Meet my new Betta!

Here he is...

My new Betta!

I really wasn't expecting to get a betta today but I popped into a fish shop on my lunch break, I saw him and I had to have him. So after work I went back in to ask how much he cost, and they gave him to me for free!

He's called One-Eyed Willie, no prizes for guessing why!

And here's his not-so-photogenic side!

I didn't notice the blue on him in the shop but he really is a lovely colour

He's been in his tank for a few hours now and he seems to be doing really well. He's on his own at the moment, am considering trying him out with some dwarf cories as I have some in my 65l which are so teeny tiny they tend to get a bit lost in there!

Here he is checking out his tank:

My new pleco, L128 (Blue Phantom)

I went out fish shopping today to find a red betta. Unfortunately no luck there so it will probably be three or four weeks before I get one. However I did end up with this cheeky chappy:

Juvenile (under 2inch) L128 'Blue Phantom' Plec - photo really doesn't show his beautiful colour

It doesn't really show how blue he is but trust me, he's one good looking plec. He's living in the 65l for a few weeks so I can keep a close eye on him but he'll be moving into one of the bigger tanks when I know he's ok. 

Too cute!

Bonus post: My Blagdon Affinity Pillar Pond

Thought I'd get some pics up of my 'pond'. I was lucky enough to win this one in a competition about four months ago. It's quite small at 200l and is home to three goldfish (Bob, Bob and Bob), a few marginal plants which are doing really well (perhaps too well!), some oxygenating weed and some pond snails which I am hoping will help get rid of some of the algae. I don't mind scrubbing but the water is very cold!

I know that these have had mixed reviews but I really like it, particularly the portholes as the fish come up when you're passing and stare at you through them. It's a really nice looking addition to the decking and very calming to watch.

Saying that, I don't know what will happen through winter, it might have to come inside if it's particularly cold and that's not a job I'd relish. I should perhaps mention that I have a plan b, and if I can't look after them over winter or when they get too big they will be moving down south to my parent's large garden pond.

The LED light is a nice touch although I think there's algae on the sensor as it seems to come on quite early in the day. Ah well, a bit more scrubbing it is then...

Also I did have the waterfall feature on but it was just too loud and harsh, the fountain is less nice to look at but it won't drive you mad at night! Finally, the cover is home made because it doesn't come with anything to keep the cats, bird and foxes out. This seems to have done the trick and kept the fishes safe so far. 

Blagdon Affinity Pillar Pond

Goldfish have come to the surface to see what's what

Checking me out through the porthole!

A cable runs through the wall to power the included Blagdon pond pump which is rated for a far bigger pond.

This is my last tank...promise!

And I do mean that this time, as I have NO surfaces left!

First of all, updates on my tanks.

The loaches which I introduced in this post are clearly not YoYo loaches and I feared they were going to get much too big for the 125l so I swapped them with my peppered cories. They both went mad, the cories seem to love the darker substrate and settled down really well and the loaches are so active in my bigger tank they are almost exhausting to watch!

Unfortunately the female dwarf gourami also died so the tank is missing its centrepiece fish, the krisbensis is now behaving herself but as she is primarily a bottom dweller there is definitely something 'missing'... I'm going to think long and hard before I replace them though.

Have started dosing SeaChem flourish excel for the plants and it's made a real difference. It's likely to get expensive but not sure I'm ready for CO2 yet.

Some update pics of the 200l:

Fluval Roma 200

Two of the loaches which are too quick to photograph!

Cardinal Tetras gather at the back

And the 125:

Two Angels dominate this tank!

Fluval Roma 125

'Viv' - (s)he's the boss

Rummynose Tetras

No changes in the 65l really, that tank has never caused me problems at all . A recent picture:

And finally, my new betta tank! Well it will be once it gets a betta. At the moment it's home to two small platies and a guppy who are making sure it stays cycled. It came free with a subscription to Practical Fish Keeping magazine and is a 15l Superfish Wave tank. It's really neat as the heater and filter are hidden from view and you can change the colour and intensity of the light via buttons on the top. We've gone for a minimalist 'zen' feel to this one!

Superfish Wave 15

Will house a betta if I can find the right one!

Shrimp tank hasn't changed since the last update except there are now loads of baby shrimplets :D Too small for me to take a photo of...

That's all folks!