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Sparrowhawk's Journal

16K views 252 replies 6 participants last post by  Sparrowhawk 
#1 ·
On Sunday, I had an awful shock with Falkor. My partner and I had visited a friend for the day, and when we got back, he had gone from beautiful, full fins to a half-gnawed off caudal and damaged dorsal and anal fins. Between midday and 9:00pm, he'd done this much damage to himself. I was horrified! And also wondering what I had done wrong to cause him to do this to himself.

Being my usual panicky, anxious self, I fluttered about for a while, berating myself for neglecting my baby, until my partner basically grabbed me by the shoulders and told me to go search my beloved betta forum for ideas, and stop panicking. I spent the rest of the evening going through all the things that could be causing him stress or boredom or the miriad of other things that cause tail biting, exhausting the search function on the topic and ended up even more confused than when I started.

Needing to make a decision, I resolved to first change up the decor in his tank, with plans to purchase a larger home for him ASAP. The following day, I initially kept the light off, but noticing that there was no change in behaviour whether the lights were on or not. That day also happened to be Christmas Eve, the day my father was visiting, and the evening my partner and I needed to head to the country to visit his family. I was upset that I couldn't do any more for Falkor that day, but since he'd stopped biting, at least for that time, I stuck to routine until we left.

This morning, Christmas Day, my partner and I were instructed to go on a "treasure hunt" for our gift. We followed the trail of clues, from inside the house, around the property. At one point in the journey, attached to one of the clues, was one of those "exercise mirrors" for bettas. I'd been thinking of getting one for Falkor for once in a while, as I'm always afraid of holding a mirror to his tank for fear of him hurting himself on the glass, so I was delighted that my partner's family had thought of not only us, but our little boy. We headed back inside with the final destination being the Christmas tree. We then found out why we needed to go on the hunt. In the time it took us to find the clues and come back, two bettas had been placed under the tree, one for each of us.

Initially, I was horrified that they were in tiny vases with nothing in them and no lids, but I hid that emotion because they'd obviously put a lot of thought into getting them for us, and gone over the set budget for presents set by the family to get us these boys (it's a large family so the budget for each person was $10, and the average price in our state for bettas is anywhere between $10-$20 each, usually on the upper end of the scale, plus the vases and food they'd bought). As for the conditions they were in, we found out that they'd just followed the instructions given to them at the pet store, so it was no surprise they were in those conditions. We packed the rest of our presents up as best we could, and prepared to take these poor little boys home. They braved the long train ride with us, and now they're safely in my living room.

As yet, we don't have enough equipment for proper housing for them, as we had no idea we were being given pets for Christmas. It was a beautiful surprise, and very kind of his family to have been so thoughtful of our interest in and love for fishy friends (they'd heard all about Falkor each time we called them). Unfortunately, I have only a 2 gallon, which Falkor occupies, and a tank of similar capacity but different dimensions that my first ever betta, Commander Worf, occupied over two years ago. Luckily, I have a spare heater, so one of the boys will be able to be nice and warm until I stores open tomorrow, but I'm kind of despairing for the other one. I hope he'll be okay until I can get some supplies for him.

So now our fishy family has grown from one to three, with the new veiltail and crowntail from today. Being an inexperienced fishkeeper, I'm quite daunted at the prospect of caring for three at once, and also healing two with chomped fins (the crowntail took a chunk out of his caudal fin, so I'll need to treat him along with Falkor for their injuries). My work is definitely cut out for me, but I'm still pretty ecstatic, despite the nervousness and disappointment in myself at letting Falkor get to a point where he mutilated himself. Eeep!
 
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#2 ·
Last night I set up the old tank I had with the spare heater and a plant from Falkor's tank, and put the crowntail in there. I figured since he looked the most unhappy and was the least active that he would benefit most from a nice, big, space (the tank is 20% bigger than Falkor's) and some heat. My grandmother had prepared it for me before I'd got back from the country once she heard we'd been given bettas, and she also cleaned a large fishbowl type thing she had some ornaments in for the veiltail. It's not the best, but it's only temporary until we buy another tank today, and it's a vast improvement on the tiny vase he was in.

So far so good with the veiltail. Once he was set free in the larger body of water following acclimation, he immediately perked up and began exploring. He was eager to eat, and seems to be doing just fine, all things considered. We decided to name him Feyd, after the Baron Harkonnen's nephew in Dune, hehe. He's red and has a lot of personality shining through despite being put through a lot of stress, so I could imagine him as the cocky villain.

The crowntail however is not doing so well. He will not budge from the bottom of the tank, and just sits there moping most of the time, unless he needs to come up for air, or something is placed in front of the area he's sitting in that he doesn't particularly like. I'm very worried about him, and although I decided on a name for him, I'm scared of using it in case he doesn't make it.

I'll probably update again after making the trip to fetch all the equipment I need for these guys today.
 
#3 · (Edited)
I'm pretty ecstatic right now. Yesterday's shop was a success, the boys are safely in their new, heated, clean homes, and Weehawk has made a dramatic improvement! He's zipping about the tank with no problems now, and I've been able to raise the water level by 1/4 without any fuss whatsoever.

The only thing bringing down my mood right now is the idiot at the local pet shop, the only one that was open yesterday (boxing day). I went to get a heater for each of the new boys, and the "aquarium expert" there asked me what size tanks I had, and what fish I had. Upon hearing that I had two bettas, he tried selling me a heater suitable for a maximum of 7L, when these tanks are 10L and 15L. I'm an extremely timid person, and quietly spoke with my partner about the need for a more powerful heater, while this guy just looked at me like I was an idiot. Then again, I shouldn't have been surprised. It was the same guy who sold me and an ex a 10L tank with my first betta (Commander Worf) and 5 neon tetras and two snails. Trusting this moron, figuring that the people who work at pet shops know what they're talking about, I sent those poor things to an untimely death two and a half years ago. I guess since learning the correct way to do things I've always been quietly seething at this pet shop guy, but yesterday's debacle, though minor, sent me into a rage. Not to mention the two bettas they had in stock looked desperately in need of someone who'd actually take care of them, and having my hands full already, I couldn't do anything about it...

Aside from the rage-making experience, I also ordered NLS pellets online, so all of my boys will be eating awesome food as soon as it gets here. Speaking of food... I might get some live brine shrimp when I make the trip to one of the only two fish stores I actually trust, since I want to buy some floating plants for the new boys anyway. Falkor loved stalking and eating his live treats, I'd like to give the same experience to Feyd and Weehawk, since I think they've had nothing but mistreatment for most of their lives.

So yeah. Definitely beyond excited and happy that Weehawk is recovering rapidly, and Feyd is getting used to his new surroundings too. I can't wait to have the funds to make all three of my boys' lives even better, and have plans for getting Falkor a bigger tank once I make sure the shelf he's situated on can support the weight of a tank the size of Feyd's.

Despite having my bank account pretty much cleared out, I am so happy that these two new guys get a good shot at a decent life. Though how I'm going to get those movie tickets for my partner and my anniversary this Saturday, I do not know. Perhaps I'll appeal to my grandma for help, haha.
 
#4 ·
Ohh man, my wallet, it hurts so much! Just bought a bunch of silk plants to give Weehawk and Feyd more cover, and for Falkor when I upgrade his tank hopefully next weekend to a 15L like Feyd's.

Though I'm now well and truly broke, I can safely say that the money pain will be forgotten when I see my cute little boys happier with more stimulating surroundings when those silk plants arrive next week...
 
#5 ·
What two stores do you visit? I live in Melbourne too and have been to a couple of good, many not so good and a few absolutely appalling stores both in price and the quality of product they sell.

Subscape in Richmond is one of the good ones for general fish nonsense (staff are really knowledgeable as one of the staff who works there actually breeds bettas and shows them) and Exotic Aquatic in Carnegie is good if you want something a little out of the ordinary in regards to plants and livestock. The owner is also super friendly and always gives us a very competitive price.

Just saw in the other thread that you'd spent $300 on a tank and some equipment, and I think my eyes dropped out of my head haha.
 
#6 ·
My stomach just about fell through the floor when I realised how much we'd spent, haha!

I love Exotic Aquatic! That's where I got Falkor, when I was just starting to know more about betta care, and they were fantastic with giving me information I hadn't yet read here. Also Aqueus in St Kilda, they're fantastic too.

The place I spoke of with the ridiculous prices was the pet shop on Chapel Street, the one that used to have a separate aquarium store but merged into the one shop a couple of years back... The guy there, well I'd use a couple of expletives to describe him, but yeah... That was the only place readily accessible to us on Boxing Day, when we had to do the emergency shop, which really sucked.

I plan to only visit Exotic Aquatic and Aqueus from now on, now that emergency shops shouldn't be necessary, but I'll check out Subscape too, since Richmond is close by.
 
#7 ·
Adrian and his wife are really nice people. Me and my mum just go in and sit there and talk for a couple of hours about dogs and fish. Always willing to try and get in what you need and he always has some unusual plant and fish stock in.

Subscape is also great. Justin (the owner) still remembers my name even though I come in pretty sporadically. Got a custom betta barracks made up by them a while back, and staff are all very knowledgeable. One of the employees breeds and shows bettas and they get some very nice stock in (they also have one of the most humane betta set-ups I have seen in a store).

I used to go to Coburg Aquarium but the staff there are horrible. One time I went in as the only customer in the fish room on a day I know it wouldn't have been busy and I had to approach a staff member and then asking him to get some blackworms was like asking him to walk across a bed of hot coals.

Never been to Aqueus as it is quite a drive for us. However, I have been wanting to go as the website is pretty flash and as a collector of slightly oddball fish I love having a poke around in new stores to see what they have in stock.
 
#8 ·
Subscape sounds great! I was planning to go there a while back but never got around to it. I'll definitely have to check them out... When I'm allowed to do fishy shopping again, haha.

Hmm, the Coburg place sounds terrible.

I don't often go shopping for supplies or fish, only having the one betta before getting these latest two, and not planning to grow the family any time soon, but it's good to know where the good places are anyway.

:)
 
#9 ·
Oh yeah, since this is a journal, I guess I'll update the situation with my boys.

Falkor is healing up from his tail-biting episode, and I haven't caught him doing it again since last Sunday and Monday. To say it terrified me would be an understatement. I'm extremely new to proper fish-keeping, and having a problem child on my hands already is extremely daunting. I've just been concentrating on keeping his water clean, changing up his decor, just trying to keep him occupied in good conditions. He's got a tank upgrade in the works, so I'll be able to provide him with more stimulation in the next week or fortnight, but I'm the most concerned about preventing infection/rot. Hopefully I can be a good fish parent and succeed in that.

He seems to have some clear regrowth so far, but only a small amount. At first, I was concerned that it may be grey, and an indication of rot, but the poor thing had to put up with a flashlight until I got a good enough look at him to see that the brightness and iridescence of his fins made the clear appear that way. I did have a minor heart attack before seeing this though...

Weehawk also seems to have fin damage from before he was in our care. I'm not sure whether this is due to biting or ridiculously rough treatment (my partner's family told us about how the pet shop employee basically bashed both him and Feyd around while getting them prepared for transport). I haven't caught him chasing his tail, but he has been glass-surfing. I can't say I'm surprised, until the new silk plants arrive his and Feyd's tanks are very bare in comparison to what I'd prefer. He doesn't show any signs at all of any kind of illness, knock on wood.

Since both Feyd and Weehawk seem to be doing just fine now that they're in decent homes, I can turn my full attention back to my little luck-dragon, Falkor, and hope that those glorious fins will get back to their original state without issue. I hope that having more room to play with when he gets that tank upgrade will make him less inclined to chomp himself.
 
#10 ·
Just finished clearing most of the bookshelf Falkor is on in preparation for his tank upgrade, yay! Sometimes I think I own far too many books. Only a fraction of the ones I own are on the bookcase in our room, and I've just relocated half from Falkor's shelf onto a couple of others, though I've had to keep the taller books on his shelf. So I've ordered some compact, lightweight bookends from eBay, and now all that has to be done is wait for the LED lighting, silk plants and the bookends to arrive, then purchase the new tank and heater, get it all set up, and BAM! Falkor will have double the space to live his fishy life in. Booyah!

After that's all done I think I'm going to go on another quest for live plants. Having to do water changes slightly less often would really make a difference with my spinal arthritis. Can't say I complain though, it's a labor of love, and I really don't mind doing it. It's kind of cathartic really. Having these boys in my life has helped significantly with my depression. They bring me so much joy, though sometimes a lot of stress as well (I'm looking at you, Falkor, and your tail-nomming!) and the fact that I have three beautiful creatures who depend on me gives me purpose. So the extra pain of carrying heavy buckets of water kind of doesn't matter to me, if that makes sense.

In other news, there's more regrowth on Falkor's tail, hooray! I can clearly see 2mm or so now. I'm just hoping once he has more room and a change of scenery he'll feel less inclined to nom it again once he grows back. Else I'll have a full set of odd kids on my hands: the problem child self-harmer, the hyperactive little one and the nonchalant, aloof guy, haha!
 
#11 ·
Hmm, I don't know how appropriate ranting about personal stuff is here, but... Over the last few months I've gained quite a lot of weight. Well, more accurately, since I stopped taking dance classes (I used to do Broadway Jazz, Swing and Ballroom once upon a time) I've slowly stacked on the kilos. I did buy some skates to get some exercise while simultaneously learning something (I simply cannot stick to a regime where I don't learn anything, it drives me nuts!) but my back's been way too bad to risk injuring myself further lately. I've resolved to start playing silly Kinect games, and possibly enlisting my partner's help in some other exercise, even though he says he prefers my butt being big, haha. I know I've brought the weight gain on myself, but it's still depressing not fitting into my nice clothes... Even if those clothes were only worn when I went clubbing, which doesn't happen anymore.
 
#12 ·
Le boy and I finally got the bottom of the bookcase sorted so that the shelf above it will have plenty of support. All systems go for Falkor's tank upgrade, woot! Unfortunately can't do it tonight as it's 11:10pm now, and the neighbours would have a fit if we did any more noisy stuff tonight, but tomorrow our boy will have double the space he has now! Hooray!

Side-note: I don't scare easy with horror of the gore variety, and am an avid "video nasty" fan. But paranormal/creepy/psychological horror really gets me when it's actually done well. Especially written, it affects me much more than film does... And it's just like me to become obsessed with reading well-written horror, so much so that I'm still reading it at almost midnight... Oh well, my partner always wants more affection, he's gonna have a hard time peeling me off him once I'm done reading, I'll be scared silly! Haha!
 
#13 ·
Sigh, another day of hard work, still not complete. It's stinking hot here, with the forecast being even worse for tomorrow. The boyfriend had to go shopping in this heat today, and after his return had to fix our washing machine. We also finally did the tank upgrade for Falkor. Finally! It had been in the works for over a week, and now it's done.

I can't help but think I should have put a background on it though... With all the extra space, it looks so bare. Doesn't help that when Feyd and Weehawk were given to us, I had to populate their tanks with some stuff from Falkor's. I was hoping the big order of silk plants I'd done would arrive today, along with LED lighting for all three tanks, but unfortunately it looks like they won't be here till tomorrow at the earliest, and hopefully early next week at the latest.

Falkor seems to be a lot more calm than he was in the 8L. He's still active and playful, but a lot less hyperactive. Still attacking food with a vengeance, so no change aside from being less frenzied. I'm taking this as a good sign that the move was a success. Hopefully the extra space will be the end of the tail-biting, touch wood!
 
#14 ·
Hmph. So I tried putting the lovely background that came with the new tank up for him, and he doesn't like it. Not one bit. Wouldn't stop flaring at it. Such a sooky-la-la. I'll have to work something out, or he'll have to get used to the big mean nature scene, one or the other. *eyeroll*
 
#15 ·
Excited about everyone finally having a decent tank, I decided to order more stuff to make them all less bare. Four more live plants have just been ordered, and I'll pick up some water sprite to float when I next go to Aqueus for some tasty tasty brine shrimp for my little guys to nom on. ^.^

I do have water sprite floating in everyone's tanks at the moment, just not much. I stupidly split Falkor's bunch into three to try and give everyone an equal share but it's not doing so well now. Not having a great light supply until that package arrives isn't doing it any favours either. Oh well, once it's all done I can rest easy.

It's always a good thing to have things going to plan... And to have a clean and organised looking bedroom!
 
#16 ·
The LED lighting for all three tanks arrived today! Unfortunately only one had an AU plug, so I need to get converters for the others, but at least Falkor has light in his brand new 15L tank, and the others can deal with their desk lamp until it's not so hot outside and we can go shopping for the converters. The new lights are pretty awesome though. At first I was concerned that they were too bright for the small tanks, but then I noticed that they're dimmable. Awesomeness!

Falkor absolutely hates his new background. It's not all black, it's just got a bunch of foliage on it, and I think it looks rather pretty, but apparently it's unacceptable. He has had issues like this with backgrounds before that have calmed down in a few days, so I'm just watching and waiting for now. He's not doing the darting flare that he does when a mirror is held up to him (he's afraid of himself) so I'm just watching to see if he seems stressed... I do need a background on the tank though, because I need to store spare fishy equipment on the shelf behind him... Perhaps I'll be able to work something out that he actually approves of...
 
#17 ·
Another day of 100% water changes... Did the other two boys today, as we just didn't have the energy last night after doing Falkor's tank upgrade. I'm very much looking forward to getting some more live plants and decreasing the water change workload a little, my back will love me for it! Especially since if I follow OFL's water change guide, with more plants I shouldn't be doing 100% changes with plants. Unfortunately due to what seems to be a mold outbreak (from the threads I found that had people with the same problem) in Feyd and Weehawk's tanks, I'll need to keep doing those 100% changes until it's completely gone, and probably won't want to introduce new plants to them until then. Looks like Falkor's old tank is going to get another round of use sooner than expected! Its new role: housing new plants. Hehe. I know I should QT them anyway, so now I have a container for doing so!
 
#18 ·
UGH! My arthritis is really giving me hell today (and yesterday). Sudden changes in temperature, or extremes in temperature, make even the simplest of tasks almost impossible... If you'd asked me five years ago, I'd never have guessed that I'd be almost crippled in hot or cold weather before I hit 25, or that it would have started at 20. Ah well, all I can do is continue my stretches, and do the best I can.

It did make yesterday's water changes hellish for me though. Normally I can carry the buckets of water in and out of my room without too much issue, only a manageable amount of pain, but yesterday it was like asking me to carry another person... I could barely do it. It was frustrating more than anything, because as it's got worse, I feel more and more determined to just get things done, because I'm not ready to stop doing things myself.

Anyway, the cool change has come, and despite it wreaking more havoc with my back pain, it is blissful to not feel like I'm even sweating from the eyeballs. I'm sure my boys are happy too. After yesterday I have resolved to keep a bottle of pre-treated water in the fridge in case of stupid-hot days like yesterday, to keep the boys at a good temperature. They're all doing fine, as their temperature never reached the upper limit of what is considered safe, but I was very worried for a time.

I think I'll take some photos of Falkor today. I haven't taken any of him since his tail-biting incident and I feel a little bad for it. Part of it may have been that I felt so bad for him, and felt guilty for some stupid reason. I know I couldn't have foreseen it, because I'm still not sure of the cause, but I still feel at fault that my baby has mutilated himself, y'know?
 
#19 ·
Wooooo!! *happydance* The boyfriend brought home adaptors for the LED lights with the incorrect plugs, and now all three of our tanks have awesome lighting that won't heat the water! Awwww yeahhhh!! They look pretty brilliant too.

Now I'm really looking forward to surprising my father when he visits tomorrow. I haven't told him that the boy's family gave us two fish for Christmas, because I know he'll go all gooey over them when he sees them. It's hilarious, he's a bit of a prick normally, but as soon as animals are in the picture he's the biggest softie ever, haha. When my cat Nala was still alive, he could be angry as hell, but if she walked up to him he'd start cooing at her and grinning. And when he met Falkor, it was hilarious, this big old fat guy standing over a tiny tank with a tinier fish, all goo-goo. XD

He also wants to start a community tank once his bird cages are finished and populated, so I'll take the opportunity to tell him about what he needs to consider when he actually shuts up -- looking at my fish ought to make him shush for a good few minutes, heh.
 
#20 ·
Oh man! I once considered myself tech-savvy, but not so much anymore. Just when I'm losing touch completely with most things (aside from gaming specs, but that doesn't count, all PC gamers know that stuff) the boyfriend brings home a new router. Everything works except our ISP's website, and Facebook. Many hours of headaches and cigarettes later, while accessing FB from my phone to ask opinions, a friend gives me a magical number to change from the default. BAM! Everything's working. Man, I must be getting old to not understand the first bit about this stuff...
 
#21 ·
Trying to explain what I know about fishkeeping to someone who wants to start a community tank... Would help if I could get a word in! It's frustrating when the person clearly doesn't have enough knowledge to maintain a tank, but won't listen, especially when I only have limited knowledge and still have plenty to say... *headdesk* Perhaps I'll just compile and print a bunch of information for them to read instead of talking to a brick wall.
 
#22 ·
Phew, today was fairly hellish. My grandmother and my father don't get along, never have, and today was no exception.

There was a silver lining to all the quarrels and unease though: buying three pieces of driftwood, one for each of my boys, and getting a tank for Weehawk to match Feyd's and Falkor's. Come next water change, everyone will have uniform tanks, with the only differences being the contents! I do like having a uniform appearance when I have more than one of an item, and tanks are no exception, it just feels wrong having an odd one out.

A bonus to this OCD-type compulsion to match tanks is that if I ever require one for QT and a hospital tank at the same time, there'll be no issue as I now have two spares! Yayyyy!

At the moment, I'm eyeing off some shrimp and plants online... But I can't have them until I complete my current mission of making the trip to Aqueus to fetch some water sprite and live brine shrimp. Must keep priorities in order.
 
#23 ·
Wheeee, another Wednesday, another 50% water change for everybody... I bought a piece of driftwood for each of the boys' tanks to give them a little something more. It's been soaking for quite a few days now, and the water hasn't been tinted with tannins anymore for the last day, so I'm putting them in.

My goal is to eventually do a complete re-model of everyone's tanks, with loads of plants, moss and driftwood and perhaps some shrimp if the boys don't eat them, now they've got big enough homes to house them. I know it's a bit of a gamble, but it'd be lovely if they played nice together.

But yeah, the big goal in my mind when it comes to my fish, now that they're all safe, healthy and in good-sized tanks, and Falkor's tail is healing more and more every day, is to get some lovely plants and make their homes all pretty. Because I wouldn't want to spend all my time in an ugly room without being able to rearrange it. Of course, it also means pretty things for me to look at while I'm gaming as well, but y'know...

So yahh. Just really glad everyone seems happy and healthy, the two new boys are settled in, and the tail-biter's letting himself heal up. Woohoo!
 
#24 ·
Hmph. Well, no more Miss Nice Fish-Mum. After posting a question about it here, I've been trying to find some nice, non-shiny patterned paper for Falkor's tank background, because he hated his fairly muted foliage background that came with the new tank.

I finally bought a calendar featuring some lovely photographs from around the world, and chose a pretty spectacular waterfall scene for him. There are small patches of black and dark colours, but it's by no means solid. He still hates it. I tried it upside-down, so there are almost no dark colours visible (the plants hide it when it's upside down). No change in behaviour.

I'm sorry Falkor, but you've been such a sook about this background business, and I've spent a fair bit of money trying to give you one you'd actually like, and I'm done. You will get used to this one. You can flare for the rest of the day if you want to, but for once I'm not gonna back down to your temper tantrum. I need a background on your tank, because storing the stuff that helps me take care of you is unsightly without a background to hide it. You really are going to just have to get over the fact that you have a background.

Now to try and see if Feyd chucks a hissy fit over his background too... So sick of looking at power cords right behind his lovely tank!
 
#25 ·
Okay, so I ended up caving and changing Falkor's background to a snowy scene with a castle. Pretty much no dark colours, anywhere, except the outlines of things but there's absolutely no way he could be flaring at himself. There's trees, a mountain, basically there's no solid patches of anything, except for a small area of sky, which is a light blue. No white, no black. He's still flaring. That's it, I give up! At least he's flaring less with this one. He's really going to have to get over it this time.
 
#26 ·
I'm currently watching/listening to my boyfriend play League of Legends with a mate of ours. The reason I'm not playing too is because this friend is so bad that I just can't handle having to play a match with him on our team. It sounds terrible, and I do like him because he's our mate and a decent guy, but he's just not a team player, which loses us matches.

Anyway, I'm itching to buy more stuff for my boys' tanks. Now I really know what people mean about getting "the bug". Not only does it mean you constantly wish you had more room/time for more tanks, but also constantly wanting to improve the tanks you do have. I've done two tank upgrades in the last month, not to mention the setup of the surprise boys we got for Christmas, and I still desperately want to get more live plants and more driftwood to create a really interesting environment for the boys and perhaps some shrimp, provided they play nice together.

The boyfriend's mum is already talking about getting us more fish, to which my partner was all like, "Ohhh no you don't! While we'd absolutely love more, we just can't afford new tanks, don't have enough space for any more, and certainly don't have the time or money for the setup and upkeep of them!" She wants to get girls for us. It makes me want to start a sorority, but I know that my back just couldn't handle the large/frequent water changes required during cycling on top of taking care of the boys I've already got. Not to mention the fact that there's nowhere I could put a tank large enough for that, unless I got rid of stuff my grandma really doesn't want me to. There's only so much one can do with three people and three fish already living in a small two-bedroom apartment filled with clutter!

That said, if I ever do get the chance to throw out all the stuff that's unnecessary in here, I'd definitely get more fish, upgrade the tanks I've already got, put in the hard yards for cycling them all and have a pretty rewarding life to come home to when I finally get started in my career. ^.^ I can think of nothing better for the conclusion of a five-year-plan than having a career in body modification established, coming home after each day's work to my boyfriend (who may be more by that point, who knows? can't plan that stuff though) and many beautiful fish and chilling out, spending time with everyone... Happy times.

Which brings me to something else a lot of people think is odd. I really enjoy water change time. I think I've touched on that in earlier posts... I enjoy WCs, rearranging the tanks, feeding my boys... Just everything about having these wonderful creatures I thoroughly enjoy. It's awesome!

So I'm basically counting down the days until after the Red Dwarf and Star Trek conventions, and the Kiss/Motley Crue concert and the Offspring show, because after all that's done, and my piercing course saved up for, I can start really making these tanks beautiful. YAYY!!
 
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