# Lucid's Musings



## LucidSong (Mar 21, 2013)

So since I've been gone for a while and wanted to update everyone on what's been happening and what's new in my fish world I decided to start a journal. Please don't expect any real reason for some of my postings they may just be because I felt like sharing. Anyway to get the ball rolling I currently own 8 fish total. However my first fish was February and he was an impulse buy. He is a multi-colored VT (blues, greens, reds, teals. The typical stuff) I got him back in January of this year (2013) and silly unknowing me stuck him in a tiny .5g tank with no heater. I changed his water every week though. Then he started showing signs of pin hole fin rot and I went straight to the web which I should have done first. What I found out was I was a terrible owner to this poor guy I'd taken home with me and had treated him only slightly better than the Wal-Mart I'd got him from (I fed and changed his water which he didn't get there). I quickly rummaged through all my old tanks and found one that had been used for Hermit crabs and cleaned it out thoroughly with a 1/10 bleach solution and let it sit outside in the sun for 4 days. I also took the old Hermie heater that was used to heat the Crab tank and stuck it on the back of February's .5g tank and it worked out nicely and kept the temp around 78*F. Once my Tank was done I brought it inside and set it up. At the time I had a few Decorations an older heater and no plants but February seemed happy to be out of his cramped quarters. After doing more research and finding this forum I planed a trip to Wal-Mart again in late March to pick up some plants from the craft dept. to make my own after seeing a DYI thread on it here. (turned out great and Fish love them) While at Wal-Mart I of course looked at the bettas again and found my second betta Sparta a Cambodian Crowntail. I instantly fell in love with him and just had to take him home with me. So home with me he went along with my plants and some crafters mesh and a few other needed items and thus February's single fish home became a duplex fit for two. So now I had my two boy's February and Sparta. They were my best friends I'd come home and just sit in front of their tank and watch them for hours and talk with them and run my finger over the glass for them to play with me. I eventually got a job at the Wal-Mart where I got my bettas and everything was going great. Had no issues with the tank or the fish thankfully. But I had noticed my tank getting some algae on February's side of the tank faster than Sparta's did so I got me a small Pleco. This worked out just fine I also eventually added a Ghost Shrimp to the tank as well. Everyone was happy everyone was warm and fed and out of tiny cups/over crowded tanks. While out one night with my boyfriend at the time someone dug a hold under my divider and February got in with Sparta. When I returned home I had one nearly finless betta and one smug looking bugger betta without so much as a torn fin (as tankful as I was he was unhurt I was still angry). I separated the two and put Sparta who was having issues with getting to the top of the water into the tiny .5 heated tank with a lower water level and mixed a gallon pitcher of treated water to be used as I did water changes. While he was in the Hosp. tank I found a third betta who is known as Spangle a beautiful re white and blue VT. I did a 100% water change and fixed my divider so it couldn't be dug under again, and put Spangle in with February until Sparta looked well enough to be put back in which case my betta duplex became a triplex. A few days after that my one heater took a dive and heated my tank to nearly 100*F while I was out at work. I quickly pulled all my boys from the tank and set them in a cooler part of the house to slowly bring the temp back down while I set to work on putting ice bags in the tank to cool it off faster. Once the water was back into range and a spare heater that I bought as a back up just in case was installed the boys went back in but this time Sparta didn't look quite right. He lounged around and wasn't as perky. I let it go as stress from the heat spike and the attack. After a while Sparta started to perk back up and February and Spangle where both fine and happy. I also acquired an 80g tank with all the fixins and that now houses 2 Angels, 1 Bloodfin Tetra (as I can't find any where I live) one Black Skirt Tetra ( I know they need a school of 5+ can't afford fish now) one Goldfish and the Pleco from the Triplex. The Goldie and the BS came with an extra 10g tank and a few odds and ends that are still sitting in a bag waiting for me to decide what to do with them. Shortly after the 80g was set up Sparta got sick again and passed away. After Sparta's passing I was given another betta by my grandparents. A pretty little girl they knew I'd had my eye on for some time. She is all white save for her fins which are mostly blue except one red smudge in her tail fin. She was promptly moved into the spare 10g with a snail and fake flowers from the craft dept. at Wal-Mart and the tank was made to look like a small garden and to go with her coloring and the tank décor my new finned friend was named Iris with the help of a member here on the forums. Now Since then I haven't gained or lost anyfish. Did lose a boyfriend but that's okay cause the new one treats me better than the old one wishes he knew how to treat a lady and the new one accepts my fish keeping habits and is jumping on the bandwagon and is planning a 20g Gourami tank. Work is well and life is good so back to the forums I come. It's good to be back among friends.
I'll add photos of all my Fish later. I'm too tired right now to put forth the effort to do it.


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## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

Excited to see pictures of your fish since they sound amazing!


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## LucidSong (Mar 21, 2013)

lol Thanks BL. It's gonna be a while as my S3 LCD screen cracked a few days ago and while I have pictures on it I can't access them and have since had to go back to a Rant with a crappy cam and even worse maneuverability around on the net. So all my pics of Iris are inaccessible and from when I first got her as a tiny little young'un (She's nearly double in size now from when I got her and still not as big as full grown females.)


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## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

That's a shame about the camera, but at least you do have pictures of her somewhere!


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