# A Broke College Grad Takes On Fishkeeping



## bubbles4ever (Jan 19, 2015)

Well technically speaking when I first stated taking on fish keeping, I was a broke college student. But alas, here I am, about a year and a half later, a broke college grad, still fascinated with fish. So I guess I start off with the story of my first betta! 

I had never had fish growing up and I never really had any interest in them. However, in college I was really lonely. I had a really hard time connecting with the people I went to school with and spent most of my time alone in my apartment. Then for our one year anniversary, my boyfriend bought me a fish tank! He thought I would like to have a little companion with me while I finished up college. The next day we went to Petco so I could pick out my new friend. I saw this small pale little guy with the cutest face who started swimming excitedly the second I put my finger near his tank. 

I brought him home and named him sir bubbles










Sir Bubbles spent his first 3 months in a 2.5 gallon heated but unfiltered tank. Not the worst conditions, but I definitely didn't change the water enough so I know he must have been suffering somewhat. He then spent 8 months in a Fluval Edge 6 gallon tank with a proper filter and I was able to fish-in cycle it without too many problems! Thats when I really saw him come to life. His fins started to change colors and he was always zooming all over the tank. 



















Then after I got fed up with the fluval edge (I seriously do not recommend this tank, its so pretty but SO impractical) I upgraded him to his very own 10 gallon where he lived out the rest of his life.










He got a nasty infection right around 1 year of having him. 3 months of trying every medication I think you can buy for fish, I finally gave up the fight and euthanized him. That little guy brought me so much joy and comfort during a really difficult time in my life. He was put through so much and was such a trooper. He will always have such a special place in my heart.


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## bubbles4ever (Jan 19, 2015)

Right before Bubbles got sick, I had bought him a mystery snail tank mate, named Gary.










Since the medications weren't snail safe, I moved him to his own 2.5 gallon tank. One day at the pet store I spotted these teeny tiny colorful little fish that were labeled "guppies", I bought 2 to put in the tank with Gary. After doing a bit more research I found out that they were not guppies, but endlers! They are named Jack & Coke.










The three of them lived very happily in their mini-tank for a few months, but Gary was growing rapidly and I knew that they would all appreciate an upgrade. I could've just moved them to the 10 gallon and gotten some more endlers, but I knew I wanted another betta eventually. Since I live at home (23 and living with your parents isn't actually that bad...) I also knew that my parents wouldn't be thrilled with me having more than one tank. So alas, I decided to divide my 10 gallon!

After much research and meticulous planning (I am very paranoid about potential fish disasters!), my tank was ready. 










During the first few weeks of having them in their side of the tank, I added one more endler and two guppies. However, I believe the space was much too small, and having an all male tank, led to a lot of aggression and I sadly had to give away the 2 guppies to my LFS. 










It's too bad because they were awfully pretty!

My divided 10 gallon remained betta-less for the first 2 months it was running. I let Gary have his own side during this time and my the aggression between my 3 endlers died down a lot after giving away the guppies. I also added a a horned nerite & a zebra nerite and also tried ghost shrimp but none of them survived (bad batch from Petsmart)




























So pre-betta my tank was 
3 endlers Jack & Coke, and Spot
1 mystery snail named Gary
2 Nerites Bug & Boo (Boo the zebra nerite has passed)
4 Ghost Shrimp (all passed)


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## bubbles4ever (Jan 19, 2015)

So this brings me to yesterday! I put off getting a new betta for a while because the experience I had with Bubbles getting sick really made me afraid to get a new one. But lately I had been feeling more and more ready to jump back into the betta world again. This past weekend was a particularly rough weekend for me, so I decided to cheer myself up I would go check out my local Petsmart and see if they had any boys who caught my eye.

And that when I fell absolutely in love with this guy



















It's funny that after months of looking on Aquabid to figure out which colors and tail types I liked, I ended up buying a fish with almost the exact same colorings as my last fish. But I couldn't help it! He's so dang cute! 










His name is Nyx. Nyx is the goddess personification of night, found in the shadows of the world and only ever seen in glimpses.

He already has such a huge personality, I am so so happy I brought him home!!


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## bubbles4ever (Jan 19, 2015)

So here is my tank currently! It's been up now for exactly 2 months










The Jungle Side with Nyx & the Nerite










The Garden Side with my Endlers & Mystery Snail










This tank brings so much joy into my boring little life & I am so excited to have a place I can document its growth :-D

If anyone has read this whole thing :yourock:


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## bubbles4ever (Jan 19, 2015)

Wow annnnd just noticed all the typos! I guess thats what happens when you decide to start journaling at 2:30 am. Anyways, goodnight!


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## FinnyNina (Apr 19, 2015)

What a lovely journal!

May I suggest, that in future you quarantine new aquatic residents for about a month on their own (away from your other fish)? This would prevent diseases coming in from the pet shop/breeder by giving it time to either die off without a host (as could be the case with snails, who can carry fish diseases) or time to show up and allow you to treat it without making all your other fish sick too.


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## Athra (Mar 29, 2015)

Nyx is just so stunning, really. I love your tank set up!


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## bubbles4ever (Jan 19, 2015)

FinnyNina said:


> What a lovely journal!
> 
> May I suggest, that in future you quarantine new aquatic residents for about a month on their own (away from your other fish)? This would prevent diseases coming in from the pet shop/breeder by giving it time to either die off without a host (as could be the case with snails, who can carry fish diseases) or time to show up and allow you to treat it without making all your other fish sick too.


Thanks! I know, I really should have QTed Nyx before throwing him into the tank. I let my lack of patience get the better of me. But he is the only one I have not Qted! I am usually very good about it, keeping them in a 2.5 gallon for 3 weeks. I've never had any diseases brought home from the store I got him from, so I'm hoping for the best :shock:



Athra said:


> Nyx is just so stunning, really. I love your tank set up!


Thank you very much :-D It helps that he stays still long enough for me to snap a picture


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## EvaJupiterSkies (Oct 25, 2013)

As someone who did the broke college student betta-keeping thing and is currently in the mostly broke post-grad ennui of everything, I toast you, this journal, and Nyx! He is lovely, and I am definitely subbing!


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## LolaQuigs (Mar 28, 2010)

I love the snail in the eyesocket of the skull; what a perfect photo op!


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## DangerousAngel (Mar 26, 2015)

Subbing! I love the tank set up, and Nyx is just stunning!!


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## bubbles4ever (Jan 19, 2015)

EvaJupiterSkies said:


> As someone who did the broke college student betta-keeping thing and is currently in the mostly broke post-grad ennui of everything, I toast you, this journal, and Nyx! He is lovely, and I am definitely subbing!


Oh man, it is a tough world out there for recent college grads - we gotta stick together. I'm actually applying to jobs as we speak. 1 Year of unemployment and no prospects on the horizon :roll:



LolaQuigs said:


> I love the snail in the eyesocket of the skull; what a perfect photo op!





DangerousAngel said:


> Subbing! I love the tank set up, and Nyx is just stunning!!


Thank you guys! My snail is the best one to photograph, definitely expect more posts with him ;-)


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## Schmoo (Oct 3, 2014)

What an awesome journal! Welcome.  I love your tank set-up, and all your pretties!


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## bubbles4ever (Jan 19, 2015)

Nyx has started to eat his pellets! He has trouble eating the full sized ones so I have to crush them up, but today he had 2 in the morning and 2 at night. When I bought him he had a lot of uneaten food in his cup, and he didnt eat at all the first 2 days I had him. He's such a skinny little boy! Hopefully now that he understands that the pellets are food he'll fatten up. I'll have to give him a little blood worm treat this weekend.

He also made his first bubble nest!! I know that it's not a sign of happiness and whatnot, but hey, it still made me happy to see! He seems to favor the back of the tank over the front, which is sad for me since I can't find him half the time, but I do love watching him relax in his mesh tube.

Everything is going well, going to do my first water change since I brought him home on Sunday, so hopefully that all goes as planned to. 

Here he is eating his breakfast!


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## DangerousAngel (Mar 26, 2015)

Congrats on getting him to eat! I had some trouble getting Oscar (new King) to eat because he (like yours) likes the back of the tank LOL! He did great on the bubblenest too!


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## Elleth (Feb 23, 2015)

Yay for getting fish to eat, lol! I have to crush pellets for my little girl, too. And my newest guy, a Petco King, hid in the back the first few days. It made it almost impossible to feed him, especially since he hid when I came over. But, he figured out that I am the bringer of food now, and always comes to the front when he sees me. 

Nyx is adorable! And I'm jealous of your endlers, I've been considering some a bit. In your experience, are they as friendly and entertaining as bettas?


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## scampers4010 (Apr 19, 2015)

I'm so sorry to hear about Sir Bubbles, but his name made me smile since my betta is named Darth Bubbles!
By the way, Nyx is GORGEOUS and your pictures are fantastic. I wish my little guy would let me show off his beauty. XD


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## DaytonBetta (Feb 4, 2014)

Nice set up and a handsome betta!


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## bubbles4ever (Jan 19, 2015)

Nyx has finally figured it out, he has figured out that I am the bearer of food. Every time I walk in the room now he immediately swims to the corner where I feed him. Even when Im sitting on the couch I'll catch him waiting in that corner looking at me. I swear fish beg for food the way dogs do. :lol: He also has been swimming all over the tank now instead of just in the back. Seems like he is loving his new home!

I was gone the past few days so when I got home I tested my water and my nitrates were pretty high - they were in between the 40 and 80 ppm color :shock: none of my fish seemed affected, but I went ahead and did a huge water change anyways. I am very fortunate that literally none of my fish seem to care about water changes. I was worried that Nyx would be a little freaked out since it was his first big water change, but he was totally fine with it. 

So everyones all set for the week now! I am hoping that since I so diligently cleaned the substrate today (lots of dead plant matter) my nitrates won't be skyrocketing again anytime soon.

Oh, and how cute are these snail tracks?


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## bubbles4ever (Jan 19, 2015)

scampers4010 said:


> I'm so sorry to hear about Sir Bubbles, but his name made me smile since my betta is named Darth Bubbles!
> By the way, Nyx is GORGEOUS and your pictures are fantastic. I wish my little guy would let me show off his beauty. XD


Aw, I love that!!! My names says it all, bubbles4ever :-D


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## bubbles4ever (Jan 19, 2015)

Elleth said:


> I'm jealous of your endlers, I've been considering some a bit. In your experience, are they as friendly and entertaining as bettas?


Ah, good question! I find their personalities to be very similar to guppies. They are very energetic, zipping around the tank alllll day. They also are very aware of who brings them food haha. I don't really think they have individual personalities, and they definitely don't have the personality of a betta, but they can still be entertaining. Mine like to chase each other around and show off in hopes that theres a lady near by (which there isnt in my tank because I don't want babies haha). I think that they are probably more entertaining to watch as an addition in a community tank than they are in a tank by themselves, but they are great option for people who are looking for something to stock a smaller tank with. I was most surprised by how colorful they get! Mine looked grey in the pet store and now they are bright bright yellow with hints turquoise. And they're very hardy as well which is good for me since I am still learning everyday! 

So to sum it up, they are definitely energetic and entertaining, but no they don't have the individual personalities like bettas do.


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## bserrano2 (Mar 12, 2013)

YESS!! LolaQuigs I agree, that is an amazing photo. 

Bubbles I love your set up! Looking forward to reading more about your journey with your betta.


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## Elleth (Feb 23, 2015)

Thanks for the reply!  I appreciate it.


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## bubbles4ever (Jan 19, 2015)

Well. I think my poor mystery snail, Gary, is being picked on by the endlers. I can't say it comes as a surprise since I had seen them pick on him before, but it never really affected him. But now that he's back on the same side as them, hes become very lethargic - staying in his shell almost all day, not eating much, I even found him on his back half hanging out of his shell the other day (I honestly thought he was dead at this point). To be clear, Gary is probably the most active snail I've ever seen, so this behavior is definitely not normal for him!!

My nitrates were pretty high over the weekend so I was hoping it was that, but nothing has changed since his water change, and I've seen the endlers nipping him throughout the day, they can't do much damage since they're so small, but he seems stressed. 

I have a spare 2.5 gallon w/ heater and filter, but it's what I usually use for QT so I am little reluctant to set it up since I don't have money right now to buy another QT set up. 

I'm gonna try to put him in Nyxs side and see what happens. Nyx is not nearly as aggressive as the last betta I had, so I am hopeful, but nervous that Nyx could turn on him at anytime.

I will update after I make the switch. Hoping for the best.

Here is Gary nomming on a carrot a few weeks ago. I love him so much, I can't stand the thought that he's getting picked on!


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## bubbles4ever (Jan 19, 2015)

I decided to hold off on moving Gary. Today he is out and about looking for food, and the endlers are leaving him alone. So maybe they'll be okay together. 

The dollar per gallon sale at Petco is ending soon and I'm really tempted to go get myself a 20L. I've been wanting to upgrade to a 20g for a while, but I just just got my 10 gallon going again and I know my parents would not be happy. I just want to buy the tank while its only $20 though haha. I'm thinking of buying it and somehow hiding it in my closet so my parents will never know... 

Ideally I would have Nyx in the 20g with some corys, the snails I have now, and possible some ember tetras or harlequin rasboras. So far he has been passive enough that I think he would do okay in a community. I would love to keep my endlers in there with him too, but they're so much more aggressive than I thought they would be! Sometimes I get scared just watching them with each other! But I do have a couple options for rehoming them if I ever did upgrade.

This is all dreaming though since I don't have the money and my parents would have a heart attack. If I ever move out though...

Anyways, here's some pictures of Nyx giving me attitude today and also posing with his bubble nest. I can't get enough of that cute face!


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## bubbles4ever (Jan 19, 2015)

Wowza, I haven't updated in forever! I will post a long update about the happenings of my tank later today, but for now, have this photo of Nyx, who is alive and doing well! 

*edit: why is the picture quality so bad? It looks fine on my desktop. I've tried resizing and it doesn't help. Anyone know how to fix this?*


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## Isabella15 (Feb 23, 2015)

Wow Nyx has really changed a lot! He's beautiful. Subbing


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## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

Nyx is a beautiful betta, and he's got a lovely looking home. I know my friend would love that skull you have in your tank XD.

It's rough being an unemployed, recent college grad. I just managed to get a job, though it sadly won't be starting till the end of October.


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## ThisDragonisNerdy (Mar 28, 2015)

Hey! Subbing! Beautiful tank and beautiful fish! :nicefish:
It looks as though the divider came down?


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## Aly Homewood (Jul 4, 2015)

Nyx is very pretty. I love the aquascape, where did you get that skull decoration?


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## bubbles4ever (Jan 19, 2015)

Isabella15 said:


> Wow Nyx has really changed a lot! He's beautiful. Subbing


He really has! At one point his whole body had actually marbled to this really pretty dark purple. I wish I had pictures of him when he was like that. Oh well, Im sure he'll change his colors on me again soon 



BettaLover1313 said:


> Nyx is a beautiful betta, and he's got a lovely looking home. I know my friend would love that skull you have in your tank XD.
> 
> It's rough being an unemployed, recent college grad. I just managed to get a job, though it sadly won't be starting till the end of October.


It really is! I thankfully FINALLY got a job in May and it's actually in my field and pays me enough that I was able to move out on my own so now I am a very happy (still kind of broke) not-so recent college grad, ha! Congrats on your new job!! Enjoy your free time while you have it (although I can't lie, money > free time)



THATDragonLovesBettas said:


> Hey! Subbing! Beautiful tank and beautiful fish! :nicefish:
> It looks as though the divider came down?


Thank you! It did. For a week ha. I upgraded from a 10 gallon to a 20 gallon long and wanted to see if Nyx would tolerate having the endlers as roommates and not just neighbors. There was actually no aggression problems, but it definitely stressed Nyx out as he started hiding in his skull all day. I think they're just too energetic for him haha. So I put a divider back in, I just didn't silicon it in this time because it was going to be too much work. So far so good though!



Aly Homewood said:


> Nyx is very pretty. I love the aquascape, where did you get that skull decoration?


Thanks! I believe I got it at Petco.


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## bubbles4ever (Jan 19, 2015)

Okay, so here's the longer update on Nyx. He went through the ringer a little bit over the summer, but I am so happy to report that he is back to full health :-D So here's what happened:

A month or so after getting Nyx, I lost a lot of interest in fish due to some circumstances going on in my personal life. I still kept up with with testing the water regularly and doing water changes, but besides that, I didn’t spend a lot of time with my tank and didn’t have a watchful eye over it like I normally do. Algae started to build up but I didn’t really think much of it since I knew it wasn’t harmful to the fish and it wasn’t really out of control. Then I started getting this white fluffy, what I thought was algae, in my tank. Again, I didn’t panic, I would just wipe it off the plants when I did a water changes. I never really cared to find out the cause behind all the algae (I know I know, bad fish keeper) and kept going on with the bare minimum maintenance. 

Then one day I noticed Nyx was missing his whole top fin and the white stuff was clinging to his body. His body color has also changed to pale pink when he had mostly marbled to be dark purple. He had stopped eating and wouldn’t come out of his skull. This kind of snapped me out of my lazy-fish keeper haze and I realized I needed to kick my butt in gear or else I was going to lose my fish. 

Luckily I had tons of medication on hand left over from trying to cure my last betta and I treated him with Jungle Fungus Clear and Maracyn 2. At the time I honestly didn’t know if those were the correct medications, but I tried it and he started eating again and became more active so I figured it was helping not hurting. However the fungus itself still wasn’t going away and now it was spreading to his body. I did some Google-ing and someone suggested a UV Sterilizer. I ordered that **** immediately and holy moly - in two days the white fungus was gone!! In a week his fins were already half grown back! It was a leap of faith because no one I spoke with was 100% sure it would work, but I’m glad I tried it. I think the combination of that and the medicine is what ultimately did the trick. 

It’s been a few weeks since the fungus or whatever that was has cleared and since I got my own upgrade to my very own apartment, I upgraded my fish to the 20 gallon long I bought during the dollar per gallon sale. Nyx now enjoys about 14 gallons to himself (I have my three endlers on the other side) and he seems to be fully recovered from whatever it was he had! His fins aren’t as nice as they were originally, and his body is still a pale pink color (although some of the dark purple is slowly returning) but I am just so happy he made it. 

This isn’t meant to be a lesson, it’s really just an update, but hey, having medication on hand is SO important, especially if you live in an area where it’s hard to find. Also, pay attention to your fish, seriously. I was a dummy and got lucky that he survived and none of my other fish were affected by the disease. 

This whole ordeal reminded me just how important my fish are to me and I’m back to obsessively (in a good way) taking care of them, so expect this journal to be more active again!


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## bubbles4ever (Jan 19, 2015)

Oh, I forgot no swears on this forum :| sorry!

Anyways, here's my fish tank as of today. This is two weeks into having the new tank up and a week from when I got my Finnex Fugeray Planted+ light (which I L-O-V-E!!)


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## bubbles4ever (Jan 19, 2015)

Nyx says Happy October y'all! :cheers:


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## Guppie luver (Feb 2, 2011)

So cute!


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## DangerousAngel (Mar 26, 2015)

Happy October Nyx!!


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