melbournebetta

Pyrefly,

Unfortunately I'm a bit of a dill and put too many IAL in the spawning tank - yeah, so it's a bit pink under that lighting, but is actually dark like tea.

Diluted now somewhat as the kids are 11 days old and I feel able to cope with some more water to begin filling up the tank, it's much more respectable now.

Those tanks up top were what I started out with, and have just collected more and more - from big W, they're 10 litres and stretch back the length of the shelving (40 cm) so they're perfect for one little man, and to un card is easy.

They have really soft filtration and a few LED lights, but no heating -which has proven an issue, so the room is quite warm until I purchase a reptile heat mat to place underneath.

Really happy with the sorority now, I was so skeptical, but it's much easier to heat and filter these gals together, and when they're being conditioned for breeding I'll put them into isolation.

Cheers,

-Ness

Good, she's eating well by the sounds of things.

My boys never lost their appetite, just became more and more lethargic as the infection worsened and they became more uncomfortable - stress stripes some days, sometimes not.

My Velvet victim (10 weeks old) was just put down, she wasn't eating and had her fins clamped up... 4th day not eating, best to put her out of her misery.

@Les - it's weird, my extended red and salamander boys have never shown discolouration before with their melt, however I've seen it on some other cases of melt (see the threads on melt in the clinic section)

So it's either down to different types of melt, or how the fishs pigment and fins react, there seems to be several different ways a fish demonstrates melt too...

Mine clump several rays and seem to mesh together whilst being eaten away (argh it's horrible)

Others I've seen just gradually clamp fins down until they can't pull them away from the body and one case I've seen just leaves the fins seemingly normal but slowly eats away at the length.

There is every possibility it's velvet or something else.

I hope the early observation has saved you any issue Abby, you spotted it quick - whatever it is.

Have a peek through the velvet / ich threads and check against any symptoms that might arise (gold dust / slimey fungus etc)

-Ness

oh oh I want a nickname, Bettarazzi called me Bubble Ness (t) which I thought was kinda cool, but I don't see that taking off at the pub....

Les - you're a cracker, I've watched your posts, the later into the night the funnier you GET!

-BubbleNess.t

Super happy with the new shelving system (180 cm high x 90 wide x 40 deep)

I was going to start a philosophy of "if it dosen't fit on the shelves I can't have it"

but hey - when I start jarring up the 100+ fry currently in the big grow-out, I'm going to need to expand.

Here it is for now:

Messy, but it was just assembled (need to hide power cords and food etc)

Looks much better in the dark:

Oh, and here is the sorority:

Looks much better in the dark (as does most of my bedroom actually....)

Pecking order is as follows:

Red HM

Lavender HM

Dragon HM

4 x copper ladies

I had to take out "Fang" (Hazel) as she was basically playing dominatrix, you could hear the JAWS theme music as she ran around with her moth agape threatening everything in sight.

Not a new nip out of any fins as yet - these are all relatively calm girls.

Lavender and Red both have holes in fins after Mr Salamander's spawning 11 days ago. (Lavender said no, so she got pulled out; red said no, then yes)

Bare bottom tank, with a pinch of shell grit, anubias on driftwood and some other lovely green plant I can't remember the name of - and a big fat fake plant up the back for protection.

All hiding a heater, filter and apple snail somewhere in there.

I'm wondering if I should re-introduce Hazel (Fang) and if it would be worth putting Beryl (the turq) in there too? they're both super duper big bodied alpha ....."Ladies"

Hmmmmmzzz

Opinions? Tips?

My first sorority..... and no injuries - will this last?

-Ness

Thanks guys,

@Neff - He's a lovely boy, I think he's technically a SD as he's never once flared in my presence, I'm a bit concerned the top of his caudal is a bit... sort of stunted or something...

I have the turq BF next to him swearing black and blue pacing up and down... still nothing.

@MT The Armadillo (turq body with red/black) was from Coburg, one of the bigger HM's they had, there is some great form in the new lot they've brought out.

....also - I'm about to start a new thread in the fishy showroom with my new fish setup - the "fishroom" is also my bedroom, studio (art) and office (web design) all crammed into 3 x 4 meters with ghastly 50's paisley carpet.

@Matt - part of me is so jealous that you can just waltz into Jodis, and the other half of me (the accountant half) is glad I can pay rent!

@Spanger - thanks, I do love beryl too - she has 2 crazy rays in her anal fin, and it's a touch long, but she's always ready to go (full of eggs) takes very little to condition, and has learnt a few tricks.

She's had her first batch of fry (100+) that should be blues... I'm hoping she'll have given me a few more turq ladies to add to the fold.

-Ness

FlameDragon,

Sorry to hear that.

Pressure's off the little betta boy, you can let some of your other beauties shine!

-Exactly one month to go! Woooo I'm hoping I can nab some bargains at the ASV Auction next weekend.... hahahah I'm cheating and buying the green in my tanks!!

(Naughty snails just love eating all my lush)

-Ness

Took the plunge at Officeworks and purchased not this shelving unit but this shelving unit:

From Office works - 910 wide x 40 Deep and 180 H

carries 350 KG PER SHELF!!!

Very solid construction and took me about 20 mins and not reading the instructions to assemble. - $89 bucks!

Get the one (not yet on the website) called "Geelong Shelving" the other boltless ones are a bit cheaper and don't look nearly as solid.

Note: The shelves are reinforced ply with a laminate finish - so I didn't even have to waterproof anything.

Rubber mallet was handy instead of a hammer (noise) god knows how I got transporte the grow out/spwn tanks on to shelves

The great part about these (that might be applicable to 'Razzi's original queery about 2 tier low shelving) is that it splits in half.

The side supports (180 cm high on my unit) are actually two 90cm high arms.

So you can create two low units with 2 shelves, or a tall unit like mine with 5 shelves (I left the top one off)

Anyway - hope this helps, I'm a bit of a fan of DIY (to the point of being called the mad professor at my house)

Close up of the top shelf, huge supports and thick wide brackets with a clever pressure-fit system to lock it all in place.

....and who can complain with this gunmetal hammertone finish?

I should work as a rep for this company!

-Ness

Sounds like different strokes for different folks...

I've had 9 beautifully (Low-Fi) scaped tanks with rocks, plants, substrate et al.... and loved knowing that each of my breeding betta have lived in 5 star setups, but "Mon Dieu!"

Keping them scaped beautifully between water changes, and getting them as clean as possible, just wasn't as easy with the bare bottom tanks.

I've succumb to a more "Japanese Zen Garden" approach, with bare bottoms (oooh!) and the occasional pile of strategic rocks and plants (still a big fan of live plants)

Jarrod, go for it!

If the 'scaping bug has a hold - get your fingers wrinkly, I'm sure we'd all love to live vicariously through your enormous tank.

I've just put together my first sorority, and find myself watching the ladies together more than I do my flaring males!

-Ness

Abby,

If you have any of the following, it'll help; Aquarium Salt, IAL, even bettafix - see if you can coax her to eat frozen or live foods (got any mozzie wrigglers around the house?)

I'm just thinking to boost and maintain immune system in the meantime.

If you are able, call around to the aquariums - generally the bigger ones stay open as it's prime time to move stock! (Our big Aquarium closes X mas day and NY Day, and that's it!)

Good luck

-Ness

Well if you're convinced it's the same fish, I'd follow Razzi's advice.

Good luck!

-Ness

Abby,

Although it'd be great if this were a fantastic BF pattern, I'd be a bit concerned that the loss of definition on the rays (a-la Shadoh's comment) and the fact it's burnt looking - could indicate it's melt.

Infact it's very melty looking to me.

...believe me, I've been through melt-hell, and it's something you want to act FAST on, my melt kids showed stress-stripes from the pressure the infection was placing on their immune systems.

I'd investigate antibiotics (avl at the LFS) Tetracycline or Tri-Sulpha and a LOT of salt.

Might be worth quarantining her if she isn't already... and keep an eye on the others she was with.

Yep. Something's dissolving her fins, could be some other sort of infection - in which case antibiotics won't do much.

Compare it to a few of the melts and fin issues in the clinic threads.

don't look good to me

-Ness

Count those rays!

Neffy,

I have a little armadillo boy that i LOVE, and would like to photograph properly before I spawn him, but he just wont FLARE! So I know the feeling... damn these lovers & not haters.

I'll agree with Jarrod, and only that he's said something first will I say anything at all.............

The colour on the second boy is lovely, but his body shape is a bit wrong (in the first photo, the second one just above this comment isn't too bad) but I don't like the dip behind his dorsal & topline is a bit wonky.

Rot or not, I'd skip him.... only because you have an alternative!

Body wise the boy with the cello-tail is my pick - he seems the more even of the two, rays and form balance.

(Kermadum) you know all this is said with love - so please don't be offended... but I'm thinking about the fry Jess is about to produce, and what * i * want to buy from her

What are you anticipating you'll get out of this lot?

My understanding of pink fish is that its basically a lesser degree of red (with either a layer over the top masking the red, or a lesser quantity of the pigment) along with her think white dragon scales.

Crossed with a red x copper (with marble gene if he's demonstrating that partial butterfly pattern in the caudal)

I would guess (and, really, it's a super duper guess)

You'll end up with darkish bodies, with dragon/metallic scaling and red wash/finnage with irids through the rays... kind of like a redder version of that Kermadum spawn these boys came from....

That is a great idea to pair her with salamander man, i hadnt considered it but i think that would be interesting tho id get mostly coppers in the fry and then would have to cross back to mum to get dragon fry. Id hope the purple/blue iridecence would stick as i had a lavender dragon and he was AMAZING.

I want pink fishus, so I'm gunna pull you up on this; why is it you think you'll get coppers crossing this pink lady to the salamander?

I have no idea what you'd get, but I was going to assume it'd be more salamanders, with thicker irids and some dragoning.... with darker than her fins...... is that... anywhere near right?

meep... thinking out aloud (1am)

-Ness

Absolutely Wayne, but it sounds like it might be a difference IRL....

I have to say I'm still not convinced it's the same fish - unless that anal has shrunk?

And I think I'm counting 8 rays on the top fish's dorsal

and 11 on the second - couldn't be the same fish.... surely.

okay..... it's waaaaay past mightnight and I'm about to turn into a pumpkin.

Stop staring at rays Ness

-Night

That is a VERY impressive yellow snakeskin, that tail is nearly as long as his body!

Lovely boy - These are my favorite guppy colours... beautiful boys.

-Ness

BettaObsessed,

I have a one of my 9 spawn that are probably just a bit older than this one- who has shown pinched fins like this, she was like that for a few days before I noticed she had something resembling velvet.

keep a VERY good eye on this one, throw some salt and perhaps some IAL if you have it - even bettafix (can't hurt)

I would anticipate loss of colour and loss of volume as a sign of something wrong

Safe than sorry (etc etc)

-Ness

Yan, I would have said so too... but they're taken in chronological order.......

Betta Obsessed, are you SURE that darker colourful shot was the first one taken?

I'd be worried if it were the other way round!

-Ness

yes yes yes

that dorsal is insane. Ohhhhh yeah I'm feeling a victorian salamander butterfly contingent on-coming!

He's beautiful Jess, I'd throw him in the spawn tank with lady dragon pants... ohh! think pink!

-Ness

Neffy, we need you on board the Vic Breeding Scheme!! And you have such lovely kids - it'd be a shame for me not to have one.... heheh

I'll remember to bring you a bottle of VE - they probably need a fresh apple and some cider vinegar - but they're teaming!

I'm a bit naughty and feed VE to start with, then MW, and sometimes VE just cos I get bored feeding them all the same thing.

My Grindals are anrgy with me because i keep feeding them to the fish.... errr... but anyway, maybe someone will have a big culture and we can go into a bidding war!

See you there!

-Ness

Good to know they're on their way.

I have some VE cultures if you'd like one, I'll be going to the Vic Aqua Auction on the 30th to buy plants for my aquascape/kids if you're coming to that?

MW I think you already have... hmmmmm... and mozzies, but you don't need those yet!

Sorry, I'm getting all excited for your spawns!

-Ness

Dee,

You're definitely in the right place to fall in love with Betta.

The veil tails are what are most commonly available in LFS (Local Fish Stores) but do a little research into the Halfmoons and Super Deltas

They might help you spend more money than you had intended to, but there is so much more fish to look at!

See someone's youtube channel here

There are also lots of talented breeders in your area - so keep an eye on the classifieds, these fish travel surprisingly well by courier!

Welcome to the fold!

-Ness

Les,

Don't sweat it, half the time I don't know which way is up.

Neff - are you preparing these kids for the spawn tank?

Can we see more pics of the boys? I want to see a better shot of the first boy's beudiful bod... more and more convinced his finnage is better than shiny #2 pants.

-Ness

Nanna Jo,

that's right....

You don't have to put betta in the tank, just ANY OLD FISH will do (to prove it's fish-safe)

I thought it might broaden the horizon for entries, just cos I'm a betta nerd dosen't mean all the good aquascapers out there are too!

-Ness

Hey Planted Pants,

Great to have you here!

I've got heavily planted tanks and more lo-fi than you'd imagine (I just throw lovely green things in and they either flourish or melt)

You'll get used to the photo harassment, so let me introduce you gently, can we please see some pics?

-Ness

I'm with les, I just wait a little while and feed it off the plate.... I've taught older fish to eat daphnia, just to mix it up a little, by hovering a chopstick over the water with some daphnia bulging off the end - they love it.

Can be a little messy in the water - I always under-feed it so it's not lying on the floor of the tank.

it's a good first frozen food as it's smaller for little mouths to try than chopped/grated bloodworm

Anyway - good luck

-Ness