I'd like everyone to meet Ares. :-D
Ares is a typical-looking red male veil tail betta fish, but what he lacks in genetic flair he makes up in personality. I personally have a soft spot for rare genetic morphs, and when it comes to bettas there's definitely not an exception. But it was definitely the personality of this little guy that made him stand out among the double-halfmoons and grizzle-crowns and dragon scales at my local pet store.
I'm lucky enough to have a couple locals to pick from when it comes to supplies, but the locals obviously still need to keep the males separated. The store I bought Ares from keeps its "fancies" up in front in plastic cups and its semi-ragged, "regulars" in containers racked on a mass filtration system in the "back" with dim-ish lighting. A very elaborate way of saying Ares stood out somehow.
So back to that personality. Ares is a bubble-nesting fiend; something I didn't know when I bought him. I do water changes to his half-gallon tank (more on that later) twice a week. EVERY time he builds a new nest in the same corner the next morning. I felt bad for destroying them at first, but seems very okay with having to rebuild.
I have never once witnessed Ares building a nest. I've had him since I bought him as a post-tax return impulse mid-May. That's five weeks, 10 water changes, or 10 bubble nests. I've not seen him actively doing it once yet, and trust me I've tried. I'm tempted to set up a not-so-hidden camera. :shock: Thoughts?
I'm certain the reason I don't get to witness this act of betta behavior is because my little Ares is also a glutton. I can't enter the room his tank is in without him stopping everything he WAS doing and swimming around in search of food.
Ares also has a semi-varied diet of betta flakes and freeze-dried bloodworms. Occasionally he gets juicy frozen bloodworms, but they aren't part of his regular diet. The flakes come in a plastic jar with a green lid; the worms come in a jar with a red lid. I like to tilt the jar and wave the lid of the food I'm about to feed him so he can see the color. Ares favorite color is red. (In his honor, I've colored my journal text.)
ANYWAY, now that you've met him. Yesterday I planted my new Fluval Spec V (5 gallon) with micro sword, java moss, moneywort, ludwigia, a water hyacinth and a moss ball. It's an upgrade from the Fluval Spec III (2 gallon) I originally bought and sold. :roll: It's also the reason Ares has been living in a half-gallon tank. I'm going to give it another couple of days to a week so the roots of the new plants can get settled in before I let Ares explore.
This photo journal is to track my little Ares as he adjusts and the plants grow.
Ares is a typical-looking red male veil tail betta fish, but what he lacks in genetic flair he makes up in personality. I personally have a soft spot for rare genetic morphs, and when it comes to bettas there's definitely not an exception. But it was definitely the personality of this little guy that made him stand out among the double-halfmoons and grizzle-crowns and dragon scales at my local pet store.
I'm lucky enough to have a couple locals to pick from when it comes to supplies, but the locals obviously still need to keep the males separated. The store I bought Ares from keeps its "fancies" up in front in plastic cups and its semi-ragged, "regulars" in containers racked on a mass filtration system in the "back" with dim-ish lighting. A very elaborate way of saying Ares stood out somehow.
So back to that personality. Ares is a bubble-nesting fiend; something I didn't know when I bought him. I do water changes to his half-gallon tank (more on that later) twice a week. EVERY time he builds a new nest in the same corner the next morning. I felt bad for destroying them at first, but seems very okay with having to rebuild.
I have never once witnessed Ares building a nest. I've had him since I bought him as a post-tax return impulse mid-May. That's five weeks, 10 water changes, or 10 bubble nests. I've not seen him actively doing it once yet, and trust me I've tried. I'm tempted to set up a not-so-hidden camera. :shock: Thoughts?
I'm certain the reason I don't get to witness this act of betta behavior is because my little Ares is also a glutton. I can't enter the room his tank is in without him stopping everything he WAS doing and swimming around in search of food.
Ares also has a semi-varied diet of betta flakes and freeze-dried bloodworms. Occasionally he gets juicy frozen bloodworms, but they aren't part of his regular diet. The flakes come in a plastic jar with a green lid; the worms come in a jar with a red lid. I like to tilt the jar and wave the lid of the food I'm about to feed him so he can see the color. Ares favorite color is red. (In his honor, I've colored my journal text.)
ANYWAY, now that you've met him. Yesterday I planted my new Fluval Spec V (5 gallon) with micro sword, java moss, moneywort, ludwigia, a water hyacinth and a moss ball. It's an upgrade from the Fluval Spec III (2 gallon) I originally bought and sold. :roll: It's also the reason Ares has been living in a half-gallon tank. I'm going to give it another couple of days to a week so the roots of the new plants can get settled in before I let Ares explore.
This photo journal is to track my little Ares as he adjusts and the plants grow.