Fishie :3

[Kithy Kitty]

For some reason.. the last time we went to Walmart (ya know, yesterday) I had something telling me to go down the fish isle.

I'm very much used to seeing the bettas Walmart has and the condition they're kept in. But yesterday was different. There was only one cup with a fish in it, sitting next to a stack of empty ones. One fish. A red crowntail. I looked at my husband and he looked at me; we both felt terrible for it. It wasn't that he was in bad shape or anything but being the only one... well.

We bought a pretty cheap tank with light and cover as a "temporary home" (meaning we'll probably upgrade to a 3g for this guy to stay on my desk) but he's in a 1.5g while he heals up.

Overall, he's in amazing shape considering the water he was in. I woke up this morning and he had made me a bubble nest and was dancing for me. All afternoon while I've been at my desk he's been fidgeting with the nest. He'll add to it and then stare at me. Then add to it again and stare.

I've not got him to eat yet but I'm not worried about that. He looks great, he's very active. I got a cheap 2-15g heater that is keeping it about 77*, colder than I want but my husband didn't want to spend a whole lot of money. It's better than room temp and better than dying in a dirty cup.


Definitely not the worst cup I've seen a betta in but not the best, by far.


His body is quite a bit paler than you can see in the picture.


Not sure what this is (asked on a betta forum but no reply yet).




It's come to my attention that the pineapple has metal in it? So I'll test it tomorrow. I think it's supposed to be in the green part at the top so I may saw it off and see how that works. Either way, he's interested in it but hasn't exploded. Got him a hammock as well that he's sort of okay with. I was aware of the metal wire in it before buying so I took that out before it even reached the tank. (For the record... I'm not a fan of Spongebob. At all. My son picked out the Spongebob originally and I made a habit of hiding it in the tank because it sort of went against what I was going for <_< But I figured oh well, I did promise myself I'd get some Spongebob stuff for a 3rd tank someday.)





So he's pretty handsome, in really great health for being a Walmart betta. Very much a flirt.

I'm either going to...

1)Petco's next $1 a gallon sale get a 29g for the goldfish and pleco, upgrade both betta's to the 20g long and split it.

2)Split the 10gallon with the VT betta

3)Keep him in the 1.5g if he likes it

4)Upgrade to a 2.5-3g.

It all depends on finances.

Also, I hate the light included in this tank set. Hate it. So much. It makes everything look cloudy which I know it's not <_< Crappy LEDs. I'll get something else for sure.

Thinking of doing 50% changes every other day. I know I could get by with two 50% and one 100% in a week but bleh I hate doing 100% changes. Might sneak in a 75% one day in the week or something though.

Any idea why he looks so much better in pictures? D: He looks very Cambodian. Ammnia burns? Ionno D: I added in aquarium salt when I set the tank up and will probably continue that treatment for a week and do a 100% change afterwards. He has a good n** in his tail so that's why I chose to add salt.  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

So handsome!

Honestly...The upgrade is so worth it in the long run. I have a 30g. Granted that is massive for 1 beta I have a community. But when I had my 2.5g I had to clean it every week. I heated it with a lamp which, probably used a lot more energy than a heater. He ended up with fin rot at just 2yrs old sad He was originally a walmart so, I think he was about 2. He lived at my school for a bit.

Anyway, with the 30g even though I have way more fish, including a pleco and platies which all have pretty high bioloads. I honestly...almost never clean the tank.... See about 20-25% evaporates weekly. I top it up. After a month or more I consider doing a 50% or so change so I test the water. But not even a slight amount of nitrates, no nitrites, no ammonia. (Course it's filtered and been cycled for over a year now) So basically I just keep topping it up every week and occasionally I will suction up the crap from the bottom so it looks pretty. But it is so much less work! And less money long term because I need very little conditioner and don't waste water. My pleco keeps the glass nice an clean.

Also my rats like to bathe in the filter rolleyes  

[Shanna66]

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

So handsome!

Honestly...The upgrade is so worth it in the long run. I have a 30g. Granted that is massive for 1 beta I have a community. But when I had my 2.5g I had to clean it every week. I heated it with a lamp which, probably used a lot more energy than a heater. He ended up with fin rot at just 2yrs old sad He was originally a walmart so, I think he was about 2. He lived at my school for a bit.

Anyway, with the 30g even though I have way more fish, including a pleco and platies which all have pretty high bioloads. I honestly...almost never clean the tank.... See about 20-25% evaporates weekly. I top it up. After a month or more I consider doing a 50% or so change so I test the water. But not even a slight amount of nitrates, no nitrites, no ammonia. (Course it's filtered and been cycled for over a year now) So basically I just keep topping it up every week and occasionally I will suction up the crap from the bottom so it looks pretty. But it is so much less work! And less money long term because I need very little conditioner and don't waste water. My pleco keeps the glass nice an clean.

Also my rats like to bathe in the filter rolleyes

lol when i had aiden and my 10gal on my desk he would always end up falling into my fish tank, crazy rat

i vote bigger tank if you can afford it. the bigger the tank the less work it is and the more time you can spend sitting back and enjoying it  

[Akari_32]

I would get a 40 breeder for the goldfish, and split the 20 long 2-3 ways for bettas... >=3

He's a cutie for sure! My first (properly cared for) betta was a red crowntail that I named Cornelious. He was a lazy bones, and didn't move around much. He would sit in his plants a people watch lol Not your typical betta at all!  

[Kithy Kitty]

If I get some time when the weather is nice I might just tear the 50gal apart and fix it for leakies :3

This little CT oh gosh, he's a trip. He likes to just stare at me. And then I put my face near his tank he flares a bit at me and resumes building his nest. I just love having him up here :3 He's so fun to watch. I wish I could steal the desk in the kitchen <_< Would have so much spaaaaaace for fishies!