Blissfully Betta

12/07/2023

Look at all the color in those fins! 🤩 This girl is doing really well and never stops moving!

11/08/2023

Wiley went to his forever home today! 🎉

11/07/2023

Barbie was surrendered to the rescue yesterday. Her previous owner said she’s been battling persistent fin rot and hoped I could help her. She settled right in and is doing the food dance already. 😆 Her little face is the sweetest.

10/25/2023

Wiley is doing so well and is such a stunner, as expected. ✨

10/24/2023

Blue

10/12/2023

I was at the store the other night and saw a betta marked down due to significant fin damage. I saw a sell by date and thought, “Oh, heck no! Man is coming home with me.” It wasn’t until I got him home that I realized the sell by date was N/A. Well played sir, well played. Meet Wiley. 😆

10/10/2023

A couple of months ago, I was excited to win a custom digital betta art piece from Cameo Hartle. She did an amazing job capturing my original girl, Pearl, attitude and all. 😂

Check out her Etsy store by searching for Cameo’s Greenhouse. 🎉

https://cameosgreenhouse.etsy.com

The contest I won was in A Betta Life, my favorite betta group on Facebook.

https://m.facebook.com/groups/abettalife

09/10/2023

09/07/2023

This boy will not slow down, he’s loving all the swimming room! I cannot get over the blue that has come in on his tail. 🤩

09/03/2023

Two rescues found amazing homes this week, so I had to go back and get the last two globettas. It made me so happy to release them from their cups after months of zero swimming room. 💕 Thanks to one of my wonderful supporters for making this rescue possible. 🎉

08/31/2023

This handsome boy also went to his new forever home! He is in route currently and has the most amazing tank waiting for him. I am so excited for his next chapter. 💥

08/31/2023

Bastille went to his forever home on Friday! 🎉 Every now and then I rehome a fish and find myself really missing him/her. That is definitely the case with this guy, who is just so full of personality. But his new home is amazing and I couldn’t be more happy for him. 💕

08/26/2023

Back to Basics – Quality Food

Bettas are insectivores. They primarily eat insects, but also worms and crustaceans. They cannot break down plant matter, so choosing quality food for them is important to their overall health. There are so many options marketed as “betta food” that it can be overwhelming to choose the best one for your fish! Here are some suggestions to get you started:

Live/Frozen foods – These are a great option to try to mimic what a betta would eat in the wild. Live feeding is something you should research before jumping into, but is a great way to give your betta enrichment, along with good nutrition. Frozen foods are wonderful, if you want quality ingredients without the additional step of hatching/breeding your own live food (although, there are some live foods you can purchase at the store, like flightless fruit flies). This is my favorite way to feed my bettas. There are many types of live/frozen food to choose from! Daphnia, brine shrimp, and mysis shrimp are my three go-to foods.

Pellets/Flakes – You want to choose pellets/flakes high in protein and low in fillers. I feed my bettas Northfin Betta Bits regularly. These are my favorite, because they are small and easy for the fish to eat. I also love North Fin Bug Pro, Fluval Bug Bites, and Top Fin Pro Series Betta Crumbles.

How Often / How Much – You can feed your betta once a day, twice a day, or more. You just need to adjust the meal so as not to overfeed. I like to feed once, in the evening, and I feed them until their stomachs are slightly rounded. Each betta is different and some will require more/less than others. See the chart below to determine if your betta is getting enough/too much food. Over feeding can also cause your cycle to crash – remember a little goes a long way.

Vitamins – Just like humans, bettas benefit from having vitamins added to their diets. Many pellets/flakes include those. I like to add additional vitamins to my routine by putting VitaChem in my tanks during every water change and adding a few drops to my frozen food, when it’s thawed. This is a really easy way to help boost your betta’s immune system.

**Peas – So many hobbyist recommend peas for bettas who are struggling with constipation. Please do not feed your betta peas. Their digestive systems are not made to break them down. If your betta is constipated, it is much better to fast for 2-3 days and then use daphnia to help as a natural laxative.

08/09/2023

First rule, don’t ever look at the betta rack unless you’re prepared to bring one home. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I left him this afternoon, but had to go back. 🤷🏻‍♀️

08/08/2023

These hospital tanks are tough to get pictures in, but this beauty is feeling so much better! The change between Sunday night and yesterday was huge. 🙌🏻

08/07/2023

Two years!! I can’t believe it’s been two years since I officially started my rescue. Thanks to everyone for your support! It means so much! 💕



Logo credit to Madison Lee! 😘

08/06/2023

This guy is a little worse off than I realized and is struggling with swim bladder issues, as well. He seems to like using his SeeShelter for support. 💕 Maybe I shouldn’t have chosen the pink one though…🤔😆

08/06/2023

This boy is healing up so nicely. 🥳

08/06/2023

I checked out the PetSmart near my new house yesterday and they had FOUR globettas. I asked if they were getting shipments of them again and the cashier said these guys came in the last shipment of globettas and have been there a long time. Y’all…globettas were discontinued MONTHS ago. These poor babies. I have zero room, but grabbed one and made room when I got home. If anyone else is in the Carlisle area, there are three more that need homes!

*The water looks terrible, but it’s the container, as you can see from the top down shot. I tested it when I got home and all the levels were fine. He is dealing with some fin rot though.

07/31/2023

Blue was surrendered two weeks ago and has been so hard to get a picture of! His dark coloring makes him disappear in the tank. I finally tricked him into the light by adding some red root floaters. He, of course, had to check out what was invading his territory. 😆

07/31/2023

This sweet woman rescued so many bettas this week. If you’re in the Michigan area and looking for a new betta, I highly recommend working with her!

07/17/2023

Update on Bubbles. It took several weeks for this guy to destress when he came back from the library. Maybe there was too much activity there or maybe he just has a hard time with change. He’s finally swimming around and consistently coming out for food, instead of hiding. As you can see, his tail has taken the brunt of his stress. Due to that, he’s going to live out the rest of his days with the rescue as a permanent resident.

07/17/2023

Bastille seems to have settled right in and is swimming around with confidence. Such a handsome boy. 💕

07/15/2023

Found this guy in a community tank yesterday. Hopefully living solo will give him the opportunity to heal up quickly. Welcome, Bastille! 🎇

07/11/2023

Back to Basics – Water Changes

People often ask, “Are water changes really necessary??”

The short answer is “yes!”

To keep your tiny ecosystem running properly and to give your betta the healthiest environment, water changes are highly recommended. Even if your water parameters are perfect, mineral content in the water can become depleted and those are essential to the health of your fish. Water changes also keep pH levels stable and reduce unhealthy bacteria that can build up in the water, potentially exposing your betta to illness.

Adding live plants is a great way to have natural filtration and certainly create an enriching environment for the inhabitants, but we are limited when trying to recreate nature in a box. When water evaporates, it leaves behind things like nitrates, that we don’t want in the tank. Instead of relying on “top offs,” the best way to dilute those high amounts of toxic water is by removing 20-30% of the it and adding new, clean, conditioned water.

KG Tropicals is a channel with a lot of great information, including a “Dummies Guide to Water Changes.” John completely covers this topic, including the why, the how, and the how often. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/P5DpfUXq2zg

07/09/2023

When you finally give in and share…begrudgingly. 🤣
The SeeShelter

06/13/2023

Back to Basics – Decor

Ok, you’ve got your fish tank and now comes the fun part – scaping!! I just love getting a new tank and planning exactly how I want it to look. Setting everything up during the cycling process is a great time to start playing with where you want everything, so that by the time you pick up your betta, you are pleased with the outcome. Providing lots of hiding places for your betta will make him/her feel more safe and secure in their new home. So, let’s talk about what you might want to put in your new tank.

To start with, please note bettas’ have delicate fins that can easily be caught on decor, so it’s important to be mindful of what you add to their tanks. An easy way to test if an item is too sharp is by dragging a pantyhose across the item, to see if it snags/catches.

Substrate:
Some great choices include sand (play sand or blasting sand are good options), pea gravel, or planting substrates (ex. Fluval Stratum, UNS Contrasoil). It is best to stay away from painted gravel as there is a good amount of anecdotal evidence in the hobby that paint can leach into the water, affecting the health of your fish. You also want to be aware of substrate that may affect your pH (this should be noted on the packaging). While many people use substrate, this is actually optional. Yes, it does provide a home for beneficial bacteria to live, but BB can live on all types of surfaces in the tank, so it’s not necessary. I have had a few bare bottom tanks over the years and enjoyed the different aesthetic.

Driftwood:
This is a great way to give your tank a natural feel! Mopani or spiderwood are great options for your tank. Be aware that they might float in the beginning, before they become water logged, and will most likely turn your water a tea color, as tannins are released. Tannins are believed to have antifungal and antibacterial properties and contribute to the overall health of your fish. Please make sure to check your drift wood for sharp edges that could potentially catch a betta’s delicate fins. You can sand down any rough areas with a piece of sand paper.

Plants:
Your best option for plants will be live or silk. Plastic plants aren’t recommended, because, again, they can be too sharp.

Live plants - I was really intimidated by live plants when I started in the hobby, because I do not have a green thumb, but I have really fallen in love with keeping EASY plants in my tank. And you don’t have to remember to water them!! My favorite options have been Anubias, Amazon Swords, Cryptocoryne, and Rotala Rotundifolia. I have also heard great things about Bucephalandra. I do not have high tech tanks or lights specific to plants and have had lots of success with these plants. Please research how each of these should be planted though! For instance, Anubias should not be planted into the substrate. Live plants are a great way to help keep a tank cycled, as they will absorb leftover waste and help keep nitrates down.

Silk plants - these are another great options for betta tanks. They are much softer than plastic plants and provide great cover for your fish. Most of my tanks are a mix of live and silk plants, so that I can achieve a lot of hiding spots and really fill in my tanks.

Lights:
Many tanks come with a light in the lid, which is often a great option when you are starting out. If you decide you want to get more advanced plants, you can upgrade to a light specific for growing plants. Having a light isn’t a requirement, but you will want to create a day/night cycle if you don’t use one. That can be as simple as having the tank in a room that is lit during the day or natural light from a nearby window (not too close or you might be dealing with algae).

Other options:
There are lots of different options for fish tanks! Terracotta pots, tunnels, caves, betta hammock – you can truly make your tank your own. Please remember to check for sharp edges and avoid painted decor (not everything sold at pet stores is the safest option, unfortunately). Make sure any glass or ceramic items are food grade. Resin decor is also an option. Avoid anything with small holes or fill the holes before adding to your tank. Bettas are naturally curious and many have been caught trying to go through a hole and getting stuck.

06/02/2023

“Maybe if I lay here really still, the terrible funnel cloud that shows up weekly won’t know I’m here.” 😜