fearlessfisch
Aquarium Advice FINatic
i was so terribly sad....my wonderful blue betta (who used to patrol the tank and settle fights between gouramis before they even started...he was a bold and sensible fish) disappeared in the tank, and i knew it was the worst. 
i miss him so much....he had such a likable personality, and he really did bring peace to the tank.
in his honor, i decided to try to rescue one of the little raggedy things in the blue cups at petsmart. i brought him home (blue betta #2), and he lived about 8 hours....found him covered in fungus-looking stuff. i figured it was probably columnaris since it came on so fast. i felt so bad for the poor fish, but also scared for everyone else in the tank, since dumb me didn't quarantine. had an anxious few days doing water changes, and lo and behold nobody else got sick!
that was a little while back. i just couldn't risk another petsmart betta, so i went to the LFS i like and bought my first ever betta with the spiky fins...i forget what they're called. he is a little guy, but brilliant purple. my gold angel bullied him a little bit the first day, but by the second day he was swimming around as though he owns the tank. he is a bold little fish.
okay, here is the best part. i have read all the threads on mixing male and female bettas, and how it doesn't always work. but this new little guy is the only fish in the tank without a friend of his own kind. just something in his eyes told me he wanted someone to talk to. so i went out and bought a little female.
she has been in the tank for about four days now, and they are so cute together! for the first day she followed him around--it was so cute. i don't know why it took him about a day to take an interest in her, but now he has. they take turns following each other around the tank now, and he is constantly flaring to impress her.
no bubble nests yet....this tank has quite a bit of surface agitation, so maybe that is a problem. but they really seem to enjoy each others' company, and i've seen no aggression whatsoever. i started this hobby loving all fish, but honestly i am becoming so fond of bettas in particular.
the tank is doing great now. i am stocked (probably overstocked, but i have really good filtration and am religious with water changes). in honor of blue betta #1, everyone (including the angels and the gouramis), is getting along swimmingly.) i finally have my dream mix of colorful, friendly fishies, and everyone is healthy right now. i want to try to post some pictures soon if i can. this is such a great hobby. )
but i will never forget blue.
i miss him so much....he had such a likable personality, and he really did bring peace to the tank. in his honor, i decided to try to rescue one of the little raggedy things in the blue cups at petsmart. i brought him home (blue betta #2), and he lived about 8 hours....found him covered in fungus-looking stuff. i figured it was probably columnaris since it came on so fast. i felt so bad for the poor fish, but also scared for everyone else in the tank, since dumb me didn't quarantine. had an anxious few days doing water changes, and lo and behold nobody else got sick!
that was a little while back. i just couldn't risk another petsmart betta, so i went to the LFS i like and bought my first ever betta with the spiky fins...i forget what they're called. he is a little guy, but brilliant purple. my gold angel bullied him a little bit the first day, but by the second day he was swimming around as though he owns the tank. he is a bold little fish.
okay, here is the best part. i have read all the threads on mixing male and female bettas, and how it doesn't always work. but this new little guy is the only fish in the tank without a friend of his own kind. just something in his eyes told me he wanted someone to talk to. so i went out and bought a little female.
she has been in the tank for about four days now, and they are so cute together! for the first day she followed him around--it was so cute. i don't know why it took him about a day to take an interest in her, but now he has. they take turns following each other around the tank now, and he is constantly flaring to impress her.
no bubble nests yet....this tank has quite a bit of surface agitation, so maybe that is a problem. but they really seem to enjoy each others' company, and i've seen no aggression whatsoever. i started this hobby loving all fish, but honestly i am becoming so fond of bettas in particular.
the tank is doing great now. i am stocked (probably overstocked, but i have really good filtration and am religious with water changes). in honor of blue betta #1, everyone (including the angels and the gouramis), is getting along swimmingly.
) i finally have my dream mix of colorful, friendly fishies, and everyone is healthy right now. i want to try to post some pictures soon if i can. this is such a great hobby. )but i will never forget blue.
