A few months ago I acquired a "Herp Haven" of 3-4 gallons in which to keep my extra plants. I landscaped them, added light and a filter and sat back and enjoyed it... for a while. It needed more than red ram snails. I tested the water (zero amonia, not surprising) and added a heater. I'd had a betta several years ago, but he developed a horrifying eye syndrome that I blame on the plant fertilizer excel, so I'll never use that again... anyhow, I decided to try another betta in this perfect tank.
Say what you will about Wal-Mart, but sometimes they have a good selection of bettas. Not this time though. Next I tried one of our very few local-owned pet stores, Clark's, as it was fairly nearby (by bus) and they had a big selection. I ruled out what looked like fully adult fish; besides, they were mostly lethargic or of a color that's unappealing to me. I narrowed my selection down to a smaller (body about 1 inch) reddish looking fellow and took him in his cup and some food up to the cashier. They wanted $0.60 for the cup! Or they'd dump him and his water into a plastic bag like regular fish, but with more air. I chose option B and put that bag in an insulated bag I had brought along (it was only around 55 deg F outside).
When I got home, I set the bag in the water of the aquarium to try to equalize temperatures. About 1/2 hour later (I don't know if that was enough time), I eased the fish out into his new home. He started exploring immediately, and within less than an hour, he was nipping and flaring at the snails, showing them who was the new boss in town. I took that as a good sign
It's been 3 weeks or so now, and he is eatting well, ultra curious, relaxed, no more timid slouching. When he opens up and shows his true colors (which you can get an idea of if the picture works), he is not just red (which would have been fine with me), but he has a good deal of irridescent blue. He is really quite beautiful. The way he moves around -- darting a bit, pausing, opening up, darting again... reminded me of a sail boat and then I had it: he was telling me his name: Sailer (not sailor). Much better than "Fluffy"!
Now let's see if I can slip his picture in here...
It worked! I'll keep taking pics of him and upload a few good ones eventually. I should get ones of his whole home, so you can see the anubias nana and the leaves he can rest on.
Say what you will about Wal-Mart, but sometimes they have a good selection of bettas. Not this time though. Next I tried one of our very few local-owned pet stores, Clark's, as it was fairly nearby (by bus) and they had a big selection. I ruled out what looked like fully adult fish; besides, they were mostly lethargic or of a color that's unappealing to me. I narrowed my selection down to a smaller (body about 1 inch) reddish looking fellow and took him in his cup and some food up to the cashier. They wanted $0.60 for the cup! Or they'd dump him and his water into a plastic bag like regular fish, but with more air. I chose option B and put that bag in an insulated bag I had brought along (it was only around 55 deg F outside).
When I got home, I set the bag in the water of the aquarium to try to equalize temperatures. About 1/2 hour later (I don't know if that was enough time), I eased the fish out into his new home. He started exploring immediately, and within less than an hour, he was nipping and flaring at the snails, showing them who was the new boss in town. I took that as a good sign
It's been 3 weeks or so now, and he is eatting well, ultra curious, relaxed, no more timid slouching. When he opens up and shows his true colors (which you can get an idea of if the picture works), he is not just red (which would have been fine with me), but he has a good deal of irridescent blue. He is really quite beautiful. The way he moves around -- darting a bit, pausing, opening up, darting again... reminded me of a sail boat and then I had it: he was telling me his name: Sailer (not sailor). Much better than "Fluffy"!
Now let's see if I can slip his picture in here...
It worked! I'll keep taking pics of him and upload a few good ones eventually. I should get ones of his whole home, so you can see the anubias nana and the leaves he can rest on.
