#like male betta fish when you put them in the same tank

[here-there-be-drag0ns]

the devil couldn't reach me so he infected me with a temporary obsession with the most toxic yaoi crackship the jrwi fandom has ever seen. oh gods above its latched onto my brain and injected me with venom and i know not when it will wear off.

[apomaro-mellow]

This was such a cute mermay idea I had to do it

Nancy watched as they took the first mer out of the tank, nicknamed 'Billy'. His tail was a deep blue but she knew better than to attach too much connection between the coloration of the tail and their personality. He was anything but calm and soothing. If anything, she would call him a brute, but it was hard to even say that regarding an animal.

Sometimes fish could be aggressive. And clearly putting two males in one tank had amped up that aggression. Poor Steve had yet to leave his cave after Billy's last attack. They'd need a diver to help coax him out and tend to his wounds.

It takes a couple of weeks for him to recover and in that time, the team brings in a new mer, another male. Robin was vehemently against putting him in the same tank as Steve.

"He just got over what happened with Billy. What're you gonna do if this one tries to fight him again?"

"Steve isn't totally helpless", Nancy said, remembering the wounds inflicted on Billy as well. "Besides, we need to figure out if it really is just instinctual, territorial stuff or if there's something else going on."

And so the second male was put into the same tank as Steve's. At first, he was appropriately cautious, as was the other mer. They both kept to opposite sides of the tank. Then Robin began to notice some odd behaviors in them.

The new one, dubbed 'Eddie' by his wrangler Wayne, would sometimes poke and prod at Steve. He would do so and then immediately swim away, like he was bold but shy at the same time. Steve didn't lash out the way he had with Billy, so perhaps it was some form of play? It was times like these that she wished they knew more about these creatures.

Then Steve did more than just not lash out. He appeared to be playing along. Steve had never engaged in play. Honestly, to Robin he seemed a little haughty, like a prima donna of a fish. The gossamer frills of his tail, almost like a betta fish, gave him that look of someone above it all. But when he played with Eddie, he looked, well, goofy.

But he seemed happy. Healthy even.

Then, one day, while passing by on her lunch break, Robin noticed something she had never seen Steve do before. Eddie floated nearby while Steve swam in an alluring display, his tail undulating in a way that made Robin feel like she shouldn't be watching. So she didn't stay for long. There were always cameras on the tanks just in case something happened while no one was around anyway.

But she brought it up to Nancy immediately. Because if her suspicions were correct...

"It looked like a mating dance to me, Nance."

"Don't be silly, they're both males. And if that was possible, then why didn't Steve perform for Billy?"

"Uhh, he kept biting and clawing at him? Not very romantic. And let's not pretend homosexuality is a purely human invention", Robin pointed out.

Nancy was still skeptical. "Well, even if they are engaging in courtship, the fact remains that they can't reproduce together."

Unexpected babies could complicate things in the tank when they knew so little about mers to begin with. How did they even raise their young? It was the kind of question they'd learn the answer to sooner rather than later.

A few days after Robin took notice of the supposed mating rituals, a diver noticed that Steve's belly appeared to be a bit more full. They tried to get closer to inspect but in his first act of aggression, Eddie pounced with the intention to bite their head off. Thankfully, they were fully covered and got away with just a chunk taken from their goggles. Unable to inspect up close, the research team chalked it up gaining weight. It could either be from preparing for winter or having less stress to effect his appetite.

About a week after that, during a routine clean up, Nancy saw that the moment a diver went into the water, Eddie stood sentry at the cave and Steve was nowhere to be seen, presumably inside. Not wanting to agitate him, they waited until he was asleep to send a camera down. Through its night vision lens, they saw the two adult mer and what appeared to be a clutch of about five eggs, the size of grapefuit settled between them.

When the evidence came back, Nancy pointedly kept her gaze from Robin's 'I told you so' face.

"Don't look so smug unless you can tell me how this happened", Nancy said.

Robin shrugged. "I have theories."

It took about three weeks for the eggs to hatch, after doubling in size. The team kept their distance as Eddie's territorial streak rivaled Billy's when his mate was in a vulnerable state. But they checked in whenever they could. Only two of the eggs grew to full term and hatched, the other three deflating not long after being laid.

Nancy chalked it up to it likely being Steve's first mating and having come from a stressful situation. She was proven correct when a year later, he laid again, six this time, and they all made it to full term. She and Robin watched as Eddie and Steve floated together, tails in a twist and holding hands, letting the current carry them as their eight children chased each other around.

Robin nudged her partner. "We're gonna need a bigger tank."

[sysmedsaresexist]

QUESTION!!! what’s your favorite fish :3

Oh, wow, that's so hard to answer

Let's start with the fish I have, I'm not sure I have a favorite, so much as there are fish that I would absolutely recommend and/or buy myself again

Goldfish - super intelligent, unpredictable murder machines 7/10, what am I even supposed to do with this creature

Gold Dust Mollies - stressed like me, hide a lot, we didn't run their bubbler for two weeks because we were waiting for a hookup to run the starter baby tank and the bubbler at the same time, it came, I turned on the bubbler, and traumatized them for over a month, not sure how my partner puts up with me. Also, live births. 3/10, master level fish, harder than they seem at first glance, worth it if you put in the time

Zebra Danios (short fin) - so speedy fast, racing all the time, so many wiggles, Java moss is a must, watch them wiggle wiggle wiggle so fast, interactive, not as pretty as some other fish, but their little front fins make me happy, lays eggs, 9/10, highly recommend

Cardinal Tetras - calm little puppies, very colorful, low maintenance, their little mouths, and when they look at you from the front, such silly little eyes, kind of boring though, lays eggs, 8/10, highly recommend

Corydora - give me a tank with just 100 of these, love them, adorable, so fast, they breathe air so they go racing to the top, and they're so fast they make a bloop, and then go racing back down. They flirt by vibrating at each other. Lays eggs. 10/10 for constant amusement, 6/10 for difficulty, they poison themselves when stressed, good luck getting them home in one piece, my recommendation: buy at least 3 at once (MUST have at least 6 for a healthy group, when I say 3, I mean your replacements after you fuck up the first time, buy only 1 or 2 and you're almost guaranteed to lose them as well, just hold off and wait until you need 3, even if your group size is 4 or 5), either have the fish store wrap their bag in dark paper towel, or bring one yourself.

Also, they blink, and it's creepy, this knocks another two points off, 4/10, advanced fish

Fun story, they sit very cutely on anything, and i pulled out my phone to take a video, and after several minutes, it stopped being cute and started being worrying, and then...

PLECO! We have 2, a female albino bushy nose, named Happy Andy, and a miserable male clown named Angry Gary. Don't look online to see what they're going to be like. No pleco is like another, and you literally have no idea what you're going to get until it's in your tank and settled. There's a 90% chance you'll never see your pleco. You will always worry about whether it's alive. If it's a tank of just small fish, he is, I promise, leave it alone. When you do see them, it'll make your heart very happy. They poop. A lot. I can't state that enough. 7/10, would still recommend.

Betta - hardy, a classic, gorgeous, save them from the cups. You can only have 1 in a tank. No, don't get the little 3 tanks together separated by glass, they can smell and see each other and it's stressful for them. Please don't give them less than a 10 gallon ): you most likely can't keep anything with them, but you can increase your chances of a peaceful community tank by putting in your peaceful fish first, and then adding the betta. Remember to only keep very FAST fish with your betta, like tetras. Super easy to care for, but will give you a lot of stress for no reason. 8/10, they lose a point for such limited tank mates. Highly recommend.

Mystery guppy - magically appeared in my male betta tank, will update when I figure out what it is. 7/10 mystery baby experience. I'm enjoying myself.

Now, the fish I WANT

I can really only go by other lists, so I think, right now, the fish I'm obsessed with is the boeseman's rainbowfish.

They get about 10cm, and you need at least 6 of them, so you need a big boy tank for sure. They're apparently quite hardy, peaceful, and longlived (8 years, if you're lucky!!). Their mouth is small, so they can be kept with a variety of tank mates. They're apparently really interesting to watch swim, because they school.

I think that'll be my next goal.

Share your favorite fish with me!!

[deepspacedukat]

Hey fren! It’s Azora Starr 😋 popping in 😂 first of all how are you doing?😄

Also sorry for all the pet pictures 😂 I wanted to show you that my alien Betta Taiko is still doing good, he’s actually gotten a little bigger. He was a little over an inch when I got him and he’s two inches now. I’m also confused on if he’s a young male pretending to be a female or actually a female betta. He has a betta beard but a female egg spot on his/her belly. Could be a female that changed to a male too, young bettas will do that if they hatch into a purely female environment and haven’t laid eggs previously.

I also broke down and ended up setting up a new 10 gallon tank for a second betta two weeks ago (so it had time to cycle) this poor samurai betta (because of his scale type he was marked up in price which isn’t right since plakat scales are prone to blindness I know already he’s going to be blind in one eye already he has one blue eye with a scale already encroaching), I ended up using a coupon for him dude was $47 at full price with tax but he has been at petco for at least 4+ months, I saw him when I got Taiko and this guys been in the same spot except last week I noticed he got moved to the back to make room for newer bettas coming in, he didn’t move in the cup or come up to me until I got him home and I put a betta hammock in there for him while I acclimated him. He has been coming up and looking at me today and even came right up to my finger for food. I haven’t named him yet but he’s the biggest betta I’ve ever owned he’s 3 inches now.

Aww, hi Azora! 💙 I hope you're doing well!

Oooooooh! Look at the fish bbs! You never have to apologize for the pet pictures. I always love them! 💙💙💙💙

I'm so glad Taiko is doing well, and I hope the samurai betta is enjoying his new home! He sounds like a nice boi! And he lorge too! I'm so proud of new big boy for being brave and swimming right up t your finger today!! 🥳

Also, I think tumblr ate your second ask? I saw a notif for an ask where you mention Cinder, but it just kind of disappeared when I tried to open it? So...I apologize for that lol. I hope Cinder is doing well, and if you would plz give her some nice pats and scritches for me, that'd be greatly appreciated! 🙏💙

[petcare101]

Betta Fish Care!

Many people assume caring for a betta fish is as easy as buying a 1 gallon tank, putting in a plastic plant and calling it a day. This is far from the truth.

Betta require a minimum of five gallons to live comfortably. They require a heater to keep their water warmer temperatures due to their natural tropical homes, and a whisper filter. A whisper filter is made specifically for smaller, or big finned fish to keep the water still while keeping the tank clean. Make sure your tank has a lid, because your betta WILL jump out! These are the minimum requirements.

Once a tank is required, remember that tap water is not safe for fish and will require a treatment. Most pet stores sell water treatment for freshwater fish. Once the water is treated and the tank is set, fish owners will often need to perform weekly water changes. You never want to take more than 25% of the tank contents per clean, unless there is another reason to, such as disease.

They can have many different kinds of substrate ranging from the gravel at the pet store, to high grade soil for plants.

When decorating your tank, betta love places to hide and thrive with living plants to keep the Ph of the water ideal. Bettas like having lots of decoration to keep them exercised and well hidden when they choose to be.

The best tank decoration a betta owner can get is a leaf hammock, or a floating hide. Betta often swim to the surface to breathe, as well as mate and make their nests. Keeping decor close to the surface will give the betta a place to rest.

Generally, betta live 2-5 years in captivity. This can be more or less depending on living conditions and general health.

The most important thing to consider when adopting a betta is that they can NOT be homed with other betta. Bettas are fiercely territorial will kill another betta. Even male and female bettas can not be housed together.

Feeding your betta is simple, like most fish there are pellets available at most stores designed for betta fish. Keep in mind though, betta fish are carnivores and therefore can not eat the same kind of food you would feed most other common house hold fish like minnows and goldfish.

Betta fish are generally healthy, but can contract the same common diseases as most fish. Bacterial infections and parasites are always a concern, which is why it is important to keep up with water and filter changes. Betta may also get fin rot, which is a disease where their fins will literally begin to rot away. These can often be treated with medications on the fish aisle of your local pet store.

Owning a fish can be an incredible experience, just be mindful to do all of your research before owning one. There is no such thing as a low maintenance pet!

[brywrites]

Do they team let Luke know the gift isn't quite right or (like me if I were them) could they not bear to see him looking like a kicked puppy when he realises its not 100% perfect like he thought?

Oh I absolutely believe it's the latter haha! The team goes to great lengths to cover up the fact that he didn't quite get it right because he's just so excited to give them a present and definitely has golden retriever energy ("I got you a gift! I remembered the thing you mentioned! I found it just for you!") about the whole thing.

If someone attempts to point it out (cue Reid: "Actually, if male betta fish are put together in the same tank...") they usually get a swift kick from under the table to remind them to play along. The worst though is when the team gets together at someone's house during the year. If Luke has given them a gift, he'll eagerly be looking for it and so BAU members are either forced to keep the cursed gifts or to make up some elaborate lie as to how it mysteriously disappeared.

[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.

[froglegsz]

DO U WANT AN ACTUAL INFODUMP???

BETTA FISH ARE THE PRETTIES FISH IN THE WORLD

SPECIFICALLY MALE BETTA ROSETAIL FISH WITH OVERLAPPING ON THE FIN RAYS

WHICH ARE VARIANTS OF BETTA HALFMOON FISH WHICH OFC IS SHAPE IN A CIRCLE GOING AROUND THE BACK OFF A FISH TO DUH LOOK LIKE A HALFMOON

AND BETTA FEATHERTAILS ARE ALSO BEAUTIFUL WHICH ARE LIKE ROSETAILS BUT WITH A MORE RUFFLED APPEARANCE DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE BRANCHING ON THE FIN RAYS

BUT YOU CAN'T PUT MULTIPLE OF THEM IN A TANK OR ELSE THEY WILL GET JEALOUS AND NARCISSISTIC AND KILL EACH OTHER

YOU ALSO CAN'T ADD OTHER FISH WITH PRETTY BIG FINS FOR THE SAME REASON

I COULD GO ON I LOVE BETTA FISH SO MUCH

THEYRE SUCH COOL LOOKING LIDDL GUYS!!!! my brother had a pet betta fish when i was really young and it was so cool!!

[eelpatrickharris]

What’s wrong with bettas?

Annnd as promised, here’s that write-up on betta genetics and what’s wrong with all those pretty genes. We’ve got pictures and everything. This is a full, comprehensive list of the various problems with domestic betta traits. If you’re in the market for a new angry pal, then there’s a list of “good” things to look for in a betta at the end.

Just a quick intro before we begin: I’ve been into fishkeeping for over a decade, I currently have 16 running tanks ranging from 5 to 440 gallons, I’ve got about 200 fish at the moment, and I’ve had a good 20 to 25 bettas of my own over the years. When I was younger, I even bred a pair of pet store veiltails together, and reared some of the fry into adulthood. So, this is information coming from someone has both seen these things firsthand and talked with many, many other betta keepers who have done the same.

This is my new betta, Embezzlement. He looks great, right? He really does! But he’s also quickly going blind as a result of his thickened scales growing over his eyes, his fins will end up dragging him down to the point of immobility as he ages, and he’s at high-risk for developing visible tumors all over his body. I’ll get into that under the cut!

(To learn more about why the heck I willingly bought Bezel, just click the link attached to his name up there.)

((I don’t own any of these photos, or bettas, unless noted))

The Dragonscale Gene

We’ve all seen these boys and admired them. Please refer to my totally pro image mashup above and look at the thickened, shiny scales. That’s dragonscaling. It comes in white, grey, blue, and teal; and it can cover any part of the body, including the fins. Some have masks of dragonscaling, some have full body coats, and some just have intermittent patches. Most dragonscale bettas start developing noticeable dragonscaling at 1-2 months, and it continues spreading from that point on. 

Now, if it was just a pretty shimmery gene, that would be great! But it isn’t. Dragonscales are abnormally thick scales that spread everywhere, even over their eyes. You can see the scales start to circle around the cornea on the left, and a progression on the three fish to the right. Once the scales reach the eyes, it’s only a matter of time before they go completely blind. (This is basically a guarantee for bettas with dragonscaling on their face.) If you don’t want a blind betta that can’t safely navigate its environment, stay away from those opaque, shiny, thick scales. 

The Marble Gene

If you’ve ever seen a pretty “koi” betta covered in colorful blotches? That’s a marble. A weird, flesh-toned betta with neat speckles? That’s a marble. If you’ve ever seen a betta that’s changed colors over the span of its life? That’s 100%, definitely, without a doubt, a marble. The prevalence of marbles in the market is for 3 reasons: 1) it’s considered a dominant gene, 2) marbles are pretty rainbow boys, and 3) it’s also really, really hard to breed back out of lines.

So, the thing about marbles is... their pigment cells are constantly mutating. They can completely change colors in a couple months. Your red and black and white koi that you paid $30 for might turn into a muddy maroon right before your eyes. And since their cells are constantly mutating, you guessed it—

They’re prone to developing tumors. Yeah. They go lumpy even faster than the average betta.

Blue Bettas and Graphite Disease

Nah, not even the comparatively boring bettas are safe. Bettas that are 90-100% blue with little other coloration on their bodies? They’re prone to graphite disease, which is a fast-acting killer with no known cure. 

Their fins and bodies start turning grey, like someone shaded them with a pencil, and then boom: they’re dead within a few days. This is likely due to their reduced ability to process carotenoids, which are the substances responsible for increased red pigment. They also play an important role in keeping the immune system functioning properly, so without those.... yeah. They get sick even more easily than your average betta, and they die even more easily than your average betta. Also. Graphite disease. Not a fun time.

Red Bettas and Tumors

Pure red bettas are some of my favorites. Red is a symbol of good luck in Southeast Asia, where bettas are primarily bred and shown, so they’re also an important part of the industry. However, to get that pure, solid red coloration in a fish that’s descended from these guys:

You’ve got a lot of inbreeding to do. Linebreeding, inbreeding, crossing back, whatever you want to call it. It can be beneficial to show lines if you’re doing it right, because breeding the offspring of an animal back to its parent intensifies all of the traits that were passed onto it. However, with fish that are and have always been treated as trinkets, no one bothers screening for the negative traits that are being compounded along with the coloring.

So, red bettas are a whole mess of health issues, but they’re very prone to developing tumors. This is, unfortunately, one of the ones I have plenty of experience with. When I was younger, I had a male veiltail with solid red coloring, and he turned into a mass of lumps before dying. The same thing happened with my most recent betta, Genie. She was in my care for all of 9 months before I had to put her down, as there were multiple little tumors developing all over her body, and a large one over her internal organs that was visible from the outside.

Here’s a side by side comparison. From the day I got her to the day I euthanized her so she wasn’t in pain. For those of you who don’t know about her, she was the pond betta who lived in a 440 gallon blackwater biotope and fed a live insect-based diet. The pH in there is 5.8, the temp is 78F, the water quality is always 0/0/0, and there weren’t any environmental stressors that contributed to her decline in health. She was kept in the best conditions I could possibly give her, and she still went that far downhill in 9 months. She wasn’t a full year old.

Unfortunately, it gets worse from here! Get a glass of water, grab some snacks, we still have fin types to cover.

Halfmoons and Rosetails

You see those two gorgeous guys above? Those are halfmoon bettas, one of the most popular and commonly available types of bettas! Note how dang big those fins are. They only have them fully extended like that when they’re flaring. Now, look at this picture of a halfmoon with his fins in the normal position:

See how they collapse into a long, ruffled shape? Two things here. 1) Those fins are literally useless and hinder them from swimming properly, so they have to exert way more effort than necessary to even move around. This is how we get that signature “betta wiggle” that people find endearing. To properly drag those massive fins around and keep them from dragging, they have to undulate their whole body in an exaggerated manner, which gets harder and harder as they age.

And 2) This leads to fin biting. Note how that poor guy’s tail is all tattered and shorter than his ventral and dorsal fins. When bettas are weighed down by their own fins? Their solution is, a lot of the time, to self-mutilate and nip them off. The jury is still out on whether or not they have feeling in their fins; but even if they don’t, they’re still opening themselves up to potential infections. Plus.... even the fish don’t want those draperies. C’mon. You know it’s not good if they’re literally tearing themselves to shreds just so they can swim again.

Can’t forget rosetails, either! That blind pal on the left and living tulle skirt on the right are bred for fins that go over the halfmoon point (they aren’t a semi-circle, they’re more like a pizza with a couple slices taken out)  and have enough bulk that they stay ruffled even when they’re flaring. For obvious reasons, these are even worse than halfmoons. Oh god those poor fish.

Crowntails

These spiky boys are crowntails, another common fin type seen in Petsmarts and Walmarts everywhere. Not much to say about them that wasn’t covered under the halfmoon section. They’re fin biters, because even though they don’t have as much fin mass, those tendrils still create large amounts of drag and hinder their movement.

Doubletails

We took a halfmoon and we made it worse. That.... that takes skill. These genetic abominations were specifically bred to have not one, but two tails! And I’m not sure how much truth there is behind this, but their spine is supposed to split into two portions to create that Y shaped tail. Obviously, that would strain their spine and create a whole handful of new problems, on top of that further decreased swimming ability.  (After Bezel passes, I’ll probably get a doubletail and see if that spine thing checks out.)

Congrats! You made it to the bottom!

Now, here’s what to look for, if you want to buy a healthy(er) betta.

If you’ve been in a pet store recently and looked at the shelf with all the bettas on it, you can probably recognize some of these traits in 9/10 fish. And if they’re not lying on their side on the edge of death, they’ll probably look good and healthy and tempting to take home.

Remember how screwed up those bettas are, though, and get one of the better options. Here’s a list of questions to ask yourself before taking a betta home.

Male or female? When it comes to fin types, females will almost always be better off than males. Thanks to sexual dimorphism, female bettas have shorter, less exaggerated fins. Therefore, a crowntail female can swim about as easily as a plakat (read: short-finned fighter type) or veiltail betta. If it’s a female, just make sure the fins aren’t bitten or weirdly long. If it’s a male, see below.

How drastic are the fins? The shorter, the better. Just make sure they aren’t short because they’ve bitten them off. Also, veiltails are one of the healthiest fin types currently available, because they’re an “undesired” trait, and have wider gene pools as a result of not being inbred to a severe degree. They're functional, too! These boys can swim.

How pretty is it? If the betta looks like a galaxy painting threw up on it, then chances are, it’s gonna have some issues later in life. You want a betta that’ll hopefully live for years? Get an ugly one. Orange, yellow, tan, peach, dirty white, whatever. Stay away from those solid reds/whites/blacks/blues. Those two boys above are great examples of “ugly” bettas. Even though the one on the left is marble, he still has a better chance of living a good life than an inbred solid black disaster.

If you want something a little fancier than a fish that looks like.... well, kind of like flesh, get a cambodian! Their coloration is a variation of piebald. They’re characterized by a light, peachy body and colorful fins. They’re pretty flesh fish. These were actually one of the earliest types of domestic bettas, fun fact.

How shiny is it? Shiny scales don’t automatically mean they betta is a dragonscale carrier. For example, compare these crowntail and plakat (that fighter-type mentioned above) males to the true dragonscales at the very top. Lightly shimmery scales that naturally fade into the body aren’t dragonscales. If they’re the same size and thickness as the rest of the scales, they probably aren’t dragonscales. You can get an eye for telling the two apart after awhile.

And that’s it, that’s the show. Thanks for reading!

This guide was written on 2/03/2019 and will be edited as necessary.

2/08/2019: edited to remove swearing

[helenarlett-rex]

These are Mollies. They are my new favorite aquarium fish. They come in lots of different varieties but they’re all Mollies and they’ll all live together and even breed with each other in an aquarium.

They weren’t always my favorite. I used to be all about the Rainbow Shark. And Danios. I always thought you couldn’t go wrong with Danios. But after my last Rainbow Shark died after being in my aquarium for 6 years, I thought, I’ve had the same kind of fish in this thing for 6 years now... Nothing but Rainbow Shark and Zebra Danios... What I could put in the tank was kind of limited because of the Rainbow Shark, and there had been a lot of other fish I’d wanted to try but had never been able too because the shark just wouldn’t get along with them... So I thought, before I go out and get another shark, how about I try something new for a change? I’d wanted to get some White Cloud Mountain Minnows. Something about them just seemed very appealing to me. But when I went fish shopping I couldn’t find any anywhere.

But I needed to get something, because all I had left in my tank was a single, female, Koi Betta, who had spent all her life living in a community tank and was starting to act kind of depressed now that she was alone. So without the option of the fish I wanted, I decided to try whatever looked appealing. And that was when I spotted the Dalmatian Mollies. I’d had Mollies once before in my fish keeping career and it was a very brief experience that ended... not well... But I actually know what I’m doing now and those black and white speckled fish matched the new substrate I’d recently put into the tank, so I thought they’d look good in there. Why not give it a try?

I should point out that the only place near me where I can buy fish is Petsmart. I could drive an hour to the city where there’s a much nicer pet store, but not just to buy a whatever looks good fish. They didn’t have White Clouds either so I didn’t see the point in going there. But Petsmart is kind of hit or miss when it comes to healthy fish. So it took me several attempts before I had a tank full of stable fish. And by that point they weren’t all Dalmatian Mollies. I’ve ended up with a tank of assorted Mollies. My male is a Dalmatian Molly (Who looks like he may have been the result of crossbreeding with some kind of Sailfin), and my females consist of two Black Mollies, two Orange Balloon Belly Mollies, and one Dalmatian Balloon Belly Molly.

I was relieved. Finally I had a stable population of fish in my tank that weren’t getting sick on me, and as it turned out, the Mollies are really adorable and have fun personalities. And being able to mix the assorted variations of the fish made the tank look a lot more interesting too. So they quickly became my new favorite fish. 

And then I found babies in the tank!

Okay, Mollies are livebearers so I knew there was a chance of that happening. I didn’t expect it to happen only days after finally getting the tank stable...

So now I’ve got a breeder box in my tank with 5 fry in it. The only ones I was able to find in the tank and capture. I’m guessing if there were more they were eaten.

When I first started spotting the fry in the tank it was just two of them, so I thought the mother had only started having them. And I assumed the mother was this very light, semi-translucent girl here. These were my first Mollies of the Balloon Belly variety so I’m still not very good at telling if they are pregnant or not, but after looking some stuff up online I determined that she looks pregnant to me. So I quickly got her into the breeding box in the hopes of containing the rest of them. But then she didn’t have any and more fry kept appearing in the tank.

I’m pretty sure now that they were actually coming from this girl here instead...

After further research I’m almost 100% positive they were... Which means I now have 5 fry that survived who I’m keeping away from the other fish, because these are my first fish babies and I really want to watch them grow up... and another fish who I’m still pretty sure is still pregnant, which means more on the way...

Which again, I was not expecting to happen this soon because now my main tank is overstocked, and my kitchen tank needs to be cleaned and cycled before it can go back into use, leaving me with a bunch of new Mollies I would have been ready for in like, a month from now, but not right at this exact moment.

These are Mollies, my new favorite fish. Fuck them...

[anakinsbugs]

How To Care For Goldfish

New Post has been published on https://walrusvideo.com/how-to-care-for-goldfish/

How To Care For Goldfish

On This Page

How to Clean a Goldfish Bowl

I bought 2 goldfish, how exactly do I take care of them?

Caring for Your Goldfish in a Fish Bowl Without an Air Pump

Comet Goldfish Breeding, Care, Feeding Care Guide

F eeding Comet Goldfish

Aquarium mates of Comet Goldfish

How To Look After Fancy Cold Water Goldfish

How to Take Care of a Goldfish in a Bowl

Looking After Goldfish: Pet Care for Healthy Fish

Beginner’s Guide to Caring for Goldfish

Aquarium Care for Fantail Guppies

Shubunkin Goldfish: How to care for them properly

What Do Shubunkin Goldfish Look Like?

How to Clean a Goldfish Bowl

Many pet goldfish may not live as long as they should. Goldfish have the potential to live a decade or more, not a year or even just months. The reason for this shorter lifespan is due to improper care. Two common mistakes are overfeeding, and irregular water changes.

Can Betta fish live together with goldfish? Goldfish shouldn’t be kept with other tropical fish either. Since goldfish are very dirty, they need frequent water changes. First of all, they are both irritable species. This is because a typical goldfish grows up to 12 inches.

That was five years ago. It lived for a year or two, often less. Just because they can survive does not mean they should be subjected to this kind of treatment. I plan to buy a common goldfish from the shop, but I need to know the minimum tank size! What size tank do goldfish need?

Common goldfish (the ones you can win at folk festivals) are actually one of the largest goldfish species, reaching over 18 inches in length and weighing up to ten pounds. Even the smallest goldfish species reach between four and seven inches in length as adults. They are best suited to aquariums with a capacity of 20 gallons or more, not fish bowls. The size of your goldfish’s aquarium will affect its growth to some degree. Would-be are other factors to consider, such as the fish’s diet and its environment’s cleanliness. Dependent on the species and the factors mentioned above, a goldfish can grow up to one metre long or as small as two inches.

I bought 2 goldfish, how exactly do I take care of them?

Many of us can remember our childhood goldfish, won at the fair or bought from our parents, who carefully replaced dead fish with identical replacements hoping that we would never notice. As a result, many people still consider a jar to be a suitable environment for a goldfish. Although the term goldfish jar seems as obvious as a rabbit hutch, dog bed or cat flap, it is one of those labels, along with terms like bullfight and mousetrap, that refer to animals in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The best way to transfer a new goldfish to its new home is to leave it in the oxygen and water-filled bag that the pet shop employee put your new pet in. Just put it directly into the goldfish tank or tank and wait until the water temperatures are the same. Don’t forget him in the bag as he only has so much oxygen and if you leave him in there too long, he will probably suffocate and die. When the water temperatures are the same (10 to 15 minutes), carefully release the fish and the bag water into the new tank.

I did not buy this tank, but be careful if you do. This is a 10gal tank which is barely big enough for 1 goldfish. Goldfish can grow to an 8-12 inch depending on the species and should be kept in a 20gal, if we are honest. But if you decide to put a goldfish in here, only put one in as they produce large amounts of ammonia. Putting more than 1 in at a time would spell death in less than 2 weeks. If you decide to use a schooling fish, do not put more than 5 small fish such as barbs or guppies

Caring for Your Goldfish in a Fish Bowl Without an Air Pump

When you have many goldfish you have in a tank, more oxygen is needed to keep them healthy. Try adding an air pump to move the surface of the water. The air bubbles don’t really add oxygen, but moving the surface will help. The best solution to maximise the water’s oxygen is to follow the rule: The larger the surface area, the more oxygen in the water. For this reason, you should prefer a wide goldfish bowl to a tall, narrow one.

Although goldfish can make great pets and are easy to care for, it is important to recognise the signs of a sick or dying fish so that you can look after it. If your goldfish is just below the surface of the water or is gasping for air bubbles, it may be having trouble breathing. If this is the case, use a freshwater test kit to see if there is enough oxygen in the water. If not, you may need to repair or replace the air pump. You should also see if your fish has stopped interacting with things or is just resting on the bottom of the aquarium, which may be a sign of illness.

When caring for fish, goldfish need large, spacious tanks with clean water. Goldfish need filters and occasional air stones. Goldfish are related to carp and other cyprinids and don’t really need heating. Can I keep a goldfish in a tank? Do I need an air stone for my goldfish? Do goldfish need heating? Can a goldfish live without a filter or air pump? What do goldfish eat?

They are also practically schooling fish, which means you need to keep them in a group of about 5 or even more. White Cloud Mountain Minnows, Rosey Red Minnows and some Danios can comfortably share a goldfish tank. Goldfish are largely classified as cold-water fish by experts. Disadvantages of keeping pinto barbs with goldfish: Pinto barbs are just big enough, at about 2 inches, to live safely with goldfish. So look for goldfish breeds that are an excellent match.

Comet Goldfish Breeding, Care, Feeding Care Guide

Goldfish are sociable, show schooling behaviour and exhibit the same types of feeding behaviour. Goldfish can show similar behaviour when responding to their reflection in a mirror. Goldfish have a learned behaviour, both as a group and as individuals, derived from the behaviour of native carp. They are a generalist species with multiple feeding, breeding and predation avoidance behaviour that will contribute to their continued success. As fish, they can be described as “friendly” to each other. Very rarely does a goldfish injure another goldfish, nor do males injure females during breeding.

Feeding Comet Goldfish

Shubunkin goldfish spawn in the spring months. To simulate this natural tendency, lower the breeding tank’s temperature to 60°F (15.5°C). A good idea to increase the temperature by 3 degrees each day over the next few days until you reach 22°C. The colours of the males become brighter, and they chase the females. The males then poke the females into the plants (or pugs), which encourages them to lay their eggs.

Goldfish are one of the most popular group of fish in artificial tanks. They are particularly popular in the East. Thus, the Chinese tradition of keeping these fish goes back to ancient historical periods. There is no other fish species that has such a wide variety of breeding morphs. In our country, too, goldfish have been known for a long time (remember at least the goldfish from the story by A. S. Pushkin) and are considered a symbol of well-being and prosperity.

A swim bladder is a gas-filled sac inside most fish that controls their buoyancy in the water. Problems with the swim bladder cause fish to have difficulty swimming, which is common in fan-tail goldfish. Bacterial infections and air swallowing are thought to be common causes of swim bladder problems. Feeding a varied diet can help with prevention. Swim bladder problems are usually not life-threatening but can be a symptom of a more serious condition. If a fish is suffering badly for more than a day or two, it may be worthwhile to use a swim bladder medication.

A varied diet will maximise the health of your goldfish (Carassius auratus). A mixture of special goldfish flakes and granules

Aquarium mates of Comet Goldfish

When temperatures are high, nobody keeps coldwater fish. Likewise, in areas of the planet where the climate means even an unheated aquarium runs at tropical temperatures, it’s often common practice to stay fancy goldfish in with surprisingly different tank mates like a discus. Given the fragile nature of a number of the highly bred sorts of goldfish, we will see that a pleasant warm tank may be a great environment for them and that they will often thrive.

Goldfish are probably the most misunderstood aquarium fish out there. Even though it is the most popular aquarium fish in the world, few people have a clear understanding of these fish. Nothing demonstrates this more than the topic of tankmates. It immediately generates a reaction of ‘nothing can go with goldfish, they are coldwater’. This is wrong in many ways.

The comet goldfish, also known as Carassius auratus auratus has been with us since the end of the 1800s. Hugo mulertt is credited with the selective breeding program which led to the creation of this fish from wild Prussian carps. Since then it has taken the aquarium hobby by storm and this shows no signs of stopping. They are well received in the hobby because of their hardiness and vibrant colours. A healthy comet can live up to 14 years old and grow up to 12 in length.

Plants for goldfish like tank mates are tricky. You have a number of things working against you when it comes to them. Because goldfish like cold water that is 7-8 in ph, this eliminates the majority of tropical aquarium plants available for sale. Goldfish also love to gobble up plants. They will eat just about any plant you stick in the tank. Another factor is that goldfish stir up the substrate, which means that if you have any rooted plants that need to be established in your substrate, it is likely that your goldfish will dig it out.

How To Look After Fancy Cold Water Goldfish

Q: How much can a goldfish weigh? a: Adult goldfish can weigh up to 4.5 kg (10 lbs), but this is rare. However, it is not unrealistic for a goldfish to weigh 2.25 kg (5 lbs). Q: Do goldfish have ears? a: Goldfish have ears, but not like you and me. They have inner ear bones called otoliths that can feel vibrations. Avoid tapping on the glass as this can stress or even kill them. Q: Do goldfish have lungs? a: Goldfish do not have lungs. Goldfish breathe by sucking in oxygenated water through their mouths.

Many potential aquarium mates are ruled out right off the bat because they cannot sleep in a similar temperature range as goldfish. Goldfish are classified as “cold-water fish”. Technically this term is incorrect, but most people within the hobby refer to them as temperate fish that prefer to live in a temperature range between 65° and 75°f (18°-24°c).

I have had 2 armoured catfish in my goldfish tank for two months, and they get on well together! Is this ok? Corys need to be kept preferably in a group of at least six to feel comfortable. I wouldn’t recommend it for keeping them with goldfish, but I’m no expert either. Good luck! Beautiful fish. I think peppered corals do well in colder water temperatures. I would double-check that the species you have likes the temperature of your tank, to be sure. Goldfish should not eat them as corals grow large and have these spines.

A fish with a characteristic arched back, prolonged, sensitive to temperature parameters, does not tolerate cold. All species of goldfish are targeted in spacious open or artificial reservoirs. The optimal temperature is 20. 25 degrees Celsius. The ph-value should be 6. 9-7. 2. water hardness. From 8 units. Among the goldfish, there are cold-blooded individuals. These include the telescope and some other elongated subspecies.

How to Take Care of a Goldfish in a Bowl

If you think of the goldfish you saw in bowls as a child, at a friend’s house, or even at school, they were probably subjected to the “classic goldfish care”. This care was essentially water + fish + bowl, and then they were done! Of course, the other side of this “care” was replacing the goldfish every 1-3 months after it died.

Don Hurst estimates that he has given away millions of goldfish at fairs over the last 25 years. Fairgoers win a fish in a plastic bag by throwing a ping-pong ball into a bowl. Since Hurst sells eight balls for a dollar and 20 for two dollars, the odds of winning are pretty good. Hurst believes that most of the fish he puts out will make it home. But how long they live afterwards depends on how they are cared for. Optimal conditions include a tank with a cover, the right kind of water, a filtration system and sunlight.

The fancy goldfish has been misrepresented over the years. People believe that it needs little or no care and can thrive in a tank. In reality, however, the goldfish has just as many needs as any other tropical fish: good water quality, temperature, good filtration and good food. It is important to understand the needs of your goldfish to keep it happy and healthy.

Looking After Goldfish: Pet Care for Healthy Fish

Answer: Feed quantity and quality is the key to correct goldfish care. It has a direct effect on your fish’s health. When goldfish food is analysed, it has been found to contain more carbohydrates than others, and it contains less protein than other fish foods. Local pet shops already have ready-made goldfish food, so you shouldn’t just take any food. Can be the form of flakes, pellets or a mixture of both.

There is no clear answer to this question. In their natural state, these fish eat small meals throughout the day and are healthy. Smaller meals at shorter intervals are easier on the digestive tract. Small meals include a few flakes or pellets per fish. Observing behaviour during feeding time will help owners know if their animals need more food. If the goldfish still seem to be in a frenzy when all the food is gone, they may need a little more at the next feeding. It is important to watch all the fish individually to see if they are getting their fair share.

Fish used to be sold as low-maintenance pets, but the reality is that keeping them and keeping them healthy requires a lot more care than the average cat. If you are getting a fish for a child, be aware that the costs involved can exceed those of the average family mogul who needs good food, a few vaccinations, flea and worm treatments and a warm lap.

Beginner’s Guide to Caring for Goldfish

Goldfish are undoubtedly among the most popular aquarium fish globally and are typically the first to enter to the mind of beginners when they consider setting up an aquarium. And for a good reason. Goldfish are extremely common, making them cheap and easy to find, and information about their care is readily available. With that being said, people who are more likely to venture into the world of tropical fish keeping are often left wondering if one goldfish or more could survive in their tropical tank, and the answer, as with many things, is not really that simple.

After reading this guide, you should know if the Comet Goldfish is the right fish for your aquarium. They bring both a vibrant personality and bright colours to your aquarium. Just remember that they can grow substantial, although they can be as small as 2 inches as juveniles. While they are not demanding to keep, they require a large tank, which generally means they are not suitable for beginners.

Provides simple information on caring for a goldfish, including feeding, cleaning the tank and what to do if they are sick.

Fish are the jewel in any pond. Their beautiful colours will brighten up your garden oasis, and you, your children and your guests will love watching them dart around the rocks and plants. And they are the easiest pets you will ever own. Pond fish like koi and goldfish don’t require much more than food and shelter for all the fun they provide.

Aquarium Care for Fantail Guppies

The care of ornamental goldfish is very similar to that of other goldfish, except that they can be kept quite easily in aquaria. Goldfish ideally should be kept at least in pairs, and a 29-gallon tank is a minimum for two smaller goldfish, such as pearl scales, fanfish or ranchu. On the other hand, some ornamental fish, such as orangas, reach 10 or more inches in length and require a 40-gallon minimum.

Freshwater aquariums are very colourful. The planted plants, including ornamental fish, snails, crayfish and shrimp, swim and play make it a real water garden. Are crustaceans suitable in a fish tank? Aquarists recommend carefully selecting fish that is placed in a freshwater shrimp tank. The compatibility of shrimp with guppies, some species of catfish and zebra danios have been proven. Shrimp is a delicious delicacy for much freshwater fish. So you want to create a friendly aquatic nursery in your own home where there is no room for hunting and hostility, read the information on who is acceptable for shrimp.

The Ryukin goldfish from the Ryukyu Islands is a popular goldfish bred in Japan. It looks similar to the fan-tailed goldfish but is set apart by a distinctive hump on the head’s back that raises the dorsal fin. The long tail fins can have three or four lobes, with the three-lobed ryukin having what the Japanese call a “cherry blossom tail”. There are several goldfish species of ryukin, the Yamagata Kingyo, Sabao and Tamasaba, which have been bred to have only a single caudal fin.

Guppies are another common tropical aquarium fish. Other names they are called by are million fish and rainbowfish. They are one of the best beginner fish for pet owners or hobbyists to start with. Their colourful bodies add excitement to aquariums. They are inexpensive and also fairly easy to keep. Guppies can live happily in a 5 gallon to 10-gallon size tank.

Shubunkin Goldfish: How to care for them properly

Goldfish kept alone need a lot of space. Common goldfish is best not to keep comets and shubunkins together with ornamental goldfish. Also, some ornamental goldfish such as Orandas, Black Moors and Fantails should not be kept together with other ornamental fish species such as Ranchus. The main reason for this is that the faster fish may eat all the food before the slower, more delicate species can get their share. Nipping fins can also be a factor and something the more petite and slower goldfish cannot avoid.

Having goldfish is great. They swim around in their tanks and are so happy as if they don’t have to worry about anything in the world. Of course, in most cases, they don’t. As long as you look after them, anyway. They don’t have bills to pay, they don’t have to hunt for food themselves, and they don’t have to worry about disposing of their waste. What better life could a fish ask for?

Goldfish have wonderful personalities that really shine through when you look after them properly. They are also intelligent enough to recognise their owners and get particularly excited when begging for food.

Caring for your goldfish should be done according to their basic needs. Even though they are recommended for beginners, these magnificent representatives of the underwater world have their own peculiarities of the aquarium contents. It would be best to take care of each representative of the different subspecies in its own way. There are only native goldfish for which the temperature of the environment and their other characteristics are important. Consider how to keep each species properly and who can survive outdoors.

What Do Shubunkin Goldfish Look Like?

Obtaining a regular goldfish is one of the easiest ways to give your goldfish a new aquarium buddy. Your fish may need another goldfish to combat loneliness. You can add different varieties of goldfish to the tank if you are looking for variation. Goldfish come in a large range of colours. You may have seen one in orange, yellow, red, gold, silver and white. Regular goldfish, shubunkins and comets are all excellent choices for building a community tank.

There are three main types of goldfish that have only one tail: Common, Comet, Shubunkin. The common goldfish are the classic orange ones you see at fairs or pet shops for 7-20 cents. Comet goldfish tend to have the same colour variations as common goldfish, although there are a few more white and yellow ones or ones with coloured spots.

Goldfish are hardy fish. However, like all other fish, they are attacked by Ich. The nasty parasite also shows up in shubunkins. You will notice your fish scratching at the tank walls and decorations, trying to scrape off the white spots. These white spots can spread, open and cause further infection from the water’s bacteria if you do not treat them immediately.

The best-known goldfish breeds to date include the veil tail, riukin, telescope, lion head, redcap, pearl mussel, shubunkin. They are popular mainly because of their undemanding nature and ability to live in conditions with low temperatures. Goldfish Compatible Fishes Socialising other cold-water fish with goldfish is not a simple matter of going to the pet shop, buying anything that can survive in cold water, and socialising it with goldfish. A whole world of problems awaits those who think it is anything other than advanced goldfish keeping. It is worth pointing out that narrow-breasted and thick-breasted goldfish species should ideally not be kept together. The narrow-breasted goldfish, such as common, comet and shubunkin, will have eaten all the food before the fat-breasted goldfish (most ornamental goldfish) realise it is time to feed.

Caring for your Fish Not every goldfish will stay small. Comet goldfish, Sarasa, shubunkin and koi are pond-dwelling fish that outgrow smaller environments quickly. A goldfish housed in a tank that is too small will develop life-threatening health problems. The average size of an adult comet, Sarasa or shubunkin, is 18 – 25 cm (7 – 10 in). Double-tailed or fan-tailed species can be bred in small aquariums, provided they are not overpopulated. There are numerous species from which to choose. They will have egg-shaped bodies with numerous different fin shapes. The colours range from red to orange, white or black, calico or any other combination in a fish.

The shubunkin goldfish comes in two varieties (London shubunkin and Bristol shubunkin). Its body looks similar to that of the common or comet goldfish, but its colours are very similar to fancy goldfish. It has a caudal fin, a dorsal fin and paired pectoral and pelvic fins. The Bristol is larger, and its caudal fin is rounder than that of London.

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Go to Source Author: Robin

[queenmuzz]

Deep Blue Sea: Chapter VI

Tectonic Shift

Full story is on Ao3 here.

Over the months, you'd settled into a pattern, you'd wake up, have a shower, and get dressed. You'd head to the kitchen, grab yourself a piece of toast, and some kelp and some fish. Occasionally, you'd fry an egg, or some bacon... (lots of bacon, Vergil seemed to love that stuff more than sardines), and sit on the little platform and have breakfast. Without fail, you'd ask every morning if this was the day Vergil wanted to go back to the ocean, and the response was always the same.... A gruff, but not impolite no. It kind of became a running joke between you two, as you both ate your breakfast. While you munched, you'd tell him of your plans for the day, and ask him questions mostly about sea life, and occasionally about merlife in general. You never tried asking specifics, but you gleaned tidbits about the life of the merfolk, how deep they could go (as far down as the ocean floor, although they rarely felt the need to go that deep), their senses, (very sensitive, and you were almost certain he had senses that he could not explain to you, like echolocation, or heat vision), and very basic knowledge about their culture. (They tended to travel in shoals, although, merfolk of his age tended to go solo until they had found a bondmate of their own). You desperately wanted to know more, but you didn't wish to force him to tell you anything he did not wish to. This wasn't an interrogation, more of an anthropological study.

Once a month, you'd take some measurements of his vitals. That had been a bit of a hassle to convince on both ends, to Vergil, and to Doctor Griffon. Surprisingly, it was the merman that was the easiest to convince. After you'd explained that it was the only way to keep the asshole doctor away from him, he'd relented, on the grounds that you would not do anything painful. And you had, like the good student you had been for the past decade, had taken thorough notes. To your delight, he'd seemed to be healthier than before, gaining weight, and his once sunken in eyes seemed more relaxed, but more sharp and alert. And even more impressively, the scales on his tail were no longer the sickly deep sea pale that he had when you had first seen him. Instead his scales had transformed into a gorgeous deep iridescent blue, with occasional flecks of silver and gold. His fins, once bedraggled, colourless and limp, now fluttered in dark blue, almost black, layers, reminiscent of high quality chiffon. If you had to compare him to a fish, you'd probably say he reminded you of an elegant, but aggressive betta fish. Beautiful, yet you knew highly dangerous. (Part of your brain thought about putting a mirror in the tank, to see if he would 'puff out', but as hilarious as it sounded, you wouldn't dare do that) In short, he seemed to be thriving, which was amazing, considering his current condition.

The 'Doctor' was a bit harder to convince. He really, truly wanted to see how 'his' specimen was doing, but you had put your foot down. You were NOT going to let the man anywhere near Vergil, as long as you could help it. You'd actually felt very proud of yourself, managing to talk him down to a compromise. You'd write up monthly reports and pictures, send them over, and you'd promised that you would contact him immediately if there were any health issues. This seemed to mollify the doctor enough, and he begrudgingly accepted. At the very least, he was exceedingly happy with the colour returning to Vergil's scales, but most likely for an entirely different reason than you.

Upon finishing breakfast, you'd tell him when you'd be back, leave him out some food in a bowl on the platform, (including utensils, he'd expressed interest in trying to use them, but he never did so in your presence, possibly out of embarrassment?) And then you'd leave for the day.

Most days, it was following your father around like an obedient little puppy dog, observing everything he did. Watching how he interacted with clients, board members, subordinates, secretaries, and even the janitors. Polite, professional, friendly and yet always calculating, attempting to see how he could maximize his benefit in every single interaction. A lay person would say he had a shark-like personality, but you knew sharks were less predatory than he was. He was more of an angler fish, (the female of course, the males were too tiny), luring people in with his bubbly personality, before snapping them up. But could you really blame him? The angler fish did her thing to get scarce resources, way on the bottom of the ocean, and your father did his thing to remain at the top of the food chain.

Other days were spent with your wedding planner, Sarah, or your mother, looking at venues, caterers, florists. Being dragged to one wedding show, and then another. They were both a good help in carrying some of the load, but of course, they would have their own preferences about everything that you had to push back on. Already your mother was saying that blue was 'definitely not your colour, you're a warm toned girl’, and Sarah’s well meaning suggestions on music selections that just didn’t fit your style.  And your wedding planner, while taking the bulk of your work under her wing, wasn’t much help on the support front. And Fredrick…?

You spent the entire lunch break talking to him as he perfected his Japanese, and listened to his ongoing adventures running the company.  He’d attempt to listen to you gripe about your trials and tribulations, but all he could do was be a sympathetic ear, and always agree to everything, no matter the item or cost.  If you had insisted that you’d wanted the Eiffel tower flown in for the ceremony, he’d probably say, “Yup, how much?”

So, by the time you got home, you were exhausted, and all you wanted to do was go to bed.  But there was Vergil. You couldn’t neglect him, so as you made him dinner (and collected his dishes, neatly piled up for you, the merman was rather polite for such brusque personality).  You and him would converse, and while you kept your frustrations to a minimum, scraps would slip out, causing him to frown. But unlike Fredrick, he didn’t brush it aside, but allowed you to release your troubles, even if there was nothing he could do about it.

You’d spend dinner on the platform, sometimes he’d eat fish, sometimes you’d give him samples of food you were eating, and if he liked it, you’d make a mental note to make him a dish of it.  But he really had a preference for ramen, so you made it for him on a regular basis, making as many different versions as possible. Adding a poached egg seemed to please him greatly, so you made sure to keep a carton of eggs for the occasion.  You’d spend the evening researching venues and stuff, while Vergil would talk about sea life, things you would have never found out in a lifetime of exploration. He’d talk about the shipwrecks he saw, (including the Phantom, and he couldn’t resist grinning at the memory), underwater volcanoes in locations that you’d never dreamed of.  Even if you couldn’t use the information in your official research (Citing: The merman that is imprisoned in my home wouldn’t pass muster on any scientific papers)

Eventually, you’d start to nod off, before wishing him goodnight, and heading onward to bed, although sometimes you’d passed out on the couch facing the aquarium, letting the sound of splashing water lull you to sleep.  Although, sometimes, just before you slipped into unconsciousness, you could have sworn you heard a voice singing….

*****

Tonight was going to be a different night, though.  No wedding research, your phone was sitting in your bedroom, on silent, and your laptop was still in its bag in the entryway.  Nope, tonight was going to be a night to relax, and have some fun.

Vergil’s eyebrows raised as you placed a water resistant cushioned blanket on the platform, before patting it to beckon him to sit on it.  You pulled out several cases, a bowl of popcorn, and a portable DVD player.

Tonight, you were going to introduce Vergil to the human activity of Movie Night.

“So,” you placed the cases in front of him.  “This is how we humans sometimes spend time, how we entertain ourselves.  I’d love to take you to a movie theatre” you chuckled at the mental image of wheeling him in a wheelchair into a cinema, “but I’m not sure how much you’d like to be out of water for an extended period of time, so we’ll have to do the next best thing.”  You gestured to the cases in front of him. “Each of these tells a story, pick one and I’ll tell you the basics of it, so you can figure out if you’d like it.”

Vergil looked a bit confused, “They tell a story?”

“Yes,” you explained. “We have storytelling, but over the years we managed a way to make them so you didn’t need to have a dedicated storyteller to entertain you, we just take one of these babies,” You popped out a disc to show him, “and it’ll tell the story out for us.”

The merman scoffed, “Sounds rather… cold, and lacking any personality.”

“Hey, don’t knock it until you try it,” you said as you booted up the player, making sure it had the battery power needed.  It had been a while since you had the time, or the drive to sit down for one of these.

Vergil pulled himself out of the water, and sat himself on the blanket, perusing the selection.  Of course, his eyes were drawn to the animated one, featuring a redheaded mermaid.

“Ah, the Little Mermaid!  It’s a story about a mermaid who falls in love with a human guy, and wants to be a human to be with him”

The grimace he gave was as if you had slipped sugar into his ramen.  “Why would any merfolk wish to become human?”

You laughed, totally unoffended.  Of course he would think that, and rightfully so.  His opinion of the human world forever be tainted by his previous experiences, but at least… you could attempt to make it more pleasant.  You pulled the case away, (as well as the Splash case, odds are he wouldn’t like that either), watching his eyes as it fell on another case.  He cocked his head, as he picked it up.

“Ah, Pirates of the Carribean!  One of my personal favourites….It’s set many years ago, there’s these pirates… um guys that-”

“I know what pirates are” and he smiled at the shock on your face, “we have songs about them, from a multitude of cycles ago, of when they would sail on the seas...and the battles they raged.  They often had depictions of us on the front of their ships, carved in wood. They respected us, and we respected them. So,” he said, his eyes becoming distant “we sing to remember them.”

“Well,” you said slowly, “would you like to watch?”  He gave a subtle nod, and you grinned before popping the disk in.

You sat beside each other (leaving a comfortable gap between the two of you) and began to watch.  Every so often you had to pause (which startled Vergil to no end as he couldn’t fathom how the the characters seemingly froze in place) to explain a concept, such as the ‘Governor’ being a person who controlled the territory, and who’s daughter was also very important.  You felt him stiffen as her reaction as the Commodore proposed to her, (you could have sworn he murmured, ‘Hmmm perhaps it’s a human thing…’).  

“There seems to be a lot of young men with white hair, I was under the impression it was mostly the domain of the merfolk, and elderly humans” he asked.

“They’re wigs, Vergil, they loved to wear those things back in the day”

“Did women find them attractive?  Is that why she is saying yes to his proposal for bonding, despite her having feelings for the young man without the...wig?”

You felt uncomfortable at that question, knowing how close it hit.  Was he merely referring to the characters, or was there a deeper question, about your impending marriage?  “It’s complicated, Vergil. She’s a very important woman, and marrying her will bring great things to his family, and so will it to her family”

Vergil hummed, unconvinced, but was easily distracted by the swordsmanship between the two protagonists.  He seemed almost transfixed at the dance like movements. You wondered if he was a swordsman himself.  

And then, the pirates attacked, killing townsfolk, and you felt Vergil stiffen as the violence continued.  Things got so tense that you had to pause the movie again, turning to him, and watching his hands balled into fists.

“Vergil, what’s wrong?”

“It’s barbaric,” he said, pulverizing a poor piece of popcorn in his fist.  “That you humans kill others for entertainment.”

You stared, confused, until the realization dawned on you, and you desperately restrained a laugh.  “Oh no, Vergil… it’s not what you think.”

“You're killing people for your story!”

“They’re actors, Vergil, they’re only pretending to play dead… it’s what they want to do, and they get compensated for doing it.”

“But there’s blood…” he tried saying.

“Trust me, it’s all fake, you’d be able to tell instantly if you were on the set… uh, where they make the movie, that it’s not real.  Nobody sane would ever agree to die for a movie.”

It seemed to mollify him, for the time being, especially when the one of the pirate’s arms turned skeletal in the moonlight, something that could never happen in real life.

You both watched in silence for some time, and you were becoming aware that he was getting closer to you, to the point you were practically touching.  It must be because the screen was so small, he was attempting to get a better vantage point.

And now you were at the part where the two lovebirds were attempting to pretend that they didn’t have feelings for each other.  It was hilariously transparent, and yet … sad. The screen became blurry as you watched the young blacksmith tenderly bandage the woman’s hand.

Suddenly, you felt an insistent tapping on your shoulder. You paused the movie yet again, and turned to find the merman extremely alarmed.

“Vergil?”

“Your face, it’s….” he attempted to find the correct word before settling on an adequate, if not hilariously sounding one.  “It’s leaking.”

You blinked, trying to figure out what he meant before you realized he was talking about the wetness on your cheeks.

“Oh,” you explained “it’s just tears.  Humans do it all the time when we get emotional.  Usually when we’re sad… but sometimes when we’re happy, and even when we laugh very hard.  Even we don’t know why we do it.” Obviously, being surrounded by water, Vergil had never experienced tears, even if he was capable of shedding them. You wiped one cheek, but his hand unexpectedly grabbed your wrist as you attempted to dry the other.

He seemed as shocked as you were at his action, and his pale skin seemed to flush.  Most likely it was from the light of the sunset coming in through the skylight.

“May I?” He asked hesitantly, and you silently nodded, as he gingerly caressed your cheek, his thumb picking up the droplet that clung to it.  And then he did something you did not expect: he placed his thumb in his mouth, to taste it. You froze, as if you yourself had been placed on pause.  

Vergil’s eyes closed, and after a few moments of silence, he murmured “tastes like home”.  A faraway look appeared as his eyes reopened, and you felt yet another pang of guilt for keeping him prisoner.  But after a minute or so, his grey eyes regained their hardness, and he asked “shall we continue?”

Flustered as you were, you eagerly took that as an opportunity to distract yourself as you restarted the movie.  And within minutes the whole incident was seemingly forgotten. But something, something you couldn’t put your finger on, had changed.

There was no light coming through the skylight by the time the movie had finished, and all that was left of the popcorn were those ever present stubborn kernels that refused to pop. Vergil had devoured a majority of the bowl, and you added it to the mental list of foods he enjoyed.  You stretched as he slipped back into the water.

“So, what’s your opinion?  Good, bad, boring?” you asked (hoping it was the former)

Vergil had dove underwater, most likely to rehydrate.

“I enjoyed it very much,” you heard his voice echo in your head, and you resisted the urge to do a victory punch into the air. “I …  would not be averse to doing it again in the future.”

“Of course,” you said, and you cursed yourself at how quickly you answered, “there’s two more movies that tell what happens after, if you’d like to watch those.”

Another heart stopping pause, and his head breached the surface, his steel grey eyes locked on you, but not as hard as before.

“I would like that.”

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

Good Eyes | Writing Update

Hey People of Earth!

Ya girl is back for another MOTH WORK writing update, and this time we’re talking about chapter eleven, aka GOOD EYES. Just a reminder before we get started that I do have a Moth Work tab if y’all want to binge all the updates/catch up on ones you missed! Check it out HERE.

This chapter is a bit of a special one, as it’s the final chapter in Lonan’s POV!

If y’all have been following the updates since before August-ish, you would know that before this, I covered mostly Harrison’s emotional turmoil lmao, but spontaneously decided to add another POV because this is my guilty pleasures project and I wanted to! This POV is Lonan’s.

I really struggled toward the end of writing Lonan’s chapters, and I felt this was the POV’s fault. After chapter six, I couldn’t really sink my teeth into his head, and really raced to the finish line to get back to Harrison. In reality, this was actually me not understanding that the disconnect was because I wasn’t embracing the style the book wanted to be. HOWEVER, since finishing his POV (and the entire book << as I am editing this post), I am! sad! I do miss his Lonanisms. 

GOOD EYES is split into four scenes. They go as follows (cw: drug addiction, alcoholism):

Scene A:

After Lonan’s relapse in the previous chapter, good ol’ Eliza takes him to the hospital she works at so he can finally get some professional help.

Lonan is in the waiting room and all is going well! Until a lady he doesn't know accuses him of wearing her son’s guardian angel chain + jacket and OOP the tea is that he is!

The woman who sees him in the waiting room is Harrison’s mother, Suzanna. I’ve planned her since I was 15 and never had a project to put her in so it was WILD to finally write her! She’s an AA leader.

Scene B:

Direct continuation of the last scene, except this time Lonan is shook

He’s heard many stories about Suzanna and the last place he expects her to be is here!

He pulls a Lonan and attempts to yeet away from that situation lol (does not work)

Scene C:

We start with Lonan recounting a story Harrison once told him about a knife. He’s thinking about this because he’s helping Suzanna chop vegetables. They’ve since moved back to Eliza’s apartment.

(CW: blood, accidental injury) Lonan cuts himself accidentally and Suzanna jumps at the opportunity to mother him. Her motherly disposition shakes him (he ain’t expecting this).

(CW: abuse) This scene is where this chapter gets its title. Suzanna compliments Lonan’s eyes (which he believes are his worst feature as they’re the physical factor that most closely resembles his father) and calls them “good eyes”. This is the first time he’s considered his eyes as anything but reminders of his abusive father, and is one of the gentlest things I’ve written ahhhhh. Though Suz isn’t in this book for very long, I do think her presence has a profound effect on Lonan who has never had a healthy parental relationship. (AKA we need more!!)

Scene D:

A pretty short scene!

Our girl Eliza gets home after work, and is lowkey amazed that Lonan has helped cook dinner (me too lmaooo)

Lonan is really feeling his work--he out here setting tables, folding napkins, feeling like he could be a wedding planner. In the middle of his #MasterChefMoment, the doorbell rings

And in dramatic fashion guess who on the other side of the door lool

It’s Harrison hahahaha the chapter ends on a cliffhanger hahaaha I feel 13 again!

I really like this chapter! It has some really interesting character work particularly between Suz and Lonan as we get to see two sides of both that we never really do--vulnerability. I wrote this chapter over the first weekend I moved back to school after break and it was such a lovely experience. A really nice, meditative chapter that I really needed. It was the perfect way to leave Lonan’s head.

Excerpts:

(CW: The next two excerpts deal with betta fish fighting)

This is a description of the betta fish in the waiting room that Lonan watches that is totally not an explicit metaphor for his relationship with Harrison def not I have 100% not used this metaphor in another story called Fishbowl starring the two of them noooo should this book have been called “it’s all a metaphor for fighter fish” maybeeee:

The waiting room is fluorescent and empty, the only movement the irregular swish of fighter fish across a fish tank. He read somewhere it’s never a good idea to keep two together, but in the tank they circle. One is pale and translucent like diluted bone, its silk tail fluttering with each jag through the water. The next is a shift of blueness that opalizes with each peck at the water’s surface. They synchronize before one flits its tail so the other jitters toward the glass. It’s a mistake they’ve been put together—they will only kill each other in time. 

(I’m a real sucker for betta fish as I had many as a child but Meatball was my #1 right hand man [and the reason why I always seem to describe every betta fish as blue] who lived the longest and I miss him to this day I 100% never ever put two males together tho do not do that!!!)

Here’s another I’m including this because my favourite thing Lonan has ever said in response to someone’s *confusion* is “I need to see a doctor” lmao mooooood (tw: some violent imagery here):

“They shouldn’t be in there together,” he says. His head like the impact of a skipping rock. The rings. He raises his hand when she says nothing, and points to the fish. He doesn’t know which one will die, just that one will.

“You’re wearing his things,” she says.

“They’re going to kill each other.”

“The fish?”

The last time he saw him. The rain. The motel. The neon light eating them both slowly. The things Lonan said—purposefully so he could make a clean getaway. Things that made Harrison wince like Lonan had just bitten his wrist and was holding him there to bleed out. 

“I think so.”

Suzanna turns to look at the fish, and then turns back to him. The vacancy in her face is gone—she’s swollen with confusion.

The fire. The dark room. How he knows each ridge of Harrison’s teeth, each metacarpal, each vertebra, each rib, like they’re his own, like they were carved out of the same thing. 

“I need to see a doctor.”  

(^^ also this whole knowing every bone thing was supposed to be romantic but sounds more like necromancyyy hahaaaaaha Lonan’s bone kink EXPOSED)

Here’s another! TW: blood!! Here’s some description of Lonan accidentally cutting his hand + some Lonan x Suzanna relationship development:

(also Suzanna’s story about the first time she cut herself is ACTUALLY just CNF except I left out some of the gruesome details :’)))

“It happens all the time.” He thinks this might be a continuation of a sentence, but he’s missed the first part. By the time she’s telling him about her first time cutting herself in the kitchen—chopping chives in a hurry for a better omelette--she’s touching his hand again, wrapping a paper towel around it to staunch the bleeding.

Lonan glances down at the stain of red eating the white when two fingers tip his chin up, warm and surprisingly callused. “Not there. Look at me.” He only realizes she’s said this because he’s shaking. “So I tell the guy his advertisement is a lie—no accidents in the kitchen, and what happens when I get mine in the mail? An accident.” She continues easily, like she hasn’t been interrupted.

“What?” Something ringing in his ear. He tries to tip it out with his good hand, but nothing comes out. Again, he looks at his finger—she’s switched to a new paper towel. The blood saturates it, and his pupils dilate at the sight of it—something grossly exciting.

“Up here, honey. I’ve heard I have nice eyes.”

Here’s an excerpt that proves Suz is the *biggest* mood! Her dialogue (the vivid bit) is actually direct mirroring of something Harrison says in an earlier memory Lonan recounted (tho I don’t like the writing in that part so :))):

She leans against the sink for a moment and pinches her nose. He hasn’t meant for his eye colour to upset her, but when she recovers, she moves straight past him to the bloody potatoes on the cutting board. Quickly, she removes the unsalvageable ones, dumps the cutting board into the sink. She begins talking about how much rain they’ve gotten, a show she liked downtown. Something about dogs, or doctors—he doesn’t quite hear what she says. He’s distracted looking at her. How she moves, sturdily. Almost too much. The way she picks up where he left off, dicing, chopping, peeling, like she’s been doing it all along.

“I forgot what it felt like to operate.” He doesn’t know if she refers to being a mother or chopping potatoes. Suzanna is pretty like her son. An edge to her that softens as she speaks. Golden hair that glitters like sunrays, even in the fake apartment light. He doesn’t know how it feels to miss a son. How it feels to carry him in your face, like a second skin. “It’s vivid,” she says.

So that’s it for this update! There are a few more to go (tho I may combine a few) so the Moth Work party ain’t over yet! 

For now, I hope y’all enjoyed!

--Rachel

[irefusetoeven]

I’m not an expert on Bettas nor will I ever claim to be, I find them beautiful and interesting, each one having a distinct personality, but unfortunately mistreatment of them is incredibly common. Even if no one ever reads anything I write and put out there, I feel like I need to at least put out my voice, especially in light of a situation that happened to me yesterday, and has happened before in the past. There is a lot of misinformation that goes out about proper betta care, and a lot of it is exacerbated by stores like petco and petsmart. BARE minimum, bettas need to have 2.5 gallon tanks, that’s bare minimum, bigger is better however. I’ve found that bettas do really, really well in 5+ gallon tanks. The past two rescues I’ve had to do, both were in tanks that were 2 gallons or less, and both flourished when placed in larger, cycled tanks. My newest rescue, unnamed at the moment, was in a really horrible situation. He had been in a tank of about a gallon? Maybe less, along with another betta. If there is one thing that I believe is common knowledge, it’s that you don’t house male bettas together, especially not in something that small. It resulted in the death of the other fish, and my rescue was left to sit in the same tank as it for almost a week. It was horrible to experience and horrible to see him in such disgusting water. After putting him in a heated, filtered 5 gallon tank, even just over the course of a day, his colors have come in beautifully, and he swims constantly, using every part of his tank that he can. I understand that not everyone that owns one is educated on betta care, and I don’t think that it’s worth getting mad or yelling at anyone over it, but I really want to try my best and help educate people, in order to better the lives of their current or future pets, if need be. With love and care and the proper tools, bettas can show you just how unique they really are. (I’m including a photo of my rescue boi, his colors don’t come through that well in the photo)

[fishblr-blog]

Best Beginner Fish

Here are some of the best fish for Beginners!

Goldfish

NO. NO. BAD! Put that goldfish back where you found it or so help me I’ll turn this blog around!

Goldfish are absolutely the worst fish for beginners, not only do they grow very big (the smallest are still seven to ten inches long) but they require special attention and care that goes above and beyond more beginner friendly fish. They produce ammonia from their skin, not just their waste... and their waste! They have such a short digestive system they’re effectively eating and pooping constantly. They’re very easy to overfeed, require very large tanks, yes even the smaller varieties shouldn’t be kept in anything under 30 gallons and that means you can really only have one.

Sure you can go into any pet store and get a goldfish for less than a dollar, or free at fairs! But this is only because they’re very easy to breed, have big spawns.

I am not joking around when I say goldfish get big. This is an extreme example but should do a good job of getting the point across.

There are a lot of myths around goldfish and it’s very infuriating. Fish do not grow to the size of their tank, while many do stop appearing to grow (goldfish are like this) it profoundly reduces their lifespan, their organs also continue to grow causing them extreme discomfort and again, reducing their lifespan. I’ve heard people brag about ‘Oh my goldfish lived for two years!’ That’s the equivalent of bragging about your cat or dog living for a year. A healthy goldfish’s lifespan is up to 25 years, with some extremes getting up to 50.

If you have acquired goldfish and can’t afford to give them at least the bare basics of their needs then please contact a fish rescue or a locally owned aquarium store. It may take a little effort to find someone depending on your area, you can also try to find someone willing to adopt the fish from you, just make sure to ask if they can take care of them when they’re fully grown.

Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons. (55 is better)

Now onto the real list.

Guppies

(Yellow Cobra Guppy, female and male)

My previous post goes into a lot of detail about these little guys but they are ideal for beginners. They don’t require any special care and attention beyond that of most livebearing fish. They’re colorful, small, easy to come by and fun to watch!

Minimum tank size: 5 gallons

Mollies

(Platinum Lyretail Molly Male)

While mollies don’t come in the same variety of colors as guppies do they’re a little bit bigger. They are also livebearers meaning they breed very easily, even if you don’t really want to, but like most fish they’ll eat the fry, making the matter solve itself. They’re very peaceful and not as quick moving as guppies but still a pleasure to have, they also make excellent tankmates with other community fish.

Minimum tank size: 15 gallons

Platies

(Rainbow Platy Male?)

Platies and Mollies are a lot alike and to the more inexperienced they’re hard to tell apart. However, they are a different sub-species of the (Xiphophorus genus) so won’t crossbreed and they have similar temperaments and you can keep them all in a single community tank. Platies are however bigger than mollies.

Minimum Tank Size: 15+ gallons

Swordtails

(Painted Swordtail Male)

Swordtails, however, are a variation of platies so they can crossbreed. This won't create any kind of hybrid that’s of questionable ethics but people often prefer pure platies and pure swordtails. The main difference between them is the males have a long protrusion from the bottom of their tail fine, like a sword! The females lack this trait.

Minimum Tank Size: 15+ gallons

Bettas

(Rosetail? Betta Male)

Betta fish, much like goldfish, are misunderstood and a lot of lies are told about them. It’s made worse by the fact that dozens of nano tanks are labeled ‘betta tanks’ that in no way should ever house a betta permanently.

However, they make excellent beginner fish! They’re tough, able to handle PH that is high or low (but does not fluctuate wildly, all fish require stable PH). A few things to know about the betta: They only do well with other fish when kept in a large tank where they can feel comfortable and keep their own ‘territory’, they may try to eat much smaller fish and can even kill fish bigger than themselves. I’ll do a detailed post about betta fish to expand on how to be a proper betta parent.

IMPORTANT ADDENDUM: Betta fish require heaters! Their ideal temperature range is 79 degrees Fahrenheit (26 c)! They also are carnivorous and can NOT survive off a plant. Betta plants are a lie, and cruel. They also require filtration. Full stop.

Minimum Tank Size: 5 gallons (when they are the solo fish)

Tetras

(Neon Tetra)

Tetras are another excellent starter fish, brightly colored, they come in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. They’re schooling fish so they should never be kept in a smaller group than five, the more in the school the better. They also only school with their own variety, so neons with neons, embers with embers. They range in size from .8 (2cm) inch to 3 inches. The smaller tetras can be kept in a smaller tank and still have enough of them to comfortably school together.

Minimum Tank Size: 5 gallons for the smaller variety 10+ for the larger.

Danios

(Longfin Zebra Danio)

Danios don’t come in as big a variety of brilliant colors as some of the other fish on this list but are still a charming addition to any tank. They are schooling fish as well so make sure you have at the bare minimum five, but more is better. They’re another peaceful community fish, except for the giant danio variety which considers smaller fish to be food. They range in size from 1.5 inches to 4 inches (the giant variety) but average out to about 2 inches.

Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallons

Corydoras

Corydoras, or more commonly known as ‘cory cats’ are a fun bottom dwelling variety of catfish that tend not to get very large. They range from 1.5 inches up to 3 inches. They are schooling fish and again, require at least five other schooling fish, I specify schooling fish instead of other cories because they will school with anything! Ideally, though you should give them other cory friends but unlike tetras, any of the cory types will school together. These are also one of the most peaceful fish you can put into your tank and make excellent cleanup crews, eating algae (it isn’t a staple of their diet but they do nibble), and leftover food. Make sure you do keep an eye on them and give them supplementary food specially formulated for cories/loaches.

Minimum tank size: 10+ gallons

I could list a few more fish but this post is already getting on the long side! I’ll end it here. Expect more fish details soon!

[sanjuno]

Ummmm howabout a one piece time travel fic of your choice?

(1/32 SI Promptfest)

The sea is a treacherous bitch, and I have never hated being proved right more than the moment I realized that the undertow that drowned mereally did come out of nowhere just to drag my ass away from shore. How, you ask me at this point, did I know my bitter sarcasm was more than simple railing against my unfortunate circumstances?

The giant glowing sea goddess clad in sea foam and coral tipped me off. A smidge. Just a wee little bit of a hint there.

Terrible and majestic, the Ocean spoke in a voice like the waves crashing against stone. ‘My son will appreciate the help you canprovide, Occhio D Vittoria.’

“… eh?” I was understandably suffering a bit of a BSOD inthe brain, between the worldview shift required when a technical atheist meets withthe divine face to face and the oxygen deprivation. The Ocean then proceeded to slam me head-first down a whirlpool before I could even get a complete word out, and then pain from the bends set my blood on fire.

Needless to say, I was not in the best frame of mind when Iwoke up still under the water. “That’s not my fucking name, you salt-soaked whore!”

A rather scandalized clownfish burbled at me in shock, retreating into its anemone. It took me longer than I care to admit to realizethat I was actually breathing water rather than using a self-taught diving trick to recycle old air. Hard on the heels of that revelation was the notice that my legs had been replaced with a fishtail. Specifically, I was sporting the iconic ray-finned crimson-and-neon barbsof a clearfin lionfish.

“…” I stared for a good long while, trying to make sense of what the hell was going on. This was a situation that called for a witty one-liner. “… Well if I have to be a male-gaze fantasy trope at least I get to be a venomous one.”

… Eh, good enough. I always did have a habit of identifying the benefits of any given situation, and being neurotoxic was a fairly decent defense mechanism when all is said and done. Next step was movement, fairly easy to adapt to given that despite the surface characteristics my tail was still jointed like an aquatic mammalian.This meant I propelled myself with the vertical kick I was familiar with from when I still had legs rather than having to learn how to steer using the lateral movements of an actual fish.

Bonk!

“Mother of fuck!” One hand pressed to my brand new brain injury, I slapped the other one forward to press against the glass wall. Now that I was paying attention to something other than my new meatsuit, I recognized the not-quite-mirror quality of aquarium glass. “Oh, you’ve got to be fucking with me.”

I was in a honest-to-goodness fishbowl. What in the name of all that was held sacred did the Ocean think she was doing sticking me in a fucking aquarium? Was this vengeance for the time I let my mother help me clean my fish tank and she accidentally boiled my placo?

Holy shit I hopenot.

Pressing my face up against the glass I could see… wanted posters. In a… more-than-slightly-familiar printing style. Hm.

My fins flared out in shock as I stared at a wanted poster for Portgas D Rouge. There were other posters, all of them bounties for female pirates. Those, combined with the questionable taste of the statuary bolted to the floor, told me exactly what kind of situation I had ended up in.

I was in One Piece, I was a captive mermaid, and my ‘owner’had a fetish typical of the series’ stock of minor villains. A perversion that was played up for comedy during the build-up and action events while actually being beyond horrifying when realistically considered. I was trapped inside the glass, and swallowing back the surge of fear made me acutely aware of the pressure of what I presumed was a bomb collar around my neck. I had no resources, no allies, no clue what I was even doing in this world, and no realistic hope of rescue.

I was, in short, completely doomed unless the Ocean decided to take pity and toss a miracle or two my way.

BOOM!

Well, ask and ye shall receive… at least so long as the Ocean Goddess still has a use for me, I suppose. The water in my tank vibrated, the walls of the room outside of it shaking madly as what I assumed was a Grand Line style brawl grew closer. An ugly man, made recognizable to me by his inbred ugliness as a World Noble, flew through the far wall to crash into the memorabilia shrine. The posters and broken pieces of plaster flew up into the air.

I am Canadian to my core, and also a mouthy shit with no shame, so I threw my arms in the air and made like a bullhorn. “GOOOOAAAAALLLL!”

The man dramatically emerging from the smoke in a predatory stalk promptly stumbled as he sputtered. Two smaller bodies shoved around his knees to stare at me curiously. The view was a bit distorted, but it was hard to mistake those two particular children for anyone else.

Blinking, I took in the sight of Portgas D Ace and Monkey D Luffy in all their tiny, childhood glory. For some reason they were dressed in the tattered remains of tropical print sundresses. Which really did not make me feel any better about how they had managed to end up in the same room as my cage. Then I lifted my gaze to the adult accompanying them and felt my eye twitch.

It was an adult version of Ace, tattooed front and back with an elaborate phoenix-and-wave design that I had never managed to draw out quite to my satisfaction. Well, at least if I had to be a victimized minority in One Piece I was in a fix-it AU and now I knew how to create a situation where I could make the most of it.

“Hi, Riot!” I waved cheerfully, hoping against hope that anime physics would come into play and let my voice carry through the glass. “Could you be a dear and get the key to this bomb collar before you completely destroy that asshole’s everything?”

“Hi, Pretty Fish Lady!” Luffy waved back, and oh, look at that. There were den-den mushi installed on either side of the glass for easy communication. That made better sense. “Do you know my big brother?”

“I saw him be born! A real firecracker, your big brother.” Technically I am actually telling thetruth, which is great because Luffy is oddly perceptive about things like that. Riot gave me a sharp look, and I winked at him trying to mime holding a crystal ball, hoping he would pick up on the wording and… yeah, there it was. Thank you for your reputation, Madame Sharkey, and let us all hope I never get called out on borrowing it.

“Stop right there, pirate scum!” The man who rushed at Riot was dressed in white, and… yep. There was that sand-blasted awful coat with the hideous epaulettes.

Carnage ensued. The glass of my tank got broken as Riot’s fight with the Noble’s Marine bodyguard ramped up, and I had a terrifying flashback to the time my five gallon tank got shoved off the table and broken glass sliced my betta in half. Luck and possible divine intervention allowed everyone involved in the confusion to avoid gaining a serious injury from the glass shards. Ace proved that his pick pocketing skills were still sharp when he rushed over to me with a stupidly elaborate key ring in hand.

Key in lock and turn and yes! Free!

I ripped the collar away from my neck as soon as the clasp popped loose, glaring at the Noble only just managing to pull himself free of the pile of debris Riot had buried him in. He needed to be buried deeper and I needed my fucking legs back!

A lurch, like when your gut drops out from under you on a roller coaster.

“HA! Feet! Score one for maturity!” I am a very mature and poised individual indeed. Ask anyone. I am also really glad for the worldbuilding that means despite being a mermaid, as an adult I can have feet whenever I need them. Certain people just really need a good curb-stomping, and it is hard to deliver such without heels to slam down into tender places.

I might also have fed the Noble the bomb collar. After arming it. In retrospect, I have no idea how I managed to avoid making a horrid mess of myself.

… Honestly I think I just got caught up in the moment. Also I have a very low empathy score and a duty to future generations to remove certain bad influences from the gene pool. Especially when said bad influences make creepy comments about small children and their ‘uses’.

Noting that Riot seemed to be finishing up his fight, I grabbed one of the wrap dresses from the wreckage of the armoire and cinched it tight, vowing to change into something with a less tainted providence at the first available opportunity. Then I slung the children over my shoulders like particularly vocal grain sacks and headed for the stairs. Predictably, things started to explode as Riot put the Marine down for good. I was already up on the deck with my wiggling burdens by the time a massive fireball chewed through most of the Noble’s ostentatiously gaudy ship.

Riot emerged from the flames, predictably unscathed, and the Marine was nowhere to be seen. He stared at me, I stared back at him, and Luffy whined into my shoulder-blade about me not letting him watch the end of the fight. “You’re a mean Fish Lady.”

“Little fry should not be fighting sharks.” I told the youngest boy even as I tossed Ace at his older counterpart and re-secured Luffy before he could slip free. “Salut, cousin. I appreciate the assist and the chance to get my own back. Although I do hope you have an escape route in mind.”

“My ship is right there.” Riot caught Ace without pausing stride and motioned to where a galleon flying a jolly roger was pulling up broadside to the rapidly burning vessel. The light from the flames made it easy to see Riot frown, his entirely understandable distrust of strangers warring with the reality of the situation I was in when he found me. “… Are you comingalong?”

“If you don’t mind the company.” I smiled at him as we began to move towards the pirate ship and pulled the one bounty poster I had made a point of picking up out of my pocket. “It’d be nice to get to know Miss Rouge’s sons.”

Riot flicked another searching look at me while Ace gaped at the picture of his mother. It was probably the first time the kid had seen her face. Hells bells, they were young. I still had a decade on Riot at this point in his life, more than twice that on Ace and Luffy. Still, time to make the most of being the eldest.

“The name’s Occhio D Vittoria, pleasure to make your acquaintance.” … Aw fuck no. That was not my name. The Ocean was still playing silly buggers and I did not appreciate the sudden re-branding at all.

… Oh shit, maybe the D stood for Drowned.