[Purple-Hops]

I've been doing a lot of reading on a betta forum and while there is and always will be much debate on proper habitats for the lil guys, I feel the 2.5-3 gal Critter Keeper I recently impulse bought will be the best home Lakitu or any of his spawn-siblings will ever get. I went up to PetSmart and got the CK, a driftwood, some silk plants, extra gravel, and some sea shells. 2 Days ago I got my order from online PetSmart of a Betta Therm heater and strip thermometer.
He now has an ideal home and he hasn't been happier. He just doesn't stop now. I mean before he had energy but he is just zip-zooming all over the place now! He's always showing me his scary puffy dragon face (which btw has red stripes on them which I think is just kick ***) Oh, I also split on a package of frozen bloodworms with Lisa and Lakitu's been binging on them playing hunter and all.

It was an inexpensive (modest at least) trip which has made a pretty big deal to my fish who always seemed best kind anyway Oh, his tail is also healing at a much faster rate (taking pics now)

Without further ado, Laki's new groove (part 2):

<floating to acclimate

My moss ball Poof is now a floof :lol: I had to tie her down on the driftwood. Anyone have any idea how long it could take for her to attach??

 

[Purple-Hops]

Tail's gettin' better!

Before:

And today!:

 

[Sasami]

It's amazing what a difference a larger habitat can make, huh? How's the heater working? That should help speed up healing, too.

As for the moss ball, it's a Marimo Moss Ball, right? I'm not sure exactly how long it'll take to attach (mine are balls so they stay at the bottom) but I'd imagine it'd attach to driftwood quickly.

 

[Purple-Hops]

The heater is fine! After I ordered it I read that some people had problems with them over heating or not heating enough (since it's only a 7.5 watt) but I have the thermometer which at a glance tells me what the temp is. It's been stable since I plugged it in, at 79f. I don't know if it's obvious from the pictures but I added the aeration device from the 1 gallon and blocked it with plants so it's aerating (spel?) while not disrupting the water's surface.

Yea, Poof is a marimo moss ball. She split while I was cleaning her -_-' She's tied now with simple thread but since they grow so slow I was wondering. I hope it's soon!

I should be receiving 5 more moss balls and some Indian Almond leaves from ebay. They haven't come today so I expect them Monday or Tuesday. 3 of the balls are gifts and I'm keeping 2. They're strangely addicting!!

 

[Jess]

That's so aweosme! I'm glad he has such an awesome home! Most people seem to want to keep their bettas in the smallest thing possible, so I'm happy that you care so much about little Lakitu.


My plants were all attached to my driftwood after a month or two. By the time your thread dissolves, it (Or "she" LOL) should be able to stick to the wood on her own.
Did you get Malaysian driftwood?? Be prepared for some oddly colored water!

 

[Purple-Hops]

Well, no matter what size critter is under my care I want the best for them!! I admit, I was naive enough to think bettas were okay in cold water and smal tanks if it was cleaned often. And god knows I was vigilant with my .5 gal tank!!

I hate the bowls and divided tiny tanks that people sell so freely! And when people say, "oh I had a betta before but it didn't do anything" (face palm) sersiously, did they even try to research the fish?!?

Anyway, it's all a learning road.

And not sure what type of driftwood it is, but it had been boiled down before sale and has only colored the tank for the first week. It's clear again I'll keep my eye on the thread and hope Poof is eating it for fibre delicious string fibre!!

 

[Dragonrain]

Pretty I really like how you decorated the tank.

 

[Purple-Hops]

Thanks !

 

[wishbone]

Looks like Lakitu is all happy with that new habitat, really cool design too!

 

[Purple-Hops]

Thank you He loves it! His tail is getting so long! I'm not quite sure if he can still be called a "royal blue" VT bc his tail is more silvery. I saw my neice's royal blue VT yesterday and there's such a difference!!

 

[Unicorrs]

awww I love the small pot and the before wallpaper.
this setup makes me wanna build my own betta tank

 

[Purple-Hops]

It's not impossible! I got that tiny pot at Dollarama. The hole is so small in the back that there's no chance of any fish getting stuck in it. It was 33c!!

If you have a betta, part of the fun of ownership is improving their lives. We just moved a couple nights ago and my betta is in the kitchen window. I have moss balls to eat any algae but so far, since it's in indirect light, there hasn't been any algae and it's a perfect addition to our kitchen!

 

[Jess]

BTW, you inspired me to get my own moss ball! LOL. I saw them at this one little fish shop, and I had to get it! So far Squishy likes moving it around, and he sits on it like a chair.
Do they really absorb algae??

 

[Purple-Hops]

LOL Jess!! That's awesome! Squishy loves his squishy butt cusion!

And yes, while marimo moss balls are themselves an algae, they compete with regular algae for food so regular algae cannot survive Fact of the day

 

[Jess]

Oooh, that's so neat! I'm really glad that I got it then LOL. I think it's starting to split too, so hopefully I'll have myself a little army of them soon. Next time I go back to that pet store, I think I'll buy more.

 

[Purple-Hops]

They're addictive!! My big one split and I tried attaching it to the driftwood. The thread is still there, they grow VERY slow!! 2 of my 5 baby ones are in danger of splitting. I gave the 3 strongest ones to Lisa and Chloe but the 2 I kept are half split. Too keep them round just rinse it under water and VERY gently shape it. Hopefuly it seals the split but it could take time. And with a fat-butt froggie sitting on it all day . . .

 

[Jess]

Wait, is it bad if they split?

 

[Purple-Hops]

Not at all. The only reason they're in a ball shape is due to human shaping and natural water currents. In Japan the natural ones grow HUGE and remain in ball form because the water currents gently push them back and forth. In tanks they remain balls bc of the filters and bc we mold them under water- but you have to be careful! There is no inside to them, so you can un-roll them and that's what I did. Had to tie it to the driftwood so it has something to grow on. If it's just a ball they will VERY slowly grow in that form as long as they're rolled around, otherwise they will attach to something.

They're just aquatic moss, so if I were you, I would leave it alone and try to wait for the split to heal.. Erm, in my experience that took too long and it split all the way. Good luck!