Pedigree Chums

I started writing this blog to poke fun at people who take their pets too seriously.  Before Rojo came onto the scene (and I've never mentioned this before until now) I owned a Betta fish and named him Matthew, which bought great amusement to me.  Poor Matthew never made the blog but provided me with ample comic relief.  Needless to say he kicked the bucket along with all the rest of my Siamese Fighting fish.  They were great, truly great and I owe a lot to them.  But today the joke's on me because now I'm seriously involved with a new companion and friend.

Meet Trevor...

Attention all BettaHeads

Puffin jumped out of his bowl last night. Luckily I was at my computer and sitting close enough to catch some movement from the corner of my eye. Puffin was lying there like a man drowning. I screamed, cupped my hands, and plopped him back in, and I can't remember what happened next. I remember waking up later on in the day and dreamt that Puffin and I were part of a traveling circus and people came from all over to see him ascend to the surface with great speed enough to launch himself up high into the air before plopping back into his bowl. I was the one running around trying to catch him. This is the first dream I've ever had of Puffin but not the first fish that's ever tried to escape.

http://abettablog.blogspot.com/2008/01/tails-cuddling-and-other-trials.html

Either Puffin is suicidal or I'm just a careless and negligent Betta Fish owner. So please BettaHeads keep your water level at least below an inch from the top of the bowl. If you forget (like I did) put some kind of cover over it. Like an empty Harrods Chocolate box for example. Puffin - I love you and I'm glad that today I'm not saying R.I.P Puffin

O Puffin, Get over it!

I accidentally kicked my nightstand earlier and Puffin's bubblenest popped into oblivion. I walked into my bedroom a short while later and saw Puffin hanging there looking up at his now vacant bubble-less ceiling. The drama, the silence! I felt really bad so I walked into the village and picked up a bottle of Scottish spring water since he's due for a water change. Hopefully he'll develop an accent and a love for Robert Burns...

O my luve is like a red, red rose

That's newly sprung in June;

O my luve's like the melodie

That's sweetly played in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonny lass,

So deep in luve am I;

And I will luve thee still, my dear,

Till a' the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,

And the rocks melt wi' the sun;

I will luve thee still, my dear,

While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only love,

And fare thee weel, awhile!

And I will come again, my love

Tho' it were ten thousand mile.

Robert Burns

And he huffed and he puffed and he blew and blew.....

'Puffin Palace' is located on my nightstand to my left and from there he watches me at my computer. When I get into bed at night Puffin will turn 180 degrees and watch me read until I turn off the light.

One day as we were both staring at each other wondering what the other was thinking, and me trying to put myself in his fins, he popped up to the surface for a breath. It then occurred to me how bright the bulb of my lamp must be in his eyes every time he ascends so I placed over his vase a black 6x4 piece of cardboard to shield him from the glare.

I continued with my work on the computer and about 20 minutes later saw that Puffin's bubblenest had almost tripled in size! I have been studying/writing about BettaFish for over a year now and I have never read anywhere that a dark cover on a Betta Bowl would encourage bubblenest blowing.

This is breaking news for all Betta enthusiasts.

What is a bubblenest?

This is taken from www.healthybetta.com

One day you wake up and see a grouping of tiny bubbles at the surface of the water in your betta’s tank. It may be along the tank wall, right in the middle, on the edge of a plant leaf, or another special place in your betta’s tank. What are all of these little clear bubbles you may wonder?

This huge bubblenest was blown by the betta Ermac. (Photo taken by Mike).

The purpose of a bubblenest
While it’s just fun for us to observe our betta building and tending to his bubblenest, the nest itself actually serves a very important purpose in the spawning process between male and female. A male betta builds a bubblenest as a means of attracting a female to mate. Once the nest and male gets the approval of a female and a spawn occurs, the male will place and tend to the fertilized eggs in the nest where they will later hatch.

The building of a bubblenest
If you’re lucky enough to catch your betta blowing bubbles for his nest, which usually takes place in the dark at night, it’s quite the interesting procedure. The male will take in air at the surface, then swim to the area beneath where the nest is being made and release a small bubble or two. The betta will continue this method back and forth until a nest of many bubbles is formed as they build up beneath each other. The actual bubbles are produced with mucous and you will notice they stick well to each other and any surrounding surfaces, which serves as a means to keeping eggs safe in the nest.

Puffin and the Bloodworms

The only down side to keeping a BettaFish are the bloodworms I feed them. They're packaged into frozen cubes which need submerging in a little water and as it melts the vile things seem to wriggle back to life. Don't be tempted to throw a whole cube in with your Betta because an all-you-can-eat buffet is in fact lethal. I used to think overfeeding led to some kind of gut-explosion and was the reason behind Rojo's untimely demise but actually because of excess food decomposing and releasing toxic nitrates into the water, which can happen very quickly. So, I'm afraid your thawed out legions need to be put back in the freezer. Just keep them away from the ice-cream, ugh!

This is my new fish by the way. His name is Puffin and I love him. He's everything you'd want in a Betta; attentive, thoughtful, and even conscientious enough to "go" in his tree...

"Puffin Palace"















"Puffin Poo"

The Religion of PHILosophy - putting the heart in hearty

R.I.P Phil who passed away last week.

http://abettablog.blogspot.com/2008/03/finding-phil.html

I proof read this post to my brother over the phone last night and he suggested that I differentiate man from fish. So, before I begin the story:

Tommy is my friend, is a person, and is still alive today. Phil is also my friend, but is a Betta fish and is now dead.

Right after Tommy got Phil he was inspired to take a demotion at work so he could spend more time working on his passion of dismantling Harley Davidson motorcycles in his living room... One of the perks (or penalties) that came with this demotion was being posted at Las Vegas' McCarran airport for a few weeks every year. For the 2009 assignment Tommy has neither confirmed nor denied his "servicing" the slot machines at the Delta terminal but one night at the tables during a winning streak a man in a tuxedo interrupted Tommy's hand and placed in front of him an over-sized black telephone. A bewildered Tommy picked it up and received the news about his fish.

"I have to go" he said and picking up his jacket (he hadn't bought any luggage) cashed in his chips and was on the next flight out of Vegas.

A short while later he arrived home to Miss April who'd been BettaSitting for him. She had lit a small fire on his front lawn and invited the neighbours over for hot dogs. Tommy, not recognizing anyone, brushed past the crowd and called for April who was in the kitchen and had been drizzling melted chocolate over a pyramid of profiteroles she'd made, but was now standing on a chair and pouring it from a great height into the mouth of a gentleman who also looked completely unfamiliar to Tommy.

"Meet the neighbours!" sang April laughing as she missed the guys mouth and covered his mustache and nose in warm chocolate. "These aren't my neighbours!" screamed Tommy grabbing a towel and throwing it at the man. "April! Where's my fish?"

Who knows how Phil died and a surprising number of Betta owners have no idea why one day their little guy winds up floating at the edge of the bowl. I suggested that Tommy take a water sample down to Fish4U in (Salt Lake City 4010 Highland Drive) and like any good tropical fish store a simple pH test will tell the truth. To complete this Betta experience I have linked up with www.dpfishways.co.uk and www.nippyfish.blogspot.com and would encourage anyone with BettaHealth issues to consult these sources of first rate advice and support. But as for the religion of BettaLiving you can stay right where you are....

And after the ashes had been cleared how exactly did they raise that legendary bird?

I check in periodically to give the statcounter a flick much like those early days of aBettaBlog when my echo was the only response to my posts, and my moral dilemma was leaving that statcounter alone. http://abettablog.blogspot.com/2008/01/dulce-et-decorum-est.html. Ah! the BettaDays when gravel was the fashion and bubble nests the anthem. Sadly though, during my summer long sojourn all blog activity dwindled and today as I watch it whither back into obscurity like a slowly sinking ship, I promise to myself (and to any reader found washed up on these now barren shores of aBettaBlog) that I'll not let this era come to an end without delivering a slow and drawn out death. I shot photo #19717 on my beautiful Canon recently and added it to a folder which also had inside some camera phone pics I took 2 years ago beginning with this one...

~ "Rojo" It's all Over Now ~
http://abettablog.blogspot.com/2008/03/letting-go.html

I've argued that the simple life of keeping a Betta fish not just alive but happy might unlock truths about one's personal legend or unique calling in life. It's pretentious tone is the reason it started out as a joke but as I re-examined the four friends I'd given Betta's to (who's lives have changed in varying degrees for the better) it occurred to me how I'd over-looked my own BettaPersuits and passion for photography.

Exp: 1/60 f/8.0 ISO 400 135mm

Empirical evidence? Who's to say. But if you do decide to try the BettaLife for yourself just remember that your fish needs at least a gallon of water (spring H2O at room temp), a small feeding of blood worms daily, and aquatic plants for added protection and feeling of security. Bamboo leaves for instance, not only look nice but provide adequate shelter and encourage the building of bubble nests which is the ultimate sign of a grateful and very healthy Betta, or what I like to call BettaVita Magnifico!

Pets for my pets

Last night during a water clean/change I ran out of purification drops so I called FISH 4 U and the guy who answered the phone didn't seem to recognize my voice so I drove down there. Waiting until a couple minutes before close I entered the store and, in the form of an apology, I introduced myself to the new FISH 4 U employee. The guy was eager to help and a total nut and expert on Betta's. He told me all about his life in California as a Betta breeder and taught me about bubble nests, water changes, and the benefits algae. Did you know that a female's horizontal stripes turn vertical when she's ready to mate?? Fascinating! I'm guessing he moved here after meeting the Fish Lady online and they found love in a fish forum chatting about water filtration systems; "He had me at Betta Splendens is latin for Beautiful Warrior". I don't blame her, the man is an inspiration.

I ended up leaving the store with a pound of black gravel, a red coral arch, a soft mesh net, premium frozen fish food, and 3 albino cloud fish for Rojo to play with. I can see why they hired him.

FISH 4 U is located on 4010 Highland Dr, Holladay, UT (801) 274-0113. Pay them a visit, it will change your life.

...in sickness and in health

I was never told Rojo's age when I got him and lately he's been acting rather lethargic, looking paler, and sits in his corner with a mindless expression. I think leaving my window open altered the water temperature so I've moved both he and Diablo to my bedside table and surrounded their bowls with votive candles and get well cards. He's looking better already thanks to this fantastic website www.healthybetta.com. It's comforting to know that there are people like me out there. I'm just wondering why the Fish Lady at F*** 4 U has never mentioned it...

The lies surrounding Rojo's ingested marble and his struggle with...

...Constipation

Description: Constipation is a fairly common problem with fish. It can occur due to lack of variety in diet. The fish's stomach will be swollen due to its inability to defecate. This may cause problems with buoyancy (similar to swim bladder disorder, where the fish is unable to swim properly and floats at the surface). Initially it is not dangerous to the fish but after several days secondary problems can occur: bacterial infection, damage to the swim bladder, or internal fluid leakage.

Treatment:Fast the fish for about 3 days. The lack of food will give the fish's stomach time to process and purge, allowing its swelling to go down. At the end of the third day, if the fish is still having difficulty, it may require a longer fasting period. A betta can, at extreme, survive for a month without food (this is part of natural survival technique) so do not fear not feeding your betta for a few days. They are very durable fish. At the end of the fasting period, if you really want to ensure the system is flushed out, you can feed a bite-size portion of a cooked and de-shelled green pea to the fish. Or, daphnia can work as a natural laxative. This, too, will help to purge out the system.

Giving the fish a soak in a salt bath can also work as a laxative.

* taken from the journal www.fishjunkies.com

Starbuck came home to me cooking a single green pea yesterday and commented that although the pea was out of it's pod, it still needed de-shelling and handed me a pairing knife mumbling something about bite-size and Betta's having teeth. A familiar blend of support and ridicule but at least he's reading my blog. Which leads me to ask: Is he a lone reader drifting through the vacuum of cyberness or are there throngs, even armies of fans ready to charge the second I resign? Am I ready to install a view counter and all it can reveal?

A fish named Rojo

I think Rojo swallowed one of the pink marbles from the bottom of his bowl. Either that or his Betta Bites came from a facility that produces nuts. The lump has been there for some time now, and I've been anxiously waiting for it to disappear. It looks like an enlarged adams apple, and when he eats, the top part of his face and head bobs up and down, to compensate. The last straw came when a friend of mine joked that Rojo had more chins than a Chinese phone book. So today I went to Fish 4 U on Highland Drive in SLC and came back with BETTA FIX a tea tree oil natural alternative medicine. Fingers crossed.