#female bettas can SOMETIMES be housed with other fish

[killerchickadee]

Female peacock gudgeon vs female betta.

[thecandywrites]

Micro-mermaid Chenera Part 3 Finally

Last and final part. Short and sweet. This was fun. I should do another series for Mermay 2022. Again, sorry Mermay 2021 I was late, by like, two months. But hey, better late than never? Hope you enjoyed reading this. I should have named this series, Against All Odds but it didn't occur to me until I was proofreading this last part. Oh well. Enjoy.

Micro-Mermaids

Chenera

Part 3

A few days later, you were all at the subadult stage to set your permanent adult colors as your parents seemed eager to get rid of their current brood so they could have some peace and quiet and start a new brooding season as Ethel scooped all of you up and put you into the colors tank with the other chameleon beta micros and it was almost instantaneous that your siblings began changing and morphing while pairing up with others from the other pairs and there was something in the water that seemed to accellerate the maturation process as you could feel yourself already start to form eggs within your abdomen as the males were already fighting for the attention of your sisters as your brothers could have any pick of any other female in the tank. Their fancy and flashy colors and bountiful fins were impressive but in your mind and heart, they were no match for Nona.

So here you sat, on the only part of the tank with black obsidian rocks, looking bittersweetly at your tail that still had Nona’s pattern on it and still missing him, and having no desire to ‘pair up’ with any of the others.

“Hey, you need to pair up.” Your sister Dina insisted as she took a break from her many suitors who were trying to playfully chase her around the tank.

“I am not attracted to any of the others.” You argued as you refused to move or even look at any other.

“Chenera, listen to me, if you don’t find a mate in this tank right here right now, you’ll be left as a single, and be sold as a single and put into a single’s tank where you stand a very slim chance of finding an equally attractive mate. And even if you don’t find a mate there, there are other breeders who specifically look for single females just to put them into harems, where you’ll be forced to mate with their males, who may be far more aggressive and mean and cruel than the ones from Ethel’s tanks who have been bred to treat the females with tender loving care. And you’ll have to compete with the other females just to be laid with, and you’ll raise your clutches all alone and your life span will be half of what it can be with a mated pair like this. I know you miss Nona, but he is a guppy micro, you’re a betta micro, a gold chameleon one at that. Your worth far exceeds his and there is no hope of ever meeting him again, let alone ever breeding with him. Betta micros can be two to three times the size of guppies and interbreeding among the different kinds never works, it's been tried and it usually ends in failures. Follow his own advice and let him go completely. If you wish to be all black, then so be it. But keeping this guppy pattern will only hurt your worth and keep the other males away, they're allready calling you "guppy girl" do you really want to be known as that for the rest of your life? You have to know that you're better than that! You have been through more than they could ever dream of, you may be smaller than the rest of us but you're stronger than any and all of us, you're a warrior, you beat up a dwarf gourami for crying out loud! You could bank on that and get that big red male over there instead of moping on this black rock at the bottom. It's either this or the harems by other breeders who would scoup you up in a heartbeat because you're different, but not in a good way. Do you want to die so quickly and so horribly?” She pressed anxiously.

You looked at her and just felt pity for her before you looked out over the tank of other potential mates, and while they did look strong and handsome, they were still no match for Nona in your heart and you just curled in on yourself, hugging your tail that still had Nona’s pattern on it, it was a sorry excuse for the real Nona but it was all you had before you found a cave and hid yourself away in it and dismissed every male that tried to approach, even getting aggressive towards the more insistant ones before all the males bonded to the others instead, leaving you alone completely.

The next day Ethel came back and happily scooped up the different pairs into separate bags for the shop as she counted up how many pairs she had before she noticed there were still a few unmated girls in the tank since these clutches were a bit girl heavy because the ratios were never perfectly equal, which was a good thing because the last batch of betta micros were boy heavy and the boys were getting a little too eager to mate up with a betta woman.

“Ok, all the others into the net now, I’ll put in with the single female tank.” Ethel said before you finally left your cave and swam into the net with the other females and into its own bag before you simply sat at the bottom of the bag, feeling the water shift with the motion of the car as Ethel drove you and your siblings and their mated pairs to the shop before she dumped the mated pairs into their own little tanks as the pairs eagerly hid away in the caves to start the mating process after their first meal in their new enclosures before you were dumped into another larger tank and there was only a pane of glass with several holes that separated the females from the males who were all waiting by the holes to see the new girls that didn’t get into mated pairs as the other girls eagerly swam around to the different holes to meet the guys who were a few to several cycles older than they were but who were desperate and eager to find a mate.

But one look at them and none of them were anything close to Nona, so you ignored their calls out to you as you found a cave-like hide and began digging under it, moving the sand and gravel out of your way to make a crevice like cave under the hide before you got to work, taking your long gold hair and putting it into a bun to collect and tear up bits of foliage to line your new cave with, just like how you used to with Nona and by the time you were done, Ethel came back by and noticed the new pairs and eagerly scooped them up and put them into their new enclosures as you settled into your new cave under the hide as your eggs began to mature, waiting to be fertilized but you kept them inside you and simply re-absorbed them. If Nona himself was not going to fertilize your eggs, you were never going to lay any as you fought with your own instincts to pair up and mate as you stared determinedly at Nona’s pattern on your tail.

Meanwhile on the other side where a line of guppy micro tanks were, Nona was doing the same exact thing, he had been here for over a week, and had dodged and ditched every attempt every female who tried to mate with him, even though his own instincts were screaming at him to try to mate with every mature and available female present, but if none of them were you, he was never going to pair up or mate with any other female as he worked on collecting new foliage for his cave under the hide, which was made a little difficult since he had grown into a pretty impressive guppy micro male. He still sorely missed you, and he had vowed he would keep doing this in remembrance of you for as long as he would live and if he could not fertilize your eggs, he would fertilize no one else’s. And he would continue to live his life alone, but committed and faithful to his memory of you. That sounded better than passing on what little good his own personal genetics had to another guppy woman who would only like him for his flashy colors and handsome pattern instead of his personality. That and no other guppy woman, could come close to your beauty.

“So what’s the story with this girl?” Amy asked as she walked by the beta tanks and saw you instantly dive towards your cave under the hide and noticed your unique coloring and pattern.

“Oh that one, that’s Chenera, she’s actually a gold headed chameleon betta micro- her siblings are all the ones you see with the same gold head and gold hair but much prettier colors. But when Ethel’s house was broken into by fairies when she was a youngling, one fairy yanked her out of her tank and tried stealing other younglings from the odds and ends tank when they dropped her into that tank. A betta micro’s instincts are always to hide, so she hid in a little cave under one of the hides in the tank and she ended up growing up in that tank with guppy micros, dwarf gouarmi micros, molly micros and all that, so that’s why she has that guppy pattern to her because chameleons change to their environment but at a certain stage when you put the sub adults into a brightly colored tank filled with semi precious stones and surrounded by those shimmering fabrics, they change themselves into these gorgeous colors. But she never did. So she’s actually on sale, but I don’t think she’ll ever breed for you because she has rejected every single male that’s ever met her, sometimes aggressively so, I think she’d be best as a pet only.” Samantha explained, repeating what Channel had told everyone at work.

“So she’s been through hell, like me, I’ll take her.” Amy said before she went around the store and bought everything she could for the perfect micro beta tank and all the foods and things she would need, including some guppy flakes because if you had grown up eating some micro fish flakes, you’d probably like to have them supplement your diet and it would be comforting to you as Samantha put a “sold” marker on the tank with your name and description on it and once Amy’s tank had been set up and stabilized, Amy came back and took you to your new home a week later.

The whole way though, you cried because you feared your sister’s words were about to come true but once your bag was put into the water and you looked around the new tank, you didn’t see any other micros in the tank and you didn't smell any other either as you looked from the tank to your new owner in confusion and once she tilted the bag so that you could swim out, you called out to see if any others were in the tank but were hiding before you tentatively explored the tank, discovering it before you realized- you were alone. You were not going to be forced to breed after all which was a big relief for you.

Granted it was going to be a lonely life but you were no stranger to solitude at this point. This tank was perfect. It was larger than your parent’s tank, it had been previously used, it wasn’t a brand new tank either, but it had been salvaged and refurbished and most of the plants had clearly come from some kind of sale since most of them had damaged leaves or broken stalks but in the new environment, they were regrowing and thriving with the proper care now, it had a surprising variety of foliage and mosses and little snails to eat up algae, mostly sand at the bottom, really soft sand too and a few spots of brightly colored gravel and several patches of moss you could lay in and soak up the rays from the lights. It had multiple caves and hides of all sizes and even a really nice amethyst geode, which is what Amy could afford, after she spent what she had on everything else since you had been on sale for such a steep discount and Samantha had given her everything else for practically a song because Amy was “rescuing” you and Samantha got to unload the less “pretty and perfect” items in the shop to help set up Amy’s tank because from a business perspective, you were kind of a “lost cause” but that didn’t mean your story was any less compelling, especially to Amy who was a self proclaimed bleeding heart.

But for Amy, she was used to rescuing those who needed rescuing as she had her fair share of three legged animals or one eyed animals or birds who had plucked out most of their feathers and were now sporting little “sweaters” and micro- mermaids now completed her menagerie.

And with a peaceful heart you realized the special geode that your new owner had bought for you and the way it had been placed in the sand that there was already a very soft cave under the geode, already prepared for you that you didn’t necessarily need to line with foliage to keep comfortable, but you couldn’t help yourself, you still lined it with moss and other soft foliage to make it perfect as Amy took pictures of you and your pattern in your new home as she fed you the special food she had bought you as you happily munched down before she took a chance and fed you guppy flakes as well as you let go of your beta food to grab them as you ate those reverently, remembering how you used to eat those with Nona, having missed the colorful and flavorful flakes more than you had thought you would.

After a couple days and you seemed to settle in quite nicely, not hiding in the cave at all, still preferring to sleep in it though, actually spending your days exploring every inch of the tank and discovering all the fun things about it and enjoying all the enrichment it had been filled with and laying in the soft moss and taking naps, braiding your own hair so it wouldn't tangle, making your new space wholly yours as you rearranged it a little to suit your liking and improving the flow of water and functionality before Amy returned to the store and asked to speak with everyone involved with you and your story before she got a hold of Channel.

“So you’re the one who found Chenera in the odds and ends tank?” Amy asked her.

“Yup, it was quite something…” Channel explained before she repeated the story and remembered the key part, how there was a guppy male that you kept holding onto and kept trying to hide and protect and how once you got into the net, you had camouflaged yourself to his pattern but how you kept that pattern once you were taken out of that tank.

“Can you show me where the male guppy male micro is? Did you sell him already?” Amy asked.

“No we haven’t, he won’t pair up and he hides in caves he makes under the hides themselves, and he keeps lining bits of foliage in them, he’s actually right over here.” Channel said as she led the way over to where his tank was before she got the flashlight on her phone and shined the light into the little cave as he tried to hide from the light but Amy recognized his tail pattern as the same pattern on you.

“He’s actually on sale as a pet only because he refuses to pair up and mate with anything and forcing micros to mate can send them into a depression and they can die prematurely.” Channel explained.

“I’ll take him. I already have the perfect set up for him.” Amy insisted as she showed Channel the tank before you had moved into it as Channel had the hardest time catching Nona and putting him in a bag for Amy.

Amy bought “baby bits” and put them in the bag with Nona who starred reproachfully at the baby food. He had been bought and was going to be forced to mate with a guppy and produce hatchlings despite his best efforts. He was hoping he would have avoided this but it seemed that there was no way for him to keep avoiding it now as Amy happily bought him and brought him home and put his bag into the tank.

When you heard the lid open you came out of your cave from putting new foliage in it but stopped and hid away again when you saw a bag with another micro in the bag as once again, your fear and anxiety that your new owner had bought you a mate and was going to expect you to mate with whatever she bought as you tied your hair up and armed yourself. You’d rather die a virgin than be forced to mate with any other.

Meanwhile Nona stared out into the empty tank in relief that there were no other guppy micro women already at the bag, ready to pounce on him the moment he would be let loose, he’d rather die a bachelor than be forced to mate with another and once the water had been acclimated Amy let Nona go and sat in front of the tank with baited breath as Nona hesitantly began exploring before she saw him call out.

You stiffened in your cave at the sound of a male’s voice as you got a whiff of the water that he had come from that had been in his tank, it smelled foreign but you could smell a male in the water as once again, your body reminded that you had new eggs that were now moments away from being mature and ready to be fertilized as you fought with your instincts once again.

His voice was deeper and much more mature than most others you had heard before as you stayed in your cave, ready to attack if he came near you.

Nona could smell a female in the water though, but it wasn’t quite like anything he had smelled before, it smelled good actually as his own body reacted to it, as his body’s instincts were screaming at him that it was time to find this female and fertilize her eggs that were already at the proper stage to be fertilized. But even though he could smell this female, there was no sign of her as Nona carefully and hesitantly inspected the tank, looking for her and calling out to see if anyone else was there before he followed his nose and found the little cave under the geode hide and slowly approached the mouth of the cave but once he was about to climb in to see if it was occupided, he saw you and froze as you did the same, letting the two pieces of gravel fall from your hands as you pulled yourself towards him and stared in disbelief at a very grown up Nona as he stared at you in the same way, in awed wonder, you had grown and matured and while he could still recognize you, you were even more beautiful now all grown up and mature.

“Chenera?” He breathed.

“Nona?” You asked, almost afraid to believe your eyes.

“Yeah, it’s me, Nona, wow you’ve...oof.” Nona began before you quickly left the cave and tackled him to the floor rolling with him in the soft sand and holding him and kissing him all over his face as he did the same as you were both laughing and crying at being reunited as Amy recorded it and cheered before you and Nona disappeared into the little cave under the geode to continue with your reunion.

“I thought I would never see you again.” You cried happily as you hugged him tight, his now adult size and pattern still of some resemblance of his sub adult pattern that you had copied onto yourself but he had gotten better with age.

“Me either.” He confessed as he happily kissed you all over and held you just as tightly, his heart feeling like it was going to burst with happiness as he recognized his own subadult pattern on you, that you had kept for all this time. He felt that you would have changed like all the others he had seen in their little dishes as other buyers had bought them in pairs along with their clutches of eggs in other geodes and carried them throughout the store, their gold heads and gorgeous colors and impressive sizes still eye catching but his heart hurt too much to see if any of them had been you.

Finally, after what felt like eons of time, you were back together and in a similar place where you had first met, in a cave, under a hide, but this time, under a wonderful geode of your own. And while you were still a little bigger than him, but still smaller than the rest of your family, he was used to the size difference of the females being bigger than the males and while you had gotten used to seeing males with fins twice as big as yours, somehow, Nona’s fins were just to your liking because of who they were attached to.

“Please, I have eggs already, I can feel them and I don’t want to keep reabsorbing them, fertilize them, please.” You pleaded between heated kisses and that was all the permission Nona needed before his cock speared your entrance and he began to make love to you in your little cave curling around you and holding you and caressing you and rutting you so vigorously into the sand underneath you as you found your sexual release and Nona did as you asked and fertilized every available egg in your egg sack, your abdomen getting even larger from the fullness of them before you led him to the geode and together you placed each one, carefully into its socket surrounded by facets of amethyst.

“So this is how beta micro’s lay their eggs, in geodes.” Nona noted as he helped catch each one and put it into its place, already seeing signs that they were fertilized and that the fertilization had taken successfully. Never been brave enough to even dream that this was possible.

“Yes.” You giggled as you did the same. Since it was your first, official clutch. It was rather small, but oh so precious as Amy was once again, outside the tank with her phone, recording it.

“Well, fingers crossed, and they can hatch.” She smiled happily, happy to see such a star crossed lover’s pair be reunited and mate and already get to laying clutches in just a matter of moments.

Over the next several weeks, Nona and yourself took turns waving fresh oxygenated water over the eggs, watching as the little micro-merbabies grow and develop. Feeding each other and even when you had no other eggs to lay, continuing to mate for the fun of it as well as to bond even closer all over your new home as you eagerly awaited for the clutch to hatch.

Then one day, just as the shells of the eggs grew super thin and soft- the babies began to squirm and hatch into your waiting hands as well as Nona’s as you instinctively gave them their first milk and brought them up to the surface so they could get a gulp of air for their swim bladders before touching your head to theirs, the gold transferring to their heads and hair as well as you could already see that the middle of their tails had the same guppy pattern that their father had but otherwise were the perfect mix of you and him as you named each and every one as you helped them eat their first meal, “the baby bits” and after they ate one baby bit, they caught another before Amy put in some baby guppy flakes for them as they all caught the flakes with their other hand and began to congregate in one of the many super soft sand pits, each one with a baby bit in one hand and a flake in the other, taking a bite out of both as you and Nona continued to repeat the process until all of the eggs hatched successfully as the shells dissintergrated in the water completely, before you happily gathered your little family in the pit and began your new lives as parents, and living long, happy lives together. Raising a new breed of micros- betta-guppy micros.

[renthony]

Betta 101: A Care Guide For the Uninformed

Y’all know betta fish, those cute little fuckers that want to fight anything and everything. These are my tiny assholes, Helios and Mercury:

[Image description: Two side-by-side photos of betta fish. The first photo shows Helios, a black halfmoon betta with yellow fins. He is swimming through the leaves of a plant rooted in colorful gravel. The second photo shows Mercury, a purple and pink veiltail betta, resting idle at the top of his aquarium. End image description.]

Betta fish are some of the most popular fish in the aquarium hobby, and no wonder! They’re cute! They have a wide variety of colors and fin shapes, and each one is truly beautiful. They stand out in any aquarium, especially in aquariums with darker-colored decorations.

The thing about bettas, though, is that there are a lot of misconceptions about how to take care of them. Every few days I see someone else buying a betta that they’re not equipped to care for, and it makes me so sad.

Because bettas are so damn popular, they’re also, sadly, one of the most mistreated pet fish on the market. Since I’ve spent a lot of time both learning about and caring for betta fish, I thought I’d put together a quick 101 guide and resource list for anyone interested in getting a betta of their own!

This’ll be pretty long, so the rest of the post is under a cut.

Rule Number One: Bettas are not decorations!

Because betta fish are so beautiful and attention-grabbing, they’re often thought of, and used as, nothing more than decorations. Betta fish in tiny bowls or cups are used as centerpieces at weddings, bettas get added to vases of cut flowers to add some pizzazz, and bettas get put in artsy glass bowls to brighten up some bank manager’s office somewhere.

None of those are acceptable ways to house a betta fish! Bettas are not decorations, and they need to be cared for by someone who loves and values them as a living creature, not an attention-grabbing bauble.

Rule Number Two: Bowls are bad!

There’s a very persistent myth about betta fish: “they live in puddles, so they don’t need very much space.” It’s why they wind up in things like centerpieces and vases so often. The thing is, just because betta fish are capable of surviving harsh conditions and minimal amounts of water for a while, it doesn’t mean they’re able to thrive.

Betta fish do not naturally live in puddles! They are native to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, and live in rivers, canals, and bodies of standing water such as rice paddies and flood plains. If a betta lives in a rice paddy or floodplain and the water level drastically decreases, bettas are equipped to survive those harsh conditions for a short period of time, but it is not a healthy way for them to live their entire lives. They require plenty of space to swim and claim territory.

The suggested minimum amount of water for a pet betta fish is 2.5 gallons, or 9.5 litres. Personally, I don’t like to keep a betta in anything less than 5 gallons, or 19 litres, but that’s just my preference because, on average, the smaller the aquarium, the more frequent the need for water changes and maintenance. Currently, the smallest tank I have is 10 gallons, which houses a single betta.

Rule Number Three: Temperature is important!

Wild bettas live in a tropical environment, which needs they need warmer water! Your betta aquarium should have a consistent, steady water temperature of between 74 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, or 23 to 27 degrees Celsius.

Some people who live in warmer climates may not need to use a constant heater, but every aquarium should have a thermometer so you can check the temperature. If you can’t maintain a betta-appropriate temperature without a heater, you’ll need to get one.

Some aquarium heaters are pre-set to specific temperatures, which are fine as long as they’re preset to the right one, and some heaters are adjustable -- it doesn’t matter which one you get and is largely a matter of preference. I have both types of heater and find them equally easy to use, though adjustable heaters have the benefit of versatility should you want to keep different fish in the future.

Rule Number Four: Filters are a must!

You need a filter, period. There are many types of filter, and aquarium hobbyists have different preferences for different fish, but what matters is that a filter exists in your tank. The hang-on-the-back style filters that come in most aquarium kits are perfectly fine, though it’s important that your filter has a low flow, because betta fish can be battered around by strong currents in an aquarium. You should also avoid under-the-gravel style filters, as they are largely not effective enough to filter an appropriately-sized tank.

For those looking for a budget-friendly option, many betta keepers love sponge filters! I personally don’t use them, not for any particular reason other than hang-on-the-back filters were what I had on hand.

I personally don’t have a lot of experience with every kind of filter, so if you’re interested in more details about your filter options, I recommend these YouTube videos:

How to Choose The Right Filter For Your Aquarium!

10 Things You Should Know About Aquarium Filters

Fish Tank Filter Basics!

The BEST Aquarium Filter for BEGINNERS?

Rule Number Five: Careful with decor!

Bettas have very delicate fins that can be easily caught and shredded on sharp decorations. Most plastic plants are dangerous to bettas for this reason. The general guideline for betta-safe decorations is that if you can lightly sweep a single piece of toilet paper across the surface of a decoration without ripping, it should be safe for your betta. If the TP rips, it’s not a betta-safe decoration.

If you notice your betta’s fins are ripped or damaged, and it isn’t a case of fin rot*, it could be damage due to a sharp decoration that you need to remove.

You should also be careful not to use any decorations that might leech paint or other harmful chemicals into your aquarium water. When in doubt, err on the side of caution and choose a different decoration.

* For more about fin rot, see this YouTube video: FIN ROT Fish Disease Prevention and Treatment

Rule Number Six: Bettas need hiding places!

A betta fish’s natural environment is filled with plants and plenty of places to hide, so you should provide them in your aquarium!

Live plants such as anubias and java fern, and floating plants such as salvinia and Amazon frogbit, are perfect and typically easy to find in aquarium shops. With betta fish, there really is no such thing as “too many plants.”

Live plants can be intimidating, though, especially for new aquarium hobbyists. If you can’t find or don’t want live plants, you can get your betta some silk ones instead.

You should also provide things like caves for your betta to hide in. These can be whatever you’d like, from natural-looking logs to hollowed-out coconut shells to colorful themed decor. Just remember what I said up in rule number four about sharp plastic and chemicals!

Rule Number Seven: Careful with tankmates!

Betta fish are highly territorial and extremely aggressive. If you put more than one male betta fish in a tank, they will kill each other, full stop. Your betta does not need a buddy to keep him from getting lonely, end of story, and intentionally housing multiple male betta fish together is blatant animal cruelty.

So don’t do it.

Some experienced betta keepers may keep multiple female betta fish together in an aquarium called a “sorority tank,” but it must be done extremely carefully, and may still be prone to fighting, so this isn’t something you should do if you’ve never kept bettas before.

Male and female fish are never kept together except for supervised mating by an experienced breeder. In the wild, female bettas are able to leave as soon as they release their eggs, leaving the male fish to tend the nest of eggs. In an aquarium, a female must be removed immediately after releasing her eggs, or the two fish will fight, most likely to the death.

While betta fish are territorial and aggressive, and can’t be housed with their own species, they can sometimes be kept with other species of fish. Mileage varies depending on the individual temperaments of your fish, though, and you should carefully research any species you intend to house together.

I have experience keeping my bettas with snails and neon tetras, and they all get along just fine, but other betta keepers have had different experience. For more information on selecting potential tankmates, check out the YouTube videos below:

Top 10 Tank Mates For Bettas

7 Most Popular Betta Tank Mates You Need to Try

Betta Fish Tank Mates | Top 10 Most Popular Tank Mates For Bettas

BETTA FISH TANK MATES | 10 More Great Tank Mates For Bettas

Compatible Tank Mates for Betta Fish

Top 4 Betta Tank Mates

Rule Number Eight: Know your aquarium 101!

If you’re an experienced aquarium keeper, congrats, those are pretty much all the basics of betta fish! There’s plenty more information out there about details and specifics that I encourage you to go out and research, but I’ve pretty much covered Betta 101!

For more information, check out these YouTube playlists:

Betta Fish Care 101

Better Know a Betta

Betta Fish Information

Your First Betta Tank

For those who have never kept fish before, there’s a lot to it that you need to know, and would make this post way, way too long.

So! If you don’t know what a nitrogen cycle is, or how to acclimate a fish, or how to condition water, here’s a list of Fish 101 playlists YouTube. Be sure to do plenty of research, and good luck on setting up your first aquarium!

Fish Keeping 101

The Fish Keeper’s Guide to Aquariums

Beginner’s Guide to Setting Up an Aquarium

The Ultimate Guide to Your First Aquarium

Bonus: Have fun!

I know this giant post seems intimidating, but setting up and maintaining betta aquariums is some of the most fun I’ve had in a hobby. I find everything about these little fish to be utterly delightful, and if you do, too, I promise you all the time and investment is worth it.

Go forth and have fun, and don’t hesitate to show me pictures of your betta!

___

Like this post? Reblogs are better than likes! I also have a Ko-Fi profile if you’re feeling generous. Thanks so much!

[runic-raptor]

Adding more from my time keeping fish:

- REPEAT AFTER ME: Larger tanks are easier to maintain than smaller tanks. Fish poop in the water. The water gets dirty. The filter cleans the water, BUT, if there is more poop than water, the filter cannot keep up. The more water you have, the more spread out the poop is, and the more fresh water the fish still have after pooping.

- I'm not kidding. Don't go with the minimum tank size. Bigger tanks are easier to maintain and require fewer water changes.

- On that note, you can get used tanks for infinitely cheaper than in-store. Just be SURE to leak test them OUTSIDE first.

- Get something like a Python aquarium hose/vaccum. Get bigger than you think you need. Makes changing water easier and you will need one to drain the tank after you leak test it. Do not try to carry a full tank of water into your house. Do NOT tip over the aquarium to drain it. Defeats the point of the leak test, you're gonna break it.

- Different fish have different water flow needs. Generally I like to get a bigger filter than my tank needs and just set it to low, but some fish like bettas do not like a lot of flow. Use something to slow down the current if need be.

- A note on betta sororities. They can be difficult to maintain. Some females will still kill the heck out of each other, so be prepared to separate them if need be. (I know most bettas are sold in tiny cups, but if they're in a larger aquarium with other fish, they TEND to be better candidates for cohabitation)

- Speaking of cohabitation, you CAN sometimes keep a betta (male or female) with other fish. Sometimes. They will still often eat their neighbors - ESPECIALLY if they look too much like a betta. I don't recommend male guppies for example. Bettas will very often eat shrimp too, so be warned.

- Cycle your tank BEFORE you buy the fish. It's best practice and usually has the best results. I'd say a good 60% of fish deaths within the first week are because the tank wasn't cycled.

-- TLDR about cycling. A filter right out of the box basically only filters out physical gunk from your tank. Your tank NEEDS benefitial bacteria - this is what breaks down fish poop and basically makes it safe water again. Otherwise your fish will suffocate on their own poop. You kind of need to actually read and understand the water cycle here because it's important, but that's WHY it's important.

- The BEST thing I can recommend is steal a filter from someone's existing tank. That filter will already have established bacteria in is, and make the new tank process much MUCH smoother. Quick Start bacteria is great, but it still takes a while to establish itself.

- Even if you don't have weeks to cycle the tank before adding fish, please at least run the tank for a few hours (if not a full day) before adding fish. This gives time for the sand/gravel to fully settle, the heater to heat up the water, and whatever bacteria you added to at least have a chance to grab onto surfaces in the tank. Just make sure you don't leave the fish sitting in bags that whole time... There's not enough oxygen in those bags and they will be swimming in their poop for hours. 1) Buy and set up tank. 2) Wait a few hours or a day. 3) THEN you buy fish.

- Check into what kind of substrate (sand, gravel, dirt, etc.) is best for the kind of fish you're getting. Some fish for example are known to swallow gravel if it's small enough to fit in their mouth (be wary of "large" gravel bags that also have broken smaller pieces of gravel). And some fish have really delicate bellies and shouldn't have gravel of any kind. So do your research first.

(This is all off the top of my head at 1am, so sorry if anything is unclear or inaccurate. It's been a while since I've had fish as well, so I could be completely forgetting something important.)

Like for example,

- If you have cats, make sure your tank has a lid. True Story:

"Wow, I'm surprised your cat has never tried to eat your betta since they're out in the open like that."

"Oh yeah, they're a good kitty. We've had both of them for years and no problems."

*The next day, Blue the Betta mysteriously disappeared. Only known suspect? Feline who has "never bothered the fishies"

When I was young my dad offhandedly told me he thought people treated fish with so much casual cruelty because fish can’t scream.

The words branded themselves across my soul.

As an adult I think he may have been joking. He payed no especial attention to any indignities fish suffered in our household but I could never forget. I saw fish in a different light after that.

Fish kept in tiny bowls, breathing their own poisons, dying by inches. Fish kept in cold tanks, casually disposed of. Fish touted as being short lived when they could outlive the better loved family dog if only they could breathe. Fish casually won and discarded in cheap plastic bags, thrown away a week later.

How they would scream, if they could.

[helenarlett-rex]

I don't intend to diminish the value of your lost mice, or what they meant to you, I'm sure losing any pet is hard... but you seem to have a lot of pets, don't you? I've read some of your books and I notice you always mention a whole list of pets in the about the author section. (Or whoever writes that section does.) Would you be willing to tell us about all of your pets so we can get to know them?

Sure. I do keep a large number of animals around me. I like the company of animals. Animals don't judge me or think I'm weird. They won't think less of me for not living up to their standards and ideals of what I should be doing with my life. Animals won't use my birthday as an excuse to call me and slowly steer the conversation towards nagging me to quit a job I enjoy and take a job I would hate just because it pays more. I don't have to live in fear that animals will disown me over my sexuality or gender identity... They're just there for me and they don't care about stuff like that, so I tend to prefer having them around over most people.

Currently, now that Kitsune and Tanuki are no longer with us, I have the following pets.

Doris: Doris is a cat. A breed known as a korat. A silver-tipped blue-grey, short-haired breed. She is currently somewhere around 20 human years old and a bit on the senile side. There are times when I don't think she knows what she is doing and can't be let outside anymore. The last time she got outside she went missing for three days and I suspect it's because she forgot where home was. She's an extremely sociable cat and wants to spend all of her time in someone lap of snuggled up next to them if they are laying down. She's had bad allergies all her life and constantly has a sniffle and is so old at this point she only has a single tooth left in her mouth. She's a third generation member of the family, being the grand daughter of a cat I rescued when she was dropped off at a Goodwill loading dock many years ago.

Crenshaw: Crenshaw is a breed of cat known as a lynx point siamese. A blend of the traditional Siamese and tabby cats. I found her outside the library I work at a couple of years ago, abandoned and so starved she was literally skin and bones. She's very slow to trust anyone and doesn't want to be touched, except for a few hours at night when she decides to wants to be right on top of me. Usually when I am trying to write... She instantly adopted Doris as her mother the moment she saw her. She also loves laser pointers and is smart enough to understand how they work, trying to bring the laser pointer to me when the "red dot" isn't around, and instantly going on alert the moment she sees me pick it up. But as smart as she can be, she also has a tenancy to sometimes run head first into walls for no reason. I think she might be slightly disturbed.

Twix: Twix is my leopard gecko. I bought her at a Petsmart about two years ago. She was the only one they had left because she was missing her tail. The employee had actually tried to pick her up by the tail without realizing why you don't do that to lizards... He tail has since grown back but it's a different color from the rest of her. She likes to go up to the side of her tank when Crenshaw is around and taunt her. Otherwise she's perfectly chill... until I take her out of her tank... Then she just wants to crawl all over everything. She's the clumsiest hunter I've ever seen and prefers to be fed by hand, but live food only. I can't get her to take anything that isn't still wiggling.

The fish: I have two fish tanks at this point. In use anyways... One is filled with platies, a single wild molly that won't tolerate being kept with other mollies, and a female betta that doesn't like to be alone. The other is a mini-pond in my makeshift office where I keep goldfish. Eventually I'll move them to a bigger pond in the yard but for now they are still small enough to be my office buddies.

Pixel: Pixel is my wife's bird. She's a peach-fronted conure. She's supposed to be one of those birds that only takes to a single person, or so I'm told, but she will hang out on my shoulder just as readily as she will with my wife. I'm naturally very good with birds. They just seem to like me. Even geese let me hang out with them. (Don't know what that's about...) She's kind of like that kid who is a total brat around her parents but is then perfectly sweet and innocent whenever the grandparents are around. I must be the grandparent because I don't know what my wife is talking about when she calls Pixel a brat.

I've kept lots of other pets over the years, more-so in recent years than in the past, and I've had various other kinds of lizards, tree frogs, a rainbow shark, and even a praying mantis. And I'm sure those have probably been mentioned in the backs of my books at some point. But at the moment the animals listed above are the only ones I am sharing my house with.

(A picture of all the birds at the pet store deciding they want to be my friend.)

[bettas-and-other-oddities]

Betta Q&A and misconceptions (Pt1)

* "Bettas are sold in small cups, so they must need a small tank!"

Unfortunately, from my experience working at a petstore, we keep bettas in cups because its easier to sell, and we don't have the time to perfectly match each betta with the fish already in our tanks. And my corporate is too thick headed to make a cool betta rack where each one is filtered and heated ect. It sucks to watch. The recommended tank size for a betta is NO LESS than 2.5, but I recomend at least 5 gallons.

* "Bettas don't need a heater"

Bettas absolutely need a heater. As referred to above, we don't have the space, or a small enough heater for a 4oz cup. If you dont have a betta in a heated tank, it can slow their metabolism down, lower their immune system defense, and vastly shorten their life span. They are tropical fish.

* "Don't wild bettas live in puddles?"

This is one I constantly get at work when I suggest a larger tank than the .25gal they want. Bettas in the wild TRAVEL in puddles when the dry season is current and they need to find more water. Most of the time, a lot of bettas die because they cook in the puddles, and they can't make it to deeper waters.

* "Do I really need such a large tank for one fish?"

Yes, you do. Bettas looove to swim. That's why its so hard to take pictures of them without putting them in a breeding box of sorts. You really don't need your 987 sq foot house, you could technically live in a nyc studio wherer its just a long rectangle. But you wouldn't be happy. Plus, they come from acres upon acres of rice fields. The best we can do is give them a larger tank.

* "Bettas live in dirty water so I don't need a filter"

They also live in a lot more water than you can provide to them. The larger the space of water they have, the less likely they are to die of ammonia. Having a filter is a must, unless you want to do daily water changes, or have a really intense bioactive set up. It also helps with oxygenating the water. A dirty tank leads to infection and death real quick.

* "My betta built a bubble nest, does that mean he is happy?"

Unfortunately, no. It means they are sexually mature and they are ready to mate. Ive seen huge bubble nests in betta cups turned yellow from lack of care.

* "Can I keep my betta in a vase with a plant, since the betta can eat the plant and the plant will feed off of the pee and poop"

....this one really irks me. For one, a vase for a flower is too small for a a betta. Two, bettas are insectavores/carnivores. They eat bugs and meat. The only reason the betta will eat the plant is because it is its last attempt to fend off starvation, and at that point, you are torturing the poor animal.

* "Bettas only need to eat once a week"

Please don't starve your fish. At the pet store we feed them twice a week because they live in cups, they don't swim, and are cold. If we fed them everyday they would swim in their own waste, die from toxic ammonia, and get swim bladder issues constantly. At home, if you have a bigger tank, you need to feed your betta at least 5 times a week. Its good to have fast days, but do not give your betta fast weeks. They will burn those calories really quickly zipping around their large home.

* "Bettas are so aggressive they can't live with any other type of fish!"

Whenever people say this I can't help but roll my eyes a little, because they normally say it like a betta fish is a harpy or some mythical beast. Usually, you can house bettas with other tropical fish, as long as they aren't flashy and fin nippers. Ive had luck with neon tetras, snails, shrimp, and even at one point a lil khuli loach. It depends vastly on the temperament of the betta. Mushroom for example, as small as he is, I know he is really aggressive. Finnigan would probably tolerate a tank mate, and Talos would be okay with a tank mate. You really need to know your bettas temperament to determine an appropriate tank mate.

* "Females are smaller and peaceful, so I can put them together!"

No, you cannot. Females are just as aggressive, and more dangerous because they don't have long heavy fins slowing them down. Do NOT have a sorority of bettas. Its never a matter of if they fail, its always when.

* "How long do bettas live"

I used to say 3-5 years, but lately with the disgusting rate of over breeding for colour and aggression, its more like 1-2.5 years.

* "How do I get my betta to love me?"

Its an open debate whether bettas have the brain complexity to be able to love their owners. In my opinion, they really don't. I think that they can have basic emotions such as anger/aggresion, and comfort when they are housed nicely. You can train your betta to come up to you and flair whenever you feed them, but it really is just a food response rather than a love response.

* "How do I know if my betta is sick?"

I usually take a picture of my fish when I buy them if I think they are healthy. I then compare the photo to the fish if I think there is something wrong. I also keep a look out for lethargy, loss of fins, loss of appetite, and if they have any odd growths like a tumor or fingus.

* "My betta fish is lazy and does nothing but hide, so all bettas are like that"

If your betta does nothing but hide and act lazy, I would make sure he is healthy and your water quality is good. There are some shy/lazy bettas out there, but usually they are still active sometimes. It also can be due to the fact that you have almost nothing in your tank, and they loathe large open spaces, as it makes them feel unsafe and vulnerable and stressed. Bettas love to be active.

* "Bettas are just dumb fish and there is nothing special about them"

Granted bettas are not everyones cup of tea, bettas do have great personalitys and are acutally really smart. I've trained Finnigan (even though he is a gourami) to "give me kiss" before he gets his food (he has to swim to where my finger is and peck the glass before he gets a treat) and I've taught Talos to flair on command. Some people train their bettas to jump through hoops. You get as much interaction as you put in.

[bo0zey]

Pick your favorite questions from the list.

i will do them all for u 0.o

1. Name cianna [see-ah-nah]

2. Nationality mexican irish german romanian hungarian french

3. Age 20

4. Birthday december 17, 1999

5. Zodiac sign (or your primal zodiac sign) sun: sagittarius; ascendant: leo; moon: aries

6. Gender female

7. Sexuality uhhhhhhhhhhhh idk but i will willingly kiss either gender

8. Your looks (add a picture or describe yourself) /tagged/my-face or u could just google pictures of fat rats

9. What do you/did you study? I’m currently a sophomore nursing major!

10. What's your current job like?/What job would you like to have? I’m currently a microbiology TA and I love it :) My dream job would be something with animals, like a vet tech or veterinarian

11. Your birth order i’m the oldest!

12. How many siblings do you have? 2 younger brothers

13. Do you have good relations with your family? my mom was my best friend, my dad and i get along better now that i’m in college, my brothers and i get along pretty well & we’re staring to get closer now that they’re getting older n growing up n developing their own personalities lol

14. How many friends do you have? errrr idk this is a hard question. i have a lot of acquaintances but i’d say i have maybe like less than 10 real friends??

15. Your relationship status single :D

16. What do you look for in a SO? funny!!!!!!!!!must be humorous!!!!and sarcastic and a little weird w darker sense of humor so we can laugh n be dumb together!!!!!!! also i would like them to be kind to me and those around them bc mean ppl suck. also they have to like animals. also i would like them to be loyal and trustworthy and 110% in love w me. and for physical stuff idk kinda attractive but NOT CONVENTIONALLY ATTRACTIVE like i personally don't really like the typically ‘attractive’ person??? 

17. Do you have a crush? currently in love w the cute chinese boy who lives across from my dorm room even tho i have never even spoken to him n he is totally unaware of my existence!!!!!!!! hahah oops :D

18. When did you have your first kiss? i mean technically 3rd grade i think but that doesn't really count so like maybe 16????

19. Do you prefer serious and meaningful relationships or casual dating/one night stands? i mean in the long term i would definitely like to have a serious relationship but at the moment i’m only into casual stuff bc my heart isn't ready to be broken again sknfkjdbnkjd

20. What are your deal breakers? errrr i’m not sure....cheating is a no no, ppl that are interested in fucking every single person they see is a turn off, DUMB PEOPLE like ppl you can't even have a proper conversation with bc they're so DUMB, and ppl who r mean/judgmental/arrogant

21. How was your day? ok! accidentally slept thru my math class but caught a glimpse of my crush across campus when he was abt to smoke a cig and i got chipotle n i online shopped a ton from shein

22. Favourite food & drink deep dish spinach pizza from giordano’s & orange vitamin water

23. What position do you sleep in? i fall asleep on my left side hugging a body pillow

24. What was your last dream about? ate a braid of hair and inside the braid was bacon

25. Your fears not going to make it thru nursing school, not being financially stable as an adult, not having a family of my own, probably more but those r currently top 3

26. Your dreams i don't have any idk....maybe having like a house of my own and having as many animals as i want?? and i would like a loving partner with a daughter of our own

27. Your goals survive nursing school and lose 40 pounds and don't die before my cat

28. Any pets? i have a dog named cherry Cola, a cat named Leto, and a betta fish named Perc

29. What are your hobbies? writing stories about people in love, listening to music

30. Any cool places in your area? in my college town??? NO it sucks. in my hometown??? Not really it’s a small lil village with only restaurants and parks. but at home i’m near downtown chicago so that’s cool i guess

31. What was your last awkward situation? the first thing that comes to mind is my FIRST and so far ONLY encounter with my crush. we live in the same dorm building and i was wearing my nursing scrubs and had no make up on and about to go upstairs to my dorm, and then i heard footsteps and i was like ‘hahaha what if its my crush’ AND THEN HE FUCKIGJNG appeared from down the hallway to go back to HIS DORM [which is RIGHT ACROSS FROM MINE] and i literally STARED at him, then threw open the door and RAN UP THE STAIRS LIKE I LITERALLY DIDNT EVEN HOLD THE DOOR OPEN FOR ME AND HE WAS LIKE SO CLOSE BEHIND ME I WAS JUST SO NERVOUS MY FLIGHT OR FIGHT RESPONSE TOOK OVER AND I FUCKING FLED I LITERALLY RAN AWAY FROM HIM I AHTE MYSELF SO MUCH IM SUCH AN IDIOT!!!!!!!!!

32. What is your last regret? errrrr idk i regret a lot of dumb things.......

33. Language/s you can speak English n a LITTLE bit of Spanish

34. Do you believe in astrological stuff? (Zodiac, tarot, etc.) i’m really into zodiac stuff and i have got to say they are pretty spot on in accuracy idk

35. Have any quirks? ummmm ofc!!i am the quirkiest person i know hajnjfxbkjx like if u asked my roommates/friends they’d probably be better at answering this than me bc i don't see anything abt me as quirky but they always tell me i am quirky and do weird things but idk man I'm just existing 

36. Your pet peeves err idk currently its ppl that constantly brag about dumb shit

37. Ideal vacation somewhere warm with me + the ocean + the loml + unlimited alcohol

38. Any scars? yeah :D both emotional AND physical!!!!

39. What does your last text message say? ‘ok thats a more than fair statement’

40. Last 5 things from your search history how many carbs should i eat, chipotle bowl calories, is the grim reaper the angel of death, ceftriaxone adverse effects, red man syndrome

41. What's your [device] background? lockscreen is a peach-theme background i made and home screen is my weight loss goals

42. What do you daydream about? the characters in my stories.................and being skinny 

43. Describe your dream home pretty brick house??? flowers outside??? 3 floors--main floor, basement and upstairs??? 3 bedrooms n 3 bathrooms maybe??? master bedroom has its own bathroom!!! and open concept main floor. big kitchen and very homey n warm all around. as for like an apartment i want something cozy and aesthetically pleasing and warm 

44. What's your religion/Your thought about religion i don't have a religion but if ppl do have a religion then thats not my business

45. Your personality type entj but only bc i got 3% extraverted; i am very closely related to intj tho n i think i fit that one better

46. The most dangerous thing you've done uhhhhhh probably operating a vehicle while high out of my mind. definitely the dumbest thing i ever did 0/10 would recommend anyone ever doing that

47. Are you happy with your current life? its ok but it could probably be better. i want to be done w college and skip to the part where i have a successful career and my own home and i can lay up w the loml every night

48. Some things you've tried in your life alcohol???weed??gummy edibles....

49. What does your wardrobe consist of? sweaters/sweatshirts/leggings

50. Favourite colour to wear? black, maroon, peach, purple, gray, idk

51. How would you describe your style? oh jeez idk i wear whatever i want so like e-girl when i really try and basic white girl when i don't care

52. Are you happy with your current looks? no i hate everything about myself lol

53. If you could change/add something to your appearance - impossible or not - what would it be? more freckles on my face....also be thinner n have longer hair

54. Any tattoos or piercings? my nose and septum are pierced!

55. Do you get complimented often? kinda by my friends but i always yell at them to stop so they don't compliment like as much bc they know i hate it but they still do it sometimes idk

56. Favourite aesthetic? i wanna be an e-girl yo!!!!!!!!! 

57. A popular trend that you dislike nobody has a crush on me and i hate it

58. Songs you're currently obsessed with? pied piper by BTS

59. Song you normally wouldn't admit you like. anything by BTS lol i used to like be embarrassed for how much i like k pop but now i don't really care lol #stanBTS2020

60. Favourite genre? rap/r n b/alternative

61. Favourite artist/band/genre? i listen to every genre except country sooooooo yeah i really like billie eilish, BTS, the weeknd, juicewrld, lil nas x, trippie red, post malone,

62. Hated popular songs/artists? i don't rlly like selena gomez or justin bieber or taylor swift

63. Put your music on shuffle and list first 5 only - RY X i.f.l.y. - Bazzi novacane - frank ocean jungle - drake bang! - trippie redd

64. Can you sing or play any instruments? no and no

65. Do you like karaoke? no but i like to sing along to songs when I'm alone

66. Own any albums? haha noooo i got apple music son

67. Do you listen to radio? What stations? errr RARELY i used to listen to r n b stations tho

68. Favourite movie/series? idk donnie darko?? i also just finished tharntype n that was really good. also i liked tokyo ghoul. AND GIVEN IS REALLY GOOD

69. Favourite genre of movies/books/etc i like horror/scary/paranormal/funny movies and i like love stories in books

70. Your fictional crush/es danny phantom, ken kaneki

71. Which fictional character is you? uhhhh idk...

72. Are you a shipper? List your otps, if so frerard, ryden, taekook, mewgulf

73. Favourite greek god? idk they all kinda suck but maybe hades

74. A legend from where you live that you like i don't really know any:(

75. Do you like art? What's your favourite work or artist? i like to look at art! i think van gogh is cool

76. Can you share your other social media? ig: ciannnna venmo: ciannnna

77. Favourite youtubers? i don't really watch youtubers but maybe shane dawson and emma chamberlain

78. Favourite platform? twitter

79. How much time do you spend on the internet? too much time

80. What video games have you played? Which one's your favourite? i once played GTA5 that was fun!

81. Your favourite books (manga also counts) idk i don't really read anymore:/ i was into the hunger games and the twilight series when i was young. now i kinda read online manga and i really liked BJ Alex and killing stalking. and like for online books the unholyverse series, a splitting of the mind, the anatomy of a fall

82. Do you play board/card games? no but i like to play checkers and uno and cards against humanity

83. Have you ever been to a night marathon in cinema? nopee

84. Favourite holiday halloween is cool also christmas is alright bc gifts

85. Are you into dramas? i’ve been getting into thai boys love dramas lol sue me

86. Would you use death note, if you had one? um YES.

87. What changes would you make in the world, no matter how impossible, if you had the power to? everyone needs to be a little kinder and have a crush on me

88. Could you survive a zombie apocalypse? absolutely not I'm not physically fit and don't have useful skills

89. If you had to be turned into a paranormal being, what would it be? vampire duh [or maybe ghost]

90. What would you want to happen to you after your death? i want to see my mom

91. If you had to change your name, what would be your pick? idk something cool ... i love the name Daisy

92. Who would you switch your life with for a week? idk probably kylie jenner

93. Pick an emoji to be your tattoo idk the alien? 94. Write 3 things about yourself - only one of them must be true -im very productive with my time management skills -my favorite color is purple -i don't get nervous when I'm alone in public

95. Cold or hot? cold

96. Be a hero or be a villain? anti-hero

97. Sing everything you want to say or rhyme? sing if i’m good at it but if I'm not good then rhyme

98. Shapeshifting or controlling time? shapeshifting

99. Be immortal or be immune to everything aside from natural death?immortal

100. ..... or .....? ......?

[paracosmicat]

uhhhh can i get 1 through 50 for the ask meme??

1st of all I love u second of all thank u 

1. What is you middle name? Rae

2. How old are you? 21

3. When is your birthday? November 11th

4. What is your zodiac sign? Scorpio

5. What is your favorite color? A bright sunshine yellow

6. What’s your lucky number? 11

7. Do you have any pets? I have a huskey/sheppard mix named Zoey and a betta fish named Finn

8. Where are you from? I was born in Chicago

9. How tall are you? I’m small I’m 5’2

10. What shoe size are you? See I’m short and yet my shoe size is 9??

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? About ten but I only wear 2 of them

12. What was your last dream about? I haven’t had any dreams the last couple of days but a little bit ago I had a dream where I was in Andi Mack and me and Cyrus were hanging out and we saw TJ kiss someone else and Cyrus started crying

13. What talents do you have? The ability to do things I hate for the sake of practicing which I’m only listing as a talent because I’ve worked on being able to do that

14. Are you psychic in any way? Nah sometimes I get bad vibes from people and so far they’ve turned out to be right but I wouldn’t call that psychic

15. Favorite song? Phase Me Out by Vérité or Talia by King Princess

16. Favorite movie? Legally Blonde or Love Simon

17. Who would be your ideal partner? Someone that I’d feel comfortable communicating with and who talks to me

18. Do you want children? My lowkey goal is 100 (adopted) but I might not make it and I’ve accepted that

19. Do you want a church wedding? I’m open if the girl I marry wants one I’m not set on a specific place so it’s 100% her pick

20. Are you religious? I believe in God but not the bible

21. Have you ever been to the hospital? Been inside one yes

22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? No

23. Have you ever met any celebrities? I gave Emily Osment a bracelet and she threw it in the garbage right after

24. Baths or showers? Both

25. What color socks are you wearing? Black with planets and stars on them

26. Have you ever been famous? I got over 100 likes on a post before

27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? I feel like it’d be cool but I’ve done so much research into the psychology behind youtubers and celebrities and it’s kinda scary so /Maybe?/

28. What type of music do you like? I listen to only female singers not gonna lie except Troye Sivan and Harry Styles my entire playlist is female

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? No

30. How many pillows do you sleep with? I have 2 and a giant body pillow

31. What position do you usually sleep in? I have ADHD I can’t stay still enough to have a preference

32. How big is your house? My apartment is actually really big for the amount that rent is 

33. What do you typically have for breakfast? Turkey bacon and eggs or cereal

34. Have you ever fired a gun? Nooope

35. Have you ever tried archery? I did and I shot an apple on accident

36. Favorite clean word? Sunshine

37. Favorite swear word? The heck word

38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep?  I once pulled an all nighter 2 nights in a row and I still have no idea how I did that because I feel dizzy if I don’t get like 10 hours of sleep now

39. Do you have any scars? A couch cut me once and I still have the scar

40. Have you ever had a secret admirer? In middle school 

41. Are you a good liar? No

42. Are you a good judge of character? Yeah I think so

43. Can you do any other accents other than your own? Not very good

44. Do you have a strong accent? No

45. What is your favorite accent? I don’t know I think Rihanna has a cool accent

46. What is your personality type? The mom friend

47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? My Harry Styles sweater was like 60

48. Can you curl your tongue?Yes

49. Are you an innie or an outie? Innie

50. Left or right handed? Right handed

[fantroll-purgatory]

@sartoonis

:’^)

Alternia, Beforus, or Au?: Alternia

Name: Aledie Plakat

Aledie after the Adelaide River Floodplain where large amounts of the Betta fish were found as an invasive species Plakat is the thai name for the Betta Fish (Siamese Fighting Fish) and translates into the “Biting fish”

Blood Colour: Violet

Sign: Aquiborn (Derse + Rage) Sign of the Hedonist

Derse or Prospit?: Derse

I think he miiiight be a Prospitan? He seems fairly comfortable with himself and his place in the world.

God Tier: ______ of rage I dont really have a class for him yet so if ya can help out that would be great!

I mean he’s DEFINITELY Rage, which would make him Aquicorn, the Tempest. Fun! I may slip in a few references to Prospero if I’m stuck. He certainly dresses like a Sorcerer.

For his class, I think he might be a Maid? He’s actively creating these prisons and fear and uncertainty, which in turn destroys these other trolls’ hopes and dreams. Also you could say he’s “made” of Rage even if he seems outwardly flamboyant; a lot of his actions seem to come from fear, paranoia, jealousy, etc.

Land: no clue really

Oh fudge I really like the idea that he gets Land of Scylla and Charybdis. Underwater and just crammed with oceanic reptilian consorts ready to make his life a living hell. Now his movement is restricted because of beasts he can’t contain!

Strife Specubi: Canekind! When he presses down on the crystal ball twice in a quick succsession a knife will pop out so he can do a stabbo 

I actually kinda like him using capekind? I’m thinking Cape Mario from Super Mario World; he could disorient someone by flinging it in their eyes or twist it up like a rat-tail and snap at people with it! Fetch Modus:Idk

How about a BUBBLE NEST MODUS like the ones male betta fish make to house their eggs? Needs constant monitoring to make sure no items “fall to the bottom” and lose potency.

Quirk: he OFTEN TYPES IN ALL CAPS TO RECREATE AN ANNOUNCER VOICE, AND REALLY EXTENDS HIS GREETINGS WITH A COUPLE OF LETTERS, DRAWING IT OUT. He also will type as if he is advertising something! It all really depends on his mood, and he guarantees you will love it no matter what! 

HOw bOut he capitalizes all his o’s? Glub.

The quick brOwn fOx jumps Over the lazy dOg.

Lusus: a great white sized Siamese Fighting Fish, also known as the Betta fish

Sure! I kinda want his Bettadad to have much, much longer fins than usual for extra fance.

Personality/what he does: He really “appreciates” landwellers and is extremely fascinsted by them! So much so that he kidnaps them and places them in zoo-like areas! Dont worry! The landwellers have a comfortable 50x50ft enclosure so they can run around as if they were on the surface! And their enclosures are full of air! He feeds them only the healthiest diet of two meals of vegetables a day. And all day everyday there are an assortment of shows preformed by the landwellers! Where they show off their incredible strength, psyconics and much more! 

hjdgjglkh I also love this bc of how many people are similarly bad about keeping bettas! I should know; I had two bettas when I was younger and in retrospect did NOT know how to take care of them at ALL.

His life and blood is in this zoo. He often goes up into the land accompanied by his other violet buds to kidnap usually young trolls and sometimes even grubs if they are lucky. He puts the blood into different crystal balls of his most proud catches. Right now his upmost favourite is a lime blood he caught. He also offers a history of the landweller despite it not all being correct. He is extremely flamboyant and likes to show of his bling. If he has a prized exhibit that troll will get the(e) best treatment. He likes to spend quality time with his exhibits by personally training them here and then. With everyblood caste he has different restraints to keep them in check and if one of them acts out of line, he will not hold back his “discipline” he is very territorial of his zoo and if one troll even thinks like they own the place he will fite them then and there.

I think I like the general thrust of this bio except for him going out to snag a bunch of lowbloods with his buddies. Like the thing about betta fish is they don’t get along with their own kind! Even when they’re mating you gotta get the female out of there STAT or they’ll FIGHT. So here’s my minor pitch: yeah, sure, maybe they can get along long enough to collaborate to kidnap a lowblood. But when it comes time to decide who takes the troll home? That’s when fights start. Let him compete in the most fucked-p game of Zoo Tycoon possible, and make it so he’s currently winning.

I hope that is enough to work with :’^)

For sure it is! Once again this is one of those reviews I was stuck on because it’s so strongly built! Also tbh I don’t...have a redesign? This fancyboy looks great as he is.

[writing-yj]

can i ask you to answer all 0-61, i just really love your writing and wanna know everything about you sorry

This WILL be deleted later, honestly, but here goes... Some personal info. ones are not on here, for obvious reasons.0: Height?5'3 (In my mind, I'm 5'4, leave me alone2: Shoe size?My feet can fit in many different sized shoes, so I have no idea3: Do you smoke?Fuck no4: Do you drink?Not alcohol5: Do you take drugs?Prescribed medication, if that's what you're asking7: Have tattoos?Not yet9: Got any piercings?Just ears10: Want any piercings?Not sure if I want any others yet11: Best friend?I don't use this label so I don't offend anyone or they get weirded out12: Relationship statusI've been single for three years, my boyfriend is fictional 13: Biggest turn onsI trust very few people with this information14: Biggest turn offsBody odor, risk getting caught in public, you know what I have too many to list and I don't feel like going through all of them, soooo15: Favorite movieThis makes me think too hard16: I’ll love you if...I don't even know what real love is supposed to be like in a romantic sense. So I have no idea what will make me truly love someone.17: Someone you missMy friends from camp, my guinea pig that passed away earlier this year, my aunt who passed away from breast cancer, and a friend I grew up with that passed away from Batten Disease.18: Most traumatic experienceI mean, I was bullied a LOT in my younger years and my mom used to yell at me a lot more than she does now. And there was a fight at my school and this girl got hurt REALLY bad and she was screaming out of pain. I couldn't get the sound of it out of my head for days and I had nightmares.20: What I hate most about myselfBITCH, I HAVE A LONG LIST TO CHOOSE FROM AND I AM NOT CHOOSING NOW22: What I want to be when I get olderI wanna be a vet tech!23: My relationship with my sibling(s)Sometimes it's iffy (I want to deck my brother at least half the time I'm around him), I know for a fact that my twin is somewhat two-faced; a seemingly kind and straight A student who hardly ever does something wrong, but she can be completely different and downright mean behind my back/closed doors. I like me older sister, there's nothing wrong about my relationship with her.24: My relationship with my parent(s)I get along with my dad a hell of a lot more than my mom. He is waaayyy less strict than she is on almost everything. Yeah, I love my mom, but things can be tense between us. I try my best not to get an attitude, but it's hard to when she's the one swearing at us to do things or to scold us, and it's hard when she's so unnecessarily strict!25: My idea of a perfect dateMaybe a dinner date where it's not super busy, maybe just eating/hanging out at each others' houses. Definitely NOT somewhere crowded, like the fair or circus. And I wouldn't like to go to the movies either; I want to be able to talk to him.26: My biggest pet peevesNew paragraphs not being started whenever a new person talks or when there's a subject change, waking up early (if you're not a parent or an adult, wake me up early and you DIE), being forced to eat a meal when I'm not hungry, loud noises, and many more.27: A description of the girl/boy I likeI actually don't have a crush irl right now. Not really a dedicated celebrity crush, either. Does Nightwing count? 😂💖28: A description of the person I dislike the mostI dislike so many people, I can't decide29: A reason I’ve lied to a friendI don't want to bother them with my emotions, I don't want to bother them in general, or I just have a secret I want to keep to myself.30: What I hate the most about work/schoolGetting up early, learning things I know I won't need, and homework.31: What my last text message says"Okay😊"32: What words upset me the most"Shut up", "You're fat", and "Why can't you stop being weird for once?".33: What words make me feel the best about myself"You're a great friend", "I trust you", and "You're an amazing person, Ren"34: What I find attractive in womenI can't say that I'm attracted to women35: What I find attractive in menSharp jawline, eyes, hands, neck/collarbone, handsome face, etc. I am attracted to many handsome men.36: Where I would like to liveSomewhere WARM, DAMMIT37: One of my insecuritiesI am constantly insecure about my weight. In an unhealthy, almost obsessive way.38: My childhood career choiceTeacher or vet.39: My favorite ice cream flavorDon't ask me this, not today!40: Who I wish I could beSome rich woman who has plenty of time to write and money to use for useful purposes41: Where I want to be right nowWith one of my very close friends42: The last thing I ateI can't remember? Bad memory.43: Sexiest person that comes to my mind immediatelyNIGHTWING44: A random fact about anythingI love writing angst, I wish I had the ability to write smut, and male betta fish will kill the female betta fish if she won't mate with him.45: One of my best featuresUm, I can be funny and I have great eyelashes?46: SexualityStraight/Heterosexual47: Got any hobbies?I do; I like drawing, painting, video games, WRITING (obviously), talking about super heroes, and getting/giving physical affection other than hugs.48: Favourite clothing storesI don't go to specific clothing stores... Mostly just Walmart and online shopping49: Where I would like to studyQuiet library or with a friend50: What's stressing you at the moment?School, I'll be able to drive again in January (I had a seizure in July and you can't drive for six months after a seizure), my room is a mess, I can't get on my laptop until Sunday (I got an attitude with mom 😒), two of my guinea pigs are sick, I really wanna hang out with friends, my fish tank needs clean, I have around thirty requests and imagines I still need to write, and more.51: Favourite music genresI'm all over the place with music52: Worst thing a friend has done to meDated my crush when she knew damn well that I liked him. And one friend shocked me with a dog collar, which is BAD because I have a pacemaker.53: Favourite subjects at schoolHistory and my art classes. And orchestra class, if that counts.54: Perfect guy/girlDick Grayson. Someone like him. Or someone funny, handsome, kind/caring, and will not use me mainly for sexual purposes.55: Something no-one I know IRL knows about meI still stress the hell out about my weight56: Happiest memoryI have many happy memories, which one?59: Best advice someone has given you"The heart must first pump blood to itself" and "Don't throw the first punch, but you sure as hell throw the second"60: Books you recommend"The Vampire Stalker"61: Movies you recommendThe Purge, Disney's Princess and the Frog, Pacific Rim, Son of Batman, Batman VS Robin, and Batman Begins.

[cecehathaway]

About Dorothy

FACE CLAIM: Kylie Bunbury FULL NAME: Dorothy Ayanna McCoy NAMESAKE: Named after Dorothy Dandridge. Her dad was a huge admirer of Old Hollywood stars (her sisters were named after Lena Horne & Ruby Dee) NICKNAMES: D/Dee (most people), Dot (her sister), Dottie (mostly Mary), Double Dee (Daina), Wilma (Ryan), Dory (Henna & Ella) DOB: September 29, 1991 PLACE OF BIRTH: Queens, NY CURRENT LOCATION: Brooklyn, NY HEIGHT: 5’ 8" PHYSIQUE: Tall, slender, & somewhat pear-shaped ALLERGIES: None HEALTH CONDITIONS: Diagnosed with asthma in her youth. Has an inhaler that is only used as-needed. GENDER: Female PRONOUNS: She/Her SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Romantic Bisexual NATIONALITY: American ETHNICITY: Afro-Guyanese, Swedish & Polish ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Libra LANGUAGE(S): Fluent in English & Spanish; familiar with some ASL GLASSES/CONTACTS: Yes to both. TATTOOS/PIERCINGS: 1 Tattoo, left shoulder blade  | 1 piercing in each ear.

IMMEDIATE FAMILY: Eugene McCoy [father/Pops, deceased], Dr. Diana McCoy [mother/Mom, deceased], Lena McCoy-Bell [sister, living in Queens], Ruby McCoy [half-sister, living in Connecticut] EXTENDED FAMILY: Victor Bell [brother-in-law], Francesca “Chesca” Robin Bell [niece] MARITAL STATUS: Single CHILDREN: Sidney Gene McCoy (namesake, Sidney Poitier); born March 7, 2017 PETS: Bubbles [Betta fish] & Fiyero [French Bulldog]

HOGWARTS HOUSE: Ravenclaw COLOR: Aqua CHINESE ZODIAC: Goat/ram/sheep BRIGGS MEYER PERSONALITY: ESFJ-T ALIGNMENT: Neutral Good OCCUPATION: Licensed Nurse Practitioner, certified in Women’s Health & Midwifery, currently working at Manhattan General Hospital ANNUAL SALARY: Approx. $95,000 + holiday bonuses & benefits EDUCATION: Bachelor of Science/undergrad degree in Nursing at NYU (class of 2013), Graduate/Masters degree in Nursing at Columbia (2015). Licensing (2015) & certification completion (2017) through Manhattan General Hospital FASHION SENSE: When working, scrubs and sometimes business professional attire depending on where she’s at on a shift. When going for plans with friends or to an event, she dresses nicely in stylish outfits, a lot of the time choosing solids or simple patterns and pairing black/white/greys with some colors to whatever she’s wearing. At home, if she’s not planning to go anywhere, she has her share of lounging outfits–sweats, yoga pants, or just her pajamas. It’s not often that she gets to wear the latter-most though. She loves jewelry and little accessories to pair with her outfits. She loves the summertime the most but far as shoes go, she is especially fond of boots–her main reason for liking the cooler seasons.

PERSONALITY Some positive traits--kind, honest, giving Some neutral traits--pragmatic, direct, & curious Some negative traits--quick-tempered, stubborn, & prone to holding grudges Despite being quick-tempered, Dorothy is usually a fair person. She was raised in a loving home with two supportive parents. They often encouraged her and her sister to give things an honest try before writing it off. The same has applied with people, thus allowing her outgoing nature to flourish. She enjoys learning for learning’s sake and is also great at offering up both creative and practical ideas, giving a relatively even balance on the way her mind operates. 

Dorothy can be easily angered and often holds grudges, but she is not one for taking passive-aggressive approaches. If she’s upset, you will know it, and most of the time she is good at keeping it directed at exactly whomever she is upset with. She is honest, no matter what her behavior, and although she knows of “forgive and forget” she has been able to forgive others in time, but rarely does she forget since she believes remembering will help her learn in the future.

HOBBIES/ACTIVITIES (when she has/makes time) & TALENTS Watching movies Sewing & embroidery Cooking & baking Reading Singing Playing board games

FAVORITES color– pastels (she doesn’t have 1 particular favorite) foods/cuisine– Mexican & Greek foods movie genre– comedy and musical movies flower– Peonies and tiger lilies snack– Buttered popcorn season– Autumn & Summer book genre– Romance & adventure animals– Butterflies & hummingbirds candy– Blow Pops & Haribo peaches

DISLIKES color– She doesn’t dislike any colors but her least favorite color is probably burnt orange foods/cuisine– Raisins, black, licorice, raw broccoli or treacle tarts movie genre– Horror flower– Carnations snack– raisins season– Winter book genre– Horror animals– Mosquitoes, mice, roaches, (most bugs), & snails/slugs candy– Milky Ways & 3 Musketeers

[drferox]

20 Questions with Dr Ferox #19

Hi vetlings! I must apologize for my reduced activity and inconsistent schedule, I feel terrible about it and I am working on getting back on track. But for now, here are 20 questions that have been sitting in my inbox for too long. If you asked on Anon you’ll have to see if your question is here manually, but I have tried to tag those that were brave enough to use their name.

Anonymous asked:just curious -- do vets have any confidentiality requirements like people doctors do WRT their patients/their patients' conditions?

More or less, yes. It's more client-confidentiality than patient-confidentiality because it's the human's privacy that matters, not the animal. That's why when I tell stories from work I don't include photos of the patient, even though I know you really want me to, and I often obscure non-critical details like sex, age, name, breed or time. This way I can talk about a case or a situation without talking about a specific, identifiable person.

Anonymous asked: Hi! I've been reading through your blog, and it's really cool. Do you work with exotic pets as well, such as reptiles or birds? If you do, what was your best experience? Have a wonderful day!

Not very much, and most of the birds and reptiles I see these days are wildlife. We're not very well set up for exotics, we don't even have a heat lamp in the building, and we tell people this when they call for an appointment. The best experience was probably treating a blue and gold macaw for egg binding. The bird was part of a breeding pair and supposed to be worth $30,000, and I treated it successfully.

@theroyalfrogman said: Have you ever worked with aquatic animals, such as fish, salamanders, frogs, etc.? If so, did you enjoy it? (Sorry if this was already answered in the faq, I'm on mobile and the app won't let me see it)

We don't have salamanders down here, and I haven't worked with frogs since I was a vet student. I do keep my own fish, nothing super fancy at the moment, and I desperately wanted to get more into aquarium medicine when I first graduated, but Tasmania is very strict about importing fish so there wasn't much I could do, and I found most of the local pet store owners unusually hostile, so I did not get into it as much as I wanted to. I did spend some of by vet school time at the Melbourne Aquarium, and on placement with their vet Dr Robert Jones.

Anonymous said: I have a question- a lot of people I know that interact with a lot of animals seem like they've noticed that certain cat coat colors have traits that they tend to have- ginger cats are nice, tortiseshells tend to be tiny, etc, etc. Have you noticed anything like this? Thank you!

I have noticed that 'boring' colour cats tend to have nicer personalities, probably because they have nothing else to make themselves stand out for adoption. Most of the time I associate personalities with breed, though tortoiseshell cats having attitude definitely seems to be a real phenomenon.

Chestnut mares also have a reputation for being difficult to handle and 'spicy'. I don't know about riding them, but they do have an increased risk of anaesthetic complications in recovery which is statistically significant  and they are notably more likely to injure themselves while waking up.

@mewwile said: what's your favorite coat/fur pattern? it can be any animal, cats or bunnies or dogs or multiple patterns you like!

I'm pretty fond of anything 'wild-type' or wolfy in dogs. I will always have a fondness for the humble tabby cat. I horses I can't help myself, I just love the look of buckskins. I know it's not fur, but I also always wanted to keep a blue marble crowntail betta, but life hasn't gotten me that far yet.

Anonymous said: i recently, literally only a few weeks ago, got my female cat fixed and shes been puttin weight, is the normal and like is there anythin i should be doin about it?

Yes, feed her less. If she's gaining weight then she's consuming more calories than she's expending. Removing the reproductive tract can reduce a cat's energy requirements by up to 10%, so you may need to account for this.

Anonymous said: So, I got a dog about a year ago, and she unfortunately contracted Parvo. She's fine now, but I have sort of two questions. One, what are the long term, if any, affects on a dogs growth because of Parvo? She's significantly smaller than her siblings. Two, is it possible she contracted Parvo from the vaccine? She didn't go anywhere in the weeks leading up to her vaccination except for the vets, and they said it could be a number of things. Thank you for your time, I very much enjoy your blog!

She did not contract parvovirus from the vaccine. Parvo is an extremely resilient virus and it can survive in soil for at least 20 years, and it's also spread by foxes. It may also be spread by cats (I'm pretty sure it is, but the jury's still out on that one). In high parvo areas we often don't figure out how the transmission has occurred, because people could bring it into the house on their clothing, cats could bring it into the yard, or there might have been a previous case at that property years ago. I've written about parvovirus before, but in terms of long term effects pups that were very young when they contracted the infection may have some heart muscle damage, some dogs end up with some intestinal scaring, but most dogs do pretty well if they get over the initial infection.

@friskerart said: Hello :D So straight away I will say this is NOT a request for advice, I have a lovely vet who goes above and beyond to help our senior cat. Eve is at least 18 now and in the last year she started having both seizures and syncope. With the help of anti seizure medication and funnily enough hyperthyroid cream she's gone from near constant fits and fainting to one a week :D Is this something you've ever dealt with before?

Syncope is fairly common with hyperthyroidism secondary to cardiac changes and high blood pressure. The seizures responding to the medication makes me wonder if they were related to high blood pressure also, but I'm no medicine specialist so don't take my word as gospel.

Anonymous said: Hi Dr. Ferox. I was wondering how necessary you think dental cleanings for cats are? I've had some vets say that it's absolutely necessary every year and some others say that it isn't. I know that some cats are more prone to periodontal disease also so I would assume it depends on the cat?

You certainly should have a dental check at least every year, but whether a cleaning under anaesthetic is required or not will depend on the cat. Some cats should be checked every 6 months, which is why many clinics offer free dental checks during their dental month promotions.

Anonymous asked: I've read on cat forums that cats vaccinated for FIV (or maybe it was FeLV?) can test positive for it later. Do you know if there's any truth to that? There was a bit of a fear mongering vibe, recommending against that vaccine, so that if something ever happened the cat wouldn't be in a worse situation for testing positive for a disease with a stigma. (It was awhile ago, might have been in the context of managed feral cat colonies?)

That's an excellent question. It used to be true that  cats vaccinated for FIV would test positive on all tests, so it was only recommended for microchipped cats. However in the last few years at least two tests on the market have proved that they only detect infected cats, not vaccinated cats, so this is now much less of an issue. There was always a lab test that could be done to differentiate between vaccinated and infected cats, but it was expensive so never popular.

Anonymous said: Is panting ever good for a cat, or always a sign of distress of some kind?

It's always a sign of distress of some kind. It mighe be just heat or fear, in which case the cat should calm down and stop panting after a minute or two of being allowed to do so, but more than that and I get very worried.

Anonymous said: Hiya, I can't find a current question tax? So have a compliment tax: you are amazing and lovely and have the best blog <3 and anyway I was talking to a friend who is working with dogs and he was advocating for it being a good thing to not feed your dog for a day every now and then? it sounds utterly stupid on the surface (especially as someone recovering from EDs...) and google is giving me nothing but controversy and I just wanted an opinion from someone I respect and trust. :)

Yeah, I'm not a fan of fasting your dog unless it has a GI disturbance from eating something stupid (eg garbage) or prior to surgery, and even then try not to do it for more than 12 hours. Those enterocytes need food in the gut for nutrition, you don't have to fast a dog to keep it healthy, and it's probably super confusing for the dog too. A dog is not a wolf.

Anonymous said: Hello! I hope you've been having a good day! I was wondering your thoughts about the dental treats they make for dogs. I've been giving my 9 year old milk bone brushing chews lately but I was wondering if they really help or if I should do something else to care for her teeth Thanks for taking the time to help me.

If they have a VOHC certification (Veterinary Oral Health Council) then they are probably some use in promoting good dental health, but if they don't then there's no way to prove that they do. Anybody can make something they claim is good for your dog's teeth, but only products with the VOHC seal have proven it.

Anonymous said: Not a pleasant question, but: if a heavily pregnant animal is speyed, is there usually an attempt made to euthanize the fetuses in case they're capable of feeling pain at that stage? If so, how is that done?

Once the uterus and its contents are removed from the animal, the foetuses are generally injected with euthanasia solution one by one. They're usually not removed from the uterus to do this, sometimes you can feel the heartbeat enough to aim. They're often partially anaesthetised when removed anyway, since the medication affecting the mother will affect the fetuses, so they are already slowed down and I would expect them to feel less than they normally would, the injection just makes sure.

@politically-elected-king-of-hell said: Hey Dr! I have seen on the internet that sometimes vets will pack wounds with sugar. Why is this, and what would make you want to pack sugar versus not packing sugar?

I would really only use sugar for something oedematous and prolapsed, eg a rectum or penis which has popped out and swollen up so much I can't get it back in to where it's supposed to be. Sugar is extremely hypertonic, it draws moisture into itself, thereby reducing swelling. Then if I happen to get some stuck on that organ when it's replaced, it wont do much harm, the body is well adapted to absorbing that sugar. That's really the only scenario I would use it. Sometimes I will use honey on grossly contaminated external wounds for a similar reason, but also because honey will stick to the dirt and necrotic tissue, helping me debride it at a bandage change and is so hypertonic bacteria struggle to grow in it.

Anonymous said: Can the flu be spread from humans to cats and dogs?

It's generally not spread to dogs and cats but can be spread to ferrets.

@ladyofthemountains said: Is there a age restriction for catnip? Like should a kitten not play with toys that have it till a certain age?

No, but it shouldn't play with it if it's going to be driving home later.

@gravity-gravy said: You know I've always wondered why the traits that greyhounds have were breed into them, like the dolichocephalic faces and the general body shape that they have. Do these traits help them at all with perform with racing or where they breed into them because of aesthetic? And do we know when these traits first appeared in the breed?

They were bred for function, their appearance certainly assists them in running fast and winning races. The origin of the breed is somewhat obscured, but there are greyhound-like dogs in Ancient Egyptian art, so that's a good start. Dogs that win more races these days are bred more, so there is a slight selective pressure for the longer face too in dogs which win their races 'by a nose'.

@themagickey13 said: I have a habit of trying to get injured wild animals to wildlife facilities. People keep telling me I am not really helping at all because they are just going to put the animal down rather than try to save them. I am a realistic person so I know most of those animals have to be euthanized, but I always say to these people that I would rather be put to sleep peacefully than be left dying on a highway in agony, and I don't own a gun. Am I right to do this or should I let nature take it's course?

If it's a species with a high conservation value (eg something endangered) then it might not be put to sleep, you never know. Your actions might not make much difference to the whole ecosystem, but I don't think that's why you're doing it. You do make a difference to that individual animal, and need to decide for yourself whether you think that's worth it.

Anonymous said: I usually do sanitary/booty trims but I have heard people having their cats get lion cuts instead. I was hoping you could shed some light on what animals can be fully shaved and why. For the QT: if it's still the headcanon thing, then I always thought you must have dark hair. I'm honestly not sure why.

There's nothing super special about doing a lion cut for a cat. We often do it for cats that have trouble grooming themselves, or that have major hairball problems. Some cats can be done conscious, but a lot need to be sedated for this groom.

[poc-recovering]

@prettyfuldancingirl @azaras-spirit I don’t have a betta, but I do have knowledge on them. Let me tell you, it’s a lot more than pretty much everyone thinks. Here are the basic necessities for a fully aquatic animal.

• Always have Seachem Prime right near your aquarium. This is necessary to remove chlorine and any excess ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite. 2 drops per gallon is efficient. This is for freshwater only, I believe. I don’t know what people have to use in a saltwater tank, but bettas are freshwater.

• Make sure to keep a siphon and a bucket that has the amount of gallons labeled. Don’t forget to have a thermometer in the tank, as well.

• Always have at least one hide per aquatic pet- make sure it’s big enough for them to fit comfortably in.

• Never, ever get a tank too small. Getting a tank too small can and will cause underdevelopment of the animals organs, therefore permanently damaging them, leading to premature death. If an aquatic animal is in a small tank and the animal itself is small, it’s small due to underdevelopment, not just because it’s supposed to be small. For example, a betta needs a minimum of 5 gallons, axolotls need a minimum of 10, etc.

• Always use a filter and research what flow strength is best for your pet. Many aquatic animals need low flow, while many need a more powerful flow.

• Never underestimate your pets intelligence. Most fish have a memory span of months, and some even years.

• Remove your pets waste with a siphon as soon as possible. If it’s a solid, large, and fresh piece of waste, you can remove it with a net.

• Live plants aren’t necessary, but they can be great to have. They absorb some amounts of ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite. However, most aquatic animals love plants, even if they’re fake.

• Never get plastic plants, as they can cut your pets delicate skin. Get silk plants instead.

• Do not get any decor or hides that feel like they could scratch your pets skin.

• Make sure to do weekly water changes. Most aquarists will recommend a 20-25% water change, but never more than 40%. if you do more than this, you will cause an ammonia spike, resulting in extreme stress of your pet and possibly death.

• Some aquatic animals such as axolotls and some frogs will eat anything that can fit in their mouth. This is why you have to do your research on the proper substrate is best and safest for them.

• Your pet should have a balanced diet. Feed them staple foods most of the time, and honestly, don’t give them the flakes just labeled “fish food.” It may be okay sometimes, but it should never be fed to them a lot.

Now, let’s get betta specific. Please add more if I missed anything.

• No bettas should be housed together- it doesn’t matter if they’re male or female. Even if female bettas don’t seem stressed, they are. A common thing with “betta sororities” is violence among bettas because they finally let their agitation out from being housed together. All bettas are naturally aggressive. This means you shouldn’t even house them next to each other unless there’s something to block their view of the other betta.

• Bettas need plenty of silk and/or live plants, as well as at least one hide.

• Bettas require a tank at least 5 gallons. Although their required tank size is debated among the aquarist community, it’s much better to be safe than sorry.

• Don’t overfeed them! Their stomachs are as big as their eyes, so you really don’t need to feed them a lot. Also, it’s recommended to feed them twice a day.

• Bettas require everything I stated in the first list.

10 Steps To Care For Your Hamster (long post!)

1. Do not keep them in pairs. Hamsters are loners - keeping them together often results in stress, fighting, injuries and death. They are very happy alone. 

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2. Minimum cage size

dwarf hamsters: 30 x 20 x 20 inches (80x50x50cm);

bigger hamsters: 40 x 20 x 20 inches (100x50x50cm)!

NOT like this: 

Living in cages like this for them is like a human living in an elevator - a lot too small and even dangerous! 

For them it feels like this:

Behavior like this is a signal for stress because the cage is too small or that they need more bedding:

Better:

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3. Your hamster (always!) needs a hamster wheel - and it must be a lot bigger than you might think! 

Hamster must be able to run with a completely straight back

on a closed surface

with a closed back wall! 

NOT like this: 

Results of those wheels are: spine problems, backache, stress, injuries! 

Minimum wheel size for dwarf hamsters: 9-10 inches. 

Minimum wheel size for bigger hamsters: 12 inches! 

Better: 

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4. Do not buy them plastic tubes (at all): 

Those tubes are not suitable at all: Hamsters get stuck or suffocate in them easily. 

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5. Your hamster needs enough bedding to dig and build tunnels.

NOT like this:  

Better: 

Your hamster will be extremely happy and dig around and build tunnels all day (night). 

A study also found out that (golden) hamsters need up to 12-36 inches of bedding, so just do your best do give them the highest amount of bedding possible. :)

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6. The less plastic the better! 

NOT like this:

Plastic gets swallowed, splinters, can injure or even kill your hamster. 

Better: 

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7. Hamsters ALWAYS need a sand bath.

Hamsters love rolling around in the sand, for them it’s like showering. How would you feel without a shower? 

You can use those little baths as toilets, but you still need a bigger sand bath!

Better:

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8. Hamsters need a house with at least 2 or more chambers to store food, sleep etc. Also make sure that your hamster does have enough hiding places like coconuts, small houses, toilet rolls! 

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9. Do use unperfumed toilet paper for nesting material, don’t use “hamster wool” -> it can tangle around a limb and seriously hurt and even kill your hamster! 

NOT like this: 

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10. Never ever ever put your hamster or any animal in a hamster ball. 

They can’t get out, might suffocate or panic, might run against furniture and seriously injure themselves. The ventilation is terrible, your hamster can’t see/smell/hear enough or use any of their senses properly.

In some countries they even discuss about banning those by law! 

Even if you think that “your hamster has fun in it” - please don’t use them! 

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Please reblog and spread this information.

Pet stores often are very misinformed and sell terrible cages and have little to no idea how to keep a happy hamster - please be careful when trusting them. In the end they often just want to make money - and the hamsters suffer. 

Please adopt, not buy hamsters - there are too many hamsters in this world that we need any more breeding. 

**

MASTERPOST: Cheap Cages And Supplies For Hamsters - IKEA

~ more to come ~

(Sorry for the spelling errors - I made this post in a rush.)

[evangelene]

92 statements tag

I was tagged by the ever lovely @ebullientbun !! Thank you sweetie for thinkin of me!! <3 <3

RULES: you must answer these 92 statements and tag 20 people

Me: gonna answer them and break dem fuckin rules cos I don’t know 20 people who’d I think would be comfortable wit dis

THE LAST: 1. drink: Archer farms sparkling water that I have consistently knocked over six times in the last ten minutes. 2. phone call: My dad asking if I wanted cheese on my subway sandwich 3. text message: “show me the bling damnit!” to my friend who’s boyfriend finally fuckin proposed. 4. song you listened to: Soldier by Fleurie 5. time you cried: Literally yesterday, I had a weird pmsing breakdown at work in the bathroom for whatever idiotic reason. Weeeeee~

HAVE YOU EVER: 6. dated someone twice: Since I’ve only ever dated one person and I am still dating them....no. 7. kissed someone and regretted it: that one time I kissed a sunfish I caught just so I could chase my partner around and shout “WHY WON’T YOU KISS ME?!”  as he runs screaming from me. (he hates fish) 8. been cheated on: Don’t think so? No.  9. lost someone special: Yes. 10. been depressed: Chronically. 11. gotten drunk and thrown up: Never been drunk and never want to be drunk--so no.

LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS: 12-14. - dark purple, dark teal, and like a salmony pinkie color. IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU: 15. made new friends: Duh.  16. fallen out of love: Nah, once I love something I generally continue to love it for the rest of my life. Unless you’re a backstabbing bitch of a friend, then yes I will fall out of friendship love with you.  17. laughed until you cried: Yes, we were in the car and my dad was screaming Naf Naf in about seventy different voices for whatever reason.  18. found out someone was talking about you: Positively usually, yes. But I’m also oblivious AF.  19. met someone who changed you: I like to think that every person I meet changes me in some way. Some for the better, others just make me hate a certain breed of old person more.  20. found out who your friends are: Pfahhaha, oh hell yes. 21. kissed someone on your Facebook list: Yea, and I’m labeled as “in a relationship” with him.

GENERAL: 22. how many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: IDK like I used to know some of them--maybe like 90% I have a bad habbit of accepting everyone who sends me a friend request because I can’t remember anyone for shit. Turns out at least ten of my friends I have no fucking clue who they are but I hope they like the shit nothing I post.  23. do you have any pets: A rabbit, two gerbils, three golfish, four bettas and a whole fuckin forest of plants.  24. do you want to change your name: Nah, I’d forget to respond to anything else.  25. what did you do for your last birthday: Sat alone on my computer at my partner’s house hoping anyone on tumblr or facebook or just in general would remember my birthday. Surprise, not really. And then we went out to eat and I got ravioli and pet dogs and got happy.  26. what time did you wake up: 3am, 4am, 6am, 7am, 8am and then finally 9am. It’s rare that I sleep through the night entirely. 27. what were you doing at midnight last night: passed out having a dream that I couldn’t breathe--turns out I couldn’t because I was fucking accidentally suffocating myself in my bed of pillows. 28. name something you can’t wait for: moving out of this damn house and not telling my mother where I’m going. 29. when was the last time you saw your mom: yesterday but I hope that soon it will be never again. 30. what is one thing you wish you could change in your life: my flabby fatness but my meds are making it nearly impossible for me to lose it currently.  31. what are you listening to right now: The pleasant background noise of a horrible mother on Say Yes to the Dress. 32. have you ever talked to a person named Tom: Yeah, he’s my boss and I always feel like I’m incredibly nervous talking to him because like yo--what if he fires me for yawning? 33. something that is getting on your nerves: my mother but that’s nothing new. 34. most visited website: Youtube 38. hair color: auburn/red 39. long or short hair: long AF 40. do you have a crush on someone: yes, my partner--though he’s aware that my heart belongs to every single animal I see before it belongs to him.  41. what do you like about yourself: I’m secretly a badass but no one believes me because apparently I come off innocent and incapable of protecting myself.  42. piercings: 11 ear piercings. 43. blood type: A positive I think? Idk, the red cross vampires keep calling for more of it. 44. nickname: Sam? Hey you? Sami? 45. relationship status: in one? 46. zodiac: Gemini 47. pronouns: She/Her 48. favorite tv show: Wynonna Earp 49. tattoos: Two and counting. 50. right or left handed: Leftie in writing but ambidextrous in everything else 51. surgery: Yeah that one time they though I had cancer and operated on my mouth. Also wisdom tooth surgery in which I sobbed because I thought that they took my lips from me.  52. piercing: I want an industrial bar real bad. 53. sport: fencing, sometimes walk/run if my asthma allows for it.  55. vacation: Not till august but I’m hoping that my partner will make good on his promise to take me to Disneyworld. 56. pair of trainers: ???the fuck this mean????

MORE GENERAL 57. eating: I had a piece of cake. It was delicious 58. drinking: that same sparkling water I keep knocking over 59. i’m about to: write, clean, or nap. I haven’t decided yet. 61. waiting for: My anxiety and depression to magically be cured. 62. want: to just sleep forever. 63. get married: I want to literally just so I can wear the dress. I don’t give a fuck otherwise but damnit I want an excuse to doll myself up to the high heavens. 64. career: I’d like to be an art teacher but if that doesn’t pan out then I’ll just become a professional dog hugger. 

WHICH IS BETTER 65. hugs or kisses: Hugs, but I like kisses too. 66. lips or eyes: Eyeballs, but I have a hard time making eyecontact in person so probably actually lips. 67. shorter or taller: It doesn’t matter? Like rude? I like em in all shapes in sizes. 68. older or younger: Older, but not like grandparent aged.  70. nice arms or nice stomach: I don’t give a fuck. Where’s the option for personality? 71. sensitive or loud: Sensitive because I’m shy and if the person is too loud or insensitive then I feel like I would start crying because yo like being in the spotlight gives me hardcore anxiety. 72. hook up or relationship: Relationship.  73. troublemaker or hesitant: Hesitant; I’m not about to fuckin babysit who I’m dating.

HAVE YOU EVER: 74. kissed a stranger: No 75. drank hard liquor: Yes, and then I punched my dad’s sunburn because he tricked me. 76. lost glasses/contact lenses: All the time.  77. turned someone down: Yes,, but the best way to turn people down is to show them pictures of Kim Seokjin. 78. sex on the first date: Hell nah boi. Unless you’re female, then I’d be down for it.  79. broken someone’s heart: Probably? By accident? 80. had your heart broken: Hell yes. 81. been arrested: Fuck no, I haven’t even been pulled over. 82. cried when someone died: Um, duh? 83. fallen for a friend: No? 

DO YOU BELIEVE IN: 84. yourself: Maybe like 10%. Okay, I have an irrational fear of mall railings because I don’t trust myself to not trip and accidentally fall over it. 85. miracles: Sure, some bullshit miracles tho? Nah. 86. love at first sight: I believe that is called attraction. For me, love comes with knowing a person not just being like--oh they cute I bet they have a great personality too. 87. santa claus: Nah, I deadass watched my mom write Santa on one of my presents as a child. 88. kiss on the first date: Sure? IDK, my partner kissed me before we even had our first date because motherfucker was antsy. hahah.  89. angels: Yesh.

OTHER: 90. current best friend’s name: I have so many of them--but like Kylee, Maria, Ashleen, Serena, Laura...... 91. eye color: Hazel AF. 92. favorite movie: Bitch I have so many. Split, terminator, Get Out, the purge movies, Brave, Moana, etc.

Tagging:

@g-d0818 @daegu-dreamin @seokjinaf @arisuna @anyoneelsethatwantstodothis

Also, feel free to not do it if I tagged ya. I’m just spacey and forgetful!

[milesbeardworth]

Treating Separation-Related Fin Biting in Domestic Bettas

I have recently been talking with @oliviner about our experiences with domestic bettas and separation anxiety, and put together a post summarizing some of the things I have done over the years to treat my bettas that I believe have bitten their fins and suffered other symptoms characteristic of separation anxiety.

I am sometimes met with skepticism when I bring up this topic, but I think people often forget that bettas are a domesticated animal species and that being domesticated is inherently a process that changes the way a species relates to and behaves around humans. In my eyes, a betta fish having separation anxiety is just as plausible a scenario as it is for a dog or a cat.

Interestingly, with this sort of fin biting, tail type seems to have little to do with the behavior. I have had veiltails, crowntails, halfmoons, even plakats and one female betta fish bite their fins for this reason.

It’s true that most of what is out there on the topic of separation anxiety is dog-centric. I spent the majority of my Canine Training and Animal Behavior/Welfare classes a few years back adapting what we went over to my bettas and other aquarium fishes, despite rarely ever actually talking about fishes in class. Just like in training, all the same concepts do work here, they just sometimes have to be applied slightly differently. Taking those classes was when I first started to really see the parallels in behavior and symptoms between canine separation anxiety and what I have observed in my own fishes, and started trying to figure out how I could adapt existing treatments to be used with my bettas. I am in no way a veterinarian, but without access to a professional to consult on the matter, these are the methods I have come up with myself and found to be most effective.

I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but it is a subject that is difficult to explain (at least for me) without going in to some amount of detail.

General things to help with separation anxiety:

Changing your departure routine

A few years back I realized that every time I left the house, I sat down and put my shoes on right in front of Puck’s tank. I thought I was doing a good thing by spending time with him before I left, but the opposite was actually true. This potentially could have made his condition worse, as he came to associate me putting on my shoes with me leaving, and he may also have started getting into that stressed state as soon as he saw me sit down to put my shoes on.

You can change up what you do before you leave the room your fish is in, and you can also practice doing things that are associated with you leaving (such as putting shoes on, in Puck’s case) without actually leaving, thus breaking the association between that behavior and your departure.

Making hellos and goodbyes calm and brief

I try to keep things simple and somewhat detached when I am about to leave the room. I drop in food or turn on videos for Duo, but don’t sit in front of or interact with him before I leave. I do the same thing when I come home; I will give him a small wave, let him know I’m back and that I see him, but I will not go sit down with him until at least 10 minutes have passed since I returned. This helps keep from unintentionally reinforcing the anxiety/fin biting, by not giving your fish excessive attention as soon as you return.

Giving noncontingent reinforcement (using social interaction/attention as the reinforcer)

Noncontingent means that the reinforcement is given regardless of whether or not the animal performs a desired behavior. In this case, it means giving attention to your fish regardless of what they are doing at that moment. With one of my past bettas Phoenix, I found that having fixed periods of time throughout the day in which I would sit and give him attention regardless of anything else that was going on or that he was doing, really helped to reduce his fin biting.

Training a signal behavior that the fish can give you when they want attention/want you nearby

This one is not really adapted from anything I’ve read about in regards to treating separation anxiety in dogs, but if you’ve ever trained a dog to ring bells on a string or bark when they want to go outside, the idea is very similar. I once had the thought that Puck’s separation anxiety might be so bad in part because, unlike a dog or a cat, he was restricted entirely to his aquarium and could not approach me directly when I was not sitting with him to interact or spend time with me. I thought that training him to give me a signal when he wanted me to come over to him might help him feel like he had more control and influence over the situation, and may help decrease his separation anxiety symptoms.

To do this, I captured a behavior he already offered, and reinforced it with attention. Most betta keepers are familiar with the wiggle a fish will often do at the front of their tank when they see you. Puck would do this whenever he saw me come into the room, or when I was moving around it. So I started immediately going over and sitting with him whenever I saw him perform this wiggle at the front of his tank. I only ever reinforced the behavior with attention, never food, and he caught on very quickly.

Eventually we got to the point where I would see him offer the behavior and go sit with him, he would go back to doing what he was as soon as I did, making it look like he was “ignoring” me, but as soon as I got up to walk away he would come straight back to the front of his aquarium and signal again. The same thing would happen over and over again, making it apparent to me that he was very aware of what the cue meant and what he was doing when he offered the behavior.

If there is a day or period of time in which you are going to be home more than usual, make sure you still spend time apart from your fish

When I was in school, I had to make sure to give the bettas space on the weekends (even if only by going into another room for an hour or two), or else they would be much worse with their fin biting when I went back to class on Mondays. I made the mistake with Puck over winter break a few years ago of being home and around almost all the time, and when I finally went back to school after about a month of this, he bit off over half his caudal and anal fins in just two days.

Over time I have realized that I need to be conscious of my schedule and how it might affect things in this way, and even if I don’t really need to go anywhere for the day, I make sure to get out of my/the bettas’ room for a while. This also helps ensure your treatment stays consistent, and that your fish doesn’t go long periods of time without being exposed to it.

Some adapted treatments you can enact to help a fish suffering from separation anxiety:

Using “medication”

In severe cases, dogs and cats with separation anxiety are sometimes treated with medication. I am not aware of any instances in which a companion fish has been treated with medication for anxiety, and I would not suggest trying it without the supervision of a veterinarian. However, there are some things commonly used to decrease stress in aquarium fishes that you may also be able to try with a betta fish suffering from separation anxiety. The main things I have used are: Indian almond leaves, rooibos tea, StressGuard, and dim lighting.

Indian almond leaves and rooibos tea perform similar functions, adding tannins into the water that are both beneficial physically and that darken the color of the fish’s water, which could potentially help to reduce stress and make the fish feel more comfortable. I have used rooibos tea in place of almond leaves when I did not have easy access to them, or when it was already working well for that fish in particular. One of my worst biters, Makoto, was also the only one I cured entirely, and rooibos tea was what he had in his tank when I was treating him.

StressGuard (or a similar product, if this one is not available) can help reduce stress, as well as promote healing and prevent infection if the fish is fin biting. I also dosed this daily when I was treating Makoto.

Finally, dim lighting can help to reduce stress and keeping the lights off or dimmed while you are gone may help to reduce the stress and anxiety caused by separation. None of these are truly “medications”, but they are additives that may be used in combination with other separation anxiety treatments.

Providing additional mental stimulation and exercise

“Mental stimulation” can mean a lot of things, as can “exercise”, but in the context of treating a betta fish with separation anxiety, I usually accomplish this through training sessions. I can provide more information on how to do this if desired, but I have found this to be a good way for some bettas to expend energy and focus that they might otherwise be using to feel anxious when you are away. With Puck, I held daily training sessions, usually 30-40 minutes before I was going to be leaving the house. We trained various behaviors such as flaring on cue, pushing around a floating ball, and giving “high-fives”.

Providing additional environmental enrichment

A more complex environment may help to decrease symptoms of separation anxiety. Different forms of enrichment may be more effective for different individuals. For example, I had one betta, Odysseus, whose fin biting was greatly helped by having another betta in a tank neighboring his that he could still see and interact with while I was gone. Puck, however, was actually worse with his fin biting when he could see another fish next to him.

Training itself is another form of enrichment. Enrichment can also entail changing the physical environment, offering new plants and decor, changing the environment outside their aquarium, and so on.

Variety in the diet

This is actually another form of environmental enrichment, but I mention it separately because it has been one of the most successful treatments I have tried for separation anxiety. There are two primary ways I have used food/variety in the diet to treat separation anxiety: by varying how the food is delivered, and by varying what foods are given.

Primarily, I vary “delivery” by scattering food around a fish’s tank as the last thing I do before I leave the house, leaving them to forage for it while I am gone. This keeps them busy and focused on something other than me being gone, and allows a positive association to form in regards to our separation. This is somewhat like leaving a Kong toy stuffed full of treats for a dog, just adapted to better suit a betta fish and their environment and behavior.

To make this even more effective, you can also vary the types of food that you use. I have found foods that are more stimulating for a betta fish to eat to be more effective, and some of the foods I have had the most success with are: canned mini mealworms, canned crickets, canned river shrimps, and gel food (made with insects as an ingredient).

I often use pellets for this purpose as they are easy to scatter, but the other foods work very well and even just including them in the diet has, in my experience, helped decrease this particular sort of fin biting. There are also treat tablets made for fishes that you can stick to the aquarium glass for the fish to pick off, and though I have not yet used this specifically as a treatment for separation anxiety, it is something I intend to try myself. Eating these foods takes more time and effort, and may be a good way to keep a fish engaged and (productively) active while you are gone for a long period of time.

A digital photo frame for your fish

For one of my current bettas Maes, I put together a digital picture frame filled mostly with pictures of myself, as well as some other people he knows, some pictures of my other bettas, and pictures of other things he might find interesting (such as flowers).

I specifically trained this to function as a sign that I am gone, but could return at any moment. Some people suggest doing something similar with dogs (often with something like a radio), but I picked a digital photo frame because I thought it would be the most salient thing for a betta fish as well as being easily customized by picking out pictures I thought would be most effective.

I started by only having the frame on when I was going to be gone for very short periods of time, and slowly worked up to having it on for several hours. This was done in combination with other treatments, such as scattering food and having a neighbor. This combination of treatments has been extremely effective for Maes, to the point where he only bit his tail once (as opposed to biting large chunks out of it) when I was out of town recently.

Playing videos for them when you are gone

In particular, I have found videos of fishes swimming, cartoons, and video game footage to be the most engaging and most effective for a betta fish. I have a Youtube playlist specifically put together for Duo, and so far this has been the most effective thing I have tried for him. Duo in particular seems to like the Wind Waker Collection Series on Pbggameplay’s Youtube channel, and Maes has always really liked watching lightsaber fights, if you are looking for some specific videos to try out.

Other bettas in the past have also shown interest in and benefited from watching videos while I am away. If I am sneaky enough, I can often return home and catch them in the act of watching what I’ve left on for them!

 These are just some of the things you can try, and some of the methods that I have found to be most successful. If more clarification is needed on anything or more information is desired, feel free to ask! And of course, I am always happy to hear others’ opinions or experiences with their own fishes!

[orpheusmorpheous]

Hey so like non-beta hoe here, I have a question. Can you have more than one beta in a tank? Ive seen you only reblog fish pics that only have one beta in a tank. My stepfather has a 50ish gallon tank but he dosent have betas and I want to know if they can live with other fish or I have to buy a tank for its own.

males MUST be kept alone and can’t be with other bettas.

females are iffy and can sometimes be housed together, but the entire process is so incredibly difficult and pricey that it’s something casual hobbyists should never attempt. i’ve never attempted a sorority myself, probably never will, but yeah. keep them alone too if you aren’t made out of time and money and experience.

you can keep bettas with other fish species though, as long as they aren’t colorful, look like bettas, etc. i have my male betta in with 5 harleyquin rasboras, they leave him alone. he leaves them alone. if anything after i got them he was less stressed from captivity and stopped tail-baiting after i got them

another one of my bettas i had to move into my dad’s tank cause i was worried the divider might fall one day and he’d get my smaller disabled betta who had horrible swim bladder and still has difficulty swimming from his time in a petsmart cup, so yeah. he’s in a tank with neon tetras. he’s a plakat though so i’m not worried about them nipping his fins like i’ve read about with longer-tailed bettas. haven’t had an issue in that tank either.

snails and shrimps are more common fish tank companions, easier to have in a 10 gallon tank with a betta.