# My Petco Babies



## JBonez423 (Mar 11, 2013)

So I wanted to start a sort of journaling thread for my bettas. I love how there's a section devoted to Journals! So feel free to read, provide feedback, whatever! This is a day in the life of my pack... haha. Also, I wanted to post a ton of pictures, but the site is currently under maintenance and is giving me a hard time about it. So I'm just going to ramble on. Read at your own risk. ;-)

Stress sparked this girl's betta obsession. My job is basically my life. I live with my Grandma, who has Alzheimer's, and am basically her live-in nurse. Let's just say, some days are better than others. A little about me, I'm obsessed with animals, a wanna-be writer and almost 23 (pretty freaked out about that). So being a live-in nurse works well for me because then I can do a bunch of freelance stuff. Fun is.

Ok, enough about me! The rest of my pack includes a lazy cat (Tru), and 3 little bettas! I have had Floyd for 5 weeks now, Marley for a week and Jagger for four days. I also have a Pleco named Jett, and an adult crowntail named Beatle that I got for my Grandma. I estimate them all to have been 5 weeks when I first got them. 

Everyone seems to be growing. Even Jagger's color is deepening! Marley's fins are coming in, and I *think *I see an ovipositor, which is really exciting because she's a marble with really interesting coloring, and in combination with a real pretty male, might make some beautiful babies! Of course, I'm only thinking of breeding right now. The thing is, I totally have the time, space, and money for it, but we'll see. Definitely not taking that decision very lightly at all.

I sort of think Jagger might be a female, but I'm really not sure at all. I sort of hope he's not, though. His body is fairly clear, his baby stripes contrasting sharply against his pale pink skin, but his fins are becoming a deep, vibrant red. I would love to have a beautiful red male. But otherwise, eventually I'd like to have a sorority, and in that case I'll be getting a 10 gallon and 3 more females. But again, we'll see on that! :lol:

So, yea, that's us. As soon as I can post pictures, I'll be posting LOTS to this thread. :roll:

Peace!


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## Snoeflayke (Mar 3, 2013)

Can't wait to see pictures of the babies!


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## JBonez423 (Mar 11, 2013)

If you check out the threads I started in my profile, there's the most recent pictures before it stopped letting me post! Hopefully the site will stop with the maintenance so I can upload some recent pictures! =]


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## JBonez423 (Mar 11, 2013)

*Warning; lots of pictures...*

Well, I've had a busy last couple of days! I'm going mad redecorating lately, since everyone seems to be having some fairly good sales around me and they've had really colorful plants and caves. Last night I ended up with a rescue fish. My brother is an idiot and had been keeping a female with his male betta. She was really beat up and I felt terrible, so I told him I was taking her home with me. I stopped at Walmart and grabbed a medium sized kritter keeper (.75 of a gallon) for her to spend the night in, until I got to Walmart.

This is when I got her home.


















As you can see, she's very, very stressed and beaten up. I ran to PetCo and PetSmart today and picked up some API Stress Coat, as well as a 1.75 gallon Kritter Keeper, and after I moved her in, she just seemed very relaxed. Her stress stripes are starting to fade out a bit. She's so washed out, though, even still. I'm starting to prefer the Kritter Keepers over fish bowls because they have more space for them to really swim back and forth.

I named her Dresden, after the Dresden Dolls. I figured she needed a badass name. ;-)

Of course, I checked out the baby bettas while I was there. I swear to you, I didn't plan on getting any more fish. But I suppose I shouldn't even have looked. No one caught my eye, until I looked down at the very bottom of the rack and though for sure that a guppy had to have gotten in with the babies... the little fish in there was smaller than a dime. I'm not even exaggerating here. He doesn't even have a sheen of color yet. I let my bleeding heart talk me into taking the poor thing home. I was certain it would die there.

So here's my nameless little guppy... lol.























He's SO tiny. I can't even believe it. Out of all the baby bettas I've had so far, he is definitely the teeniest. Maybe he was a runt, who knows. Hopefully I can grow him into a big, beautiful betta! =]

Floyd is blossoming! He's really looking like a male. When he flares, he looks pretty fierce. He's such a deep, pretty blue. I'm hoping he ends up a crowntail (wishful thinking has me seeing it in his fins already :roll:)! But they're probably all Veiltails, with my luck. Lol. Oh well!
























Jagger is really fattening up! I'm almost 100% sure I see an egg spot. Plus the shape of that body, I don't know what's going on but she's really starting to look female to me! Her body is clear, but her fins are becoming a really deep red. I'm definitely excited to see how she turns out!























Marley's coloring is definitely becoming more interesting. Her black spots are darkening, her red receding, and her fins are definitely getting bigger. I'm so anxious to see what color she'll become. I almost think I'm starting to see an egg spot.. but I don't know. Opinions? I kind of want her to be female, but at the same time, that marble would be so cool on a male... but if I decide to breed, hopefully I'll get some nice males with her coloring!































I officially feel like the crazy fish lady. That's 5 betta, 2 shrimp, 1 Pleco, and 1 cat. :roll:
























One big, happy family. ;]


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## Artemis (Mar 9, 2013)

I want a baby. Except what if I get one I don't like? How do you choose?


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## JBonez423 (Mar 11, 2013)

Lol I always look for the pity cases. Basically, I look at the smallest ones and then pick a "sheen" that I like. They're all pretty colorless, but if you hold them up to the light, you can see some color glinting off the scales. But, for example, Marley is a marble, and I have no idea what color she'll end up. So if you like the surprise, definitely pick a baby! Some of them are old enough that you'll really be able to tell what color they might be.

It's just honestly worth it to get them out of those little cups and know they'll be going to a good home. I hate seeing them there so young, but I suppose the less time they're trapped in a cup, the better! =P


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## Snoeflayke (Mar 3, 2013)

Oooh, yay! 

I'm pretty sure those are egg spots on Jagger and Marley, Floyd looks like a handsome man, Dresden is definitely a fighter, and I know you have a theme going, but I think your Guppy might have named itself...


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## JBonez423 (Mar 11, 2013)

Bahahaha that's so funny you say that, because I almost named him Tiny! I settled on Elvis because I thought it would be funny to give such a small guy a big, bad name, especially if he's just this small because he's a runt! Gives him something to live up to. ;]

Thanks! They're a fun and diverse gang for sure lol. And Dres is such a fighter. Well, except when it comes to defending herself. >.> But hopefully that means she'll make a good sorority girl one day!


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## JBonez423 (Mar 11, 2013)

*Just my ramblings about betta Feng shui.*

I really almost bought two more fish last night. Some really gorgeous fish cropped up on Lone Star Betta's page on Facebook, I wanted them so bad... but I restrained myself after I took a good look at my room and said, "There's no way I can bring more bettas into this home right now... I need to change some things with my own bettas first.

Not only is my room a total mess right now (there's balled up kleenex EVERYWHERE, thanks to a cold that knocked me on my butt...), but I've been wanting to do something with my current set up.

My 5 gallon is staying put until I get my 10 gallon. The 10 gallon is going to be turned into my first sorority, once the babies grow up and I can see who's female. So far I'm beginning to think I have 4 females, which would be a good start, especially in 10 gallons. I might get a fifth, or I might just do four and some shrimp or whatnot. I'd really like to plant to 10 gallon, but it might be a little too expensive at the moment. But anyway, the 10 gallon would go on the dresser with the girls.

My next step is to snazz up that little shelf. It's pretty sturdy, despite how flimsy it might look, but I'm not going to push my luck too much. I'm keeping the one bowl, because I like it, but from now on I'm probably buying the almost 2 gallon Kritter Keepers. They're fantastic, I can't believe how much space my fish has in hers. And they're easy to change because you can leave the top on and it acts as a strainer so the rocks don't go down your sink while you rinse them. I'm laying a rope light along the back of the shelf, layering it on top of itself so the light is more intense, and it should light up all the aquariums! Eventually (awhile down the line, of course), I'd like to have four Kritter Keepers and the one bowl... but I won't have the money for that for awhile. =P But I'm saving up (I have a betta jar... ;] ) because I really want to branch out for more exotic bettas.

First things first, though, I have to fix the set up. Putting rope lights on my list this weekend! =]


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm sorry about your grandma. It's hard being a caretaker. 
Your fish are beautiful!


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## JBonez423 (Mar 11, 2013)

dramaqueen said:


> I'm sorry about your grandma. It's hard being a caretaker.
> Your fish are beautiful!


Thanks! =] It is tough but I try and make the best of it. It's definitely not the easiest job lol but I can still write and all, which is nice.


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