Lincoln

I've been wanting an animal for my office for a while. I've ruled out a reptile because of space and I like having them all in one place downstairs in the reptile area. Also, the few reptiles I thought of potentially getting need a lot of work and my time and energy are limited these days. The number one priority is taking care of who I currently have and making sure this doesn't become work versus a hobby for me.

In any event, I thought of doing a small aquarium, but even that is a lot of work - 14-15 gallon tank. In some ways, it's harder than a larger tank. Ultimately I decided on a 4 gallon tank with a Betta.

Meet Lincoln. He's got red white and blue on him and he's got spunk. He's very patriotic. We both enjoy keeping each other company while I work in my office.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/zQcswAZ.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/qm6XHrO.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/97BRWe1.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/qXcAG9S.jpg?1

He’s gorgeous ...

I saw some brightly coloured fish ( similar to that ) in a Florida lake last year .. would they have been Betta fish ??


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What a great idea. Bettas are so beautiful! Just the right amount of "company" for an office.

Awesome colors! I'm not super familiar with betas. I'm a saltwater keeper myself. Small tanks are definitely difficult. Any fluctuation in parameters has a bigger impact. The black gravel and background really makes the colors of the fish pop :gj:

If you go for another tank then an Axolotl are fabulous creatures !!

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...6f63c1e703.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...87d9bf7eb4.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...74b27bd98e.jpg


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Originally Posted by Trinityblood

Awesome colors! I'm not super familiar with betas. I'm a saltwater keeper myself. Small tanks are definitely difficult. Any fluctuation in parameters has a bigger impact. The black gravel and background really makes the colors of the fish pop :gj:

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Thank you Trinityblood! Bettas are super easy. They live in puddles/pools of water in the wild so water quality doesn't have to be perfect for them. However, if you know me, I am going to keep his tank pretty clean. Easy to do a 1G water change weekly vs. a bigger tank. Many people do not think they like heat or filtration, but they do if you want them to flourish and show their best colors. His temp is 77F and he has a gentle filter on the tank.

I used to breed Frontosa's - a brackish water fish from Africa. They get about a foot long. Had 12 in a 240G. Unfortunately, health got the better of me and doing those 2-3 hour water changes weekly was too much.

Saltwater is a lot more demanding and much more sensitive to change than most freshwater aquariums. I'd love to see pics of some of your aquariums. Do you have a thread here?

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

What a great idea. Bettas are so beautiful! Just the right amount of "company" for an office.

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Thank you Boger. Yeah, he's a perfect companion. Plus the gentle water flow sound is soothing and relaxing.

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

He’s gorgeous ...

I saw some brightly coloured fish ( similar to that ) in a Florida lake last year .. would they have been Betta fish ??


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Thank you Zincubus. Betta's are pretty tiny and I think they are from Asia. Doubt you would have seen them in FL. However, if you can find Iguanas and Burmese Pythons in FL, who knows :).

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

If you go for another tank then an Axolotl are fabulous creatures !!

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...6f63c1e703.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...87d9bf7eb4.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...74b27bd98e.jpg


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Love these guys. Need a bigger tank and too much like a reptile - according to Katie anyway :). She loves them too. She just doesn't want me to add to much to my plate.

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

If you go for another tank then an Axolotl are fabulous creatures !!

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They're such funny looking animals. I recently started watching this guy's channel and find him informational and entertaining.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTQ...qXWrKTQsvlm4Eg

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Originally Posted by dakski

Thank you Trinityblood! Bettas are super easy. They live in puddles/pools of water in the wild so water quality doesn't have to be perfect for them. However, if you know me, I am going to keep his tank pretty clean. Easy to do a 1G water change weekly vs. a bigger tank. Many people do not think they like heat or filtration, but they do if you want them to flourish and show their best colors. His temp is 77F and he has a gentle filter on the tank.

I used to breed Frontosa's - a brackish water fish from Africa. They get about a foot long. Had 12 in a 240G. Unfortunately, health got the better of me and doing those 2-3 hour water changes weekly was too much.

Saltwater is a lot more demanding and much more sensitive to change than most freshwater aquariums. I'd love to see pics of some of your aquariums. Do you have a thread here?



Thank you Boger. Yeah, he's a perfect companion. Plus the gentle water flow sound is soothing and relaxing.



Thank you Zincubus. Betta's are pretty tiny and I think they are from Asia. Doubt you would have seen them in FL. However, if you can find Iguanas and Burmese Pythons in FL, who knows :).

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Maybe they were some pet fish released by someone ??

Are there any other smallish , very reddish coloured fish found naturally in Florida ??


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Maybe they were some pet fish released by someone ??

Are there any other smallish , very reddish coloured fish found naturally in Florida ??


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Totally possible. No idea what fish are found in FL. I am a Yankee up here in CT. I have snorkeled in the Florida Keys, but not freshwater.

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Originally Posted by Trinityblood

They're such funny looking animals. I recently started watching this guy's channel and find him informational and entertaining.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTQ...qXWrKTQsvlm4Eg

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I’ve had albinos in the past but I’ve got a wild caught one now

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...de9a018009.jpg

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Lincoln is just gorgeous! My boyfriend and I have two 55 gallon freshwater tanks in our computer room. We have a variety of community fish in each tank. While this is more of my boyfriend’s hobby than mine, I do help him to take care of the fish and maintain the tanks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dakski

Thank you Trinityblood! Bettas are super easy. They live in puddles/pools of water in the wild so water quality doesn't have to be perfect for them. However, if you know me, I am going to keep his tank pretty clean. Easy to do a 1G water change weekly vs. a bigger tank. Many people do not think they like heat or filtration, but they do if you want them to flourish and show their best colors. His temp is 77F and he has a gentle filter on the tank.

I used to breed Frontosa's - a brackish water fish from Africa. They get about a foot long. Had 12 in a 240G. Unfortunately, health got the better of me and doing those 2-3 hour water changes weekly was too much.

Saltwater is a lot more demanding and much more sensitive to change than most freshwater aquariums. I'd love to see pics of some of your aquariums. Do you have a thread here?

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Thanks for the info! I love learning about animal care. That water does look pristine. Are there different species of beta? Or are they all the same just different colors?

I do not have a thread... I have a fairly new 20 gallon with 2 clowns and some inverts. I had a tank 10 years ago but had to get rid of it because of school. I'm finally in a place to keep fish again. I plan to eventually add a yellow clown goby and a royal gramma. The only difficult part is having patience and controlling pests that come with live rock. A setup like this is pretty simple to care for. Do water changes, feed fish, let snails eat algae. I could have used dry rock if I wanted it to be even easier. I don't have corals and probably won't add any. As beautiful as they are, their needs are too expensive and time consuming for my tastes. I'm starting to see coralline algae growth. I can't wait for it to takeover and turn all the rocks purple.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/6r0mwRq.jpg

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

I’ve had albinos in the past but I’ve got a wild caught one now

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...de9a018009.jpg

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Call me crazy but that looks like a begging face.

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Originally Posted by Trinityblood

Thanks for the info! I love learning about animal care. That water does look pristine. Are there different species of beta? Or are they all the same just different colors?

I do not have a thread... I have a fairly new 20 gallon with 2 clowns and some inverts. I had a tank 10 years ago but had to get rid of it because of school. I'm finally in a place to keep fish again. I plan to eventually add a yellow clown goby and a royal gramma. The only difficult part is having patience and controlling pests that come with live rock. A setup like this is pretty simple to care for. Do water changes, feed fish, let snails eat algae. I could have used dry rock if I wanted it to be even easier. I don't have corals and probably won't add any. As beautiful as they are, their needs are too expensive and time consuming for my tastes.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/6r0mwRq.jpg



Call me crazy but that looks like a begging face.

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It’s possible .. he’s insatiable .. currently on frozen bloodworm and bits/bats .. in a month or so he goes back on earthworms


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I'll probably never keep any fish but I do love looking at them. Although dakski has made a pretty convincing case for a Betta...:P -or an axolotl...(oh stop!)

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Originally Posted by Trinityblood

Thanks for the info! I love learning about animal care. That water does look pristine. Are there different species of beta? Or are they all the same just different colors?

I do not have a thread... I have a fairly new 20 gallon with 2 clowns and some inverts. I had a tank 10 years ago but had to get rid of it because of school. I'm finally in a place to keep fish again. I plan to eventually add a yellow clown goby and a royal gramma. The only difficult part is having patience and controlling pests that come with live rock. A setup like this is pretty simple to care for. Do water changes, feed fish, let snails eat algae. I could have used dry rock if I wanted it to be even easier. I don't have corals and probably won't add any. As beautiful as they are, their needs are too expensive and time consuming for my tastes. I'm starting to see coralline algae growth. I can't wait for it to takeover and turn all the rocks purple.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/6r0mwRq.jpg

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First, the tank looks good partly because I just set it up and put Lincoln in.

However, with one fish and good filtration, it should stay pretty clear indefinitely.

There are different morphs of Bettas. No idea what Lincoln's morph is, but he's a cool guy. Some have longer fins and different colors, etc.

https://www.tankarium.com/types-of-betta-fish/

This site above had some cool info.

Secondly, I like your setup and LOVE Goby's. They are awesome little fish! I don't know what a Gramma is.

Keep us posted on your tank!

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I'll probably never keep any fish but I do love looking at them. Although dakski has made a pretty convincing case for a Betta...:P -or an axolotl...(oh stop!)

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Do it! Do it! Do it! Betta! Betta!

LOL.

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Originally Posted by dakski

First, the tank looks good partly because I just set it up and put Lincoln in.

However, with one fish and good filtration, it should stay pretty clear indefinitely.

There are different morphs of Bettas. No idea what Lincoln's morph is, but he's a cool guy. Some have longer fins and different colors, etc.

https://www.tankarium.com/types-of-betta-fish/

This site above had some cool info.

Secondly, I like your setup and LOVE Goby's. They are awesome little fish! I don't know what a Gramma is.

Keep us posted on your tank!

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Do freshwater tancs get new tank syndrome after a couple months? I guess betas don't poop a lot? I know goldfish are poop machines lol.

Wow there are so many different looking betas.

Gobies have so much personality despite being tiny. They're also really peaceful tankmates. Can never go wrong with them.

Royal gramma is a pretty yellow and purple fish that darts in and out of rocks.

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/pr...20200309160404

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Originally Posted by Trinityblood

Do freshwater tancs get new tank syndrome after a couple months? I guess betas don't poop a lot? I know goldfish are poop machines lol.

Wow there are so many different looking betas.

Gobies have so much personality despite being tiny. They're also really peaceful tankmates. Can never go wrong with them.

Royal gramma is a pretty yellow and purple fish that darts in and out of rocks.

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/pr...20200309160404

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You can have "New tank Syndrome." However, not always and dependent on load (yeah one betta doesn't produce a lot of waste).

I also am using https://www.aquavitro.com/seed.php - Seed - help quickly establish a bio load and complete the nitrogen cycle quickly. I've had good luck with similar products in the past.

I use the Prime to get metals and chlorine out of the water and then use Seed dosing everyday for 7 days and then every few water changes.

The filter has a sponge and bio-ball type plastic media as well. So that should help.

That Royal Gramma is nuts looking! I've seen them. Beautiful fish!

Yes, many different bettas. They can be expensive, well, relatively, but they live a long time and I really enjoy them. I've kept several in the past and Katie even had one before I met her.

Lincoln was $45 versus $5-7 for a normal betta. It's all the eye of the beholder. The store I got him from had a lot of bettas but the staff was super happy I got Lincoln because they really liked him a lot. They know my background and that i'd give him a good home.

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Originally Posted by dakski

You can have "New tank Syndrome." However, not always and dependent on load (yeah one betta doesn't produce a lot of waste).

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by dakski

I also am using https://www.aquavitro.com/seed.php - Seed - help quickly establish a bio load and complete the nitrogen cycle quickly. I've had good luck with similar products in the past.

I use the Prime to get metals and chlorine out of the water and then use Seed dosing everyday for 7 days and then every few water changes.

The filter has a sponge and bio-ball type plastic media as well. So that should help.

That Royal Gramma is nuts looking! I've seen them. Beautiful fish!

Yes, many different bettas. They can be expensive, well, relatively, but they live a long time and I really enjoy them. I've kept several in the past and Katie even had one before I met her.

Lincoln was $45 versus $5-7 for a normal betta. It's all the eye of the beholder. The store I got him from had a lot of bettas but the staff was super happy I got Lincoln because they really liked him a lot. They know my background and that i'd give him a good home.

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I was thinking of algae blooms before the tank levels out. and the 'uglyness' of a new tank. That's how I've always heard the term used. That's crazy that you can just buy a bottle of bacteria now. I did the old school way and used live rock to introduce bacteria and doubles as the biological filter.

Carbon is a great additive to clear up water, too.

Lincoln is handsome. He kind of looks like a koi with the white belly.

I think you made a sound decision. I kept a 45g african cichlid tank at the office at one point and it was such a pain having to lug water around for partial water changes. I used to breed frontosas too (at home in a much bigger aquarium), one of my absolute favorite fish. I keep telling myself I'm going to setup some awesome fish tanks again when I get settled into a permanent place, but I've not done fish in so long because moving with them is a pain. Course so is with snakes, but in my opinion snakes are a lot easier to move than the type of fish I tend towards.

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Originally Posted by nikkubus

I think you made a sound decision. I kept a 45g african cichlid tank at the office at one point and it was such a pain having to lug water around for partial water changes. I used to breed frontosas too (at home in a much bigger aquarium), one of my absolute favorite fish. I keep telling myself I'm going to setup some awesome fish tanks again when I get settled into a permanent place, but I've not done fish in so long because moving with them is a pain. Course so is with snakes, but in my opinion snakes are a lot easier to move than the type of fish I tend towards.

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I think moving with reptiles is a lot easier than moving with large fish tanks and fish, etc!

Setup on the other end is also much easier!

My "Fronts" used to eat out of my hand.

I kept Mpimbwe Frontosa. Didn't expect them to breed, but they did, and a lot!

I miss them, but I do not miss the amount it work it was keep them happy and healthy and breeding.

Yeah, cannot get much simpler than a 4G betta tank. Lincoln is awesome and I am happy and Katie (my wife) is very happy. No big tanks. No big commitments. Plus, she loves Lincoln. So it's a win, win, win.

Lincoln is doing great and loved him some bloodworms (F/T) tonight.

I continue to use the Seed product daily, but will be checking water parameters tomorrow and do a water change if needed. If possible, and the Seed does i's job, I might be able to hold off for the full week, but it all depends on what the numbers tell me about where we are in the nitrogen cycle.

I splurged and got him a proper stand and I am cleaning my office now and determining where to put it. Right now he's next to my home computer in my office, but I am thinking about putting him next to my work computer. We will see what the office looks like when I move some stuff around. It's a small cabinet stand, so I can keep all his stuff in it, and him on top. I don't want to keep him my dresser long-term :).

Additionally, when I stopped at the aquatic store today to get the stand and bloodworms, they told me he is a Plakat Betta.

https://www.aquariadise.com/plakat-betta/

They are shorter finned, but more aggressive a type of Betta then the ornamental long-finned bettas. They were originally bred for fighting. I am happy to keep him safe and sound and on his own :).

Sorry to post so much about a little Betta on BP.net, but he's pretty cool and other users seem to enjoy him as well. I guess I am not forcing anyone to look, right?

I also got a few more pictures tonight.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/uyjxTtV.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/OiFKhap.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/nCEXx0z.jpg?1https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/JvdPoQH.jpg

He's a cool little beta. Keep the updates coming.

By all means keep 'em coming! I actually went to that site you posted yesterday & read thru the many kinds of bettas- & that's the only way I'd ever heard of a plakat before your post above.

We all love animals here, & we all love admiring beautiful ones, so I'd say he's a good fit. ;)

Nice to hear he’s getting some frozen-thawed bloodworm!!

I recall years ago reading some reports of people feeding their fish on LIVE bloodworm and they’d BURIED out through the stomach !!??

I have no idea if that can ACTUALLY happen but it stuck in my mind ever since .

The only other negative is probably with over feeding fish on bloodworms as they CAN carry parasites/bacteria due to the conditions of the water where the blood worms are grown and harvested.


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Originally Posted by Zincubus

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I recall years ago reading some reports of people feeding their fish on LIVE bloodworm and they’d BURIED out through the stomach !!?? ...

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I don't know about those, but I've heard the same thing about mealworms- that if you feed a lizard that doesn't manage to crunch their heads before swallowing, that they can chew their way out sometimes. Eeeek! So when I've fed them to lizards, I used my tongs to pinch their heads first, just in case. Hopefully either case is really rare?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Nice to hear he’s getting some frozen-thawed bloodworm!!

I recall years ago reading some reports of people feeding their fish on LIVE bloodworm and they’d BURIED out through the stomach !!??

I have no idea if that can ACTUALLY happen but it stuck in my mind ever since .

The only other negative is probably with over feeding fish on bloodworms as they CAN carry parasites/bacteria due to the conditions of the water where the blood worms are grown and harvested.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I don't know about those, but I've heard the same thing about mealworms- that if you feed a lizard that doesn't manage to crunch their heads before swallowing, that they can chew their way out sometimes. Eeeek! So when I've fed them to lizards, I used my tongs to pinch their heads first, just in case. Hopefully either case is really rare?

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I feel like if either of those is true it relies on having an unhealthy animal in the first place where digestion is being interfered with because of something like lack of heat, or imbalance in digestive bacteria due to parasites, or something along those lines. I could be wrong though.

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Originally Posted by nikkubus

I feel like if either of those is true it relies on having an unhealthy animal in the first place where digestion is being interfered with because of something like lack of heat, or imbalance in digestive bacteria due to parasites, or something along those lines. I could be wrong though.

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Could all be scaremongering .. I also heard they can cause bloat in some fish ..

Guess the best thing is to feed not too often and feed thawed-frozen


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Congrats on your nice little betta, dakski! He's a very pretty boy :D

Yeah, Lincoln's definitely a plakat (that more traditional short-finned variety), and it looks like he's something called a marble color-wise. Marbles can go through a bit of a color change throughout their life, so don't be surprised if his various spots and color patches start shifting around. A marble male I had went and turned completely blue after a few years!

It's nice to see that Lincoln's in a heated, filtered set-up. I'm actually planning on bumping the two betta I have now into similar setups sometime soon - they're both getting older and have had fin rot issues pop up recently, so I think they need something a little more stable/controlled than the planted 2.5 gallon setups they're in now. Maybe I'll post some photos of them once they're settled in to new digs.

Trinityblood - if you'd like any help with your marine tank, feel free to send me a PM. I had a similarly sized reef tank for many years and would be glad to help out! The only real reason I don't have it running now is because of how much of a pain it would be to move, particularly at the frequency with which I've been moving the last few years.

Zincubus - I've never personally heard of bloodworms burrowing through fishes' stomachs before. Other worms, maybe, but not bloodworms. If something like that did happen, it would pretty much be for the reasons nikkubus said.

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Originally Posted by WrongPython

Congrats on your nice little betta, dakski! He's a very pretty boy :D

Yeah, Lincoln's definitely a plakat (that more traditional short-finned variety), and it looks like he's something called a marble color-wise. Marbles can go through a bit of a color change throughout their life, so don't be surprised if his various spots and color patches start shifting around. A marble male I had went and turned completely blue after a few years!

It's nice to see that Lincoln's in a heated, filtered set-up. I'm actually planning on bumping the two betta I have now into similar setups sometime soon - they're both getting older and have had fin rot issues pop up recently, so I think they need something a little more stable/controlled than the planted 2.5 gallon setups they're in now. Maybe I'll post some photos of them once they're settled in to new digs.

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Cool and good to know on the color change possibility.

He's a good guy and I think, as with reptiles, many people do not know how to properly care for Betta's. They like heat and filtration, etc.

I would love to see some pics of your tanks and Betta's if you want to post.

Thank you for the info Wrongpython!

If anyone is interested, and as mentioned earlier, I am using Seed to help establish Lincoln's tank quickly (speeding up the Nitrogen Cycle). I am also using Prime to treat the water and remove Chlorine etc. These product also apparently binds to ammonia and makes it easier for the tank to process. Unless the levels get dangerous and I am doing regular water changes to keep Lincoln safe, I do not plan to use Prime except as a water decontaminator and not to reduce ammonia.

Tested his water tonight and there are about .25+/- PPM of ammonia, right on schedule. There were no nitrites and no nitrates to be found.

I will be testing his water again tomorrow but only plan to update as we progress through the cycle and I can report on how well Seed works.

Overall, I am pleased with the tank progression and I am happy with how well Lincoln is doing. There is always a risk cycling a tank with a fish you like, or any fish that you don't want to die, but Betta's are pretty tough and this isn't my first rodeo. I have cycled a lot of tanks and I know I am not overloading the tank fish wise or food wise.

Lincoln is in good hands, but I wanted to be clear there is risk involved.

Of course Katie already loves him and I think he's a cool buddy. So, I am as on top of it as I can be.

Prime binds ammonia for about 24 hours before the ammonia is re released and becomes toxic again if the bacteria can't handle it.

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Originally Posted by Trinityblood

Prime binds ammonia for about 24 hours before the ammonia is re released and becomes toxic again if the bacteria can't handle it.

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That makes sense.

I want to see how well the Seed works and will do water changes (smallish) if necessary.

I have used products like Seed to help speed up the nitrogen cycle before. I have no experience with ammonia reducers etc. and I am skeptical.

Thank you for the info Trinityblood.

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Originally Posted by dakski

That makes sense.

I want to see how well the Seed works and will do water changes (smallish) if necessary.

I have used products like Seed to help speed up the nitrogen cycle before. I have no experience with ammonia reducers etc. and I am skeptical.

Thank you for the info Trinityblood.

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Seed is just bacteria in a bottle. That can, in theory, reduce the present ammonia but it still has to balance itself out.

Prime is good to use if there is an ammonia emergency. It will temporarily bind to the ammonia so its no longer toxic and buy time for a water change or for filters/bacteria to break it down. But Prime will not remove/reduce the present ammonia.

You sound like you have a handle on it.

I haven't used Seed exactly, but similar products and my experience has been that it really helps getting the initial cycling off to a good start quickly. I don't think it has much if any impact on the latter part of the cycle with algae bloom, but perhaps Seed is formulated and used a bit differently than what I have tried. Stealing a handful of substrate or some filter sponges from an established tank is my preferred thing to do if it's an option.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nikkubus

I haven't used Seed exactly, but similar products and my experience has been that it really helps getting the initial cycling off to a good start quickly. I don't think it has much if any impact on the latter part of the cycle with algae bloom, but perhaps Seed is formulated and used a bit differently than what I have tried. Stealing a handful of substrate or some filter sponges from an established tank is my preferred thing to do if it's an option.

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Results for bacteria in a bottle seem mixed. I wonder if people using the bottle just throw in the bacteria and nothing for them to feed on (no ghost feeding or adding bottled ammonia) Or if there's not enough ammonia and the bacteria just dies off and the cycling halts. I'm trying it for the first time to set up a quarantine tank but I will be transferring some of my existing bio media to it because I don't fully trust it. I used Brightwell for marine tanks. I may make a thread and see what results I get. Bacteria in a bottle wasn't a thing the last time I did tanks so it's new to me. So far I'm also still in the opinion that using existing bio media is the best and fastest way to cycle.

I can only assume that the bottled bacteria is better than it was 14 years ago when I cycled a 240G tank in 6 days with StartRight - I think that's what it was called.

I had the help of some established media, but I also had a larger bio load at the time.

Years later I cycled a 75G in about the same amount of time.

In my experience, the ammonia and nitrite levels do not get as high as without the additive and disappear much quicker as well.

I have had good success with the bacterial additives. However, you still need to understand the cycling process and be aware of stress or danger to the fish. Bacteria in a bottle may help, but it's not magic and the nitrogen cycle still happens.

Seed says to dose daily for 7 days in a row and then as needed. Most products have you add a ton in the beginning, so this is a different approach/application.

As mentioned, 1 betta not overfed in a 4G tank with good filtration should not be too much of a load and if the Seed speeds up the cycle, and I stay on top of it, it should go well (the cycle). On the flip side, you need some load to cycle, and Lincoln should produce enough waste for that.

Well now I know how much I don't know about keeping fish- I've never tried & now I know why. ;)

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Well now I know how much I don't know about keeping fish- I've never tried & now I know why. ;)

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LOL :).

Steep learning curve, but once you get it, it's very rewarding. Not nearly as difficult as keeping, oh, I don't know, "hots?"

Well maybe keeping "hots" is easier, but you have a little more margin for error with fish.

I'll stick with my crew, including Lincoln, and leave the danger noodles to others.

My point here, Boger, is that you can probably do whatever you set your mind too.

I will add that even having "just" Lincoln in my office has already been relaxing and very Zen for me. He's very calming and fun to watch.

It seems many people jump into keeping fish and do not do the research and they and the animals suffer because of that. We see it with reptiles as well, but reptiles are generally more resilient and quicker to correct mistakes with.

Add a thermostat! Up the temp 3F. Bump humidity. Feed a smaller meal.

With fish, a tank that isn't setup and maintained properly can be a lot of work to correct. Usually, if's gotten that bad in the first place, the person who is attempting to maintain the tank doesn't have the knowledge or ability to fix the issue.

Well, my :colbert2: to you brave souls trying to get their water just right. Healthy tropical fish are so amazing to watch, relaxing & Zen, just as you said.

Funny you compared fish to hots, I was thinking along the same lines- but with hots, you're worrying about avoiding mistakes that kill you, whereas with fish, you worry about mistakes that kills them. Both are awful prospects. My sister & her family had an aquarium years ago, but after about a year, they lost all their fish to some sort of illness & gave up. That would be heartbreaking.

I do love to look at fish & aquariums but I've stayed out of trying to keep fish- they're just outside my comfort level I guess. I'd sooner take in a rattlesnake, lol- at least I have experience with that. Besides, I love swimming so much, I'd spend my whole day just being jealous, like that movie, "The Incredible Mr. Limpet". :D Anyway, thanks for sharing Lincoln with us...as with many other things here, I'll just have to enjoy yours. ;) But I wouldn't be surprised if you inspire some others to try keeping fish.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Well, my :colbert2: to you brave souls trying to get their water just right. Healthy tropical fish are so amazing to watch, relaxing & Zen, just as you said.

Funny you compared fish to hots, I was thinking along the same lines- but with hots, you're worrying about avoiding mistakes that kill you, whereas with fish, you worry about mistakes that kills them. Both are awful prospects. My sister & her family had an aquarium years ago, but after about a year, they lost all their fish to some sort of illness & gave up. That would be heartbreaking.

I do love to look at fish & aquariums but I've stayed out of trying to keep fish- they're just outside my comfort level I guess. I'd sooner take in a rattlesnake, lol- at least I have experience with that. Besides, I love swimming so much, I'd spend my whole day just being jealous, like that movie, "The Incredible Mr. Limpet". :D Anyway, thanks for sharing Lincoln with us...as with many other things here, I'll just have to enjoy yours. ;) But I wouldn't be surprised if you inspire some others to try keeping fish.

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First, as you describe, hots and fish are both delicate hobbies, but the consequences differ. In that way, the are the inverse of each other :).

However, I think you bring up a good point. Many people do not value fish the same way as other animals. We see that with reptiles as well, but I think it's worse with fish. It's also difficult, because within the hobby, many fish are valued less than others. After all, many fish are cannibals and eat other fish. So a "feeder" guppy or goldfish is regarded as food where as a beautiful Flowerhorn who eats them is a prize.

Even Bettas are bred to fight each other in some places and are not ornamental and valued for their beauty and charm like Lincoln is.

I know it happens, but how many people can feed a healthy live lizard to a snake or a snake to a snake. We somehow see more a connection there. I am also not saying it's wrong. Just making a point. After all, we feed rodents to our snakes and they are intelligent and innocent creatures more closely related to humans than fish are. However, nature can be cruel and such is life. In my younger years of feeding live rodents and live fish to fish wasn't analyzed as much. However, either I've grown a heart, or a healthy disrespect for replicating all of nature in captivity. I now value life more than I used to. I can't even fish anymore. Don't want to hurt the fish.

Of course, many people fish and hunt, etc. I do not judge at all, assuming it's as much for sustenance as sport. I admit I am not a fan of people who kill to kill. Snakes don't do that!

Secondly, if people put the same effort into fish keeping as many do into reptiles, and saw the parallels and not the differences, I think they would be successful.

Unfortunately, one of the parallels is, at times, doing too much too fast and starting over their skill level.

You probably wouldn't recommend someone wanting a pet snake to start with a rattlesnake. Nor would I recommend starting the hobby with 75G+ Flowerhorn tank or saltwater tank. However, this happens all the time. Again, not danger to the owner, but danger to the animals, and burnout is frequent.

As stated earlier though, and you admit, fish keeping and maintaining tanks can be very rewarding and relaxing in a different way.

I love Behira (female BI) to death. However, watching her for 10 minutes during the day is about as interesting as watching algae grow in Lincoln's tank :). She sleeps all day. Big whoop. Having said that, the only real interaction I get with Lincoln is him either begging for food, or eating. I can't exactly take him out and interact with him. Behira is 100X more enjoyable in that regard. Worse even is Figment, Solana, and Shayna (2 corns and a female BP). They hide 97% of the time during the day and you wouldn't even know they were there. However, and again, they are very interactive outside of their environment and also when being fed.

I think Trinityblood made a good analogy in the thread for his/her saltwater tank. How fish tanks are ecosystem and with reptiles it's more about the animal than the environment they are kept in (I am paraphrasing).

In closing, I do hope I can inspire people to keep fish, if that makes them happy and they can be successful and see the parallels. I think other users here can do the same too.

P.S. Boger, I could pretty much literally swim in my 240G Frontosa tank. 8X2X2'. Also, they were very interactive fish. I watched them breed and they would eat out of my hand.

Ammonia was the same as +/- as last time at about 0.25ppm. Low and nothing to worry about. I did not see Nitrite and did not check Nitrate.

Katie continues to love Lincoln and he's a pretty good office buddy for me.

I am still working on cleaning the office, but do plan to move him next to my work computer. The office is pretty messy, but really, I've been feeling kind of bleh the past few days, and haven't exactly been killing the cleaning.

Glad he's working out! Do you plan to do any aquascaping in the future?

No plans on aquascaping, Trinityblood. Keeping it simple.

It's day 9 and ammonia is still below 0.25ppm with no nitrite and nitrate yet. I added the Seed product for 7 days straight as instructed.

I talked to the fish store today and they said that's totally normal. One of the things Seed is supposed to do it keep ammonia low while the tank cycles. It looks like it may take a few weeks to fully cycle, but if ammonia and nitrites stay low, that's okay.

I plan to do a small water change today or tomorrow.

In the mean time, Lincoln is doing awesome.

I found two protein rich betta foods for him and got the first today and he loves it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It has much higher protein than the common betta foods (55%+ vs. 38%) and fillers like wheat are the last ingredients, not the second. It's made with blackworms, fish meal, brine meal, etc.

I also ordered this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0886Z5VPM...ing=UTF8&psc=1

I will report on how he likes it.

He gets frozen bloodworms every few days and loves those. I plan to get some frozen brine shrimp as well.

Also, still cleaning office and haven't moved him yet, but plan to when I do the water change.

I'll keep everyone posted and I'll post pictures again soon.

"Bug Bites"? :rofl: Gotta love creative names for products.

We offered Lincoln the Bug Bites flakes tonight.

He hated them. Spit them out.

He loves, loves, loves, the new betta pellets with the higher protein content. So that will be his staple food along with blood worms (frozen) every few days. I also plan to get some frozen brine shrimp and daphnia and see if he likes those as well.

I'll keep everyone posted.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dakski

We offered Lincoln the Bug Bites flakes tonight.

He hated them. Spit them out...

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No sense of humor, I guess? ;)

Lincoln continues to thrive. I did a 35% water change today and syphoned up all the waste from the bottom of the tank. That should help keep things clean and not overload the tank.

Of course in that tank, that's all of about 1.5G of water.

I'll post video soon of him loving his food, but in the meantime, here are some more pics.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/vSt38zF.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/GHEIwO6.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/ps3Jmwq.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/S4QuQQd.jpg?1

I love the colourful fake plants but they do kinda take your eyes away from your beautiful Betta ..

I’d try some plain green foliage instead to make his colours absolutely ‘pop’ ... you can easily swap back ;)


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