OldFishKeeper
Fish Fanatic
In 1958, when I was 10, I got tired of guppies and went for bettas. With the help of a birthday and weekly allowances, I bought a 5.5 gallon aquarium from Sears. I believe it was called a "marbleized". It had a black steel frame with white squiggly lines and a slate bottom. Anyone remember them?
It had a metal reflector and two, 15 watt bulbs...no cover. For heat, and from memory, I had it share a 25 watt tube with a 50 watt for my 10 gallon and 75 watt for my 15 gallon. All three were controlled by a single thermostat install in the 15 gallon tank. This was one of the latest heater innovations from Germany.
I read up on all the latest and greatest publications at that time on breeding bettas and purchased a pair from a LFS. Somehow, I managed to buy a supply of white worms, soil and glass cover for the small box my stepfather made. This is how I got my bettas into spawning condition. Forget the flies and mold that infiltrated the box drawn to the bread soaked with milk
.
They did the bubble nest thing and I managed to remove the female before any serious harm. I even got the eggs to hatch and removed the male before he ate them!
I wasn't about to do the infusoria thing because my parents were still upset with the white worm mess. A stinking jar of rotting lettuce was not something they would appreciate. So, I opted for "Liquifry", a tube of milk-like liquid that came highly recommended.
Well, the fry lasted as long as their egg sacs. Apparently the food was not appealing to them or was rotten before they wanted any. Who knows what the water temperature actually was? Water changes? That was for evaporation.
Anyway, fast-forward to last May, I did it again. I had retired and had more time to resurrect my old hobby. With the help of the internet and people like you on this forum, it was a success.
Proper food, water and temperature is all that it takes.
Hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane...also hope that more people will join and contribute. This forum could use a little more action IMHO.
It had a metal reflector and two, 15 watt bulbs...no cover. For heat, and from memory, I had it share a 25 watt tube with a 50 watt for my 10 gallon and 75 watt for my 15 gallon. All three were controlled by a single thermostat install in the 15 gallon tank. This was one of the latest heater innovations from Germany.
I read up on all the latest and greatest publications at that time on breeding bettas and purchased a pair from a LFS. Somehow, I managed to buy a supply of white worms, soil and glass cover for the small box my stepfather made. This is how I got my bettas into spawning condition. Forget the flies and mold that infiltrated the box drawn to the bread soaked with milk
They did the bubble nest thing and I managed to remove the female before any serious harm. I even got the eggs to hatch and removed the male before he ate them!
I wasn't about to do the infusoria thing because my parents were still upset with the white worm mess. A stinking jar of rotting lettuce was not something they would appreciate. So, I opted for "Liquifry", a tube of milk-like liquid that came highly recommended.
Well, the fry lasted as long as their egg sacs. Apparently the food was not appealing to them or was rotten before they wanted any. Who knows what the water temperature actually was? Water changes? That was for evaporation.
Anyway, fast-forward to last May, I did it again. I had retired and had more time to resurrect my old hobby. With the help of the internet and people like you on this forum, it was a success.
Proper food, water and temperature is all that it takes.
Hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane...also hope that more people will join and contribute. This forum could use a little more action IMHO.