Introducing... Azumo!

[Galanta]

Dear All,

I keep writing about sick bettas, so I thought I should also share my own HEALTHY betta with you. As mentioned in my other post I am a computer moron and have now idea how to shrink my photos so that I could upload them directly.
Plus I have no good camera for close up shots, so I just ended up with a bunch of mediocre shots and could not even decide which to post. I thus uploaded the "best" ones to my flickr page:

http/www.flickr.com/photos/39684179@N05/...57620172756462/

Note: There are 10 pictures. While viewing a certain picture you can click the little "all sizes" sign above the top edge of the photo and it will show you the large size.

I wanted you guys to see him because he looks a lot like tibby's new fish though hers has more vibrant red on her fins and mine is more blue and lavender. Please note that color-wise these photos do NOT do him justice. His body is a bright purplish blue and shiny. He's a babe ...

But who does not say this of their own betta ...

Hope you like him though...

 

[tibby25731]

Oh, he is one beautiful fish! I'm not a fan of bowls, but I do like your arrangement in there, good for him to explore He is similar to my new boy, but it looks like the reddish pink kinda blends in with the lilac on Azumo, but with mine it is more of a definite line where the colour changes. He really is lovely

 

[Galanta]

Yes, yours is STUNNING. I just thought it was such a funnt coincidence that we got similar fish at the same time. I am in Los Angeles by the way, where are u?

 

[tibby25731]

I am in Manchester, England! I have friends in LA... wish I were there and not here, but then I guess i couldn't take my fishies with me? lol

 

[ellena]

I LOVE the 'scape' in that bowl-really beautiful! Combines a minimalist kind of look with hiding places and interest for him. Are the plants silk and is there a heater/filter?

 

[WoodyAqua]

Lovely fish looks bowl looks nice too.. how do you control ammonia nitrite/trates?

 

[CTlovesKS]

I like the colours of his body and fins...

Very pretty fishy

 

[Gill]

Lovely Setup, looks very clean and crisp

 

[lilacamy931]

The setup is really effect and super beautfiful with his colourings

 

[newfishowner123]

Hahaha! I love it!! My betta looks just like yours! And I love your caption for the picture where he's zooming!

 

[Galanta]

Dear All,

Thank you for all your nice comments. The plants in the bowl are silk. I do not have a heater or filter. I work in a tiny office with no windows and away from any outside walls, so the temperature is very constant. The AC control is next door where there is a window and the girl there likes it warm. So my office is HOT. Bad for me - good for the fish. I measured the temperature of the water twice and it was 79 degrees. On very hot days where the AC runs for a while it might drop down a little, but probably not lower than 76. He is always very active, so he seems fine with it.
When I first bought him I had him in a 3/4 - 1 gal bowl. I was trying to figure out how often I would need to change the water and found this mention on the net that one should test daily for ammonia to see how many days it takes to show and then change the water always one day prior. Well, I got a kit and was shocked to see that traces of ammonia showed in less then 24 hours (traced that later to mostly coming from a dying live plant I had in there at that time). So even with doubling the vase I would have still had to change water twice a week and I had wanted it to be weekly, so there is less stress for the fish and less work for me
So I went down to the Los Angeles flower market and bought this huge bubble vase. I put all the stuff in there to keep him busy and then put in fresh water. I don't know the exact amount, but even after the stones, tree and plant it takes over 3 gal of water. I tested the water every other day and after a week there was still no trace of ammnonia. But after a week the water starts looking just the tiniest bit of hazy and there are drops of his poop all over the stones, so I change the water once a week, and rinse of the bowl, stones and plants with hot water while I am at it.
The photos you see were taken right after a water change, so that's why everything looks super-crisp.
I think when you don't have a filter, it is just a math question of how much water you have to dillute the ammonia being put in. Theoretically if I had something twice this size, I would not only need to change the water every other week.
Anyways - I know that a tank set it up is best, but I can't do that at work. So my plan is to make sure I keep his water clean at all times and give him the best conditions possible under the circumstances. If he does not get to live out a long and happy life, I will not replace him with another fish.
But so far, he seems to be loving it and EVERYONE at work is loving him...

 

[lljdma06]

Very pretty betta. I love the blue and the decorations are top notch! Show off the colors very nicely.

If you want, you can try putting some pothos (Epipremnum aureum) sprigs in the bowl with him. I use this in my betta's bowl to remove ammonia, though I also change the water 2x a week, and it is a pretty touch to an office. The pothos, a tropical plant, sucks it right up and grows very nicely, as long as the leaves are not submerged. It also develops roots, which kind of gives it a "jungly" feel. Be careful to keep the plant away from dogs and cats, though, it is slightly toxic if they munch on it too much. My betta hates current and I live in Miami, so heater isn't really always necessary. Actually with this heatwave, a chiller would almost be in order. Thank goodness for AC!!! My betta is a 4-year-old plakat. A little gimpy guy with a deformed gill I adopted from another member.

Enjoy your lovely fish!

 

[Galanta]

Thanks. Don't know about any live plants since there is NO sunlight whatsoever. Any other real potted plants I have had in this office before sooner or later died or started growing all deformed. Never tried photos though. Wow - 4 year old betta! Has he always been a "bowl fish"? Just curious... common belief seems to be that no betta will last more than 2 years in a bowl, but might make it up to 7 years or more, if in an aquarium set up.

 

[lljdma06]

Thanks. Don't know about any live plants since there is NO sunlight whatsoever. Any other real potted plants I have had in this office before sooner or later died or started growing all deformed. Never tried photos though. Wow - 4 year old betta! Has he always been a "bowl fish"? Just curious... common belief seems to be that no betta will last more than 2 years in a bowl, but might make it up to 7 years or more, if in an aquarium set up.

Pothos will be fine with just the lights from your office. My office doesn't have windows either and I grow orchids in it.

No, your curiosity is fine. Alberich, Albie for short, has always been a bowl fish. One of his brothers, Hagen or Mime, I don't remember, was in my planted 2.5g, but Alberich was always a bowl betta. He is named for a character from Wagner's Ring Cycle, a little troll guy.

This is the old thread where I adopted him. He has a deformed gill plate, but that never affected him, just made him unsuitable for breeding.
[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=102985"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=102985[/URL]

This was his updated spawn thread. He was already about 3 months old in June, 2005 when this thread was created, so that dates his birth to around maybe March, 2005? I do not know for certain. So he's definitely 4 years, but he may be a bit older, maybe 4 years, 4 months. The months start getting important at this age.

[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=93110"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=93110[/URL]

Like I said before, Alberich is a plakat, so his shorter fins have not encumbered him as much. He is also quite small for a betta and this may also affect things. I also keep the water pretty darn clean. I will never have anything other than a plakat again.

Hopefully, he'll make it to 5.

llj

 

[Galanta]

Wow! Cool. That's encouraging, though Azumo already has a very long tail - and growing... His body though is smaller and more slender than my friend's betta, so I think he would be 6-9 months old.