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evolutionsvoid · 2 years ago

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While I was up in the northern regions doing my studies, I was often warned about going into the waters. Obviously, I already avoid swimming in seas and oceans, as saltwater does not do nice things to us dryads, but these cautions were also directed at freshwater. The many ponds, rivers and lakes of these wondrous lands may look inviting for a dip, except that they really don't for an outsider like me. It is already cold enough as is on the dry land, you expect me to dive into ice water bark naked?! No thanks! Regardless, they warn outsiders about wading through these water bodies because of a certain species that lurks below. For those familiar with the more infamous aquatic beasts of these regions, you may suspect something like a freshwater Illhveli. If the locals are wary about going into the still ponds and lakes, it surely must be a monster! While the species they worry about is no where close to the size and power of the Illhveli, it still isn't a creature to tangle with. If you are ever in town and notice a resident who is missing a leg, you can make the safe bet that they had a bad encounter with a Hrokkall. The Hrokkall is an eel that lives in freshwater, typically found in ponds and lakes. A few have been caught in rivers, but locals claim that they truly prefer stagnant water. These fish can grow up to six feet in length, though legends say there are bigger ones that are born and fed from infernal magics (so lets say they can grow to six feet naturally). While an eel might not seem like the most threatening thing, save for folks that aren't fans of serpents and such, the Hrokkall sure does its best to look as intimidating as possible. The people of these regions say that this species was born from dark magic, risen from the corpse of a half-rotted eel. While it is safe to say these creatures had a more natural creation, a quick glance can certainly give the impression of decay! From their heads to their tail tips, they have hard ivory scales that can look like bone. Their head is encased in this tough armor, which gives them the look of a bleached skull. The rest of their coloration isn't any more pleasant, as they are covered in scales of muddy browns and putrid greens. See one slither through the shallows of a stagnant pond, and you would think it a creature of the undead! It isn't just their appearance that gives the impression!

Hrokkall are carnivores, as they feed on the variety of fish and other aquatic wildlife that live in the same waters. Their slender bodies can strike with alarming speeds, and they tend to hang near the bottom to avoid detection. Multiple rows of sharp hooked teeth allow them to grab hold of slippery prey, long enough for them to finish them off and tear them into chunks. While simple ambush can net them plenty of tasty fish, the Hrokkall has a few more weapons hidden in its nasty form. Running above and below their bodies are a set of fins and spines, which are used for more than just swimming. The edges of these structures are incredibly sharp, and can leave deep cuts if mishandled. By whipping their serpentine bodies around, they can slice into fish and wound them, often aiming for prey that is bigger than they can bite. These razor fins also protect the Hrokkall from attack, as predators will struggle to find a safe place to grab them. Even if one could manage to navigate these rows of blades, the Hrokkall still has another weapon. When they are in distress, a Hrokkall will leak a fluid from its body that mixes with the water and turns it to slime. In moments, a snotty sheath will be around their bodies, and daring to touch it will doom any foolish attacker. This gunk is quite acidic, burning flesh even when submerged in water. The slime helps this caustic goop cling to foes, allowing it to do more damage as they struggle to rid themselves of it. All other species that feed on fish are quick to teach their young ones to avoid snaring a Hrokkall, as one angry eel can be enough to cause crippling damage. So with this impenetrable set of defenses, the Hrokkall does quite well in these regions, and can be quite plentiful. It is why people move with caution when treading these waters, as there is a high chance one of these eels is close by. Though this species is fine with dining on fish, it is their second menu option that makes people fear them. When a Hrokkall reaches a big enough size, they may seek to tackle larger prey. Lurking in the shallows, they will wait for some terrestrial beast to step into the waters and then strike. They do not look to bring down the whole animal, rather, they just want a piece. With lightning speed, they wrap around a leg or other submerged limb and coil up tight. Their shredding fins cut deep into flesh, slicing right down to the bone. As they tighten, they will pump out their caustic slime, which leeches into the wounds and melts through what remains. In under a minute, a healthy Hrokkall can sever a person's foot and leave them with a burning, bleeding stump. They target other beasts too, looking to steal a limb so they can snack on it at their leisure. The only animal safe from their attack is said to be sheep, as their legs are apparently too small and thin for them to get a good hold. For the rest of us, it is a nasty encounter. Even if the eel is removed before it can take the leg (good luck pulling one of those slippery monsters off), the damage is often enough to require amputation. It is why locals are cautious around these waters and are sure to wear protective clothing when wading through Hrokkall territory. As one can imagine, Hrokkalls are not well liked in their native lands. Not only are they like northern Leg-Eaters, but they can cause plenty of other damage. Their acidic slime and sharp fins can destroy nets and fishing line, leaving fishermen nothing but melted tatters. Even hauling one in before it can do damage is no good, as the leaking slime can taint all the other fish in the net. Not to mention that Hrokkall flesh is poisonous, which should have been obvious by now! Fishermen despise these beasts, but rarely go out of their way to actually kill them. Some say seeking out a Hrokkall is only asking for trouble, while others suggest that their populations are so abundant, that killing a dozen or so won't do a thing. The people of this land say that the only folk who like this species are the mysterious witches who live upon the frozen island, as they use Hrokkall parts for their potions. While I can understand the idea that these eels have unique materials for potion making, I am pretty sure the locals tie these two together because they think both are evil. Not the nicest assumption. Regardless, Hrokkall are pretty much hated by everyone and avoided at all cost. Unfortunately, this caused problems for a certain inquisitive dryad who wanted to see and study some. I figured a fish in a place that has fishermen would be easy to find, just check the markets or trash heaps. Turns out, no one catches Hrokkall or keeps them, so I wound up finding nothing. Finally, someone told me to just catch some myself, as they were plentiful enough that a novice like me could hook one. I tried to get some tips on how to catch one, but still found squat. Like I said, no one touches this species. So I tried a good ol hook and line, which lasted two minutes before a Hrokkall melted through the hook and slashed up the line. People got a hearty laugh from that attempt. However, they did not expect my incredible ingenuity! Seeing that a rod was useless, I decided to use my knowledge of Hrokkall against them! I got myself a decent sized log from a woodpile and rolled it in some blood. Then I used tatters of cloth and an old boot to dress it up. I smeared some gooey sap onto these pieces to help them stick to the wood, and at last my fake leg was complete! I dunked this false limb into the waters, baiting a Hrokkall to attack. The creatures would wrap around this supposed leg and then get their fins stuck in the wood and sap. I just had to pull the limb out of the water, and there was my specimen! An ingenious plan! However, this method got me a lot of odd looks. I can only imagine what people were wondering when they saw a dryad bundled under layers of thick fur splashing around some old pond with a fake leg. I have to check back into the town someday and see if some weird local legend was born from that. Chlora Myron Dryad Natural Historian ------------------------------------------------------------

“Hrokkall”

Well it is that time of year again, and I figured why not strangle some kind of theme* out of it? Yes indeed, for the wintry month we got here, I decided to post a bunch of critters that fit with the ice and cold! That should be enough to get through this miserable month, oh boy! *Translation: By "theme" I more mean "lets go through my folders and see what creatures I have linked to arctic and northern regions and just post those yeah that'll do..." How is an eel winter-esque? Well, it comes from Iceland and the species is found in northern regions, so you know what close enough. I'm just tossing out what I want, okay?

#hrokkall #eel #monster #creature #art #drawing

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fear-the-hippo · 2 years ago

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Spooky Species: Hagfish

Some of you may have seen this photo before.

And yes, while these guys first were considered due to their infamous shark-suffocating slime, I wasn’t initially sold on including them.

I’m sold on it now.

The hagfish, also (rather appropriately) called the slime eel, is a species of marine fish that can loosely be called a vertebrate, in that it has a moderately bony skull but entirely lacks a proper vertebral column/spine, instead trying to get away with just some rudimentary cartilaginous vertebrae. Hagfish have been around for something like 300 million years, solidly predating the existence of mammals and birds and roughly coinciding with the invention of the dinosaurs. They have solidly refused to change over this entire period, with modern hagfish being nearly identical to the fossilized ones.

“But this isn’t particularly spooky,” you say. “It’s just a really old slimy fish,” you say. “It doesn’t even have teeth.”

You’re wrong. This thing is lovably horrid, and its mouth isn’t even the weirdest part of its anatomy. Those “teeth” are made of keratin, the same substance as our hair and fingernails, and are attached to cartilaginous plates that extend and retract in a scraping motion, shredding into its food and drawing it back into its throat. What does it eat? Well, one of two things. Option A is to hunt down various invertebrates and fish. Option B is to find a rotting, recently dead, or dying but very much still alive animal like a seal, whale, or shark, burrow into it, and devour it from the inside out, mostly with your mouth but also by absorbing any dissolved organic matter through your skin and gills, because you’re a bottom-dwelling scavenger with a slow metabolism and need to maximize whatever nutrition you can get on the sporadic occasions you find food.

Yes. Its skin. Its skin which, by the way, has no scales and covers the body “like a loosely-fitting sock”, only physically attached to it along its not-really-a-spine and at its slime glands. Essentially it’s like if someone stitched your shirt into your back in a straight line and left it unattached everywhere else. Like whoever made this thing just gave up putting its skin on it. And did I mention that this skin sack contains approximately a third of its blood volume? Because it does. This thing is essentially a lazily made sack of blood. So lazily made it doesn’t even have proper fins. Or proper eyes. Some of them have an eyespot or two that can detect light, but don’t have lenses and can’t properly resolve images. Some of them don’t even have THAT.

While researching them I found the phrase “of interest to evolutionary biologists” like four times in the same article. I feel like that says something about how insanely primitive this fish is. It doesn’t really have much to do with anything else, I just thought it was funny.

And, of course, I can’t talk about the hagfish without bringing up the infamous slime.

This slime is produced through about 100 glands along the fish’s sides, which they release when stressed or threatened as a defense mechanism. This slime contains many thin, keratin-like protein fibers that make it thicker and more durable than the slime produced by other animals (so durable we’ve even found it in hagfish fossils), while also serving to make it extremely flexible. The slime actually traps water in its filaments, which makes it slower to dissipate and more viscoelastic than a simple gel. This viscosity actually gets worse when flowing in an elongated manner, making it much more likely to clog the gills of an attacking fish, but decreases under sufficient friction, allowing the hagfish to escape its own slime via a sort of knotted slithering motion and escape its predators, which are generally far less flexible and therefore not very adept at tying themselves in knots. Weird as this stuff is, hagfish slime is actually under investigation as a potential way of making fiber for textiles, as the keratin threads in the slime can be spun into a highly durable thread that could be used to make things like body armor.

Cool, weird, gross- whatever your thoughts, you gotta admit hagfish earned their place in the Spooky Species lineup.

#Spooky Species #Hagfish #Fish #slime #living fossil #These guys are just weird lmao #No hate to em but What #Also as I was making this I realized #Hagfish. Hag.#Hag is kinda like a witch #Definitely halloween-appropriate even without being a slimy blood sack

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ask-fantasy-sanders-sides · 4 years ago

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What are the ten True Dragon Types? And what's a true dragon? I don't play D+D lol

(( Hey yall! This post is REALLY LONG (and techincally the part one to a much shorter addition about drow dragonblood descendants, here!) but the stuff in it is pretty important, since this game focuses pretty heavily on dragons and I’ve changed quite a bit about them from standard 5e! So, if you have time, maybe take a look ;) ))

(( I got a LOT of the changes to the chromatic dragon’s designs, and the pit organs of the copper dragon, from tumblr user filibusterfrog! Go check out their art and creature designs, they’re mad awesome!! ))

~~~

True Dragons are the ten subspecies of Dragon who most resemble the ancient goliaths that ruled the entire Material Plane long ago, before it was stolen from them by the ancient Elves, and most of them were killed. They are few in number and don’t tend to band together in clans, but that does not make them weak. They are still huge, immensely powerful beasts, with a natural command of magic and the elements and incredibly long lifespans.

(“False Dragons” are either farther removed from their common ancestors, or are not actually related to dragons at all and simply resemble them more than any other creature type, like wyverns and drakes!)

((More in-depth explanations below!))

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After the war with the Elves and their allies, those Dragons who survived split into two pseudo-religious factions; the Metallics, who serve King Bahamut, Platinum Justicebringer, and made peace with the Elves and all other humanoids, and the Chromatics, who revere Queen Tiamat, Chaos Avaricious, who desire to see the world brought back under their thumb.

(Metallic, strongest -> weakest: Gold, Silver, Bronze, Copper, and Brass.)

(Chromatic, strongest -> weakest: Red, Blue, Green, Black, White)

These two rulers gained Deity status through their people’s reverence, and in turn shaped the bodies and minds of their people into the dragons we see today: Unlike most Humanoids, Dragons don’t exactly have free will. (Most of their personalities and decisions are directly puppeted by their Gods.) Because of this, the behavior of each Type is pretty consistent across the board, even in half-dragons or dragonblood descendants. Each Type also has a distinctive look, a set of common behaviors and flaws, and a set of Hoarding Behaviors, though they are all incredibly greedy and proud beasts.

~~~

The Ten True Types:

Black Dragons are slender and wiry, their bodies covered in slick, dense, thick tar-colored fur. Their fur is lighter around their eyes and on their underside, appearing a pale, sickly yellow or green. Their horns are just as pale, and protrude from the sides of their heads and wrap around, projecting forwards. Thick pale skin plates their muzzles and under their eyes, appearing like the naked bone of their skulls. Their front feet have extra skin that acts like a paddle for swimming, and they have flat, paddle-like tales, and the hair at the upper part of their neck sticks out like a large frill. They smell of rotting vegetation and foul water. By far the cruelest and most vile-tempered of the chromatic dragons, black dragons actively take pleasure in the suffering of weaker creatures. They hoard the ruins of old civilizations and ruined noble houses to imagine the suffering of their endings, and hoard tools of torture they might use to toy with their prey. They desire nothing more than to kill, in whatever way which maximizes the suffering of their chosen victim/s. Their weapon breath is a stream of bubbling green acid.

Blue Dragons have two large horns on their snout much like a rhino, two smaller horns by their ears, and even more horn-bumps lining their thick, crocodile-like tails. Their scales are thin, layered across thick hide-skin like a light chain mesh. They range many shades of blue, with a more cream-colored underbelly, paws, and horns. They have a dark blue mane of hair around their necks and chests, which stretches down their back and tail, between their scutes. Their chests are large and necks are short, but they are lighter than they appear, most of that center mass being applied as muscle that powers their massive wings, more powerful than any other dragon’s. They smell like arid sand, and the burning, static sting of an oncoming storm.

Blue dragons are ceaselessly vain, more concerned with being respected for their beauty and the beauty of their hoards than for their power. They are even known to spare those who flatter them enough, and allow safe passage to jewel merchants who promise them the finest in their possessions. They are still not to be trusted, and are more likely to mock and toy with lesser creatures than spare them, like cats playing with mice before a meal. They exclusively hoard gems and items laden with them, preferring blue sapphires above all others. Their weapon breath is a stream of powerful lightning.

Brass Dragons are one of the most distinctive. Their wings attach all the way to the tips of their tails, longest at the shoulder, making a V shape from below. Their thin, brass-colored scales -- which start brown when they are young, turn brass, then turn blue in splotches as they age -- radiate heat and light. Large curved plate-like horns extend from the dragon’s eyes and cheeks on either side and curve upwards into two points, and a mass of brass and brown spotted feathers grows behind them, fluffing out around their chest and neck like a lion’s mane before tapering down their back to the tail. They have two sharp horns on their chin that curve downwards, giving their muzzles a faux beak-like shape. They smell like freshly worked metal.

Brass dragons are the most benign of the ten, wanting nothing more than to converse with other creatures. They love to talk, to the exclusion of every other possible activity. They hoard items that make conversation easier, like sentient magic items, genie lamps, and items with charm effects. Brass dragons have two separate breath weapons: a narrow line of fire, and a cone of sleep gas. (All Metallics have a lethal breath and a non-lethal breath)

Bronze Dragons have small, reflective scales (which are red at infancy but turn bronze in color during adolescence,) and black claws and horns. As they age, the tips of their wings and horns turn teal blue at the edges and tips, and their scales turn teal in long stripes. They have four large horns on each side of their heads, three protruding from each cheek and one from the top of their brow, all pointing back towards their tail. Their tongues are long and purple-grey, with a shallow fork like an iguana’s, and their teeth appear to be forged of broken glass, like the moray eel’s. A series of long spikes runs down the upper part of their necks, the spikes curving slightly backwards towards the tip of the tail. A dorsal fin runs from just beneath these spikes all the way down to the tip of their tails, mirrored by another long fin that stems from under the chest and runs along the underside of the body. Bronze dragons smell like sea spray.

Bronze dragons are curious and stubborn, possessing a strong sense of justice and a deep-seated hatred for all forms of cruelty. They crave the sea and the pursuit of freedom, often spending their time taking human shape and becoming pirates or seaside mercenaries. They are brilliant military tacticians, and they demand high salaries for their work. The only time they will charge into battle without compensation is when fighting against a powerful tyrant, where they can expect to go all-out, and exercise their true strength without restraint. They hoard keepsakes and memorabilia from the wars they’ve fought and adventures they had, including sunken ships, old cannons, and legendary weapons. They have two breath weapons, a lethal lightning breath and a repulsion breath that does no damage, just moves things around.

Copper dragons have short, smooth faces, with pit organs and cheek ridges that point backwards. Their long segmented horns begin as smooth brow plates and extend backwards, and plate-like scales extend backwards from the tops of their heads and down their backs, with incredibly thick hide on their underbellies and the insides of their limbs. Their scales are wide and large, like interlocking shields, and dome over their wide bodies, making them look much like pangolins. These scales begin orange, yellow, or green in color, turning copper as that dragon ages, then green in spots and splotches as they reach adulthood, though they remain red-orange around the eyes. Tucked underneath the bottom ridges of the lowest scales are their alar limbs, short but articulated, and manta-like wings grow from them down to the base of their tails. When fully opened, they seem to make a U shape from below, with red and green discolorations at the end. Their tails are long, wide, prehensile, and well-armored, and they have long digging claws.. As they age, these dragon’s pupils turn a glowing turquoise green. They smell like stone.

Copper dragons are even-tempered and sociable, with an insatiable love for riddles and jokes. They love to share in witty conversation and play “harmless” pranks, but get offended easily at those who don’t like to laugh or talk, and people who do not find them funny. They treasure moments of good companionship, and hoard items that remind them of people and conversations they’ve enjoyed, as well as old tomes that contain their favorite stores. They have two breath weapons; a line of powerful green acid, and a cone of gas that slows anyone who touches it.

Gold Dragons appear like the typical depiction of a Chinese dragon in our world, but their fur, scales, antler-like horns, and claws are all the color of glittering gold. As they aged, even their pupils faded away until their eyes appeared like pools of liquid gold. Notably, they do not have wings, flying entirely through magic and force of will. They seem to glow in the sun, though whether they are actually glowing or their scales simply reflect sunlight very well is anyone’s guess.

Gold Dragons are passionate and valorous, desiring nothing more than victory over evil. They are relentless in their hunt for evil creatures, injustices, and foul play of all forms, putting aside all other desires and even often food or shelter to combat cruel forces in the world that require more force than humans are capable of. They are personally grim and reserved creatures -- not unkind, they simply don’t prefer company, and usually avoid casual contact with other creatures, even fellow dragons. They hoard the spoils of their evil-hunting conquests -- hoards of chromatic dragons they’ve slain, jems from the bowels of a purple worm, etc. They have two weapon breaths, being a cone of fire breath and a spray of some chemical gas that weakens all who inhale it...

Green Dragons had long, snake-like bodies and smooth snake-like scales. A large, waving crest fin starts at this dragon’s nose and runs the entire length of their body. Their scales and fins start a dark blue-black when they are young, turning dark green as they reach adulthood, and then their underbelly scales lighten to a paler green as they age. They also have exceptionally long, slender forked tongues.

Green Dragons were master manipulators and liars, who enjoy corrupting weaker creatures (especially elves) and hoarding them like possessions. They will put up a front of diplomacy and deceit when bargaining with stronger foes, but reveal their true cruel and petty nature when intimidating lesser beings or when they gained the upper hand. They delighted in stalking their chosen enemies for information and exposing other’s secrets, but despised whenever they were exposed in a lie. Their hoard took the form of a network of spies and captives, who the Green Dragon blackmails and manipulates into servitude and dependence. Green dragons are one of the weaker of the true ten and despise getting their hands dirty with violence, counting any encounter that couldn’t be ended with words and mind games as a failure. Their breath weapon is a cloud of yellow poison gas.

Red Dragons appear like the classic English/European dragons, with fire-red scales, reptilian bodies, and large bat-like wings that fray along the edges. Their horns, claws, and underbellies are a pale golden color, growing back from the skull and curling back and upwards towards their wings, twisting on themselves as they grow longer. Red dragons were of an enormous size and wingspan even for dragons, true powerhouses of their species. They smell of smoke and sulfur.

Red dragons embody the worst of all their kin’s vices. They are voracious over-hunters, vain and covetous hoarders, and cruel, maniacal, sadistic tyrants. Short-tempered and hot-blooded, Red dragons are known to make all decisions without an ounce of forethought, completely confident in their ability to do anything they want. They delighted in the ruin, death, and destruction of other creatures and their settlements, wanting nothing more than to set the planet ablaze and reap the rewards of dead men’s gold. They hoarded anything with material wealth, wishing to be the richest creatures alive.

Silver Dragons’ bodies are tube-like in shape, with soft, iridescent silver fur all over their bodies. The fur on their underbellies and jaws are more white than metallic, with pronounced goatees of longer whiskers under their chins. They have curved wings with two talons instead of the usual one. A beautiful stripe of glittering opalescent fur runs down from the top of their heads all the way to the tips of their tails, sticking up like a spiked frill or mohawk of pearl thread, abruptly fading to a purple hue at the tip. Their antler-like horns and long claws were also pure silver with opalescent purple tips. They smell like rain and petrichor.

Wise, noble, and playful, Silver Dragons do not go out of their way to fight evil like the gold or bronze, but wait to be asked for help; They were simply more concerned with protecting those humanoids they had come to befriend than actively seeking out injustices. They are obsessed with the lives and cultures of humans and elves, spending most of their time among them, taking the shape of a humanoid and pretending to be one of the crowd. They desired to spend most of their everyday lives in humanoid form (though it should be remembered that they still consider themselves to be the most superior creatures in the world). They hoarded works of art and historical artifacts with connections to civilizations they admired or befriended, and the friendships they made with humanoid people (though they did not physically keep the people themselves, like Greens and some Brass). Their breath weapons were an icy blast that froze solid all it touched, and a short-lasting paralyzing gas.

White Dragons appear very similar to Silvers, at first glance. But, unlike the lithe and flexible silvers, White dragons are stocky and muscled; still streamlined for maximum speed but built with considerably more strength. They have manes of long, thick white fur on their shoulders and back, stretching down their tails and the outsides of their limbs. Their underbellies, faces, and the inside of their limbs are plated with glittering translucent scales, shining all shades of pearlescent white, icy blue, and opalescent lavenders. Their claws are obsidian-colored and long, optimized for climbing and digging through solid ice, and their tales are tipped with a leathery swimming fin. A singular horn-like crest grows back from their skulls under the mane of long fur, and a large dewlap hands from the underside of their necks, with spikes growing down from it. Like red dragons, their wings appear frayed and punctured towards the ends, but usually aren’t actually damaged. Their eyes are fully black, turning a light purple as they age. They have a crisp, vaguely chemical smell.

White dragons lack the cruelty of their kin, but they make up for it in pure strength and ferocity. It is believed that they are actually one of the strongest of the chromatic dragons, (unlike their typical placement on the hierarchy,) but because they chose not to engage like other dragons; They purposefully abandon their natural talents for magic, and even their intelligence, choosing to behave as massive animals. White dragons despise socializing or even speaking to other creatures, resorting even to fleeing their lairs for the day if they see someone approaching. If bothered persistently they are known to make deals with other creatures (as long as they aren’t hungry or angry already when you show up), and even form bonds with them, at which point they are very protective and loyal allies. They are some of the most excellent hunters on the Material Plane, seamlessly blending otherworldly intelligence and heightened senses with animalistic vigor and savagery. They are still one of the most dangerous of all ten dragons, though, from their tendency to go full ‘animal’ and hunt any creature that moves. They hoard anything that glitters shines in the light (including chunks of ice), and their breath weapon is a blast of freezing cold.

#lets roll #long post #long answer #like SUPER LONG this time guys #but this stuff is important #this story is VERY dragon-centric #game lore #I got a LOT of the changes to the dragon’s designs from tumblr user filibusterfrog! Go check out their blog!#please tell me if i need to tag anything else!

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anabantoid · 5 years ago

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The Ubiquitous Betta Care Guide

Literally everyone and their mother has written a care guide about bettas, but I felt like I could provide a care guide based around my opinions and experiences in keeping bettas. I’ve kept bettas since I was about 15 years old, they were one of my first fish, and I fell in love with them and at one point I had over a dozen bettas at one time! That’s ridiculous now, but this was 2005/2006, bettas were cheaper and not as disposable then, definitely lasting for the oft-quoted “2-3 year” lifespans that people struggle to see today. Nowadays, I struggle to be able to get a betta to live past 6 months. So, what’s happening? Am I suddenly taking worse care of bettas than I did when I was 15?

Well, no, all of my most recent bettas were kept in tanks that were over 50 gallons, well planted, my tap water is soft (kH of 5), my pH is neutral (7-7.4) and my water is easily modified with botanicals or wood to be about 6 if need be. They live in filtered tanks with 80 degree water, eat nothing but live or frozen food, and never fall ill with disease or parasites. That’s more than I can say about teenage me. I dealt with a lot of issues, obviously, from bacterial to fungal infections because of my ignorance, but nowadays I can’t say I’ve had to treat a betta for anything, they just sorta..die, and at seemingly random too. What’s going on?

Today, bettas come in every color, shape and variety you can think of, which wasn’t the case when I was 15. The reason for the huge variety is the desire for more ornamental fish, but for commercial selling, there’s mass breeding on an industrial scale which leads to poor stock, inbreeding, and deformed fish and genetic issues we just can’t see. It doesn’t matter if it’s a local breeder or from a store, they’re all coming from the same stock now.

I’ve touched about betta problems in the past, and if you’ve followed my blog for a few years or see me in my discord server (Fish Tea), then you already know how I feel. That’s not what this post is about! This post is about caring for your betta, what I’ve learned in my experiences with them, and how to treat and care for the common ailments that befall them.

THEIR CARE:

Min tank size: 10 gallons. Why 10 gallons? In all my time keeping bettas, they do best in larger tanks that allow them to move, they get proper muscle tone in larger tanks because they’re able to move, and I’ve never had an issue with constipation in bettas when placed in larger tanks because movement makes it easier for animals to pass their waste. I can’t think of any other 2 inch-3 inch, active fish that anyone would suggest for a 5 gallon, but for some reason people all say 5 gallons is fine. This is MY recommendation, this is something I will tell people to follow, but whether or not you agree is up to you. You can keep them as you wish, but I prefer having bettas in larger tanks.

Temperature: 80+. In the wild, the Betta genus comes from hot, humid environments in Southeast Asia, living in shallow bodies of water that can be over 80 degrees in temperature. Wild Betta splendens have been observed living in rice paddies with an average temperature of 84 degrees (Jaroensutasinee & Jaroensutansinee, 2001). While it can be argued that domestic bettas are different from their wild counterparts, we have not bred them for cold resistance, and bettas display poor health in colder temps, lethargy, loss of appetite, bloating and constipation.

Water Params: My position about water parameters has evolved over time, but I still think a betta does best in neutral to acidic waters, because a betta in a pH of 8+ will not have a great time. Essentially, most people’s tap water will be fine, you don’t need RO water to keep a domestic betta.

Feeding: I feed my bettas live food in the form of blackworms, fruit flies, random small bugs I find, a spider….anything that’s an invert and they can swallow, they can eat it. I also feed them frozen foods such as bloodworms, krill, mysis, cyclops and sometimes just cut up cocktail shrimp. You can feed them live and frozen, and you can also give them prepared foods, like New Life Spectrum, Bug Bites, or Bug Pro. They have excellent sources of protein that are not derived from soy like other brands such as Hikari, Omega One, Tetra, Aqueon and such. You can also make repashy grub pie and feed them that.

Furnishings: Bettas naturally come from environments that are dense with vegetative growth (Jaroensutasinee & Jaroensutansinee, 2001), which means your bettas should also be in tanks that are filled to the brim with plants! I like live plants, but you can use soft silks too, anything that can provide them some cover that they can serpentine and swim through. My rule of thumb usually is if you can see straight through one end of the tank with no broken lines of sight, you don’t have enough plants. Lack of proper coverage can make them stressed out, lethargic and more susceptible to illness and refusal to eat.

Tank mates: If you want to keep bettas with other fish, I suggest a 20 long as a minimum. If your betta has long fins, avoid getting any boisterous, nipping fish like tetras. Kuhli loaches make wonderful tankmates for bettas because they tolerate the high temps a betta likes, as well as Hypancistrus plecos, some corydoras, smaller spiny eels and more. I don’t recommend ever putting shrimp in with bettas, aside from larger shrimp like amanos, because shrimp are a betta’s natural prey and they will hunt them all down!

WHAT IF MY BETTA GETS SICK?

Bettas can and will get ill, you will most likely encounter an issue with your betta one way or another, but what can you do to help? In most cases, the problem is lack of proper care and poor water conditions. The best way to insure your betta remains happy and healthy is to have a clean tank. The easiest way to do this is to make sure your tank is cycled and you do regular, weekly water changes of 25%-30%.

When you buy a betta, make sure you are picking out an active one, don’t try to be a saint and pick out one laying on its side, half dead. The likelihood is that it will just die, you’ll feel upset, and then you’ll go out and try it again. I’ve been there! It doesn’t work! Get a fish that wiggles at you and looks like it wants to kick your ass. That’s a good betta.

Here’s some common betta ailments:

Popeye: This happens because your water quality is poor and a bacterial infection brews up, causing fluid retention that can pop the eye out. Your best course of action is to address the water quality issue, then use an antibiotic such as kanaplex or metroplex.

Bloat and constipation: The betta is fed too much, the tank is unheated, the water quality is poor, the tank is too small, and more. This is a symptom of an underlying issues, and it needs to be addressed by seeing what you’re doing wrong. To treat it, give your betta a soak in an epsom salt bath for 10-15 minutes in a bucket or other container, with 1 tbs of epsom salt per gallon. Feed them some frozen food like daphnia or brine shrimp to aid in passing their waste.

Ich: This can literally happen to anyone, and it sometimes just. Happens. Inexplicably. Whether or not it’s introduced or always in the water, it can crop up in even the warmest of tanks, as ich nowadays seems to have gotten particularly strong. Up your temps to about 86, your betta can handle temps into the 90’s, and use an ich treatment, I usually do Ich X, follow the directions on the bottle. You can also do a salt dip on the betta at the first signs of ich, 1 tbs of aquarium or table salt per gallon in a separate container, do a 10 minute soak. Up the temps and see if the ich subsides, if not, follow through with medication.

Fin rot: This is a water quality issue, you need to address this first before proceeding with treatment, as usually providing clean, warm water is enough to stop fin rot. If you do this but notice the fin rot is especially aggressive or starting to proceed onto the body, treat with an antibiotic such as kanaplex.

Velvet: This is a parasitic infection like ich, though for this one it comes from yet another water quality issue. It can happen in the store they come from, or it can happen in your home if you’re not up and up on your care. You would treat it the same way as ich, however shut your lights off, as it appears to be light sensitive.

Lethargy, bottom sitting, loss of appetite: These are symptoms of a bigger issue, be it water quality, age, or simply just something going wrong internally that we can’t see. If your tank is too cold, you’re not feeding enough or you’re not on top of water changes, you can help by adjusting all of that. If it’s from age or something else, all you can do is wait and see how much longer the betta has left, or euthanize if you feel he won’t get better. You can attempt an epsom salt bath, raising temps, and feeding live or frozen, but at that point it’s palliative care rather than a solution.

What if you just got your betta, and it seemed fine, and then one day it didn’t look good and the next you found it dead? Well, circling back to my long winded intro, you can see that the answer is in the poor breeding practices. Bettas are not as strong or hardy as they used to be, in fact they seem to just be about as durable as tissue paper nowadays and will die after a few months or a year, with some exceptions. It can be disheartening to feel like you’re failing at a fish that’s touted as being one of the hardiest fish out there, but I promise you that if you’re providing the best care for them, they’ll still die early, and you’re not at fault. I still get bettas, but I only buy one after another passes, and I try to not spend more than $15 on one. I settle with the fact they won’t live as long, and I enjoy them while I have them, and if you feel the same way, go for it.

If you’d like to learn more about bettas, their alternatives and more, the best way to reach me and a whole community of experiences keepers is through Fish Tea, an lgbt+ friendly discord server dedicated to all things aquatic.

(reference: Jaroensutasinee, M., & Jaroensutansinee, K. (2001). Bubble nest habitat characteristics of wild Siamese fighting fish. Journal of Fish Biology, 58(5), 1311-1319. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2001.tb02288.x)

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