Try for the "blackwater" look

Sorry to hear that.

Still haven't seen my little calico BN, I think she's gone for good I have a few pictures of both the BN from when I added a ceramic cave in hopes they would spawn in it. They actually flirted for a while before the calico dissappeared. Now that she's gone the male has been digging a pit right under the heater. That doesn't go well in a dirted tank...


The girls are having problems trying to re-ascertain a pecking order. No one is safe so I'm debating on jaring them all for a while and then releasing everyone so they can sort things out in one go. Over Christmas break I should be able to watch them during the day time and possibly separate the overly aggressive ones. I might even try adding the evil plakat back in whom is residing in a 36gal.

I was able to go fish shopping yesterday and came home with 2 buddies for the lone upside down catfish and a little red double tail. She's a tiny thing that was in a tank with other females and some platties, so her fins are a bit tattered and she's on the thin side. No pictures yet of the betta but for now I have her floating in a mason jar. She and the plakat have been flaring at each other off and on, hopefully that stops.

I though the lone catfish would appreciate some buddies, they are supposed to be shaoling fish but apparently it's been guarding the piece of driftwood. Doesn't seem to want anything to do with these two. I'll give it a few weeks and see how they are getting alone then.

Here's a pic of Yuri, just because I was finally able to get her to hold still for a moment.

Don't worry the tank will find balance. Sometimes the balance achieved isn't exactly what we had in mind. I have a bumblebee cat I've never seen but I never find the bodies of fish when they die so he must be in there, doing what he does... blackwater is healthy and you should be proud to provide such a natural environment for your fish. I use a variety of methods to achieve this. DECAFFEINATED tea bags are how they did it in the old days. Roobios tea is an option today also but yeah, I've used Lipton. Driftwood of course and coconut shells will also provide shelter. I always collect oak leaves when they are available in my area.

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I think the balance is nearly restored in this tank. I still feel sick thinking about what went on, all those female bettas dying. Speaking of dying bettas, for unknown reasons the plakat died a while ago and the tiny DT I bought last time apparently harbored a nasty ich infestation that which up not being cured. I've never had a fish die from ich, I've always been able to cure them in a week or less so this was like a slap in the face for me. Not happy nor impressed at all with that fish store. I'm having such bad luck with female bettas lately.

I need update photos of Grey's tank. The crypts are filling in nicely, but Grey looks not so great. Surely it's not a problem with water quality, he gets his water changes like all the others. Maybe it's just the bad genes but something is wrong and idk what it is. I added some cherry shrimp culls to his tank thinking he'd eat them, but nope. The oldest shrimplets are approaching breeding age, there's a little female with a saddle forming.


Tiny plecos that need to fatten up before going in other tanks seem to always find their way into Grey's tank...



A rare glimpse of the upside down catfish in the sorority.

I think things are ok in the sorority now. Everyone is calmed down, the largest betta fry have been added and no one seems worse for wear.

I went shopping on the 27th and was tempted by the light colored bettas. I just couldn't say no, they looked so good.

This one was in a tank with other females, not sure on fin type, either plakat or VT. Very well behaved and not shy at all. All the others were reds, blues, a few purples, she was the only light one.


Then this fish, whose body shape isn't the best but I love the color. This was from another store where they kept everyone in cups. Filthy water, dull colors, but I want to see her doing well. VT for sure.


Both are in a 10gal quarantine and they are calm as can be. Not even a hint of aggression from either girl.

I'm adding the two new females to the sorority today. For now they're floating in cups but after another hour or so I'll release them. Note the for sure male pretending to be a female.


The fry in this tank are doing great. Other than the two males in breeder baskets, I think there's two more that have yet to get aggressive. One in particular should be a different color than the first 2, it's mostly blue and honestly my favorite of the bunch. Looks like a beard is just starting to show and the pelvic fins are getting longer and thicker.


I did a bit of pulling and replanted, I just couldn't stand the jungle val anymore. The leafs grew too long and thick, blocking the light to the other plants, they had to go. I did keep two in the back corner but I might pull them too. Hopefully the Rotala in the back left side grows in quickly.


I recently added a female albino BN in hopes of getting some BN fry with my long finned boy, but so far I've only seen some flirting at the cave.

Thats a nice looking tank, Only thing I would do is use a black sponge filter or a small HOB. Pisces Laboratories Slim Hanging Filter SH100 (25L, 120L/hr) would be perfect, I use the SH200 on my 2 foot tank, The flow is adjustable on these.

https://www.aquaticsupplies.com.au/...atories-slim-hanging-filter-sh100-30l-120l-hr

I did have a smaller black sponge filter but decided to grab a larger one along with a stronger + adjustable air pump. I kinda needed another as the first sponge filter went to the 10gal betta fry tank, the second is in the quarantine 10gal and now this one. It is a bit of an eye sore but works like a charm.

Might switch it to the 29gal cichlid fry tank and take their HOB, but for now this sponge needs to get established. I've had a little 20gal HOB on this tank the entire time but it just isn't enough so the sponge in both necessary and easy on the bettas.

Completely forgot to mention Grey's tank. Grey came down very quickly with dropsy just before I bought the last two females. He's gone but the tank remains. I moved Taiga to his tank after a couple thorough water changes and I think she may be eating some of the shrimp. The sorority life wasn't suiting her, she was the lowest on the totem pole. Seems much happier on her own. The crypts in this tank are finally sending up runners, pretty soon it should start resembling Otabek's 10gal.

I saw that you have a pothos plant in one of you tanks. How do you keep it on the top. Mine is currently suctioned on the side. Very beautiful tank by the way!

At one point, way back in the beginning I had a different vine balanced very carefully on the driftwood and sides of the tank. The little spring I have in a breeder basket now is mainly for the young male to hide/rest on. There's a metal hood that helps keep it mostly above water. I should just plant it soon, the roots are plenty long enough now.

The two new girls are getting along with the others just fine. I plan on taking a few of the juvenile bettas into the pet shop soon, those breeder baskets are a real pain to mess with during water changes. The 2 males that are not in the baskets are still getting along with the others though they did chase and nip after adding 4 more of the larger fry.

It told mom we didn't have to go to this specific pet store because last time they had nasty tanks and poorly bettas but she wanted to go to a store next to it, so of course I walked over to the pet store. They must of had a new shipment of bettas, lovely dragon scaled HM males and a handful of nice HM females. I have a weakness for white females... I have a weakness for fish.

Very cute, very docile and learned really fast how to beg. Adorable white HM with a bit of iridescence and I think a marble gene, she has/had some darker blotches while in the store.


Also bought an apparently ill mannered copper HM, she's a tiny thing and hopefully grows out of her aggression. She flares at everyone. Both are separated from the others. It's only been 2 days since I bought them, they need more time to calm down. No picture, she won't hold still for nothing. Just google copper HM female bettas and you will get the idea.

Shes cute.

Added both girls to the the tank today, the white HM gets on wonderfully while the copper is picking fights with the other juveniles, she better stop that in the next couple of days are she's getting evicted.

I haven't been updating much but Vitya was doing rather poorly after I got back from a week long vacation. He died about a week later. His tank is now the spare 10gal, which just today became a temporary home for a pathetic male CT that some idiot threw in with Bichirs at the petstore I work at. Pretty much all his fins are gone, can't even tell he's a CT. Seems pretty lively though so here's to hoping for the best. The majority of the red cherries are also in that tank so let's hope he doesn't eat them all.

The sorority has gone through some changes. Firstly mother made me move it to the basement. So now it has a proper stand. I took the liberty of switching things around inside, which of course I don't have a picture of just yet. Not too long after moving the tank the male long finned BN died, which I will attribute to the stress of spawning before hand. I was rather unhappy about that.

Secondly I trading in 5 of the females I raised to make room for the next batch of possible females. Thirdly, I bought 2 more females because I have not self control. A amazing yellow and black koi, and a beautiful lavender dumbo. Both are in breeder baskets till they can learn to get along with the others. I also threw in a couple little nerites, which really pop out from the driftwood they are always on.

Lastly, the crypts are filling out nicely and sending up runners. Wish I could say the same for the rotala, but it seems some nasty hair algae is being relentless. Pictures to come.

Sorry to hear that