Useless Adelaide and Bubble Nests

So it is official. Adelaide is useless for fish supplies. I decided that I'd like to get one big tank and divide it for Dean & Sammy. I found a tank I like for $500 with a stand, however, no one has actual tank dividers, and when I asked about them, was shown those little floating cubes for them. So I soon gave up that idea, and went searching for some female bettas. No luck either. There are three more shops I want to visit, and might make the trip to one of them tomorrow, but I'll probably end up with a male crown tail if I go there, cos they had some beauties. Which means setting up another tank! This hobby is going to get expensive! So while it was a fail on the tank and fish side, I did get a lovely lamp for Sammy!

Sammy is building a lovely little bubble nest at the moment, so I decided to look more into bubble nests and their function.

Top Views of Sammy's Bubble Nest

Side Views of Sammy's Bubble Nest

What are bubble nests?

Bubble nests can be an idicator of a betta's contentment with his tank, or his readiness to breed. It is essentially where the male will place the eggs after spawning with a female, and will remain their home until they have developed their gills. Bubble nests can occur in various sizes and thickness at the surface of the water. Some bettas are more prone to producing bubble nests than others. This does not mean you're betta is unhappy, but why not use it as an excuse to move the tank around, or give him some new toys! If you are wishing to breed, your male will create his nest at the sight of a female.

What are bubble nests made from?

As the name suggests, bubble nests are made from bubbles blown with an oral secretion, saliva bubbles.

Clearly this is just a really quick overview of bubble nests; so here are some links to some fantastic sites with some excellent information.

Bubble Nest Articles

A Look Inside The Bubble Nest

Bubble Nests & Bettas

Seaview Aquarium Siamese Fighting Fish (PDF)

Bubble Nests

I'd like to have a monthly entry where I can put pictures of viewers fish, and questions and answers. So please feel free and email me at sammy and dean@live.com (please remove the spaces, I did this as to not get spammers) with pictures and questions for that monthly entry. I know we all love showing off our fish!!

I look forward to seeing everyones pictures!

Welcome to the Adventures of Sammy and Dean!

Just a brief introduction on this blog, and all that boring stuff!

Sammy and Dean are my Betta Splendens (or more commonly known as Siamese Fighters). Encourgaged by my fantastic older brother, I'm new to this beautiful fish, and their breeding etc. This blog is basically going to be about my journey preparing my two fish for breeding, and just my journey in general. I hope to get alot of advice on here, and post any useful information I find.

About Me:

I'm 21 years old, and am from Adelaide in South Australia, Australia. I'm currently working as a supervisor in a supermarket, and also studying at university. I live with my parents, and my 27 year old brother, who moved home so he could save for a house. Besides my two fish, I have four Siamese cats, Alyssia (A-lee-sha), Cody, Remi and Nikiya (Nic-kay-ya). I also love ballet and musical theatre (Wicked and Rent being my favourites) and plan to travel to America at the end of 2010.

About My Fish:

Dean is the blue and red fish. I believe he is just your usual Veil Tail. I purchased him from a store called Pet Spot on September 23, 2009. My brother actually picked him, because he was hiding in a corner and I couldn't see him (at 5'8 you think I'd be able to see in the top tank right? Lucky my brother is 6'6!)

His tank was originally used for some red shrimp for my brothers tank, and has black gravel, and a piece of wood with moss growing on it. Dean is the luckier one at the moment because he has a heater, a light and a filter. His tank temperature is finally constant at 26 degrees Celsius, and yesterday the 27th of September started his first bubble nest.

Sammy is a very interesting fish. His tail is that beautiful teal colour, and he has a red fin (for lack of the correct term), while the rest of his body is a very dark blue, which is almost black. Once again I am assuming he is a VT. He was actually a replacement fish, and a rather random find.

I originally went into a store before I got Dean, and didn't like the fish there, but went back on September 27 as I needed a replacement fish, and new gravel, and found him flaring up to a crown tail. I was debating between him, and a creamy colour one, and then another teal one, but Sammy won out due to his constant flaring, and that beautiful tail, and the random fin.

Sammy has a tank with a heater, a rock covered in moss and gray gravel. I will be getting him a plant fairly soon, as well as a light, however he seems happy with his tank as he has a huge bubble nest going on!

As mentioned, Sammy was a replacement for my original fish I got at the same time as Dean. The original fish was called Sam (Dean and Sam from the TV show Supernatural). Sam was a red VT, who sadly died on September 27. I believe he had some sort of fungus.

I really hope you continue to visit my blog, and help me on my betta journey. I plan on going to look for a female betta on Tuesday or Wednesday this week.

Website of the week: BettaFish Forums (click to view)