Howdy!

[Sam042955]

I haven't had an aquarium for over 20 years but decided to get ONE betta tank (originally a 3 gallon tank) to help me get over the loss of my 15 year old pit bull who had to be put to sleep in November. As often happens...within 2 weeks I had 3 tanks -- a 5 gallon to replace the 3 gallon (which now serves as a hospital/quarantine tank) and a 10 gallon tank for a giant betta that I just had to have. I try to do everything I can to make proper habitats for my guys and I'm finding out it's an on-going learning process. The good news is that both tanks are cycled and stable and that helps out a lot. (It's easy because the current bio-load is the maximum bio-load the tank ever had to deal with because they are solo fish and that's it. Also, I used Tetra TSS+ at the outset and it worked like a charm.)

 

[StripySnailGirl04]

I haven't had an aquarium for over 20 years but decided to get ONE betta tank (originally a 3 gallon tank) to help me get over the loss of my 15 year old pit bull who had to be put to sleep in November. As often happens...within 2 weeks I had 3 tanks -- a 5 gallon to replace the 3 gallon (which now serves as a hospital/quarantine tank) and a 10 gallon tank for a giant betta that I just had to have. I try to do everything I can to make proper habitats for my guys and I'm finding out it's an on-going learning process. The good news is that both tanks are cycled and stable and that helps out a lot. (It's easy because the current bio-load is the maximum bio-load the tank ever had to deal with because they are solo fish and that's it. Also, I used Tetra TSS+ at the outset and it worked like a charm.)

Welcome to TFF!

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

Welcome! Great to hear things are moving quickly with your bettas, would love to see if you get a chance to take photos!
Sorry for your loss, many of us here can understand how terrible it is to lose a pet, and it's great to know you've found a way to cope with it.

 

[Sam042955]

Welcome to TFF!

Thanks so much. Glad to be here.

 

[Sam042955]

Welcome! Great to hear things are moving quickly with your bettas, would love to see if you get a chance to take photos!
Sorry for your loss, many of us here can understand how terrible it is to lose a pet, and it's great to know you've found a way to cope with it.

Thanks for your compassionate post. We had Brutus for 12 years and so many things happened during that time but he was a constant. Then he was gone. And I didn't realize how much he was a part of my life until afterwards. (And when he'd misbehave I used to tease him that I was going to trade him in for a Chia pet. I regretted that after he was gone.)

And for the first couple of weeks I couldn't even think about getting another pet, but then I remembered that decades ago I'd had some betta fish (and a 40 gallon tank with rainbow fish, a clown loach, a pleco, and a gorgeous angel fish). So I did some research and got what I thought was an appropriate size tank (3 gallon) but soon learned that it was too small, and the rest, as they say...is history.

 

[StripySnailGirl04]

Thanks for your compassionate post. We had Brutus for 12 years and so many things happened during that time but he was a constant. Then he was gone. And I didn't realize how much he was a part of my life until afterwards. (And when he'd misbehave I used to tease him that I was going to trade him in for a Chia pet. I regretted that after he was gone.)

And for the first couple of weeks I couldn't even think about getting another pet, but then I remembered that decades ago I'd had some betta fish (and a 40 gallon tank with rainbow fish, a clown loach, a pleco, and a gorgeous angel fish). So I did some research and got what I thought was an appropriate size tank (3 gallon) but soon learned that it was too small, and the rest, as they say...is history.

Well, it is good to have the courage to get another pet. Am very sorry for your loss.

 

[Sam042955]

Well, it is good to have the courage to get another pet. Am very sorry for your loss.

Thanks so much. In a strange, roundabout way, getting the fish really helped me move past the grief. They require(d) a lot more attention than I had counted on but that ended up being a good thing because in caring for them the loss of my buddy didn't hurt as much. (And I also "adopted" (or rather, he adopted me) a feral tom cat 2 years ago, and this year I added a squirrel -- Scratchy -- to the menagerie. It all helps.)

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

And for the first couple of weeks I couldn't even think about getting another pet, but then I remembered that decades ago I'd had some betta fish (and a 40 gallon tank with rainbow fish, a clown loach, a pleco, and a gorgeous angel fish). So I did some research and got what I thought was an appropriate size tank (3 gallon) but soon learned that it was too small, and the rest, as they say...is history.

Your old tank sounds like it was a really good classic collection! Really love those sorts of fish. Hope to see lots of your tanks in the future!

 

[Sam042955]

Your old tank sounds like it was a really good classic collection! Really love those sorts of fish. Hope to see lots of your tanks in the future!

It really was a classic. Nice large piece of driftwood in the center that leeched lovely tannins and gave it a real Amazonian look and feel. But I was in an apartment and had to move and couldn't take the tank with me so I sold it, with the fish, to someone who could keep it going. (I took the bettas but they didn't live long after the move.) I will try to get some photos of the tanks I have. I don't really plan on getting any more tanks but we all know how that goes. LOL. (In fact, I'd been planning in my mind a 75 gallon female betta sorority tank but that's for much further down the road. I did, however, already have the name picked out for the tank: The "That'sa Lotta Bettas" Sorority Tank.)

 

[Sam042955]

OK. Here are the two tanks. The first one is the 5 gallon with a rose petal betta. The second one (that had to be taken at a weird angle to cut down on reflections) is the 10 gallon with the Petco "King" half moon betta. The "King" betta (Nessie) was all white when I got him 6 weeks ago and I got him specifically because I didn't think anyone going into Petco would ever purchase a "King" betta that had no color. It was kind of like a rescue fish. He now has about 15-20 grayish-black scales and I have no idea if he'll ever really color up. I believe he was all white due to stress. He doesn't have pink eyes and he's not an albino.

The rose petal betta (Raggedy Andy) was absolutely gorgeous when I got him but then either his fins got shredded on a rough ornament (since removed) or else he trimmed his own fins to be able to swim better (an idea suggested by someone who's owned bettas for 20 years -- he said they are extremely smart fish and sometimes nip their own fins to make swimming less cumbersome. I swear sometimes watching Andy swim is like watching someone try to walk while juggling 20 hula hoops. It's painful.) Or else he got fin rot. I can see some fin regrowth but it could take months to regrow all his fins. I got tired of trying to find a smooth "cave" for him so I made my own. I bought 24" of 2.5" PVC vinyl air tubing and put colored stones on it to try to match the tank. Andy absolutely LOVES his man cave. It's his favorite hang out in the tank. But he does also like hanging down by the heater in the back left corner.

There are two Aquarium Co-op nano sponge filters in both tanks -- in the middle and in the back right corner. I've camouflaged them pretty well with the plants. In the 10 gallon tank Nessie lurks behind the plants but shoots to the front as soon as he sees me, figuring he'll get fed. He's got an amazing interactive personality.

I personally like the look of the 10 gallon tank better than the bling in the 5 gallon tank, but it does provide 2 totally different aquascapes and they each serve their purpose. (I had put some driftwood that I boiled for 3 hours in both tanks but I started noticing gray fuzzy algae and I didn't like that so I removed them.)

Cheers.

 

[Rocky998]

View attachment 153233View attachment 153234

OK. Here are the two tanks. The first one is the 5 gallon with a rose petal betta. The second one (that had to be taken at a weird angle to cut down on reflections) is the 10 gallon with the Petco "King" half moon betta. The "King" betta (Nessie) was all white when I got him 6 weeks ago and I got him specifically because I didn't think anyone going into Petco would ever purchase a "King" betta that had no color. It was kind of like a rescue fish. He now has about 15-20 grayish-black scales and I have no idea if he'll ever really color up. I believe he was all white due to stress. He doesn't have pink eyes and he's not an albino.

The rose petal betta (Raggedy Andy) was absolutely gorgeous when I got him but then either his fins got shredded on a rough ornament (since removed) or else he trimmed his own fins to be able to swim better (an idea suggested by someone who's owned bettas for 20 years -- he said they are extremely smart fish and sometimes nip their own fins to make swimming less cumbersome. I swear sometimes watching Andy swim is like watching someone try to walk while juggling 20 hula hoops. It's painful.) Or else he got fin rot. I can see some fin regrowth but it could take months to regrow all his fins. I got tired of trying to find a smooth "cave" for him so I made my own. I bought 24" of 2.5" PVC vinyl air tubing and put colored stones on it to try to match the tank. Andy absolutely LOVES his man cave. It's his favorite hang out in the tank. But he does also like hanging down by the heater in the back left corner.

There are two Aquarium Co-op nano sponge filters in both tanks -- in the middle and in the back right corner. I've camouflaged them pretty well with the plants. In the 10 gallon tank Nessie lurks behind the plants but shoots to the front as soon as he sees me, figuring he'll get fed. He's got an amazing interactive personality.

I personally like the look of the 10 gallon tank better than the bling in the 5 gallon tank, but it does provide 2 totally different aquascapes and they each serve their purpose. (I had put some driftwood that I boiled for 3 hours in both tanks but I started noticing gray fuzzy algae and I didn't like that so I removed them.)

Cheers.

Thats such a beautiful aquarium! I am also so sorry for the loss of your dog. I understamd how it feels. Hopefully your aquarium can bring you a bit of happiness

 

[enricosonic]

Cool setups you have there. Condolences on the loss of Brutus.

 

[Sam042955]

Thats such a beautiful aquarium! I am also so sorry for the loss of your dog. I understamd how it feels. Hopefully your aquarium can bring you a bit of happiness

Thanks. I tried to simulate their natural habitats with lots of plants. They're all silk and not real but still...lots of places for them to hide.

And in the 5 gallon tank the home made man cave adds an additional safe place to hide. (Originally I had regular gravel substrate in the 5 gallon tank. But after the suspected fin rot episode I put Andy in the 3 gallon hospital tank where I gave him 8 days of antibiotics, which allowed me to clean/scrub his 5 gallon tank from top to bottom. I then removed the gravel (I know...I know...it was risky but I had 2 sponge filters with lots of B.B. so I figured I was safe. And the tank maintained its cycled status and didn't crash.) and replaced it with lots of colored glass stones that are smooth and can't possibly tear his fins. (One of his favorite things to do at night is to lie on the bottom on the stones in the back left corner by the heater.) He's been doing well and is active and interactive, especially when he thinks he's getting fed. It's hard to keep his daily intake down to 4 or 5 pellets with a one day a week fast. But that's how I feed him. (Nessie gets double because he's twice as big.)

And yes...getting the fish definitely helped. It was subtle, but all the work and learning and caring for the bettas occupied my mind and gave me a new focus.

 

[Sam042955]

Cool setups you have there. Condolences on the loss of Brutus.

Thanks so much. It was tough but getting the fish really helped.

 

[Sam042955]

And here are closeups of Nessie that show his spots. It looks to me as if he's trying to color up; it's just taking a really long time. I figured he was all white due to stress of living in that stupid little Petco tub, and that once he was in his own 10 gallon tank he'd be much less stressed and would color up. I tell him he's a beautiful late bloomer.