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3K views 25 replies 10 participants last post by  TexasCichlid 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello everyone. Just recently getting back into keeping aquariums. I used to be an avid Malawi Cichlid guy ( http://www.cichlid-forum.com/tanks/images/6512a.jpg ), and I have been getting the itch to get back into the scene but prices have gone up so much on Africans it is crazy. So I am starting small ( very small ) to get a feel for it again.

I have a 1g Cubus with once of those fancy new "Dragonscale" Bettas from Petsmart. He is dark blue with black accents. What caught my eye is that his ventral fins are bright red with white tips -- the only red and white on him. Seems to be HM, and is a little smaller, but hoping he will grow some. Very active guy. I had a copper OHM that was 4 years old that passed away this weekend which prompted the new addition.

I've already hit the upgrade bug. I ordered a 4g Finnex from Ebay to house my new guy in, and will probably get a second dragonscale to put in the 1g at work. I will probably start looking at some low light plants as well. Anyone have any suggestions on a gravel siphon for a tank this small? I've always hand the luxury of 100% water changes in 2.5 gallon or less tanks, or the luxury of tons of room in 55+ gallon aquariums to get a wand around.

Here is my new tank. I'll have pictures of my new fish up this evening.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200536830693&ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:US:1123
 
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#2 ·
Welcome to the forum! I'm a cichlid lover myself, hope to have a Malawi tank sometime down the road. We figured we had the perfect tank to start with, then upon taking it home realized it was a 45g long. We'll be getting Dwarfs and Angel fish instead lol Anywho, can't wait to see what your new boy looks like! 4 years, wow!!
 
#4 · (Edited)
I don't plan on using the colored lights. I wanted a flexible arm LED system and the cheaper one has complaints about being too dim. This one has quite a few more LED's and looks brighter. We will see! Malawai was a no brainer for me to keep around here because our tap water is naturally in the 8+ range that they are accustomed to from the rift lakes. Just throw in some Prime and some decorative limestone and that was it in terms of water. Very easy.

Here are some quick snaps. I apologize for my camera being on it's last legs. Also, he is VERY fast and active so it makes it tough to capture him. He also likes to taunt me when I have the camera and turn away, as you can see in the first picture.

I have him on Omega One Betta Buffet, and he's getting 3 pellets a day. I'm thinking he is still growing, so should he be getting some more? Or is this adequate?





 
#5 ·
OH WOW he's so pretty!!! :D
3 pellets sounds good to me, as long as your not over-feeding. I feed my bettas 2x's a day 3 pellets each and fast them on Fridays. :)
 
#9 ·
Welcome!

I've got a Cichlid or 2, but I also have some Betta's.

I have Oscars and Plecos in a large 75 gallon, and my 2 Betta babies.

Your fish seems young, most fish at petco and petsmart are pretty small. Tigger is very small, about 1/2 the size of Philip...and I got him from Petco

Anyway, welcome!

Your boy looks very pretty!

Your feeding schedule sounds good, and regular water changes work too.
Your new tank has a lid right? or is it just open? If its open, just will get in the water and make a film on the top and on any plants, so make sure you clean it frequently.

I'm sure you know what your doing though!
: )
 
#10 · (Edited)
Never had a nano tank, nor a "low flow" style tank. I always assume I have no idea what I am doing. :lol: Also, never had a planted tank. I'd like to have some live plants on there, but not wanting to go crazy with CO2, lighting, dirt, etc. Java moss and java ferns seem to be obvious answers on what to plant. Any other recommendations there?

edit -- it's a rimless open top tank. Hopefully he is not a jumper, but I'll be keeping an eye on him. He's incredibly enthusiastic about his own reflection at this point and the corners of the tank, but he's not done any jumping yet.
 
#11 ·
He has a very funny behavior. I put the pellets in for feeding and he stalks them individually for a few minutes. He circles around them, pushes them around with the current he generates and follows them around. Then he swims away very quickly, turns and flares and attacks the pellet. Never seen a betta do that.
 
#12 ·
pretty betta.. :D
well java ferns and plants such as anacharis are easy to take care of. i have them in my tank and they dont really need all the CO2.. esp the anacharis. i just float them there and they grow like crazy!
 
#13 ·
oh and moss balls would be a cute addition :)
 
#15 ·
hi welcome to the forum! Lol like the name, i live in Texas XD Im a betta and clownfish kinda girl, but dont have any salt tanks at the moment, just a family of bettas! :p Your new fishie might look just mine, maybe brothers!? o- 0 We LOVE pictures so post lots :)
 
#19 ·
heeeeey im in Mckinney- Allen, TX! Looking for local betta lovers to be friends with : /
 
#18 ·
The "dragon scales" are very cute. They're basically just what Petsmart calls their half-moon plakats. I still remember my first HMPK, and I've been partial to them ever since. In my opinion they seem more active and responsive, and I've heard they're supposedly more closely related to wild betta. Oh, and the food ritual? That's a sign of a playful, smart, and creative fish. A very good thing. :)

Congrats on the upgrade! You may want to construct a cover for that though. Even a betta who isn't a regular jumper may have a hop one day. I learned that the hard way; a few years ago I came home to an empty tank. Never did find the fish, I think my dog probably discovered him... :(

Personally I really like the cubus. I know a lot of people would grumble at me about how small they are but Pei Ling is thrilled with his. I've just gotten back into fish after a long break of not having any, and my cat is very young and nosey, so I'm limited to places where I can put my tanks. Most of those locations won't put up with more than 10-20lbs on them. *sighs*

I originally had Pei Ling in the Fluval SPEC but honestly he didn't seem very pleased with it at all. One day I turned it off for a little bit and he started dancing all over and playing, happy as can be. I realized he didn't like the current of the SPEC. Stuck him in a cubus and he's just having a blast. Some betta like playing in bubblers and currents but this guy likes still water I guess.

...Good grief I'm rambling. *shuts up*
 
#20 ·
Well, the bug hit me and I decided to jump into the hobby a bit deeper than I had thought I would.

I have a Finnex 4G and a JBJ Picotope 3G for two new bettas coming tomorrow from Thailand.

Finnex 4G setup - 26watt lamp, Hydor theo 50w, Eco-Complete substrate, nice piece of Malaysian driftwood. Planted flame moss on the driftwood, dwarf hairgrass "belem" in the substrate and rotala rotundiflora for my stem plant in there.

The Picotope has a 13watt lamp, Hydor 25w and the same Eco-Complete substrate. A nice piece of mopani is in there I planted Christmas Moss on. Rotundiflora is also in, as well as a giant marimo.

And without further adieu, here are my two new bettas from Bangleangbettas in Thailand.




 
#25 ·
Oh no! I'm so sorry! Gah, I've always been so nervous about ordering betta from Thailand. Even though most sellers guarantee, it doesn't really make you feel better about the fish you were so excited about being lost. :(
 
#26 ·
Well here they are. Fish are in. Plants are planted. The Flame moss is starting to grow new shoots in the Finnex. The Dwarf Hairgrass Belem is sending out roots and I'm seeing fresh growth. And the rotundiflora is growing the day after it was put in. Still no black background yet, work in progress.

The JBJ still has a lot of tannins. Waiting on my Purigen. Fresh growth on my Xmas moss. Flourish Excel and Flourish come in this week sometime. The JBJ is a lot more difficult to photo. Catches reflections easy. The distortion from the bowfront looks bad my pictures, but is not noticeable in person. No background yet, same as the Finnex.





 
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