Had one betta jump, found it dried up on the floor.
Tried covering the tank with cling film, but condensate was dripping out; so had to remove it again.
Word has come down from High Command (Mrs. Fiske), exact quote: "Go ahead", no negotiations neccessary. Yup, I think flowers are appropriate.
I married the right woman
So I have a day off work monday that will include the following exhausting scenario:
Purchase 2 aquariums (a 25 l and a 45 l)
Purchase paraphernalia (heater, some sort of low yield and fairly silent pump/filter + some plants, substrate, and probably something else I've forgotten about now)
Dismantle 45P (current tank)
Catch livestock in current tank, transfer to 25 l
Try not to break down in a bawling heap
Setup 45L (new tank)
Rescape 45P; hoping I can leave some of it unscathed.
Transfer bettas to 45L
Hope there's any shrimp left for 45P
Break down in a bawling heap
... sort the problem about the live food.
Jeez...
So question time:
Lack of sleep and work, work, work has made me blasted outta my gourd, so I'd really appreciate any input on the following.
If I use water from the old tank + rainwater, + seed with gunk from current filter it should be fairly safe to transfer fish immediately, or what say you? My experience says yes, with the proper care and attention.
Substrate: Initially I was thinking a layer of peat and leaves for the bottom, I might still do that; can I plant eg. crypts in peat directly, or would I need something like dirt for the plants (I'd guess so, but never used peat before (never used dirt before either, and quite want to skip gravel here)? I have also been contemplating this , would that be a problem (ammonia leaching or sth.)?
I am hoping to prepare some rainwater with leaves I collected this autumn + alder cones (+peat, maybe). That should work well for topping up, right? Aiming for soft/acidic water here.
Most importantly: Have I missed something crucial?
These guys want to know:
A female(I think) B. coccina (the only female I have?):
She's out and about a fair bit, the one that is most easily spotted:
The dominant male. His mission in life is making everyone else miserable. Here he's lurking, on the lookout for a victim, any victim:
The not so dominant male (the largest, and most beautiful, but apparently a wiener) trying unsuccessfully to fend for himself (dominant male in top left corner):