melbournebetta

Hi Bree, Welcome! I luv Knifes Fishes... yes - photos please -Ness

Hey Fist, It's a bit tricky with all the conflicting info around.... but that's mainly because lots of different fishkeepers have had different experiences.... because all our fish have different temperaments. Firstly, it's best to establish who you trust, and where you get your information from. I've got two LFS, one is great because their range is Huuuuuuuuge and they are really close to me, so I go there - but NEVER ask questions, the staff in there are generally pretty inaccurate with info (there's one manager I do quiz when he's around) The second LFS I will happily stand with and talk to for hours! He's right into the fish, and bloody clever....AND knows what he's talking about..... go visit Subscape Aquarium in Richmond if you're near by. Anyhoo, it's one male or 10+ females I'm afraid.... even the tanks where people have SUPER calm males - still end up with nips and bites and scraggily bullied fish - and that's just not fun for anyone. We've pretty much covered the cycling thing - have a look at this thread: http://ausaqua.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=12298&st=0&p=135887&hl=cycling&fromsearch=1&#entry135887 You should do a little bit of research into lights for plants now. x

What Wayne said (and welcome!!) Always lovely to see another convert in the southern states! A female betta sorority is an incredible little environment to watch, so instead of one frilly moody betta - and a whole lot of others, you could get lost (as I do) looking into a sorority of colourful ladies. They're pretty docile (there's always ONE alpha exception to this rule) and live happily together. Needless to say you don't keep males and females together.... Sounds like you're on the right track - doing all the research first... very wise! A hot-tip with an Ebay tank is to fill it OUTSIDE and let it rest for a day or two to see if it has any leaks.. I've been caught out too many times with second hand tanks (super easy to repair if it is the case - so don't fret) Plants are great - and any floating plants are handy for resting spots - in the middle of the night my betta can all be found perched against a plant near the surface. They will also help with the natural water-cycle, and improve the water chemistry (but there'll still be gunk on the floor!) Next decision is gravel/bare bottom, sounds like you might gravel it up with the plants and things, so look into a gravel siphon - they're cheap and very handy. Have a look through and see what other members do to establish and CYCLE their tanks - you can save yourself a major headache working this out. I'd say, the best community tanks I've seen with the least tears have been HEAVILY planted, with plenty of hiding spaces for betta - as they do stress out a bit. Next Question is: What kind of Betta do you want? Bettarazzi might even have some of his amazing males for sale at the moment, I've got a handful of his super blue females and they are just like blue GEMS in the sorority. (: Can't wait to see pics!

bah - aquarium FAIL (Tankbuster WIN)

Oh my gawd... it looks heavily stocked....... wheres the plants... ahhhh i don't get it!!! it's so BIG - why isn't it pretty??

Hai it looks amazing!! Wow - all them lil shrimplets are in good hands! -Ness

Hey Catfishbone - welcome to the forum... I think Hai "Melbourne_Betta_HM" has a new spawn of Macs.... but you might 'ave to ask him. Good luck - nice to see someone interested in contributing to the wilds available! -Ness

Hey Bullfrog, It's a shame about the boy you lost - but it might be a good point in the right direction. Every fish has different needs, it's not hard to get right - it's just knowing what they want, and HOW to get it right! Do some research before you buy the next one.... and answer some of these questions: What Temperature should the tank be What is the minimum size tank for one betta male What can and can't i put in the tank with it (other fish/ornaments) What is an appropriate filtration or water method I should use to keep it all clean and HEALTHY water (sounds silly - but is very real) What is the PH of the water that comes out of my tap at home What should the PH be for the fish What is the carbonate hardness What are some other things I should add to the water before I add my fish Do a search on the forum here for CARE SHEET, there's a few floating around, and if you can't find it - PM me and I'll send you one of mine. Before I had a clue, I'd just fill up a bowl with cold water from the tap and throw the fish in... it was clean water wasn't it? No wonder they died.... we live and we learn! (now I have over 200 very happy disease free fish!) -Ness

.....the down side of this thread is i still haven't found my black black blacker angel breeder (boo hoo)

Handsome tank Ken, welcome to the forum. Nice to see more energy going into the plants too! -Ness

HI ALLCAPS ERIC! Nice to meetcha - lots of info here about how to keep 'em, fix 'em and breed 'em. Might be worth getting a photobucket account so you can share the pix -Ness

Great - we just had a meet, so the next one isn't for a little while... but all the details can be found here: www.victoriabetta.com And we update the threads on AusAqua (events etc) have a look through to see pics of past meets. Not to be mistaken with the ASV/EDAS meets which are a but more formal, often have guest lecturers and lotsa oldskool pros. We's new school. -sprukerNess

Welcome to the party Bettadude.

Wow - These are fantastic fish! You'd clear us out at a Vic Betta Meet - that orange boy is lovely. Aside from the JLea buys - where are they from? -curiousNess

They're lovely - and I even like the Veil tail!!! (sorry, it's betta-ist, I know - but usually i don't like 'em) Nice work with the photography too, someone's mastered the Macro lense. I'd be putting that Blue boy in the spawn tank with one of Bettarazzi's super blues if I was you. -pushiNess

Lovely collection you have.... on a technical note, I don't think you could call the #2 male a dragon (there's some info on them here) He looks to me like a light bodied/cambodian fish with red and metallic blue bicolour... kinda 'lavender' in colour - but I'm not sure if there is a real definition for that term. Nice 2 Double Ray Reduction in his CT too - tres handsome. The halfmoons are lovely too - is that Blue boy missing bits of his anal - or just the pose he's in? Where'd you get these guys? -Ness

Gravel or not - eh, there's good reasons for and against - and generally speaking, the more surface area the good bacteria has to grow - the better the water quality.... but personal, I keep my bottoms bare - lets me vac easily.

Hey Lilly, (Here's a belated welcome to the forum) Sounds like you've been a little burnt with the betta - good on you for doing your homework and coming back to them! You're in good hands here obviously, I've had success with sponge filters, but find they do a basic mechanical filtration, sort of depends on your tank, and how often you're prepared to do water changes. From memory you have around a 10 litre tank? I had a series of these with sponge filters and found this kept the water pretty stable, but they wanted 50% water changes weekly, and a full water change every month or so. There's a thread somewhere about how everyone cycles their own tanks and the like - might be worth a look. I add Carbonate Hardness Stabiliser Powder / Almond Leaf extract (or leaf) / Pinch of salt and some shell grit for minerals / Stress coat which is also dechlorinator and if I'm starting a new big tank with an external filter - some CYCLE with bacteria in it. Since this practise, haven't had much issue with water chemistry. Oh - and obviously a heater (24-26 degrees C) and plants! I'm big on live plants, what i can keep alive that is - and Java fern + Anubias are pretty easy to keep green! Best of luck - hey, get a photobucket account so we can see your new purchases. -Ness

Ernie is very sweet! (What a lucky little dude) I'd describe him as something between a round tail or delta tail (with rounded edges) Safely we can say he is a multi-colour, with a cambodian base (light coloured body with red through the fins) and what looks like marbling or a light coating of steel blue metallic iridescence. He also has a small amount of white in his anal and ventral tips.... this is just what i'm seeing. Not much else to tell - he looks happy and healthy.... if you're new to Betta keeping - theres lots of good threads... the key is stability! Tempreature / Ph / Carbonate hardness - can vary quite a bit in terms of what the fish is comfortable living in - just keep it stable. Good luck finding him a buddy. (:

Hey Brooke, Miss Sarah here was very well restrained here, not asking for more info on the lotls- Welcome to the forum. (: Can't wait to see your fish and ...not fish -Ness

Welcome Turk, There's a few breeders round Melbourne with fish at the moment - I have 3 Male HM Marbles for sale... do a search on the classifieds for the Salamander sale. in-fact they'll be at the trading table at the next Vic Betta meet if you're free on Sunday? visitors are welcome to come by and say hi & see how the club runs. Hope to see some pics of our tanks soon! -Ness

They are really cute! Make sure you tell miss Hazel Jr. that she's in big trouble if she jumps in there... sorry - my progeny are naughty little ladies.. i take no responsibility for inspiring them. Cuuuuuute. -Ness

Welcome Crazy, Nice to meetcha - tell us more about what fish you have currently? (: Ness