#fish shitpost

Tarot card suggested by SpediceyPie69 on twitter. Of course I did draw something stupid. What were people expecting?

My account is back! Apparently, my account WAS infact terminated... Welp, at least now everything returned like before. I can see stuff again!

I went out for a quick dinner with some friends today and they gave me an early X-mas present! Look! It's a little ecosystem with succulents and a cactus! So cute! :D

I still cannot open my DMs box, nor reply to comments. Sent two tickets to the helpdesk already, but no replies so far... :,) Did I mention I’m open for commissions btw? If interested, message me on Discord, ples!

Dunno. I was bored AND I can't sleep. I'll steal your sleep.

Hello! And sure! I'm always happy to give a hand when it's about betta care! :) (It's one of the rare things I have a bit of experience with...XD) So...Have these general suggestions that might be useful to others too: 1. Fishtank and everything come WAY before the fish. You are not supposed to insert anything alive in a fishtank not ready and mature. So, how does it work? Pretty much: Buy stuff first. Fish comes later. Forget everything that's a vase, cup, bowl, plastic container and whatever it's under the 5/6 gallon. Do not listen those who say "They don't need all that room. My brother/uncle/father/friend/cousin/friend of a friend told me they had it in a jar and it was super happy!". It's BS. AND abuse. Poor fish never had a choice in the matter. The least one can do, is to give to that fish a good place where to live. Which includes ROOM where to swim. That fish might be "just a fish", but it's still a live animal. It's true they don't need an ocean where to stay, coz their fins -if you choose a variety with long fins- make them bad swimmers, but they still need to move. They love exploring and they are very curious animals, you know? So, in my opinion, the ideal it's a 14 gallon or something around that capacity. Isn't too big, isn't too small...You can place it wherever you want, you can set it up with cooler stuff, fish will swim very well, it will be cooler to see, eventually you might add some tankmate too in that size (bettas live happily alone btw..Nerite snails can be a good option though.)...Everybody wins. If you really cannot go for that size though, never go under the 5/6 gallon. Prefer a rectangular shaped tank. One not too tall, if you have the option. Bettas need to breathe warm air from the surface too. So, less they have to swim to go up and down, better it will be. Which bring us to the next step... Lid. Be sure to have a fishtank with a lid. As I said before, bettas need to breathe warm air too, so a lid would do the job, since lamp and humidity will provide exactly what the fish will need. Unless you live in some country where it's always warm, so the winter air won't be a problem, go for a fishtank with a lid. Also, bettas can jump really well and really high. Some people that love lid-less tanks use floating plants to prevent this, but I'd still be careful about it. Go for one with a lid if you are not super certain your fish won't jump. 2. Bettas are tropical fish. Which means...Yeah. They NEED both a filter AND a heater (unless you live in a country that it's warm all the year. In that case, you can avoid the heater..). ALL fishtanks need them. Do not listen those who say "They don't need a filter and a heater. My brother/uncle/father/friend/cousin/friend of a friend told me they had it in a jar without any of that stuff and it was super happy!". It's BS. A filter helps you to keep the water cleaner -as you probably already know..XD - and the heater provides the temperature. BETTAS ARE TROPICAL FISH. They need warm water. Filter should be let to cycle for at least one month before to insert anything alive in the water. (At least, this is what we do here. One month of empty fishtank with gravel, plants, hardscape and functioning filter in it. There is no magic product, no ammonia shots, no pills, no shortcuts...It's only a matter to be patient.). Only THEN, after you are sure the water it's ok for you fish, you can insert it. 3. Water tests -better if liquid- are a must have. This is a general thing for fishtanks of every kind. Those tests are vital to have, especially when you are setting up a new fishtank. During the month of maturation of the filter, you’ll often have to check if the water parameters are changing. If you ask, the general water parameters for a betta fish should be similar to those. Ideally. (Consider those are parameters we use in my country -Italy-, I'm not sure if they are the same in other countries..) : PH: 6 - 7 NO2: 0 <- This MUST to be always 0. Even the 0,1 is lethal. That's why is so important to have a mature filter. NO3: < 20 GH: 8-10 KH: 6 - 8 4. Water must be right for the fish. Which means the parameters of the water must to be ok, as said before AND you will need a bioconditioner to make tap water good for the fish. Git rid of all those heavy metals and chlorine in the tap water.. Really, the ideal water to use should be osmotic or distilled, but if you can't or won't use that, tap water it's fine, as long you treat it with bioconditioner. ALSO! IMPORTANT. A PARTIAL water change -never change ALL the water- of the 20/30% is due every one/two weeks. There's no escape. Do not listen those who say "They don't need a filter and a heater, lots of room and water changes. My brother/uncle/father/friend/cousin/friend of a friend told me they had it in a jar without any of that stuff and that they never changed water. And it was super happy!". It's BS. A filter can only do so much. You need to clean the rest. (Also...I assume that's implicit, but just to be sure...FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST, DO NOT USE SOAP OR DETERGENTS OF ANY KIND INSIDE A FISHTANK TO CLEAN IT. That's stupid. You are killing that fish. Looking at you Tik Tokers!) 5. Decorations and plants. This is a personal choice...BUT! Remember that isn't you the one that has to live inside that fishtank. It's the fish. Avoid like hell neon-colored gravels, fluo plastic wannabe plants, glowy things, toys, spongebob themed stuff (I've seen those fishtank decorations, America... ):< ), sea shells and whatever it's pointy and plastic. TRY TO SET UP A FISHTANK IN A NATURAL WAY. What -usually- people tries to do with fishtanks, is to recreate a little eco-system. So...Be classy. Use natural-looking dark colored gravel...Like brown and black in the specific. Bettas love dark tones. (And dark tones enhance the colors of the fish!) Sand is also a nice option. It's soft and natural looking. Avoid pointy/sharp gravel if you can. And if you can, also avoid woods and rocks too sharp. A betta's fins might get stuck and he might get hurt from it. Go with a bunch of hiding spots (large enough for the fish. They might get stuck in holes. I know it. I tried it...), for bettas are curious fish! They love to explore! Also plants. Add LOTS of plants. Preferibly real ones (Anubias, vallisneria, microsorum, hygrophyla, moss, floaters...There's plenty of easy plants that will make a betta happy!). Bettas LOVE to hide and sleep between roots and leaves. Give it plenty! If you don't really want real plants in your fishtank -a pity, coz they will only make the whole set up prettier AND plants will help to keep the water clean and oxygenated-, then go for silk ones. No sharp plastic in a betta tank. (In any tank, really...) 6. Food. Fish food in granes is generally better than the scales. Be sure to offer different foods to your fish. Granes, worms, gel, dry stuff, live stuff...Never feed your fish only one food forever. Also, bettas are carnivores. Whatever food you'll give em, be sure to add proteins -aka bugs/worms/tiny crustaceans- in its diet. (Even if tbh, a half boiled and peeled pea once in a while won't harm it at all...) Also, be sure to let the fish fast for one day at week. It will be good for its stomach. Fun fact: A betta's stomach it's big like one of its eyes. Sooo...Give it plenty of food, even multiple times per day, but not too much. 7. The fish! :D The fun part. When you go to finally choose your betta, be sure to check them very well. Take your time. A healthy one should be active, with nice whole fins, not clamped to the body, no cuts, no weird spots on the body...The fish should not look lethargic, or sick. Also, the smaller they are, the youngest they are. If you wanna see them grow up, go for the smaller ones. That's all. Unless you have the chance -and the knowledge- to heal a sick one, try to get healthy looking fish. Give it a good life. (Btw..DO NOT mix goldies and tropical fish. Goldies are cold water fish. They r NOT compatible! ) That's it. That's the post. Hope it was useful. XD