Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => General Fishkeeping advice => Topic started by: jesnon on September 21, 2014, 06:15:35 PM
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Well following on from my previous posts my little tank is in a poor state of affairs, it's current inhabitants are:
One pink endler (called Bow), one mysterious accidental fish (Oz), one assassin snail (James Bond) and one shrimp (Survivor). What an odd little collection my little tank has!
What I was really wondering was.... Since I have so few fish, is it possible to take my tank in a new direction now? I would love a Betta fish, but would a betta be happy with two random tank mates and would my fish be happy with him? I guess also my poor shrimp may get eaten too ^^;
Are there any small other fish I could get?
Or is it simply best to go out and get myself some more endlers? I realise this is probably the best option, but it seems like a good opportunity right now to 'change things up' a little with so few surviving fish! I am also considering changing my gravel, perhaps to sand, since I'll just have to get a few little creatures out of the tank. However I don't know much about how to clean sand and whether I would need to get a different siphon etc....
Sorry for being so vague, just looking for some opinions!
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Before making any suggestions, Jesnon, can you remind us what your water is like - hardness, pH etc. I know the tank is the smaller Fluval Edge.
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Before making any suggestions, Jesnon, can you remind us what your water is like - hardness, pH etc. I know the tank is the smaller Fluval Edge.
Unfortunately my water is the biggest problem! I live in Southampton so my water is ph 8.2 and very hard. However, I am more than willing to start using RO water as I've been weighing up moving to this water I decide due to the problems I've been having with my tank recently
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With 23 litres, RO shouldn't cost too much and that may well be your best bet.
A betta would be fine if you could lower the pH and hardness a bit with RO water. Though you'd have to monitor him to make sure he could find the square of water surface. If he had problems you would need to drop the water level slightly so there was an air space under the top glass. It would spoil the looks of the tank somewhat but at least the betta wouldn't drown.
The endler shouldn't be a problem with a betta. They are not nippy fish and because it would be there when the betta arrived, he should regard it as part of the scenery. But I've forgotten what species Oz is :-[
A betta might well eat your shrimp though.
If you want something completely different, how about scarlet badis (http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/dario-dario/)? Your tank is just about big enough for a pair. I've seen these fish at Maidenhead Aquatics. They can take pH up to 8.5 and hardness up to 15 german deg/268ppm. The downside to them is that they much prefer small live or frozen live food.
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With 23 litres, RO shouldn't cost too much and that may well be your best bet.
A betta would be fine if you could lower the pH and hardness a bit with RO water. Though you'd have to monitor him to make sure he could find the square of water surface. If he had problems you would need to drop the water level slightly so there was an air space under the top glass. It would spoil the looks of the tank somewhat but at least the betta wouldn't drown.
The endler shouldn't be a problem with a betta. They are not nippy fish and because it would be there when the betta arrived, he should regard it as part of the scenery. But I've forgotten what species Oz is :-[
A betta might well eat your shrimp though.
If you want something completely different, how about scarlet badis (http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/dario-dario/)? Your tank is just about big enough for a pair. I've seen these fish at Maidenhead Aquatics. They can take pH up to 8.5 and hardness up to 15 german deg/268ppm. The downside to them is that they much prefer small live or frozen live food.
I wouldn't mind so much about lowering the water if he's struggling - my tank tends to lose a lot of water through evaporation so ends up with a little gap in between water changes anyway!
Wow they look gorgeous Sue! Who'd have thought I could have a fish like that?! The only problem really would be finding them I guess! I pass a fish shop on the way to work and there's another literally down the road... I shall investigate tomorrow after work!
Oz is I think a gertrudae - he's quite plain greyish colour and the same size as my endlers, perhaps slightly bigger and has bright blue eyes.
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If you're having trouble finding a scarlet badis or want another suggestion, I would consider a group of sparkling gouramis to go in the top of your tank and maybe some more shrimp to keep yours company. I can't imagine the gouramis would be big enough to eat the shrimp (correct me if I'm wrong), although you would need to lower the pH substantially.
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Oz should be OK with a betta if you chose that route.
Scarlet badis males are usually pale in shop tanks and don't look very inspiring. If they are the same as other fish, they will colour up when settled in. You could keep those in your tapwater without RO.
If you used RO to lower your hardness and pH Andrea's suggestion of sparkling gouramis would work, a small group of them. They would need an air gap like a betta. If you had a mixed sex group they might even breed. They are tricky to sex so you'd have to buy three or four and hope for at least one male and one female.
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So I went to two of my LFS today - Aquajardin and Maidenhead. The Aquajardin is very small and didn't have any of the fish mentioned, however Maidenhead is amazing and has a fantastic range of unusual fish.
If you're having trouble finding a scarlet badis or want another suggestion, I would consider a group of sparkling gouramis to go in the top of your tank and maybe some more shrimp to keep yours company. I can't imagine the gouramis would be big enough to eat the shrimp (correct me if I'm wrong), although you would need to lower the pH substantially.
I saw sparkling gouramis in MA - lovely fish. I've written off buying any more shrimp unfortunately though, I've simply not had any luck with them and can't bare the thought of killing any more! However I guess if the problem is about my water, if I went this route and was using RO water it may not be a problem!
Oz should be OK with a betta if you chose that route.
Scarlet badis males are usually pale in shop tanks and don't look very inspiring. If they are the same as other fish, they will colour up when settled in. You could keep those in your tapwater without RO.
If you used RO to lower your hardness and pH Andrea's suggestion of sparkling gouramis would work, a small group of them. They would need an air gap like a betta. If you had a mixed sex group they might even breed. They are tricky to sex so you'd have to buy three or four and hope for at least one male and one female.
I would prefer to stick to my normal tapwater, however if it's just not viable I'm happy to go this route!
I saw in MA 'neon blue badis' - is this the same species but a different colour? I wasn't entirely sure so didn't want to make any decisions until I'd checked here! They were a greyish colour but with a pretty black pattern, and as you mentioned I imagine would colour up to a neon blue as described. I was very tempted by them! So just two - when you say a pair do you mean two male or MF or FF? This was the closest I found to the scarlett badis, though I think there is another shop I could try a little further out.
I spent a lot of time browsing in MA, such lovely fish! I was hoping to get some names to talk about here but my phone had died and I didn't have anything to write down any names. I really like this shop - the shop worker I spoke to really knew his stuff when we got the betta for work and they have a lot of really helpful information booklets around about everything to do with fish... they seem to genuinely want to make sure the fish are being looked after properly once sold!
Another ermm... interesting question! I was wondering if it would be OK to take my future fish purchases home on my scooter!? I can't see how it would be any worse than travelling home by car... I could either put them in an insulated picnic backpack and wear it, or I could put them in my top box or underseat storage. I don't think either get particularly cold or hot
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I don't have a clue about the neon blue badis, I'm afraid. Just to complicate matters, the scarlet badis isn't in the genus Badis, it's a Dario - Dario dario to be precise. The best thing to do is ask at the shop what the wholesaler gave as the latin name on the invoice. I've done this in the past at Maidenhead Aq and they've been able to tell me.
You could take them home on your moped so long as they were somewhere secure. I would imagine the underseat storage would be the most secure. You want to avoid shaking them up too much and keep them somewhere that wouldn't come loose if you had to swerve suddenly.
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I don't have a clue about the neon blue badis, I'm afraid. Just to complicate matters, the scarlet badis isn't in the genus Badis, it's a Dario - Dario dario to be precise. The best thing to do is ask at the shop what the wholesaler gave as the latin name on the invoice. I've done this in the past at Maidenhead Aq and they've been able to tell me.
You could take them home on your moped so long as they were somewhere secure. I would imagine the underseat storage would be the most secure. You want to avoid shaking them up too much and keep them somewhere that wouldn't come loose if you had to swerve suddenly.
Hmm now that is confusing!! I'll pop into the shop again tomorrow and see what they say.
I'm sure if I put something around the bag in the seat that would work well or I could put them in the bag in the seat.
I forgot to say there was a ton of gorgeous endlers too!
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I personally love endlers and you could have a lovely tank if you planted it really nicely, maybe even kept a fancy snail with them? Definitely put the fish you buy in the underseat storage of your moped. I suggest you bring a towel to wrap around the bag and stop it from moving around too much :)
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I personally love endlers and you could have a lovely tank if you planted it really nicely, maybe even kept a fancy snail with them? Definitely put the fish you buy in the underseat storage of your moped. I suggest you bring a towel to wrap around the bag and stop it from moving around too much :)
I do absolutely adore endlers, and I've been fortunate enough to live in areas where so many different colours and types have been so readily available. Thru really are lovely fish and it's nice knowing that you can have the different colours perfectly happy together. I could again have some yellow leopard print types, normal endlers, shocking pink and blonde and I have no doubt they'd look fab and all be great little characters! But I am thinking since they're the only fish I've ever kept it might be nice to branch out a little and try something different!
I'd love to have a well planted tank but again seem to have no luck with this! I've even killed off java fern! The only plants I have are moss ball and horn wort and I think you have to do something massively wrong to kill them!! There's also the limitation of the edges lighting for plants and my plain old gravel substrate. I'd love a really well planted beautiful tank but have no idea where to start and what would work!
I think you're right about the seat and towel combination, I think that'll work well!
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Well I popped in to MA earlier and enquired about the fish. . Apparently they do occasionally stock the scarlett badis and there is a store in Fareham which I might give a ring or pop into. The guy I spoke to couldn't find the latin name but showed me a site that said they were essentially very similar so I'll do some reading and see what I discover
Here's a picture of the neon blue badis in the shop
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/jessboon/Mobile%20Uploads/20140923_133820_zps332ccdb3.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jessboon/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20140923_133820_zps332ccdb3.jpg.html)
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Google seems to suggest that blue badis are Badis badis - this fish (http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/badis-badis/). There are several subspecies depending which site you look at. It could be that the fish in the shop were Badis badis which had been selectively bred to intensify the blue.
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Blue Badis may be the subspecies Badis badis badis, while Badis badis burmanicus is redder and Badis badis siamensis is darker. There are said to be other natural colour forms. It's also known as the Chameleon fish because of its ability to change colour.
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Blue Badis may be the subspecies Badis badis badis
Fish names don't get much better than that! :D
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Hi Jesnon :wave:
I'm really sorry to read that you have lost most of your fishies :(....how horrible for you. I understand why you are thinking of having a change. I'm not much use for suggestions. I'm afraid, although I can heartily recommend a betta, they are lovely and my Rafe had such a nice character.
The other fish I have always had a soft spot for are the dwarf puffer fish, but I think your tank may be too small for one (I can't remember the size of yours). Also, he may not appreciate any tank mates. I don't know how tricky one would be...one of my LFS's swears they're quite straight forward, but we all know what fibs they can tell sometimes ???
They are terrific looking little fish though....maybe one day I'll be able to get one.
Anyway, I'll probably get told off for even suggesting a puffer, but I just thought I'd put it out there :fishy1:
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Ooh dwarf puffers are awesome fish but I believe the minimum tank size for one if 40L which means they wouldn't be suitable for Jesnon's tank...
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Thanks everyone for the advice about the badis - very confusing! I'll stick to waiting for the scarlett badis just in case, think I will give the Fareham MA a ring. I would quite like to go and visit anyway but I can't really justify the half an hour drive on A roads I'm not used to unless it's for fish at the end of it rather than just browsing! I'm going to attempt to get more plants again too so any suggestions of plants that won't die in my gravel and poor light would be good!!
Thank you Resa, it's so odd now with an empty tank I need to get some fish in there! There were some absolutely lovely bettas in the AquaJardin, I'm not sure how to describe them but the ones with the more frayed tails and one that looked like Sue's current betta. I'd love a half moon I think but I've never actually seen one in person.
Oooh Resa I know what you mean about the mini puffers they are adorable! Theta always a tank full when I go to the MA!
But yes think my little tank is unsuitable unfortunately
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The bettas with frayed tails are crown tails. Most bettas in shops sold as half moons aren't quite that, they are more like superdeltas. True half moons can be bought from specialist betta-selling websites, but are expensive. It's all down to the spread of the tail when the fish flares. Half moon is a complete 180 degree half circle. Delta's have a tail with up to 120 deg spread and superdeltas are between the two.
The best way to buy a betta is to ignore tail types and colours. Go to a few shops and look at their bettas. Very often one will choose you by his behaviour. My current betta was a blue and white marble pattern when I got him but it didn't take long for all the white to disappear and I now have a plain blue fish. But he is such a character that it doesn't matter :)
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The bettas with frayed tails are crown tails. Most bettas in shops sold as half moons aren't quite that, they are more like superdeltas. True half moons can be bought from specialist betta-selling websites, but are expensive. It's all down to the spread of the tail when the fish flares. Half moon is a complete 180 degree half circle. Delta's have a tail with up to 120 deg spread and superdeltas are between the two.
The best way to buy a betta is to ignore tail types and colours. Go to a few shops and look at their bettas. Very often one will choose you by his behaviour. My current betta was a blue and white marble pattern when I got him but it didn't take long for all the white to disappear and I now have a plain blue fish. But he is such a character that it doesn't matter :)
ooh wow Sue I had no idea their colours could change so much! I have to say I have always wanted a betta so I am quite tempted by this option. It also has the benefit of being able to get one now rather than an unknown time. I rang the Fareham MA and they only have neon badis too, I guess they probably have the same suppliers. My name is down on the interested list for scarlett badis but no idea if they could come in to stock
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It's marble patterned bettas that change colour. Solid colours don't usually change at all. You can get bettas in just one colour, or ones that have a body one colour and fins of another. A pale whitish body with (usually) red fins is called cambodian. A fish with body of colour A, fins of colour B next to the body and colour A again at the fin edges is a butterfly. A buttefly that had colour C at the fin edges is a tricolour.
The most common fin type in shops is the veiltail. Occasionally you come across short finned bettas (plakats) but they are usually mistaken for females and are in the tank with them.
If you want something to drool over, look at the website aquabid. It is quite safe to look there as it's an American site and the importer's charges to get one sent over here would be several times the price of the fish. No impulse buying from there unlike a UK based site ;D
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Ahh Sue you sure know your bettas and you're really tempting me!! I do love them! When I was in Bristol my LFS was always posting lovely betta pics, my favourite was the dumbo ear! I finish early Saturday and am very tempted to get myself one!! I saw a marble coloured one the other day that reminded me of one of yours he was an aqua Blue and red I think
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Well, I think I've decided.... I'm getting a betta!! They're just far too cute!
How will I know my betta can't find the air gap? Or do you think it's just safest to lower the tank level for him anyway? And do you think the bits of bogwood I have in my tank would be ok and not snag? I don't think they're particularly sharp. I would need to get some kind of cave and other exciting things for him too I guess?
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You could try leaving a small air gap at first them maybe fill it up bit by bit until you know he can find the square.
Do you have an old pair of tights? Before throwing them away, rub them gently over the decor and see if they snag.
A cave can be made of anything you like as long as it is tank safe. My betta has a smallish terracotta plantpot. I cut about a third off from top to bottom and laid it on its side on the cut edge. Incidentally, terracotta sands lovely and smooth with sandpaper :) I attached java fern to it to make it look less synthetic.
One thing to watch with bettas - if they can get stuck, they will. I've heard lots tales of this happening so to be on the safe side I siliconed a small circle of plastic craft mesh over the hole on the bottom of the plantpot. I did it from the inside and you can't really see it anything unusual from the outside.
Take your time, look at as many bettas as you can. One of them will probably choose you rather than the other way round ;D You are looking for a betta that is alert, not just lying there. Put your finger on the glass, don't tap just hold it for him to see. If he shows interest that is a good sign. If they are in small tanks side by side, a good sign is a fish that is reacting to his neighbour. Look for tatty fins - ammonia burns and finrot can be hard to heal. If there are a few that respond in a positive way, then choose one of them based on his looks.
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You could try leaving a small air gap at first them maybe fill it up bit by bit until you know he can find the square.
Do you have an old pair of tights? Before throwing them away, rub them gently over the decor and see if they snag.
A cave can be made of anything you like as long as it is tank safe. My betta has a smallish terracotta plantpot. I cut about a third off from top to bottom and laid it on its side on the cut edge. Incidentally, terracotta sands lovely and smooth with sandpaper :) I attached java fern to it to make it look less synthetic.
One thing to watch with bettas - if they can get stuck, they will. I've heard lots tales of this happening so to be on the safe side I siliconed a small circle of plastic craft mesh over the hole on the bottom of the plantpot. I did it from the inside and you can't really see it anything unusual from the outside.
Take your time, look at as many bettas as you can. One of them will probably choose you rather than the other way round ;D You are looking for a betta that is alert, not just lying there. Put your finger on the glass, don't tap just hold it for him to see. If he shows interest that is a good sign. If they are in small tanks side by side, a good sign is a fish that is reacting to his neighbour. Look for tatty fins - ammonia burns and finrot can be hard to heal. If there are a few that respond in a positive way, then choose one of them based on his looks.
Amazing advice as always Sue! I'll do the tight test and have a look in the shops for suitable caves! I've always liked the moss caves made using coconut etc so perhaps one of the shops have something like that. If not I've seen some nice things about that could be suitable.
I think I'll go to the shop on my way to work tomorrow and the one near to work on Saturday and then I can investigate and see what bettas are the liveliest! I think from what I remember both shops just have bettas spread around randomly in tanks rather than in the teeny box tanks some shops have.
Ooh another question the betta at work goes mad for bloodworms, I only have daphnia and brine shrimp and flakes, I would need betta pellets but do I also need bloodworm?
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He'll also be quite happy with daphnia and bloodworm, though if you want to get that as well he's enjoy that too. Only once or twice a week though.
I'd forgotten you'd got the betta at work :-[
I use Hikari betta pellets simply because they were the only ones I could getat the time. I prefer Atisons but they've all but diappeared from sale. There's only one seller on Ebay at the moment.
I also soak the pellets before I feed them as they swell when wet and I'd rather them swell outside the fish's stomach.
When the bettas are in tanks with other fish there is the danger they might have been picked on. If there are bits missing from the fins they could develop finrot, so look out for that.
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Ooh I might get stone bloodworm as well then. The betta at work is lovely!
Heres two very tempting bettas from shop no.1!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/jessboon/Mobile%20Uploads/20140926_132548_zpsdcc2bca9.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jessboon/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20140926_132548_zpsdcc2bca9.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/jessboon/Mobile%20Uploads/20140926_132012_zps0e947496.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jessboon/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20140926_132012_zps0e947496.jpg.html)
both of them seem in good health. The blue one absolutely storms around his tank he seems quite the character. I love the red one because he looks so delicate
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The blue one looks like mine when I got him, so be warned he might turn plain blue with time.
The red and white crowntail is pretty too. That's what I meant by cambodian pattern.
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I thought he looked familiar! He's quite a nice blue so I wouldn't mind if he went that colour everywhere. The other one is lovely! He wasn't quite as active but still came up to me when I put my finger to the glass.
I still need to go to the other shop to get a cave as no suitable ones were in the Aquajardin so I might be tempted by another but right now I just can't decide which one I like the most!! My decision may already be made I guess if one gets bought before tomorrow!!
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Right, I made my decision! Today I came home with. .....
The red and white betta! He's still awaiting naming and being acclimatised as we speak. I also got myself a moss cave which looks lovely and I'm attempting my hand one more time at plant keeping with an anubias that I'll attach to one of my bogwoods in due course
I've just popped it in the tank as is for now until I have time later to properly attach it. .. I never have much luck with this bit!
I also got some bloodworm and some Tetra Betta Flakes, neither shops had pellets... I hope this will be ok?
Right I best get back to settling Mr Betta in!
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congrats on your beta jesnon ,
i sure i speek for all members here when i say the words piccies :rotfl: :fishy1:
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congrats on your beta jesnon ,
i sure i speek for all members here when i say the words piccies :rotfl: :fishy1:
Thank you! He seems happy in his new home so far. Hehe I will get some pics tomorrow once he's had some time to settle. I need to rearrange where things are in my tank but I'm quite happy with my new plant and cave!
There are some absolutely lovely endlers in the shops today. Some shocking pink endlers that were also Blue! Gorgeous colours. As you can tell I'm a little sad to say goodbye to my endler buying days!!
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Congrats on your purchase ;D
I've used those flakes before with no problems. I would soak them first so he doesn't eat almost dry flakes. Once he realises they are food, they won't be in the tank long enough to soak up water. Don't worry if it doesn't eat them at first. Newly purchased bettas can take several days to start eating especially if the food the shop used is different. He will eat eventually, they don't allow themselves to starve.
And don't give in when he begs for food, they are little pigs!
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Congrats on your purchase ;D
I've used those flakes before with no problems. I would soak them first so he doesn't eat almost dry flakes. Once he realises they are food, they won't be in the tank long enough to soak up water. Don't worry if it doesn't eat them at first. Newly purchased bettas can take several days to start eating especially if the food the shop used is different. He will eat eventually, they don't allow themselves to starve.
And don't give in when he begs for food, they are little pigs!
Thank you Sue! And thanks again for all your advice! I will make sure to soak the flakes and avoid temptation to feed him too much hehe
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So here's a few snaps!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/jessboon/Mobile%20Uploads/20140927_194624_zps2b5b996b.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jessboon/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20140927_194624_zps2b5b996b.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/jessboon/Mobile%20Uploads/20140927_194628_zpsdb186cc4.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jessboon/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20140927_194628_zpsdb186cc4.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/jessboon/Mobile%20Uploads/20140927_194643_zpsb45b4025.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jessboon/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20140927_194643_zpsb45b4025.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/jessboon/Mobile%20Uploads/20140927_194714_zps1db99648.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jessboon/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20140927_194714_zps1db99648.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/jessboon/Mobile%20Uploads/20140927_202447_zps9d37fd55.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jessboon/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20140927_202447_zps9d37fd55.jpg.html)
I hope to get a better photo of him soon! He doesn't look quite as bright in my tank, I think it might be my lighting. Though I've just notice he has a little freckly nose, so cute!
I was hoping some other more design focused fish keepers could recommend how to place everything in my tank. I can't quite work out how it would all look best!
As you can see I still haven't got rid of this blasted purple algae either!
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It's a nice thermometer admittedly, but I'm not sure we needed 3 photos of it..... ;) The Betta in the background is lovely though! ;D
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It's a nice thermometer admittedly, but I'm not sure we needed 3 photos of it..... ;) The Betta in the background is lovely though! ;D
Haha I just thought I'd show it off haha. I'll get some better photos another day!!
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I've got a small shrimp tank project on the go at the minute but I'm fairly sure a Betta tank will be next on the horizon - they're great looking fish.
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Jesnon, your new Betta is beautiful! I hope I can find one as nice when I'm ready to get mine.
You must keep us updated on his progress. Are you going to put anything else in there with him? I know some people do, but I think I'm just going to have one nerite snail in with mine (if he tolerates it). Anyway, with something so handsome as the centre piece, you don't really need anything else anyway!
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I've got a small shrimp tank project on the go at the minute but I'm fairly sure a Betta tank will be next on the horizon - they're great looking fish.
Ooh I wish I'd had better look with shrimp they are so fun to watch! But yes I'm very happy with my new purchase!
Jesnon, your new Betta is beautiful! I hope I can find one as nice when I'm ready to get mine.
You must keep us updated on his progress. Are you going to put anything else in there with him? I know some people do, but I think I'm just going to have one nerite snail in with mine (if he tolerates it). Anyway, with something so handsome as the centre piece, you don't really need anything else anyway!
I'm sure you will! I still feel guilty about our Mr Blue fish I'm sure he will be homed soon enough. He seems to be settling in well to the tank and likes exploring the cave, I was more than a little excited the first time he swam through it ha. He's in the tank with my last two remaining fish, you can see them in one of the photos: one endler and one fish I was given by mistake when I got some shrimp and became too attached to take back! I would love to add some more endlers as I do love them but I think my tank is too small really to risk anyone not getting along. Mr Betta (temporary name!) Is getting on great with my other two fish they just seem to be ignoring each other and going about their business but adding fish after him might be an error!
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He's a lovely fish ;D
Mine likes hornwort, which I see you have. He rests in it with the tips of his fins touching a leaf. At first glance he looks to be floating motionless, you can only see he's actually in contact with the plant when you look closely ;D
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He's a lovely fish ;D
Mine likes hornwort, which I see you have. He rests in it with the tips of his fins touching a leaf. At first glance he looks to be floating motionless, you can only see he's actually in contact with the plant when you look closely ;D
Ha I'll have to see if he picks up this habit too! I'm still working on a name for the poor guy!
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Good lookin' fish, Jesnon. "Cute freckled nose" eh? I'm getting worried! :))
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Good lookin' fish, Jesnon. "Cute freckled nose" eh? I'm getting worried! :))
See!! :))
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Ah Jesnon....he's lovely. They really are beautiful fish, aren't they? They interact so well too...he'll be looking to say hello to you whenever you're near the tank in no time. :fishy1:
Happy Betta-ring :)
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Hey jesnon,
Mr Betta is a handsome chap!!!!!
Keep a really close eye on his tail and fins as although the other fish appear to be ignoring him they might be tempted to have a nip!!! I put some minnows in with my boy and thought everything was going smoothly until I saw the little blighters creep up behind him and take a bite!!! His tail and fins are mostly healed now and he is happiest on his own. I take regular photos of him so i can compare his fins and tail and look for any changes.
I feed my lad small flies as well as bloodworm and flakes. I'm a bit of a one for buying too much fruit and having it slowly go overripe and then ending up with fruit flies buzzing about. My lad absolutely loves these and will now feed from my finger.
You can see pics of Stanley (aka Mr Bubbles) in my thread 'bettas injured fin' (or someting like that!!!!!)
FC76
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Ah Jesnon....he's lovely. They really are beautiful fish, aren't they? They interact so well too...he'll be looking to say hello to you whenever you're near the tank in no time. :fishy1:
Happy Betta-ring :)
They really are lovely fish! And shocking news my partner is actually quite happy with Mr Betta too! He's still complaining we can only have the one, but I think he's pleased we have a slightly bigger fish now!
Hey jesnon,
Mr Betta is a handsome chap!!!!!
Keep a really close eye on his tail and fins as although the other fish appear to be ignoring him they might be tempted to have a nip!!! I put some minnows in with my boy and thought everything was going smoothly until I saw the little blighters creep up behind him and take a bite!!! His tail and fins are mostly healed now and he is happiest on his own. I take regular photos of him so i can compare his fins and tail and look for any changes.
I feed my lad small flies as well as bloodworm and flakes. I'm a bit of a one for buying too much fruit and having it slowly go overripe and then ending up with fruit flies buzzing about. My lad absolutely loves these and will now feed from my finger.
You can see pics of Stanley (aka Mr Bubbles) in my thread 'bettas injured fin' (or someting like that!!!!!)
FC76
I'll definitely keep my eye on his fins and interactions with Bow and Oz. So far he seems the right line between ignoring them and swimming at them to scare them off if they get on his nerves! Time will soon tell!
Stanley is beautiful, gorgeous coloured chap!
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My betta is the only one my husband likes. I've even caught him talking to mine over the years. What is it with non-fish-loving men and bettas ;D
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My betta is the only one my husband likes. I've even caught him talking to mine over the years. What is it with non-fish-loving men and bettas ;D
They definitely have a charm for even the non-fish lovers! I talk to Mr Betta every day haha.
Well I thought I would update a little about his progress! Everyone seems to be getting on OK, which is great news. I was a little bit worried he would struggle as he's a bit of a slow coach with eating his dinner, whilst my other two fish know exactly that when I take the top off the tank their dinner is coming and to get ready! However he seems to be getting the hang of it now and moves to the front when I approach the tank. He's still a take your time eater but I think he's getting his fair share!
Here are a few photos of him:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/jessboon/Flash_zps9037cdcb.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jessboon/media/Flash_zps9037cdcb.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/jessboon/Flash2_zpsa02f6aca.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jessboon/media/Flash2_zpsa02f6aca.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/jessboon/Flash3_zpsd9ede983.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jessboon/media/Flash3_zpsd9ede983.jpg.html)
I'm still yet to get a good photo!
I think I'm going to call him Flash but I'm still not 100%... I feel like he needs the name of a dragon or something fancy like that!
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Whatever you decide to call him, he's very pretty :)
I find they soon get to know it's food time because I put the ice cream tub with the pots of fish food in front of my betta's tank to measure it out. He gets excited when he sees it, and when he sees food going into the plastic egg cup I use for his food he almost climbs out of the tank to get to it ;D
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I think I'm going to call him Flash but I'm still not 100%... I feel like he needs the name of a dragon or something fancy like that!
Ah, a challenge! How about Falkor (Film - Neverending Story), Hydra (Greek mythical beast) or Paarthurnax (Video game - Elder Scrolls IV)?? ;D
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Whatever you decide to call him, he's very pretty :)
I find they soon get to know it's food time because I put the ice cream tub with the pots of fish food in front of my betta's tank to measure it out. He gets excited when he sees it, and when he sees food going into the plastic egg cup I use for his food he almost climbs out of the tank to get to it ;D
He is quite the handsome chap! Haha I hope to see that much enthusiasm from him.
I think I'm going to call him Flash but I'm still not 100%... I feel like he needs the name of a dragon or something fancy like that!
Ah, a challenge! How about Falkor (Film - Neverending Story), Hydra (Greek mythical beast) or Paarthurnax (Video game - Elder Scrolls IV)?? ;D
Ooh I like the first two, though feel he's the wrong colours for a hydra. I'm not sure how to pronounce the last one!!
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Ooh I like the first two, though feel he's the wrong colours for a hydra. I'm not sure how to pronounce the last one!!
So Quetzalcoatl is out of the question then? :o ;)
*Edit - Paarthurnax is from Elder Scrolls V, not IV - just in case someone pulled me up on it! ::)
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Ooh I like the first two, though feel he's the wrong colours for a hydra. I'm not sure how to pronounce the last one!!
So Quetzalcoatl is out of the question then? :o ;)
*Edit - Paarthurnax is from Elder Scrolls V, not IV - just in case someone pulled me up on it! ::)
Haha I've actually heard that one before, though I can't remember where from! God knows if I pronounce it right though!!
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Mmm...I suppose 'Puff' doesn't really have the same sort of feel :rotfl:
(For those young folk like Jesnon, 'Puff' was a magic dragon in a song...way back when Noah's cat was a kitten)
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Ooh I like the first two, though feel he's the wrong colours for a hydra. I'm not sure how to pronounce the last one!!
So Quetzalcoatl is out of the question then? :o ;)
*Edit - Paarthurnax is from Elder Scrolls V, not IV - just in case someone pulled me up on it! ::)
Haha I was tempted but let you off with this being a fish site and not a gaming site!
He's a beautiful fish Jesnon! Mmm...I suppose 'Puff' doesn't really have the same sort of feel :rotfl:
(For those young folk like Jesnon, 'Puff' was a magic dragon in a song...way back when Noah's cat was a kitten)
Wasn't puff the dragon the one doctors used in learning videos and books for kids with athsma??
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Dunno about that :-\....the one I was referring to was the song from 1963 sung by Peter, Paul and Mary.
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yes i grew up listening to puff the magic dragon and books to with my asthma - oh happy memories :)
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Dunno about that :-\....the one I was referring to was the song from 1963 sung by Peter, Paul and Mary.
Bit before my time that Resa lol
yes i grew up listening to puff the magic dragon and books to with my asthma - oh happy memories :)
I though it was lol, I grew out of my athsma years ago now but remember the green dragon with orange wings lol
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Mmm...I suppose 'Puff' doesn't really have the same sort of feel :rotfl:
(For those young folk like Jesnon, 'Puff' was a magic dragon in a song...way back when Noah's cat was a kitten)
Ahah yes, I think puff isn't ummm graceful enough for him!! Though I did love that song as a child, I think I had it on cassette
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What's a cassette??? ;) ;) ;) :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :raspberries
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What's a cassette??? ;) ;) ;) :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :raspberries
I'm 25 in a week or so... now I feel very old!!! :rotfl: :rotfl:
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How old do you think that makes me feel :o My children had their songs on vinyl, my songs were on the radio or sung to us by our parents........
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My first music purchase was on cassette but it wasn't long till I switched to CD's and now my kids would be hard pressed to know what a CD was! :o
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I can still remember my youngest sons (he's 28 later this month) mixed look of horror and amazement, when he first saw me turn a record over to play the other side :yikes:
We briefly toyed with mini-discs, (anyone remember them?) but when we had our entire combined record collection stolen.....which was a disaster not only for all the lost memories, (my precious 'That'll Be The Day' album bought for me by my lovely dad) but also because my other half was a DJ then....bit hard to do that with no records :( we bought everything we could get on CDs.
Downloads...whilst convenient....just aren't the same :(
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What's a cassette??? ;) ;) ;) :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :raspberries
I'm 25 in a week or so... now I feel very old!!! :rotfl: :rotfl:
Haha I'm older than you then lol at 28. I've had cassettes to CDs to mini discs and now iPods/iPhones lol god now I feel old lol.