# Mistakes Were Made..



## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

Hello everyone! 
So when I was six or seven, I was in a "pet" summer camp. Overall, it was great. We got to meet service dogs, therapy animals-but then, on the last day, they sent each kid home with a betta fish and one of those betta cube things. I never wanted Little Blue, but tried to give him the best life possible. I strictly followed the instructions that came with the cube (which I now know was utter nonsense) and changed the water often. About two weeks later, the poor thing died.
I was devastated.
Fast track to two years ago. I decided I wanted to get back into fish. My friend had a five gallon with a betta and some guppies. I went to the store and bought a 10 gallon topfin starter tank.
After a one week "cycling" period as told by the "incredibly informative" employee, I brought home a male red and blue veiltail and three guppies.
I had been lucky. "Flare", as he was ironically named, was extremely mellow and great with the guppies. I was pretty worried about the three times he actually flared at them.


Unfortunately, good things never last.
Flare came down with fin rot. I panicked and tried to join this forum. For some reason, the thing didn't let me sign up.
The other forum told me to dose salt directly into the tank. They dismissed fin melt as fin biting. He became extremely lethargic and lay on the bottom of the tank listlessly
After a short two months, on the day that our family had to go to the states, I put Flare down.
Two weeks later, I brought a gorgeous halfmoon "butterfly" male and the stongest looking baby betta I saw at petco over the border. After about a month, the HM was named "Ace of Spades" and the baby, "Ripple"

Ace died a short three months later after fin rot. I tried treating him with AQ salt and 100% water changes to no avail.
I never really took pictures of Ripple. Being a baby, I didn't expect her to make it very long. But over a year she lived, oddly disappearing without a trace one evening.
This September, I got back into bettas. After the demise of the guppy horde, Thanatos and Frey each had a 10 gallon to themselves.
This is Thanatos, a male veiltail that has some attitude. 

Recently, he's been having some fin issues. Any help is appreciated.
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=632673
Frey is a little HM boy that I got in October.



And finally, this is Spirit. A female DTPK whom I had to split Frey and Thanatos into one tank for!


----------



## BettaSplendid (Jul 12, 2015)

Aaawww, they are lovely fish. That broke my heart, they were handing out Bettas like candy?  If I was making and selling betta products I would have the BEST instructions ever included with the product.  

Are you testing your water? Are there any plastic plants that your boy could have snagged his tail on? I am sure you're getting great advice in the thread you started for fin rot. Good luck!


----------



## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

It's all silk and the water is perfect. I think I might see some regrowth- don't want to jinx it though...


----------



## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

Everyone is fine and dandy! I got a 2.6 rimless for Christmas, so, um, you know what that means!. Only, me being dumb me, bought a API Freshwater test kit that didn't have nitrites. Gah! Now I'll have to find it online before cycling...

Thanatos doesn't look like he's had any more fin damage-hmm, maybe he'll have to live with it. Though I think I see some regrowth!

Frey's beautifully shocked face. Every time I come by the tank, he stares at me and begs for food-by smacking his little mouth. Too bad he looks like a balloon after eating only two pellets. Lol.

Smol child. Spirit is trying her best to convince everyone that she's actually a dog. 
Me: Hey, I don't see Spirit anywhere... *checks entire fish tank and parameter of outside
Spirit: HERE I AM! *frantically charges at the glass


----------



## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

Mellow Frey slipped through the divider yesterday and turned Thanatos into a double veil. Er, I guess he''s not so mellow Frey now?
Was at petsmart to pick up plants and driftwood for my new 2.6 gallon rimless. Super pumped. I went upstairs, set up the tank, and went back downstairs to get the water conditioner. Took a quick glance at the tanks and was confused to see Frey on the right side of the tank. Had a moment like, hey, wasn't Frey on the left side this morning? Then a torn up Thanatos swam to the front of the tank ON THE SAME SIDE and begged for food. Panicked, couldn't find the soft mesh net, so I grabbed the deceased fish net and scooped Frey out and into a half gallon container. Feel really bad because the poor dude was jostled around so much.
Calming down a bit, I scanned the guys for injury. Thanatos had the entire middle of his caudal ripped off, and one side of his fin had no webbing left and was brown. Thought, oh no, if Thanatos looks like this, Frey's probably half dead. Nope. Literally unscathed. Frey is currently in a breeder box in his side of the 10 gallon, with a saran wrap lid to prevent him from hopping out. I fed both a meal of frozen bloodworms yesterday for protein. Spirit was pouting that the boys were getting so much attention, so I gave her some too.
Woke up this morning and the brown part of Thanatos's fin had fallen off. Now he has a stump and a half!
Pictures:



Sorry for potato pics. Thanatos, even with half a tail, is so energetic. Didn't get pictures of Frey, but he's still sulking in the breeder box.


----------



## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

The dead tissue on Thanatos's caudal fell off, thank goodness. Ironically, Frey somehow managed to bite off all of the rot that was on Thanatos's tail. I guess at least I don't have to deal with that anymore! Frey is relatively content in the breeder box, finally. After Thanatos heals, I plan on reinforcing the divider more and letting Frey back into his side
Guess what I finally found after searching five different stores?


Yay!

I got the 2.6 up and started cycling, so after that's done, I'll probably get another betta and put 'em in there. I'll do the betta shuffle once a month after I'm sure they're all healthy.
Like my non-existent aquascaping skills?

Is it bad that I'm kinda proud of it? Wondering if having one plant counts as a planted tank... Well, I'll plant more background plants after the anubias settle in. The hydor theo heater is only heating to 75 degrees, even though I set it to 83. Oh well. 
Pictures:


WHAT ARE DOSE?!?!


Derpy Frey
[URL=http://s288.photobucket.com/user/whippet44/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpssqfys7zd.jpg.html]
Accidental flash.


Sassy Spirit in her typical pose. Still miffed that the boys are getting so much attention.


----------



## LittleStar (Oct 2, 2015)

Thank you for sharing your journey with us! Love your YouTube speed draws too!


----------



## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

Thanks! The older ones are not very good, but I keep em' around for nostalgic reasons...
The heater heated to 80 degrees after I set it to 87. A start, I guess?


----------



## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

It's a start! I've had to do the same temperature shuffle with mine, especially with how much the temperature changes from summer to winter in our house.

I think I see regrowth on the area that got bitten off during the scrape with his neighbor. Is there really regrowth there or some trick of the camera?

Hey, I like your aquascape! The plant leaves go near the surface, and bettas love that. Something tall and fluffy behind the wood would probably finish it off (though I'd probably find 57 tiny plants to put in front, too. I'm obsessed with plants)

I'm sorry you had to go through all that misinformation and trouble. I hope your bettas enjoy their new homes and loving care!


----------



## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

What this fish manages to do is beyond me. 
Woke up, went to check on the fish. Thanatos was cheerily begging for food. Stuck my head between the tank and the mini cooler to find that Frey was not in the box anymore. I thought he was dead. So I looked cautiously at the front of the tank again, and was shocked to see Frey dancing around OUTSIDE of the breeder box like nobody's business. 
Now, if the box didn't have a lid, I wouldn't have been surprised. But take a look at this:

The Saran Wrap is perfectly intact. 
All right then. I pushed the divider flush to the sides as I could, and piled more gravel to it. 
Sadist- Well, the heater is perfect now! It actually may be regrowth; but I don't exactly have experience with this much regrowth. Can you take a look?

It's clear, and seems to be growing back. 
I am planning to add some cambomba to the 2.6 after cycling. 

Well, that's all for today!


----------



## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Wow, what a jumper to get out of that!

That does look like regrowth to me. It'll be clear for a while, then start to color up.

I'm glad you got the heater under control!


----------



## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

I'm shocked that he somehow got out! I wrapped the Saran completely around the breeder box and there were no holes!
But I have to admit- he looks adorable rediscovering his side of the tank. And I have missed his true beauty this week. Frey seems to have... Grown. 
Here was when I first got Frey in October. Tiny, lethargic little guy, about an inch and a half long, but he looked like he could have so much potential. 

Poor dude. He was laying on the bottom of the tank, and I wasn't sure if he'd make the night. 



Today. He's a good two inches now, and colourful as can be.


----------



## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

Alright, so my plan for the fishless cycle with fish food hasn't been working. I know that it takes a long time, but it's been more than a week since I started it and ammonia levels have not risen above 1ppm. I test the water daily and add a pinch of food too. Why is it that ammonia always rises when you don't want it to, and the opposite when you actually do? Gah!
The other thing.
I mean, I know that food will build up and look kind of messy, but this?

This is ridiculous. There is crud everywhere on the flopping gravel!
I'm thinking of removing the sponge in the filter and placing it in one of the tens for bacteria. 
Should I keep being patient, or reseed the filter?


----------



## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

*Thanatos*

Alright.
The story starts on September 24 of last year. I decided to retry bettas after regarding myself as a complete and utter failure for being unable to ward off fin rot from Ace, and for Ripple's mysterious disappearance. I had considered dwarf gouramies for the ten with guppies, but decided I wanted a female betta instead.
At petsmart, I perused the horrible selection of huge brown fish labeled as female bettas. I'll post a picture when I have the time. They're absolutely hideous. They were about three times the size of the smallest male, and were all half dead and dying.
I saw a royal blue veiltail male that looked relatively healthy, and was flaring up a storm at the others. I knew he wouldn't get along with the gups, but said meh, screw it, I'm getting a betta and NOT messing up this time!
I also got another male guppy that I planned to breed with the females. I brought the guys home, divided the ten g, and took a chance with not quarantining.
I called the male guppy Clovus. I put the unnamed male betta in a breeder box on the other side of the tank for good measure. He jumped out in about two days. It was alright though.

Or so I thought.
I found Clovus missing the entirety of his tail about a week after initially getting him. Died shortly after. Thanatos was still on his side of the tank, and the females were all fine, but I could speculate.
Until then, I hadn't been sure what to name the guy. I thought Argus, or Magnus, but those didn't seem right.
After all, Thanatos is the living representation of death in Greek mythology.
Thanatos it was.
Over time, he changed from royal blue to turquoise. I was alright with that, but not too pleased. Now he was the same shade of blue as about four of my previous fish. Oh well.


----------



## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

I've read that it's better to use pure ammonia instead of fish food. Fish food gunks up the water (as you can see). It might be difficult to track down pure ammonia without soap or fragrance in it, but it's out there somewhere.


----------



## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

Just tested again and it was at 2ppm. A start, I guess? 
Well, I don't mind the gunk too much. It's all good. I'll just do a large water change before getting fish.


----------



## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

Guess who hopped the divided again?
You guessed it, Frey!
Dodged a bullet there. Was debating whether or not to feed the fish tonight, as they were getting quite fat. Decided, meh, I'll feed them. Went to feed Thanatos first. A fish with really flowy fins ate them. 
Wasn't even panicked this time, congratulate me. Just groaned, put Frey in a net, plunked him in the half gallon, and floated it. Funny how their priorities were eating instead of fighting. 
I think Thanatos is the winner this time. Took a chunk out of his anal, but luckily didn't get the regrowth. Frey's tail is in ribbons, but not too bad nonetheless. Checked and double checked the divider, discovered a tiny gap. Flushed it, and I think it's safe now. Better keep Frey in the half gallon for a few days to see. Or I can swap Spirit and Thanatos. 
Frey looks like a distended balloon, having eaten three pellets instead of his usual one. Sigh. 
No photos now. Poor Spirit has gone without dinner.


----------



## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Jumping jumping jumping! I'm not sure that you'll get them to get along. I think I'd try to finagle another tank and a place to put all the plugs and keep those guys separated! Or maybe it's just the jumpy guy. I've read that the girl and boy hormones leak out in the water and can make it more likely for the female to want to jump over and make some oops babies. I've also read other people having no problems with a male/female divided tank. It's something to think about.


----------



## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

On a very unfortunate note, poor Than died in an ammonia spike during a vacation a month ago, although there were VERY clear instructions to feed them two pellets a day. Somehow, two morphed into 200, and I found him gently resting on a silk plant when I got home three days later. I just wish that I didn't even ask someone to take care of them. Agh!


----------



## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

Meet my newest finned children!
Yesterday, I did the final tests of my Fishless cycling 2.5 gallon, and the parameters were perfect! Was super pumped to finally have fish in there!
I was at petsmart getting Guinea pig food, and halfheartedly looked at the bettas. The females caught my eye at once. 
The females at my petsmart look usually like this...

Once before, there had been a much better shipment, vibrant girls that were not all dead looking wild-types. I had snatched my little DTPK, Spirit, from that batch. 
But this time, I saw a whole bunch of marble dragons, fiestier than I had ever seen. Flaring gill covers, thrashing in their cups.
Then I saw a flash of bright green toward the back. 



This girl. Absolutely huge, maybe the biggest I've ever seen. She wasn't too happy looking, a tad clamped. Definitely not the prettiest in the whole bunch. 
But I knew I had to get her. 

My dad was admiring the, "premium halfmoon males", which didn't really look all that special. A mustard gas that didn't really count there, a miserable little butterfly here...
I kinda sighed, said that they weren't worth $26.99. To prove a point, I gestured to the "regular" halfmoons. 
They were flaring at each other, all fairly typical. Pretty, but not outstandingly so. 

This boy caught my attention. 
For those of you that don't know, 4/5 of my past males never flared, little mellow things. This guy was flaring up a storm, looking like fireworks with his luscious tail. 

A little spoonheaded, but perfect in my eyes. I set him down by the girl, and they were flirting with each other!

The girl went into a ten gallon divided with Spirit, my little female. Yes, me bad for no quarantining, but no matter how bad the fish in that store looked in the past, they never had internal or infectious problems. 

She was flaring at my other female, but just looked so ridiculously adorable with her blue eyes and gill covers that it was impossible to take her seriously. All 2.5 inches of her. 


The little boy went into the 2.5. I was really nervous at first, as he was lethargic at the bottom. I made the mistake of changing the water too quickly while acclimating him, and he was gasping quite badly. 
After a few hours, he settled down. 
I cupped him and plopped it into Frey's ten gallon. Frey became very reactive, but he just gave him a half hearted gill.



The girls' tank was a whole different story. Such a lady's man, the little thing. Flaring, charging, whipping his little tail to and fro. 


The poor guy must've been neglected or something in the store. He was flaring at me, but terrified of my fingers. I tried to feed him a couple times, but each he just darted under the driftwood and cowered. I sunk a few pellets, which he devoured. It kind of seems as if he has a slight upper lip deformity. 


Don't have names for either of them yet, but for the boy, I was thinking River, Arausio, Triton, or Loch. For the girl... I really am not sure, something celestial or like, ghostly? Phantom would be alright, since her tankmate is Spirit. 
Leave suggestions, please!


----------



## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Wow, congratulations on your new boy and girl! I love all the flaring.

Have you figured out a name for the new girl yet?


----------



## Whippet44 (Sep 28, 2015)

The girl's name is Will-o'-The-Wisp... Willow!
And the boy... I'm honestly not sure. Leaning toward Loch for now!


----------



## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

I love his beard!


----------

