About

Origin Story

Hi! I got my first Betta fish, Calypso, in late August 2017. I had done some preliminary research, but not enough for what I was about to get myself into. I wasn’t experienced enough to realize I was buying a sick fish. Within four days of owning Calypso he was lying on the bottom of the tank, struggling to breathe and refusing food. I turned to google and spent copious hours researching Betta fish diseases. I had taken a life into my hands and was determined that I would do everything possible to save him. After determining Calypso had velvet disease, I went to a local fish store (LFS) where I was living for college and bought the recommended medication. I also went and bought both a filter and heater for the tank. Then I proceeded to spend the next 3 weeks nursing him back to health in an uncycled tank (meaning every other day water changes). He recovered and we became inseparable. I didn’t know I could love a fish, or that fish have personalities. But they do! Being sickly, Calypso wasn’t the most energtic fish, but he always had energy to greet me when I came home, or if I hadn’t seen him in longer than five minutes. I would wave a finger at him, and he would start waving his little fins back. When I got sad I would wrap my arms around his circular tank and sob. He would swim up to my face and just sit there, comforting me. When I broke my ankle and was stuck in my dorm room as a result, Calypso kept me company. I found out Bettas can learn trick and then taught him how to jump for food and swim from one side of the tank to the other on command! It is as cute as it sounds. I also bought him “toys” like a floating log and Betta fish hammock (a leaf that sits just below the surface of the water for them to rest on). As our bond grew, I spent a lot of time and money making sure water parameters were perfect, staying stocked on medicines, cleaning the tank, and continuing research on Betta fish. My efforts paid off and I was granted over a year with my first baby, despite his sickly nature. In that time span I completely updated my set up to a 10 gallon tank with a hang on back filter. He deserved only the best. Plus, he needed the best if he was to stay healthy and I felt he had grown enough that his 3 gallon tank was too small. I remember In the middle of September 2018 he got really sick again. I dropped $70 I didn’t have on extra medicines and spent the week skipping homework and classes (please don’t tell) in order to figure out which disease he had and how to treat it. Eventually, he could not reach the surface of the tank. Betta fish have an organ called a labyrinth which allows them to breathe air. They get distressed if they cannot get to the surface so I got a small plastic pet carrier and created a mini aquarium floating in the bigger one. Even that was too deep, so I held him in my hand just below the surface of the water for hours. Every once in awhile I would push his head up above the surface and he would take a gulp of air. I told him how much I loved him over and over again, chanting it like a mantra to keep us both going. Around 4 am I couldn’t stand there any longer. I set him down on top of a fake rock cave so he could reach the surface and went to bed. This was the last semester of my BA and I had started taking graduate level courses. I had to function somewhat the next day. When I woke up he was gone. He was alone when he passed and this is one of my greatest regrets in my life. I just hope he knows how much I loved him. Not being there haunts me. Some nights I lose sleep over it, tossing and turning while wondering if I failed him by leaving him alone when he most needed me. I wouldn’t want to die alone. If I had a time-turner I would go back and stay up all night. When I found him I knew because of his eyes. You know that cheesy saying about eyes being a window to the soul? Well, one look in his eyes and I knew. Also, he didn’t greet me. Calypso greeted me even on the brink of death-a small wiggle of his fins, waving hello. Fish don’t always flip upside down when they die. His eyes were empty. I don’t know how else to describe it. I called my mom and couldn’t even get the words out for the sobs. I buried him at home under the tree in the backyard where I grew up, wrapped in purple silk. Then I found an old brick and turned it into a headstone. I am at school working on a Master of Arts in Education. When I go home I visit his grave and tell him how much I love him and how lucky I was to have such a great friend. A couple days after Calypso died I got Finley. I couldn’t bear being alone, yet once Finley got home I cried, feeling like I had betrayed Calypso. I was unsure of Finley at first. Could I love him the way I loved Calypso? Not at first, but he grew on me 🙂

Why a Blog?

For one of my classes we discussed assigning students multimodal projects. We don’t want to assign things we haven’t done, so we were tasked with creating one ourselves. Multimodal projects are writing projects which incorporate various modes and genres to create a whole.

What am I hoping to achieve?

Primarily to educate you about Betta fish and how to care for them. Betta fish have personalities and display a wide variety of emotions. They are also intelligent. They are often exploring their tank and become curious about everything. They can become bored and depressed if not given enough stimulation. I also want to impress on you the importance of knowing how to care for fish, especially Betta fish. Betta fish are a very common beginner fish and many people buy them before they know how to care for them. Even I was partly guilty of this. What I did learn before getting Calypso wasn’t all I needed to know about the basic needs of fish. Bettas are great pets, but they are also a surprising amount of work for being so small. You need to understand this before you go buy one. I hope this blog is an engaging mix of the cute personality side of Bettas, as well as a place to collect all the information I have learned about caring for Bettas so you can be knowledgeable.

A Couple Other Notes

There is some lingo in the fish keeping world. I wanted to write them out so you know what I am talking about. LFS refers to local fish store. Major pet stores don’t always have the exact equipment or fish selection people want, so many hobbyists find local stores dedicated to aquariums and fish. Another term to be familiar with is “the hobby.” A lot of people who keep fish refer to the act of keeping fish as “the hobby.” Many people in the hobby follow the King of DIY on YouTube. Check out his channel! Also, please note that while I have spent a lot of my time reading up on the hobby, and Betta fish in particular, I am relatively new to this. I look forward to a lifetime of owning Betta fish and mastering the art (and science) of maintaining the water parameters of my aquarium. The last thing I would like to point out is the controversy about the pronunciation of the word “Betta.” Many Betta enthusiasts will absolutely INSIST that it is pronounced “bet-uh.” People who don’t pronounce it as “bet-uh” usually say “bay-tuh.” Personally, I don’t especially care how you choose to pronounce it. Just thought you should know this debate exists.

On Research

I would like to note that I often have not cited specific sources on many of my Betta care information posts. The information I provide comes from reading hours of various websites, chats, and watching YouTube videos. In other words, what I provide is a summary of hours of research. Many websites list slight variations in things such as the minimum size of a tank suitable for Bettas or the exact range of accepted water temperature. The numbers I provide in these cases are the general consensus on these facts. So if your tank temperature is set to 83 degrees, which is one degree above my specified range, don’t worry! Your fish will not die! Furthermore, each fish will have preferences and you should adjust parameters to meet the needs of your fish. If you are interested in some of the exact websites and videos I have watched and read, send me an email! I would be happy to share! You can also do searches on google and YouTube to find many of the ones I read and watched. I just want you to know that I have not made this information up, nor am I claiming it as my original ideas. Quite the opposite.