Rest in peace to my sweet baby Murphy. Today when I went to feed him his nightly pellets I found him dried up on the floor. I did have a lid on his tank but he was somehow able to jump through this tiny crack. I’m so very sorry, I should have known. :( I have to admit he was my favorite, he grew so much in the short time that I had him, from a scared, stressed baby into a beautiful fish. I’ll never forget you.

Tropical Fish World in Buckley WA.

hi, i have had my baby for about 4 months. everything with him has been great until o only really just noticed now that his actions might be considered “glass surfing”. he only does this when im near the tank and when im not he does stay swimming near the tank but does it much slowly or doesn’t go back and forth / goes to other parts of the tank. besides this he is so healthy and seems happy but what is with this? what can i do for him? :(

This is Calvin.

Calvin is a dick.

Calvin will get a swimming start and charges at my fingers when I feed him, biting so hard I have to shake him off my finger

Calvin tried to bite me through the tank glass when my hand gets too close.

Calvin is not a good boy.

Calvin chooses violence.

He seems really happy swimming around and exploring :)

Hoping to eventually get some low light real plants (recommendations?), but for now he seems to be enjoying swimming through these soft plastic ones.

Hey y’all, I just got my first fish today and wanted to get some advice. I went to a local pet store that has a great reputation, and I’ve heard their “fish guy” is really knowledgeable. I was having a hard time choosing between two female bettas, and he told me that if I introduced them at the same time, they should be fine together.

So I ended up getting both.

They’re in a 10 gallon tank, and so far, they seem to be getting along and even kind of… happy? I’ve never owned fish before though, so I honestly have no clue if what I’m seeing is good or not.

Right now, the tank doesn’t have many hiding spaces, but I’m planning to pick up more decor and plants tomorrow. I’m just worried—should I rehome one of them to be safe? I’d be devastated if something happened to either.

Here’s a picture of them—blue one is Billie, pink one is Marcy. Any advice from more experienced folks would be appreciated!

i recently (like less then 5 days ago) got this guy for only $7 from a local pet store. when i picked him out, he was hanging out in his plant in his container. the tank i put him in is a 15 gallon, heavily planted, low moving filter, the only other occupants are snails, the parameters are all correct, the temp is mid 70s during the day and no cooler than 60 at night, there’s two bubblers on either side of the tank and a shelf in the middle, no light on the tank but does get morning sun from being so close to the window. our issue is i notice him curling, often. when i first put him in the tank, he sunk to the bottom and stayed there like this, after he settled in i put food in there to see if he would move, and he swam to the top of the tank, found and ate most of the food. when i look for him he is often in a S shape or C shape but when he sees me he swims to me. I added stress coat and double checked the parameters and he seems better but is again curled, or spending time on top of the bubbler. am i doing something wrong? is he sick? can he swim through a lot of plants if there’s something wrong with him? is 15 gallons too big for him? both sides, and the back are heavily planted in ground plants and have various types of top water and in water floaters

im not sure what happened but i've been feeding her daily but sometimes she flat out refuses to eat and i have divorced parents but my mom tells me she feeds her while im gone but i think thats a lie. im not sure how to fix this my baby looks so sad i gave her a large tank, water bubbler thing, vitamins for the water, toys and hiding places

I just brought this guy (Mushu) home yesterday and at first I thought he looked completely healthy but now that I’ve had time to sit and look at him closely I’m worried that he might be bloated. I fed him a few nano bites this morning and I’m not sure if that could have caused him to bloat (if this is bloating) or what but I would appreciate any advice in how to take care of this and prevent it from happening in the future. TIA

Some were a more cooperative then others.

So, I recently learned about the mouth brooding Betta fish type, more specifically the Betta Macrostoma, and I just about lost my mind.

I've been a bass fisherman my entire life and have always dreamed about keeping a largemouth bass. But obviously, bass just get too large for a typical aquarium. So, when I randomly stumbled onto an image of the Betta M. with its mouth fully agape, I freaked. It looks like a beautiful, tiny, red largemouth bass!

I immediately started to research the fish, as it became a new goal for me to own one. But, the more I learned, the more Ive realized it's probably just not in the cards for me. I've never owned a Betta before. I don't know the ins and outs, and for a fish that costs ~$200-300, that's just a huge financial gamble. If I bought one and did anything wrong, not only would I cause the death of the fish, but the financial loss is pretty massive.

I have since shifted my gaze a bit, I would still love to maybe one day own one, but I just don't think I have it in me to roll those dice. There are other mouthbrooding species after all, I thought maybe I could find a more beginner friendly species that is similar in look. But, after looking around and researching for a few days now, I haven't really found one that is anything quite like the Betta M.

The main issue that I've found is that none of them have the same mouth. The coloring for me is secondary, the body/mouth shape is what's most important for me, and none of the other types I have found look quite the same. None of their mouths are as large, their head/body shapes are different... Nothing is hitting quite the same.

Does anyone know of another Betta species that is similar to Macrostoma? Do any have a mouth in the same size range? And if so, is it more beginner friendly and affordable?

Hey guys I’m looking for a super simple setup with easy plants “married and dad of two” 😅 had this tank for over a year and just recently redid all the plants and decos. Before it was a guppy grass tank and I absolutely hated it because the guppy grass took over so much I couldn’t even barely see my betta. I ripped all that guppy grass out and removed all the plants and replanted them. Added some floater anubias plants as I absolutely love the look of it with the roots hanging down and all. So, you guys have any advice on how to make it look better without overcrowding it. If it’s good as is feel free to say that too.

5.5 gallon. Heated @ 78F. Sponge filter. Planted light “plus a small extra light incase” 3 pieces mopani wood. Eco complete substrate. One rock. 3 rosettes sword plants. 2.5 Amazon sword plants. 3 floating anubias. Tons of duckweed “love it, most people hate it” weekly 25% water changes. One plakat betta boy. One small horned nerite. One regular sized zebra nerite. One black racer nerite. Bunch of rams horn snails that I can’t get rid of 🥵.

So for context around 6-8 months back my little sister’s teacher gave her this. My micro fish tank my filter, decor, pump, timer. But their fish. I’ve started doing water changes of 50% monthly as they rarely do it. I added java moss today because this poor guy has no where to hide. My sister came home from a party a few weeks ago with goldfish and I’ve been learning about the nitrate cycle, cycling the tank and so much more. I’m going to be setting up a 10 gallon that I will be cycling at the same time as a 50 I’m getting next week. If they decide not to swap should I just do it and take down this small 1 gal tank. And if there is anything anyone thinks I should tell them lmk please 🙏 If I just do it I’ll be planting and taking some time to do it right this time.

I notice his fin are discolouring and torn…

Sorry the pics aren’t the best :,) I can’t tell!!:(

I have algae growing on one side of my betta tank. I think it is because that side gets too much light, as it is near some lights I have set up for my plants. I have seven nerite snails in another tank. Would you transplant a few for algae control?

i just got a betta fish and i love him so so much!!! he is the cutest ever and i was planning on taking care of him at my dads house, but i soon realized i would be at my moms more than i thought i would be… i’ve done some research and supposedly bettas can actually go without food for up to 2 weeks ish? i usually switch houses for about 6 days maximum but it depends. i have thought of moving my fish to my moms if i decide to stay there longer, but im not sure. looking for support and advice on what is best! am i okay to not constantly be there for my betta fish? i am just scared to leave him since i just got him about 3 days ago and i have to leave soon for 6 days.

also side note. my betta is having a hard time with feeding. I use top fin betta pellets and it says on the bottle to feed 3-4 twice a day and i’m having a hard time feeding him 3 twice a day. he just swims past them when i put them in the tank (not near him), but when i drop them super close he eats them up and i haven’t seen him spit any out! i just feel like he always has to be paying attention when i feed him which doesn’t feel right… but im not sure. advice would be nice!

This shows when we got her compared to now. She is sick and is staying at the bottom of the tank while being inactive. I have bought aquarium salt and trying my best to diagnose this so I can help her before it’s too late. Any suggestions on what should be done and if this is normal color change or can I expect the worse?

I hope this is the good thing and not an attack..

You can see my betta Smiles in the center to the right side. I just added a few new plants and am so in love! 20 gallons shared with a mystery snail, pond snails, ramshorns and bladders.

Hi all,

I need some help. So I’m redoing my boy’s tank and I purchased a piece of wood. It literally will NOT stay in place, no matter how hard deep I shove it into the substrate I’ve set down. What can I do?? Please help!!