it okayed, and went back today to bring him home. I got to take some pics with a flash, too, and wow! He's totally the color I have been dreaming of. Here he is!!

Here he is, cup labelled veil tail LOL









Those fins and that tail... *drool*

















HANDSOME!









You can see why (as some of you mentioned!) he was just too special to not snatch up. I was hoping he was going to find a home with someone special, and he did... with me!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/25/2014 #3*

Oh, I totally forgot to tell you that on the drive home, he was beside me on the passenger seat, which is heated! So to keep the snowy chill away, he got to ride in style with a heated seat. And then I stopped at McDonald's (I actually really dislike it there but c'mon, the McRib is back!). I put my nice warm bag of luch up against his cup to help add warmth for his ride home. Spoiled already!


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## Aqua Aurora

My mom had a schnoodle (Schnauzer x poodle) miniature.. he disliked the snow as it often get higher then him (i feel like an old person saying "it never snows like it use to now." but its true). I recall when I was a kid that the dog would leap through the indentations we made with our shoes to get around from the door to the yard where he wanted to go relieve himself. It was amusing to sit in the snow so it was at eye level and see him pop up and disappear between each hole, and he'd give such a grumpy look when he caught up to us.

I'm so glad you went back at got him!! Did the drive through person (assuming you didn't turn off the car and go inside) notice the betta? DID HE HAVE HIS SEAT BELT ON!!? Haha. Any name ideas yet? You need a stunning or triumphant name for such a fish!
Be sure to post some more photos of him in a few days to see if he colors up more from cleaner warmer water (if that's possible, he's so stunning already!).


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## AlwaysAnimals

Aqua Aurora said:


> My mom had a schnoodle (Schnauzer x poodle) miniature.. he disliked the snow as it often get higher then him (i feel like an old person saying "it never snows like it use to now." but its true). I recall when I was a kid that the dog would leap through the indentations we made with our shoes to get around from the door to the yard where he wanted to go relieve himself. It was amusing to sit in the snow so it was at eye level and see him pop up and disappear between each hole, and he'd give such a grumpy look when he caught up to us.
> 
> I'm so glad you went back at got him!! Did the drive through person (assuming you didn't turn off the car and go inside) notice the betta? DID HE HAVE HIS SEAT BELT ON!!? Haha. Any name ideas yet? You need a stunning or triumphant name for such a fish!
> Be sure to post some more photos of him in a few days to see if he colors up more from cleaner warmer water (if that's possible, he's so stunning already!).


We have to shovel a little path for him to walk on to go potty, lol. It helps him- and us too. The less snow brought back into the house (to then melt into messy puddles) the better!

The drive through person didn't say anything so I don't think they noticed, but how funny if they would have! Yep, just me taking my pet betta for a drive, ha ha ha. No name yet, but I'm actually looking up name ideas already! I like the idea of a triumphant name  I was searching up things related to "dream" (because it's my "dream" color") and weather/snow related because "black ice" came to mind and we just had a snow storm- and I went out and braved the snowy roads just to get him. But it's hard to find "black" related things when you're talking about snow! lol


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## Aqua Aurora

AlwaysAnimals said:


> We have to shovel a little path for him to walk on to go potty, lol. It helps him- and us too. The less snow brought back into the house (to then melt into messy puddles) the better!
> 
> The drive through person didn't say anything so I don't think they noticed, but how funny if they would have! Yep, just me taking my pet betta for a drive, ha ha ha. No name yet, but I'm actually looking up name ideas already! I like the idea of a triumphant name  I was searching up things related to "dream" (because it's my "dream" color") and weather/snow related because "black ice" came to mind and we just had a snow storm- and I went out and braved the snowy roads just to get him. But it's hard to find "black" related things when you're talking about snow! lol


The closest we gave him to a shoveled path was to drag out feet and make an unstable shallow dip but he still had to hop through it with his short legs.

Like the themed ideas, especially black ice-and yes that will be hard to find black and snow related things... Frozen Abyss?.. nah doesn't sound like name... What are those _wonderfully _deadly chasms called that people like to fall in around snowy/icy mountains they're trying to climb (usually covered by a very thin layer of ice and snow that they fall through and usually down hundred of feet to their deaths)? You could also look up translations for "black" and "ice" in other languages, might find one that sounds really cool.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/25/2014 #4*

I'm in naming mode! I have lots of sources of inspiration, from space (he looks like dark space with glittery stars), literature, dream (my "dream" color) to triumph even to blizzards (I found him on the day of the snow storm, and I though "black ice" lol. It's hard to think of black snow-related names!) So here are some I am mulling over:

Draco- dragon related because of his scales, and it's also a constellation
Deja- half of deja vu (although names that end in "a" seem feminine to me... so, Dejo? lol)
Poe- he's black like a raven, and I love Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
Nysa, Pallas or Themis- asteroid families
Galaxy
Vega- the same of a star
Sirius- brightest star in the night sky


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## Aqua Aurora

Ooo like the last 5 name suggestions, especially Themis and Sirius.. The last is similar to "serious" which goes with the way his dragon scale eyes make his expression look grumpy or serious.


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## Schmoo

OoooooOoOoooOOoooOo~ I like Vega. *nod* Also, congratulations on the new addition! And kudos to you for being responsible with your "impulse" buy. He is a very handsome fella. :3


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## LadyNightraven

Wow, he's a gorgeous fish! I thought Vortex for some reason, like polar vortex, but I really like Galaxy for him. I have no doubt that whatever you name him will be perfect though!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/25/2014 #5*

Still no name, but I have a few favorites. I will have a name by tomorrow. I went out and got the new 10 gallon tank that was on sale (it's sure been the week of bargains!) and I have it all divided and ready to go. The new guy is floating in it in his cup, getting acclimated, and tomorrow will be his introduction to his new home! Here are a couple pics of his acclimation:


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/26/2014*

What goes up must come down! Like my mood, and my good fortune! First, I lost all of my baby shrimp. I gave them a water change, and then added some plant debris from the new banana plant, and then today they are all dead. Fine, that I can deal with. But last night is when my poor Lava had quite some trauma. Bear with me if my description gets too long! Here's the play-by-play:
Last night I brought home the new 10gal, washed it, then moved the plants and decor from the previous tank to set it up in the new tank. Side note: I can only have ONE tank up, that was a deal I agreed on to get the new fish, so the 5.5 is getting stored. So all the decor got moved over, new/bigger dividers went up, water & conditioner got added, and then I left things to settle for an hour or so. Well, in that time, Lava got into Flash's side (they were still in the 5.5). I felt TERRIBLE! There was nothing for her to even hide in because I had moved it all! What I saw was Flash flaring at her, she was so pale, clamped, stress-striped like crazy, and had a nip out of her tail!!! My poooooor girl. I moved her into her "apartment" in thing in the 10gal, and she colored up a little but stayed clamped. Today she is hiding in her cave and will not come out. This is my girl who is always front and center begging for food. I did move the cave and peek in, just to make sure she was alive, and she looks fine in there. Just spooked and super stressed! Here are some pics from last night:


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## autojoy

Oh, poor Lava! But don't feel bad about it, she is clearly a trooper and will recover from it quickly! Love your new boy, btw


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/26/2014 #2*

To add to my stress, I think my new guy has something wrong with his ventrals. I didn't notice it until he was released into the tank and could stretch out. They just don't seem to work right, they seem bent, and don't seem to obey him when he moves them. Pics:


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## Aqua Aurora

Magnus has messed up ventrals (aka pelcic) fins too, though his just to off to the left and he can't seem to center them with his body. You guy might had suffered a little damage when transported to the store, or have a minor defect either from genetics or poor water quality as a fry. Though its not appealing (and would get dedications for show..but shows don't accept lfs bought betta anyways) it shouldn't be an issue.. just something that makes him more unique.
Sorry to hear about Lava, I'd think she's be over the fright in a few days, going through trauma with a male and then stuck somewhere different (though similar its not the same) is making her reclusive. As least her tail damage isn't as bad as it could have been, should be healed in a week easily.


----------



## Schmoo

Poor Lava! :c I'm sure she's stressed out from the whole ordeal, but she'll be okay. If you can, keep their tank dark for a day or so. It'll help keep her calm, and it'll help the new fella adjust, too. :3 I wish I knew what to say about his ventrals... :c Hopefully they straighten out!


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## AlwaysAnimals

autojoy said:


> Oh, poor Lava! But don't feel bad about it, she is clearly a trooper and will recover from it quickly! Love your new boy, btw





Aqua Aurora said:


> Magnus has messed up ventrals (aka pelcic) fins too, though his just to off to the left and he can't seem to center them with his body. You guy might had suffered a little damage when transported to the store, or have a minor defect either from genetics or poor water quality as a fry. Though its not appealing (and would get dedications for show..but shows don't accept lfs bought betta anyways) it shouldn't be an issue.. just something that makes him more unique.
> Sorry to hear about Lava, I'd think she's be over the fright in a few days, going through trauma with a male and then stuck somewhere different (though similar its not the same) is making her reclusive. As least her tail damage isn't as bad as it could have been, should be healed in a week easily.





Schmoo said:


> Poor Lava! :c I'm sure she's stressed out from the whole ordeal, but she'll be okay. If you can, keep their tank dark for a day or so. It'll help keep her calm, and it'll help the new fella adjust, too. :3 I wish I knew what to say about his ventrals... :c Hopefully they straighten out!


Thank you all truly. It's been quite a roller coaster, I suppose that's what's making the lows feel so low... coming from such a high point. The good news is that I got all 3 to eat something! And Lava seemed to remember how much she LOVES food. She's now venturing out of her cave . So on the upswing, I will spend some time name-searching and enjoying some lunch, then maybe do a picture dump that I was SUPPOSED to be doing today to celebrate the new guy!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/26/2014 #3*

I'm narrowing down the list of name... the only thing is, it's a whole new list of names! And I didn't realize how serious I would take this task! I have some real contenders. Here are my TOP TOP three:

*Comet*- a comet is a celestial body (space) made of ice particles (ice) that has a tail (as do bettas)
*Pavo*- a star constellation that means peacock (I love peacocks, a peacock feather is the wallpaper on my phone, and I've always thought betta tails reminded me of peacock tails)
*Hale*- for the Hale-Bopp comet (comet, see above), plus Hale sounds like "hail" which is ice falling from the sky
Some others that are a little lower on the list are:

Saturn
Polaris
Ion
Volantis


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/26/2014 #4*

All 3 fishies are doing well, so I think I can de-stress a little. I think I will head out to Petco later to get a new backdrop for this tank, as it's obvious the one for the 5.5 won't fit  So now, as promised, some pics!

"I love plant. My plant."









It's crazy just how much Flash still has to grow!









Swishy swishy fishy fishy









I have to keep tabs on his eyes... I've read about the eye problems DS bettas can have...









Half-heartedly flaring at Flash

















My little fishykins looks so much more relaxed









Looking for food!


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## Schmoo

I still like Vega.  But of your top-top three, I say Pavo. c: 

Lava looks much better! :3


----------



## LadyNightraven

Poor Lava! I'm glad she's acting more like herself now.

I like your new list of names. I think Pavo is my favorite, but I like Comet, too.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/26/2014 #5*

I found a live one! I was about to dump the baby shrimp and I saw one survivor. I made the decision to put it in the 10 gal and see what comes of it. That way I don't have to keep up a whole separate tank for it.

New guy has a name! I kept coming back to "Comet". It's a little more simple than I was imagining I would choose, but the meaning was just too perfect. And there are others "in real life", lol, that have been calling him Comet. So Comet he is!

The 3 bettas are doing alright... all 3 seem to just be a little wary of the new tank. Flash has been the most active and unaffected. He ate dinner like a champ. Lava still likes to come out when she sees me, but spent most of the day hidden. She ate a pellet but ignored the second one. Comet ate nothing. I thawed a few frozen bloodworms and BBS as a treat tonight, and Flash and Lava gobbled them. Comet ignored them. And actually, I don't think he knows how to eat them, at least in the way I presented it. I've noticed he doesn't spend a lot of time near the surface. I don't think he even new it was feeding time and that there was food up there. He's gonna need some training!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/26/2014 #6*

I did end up going to Petco tonight to get a new backdrop, and I also picked up some Nutrafin Betta Plus because it had tropical almond leaf extract in there as a stress reducer, so I figured with the events of the past 24 hours, it would be a benefit. But geez, apparently you have to use a lot of it! The instructions said a capful would treat 0.5 gallons... so with that math, it would take 20 capfuls for a 10gal tank?! That's like half the bottle! I'm glad I got it for this go-round, but I think I'll stick to my other conditioner that only needs a drop per gallon! 

Anyway, back to my trip to Petco... there must have been a new shipment in because there were probably 40ish male bettas, 15 or so female bettas, and maybe 10 babies. There were 2 cute babies that made me smile; a little blue marble cambodian type, then a DT! I had never seen a baby DT before. The tail was uneven and ragged, though :-(.

Finally- get this- Petco seemed to have made ANOTHER mistake with a betta label! I think they put another VT sticker for a DS. No temptations for me this time, as it was not the color I've been looking for, and his tail was a mess, but goodness, someone will take home quite the prize! Here he is, you tell me what you think. It's not a nice or close pic, I wish I could have gotten his face better...


----------



## Schmoo

Don't be discouraged if Comet doesn't seem interested in food. It can take a new betta some time to adjust. Grievous hardly ate the first week he was home -- he was too interested in checking everything out!


----------



## Littlefin

AlwaysAnimals said:


> As promised, I snuck some more pics of what bettas the pet stores have to offer. First was Petsmart.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Then... oh my goodness gracious, there was this yellow/cellophane guy. The FACE on him! Talk about a puppy dog pout! He's not a color I'm interested in so I had no tugging at my heartstrings, but I HAD to get a pic of him!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is this not the saddest-looking betta ever? I mean, not in terms of being not well-off or sickly... I just mean like SAD, lol
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He almost looks like a canary here. That face, those eyes!


Dat lemon colored betta.. I HAVE OFFICIALLY FALLEN IN LOVE WITH HIM xD


----------



## Jonthefish

Just finished reading the entire thread straight xD

Comets adorable , but that little lemon guy was precious . Like a little bulldog fish haha .

It's amazing to see such a change in the babies !!!!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> Don't be discouraged if Comet doesn't seem interested in food. It can take a new betta some time to adjust. Grievous hardly ate the first week he was home -- he was too interested in checking everything out!


Thankfully after another night's sleep he's a lot more active, he ate his whole breakfast, and he is on a flaring rampage today! lol


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Littlefin said:


> Dat lemon colored betta.. I HAVE OFFICIALLY FALLEN IN LOVE WITH HIM xD


I know, that face!



Jonthefish said:


> Just finished reading the entire thread straight xD
> 
> Comets adorable , but that little lemon guy was precious . Like a little bulldog fish haha .
> 
> It's amazing to see such a change in the babies !!!!


WOW, kudos for reading all my rambling lol :-D Thanks! It's true that the yellow/cello fellow almost looks like a puppy dog instead of a fish!


----------



## Littlefin

omg i did the same.. i read the entire thread yesterday xD


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Littlefin said:


> omg i did the same.. i read the entire thread yesterday xD


My goodness! I hope it was an okay read! lol And thanks!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/27/2014*

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I hope those who celebrated had a fun and safe holiday. Mine was wonderful! 

One of the things I am thankful for today is how great my fishies are today. This morning all 3 had a great breakfast. Lava is back to her begging little self. Flash is just Flash, which is a good thing! And Comet is a whole new boy today. He's moving around the tank more, exploring, and his body looks so much more relaxed. Also, it was a flare-athon today! Comet was super mad at the new backdrop (LOL). But OH BOY did I get some nice pics of him! And then when I got home this evening, I caught Lava- yes, LAVA- flaring like a maniac at Flash! I mean, she has every right to be mad at him, but geez... and I got a pic of that, too! (Lava, sweetie, you gotta stop making me confused about you being a girl!) Here are the pics, and I think I decided I'm going to post them in another forum on here, too, to ask 1.) now that I have a full flare for Comet, what his tail is, and 2.) is Lava really a female... ?

Here are the Comet flare pics:

























And some beard pics for the fun of it!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/27/2014 #2*

Here are the pics of Lava and her super intense flare (I had to use a mirror to recreate it because I missed the original flare):


----------



## Schmoo

Lava's definitely a girl. c: You can clearly see her ovary area in those pictures, especially the last one.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/27/2014 #3*

Not to be left out, I MUST share this image of Flash that I captured last night. I was heading to bed and about to turn their light off when I saw the absolute, most enchanting reflection of Flash as he was dozing near the water's surface. It looks so edited, but it's 100% as I saw it in real life. And to top it off, I took it with my phone!










This one is so much crisper, but I think it's kind of ruined by the rebellious floating pebbles that I didn't notice in time









And a close-up


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> Lava's definitely a girl. c: You can clearly see her ovary area in those pictures, especially the last one.


Ah yes, I see! I'm glad... now that I have two males, I really love that she's my little female. (And quite a little fishy still, if you can see her size scaled next to my finger!) I'm actually kind of proud of her for getting over her fear and standing her ground


----------



## Littlefin

Those are some awesome pics! How old is Flash now? ^^


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## AlwaysAnimals

Littlefin said:


> Those are some awesome pics! How old is Flash now? ^^


I got him on October 16, and he was a Petco baby. I don't really know his age, but I would guess 3 or 4 months?


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/28/2014*

I thought I would do an "owie update" and show how each fish is healing from their own little issues. First, Flash got a notch out of his tail about a day after bringing him home. Here are before and after pics. It's almost all grown out!

Four days after bringing him home (10/20/2014):









10/26/2014:









This evening about a month later (11/28/2014):


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/28/2014 #2*

Another tail injury with another update, but this one is still pretty fresh. Lava got her tail nipped by Flash a couple days ago when the divider was compromised, during the change-over from the 5.5 to the 10. It still has a way to go, but I'm satisfied so far.

Day of the injury (11/26/2014):









This evening, two days later (11/28/2014):


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/28/2014 #3*

The new guy, Comet, seemed to have some issues with his ventrals after I got him out of his Petco cup and he was released into the tank. They looked crooked/bent, and the lower parts didn't seem to be under his control (the parts beneath the "bend" seemed a little too loose or floppy?) They do look straight at times when they are able to hang down, but there are times that the crooked appearance shows up again. Then today, I noticed what looks to be either a split or off-shoot from one of the ventrals. The good thing, though, is that he seems to be getting stronger every day. Pics:

The crooked ventrals- first day in tank (11/26/2014)

















Still first day, and this one looks especially odd

















A little straighter but kinda pointing in wonky angles (11/27/2014)









This evening (11/28/2014)

























Some pics of what appears to be a split. Although I only noticed it today, I did go back through my pics with a more discerning eye and saw evidence of it even then.

11/26/2014









11/27/2014

























This evening 11/28/2014 (quite obvious here, and this is the pic that alerted me to it)


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## Schmoo

I love Flash's "owwie." I think your avatar (of his tail) is absolutely adorable, and I wish it was just how his tail was because seriously...it was adorable. I am glad that his tail has grown back so lovely, though. :3

And wow, Comet is just stunning. <3 I love his taaaaaail.


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## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> I love Flash's "owwie." I think your avatar (of his tail) is absolutely adorable, and I wish it was just how his tail was because seriously...it was adorable. I am glad that his tail has grown back so lovely, though. :3
> 
> And wow, Comet is just stunning. <3 I love his taaaaaail.


Thanks Schmoo! There were times when he was smaller that his notched tail looked like a heart <3


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/29/2014*

I was too tired last night to stay up and post this, but the boys seem to be happy in the new tank... they BOTH made bubble nests on the same day! Here are the pics from last night!

Comet's:









Flash's:


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## Jasperdog

OK flash's belly is bigger than mine what do u feed?


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## Aqua Aurora

Flash: Mine's larger! *sticks out 'tongue'*
Comet: Yeh well mines wider! *semi flare*
Lava: ...You're both idiots


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## Schmoo

Aqua Aurora said:


> Flash: Mine's larger! *sticks out 'tongue'*
> Comet: Yeh well mines wider! *semi flare*
> Lava: ...You're both idiots


+1 xDDD


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## Littlefin

Yeah, that tiny notch was adorable! xD But flash still has such lovely fins though. It's good to see that Lava's injury is healing ^^ And Comet's ventral fins look much better as well!


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## AlwaysAnimals

Aqua Aurora said:


> Flash: Mine's larger! *sticks out 'tongue'*
> Comet: Yeh well mines wider! *semi flare*
> Lava: ...You're both idiots


Bahaha, that would totally be her  She'd be very unimpressed, especially after her scuffle with Flash!


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## AlwaysAnimals

Littlefin said:


> Yeah, that tiny notch was adorable! xD But flash still has such lovely fins though. It's good to see that Lava's injury is healing ^^ And Comet's ventral fins look much better as well!


It was so cute in the heart-shape stage  Yes, thankfully Comet's ventrals seem to getting stronger since he's been out of that cup. They may never be straight, and I don't know what to think about that split or double fin, but as long as he is strong and swimming easily, I am happy! :-D And Lava's tail looks to already have the little points of new growth.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*12/1/2014*

A case of the Mondays.

I noticed that my live plants aren't doing so well. I have 2 Asian waterlilies and one banana plant. I am not familiar with aquatic plants, so any help or advice would be appreciated! Should I be concerned for my fish? Should I remove the plants? If I have to remove the plants, do I need to treat my tank at all?? Argh. 

Banana plant. Front leaf is wasting away and fuzzy stuff growing on another part









Waterlily #1, not _too_ bad









Waterlily #2 with white fuzzy stuff


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## AlwaysAnimals

*12/1/2014 #2*

And while I'm posting about my nagging little worries, here are two little nit-picky things I noticed about Comet that I need some reassurance or insight on. First, I noticed a pale spot on one of his scales. I'll put these pics up and you let me know if you think it's anything to be concerned about.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*12/1/2014 #3*

Second, does he look thin? He has been eating wonderfully, and he gets what is instructed on the container. He's active, flares, builds bubble nests... but it just seems like he's on the skinny side. Maybe tonight I should thaw out another little round of treats for everybody.


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## Schmoo

I wouldn't worry about Comet. The scale you're talking about is most likely just imperfect coloring, and he looks to be at a healthy weight to me. c: 

As for the plants, if you have a spare tank I would pull them out and put them in that for now. Aqua Aurora is pretty good with plants, so maybe you can ask her for some input. c:


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## Littlefin

The white stuff is probably algae. It grows on my banana lily ALL the time. >.< I just usually wash it away when it builds up too much. About the leaf-wasting thingy, that happened on mine too but i can't say what the cause it. Perhaps you buried the roots too far in or too far out?


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## Aqua Aurora

I cannot find any photo reference that matches up to your 'waterlily' that is called a waterlily. It looks more like a member of the fern family from its rhizome (2nd photo) but I'm not sure which exact subspecies of fern it is. I have no experience with bannana plants so I can't offer any help with that one. If you want some live plant advice though join the plantedtank forum and spot a thread in their Plant section with photos. Someone should respond within a day at most with advice.


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## AlwaysAnimals

Aqua Aurora said:


> I cannot find any photo reference that matches up to your 'waterlily' that is called a waterlily. It looks more like a member of the fern family from its rhizome (2nd photo) but I'm not sure which exact subspecies of fern it is. I have no experience with bannana plants so I can't offer any help with that one. If you want some live plant advice though join the plantedtank forum and spot a thread in their Plant section with photos. Someone should respond within a day at most with advice.


I'm not sure what the plant is besides what Petco had it labelled as. I think it was their Petco brand of snail-free live plants and that was what was on the outside... next time I'm there I will look and see if I'm remembering it wrong. 

I've decided to just remove them for now since I'm not an experienced plant-keeper and I will ask in the plant forum. I just have a worry that maybe it's mold? I don't want anything toxic. Thank you!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*12/4/2014*

Wow, you miss a day or so and you end up third-to-last journal on the page! lol I've been busy with holiday stuff and family birthday stuff, and just overall being busy  Christmas tree got put up, and it's right near the fish tank, so I'll see if I can get any cool pics with Christmas tree lights in the background. Comet got a new decoration; an artificial piece of driftwood. Nothing fancy, but he needed something!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*12/7/2014*

Three days later, and plenty of updates!

First, the plants have been removed from the tank for now. I have them in some new water and in a bucket in direct sun for a little bit. Not sure if I want to try them again after I rinse them, or just toss them.

Next, a quick blurb about how I bought an LED hood from Walmart for my 10gal... and it was awful lol:BIGtongue: I should have learned that I dislike LED from my whole lamp fiasco a couple weeks ago. It's just think it's too dark of lighting. I returned it today, and am going to order a cheaper, incandescent hood from Amazon. I've had them in the past and just like the light better.

Oh, and before I bought the hood at Walmart, I shopped around all the nearby stores. I went to Petsmart and guess who was still there...? THIS GUY!

















Yellow Cello Fellow! Or should he be called Lemoncello? LOL And no, I did not (and can not) take him home. But someone better, because this guy has a lot of fans on here! They don't know what a celebrity they'd be getting ;-)


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/7/2014 #2*

Also, my fishies got a new gift each! I got the two boys a Moon Cave and my girlie got a Moon Tunel. They're from Walmart, and they are cute little hide-aways that glow in the dark. 

This is what they look like in the light. Simple, cute, not too big
(And this pic also has Comet's new driftwood ornament in the back)









And here it is in the dark! Pretty cool









The trio's tank










And then half the lights on, and some Christmas lights to add some festivity 









Comet photobombs and says "Oh Hai!"


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/7/2014 #3*

Comet, since he is closest to the Christmas tree, wanted to be in another holiday pic for you all, complete with an ornament & some more Christmas lights


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/7/2014*

Okay, on to some serious business now, and the input of my fellow betta keepers. First, I am considering getting a battery-powered tank vaccuum. The manual siphon I have works just fine, but it is so messy to use, and is a pain to use in a divided tank because when I lift it out of the water to go from one divided area to another, I have to re-start the suction all over again. And it's not even pump-operated. It's at least 10 years old and bare-bones minimum of what you can get out there! 
So my question is, do any of you use a battery-operated vaccuums? Yay or nay? There is one on Amazon I can get for $9.99. It's the TOM Aquarium Maintenance Mr. Cleaner Battery Operated Gravel Siphon
by Koller-Craft

Second... I am bummed to say that I think maybe Comet has some kind of fungus... today I noticed a little gray fuzz or dots on his head. It's very small, and doesn't show up well in the pics, but I tried. Please give any insight and care advice... I am worried for him! And advice for caring for Flash & Lava, too! Thanks!


----------



## DaytonBetta

I had a battery operated gravel cleaner and I hated it. It was a mess and a waste of money. If you look at the first page or two of my journal I talk about it.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/10/2014*

I have decided to toss the live plants, so they have been disposed of. I just think that if I don't feel confident enough about something in the tank, I would rather play it safe. It's probably a coincidence, but when the plants started showing the fuzzy stuff on them, Comet got the odd filmy stuff on his head. A few days and a 90% wc later, I actually don't see what I saw on him the other day! THANK GOODNESS. Maybe it was loose scales, maybe he swam up against the plant and got some of the fuzz rubbed onto his head, who knows. But oh, the relief! I was watching for ick, but he never tried scratching himself on anything. He was also normal in every way, like eating well, swimming enthusiastically, patrolling, flaring, etc.

I have also decided to hold off on buying the battery operated vaccuum. I read up on it and it really isn't what I pictured, or at least it doesn't seem to do what I thought it does. So the old, messy siphon got another chance to prove itself today, lol.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*12/10/2014*

I am in a mood for photos! Just because :-D

I took these on 12/8/2014 (2 days ago) They're pretty much all of Comet because 2 days ago, I was trying to get pics of the stuff on his face

















I just love the clear pic of his face









Flaring at Flash









I just love how flowy this looks, and look at those ventrals!









Reflection flare









Looks like a butterfly wing









TAIL  

















Just so handsome


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/10/2014 #3*

And these pics are from today. I tried to give the other two their fair share of camera time too, lol

First, some over-the-top shots. Kinda neat I got some nice ones of all 3 tonight

Comet








Lava
















Flash


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/10/2014 #4*

And some random candids

"Thanks for the cave!"









"Ditto!"









"Ditto ditto!"










"But I also LOVE my tunnel!!"

















Still quite a size difference between my big boy Comet and my youngster Flash









Not the clearest of shots, but this is the best one I have for showing how long Flash's tail has gotten so far


----------



## Schmoo

Hey, there you are! I was just wondering how you and your fish were doing! c: Everyone looks great!


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## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> Hey, there you are! I was just wondering how you and your fish were doing! c: Everyone looks great!


Thanks! Lol, yeah, I have been pretty busy with Christmas coming up- shopping, wrapping gifts, filling out about 70 Christmas cards... but I love it all  I have actually been sneaking on to read, but haven't really had the downtime/time to unwind and type or update pics (or even take them haha).

I'm just happy that everyone truly IS looking great... Comet had me anxious there for a little bit!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/11/2014*

Just for the fun of it, I went to Pinterest and typed in "betta fish". Seriuosly, you guys, it's just as addicting as AquaBid! :mrgreen:
(In fact, I think most of the pins come from there hahaha)


----------



## Schmoo

AlwaysAnimals said:


> Just for the fun of it, I went to Pinterest and typed in "betta fish". Seriuosly, you guys, it's just as addicting as AquaBid! :mrgreen:
> (In fact, I think most of the pins come from there hahaha)


OMG RIGHT?! I love looking up bettas on Pinterest! xD


----------



## Aqua Aurora

How do you get rid of the [excessive censors removed] that pops up and forces you to make an account for printrest? I refuse to make an account just to see some photos.. I get enough spam from photobucket already..


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## AlwaysAnimals

Aqua Aurora said:


> How do you get rid of the [excessive censors removed] that pops up and forces you to make an account for printrest? I refuse to make an account just to see some photos.. I get enough spam from photobucket already..


I wish I could help on that, I actually did make an account lol. But it really is fun! :mrgreen:


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## AlwaysAnimals

*12/12/2014*

Someone really loves his tunnel and did some interior decorating!


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## Aqua Aurora

His equivalent of saying he wants to get freaky in bed? Going to be a little cramped doing the mating spin in that tube though.


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## AlwaysAnimals

Aqua Aurora said:


> His equivalent of saying he wants to get freaky in bed? Going to be a little cramped doing the mating spin in that tube though.


Hahaha too funny! And the nest is even bigger today, lol


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/16/2014*

Today is Flash's 2-month "GOTCHAVERSARY"! To celebrate, here again are some comparisson pics 

10/16/2014 FIRST DAY HOME









12/16/2014 TODAY:









Pardon his full belly, he had just finished eating


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## AlwaysAnimals

*12/16/2014 #2*

Some more pics that I took today of the growing boy. I used the camera flash on some, and left it off on some, because it's crazy how much of a difference there is between the two!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/16/2014 #3*

A bubble nest he built










And some flare pics!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/17/2014*

I've been keeping my eye on a very strange development on one of Flash's pectoral fins. His pectorals, since I've had him, have been transparent. The other day I noticed an opaque, dark spot on his left one. I was worried at first, thinking it was fungus or fin rot or something. Then I saw a bit of color and was worried about it being a flake of paint or a bit of gravel stuck on there. But lo and behold, I think it's just his coloring! I caught quick images of it on some pics. It's just so odd, like an irid right on his fin! It's almost perfectly round. Can pectoral fins just develop color like this? Here it is (his left, our right):

This is what it looked like the first time I caught sight of it. It's almost like he's holding it out and showing it off on purpose here! lol


























Here it is when the light hits it and gives it color:









This is NOT edited! This blue/green color is real!

















Here it is when the camera flash hits it

















Thoughts??


----------



## Schmoo

Looks to me like Flash is just coloring up a bit more. :3


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## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> Looks to me like Flash is just coloring up a bit more. :3


Thankfully I believe that is the case too :-D He never ceases to suprise me lol


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## AlwaysAnimals

*12/18/2014*

Not too many new and intereting stories to tell. Yesterday, Comet's new tank decor came in the mail. It's a cute little bridge, and it gives him a little hideaway.

Second... I might be imagining things, but Lava might have made a bubble nest, or at least the meager beginnings of one. That girl... never a dull moment :lol:


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/20/2014*

First today, we will celebrate, then get down to business. As always, four days after Flash's monthly Gotchaversaries, it's Lava's! Two months ago, 10/20/2014, Lava made her way home. Here are the progress pics!

10/20/2014 TWO MONTHS AGO:


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/20/2014 #2*

...and her photos from today!

12/20/2014 TODAY:


----------



## DaytonBetta

Wow! That is quite amazing, you've given them great care.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/20/2014 #3*

Alrighty, no on to the serious stuff. (Bum bum BUM). I am dealing with a few fish issues and it feels a little overwhelming, especially during this time of year. :-( To start, something has shown up on Comet that has me concerned. First thought was velvet, because it looked like the Google pics I came across, but I've never actually seen it in person. You can see it in the pics below; it's on the top of his head/back, and is spotty light grey and surrounding the scales:


















He's also got a couple lighter-colored scales now, too...









And lastly, he has a white spot on his tail. It's on both sides, so I'm pretty sure that it's not just something stuck on the tail, because then it would only be on one side...


























(loooooong drawn-out sigh)...


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

DaytonBetta said:


> Wow! That is quite amazing, you've given them great care.


Thanks, DaytonBetta  That makes me feel better, lol. You must have posted this at the same exact time I was composing the journal entry below your post. Having stuff like this come up makes me feel down, and question my fish-keeping ability.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/20/2014 #4*

Yeah, so I really do feel bummed. Kind of defeated, I don't know. It's sad how kind of intimidated I felt when I posted about Comet on the Betta Emergencies board... it's all on me, totally. I feel so incompetent answering those questions  Either I don't know the answer, or I feel ashamed, I guess, of the ones I can answer. I know I have a long way to go to have the esperience under my belt that everyone else does.
Sorry for the boohoohoo-poor baby me post.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/23/2014*

I took a few days to step back, kind of clear my head a little, and reflect. At first I kind of felt inferior I guess, not as up-to-par as a lot of experienced fish keepers. There are a lot of knowledgable people on here, and for that I am thankful! But I guess we all start somewhere, and I am still "starting" I guess.
My start was taking in a teeny Petco baby with an unknown future in that cup. While his (and his tankmates') setup is not at the level I want it to be at, I do know this: they are loved, fed, cleaned, and sheltered. They could have gone home with the old, college me, who had a little Bettahex or betta cube or some small nonsense. They could have gone home with someone who was going to put them in a vase. They could have not found a home at all. So while I may not have the best yet, I do what I can. 
I have gotten a tiny fry- no, make that two- to live and grow. I made sure they got frozen BBS and frozen bloodworms, along with pellets that I hand-crushed, to keep them growing. They, along with their adult tankmate, swim with energy, without clamped fins, and with brilliant color. They swim to greet me with enthusiasm, gobble their food, and build huge bubble nests. They have slowly been upgraded from their little fry glass bowls, to a new 5gal, and then to a new 10gal. 
I monitor them with a careful eye, take note of any new changes or concerns, and start the search right away for remedies. I read, research, and learn.
I hope that this will show that while I'm not currently able to give them everything, I am giving them the best that I can.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/23/2014 #2*

So getting back down to business. I had an algae problem spring up out of nowhere. Is it related to the live plants I once had, and would it have been avoided if I'd have never introduced them to the tank? Anyway, here's the lovely coloring that Comet's Moon Cave turned. It's supposed to be white! It also made itself right at home on the surrounding gravel and corner of the glass.









Gross, right? I took this very pic to Petco today to ask their opinion and what I could do to fix it. They think that the light I have shining on the tank is the issue. I can see their point; Flash's and Lava's caves look nothing like this! The lamp I have is a tall floor lamp that stands up and curves over the tank. It does shine the most of its light over Comet's "apartment." They told me to lessen the amount of time that I have the light on. I also took home a golden Inca snail. Tonight was a night of massive cleaning. I removed ALL the decor (for the time being) to clean it under steaming hot water. I am leaving it all out until it dries... maybe it will kill some of the algae without moisture? I had to throw out Comet's mesh tube though.  Poor guy LOVES that thing, but the algae was all in the glue... yuck. I replaced one of the two dividers as well. The glass got a good scrubbing inside and out. So here is the very bare-bones setup for now. (The divider was also straightened after the pic was taken.) I'm just trying to starve out the algae ;-)


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/23/2014 #3*

These are 3 very unhappy fish, lol. I think they'll also be quite unhappy with the overhaul that happened to their tank.









I took the opportunity to take some new pics of my "captive audience". When I cupped Flash for the WC, I caught some of his bubblenest, too!









I just love Comet's pectorals  They look like little arrows.









I love the look of attitude that Flash's eyes seem to have. 









Here is a good shot of the irid spot in Flash's pectoral:









The distortion from the cup makes Lava look so sad! Let me outta here!









Is he a grizzle?


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/23/2014 #4*

I am still concerned for Comet. The good news is that the double-sided white spot that was on his tail seems to have gone away. However, I still don't know what this stuff on his back is! It is not his natural irridesence. It is like dry, dandruff... light grey? I don't think it's ick, I don't think it's velvet, I really have no idea. I just looks like some spots are getting dry skin! But please, any educated guesses are GREATLY appreciated!










































And this one has a lot of white speckles... that's just from my glittery phone case reflecting off the glass


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/23/2014 #5*

Finally tonight, I had to boost Comet's image a little by showing that even with a medial "issue", he is still so handsome!


----------



## Schmoo

Lava looks like she's crying in that one picture. xD Petco has the right idea, I think: the lighting is most likely the issue. If I remember correctly, you took out all of the live plants, yes? If so, once you put everything back into the tank, I'd leave the light off for a day or so, just to make sure any residual algae has no light to grow off of. 

I'm still casting my vote for natural coloring on Comet, and gosh is he such a handsome betta. <3


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> Lava looks like she's crying in that one picture. xD Petco has the right idea, I think: the lighting is most likely the issue. If I remember correctly, you took out all of the live plants, yes? If so, once you put everything back into the tank, I'd leave the light off for a day or so, just to make sure any residual algae has no light to grow off of.
> 
> I'm still casting my vote for natural coloring on Comet, and gosh is he such a handsome betta. <3


Yep, all the live plants are gone. So far the cleaning has gone well, and the light has been off almost all day (I just turned it on to feed them). 

I'm glad you're not concerned for Comet  I will try to be less of a nervous nellie, lol.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/24/2014*

Happy Christmas Eve!

Not much to report tonight, as I've barely been home today. However, this morning started out nicely with a flare-session from my girl, Lava! For some reason she was NOT happy with Flash. Wow, what a beard she has! I caught pics!





































And here's one of her just being pretty


----------



## Schmoo

Lava's so RED!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> Lava's so RED!


VERY very red! I have to say, she's been quite red from the start, and that's part of the reason I got her; when I saw her as a baby in the little Petco cup I thought to myself "This MUST be a male because... look how vibrant the colors already are!" Whoops! lol But honestly, she was meant to be who she is. I am glad she turned out to be SHE!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/26/2014*

Merry Christmas!

Okay, so the actual day was yesterday, but I didn't get time to update because I was visiting family in two different cities (and enjoying every minute of it  And my holiday celebrating is not done yet; more visiting is taking place tomorrow! I hope everyone else's holiday celebrations were safe and joyful :-D

Yesterday, though, was Comet's one-month Gotchaversary! And oops, I didn't remember to take pics  So I got some today instead. Oh, and I also got some really neat, and artsy-ish pics from three nights ago, so I'll include them, too (since the ones I took tonight aren't that good, lol)

Tonight

















Three nights ago


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/26/2014 #2*

OH dear, I have to mention what happened to my poor fishies yesterday! I came home from all my holiday travels to find that somehow Flash and Lava had switched sides in the tank! I know it's the divider... I must have installed it a bit off when I was doing all my cleaning. See, I had to completely throw away one of the dividers because of the algae. I then put together a brand new one, and that was the culprit. 
My poor Lava now has another nip out of her tail from that naughty boy. Thankfully she seems just fine, and she wasn't stress-striped or anything. I'm hoping it was something that had just happened and I caught it in time, or that they got themselves separated again quite quickly and Flash couldn't figure out how to get back to her. *sigh* Here's the damage:










Gosh, this girl is pretty though. She still looks just fine and dandy. And as always, right up against the glass BEGGING for food!


----------



## Schmoo

For what it's worth, it looks more like a tear than a nip to me. Looks like he may have nibbled on her anal, though...maybe...


----------



## TripleChrome

I just red through all of your journal here. All of your fish are gorgeous. Especially Lava. Her red is so beautiful. Can't wait to see how Flash turns out.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> For what it's worth, it looks more like a tear than a nip to me. Looks like he may have nibbled on her anal, though...maybe...


Do you know if a tear heals better than a nip? Thankfully I wasn't able to find anything missing from her anal fin! 



TripleChrome said:


> I just red through all of your journal here. All of your fish are gorgeous. Especially Lava. Her red is so beautiful. Can't wait to see how Flash turns out.


The whole thing? Wow! Cool, and thanks! Yes, Lava girlie is so pretty, I am actually suprised at how pretty female bettas can be. I would have never bought one knowing it was a female, but now I'm so glad I got her. Flash is always changing and looking different every day, so he will be an interesting one to watch!


----------



## Schmoo

Healing time, etc. should be about the same. As long as you keep her in warm, clean water it'll heal up nicely. :3


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/28/2014*

"It's ALIIIIIVE!" Had quite the suprise tonight! 

So I realize I never really gave an update on the Gold Inca snail I bought; I think I only said in a quick blurb that I bought one to help battle the algae. Well, honestly, I thought it was dead. It sat on the bottom of the tank for a day or so, tilted at the odd angle it had landed on, and never moved. I kept my eye on the shell opening and to me (my untrained eye), it looked pale and dead. I took it out of the tank after a little over a day and put it in a container with water to bring it back to Petco. Well, with the busy holidays (FOUR celebrations! lol), it was in the container for maybe two or three more days. Today I decided that I would just have to throw it out. I mean, maybe from the day I bought it to today, it's been a week? I can look back to the post and check, but anyway, it's been long enough to where I was sure the thing was... icky. I didn't want to deal with bringing it back at this point; I'd just suck up the two bucks I paid. 

Well... I went over to the container and was greeted with what I thought was a pretty solid confirmation that the snail had died. It looked like it had floated to the top of the water. Eeeeww. So I creeped in to get a closer look... and it actually began to look like it wasn't floating- instead it looked like it was stuck on the side of the container and had climbed there! I was sooooo shocked! I swear, everything about it to me said "dead snail". But here it was, clinging to the side of the container, normal as you please! To be safe, you tell me if this looks alive to you! LOL!

First, the image I saw that made it look like it was floating










And then Ta-Da! Signs of life!









Crazy! Am I safe to assume this guy is not, in fact, dead??


----------



## Nimble

Alive and kicking.


----------



## DaytonBetta

Alive and slimming!


----------



## Nimble

How do you know if it's a Pomacea bridgesii (Inca Snail) as opposed to a Pomacea diffusa (Mystery Snail) ? Or is that just what it was marketed as? Either way, love the Pomacea genus of snails. I've got a lovely Ivory Mystery named who is keeping my cycle going while I wait for my Bettas to get here. So much personality.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Nimble said:


> How do you know if it's a Pomacea bridgesii (Inca Snail) as opposed to a Pomacea diffusa (Mystery Snail) ? Or is that just what it was marketed as? Either way, love the Pomacea genus of snails. I've got a lovely Ivory Mystery named who is keeping my cycle going while I wait for my Bettas to get here. So much personality.


That's what I asked for at Petco because it's the one they had on sale... however, it doesn't mean that the fish guy couldn't have grabbed the wrong one, lol. I'm not familiar with snail "identities" so as far as I know, I have a Gold Inca snail


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Nimble said:


> Alive and kicking.





DaytonBetta said:


> Alive and slimming!


 
Whew, then this guy saved himself at the very last minute!!


----------



## Nimble

He looks exactly like a Gold Mystery Snail, but the two will pretty much look similar, since P. diffusa used to be considered a subspecies of P. bridgesii.

Not like it really matters, of course. They're both great snail species. Whose portion of the tank is he going in?


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Nimble said:


> He looks exactly like a Gold Mystery Snail, but the two will pretty much look similar, since P. diffusa used to be considered a subspecies of P. bridgesii.
> 
> Not like it really matters, of course. They're both great snail species. Whose portion of the tank is he going in?


He will be going into the section that currently has Flash. After WC I sometimes switch fish around to give them some stimulation, but the snail will stay in the left-most section because that has the most contact with light, which brought about the algae.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*12/29/2014*

The snail has earned itself a name. I hadn't previously decided on giving it a name, but after this whole alive-or-dead charade, I'm calling it "Frankie". After Frankenstein, lol.

Frankie has already made it up and down the container once today. I think tonight I will release him back into the tank. I am excited to do it, but have been anxious about scaring him again so soon after he felt comfortable enough to explore.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*12/31/2014*

Happy New Year's Eve! I'm sure some of you are already in 2015, and I'll be following soon  

Not much new with the three bettas, but Frankie has certainly come out of his shell! (Ha Ha, see what I did there?? ;-)) He's back in the tank and today has been all-out exploring. Today is the day I finally got a really good look at this cutie. Well, cute but so strange, lol. I've never really seen a snail up close! And wow, do they move faster than I thought. I mean, of course not cheetah fast, but I looked into the tank when he was all holed up and hiding, and then five minutes later he was up in the fake plant.

So here's Frankie, absolutely alive, finally wandering around his territory


----------



## Nimble

The Pomacea genus of snails are known in the aquarium hobby for their high levels of activity. My Bailey will zoom about up and down the walls and sand of her tank all day if she could.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*1/2/2015*

Photo time! Just for the fun of it 

Flash

















Lava

















Comet

























Frankie


----------



## Schmoo

Your snail is so cute!


----------



## kjg1029

wow! They have grown soo much!!

great work! Their beautiful!!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*1/26/2014*

ETA: OOPS ^^^ The title of this entry should say 1/26/2015 not 2014! And I don't think titles can be fixed, lol Anyway... 

Wow, it's been a few weeks! And I guess waiting 24 days to post a new journal entry means getting booted to page 3, lol. Not much is new, so there hasn't been much to write about. Mostly just getting back into the swing of things after the holiadys. However, it's getting to be a busy time of year for me, and for the next couple of months. I don't forsee myself getting a lot of time to hang out on the computer until spring-ish, but I will try to update here and there! And I'll lurk, lol.

So like I said, not much is new, but that's not to say there isn't ANYTHING to write about. And post pics about! First, before I get to the updates on my little pets, I would like to introduce you to my Grandpa's betta, Wilson. He was given to my grandpa about 2 years ago from my aunt, to keep my grandpa company. Before that, he had been my aunt's fish. He's obviously at least two, but I am guessing nearer, if not over, three years old. My grandpa is on vacation down south for a couple of months, so my parents are babysitting him. I got to meet him a couple weeks ago when visiting them. (They are also babysitting his boston terrier, too). He's a cutie, but certainly showing his age!

Wilson


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*1/26/2015 #2*

The next big update is Comet. If you may remember, I had some concern over the development of some scale discoloration on his back. Well, the change never stopped, and he now has a big black "saddle" of matte, velvety-looking scales. ("Velvety" obviously being a term that can mean something else in the world of bettas, but I don't mean velvet as in the disease; I mean it as in the soft material that clothing can be made from).

Also, in some of the old, first photos of his transformation, I see that there is what appears to be a dip in his back where the change started. See if you notice what I did. So here are some old and recent pics of Comet, to show the change.

BEFORE (1/2/2015):









YESTERDAY (1/25/2015):









RIGHT?!?! What the heck is going on with him?? It is so very concerning to me yet he's no different other than the color changing. Activity, appetite, it's all the same and he's doing great. It's just so odd.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*1/26/2015 #3*

I want to add some more pics of Comet, that I took yesterday, just to show what I can of his transformation. Maybe someone out there has a word or two about what is happening 

(What I find weird, also, is that outlining the black "saddle" are whitish gray scales, which is how the first couple scales were colored before they turned black.)


























And (in reverse order, lol) some more BEFORE pics:
(1/2/2015)









Do you see the grayish whitish scales at this angle?

















The black is starting









And this was exactly a month ago, 12/26/2014. The gray is very visible









And finally, 12/23/2014


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*1/26/2015 #4*

Now for the other two finned friends  Can't forget about the original duo! Flash and Lava are doing A-OK, as cute as ever.

Mr. Flash, the Original (1/25/2015)

























Miss Lava (1/25/2015)


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*1/26/2015 #5*

Last, but not least, is the humble and polite little Frankie. Gosh, this guy (or girl lol) has won me over. Kinda hard to do with a creature that has no discernable face and doesn't interact with you, but he does his job, ambles along without bothering anybody, and is overall just so neat. I have some really fun pics of him, so here comes a photo dump!!

Starting all the way back from 1/6/2015:










1/7/2015

















Um, yeah, mouth open...

























Doing his job, LITERALLY EXACTLY hovering over and slurping up some algae on the glass









1/19/2015
Cleaning up the cucumber bits


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*1/26/2015 #6*

And lastly, some random cute pics because I just want to, and it's been so long I feel I need to make up for it :tongue:

After yesterdays WC, Lava got switched to the side of the tank that had Frankie, and she had never seen him before! She was sooooo curious about him, but never picked on or bugged him at all. It almost looked as if she liked the company and wanted to snuggle! lol


















She's almost _underneath_ him!









And with the tank change-around, Comet was also given a glance at Frankie, and his reaction was much different! Cue the flaring and the stare downs!!









See Frankie's shadow??


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*1/26/2015 #7*

Post lucky #7 of today belongs to my ever-present shadow, Baxter. He is in need of a good hair cut, but it's so hard to justify making him "naked" in the middle of this cold winter. Still, he's so scraggly that I think at least a trim is in order. Here he is, feeling exactly like I do about this time of year... BORED.


----------



## LadyNightraven

Awww, he's so cute and scruffy! *snuggles Baxter*


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

LadyNightraven said:


> Awww, he's so cute and scruffy! *snuggles Baxter*


Oh yes, scruffy is a good way of putting it  And he looooooves snuggles!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*1/27/2015*

Today I saw something... interesting, lol. Either Frankie the snail has learned how to make a bubble nest lol or Lava is completely in love with him. My girl has created quite the "love shack" over the top of her new roommate, and she can be found underneath it, next to him, just hanging out. Too funny!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*1/27/2015 #2*

"MY snail. Mine."


----------



## LadyNightraven

That's so cute that Lava loves her snail. Your fish always make me smile.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*1/29/2015*

Nonononono, what in the world... :BIGsurprise:

I came home from grocery shopping to find the most awful fishy sight. Now don't worry, all fishies-and snail-are alive and I'm thankful for that. Do you ever come across a sight that looks "normal" at first glance, but then a moment later you notice what's out of place and everything kind of just freezes? Well, as I unpacked all my groceries, I glanced at the bettas, and all three were just swimming around casually. But I thought to myself, hmmm... something is... WAIT Comet what are you doing on Lava's side?! Then followed by a panicked WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FINS AND TAILS?!?! Completely ripped. to. shreds.

I so regret doing dividers. They are a needed, of course, but- well, I don't know. This is not a common occurance, this side-hopping, but twice is too much for me. I am so watchful after every WC and redecorating to make sure everything is secure, but if there is a slight bubble, a little bump, too much wiggle room, this happens. Why oh why do bettas have to be so nasty to each other?

So I am beyond bummed. The only light I can make of this is how well I feel that Lava protected herself. The downside? Comet's beautiful tail is like a handful of fringe. And BOTH of them have a nice chunk out of their anal fins. I'll spare the words and get right to the evidence:

Comet's tail:

















His anal fin (or lack there of...)









Lava's damage:

























My poor fishies :sob: I can't imagine how scary that was. Here's hoping for a fast and stressless recovery. Well, stressless for them... I will be quite stressed


----------



## LadyNightraven

Poor babies.  I feel so bad for them and for you. I hope they heal up nicely very soon.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

LadyNightraven said:


> Poor babies.  I feel so bad for them and for you. I hope they heal up nicely very soon.


Thanks, LNR, I think they have completely forgotten about the whole incident thankfully. So that's wonderful, whew... they weren't terribly stressed about it. I will put some update photos up below!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/1/2015*

My two beaten-up fishies are doing well, considering everything. Business as usual to them. I think the one that is in the most shock over everything is Frankie, the snail! I have a feeling that Comet may have done some harrassing of Frankie when he was "visiting" Lava. It's been what, 3 days? And NO movement from the snail. I hope he finds his confidence again soon... I miss his slimy little face 

As for the damage done, Lava seems to be a pretty quick healer. Her tail, if you scroll up to look at the initial injuries, was ripped and had some holes. The small things seem to have cleared up pretty well already. The biggest thing to overcome is going to be the injury to the anal fin. Both fish got each other good in that same area. Here arethe latest pics of Lava as of tonight:










Another thing that I actually didn't notice until tonight (and not until I saw it in the photos) was that Lava seems to have received some injuries to her body, or at least, a few roughed-up scales. Nothing to serious I think, but I feel bad for not noticing it before.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/1/2015 #2*

On to the biggest mess of the two- Comet. I still think I am a tiny bit proud of Lava for defending herself so well against such a big guy... I mean, she really left her mark! Still, my handsome boy is now reduced to shreds.  Unlike Lava, his damage shows hardly any improvement. Of course, it has to do with the fact that his tail is so long, making it an easy target, and easier to get a hold of. But like Lava, he also has to grow quite a bit of anal fin back.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/1/2015 #3*

I can't do updates without including ALL the bettas, so good little boy Flash gets some of the spotlight because he built quite the impressive bubble nest. Here is his handiwork:


















And here he is, proudly patrolling just below his masterpiece


----------



## Schmoo

Oh no, your poor babies! :c Lava IS healing quickly, though. I definitely recommend more frequent WCs and using aquarium salt if you can.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> Oh no, your poor babies! :c Lava IS healing quickly, though. I definitely recommend more frequent WCs and using aquarium salt if you can.


I do have some aquarium salt left over from when I had livebearers... any special way I should go about dissolving it/adding it?


----------



## TripleChrome

AlwaysAnimals said:


> I do have some aquarium salt left over from when I had livebearers... any special way I should go about dissolving it/adding it?


I forgot how much to use per gallon, but take some water out of the tank, and dissolve the amount of AQ Salt in that, and slowly pour it back in. If you have live plants,take them out, as I heard that AQ Salt kills live plants.


----------



## autojoy

Wow! That's an amazing nest Flash made, so puffy and huge!!!  My boy makes nests that never go over an inch long, haha. It's like he gets bored!!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

TripleChrome said:


> I forgot how much to use per gallon, but take some water out of the tank, and dissolve the amount of AQ Salt in that, and slowly pour it back in. If you have live plants,take them out, as I heard that AQ Salt kills live plants.


Thanks! I'll google the ratio and give it a try


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

autojoy said:


> Wow! That's an amazing nest Flash made, so puffy and huge!!!  My boy makes nests that never go over an inch long, haha. It's like he gets bored!!


I know, it's so taaaaaaall  I always love seeing bubble nests. I know it can be argued that a bubble nest doesn't neccessarily mean a betta is happy or healthy... but I like to think it has _something_ to do with it. I mean, would a sick betta be able to achieve a nest like that? lol


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/2/2015*

Some pics I took yesterday 

A neat snapshot of Lava in action









A "what are you looking at?" face


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/2/2015 #2*

I forgot I had these pics! These are a little bit older, from 1/27/2015. I love how cute my Lava girl looks


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/4/2015*

I think the healing and fin re-growth has started for Lava and Comet's anal fins. I've never had a betta with injured fins before, but I assume that this clear/white webbing on the injuries is a good sign. Looks like it's smoothed over and less ragged.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/4/2015 #2*

Also, here is a shot of Lava's injured scales. (Her tail/body look weirdly shaped, but it's just how she was swimming when I took the pic)


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/4/2015 #3*

P.S. Frankie still has not come back out of his shell. At what point should I be worried? I read once that snails can sleep for 3 years (National Geographic gave me that info), so I guess I could be waiting for a loooooong while. I miss the slimy little guy


----------



## Schmoo

I would remove Frankie from the tank and QT him. Put him in a cup of tank water, cover the top, and watch him... I'll keep my fingers crossed for him, but...


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/8/2015*

SIP (Slime in peace??) Frankie :-( It is official this time. I am a little bummed because that silly snail grew on me. But that leaves an open position as algae-cleaner, and I have already hired on two new employees ;-)

I have no names for them yet, but I brought home two tiger snails. We'll see how these little guys stack up to Frankie.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/8/2015 #2*

I think the new snails have names. One will be Midas (an homage, if you will, to Frankie who was a "gold" Inca snail), and one will be Dash. I think. Lol. Well let's put it this way... Midas is a given, and Dash might stick. But I was also tossing around the name Turbo. Or something else completely if I come across it!

So here is one, with ever-protective snail mama Lava









This one also has a little birthmark, or discoloration, on the shell









And here is the other one. It is a horrible pic, lol. But with as far back as he was, and the bounce-off of the flash, it's the best I could do for today!


----------



## TripleChrome

Lava sure loves snails. SIP, Frankie.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

TripleChrome said:


> Lava sure loves snails. SIP, Frankie.


Thanks, TripleChrome  I'll miss the little bugger, but I think I'll enjoy getting to know these new ones, too. And yeah Lava really does love snails for some reason! It makes me smile, lol.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/8/2015 #3*

Whoa, crazy flare session Batman! Comet and Lava switched places in the tank, which put Lava next to Flash. She hadn't been next to him for a while, and something sure sparked a showdown between the two of them! I kinda feel like it's a good thing, because Lava has been a little subdued since her scuffle with Comet. It shows that she still has her spunk and it's nice to see it spark back to life. And who knows... maybe she remembers her original "buddy" Flash. I think Flash was happy to have her back at least, because he quickly-and I mean QUICKLY- constructed a high and puffy bubble nest. It was so funny watching him flare at Lava through the mesh, then dart over and makes some bubbles, then hurry back to the divider... back/forth//back/forth. I tell you, these bettas are sure entertaining  Oh, and I was super lucky to capture some pretty awesome pictures!










(Pardon the coloration on the divider, Frankie was slacking and the new snails have some work to do  

































And Flash's newest nest


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/10/2015*

The snails are doing well- I have seen them in different spots in their respective compartments, so they are alive and exploring. They are so much smaller than Frankie was, so it's harder to find them, plus they are a lot smaller. I haven't gotten a great look at their "faces". I loved that Frankie's features were so easy see. As for names, I am thinking Midas and Turbo.

Today I gave in to a whim and responded to a thread in the Betta Art forum, where you are supposed to draw the betta that was posted before you. I was debating putting these up because they are pretty craptastic (I love to draw, and given the right amount of time, and materials, I can do much better than this, lol). I only had some skinny crayons, printer paper, and like an hour to make them. But I admit I had fun  So to add some variety in my journal, here they are:


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/10/2015 #2*

Now for a photo dump because I took these the other day and decided, hey, some are pretty good 













































































And this one is not very good quality, but look at Lava! lol


----------



## Nimble

I do spy some extra branching on Flash. That's a keen thing, there! He must have some Delta or Halfmoon in his background.


----------



## autojoy

Wow, Lava's fins are starting to rival Flash in terms of size! Huuuge! She's so cute, haha, I love the one of her making the  face!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Nimble said:


> I do spy some extra branching on Flash. That's a keen thing, there! He must have some Delta or Halfmoon in his background.


Wow, if that's the case, than yay! :-D 



autojoy said:


> Wow, Lava's fins are starting to rival Flash in terms of size! Huuuge! She's so cute, haha, I love the one of her making the  face!


I know, for the longest time she had me wondering if she was really a female, or a PK male LOL :lol: With all the flaring she does, she likes to confuse me!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/17/2015*

The snail in Comet's area has been active since day one, but today I finally saw the one on Lava's side! I guess it's more shy, lol. Not sure if I want to name them anymore. They are not as active, interesting or "personable" as Frankie was. I like the name Midas a lot, so I'm thinking of reserving it in case I get another gold Inca snail, or down the line if I get another betta. I actually went to Petco today to get some water conditioner and went to look at the snails. No gold Incas, just like last time (which is why I ended up with tiger snails). Not only that, though- they had totally removed the label for gold Inca snails. I hope they aren't going to stop carrying them! Well, if they do, I still have Petsmart in the area, as well as local stores.

Here's a cool pic I got of Lava's snail, the one who has been hiding until today


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/17/2015 #2*

As I mentioned, I was at Petco... and who goes to Petco without looking at the bettas?! There must have been a shipment in from one spawn, because there must have been 40 identical-looking red VT there! I have never seen such a lack of diversity in their selection! It doesn't matter because I'm not shopping for a new fish, but I was hoping to get some neat pics. Well, thankfully they weren't ALL red VTs. So here are some of the pretties I saw today 











































And this last one I think is going to marble, because I see the starting of black on both sides


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/23/2015*

Lava is not doing well. She might not make it through the night :-(

She hasn't really been the same since she last got attacked. She is pale and refusing food. She rests a lot, but it's so sad to see her still get excited to see me and wiggle over. I am prepared, and I'm not going to be inconsolable, but gosh I liker her. I will be quite sad to lose her so soon.

That's all for now.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/24/2015*

Lava made it through the night, but sadly, didn't make it to this evening. I am really going to miss her. She was the brightly colored little Petco baby that tugged at my thoughts until I brought her home. She was the female betta that I never thought I would have. She was fiesty, friendly, and my little piggy. SIP, little Lava. 

Here is the last ever picture of her


----------



## Nimble

SIP, Lava.


----------



## TripleChrome

SIP Lava.


----------



## PurpleJay

Oh my gosh- I'm so sorry! I was stalking your thread and boy did she have a lot of personality. Again, I'm really sorry that you had to lose her. Swim in peace, Lava.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Nimble said:


> SIP, Lava.





TripleChrome said:


> SIP Lava.





PurpleJay said:


> Oh my gosh- I'm so sorry! I was stalking your thread and boy did she have a lot of personality. Again, I'm really sorry that you had to lose her. Swim in peace, Lava.


Thanks guys... it makes me feel good to know that her personality showed through in this journal. She was a sweet fish.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/26/2015*

I am so sorry to have some more sad news to share. Comet is now gone as well. The two fish who were involved in the fight both could not seem to get over their injuries. For Lava, it was minimal tail damage but some obvious nips to the body. For Comet, his beautiful, huge tail was destroyed. It was such a big tail, with so much surface area, that I'm sure there were many spots to introduce infection, or bacteria, or fin rot... I feel bad because since he was almost all black, I had a hard time seeing that anything was wrong. He didn't go pale like Lava. But looking back, he did start to refuse food. 

On the positive, Flash is wonderful. He was totally uninvolved in the fight. His fins and body are perfect, as is his appetite. For now, he has a whole 10 gallon to himself to explore. I think I might adopt one betta next time, and not overwhelm myself with three. Flash did really well having someone to flare for and keep him active. Remember, he came to me as a Petco baby and grew up with Lava always right there to interact with.

So that's the latest. SIP Comet, handsome handsome fishy!


----------



## TripleChrome

Aww. SIP, Comet.

And that's good that Flash is doing great.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

TripleChrome said:


> Aww. SIP, Comet.
> 
> And that's good that Flash is doing great.


Thank you, TripleChrome. It was sad to see that handsome fella go


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/27/2015*

Two chapters have closed, but a new one has begun.

I went pet store cruising today. I had a $5 reward to one and was going to just peruse the bettas and see if any struck me. The first pet store was the one I had the $5 to spend at, and I only ended up walking out with some water treatments. But I am happy with that, because I feel a little more prepared should another injury or something occur. With those purchases completed, I set out for pet store #2, Petco. The options were slim, as their stocking day is Tuesday and by today, Friday, the bettas were pretty much picked over. I noticed there were no baby bettas. I didn't know if I wanted one or not, but I am glad I didn't see any sad little fry faces today. Actually, I didn't really know what I was looking for. I had no set preferences on bettas; it could have been male or female, any color, any tail type. I just wanted one to stick out from the rest and I took my mission seriously.

I left Petco with only a bag of dog food and went to store #3, Petsmart. At the betta area, I noticed only a small selection as well. At that moment, an employee told me that the bettas were currently undergoing a water change and I could find them on a cart by the front of the store. It made me happy for some reason to be there to witness them being cared for. I looked over the selection at the front of the store, but again, nothing stood out to me.

Off to pet store #4. The other Petco in town. Small selection again, and again no babies (so I'm wondering if they stopped carrying them... I haven't seen any in a while). This was the Petco that I mentioned in a previous entry that had a bunch of red VT bettas, which all seemed to be siblings from the same spawn. Well lo and behold, I saw the majority of the bettas left were those same red VTs. I left store #4 empty-handed.

Store #5 was the local small pet store. I had actually been thiiiiiiiiiis close to skipping over it because it was lunch time and I was hungry and tired. But I talked myself into it since I was already running around. I had even passed that same store earlier in the morning but didn't stop because they opened an hour later than the others, and it was too early at that time. Well, I went in and headed to where the bettas were kept. I like this pet store- they usually have a variety that is much more impressive than the chain pet stores. The bettas are always so pretty-- they even had black orchids there today!-- but they also have a little higher prices. I was turning cups around, looking at the fishies (and looking for their price tags) when I spied a cute, small, pretty-tailed gray male that looked very young and had an interesting color. As I turned his cup, I saw something I never saw on a betta cup before... a clearance sticker! 50% off! That had me very interested, because this guy had a lot of promise. He definitely didn't look VT, and he was still young. I knew that I had found my betta. It took 5 stores to find him, and I was truly willing to wait until a different day (like next Tuesday-stocking day-lol) if I was unsuccessful, but this was the one that stuck out. I am considering the name Midas, that I had kept on the backburner in my mind. I am not sure what his color is yet. I'm sure he's pretty pale because of stress, but I am hoping maybe MG? Otherwise, maybe he's steel blue? I don't know... right now he's gray, lol. I will put some pics in a new entry below!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/27/2015 #2*

Meet the new fella. I like the name Midas, but I am waiting a bit to see what color he is or if he remains this gray color. Does anyone have a guess on the color? How about tail type? Thanks!

(Here he is in his sad little clearance cup)









And some more pics

















Flash, sizing up his new companion









Used the camera flash on this one


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*2/27/2015 #3*

After a big water change, decoration shuffling, and acclimation, the new guy is in the tank. As for the name, I had Midas tucked away for future use, and since at first I thought this guy might end up as a MG, I was thinking Midas would be perfect. Well, I ended up asking over in the betta care forum about his color and tail, and it was suggested that he could be black (orchid or melano, it remains to be seen). Well, after getting him in the tank, he immediately turned very vibrant and I agree that he looks to be some sort of black, with turquoise "detail". So... does Midas still work? As for the tail, it was suggested he could be a super DeT, and maaaayyybe even half moon. (Wouldn't that be sweet?!) You all let me know what you see ;-) Anyway, pic time!

Here he is getting acclimated









"How could anyone possibly mark ME as a clearance fish??" 









"I'm free!"

































And finally... I caught him flaring! I wasn't expecting it!


----------



## TripleChrome

He does look to be a super delta tail. At first I was thinking halfmoon by the pictures you posted earlier, but once I saw the flare pictures, he doesn't have the full 180° tail span as a halfmoon does. In the pictures of him inside the tank, he does look black with blue iridescent. So, I agree with the black they said he will be. As for the name, Midas is a really good name for him. He is a gorgeous fish.


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## Aqua Aurora

Sorry for your losses, hope the new boy helps you through mourning. Unless you want to call him Midas as a reference to the King with the golden touch I think its a fine name for your new boy. And wow I would not expect such a major color up  didn't know black bettas could get _so _pale.


----------



## DaytonBetta

Sorry about Lava and Comet. 

Congrats on your new fish. I can't believe how much his color changed from the cup to the tank!


----------



## LadyNightraven

I'm so sorry about the loss of Lava and Comet.

Midas is one gorgeous fish! It's amazing how he looked such a dull gray in his cup and turned into such a vibrant black once he was in warm clean water. Your patience in finding just the right fish definitely paid off!


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## AlwaysAnimals

Thanks for the kind words, everyone


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*3/10/2015*

Checking in after another absence. First, I am still not sure I'm keeping the name Midas. I at first thought the new little guy was going to be an MG for some reason, and so I thought the nod to the color gold would suit him. I really do like the name, and am going to keep it on the backburner, but since this guy seems to be black of some sort, I think I'll keep name hunting.

It's crazy to me to think that this guy is younger than my original Petco baby  I'm happy to think of how far Flash has come, from a little fry to a the "elder" of my two fish. He is easily bigger than the new guy, with much longer fins. It was something I didn't even take note of until I brought the new fish home. It also makes me happy, because it means if all goes well, I'll have them both for a while because they are both young. I mean, if Flash, who I got in October '14, is no more than 6 or 7 months old, the new betta has got to be younger than that.

A lot has happened since my last full post, specifically with these two guys. I was upset and stressed to find that less than 24 hours after bringing the new addition home, my dividers failed once again. It was the last straw. After losing Lava and Comet to injuries sustained from a fight after ill-placed or ill-fitting dividers, I was just sick over it. So I said "screw it" (sorry for the language) and pulled out the 5 gal that had once housed baby Flash and baby Lava. Rules be darned, I wasn't going to take any more chances. So I have two tanks up istead of just the one. The new guy is in the 10 gal, and Flash (the naughty bully and instigator) has been assigned to the 5 gal. I can finally, FINALLY breathe a sigh of relief. The only job the mesh divider has now is to block their view of each other from OUTSIDE the tanks. I'll outline the damage and progress with pics in some following entries. For now, here is what the setup looks like for them now:


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## AlwaysAnimals

*3/10/2015 #2*

I forgot to mention the snails! They are doing swell. Instead of giving one snail to Flash in the 5gal, I kept them both in the 10gal because that's the one with the bits of algae. They're pretty little things, I just wish I could see their faces like I could with Frankie! 

Here's one sitting on the log:









And the two of them chilling on the bridge:


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*3/10/2015 #3*

As previously stated, I had had the new betta for less than 24 hours when I woke up to an awful sight; Flash had made his way past the divider and the two were together. Flash had the poor newcomer in a corner and seemed to be guarding him there. The beautiful tail was damaged, as well as anal fin (seems to be Flash's MO). Dorsal fin was still in tact. Flash had a nip out of his tail, but it was clear who the victor was. The new guy was in his corner, pale and stress-striped. I separated them immediately... and started to assess the aftermath. I didn't take any pics right away... I was too in shock, and angry with myself for trusting dividers again. Finally, a few days later when I was sure they were both alright, I documented the damage and went about healing them up. I am SO glad I now have better treatments on hand! Because after losing Lava and Comet (I'm thinking fin rot set in in the long run), I told myself it was not an option to lose these guys. So far so good! It has been a couple weeks already, and instead of seeing fins that began to go downhill, I saw new growth, two bettas with energy and appetites, and PEACE for the two of them.

Now for the pics... these two were taken March 1. I brought the new guy home Feb 27, and they got into the fight on Feb 28.
In addition to the trauma from the fight, poor Flash suffered a "close shave" to the top of his dorsal fin. So much for catching them with a cup to do a wc being safe... as I scooped, his fin got caught between the glass and the cup and a bit of the fin got snipped off. When it rains, it pours.

















March 2... back to pale, but still so cute









March 3, getting a little color back


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*3/10/2015 #4*

March 4, seeing some regrowth on the boys

















March 5... seriously guy, what color are you??









March 7... another color change. Keeping me guessing.

















Today, March 10. Lots of color, more regrowth


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*3/10/2015 #5*

More from today... just some cute ones


----------



## Aqua Aurora

Flash: *raises sword** THERE CAN BE ONLY OONNEE! *(highlander reference)
I had a similar issue with Magnus and Alastor and a divided quarantine tank, though Magnus was the instigator and the one who got whooped... his tail is forever messed up because of it. I'll never trust a divided tank again after that!

Hope they continue healing well.


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## autojoy

Oh no! I just read back. I'll not bang on about it because it's been a while now and I don't wish to stir up bad memories, but I'm sorry for your losses. Best wishes to your new boy.


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## artemis35

It's so nice to "see" you back! 

I love reading your journal (need to comment more often), and was so sad to read of your losses , as well as the divider mishap with your current guys.

Both of the boys are looking good with lots of regrowth already. :thumbsup:

I definitely think that you will sleep better now, knowing they are safe and sound in their own tanks. My fish are also all in individual tanks since I know I could not handle the stress of divided tanks, either.


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## DaytonBetta

The side by side tanks look great and both fish are so unique and pretty. The way the new one changes color is incredible!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

artemis35 said:


> It's so nice to "see" you back!
> 
> I love reading your journal (need to comment more often), and was so sad to read of your losses , as well as the divider mishap with your current guys.
> 
> Both of the boys are looking good with lots of regrowth already. :thumbsup:
> 
> I definitely think that you will sleep better now, knowing they are safe and sound in their own tanks. My fish are also all in individual tanks since I know I could not handle the stress of divided tanks, either.


Aww, thanks artemis! (I too am guilty of journal lurking without commenting, lol). It's true, the relief I feel is wonderful 



DaytonBetta said:


> The side by side tanks look great and both fish are so unique and pretty. The way the new one changes color is incredible!


Thanks DaytonBetta! I am also liking the two tanks, thankfully it didn't ruffle any feathers when I pulled the 5 gal back out of the basement, lol. As for the fishies... they are pretty unique, I find it hard to figure out what to classify them as!


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

Aqua Aurora said:


> Flash: *raises sword** THERE CAN BE ONLY OONNEE! *(highlander reference)
> I had a similar issue with Magnus and Alastor and a divided quarantine tank, though Magnus was the instigator and the one who got whooped... his tail is forever messed up because of it. I'll never trust a divided tank again after that!
> 
> Hope they continue healing well.


Thanks much Aqua Aurora! Things are going well with the regrowth, I will be updating below! :-D



autojoy said:


> Oh no! I just read back. I'll not bang on about it because it's been a while now and I don't wish to stir up bad memories, but I'm sorry for your losses. Best wishes to your new boy.


Aw autojoy, thanks for the nice words. I miss Lava deeply some times, and feel guilty that I wasn't prepared for her injuries, but I like to think that at least she taught me something, and now I had what I needed to help these two bruisers, lol.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*3/18/2015*

A week plus a day between posts, that's not bad, right?? :lol:

First news is the official name of the newest guy, previously known as Midas. I have chosen the name "Dunn." Simple, and it's a name that means dark-colored. In addition, "dun" is a coat color belonging to horses, and it looks crazy similar to my betta's coloring. To add to that, I actually grew up with horses and had a black dun horse named Poco. All in all, it fits. I would put up a pic of Poco, but my computer is being dumb, so all I could do is copy and paste from Google. What do you think??


As for Dunn's technical color... I am still stumped. He looks awfully brown some days, some days it's grey, and under some lighting it's quite black. His fins and tail are very see-through, mostly black though, but are now getting some white/clear areas. Gah! lol Pics to follow.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*3/18/2015 #2*

I've taken numerous pics since my last entry, so I'm trying to figure out the best way to lay them all out... I think I'll start with Flash and just go chronologically with him.

FLASH
3/13/15- flaring. His once rough nip marks are smoothing out









3/13/2015... new growth!









3/14/15- BIIIIG bubble nest! (I felt so bad yesterday when it got destroyed during a w/c :-()









3/14/2015- I just love this underside shot of Flash & his nest









3/17/2015- blurry pics but it shows some nice new webbing catching up in growth


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*3/18/15 #3*

DUNN 
This guy has come a long way. He was so very terrified when I brought him home because of how soon he got attacked, but in the last day or so he has been coming up to the glass to greet me. It did take a while, with him darting away when anyone came close, but I am so happy to see that he looks comfortable and settled in now.

(Photo dump... so many different ones!)

3/11/15- took this pic with a flash... note the color, because in the next pic- which was taken only seconds after this one, shows him looking completely different! I was even considering naming this guy Oz as a nod to the movie and the horse of a different color, lol.









3/11/15- a few seconds later









3/11/15- Dunn has blue eyes! It's not easy to see in pics, but they are such a pretty pale, sky blue color. Oh, and he's flaring in this pic :-D









3/11/15- lovely flare! Too bad his fins and tail have a way to go. Everyone still think he's a super DeT?









3/11/15... flare and blue eyes









3/11/15- tail spread pic (sorry for the lighting)









3/13/15... here he is, looking like a dun! See how clear his fins and tail can look?









3/13/15 Close-up of tail growth. Also, the white mark on his dorsal


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*3/18/15 #4*

I broke Dunn's pics up because I was afraid they would not all fit in one entry, lol

3/17/15- checking out one of the snails









3/17/15- I honestly swear this is the same fish! Taken the same day as the pic just above!









3/18/15- this morning, with the natural sunlight at just the right angle









3/18/15- new growth on the tail is closing the gap









3/18/15 new growth from the other angle. Take a look at the growth on the anal fin!









3/18/15- So. Stinkin. Cute.









3/18/15- for some reason, I think this pic is AWESOME


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*3/18/15 #5*

Can't forget the snails! Only because I got this neat shot yesterday, lol. And, WOW do these guys POOP!!! 

Take a look... SNAIL TEETH!










This was after the water change, so the white dots are bubbles. Speaking of water changes, I do them with the fish in-tank now. After the incident where I accidentally pinched off the tip of Flash's dorsal, I am hesitant to do any sort of fish removal or cause any stress. And honestly, Flash seems not to mind the new way I do the wc. He shows no fear at all- doesn't try to hide or anything. Just watches curiously. I think Dunn will take a little longer to feel "comfortable" with ANY wc, lol.


----------



## Aqua Aurora

AlwaysAnimals said:


> Can't forget the snails! Only because I got this neat shot yesterday, lol. And, WOW do these guys POOP!!!
> 
> Take a look... SNAIL TEETH!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This was after the water change, so the white dots are bubbles. Speaking of water changes, I do them with the fish in-tank now. After the incident where I accidentally pinched off the tip of Flash's dorsal, I am hesitant to do any sort of fish removal or cause any stress. And honestly, Flash seems not to mind the new way I do the wc. He shows no fear at all- doesn't try to hide or anything. Just watches curiously. I think Dunn will take a little longer to feel "comfortable" with ANY wc, lol.


I hope I am seeing it wrong but your nerite looks like it has some serious shell damage by the base where it's fleshy parts come out. I should only be able to see the "foot" and head. Is this true or just an illusion from the angle and lighting?
Do you know how hard your water is (specifically calcium content)? If it's soft/little to no calcium you need to put some in for the snails as they need calcium for shell growth. There are several ways to add ccium a lot of people use cuttle bones but you can use powdered calcium or I belive crushed coral (in a bag in the filter).


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/26/2015 Soooooo.....*

Long time no post! I have kind of fallen off the map for many months now. I think it might be like that with me on here... life just keeps me busy :lol:

What prompted me to write was me suddenly realizing I just recently passed ONE WHOLE YEAR with Flash! I got him as a Petco baby on Oct. 24. I had posted about his one fin having a teal dot on it... well, the whole fin turned a shiny, metallic teal and it's so cute because the other fin is see-through.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*10/26/2015 #2*

Another event that compelled me to write was the fact that I lost Dunn suddenly yesterday. He had jumped out of the tank and onto the floor. He wasn't passed when he got put back into the water, and in fact he seemed pretty strong a first, but he started to fade as the day went on. It's so weird, because I had just taken pics of him the day before, since I hadn't taken any in months. So although he's gone, I'll share his last pic


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*10/26/2015 #3*

Finally, the updates on the rest of the animals. I still have both of my snails, and they are chugging away keeping the tank clean. They just keep going and going! For a while I've had a small community tank, with a female Mickey Mouse platy and a male lyretail guppy. They were with Dunn. Since Dunn passed, I got the sudden urge to redo things. I had been keeping two tanks, because of course I had two male bettas. Now with only one betta, I broke down one tank and will just have a community tank with Flash. So much easier for me, since I've been busy, and it gives me back some counter space. I added a few more fish today, because I had $15 saved in free Petco rewards! :thumbsup:

I got two tiny female guppies, a pineapple swordtail male, and a female koi sword. The koi sword was mislabeled at the store, the guy told me, and he gave me a deal. Apparently koi swords are pricey, but I got her at the price of a panda sword. Saved me a couple bucks! I also picked up three baby moss balls, since I had the remainder of my rewards to use.

I don't have any pics of the community fish- yet- but I will attempt to get some. The koi sword is just so pretty!

Well, that's all for now. Here's hoping that everyone else is well!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/26/2015 #4*

I got around to taking some pics! First an update on the newcomers that I bought today; I lost one female guppy to my filter :-? I couldn't find her for a couple hours, then I saw where she was... they looked small in the store, but I had no idea just how small they really were until I put them in the tank and next to my lyretail male. I will bring her back tomorrow for a new one... they guy at the store said these small ones were all that were left and that a new shipment would be arriving tomorrow. I would e a much rather have a more mature, robust female! The remaining one is very active but so small I honestly don't know what color she is yet :dunno:

Anyway, here are pics of the community


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/27/2015*

Just got back from returning poor little female guppy's body to Petco. They aren't getting more guppies until tomorrow, so instead of waiting, I got my refund and went to the local, small LFS instead. It's nicer there, a better variety and healthier fish, but a little pricier and a farther drive. Picked up two pretty female guppies, nice and big! One has a blue snakeskin tail, and one has a yellow/orange snakeskin tail. Will try to get pics later. They add a nice pop of color. 

And oh boy, their bettas were BEAUTIFUL. I would have taken pics of them, but my phone has no memory left, LOL! There was no temptation to take any home, though... they were all fancy and cost a pretty penny!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/27/2015 #2*

I am thinking of naming all my fish, instead of just my betta. I still don't have any desire to name the snails, but I do like them a lot!

Okay, so what I have so far is:

Male VT Betta- Flash
Female Koi swordtail- Panda
Male pineapple swordtail-
Female Mickey Mouse platy-
Female small guppy-
Female yellow snakeskin guppy-
Female blue snakeskin guppy-
Male blue lyretail guppy-

That's it! LOL


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/28/2015*

I have some more names figured out:

Male VT Betta- *Flash*
Female Koi swordtail- *Panda*
Male pineapple swordtail- *Mr. Grouper*
Female Mickey Mouse platy- *Minnie*
Female small guppy-
Female yellow snakeskin guppy- *Bumblebee*
Female blue snakeskin guppy- *Butterfly*
Male blue lyretail guppy-

I am considering calling the small female guppy Ladybug, and the lyretail male Firefly.

On an unrelated note, I went to go and update my signature, and wow have things changed. It looks like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to me! Not sure if I want to mess with it at the moment...

Finally, yesterday I bought a new floor lamp to shine by the tank. The previous one became useless a couple days ago when the bulb exploded inside of it and fried the lamp. 
Also, I now have Bumblebee and Butterfly in a separated breeder box... both have very dark gravid spots and either one of them could give birth soon. I also suspect Minnie might have the start of a gravid spot. Panda is very obviously not pregnant; half of her body is see-through, and it is all empty in there as far as I can see!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/28/2015 #2*

Photo time!

First, the snails. There are two snail, even though I have three pics. And one of the crazy snails was climbing into the filter!






















Here is the handsome Flash! I love the one teal fin and the one clear fin 






















Here are Bumblebee and Butterfly in their breeder box... both with big gravid spots. And a pic of Flash being sneaking behind the box, lol















Here is my pretty koi swordtail female, Panda. I am so taken with her. Even her eyes are orange! And as you can see, she is *clearly* (haha pun, get it? lol) not pregnant at the moment.















My male lyretail guppy, currently named Firefly








My male pineapple swordtail, Mr. Grouper. I can never seem to get a decent picture of him








And finally, the baby female guppy currently named either Ladybug, or maybe Jitterbug, who knows. I might need her to develop more before I decide! She is sooo small... but so I already see a gravid spot?















I haven't gotten a new pic of Minnie, she was hiding a lot today.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/28/2015 #3*

Well, I attempted to update my signature. What a confusing mess. :frustrated:
I am satisfied for the moment, but I am going to work with it a little more. I might also look into changing my profile pic soon... gulp!


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## LadyNightraven

I'm so sorry about Dunn. It's worse when you lose them suddenly.  Your new fish are very pretty, and Panda is just gorgeous! I can see why you're taken with her.


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## AlwaysAnimals

LadyNightraven said:


> I'm so sorry about Dunn. It's worse when you lose them suddenly.  Your new fish are very pretty, and Panda is just gorgeous! I can see why you're taken with her.


Thanks and thanks  It is sad how I lost him, but at least it wasn't some drawn-out illness or something. At least that's what I tell myself to make myself feel better!

I am so happy to have gotten Panda for the deal I got her for. The fish guy at Petco said it wasn't a fish they meant to get in their order so he charged me only the price of the other fish in the tank, which he said maybe saved be a buck or two. Yay for deals!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*10/30/2015*

I want to mention an adventure I had over the summer, during my absence from this journal. I had a blue wag platy female who ended up giving me a surprise one day- I saw two fry swimming around in the tank! They weren't completely tiny, either. They had to have been in there for a few weeks at least. I looked in the tank for any others, but these were the only two "that were left." I took them out and put them in the breeder box to keep them from getting eaten.

What I didn't do was put the cover on the breeder box. It made it easier for me to feed them. There was no mother fish I had to keep in, and I figured they were too little to jump out. Well, I was actually right. They didn't jump out. What I hadn't anticipated was who might want to jump IN! A few days after getting them into the breeder box, I checked the tank to find that Dunn had jumped into the breeder box and couldn't get back out. And unfortunately, he did end up eating both of the fry  This time around with my guppies, the cover is staying on no matter what!

I did make sure to get some pics of them before I lost them. Cute little buggers!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/2/2015*

Not too exciting, but names have been finalized 

Male VT Betta- *Flash*
Female Koi swordtail- *Panda*
Male pineapple swordtail- *Mr. Grouper*
Female Mickey Mouse platy- *Minnie*
Female small guppy- *Cricket*
Female yellow snakeskin guppy- *Bumblebee*
Female blue snakeskin guppy- *Butterfly*
Male blue lyretail guppy- *Firefly*

Bumblebee and Butterfly are in the breeder box, looking huge! I am expecting fry this week most likely, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are there in the morning!

I also expect that Cricket might be pregnant. She is still so tiny, about half the size of the other two females, but I see a gravid spot. I read somewhere that they can be ready to breed when they are as young as 4 WEEKS old! Yikes! So I guess it wouldn't be unusual, but I feel bad for her! :-(


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/3/2015*

BABY GUPPIES ARE ARRIVING RIGHT NOW!

I am so excited! I don't know which female is giving birth because they are both together in the breeder box. I guess we'll know by the end of the day, when we see whose tummy is empty! I currently see three little fry.

Here are some phone pics that I just took. Not great quality, but for now it's ok.

Sorry for the poo poo close-up, lol. Here is a baby fry!








Another guppy fry, trying to swim up through the separator in the breeder box








A teeny baby, lower right of the pic, in front of a bright green leaf, and a second laying closer to the bottom in front of it. The two adult females in the upper left for size comparison








Side by side


----------



## Sadist

Awesome! How is the breeding box working out? I did mine a bit differently, and I'm leaving the female with the fry for 24 hours to rest and pig out on mysis shrimp.

Also, since you've had them for a while, do the gravid spots become lighter after birth? My female is still really boxy with a dark gravid spot, and she started giving birth about 8 hours ago.


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## AlwaysAnimals

Sadist said:


> Awesome! How is the breeding box working out? I did mine a bit differently, and I'm leaving the female with the fry for 24 hours to rest and pig out on mysis shrimp.
> 
> Also, since you've had them for a while, do the gravid spots become lighter after birth? My female is still really boxy with a dark gravid spot, and she started giving birth about 8 hours ago.


Actually I've these two only about a week, if not less. But I do think that they lose that blackness after they are all out of fry. There might always be a little coloration, but not as solid and opaque as a true gravid spot. Just my guess!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/3/2015 #2*

A lot has happened today! Not all of it good, but mostly good 

To get the bad out of the way first, I lost my Mickey Mouse platy, Minnie, today. She got herself stuck between the breeder box and the side of the aquarium. The current from the filter must have pushed it right up against the side, and she had no way of getting out. I don't think she was... squished... and she couldn't have been there long because I've been checking the breeder box for obvious reasons (yay babies!), but must have been long enough. SIP Minnie.

Second on the list of topics was a fun little jaunt to Petco for some Hikari First Bites to feed the guppy fry. I saw some pretty bettas there and I took some pics. Like previously in my journal, I like to just to share some of the beauty I come across


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/3/2015 #3*

Finally tonight (unless something comes up), an update on the guppies. There are 9 fry so far! I also saw three little yellow spheres at the bottom of the breeder box, so they were likely underdeveloped embryos that one of the females passed.

Two of the little fry gave me quite the challenge by actually somehow escaping the breeder box and making their way into the rest of the aquarium! I think they squeezed through the side vents in the box which allow for water flow. The vents are teeny, but I guess those fry were smaller yet!

Anyway, I got them all scooped and taken out of the breeder box for now so I could clean it. Some of the uneaten fallen food from the female guppies was starting to decompose and I didn't want the fry eating it and getting sick. That, plus the poo from the adults needed to be cleaned as well. I might just keep them out separate for a bit to grow big enough not to escape through the vents. But eventually I want them in there so they can benefit from the flow of water from the filter.

Enough typing, time for pics!


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## Sadist

Aww, look at all the little guys! Those dumbos at the pet store are nice, too. I've never seen a teal one! Too bad some of them are fin biters.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/4/2015*

Still have 9 guppy fry, no more and no less. I think it was the yellow/orange female, Bumblebee, that had them. She is much thinner today, but still has a dark spot. The blue female, Butterfly, is still fat, and is now getting square-shaped, which happens before birth. So more are on the way anytime now!

And I don't know what Flash's thoughts are about all of this, but this morning he built a bubble nest right along the side of the breeder box LOL :lol:


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## Sadist

Haha, silly boy! He probably wants to eat all the squirmy babies.


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## LadyNightraven

Aww, guppy babies! They're so cute!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/4/2015 #2*

Thanks guys, the babies are sooo cute and of course, my Flash is too ;-)

I got the 5 gal back out. I had just recently packed it away and posted how I was so excited to be down to just one tank to worry about, lol. Well, these cute little fry are tugging at my heartstrings and I want to do well by them, so they are getting an upgrade. I am acclimating them now, in about 1/3 of the water that the tank can hold.

I am also thawing out some frozen bloodworms and frozen baby brine shrimp. I hope they like the little treat!

I am still expecting another batch of babies from my second female. So it will hopefully be 9 PLUS when all is said and done!


----------



## Schmoo

Baby guppies!  I loved when Phillip was a fry. It was so neat to watch him grow and develop. Definitely hard work, but so worth it.


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## Sadist

Wow, I've never seen frozen baby brine shrimp, only adult ones. I'll have to look for it! So far, the tiniest blood worm piece seems too big for mine unless they take a bunch of bites.


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## AlwaysAnimals

Schmoo said:


> Baby guppies!  I loved when Phillip was a fry. It was so neat to watch him grow and develop. Definitely hard work, but so worth it.


Awww so glad Phillip is doing great! I'm hoping the best for these guys! And I think I even have a home for some if they survive. I will likely give some to my sister who just lost her one and only fish, a goldfish.



Sadist said:


> Wow, I've never seen frozen baby brine shrimp, only adult ones. I'll have to look for it! So far, the tiniest blood worm piece seems too big for mine unless they take a bunch of bites.


Yep, an employee at Petco directed me to it in the freezer section back when Flash and Lava were babies. So easy to mush up.


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## Sadist

How are they handling the move?

Edit: I've read about feeding beef heart to baby bettas, and I've seen it in the fish food freezers. I've thought about it for the guppies, too. Right now, the egg yolk is probably doing the same thing as a high fat and protein source. Your thoughts?


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## AlwaysAnimals

Sadist said:


> How are they handling the move?
> 
> Edit: I've read about feeding beef heart to baby bettas, and I've seen it in the fish food freezers. I've thought about it for the guppies, too. Right now, the egg yolk is probably doing the same thing as a high fat and protein source. Your thoughts?


They are doing well, I still have all 9 :-D I have them in a plain setup, no substrate or décor. Makes it easy for me to see them, but also easy for me to clean because I can pretty much, mostly, use a turkey baster to suck up uneaten food because it's easy to find. Since there are no other fish with them, there isn't a need for any hides.

I did read that guppies are also carnivores, so I guess beef heart would be better than a plant-matter food, as long as it's easy to mince up. One thing I did read, however, regarding foods like egg yolk, blood worms, BBS, and likely the beef heart, is that it will foul the water faster. If uneaten particles don't get cleaned, they can get rancid. Because I am, for the moment, not using a filter in the 5 gal, I am sticking to the Hikari First Bites as the main meal and giving treats here and there of the other, thawed stuff. Just my take!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/5/2015*

Still waiting on Butterfly to give birth! She's HUGE! Bigger than Bumblebee was when she had her fry! I can see the babies' eyes in the gravid spot and everything :shock:

**twiddles thumbs, twiddles thumbs, twiddles thumbs...**


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## Sadist

Nice thoughts on the frozen food. I've noticed it with the ground fish frozen food, too.

Good luck with Butterfly and her babies!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/5/2015 #2*

Gonna do a photo drop now 

First, one of my snails decided to venture to the great unknown and climb up out of the water. I'm keeping my eye on you, snail!









Next... fry! Those faces!























This is Bumblebee, the guppy that had the 9 fry. She is definitely skinnier, but her dark spot on her abdomen is still there. It's been 24 hrs though, so considering I read labor takes about 6 hours, she's got none left inside.
















And Butterfly, the BIG-bellied female! (In some of the pics, you can see other fish on the outside of the breeder box checking in on her... even Flash!) See how her body looks square-shaped, or "boxy"? Especially compared to Bumblebee? The very last pic shows it best. Thats' typical for when labor will be soon. But nothing yet!!


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## Sadist

My Sunset didn't slim down a bit when she gave birth! I can't help but wonder if she's saving some for later. She's not so nippy as she was when she was getting ready to give birth, but she's still huge with a dark gravid spot.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/6/2015*

MORE FRYYYYYYY! :-D

Butterfly's first fry has arrived! All by its lonesome on the bottom of the breeder box, hopefully to be followed by some siblings!


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## Sadist

Awesome!


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## Aqua Aurora

Did the snail turn around ad go back in the tank on its own? My nerites never left the tank but the female was good at hiding (stuffed herself under the driftwood-i think she got stuck) then hid against the black tank trim (inside the tank). The nerite venturing out may mean water quality is not at its best or its looking for food (need more algae in the tank). They also climb out to escape predatory fish.


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## AlwaysAnimals

Aqua Aurora said:


> Did the snail turn around ad go back in the tank on its own? My nerites never left the tank but the female was good at hiding (stuffed herself under the driftwood-i think she got stuck) then hid against the black tank trim (inside the tank). The nerite venturing out may mean water quality is not at its best or its looking for food (need more algae in the tank). They also climb out to escape predatory fish.


Yep, snail went back in a few moments later. I do suppose my tank just did get a recent cleaning and wipe-down. I'll scale back on the glass wiping to give them something to eat. They've really never done this before so I don't think they're feeling preyed on. Flash leaves them alone and the other fish are small.
Thanks for the heads up on the possible cause, and for the insight!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/6/2015 #2*

I think Butterfly is done having her fry. She looks slimmed down and her dark spot is pretty much gone. 









Here is the final count of BOTH births:

BUMBLEBEE
9 fry- all still alive
3 underdeveloped embryos or eggs

BUTTERFLY
1 underdeveloped embyo or egg
1 deformed fry
14 healthy fry BUT one got eaten, so 13 live fry that have been removed from breeding tank to the 5 gal

TOTAL: 22 guppy fry in a 5 gal! :-D

Here is a pic of the new 13, then of the 5 gal holding all 22


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## themamaj

Precious fry! congratulations


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## BilboBetta

Very nice. I too am just back to fish keeping and, like you, have a betta. I wish my local Petco and Petsmart has as healthy specimens as your stores seem to. Mine is coloring up nicely and much more active than he was when I got him last Wednesday.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/8/2015*

Small update because I was busy, but all fry still accounted for!


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## Sadist

That's a lot of fry! I hope they stay nice and healthy!


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## AlwaysAnimals

themamaj said:


> Precious fry! congratulations





BilboBetta said:


> Very nice. I too am just back to fish keeping and, like you, have a betta. I wish my local Petco and Petsmart has as healthy specimens as your stores seem to. Mine is coloring up nicely and much more active than he was when I got him last Wednesday.





Sadist said:


> That's a lot of fry! I hope they stay nice and healthy!


Thanks everyone!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/11/2015*

As far as I know, I still have all 22 guppy fry. They are too fast to count accurately but I have seen no bodies. I have been using a turkey baster to clean the bottom of the tank, but I have been looking into getting a sponge filter because I don't feel like I'm getting it clean enough. Plus I want a slight water agitation to keep it from getting stagnant and slimy.

I decided to get a little beefheart as a treat. I don't like it much. I can't get it small enough, plus one fry almost choked on a piece. So I gave some to Flash and the community fish. OMG did they PIG OUT! I've never seen them zip around so fast for food! Flash still takes his frozen food off a toothpick like he did when he was a baby. In fact, one guppy saw him do this, and took some food off the toothpick as well!

How awful is it that now I am thinking of getting another baby betta?? BAD BAD BAD. I'm like "oh, I have this 5 gallon up... I'll probably be getting a sponge filter... baby bettas are so little..." I won't for at least a few weeks to make sure the guppy fry are bigger, but I might just not do it at all. The betta will grow, and will have to stay in the 5 gal because Flash is in the 10 gal, and then what will I do when I need a place for more newborn guppy fry??? It's probably not going to happen- but it's tempting!!


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## BilboBetta

When I raised guppies I used a sponge filter in a bare 10 gallon. I fed frozen brine shrimp by putting it and a little aquarium water in a vial, running hot tap water over the vial and shaking it enough to break it up into almost a soup consistency. I also added some plant fertilizer to the tank to get some algae started for them to munch on and help the water quality. I don't know if its right or wrong but that's what I did. I also had some "fry food" that was a powder consistency. I don't recall if it was Tetra or what company that made it but I do recall I got it at Earl May Garden Center.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/11/2015 #2*

My trips to Petco and Petsmart for a sponge filter were a bust. They don't carry them! The lady at Petsmart tried to give me some alternative ideas, like putting foam over a regular filter, or dividing the tank with fry on one side and a regular filter on the other. But I think I want to stick with a sponge filter, so I guess I will have to go online and look. GRRRR.

At least I picked up some new food at Petsmart, an Omega One frozen carnivore blend made from mysis shrimp, bloodworms, and brine shrimp. We'll give that a try.


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## BilboBetta

AlwaysAnimals said:


> My trips to Petco and Petsmart for a sponge filter were a bust. They don't carry them! The lady at Petsmart tried to give me some alternative ideas, like putting foam over a regular filter, or dividing the tank with fry on one side and a regular filter on the other. But I think I want to stick with a sponge filter, so I guess I will have to go online and look. GRRRR.
> 
> At least I picked up some new food at Petsmart, an Omega One frozen carnivore blend made from mysis shrimp, bloodworms, and brine shrimp. We'll give that a try.


I couldn't find one locally either. I got mine from Big Al's Online. He has some good deals. I used to get Ebo Jaegar heaters from him too. Ehiem Jaeger I see they are now. I remember buying a giant bag of filter floss too lol. 16 oz bottles of Amquel. He is kinda like a Sams Club for fish keepers. If you buy a lot you save.


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## Sadist

AlwaysAnimals said:


> My trips to Petco and Petsmart for a sponge filter were a bust. They don't carry them! The lady at Petsmart tried to give me some alternative ideas, like putting foam over a regular filter, or dividing the tank with fry on one side and a regular filter on the other. But I think I want to stick with a sponge filter, so I guess I will have to go online and look. GRRRR.
> 
> At least I picked up some new food at Petsmart, an Omega One frozen carnivore blend made from mysis shrimp, bloodworms, and brine shrimp. We'll give that a try.


I found that the petco/mart were really expensive for air pumps, too. I had to buy the filter (because mine also don't have them) and air pump online, though I did buy the valve and tubes from the store.

That looks like some nice food. I still haven't found frozen baby brine shrimp here. The frozen community formula looks carnivorous, too. The only plant ingredient I see is garlic.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/12/2015*

I found a local store, a small, more fish-focused place, and I messaged them on facebook about sponge filters. Good news- they carry them! Bad news- they are currently out, and will be getting some next week. :-?

I might just see what I can get on Amazon and get 2-day shipping. I don't want the little fellas to be without one much longer!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/12/2015 #2*

Okay, so I haven't done pics in a couple days, and I wanted to do something different and betta-related (this IS, after all, a betta forum! LOL) I remembered that downstairs I have a neat glass sculpture in the shape of a betta. So here it is! And it's big! I put a soda can next to it to show size. Pretty!


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## Sadist

That's really neat! Did you make it?


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## AlwaysAnimals

Sadist said:


> That's really neat! Did you make it?


Oh no, I was given it as a Christmas gift a few years back. I wish I knew where it came from; I'd like to see what other ones they have!


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## Sadist

AlwaysAnimals said:


> Oh no, I was given it as a Christmas gift a few years back. I wish I knew where it came from; I'd like to see what other ones they have!


Me, too!


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## Schmoo

That's such a neat gass sculpture! :-D And it's my favorite color! Very jealous!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/13/15*

I went to another pet store on the other side of town, and tada! They had a sponge filter! BUT... BOOOOOO! I got it home and it does not include any sort of pump. I should have checked inside the box, because I saw on Amazon that many sponge filters come like that, without a pump... however, this one came in such a big box and was like double the price so I figured it came with everything. ARRRRGGGHHH! So back I go to the store tomorrow.

While there, I saw some pretty bettas! I got some pics to share, because that's just what I do :lol: LOL

First, this female looked like a spade tail. Wasn't labeled as one- what would you say? 









Then, this pretty orangeish/peachish/pinkish guy was labeled as a veil tail... but I would say no? Also it looks like it would marble.
















Finally, the other dazzling fishies!


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## BilboBetta

I would think Petco and PetSmart would have air pumps and air line. Pumps arnt to awfully expensive.


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## Sadist

Not sure on the spade tail or not spade tail. It has the shape, but I don't know the rules about how many rays they need to qualify.

You've got lots of lookers in there! I think that crown tail looks like the way baby Sky will turn out some day.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/14/2015*

I am not having a good day. First, I lost Mr. Grouper today. (My male pineapple swordtail). Totally random, he was eating like a champ yesterday. Then I noticed the Flash has pop-eye. Too stressed right now to go into detail or add pics, but I probably will a little later when I'm settled in for the night on the couch watching TV.

SUCKY SUCK SUCK.


----------



## AlwaysAnimals

*11/15/15*

Okay, update time. I finally got a filter that works fine for the guppy fry. I still have 22 of them. They are in the 5 gal which is now filled to the top with water instead of 1/3 full. The filter I got is a Tetra Fin multi-stage internal filter with a spray bar.
















Like I mentioned, I mysteriously lost my male swordtail yesterday, and the same day Flash ended up with pop-eye. The only difference in their day to day life that I can think of is that I had treated them to some beefheart. I'm going to look into how I can remedy poor Flash's eye. It looks worse today, like part of his cheek is also swollen. However, he still swims up to greet me, still eats, and still flares. And there is no pineconing. There is, however, what looks to be an injury on his side where a scale is missing (see first pic). Here is what it looked like yesterday.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/15/15 #2*

I'm going to try to cheer things up a bit, though. I "saved" a handsome swordtail guppy yesterday, and he only cost me $0.30 AFTER tax. He was in with the feeder guppies, so that's why he was so inexpensive, and I know there is no guarantee on him, but it felt good to take him home. He is very young I am guessing, as he is quite small. I'm considering the name "Lucky" for him... but I was going with a bug-themed set of names for all the guppies, so I don't know. Here he is:


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## Sadist

That's a shame about the losses and pop eye! I wonder if it's related to his injury.

If this filter doesn't end up working for you, I have a sponge filter that's also a bubbler, but the blubbler part is a little noisy (splashy noises). It seems to be working for my fry okay, though I also have some plants in there to help out.


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## AlwaysAnimals

Sadist said:


> That's a shame about the losses and pop eye! I wonder if it's related to his injury.
> 
> If this filter doesn't end up working for you, I have a sponge filter that's also a bubbler, but the blubbler part is a little noisy (splashy noises). It seems to be working for my fry okay, though I also have some plants in there to help out.


Thanks so much. It sucks losing Mr. Grouper, but I am more distraught over Flash's pop-eye. I hope my fella gets better soon!

Thankfully, the filter is working out great. I can control the flow rate so that is nice.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/16/15*

I am worried about Flash's pop-eye. It is worse, and his cheek is swollen. I posted on the emergency forum on here but I got only one reply :-( I have to treat him as best I can while keeping the guppies in mind. I added clean, warm water and aquarium salt last night. He is still the same hungry, spunky guy. That is a great sign. I just don't like to see him like this- he is obviously miserable!


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## LadyNightraven

So sorry about Mr. Grouper. :-(

I wish I had some advice to offer about treating poor Flash's popeye, but I don't have any experience with it. I found this old post from Oldfishlady about treating popeye, and I know she was respected around these forums. Maybe epsom salt would help Flash? If it's really bad, bad enough to require medicine, I was reading that Mardel Maracyn 2 can treat it, but a hospital tank is recommended, especially if Flash normally has tankmates.

I hope he gets better soon!


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## Schmoo

I wish I had some advice to offer, but I've never experienced popeye.  I'm praying for Flash, though!


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## Sadist

I'm not experienced with pop-eye, either. I have seen people say it happened after the fish fell on the floor, which is why I wonder if his side injury is related to his eye. I hope he recovers!


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## TripleChrome

So sorry about your loss. I know how you feel. I lost two bettas and three frogs last week, the fish due to Dropsy and my frogs were sick. My Betta Apollo experienced Pop-eye before. I didn't have money for medicine, so I used Indian Almond Leaves. It took a few months, but I finally got rid of it that way.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/19/15*

Flash's pop-eye got worse there for a while... but might be getting a little better. I have a feeling he may lose sight in that eye but the swelling doesn't seem as bad. The cheek swelling also seems to be better. And he never stopped being his curious, hungry self!


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## Sadist

I'm glad the swelling is down.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/23/2015*

I am happy to say that I think Flash is going to be okay. Yes, I predict he will be blind in one eye, but I will take it after worrying he wasn't going to make it! He never changed his personality, never lost his appetite, just carried on and toughed it out. Here is a pic of his eye that I suspect to be blind. It kinda makes him look tough, lol.









Also, my small female guppy, Cricket, has started to color out nicely. When I got her, she was so small and grey that I had no idea what she was going to turn out looking like. She's a sassy, spunky girl and I really like her! She's the only fish other than Flash who will take food off a toothpick... and she will even zoom right in front of him and steal it right away from him! I still suspect she might be pregnant, so I am watching her closely.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*11/23/2015 #2*

I have to update on the guppy fry, of course! So far, so good! The new filter is doing just what I wanted it to and the little buggers are growing well. I still suspect I have all 22. I really can't count them because they are always zooming around, but since I have never seen a dead one, I will go with that theory. They are chowing down on a diet of Hikari First Bites, thawed beef heart from Omega One, and thawed Carnivore diet from Omega One. I have figured out an easy way to break down the frozen foods- I press the underside/rounded side of a clear plastic spoon on the thawed food and roll it around. When I can see that all the pieces have broken down to almost liquid (since the spoon is clear), I scoop tiny bits and dip it into the water.

Here are some pics of how they've progressed! Enjoy!


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## Sadist

I'm glad Flash made it! Cricket looks pregnant to me, too.


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## LadyNightraven

Yay, I'm glad Flash is okay!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*12/4/2015*

Yes, Flash really IS doing better! Pop-eye is all GONE! I was so convinced it was a death sentence for him! Here is a pic from today. He looks good!









Here are also a couple pics of the guppy fry. They are still all the same grayish color, and I can't tell males from females yet, but they are looking more like fish and less like eyeballs with tails! I have one that I suspect may have swim bladder issues, but I can only see it half the time, so I hope it is nothing too serious.


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## Sadist

Aww, they're so cute!


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## LadyNightraven

I love the picture of Flash staring up at you and the camera. So cute!


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## AlwaysAnimals

*12/4/2015 #2*

OMG I looked back to see when the first 9 fry, from Bumblebee, were born, and they were born a month ago yesterday! Two things popped into my mind right away
1. SHOOT- I have to separate them! The females can get pregnant now! (or so I've read... this is just the crazy train of thought my brain went on) But I can't tell them apart!
2. More fry soon! Don't guppies stay pregnant for 28-30 days? But the two female look no where near as big as the last time they gave birth. But I should assume they are pregnant, right? A.) They are in with a male B.) They can get pregnant more than once from a previous mating months ago C.) I see gravid spots

AAhhhhh!

And I'm still on the fence about Cricket being pregnant... she is soooo small, but I must say she looks more squared off....

And the second set of fry, from Butterfly, were born on 11/6, so two more days and they will also be a month old! Geesh time flies!


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## Sadist

Wow, a month old already!


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## themamaj

Fry are so cute!!! Flash looks great. So happy to hear he is better.


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## Schmoo

Yay! I'm so happy that Flash pulled through. :3

And oh my gosh, guppy babiessss. <3 I love guppy fry -- so stinkin' cute! It's so much fun to watch them develop and grow.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*12/20/2015*

Flash is still doing great, as are the guppy fry. Pics later!

A couple days ago, before I did a water change, I saw something pretty funny. The snails leave "artwork" on the glass sometimes. You can see the tracks where they munch through the algae. It's their teeth marks! I think it's pretty cute :-D Almost makes me sad to wipe down the glass... almost lol.


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## AlwaysAnimals

*12/23/21015*

SURPRISE GUPPY FRY!

I looked in the tank this morning and saw two little babies swimming around! I didn't have anyone in the breeder box... actually, I didn't even have the breeder box in the tank! I didn't know anyone was close to giving birth, so I don't know whose babies these are. To be safe, I put the breeder box in and put Cricket and Butterfly in it. Who knows if there are any more to be born. Could have been happening all night and all the other fry may have been lost. We will see!


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## Schmoo

Guppies are good at leaving little surprises like that.


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