# The Bleeding Heart's Journal



## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Hello All,

I've been thinking about starting a journal for a while now, but today was the tipping point when I went to Walmart for rice and came home with not one but two sick bettas. 

Before I didnt think I would have much to write about. My red VT male Fawkes and blue HM female Luna (yes both Harry Potter references) live in their divided tank with a moss ball each and besides occasionally catching a glimpse of each other in the reflections of the tank by the divider, live relatively uneventful lives. They'll each get a post devoted probably tomorrow or the next day depending how much time I have. I'm kind of obsessed with both of them to be honest! They really aren't anything special in the betta world, but they're mine.

Now my new rescues, and I can proudly call them rescues because I talked the Walmart manager into giving them to me for half price. $3 and change was well worth saving them from their filthy cups. I haven't decided if I'm going to end up keeping one, both, or neither of these boys, and for now they remain nameless, but I'm waiting to make those decisions once they're a bit more stable than they are currently.

The first is a cello male VT with some reds in his fins, that had such bad bloating that he was floating high enough in his cup that his left eye was exposed. I've started his epsom salt treatment and he perked up almost immediately. However he has yet to have a bowel movement and his default is still floating high enough that his back/dorsal fin are slightly out of the water. Hopefully that continues to resolve itself, but if not I'll have to explore other options of treatment like daphnia etc. At least now he is upright.

My second intake of the day is another male VT. I'm not sure what his coloring is since he is more yellow-grayish right now than anything else. Maybe leaning a little toward green? Well, his lack of coloration and generally dismal and sickly appearance wasn't what caught my eye. It was his lack of tail. Judging from the fish I see at that store and I assume he is related to, Id say a good 80% of his tail is missing and what he has left doesn't look to be in very good shape either. It doesnt look like rot and the edges are too clean cut to be biting... I'm not sure what happened to the poor little guy, but it was serious. He also seems rather small... He could just be younger or malnourished or both. He's getting AQ salt treatment at the moment but shoutout to Seren27 for volunteering to send me IAL for the little guy.

Today's new additions make 4 bettas and 3 tanks in the bedroom of my college apartment. If I told you guys that my friends, roommates, and boyfriend all think I am certifiably insane it would be a monumental understatement. My mom gets it but she's a couple states away and can't back me up too much. I guess my friends are supportive but none of them have ever really bonded to a fish as a pet the way that I have in the past and am currently. 

My love for bettas started a long time ago when I was a kid. Over my life I've had probably about 10 bettas. My first was a dark blue VT named Ron that my mom brought home from her office because he'd been bought to replace a friend that retired. Then came Carolina, my only female I had previous to the one I have now. Her mate's name was Red (we briefly attempted to breed them when I was a kid because my parents kept aquariums), and then I had Swish. After them we took a break from betta keeping while I had young turtles. I still have three Red eared sliders and an eastern spiny softshell turtle, but they are a lot bigger now! Maybe I'll post a few pictures of them at some point as well.

A few other bettas intermittently lived on my kitchen table over the years before I went to college. I had two previous fish at school over the last few years, Gil and Holmes. Gil was one of the most beautiful fish I'd ever seen but I lost him to shock when my roommate tried to take him home with her to care for over a break. I didnt try again until this year with Holmes. 

When I lost Holmes to a bacterial infection that I was ill prepared to dealing with at school, I went to Walmart to save one of the bettas there. That's how I got my boy Fawkes who, despite an unfortunate encounter with my boyfriend's (he was fish sitting while I'm home for winter break this year) sink drain/garbage disposal that messed up his fins, he's been doing great. I tried to then save my office betta, Pudge... Even brought him all the way home to my mom 2 states away, but he never fully recovered from the conditions he'd been kept in before I took him in. We were both very upset about losing him and I felt pretty bad about giving her the hope of a new betta friend after she'd just lost hers. So of course I made an excuse to go to a PetCo because I knew she would fall in love with one and that would be the end of it. So she has a baby betta now named Quinn that she sends me pictures of all the time. Im still not positive if its a male or female but Quinn is pretty neutral so I guess the name stays regardless!

I also recently got my best friend (I may also refer to her as my little sister) back in to the betta world by adopting a fish for her named Marble from Seren27's foster house. 

So that's a bit about me and about my fish and experience to this point. If you read all of that then I appreciate it! In the next couple of days I'll post some updates on my rescues and my other two including pictures, but for now...

Until next time!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

*Fish Profile #1*

So I figure I'll start by introducing the betta I've had longest:

Fawkes
Male
Red with "iced tips" as I like to call them (you can sorta see it in certain pictures of him)
VT
Bought from Walmart
Came home in late September/Early October

He had fin rot before but he's over that and also is showing regrowth since his misadventure with my boyfriends sink drain. He's come back from a lot in a short period of time, living up to his Phoenix namesake.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Well since I hate using my phone and having images sideways like that, Here are a couple better views of Fawkes

































Next up is my new girl

Luna
Female
her cup said HM but I'm not 100% convinced
Blue with some black spots on her fins
Bought from PetSmart 
Home January 10th 2016

She's currently in a divided tank with Fawkes. They barely acknowledge one another even on the rare occasion that they notice each other through the divider. I made it myself with two pieces of craft mesh and it seems to work perfectly. Here she is and here is their tank so far. I've only had it about a week so its somewhat still a work in progress.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

*And now for the "bleeding heart" part*

I have a soft spot for bettas in need.. I always have, but only recently have I really been thrown into learning everything I can about common diseases. Consequently, I couldn't turn away from these boys when I saw them at Walmart. The assistant manager gave me each one for 1/2 off and therefore I only paid less than $3.50 for them both.

Rescue #1
Name TBD but it will probably end up being Alan, in honor of Alan Rickman's death and sticking with Harry Potter as a theme.
Male
VT
Cello? With some red parts and some iridescent parts to his fins
Came home with me yesterday, January 13th

Major bloat issues which are already somewhat better than pictured, but still very much present, though he does stay mostly upright now

























Rescue #2
Name most likely "Nearly Finless Nick" (Instead of Nearly Headless Nick? Get it?)
Male 
VT? He kinda doesn't have much left of his tail but its a good bet
Yellow? I'm not sure if he'll color up a bit yet?


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## BettaSplendid (Jul 12, 2015)

*squeal* Fawkes has such a cute face! Adorable! Hope your two new ones recover. They sound like they went to the right loving home.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

I think Luna is a PK. Maybe. I tried to do a ray count on her photos but apparently they got blurry if you zoom in >< on the 2nd last photo though it's clear that she only has 2 rays. To me anyway. If someone can correct that that'll be great. Tail types on females is not my strongest suit. 

Anyway. I like "Alan"  sad to lose such a great actor. I think Alan is more pastel than Cello... Because his fins aren't transparent... But that depends on the lighting. 2nd guy is either pineapple (I don't even know if it's a real thing but people say it all the time) or a "banana yellow".


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Thanks @BettaSplendid ! I'm not sure if the two new boys are going to stay mine, I may end up trying to adopt them out eventually. 

Thanks for the opinion Olivia! I didn't think she was a HM but I'm terrible with female tail types too... I saw her at the store and I couldn't pass up that beautiful deep blue color! However it does make it really hard to get a decent picture of her with the black divider :|

Both the new boys have some coloring up to do... Though yeah Alan is more pastel in the body but his fins are rather transparent... I'm not deciding that one yet lol. Pineapple is interesting.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Updates for today!

We'll start with Alan.
He pooped a little bit today but I dont think whatever is up with him is over. He's acting very similarly to the betta I attempted to rescue from his disgusting prison of a tank at my work a few months ago. His name was Pudge and I was not able to save him... This time I'm better prepared. Alan doesnt seem to be as excessively buoyant as he was before his bm but he still will float up when he stops trying to hold himself in place. That or he sinks all the way to the bottom on a slight angle... If that doesnt improve I'll have to consider other causes of swim bladder issues, like parasites or infection.

Here he is! I took one with a flash so you could see his few lines of iridescence.

















Next up is Nick. Nothing's changed with him, still pretty skittish but he's always wanting food. That part he's got figured out. He knows exactly where his food shows up. He just seems... odd? Easily the least social fish I've had. Could have a lot to do with whatever happened to him that took his tail from him. Hopefully he gets a little more trusting.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Since my only responsibility on Fridays is a single class, I guess I will post a quick update!

Everyone seems to be doing well. Luna minds her own business while Fawkes continues to glass surf along the side of the tank where I'm pretty sure he knows the two rescues are. His tail and ventral fins are showing even more regrowth and I couldn't be happier!

As for those rescues, Alan seems to be doing better even than before. He seems better able to swim normally now. After doing his water change today though I found a weird, lightly colored, stringy thing floating in his tank... At first I thought he had suddenly turned to tail biting because he heard me say that I'm going to fast him for a couple days to clear out whatever Walmart had been feeding him, but his fins are all 100% intact. Maybe it was a worm? Or it was just because of crappy food? Who knows but whatever it was is gone now and he seems better off because of it.

Nick is pretty much the same. I'm going to increase the temp of his tank to 80 or so to help that tail of his. His water change went well too, though he still kinda worries me. I dont know what it is but he never flares, never seems interested in Alan (I even tried floating him in his tank with no luck)... Maybe he's depressed?In any case I'm sure he'll perk up eventually.

Oh in related news I'm thinking about applying for a second job at my local PetSmart. I could use the employee discount and maybe could help some of their bettas go to good homes using this forum.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Okay so now I'm becoming a really nervous fish mother... Fawkes had fin rot a couple months ago and has been showing really good regrowth, but I think I'm seeing pin holes and I can't really remember if they've always been there or not... He's gorgeous and all I want is for him to be healthy! I think they've been there but it doesn't make me any less nervous about it... 

Just a side note, but I just want to thank everyone on this forum because I don't know how else I'd be able to express my concerns about my fish or my love for the sick ones with out it. This is a community of like-minded people and I love being able to talk about my fish.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Pin holes aren't fin rot. They're tail biting. I'm especially sure since you mentioned that he can see Nick and Alan. Let's cover his tank wall with something non transparent and see how it goes. Or even better - use it as an excuse to buy stuff from the SNE! XD nobody knows what exactly causes tail biting. But more plants = more security, so that should limit the possibility of tail biting. As for Nick, regrowth is gonna take time. Far longer than the time Alan will need to recover from SBD. In some cases SBD even clears up right when the fish gets transferred to a warmer, cleaner water. Good luck!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I'm 90% sure there's a such thing as pinhole rot that's less severe than full fin rot? But yeah I looked back at older pictures and I'm rather sure they've been there all week, so it could've been from the stress of his trip home and I'm just now paying closer attention to it, if he is biting that is. Also I realized that it very well may be his reflection he's seeing more so than Alan. 

Alan did get immediately somewhat better with Epsom and clean, warm water, but it's still definitely not completely gone. I'm also prepared for an extended stay for Nick. As much as his tail needs work I'm more concerned with how depressed he seems... Hopefully all updates will be good though!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Last night and today were water change days for Fawkes and Luna's divided tank and each of Nick and Alan's 1 gallons. 

My first water change with a gravel vac was a little rocky at first but I got it eventually! At first all I could think was "This is not how it used to look when my dad did this when I was a kid" but then I got the suction working right.

Alan is doing so much better than I'd expected him to be when I brought him home! I'm fasting him for a couple days to hopefully get the last of the low quality Walmart-fed food out of his system, but he seems happy and is still showing improvement by the day.

Nick seems much more alert since I gave him the adjustable heater and turned it up a bit. He's more active and seems more engaged in watching me to see what's going on. I'm not sure I see any regrowth in his tail yet though. Another weird thing I've noticed though is that I never have seen him move his left pelvic fin. It kind of just stays crossed over on his right side... It doesn't seem to bother him, but it is something I'll be keeping an eye on. 

Luna and Fawkes are happy and active as ever. I think I may have over reacted to Fawkes having a couple pinholes in his fins because they look a bit better today already and he has more regrowth where he had fin rot almost every day. I sometimes can't believe I got him at Walmart!


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

You probably won't see regrowth until a little while from now  it's a slow process. He'd probably recover faster than the regrowth can catch up. Good to hear he's improving though!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Everyone is doing very well today! So I figured I'd do pictures today!

Fawkes's regrowth is looking awesome today!















Luna








Alan















Nick








I posted a thread in the marketplace for Nick and Alan, so we'll see if they get adopters! Alan is much closer to being ready for adoption than Nick is... but they're both doing very well, all things considered.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Is Alan a dalmatian? :0


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## BettaStarter24 (Mar 24, 2014)

Yep I'm pretty sure Alan would be referred to as a dalmation


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Is he??? lol He's got red and some irredescent parts going on in those pretty much see through fins


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

OUOhYeah2016 said:


> Is he??? lol He's got red and some irredescent parts going on in those pretty much see through fins


So he DOES have red! My eyes aren't fooling me! (( I don't have my glasses on ATM ))


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I should probably get some better pictures of those fins lol They're what's going to get him adopted!


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Make sure to point out that he's a Dalmatian (Dalmation?). People loveee these guys.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

*Officially Up For Adoption!*

So I figured my photo updates for the day could also serve as an official listing for my two rescues. I've decided to find them homes before I get too attached.

Alan
Pastel "Dalmatian" VT 
Originally had severe bloat issues when I rescued him
Intake date 1/13/16
Rescue from Walmart
Adoption Fee: $2 plus shipping costs
Current Status: In great health
Ready to go? Yepp!
Special needs? None really but I'd recommend small pellets or crushing the ones you have, he seems to struggle a little bit swallowing bigger ones.

He was a bit pissed at me today because I've been fasting him for the last couple of days to make sure the low quality food he was being fed had been flushed from his system.
















"Nearly Finless" Nick
Male "Pineapple" VT
Had some major fin curling and was missing a large portion of his tail
Intake date 1/13/16
Rescue from Walmart
Adoption Fee: $2 plus shipping costs
Current Status: The curling has improved but his tail is still not to a point I feel comfortable with yet.
Ready to go? Not yet, but maybe in a couple of weeks? It's hard to tell
Special needs? None, he's healing beautifully.

He is an extremely active boy. I was a bit worried he may have popeye at first but I think his eyes are just set a little oddly.
















If you or anyone you know may be interested in either of these boys, please let me know either on here, on my thread in the marketplace, or via PM. Other than needing a bit of time to get shipping materials, I am ready to start this process!

And finally a cute picture of Luna to brighten your day since I Finally got a decent picture of her and all of her cuteness!


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Gotta love Royal Blues  x


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

So today I woke up for class to find that my apartment complex doesn't have power... Of course not only are my tank heaters out, but so is my apartment heat since literally Everything is electrical in my apartment complex. The most drastic temperature difference is for Nick since his tank was in the 80-82 range to help his tail heal. I had to leave for class and will have to hope and pray that the power comes back while I'm away at class since it's one of the coldest days of the year so far...


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Update: Power came back and everything is good! My roommate wrapped my tanks with towels for me before then and no one seems any worse for the wear. 

I also came home to find a multitude of packages waiting for me with all of the fish stuff (and a few textbooks) I've ordered in the last week. Both rescue boys now have adjustable heaters, Luna and Fawkes now have a back up filter for when the Mini Bow one inevitably quits, and my master test kit plus Prime finally got here so I can get a proper cycle going for my friends. 

PLUS special shout out to Seren27 for the IAL she shipped me! I already added one to Nick's tank!

Everyone is happy and active, though I'm hoping my electric bill doesn't skyrocket too much since I went from no filter and one heater, to no fish stuff over break while I wasnt here, to 3 heaters and a filter plugged in at all times!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Today is a pretty low key day for my bettas and I. No water changes or new medicines. 

That being said, the rescues are doing just swimmingly! Nick has had his IAL for a full day now and what I had been barely noticing as regrowth in his tail before is 100% definite now! He also has now chosen to begin a rather impressive bubble nest in a rather short amount of time since it hadn't been there before I took a nap. 

Alan is happy as ever. Still mellow and kinda minds his own business but still very interested in what I'm doing. Also his poop stopped floating and looks completely normal now! He's definitely got his clean bill of health from me. It's hard to believe that this fish was nearly belly-up with bloat exactly a week ago when I took him in. 

They're still adoptable people! 

As for my two, Luna is her perfect little self while Fawkes has started to freak me out late at night when I should be asleep but instead am sitting at my desk on my computer next to their tank. Nothing's wrong with him, but when it's late I can tend to over react and think of all the things that could go wrong for him. It's probably a side effect of having two sick ones around to monitor all the time.

I'll take pictures sometime soon. Gotta drum up some more interest in my rescues!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

As of today, other than the IAL in Nick's tank, everyone is officially off medicines entirely! I feel extremely accomplished in my success of nursing my boys back to health, and now all thats left is to find them their forever home. I would love to take in more rescues, or possibly even get a third permanent fish of my own, but none of those things can happen while I have Nick and Alan here. In addition I am going abroad to Northern Ireland for a spring break stud abroad program and no one will be here to do water changes on the 1 gallon hospital tanks, so you could say that I am starting to feel the pressure to have Nick and Alan move on... They're really cute and are great fish with lots of personality, I promise!

Alan is up first:
He has beautiful pastel, nearly transparent fins.







He thinks you cant see him behind his little thermometer








And here's Nick, who I feel like I really can't nickname "nearly finless" anymore! He's made awesome progress and is actually starting to look like a VT now instead of the little stump he had before.


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## fisharefriends1 (Jan 9, 2016)

Aw I haven't been on lately but you're too little rescues are adorbs! Hope they do well


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Thanks! Haha they're doing awesome, now just need awesome homes!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

*And now for the bad news of the night*

I'm pretty positive Fawkes is developing some kind of fungal issue... and since he's divided with Luna I need to treat the entire tank. Guess I'll be making an emergency trip to the pet stores tomorrow... He's still acting normal and I have no idea how he got it, but the important thing now is treating it and hoping he survives yet another health issue. His tank was getting a good cleaning and a water change tomorrow regardless, but now it's even more necessary. The treatment is going to kill my cycle and mean I won't be able to until the treatment is over, but that's okay. I've got my test kit and my prime and we'll be up and running again in no time. Fawkes is extremely special to me in a way that no fish really has been in a long time... I know he'll pull through if I give the right treatment, but I still worry.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Today started API fungus cure treatment for Fawkes and Luna. I'm sure they'll both be fine, but the number of issues my poor Fawkes has had to deal with lately is just unfair. Luna shows no signs of fungus but I also have no idea how Fawkes got it, so theres that too. Oh well, it happened and now its getting dealt with.

In other news, I had to cup Luna and Fawkes while I did their water change and look who decided to flare! Nick is a pretty one and definitely enjoys showing off!








Alan is also doing well although he does bloat rather easily. You cant feed too much at once or he's got that big belly going on again.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

GREAT NEWS! I found homes for both of my rescues! Hopefully, weather permitting that my heat packs get here and I can get them to the post office, they'll be headed out early to mid next week! I'm so excited and happy for them!

Now I just can't let myself take in any more before I go abroad... Probably not going to happen but hey, I can pretend for the next week until I see another poor soul looking at me from those sad little cups. Plus theres the matter of wanting another 5-10 gallon tank and getting another betta for myself should the right one come along. I'm thinking a deep, true purple... but thats gunna take a lot of AquaBid surfing and looking through pet stores, so I probably have some time.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Yesterday was more than a little insane. Southeast Ohio has this thing called a "Level 3 snow emergency" that shuts down roads and closes our campus entirely. The exception to this is the three buildings on campus that stay open with a limited staff: the student union, the library, and the gym. Guess where I work? Guess who is on that Level 3 staff? That's right. I worked a 10 hour shift. So I wasn't home until late and had to do water changes for my rescues. 

They're doing really well and are ready to be shipped as soon as i get my heat packs in. 

Fawkes and Luna are still in their fungal treatment. I just hope I'm right about fungus and it's not a parasite issue. Dealing with it all as it happens. 

PS my boyfriend says hi lol


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Have enjoyed reading journal! You are doing great job with rescues. Keep up good work. Nick and Alan are beautiful boys. Glad to hear they have homes lined up.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Thanks! As soon as they're off I may be taking in at least one more... There have been a few EEs, CTs, and VTs around me that could use some TLC and may potentially have an adopter lined up, so we'll see how that goes. Weather has really put a damper on my plans to have Nick and Alan on their ways sooner rather than later... 

I appreciate you (themamaj, and everyone else too) taking the time to read this! Its a good way for me to keep tabs on whats going on and also learn from people who have been doing this longer than I have.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

So today Alan bloated up again for no discernible reason. He has to have SBD as more than just a bloat issue. I don't want to back out of the adoption for him but I'm also worried that the stress of the journey could make it worse. He's going off to a 3 gallon cycled tank with a nice woman in Pennsylvania who has already bought substrate to match him... He'll have a good life there. I still don't have my heat packs either, which is buying me some time, so I hope I can continue Epsom treatment and he'll be stable enough to ship. 

Nick is also going to a woman in Illinois who also has her tank up and running and waiting. He's in perfect health and I don't think I've ever seen a more regal looking fish at full flare. He's got quite the beard and stands very straight. He is also the most ferocious eater I've ever cared for. You'd think he could never be full!

Fawkes and Luna are looking good still. The patch on Fawkes I noticed hasn't gone away so I'm going to stop the fungal treatment and go back to AQ for a bit, then maybe go to an anti parasitic. 

In other news I may or may not have had my phone fall out of my back pocket into my toilet yesterday... For the second time in 4 months or so. Last time I had to get an entirely new phone, this time I think it is going to survive but I'm cautiously optimistic on the topic. It was a rather weird day.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

If you're feeding dry food, try pre-soaking the pellets prior to feeding. I like to do 60 seconds, just the way it is with freeze-dried food. Some fish are just more prone to SBD and you gotta be extra careful with feeding. Do food rotation, pre-soak dry food, and stay a thousand miles away from anything freeze-dried. Keep it warm, keep it clean. Good luck!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I'll try the pre soaking! Thanks for the advice. I think he's okay and healthy otherwise, but he scared me a bit...


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Its one of those good news, bad news kind of days.

As for good news: Fawkes and Luna are happy with their added AQ until my anti parasitic gets here, Nick is perfectly healthy and his tail gets better every day though somewhat less obviously since we seem to be hitting that more gradual stage where it'll just take some time, and Alan is swimming normally again so all is well.

The bad news is that somehow my apartment number did not get put on the package for my heat packs and I don't know how that is going to get resolved... But the company is being very helpful and I'm hoping this is only going to be a minor set back.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Now that my heat pack situation has been resolved I can hopefully get this operation running again and have my boys shipped off next week! 

In other news I finally made it to my LFS and it's awesome! Plus reasonably priced. As in they have some gorgeous bettas that rival some Aquabid fish, so much so that I may start taking pictures when I go there and posting them here because I'm sure some of them are exactly what some of you may be looking for but may not want to pay the prices for online. Some are at least kings with full VT and DeT fins. I would've taken pictures today but I was so engrossed in them that I totally forgot to! There was a black and white one I almost bought a KK to temporarily house him until my rescues get shipped!


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Yes take pictures! Glad heat packs arrived. Hope everyone gets to their destinations warm and safely. Keep us posted!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Haha I will!

So I think Alan may be back up for adoption. His potential owner is having issues with paypal and I dont trust enough that there are sufficient funds or else I think it would have been resolved by now. I'm going to post him back in the marketplace section probably Sunday or Monday since I've given his adopter a couple of days to get her paypal in order. Am I disappointed? A little, but I also want whats best for my boys.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Good news! Nick will be shipped on Wednesday! It would be tomorrow but I have class until after the post office ships out for the day and I dont want him in that box any longer than he has to be. He's made incredible progress since I took him in! He used to be so depressed and sullen but hes turned out to be the most feisty fish in the house. He flares at me for no real reason and his fins are always open and held proud. He is going to make his new mom very happy.

As for Alan, he is officially back up for adoption. When I first started this I thought I'd have a harder time finding a home for Nick than for Alan, but this is how it has played out. Alan also has made great improvements and is extremely active now. Both boys enjoy bubble nesting, but Alan seems to have taken up the hobby in celebration of the end of his bloat issue.

Fawkes and Luna are in the midst of an API general cure treatment. They are both acting completely fine, but after getting my dad's opinion (he kept fish for years until my turtles took over our tank space) and observing them myself, Im rather sure its an external parasite issue I'm seeing.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

We're back on the good news side of things again! Alan is officially going home with the same woman as Nick! Something about it just seems right to me, as if they should stay together. Good thing they'll fit in the same box lol so I'll save on shipping too. That will happen tomorrow and then I'll be back to just having my Fawkes and Luna in the house. I don't know if I'll take any new rescue fish in yet... I would have to know that they would be on their way before the end of the month when I go abroad...

In other news I am actively pursuing getting a 10 gallon tank to divide and have the space for more of my own bettas in the future. For instance I am obessesed with this fish: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Live-Betta-...487143?hash=item2a609c5f27:g:84MAAOSwXshWruiD

I think my solution for now will be posting some pictures of my LFS bettas and seeing if there is any interest in any of them? Unless I want to keep them for myself that is! And I can't promise myself that I won't take in a Walmart or Petsmart rescue... Also continuing my research on what size tank and where to get it, cause that's happening for sure. My mom is looking for something to get me for my birthday lol, so I can use that.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

*Today was a big day! (pt 1)*

Today I sent Alan and Nick off to their new home in Illinois! 

















Their new mom should expect them on Friday! I'm already obsessing over their tracking number since this is my first time shipping fish. I'm very proud of how those two turned out. They went from being the last two bettas at Walmart with severe illnesses/injuries to being two of the most engaging and feisty bettas I've had the pleasure of caring for. I wish I had taken more pictures of them on their last days here, but I hadn't been expecting for Alan to be leaving as soon as he did after his original adopter couldn't pay me via paypal. I'm nervous but I did my research and they should arrive healthy, if not happy about their brief trip.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Ugh I remember I feel sick down to the stomach shipping out my first two boys: Karmac and Parallax. I genuinely felt like throwing up all day LOL but they were all fine in the end. So are all the other fosters that follow  safe travels, Alan and Nick! x


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

*Today was a big day! (pt 2)*

On to even more fun stuff for me: I bought a new tank today! For myself and my future betta additions that is. My new 10 and my 5 are my absolute limit for personal/permanent fish, so I'm really excited to fill them and see what happens from there!

I purchased my new tank at my LFS called Fish N Stuff, where I have mentioned before that I love their bettas and the way they are cared for. I actually had a really nice 15-20 minute conversation with one of the guys that works there who used to breed bettas and knows much more than your average fish store employee. Needless to say I made a friend. He also said that they're getting a new shipment of bettas later this week, so I will definitely be checking that out and probably getting at least one new friend in the process! Apparently they get their fish from legit breeders, some come from a supplier in Oregon. I found that very interesting.

As promised, this time I took pictures! I was trying to not be weird cause I just am meeting these people at this little store so I was trying to be inconspicuous about taking pictures. 

BIG Blue VT, the pictures in his cup dont do him justice
















Two more VTs. Regular sized. The left is a black and red, the right is red with blues








More of a rounded tail on this VT, hes a steel gray/blue color and very active.








Little Red and white halfmoon








Two double tail boys








Another DT in pinkish shades with red fins








All of their prices are on their cups other than the VTs that are only about $3. 

Then I went to Petsmart for the heck of it.
This little red girl caught my eye








Its hard to tell, but this little CT girl is almost black with yellow fins








I'd name this girl Big Bertha lol, she's been there a while...








Last but not least this poor dumbo... He is at Petland where they want THIRTY DOLLARS for a dumbo... which is about $20 more than I could rationalize paying to save the poor thing from that terrible place without knowing if he'd be adopted by someone else. He's been there for ages...








I would be totally willing to ship any of the above to you guys plus shipping costs. I am traveling abroad for a week at the end of February and I can't have 1 gallons go that long without water changes... but before then or after I'm back in the foster and rescue game! 

Thanks for reading my journal! And if you have any interest in any of the fish I posted above or theres anything in particular you'd like me to keep an eye out for anything in particular, just let me know! My LFS gets a really nice variety of fish (they even sell piranhas lol) bettas especially!


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## Tealight03 (Nov 15, 2014)

Travel safe Alan and Nick!

I complained to my Walmart about how they care for their bettas. I got a canned response back aboit how they wilk talk to the store and there is a corporate care guide for fish. I replied and said when I was in last weekend (two or three weeks after I made the initial complaint) there was a new set of bettas in the same deplorable condition. I also asked what their care guidelines are. We'll see if I get a response. 

I should also try the actual store instead of corporate. It doesn't sound like I will get anywhere though. 

Sorry for the long story. Alan and Nick just reminded me of it. Glad they found homes!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I stopped at my walmart today too and they had no bettas... Which only makes me think that they probably didnt make it because they were all sickly looking whenever I see them there... I've seen pictures of some walmart bettas in other places that at least have some better conditions? But I dont trust it mostly because walmart doesnt really have pet section people typically, at least not that are trained to be there in any way.


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## Tealight03 (Nov 15, 2014)

I once saw an employee changing the freshwater tanks. The bettas looked to be in good shape. But ever since it has just been down hill.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Walmart is a place that shouldnt sell anything living... But as long as they do I'll always look and they'll pull at my heart strings... At least I can get the managers to give me the sick ones for at least half off...


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## Tealight03 (Nov 15, 2014)

Sorry, I am just frustrated with my Walmart and their response. I think it's awesome you saved Alan and Nick. I wish we could save them all.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

lol no I completely understand and feel the exact same way. My college is located in the most impoverished county in Ohio so OU is about the only reason we have a market for half of the stores in the area etc. Our walmart I think caters to those people who cant afford the fish at other places and dont care very well for them as a result of the fact that they can get away with it. You put a $30 dumbo like that one at Petland next to a $3.47 VT at Walmart and you understand why the Walmart fish are all gone while the Petland has the same fish for months.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

This morning was weird and kind of disorienting. I've had 4 fish in my care for the last few weeks and now it's just my Fawkes and Luna, and they're not even in the same place! I did some reorganizing yesterday in order to put my new 10 gallon where they had been on my desk and moved them to my dresser. It's a slightly tighter fit than I'd been expecting, but I may be able to make that better when I have a little more time to devote to the arrangement. The problem isn't my tanks, it's my TV. 

Anyway, I made a PetCo sale purchase and ordered my new silk plants and a lid for my tank yesterday so I am anxiously awaiting all of that to start my new set up. All I can really do before then is make my divider. I'm so excited to get my next betta(s). I'm definitely going to my LFS again to see their shipment and I'm still winning my eBay auction *fingers crossed*


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

As of this afternoon, Nick and Alan are in the Chicago area so hopefully arriving at their destination on time tomorrow. I spent most of my day on here and doing other fish stuff, like making dividers, instead of doing homework. And now I get a message from my boyfriend that he's been in a car accident and is fine but of course now I cant focus again...This week definitely needs to end now.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Omg I hope your boyfriend is alright! I agree this week is a horrible one. Hope the next one is better =\


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

He's okay. He was in the back seat and other than some bruising, soreness, and the shock of it all he's fine. I'm freaking out and he's making it sound like no big deal when the car he was in is totaled... It could've been much worse. 

So now here I am trying to write a paper and staring at Fawkes and Luna instead of being productive. 

Also kinda already miss having rescues to update about... I feel like my own personal fish and my new tank waiting to be filled are boring topics in comparison! I guess I got really used to pushing how adoptable they were lol


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Nick and Alan made it to Illinois safe and sound! Their new fish mom says that Alan seemed to have a worse time with the journey but that they are both adjusting nicely and exploring their new homes! I was so anxious! But now here I am with my first two live arrivals under my belt! 

I went to my LFS because they were getting a new shipment of bettas, but I was pretty disappointed. All pretty standard VTs and then the DTs that were there before. I'm still looking for those few fish that really strike me. I want something different. I have red and blue.. so maybe another color or different tail types? I need to see if I win my ebay auction before making other decisions.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Glad to hear your BF is ok. How scary! Excited fish made safe journeys. I hope new mom will keep us posted on their progress. Good luck on looking for new fish. Ebay is dangerous for me but there sure are beauties on there.


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## Tealight03 (Nov 15, 2014)

Glad they made it safely!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Scary is an understatement when all you get is a picture texted to you of a wrecked car and a message saying "I love you" ! It could have been a lot worse but everyone involved is okay. 

Alan and Nick making it home made my week a bit better.

The fish I love is from a very reputable breeder but I'm not gunna lie, I'm a bit freaked out by the prospect of transhipping costs lol. A year ago I never would've believed you if you told me I'd be considering paying to ship a fish from Indonesia! Gotta get that 10 gallon tank up and cycling! But with this crappy week I just haven't had the time or the motivation. I'm just waiting for THE fish(es) to show up, you know? I kinda wish we had a petco that sold baby bettas around here... I'd love to save one. My mom's is apparently not doing as well as he had been. She says he has started to show some C or S shape when he's still and that he doesn't swim as much as he used to. I'm hoping there's nothing wrong with him...

I also leave for my study abroad trip in exactly 3 weeks! I'm getting really excited and I cannot wait! I'm going to Northern Ireland for a week! 

This is entirely unrelated, but I've been thinking about doing a post here in the next few days about my other pets. I think you guys would enjoy my other, finless friends lol and I miss them a lot while I'm at school and they live at home with my parents.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Today should be a fun day since my PetCo sale order should get here and my Quick Start gets here tomorrow so I can start my fishless cycle of my new 10 gallon! Fawkes and Luna are doing well and the weird patch that had me worried on Fawkes seems to be getting smaller. Mom's baby betta Quinn is apparently doing somewhat better today, but I wish I was there to help her figure out whats wrong with him.

On that note though, I thought I would introduce you guys a bit more to myself, my life, and my other pets!

First off this is me jumping out of an airplane:








Haha my boyfriend really wanted to go so thats what we did he weekend before coming back to school for the fall semester.

This is my little family. My boyfriend and I are on the left and my best friends/roommates are on the right. They arent a couple, at least not yet anyway. My boyfriend and I have been dating about a year and a half ish now.








On to the fun stuff now! This is what my Cooper looked like when he was a baby:








And here he is now! He's 5 years old now and still as much of a puppy as ever. 








And this is Chase. He's 7 now though you'd never guess.
















The two of them are inseparable and look like brothers. Chase we got when he was about 18 months old from a rescue, and Cooper we got from a breeder. However, I count Cooper as a rescue too. The breeder did not give their dogs water. At all. They would soak their food and then not allow them to drink water the rest of the day. We were worried for a long time that Coop would end up with kidney problems because of it, but he's been fine since.








This is my pride and joy. Her name is Kash and she is an Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle. 








When I was starting the 6th grade back in 2006, a friend of mine brought me turtle eggs she had found while on vacation in Michigan. I already had (and still do have) Red eared slider turtles, and she knew I would enjoy the challenge of getting these eggs to hatch. Kash here is the result of that. We never thought they would hatch let alone have her this long! She turns 10 on August 22nd.
















Apparently I dont have her baby pictures or any pictures of my RES on my laptop or on facebook, which is rather depressing and unfortunate, but I'll tell you about them anyway! I have 3 RES, 2 boys, Speedy and Squirtle, and my girl Sandy. They all live at home with my parents because I could never get their huge tanks into my college apartment. We also recently moved to an area where we have a large enough yard to finally build a pond for them.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Well for the second day in a row, all of my classes have been canceled so I get to hang out, work out, and spend far too much time on the forum! My quick start and some more moss balls get here today so that will give me something more to do with my time lol. I'm considering taking in another rescue before my spring break if I can get my 10 gallon cycling... I'd have enough time to QT any new fish and treat a rescue even if I couldnt find them a home before I'm gone for a week... We'll see. The weather was the reason for class cancelations today, so I wont be going to any pet stores or walmart today.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Lol resistance is futile. The more the merrier! 

It took me about two seconds to realize your turtle is a turtle lol that long neck made me think "cobra??" x)


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I (semi)jokingly think she's the loch ness monster lol or at least something similar to her accounts for the legends of the loch ness monster! She also thinks she's a dog, so theres that too. Loves to be pet and be fed lunch meat as a treat. She's a few inches around larger than my spread out hand, which is a far cry from the quarter sized, squishy little thing that hatched from her egg lol


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Great pictures!! Your dogs are beautiful and love the soft shell turtle! We used to raise box turtles.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Turtles are wonderful! They live forever lol When we got my first two sliders my dad didnt want them but my mom said that when she was a kid they only lasted a couple of weeks. That was 12 years ago now and my dad will never let her live it down!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I did something tonight lol

I went out for two girls for a member looking for females to possibly start a sorority but was looking for fish in need, and came back with a third cup! My new boy doesnt have a name yet, but I cant wait to get my 10 gallon going and post pictures of him in his new home! I'll post pictures tomorrow!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

*Introducing my new boy!*

I'm so excited to announce the newest member of my little betta family! He is a turquoise HM. He has some fin damage from biting or maybe some rot, so he's been on a low dose AQ salt and has an IAL in his 1 gallon hospital tank. That's where he'll live until his section of my 10 gallon is ready when it's done cycling. He's becoming more active and I cant wait to release him into his permanent tank! No name yet, but I'm working on it! Not sure if I should continue with my Harry Potter theme names or not.

I saw him at the PetSmart while I was there picking up a girl for another forum member (pics soon) and knew I couldn't pass him up.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Beauty! Congrats on new addition


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

themamaj said:


> Beauty! Congrats on new addition


Thanks themamaj! He was in a cup toward the back of the rack and his colors caught my eye! There were a couple other beauties I should've taken pictures of, but I was just so excited about him!

On to the two girls I'm fostering!

Before I'd gone to the petsmart however I'd made a stop at the Walmart. A forum member had been looking for females and had expressed interest in a blue. She also wanted to take in fish in need. I knew I'd seen a big VT girl there but didnt know if she'd be there when I looked, but she was! Poor thing has almost no color and was very clamped when I picked her up. Its a 24 hour walmart and the lack of normal night cycle really messes with the fish there...

Her dorsal is very blue though and shining a flashlight on her you can see more of the blue in her scales and is already showing more red in her tail. She's a big girl but still very skittish. 

















When their adopter mentioned intentions to divide her tank at least until possibly starting a sorority I offered to send her two girls at once to save her shipping. I told her about the little mustard gas CT girl at the petsmart with some fin damage and she said she'd love to take her! So of course I made that second stop at the petsmart as we were getting hit with a snowstorm lol. Here she is with and without flash. She may be little but she's feisty! Flares at me and at her neighbors. 

































So I have 5 bettas in my room at the moment, my 10 gallon is on its way to being cycled, and Fawkes and Luna are still their perfect little selves. Everything is great around here! My dilemma will come when I have to decide who lives in which section of my tanks! lol Do I leave Fawkes and Luna where they are and fill my new tank with new fish? or do I do boys in one and girls in the other and dream of the possibilities of a sorority? 

I'm also really excited because another open space in my tanks will be filled some time next week because I'm getting a female lavender/purple dumbo! Olivia's LFS breeds them and I can't wait! 

....Must not start sorority..Must not start sorority..Must not start sorority...


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Are tank dividers hard to make and install?


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Not at all! They're extremely simple for most standard sized tanks. The girls' adopter is dividing and when I told her how I make mine she was so surprised because the ways she had done it in the past was way more difficult! 

I used two pieces of black craft mesh cut to the size of the tank and offset so that the little squares are made even smaller. Then I use report cover spines on the two sides and bottom. The top I leave and cut so that the divider meets my tank lid/hood just in case someone got ideas about jumping. 

Black craft mesh is in the needlepoint section of Joann fabrics or Michaels type stores. The report covers I've found at Walmart, but I'm sure they're at other office stores as well. Some people will use sealants to permanently attach them, but I make my fit tight as possible and use my gravel/substrate to reinforce it. Also suction cups with hooks help to hold things in place as well. 

The divider for the girls was entirely improvised at the last minute since I came home with three fish that night instead of two lol. These I'm proud of though:








I found out how to make them by googling DIY aquarium divider honestly. They're very simple to make and materials cost less than $5.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

So the two foster girls are leaving, hopefully Monday for their new home with thelittlemermaid. They've been given names and the CT girl is Hermia and the big VT girl is Helena! It makes me really happy to see these two pretty girls going to a loving home. They color up more every day and flirt with my new boy who's their neighbor. 

Speaking of my new boy, I'm thinking about going with the name Prism because he looks different colors depending on the lighting and the angle. I'm also really excited because I'm getting a little dumbo girl from Olivia who is picking her up from her LFS tomorrow! Hopefully I can get her some time middle of next week! That will leave one open spot for my personal fishes.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

I bought some of the craft mesh yesterday. I think I am going to try do a divided tank and see how it goes. Thanks for posting picture and the info. Are you able to get away with one filter and one heater in divided tanks? Probably will divide my 10 gallon extra tank I have.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

If only dividing in two, a single filter is usually enough. When I did two dividers for a three way split I used two filters with the intakes on the outside sections and output pointing at the dividers. With one divider I'd do something similar by placing your filter near the divider, or if you put it farther away I add aeration to the other side so there's enough circulation.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Not going to lie, I am getting somewhat frustrated with this cycling business. I'm a day or so away from giving up on the idea of fishless using ammonia and going with fish-in just so I can get this going somewhere and free up a 1 gallon hospital. I went to an absolutely terrible PetCo the other day and if I'd had the space I would have taken home at least three of the bettas... they had terrible rot and a variety of other issues too... It killed me to leave them.


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## justineatsoda (Jan 2, 2016)

I've been in the process of doing an in tank cycle with my baby betta, it's been about 5 weeks and it's finally getting some nitrates. I'm too impatient to do it fishless :shock:


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

justineatsoda said:


> I've been in the process of doing an in tank cycle with my baby betta, it's been about 5 weeks and it's finally getting some nitrates. I'm too impatient to do it fishless :shock:


Fishless is faster than fish-in when both are done without the help from bottled bacteria. But then again it depends on your tank size too.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Yeah about that... I kinda said *bleep* it to the fishless cycle and will be running two fish-in cycles for my 5 gallon and my 10. I have officially decided that my 10 will become a sorority when I get back from my trip to Northern Ireland. Before then I will have 3 girls (my Luna and two EEHMPK girls from Olivia) who will remain divided until I get back and can find them their new sorority sisters. I'm really excited to be starting this project but I definitely need to start ordering more plants and caves etc for this to work out well.

So these are my two tanks at the moment:
















So tonight I moved Fawkes to the other side of his divided tank and put Prism on his original side. Because of the size and apparent weight of Prism's fins I decided he should be on the side of the tank without the filter. This worked out well though because I've caught Fawkes seeming to play in the filter current.

Here's that moment lol
















He's really close to full regrowth on those fins!








Here's Prism! I've determined he's a biter so hopefully his nice, new, bigger tank space helps whatever stress he's been feeling. Also I think he's RT or FT HM so that could also be part of it.
























I then moved Luna to the middle section of the 10 gallon tank! She looks so tiny in there by herself! I'm looking forward to seeing how she does in this sorority and how my tank layout evolves!








Finally here are Helena and Hermia! They get sent off tomorrow morning to thelittlemermaid! Terrible pictures but I'll try to take a couple more when I'm getting them ready to ship. Both have colored up since they've been here but the blue VT hates when I take her picture so she faded again :|


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## Tealight03 (Nov 15, 2014)

Thanks for the divider information. I would love to divide a tank but also worry about disease and escapes.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I was really paranoid about it at first too. I feel better having my filters and heaters on either side of the divider or using suction cups to reinforce them. If we cant push them easily they definitely cant. Also with two sheets of mesh they really dont even see each other. I also leave the tops of the dividers without the report cover spines so I can cut them to exactly match up with the lid of the tank so no worries about jumping.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

*Another stressful couple days begins!*

Today I sent off Helena and Hermia! 
They weren't happy about being bagged, but did wonderfully regardless. They got to the post office before noon and should get to their destination on Friday afternoon! The weather is supposed to warm up a bit during that time too so hopefully all goes well! I get stressed when I ship my friends off...

































Both girls were pleasures to foster and can't wait to see how they flourish in their new home!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I'm really excited now because my EEHMPK girls are healthy enough and hopefully going to get to me on Saturday! Huge shoutout to Olivia for finding them and taking care of them for me and making sure they're healthy! they are currently nicknamed Saphira and Lavender and I cant wait for them to get here so I can meet my new girls! Now I'm really stressed though because there are so many fish in the mail!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Anxiety is at an all time high for me right now lol. I have a ton of stuff to do before I leave for Northern Ireland when it comes to school work while I have 4 fish in the mail coming anf going. Saying I'm stressed is an understatement. Helena and Hermia should make it to New Hampshire tomorrow, and Hopefully I'll get my EEHMPK girls Saturday... Hopefully. Their tracking number is staying that they won't be here until Monday which scares me a bit. Hoping for the best!


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Good luck with school work! I'm on the same boat right now. There's one class that wants every assignment from the first day to the middle of the semester submitted together by the end of spring break. Needless to say I slacked off a bit at first and I'm paying the price now ><

Sooo many Bettas traveling around now. Hope everyone arrives safely.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Happy to report that Helena and Hermia made it home safe this morning! And I am progressing with my school work so hopefully my stress level can finally come down a bit!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

*A Great Day*

Today was a great day for me in the betta world! My two EEHMPK girls from Olivia got here safe and sound! I'll post pictures tomorrow when I'm on my computer. I'm still referring to them as Saphira and Lavender, but I haven't decided if that's going to stay the same. Saphira has some trouble swimming. I'm not sure if it's going to fix itself or not, but I have seen improvement in even the short time I've had her. They're happily living in their thirds of Luna's divided tank. 

So then I left for an hour ride to meet another forum member halfway between where we each live. We'd been talking for a few days about a fish we'd both seen and discussed on a thread on here at a particular petco. She met with the manager and talked them into giving her two fish as rescues. She didn't have the space, so I took them in. They're two boys, one platinum white and one red/white butterfly, both with very severe fin rot. The butterfly also has SBD issues. Each is in a 1 gallon hospital at the moment. Again, I'll post pictures tomorrow.

As for my existing gang, Fawkes and Luna are doing beautifully. Prism's biting/rot is still being treated. There are days I think it's better and days I think it gets worse. We shall see. 

Can't wait for you all to meet my new friends!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

*Photo gallery day*

This is probably going to be done in two posts since its going to be picture heavy! 

Starting with my original crew:
Fawkes did not want to cooperate with his photo op this morning








Prism's rot/fin biting is rather annoying to deal with, but hopefully we're making some progress








Luna is happy exploring her section of my 10 gallon and the new decorations I added for her and her future sorority
















Now on to my new girls, Lavender and Saphira!
Here's the setup with a couple decorations and hides added since I last posted a picture of the tank








This is Lavender. She's a bit bloated, but that'll be taken care of. She's perfect
























And this little thing is Saphira. She has some trouble swimming and I'm not entirely sure what it is causing it. She can swim but her tail kind of drags with her. She's the cutest thing ever though.
















She's already learned to use the plants to help her get around if she gets tired. She reminds me of how a grasshopper flies and then kinda awkwardly lands on leaves or on the ground.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

*Gallery pt 2: new rescues*

Some of you might have seen a thread on the betta chat board about a PetCo in Dublin Ohio that had a number of bettas in very bad shape. One little white boy marked HM was of particular interest to one of the users in this conversation. I happened to read this thread later in the day when I had actually been at that petco that morning and seen the same poor fish the others had. I was almost in tears at how awful they looked when I'd been there and couldnt do anything about it because I already had two foster girls here and my Prism in QT taking up my hospital tanks. Well, one of the forum members that had been complaining about that store ended up talking to the manager and was looking for someone to rescue the little white boy. I volunteered to take him and one other that was the worst off at the store and meet her halfway between where we live. So thats what happened yesterday when she convinced the manager to let her take the white boy, who she had been referring to as Hank, and another butterfly boy. Here they are:

First few Pics are them in their cups, then in the 1 gallon hospitals here. 
























































































They both just seem so depressed... They made it through the night though so thats a start.


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## Tealight03 (Nov 15, 2014)

Aw I'm sure they will get better. Poor boys.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

One of my friends who knows nothing about fish came with me to go get them, looked at the white boy, and asked me why the edges of his fins were red. I explained to him what fin rot was and how his tail and fins originally looked like my boys' and he was left pretty speechless.. They're both worse than my last two rescue boys were, but I think they can recover. It might take a while, but it'll happen.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

It will happen alright. You know what to do. Looking forward to the transformation photos


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Thanks Olivia and Tealight :]


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## SilviaAndScales (Jan 14, 2016)

Yay! I'm so glad theyre doing ok in their 1 gallons. The car felt so empty on the way home after the drop off. I'm so excited to see their progress


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Rescues update: 

We'll start with the little white boy Swimmyfins had been calling "Hank." I'm considering calling him Casper because of how white he is... or maybe Draco or Dumbledore to go along with the Harry Potter theme thats been going on around here. Maybe Gandalf... YA Fantasy novels is more the theme I guess. Lavender (like Lavender Brown in HP), Luna (like Luna Lovegood), Fawkes (Dumbeldore's phoenix), and then Saphira is an the dragon in Eragon. 

Suggestions/opinions are more than welcome!

He ate pretty well today. I noticed that he has a hard time swimming and I cant decide if thats because he has a bit of SBD or if not having basically any fins is making precise movements more difficult. He is making progress though since he didn't eat much yesterday. I'm pretty sure he's a VT but his fins are so bad that its hard to tell where his fins naturally are shaped and what areas are that overtaken by rot... The poor little guy was in a VT cup that had been crossed out and labeled HM. There's something very wrong with that petco store.

















Here's the butterfly today. He's really in need of a name, but I haven't even thought about it. He is also doing better. The epsom salt has helped his mobility and he doesn't float as badly now. Apologies for the blue water in the rescues' photos. I'm using salts and betta revive which has MB in it for the first few days to cover my bases best I can.
















Last but not least, here's my frustration for the day. I am not happy with Fawkes right now because he has decided tail biting is going to be a new hobby of his. It wasn't like this when I left for class this morning...:-?


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Oh my heart goes out to the white boy!!! I sure hope he does well. Is he going to be up for adoption when better?


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Most likely yes, both rescues will go up for adoption. I'm taking it a day at a time for the white boy especially. As much as he is making progress it takes a long time of neglect to get to where he is... So I'm expecting at least the white boy to be here for a while. The butterfly too, but not quite as long. 

I guess on that note if anyone is interested in either of the boys and would want to reserve them pending their improved health, please do let me know :]


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

I am interested in the white boy. I have taken care of enough rescues to understand how much time that is invested in restoring their health. Keep me posted on his progress.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Sounds good! I will definitely do that! He has a lot of potential and the cutest face lol. He gets to you too. I hadn't stopped thinking about him for the week between seeing him at that PetCo and having to leave him when I didn't have the space and when Swimmyfins messaged me asking if I could take him if she got him as a rescue.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

I have an extra soft spot for white fish, but I also see a lot of potential of what he will become. If I had seen him here I would have definitely brought him home to treat. It breaks my heart to see fish neglected to such a degree. I just about brought two home the other day because such terrible circumstances. It is very hard to walk away sometimes especially when you have the knowledge of how to help. I am glad you brought him home and pleased to hear that starting to make small improvements. I've found that my rescues have made the best fish. I think in some small way they understand what you have brought them through and to see their personalities come out and watch them thrive is very rewarding. Thanks for all you are doing for all the rescues!! Keep up the good work and I look forward to following progress.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I know exactly what you mean. I'm really happy he has a great home lined up when he recovers! He deserves it.


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## SilviaAndScales (Jan 14, 2016)

I love the name Casper! Sorry about Fawkes. I have a biter too so I know how frustrating it can be :-(. Does it seem like he bites during the day?


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

He's never done it before which is the part that's really confusing to me at the moment. It was definitely not like that last night and I didn't notice it before I left for class this morning.


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## Tealight03 (Nov 15, 2014)

Aw, I'm glad Casper is going to mamaj. Glad to hear they are both improving!


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Tealight03 said:


> Aw, I'm glad Casper is going to mamaj. Glad to hear they are both improving!


Me too


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Currently I'm torn between calling him Casper, King Boo (like from Super Mario Bros), or naming him Jem after a character in a book series I love and calling the butterfly Will. If anyone has read The Infernal Devices books, the prequels to the Mortal Instruments series (both of which I recommend btw) then thats where I get it.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

OR Zero after the ghost dog in the Nightmare Before Christmas!


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

How's the white boy today?


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I think I'm going with Zero from the nightmare before Christmas as his namesake lol, he reminds me of him a lot. 

He's doing about the same today. It was water change day for the entire house, rescues included. He handled it very well and got upgraded to a 3 gallon KK. The filter is a bit strong for him so I'm working on a fix for that, but overall he has more space and ate pretty well today. I think he's starting to get the idea of where his food shows up so that's good. Also he's holding his stump tail a little more open lately. Not much progress on the rot but it hasn't gotten any worse, so that's good.

The butterfly, now Jack, also is doing better. Currently without a heater and consequently floating with Zero but doing much better. The SBD is subsiding somewhat and he likes to show off what fins he has much more than he has previously. 

Here's Zero: I'm on my phone so I can't do more than one pic at a time but I'll do a gallery later. I took pictures of everyone to send my mom today. Also it's my dog Cooper's birthday so there will be a couple Cooper and Chase pics too.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

*Pictures as promised!*

Another Zero pic. He opens his mouth at me all the time like hes trying to yell at me for cupping him








Jack is looking more red and blue all the time! He also has blue eyes:
















Now for my gang!

Lavender








Saphira hanging out on the bottom like she does. Still not sure what her handicap issue is








Luna refusing to take a good picture








Fawkes as I hope he lets his tail grow back :|








And Prism hanging out in the filter current


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

What a cute face!


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## SilviaAndScales (Jan 14, 2016)

I love Jack's eyes so much!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Jack is definitely coloring up nicely. His SBD is getting a bit better, I think it's mostly a matter of getting the low quality food out of his system. Same with Zero. Zero still worries me though... During the course of a day he goes from really looking better and swimming around and reacting when I'm near him, to barely moving and not seeming to even notice when I'm there or when I drop him some food. At first I thought maybe he's blind, but that doesn't seem to be the case


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

What are you using to treat the fin rot? If you aren't able to baffle the filter flow, I might opt for a few days without to allow him to destress a bit. Zero reminds me a lot of Chance. Chance took a good while to build trust. When they have been so badly neglected sometimes it is a process. I'm sure you know all of this, but keeping his temp about 80, aquarium salt 1tsp/gallon and indian almond leaves will all help. If you don't see any improvement with salt you might want to go for a good antibiotic because rot being so advanced. Methylene blue baths are great for treating infection as well. Another thing that really helped Chance was lots of hides to allow him to feel more secure. If there is anything you need to help treat him, let me know and I can send it to you. Thanks for all you are doing. Hang in there buddy!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Zero has an IAL in the tank with a little bit of AQ for the fins right now with his water around 79 degrees. I did the three day betta revive treatment on him just in case there was any other less obvious problems. He poops pretty normally but he's a still rather skinny. I think he may just be depressed... My previous rescue Nick acted somewhat similarly until one day he learned how to flare and decided he was the most regal looking betta on the block even with half a tail (lol). I could imagine it being rough missing most of your fins like that... it's not always easy for him to swim as efficiently as he wants especially if he's trying to turn around.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Sounds good. I wouldn't worry so much about the weight at this point. As long as he is eating he will catch up. Yes I will agree on the flare. When Chance had his first flare it was the cutest thing stubs and all!


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

The one you called Saphira probably has swim bladder issues. Try espom salt ifirst and see if that helps. They can get swim bladder infections also which you'd try antibiotics for. For others it can be chronic SBD. I am just popping in if you have questions PM me.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

@themamaj I really think flaring is something really pivotal to betta psychology lol 

@jadaBlu I did try Epsom salt for little Saphira and nothing changed. I may isolate her and try a more aggressive approach when I get back from my study abroad trip, but I've seen a lot of different ways SBD presents itself and this just seems different to me... I'll work on attaching/linking a video and PM you. Additional advice is always welcome :]


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Everyone is doing well today! I woke up to find Zero swimming about and he ate happily. He also now has a filtered 3 gallon to himself. 
Jack is doing awesome! He officially now has a heater and is very happy to no longer be floating in Zero's. Still has some occasional buoyancy issues but they're definitely improving. They both have IAL in their tanks while Zero also has a bit of AQ. I'm cautiously optimistic about both of their fins as well. I Might be seeing the start of regrowth? Especially on Jack. Both boys are also holding their fins up more which is a good sign since for a while I wasnt sure Zero had a dorsal fin at all.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Very good news!


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## SilviaAndScales (Jan 14, 2016)

Yaaaayyyy! That's so great!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Well today I did 100% water changes on everyone and left a ton of sticky notes for my friend from work who will be stopping by a couple times during the week to feed everyone and dose some prime in my absence. I LEAVE FOR NORTHERN IRELAND IN A FEW HOURS!!!!! I'm so excited! Hopefully everyone will still be happily swimming when I get back next Sunday! I probably won't be on the forum much, but maybe I'll upload a couple pictures along the way!


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Safe trip!!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Well my friend was supposed to feed my fish today and I didn't get any texts of her freaking out so I'll assume that means they're all okay! I've spent the last few days in Belfast and am going to Giants Causeway tomorrow and staying in Derry for a few days after that before returning to Belfast and returning home a week from now. It has been incredible so far and I'm really looking forward to the rest of my trip!


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

What a great experience! Have fun time and safe trip. Love to see some pictures of places you see.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I will! All of my pictures are on my actual camera and I haven't uploaded to my laptop at all while I've been here since my internet access means hopping from wifi hotspot to wifi hotspot lol.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

*Back from Northern Ireland but have some sad news :/*

I'm happy to report that I am once again stateside and had an incredible trip!
Unfortunately I received a message shortly before my arrival that Zero had passed sometime between my friend feeding everyone on Wednesday and when she came back on Friday... :-( I'm really not sure what happened and can only assume that there was more wrong with him than I'd been able to diagnose and his little body just couldn't hold on anymore... I wish I knew what happened, but even if my friend hadn't taken care of it I wouldn't have had anywhere to go and have him autopsied. SIP Zero, I hope you were happy in your last week's out of that miserable cup :/ 

Everyone else seems to be as happy as ever. Prism and Fawkes are still biters but I think at least Fawkes has been letting some regrowth happen. Either that or he has just trimmed his fins down evenly across the board. Prism's fins are still as choppy as ever so I've kinda just accepted that this is probably just the way he is and it's unlikely he'll stop. It doesn't look that bad regardless. They got a 100% water change when I got home last night and their new filter cartridge still looks pretty clean so that's good. I also replaced the light bulb in their mini bow 5 gal with an LED from the pet section at Walmart and it looks so much better in there and it is no longer the ugly yellow cousin to the pure white light of my 10.

The girls all seem content in their sections of my 10 gal. They also got 100% water change and we're going all stress-striped on me when I cupped them, but they did fine otherwise. I also did an ES bath with Saphira for 25 minutes while I was changing the water. I think I might continue to do so and see if I can improve her ability to swim in case it's swim bladder related. Maybe daily for a week and then see what happens. 

Jack is doing great too. He was the only one in an unfiltered tank for the week so I had my concerns, but he actually seems to be showing regrowth on his tail. I think I'll be officially listing him for adoption within the week.

I'm also expecting a delivery from Koo Yang in the next day or two! Not for myself unfortunately but for another member who is importing two girls but will be out of the country themselves for the next week, so I'm looking forward to that as well.


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## BettaStarter24 (Mar 24, 2014)

So sorry to hear about Zero. But glad to hear everyone else made it ok and that you had a good time in Ireland.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Thanks BettaStarter, for the sympathy and the part about Ireland.

I do plan to post some of my pictures from my trip but I took almost 800 so that's going to have to be sorted through at some point!

I had a moral dilemma at Walmart last night. They have 4 CT boys left there, none of which look that great. They're all faded and stress stripes :/ but I can tell they have potential... The problem being there's no way they'd be given to me as rescues since there's nothing overtly wrong with them. They're in a 24 hour Walmart so it's usually a case of them being under the fluorescent lights all day and night that makes them so stressed out.. They didn't even look particularly dirty but I wanted to save at least one so badly... I have an open space... I should've taken pictures and seen if an adopted might've stepped up for any of them, but I was busy restocking my entire kitchen since I had no food after being out of the country.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

*My house guests!*

I'm basically drooling over these two import girls! Honestly I wish they were mine lol but alas, they're only staying with me for about a week before being shipped on to their forever home. Their owner is currently on a cruise and Koo Yang could only hold on to them until Monday, so here they are!!

They're stunning and Big lol especially the marble PK

Freshly released:
















Jack likes the set up lol, I've put some paper between them so they dont stress out too much 








She's next to my tiny temp thermometer and about as long as it! I wish I had a ruler lol (dont worry, the temp is way off cause I just put it in there)
















Flaring at each other








The white girl doesnt seem to care but the marble does








Marble also ate and I think so did the white girl but she seems to be playing with the pellets more than anything else.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Swimmyfins asked me about Jack today and if I had any new pictures. I didnt, but I quickly changed that!

I figured I'd share lol so heres a gallery of Jack:
















































He's really starting to show improvement. He doesn't have bouts of SBD anymore and he's very active looking to see what I'm doing whenever I walk over. He's also definitely showing regrowth on that tail of his!


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## BamNeko (Jan 10, 2015)

The girls look great. Thank you so much for taking them while I'm out on the cruise.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Its my pleasure!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

so after tonight my sorority may actually be taking shape! I'm hoping to win an eBay auction for a yellow samurai HMPK girl, I'm going to see if a certain blue grizzle girl is still at someone else's petco, there's a cute white-ish blue-purple HM at my petsmart I love, and if any of those don't work out then I may look into a spawn from the forum that had many fry turn out with no vents. Hopefully later I'll update with what fish I'm filling my sorority with!


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

The white girl is gorgeous! I dream of fish like that.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I know right? lol I'm honored just to be taking care of them for the week. They're both Gorgeous


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Ok I am pondering this sorority business again. I know you are starting one. What size tank are you planning and how many girls?


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I'm starting out with a 10 gallon and probably 5 girls to start. I've got a breeder box to separate any problems. I've been doing a lot of reading on the sorority threads here and online in general. There are a lot of conflicting views about tank size, number of girls, even or odd numbers etc. My plan is to start there and see what happens for myself. I'm going to be at minimums across the board for now.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Best of luck with it. Will have to do some more reading but starting to get the courage to try one.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I'm really looking forward to it especially since I officially have my two girls being shipped to me on Monday! One is a CT from Lil's petco and the other is a yellow samurai Thai import from Prism Bettas! The funny part is I lost my auction but messaged the seller who happened to have a nearly identical fish that they sold me outright for the starting bid price of the original one i bid on! I got a better deal by losing the auction.

My first import and my first sorority :] I can't wait for them to get here! I'm also probably going to go get a little white-ish blue/purple HM girl from my petsmart that I saw the other day too. But we'll see. 

Here are my two being shipped Monday! Double post alert: I'm on my phone so one image at a time


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

And from Lil


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Awwe they both look like candies! <3 good luck with the sorority!

Edit: you do know SNE is next week right  in case you need more caves or plants


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I think I've got it mostly under control lol. I'm thinking I'm going to build up plants around the filter where I know Saphira likes to sit near the surface so hopefully she'll be able to claim that spot when she's in with the others. The ES baths haven't seemed to do anything? but I think it is swim bladder related since she's curved when she sits on the bottom. So yeah, still leaning toward birth defect. We'll see how she does.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Olivia27 said:


> Awwe they both look like candies! <3 good luck with the sorority!
> 
> Edit: you do know SNE is next week right  in case you need more caves or plants



Squeal!!! Have been waiting for one (SNE)


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

So tell me details for plans on sorority. What size, how many girls, what kind of hides, etc


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I'm hopefully going to be setting up on Wednesday for the total re-aquascaping that's going to need to happen. I have a 10 gallon tank and I bought a number of background size that are technically too large for the tank but I'll trim them if need be. They'll be good for taller top cover. I have a few small caves and a lot of different sized silk plants. I've read that many times the caves aren't what gets used for hides and territory, it's the heavily planted parts. I guess that depends on the fish etc.

I'll have a better idea of what more I can fit once I start putting things together since my 10 is currently divided in 3 for my current 3 girls and I can't rearrange until I have the last two and can cup everyone to release together into the new arrangement.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Quick update day:

My guests are going to be leaving me in the next couple of days which is rather depressing, but soon to be replaced by the two girls of my own! Hopefully both are being shipped out today and will reach me by Wednesday or Thursday. I'm also probably going back for that HM at my petsmart but I'm prepared to be disappointed and her be gone by the time I go back.

Fawkes and Prism are still biters, but I see regrowth on Fawkes so thats a plus.

Speaking of regrowth, Jack is doing incredibly well! I see improvement in his tail basically daily.

Nothing new for Luna lol she's my perfect angel who never has any problems. Lavender is definitely eggy so I've been feeding her less to try to get her to reabsorb them. And Saphira is still swimming weird, and I honestly am not sure if the ES baths I've been doing are helping or if nothing has changed. Currently deciding if I'm going to continue them.

This is going to be a hectic but fun week! I'm thrilled to be starting my sorority but I'm also about to get busier again because I am training 7 newly hired gym employees on top of my regular work schedule. We'll see how that goes!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I was right :/ the HM girl wasn't there anymore. I'm still going to keep an eye out there since I'm prepared for Saphira to not handle sorority life
well, but we'll see. There was another little HM girl I liked but no where near as much, so I'll be waiting to see what I find.


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

I could look at girls from my Petsmart; are you looking for specific sizes/colors? 

My Petsmart has Giant girls for 3 bucks. >3


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I have those two coming to me already, I just liked that one too. She was really cute and a unique color. I've never seen anywhere have giant girls? That's very interesting. If you're ever there id be curious to see pictures lol


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

OUOhYeah2016 said:


> I'm hopefully going to be setting up on Wednesday for the total re-aquascaping that's going to need to happen. I have a 10 gallon tank and I bought a number of background size that are technically too large for the tank but I'll trim them if need be. They'll be good for taller top cover. I have a few small caves and a lot of different sized silk plants. I've read that many times the caves aren't what gets used for hides and territory, it's the heavily planted parts. I guess that depends on the fish etc.
> 
> I'll have a better idea of what more I can fit once I start putting things together since my 10 is currently divided in 3 for my current 3 girls and I can't rearrange until I have the last two and can cup everyone to release together into the new arrangement.


Sounds great! I'm anxious to see it when you get it put together. Sorry the HM you wanted was no longer there. I hope you find another special girl to add. Keep us posted. Really enjoy following your journal.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

There were 3 cute girls at my Petsmart yesterday! I thought of you and your budding sorority.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

My yellow girl got here today! Currently swimming around in my 3 gallon KK while I wait on number 5. She's coming from Lil and her tracking info hasn't updated since she left Rhode Island two nights ago... Hopefully she gets here okay. 

I also sent off my import house guests to BamNeko today so they will hopefully reach their destination on Friday. I reused the box they came to me in and so it was the first time I went to my post office with a box clearly marked "Live Fish." The guy at the counter was rather confused but didn't give me any problems. Apparently he's only seen one box marked live fish before... little does he know I send them all the time and have handed them to him personally on more than one occasion lol


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Ha!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

So I realized the other day that I barely recognize Jack anymore. He's becoming one of the most gorgeous boys I own, and I think pretty dang highly of Fawkes and Prism (until I hate them a little bit for biting their tails...). The longer I keep him the more I think I'm keeping him... But I also know he'd definitely make someone else very happy. He's showing so much regrowth that I'd be comfortable shipping him at this stage... But do I want to? This is the first rescue I've gotten this attached to. I blame my mom for always asking about him and thinking he's beautiful too. Admittedly, I've seen fish similar to him but not with the iridescence and turquoise wash. He seems to also have the beginnings of some butterfly banding in the tail but I guess we'll see what it grows back to be.

So heres the picture taken of him in the store and the rest are him today, flaring and showing off for my new girl:
































Like.... that cant be the same fish!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

And now for my new little friend! 









































She's adorable and ate a bit already, so thats a good sign. If you're ever bored and looking at bettas, Prism Bettas gets some nice ones. 

No name yet, but she's right up at the tank wall watching me on my computer. I already love her! Hopefully my CT girl gets here tomorrow and I can start my sorority soon after as long as everyone is on good health!


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## Tealight03 (Nov 15, 2014)

She is a cutie pie! Jack looks great!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

So... awkward but Prism Bettas sent me the wrong fish. I messaged them and they are very apologetic but it seems like no resolution is going to be proposed until they know if the one I originally ordered is still there or not. I'll let you know how that all turns out. I like her, but I would like to get the one I originally ordered.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Wait, she's not the yellow samurai?? OMG fooled me right out! When did you notice? O_O


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

She's pretty similar, but is mostly considered a koi. I looked and the labeling they use has her as a koi as F-76 and the samurai was F-77. Its looking like I get to keep her and the samurai will be sent to me early next week... *Fingers crossed* Cant beat two beautiful girls for the price of one!


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Wow oh wow can't believe Jack is same fish! What gorgeous colors he has developed. You have done great job with him!! Oh is that a koi girl???? So cute! I love koi! (Actually that love got me in trouble today when saw one local for first time ever! He won't be out of quarantine to sell until Friday but on hold for me) I hope you are able to get your Samurai girl too!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

It's looking like my samurai girl will be shipped Monday or Tuesday of next week! And they haven't brought up the koi girl I currently have so I have no intention of bringing her up. So I think she's mine now as well :]

Lol themamaj, how many bettas do you have exactly? No judgement, I just imagine that you're a good example of what my future in betta keeping will look like!


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

35 currently. 2 on way. So yes busy but love every minute of it.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

admittedly that was more than I expected lol I'm soon to be up to 10 including Jack though so I'm more than headed in that direction.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

My little CT girl got here from Lil !!! She's perfect! I'm likely setting up my sorority tank today so I'll update later! For now here she is!


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Oh, she's such a cutie!

I just went to the pet store and took a look at the black crowntail a bit more closely. She's a black copper like Lil's black copper girl, just still small. Her copper bits look silver in the pet store's lighting.


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

I'm going today, after School. If I can. x.x

(I still can't drive, no permit. Ugh.)


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Well. This is really stressful. I had to separate Saphira out because of her swimming issue and the fact that she's decided that she wants to take on everyone else even though she's at a distinct disadvantage.. She's in the breeder box. Luna is also getting nipped a bit... The CT is minding her own buisness and doing good. Lavender and the Koi are the two alphas to start with, we'll see how that goes.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

*First Official Sorority Update!*

Any suggestions on improving the set up is more than welcome!

Here's the tank!








So far I've had to put Saphira in the breeder box because she keeps picking fights she cant win because of her handicap. I'm hoping I'll be able to release her again after a while in there... 

Luna is also taking the most damage but its just some torn fins, nothing too bad. I think she's trying to work her way up the hierarchy. The top is definitely the koi. Lavender and Luna seem to be next and the CT girl seems to just mind her own business. 

I freaked out at first, but I think things may be getting better already. It still feels like I've got a long stressful week or so ahead of me when it comes to watching these girls.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I moved a few of the plants forward because I realized there were a lot of large leaves crowding the areas the girls were trying to run away from when someone (usually the koi) scared them off. 

She's also the only one still causing issues and the only one still caring that Saphira is in that breeder box. It kind of reminds me of how dogs dont like when there are other dogs or people on the other side of their fence... 

Anyway, here's the best picture of my tank so far. Lavender and the CT seem to be the ones liking the cave and hides toward the bottom. It makes me anxious not being able to see them all lol I'm not used to that heavily of planted tanks!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

*Sorority Day 2*

Well I woke up to still have 5 females (4 in the tank and Saphira in the breeder box) and everyone came to the front to eat and that went rather well. Better than I'd been expecting for sure. 

Luna is still challenging the koi this morning. She doesn't look any worse off than she did yesterday, but it's still making me consider separating the koi because she seems to be the main aggressor whenever I see problems arising. At the same time though I don't want to make that call too early and give up on the current arrangement. It's only day 2 after all. So I think I'm leaving them alone for the time being. When my yellow samurai gets here that'll mean a shake up in the order of things anyway, so this is probably the best course of action. She won't get here until next week and I'll have her in the breeder box for a couple of weeks before releasing her. 

My boyfriend came over last night and sat watching the tank for probably half an hour because we were hoping to take a head count that everyone was still alive and swimming, but I think he likes them all together. It's weird for me after having that tank divided in three for so long. It looks way bigger now. And Lil told me it's a perfect sorority tank with this set up, so I'm pretty proud of that!


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

I love that little face peaking out of the cave! I have that same cave in my 10 gallon.

Good luck with your girls! I've read it takes weeks for everything to settle down.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Thanks Sadist! I'm hopeful at this point. I was really stressed about it yesterday but I've accepted the torn fins a bit... I think I'm just so used to fixing those kinds of things immediately with rescues that this really freaked me out. We'll see how it goes.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Tank looks really good! Love colors and you have done great job creating hides. Sounds like we are both seeing the typical challenges for hierarchy. Isn't it funny how that plays out? I have 2 girls with some fin nips but nothing too serious. Understand stress. Keep doing head counts too. Hope things go well with your girls! Each one is so cute.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Yes, we're all used to fixing boo boos right away >.<


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Lol exactly! I hate seeing my kids a little tattered up!


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## Tealight03 (Nov 15, 2014)

I love that tank! Hope the sorority will go well.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Sorority dynamics are really interesting. I'm noticing that I think Luna may be the peacekeeper of the group and that her and Lavender have somewhat joined forces to keep the koi from being too aggressive. The little CT is getting a little more confident in coming out from the plants. She doesn't seem to be taking any abuse from the others unless she inadvertently interrupts something between the bigger girls, so that's good too. Saphira is still flaring away from that breeder box.... she's a spunky little thing.

And thanks tealight!


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## torileeann11 (Dec 17, 2015)

Love your sorority set up! One of the best artificial tanks I have seen


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## BettaStarter24 (Mar 24, 2014)

I'd go insane lol. I want to fix boo boos right away and that would drive me nuts having to just let them figure it out.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Yeah...... I'm learning to deal lol. It's mostly torn fins, nothing serious.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I saw a few really nice CTs tonight and I'm highly considering going back tomorrow and buying them to resell... One was a blue and orange bicolor (MG?) and another was a light purple. There were a lot of them too so I didn't get to really spend a lot of time looking through the entire shipment. I also want to go back to my LFS I haven't been at in a while and see what they have too. I don't see any true rescues happening in the near future just because I'm already somewhat stressed with my sorority (though admittedly things keep getting better) and I'm not really seeing any overt issues, even at my Walmart. Just lethargy and the effects of 24/7 fluorescent lighting. We'll see. 

Also Thanks so much Torileeann11 !!! (idk how I missed your comment earlier) That means a lot. Buying some silk plants that are technically too big for the tank is probably the best idea I can recommend. It created a lot of dense cover for the girls to use in addition to the caves.

Life is busy with work but I'm making time for this sorority and it's already rewarding despite their scuffles. I really enjoy having the feel of a community tank (if not a very peaceful one) while still getting to have multiple bettas, especially as pretty as my girls. 

And since I'm on my phone and can only add one picture at a time and was probably going to do more of a photo update in the next couple of days, here's my CT girl being her cute little self. Queenie is currently top pick on a name for her. The Koi is looking for a name as well.


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## torileeann11 (Dec 17, 2015)

I know the feeling though. I'm right there with ya learning how to control the girls/let them work it out. It just seems like all the biting takes place when I'm not around. If they catch me looking at them, they abandon their inner strife to all come beg like dogs at the front of the glass.. This is going to probably get me grief, but they let me pet them. Like gently with my fingers. Jade in particular likes to swim in and out and brush my fingers while I am working on the plants.. It is downright the coolest thing about these fishes. I really feel like they like me, regardless of what anyone says.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Haha no I totally agree that they recognize us and all of that! My girls seem to have relaxed a bit when it comes to those minor scuffles. Luna was the most tattered and I already see her tail getting some regrowth. She has much thinner fins than the others so it hasn't been taking much for hers to split when she gets nipped. However none of her fins have been missing any pieces so they're healing quickly. The koi had a smal chunk missing from her tail that's also growing back, just hasn't colored in again yet. The CT and Lavender have gotten by relatively unscathed. 

My primary concern at this point is whether or not I'll be able to add Saphira back in from the breeder box eventually. She looks worse to me in that box without substrate on the bottom to help her sit straight when she lands on the bottom. She doesn't help matters by still flaring at the others and wanting to pick a fight while she's in there. She's stationary for long periods of time and at least at this stage of the sorority I don't think that's a good thing for her. 

I'm coming up on when I'd like to do my 50% WCs on my filtered tanks. So any advice on doing that with 4 free in the tank plus the breeder box that would be appreciated. It would take forever to catch 5 girls but I will if it's necessary. 

As for the morning though everyone's still there and everyone ate. Had a little more of a problem with the koi not wanting anyone else to eat but her, but I was able to make sure everyone was adequately fed. Otherwise things are doin good.

You would think Fawkes and Prism could see each other and planned when they'd bite their tails worse.... But otherwise they're doing great, and so is Jack looking more majestic by the day.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

I'd just siphon the water out and let the girls be. Cup them if you can but they should be fine free swimming while you're vacuuming. Just make sure your vacuum isn't too big


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I'm thinking I may put it off until the yellow samurai gets here. I did a 75-85% change when I started this on Thursday. I don't wanna rock the boat too much this early on. I'm running two 10 gal filters in there and I'm thinking about upgrading to a single 20 gal filter for it. I'm not sure yet though just because of my future 20 long plans. I'm really trying not to get ahead of myself with the number of fish I currently have and the space limitations I have for permanent pets. I should probably sit down and see what's smart to invest in now for those future plans.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Well I brought home two CTs today! I got the purple and the MG. I'm going to post them in the marketplace section and then probably eBay soon after unless someone sees them in my journal. I'll post a couple pictures of them later!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

*Two CTs for sale!*

I decided to take in a couple CTs as bought-to-sell investments. They will go on eBay by the end of the week if no one on here wants them.

The first is a nice MG CT in blue and orange. As a Chicagoan and a bears fan, I'm calling him Ditka after Da Coach. I am selling him for $15 on here with a $12 flat rate shipping for priority, $35 priority express. If you're Really interested and you see this on my journal, maybe we can negotiate a little.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

The next CT I have for sale is a pink, purple, and red tricolor boy. He will also go on ebay if no one on here steps up for him.

His nickname is Bubblegum and he will also be for $15 and $12 priority/$30 Express shipping. Same deal as Ditka. I'm having a harder time getting him to flare and show off those colors and fins, but I hope you get the idea. He also has good form.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Have you tried letting them see each other and snap a double flare pic? Sometimes when mirrors don't work, an actual fish does.

Cool names by the way


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

These boys were also at the store when I went to pick up Ditka and Bubblegum, I would have no problem going to pick them up on request. There were a number of them and these are just a sample, so just let me know. One that is not pictured was another CT that was yellow with decent form. Anyway, here they are:


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Olivia27 said:


> Have you tried letting them see each other and snap a double flare pic? Sometimes when mirrors don't work, an actual fish does.
> 
> Cool names by the way


Thats actually how I got Ditka's pictures. Bubblegum was less enthused lol


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Quick Sorority Update:

Everything seems to be calming down already! I'm hopeful that the worst is over and that I will possibly be able to release Saphira again eventually. My yellow samurai is being shipped tomorrow so I'll have two girls in the breeder box when she does get here... Or maybe I can use the introduction of the samurai girl as a distraction for the others while I let Saphira try the sorority life again... We'll see. It'll have been a week for Saphira in the box by the time my samurai gets here. 

Signs are positive though. I've had minimal conflict during feeding times and I'm seeing all of the girls close up to the glass without challenging each other automatically on sight. The only time I see an occasional posturing is if two of them decide to test out the same cave. Even Queenie has been more present swimming around rather than hiding from her larger sisters. The koi still needs a name... Helga has been in consideration because of Helga Hufflepuff and my semi-Harry Potter theme.

Also my boyfriend has come up with the idea of renaming Jack "Mushu" after the dragon in Mulan and it is kinda perfect for him. We'll see if that sticks. I feel like if I let it stick I'm going to end up keeping him..... I really shouldn't though... its a hard choice.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Ditka is spoken for and will be shipped on Wednesday! Bubblegum is still available! 

Now I have to keep telling myself that this is an atypical turnover rate and I shouldnt go back for one of the blue CTs with the really good form to sell as well... 

The sorority looks better and better every day. Luna was looking tattered after those first couple of days but she's almost completely healed up now. So is the chunk of the koi's tail that was missing after day 2. Lavender is definitely eggy but I cant really fast her at this point just because I don't want her hungry and aggressive. Her damage to her anal fin is getting better too and I havent seen more than maybe one new nip on anyone in the last day or two. Saphira on the other hand is still being aggressive from inside the breeder box...... Not sure if she just wants out or if she's going to continue being a problem child. She's so cute and I still worry that releasing her with the others unless its 100% calm could go very badly with her swimming issue.

My yellow samurai is shipped today! I can't wait to get her here! Looks like her and Saphira will be sharing the two sides of the breeder box.


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## Seaman2012 (Feb 20, 2013)

I feel like themamaj sometimes with a lot of work cleaning tanks but I love it so much haha he will be my 21st Betta but I absolutely love cleaning tanks and taking care of my babies!!


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## Seaman2012 (Feb 20, 2013)

I can't wait to receive Ditka! Thank you!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Glad he's going to an experienced owner!


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Really love colors on red and blue boy. Nice finds


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Thanks @themamaj ! I saw so many nice fish and I couldn't pass them up!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Sorority life is going well this morning :] Everyone is eating well and there really haven't been any scuffles related to feeding time. 

I'm kinda getting worried about my yellow samurai girl coming from Prism Bettas.... The last girl they sent me did not have a heat pack but her bag was in actual insulation material and that was inside a foam lined box. But it wasn't this cold at that point. And her tracking number says she won't be here until Thursday. *fingers crossed*

Everyone else is doing well. Bubblegum was rather sluggish for a little while, but it looks like he was just a bit bloated, nothing a little Epsom salt couldn't fix. Ditka is just waiting for payment and then hopefully he'll be on his way tomorrow.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Today is a fish moving day! Ditka is headed off and my yellow samurai girl should be here before noon if all goes well. After this one I'm going to need to make a trip for styrofoam again, I'm running rather low. Part of me wants to try the paper towel method like Lil does, but I'm already comfortable with the way I package and so far haven't had any issues. We'll see I suppose. It's not quite warm enough to go without a heat pack either... It's getting there though.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Good luck!


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

OUOhYeah2016 said:


> Sorority life is going well this morning :] Everyone is eating well and there really haven't been any scuffles related to feeding time.
> 
> I'm kinda getting worried about my yellow samurai girl coming from Prism Bettas.... The last girl they sent me did not have a heat pack but her bag was in actual insulation material and that was inside a foam lined box. But it wasn't this cold at that point. And her tracking number says she won't be here until Thursday. *fingers crossed*
> 
> Everyone else is doing well. Bubblegum was rather sluggish for a little while, but it looks like he was just a bit bloated, nothing a little Epsom salt couldn't fix. Ditka is just waiting for payment and then hopefully he'll be on his way tomorrow.



Glad to hear girls are doing well! Love name Bubblegum how cute! Safe travels for Ditka. I am thinking about ordering some shipping supplies as well so I can try to offer fosters and adoptions in the future. I have been noting how each person packs differently. Can you give me some tips on how you pack? Water is about 1/3 of bag? Would love to try but seems more scary than a sorority lol!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Haha it does seem everyone packages differently! 

Personally I line my boxes with styrofoam, the white kind you get at craft stores that isnt the really hard modeling kind. Its the less dense, more what you think of when someone says "styrofoam" kind... if that makes sense. Then I wrap my heat pack in newspaper and use more newspaper as insulation/to keep the bag with the fish from moving around too much. The box I use is free to request from USPS, I think its box 2 or 5... I cant remember but theyre 6x6x7 I think. As for bagging the fish I have a decent relationship with the local petsmart employees and they give me bags whenever I need them. For a single fish I'll put about half of a petsmart betta cup's worth of water in with them and do 2/3rds air. When I'm shipping pairs I tend to tape the bags (in half kind of) so that they're taller than they are wide and I can fit two into a single bag for double bagging purposes. 

It is stressful but after the first couple of times you get the hang of it and it feels more routine. I'm yet to have a bad outcome *knock on wood* so taking a fish to the post office is rather normalized for me now.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Also: My yellow samurai girl got here today!

















I can see how she got mixed up with the koi girl, but hey, no complaints about the unintentional 2 for 1 deal! Her and Saphira are currently sharing the two sides of the breeder box. I haven't decided yet if I should try letting Saphira out again or not... She still gets pissy when her sisters swim past her occasionally, but nothing major.

The samurai seems pretty calm in general so far and the rest of the girls dont seem to be paying That much attention to her. So those are probably good signs.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Wow, she's a cutie!


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## SilviaAndScales (Jan 14, 2016)

Eeeeeeeee she's so cute. Glad you finally got her.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Thanks guys! I'm really excited to have her finally! Hopefully I'll have my final, finished, and fully functioning sorority in a week or two!

Also, Ditka is on his way to Seaman! Hopefully USPS does well for me!

I think the koi's name is going to be Helga, like Helga Hufflepuff. Not sure about the samurai girl yet, but its early, gotta get a feel for her personality.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

OUOhYeah2016 said:


> Haha it does seem everyone packages differently!
> 
> Personally I line my boxes with styrofoam, the white kind you get at craft stores that isnt the really hard modeling kind. Its the less dense, more what you think of when someone says "styrofoam" kind... if that makes sense. Then I wrap my heat pack in newspaper and use more newspaper as insulation/to keep the bag with the fish from moving around too much. The box I use is free to request from USPS, I think its box 2 or 5... I cant remember but theyre 6x6x7 I think. As for bagging the fish I have a decent relationship with the local petsmart employees and they give me bags whenever I need them. For a single fish I'll put about half of a petsmart betta cup's worth of water in with them and do 2/3rds air. When I'm shipping pairs I tend to tape the bags (in half kind of) so that they're taller than they are wide and I can fit two into a single bag for double bagging purposes.
> 
> It is stressful but after the first couple of times you get the hang of it and it feels more routine. I'm yet to have a bad outcome *knock on wood* so taking a fish to the post office is rather normalized for me now.


Do you have to get your boxes at the post office locally? Do you put your heat bags on top or bottom? Seen it done both ways. Is there a particular time of heat bag you recommend for priority mail? Yes I know the styrofoam you are talking about. Actually have saved a couple of my ship boxes so could reuse. Really good idea how to ship pairs. Do you add a drop of Prime to water? Sorry for all the questions. 

Samurai girl is so pretty! I can also see how they got confused but you ended up with a great deal of two great fish! Glad everyone home safely.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

themamaj said:


> Do you have to get your boxes at the post office locally? Do you put your heat bags on top or bottom? Seen it done both ways. Is there a particular time of heat bag you recommend for priority mail? Yes I know the styrofoam you are talking about. Actually have saved a couple of my ship boxes so could reuse. Really good idea how to ship pairs. Do you add a drop of Prime to water? Sorry for all the questions.
> 
> Samurai girl is so pretty! I can also see how they got confused but you ended up with a great deal of two great fish! Glad everyone home safely.


Lol i left out a lot! Whoops! But I'm happy to answer any questions!

If you go on USPS's website you can order the boxes and they'll be delivered to your door for free. I usually put my heat pack on top, but I also have seen it both ways. I use the 72 hour heat packs which are usually still warm by the time the fish makes it to their destination. Thats usually 2 or 3 day priority, though I always do 2 day unless it isn't available.

And yeah I know right! I'm just glad she was still there when I received the koi by mistake. I love how many iridescent scales she has and the pattern. She's perfect and so is Helga in her own way. Can't beat the way it worked out!


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Chiming in: nope you don't have to physically visit a post office to get the boxes. In fact, I think right now our box is only available online. It's called Box 4, and the dimensions are 7x7x6 (inches). You can't purchase it individually so you will receive a package of 10 boxes. I started out by putting heat packs on the top of the box, but I noticed that the heat was distributed much less efficiently that way. So now I put my heat pack on the bottom. Don't forget to put some sort of barrier between the fish bag and the heat pack though. No matter where you put the heat pack it must never touch the fish. I do add a drop of Prime or Stress Coat into the bag. Sometimes two drops. I read on Lil's journal that she does 72-hour for 3-Day priority and 60-hour for anything below. But tbh I think either are fine. Definitely not the 40-hour ones though (you said for priority so this is excluding overnight deliveries). The less time limit the heat pack has, the faster it heats up. We always worry about the cold first, but heat kills too. 

Here's the instructions sheet that came with my heat packs


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Great help thank you! Olivia thank you for chiming in as well. Glad heat pack comes with instructions. I know others on forum have had doa's from too much heat so wondered what was safest way to pack them. At what point in the year is it ok to go without heat pack?


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Lil told me once that until it's at least 60 (i think) overnight in both places for the duration of the trip then it's definitely safe to go without a heat pack. My samurai girl came with one but also the foam had a hole in the top to vent it out a bit since it is warmer now but not That warm. I think it's a balance between warming them up and not holding all of that heat in the entire time. Those DOAs I think happen when the foam or whatever is being used is sealed Too well. The packs heat to about 100 degrees and then give off less heat as time passes, so I'm sure that builds up.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

OUOhYeah2016 said:


> Lil told me once that until it's at least 60 (i think) overnight in both places for the duration of the trip then it's definitely safe to go without a heat pack. My samurai girl came with one but also the foam had a hole in the top to vent it out a bit since it is warmer now but not That warm. I think it's a balance between warming them up and not holding all of that heat in the entire time. Those DOAs I think happen when the foam or whatever is being used is sealed Too well. The packs heat to about 100 degrees and then give off less heat as time passes, so I'm sure that builds up.


Not sealing too tight is a good thing to know.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I've heard of people using those foam coolers, like for drinks, and those could definitely get too hot with a heat pack in there.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I cannot be happier that this week is over... Saying it's been rough would be an understatement. Campus is emptying pretty quickly and I'm happy to spend my weekend with my boyfriend and be able to stay here and relax apart from having a couple trainees to teach at work for a few hours. 

All the bettas are doing well though. I'm thinking next week I'll let at least Saphira out of the breeder box and see how she does. Yellow samurai girl seems to be relatively peaceful in general so I'm hoping she does well and I can release her after her two weeks. 

Fawkes seems to be letting his tail grow back, Prism not so much. Watching Jack/Mushu's tail grow back is fascinating. I think he may be an FT or RT from what I can see of a ray count starting. He also may be going home to live with my mom in a couple weeks, so we'll see on that.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Not feeling well on water change day is not a fun time. That's about all I have to say this morning :/


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

So not only have I not been feeling well but my gravel vac managed to get a rock stuck in the exact wrong spot and now doesn't work, though my replacement gets here tomorrow from amazon prime, which means water change day has to happen for basically everyone tomorrow or Wednesday. 

Today I got called in to work 3 hours early because the supervisor before me didn't show up for work. I don't mind that much but it does cut into the hours I have available to train new employees. 

Last week was literally terrible. I'm wait listed for the graduate program
I'd basically been told I was garunteed a spot in and it's really stressing me out. The worst part is that I deserve it. I have a great GPA and am
finishing my undergrad in 3 years, am in multiple honor societies for my major, have studied abroad, made the deans list, etc.... I legitimately think they forgot about me... but they said I probably won't know until April 11th so I'm really stressed out. I Think I'll get in, but it would really mess with my plans for the next year. 

Back to fish: I think that water change day will include introducing at least Saphira into the sorority instead of living in the breeder box. The yellow samurai girl is still nameless but it's been about a week and she seems pretty mellow... I'm deciding if I want to keep her isolated for a second week. 

Bubblegum has a watcher on eBay but no bids and his auction ends tonight. We'll see how that goes.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Good luck with everything! Bummer about everything happening at once. That seems to happen -- bored stiff with nothing to do, then bam everything at once!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Thanks Sadist. It's also worse because I'm not really telling any of my friends about my predicament except my boyfriend so I've been having to write off my weird mood on my being sick for the last week ish. Oh well... I'm surviving.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Sorry about the grad program fiasco  and I know the rock-stuck-in-gravel-vac problem aaaall too well. Ugh >< I have to replace my gravel vac every month or so because of a stray gravel clogging it =\ 

Hope Saphira's introduction go well x


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Well. Right when we thought my day/week/life couldn't get any weirder, my work day hit the fan and ended in a call to the police. 

Quick recap if you're new-ish to my journal, I'm a supervisor at my college rec/gym facility.
Long story short: A number of my employees at the front desk were approached by groups of bigger basketball player type guys would approach and attempt to get into the building. To get in you need a student ID or you need a state ID and to buy a day pass. Either way, you can't just pass my people up. Some of them called me, some didn't, and we ended up with 30+ guys in one of our basketball courts and were legitimately getting violent. I was called back to the front desk and kept any more from coming in and called the police. We got them all kicked out of the building. Also turned out one of those that proceeded to pay to get back in and signed in was someone the police and our workers suspected as stealing while in our facility previously. Then there was another guy who had a tear drop tattoo under his eye. For those of you who may know less about criminality, basically that's a symbol that he either has killed someone or really wants someone to think they did. 

So that's how my day went.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Wow.

Every workplace has that story ._. Just last week a guy got arrested in the bus I always ride to work because they kept talking about ISIS coming over and killing everyone. 

Anyway. Glad you're okay


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Scary! I hope no one got hurt.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Everyone was fine, including me. They left peacefully enough despite some glares directed my way. The police handled everything very well and dropped to me that they're hiring (lol im sorta considering it). I also told my boss that I want positive communications (its our way of acknowledging going above and beyond, a negative communication is our version of a write up) written for two of my employees that kept more people from entering the building. Everything was taken care of and we ended up catching the guy who was suspected of thefts in the building so with any luck this will deter this from happening again.

Ironically, part of the reason so many of these people showed up is because their college (which is less than half an hour from ours) was actually closed today because a murderer escaped the Nelsonville prison near their school and the campus was shut down because of it. So..... yeah we can make of that what we will.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Also! Here's the link to Bubblegum's EBay Listing! Views help him get seen and hopefully find him a buyer! He got a couple of watchers last time but no bids. 

https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/322055581445


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Viewed him!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

My gravel vac came today! So water changes finally happened. Fawkes and Prism got an almost complete wc and the sorority got about 75% while Mushu and Bubblegum got 100%. 

This also meant it was decision time for me and deciding who I was going to release into the sorority. I decided to go for it and now both Saphira and my so far nameless yellow samurai girl are now in with Helga, Lavender, Luna, and Queenie. So far things are going much better than the first time. The rest of the girls seem to mostly be giving the newer ones the silent treatment.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Night 1 and first feeding of the full sorority is in the books! It all seems to have gone down entirely without incident. Saphira seems to still annoy the others to some extent but she seems to also be free to land where she pleases and not to be bothered. Samurai girl (Electra? like after the Marvel Comics character? maybe? idk I watched all of Daredevil season 2 on Netflix on Saturday) still seems to be adjusting but it's going rather well. I'm very pleasantly surprised. They all got to eat pretty evenly fed (lol I try anyway).


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

I sure hope you are able to get into graduate program.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Thanks themamaj, its a waiting game at this point but im cautiously optimistic so far.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

The sorority is still going well. Luna must have gotten into it with someone though because she's missing a chunk from her anal fin. I feel bad for her cause I think she has thinner fins than the others and so when they nip she's the only one taking any damage. Nothing concerning though. 

It's Moms Weekend on campus so my mom is here. I offered her the choice between Mushu and Prism if she wants to take one of my boys for herself. Prism is still biting bad so the change of venue might be good for him. Either way I need to do something about the current from the filter output since Mushu would end up in the divided tank with Fawkes in Prism's absence. I'll figure it out eventually. I've got a couple weeks before I go home and take one of the boys with me. 

Otherwise nothing new to report. I took a quick set of pictures of the sorority girls and of Mushu, but I haven't had a chance to upload anything.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Quick gallery for the day! 

First off some progress pics for Mushu who is officially going to Chicago with me in a couple of weeks and going to live with my mom!
























And now the Sorority Girls! Saphira still swims weird and tries to pick on the others but doesn't typically succeed since she can't keep up, but the others leave her alone for the most part. Luna has a nip in her fins still, but otherwise everyone seems to all be in one complete piece. Queenie has definitely grown since I got her as well. Helga is still my bully but its never anything bad. And so far still no final name for my yellow samurai girl... Whos left... Oh yeah Lavender is doing well and is one of the only girls that likes to make use of the caves I have in the tank.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Wow yeah Queenie has definitely grown! Love how she didn't marble  congrats to Mushu for finding a home!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I'm happy he's staying in the family lol so I get to make him and my mom happy :]


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Happy to announce that I've finally named my yellow Samurai girl! She is officially Rea! It's meant to be a more feminine version of "Ray" because she's a ray of yellow sunshine lol


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Aaawww so she's not the main character in Star Wars 7?? D: I'm disappointed lol


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## torileeann11 (Dec 17, 2015)

Awe! I love that name!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Lol Olivia that works with the whole "Galaxy" pattern too tho!

And thanks Torileeann!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

So I think I've decided that I'm going to move Prism out of the divided tank with Fawkes and give him the 3 gal KK as soon as Mushu goes home to my mom and/or I sell Bubblegum. Im not sure if his biting is a result of the divided situation or the filter flow or what but its worth moving him. Not sure if that would mean space for another fish in the divided tank or letting Fawkes have the whole thing.... we'll see on that.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Now I'm highly considering a second 5 gallon for Prism... When one of my roommates moves out in a few weeks we'll no longer have a tv in the living room of my apartment and I'm probably going to move mine out there so looks like I'll have more surface space for fish tanks :] 

Mushu will be going home with me in a week to live with my mom, but that also means having the opportunity and the means to go to at least two nice PetCo stores. My mom went to one today and they had a "Halfmoon king" and according to her he was at least 2 inches BO so an official Giant. I'd be really torn between a giant and a baby betta.... we'll see what I come home with next weekend... Maybe I could buy a giant to sell if it came down to it..... We'll see.

Bubblegum has some interest on a facebook group so we'll see how that goes as well. 

Oh! And I've decided that IF I can fit a 20 in my next apartment I'll be taking my dads old 20 tall. It's older and a wood finish but I can always sand it down and paint it since I'd rather it be black. 

As it stands I want to try to reduce the filter output thats irritating Prism before I make any changes. I might put a sponge there but I worry about it being aquarium safe... we'll see. 

Im saying that a lot lately... "we'll see." A lot is still up in the air about what I'm gunna be doing next year/next semester/this summer even. Hopefully everything will get settled in the next week or so.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

So first of all HUGE shoutout to Tourmaline for the signature pic art of all 8 of my bettas! They came out awesome!

In sorority news nothing has really changed. Things are calmer still but Luna keeps showing up with more torn fins... It was her anal first, then a tear in her tail, and now her dorsal is looking tattered... Its nothing serious and I don't see fighting going on and I don't see any fin nips on anyone else, so I'm not entirely sure what I should do, or if I should do anything at all. Luna doesn't seem any worse for the wear but its Always her. I don't know if she's alpha and has to keep defending that position or what...

The boys are fine and I actually ordered more silk plants so I can fully convert the 5 gallon to silk plants. Crossing my fingers that Fawkes doesn't decide he hates it and bites all of his newly regrown fins...Again.

Mushu has less than a week until he's home permanently. Also Bubblegum is now on AquaBid and I may relist him on Ebay too... I hope he sells cause I'm working on clearing some space around here for Olivia's boys (however many of them there may be by that point ) to stay the summer and for any potential additions to my own little betta family resulting from my trip home this coming weekend.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Three. Three boys. That's all, I swear XD even if I keep Cobalt he'd probably stay with the ladies to cut back on shipping fee. 

Do you think Luna's the only one getting beat up because she has the most fins? It's probably pretty hard to catch a single protruding ray from a CT, for example, and everyone else is a PK


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Idk about much More fins... I do think she may be an FT HM tho the closer I look, especially now that I keep having to look at her injuries. I do think her fins are thin tho and tear easily in comparison to everyone else's? Maybe? I'm not entirely sure.

Haha well you know I'm up for anything! Fish sitting is fun.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Love name for samurai girl.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Thanks @themamaj !

So I'm also now really considering a snail or two per tank... probably Nerites since they won't reproduce in fresh water. But my issue is also that I don't have live plants except moss balls in my 5 gallon, so I'd have to feed them since I doubt I'll get much alge build up? Or I could take my chances with one snail of a "pest" species and pray it isn't already pregnant when I get it... idk there are several pros and cons. I also probably shouldn't do that until my tanks are in my next apartment and I then won't have to worry about moving a snail for its year ish lifespan.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Well my mom texted me today to tell me that my turtles had gotten into a fight and that one is in rough shape... They've had spats before but nothing this bad... The smallest, Squirtle, tends to harass Speedy and Sandy until one of them turns on him. He was bleeding pretty bad but it stopped now. Unfortunately I think he's going to have to go after this.. He can't keep this up or he may not survive the next time.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

I'm sorry to hear that  didn't know turtles fight. Always thought they're pretty peaceful.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

It really depends on the turtle, like anything else I guess. I've had mine for over 10 years and the boys have had their issues for the last few. I dont know whats up with him but hes always seemed... slow? for lack of a better word. He's not the most intelligent of turtles and I think he also looks to win Sandy's favor by taking on Speedy. He just ends up getting himself beat up more often than not. Idk, I guess we'll see how he recovers.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

My dad (primary care taker of my turtles since they live at home) says he thinks Squirtle is going to be okay. As soon as he has another heater, which I may end up supplying since I'm bringing Mushu home with me and he won't be using his Hydor Theo anymore, he'll go into a smaller tank by himself. I have no problem ordering another heater and its for the best for him to be isolated at least for the time being to let his injury heal. Of course apparently the bleeding stopped and he was right back to harassing the other two... Like I said, I'm pretty sure he's a bit dim.

I think I've also pinned down what I want to do for my tanks once I have the space to rearrange:
-20 Gallon sorority upgrade
-10 gallon becomes divided in 2 or 3
-5 Gallon either stays divided in 2 or becomes home to 1 boy

What I do with the 10 and 5 would be contingent on if I got a king or a giant. Accommodations also may have to be made for Prism if I conclude that he's biting because of stress from living divided with Fawkes. Fawkes doesn't care either way so he'd be fine wherever I put him.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

School is starting to catch up to me :/ I've got a lot of paper writing to do in the last two and a half weeks before I graduate. 10 pages on my trip to Northern Ireland being the biggest part of that. I also have about 4 separate presentations during the last week of classes. I don't have any final exams but this is also stressful! 

Luna doesn't seem to have any new fin tears today, so that's a plus. Also my new silk plants came in for Fawkes and Prism. Unfortunately I'm still in class for a while. I'm looking forward to rearranging their tank though. I may move some plants from the sorority if they fit better? We'll see.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

GUYS!!! I'm so excited to announce that I GOT IN TO MY GRAD PROGRAM TODAY!!! I legitimately started crying when I read the email because that released so much stress for me. I called my boyfriend and my parents and told my job I'll be back for the summer and next year and I've just been so happy I can barely contain it. Today is a good day.

I also did my rearranging/re-"planting" of Fawkes and Prism's divided tank. I think Prism looks happier already. I still have some work to do in buffering the filter output, but the silk plants are giving him more cover and breaking up the current a bit. So far no biting from Fawkes,*fingers crossed* Hopefully it stays that way. However I did have to borrow a couple plants from my sorority to make the changes because only half of my plant order came in :/ Not a huge deal because they'll be replaced with the exact same ones when they get here and the sorority forest is still mostly intact. I would love to include pictures of the boys' tank but my light has decided to stop working and every other light I turn on just creates glare.


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## SilviaAndScales (Jan 14, 2016)

Yaaaaaaaay! Congrats! You've earned it! :-D


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Oh holy hell FINALLY! Congratulations!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Thanks guys!!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Back to life in the fish world, I can finally plan for my next tanks again since I know where I'll be living! I can also plan my life again in general so that's also nice. Everything's back on track! Graduate in a couple weeks, stay working at my campus job for the summer and into grad school, move apartments for next year... It's all looking good. I even get to be more sure I can go meet my boyfriend in Hungary after his international buisness internship and join him on a 2 week trip through Central Europe. There's some logistics to work out in that still but at least I know where I stand with all that. 

I think I'm definitely taking my dad's 20 gallon now.
Luna is healing up well but I think whenever she flares at someone it's splitting her regrowth in her tail. Her anal and dorsal are looking good though. Helga keeps getting more iridescent scales and becoming more of a samurai than Rea. Her dorsal is almost entirely green now too.
Prism seems happier as well now that he has some new silk plants. I don't Think I see any new biting? We'll see I guess.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

One last Mushu update at my place before I bring him to Illinois tomorrow 

Look at that tail!!!


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Oh that's amazing! Darn, come on, Merah, catch up!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I'm legitimately upset that the picture is sideways.... but anyway, Yeah I'm So So happy with it!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Today is Mushu's 6 1/2 hour car ride to Chicago and I'm really happy that I have finally convinced my mom that, as much as she likes having her bettas on the table and it's usually okay in the summer when it's warm, she should upgrade her typical betta housing and move them near an outlet. So Mushu will be getting a heated, possibly filtered, 2.5 gallon (I believe, I haven't seen it) new home :] 

I'm really happy with Prism at the moment too. I think he's really perked up since I added more plants and used the taller ones to block some of the current from the filter. Neither Fawkes nor Prism appears to have any new fin biting so I'm really hoping this did the trick. 

The sorority girls are doing well too. Queenie has grown quite a bit since she arrived and holds her own now when at first she used to avoid the others. I think my most submissive girls are Rea and Lavender, though that's only by comparison. I think it is working well because they're all pretty evenly matched and no one girl is being picked on. Everyone swims where they please and isn't bothered unless they disturb someone else's hiding spot. I also refilled their tank with the silk plants I'd stolen from them for Fawkes and Prism so the tank is back to being fully forested. 

I also have a probable buyer for Bubblegum *knock on wood* ! With any luck by the middle of next week I'll be down to just my personal fish in preparation for fish sitting for the summer. 

I'm also looking forward to getting to work 28 hours a week and not have any classes for the summer. Plus my boyfriend is moving in with us for the couple months before his business internship in Hungary. It's shaping up to be a good and fun summer :]


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Guess who bought a baby betta :] She's supposedly a girl, so hopefully if all goes well she'll join my sorority when she grows up a bit. I think she's a VT and probably going to be more blue/green turquoise. What worries me is that she has a little bit of a kink in her near her tail... Hopefully with some clean, heated water it'll get better.

Pics later !!!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Short update time since I'll probably take pics of my baby betta and post them later:

Well. Baby betta (who I'm leaning toward being a boy) is handling our return road trip very well. Like I said, pics when he/she is in her 1 gallon tank and not the insulated transport cup currently in our cup holder. 

I'm a little worried my dad is going to need his 20 for my turtle that isn't getting along with the other two anymore. He's temporarily being kept in a 10 as a hospital tank, but if this becomes a more permanent living situation for him then that's definitely not enough. My dad offered me the 10 but I'd rather go up to 20 for the sorority than just add another 10 for my future giant plan.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

If your sorority stabilizes at its current setup, it's best not to change anything anyway. Hope Squirtle recovers quick xx


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Can't wait to see pictures. Glad everyone doing well with travel. Congrats on new baby!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Thanks guys :] I'm hoping for the best.

So I can't do pictures yet because my 6 1/2 hour drive from Chicago to school became almost 10 because my friend's car decided to overheat every couple hours and cause us to stop for about half an hour at a time to let it cool down. It was rough. Baby betta made it though and he/she is in her tank and settled in. I did however come home to a faded and stress-striped Saphira. I'm not entirely sure what happened but I'm assuming someone decided they were done with her always picking on them. She's usually ignored because she swims weird, but I guess not this time. I put her in the breeder box for the night to make sure she's close to the surface and added some prime and AQ to the water for the sorority. They'll have to wait for tomorrow between class and work to get a water change since I got home so late. If she's colored up and normal I'll release her when I do the wafter change. Otherwise everyone is doing well and fingers crossed that Bubblegum's purchase is finalized tomorrow.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Here's my little baby betta! I'm still really torn about male or female. Mostly she looks like a she, but her body is so thin and straight maybe she's a he? We'll find out.









You can see the kink near her tail, especially in the first picture... 
Saphira recovered just fine from whatever was wrong last night so thats good. 
Otherwise it was WC day all around. I'm just happy to be back taking care of them lol I was stressed while I was away for the weekend and left the sorority.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Wanna place bets? LOL I'm betting on "female". Any estimate on how long she/he is exactly? I heard - read - somewhere that it's a better guide to age than overall appearance.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

We'll call her a "she" for now lol. And no not yet. I'm going to try to get a decent measurement when I do a water change. I don't think I have a ruler around.... hmm


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

... Honestly? That is the sole reason why I bought a ruler LOL calculating exact tank volumes based on dimensions, plus measuring bought-to-sells and monitoring growth. Sadly, whenever I need to draw a straight line, I use the edge of a novel.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Well. Lil's opinion is baby boy and that the kink shouldn't adversely effect him in any way. He/she is still very young though, so we'll get confirmation soon enough.

In other news I really want an EE boy... between eBay and the forum there are about 3 or 4 I'm really considering... Bubblegum needs to sell though


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Aaaaand just as I say that, Bubblegum is officially being shipped out tomorrow! Woot! That has me down to just my 8 permanent pets plus my baby betta (who I need a name for btw).... If I got an EE that's 10 fish of my own. I'll also be expecting Olivia's crew in the next couple weeks... And my boyfriend moves in for the next couple months while he's between apartments on Saturday. Be got some rearranging to do lol


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Bubblegum is officially on his way to North Carolina as we speak. I'm extremely paranoid because this is my first time shipping without a heat pack, but I'm sure he'll be fine. That leaves me with only my gang for the first time in, well, a long time. I think I've had a rescue or bought to sell basically constantly all semester. However, this is for the best since I'll be hosting Olivia's boys and possibly a rescue in the beginning of next month.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Doesn't it feel weird? Lol I don't remember anymore when's the last time I only have my own. But worry not - for I will immediately flood you with more guests! XD

edit: seriously though I will try to get Techno adopted within the month (10 days left...) so you can have your QT bowls free for possible intakes


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Sounds like a plan to me! I'm looking forward to having guests again honestly. It's gunna take quite a bit of self control for me to not take in more walmart fish... but I have a 10 page paper thats my "final" for the class that was my study abroad trip to Northern Ireland and one of my professors hasn't even assigned us the paper she wants as our final in that class. Consequently its probably for the best to stick with just my fish in the next two weeks. I really don't want to write any of it lol. Im graduating in 2 weeks and I'm already accepted into grad school, so my grades aren't really of any real concern... I wish I could be a terrible student and not write them lol.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I am currently on my way to my last class of my undergraduate career! I just have one 10 page paper and another assignment between me and a responsibility-free (well, I'll still be working) summer before starting work toward my MA in Sociology in the fall. My crappy roommate moves out soon, my boyfriend moves in on Sunday, my dad gets here to attend my graduation late next week, and it's all gunna be great. 

In fish news, Bubblegum's tracking number says out for delivery, so hopefully I'll hear he's doing well soon. Luna's fins have almost filled in entirely now and show no new nips. Occasionally she'll put Rea or Helga back in their places with a nip to the tail, but I haven't seen any damage or fights otherwise recently. Fawkes is his happy self and Prism seems happier but I really can't tell if he's still biting or if his fins just take forever to heal... I'm considering putting him in QT and upping the AQ and IAL to see if I can give it a jump start but I'm also enjoying only having three tanks only one of which I do 100% changes on. The baby betta is also doing well. He/she is adorable when I feed him/her and the kink is either less noticeable or I'm just used to it. Either way he/she is doing great.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Quick update on the sorority girls: 


Everyone's doing really well and Saphira actually swims better now if anything! I think it's just because he's been practicing. 

Also Mushu update! My mom got him a heated and filtered 3 gallon tetra cube and it looks so great! He's really happy!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

So Bubblegum (who's apparently likely going to be called Edward by his new mom) is apparently doing awesome :] 

I also realized this morning during water changes that I think the filter intake on my 5 gallon is causing a lot of Prism's fin damage. I asked my dad if he could take a look at how to try fixing it when he comes for my graduation next week. 

Here are Prism and Fawkes, one of which has some great regrowth and is almost back to normal:




Also I've been really stressed with some relationship stuff lately and its crunch time on my last final papers... I've got 14 pages across two papers for the same professor due Friday and I really am not a fan of the subject matter of one of them... so yeah, I'm gunna try not to drop off the face of the earth, but we'll see.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Safe travels Edward. Congrats on graduating and accepted in grad school. Great picture of girls


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Well, even 24 hours later Prisms anal fin is looking better than it did yesterday. I still need to buffer that intake though and I'm not entirely sure how to go about it. My dad has a couple ideas and he'll be here in a week so hopefully we can resolve that issue. 

I cranked out my 4 page paper that's my final for one of my classes yesterday so all that's left is my 10 pages about Northern Ireland. At least I'm interested in the subject matter of that one and I'm about 3 pages in. I'm admittedly on that "senioritis" struggle bus right now lol my admission to grad school is only contingent on me graduating and that means just passing my current classes. Therefore my motivation to try very hard on this last paper is very low.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

I remember my last semester. It about took all within me to study for finals. Hang in there. You are in the home stretch  What would you like to do once you get your degree in Sociology? Those were some of my favorite classes I took.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I'm actually looking to get into federal law enforcement, FBI etc. My focus is criminology and my parents both retired sergeants in their respective departments, so you could say its in my blood :]


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

That is awesome! I took one Criminology class in college and thought it was fascinating. Our professor had done a lot with the police department and told us all kinds of great stories.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Haha thats basically what I grew up on! In fact I still get good stories since my mom now works for a company that does background and interviews for her former department and she gets to talk to all kinds of people.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

So I just feel like sharing the cuteness:

Follow hellomynameishenry and winstonwhiskers on Instagram. 

You won't regret it lol


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I am officially done with my papers and my undergraduate career at Ohio University! Now I get to work for the summer and relax a bit. My dad gets here tomorrow and will stay the weekend to attend my graduation, so it's all starting to feel very real. It's all good though cause I'll be here next year finishing my graduate program at the end of next summer! ...Then I have to enter the real world... 

Anyway, all 9 of my fish seem to be doing well. We'll see what my dad suggests we do to help with Prism's filter intake strength but in the mean time he's doing good. Today Queenie has a nip in her anal fin, but Luna is healing up well still so everyones doing pretty well in general. I might be seeing ovary development in the baby betta? I really dont know what I think any more in regard to him/her so I'm really just trying to accept it when its finally indisputable lol


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

My dad got here today and fixed my light fixture in Prism and Fawkes's tank and we're working on a solution for the filter intake problem.. Hopefully that will be a finished project tomorrow but for now I've put Prism in one of my empty QT tanks to try to fix the damage he's gotten from the filter intake. We'll see how that goes and what I end up doing with him and the intake. His dorsal, caudal, and anal fins are all looking shredded... I'll wrap the intake in gauze if I have to.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

You can wrap the intake with pantyhose or something like that. Hope he recovers quickly x


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

So my dad is a genius and made a guard for the filter intake out of some of my leftover craft mesh! I know I never would've been able to make it as well as he did so hopefully now Prisms fins won't get sucked in at all when I put him back in his original tank. For now he's happily swimming in my KK and I'll probably put some filter sponge in the filter output at some point too.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Well, as of today I now have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology-Criminology and Psychology with a minor in Anthropology, Ohio University Class of 2016! It feels really weird to think that I'm an alumni now... 

This also means I'm gunna be a day behind on all of my water changes, but they'll get taken care of tomorrow and soon after that I shall be receiving Olivia's boys and starting my summer!


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Congrats, grads!!  (( been waiting all this time just to say that ))


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## torileeann11 (Dec 17, 2015)

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Yeah! Congratulations!!! Rejoicing with you


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Thanks everyone! I had an awesome day and so now I have to get back to reality. My one roommate is currently moving out, my other roommate already went home to visit for a week before she comes back for summer classes and work, and my boyfriend has a few days of "class" in preparation for his study abroad trip in July... This means that I get an empty apartment for deep cleaning and reorganizing so that my boyfriend isnt living out of three bins of clothes lol. 

First up is water changes, then kitchen overhaul, and finally dealing with the reorganization of clothing storage space. Then I receive Olivia's boys and also keep an eye on the mail for all of the (awesome if I say so myself) 21st birthday gifts I've ordered for my boyfriend without him seeing them... I'm really looking forward to being busy since my job is closed for the week because of maintenance in the building.

This is the first summer I'll have free of school work so I'm majorly looking forward to it!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Sororities are frustrating. I love seeing them all in there and they're peaceful the vast majority of the time, but Just when Luna's fins are 90% healed shes got a new little section missing from her anal fin.... Everyone else either has no visible injuries or have the slightest split in their anal fins, which is leading me to believe that someone in particular is doing the damage. I really haven't seen any particular aggression recently though so I guess I have to chalk it up to Luna's thin fins again.

Saphira is funny though. She quickly becomes everyones favorite because of how she swims and its kinda hilarious to watch her guard the bottom inch or so of the tank because thats become her territory. She always wanted to take on the alpha girls but it would seem she has found a compromise that gets to be the queen of the underworld in a way lol. 

I decided to keep Prism in his QT tank even after finishing WC day and after my dad created a mesh cage around he filter intake. I want to minimize the chances of him biting so that means stagnant water and no divided tank. He and the baby have discovered each other so its really cute to see them checking each other out. 

The baby is definitely growing. I'm not sure if his fins are growing though... and I'm still not sure if theres any ovary development or not...He/she seems very happy though and thats what matters.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Nothing new to report today really. I am now 99% sure the baby is a boy, so chances also are that he will be rehomed eventually. He and Prism both got water changes today. I think next weekend's big wc day will include putting Prism back in his usual tank. 

Fawkes and the girls are good, and Olivia's boys are currently showing their tracking number in Columbus so I most likely will receive them tomorrow!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Very happy to report that Olivia's boys Merah, Cypris, and Cobalt made it here and are all happy and healthy! They're each in their KKs on a small shelving unit ready and settled in for the next couple months.

I'm definitely moving prism back to his half of the divided tank with Fawkes again though, probably at the end of this week. just so that's one less small unfiltered tank to be doing more frequent water changes on. He seems to be doing well and as long as he doesn't have any more run ins with the filter, which should be less likely with the guard my dad made, he'll be fine. I just hope he won't bite his tail. I ordered some filter sponge to block the output from being so strong too, but idk when it'll get here.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Long update for today:

First off, heres an image of the cage my dad made around Prism's filter intake


So far it seems to be working well.
Here he is, looking a bit better than he did when I first moved him out of his side of the divided tank: (Sorry about the glare)




Time for baby pics! We're looking at a baby boy btw! Most likely named Pascal after the chameleon in Tangled lol







Also quick Mushu update! My mom loves sending me his picture and he looks so darn happy!


Like I said the other day, Olivia's boys made it here!
Here's Cypris






Cobalt lol I love this guy! He flares at my fingers in the tank and goes into complete attack mode! He bites haha




He also got moved to be my baby betta's neighbor today when I put Prism back in his own tank. He seems happy to have someone to flare at.


Now for the sad news... Merah passed away last night. He did not take the transition well and started showing symptoms of shock. Olivia is in the midst of her traveling right now but I'm sure she wont mind me sharing the last few pictures I took of him. He was her first rescue and a special boy. SIP Merah, you were loved.


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

Noooooo! When she first had him, I was contemplating getting him, Big Red, or a EE from her LFS. He certianly was a special fish.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Aww Merah  honestly though, it's already amazing how he survived this long to begin with. He's been in that cup for a long, long time. Assuming he arrived at 6 months old, and he sits there 2 months, he'd be a little over a year old now. Below the average lifespan count, but for a fish with a horrible start in life, he surprised me. 

SIP gorgeous. Suppose we never got to see him in full fins


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

:/ I was honestly prepared for him to not last through the summer, but I wasn't expecting it so soon. It was an honor to meet him in person tho. He was a fighter and defied a lot of odds.


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## SydneyA (Jan 17, 2016)

Oh no  SIP I'm sorry for both of you


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Well, despite better judgement and despite the fact that I really shouldn't be looking yet while still in my current apartment, I'm actively looking for a giant HMPK. I low balled prism bettas inquiring about their giants that aren't even that big, and then found a couple other sellers on eBay I'm looking at. I also asked an importer on Facebook to keep an eye out for me.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Good luck! All I can find locally are the Petco Kings, which aren't as big as giants. They also run to mostly blue and turquoise, which is a step up from the old brown ones (for attracting customer eyes and getting sold). I hope you find a really nice one!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Unless they really get desperate I'm definitely not getting one from prism bettas. Very high prices and the longer she has them the older they'll be and the less time I'll have with them. However there is another seller on eBay that's much more reasonably priced with bigger giants. Instead of $70 for about 2-2.5 inches, it's more like $48 for over 3 inches. abbaaquatics is their eBay and they'll be getting another shipment from Thailand in the next month or two, which could make my life easier since I'll be able to set up my next apartment to accommodate everyone most effectively.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

So I'm thinking about taking a break from the forum for a while. I've got my 2 boys, my sorority, my baby betta, and two guests across 5 tanks and I dont see that set up changing much over the next couple of months. I'm looking out for a giant and I still intend to rescue, but those things are impractical for the rest of the summer. My boyfriend leaves for a month of study abroad in July and is staying in Europe for another 2 weeks after that, and I'm thinking I may go home for a good majority of that time. Theres an awkward 2 week gap between having to move out of my current apartment and when I can move into the new one in the beginning-middle of August anyway, so I might as well spend some time with my parents and move my fish home with me.

I've come to the conclusion that I haven't been paying enough attention to the most important people in my life because I tend to get caught up in my wanting to help others on the forum or talk about fish things here with people who already understand what I'm talking about. Instead I need to try to help my "real life" friends understand my hobby, etc. 

I'll still be around, but I probably won't journal much unless something noteworthy happens. I also wont spend much time on the care or diseases boards etc, but thats probably for the best since those have majorly gotten on my nerves lately...


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Thinking of you today. Hope all fish friends and visiting with other friends all going well


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Thank you @themamaj ...I needed to see that today. 

Without going into too much detail, my personal life is in a bit of a shambles right now and I'm still really trying to get things in order. 

I packed my things and moved home for the summer. 11 bettas made the 7 hour trip. A few days later I lost Rea. She hadn't been looking that great for a week ish and I think the stress of the move was too much. I was kinda prepared for it though. That was about 2 weeks ago. Today I lost Lavender and I'm really not sure what happened... she looked pale and stopped eating a few days ago and she died despite my best efforts. That left me with 4 girls in the sorority (all with no symptoms of any illness) and I didn't want to go down to that few girls, so I went out and bought two more girls. One reddish red Cambodian CT and a dark turquoise with red wash HM. They'll be kept in a breeder box for at least a week before release with the others. 

Olivia's Cypris is also showing somewhat similar symptoms as Lavender did tho I think I caught it earlier... Cobalt is still perfect. 

My current set up at my house is my dads extra 10 gal divided in three for Cobalt, Cypris, and prism (who I moved there because he's still shredded and I had to change something up for him), my 5 gal divided in 2 for Fawkes and the still unnamed baby betta that I'm now starting to sway back to thinking he's a girl, and my 10 gallon sorority.

I figured I'd update. I still won't be around much, but I appreciate the fact that a number of you have become my friends and have reached out to me in different ways. It means a lot to me.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Always great to hear from you! Sorry to hear about losses. Moves are challenging for everyone but Im sure especially hard with that many babies in tow. Hope things get easier for you and will continue to keep you in thoughts. Will look fwd to seeing pictures of new girls.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Update: Currently Betta-less and looking to change that in the next week! 

Looking to do a 5 Gallon with a male and a 10-20 gallon sorority. 

If you used to follow my journal back in the day, I lost Fawkes about a year ago and he was the last of my bettas from college. He was my first and my last. Since then I had a purple HM named Haze and he lives at my parents house as my mom's now. I moved to Washington DC and I can't wait to have bettas to care for again!


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## mjfa (Apr 23, 2018)

The aquarist in never die.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Took my first steps to reestablishing my betta habit today! 

I placed my online order for a 20 Gal capacity aquarium stand with a second shelf that can fit a second tank. I haven't purchased the 20 gallon tank that will house my sorority yet, thats more of a work in progress, but I'm getting excited since I've never done one that large before. 

I also ordered a 6.5 gallon tank for at least one male (I haven't decided if I'll divide yet). I was going to buy it at PetCo but the same tank on Amazon was $15 cheaper. Worth it to wait a couple days on shipping since I don't have a fish just yet. 

The importer I am looking to purchase from gets his next shipment on Tuesday and I can't wait to see what he gets!


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Great to hear update. Sounds exciting. I look forward to see what you set up. Nothing more fun than new tank and new fish


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Made some tank decisions! My 6.5 gets here tomorrow even though my aquarium stand won't be here for a week. So if I set it up before then my tank will just have to live on my desk. The plan is to stock with one male betta, a small group of male dwarf panda guppies, and a snail. I'm also waiting for a package from my parents with my silk plants etc from home. Hopefully all of which happens in the next week!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

Its all coming together! I put my tanks together today and ended up buying 3 bettas! I went to the store for my 20 gallon tank and ended up coming home with a little koi girl who looked clamped and miserable (who is now living in my 6.7 gallon) and a little EE girl who was so active I fell in love with her immediately. 

I also ordered a beautiful steel boy from Loc and I'm thrilled! He should be here Monday! I'll try posting pictures this weekend!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I'm all set up!

( I wanted to embed my photos in order but I can't figure out how that works on the forum anymore!)

So far I have 7 girls in the top 20 gallon tank! Apart from some minor fin nips everything seems to be going very well. No names for the girls yet so I'm open to suggestions. Theres also a small bristle nose pleco in there, but he's impossible to find because I made the plants so dense for the girls! 2 CTs, 3 HM, 1 EE, 1 Koi

The bottom 6.7 will receive its occupants Monday in the form of one steel giant gene male betta, dwarf panda guppies, and a snail. I'm so excited and I can't wait!:grin2:


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Oh that #4 girl 🤗 Tanks look amazing!


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