Newbie in MO

[Iyamai]

So Ive been stalking this site for about a week now, and after reading many different sites and articles on Bettas, I finally brought one home on Wednesday. Now Ive made an account and want to tell you all a bit about me.

Now I have about a year and a half worth of experience with fish. I started out with a 3 inch Shubunkin Goldfish in a 5 gal tank. He was a gift from a boyfriend who kept 5 three-inch goldies in that 5 gal tank. Neither of us knew better than to keep goldfish in such little tanks. I upgraded that same goldfish to a 10 gal after having him for 3 months. About 3 months later I got a Pleco to go in there with him. They both died about a month after that. I was so upset that my grandfather went out and got me a 55gal tank.

He then gave me his two goldies (A Shubunkin and a Sarassa) that he had been trying to kill >.< right as one of them started to get sick. Sadly I lost Bud (the Sarassa) to what the vet said was liver disease in August. The other one, Mickey, died suddenly in May. The remaining tank members are Oreo, my Panda Oranda and Basil and Thyme, my two Plecos. I had a Red Cap Oranda as Well, but on Wednesday he got sucked up into the filter when I was at school.

Anyways, I also have a 10 gal tank that I am using for plants. I am trying to work out a pump system to pump water from the 55 gal through the 10 gal and back into the 55 gal, but so far I have just ended up with 25 gal of water on my bedroom floor. Anyways, that is where my new Betta, Zeus, is calling home. I figured that more space wouldnt be a bad thing for him since its not a huge tank.

Now, didnt get him from a breeder. The only places to get fish in my town are Petco and Walmart. So I rescued him from Petco. Im not sure how old he is or what color he is or what genes he displays( although as a future Geneticist I will soon catch up on Betta genetics) so I was hoping I could get some help in figuring that out. Also, I do know that the filter Im using in the tank is WAY too strong for him, Im hoping someone can help me figure out how to lessen the flow without buying a whole new filter, seeing as this one was already in use on with this plant tank...

I think I might switch to Bettas after Oreo passes. Hes only 3 years old though, so I hope he doesnt go soon! Hes still so young! But I have to say I really enjoy reading about all the things you can do with a betta and hope to possibly breed them.

If I decide to do that, then Ill find homes for all the Betta babies before I get a female (and another tank). I dont really feel comfortable selling them on Aquabid since Im not a reputable breeder, Id be more comfortable giving them away.

Anyways, enough about me and my goldfish and stuff like that. Here's what you really came for: pictures of my baby, Zeus!












Thanks so much everyone for reading this! And I hope to see you around! :)

[Bettanewbie60]

Hi and welcome to the forum....great fish!

[Iyamai]

Thanks, Im happy to be here :)
Do you think you could tell me more about his coloring and age? Im not familiar with fancy betta terms yet. All I can say is hes black with a white face and hes iridescent.

[Bettanewbie60]

Originally Posted by Iyamai

Thanks, Im happy to be here :)
Do you think you could tell me more about his coloring and age? Im not familiar with fancy betta terms yet. All I can say is hes black with a white face and hes iridescent.

Age is a difficult thing to determine, even by size. And I'm sorry, but I'm not very good with color types and tail types yet..a good clear pic of him flaring would help others to give you an answer. I'm learning little by little.

[CandiceMM]

Welcome to the forum, your Betta is beautiful!!! Can't wait to see more pictures!

[Iyamai]

Im hoping to get more pictures done tomorrow. Ill have a real camera instead of my phone and Ill be able to take him outside into the sunshine. I doubt Ill get home before sundown tonight, otherwise Id post them tonight.

I dont think he will flare to his reflection, because I think my tank might actually be mirrored, and he had no reaction to it. When I looked at him through the glass, he was over by the side of his tank and I could see his reflection, but he didnt seem to care when he was facing his reflection. It could just be that it looked mirrored to me from the outside though. Im going to try to get him to flare for a mirror, mainly because I dont have another Betta, and he seems rather shy and Im afraid my Oranda will scare him since Oreo is so much bigger.

[puffin463]

Zeus is a cutie. So glad you rescued him. I'd like to take all those little ones in the cups at Petsmart home but... one at a time is all I can handle. Zeus looks very busy and happy in his new home.

[Iyamai]

He is! I baffled the filter today and moved some of the plants around and he realized that there's a whole other side of his tank. I took some more pictures, but they are on my phone like these. Hes such a cutie zipping around, exploring everything, and flashing at the thermometer. Ive got a plant on a rock in there with him and Im just watching him swim through it. He's really coming out of his shell. Since I got him hes been very anti social and shy, but now he actually wants something to do with me lol.

Im just waiting for him to make his first bubble nest :3

Edit: Im hoping to get more tanks soon and try to make a barrack or something like that so I can rescue the Walmart ones. I feel like Petco takes a bit better care of them than Walmart does, plus my Petco has like 100 of them at a time... and Walmart only has like 20....

oh and Candace, congratulations on winning the Rescue Contest! Im going to go through and find you entry with Heart Breaker so I can read the story too!

[Iyamai]

A little update about my growing Betta family: I rescued two more from Petco tonight. I picked up two Crowntail females. One of them was the smallest they had, and the other one I really just couldn't say no to. They now have nice little 3 gal set ups on my dresser. The one I couldn't say no to has been named Aphrodite, and the little one is Eos. I feel names that are associated with beauty and a new beginning are appropriate. Im currently working at putting pictures up in my albums if you guys want to get a better look at everybody. :)

[TheDragon]

Welcome to the forum