Who here has a Betta fish?

[MichelleCarmen]

Okay, I posted a few weeks back about how I brought home a Betta. Since then, I brought home another and that one is in a different tank. Both are alone and I plan to keep them that way.

The deal is I've been obsessively reading about how to care of Bettas and also have been reading on various tropical fish forums. Everyone is neurotic and hardcore and all the supplies and tank set-up expectations are killing me stress-wise. Everyone on the fish forums are so judgmental and seems like 1/2 of what I'm doing is wrong and I'm afraid to post my questions because then I will be told that my tanks are too small, my fish need this and that. . .accusations of Betta abuse. . .on and on.

This whole thing about making everything perfect is driving me nuts and nothing seems to be working according to plans.

Just curious, for those here who have pet Bettas, how have you got things set up. Tank size? Heater? Filter? Speed of filter? Types of plants (real or fake)?

If possible, can you post photos?

Thanks.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Hi, MC!

We have two bettas. Here is some info on them:

Betta #1: He lives in our small (about 5 gallons I think) tropical tank in our bedroom. It does have a heater, and I think the temperature is usually about 78 degrees or so? There were some other fish in there with him . . . the operative word being "were." We had two mollies and a neon, all of whom mysteriously passed away shortly after he arrived. I''m about 95% sure he picked them all to death.

Betta #2: He lives in our larger hexagon tank in our living room. I''m thinking that tank is about 30 gallons maybe? There is no heater, and he has two goldfish living with him, both of whom are a good bit larger than he is. Unlike Betta #1, he seems to be very peaceful and has never gotten into any fights with his goldfish buddies . . . at least none that we know of. Everyone seems to co-exist peacefully!

Both tanks have fake plants only (no live ones), and we have gravel in the bottoms of the tanks.

Sorry I''m not too much help with the specifics . . . DH is the "fish-keeper" in our family, and all I really do is feed them. I think the folks on the betta forums are probably a little too hard-core though. Bettas really aren''t that hard to keep happy. In fact, my cousin had one that she kept in one of those tiny little betta bowls, and he lived for about seven years!!!

Ignore the haters and have fun with your bettas!

 

[dragonfly411]

MC - Please don''t stress over your Beta. These are really really hardy little fish. I do recommend having a 2-3 gallon tank at least b/c they tend to get oxygen for the water. I have NEVER used a filter in a beta only tank EVER. I hand cleaned the tanks when they needed them and here''s the cool thing about betas.... they breathe OXYGEN like... surface to breathe like a dolphin. I at one point had 6 males and two females. Three males lived in a split tank totaling not quite ten gallons. The others lived in a 10 gallon and a 20 gallon. I even had two males living together at one point with no problems. They are not some special needs fish and you aren''t abusive for doing basic care.

. What kind of set up do you have? I would mainly just look for signs of stress. If the fish puffs up every time he sees something moving he might be a little stressed in his environment. That is the main thing that I''d watch for other than fungus.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Wow, seven years! Did your cousin have gravel or anything in the bottom of the bowl? I just moved the second betta into a 2-gallon rectangle glass tank with no heater or anything except a small silk plant. She was in a small bowl and it would have been great to keep her in there because it was easy to move, but when I checked the ammonia, it was high and I was changing all the water out every morning. She is a girl betta - I know, not as commonly purchased as male ones, but she''s a cute little blue fish and I couldn''t resist.

The other is a male one in a 3-gallon set up with all the bells and whistles. I just attached foam around the filter and the outtake part because the water current was bugging him. Now there are white fibers floating all around in the water. I''m surprised he''s not trying to eat them.

Sorry about your other fish. I''ve read loads of stories of how Bettas will eat anything that fits into their mouths. I found one story of a gal who went to look into her tank and saw the tail end of her neon sticking out of her Betta''s mouth! Yikes. That is why the male will live alone! One Betta book mentioned that the males will even attack the females after spawning. Major anger management issues!

What is the general temperature of the hex tank you have in your living room?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 9/16/2009 5:04:26 PM
Author: dragonfly411
MC - Please don't stress over your Beta. These are really really hardy little fish. I do recommend having a 2-3 gallon tank at least b/c they tend to get oxygen for the water. I have NEVER used a filter in a beta only tank EVER. I hand cleaned the tanks when they needed them and here's the cool thing about betas.... they breathe OXYGEN like... surface to breathe like a dolphin. I at one point had 6 males and two females. Three males lived in a split tank totaling not quite ten gallons. The others lived in a 10 gallon and a 20 gallon. I even had two males living together at one point with no problems. They are not some special needs fish and you aren't abusive for doing basic care.

. What kind of set up do you have? I would mainly just look for signs of stress. If the fish puffs up every time he sees something moving he might be a little stressed in his environment. That is the main thing that I'd watch for other than fungus.

Okay, thanks! So, did your two females live together and/or have tank mates?

Neither fish have puffed at all. The male is in a 3-gallon tank with a heater and filter (which I just mentioned above. . .I hooked it up but the current bugged him, so I wrapped filter/foam media around the intake and out take. It's working okay. lol) The female is in a 2-gallon glass tank.

I'm watching their fins and testing their ammonia daily. I keep reading it's the ammonia which harms them. The readings are never normal!

The female is so small that I have a difficult time finding her in her tank. Earlier, I thought she jumped out because she is so itty bitty! Maybe I should get another one to keep her company?

Even though you didn't have a filter, did you use a heater during the colder months?

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 9/16/2009 5:17:43 PM
Author: MC
Wow, seven years! Did your cousin have gravel or anything in the bottom of the bowl? I just moved the second betta into a 2-gallon rectangle glass tank with no heater or anything except a small silk plant. She was in a small bowl and it would have been great to keep her in there because it was easy to move, but when I checked the ammonia, it was high and I was changing all the water out every morning. She is a girl betta - I know, not as commonly purchased as male ones, but she''s a cute little blue fish and I couldn''t resist.

The other is a male one in a 3-gallon set up with all the bells and whistles. I just attached foam around the filter and the outtake part because the water current was bugging him. Now there are white fibers floating all around in the water. I''m surprised he''s not trying to eat them.

Sorry about your other fish. I''ve read loads of stories of how Bettas will eat anything that fits into their mouths. I found one story of a gal who went to look into her tank and saw the tail end of her neon sticking out of her Betta''s mouth! Yikes. That is why the male will live alone! One Betta book mentioned that the males will even attack the females after spawning. Major anger management issues!

What is the general temperature of the hex tank you have in your living room?

I don''t know if she had gravel in the bottom of his bowl or not, but I know she didn''t have any plants or anything in there.

Both of our tanks have filters, lights, etc. The lights are on automatic timers so they turn on and off at the same times every day. I checked with DH, and he thinks the hex tank in the living room is 35 gallons, and the small tropical tank in the bedroom is 6 gallons. He said the upstairs tank usually is about 78 degrees or so. We''re not sure what the temperature of the hex tank is because we don''t have a thermometer in there, but I''m assuming it''s about room-temperature.

I did a bunch of reading online when we got our bettas, and I discovered that they can sometimes co-exist with other fish. Supposedly, they get along best with fish that aren''t the same size/shape as they are. (I think that was the problem with our mollies . . . they were somewhat betta-shaped and about the same size, so I guess that''s why he started picking on them.) Also, I think it depends a lot on the individual betta. They have very different personalities. Our upstairs betta is very aggressive, while our downstairs betta is very laid-back. (Wow, we really should name them, huh???)

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 9/16/2009 4:25:50 PM
Author:MC
The deal is I''ve been obsessively reading about how to care of Bettas and also have been reading on various tropical fish forums. Everyone is neurotic and hardcore and all the supplies and tank set-up expectations are killing me stress-wise. Everyone on the fish forums are so judgmental and seems like 1/2 of what I''m doing is wrong and I''m afraid to post my questions because then I will be told that my tanks are too small, my fish need this and that. . .accusations of Betta abuse. . .on and on.

Thanks.

the same on koi forums.

we do the same with diamonds here.

 

[VegasAngel]

I agree with Dragonfly don''t fret about Bettas they are super hardy. Mine all lived 3+ years & a friend had one the lived 6 years or so.

 

[Elmorton]

Hi MC, I had Bettas on and off in college.

DO put some sort of cover on the tank. I used a thin piece of plastic (like one of those really thin cutting boards that you can curve and get at the dollar store) and cut it to fit the betta''s bowl (a large vase), cut some holes in it for air, and taped it on top. I did this first because my then kitten wanted to stick his paws in the bowl (because it had water in it, I don''t think he really realized there was even a fish inside) and second because I''ve had bettas leap to their death before. One I found on the counter and saved...the other...well, it was too late.

My last betta lived for about 3 years - in that vase, with the water cleaned once every 1-2 months (I know, not often). I''m sure it would have lived longer, except I left for the weekend and had my apt windows open, and the temp dropped unexpectedly. I was so bummed. So my point is that they are SUPER hardy. I put a drop or two of this betta water stuff in after cleaning, and they were happy as happy bettas.

I think I read somewhere that their natural habitat is actually freshwater mud puddles (?).

 

[lovewhitediamonds]

Hi MC,

we also have a Betta -- "Bluey"... We have had him for 1 year. He has a 5 gallon tank with a filter (that is on the lowest setting) and two real plants, a fern type plant and a moss ball. Bluey sleeps on his moss ball. We need to trim it once a month because he once got his bottom fin caught on it and it ripped, but grew back in a few weeks. we feed him the betta pellets... about 3-5 pellets every other day.

we clean the tank every 3-4 weeks... wash all the stones (we have the medium sized polished type rocks). Bluey is such a happy fish, and he makes "bubble nests" all the time (which I think means he''s happy, and looking for a mate!-- which will never happen.. poor guy).

we use distilled water that has been at room temp over night when we change the tank and have never had any problems at all.

good luck!

 

[Amethyste]

My Betta's name is "sushi" and he's living in a small fish tank that looks like a fish...
I change his water every 7 to 9 days. I handle him with my hands, and I put new water in the fish tank each time.
I don't treat it - right out of the faucet. He's almost 3 years old now ( wow got him in 2006 ) and he's full of
personnality. I became really attached to him. When I got him, he was only a little over 1 inch and now he's a little
over 3. He's so beautiful. Red on the top dorsal fin and the other 1/2 of the body a very dark blue. He's stunning and
he's on my fireplace mantle. When my clients come to get their nails done, I can catch them being captivated by my fish...
how can you not? He's a gorgeous creature and I love him so much...

Do you like the "I rather live alone" fish tank decoration? lol
Who is this weird girl in the mirror???

 

[asscherisme]

I currently have 4 bettas and have had many many more in the past.

I have 2 male bettas that each have their own 2 gallon plastic fish bowl and 2 female bettas that are in the same 2 gallon bowl. I do a complete water change every weekend. The fish are colorful and healhty and active. No heater, no filter. They are a bit over a year old (I got them at the same time). I love them! They are lined up along the tile by the soaker tub in my bathroom. I see them first thing in the morning when I wake up and can see them from my glass shower. They make me smile

I have glass type marble things in them (I got at petsmart) and a plastic plant in each. My females have a litle fake turtle as well.

Dont'' stress. I have a few tanks and when you go into the forums, no matter what you are doing, people make you think you are doing it all wrong.

Enjoy your betta!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Thanks so much everyone for providing your experiences. I feel a lot better now! I took back a huge stack of tropical fish library books so I wouldn''t keep freaking myself out. lol Also going to stop reading the fish forums so the fish can be all about relaxation, not stress.

Lovewhitediamonds - my male betta was making bubble nests until I moved him into his new tank. . .when he starts up, I''m tempted to stick the girl betta in there, but then what would I do with all the babies? lol Betta cups piled up all over the house. Cute!

Asscherisme - your Betta arrangement sounds so cool! How many fish do you have in total, including your other tank (and any more)?

I ended up bringing home another today. My husband has decided to buy a boat, so he''s just pretending that I haven''t gone into hoarding mode and instead focusing on his own obession. It''s a boy one and he''s in a 2-gallon bowl and will be on my son''s dresser!

That''ll be it for a few months. The girl betta looks so lonely in her tank because she is ultra small. I''d like to get her a buddy once my husband has comes to terms with my new hobby!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Amethyste - cute bowl. It''s funny how bettas like to live alone, yet they''re so aware and interactive with the outside world. The male one I have swims up and stares at me when I sit by him.

 

[Gailey]

Hey MC,

Nothing I can''t tell you that I haven''t mentioned before. I''m in awe of these gals who seem to keep their bettas for years and years. I don''t think I''ve kept one longer than two yet.

Did the guppies bite the dust?

 

[asscherisme]

Date: 9/16/2009 11:18:55 PM
Author: MC
Thanks so much everyone for providing your experiences. I feel a lot better now! I took back a huge stack of tropical fish library books so I wouldn''t keep freaking myself out. lol Also going to stop reading the fish forums so the fish can be all about relaxation, not stress.

Lovewhitediamonds - my male betta was making bubble nests until I moved him into his new tank. . .when he starts up, I''m tempted to stick the girl betta in there, but then what would I do with all the babies? lol Betta cups piled up all over the house. Cute!

Asscherisme - your Betta arrangement sounds so cool! How many fish do you have in total, including your other tank (and any more)?

I ended up bringing home another today. My husband has decided to buy a boat, so he''s just pretending that I haven''t gone into hoarding mode and instead focusing on his own obession. It''s a boy one and he''s in a 2-gallon bowl and will be on my son''s dresser!

That''ll be it for a few months. The girl betta looks so lonely in her tank because she is ultra small. I''d like to get her a buddy once my husband has comes to terms with my new hobby!

A lot LOL. And I mentiond on the other thread, I am getting a 75 gallon! I have 22 fish total.

I am going to try and post pictures of my bettas on here if I can figure out how. I did start out with just one girl in the bowl and she looked so lonely so I got a second girl. They are so pretty! One is dark purple/indigo and the other is a mauvy purple color. I''m going to head upstairs and take some photos...

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Did the guppies bite the dust?

Nope, two of the guppies are still going strong!

I dosed them with Levamisole about a week and a half ago and both are swimming and active as ever (never showed signs of what should have happened after a levamisole treatment - "cleansing," so maybe they didn''t catch it? I will treat them/the water once more just in case). All they need is a heater and that tank is set.

 

[rhbgirl24]

I have a marine science degree and work in the field, but I used to teach a betta care class!
My betta is in a 5 gal tank w. a heater and very small filter. Bettas do not like fast water movement. They are native to rice patties where there is small, almost stagnant pockets of water. The most important thing for betta health, other than clean water, is water temperature. They are tropical fish and tend to be most active and healthy around 78 degrees.

Decorations don''t matter too much as long as they have a place to hide, they burrow in nature environments! and make sure none of it has too rough an edge to tear their fins.

As for tank mates, some are fine. Peaceful fish that don''t have long flowing fins are best. Mine has 3 glowlite tetras and 2 guppies (males, but they dont have too long fins) and they have been fine for years!

Diet is important too, but little bits at a time. Because they are almost always in small bodies of water, their food can turn the water really quick. So alternate between flake, betta food, and frozen bloodworms (they''re fave!)

Most importantly have fun! Like I said temp is important, and access to surface air is a must, but there is much you can do here with your little guy where he will be very happy!

 

[dragonfly411]

My females lived in a tank together with another male in the ten gallon, they were also housed with baby guppies, never ONCE bothered the babies, and got along just fine with each other as well .

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 9/17/2009 9:48:19 AM
Author: rhbgirl24
I have a marine science degree and work in the field, but I used to teach a betta care class!

Thanks Rhbgirl24. . .If I stick a small filter like this: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3184687&lmdn=Fish in a the 2-5 size in a 2-gallon bowl without a filter, will there be heat pockets or will the water be okay without any circulation? That is about the price I'd want to stay at (or hopefully under). My guppies still need a heater, too!

Should I stick another girl betta in the 2-gallon? She's so tiny in there that we keep loosing track of where she is! I decided I don't like the rectangle tank and am going to get her a 2-gallon bowl, so I will be heading back to the pet store and can put both fish into the new bowl at the same time so there won't be any territorial issues. I wasn't sure if girls are as anti-social as boys or if they need friends. lol

 

[rhbgirl24]

Date: 9/17/2009 12:06:27 PM
Author: MC

Date: 9/17/2009 9:48:19 AM

Author: rhbgirl24

I have a marine science degree and work in the field, but I used to teach a betta care class!

Thanks Rhbgirl24. . .If I stick a small filter like this: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3184687&lmdn=Fish in a the 2-5 size in a 2-gallon bowl without a filter, will there be heat pockets or will the water be okay without any circulation? That is about the price I''d want to stay at (or hopefully under). My guppies still need a heater, too!


Should I stick another girl betta in the 2-gallon? She''s so tiny in there that we keep loosing track of where she is! I decided I don''t like the rectangle tank and am going to get her a 2-gallon bowl, so I will be heading back to the pet store and can put both fish into the new bowl at the same time so there won''t be any territorial issues. I wasn''t sure if girls are as anti-social as boys or if they need friends. lol

Yes that hydor is heater is just fine. Just make sure you put it in a tank of the recommended size b/c you can''t adjust the temp. However to make the heater work best, a small filter should be used. A heater can only heat evenly if the water has circulation. What I would suggest, maybe later on if you don''t want to spend the money right now, is by an all inclusive tank, such as the smaller eclipses (or knock offs) so the filter is built in, then add that heater!

Your females will be just fine together, they aren''t aggressive with their own species like the males are. Just dont put a male and female together unless you do a lot of research. He tends to kill her. Nice right?

 

[asscherisme]

Date: 9/17/2009 12:06:27 PM
Author: MC

Date: 9/17/2009 9:48:19 AM
Author: rhbgirl24
I have a marine science degree and work in the field, but I used to teach a betta care class!

Thanks Rhbgirl24. . .If I stick a small filter like this: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3184687&lmdn=Fish in a the 2-5 size in a 2-gallon bowl without a filter, will there be heat pockets or will the water be okay without any circulation? That is about the price I''d want to stay at (or hopefully under). My guppies still need a heater, too!

Should I stick another girl betta in the 2-gallon? She''s so tiny in there that we keep loosing track of where she is! I decided I don''t like the rectangle tank and am going to get her a 2-gallon bowl, so I will be heading back to the pet store and can put both fish into the new bowl at the same time so there won''t be any territorial issues. I wasn''t sure if girls are as anti-social as boys or if they need friends. lol

I have always keep females in pairs for the reason you mentioned. My last pair lived for 3 years. When one died, the other died shortly after. About 6 years ago I had a trio of females in a 3 gallon bowl. But that was glass and I don''t want to use glass in my bathroom so the largest plastic bowl I could find is 2 gallons.

I took some cool photos last night. I just need to figure out how to post. Ihave not posted in ages and forgot how. My females are not antisocial and seem to enjoy haning out together.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 9/17/2009 12:47:44 PM
Author: rhbgirl24

Yes that hydor is heater is just fine. Just make sure you put it in a tank of the recommended size b/c you can''t adjust the temp. However to make the heater work best, a small filter should be used. A heater can only heat evenly if the water has circulation. What I would suggest, maybe later on if you don''t want to spend the money right now, is by an all inclusive tank, such as the smaller eclipses (or knock offs) so the filter is built in, then add that heater!

Your females will be just fine together, they aren''t aggressive with their own species like the males are. Just dont put a male and female together unless you do a lot of research. He tends to kill her. Nice right?

I would get an eclipse, except the problem is I already have two of the 3-gallon ones and it''ll look odd having a third! Also, the first betta I brought home hates the filter and I''ve had to cover the outtake part with thick filter fibers to keep the water calm. This was my reason for buying a simple rectangle aquarium for the girl (so I could put in a smaller filter) It looks so ugly though so she''s going into a 2-gallon bowl.

Earlier I checked out other girl bettas at the pet store and all looked sickly. I''m contemplating buying one online. lol

 

[boredstiff]

I have a female betta in a 1.5 gallon jar in my apartment. I keep her with a lot of live plants, including Java moss, Java fern, anacharis. I''ve got a full-spectrum light hooked to a timer. nothing fancy in the tank, no filter or heater. I probably should get a heater, but she''s pretty tough. Here''s a picture -- quality sucks; took it on my phone.

 

[Luckyeshe]

Here's my crowntail betta, Samson. He's my second betta and he's currently living in a bowl with no filter. I live in FL and I keep the temperature around 76-78 degrees in the apartment since I also own a husky and a papillon. I try to change his water about once a week and if not, about once every ten days. He has a live java fern in his bowl. I'm thinking of getting him a "house" but I don't want to overcrowd his 1 gallon bowl. What do your bettas look like, MC?

Amethyst, your bowl is soo cool! And Sushi is very pretty! Boredstiff, I think that's the prettiest female I've seen. The ones at the pet stores around here doesn't look as nice as yours!

 

[Gailey]

Date: 9/16/2009 11:45:13 PM
Author: MC

Did the guppies bite the dust?

Nope, two of the guppies are still going strong!

I dosed them with Levamisole about a week and a half ago and both are swimming and active as ever (never showed signs of what should have happened after a levamisole treatment - ''cleansing,'' so maybe they didn''t catch it? I will treat them/the water once more just in case). All they need is a heater and that tank is set.

So just remind me MC, how many tanks are you up to now?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 9/17/2009 5:25:12 PM
Author: boredstiff
I have a female betta in a 1.5 gallon jar in my apartment. I keep her with a lot of live plants, including Java moss, Java fern, anacharis. I''ve got a full-spectrum light hooked to a timer. nothing fancy in the tank, no filter or heater. I probably should get a heater, but she''s pretty tough. Here''s a picture -- quality sucks; took it on my phone.

Beautiful female. Seems like it''s harder to find a colorful one in girl bettas! Mine is so small that I was shocked yesterday to find some that were nearly 1.75" long! I was looking at plants again but am unsure about them being without parasites. I bought two that were okay, but then bought another and three snails showed up in the tank! It was from Petco (yeah, I know) but was in a sealed cylinder that stated "snail free," so I thought I was safe. lol

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 9/17/2009 5:47:40 PM
Author: Luckyeshe
Here''s my crowntail betta, Samson. He''s my second betta and he''s currently living in a bowl with no filter. I live in FL and I keep the temperature around 76-78 degrees in the apartment since I also own a husky and a papillon. I try to change his water about once a week and if not, about once every ten days. He has a live java fern in his bowl. I''m thinking of getting him a ''house'' but I don''t want to overcrowd his 1 gallon bowl. What do your bettas look like, MC?

Amethyst, your bowl is soo cool! And Sushi is very pretty! Boredstiff, I think that''s the prettiest female I''ve seen. The ones at the pet stores around here doesn''t look as nice as yours!

Pretty crowntail! I also like the bigger rocks in Samson''s tank. I''m thinking of getting a bag and scattering some on top of my smaller gravel to create texture of some sort. Try and jazz things up without taking all the attention away from the fish.

I''ll post pictures of my fish tomorrow when my husband isn''t home. He will think I''ve lost my mind if I spend 15 minutes attempting to capture the perfect shots. He already took a double take and a step backward when he saw that I put the girl betta in another bowl again.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 9/17/2009 9:06:51 PM
Author: Gailey
So just remind me MC, how many tanks are you up to now?

oooh, not that many! lol Four official fish homes. . .Two 3-gallon filtered tanks. . .one with the two guppies and the other with the first Betta Mandarine. Then two 2-gallon bowls, one with Lily and one with Blue (my son named him that because he''s blue! He wanted him to be called Bluefusion, but that kind of sounds like a flavor of gum, so I said no. . .

) I took the girl (lily) out of the rectangle and put her in the bowl again. Looks better.

How many do you have?

It''s amazing how addicting the fish hobby is. . .but, I gotta stop. My cats are feeling neglected!

My female cat refused to purr yesterday.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 9/17/2009 9:40:32 PM
Author: MC

Date: 9/17/2009 9:06:51 PM
Author: Gailey
So just remind me MC, how many tanks are you up to now?

oooh, not that many! lol Four official fish homes. . .Two 3-gallon filtered tanks. . .one with the two guppies and the other with the first Betta Mandarine. Then two 2-gallon bowls, one with Lily and one with Blue (my son named him that because he''s blue! He wanted him to be called Bluefusion, but that kind of sounds like a flavor of gum, so I said no. . .

) I took the girl (lily) out of the rectangle and put her in the bowl again. Looks better.

How many do you have?

It''s amazing how addicting the fish hobby is. . .but, I gotta stop. My cats are feeling neglected!

My female cat refused to purr yesterday.

Hmmmm!

Well let''s just say that I went from four to thirteen in fairly short order - there''s no hope for you now you know!

I''m down to a respectable 3 up and running right now, but that''s because I''m not adding new fish to any of the tanks. If I did, each community tank (currently 2) would have a dedicated quarantine tank.

I''ll wager you''ll be up to 35 gallons and have a python by Christmas.