#bettablr

[betta-butch]

a majestic beast

[prince-liest]

Woooo, rescape (mostly) done! Though the dirt I kicked up hasn't quite settled yet. I missed having driftwood in the tank and I really love how it divides everything. Rocks will be moved around more aesthetically in the future once the wood is waterlogged enough not to float.

The left side is pretty barren at the moment because I added some new plants that will grow in, and have crypt parva coming in the mail to fill in the rest. Vox Jr. is already exploring the new free swimming space! I like that the high-flow filter area has been functionally baffled by the larger plant mass of the crypts, and the slower moving waters have more room for swimming. Perfect for bettas, even though he's a shortfin.

I'm actually really stoked for a new plant I added at the base of the <<< side of the driftwood, it's Lagenandra meeboldii 'bleeding heart' and it's a slow-growing rosette plant (my faves) but with a really pretty purple/red/pink/dusty green color once it gets going. I've never seen it sold before so it feels like a catch!

[marinebioblr]

Close encounters!

My beautiful koi betta Bisby has had a jumping spider neighbor taking advantage of her tank light to hunt bugs under for some time, and recently they met face to face! Very happy to capture each of them acknowledging the other - and Bisby's quick look back at me as if to say "you're seeing this too right?!" 🧡

Edit ✨️ For all those concerned, yes, she does have a lid! I'd just cleaned and was hanging out right there where I filmed from at my office desk. If you are new to fish keeping, please invest in a good lid or when picking setups, favor tank kits that include one!

[thebiotope]

i need to actually put in job applications instead of doing whatever this is.

[waterskies]

Watching Mikhail patrol his aquarium.

[teaboot]

FISH EMERGENCY

A few months ago I mentioned that my two tail betta fish, Loulou, had the fringe of his tail turning oddly opaque and white. I posted here to ask opinions, and ended up checking everything from new growth, to ich, to velvet, to fin rot, to regular wear and tear.

This was Lou when I got him, compared to about a six months later btw:

Out of my own depth, I went to an aquarist in town and showed them pictures, describing my concerns. They told me that it was most likely damage from something abrasive in his tank

Pics I showed them:

The thing is though, I don't HAVE anything abrasive in his tank??? He has a ceramic skull hide, which is a little bumpy but otherwise fine, and a smooth flat rock, and his substrate. All his plants are real and his water pump is protected by a sponge.

I left him in the care of a sitter about three weeks ago, and when I came back, his fins were noticeably shorter and far more haggard. I gave his tank a super thorough clean in case it was fin rot and told myself I'd go back to the aquarist later this week, when I'm not at work.

Then today I came home to THIS:

Photos are bad cause it's nighttime and he didn't wanna hold still for pictures despite treats but his fins have MULTIPLE broken spines and his upper tail is BLEEDING?

I noticed a bit of red on him the other day and mistakenly believed he was changing colours again, but it's DEFINITELY blood.

He has no other tank mates except for a few snails I put in there to handle the plants.

I thought maybe he was chewing himself or something but he cant reach the spots that are missing.

I'm sorry to post this here, but has anyone with fish seen this before??? I've had him for almost a whole year now and have not had this happen before

Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated, I'm taking everything solid out of his tank until I know what's happening.

Thank you

[photozoi]

There is a galaxy in Wyatt's eye.

Space, the final frontier.....

[aeriona]

Got a fancy new book on fishkeeping over the weekend which prompted this study (that i spent too much time on whoops).

[shrimp-propaganda]

i am a champion of the "throw stuff in and see if it lives with no planning or design in mind" method of aquascaping

[betta-butch]

I need to do maintenance on this tank but I looove how green it is, all the plants have been doing really well <3

[prince-liest]

He is Angy that the shrimp are scavenging his rightful bounty.

[chipped-chimera]

Little Hunter.

[imagine-darksiders]

So I uh… I might have a problem. It rhymes with shmish.

Been making these little koi/bettas lately but I’m running out of surface space. Might make nice presents for people. Idk. They’re polymer clay painted with acrylic, and then resin. I’m trying to think of colour schemes, so if anyone has any suggestions, hit me up. X

[thebiotope]

dont think I'll be making any more of these, I'll post what I've made so far over time but yea this didn't get that popular like the first one LOL

[waterskies]

Creation of the universe.

I thought of going with something fancy like that, but in the end, I just called it Space Betta.