the brothers

[briar]

I was inspired by @roygun_1 's post about the sister fry earlier and it got me thinking about my own experience. Our fry were basically hatched on the same day, and it was really interesting to follow each other's progress despite our relatively small spawns.

I started with around 11 fry, but for some reason, I was suddenly down to just 5. I thought I had 4 females and 1 male, but as it turned out, I had 3 males and no females - the 2 females didn't make it.

I'm really proud of the 3 males I've got left, though. Their dad is a blue and red Veiltail, and their mum is a white dumbo. They're quite feisty, and I love their personalities.

As I always do with the fish I plan to keep, I've given them names. From left to right in their homemade trio tank, I've got Blackadder, Baldric, and Flashheart.

Blackadder and Baldric have some fin damage - my own fault, to be honest. When I left for Norway to visit my parents, they were still pretty small and had the typical egg spots and tiger stripes on their heads, which I thought was a female trait. My partner took care of them while I was away and mentioned a few times that he suspected one of them might be a male.

When I got back, I sorted it out and sure enough, both Blackadder and Baldric were males. They've had their fights, but they've healed up well, and they're still recovering.

I'm just glad they're doing alright, and I'm excited to see how they'll develop further.

[floras]

Lovely trio you have there, what's the mix of betta breeds for Blackadder, Baldric, and Flashheart. I've recently found myself learning more about bettas, thanks to a surprise addition to my family - didn't plan on having one, but here I am giving it a shot. I've got a thread about my little guy, if you're interested, check out the third page for a great pic of Max.

[roygun_1]

Blimey, these little blokes have grown into massive lads.

[briar]

I'm really glad you like the setup, it's been a fun learning experience for me too. I'm still figuring out the ins and outs of betta care, especially with the surprise males.

My trio is a mix of veiltail and dumbo, I think their mum might have had some plakat type finnage in her. I've still got their dad, he's a beautiful blue and red veiltail. He's getting on a bit now, his fins are getting quite heavy and he's having trouble reaching the surface, but I've made some changes to his tank to help him out - lowered the water level and added more plants for him to rest on. He seems to be doing a bit better now.

Thanks for sharing the link to your thread, I'll have to check it out and see your Max in all his glory.

[floras]

I've only had Max for about two weeks now. I'll admit, I never thought I'd be a betta owner - their reputation for being feisty had me sticking to community tanks with peaceful fish. That was until I brought home Nina and Pinta, my veiltail Angel Fish.

Those two are quite the handful, always nipping at my Red Eyed Tetras in the 55-gallon tank. So, I set up a separate 29-gallon tank for the tetras and that's where Max came in. Now, I'm in the process of setting up a third tank - a 20-gallon long, just for Max. I guess you could say I've caught the Multiple Tank Syndrome bug. I have to confess, I've been spending most of my time watching Max and enjoying the simple pleasure of it. My Angels are definitely feeling a bit neglected, and I think they're getting a little jealous.

[briar]

Lovely trio you have there, what's the mix of betta breeds for Blackadder, Baldric, and Flashheart. I've recently found myself learning more about bettas, thanks to a surprise addition to my family - didn't plan on having one, but here I am giving it a shot. I've got a thread about my little guy, if you're interested, check out the third page for a great pic of Max.

I'm familiar with the feeling. Started out with one tank, now I've got a few more. It's not just the number of tanks, though - it's making sure each of my fish gets the same amount of attention that's the challenge.

At the moment, one of my fish is definitely getting more love than the others - Gregor, the first betta I've ever bred.