BETTAS!!!!!!

The gunk in my tanks is still pretty pervasive. :|

Its the worst in my sorority tank. I’m wondering if the combination of more fish + good heater is what is aiding it? I know the shits coming from the water because I’ve felt it form in my water cups (even with filtered water- gross, I know). Its really weird!! My sorority tank has it the worst and it was filled ENTIRELY with filtered water (that took so fucking long, all I have is a single seven cup filter jug).

I’m cleaning the tanks right now… Man, Idk what this shit is!! And I’ve never seen it grow on the FISH, which is great, but its still clogging up their habitat and I can’t imagine its good for them and NOBODY KNOWS WHAT IT IS.

Anyway, cupped everybody in fresh water instead of the water from their tanks…  Gonna re-arrange things with this fishy babies when I get home from groceries, gotta properly utilize my 10gs. Specially since I bought another heater for my second one (I know I think more heat helps this stuff grow, but that doesn’t stop my fish from being tropical).

Does anybody… Does anybody think I could buy a tank mate who could help by eating stuff? I’ve only got five girls in my sorority, so its not like the tank is super crowded.

adventuresofttelracs asked: Hey I got a baby betta fish at a pet store and im just wondering how long you think it will be before it is full grown? Maybe you are familiar with the baby betta fish they sell at petsmart and maybe know about how old they are at purchase. Also right now I am keeping it in a pretty small tank since it is small but do you think it will need a heater once I get a bigger tank???

Okay so this is a really tough question— I’m gonna offer an unasked for opinion first, they shouldn’t sell baby bettas at stores and people probably shouldn’t buy them. They’re tiny and cute and sweet and also very hard to take care of, imo.

That being said! I think a small tank is a good idea because your little betta is very tiny after all. Most importantly for him though is that it isn’t too deep. He’s very small, but he still needs to be able to swim to the surface and get air. HOWEVER This brings up a bit of a conundrum- If you want your baby to grow up to be big and strong, he needs optimal conditions, which includes warm enough water. He’s still tropical after all! How to keep the water warm, with such a small space, I am really not sure. :/ Hannah had a baby betta for at least a month, he was darling and actually was doing pretty well in his super tiny tank with bi-weekly water changes and no heater. But he still passed away. 

To get a guesstimate on how old he is— I don’t really know when they take in baby bettas to sell. My best suggestion would be to google things like betta breeding and betta fry and look at the photos breeders post of their fry, because I have seen quite a few breeders posting progression images of their fry as they grow up, and you might be able to compare and contrast. 

SINCE I haven’t really been able to give you that much information (I’m sorry D:) I highly suggest you run over to tumblr user wellpoopstoyou, previously known as gokillthehipster. She is very good with bettas and might be able to help you out more!

I have sad news: I came home to find Ilana dead at the bottom of the sorority. Her fins were shredded and she was missing an eye. 

SO NOW I HAVE TO ANALYZE HOW THIS HAPPENED so I know how to prevent it AHHhhh. 

• I just introduced everybody to the sorority on Sunday, with one fish missing (Baby) and one fish who was new (Donovan)
• Ilana had had her fins clamped when she was in the cup but other than that showed no other bad signs, and she opened up when there was food and stuff
• I don’t know if its relevant but the eye that was missing was the one that she got popeye in, in which the swelling/cloudyness never fully went away after she healed up
• Donovan was looking a little stressed in the sorority but mostly kept to herself, hiding under the filter and whatnot
• Donovan doesn’t have any ripped fins or wounds on her body, but her color is pale and her stress stripes were INTENSE
• Cranberry (who has been in the sorority from the beginning) has a shredded caudal fin

WHO IS THE CULPRIT???

DID ILANA DIE NATURALLY AND EVERYBODY JUST NIBBLED ON HER FINS AND EYE?

DID DONOVAN KILL HER?

DID CRANBERRY?

DID DONOVAN DO IT AND ALSO NIP UP CRANBERRY?

help pls!!! I cupped both Donovan and Cranberry but that only leaves three girls in the sorority and I can’t do that, what if fighting breaks out between them?? Its dark in there, sleepy time.