Quin
Fishaholic
Hey everyone! I know it's been a while since I last made a post here. I've checked in once in a blue moon, but I had neither the stories to tell nor the experience to contribute, so I've been pretty quiet ever since I learned how to stop panicking and hovering over Hank lmao.
Anyways, a little over a year ago now I started this journey with mistake after mistake, and you guys were nothing but friendly and helpful and understanding while you guided me along. I'm really proud of how far I've come, from shoving a betta into a 1g with neon gravel and artificial decor to a 10g with similar treatment, and now I'm on my third naturalistic scape in that same 10g. I had to go back through some of my old posts as I lost my old pictures, but I wanted to recap my journey and maybe inspire some new keepers to keep improving!
Everything started on April 14 when I first brought my betta Hank home. I don't have any pictures of him in the 1 gallon as I deleted them all out of embarrassment, but this is one of the earliest photos I could find. I would have been so stressed to live with all the bright colors and mess! (PS the t-rex is still there, there's just a background hiding the books now
)
Thankfully, you guys didn't eat me alive for this as I've seen so many instances where experienced fish keepers ruthlessly attack beginners. I don't think I've really seen that here, and I'm really grateful!
After some expensive purchases, I brought home a chunk of mopani wood and some seiryu stone (I think that's spelled right?). I remember being so proud of my first natural scape. Looking back, it really was just throwing stuff in and calling it good, but I think the tannins were sooo good for Hank. Sadly my mom threw a fit over them, so I didn't replace them as they diluted. I'm glad to be rid of the panty hose over the filter though!
A long while after that scape (maybe a few months ago) I ran into some issues in real life and it resulted in me not giving the tank the care it needed. Hank started to wither a little, and I assumed he was tearing his fins on the wood so I took it out and leaned those two rocks together to make a sort of tunnel. I don't have any pictures, but it didn't end up as cool as I wanted it to and he never seemed to be as vibrant or personable during that period.
After wondering about fin ripping, then fin nipping, then finally realizing it was fin rot, it was time for some change. I definitely could have figured it out a lot sooner, but sitting here watching Hank explore his new scape I'm hoping that that, combined with better maintenance, will help him heal faster and return to his usual excitement. He's still really friendly, fortunately!
Anyways, this is the new scape, which I finished just a few hours ago. I know I'll likely look back on it in the future and find things I could have done better, but that just means I will have become a more experienced keeper. For now, though, I'm really proud! I'll be moving around a few things I noticed after I put Hank back in, but I will wait to fix them until he's completely settled.
(I want to add really quick that all of that is my original rock. I stood on the table on our porch and threw the big rock really hard onto our patio. It felt so empowering)
Also, I want to give huge thank you's to everyone who helped me with my journey! I miss you guys and I'm excited to see some familiar faces!
Anyways, a little over a year ago now I started this journey with mistake after mistake, and you guys were nothing but friendly and helpful and understanding while you guided me along. I'm really proud of how far I've come, from shoving a betta into a 1g with neon gravel and artificial decor to a 10g with similar treatment, and now I'm on my third naturalistic scape in that same 10g. I had to go back through some of my old posts as I lost my old pictures, but I wanted to recap my journey and maybe inspire some new keepers to keep improving!
Everything started on April 14 when I first brought my betta Hank home. I don't have any pictures of him in the 1 gallon as I deleted them all out of embarrassment, but this is one of the earliest photos I could find. I would have been so stressed to live with all the bright colors and mess! (PS the t-rex is still there, there's just a background hiding the books now
)Thankfully, you guys didn't eat me alive for this as I've seen so many instances where experienced fish keepers ruthlessly attack beginners. I don't think I've really seen that here, and I'm really grateful!
After some expensive purchases, I brought home a chunk of mopani wood and some seiryu stone (I think that's spelled right?). I remember being so proud of my first natural scape. Looking back, it really was just throwing stuff in and calling it good, but I think the tannins were sooo good for Hank. Sadly my mom threw a fit over them, so I didn't replace them as they diluted. I'm glad to be rid of the panty hose over the filter though!
A long while after that scape (maybe a few months ago) I ran into some issues in real life and it resulted in me not giving the tank the care it needed. Hank started to wither a little, and I assumed he was tearing his fins on the wood so I took it out and leaned those two rocks together to make a sort of tunnel. I don't have any pictures, but it didn't end up as cool as I wanted it to and he never seemed to be as vibrant or personable during that period.
After wondering about fin ripping, then fin nipping, then finally realizing it was fin rot, it was time for some change. I definitely could have figured it out a lot sooner, but sitting here watching Hank explore his new scape I'm hoping that that, combined with better maintenance, will help him heal faster and return to his usual excitement. He's still really friendly, fortunately!
Anyways, this is the new scape, which I finished just a few hours ago. I know I'll likely look back on it in the future and find things I could have done better, but that just means I will have become a more experienced keeper. For now, though, I'm really proud! I'll be moving around a few things I noticed after I put Hank back in, but I will wait to fix them until he's completely settled.
(I want to add really quick that all of that is my original rock. I stood on the table on our porch and threw the big rock really hard onto our patio. It felt so empowering)
Also, I want to give huge thank you's to everyone who helped me with my journey! I miss you guys and I'm excited to see some familiar faces!
