Adoption Announcement - Oh Dear the Best Layed Plans Do Go Astray!!!

Triplets! Oh My Goodness!
Jasmyn, a little Black Crowntail Female Betta
Sara, a little Half moon Double tail White Female Betta
Emma, a little Half Moon Red Female Betta

Well you see they were not supposed to be here for a few more days and I had Bio-spira coming so I did not set up a quarantine tank. So when I got back from a walk down to the corner bank today and there was a small box on my mailbox, I was not too concerned until I saw the return address!!! California!!!! Oh my goodness!!!! The little fish are here and the new tank is not here yet!!!!!! What to do????? Needless to say they are in with their little sister whose nose is really out of joint and she is not liking the idea of having friends just yet. Emma stands up to her. Jasmyn has hidden and won't come out just yet so I do not have pictures of her, but I do have rather fuzzy pictures of the others. I will be quiet now and introduce Sara the white one and Emma the red one and the Ivory Mystery Snail on the last picture is Angel.

Rose

 

congradulations I won't to get by betta now but I need to go to the store now

 

Congrats on the new babies!! They are beautiful!! (Aren't they ALL!?!?!)

 

Congrats on the cute bettas!!! I love Sara she is so sleek!! Lol

 

I finally coaxed them all out so I have more pictures. I am getting a friend of mine to take me to walmart tonight to get the bigger tank and I will just use the old filter until the Bio-spira gets here. I think it will be okay. There has been very minimal nipping and I believe it is over thankfully so I am ready for a smooth transition.

Ready for some more pictures?

Well the girls are now in a bigger home complete with live plants and a little castle. They are all in new territory so no one has territorial rights set up yet. No fighting. It is nighty-nite time so they will have to play tomorrow. The Bio-Spira came just as I was ready to tear my hair out this afternoon. While I was at Walmart I also got a new bigger tank for Marty and his little Oto and Snail pals. (new plants for him too) The little folk are doing well for themselves at my house this week.

Rose

 

Sounds like you got things settled down a bit! Good for you!! Did you get new babies to breed or just to have?

 

wow, you've been busy! have fun with your new bettas! they are beautiful, sara is so elegant  and Emma is it? really does look pineapple-y! They are beautiful, you have me wanting more bettas now...what to put in my 29 gallon, angelfish or female bettas?    hehe Good luck with them, I'm sure you will keep them healthy and happy.

 

Sounds like you got things settled down a bit!  Good for you!!  Did you get new babies to breed or just to have?

yes it has been a day and a half and it is just about as draining as bringing home a new human baby that you were not aware you were expecting. (that happened when my sister and her husband adopted their youngest son actually) Anyway they are down and out for the night, but for the record, there shall be no mixing of the sexes in this household. I would love to breed them, but I have neither the space or the stamina for the job. Breeding Bettas with the seperation of the Males after they are sexed and all those water changes to all those jars as well as the big tanks are just too much for me. But with my little ones, I sure do think I could have some pretty babies.

Rose

 

Congratulations Rose, absolutely gorgeous. I'm so jealous :'(. How much were all three of them and where did you get them... you may have put this in another post but I haven't had too much time lately to read all the posts. And where did you order the biospira from? Thanks.

 

They're so pretty! I bet they'll be so much fun. Now I can't wait to get mine. hehe I'm sensing Bettas are a bit addicting ;D

 

I did answer this once but I have no idea where it went to.  I could swear I posted it.  Oh well this day has been weird.

The girls were off of eBay from a breeder in California and I paid more for them than I have ever paid for any fish and ever will again:  Jasmyn (Black) $20.00; Sara (White) $15.00; Emma (Red) $15.00; Shipping for all 3 $25.00.  Total was $75.00  EEK!!!

The Bio-Spira came from a place where I also got a large plant order:



Under their Aquarium Products area on the Left side of their home page you will find Bio-Spira for both saltwater and freshwater tanks.  The cost is $18.99 and the shipping is very high depending on how you want it shipped.  It has to remain cold so cannot be shipped certain ways.  The plants I got from them looked healthy and were fairly reasonable.  It also made the cost of the postage seem a little less steep.

Rose

 

I know I've probably asked this before but I can't seem to find the answer.

What types (names or groups) of plants are good for bettas? I know that they need tall ones that go out of the water or rest on the water but I'm not sure exactly what to look for.

I need to get some real plants in there because Raspy for some reason wants to chew on what he's got. Maybe he's just trying to tell me he's starving (yeah, right!!) He thinks he's pretty smart but I know they don't eat plants!!!

 

Oh but they will eat plants when they want a little greens in their diet.  They know what they need and perhaps he is trying to tell you he needs a good cleaning out.  (the old green pea treatment)  The big C - Constipation.  As far as what kind of plants they like, my little Noel will kill me if I uproot the Madagascar Lace Plant I have in his tank but they do get quite large so if you don't have a good sized tank, that plant is impractical.  Poefox has Duckweed for his Betta and as long as you don't  get enough to cover the whole surface of the water you are fine (it floats)  I would say take the height of your tank and get plants that are going to be within a couple of inches of the top.  Not all the way up as they really do like a pretty clear surface.  They breathe at the surface and tend to get a little panicky if too little surface is open for them.  Wide leaves like swords are appreciated and they love moss.  I will tell you there is a small caution about Java Moss and it is strictly a matter of personal preference.  Java Moss is beautiful and delicate and Bettas love laying on it.  It makes a beautiful comfy little pillow for them.  But the nice long fins of a Betta love to grab little strands of the stuff every time he leaves the "pillow" and they get drug all over the tank.  Now if you are a neat freak in your tank, it is not for you as you will drive yourself crazy trying to catch every last strand of fly away moss.  But if your little fellow's comfort and happiness is more important and you really don't care about stray wisps of moss here and there then it is a lovely little plant the boys will love you for. 

here is a site you may want to browse through:



They have all the plant info imaginable.  You can also check the Plants section of this forum for plant suggestions.

Rose

 

Wow 75 bucks?? You must have really fallen in love with them. But I know how it is. When I saw Satin in the store I said "I'll take him." and then while the guy is ringing him up I'm like "oh by the way, how much is he?" ... ask questions later is what I'm gettin at here I guess. please tell me how it goes rose, my cory/female betta tank is coming soon (fingers crossed). I found this perfect tank for them. Its called a 33-gallon long. Its only thirty three gallons but its like four feet long and about a foot talll... so lots of swimming space for both the cories and the bettas. plus ive heard that both like shallower water. So at first its gonna be my cory tank. then once they are all settled in ill add about four females (maybe more). All different colors. I think I'm gonna become a cory and betta specialist... I mean like focus on them. I really love them the most so far. I kind of respect the cory... always busy and never bothering anyone. And bettas well... I don't need to explain myself I think. not here at least.

Whoa I just realized I got way off topic here... oh well. While I'm here I might as well keep goin. which is more important for amount of fish... the surface area rule or the gallon rule. Cuz with the surface area rule in the 33 gallon I could have like fifty inches of fish, but with the gallon rule I could only have 33. big difference.

sorry for the hijack.

 

Rose


Your ladies are beautiful as usual!!

ebbandflow:
Your Bettas will love the larger surface area, and the Corys will love the bigger bottom space.
as for which is better surface space or inch per gallon it really depends on the fish size(mass) and their individual needs.
Such as:  Angels would not do well in a long shallow tank because of how tall they are so they need a tall tank. My Bristlenose pleco are in a long shallow breeder tank because they really need the bigger bottom space but not the depth of a taller tank.
If your figuring neons or slender schooling fish you can use the inch per gallon pretty well. Does that make sense???

 

With Bettas the surface area is the most important because of course they need the surface area to breathe. And with the Cories I do not think it makes much difference either way probably the area rather that gallons since they are bottom feeders, but then I do not know much about Cories. The tank sounds perfect. I can hardly wait to see pictures.

Rose

 

Yes the corys would love the bigger bottom area also, and less distance to zoom to the surface for a breath of fresh air once in awhile
Carol

 

Don't you just LOVE Bio-Spira!!!!!!

 

Don't you just LOVE Bio-Spira!!!!!!

yes I DO this is the first time I have used it because it was the first time I had never been able to find it. I intend to keep it on hand for emergency use now. (in case of tank failure)

Rose

 

Well, so far the whole crew of ladies is alive and well and Beautiful if I do say so myself. They had a bad few hours when I removed the new crew to a Penalty Tank for a few hours (the old one) as they were terrorizing Misty and refusing to allow her to eat once they got into the new tank. I guess this proves that it really is a good idea to purchase them all at the same time. They wouldn't even let her come to the top of the tank and I was really afraid for her. :'( When they had all had their supper in the respective tanks and it got to be bedtime for the little ones, I put the new ones back into the big tank and while there is chasing going on among ALL of them, they are all eating and swimming and acting like pretty little Bettas. They flare at each other and chase, but NO nipping or any other major aggression. Misty is eating right along with everyone else. I guess they now believe they are guests in HER house.

So my new word of advice on anyone getting a tank of little females is to get them all at the same time and same place if possible. That way they have already pretty much gotten used to each other and the major hassle will be territorial once they are in their final tank. But no bloodletting.

Rose

 

Good advice Rose. I've heard it before but its good to see a real life experience to show that its really true.

 

So, what if the female Bettas you are getting are kept in cups like the males? Would it be ok to just put them together and let them work it out? What do you do if they start fighting and you think one will be injured?
I thought I would post that here so others can read your advice.

 

Well if I thought there was danger of actual bodily harm to one of my fish and I could do something about it the responsible fish would NOT be kept in the tank, but you must realize that the way of the Betta is to establish a dominant female in the group. What I had to accept is that part of the chasing and nipping was going to happen as part of the natural order of things. I watched them carefully for HOURS and they chase, nip and bully but I do not see any sign of them doing anything that will be life threatening to each other. The males on the other hand I do believe would kill one another. Misty has been the least accepted, but the other 3 still chase and flare at each other too. When feeding time comes, everyone is testy yet. No one wants to give any food up to anyone else. The result is that it is impossible to handfeed them. I just have to scatter food on the surface and have a chair and watch to see that everyone receives at least some food. There is a real danger of overfeeding, but since these little girls are technically big fry, they are still getting baby pellets. Misty had just started eating bloodworms and she has now gone back to the baby pellets with the others. (won't touch the bloodworms anymore) This has been a challenge and as of now I am just feeling my way through each day as it comes. I drop 7 or 8 pellets in and when they are gone put in 5 or 6 and then 3 or 4 all in different areas but the bigger ones always seem to beat the smaller ones there so I just do the best I can. If things get really too uneven I may get a tank divider. I will try to keep you posted. I know that this is an experience and it is not easy. Like I said before the first word in keeping Bettas is PATIENCE (don't mean to shout)

Rose

 

So, if I bought several females who were always kept in cups and put them together, they would fight a bit, but they probably wouldn't harm each other? Is fin-nipping a possibility? What do I do if a Betta gets her fin damaged? Sorry for all the questions, I want to be prepared for anything. Oh, yes, one more. Let's say one female is being a true bully and terrorizing all the others, beyond just being dominant, and I don't really have anywhere else to keep her permanently so I would like to try to keep her with the other Bettas. Could I remove her for a while and let the other Bettas establish their territory, and then if I put her back would she be less likely to pick on them? Or would that result in the Bettas remaining in the tank thinking it was their territory and ganging up on the "intruding" bully? Sorry for all the complicated questions.

 

I believe I must be stating it backwards. The danger (not really DANGER, but problem lies much more in the ablitlity to protect the "runt" of the group than the possibility of them ganging up on the outsider being put back in the tank. You almost have to see to it that the smaller ones are protected somewho from the larger ones and allowed to eat. If you can get them all the same size and shape then you may have no problem other than the normal chasing and some small amount of minor nipping. You will not get by without some of that.

To describe what is going on in the tank today. Misty had to have some assistance to get some food again last night as the two bigger ones Sara and Jasmyn are noticbly bigger. Now today thay are ALL swimming all over the tank at all levels. Misty is getting minimally chased but comes right back to the top. She ate with the others today and is pooping so I know she is getting enough. They are not coming into contact with each other just chasing so I know there is no nipping going on. There are no ragged fins or blood spots on any of them so I do not believe it has been a hard transition. (Probably Much Harder ON ME) This is their nature and while I detested having to watch them fight and flare and nip. It appears to be for the most part over and it has been, what?, less than a week. We have to remember we are talking Bettas not Otos or Cories. If Otos or Cories were acting this way I would be really freaked out but this is the way the tank gets set-up and as long as no one is getting killed I have to let them be what they are, as hard as I hate watching it. Do you think you can watch them argue? If not then perhaps they are not for you. I would just try very hard nto to have a great difference in size. I really believe that is where my problem lies. There is a lot of difference in size in Jasmyn and Sara and then Emma and Misty.

I hope this helps. IfI have forgotten something or not answered clearly please let me know.

Rose

 

A thought I had on feeding a bunch of females all in the same tank. I was thinkin about this for a while. What if you used like a real large measuring cup to kind of separate each betta, one at a time (still in the tank just so that the others couldnt get to it) and feed them like this, so that each one you can still feed separately? What are you thoughts Rose? And other people too?

 

You could use it as a temporary holding tank for feeding purposes as long as the water was the same temperature as the tank and very clean. But I would still net them out of the tank as trying to take them out using the cup would cause a lot of stress for all of them. Maybe that is what you intended and I just missed it. That is basically what I did the first couple of nights until they all started getting along, only I put all three of the new ones in the old tank as they did get along together for the most part and were allowing each other to eat. Now they all eat and it is each girl for herself as I do not put more food in that will be good for them and they have to share but the little girts have learned to dart about the bigger ones and catch a bite here and there and are getting probably the most healthy amounts.

That is a good idea and a good way to get some alone time (quality time) with each of your little ladies and you know how a Betta will respond to alone time with her human. ;D There is another option of course. You could reserve a small portion of your tank and use one of the Breeding boxes or nets to separate one at a time so they would not have to leave the tank. Probably a crazy idea but a thought from someone who it a little sleepy yet.

Keep the ideas flowing, I may even be able to use some of them. My little girls are being fairly good but heavens know what will happen when they start getting a bit bigger.

Rose

 

Yeah, I had intended on keeping the bettas in their tank but just separating them somehow... the breeding boxes sound like a good idea to me. Probably easier then the measuring cup that I was thinking about. Maybe Satin is different then most bettas but he is real easy to catch... especially around feeding time. And I think after the first few times he would jump into the measuring cup once he figured out that it meant food ;D.

 

The little ladies are the same, they are easy to net at feeding time when I had to. But those days are over. I put the amount of food they can have in the tank and that is all they get. (But they have settled down and I think they are going to let me handfeed before this is over)

Rose

 

I believe I must be stating it backwards. The danger (not really DANGER, but problem lies much more in the ablitlity to protect the "runt" of the group than the possibility of them ganging up on the outsider being put back in the tank. You almost have to see to it that the smaller ones are protected somewho from the larger ones and allowed to eat. If you can get them all the same size and shape then you may have no problem other than the normal chasing and some small amount of minor nipping. You will not get by without some of that.

To describe what is going on in the tank today. Misty had to have some assistance to get some food again last night as the two bigger ones Sara and Jasmyn are noticbly bigger. Now today thay are ALL swimming all over the tank at all levels. Misty is getting minimally chased but comes right back to the top. She ate with the others today and is pooping so I know she is getting enough. They are not coming into contact with each other just chasing so I know there is no nipping going on. There are no ragged fins or blood spots on any of them so I do not believe it has been a hard transition. (Probably Much Harder ON ME) This is their nature and while I detested having to watch them fight and flare and nip. It appears to be for the most part over and it has been, what?, less than a week. We have to remember we are talking Bettas not Otos or Cories. If Otos or Cories were acting this way I would be really freaked out but this is the way the tank gets set-up and as long as no one is getting killed I have to let them be what they are, as hard as I hate watching it. Do you think you can watch them argue? If not then perhaps they are not for you. I would just try very hard nto to have a great difference in size. I really believe that is where my problem lies. There is a lot of difference in size in Jasmyn and Sara and then Emma and Misty.

I hope this helps. IfI have forgotten something or not answered clearly please let me know.

Rose

So what you are saying is that rather than one Betta picking on all the others, there may be one Betta picked ON by the all theothers? So basically I may need to get the "runt" alone for feeding at first, preferably by removing the other ones? I will try to get them the same size but that may be hard as I think I will be lucky to find 3 or 4 young, healthy females.

Don't worry, I am not bothered too much by squabbling, whether that is a good or bad thing. Maybe it's because my brother and I do it every day. ;D hehe As long as no one gets hurt and everyone gets food I don't think I will have a problem with them arguing at first. Of course, it will be different for me. You already had Misty for a long time and then had to watch her being harassed by the others. I will be getting all new fish. I already had to deal with some arguing for the first week after adding the Guppies to the "Platys'" tank, although Bettas will probably be worse. They are just getting to know each other and figuring out who's dominant, not trying to hurt each other, so I am fine with that. I will watch them very carefully though in case something does come up. Oh yeah, and also my tank is bigger than yours so that could reduce fighting a little. They have more room to get away from each other. And also maybe the other fish will distract them a little. Who knows what will happen. That's what makes them so interesting.

 

They are getting along just fine now and there is not any problem with anyone eating. If they are not eating it is because they didn't answer the bell LOL. It has been quite a week. I HAS only been one week today, and they are fine now. Females are so different. I cannot say that it is easy to get to know 4 females because it is hard to get "quality" time with an individual. (but they have gotten to the point where they are being close to each other which is what I want, so .....) It will be okay I am sure.

I do know that I am going to be feeding them as a group from now on. They have formed their group and now I do not want to do anything to upset it.

Rose