# Meet Ares



## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

I'd like everyone to meet Ares. :-D

Ares is a typical-looking red male veil tail betta fish, but what he lacks in genetic flair he makes up in personality. I personally have a soft spot for rare genetic morphs, and when it comes to bettas there's definitely not an exception. But it was definitely the personality of this little guy that made him stand out among the double-halfmoons and grizzle-crowns and dragon scales at my local pet store.

I'm lucky enough to have a couple locals to pick from when it comes to supplies, but the locals obviously still need to keep the males separated. The store I bought Ares from keeps its "fancies" up in front in plastic cups and its semi-ragged, "regulars" in containers racked on a mass filtration system in the "back" with dim-ish lighting. A very elaborate way of saying Ares stood out somehow.

So back to that personality. Ares is a bubble-nesting fiend; something I didn't know when I bought him. I do water changes to his half-gallon tank (more on that later) twice a week. EVERY time he builds a new nest in the same corner the next morning. I felt bad for destroying them at first, but seems very okay with having to rebuild.

I have never once witnessed Ares building a nest. I've had him since I bought him as a post-tax return impulse mid-May. That's five weeks, 10 water changes, or 10 bubble nests. I've not seen him actively doing it once yet, and trust me I've tried. I'm tempted to set up a not-so-hidden camera. :shock: Thoughts?

I'm certain the reason I don't get to witness this act of betta behavior is because my little Ares is also a glutton. I can't enter the room his tank is in without him stopping everything he WAS doing and swimming around in search of food.

Ares also has a semi-varied diet of betta flakes and freeze-dried bloodworms. Occasionally he gets juicy frozen bloodworms, but they aren't part of his regular diet. The flakes come in a plastic jar with a green lid; the worms come in a jar with a red lid. I like to tilt the jar and wave the lid of the food I'm about to feed him so he can see the color. Ares favorite color is red. (In his honor, I've colored my journal text.)

ANYWAY, now that you've met him. Yesterday I planted my new Fluval Spec V (5 gallon) with micro sword, java moss, moneywort, ludwigia, a water hyacinth and a moss ball. It's an upgrade from the Fluval Spec III (2 gallon) I originally bought and sold. :roll: It's also the reason Ares has been living in a half-gallon tank. I'm going to give it another couple of days to a week so the roots of the new plants can get settled in before I let Ares explore.

This photo journal is to track my little Ares as he adjusts and the plants grow.


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## DaytonBetta (Feb 4, 2014)

What a pretty fish! I'm sure he'll love his new home.


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## TheAnimaLover (Jun 8, 2014)

I have a similar one

what is the floating plant


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

TheAnimaLover said:


> what is the floating plant


That's a water hyacinth.










I don't know if they're available everywhere. Like most aquarium plants, they're highly invasive and pretty aggressive. I'm not 100% sure about everywhere it may be banned for sale, but this is what Google tells me: "This plant is not native to North America and it is illegal to possess or transport this species in Texas. Please report any sightings of this plant to Texas Park and Wildlife Department."

BUT it's pretty, and this one is contained to my aquarium so... :-?

As far as I can tell, Ares loves the water hyacinth. It was the first plant I bought for him back when he was in his 2-gallon tank. Because it floats on the surface and has the big floaty bits, it breaks up the surface current created by the filter pump, which means Ares can build his nests in peace. He's attached his nest to the plant multiple times. (Prefers it to the wall of the tank for pretty obvious reasons.

Ares has also been witnessed using the roots as a "betta hammock," as well as swimming up to the apex/middle part that dips into the water and swim-leaping over it to the other side. I almost replaced the hyacinth completely with a tiger lotus when I started tinkering with the idea of the 5-gallon, but Ares loves his hyacinth way too much.









I hope to have some close-ups to share of the plants when they grow in a bit, or of Ares with his nest. I will definitely get a shot or two uploaded of the new growth on the hyacinth. It's grown two new leaves since I bought it in May.


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

So down below I have some photographs of the *water hyacinth*'s new growth (sorta), the progress of my *micro sword*, and (of course) some more photographs of *Ares*. 

Also, I changed my avatar to what I think is a much more appropriate photograph of him. That "cave" he's got with him is a pie bird. That's right. A bird that goes in pies. If you've never used one before while baking a fruit pie, do it. Do it now.











They're hollow and open on the bottom. Ares got a pie bird for a cave because...I had nothing else around at the time.  The IDEA was that the bird lies on its belly, Ares enters through its...rear end...and then he could hang out in the awesome bird belly cave. It didn't get added to the plant scape, because Ares never uses it.​








​
Here you can see what keeps the *water hyacinth* afloat. The more bulbous leaves were there when I bought the plant, but the narrow one that is currently sticking out of the tank is the second and newest to sprout out of the center. The leaves really do just show up out of no where.











The white roots are the new ones and they just started getting hairy two or three days ago.​ 
I had a small dilemma when it came to the water level in my tank. As you can see, I have my hyacinth under the plastic tank lid that comes with the Fluval Spec V, but it wants out. 1) I could raise the water level of the tank, so the roots are in the water but the leaves are out of the lid. But then it's not as effective at breaking up the water current.

2) Or I could just not use the lid, however I do have a betta. Although, Ares has been living in a half-gallon holding tank for a few weeks now without a lid and around an inch of clearance, and he's not jumped out yet. Thoughts? How can you tell if your fish may be suicidal? :-?

3) Leave it as is. The plant naturally rotates so the leaves eventually grow out instead of up, but I can't tell if I'm smothering the plant.









​ 
My *micro sword *is all standing straight up now. A huge difference from when I first planted it, and it was all sideways. Some of the leaves have yellowed, but I kind of expected that. (The whole ripping apart a plant's root structure and all.) StrangeDejavu gave me a solid "don't panic" and assured me it would all be green and spritely soon. Although I don't think I'll be able to really celebrate until I see it start to spread.

And lastly, for once *Ares* was hanging around his bubble nest instead of gawking at the tank wall flipping out for food.









​ 
And, c'mon, look at that mug.









​


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

*Ares has entered the tank*










He doesn't look happy at all, does he?
​
*Ares has officially entered the tank!*

All the plants look to be thriving so I decided to fast forward the timeline I made up for myself and just add him to the tank. The first thing he did was check out his hyacinth. You guys can look at more photographs in my album here. I feel a little crazy posting so many every day.

Ares acted like he was both excited and confused for the first few hours. Going from a half-gallon to a 5-gallon is like going from a studio apartment to small mansion. He swam around for hours like he was just trying to figure out what to do with himself.

*Also, I've decided to go topless.* 

One of the biggest, most obvious, and most complained about drawback to the Fluval tanks is that their filter pumps are way too strong for a betta fish. My Spec V is no different than my former Spec III. Sure, Ares has plenty of space now that his tank has been upsized by 10x. He could easily avoid any major water disturbance. But, even with all that space I couldn't find a way to balance the amount of surface disturbance with underwater current. That's with the tube already sliced up with holes. 

So, I just caved and cut a plastic bottle dampener out of a Sobe bottle. Which means now the plastic top to my tank won't sit right on the tank's edges now anyway. I have at least an inch between the surface of the water and the upper edge of the tank. Is that enough??? :-?










Ares and a moss ball, the newest additions to my 5-gallon tank.

What do you guys think? The top of the tank is the top of the photograph. Ares has never been much of a jumper. The only time I've witnessed it is to jump over a branch on his favorite plant. (The hyacinth, of course.)

Also in that photograph you can see the progress of the plants in the tank. You may have noticed the marimo moss ball has also been plopped in between some bunches of micro sword. The ludwigia (red plant) in the corner is looking fantastic. The leaves at the the ends are bright green in the center and every stalk is turned upward toward the light.

The java moss is starting to concern me. It's definitely yellowed, and in some areas there are white spots. But the moss itself seems to be getting longer. :shock:

And finally...*drum roll*...











Ares building his first bubble nest after being introduced to the tank the day before.

I have finally witnessed Ares building a bubble nest. :-D I was so excited because I spent all morning building that dampener for the filter pump. It was one of the main reasons for the project. Ares is so consistent about his nests, and I wanted him to be able to continue doing so.

*UPDATE:* 2 hours later, still building.
​


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## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

Ares is such a neat looking little guy! So pretty! Glad to hear that he's enjoying his new tank.


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

DaytonBetta said:


> What a pretty fish! I'm sure he'll love his new home.





BettaLover1313 said:


> Ares is such a neat looking little guy! So pretty! Glad to hear that he's enjoying his new tank.


Thanks a lot guys! I'm hoping to add some shrimp or otocinclus in a few weeks.

I've also just realized that none of the photographs I thought were in the posts are actually viewable by...anyone.  I _thought _I had figured out how to insert them mid-post but it seem pretty apparent that I did not... Tips and tricks anyone? :-?

So try to bear with me as I attach them all to this post. 

1) Water hyacinth's new growth (with tank lid still in place)
2) WH new growth, part 2
3) My micro sword
4) Ares with his bubble nest in his former half-gallon
5) Ares mugshot
6) Ares being introduced to the tank
7) Tank photo (Check out the plants!)
8) Ares building a bubble nest


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## myprince (Apr 2, 2014)

cmwong27 said:


> Thanks a lot guys! I'm hoping to add some shrimp or otocinclus in a few weeks.
> 
> I've also just realized that none of the photographs I thought were in the posts are actually viewable by...anyone.  I _thought _I had figured out how to insert them mid-post but it seem pretty apparent that I did not... Tips and tricks anyone? :-?
> 
> ...



What kind of substrant did you use? I bought a bag of I guess regular substrant and mixed it with some gravel but my plants are not doing Eco Complete Planted Black Aquarium Substrate and mixed it with some colorful gravel, but I find it is not working as well. Your plants are flourishing so beautiful! How are you able to do this? 

Also I'm loving the water hyacinth, where were you able to find this?


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

myprince said:


> What kind of substrant did you use? I bought a bag of I guess regular substrant and mixed it with some gravel but my plants are not doing Eco Complete Planted Black Aquarium Substrate and mixed it with some colorful gravel, but I find it is not working as well. Your plants are flourishing so beautiful! How are you able to do this?


I'm using two types: Fluval Plant Subtrate and Fluval Shrimp Substrate. When I decided I wanted to plant the tank I became OBSESSED with this YouTube channel for a UK aquascaping company. (http://youtu.be/wZDexLMZFrU :shock They frequently use a finer dirt over a coarser dirt, and I personally really like the overall look. I also have some plain aquarium sand in the cube with the Buddha.

Not currently using any CO2 or fertilizer; hoping the surface agitation takes care of the CO2 exchange and the super substrate is enough for the plants for now. I may begin to liquid CO2, if it looks like I need it.



myprince said:


> Also I'm loving the water hyacinth, where were you able to find this?


Both of the local aquarium stores I'm lucky to have stock them. Neither has water lettuce that I've seen. Hyacinth is restricted in some states in the U.S. because it likes to invade waterways, so I don't know how much luck you'll have finding it in your area. I'm from California and I still managed to find it in an area where things like that are really sensitive subjects.

Google found me these:
> liveaquaria.com
> lilyblooms.com

Good luck!


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## myprince (Apr 2, 2014)

cmwong27 said:


> I'm using two types: Fluval Plant Subtrate and Fluval Shrimp Substrate. When I decided I wanted to plant the tank I became OBSESSED with this YouTube channel for a UK aquascaping company. (http://youtu.be/wZDexLMZFrU :shock They frequently use a finer dirt over a coarser dirt, and I personally really like the overall look. I also have some plain aquarium sand in the cube with the Buddha.
> 
> Not currently using any CO2 or fertilizer; hoping the surface agitation takes care of the CO2 exchange and the super substrate is enough for the plants for now. I may begin to liquid CO2, if it looks like I need it.
> 
> ...


 
I wonder if the gravel that I mixed with my substrant is hurting me. Maybe I should try some root tabs?


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

myprince said:


> I wonder if the gravel that I mixed with my substrant is hurting me. Maybe I should try some root tabs?


I know the stuff I bought specified to not mix it with other things. I'm considering root tabs for the micro sword at the bottom to encourage carpeting, but I think I'm still going to wait a week to see how it goes.


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

Well I have some good news, some bad news, some more bad news, and then I guess some regular news.

*Good news:* I think I've finally figured out how to get photographs to publish within the text, so no more long strings of photographs.

*Bad news:* On Monday, Ares shredded the tip of his tail and his dorsal in what I guess was the filter intake. :-( It happened sometime during a FIFA game. He was fine at the beginning, shredded by the end.









My poor boy.

You can see the difference from the first photograph I posted. Because it's not a clean cut and all appears to be the same length, it looks like it was sucked off the end. Has anyone seen similar damage? Or does anyone know how to prevent damage like this in the future? The best I can think to do is grate the intake like I see at some stores, but I don't know exactly what material to use, nor how to attach it.

*More bad news: *Ares has ich. I'm pretty sure it's my fault too for not quarantining the plants for long enough. :blueworry: I suspected it on Monday when I was inspecting his tail and dorsal, but I only saw one spot. By Tuesday morning, he had them all over his fins and body.









I darkened the photograph around the identifiable white spots to highlight them.​
I've decided to medicate with Kordon Rid-Ich+. My local fish store stocks a few different brands, but they said this is the one they use, and I definitely trust them. I did a 25% water change and then dosed my 5-gallon tank with 2.5 mL (or half a teaspoon) as directed. Ares looks a lot better today, but I may be imagining it. I'll be sure to keep medicating for a few days after the white spots disappear. (Kill the tomites! Kill them dead! :twisted

*News:* I also did a water test this morning.








​
I'm reading:
pH - 6.8
Ammonia - 0 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate - 0 ppm

I had to replace the ammonia #2 bottle that came with the API test kit, because it didn't come with the dropper bit for some reason. I'm not good enough to eyeball 8 drops so... :squint: But while I was at the store for my Rid-Ich and replacement test, I picked up three of these guys.









Red cherry shrimp.
​


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## myprince (Apr 2, 2014)

cmwong27 said:


> I know the stuff I bought specified to not mix it with other things. I'm considering root tabs for the micro sword at the bottom to encourage carpeting, but I think I'm still going to wait a week to see how it goes.


Oh wow. Maybe that's my problem right there. I mixed my substrant with gravel. Damn.. I'll have to redo it.


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## myprince (Apr 2, 2014)

cmwong27 said:


> Well I have some good news, some bad news, some more bad news, and then I guess some regular news.
> 
> *Good news:* I think I've finally figured out how to get photographs to publish within the text, so no more long strings of photographs.
> 
> ...


I have never seen the red cherry shrimp. I think my local aquarium store is lacking in a lot of things. I'm starting to get a little jealous.


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

myprince said:


> I have never seen the red cherry shrimp. I think my local aquarium store is lacking in a lot of things. I'm starting to get a little jealous.


Ha. I live right on the coast...but I don't know if that's relevant to aquarium how good the aquarium supplies is... :|

I go back an forth between two local aquariums stores -- one specializes in aquariums, terrariums and birds, but not furry friends; the other specializes in aquariums and...hot tubs. :shock:


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## myprince (Apr 2, 2014)

cmwong27 said:


> Ha. I live right on the coast...but I don't know if that's relevant to aquarium how good the aquarium supplies is... :|
> 
> I go back an forth between two local aquariums stores -- one specializes in aquariums, terrariums and birds, but not furry friends; the other specializes in aquariums and...hot tubs. :shock:


 
Hot tubs? That is a little odd. I go through a place called Noah's Ark, which specializes in all small pets (including rabbits, birds, turtles, small selection of fish, and hamsters) and then I have an awful Petco. Which I try to avoid Petco as much as possible. Petco's employees are just not correctly informed, prices are sometimes outrageous, and their animals are always in such bad health. However, sometimes I can get cheap filters and heaters at Petco. I've gotten sick guppies (I bread them for my False Map Turtle) that have recently killed my whole stock of guppies. Except two of my best constant prego females and the fry they both just pushed out about a week ago.

So I do have experience with fry, just not betta fry. I don't even think Prince has really created a bubble nest... How do you start to influence them to make a bubble nest?


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

myprince said:


> and then I have an awful Petco. Which I try to avoid Petco as much as possible. Petco's employees are just not correctly informed, prices are sometimes outrageous, and their animals are always in such bad health. However, sometimes I can get cheap filters and heaters at Petco.


Yeah...I have a PetCo. It's attached to the local mall (which also hosts a Walmart, TJ Maxx, Ross and formerly a Dollar Tree :-| ). I went there for a lot of start up supplies -- tank, hose, net, decoration. I got my substrate, plants and fish from the LFS.



myprince said:


> So I do have experience with fry, just not betta fry. I don't even think Prince has really created a bubble nest... How do you start to influence them to make a bubble nest?


I've never really influenced him. The most I could say is I put a lot of effort into making sure the surface water was still enough in at least one part of the tank. He's also got a pretty high-protein diet...but so does Prince so...:dunno:


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

All of the white spots from the ich have cleared up. Ares is enjoying his off day of medication today as well. Tomorrow it's back to water changes and meds for another few days to make sure the parasites are completely gone.

I had to go back to the fish store again today. Yesterday I dropped the bottle of Rid-Ich+ all over the floor. Luckily Ares lives in my bathroom, and my bathroom lives in a rental and has a linoleum floor. It's still a pretty spectacular blue spot. I may post a photograph. One ounce goes...everywhere.

I also picked up two more cherry shrimp, 'cause y'know...reasons.

As for new personality quirks, my boyfriend discovered that he can puff his cheeks at the tank and Ares will flare back every time. I'll try to take a video, or at least a photograph, and post it here.

Anyway, I realized I haven't posted a side view of the tank. Hard to believe it's 5 gallons from this view sometimes .









Few days old, but still a great view.

> I've managed to trim and replant some of the ludwigia.
> The moneywort in the back managed to become completely uprooted. Don't know if it was the current or Ares playing in the dirt.
> There's a few bright green tips among the java moss
> The micro sword has new green leafs but it hasn't started to stretch its roots yet that I can see.​


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

*Steve, Steve, Steve, Steve, and Sir Reginald Von Bartlesby*

Steve died.

I should explain. I made the mistake of thinking I could tell my five cherry shrimp apart. My friend insisted I attempt to name them. After one molted, I decided I was very wrong and declared that I would name all of my current and future shrimp "Steve" -- after a female spider I kept as a pet in a jar when I was a kid.

However my boyfriend insisted I name one of them after "Sir Reginald Von Bartlesby" from Borderlands 2...which we co-op together. (Side note: we are SOOO excited for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. He will probably go for Claptrap, but I'm all about Nisha the Lawbringer. Sure, she eventually starts dating Handsome Jack, but Moxxi did once.)











Can see the tiny insect-like varkid inside Sir Reginald Von Bartlesby?
​
Sir Reginald Von Bartlesby is much darker than the other Steves. I'm fairly sure s/he is a sakura shrimp instead of a cherry. My boyfriend said I have to make sure _this one _lives. :roll:

So I don't know what killed Steve. The other Steves and Reggie are still doing fine in the tank. I did a water change just in case of...anything. I've heard that a high or low amount of "total dissolved solids" can affect the shrimps' ability to molt properly. But I've had two molt so far, and there doesn't seem to be a problem with any of them. 

Ares is still showing signs of ich. I'm a little worried because I have plans to go out of towns next week. His tank is getting dosed regularly now, and he's still getting 25%+ water changes. Should I try to do more? Can I add salt to a tank already being medicated? Should I increase the temperature?

I was actually worried for the last couple of days because Ares seemed to be frustrated/struggling with a nest. But tonight he gave me this:









If you look closely, you can see the bubble he's just released.
​
So I guess my little guy is doing just fine.
​


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## DaytonBetta (Feb 4, 2014)

I would increase the temperature gradually to 86 degrees. Keep up the water changes, cleaning the gravel when you siphon. Ich is a pain,but you can beat it! Be sure to keep treatment going once he looks clear.

Are the shrimp in the ich tank? I don't know if they will tolerate the medicine or the increased temperature.


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## myprince (Apr 2, 2014)

cmwong27 said:


> I know the stuff I bought specified to not mix it with other things. I'm considering root tabs for the micro sword at the bottom to encourage carpeting, but I think I'm still going to wait a week to see how it goes.


I put my first root tabs down.. I have never used them before and I put one directly underneath my Amazon Sword. Which I found out I was not supposed to do. I had no idea they where carpeting plants.


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

DaytonBetta said:


> Are the shrimp in the ich tank? I don't know if they will tolerate the medicine or the increased temperature.


The shrimp have been in a separate tank. The spots have fully cleared up. How many more days do you think I should treat?

My process: 1) Remove Ares from tank. 2) Vacuum substrate and drain 25-50% of the water. 3) Mix full dose for 5 gallons into first addition of water. 4) Slowly add unmedicated water to fill the tank to 5 gallons. 5) Re-introduce Ares.

My hope is that there is a brief period in the tank when there is a higher concentration of the medication that will kill more of the parasites and not overdose my fish.



myprince said:


> I put my first root tabs down.. I have never used them before and I put one directly underneath my Amazon Sword. Which I found out I was not supposed to do. I had no idea they where carpeting plants.


I haven't put my root tabs in yet, but I have them sitting in a cabinet. Is your Amazon Sword okay? I...I didn't know the could carpet either. :shock:


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

*Two weeks!*

So now is when I confess that I photograph my tank on a nightly basis. I really want to be able to see how the growth progresses.










I apologize for the different angles and white balances.​
Right now I'm looking to increase the density of the plants. The ludwigia grows tall fairly quickly under my LEDs -- a lot faster than the moneywort. I've cut and replanted a few clippings in the front left corner, which is why it gets shorter and denser. I pulled a lot of dead root off the hyacinth, because it looked like it was growing water mold. It's been doing even better since.

There's going to be a week gap for photographs. I leave for the San Francisco Bay Area on Sunday, and will not be returning for a week. Ares' last day of medication will be the day I leave. He cleared up yesterday, so I hope a couple of more days of meds will be enough to kill the remaining parasites. I am very scared that I will come home to a dead fish though.


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

oops: double post)


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## DaytonBetta (Feb 4, 2014)

Have a good trip! I think it will probably be ok. Did you increase the temperature? That speeds up the life cycle of ich, and if it's high enough can kill it.


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

*...aaand we're back! pt. 1*

Hello again!

Sorry for the late posts. This will probably be a series actually (but with pictures!) I assure you that we did get back on Sunday evening as planned. Ares is alive and ich free. His tail and dorsal fin are looking fantastic as well.

I feel compelled to share this texting exchange that happened between myself, my boyfriend and my friend. I am in red, my boyfriend is in green, and my very confused friend (who also owns a betta, but is new to fishkeeping) is in blue. The conversation starts _four _days, after we left and had driven 300 miles south for vacation.

 







My friend had never heard of time-release feeders.​
I realized the other day when I was leaving that I've not shown where Ares' tank is located in my apartment. It's...in the bathroom. I live in a 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath rental -- with one bathroom upstairs. We felt it was the most appropriate location because it makes sure Ares gets frequent visits; it also is something to look at while...y'know.









Ares, God of the Bathroom​
I've also not yet posted a photograph of the mods I've made to my Fluval Spec V tank. Like most betta owners, I've found that the filtration pump is far too strong. I've got multiple cuts in the tubing to reduce the flow as well as a water bottle baffle. After the "shredding incident" I've wedged my aquarium tools through the plastic handle on the filter so the top of the sponge is well above the surface of the water -- preventing Ares from getting his fins sucked in.










So far these mods to my Fluval have worked for me as a betta owner.​


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

*...aaand we're back! pt. 2 Vacation Photographs*

So yeah...this also happened.


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

*...aaand we're back! pt. 3 The Return*

Now I have to admit, while Ares was alive and well. I had a few more Steves die on me. I'm feeling a little guilty, 'cause I don't think I gave the shrimp enough food for the week. :-( Fortunately(?), those that survived cannibalized their fallen companions. However, when I tested their water I got this:
pH - 7.4
 Ammonia - 0.50 ppm
 Nitrite - 1.5 ppm
 Nitrate - 2.5 ppm​I decided to transfer the shrimp to Ares' tank (pH - 7.0; Ammonia - 0.25 ppm; Nitrite - 0 ppm; Nitrate - 0 ppm). He'll chase them every time he sees them, but they are _sooo fast_ that I don't think it will be a huge problem.I know Ares has cornered Sir Reginald von Bartlesby a few times now, but he doesn't look like he's lost any limbs. He and the Steves have taken to hiding behind the rocks in the back corner.

Since his last water change, Ares has (of course) been building back up his bubble nest. Here's some photographs of his latest one. It's actually his current record for size. I'm really quite proud. :-D
















Current size record for Ares' bubble nest.

Anyway, because I lost a few Steves, I decided to go to my local fish store on Monday to replace them. This is the main reason it's taken me so long to update my journal. While Fin n' Feather (my LFS) doesn't tend to stock things for furry pets, it does have an area for kitten adoptions. When we went in on Monday, the most beautiful Siamese kitten got our attention, and the next thing you know we got the adoption bug.

My boyfriend has been looking to get a new companion of his own for the past several months. We've been bouncing around a new puppy, kitten or bearded dragon. The previous cat of the household moved out with the ex-roommate 2 years ago.

So...we applied to adopt the Siamese, a skittish female born to a feral mother. But we also applied for a long-haired tuxedo male too just in case, because he melts in your arms and purrs like a dream.

But _then _we found out that the Siamese and tuxedo have had multiple parties interested in adopting them, and after searching around we found a silver tabby polydactyl female from another local shelter that hasn't had any applicants. We applied to adopt her as well.

We haven't heard back on any of the paperwork for any of them, but our fingers are crossed that we get approved. Right now we are looking to get the polydactyl tabby because the other two have a lot of interest.

We're thinking about naming her Athena. Do you sense a theme?

I have a fondness for Greek mythology; I have since middle school. I also told my boyfriend about Athena vs. Arachne -- a myth about weaving and spiders, and now he can't think of a cat with that many toes having any other name.










Not our kitty, but VERY similar.​


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## DaytonBetta (Feb 4, 2014)

I hope you get the cat that is the perfect one for you!

I love the idea of an aquarium in the bathroom. I may have to consider that.


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

DaytonBetta said:


> I love the idea of an aquarium in the bathroom. I may have to consider that.


It's pretty awesome. I was super excited on how well it fit the counter top space. The tank itself is around 18 inches long, but it's only like 6 inches deep so it sits very snugly.



DaytonBetta said:


> I hope you get the cat that is the perfect one for you!


So about the kitty...

The polydactyl tabby is at Arcata Pet Supply -- a local pet store* -- but it's being adopted through the Companion Animal Foundation. We visited the foundation's thrift store/adoption center today to see how the progress on our paperwork is going. The woman in charge of adoptions said she's waiting on a call back from my landlord with confirmation that my complex allows pets, but everything else looks perfect! :-D My landlord is on vacation until this weekend though. Meanwhile the kitten is getting a lot of visits.

MORE IMPORTANTLY, it seems that we misgendered the kitten! :shock: We made the very wrong assumption that because it was wearing a pink collar that it was a female. So very wrong.











Which also means the pool of names has reopened. Currently the list consists of: Carlin, Orion, Xerxes, Kennedy, and Schubert. I'm leaning toward Schubert.









Carlin, Orion, Xerxes, Kennedy, or Schubert.

If you've ever seen the film "Gattaca" (1997), there's a scene where the main characters go to the piano recital of a 12-fingered man. The song is called "Schubert's Impromptu" and the version in the film was given extra notes to make sure it could only be played with 12 fingers.  http://youtu.be/w5FowPApEzY

​*Now is probably a good time to readdress that the area I live in is smothered in local pet stores. I've mentioned Fin n' Feather and Balanced Aquariums, but we also have Arcata Pet Supply, The Farm Store, and the Myrtle Avenue Pet Center...as well as Petco. There's also small boutiques for dogs and a lot of boarding kennels. Spoiled. ;-)


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

I have no idea how I missed this journal before tonight. You're awesome, Ares is awesome, and Kitten With No Name And Too Many Toes is awesome. Even the many Steves is awesome. Subscribing.

You may wish to consider lowing Ares's water level a little, since there's no lid. I've seen a number of mishaps lately where people's pets decided to do out-of-water exploring (some found in time, some...not), and they can jump a couple inches. Alternate suggestions include cutting some craft mesh to fit - I had to do that with my tank, with a single glass panel to keep it from sagging in the middle - or even saran wrap with holes punched in it, although that's more of a temporary solution.


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

hrutan said:


> You may wish to consider lowing Ares's water level a little, since there's no lid. I've seen a number of mishaps lately where people's pets decided to do out-of-water exploring (some found in time, some...not), and they can jump a couple inches. Alternate suggestions include cutting some craft mesh to fit - I had to do that with my tank, with a single glass panel to keep it from sagging in the middle - or even saran wrap with holes punched in it, although that's more of a temporary solution.


The thing with the water level is that it's kind of set. The water pump seems to even out right about there. So even if water level in the intake chamber is lower than the tank, the pump keeps the water level in the tank the same. Does that make sense?

Ares has lived in a topless tank for a couple of months now, which is the only reason I'm semi-comfortable with the situation. Although I do worry all the time. The issue with having a lid is the plant that comes out of water as well as the water bottle baffle I added.



The new kitten is definitely having me rethinking a modified lid. I may be able to make one from the same hardware mesh we use for my boyfriend's snake terrarium. (Oh yeah, we have one of those too. Kenyan sand boa named Reese.)


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

Hmmm, yeah. Looking back at the old picture, I do see what you mean. Well, if it's only the kitten that you're worried about, you could keep the bathroom door closed. We have a toilet paper shredder, so that's what we do.


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

*I have a cat! New journal thread?*

So Mr. Polydactyl didn't work out. And we had just settled on Schubert too. Basically someone else's application cleared before our landlord got back from vacation. :-( The next day we found out that the Siamese female had also been adopted out. 

Sooo...the next day (Saturday) we did a sweep of all the shelters in the area. We met Oso, whom my boyfriend fell in love with, and dropped an application. My boyfriend wants to name him Hammerlock because of his mustache. Check him out here.

*HOWEVER*, after meeting little Oso we went to our last stop, Miranda's Rescue. They have a large communal indoor-outdoor, cat condo-yard with a lot of adult cats that need adopting. That's where we met our new cat!









Meet Elysia. She's super photogenic.

I saw her lying in the sun and she hopped away into a bush, but then she just hunkered and watched us. We brought her home later that day. She is a grey medium-hair diluted tortoiseshell/tabby, or "torbie." Her name is Elysia.

Origin: She has the most beautiful green eyes, so I started searching tvtropes for green-eyed characters. Elysia (or Elicia :roll is the daughter of Maes Hughes from Fullmetal Alchemist. Also, Elysia loosely translates to "lightning struck" (Elysium fields), and she has a lightning strike on her head.

Also...I only have one shrimp left. Ares has eaten all but one that I know of at this point, but...









​
I don't know how long that's going to last. I think I'll try Amano shrimp. Anyway, I plan on posting some of the things we've done to spoil our new cat. Should I start a new, more encompassing thread (proper title and all) or just continue here?​


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

Why not keep it to one? It's simpler that way.


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## cmwong27 (Jun 4, 2014)

*More on Elysia*



hrutan said:


> Why not keep it to one? It's simpler that way.


I don't know. When I set up this journal I didn't think I would be writing about other new pets and was new to this forum. But I guess I don't want to confuse my...numerous...fans.  

Some more details on the cat: I neglected to mention (posting to a journal at 3 a.m. :roll that after Elysia hopped into the bushes she did come out to greet us...sort of. She sniffed our outstretched hands, but then retreated to lie down. My boyfriend was understandably not enthused with adopting a cat that wouldn't let him scratch it. I tried again and that time she rubbed her face on my hand. I told my boyfriend that she was showing signs of real intelligence (not fleeing, observing, hesitating, friendly demeanor) and I wanted to ask about her.

About half an hour later, we had a cat. Now my boyfriend calls her "the best decision he did't make." We've had her for five days, and he couldn't be happier with her. I'll throw up some photographs of them together when I have a proper Internet connection.

*Elysia*
DOB: 05-05-2013 (We made this up. We know she is a year and two months old. May 5 is the anniversary of our first date.)
Description: 8.3 lbs. Medium hair, grey with bits of orange and white, tortoiseshell coat with a tabby face, distinctive "lightning bolt" marking on forehead...
Found: park in Pittsburgh, Ca
Adopted: Miranda's Rescue in Fortuna, Ca (300 miles north of where she was found :shock
Current Diet: half a cup of Purina cat kibble twice daily, 1/3 can AvoDerm wet food every other morning.
Likes: forehead rubs, purring, kneading, window viewing, tight spaces, wheatgrass, human food containers (but not plates), golf balls, insects/laser pointer, pouncing
Dislikes: cat toys, scratching posts, catnip, being carried, loud noises, oral rinsing
Current Issues: Stomatitis, or kitty gingivitis. Vet gave us an oral rinse to use once or twice daily to deal with her red gums. We'll probably get some Greenies too. Minor fleas. Treating with free sample of Advantage, switching to Revolution next month.


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