# 20Long Betta Biotope *New Crowntail!*



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

1) I'd like to find a good piece of wood to go in there. 

2) Eventually I'd like to get some [STRIKE]corries, apple snails, ottos [/STRIKE]for clean-up and some kind of peaceful schooling fish (my LFS has lots of great options) to add some color and life.

Not anymore! Gonna go biotope . . .


----------



## x_stephanie_x (Aug 5, 2010)

such a pretty boy 
I like rummynose tetras  those will go well in a school


----------



## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Looks good! I don't think rummy noses would be a good fit for this tank. I would recommend a 30g tank if you want them. Perhaps some ember tetra would be nice as a schooling fish? I love my ember tetra. They may not look the best at the LFS, but after a month of having them (I know, a long time to get their color back) they have the brightest red EVER.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

The embers at my LFS are beautiful. They're definitely in the running. I think they'd look esp good since the betta has orange on his fins.


----------



## huhu89151734 (Jun 29, 2010)

How much did you pay for each Blxya Japonica? I think I will need a trip to Albany Aquarium pretty soon.....


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

huhu89151734 said:


> How much did you pay for each Blxya Japonica? I think I will need a trip to Albany Aquarium pretty soon.....


I think it was $8 for 3 plants/bunches. I've got 9 in the tank at the moment. 

Got an arrival date for my betta too. Jan 18th. Which is awesome. Gives me plenty of time to get the tank up and running.


----------



## huhu89151734 (Jun 29, 2010)

Thanks a lot!


----------



## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Do you think the aquasoil will be done leeching ammonia by then? That is one handsome betta you are getting.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

sewingalot said:


> Do you think the aquasoil will be done leeching ammonia by then? That is one handsome betta you are getting.


In my other tanks, it's taken anywhere from a couple of weeks to a month and a half . . . but the pH is so low (6) that the ammonia is all harmless ammonium. My other bettas have done fine.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Going to try and keep this a "Betta Biotope". So that means Thai plants and fish, and blackwater-type scaping. 

I'm going to look to add some wood with attached Java Fern and some Rotala rotundifolia and/or Cryptocoryne balansae in the back ground. 

As for fauna, I’m thinking of CPDs and maybe some Kuhli Loaches for cleanup (instead of the corries I have in the other tanks).


----------



## kharma (Sep 20, 2010)

Betta Maniac said:


> Going to try and keep this a "Betta Biotope". So that means Thai plants and fish, and blackwater-type scaping.
> 
> I'm going to look to add some wood with attached Java Fern and some Rotala rotundifolia and/or Cryptocoryne balansae in the back ground.
> 
> As for fauna, I’m thinking of CPDs and maybe some Kuhli Loaches for cleanup (instead of the corries I have in the other tanks).


Oak leaves in the filter will really turn the color nicely or you can just have a leaf litter on the ground and get the same effect.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

kharma said:


> Oak leaves in the filter will really turn the color nicely or you can just have a leaf litter on the ground and get the same effect.


I've heard that . . . my best friend has oaks on her property up in the mountains, maybe I'll ask her to send me an envelope full, LOL! I've been buying IAL off aquabid.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

My little Eheim 2211 has shipped! I know it's tiny, but it's more than enough for a 20G (according to specs) and it will provide a way for me to get my feet wet (so to speak) in the land of canister filters. Can’t wait for it to show up. :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin: 

Also can’t wait to get my butt back over to Albany Aquariums for some more plants and to price out the :fish: for the tank. 

Still need to find a good piece of wood. Not willing to pay what AA wants (I mean come on, it's a piece of wood, I'm not paying $80 for a tiny piece of wood; that's the one thing that the price of simply sticks in my craw when I'm there). 

Got my first nitrate reading last night!


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

That's an amazing looking Betta! I wish I lived in the San Fran area. AA looks like an amazing store...to bad I don't live near one


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Well, I got my amazing crowntail from a guy in NY, and I'm sure there must be good aquarium stores there, LOL! And just so you know, AA will do mail-order if you call them with special requests. 

http://www.albanyaquarium.com/


----------



## huhu89151734 (Jun 29, 2010)

update? Anything?


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Bought more plants yesterday. Three different crypts (green and brown wendtii and one big balansae) and some java fern. Right now they're all just sort of stuck into the tank randomly while I wait for the wood from PlantBrain (think I might have it on Tues if it gets dropped off in SF on Monday).


----------



## Swan900 (Apr 27, 2010)

Im going to keep track of this journal. Looks a potential good one 

Swan


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Swan900 said:


> Im going to keep track of this journal. Looks a potential good one
> 
> Swan


I sure hope so . . . 

What part of London are you in? One of my favorite cities in the world. I have SOOOOO got to get my butt back over there.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Added a "hill" (about 1/3 of a large bag of Amazonia):











My Rotala Rotundifolia arrived today (thanks, connordude27!). Like all the other plants, it's now temporarily planted while I wait for the hard scape to arrive. 










Ammonia readings are down to .5 (they were up around 4 on Friday) and nitrate is up to 80. Yea!!! Tank is cycling right along . . . going to do another water change after dinner.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Really wishing I'd de-rimmed the tank. I was afraid it was too big, but I see that others have done it with a 20L without problems. . . thinking I may attempt it with my empty 20L and then swap over everything if it goes well.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Eheim 2211 Classic showed up today. Installed it (an interesting adventure in and of itself). Not sure I like it. The low-grade hum is driving me MAD. :icon_frow And it had parts that were not included in the directions anywhere. Look like some kind of valve for the tubing? Anyone know what I'm supposed to do with them or what their purpose is?


----------



## Zareth (Dec 13, 2010)

Hmm... My eheim 2211 is silent. Did it purge the air completely? I had to give mine a little shake to get some air bubbles out. 
If you are talking about the quick release valves you just cut the tubing and put it on either end of the valves. It lets you move the filter or take off the input/output for cleaning without having water go everywhere
It should definitely be quieter than any HOB filter you own...


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Quick release values. That sounds right. I'll have to install them when I clean it . . . I'll give it a shake and see if that purges anything. Plugging it in to the wall didn't make any difference at all.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Going to take a handful of Excedrin Migraine and close all the doors between me and the filter from hell . . .


----------



## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

Ooooh, I am excited for this tank!
It's looking great!


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

I hope to have the hard scape some time this week so I can actually *do* something with it before the betta shows up next week.


----------



## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

Ah, I hate waiting!


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

only 5 more days until Crowley will be home! I'm looking forward to updates on this tank. It looks great!


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

I love the tank. Can't wait to begin stocking it with fish . . . emailed the place I ordered the filter from. I really wish I could get it go silent, but the humming just won't stop no matter what I do (right now it's go a full 1G paint can sitting on top of it, which somewhat dampens the noise).


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Hey whatever works! I applaud your ingenuity with the paint can


----------



## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

Ugh - noisy filters! I HATE THEM. Hahaha, good improvisation though with the paint can, I used a rock on top of some felt.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Ok . . . the wood for the scape is waiting for me at Albany Aquarium (will run and pick it up tomorrow after work and try to resist the temptation to buy anything else, LOL!) and I've got some Limnophila aromatica on the way from the Swap Shop (I love the swap shop!). 

Once I get my book in to my editor next week I should be able to actually get to work on this with a free conscience.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

FrogFarm said:


> Ugh - noisy filters! I HATE THEM. Hahaha, good improvisation though with the paint can, I used a rock on top of some felt.


Thinking about drilling out the back of the vintage sideboard the tank is on and seeing if closing it up (and maybe soundproofing with some Styrofoam) will fix the problem).


----------



## jotape65 (Sep 14, 2010)

in "The Inspired Aquarium" book I saw they used colored interlocking foam mats for sound insulation in one project, like the ones sold in home depot.


----------



## AdamP. (Sep 30, 2005)

*loud 2211*

I am using a 2211 on my 20 gallon also. If it is loud then it likely has air bubbles churning around the impellor. 

To purge the air out after filter maintenance, i hook up the hoses back to the quick disconnects and open them up. I unlatch two of the clips, and slightly open the canister, just enough that the o-ring becomes unsealed, gravity will then start filling the canister rapidly. Be careful here and watch it until it gets almost to the o-ring, then push the top back on and latch all the clips. You will probably spray some water from around the o-ring here so put a towel around it.

After this some bubbles under the media will work their way up. You might have to mess with it every now and then until all the air is purged. Give it a little shake, and tilt it in different directions so the bubble goes into the impellor. Sometimes simply unplugging it and plugging it in again is enough to get the last air out of the impellor.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Crypts are a little "melty", but I understand that's normal when you move them to a new tank. Picked up the wood from Tom Barr today (yea!!!). It's soaking now. As soon as it's waterlogged, I'll scape the tank and post new pics.


----------



## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

Yeah when I got my Crypts not long ago they looked just terrible, wasn't long before they perked right up.
They've already started sprouting little baby crypts.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

The crypts I put in a few weeks ago look horrible but there's one little baby one that looks pretty good. They aren't going to like being moved again lol.

I can't wait to see the new scape!


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

The tank went from high Ammonia and no Nitrate to no Ammonia and HIGH Nitrate like overnight . . . (ok, over the course of 2-3 days). Did three successive 5G water changes yesterday, got the Nitrate down to about 20. 

Today I pretty much drained the tank so I could scape it. I love that I can drain it right out the window into the flower bed: 










Here are the plants, all laid out so I can see them:










Here's me playing around with the hard scape in my empty 20L:










I've got one more plant coming, Limnophila aromatica, I'll figure out what to do with it when it shows up . . . And yes, that's a wine bottle holding down the wood. It wasn't floating in the bucket, but it sure started as soon as I filled the tank. :icon_frow Other than the large piece still wanting to float, I'm pretty pleased with how it came out, but I'm also totally open to suggestions! 

And it's the camera that's crooked, not the tank: 









Crowley arrives on Tues!!!


----------



## Reginald2 (Mar 10, 2009)

Woe. That looks great. An awesome scape and the best betta house I've ever seen. Wildly better than a cup


----------



## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

Crowley is going to LOVE it in there.
Are you adding any other tankmates? Snails and whatnot?


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

FrogFarm said:


> Crowley is going to LOVE it in there.
> Are you adding any other tankmates? Snails and whatnot?


Trying to keep it as a biotope (all the plants are SE Asian, and found in Thailand), so at the moment I'm planning on kuhli loaches and CPDs. If anyone has a snail suggestion, I'd love to hear it. I haven't found a species that's from SE Asia and won't eat my plants. Suppose I could go with apple snails since they've been introduced and are now found everywhere, but that's kind of cheating.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Reginald2 said:


> Woe. That looks great. An awesome scape and the best betta house I've ever seen. Wildly better than a cup


Thanks. Now I really want to get on setting up the other 20L so I can upgrade my CT Nigel. Maybe I'll start on that next weekend . . . I want to try an El Natural tank, so it shouldn't be as expensive to set up as this one was (or so I try to tell myself).


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Just found a tiny fricken ramshorn in there . . . and I treated EVERYTHING. *grumble* Guess it's not the end of the world, but you really wouldn't believe the #s I'm pulling out of my HM's tank (like 50 a day, at least). There seems to be a never ending supply. Hopefully now that all the adults are gone I can catch up and get ahead of them.


----------



## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

You need a Puffer tank to toss them into.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

FrogFarm said:


> You need a Puffer tank to toss them into.


Don't think I haven't thought about moving Bertie out and putting a puffer in . . .


----------



## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

Hahaha, not a bad idea! Even temporarily.
I used to have a Betta named Lucas that refused to live with anything else - including snails.
He'd knock them off the glass/plants/etc, flip them over, and eat them.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

FrogFarm said:


> I used to have a Betta named Lucas that refused to live with anything else - including snails. He'd knock them off the glass/plants/etc, flip them over, and eat them.


I keep trying to crush them in the tank to teach Bertie and the cory cats that they are FOOD. No luck so far.


----------



## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

I can't crush them. I've had them as pets so it makes me feel bad.
Not to mention it grosses me out. Hahaha


----------



## huhu89151734 (Jun 29, 2010)

Looking good, dude......looking good......


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

FrogFarm said:


> I can't crush them. I've had them as pets so it makes me feel bad.
> Not to mention it grosses me out. Hahaha


I feel bad, but at a certain point they just become a pest that has to be dealt with . . . I feel bad about killing mice too, but I'm not going to let them live in my house.


----------



## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

Haha my cat takes care of that for me. 
Fair enough though I get what you mean.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

This is one of the reasons I was so glad to unload all the big ones (and tons of the babies) in the Swap Shop. Crushing the big ones would be too gross. With the tiny ones, it's not that big a deal.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I was told that if you put a piece of lettuce on the bottom of a snail infested tank overnight the snails will attach themselves to the lettuce. It'll remove like 75% of the current population of snails. Maybe you could give that a try. Tie some lettuce to a rock and see what's attached in the morning.

PS I didn't mention how amazing that scape looks! Great job! That's really so cool


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

Ive heard that you can get an empty salt shaker and stick a piece of lettuce inside it. Then you sink the salt shaker. The next morning you take it out with all the snails inside, empty it and put it back in the next night. 

I personally just got some dps as the tank was empty anyways 

I like the scape alot. Has some real potential. I can't wait to see it mature 
You can call me Bob


----------



## .Mko. (Sep 23, 2010)

nice driftwood =) 
cant wait to see this tank progress. Your betta will be spoiled for sure


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

AquaStudent said:


> I was told that if you put a piece of lettuce on the bottom of a snail infested tank overnight the snails will attach themselves to the lettuce.


I've been doing this with fat strips of carrot, which are solid brown with snails come morning, LOL! I'll try the lettuce next time I go to the store.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

orchidman said:


> I like the scape alot. Has some real potential. I can't wait to see it mature
> You can call me Bob


Me too. I'm not sure I like where the brown crypt is at the moment, but I'm going to leave it and see how stuff fills in . . .


----------



## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

It's in the back it looks like, at least I think.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Yeah, it's in the middle background. It kind gets lost there though . . .


----------



## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

Mine does too.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

How is the battle with the snails going?


----------



## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

I can't see the wine bottle...must have to see in it in person to get the full effect


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

AquaStudent said:


> How is the battle with the snails going?


It's going ok, I've picked out a few more from this tank and maybe another 50 or so from Bertie's 6G. I haven't seen more itty-bitty ones *crosses fingers* so maybe I'll be able to get them out before they're big enough to start breeding.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Caton said:


> I can't see the wine bottle...must have to see in it in person to get the full effect


It's a dark green bottle, so it kind of "blends", LOL!


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Has Crowley come in yet? I'm sure he's going to be so excited to see his new home


----------



## seadreamer (May 6, 2007)

This is really gorgeous. I can't wait to see it with Crowley. I had no idea there were such big bettas either. Wow.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

He should be clearing Customs right about now . . . I'll pick him up in a few hours (after braving commute traffic *sigh*).


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

seadreamer said:


> This is really gorgeous. I can't wait to see it with Crowley. I had no idea there were such big bettas either. Wow.


Giants are still kinda rare, though I hear PetCo sometimes has them (they incorrectly label them "King betta" for some unknown reason). I've never seen one though. 

Crowley is about 4 months old, so if I'm lucky, he'll grow a little more and top out at about 4" (I've heard of some getting up to 7"!).


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

They have "long bettas" at petco here. Id Rhys why you are talking about. I might end up getting a plakat instead if a ct. But it depends on the price. 

Can't wait for pics!


You can call me Bob


----------



## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

Betta Maniac said:


> Giants are still kinda rare, though I hear PetCo sometimes has them (they incorrectly label them "King betta" for some unknown reason). I've never seen one though.
> 
> Crowley is about 4 months old, so if I'm lucky, he'll grow a little more and top out at about 4" (I've heard of some getting up to 7"!).


 That's a big betta! I didn't know the giants really got that big! I thought they were like just a smidge bigger


----------



## seadreamer (May 6, 2007)

Holy cow...a 7-inch betta. Wow! 

Never mind on the questions I just edited out. I did a bit of research and it seems nobody really knows what these things are for certain. Or is that incorrect? Interesting stuff.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

my petco has a "King Betta" for sale. I asked one of the employees about them and what makes them different. He just said they were bigger.

A 7" betta is HUGE! I couldn't imagine a betta that big. I would hope the owners would get at least a 10 gallon tank for them. If not bigger...jeez 7"!


----------



## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

Check out some if the wilks you're bettas that are mouth brooders they get about the same


----------



## jotape65 (Sep 14, 2010)

Do we have fish yet?


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

No, we have bomb threat...customs got shut down for hours, so I'm having an early dinner and a beer while I wait.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Home with fish. Finally. My 2 hour pick-up took 5. *sigh* Crowley was grey with see-through fins when I opened the bag. He's coloring up nicely though as he's acclimating. 

He's VERY aggressive. He's already tried to jump out of the bag. Twice. And I swear he barks whenever he knows I'm looking at him. He doesn't flare like my other betta, he opens and closes his mouth like he's barking and warning me off. Should be interesting once he's loose in the tank . . . 

Here's completely crap pic of him giving me his tough boy look:


----------



## Huckins91 (Jan 19, 2011)

Beautiful tank and beautiful betta. I can't wait for more pics. Crowely is a very lucky little feller.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I'm really looking forward to seeing him loose in his tank paradise. I have a feeling he's going to be in heaven


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

He's loose in the tank . . . First thing he did was start attacking roots like they might be food, so I offered him some blood worms. He liked that. Then he pooped. I thought he was pushing out an internal organ and had a moment of panic. *shudder* When the little one's poop, it's stringy. And tiny. This was like a giant gray pencil eraser. Yuck. I did notice there was no poo in his travel bag, dude musta been holding it all this time. 

And now back to your regularly scheduled and less gross program . . .


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

everybody knows the bathrooms on the planes/ships are horrible and disgusting. He was just holding it in until he got home. He's a smart cookie


----------



## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

So when do we get to see the monster?!


----------



## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

^^+1, I want a good better picture of him giving his tough look 

B-E-A-Utiful monster!


----------



## jotape65 (Sep 14, 2010)

Brilliant! Hope he thrives in his new home.


----------



## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

AquaStudent said:


> everybody knows the bathrooms on the planes/ships are horrible and disgusting. He was just holding it in until he got home. He's a smart cookie


Bwahahaha! This is one of the funniest comments I've heard in quite a while. OP, we all want pictures! Of the fish, not the poo....:smile:


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

yay  we have to see pictures!


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

I'll try to get some tonight . . . last night I was tired and he was settiling in. And my digital camera, which I love for travel shots, doesn't do well with the aquarium shots. It has a manual setting mode, but I have no idea what settings to use. 

His fins seem a little clamped to me, but that may just be because he's a plakat. I'm going to check out some video of them today for comaparison. He's eating and swimming around though. We'll see how long it takes him to figure out that me standing by the tank = food. My HM still hasn't, LOL!


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

He seems a little "clamped" and I think he may have velvet. *grrrrr* And of course everything to treat it with fricken melts plants . . . which means I have to catch him and put in something smaller. *grrrrr*

No I don't! Forum to the resuce!!!! I can grab some Safeguard (flubendazole) after work and treat the tank. *phew*


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Oh no that's not good! I hope you get it all turned around. Was he bred in China?


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Thailand. 

I was thinking about his fins seeming clamped and wondering if it was just a plakat thing, but looking at youtube, it became clear it wasn't. So I poked around and then it hit me that he DID look like he had gold dust on him last night. I'll pick up the safeguard after work and then double check him with a flashlight. If I'm mistaken, I can use it for the dog at some point, or just keep it on hand.


----------



## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

Wait your going to use dog medicine on your fish?!


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

problemman said:


> Wait your going to use dog medicine on your fish?!


Yep. As per this thread: 

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fish/120715-treating-velvet-planted-tank.html


----------



## Captivate05 (Feb 23, 2010)

I used SafeGuard as a treatment for anchor worms in my tank. It worked pretty well for them.

Hopefully the fenbendazole will work on the velvet. By all means, it should, and it should work better than most other treatments. I'm going to start treating all my quarantine fish with fenbendazole, because it does seem to handle many things without adversely affecting the fish.


----------



## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Sad he is sick, but good you can treat your dog too


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Oh noes!!!

I'd never heard of fenbendazole for velvet treatment- I've always heard complete darkness and Formalin...

http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/othprotist.shtml


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

hope he feels better. ill post pics asap of mine, if you still want to compare


----------



## huhu89151734 (Jun 29, 2010)

Oh no..... hope he ll recover soon..


----------



## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I would be hesitant to use it on a betta that expensive. My fish were platies and they weren't in the advanced stages. I want to agree wit laura on this on and tell you to get formalin as well. I am always more cautious with labyrinth fiish.

tapatalk signature


----------



## Swan900 (Apr 27, 2010)

Betta Maniac said:


> I sure hope so . . .
> 
> What part of London are you in? One of my favorite cities in the world. I have SOOOOO got to get my butt back over there.


Nice to hear you like London so much. Dont here it often really! Im from North London, if you have heard of the football (soccer to you ) team called Arsenal Im right near their stadium. The Emirates Stadium, Finsbury/Islington way. What part do you vistit when you come over? 

Hope you rid your velvet pretty soon too! When he's healing in his QT put in some Capatta leaves, always helps me bring my betta back to full strength.

Swan


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

sewingalot said:


> I would be hesitant to use it on a betta that expensive. My fish were platies and they weren't in the advanced stages. I want to agree wit laura on this on and tell you to get formalin as well. I am always more cautious with labyrinth fiish.
> 
> tapatalk signature


Will look for formalin today at lunch. Thanks. 

He's better already though. This morning I saw the color of his fins for the first time because they weren't clamped down tight and his scales seemed to have lost their gold fuzz. I'll try an take some pics tonight.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Swan900 said:


> Nice to hear you like London so much. Dont here it often really! Im from North London, if you have heard of the football (soccer to you ) team called Arsenal Im right near their stadium. The Emirates Stadium, Finsbury/Islington way. What part do you vistit when you come over?


My mother's favorite team, LOL! She even has a scarf to wear when she watches her matches on pay-per-view. 

I usually end up staying with my friend's grandparents in Stepney, but last time I was there we rented a flat in Canary Warf which was great. I'm usually doing reseach and inside museums and old houses all day, but I make time for my never ending hunt for the best fish and chips (to date, the winner is The Black Friar) and to just wander about. 




Swan900 said:


> Hope you rid your velvet pretty soon too! When he's healing in his QT put in some Capatta leaves, always helps me bring my betta back to full strength.


Good idea. I was planning on that and some StressCoat (or maybe Bettafix).


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I'd stay away from Bettafix. It's made from Melafix, which is bad for labyrinth organs.

If he's got velvet, it's not going to go away on its own. And stresscoat won't do anything for it. If it's velvet, the sooner you get treatment going, the better chances he has.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

lauraleellbp said:


> I'd stay away from Bettafix. It's made from Melafix, which is bad for labyrinth organs.
> 
> If he's got velvet, it's not going to go away on its own. And stresscoat won't do anything for it. If it's velvet, the sooner you get treatment going, the better chances he has.


I didn't mean as a treatment, I meant as something to help his coating and scales recover afterwards, but thanks for the tip about Bettafix being bad for labyrinth fish (seems like they should rename the product!).


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Betta Maniac said:


> I didn't mean as a treatment, I meant as something to help his coating and scales recover afterwards, but thanks for the tip about Bettafix being bad for labyrinth fish (seems like they should rename the product!).


I didn't know that. They really should rename the product.

I was in England this past summer playing soccer, i mean football. We went to London which was awesome. Got to see Fulham play Werder Bremen and the Man U Chelsea Community Shield Match. It was fantastic.

I'm sorry to disappoint you but I like Tottenham more than Arsenal in the EPL. My favorite team has to be the Canaries from Norwich City! Best town ever! I had way too much fun there.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

I've got friends who are diehard Man U fans, LOL! 

I don't feel strongly about footie (except World Cup; which makes me not a real fan). More of a Rugby girl (All Blacks all the way!).


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

Man U all the way!!!!

hows crowley doing?


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Won't know till I get home from work, but he was less clamped this morning (fins were open enough to see color). Since I know velvet affects the gills, I'm wondering if it is the reason for his "barking" rather than flaring at me.


----------



## seadreamer (May 6, 2007)

Looking forward to the pics and hope he's doing better. I'm enjoying following this thread (despite the velvet issue).


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

seadreamer said:


> Looking forward to the pics and hope he's doing better. I'm enjoying following this thread (despite the velvet issue).


Thanks. I've been enjoying working on this tank a lot. I just really want it to be awesome.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Betta Maniac said:


> Thanks. I've been enjoying working on this tank a lot. I just really want it to be awesome.


This tank is already awesome! I really hope Crowley gets better. Have you been home to start treatment yet?


----------



## soundgy (Jul 8, 2010)

How is Crowley doing now? Did you use the dog med yet?

Oops. Didn't see the above post! Sorry.



AquaStudent said:


> This tank is already awesome! I really hope Crowley gets better. Have you been home to start treatment yet?


+1


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

He seems about the same as this morning . . . better than last night, but not *better*. 

He's discovered that there is a "cave" under the large piece of wood and had claimed it as his own. Since the cave faces the back of the tank, this makes him very hard to get a picture of. *grrr* Hopefully, WHEN he gets better he'll be more outgoing like my other betta. 

He did come out to look at me briefly when I was climbing all over the tank, but then he went right back into his cave.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Lured him out with blood worms . . . If you compare the two pics, you can see that he's better, but still not all the way back to normal. 

Just Now: 









Tues Night:


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

oh yeah there's a huge difference in color (some may be from lighting but still that's a huge difference. It's very apparent on the tips of his fins


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

Looks happier!


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

His scales look "dry". I can't find anything on the net about this kind of symptom. Anyone have any ideas?


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Well, I'm not happy with his progress, so I pulled him out of the tank and put him in a small hospital tank so I can treat him with stuff that isn't safe for inverts and plants . . . of course I had to take everything out of the tank to catch him (he's sick, but he's not slow). The hospital tank is next to my mom's betta, and I had to card them, cause the tough boys were flashing and flaring like mad. I'll try and take a couple pics later (clearly he must not be all that sick if he's still up for a rumble). 

Drained the tank and am going to rescape tonight to celebrate turning in my book. *phew*


----------



## jotape65 (Sep 14, 2010)

Good luck! Hope get gets better.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

jotape65 said:


> Good luck! Hope get gets better.


Thanks! Me too.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

how is Crowley doing this morning?


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

He does NOT like the hospital tank. He's hiding under the heater with stress lines on his body. I think I'm going to blackout the tank.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

:/ tell him its for his own good  he'll listen!


----------



## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

At least tell him the bathrooms are better in that tank.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

It'll be like staying at a hotel. He can be as messy as he wants. He can do whatever he wants. Tell him to jump on the bed if it'll make him happy!


----------



## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Just don't jump out of bed, then he will be a dry crowley....


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

Keep us updated on how he does


You can call me Bob


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Well, I put a large grocery bag over the tank so he can chill in the dark (dark is supposed help fight velvet anyway). I've finished putting all the plants back into the tank, along with the newly arrived L. aromatica.

Doing my weekly tests on the small tanks, topping off, doing partial water changes as needed, fuming at the pile of nerites. Gonna run out to Tap Plastics and get some top pieces cut for the tank so I can stop using cardboard, LOL!


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Don't know why I didn't think of asking the folks at Albany Aquarium what they recommend for velvet before. Was just in there and they handed me* Acriflavine MS*. Will start using this today. *fingers crossed*


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Here's the replanted tank (slightly different arrangement of plants: 










Here are the 5 new kuhli loaches (who knows if I'll ever see them again):













Amazingly, they do poke their heads out. They might just be the cutest things EVER:


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

wow those loaches are awesome! good luck with the treatment...let us know how it does.


----------



## tuffgong (Apr 13, 2010)

With all the drama you are going through with your fish, snails, and tanks I'm really surprised you are still buying new fish and not QT'ing them.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

She did quarantine Crowley the Betta, the fish that came in with velvet.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

tuffgong said:


> With all the drama you are going through with your fish, snails, and tanks I'm really surprised you are still buying new fish and not QT'ing them.


Actually, there's nothing in that tank but them and they come from a shop that fully quarantines their stock before sale. So effectively they are quarantined.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Kuhli loaches are having a great time chasing each other through the plants and darting around the tank. Much more gregarious than I was expecting them to be. Might just be my new favorite fish. 

Crowley is still with us, swimming around in his tank full of yellow medicated water. He was playing in the bubble stream this morning when I got up and he ate like a pig (that hasn't changed). I added IAL to his tank too. *fingers crossed* for a full recovery. 

Most of the nerites still motionless . . .


----------



## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

I keep seeing khuli loaches and I have yet to but some for my tank lol.

I'm glad crowley is doing good still. How big is he?


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

problemman said:


> How big is he?


Body is about 2.5", little more than 3" with his tail. My Crowntail has a larger "presence" because of his tail, which is fricken huge at this point, but Crowley is a much larger fish over all. I'll be curious to see if he grows any larger. 

I'm also thinking about swapping him and the CT out, tank-wise, when he's no longer sick. He's a bit shy, and I'm worried that if I put him in the big tank right off the bat, I'll never seen him and he'll never "tame up". Give him a month or two in the 6G before letting him loose in one of the 20Ls.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

problemman said:


> I keep seeing khuli loaches and I have yet to but some for my tank lol.


In the store, they were all hiding down in the gravel. In the planted tank though they're just having a ball. I'd really expected to never see them again once I set them loose . . . but they swim right up the glass and stare back at me with their cute little beady eyes and whiskers.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

that seems to make sense to me. It'll give him some more time to adjust to the life before being put into the big tank


----------



## jotape65 (Sep 14, 2010)

Khuli's are definatelly cool fish. On the 40G we have 6 black khuli's ( which are actually brown in color ) that hide on under the river rocks during the day, but come out on the mornings for breakfast and on the evenings, and on water changes. When they are out, they are usually running around, or perching very still.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Got up this morning and the $#*&! Eheim has stopped working for unknown reasons (so, neither silent nor reliable). No time to deal with it before heading out to work. I unplugged it (motor was still running, but not water flow) and will tear it apart and try to get it started again when I get home.


----------



## chilled_fire (Jun 4, 2010)

^^^ I just hate seeing something unusual in my tank at mornings when i gotta rush for work , keeps my mind occupied troughout the day till i reach home.
I wish there was some kinda webiste which could stream my tank while am at work, i would just hook up a small camera to my tank.

Not sure about Ehiem though, hope it works out


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Oh no! It seems like everything is going wrong in our tanks. My heater is definitely broken. The light was constantly on but the temperature stayed at 73 deg...the room temp is 72 and I had the heater maxed out. I need to make a run to walmart sometime today between classes and homework and crazy lifeness! ugh!

Pax is hiding between a rock and one of my small swords and refuses to come out (I saw him for about a minute while feeding) its really sad.

as for the webcam I'm sure you can do it if you really wanted to  I've seen people have webcams on their tanks and they stream it online for people to see


----------



## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Your like me...you need a streak of good luck.


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

you are sure right aquastudent! 

leroy isnt getting along with the neons anymore...after dark he is a predator! idk if you saw my journal, i posted about it there..s i wont take up betta maniac's thread. bottom line, leroy had a neons halfway in his mouth...see journal for more 

not to mention mine look HIDEOUS!


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Hopefully the plants will arrive safe and sound today and that will give Pax something to come check out.


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

Caton said:


> Your like me...you need a streak of good luck.


we all could!


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

orchidman said:


> we all could!


We do all seem to have hit a bit of a rough patch lately . . .


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

lets hope it gets better  my dwarf sage is doing better, the vals arent showing anything, so they could go either way.


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

how often and how much do you feed crowley?


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

orchidman said:


> how often and how much do you feed crowley?


I feed them all twice a day. Brine shrimp (live or frozen) in the morning. Live blood worms in the evening.


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

maybe i should feed more


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Wait- did you just stick a bunch of loaches in a tank that just had a fish with velvet in it?

Augh- that tank should have sat fallow (empty) at a high temperature for at least 2 weeks first to make sure the parasites were killed off!

I'd go ahead and medicate the main tank now, too... and you'll need to research to figure out what dosage to use, since scaleless fish are very sensitive to meds.

You're in too big a hurry- slow down!


----------



## tuffgong (Apr 13, 2010)

lauraleellbp said:


> Wait- did you just stick a bunch of loaches in a tank that just had a fish with velvet in it?
> 
> Augh- that tank should have sat fallow (empty) at a high temperature for at least 2 weeks first to make sure the parasites were killed off!
> 
> ...


I couldn't agree more. This hobby is about slow and steady, not instant gratification. Moving too fast just ends up with the fish suffering unnecessarily.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

lauraleellbp said:


> Augh- that tank should have sat fallow (empty) at a high temperature for at least 2 weeks first to make sure the parasites were killed off!




Everything was ripped out, bleach dipped, soaked in Potassium Permanganate overnight, and a full water change. I discussed it with the people at my LFS, who are very knowledgeable, and they thought it was fine (main tank was also already dosed with meds before breakdown). Sorry you don't agree.


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

If you did sterilize it then that's a different story! 

Though what did you do with the substrate?


----------



## tuffgong (Apr 13, 2010)

How long did it take to cycle the tank after bleaching everything?


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

lauraleellbp said:


> Though what did you do with the substrate?


Hydrogen Peroxide bath.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

tuffgong said:


> How long did it take to cycle the tank after bleaching everything?


About three days. I pulled filter media over from the other tanks.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

So far everything is looking good. Got the Eheim POS running again last night. No idea what was wrong with it. Took it apart, lubed it, reprimed and it started right up . . . *fingers crossed* that it doesn’t keep conking out randomly.

Kuhli’s are still darting and playing and seem to doing great. 

Crowley seems to be perking up in his yellow hospital tank. He flared last night when I was doing the nightly partial water change the meds proscribe. 

L. aromatica is toast. Or more specifically, it’s goo. Not sure what went wrong with it as all the other plants (including the crypts) are fine. Maybe it needs CO2? Anyway, total failure in the tank. *sigh* And it was so dang pretty when I put it in.


----------



## rockwood (Jun 19, 2010)

Betta Maniac said:


> L. aromatica is toast. Or more specifically, it’s goo. Not sure what went wrong with it as all the other plants (including the crypts) are fine. Maybe it needs CO2? Anyway, total failure in the tank. *sigh* And it was so dang pretty when I put it in.


Don't be too quick to toss it if you have stems still holding together. When my L. Aromatica came in it took a while to recover but now it's hard to keep in control. I'm actually starting to expand it down the back of my tank to use in place of vals because the color on it is gorgeous.


----------



## tuffgong (Apr 13, 2010)

Betta Maniac said:


> About three days. I pulled filter media over from the other tanks.


Smart move. Glad everybody seems to be doing better. I really want to see some good pics of Crowley when he gets healthy.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

rockwood said:


> Don't be too quick to toss it if you have stems still holding together. When my L. Aromatica came in it took a while to recover but now it's hard to keep in control. I'm actually starting to expand it down the back of my tank to use in place of vals because the color on it is gorgeous.


Ok, I'll leave it in and hope it's behaving like a crypt. Will report in later.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

tuffgong said:


> Smart move. Glad everybody seems to be doing better. I really want to see some good pics of Crowley when he gets healthy.


I can't wait to get him out of the yellow water so I can actaully SEE him. I think I'm deffinatly going to put him in Nigel's smaller 6G for awhile and move Nigel to the 20L (none of this willh happen though until I know the kuhlis quarentine time is up and Crowley is done with his meds (both of which should conclude about the same time). 

He's starting to look like the pic though, which is reassuring.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Betta Maniac said:


> He's starting to look like the pic though, which is reassuring.


Oh good so they sent you the right one  Have you held a yellow filter up to his picture to make sure?  jkjk


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

I never doubted it was the right fish, LOL!


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Betta Maniac said:


> Kuhlis are still darting and playing and seem to doing great.
> 
> Crowley seems to be perking up in his yellow hospital tank. He flared last night when I was doing the nightly partial water change the meds proscribe.
> 
> L. aromatica is toast. Or more specifically, it’s goo.




Status unchanged. Dug all the L. aromatica out last night . . . even the stems were goo (like you'd boiled canned asparagus to death *shudder*). It was REALLY hard to get out of the tank. Ended up having to resort to netting it. 

Was a bit worried because I didn’t see the kuhlis when I was doing this and they’re usually out and about, but they were darting all over this morning.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Betta Maniac said:


> Status unchanged. Dug all the L. aromatica out last night . . . even the stems were goo (like you'd boiled canned asparagus to death *shudder*). It was REALLY hard to get out of the tank. Ended up having to resort to netting it.
> 
> Was a bit worried because I didn’t see the kuhlis when I was doing this and they’re usually out and about, but they were darting all over this morning.


sorry to hear about your 'boiled canned asparagus.' That description may end up giving me nightmares :/.

Glad to hear your kuhlis are enjoying the tank. Crowley still doing well (was that incorporated in the "Status Unchanged"?

Have you already added your Crowntail to the tank, or wait, I think you may have said you were waiting until the tank settled/Crowley's treatment was done?


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Waiting for things in all the tanks to settle in before moving anyone around . . .


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

thats a good idea. get the tank stable before moving things.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Crowley appears to be fully recovered from what I can tell, but I'm going to keep treating him until he's been through a full 10 day cycle of meds (The meds don’t say anything besides dosage and daily water changes, and I've found recommendations for anything from 4 days to 10 days, so I'm going to just go with the maximum treatment schedule). 

So sometime next week he can go into one of the planted tanks.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

i'm glad to hear he is doing much better. It's also great to hear that you're being extra safe with him


----------



## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

That's great news. Any pictures of the little guy?


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

I took some, but it's just a fish in a yellow prison. Not really worth looking at. In a couple days he'll be "sprung" to a 6G planted tank (and we'll see how he feels about cory cats). I'll take more pics then when you can actually see something.


----------



## kharma (Sep 20, 2010)

Usually i have dosed them in the past until i can see that they are better and then a couple extra days to be on the safe side.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

I'm the worst aquatic photographer in the world (which is really annoying, because I'm generally quite decent at it). Bertie the HM has been moved to the 20L and Crowley has been moved to Bertie's former home to be tamed up a bit. Everyone seems to be doing great exploring their new homes. 

Crowley is colorful and his fins aren't clamped, and he no longer looks "dry".:bounce:


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Glad to see he's pulled through! Nice work! roud:


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Who knew one little fish could be so much trouble, LOL!


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

He really is a beautiful red!!


----------



## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

Now that's how a betta should look!


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Crowley is very hard to photograph . . . and my cell phone takes much better pics of the tanks than my actual camera (which is sad on so many levels, LOL!). 

Here's Bertie in the 20L









And a happy mystery snail in Crowley's 6G









And Nigel hanging out in his plants:


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Here's a shot of Nigel flaring. I love his fins. I totally admit that he's my favorite:


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Awesome Awesome Awesome!

All the boys look great! I'm really glad Crowley came through


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

nigel is awesome! ill dig up a pic of my old HM... RIP


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

here is pics of him, didnt even get a name


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Wow, that was an amazing HM! 

My mother just shredded the fins of her new betta buy putting the filter I told her to chuck out on his tank. I'm ticked off and baffled as to why she can't follow SIMPLE directions (throw that out and use the one I bought you today). ARGH!


----------



## jotape65 (Sep 14, 2010)

Glad to see Crowley is doing better. Look forward to some less yellow pictures.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

jotape65 said:


> Look forward to some less yellow pictures.


Since I have IAL in all my tanks, that's not gonna happen, LOL!


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

thats terrible!!! hope your moms betta does alright.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

She says he seems ok, he just lost a big chunk of his tail . . . she's got him in a hospital tank with salt, so hopefully he'll be fine.


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

lets hope so. thats how my HM died. he ripped his fin on some driftwood steadily getting worse from there


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Not going to panic her any more than I have to at this point . . .


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

i know, just reminiscing  hopefully your moms will make it through. sounds like she is taking the right steps.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Well, I now have 16 tiny CRS/CBS in a breeder box. Hopefully they'll continue to thrive and will eventually be large enough to release into the tank . . . 

I also have another betta. *sigh* I went in to PetCo last night to grab the breeder box and they'd just got a new shipment. Saw my first PetCo "King Halfmoon" and got so mad that they'd jammed such a large fish into such a tiny container that I bought him. Note: Both terms are being incorrectly used. The fish I bought is a giant plakat, and not a HM plakat either, as its tail is rounded. They have no idea what they're talking about when they label their fish . . . 

New fish may become a ROAK on my local forum, as I REALLY don't need another one (clearly having a couple of cocktails and then going to the pet store is a very bad idea, LOL!).


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

No that sounds like a great idea  and by cocktails I hope you mean drinks and not your CRS/CBS.

What's the new guy look like?


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

I had a few Negroni (not sure how many, cause my bartender has a habit of just randomly refilling my glass). The new guy is black with dark blue fins. I'll try and get a pic. It just made me so made to see him thrashing in the tiny cup. He's even bigger than Crowley and it was simply NOT ok to keep him like that (I didn't let myself look to see if they had others, as my bank account really doesn't need me buying $20 fish like there's no tomorrow).


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

wow big fishy! lol. I love his colors. He looks really healthy for being a PetCo rescue. I'm glad you got to him so quickly


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

AquaStudent said:


> wow big fishy! lol. I love his colors. He looks really healthy for being a PetCo rescue. I'm glad you got to him so quickly


Workers said "Yeah, they die all the time, but you have 30 days to bring him back." :angryfire All I could do not to snap MAYBE THEY'D DO BETTER IF YOU DIDN'T KEEP THEM IN TINY PRISONS!

We'll see how he does. If he stays healthy for a week or two, I'll make a decision about whether to keep him or ROAK him.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

corporations should be more concerned with quality of their product than profit. They will make the money just as much money by selling quality fish that won't be likely to die in the first 30 days so they don't have to replace any ill fish. If they got it right the first time they wouldn't have anything to worry about.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

. . . and I'd sworn never to buy a betta from them. *sigh* Just couldn't leave him in that tiny cup.


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

I guess I was wrong in sayin mine was a hm. I should go chang that in my thread. 
he looks similar to mine... when he flares, watch for some red in the tail, near the base.

You can call me Bob


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

orchidman said:


> I guess I was wrong in sayin mine was a hm. I should go chang that in my thread.


Well they TELL you it's a HM! But even the pic on the tub is clearly not a HM. A HM plakat's tail is D-shaped like this:


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

It's kind of diffucult to tell because of where the ruler is on the picture but is he a double tail betta? It looks like there's a "joint" in the middle and 2 tailfins


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

AquaStudent said:


> It's kind of diffucult to tell because of where the ruler is on the picture but is he a double tail betta? It looks like there's a "joint" in the middle and 2 tailfins


No, he's a basic plakat.


----------



## Darth Toro (Mar 6, 2010)

Thank you for your journal. I am subscribed now and will eagerly be awaiting the progress of your tank. I hope Crowley continues his way to great health! 

I have a crowntail, Crixus in a 10g and a red one, Spartacus with a split tail in a 20 long. I'm not sure what exact species. My girlfriend picked Spartacus out and he was attack when first introduced. I had a killifish in there and my LFS said they should be ok. Well within a half hour I noticed that Spartacus had almost no tail left. I brought the killifish back to where I got him and Spartacus has since regrown most of his tail back.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Hi, Darth. I'll put killifish on my list of things to avoid! Thanks for the heads up.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

My melted L. aromatica and the explosion of hair algae (which has never shown up in my smaller tanks) has pushed me to the tech side. I've ordered almost everything to add CO2 to the tank, just trying to work out a few small details/parts (like timers and solenoids). 

This ought to be interesting . . .


----------



## sejoy (Jan 18, 2011)

Though I really don't need another betta, (i have 7...) I'm curious to see if the petco near me has "giants". I've never seen them in person before. 

Can't wait for a FTS of Crowley in his biotope!


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Sejoy, you can always ask your local PetCo if they can order specific fish for you. My PetCo offered to order me anything that their provider has. It's a pretty sweet deal. You could request them to order certain bettas (not individuals but ask them to get you some "Giants".

Good luck with the CO2 Injection. Let me know how it goes and how expensive it is. I'm currently doing DIY but it's...well DIY 

Your tank is going to explode in growth even more once you start injecting CO2  I can't wait!


----------



## sejoy (Jan 18, 2011)

Yeah, though I probably won't. Really none of the chain pet stores here take good care of the bettas, I'd hate to get them to order even more. It's decent at best. Though that is good info if I ever needed a schooling fish, I'd just buy them all as soon as they arrived so they'd be less disease ridden. 

And is it just me...or do the bettas get the worst first time owners? Just as bad as goldfish I'd say. There was this lady that was trying to buy a pair of males because they both "went with" the decor in her living room. Sick, sick people. 

sorry, no more off topic ^.^


still excited for pics 8D


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

AquaStudent said:


> Good luck with the CO2 Injection. Let me know how it goes and how expensive it is. I'm currently doing DIY but it's...well DIY


$38 for the paintball regulator from Jaggedfury
$22 for bubblecounter/diffuser, drop checker, and check valve on ebay
$30 for a 20oz paintball tank (gotta figure out where to buy there locally)
<$5 for CO2 tubing 

As I understand it, this should set me up for 4-6 months and after than it will just be the cost of refilling the tank.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

sejoy said:


> And is it just me...or do the bettas get the worst first time owners? Just as bad as goldfish I'd say. There was this lady that was trying to buy a pair of males because they both "went with" the decor in her living room. Sick, sick people.




Word. 

Can't say enough about how much I loathe :angryfire the trend of using them as table decorations at weddings? I don’t know anyone this stupid/horrible, but one of my friends attended a wedding last summer where this was done. She ended up bringing home 14 of them, because they were left on the tables at the end of the night for the catering staff to deal with (and the catering staff sooooo wasn’t up for that).


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Betta Maniac said:


> Word.
> 
> Can't say enough about how much I loathe :angryfire the trend of using them as table decorations at weddings? I don’t know anyone this stupid/horrible, but one of my friends attended a wedding last summer where this was done. She ended up bringing home 14 of them, because they were left on the tables at the end of the night for the catering staff to deal with (and the catering staff sooooo wasn’t up for that).


That's horrible! I can't believe people would abuse bettas like that. I say we jam them into a vase (or other small container) and leave them at a wedding to be dealt with by the catering staff.


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

jam them ( as in the ppl abusing the bettas ) in the small vases. i saw one centerpiece once that had them, and the music was so loud the water was vibrating


----------



## .Mko. (Sep 23, 2010)

i got my first betta from a wedding... kept him in a 5 gallon tank before i got my HM betta later that year. People really are terrible. my friend wanted to keep one saying "they're awesome because you dont need that big of a fish tank ill just keep him in like one of those really small bowls" T__T the ignorance level associated with betta care is so high now a days. Makes me rage.


----------



## sejoy (Jan 18, 2011)

At my wedding, I'm going to have bettas in 2.5g planted picos.
And then take them all home 8D


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

.Mko. said:


> The ignorance level associated with betta care is so high now a days. Makes me rage.


 
Owner of the LFS where my mom lives actually told her it was BAD to keep bettas in anything larger than 1G! He claimed they need a small container to feel secure and thrive. Ugh.


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

.Mko. said:


> i got my first betta from a wedding... kept him in a 5 gallon tank before i got my HM betta later that year. People really are terrible. my friend wanted to keep one saying "they're awesome because you dont need that big of a fish tank ill just keep him in like one of those really small bowls" T__T the ignorance level associated with betta care is so high now a days. Makes me rage.


Someone once tried to tell me that they are cool cuz they can live in jars and don't need a eater or food. Because they can just eat their poop!! 

Some kid( lol probably older than me) at petco tried to tell me anything larger than one of those cheapy plastic one gallon tanks would stress the betta out to the point of death. They said a ten gallon would be disastrous! If I were in the store not on the phone I probably wouldn't strangled him!


You can call me Bob


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

*sigh* It should be legal to slap people upside the head for this kind of idiocy (it should at least be worthy of a fine like the lady who tried to mail a puppy).


----------



## sejoy (Jan 18, 2011)

Betta Maniac said:


> *sigh* It should be legal to slap people upside the head for this kind of idiocy (it should at least be worthy of a fine like the lady who tried to mail a puppy).


+1 lol. I think this almost everyday. But you just can't fix stupid.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

my neighbor told me that putting my betta in a 10 gallon was a bad idea and that it would stress him out. Also every one of my friends freaked out when they saw that my betta was in with other fish (neons). People are too quick to judge.


----------



## sejoy (Jan 18, 2011)

AquaStudent said:


> my neighbor told me that putting my betta in a 10 gallon was a bad idea and that it would stress him out. Also every one of my friends freaked out when they saw that my betta was in with other fish (neons). People are too quick to judge.


Bettas deserve friends too! (even if they are occasionally snacks...they still enjoy them xD)


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

sejoy said:


> Bettas deserve friends too! (even if they are occasionally snacks...they still enjoy them xD)


my point exactly!


----------



## .Mko. (Sep 23, 2010)

Betta Maniac said:


> *sigh* It should be legal to slap people upside the head for this kind of idiocy (it should at least be worthy of a fine like the lady who tried to mail a puppy).


 
Totally agree with you.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Got some more kuhli loaches today and some CPDs. Almost went with Scarlet Badis since they had tons and they're waaaay cheaper than the CPDs, but wanted something that was more likely to school mid-range than hug the bottom. 

Shrimp are growing like gangbusters in their breeder box. And I think it's time to admit that this has become Nigel's 20L.


----------



## sejoy (Jan 18, 2011)

> And I think it's time to admit that this has become Nigel's 20L.


Crowley's gonna be mad xD


----------



## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

You're in trouble with Crowley!


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

did I miss something here? why the sudden hesitation?


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Crowley just isn't taming up at all. He hides when I try to feed him. I have no idea when he'll be ready for a much larger tank, and in the meantime, Nigel is loving all the room. I still have another 20L, and that will potentially become Crowley's later down the road.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

That's fair enough. Crowley will come around soon enough. He was sick for awhile and just needs to get caught up


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

AquaStudent said:


> That's fair enough. Crowley will come around soon enough. He was sick for awhile and just needs to get caught up


We'll see . . . Bertie has never really caught on either. He runs AWAY from the food when I put it in the tank, LOL! 

The new PetCo giant is [email protected] clear though! He'll eat anything. I've seen him eat snails. I've seen him eat a whole sinking shrimp pellet. Every time I so much as step into the kitchen he's up at the top of his tank READY and WAITING.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

That's exciting to hear! Did you ever give him a name?

Also, have you ever had problems with bettas eating your Cherry Red Shrimp? I found a pretty good deal on a set of 15 of them and was strongly considering them as a scavenger and to help a bit with the algae that the otos may not be able to get. I think their color would also look awesome!

how many hiding places do you have. for them?


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

My shrimp are still in the breeder box, cause they're tiny. Try a few out. Just don't buy expensive ones!


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

sewingalot said:


> You're in trouble with Crowley!


Crowley is going to live with one of my best friends. I let her pick froom my boys, excluding Nigel, and he's the one she likes. So once her new 10g is cycled, he'll be living there with the ruins of the Brooklyn bridge, LOL! It's all very Godzilla...


----------



## sejoy (Jan 18, 2011)

Betta Maniac said:


> Crowley is going to live with one of my best friends. I let her pick froom my boys, excluding Nigel, and he's the one she likes. So once her new. 10g is cycled, he'll be living there with the ruins of the Brooklyn bridge, LOL! It's all very Godzilla...


You are one nice friend. I wouldn't have given him to any of my friends...he's so pretty! (or handsome I suppose). 

Any reason why you let him go, if I may ask? Just curious.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

sejoy said:


> Any reason why you let him go, if I may ask? Just curious.


After my drunken PetCo rescue, I have one too many . . . and no room for another tank. Right now my "spare" is living in a 5G bucket. She's been wanting to get one for months now, and we were already planning to do the tank this weekend. So I let her pick, and he's the one she likes.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

you really are such a nice person


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

AquaStudent said:


> you really are such a nice person


Sometimes, LOL!


----------



## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

I don't think I could ever give a beautiful fish like that away. I love the tank btw. Makes me want to sell all the fish in my 20 high, and do a 20 long instead. I have 2 bettas, one male and one female. The female has a 2 gallon hex tank and the male has a 1 gal tank. It is one of those kit jobs from PetCo where he is also from. I am thinking I am going to be moving him into my 2.5 planted tank and get another 2.5 for the female as well. Seeing how spoiled your bettas are, I want to do the same for mine now. Now if only I could find some room for just one more 20 long tank...... HMMmm.....


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Just got the paintball CO2 set up, and while I was attempting to count bubbles, I saw CPD fry!!! Lots of them. My blyxa is full of itty-bitty little fry. Wheeeeee!!!! I also saw that two of my CBS have escaped the breeder net and are happily eating algae.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

WOW! Congrats! That's so awesome!


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

I really hope some of them make it. *fingers crossed* I'd heard that they're easy breeders, now it's just a matter of hoping the fry find enough to eat in the tank. They seemed to like the powder that I got for my CBS babies. I'm also going to grind up some of the earthworm flake that I have.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

have you also tried the stuff like vinegar eels and those live cultures? I've never raised any but i've heard that stuff is good for fry.

are they in with Nigel?


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

They are in with Nigel (who I've seen swim right past them) and no, I've never cultured live microworms or anything. Guppies and mollies seem to multiply without any of that.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Betta Maniac said:


> They are in with Nigel (who I've seen swim right past them) and no, I've never cultured live microworms or anything. Guppies and mollies seem to multiply without any of that.


yeah I don't have any experience with raising fry. They could be eating the microorganisms that are too small for us to see.

Let's hope that Nigel keeps swimming past them. It's so awesome that your bettas are so chill


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Well, Nigel is very chill. I'm pretty sure the giants would have a snack attack. They're super aggressive when it comes to _anything_ that might be edible. 

Just took apart the Eheim and cleaned it all out. What an adventure that was! Brown algae was starting to clog stuff up, so all the hoses had to be soaked in H2O2 and everything had to be flushed (the filter media was just lightly rinsed with aquarium water though, don't want to screw that up!). Now that circulation has been restored, hopefully I'll see a change in the drop checker.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Well, I've still got fry this morning and the two "Houdini" shrimp are still alive and eating algae. Took me several minutes to find them, and I'm honestly amazed that I did considering how heavily planted the tank is and how tiny they are.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Well, I managed to blow up my fracken diffuser. *grumble* Guess I'm not allowed to own something that delicate. Tried to route it through my Eheim, and boy was that loud and not ok. Guess I'll have to look into other options.


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

How did you blow up your diffuser? What kind was it. A glass one with a ceramic disk thing. 


You can call me Bob


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Yeah, the pretty glass one with the built in bubble counter. My hand slipped when adjusting the CO2 and the [email protected] thing just exploded. Lots of fun to clean out of the substrate. *rolls eyes* I ordered two different options off Greenleaf just now. Hopefully the "in line" one will work with my Eheim's outflow.


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

Aww. Those are purdy!! Good thing you got the other one too


You can call me Bob


----------



## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

When you say CPD you mean like celestial pearl danio? I want to buy some if so 


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

I do mean celestial pearl danio. We'll see if any of the fry make it to adulthood.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Wanted to add: the shrimp are still alive and scurrying around the tank. If Nigel continues to ignore them, this may well become the home of the culls from my shrimp tank.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I'm very glad to hear that! Just curious...How many fry do you have?

I'm sorry to hear about the glass diffuser


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

AquaStudent said:


> How many fry do you have?


No idea. The most I've ever seen at once is 3, but they're always darting in and out of the plants, so I figure if I'm seeing 3, there must be more than that. 

They're big enough now that I can make out all their little fins and stuff. Starting to look like actual fish, LOL!


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

awesome



what heater do you have?


----------



## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

Pics -_-


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

orchidman said:


> what heater do you have?


Hydor Theo 100W.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

JamesHockey said:


> Pics -_-


Right now it's kind of a mess. I've let the blyxa grow to help give the CPD fry cover and there's a breeder net obsucing the view of a lot of it. I promise when the shrimp are in their own tank, I'll take some more pics.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Got the CO2 back up and running. I swapped out the valve for a Swaglock one that can take 3000PSI and is much easier to adjust. I also got an inline diffuser. Took a bit of jury-rigging to get on the outflow tube of my Eheim 2211, but I did it! Been on there about 24 hours now and the drop checker is a nice pale leaf green.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

woohoo I'm glad to hear you've got the pressurized co2 up and running. Pics please


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

There will be pics when I get the shrimp breeder box out of the tank in a week or two, promise.


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

I'll hold you to that!

I need to get a drop checker. How did you get yours?


You can call me Bob


----------



## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

Betta Maniac said:


> There will be pics when I get the shrimp breeder box out of the tank in a week or two, promise.


Why you holding them in the breeder box?


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

orchidman said:


> I need to get a drop checker. How did you get yours?


Ebay.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

JamesHockey said:


> Why you holding them in the breeding box?


When I got them, they were TINY. I was afraid they'd get eaten. They're still quite small. And now I'm going to put them in their own tank as soon as it's ready.


----------



## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

Sweetness


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

The Spec in my signature is for them.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Eheim conked out again for no discernible reason. *sigh* Got up and it just wasn't working . . . took an hour to get it back into action and I still have no idea why it stopped working in the first place (it had just been cleaned and had the pads changed two weeks ago, so nothing was clogged). 

When I set up the spare 20Long, I'm going to try something else.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

have you tried smacking it with a wrench? It worked on Armageddon...


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

aquastudent said:


> have you tried smacking it with a wrench? It worked on armageddon...


lol!


----------



## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

nice stuff! read like the last 10 pages 

was wondering if CPDs would be okay with a betta, and seems like you're having good success with that. My Kuro might just be allowed to stay in my 56G once the fish i ordered for that tank arrives. not sure about the emperor tetras though...off to research that!


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Shrimp have been moved to the Spec. The single survivor of the first batch of CPD fry is now out and about trying to hang with the big fish and there are at least two distinct batches of new fry buzzing around in the blyxa (guess I won't be trimming it any time soon).


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

zenche said:


> I was wondering if CPDs would be okay with a betta, and seems like you're having good success with that.


Everybody in the tank seems to get along fine. The CPDs don't nip at the betta (they'd get yanked out in a heartbeat if they damaged his fins!) and he leaves them alone unless they get too bold at feeding time, when they must be flared at and chased off, LOL! 

Plus they're breeding, so they must not be too stressed out by the betta either. I've got a least three rounds of fry now. Not a lot survive though. Not sure if they're just not finding enough to eat, or if they're being eaten themselves. One from the first batch is now a full-blown small fish, and there are a bunch more little ones coming up behind him.


----------



## celine (Nov 19, 2010)

wow...i just read through all 19 pages of this thread. lol 

i love your tank! and all your bettas are so pretty! you need to post pics soon!!!


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

I'm going to take some pics tonight of the overgrown tank. I'd really like to trim the blyxa back a bit, but it's giving the fry cover, and I don't want to take that away from them.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Shrimp is still alive! Spotted him today strutting around and doing his thing. Hadn't seen him in weeks (months?). When I move the ones in my Spec to their new 20-Long, I may have to put some of the culls in here to keep him company. 

I'm also on round 5 of CPD fry. Only 1-3 seem to survive to fish-hood from each batch, but that's ok. I'm still well on my way to having way too many, LOL!


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

awesome I'm very glad to hear that. Do you have any pictures of the tank? I presume you've trimmed since March


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

I keep forgetting to take them. I'll try and remember to do it tonight.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Betta Maniac said:


> I keep forgetting to take them. I'll try and remember to do it tonight.


It's only about 6:30 where you are (I think...I've been doing physics homework all day so my brain is tired of calculations) so I'm reminding you because I think it's pretty close to night


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

CPDs are still breeding like MAD!!! There's a constant supply of babies (thank god only a few from each batch of fry survive). I've given up counting them, but I'd guess I'm at well over 40 now. I moved a few to the "shrimp" 20-Long to make sure it's fully cycled and ready for the CBS (and to keep them from driving my poor betta insane). Will move a few more later in the week. Also moved some of the lower-grade CBS over. The escapee shirmp is now huge and none of the fish seem to bother him at all. Hopefully they'll all do well in their new tanks.


----------



## Cardinal Tetra (Feb 26, 2006)

Wow very nice job on the cpds. You can sell them for pocket money. I've never seen any babies. I think I have too many other fish and shrimp so none of the eggs and fry ever get the chance to survive even though my tank is really well planted. Doesn't your betta eat the babies?

Take some pictures!


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

I have no idea if my betta eats them. I've never seen him do it. But if he does, more power to him! Every time I look in the tank ther are more itty-bitty fry swimming around in the blyxa and the last group has grown. I've given up counting batches (I quit when there were at least 8, by now there must be at least 15).


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Thinned the CPDs out (gave some away) but the tank is still overrun with fry. Sooooo many fry. New ones popping up every day. Started feeding them microworms, which I think is upping the survival rate. I see fry swimming right by the betta's head and he never goes after them. 

Several of the CBS are also berried again. I still haven’t seen any babies from the last time though. Hoping to see some this time. Almost tempted to transfer the berried girls to a breeder net . . .


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

i think you should send me some babies


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Might be a bit hot to do it now, but I could send some in the fall when it cools off.


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

haha, i was totally kidding. but if you still have some when it cools down, maybe.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

sounds like things are going well  are you able to sell/trade in some of your fry to your LFS? It might be a way to get some credit for new fish, plants, or equipment.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Found my first baby shrimp! Tank is heavily planted, so it's not always easy to even find the adults, but it was nice to find PROOF that the berried shrimp are actaully producing babies. I was beginning to have doubts, as I've never seen a baby before.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

orchidman said:


> haha, i was totally kidding. but if you still have some when it cools down, maybe.


I am OVERRUN with the damn things. There must be 40 fry right now with more hatching every day.


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

wow thats alot. congrats on the shrimp


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

awesome! Congrats on the shrimp! Woot woot!


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

RIP Nigel. Got home last night to find him dead. No signs of illness. He was perfectly normal the night before when I fed him.


----------



## shane3fan (Nov 2, 2009)

Betta Maniac said:


> RIP Nigel. Got home last night to find him dead. No signs of illness. He was perfectly normal the night before when I fed him.


 
that sucks. I had a lyretail Molly die last week--same thing, looked and acted normal the night before--found it dead the next night.


----------



## firefiend (Sep 3, 2009)

Betta Maniac said:


> RIP Nigel. Got home last night to find him dead. No signs of illness. He was perfectly normal the night before when I fed him.




Sorry to hear that.


----------



## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Sorry to hear of your loss.


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Sometimes I hate how mysterious fish deaths are. It's one thing if you at least see symptoms, and since I hand feed my bettas every night, I would have. Tues night he was feisty and lively, Wed when I got home from work he was dead (all other fish and shrimp appear to be fine, so it's not like I gassed him with CO2 or anything either). Just a real bummer. Not going to look at replacements on Aquabid until I get back from Burning Man. Guess I should just be grateful he died on my watch and not while my sister is fish sitting for two weeks.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I'm sorry to hear about your loss :/


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

uh oH  im so sorry


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Bought a new crowntail on Aquabid:


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

WOW! that is an amazing CT! how much did this bad boy cost?

do you have any new pics?


----------



## sampster5000 (Oct 30, 2010)

Any recent pictures? I'm thinking of doing a sorority planted betta tank. Have you ever tried that before? I am wondering how its worked out for anyone and what size tank they had them in.


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

That betta is amazing! He's such a great looking fish! When is he supposed to arrive?


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Sorry. Been at Burning Man (no internet). He was $25, including shipping from Thailand. I'll drive 30 min to San Jose to pick him up next week and pay the transshipper $3. So, even with gas factored in, less than $40 all told. I think I should have him on Tuesday. 

He's going in one of my 20G-long tanks. I'll trim it down a bit over the weekend to get ready for him (right now it has CPDs, kuhli loaches, and crystal shrimp).


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

sampster5000 said:


> Any recent pictures? I'm thinking of doing a sorority planted betta tank. Have you ever tried that before? I am wondering how its worked out for anyone and what size tank they had them in.


 
I'm not a big fan of splendens sorority tanks. If you want multiple bettas that aren't flashy male splendens, I'd recommend one of the other wild species that can be kept in larger groups (like albimarginata or channoides). I love my albi tank (20G-Long).


----------



## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Beautiful fish congrats


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I can't wait to see him when he comes in


----------



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

He should be here today!


----------



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Awesome! I can't wait to see him! Let us know how he does


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

cant wait to see the big guy!


----------



## aquaquang (Jun 17, 2008)

Betta Maniac said:


> Bought a new crowntail on Aquabid:


That's a halfmoon crowntail

He's awesome

How much did he cost you?


----------



## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

i think he says above how much iT cost. under $40 I THINK


----------



## 1aqumfish (Apr 19, 2009)

Betta Maniac I read your thread all the way though, I am new here but have been in the hobby for a long time. I like to see Beta's in proper tanks. I am currently keeping mine in a 12.5gal hex. I like the 20 long. It's time for an update.

Tony


----------



## sssnel (Nov 8, 2011)

Would love to see some updated pics. This tank is amazing. Thinking of changing my 40 to a biotope.


----------



## acadialover (Nov 15, 2011)

wow, just spent forever reading every page of your reporting. I too am disappointed .... would love to see some photos's of that gorgeous HM crown tail . Did something happen to him ?? what does the tank look like ?


----------

