Fishlets' Chronicles

[LittleBlueFishlets]

My beautiful blue with redwash HM, that I got from PetSmart a week ago, died last night, possible from the "Mystery Disease."

I wasn't going to get a new one. "Two is enough," I said.... But I went back to Petsmart to show them the one that had died. They sent me to talk to an employee, who was standing right next to the Bettas.... I pretended I didn't see them.

The employee asked, "Do you want a replacement?" and waved at the line of Bettas behind me, "or a refund?"

I couldn't resist turning around.... And there he was. Looking at me. Flaring his little green, red and white fins. I couldn't help thinking, "He'd be PERFECT for the Christmas Betta Contest!"

These pictures were taken while he was floating in his icky-cup, acclimating. (He's a little darker than the first picture... His coloring is more like the 2nd picture.) There's also white along the edges of his fins, but it doesn't show up well in these photos.

I think his name is going to be "Cayman Fire."

[LittleBlueFishlets]

Of course, you also need to meet my other two fish!

FIJI FISHLETS - My first betta! Adopted from PetSmart on Oct. 9th, 2012. (This picture was taken on Dec 2, 2012).

[LittleBlueFishlets]

TAHITI BUBBLES - My second Betta! Adopted from PetSmart on Nov. 13th, 2012. (Picture taken Dec 2, 2012)

[LittleBlueFishlets]

And my poor Little Fishie. I only had him a week, and he never fully acclimated. Two people thought he may have succumbed to the "Mystery Disease" that's being discussed in the Emergency & Diseases forum. Poor little guy. I never even gave him a real name, because he just never adapted here.

Little Fishie - Adopted from PetSmart on Nov 29th, 2012. Died on Dec. 7th, 2012. SIP little guy.

[LittleBlueFishlets]

And now you've meet the threesome: Fiji Fishlets, Tahiti Bubbles, and Cayman Fire.

Can you tell that I really want to live on a nice tropical island?

And yes, I'd bring my fishies.

[LittleBlueFishlets]

I'm learning. Or maybe I just think I am.

I've put Cayman Fire's one-gallon quarantine tank into what will become his three-gallon home, and turned on the heater. This will allow the temp to rise more slowly than if I put the heater directly into the smaller 1-gal tank.

I'm also keeping the tank half-covered with a towel to reduce light and distractions. (Especially the distraction caused by the hyperactive female who will be living next door to him! She already knows "something is happening" next to her, and she's been glass-surfing the side of her tank in an effort to see what, or who, is next to her.)

Someone once told me, "Fish are boring." Well, I bet they didn't have bettas!

[LittleBlueFishlets]

Cayman Fire flared for me today. It was a nice 180 degree spread. That means he's officially a HM.

He also has a nice white border around the edges of his fins. Does that make him a butterfly HM? Yay!

But.... my 'dream betta' is a blue butterfly HM, and Cayman isn't blue. :/ Then again, he's here. And I like him. So maybe I need to revise my opinion of my 'dream betta.' LOL

And, of course, I can't discriminate against Fiji and Tahiti. So now, I guess I have three favorite bettas: Fiji, Tahiti, and Cayman. They've all got their unique personalities.

Heh, and I sure wouldn't mind visiting any of their namesake islands.

[LittleBlueFishlets]

Cayman is building his very first bubble nest! Ooooo! Pretty!

I needed to be careful of it while I was scooping out the poop this morning with a turkey baster.

I thought that the males liked to build bubble nests UNDER things, but both of my guys build them in the open areas of the tank. Go figure.

[LittleBlueFishlets]

Cayman is sick!

He was swimming happily yesterday morning. By the evening, he was on the bottom, tilted on his side.... I treated him with some Epsom salt, and covered his tank with a towel to keep it dark.

This morning, I lifted up the towel, and he was floating on the surface. I was sure he was dead.

I tried to scoop him into his cup, and he swam away! Yay, he was alive! Sick maybe, but still alive.

I did a partial water change, again using Epsom salt.... Tonight, he still hasn't pooped, though. I'm still fasting him, and peeking in through the towel. He seems to have trouble with his buoyancy.

But at least, he's still alive. So there's hope.... I'll keep up with the Epsom salt treatment, and keep on hoping....

My other guys, Fiji and Tahiti, are oblivious to what's going on in the other tank. They watch each other through the sides of their tanks and flirt. I'm really glad that they're still healthy.

I think my 3rd tank is jinxed.... Or maybe it's contaminated. I'd washed it with bleach solution after Little Fishie died. But based on what I read today about the 'blue betta mystery disease,' it may be a form of Mycobacteria, and bleach may not be enough....

I've just washed my 1 gallon tank with bleach, then sprayed it with Lysol, per the Mycobacterium cleaning protocol. Tomorrow, I'll wash it with 70% alcohol, then rinse well and let it air dry. Once I know it's clean and free of bleach, Lysol and alcohol, I'll transfer Cayman to it. (Notice that I'm assuming he'll still be alive!) Then, I'll take his 3 gallon tank through the same cleaning protocol. I'm considering tossing out his silk plants and decorations, and buying new.... (I prefer not to consider that his illness may be due to Mycobacteria. There's no cure for it.... His symptoms are different from what LittleFishie had though, so I'm remaining optimistic...)

[Little Leaf]

Originally Posted by LittleBlueFishlets

Of course, you also need to meet my other two fish!

FIJI FISHLETS - My first betta! Adopted from PetSmart on Oct. 9th, 2012. (This picture was taken on Dec 2, 2012).

You took the pic on my b-day!