The Boys

 As mentioned in my last post, I wish to introduce my fish one by one and explain each of them as they deserve to be.  It all started with a trip to my local pet store where I found...

Jabu-Jabu started it all.  He was my first fish that I found at my local mom and pop pet shop.  When I went to go get what I thought would be my only betta fish, the person who was helping me pointed him out to me.  She said he was particularly pretty but she didn't know why.  I looked him over and he didn't seem particularly pretty or interesting to me at first.  I put him down and checked out the other male bettas.  After wandering around for a few minutes, I came back and saw a flash of indigo and immediately went "HIM!  That's the one I want."
  
Unknowingly, the indigo flash had come from the same fish I'd just put down thinking he wasn't particularly attractive.  I picked him up and the rest is history.  He came home with me that day and was then dubbed Jabu-Jabu, named after the patron diety of the zoras in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.  All of my fish (and pets for that matter) are named after Zelda characters.  He is by far my most 'prolific' fish.  He's made bubblenests that top 1 inch high.  Oy, is he a horn dog!

Ralis was technically my third betta fish but my second male.  He was a bit of a surprise.  Among my many trips to Petco to upgrade my fish tanks, I always stopped to look at the bettas.  Despite my fiance wishing that I'd not bring anymore home... I did. 8D


He was cute.  He was there.  He was purple.
I had an extra spot in my tanks and therefore he came home with me.  Ralis is what I consider my gay boy.  He rarely flares at the other two males who live in his 10 gallon tank with him (divided off of course!) and took forever to make a bubblenest. He seems to show no interest in the ladies when he gets to see one and is a very shy little boy.  He spends the majority of his time hiding in his little log or swimming around when he sees me, begging for food.  He also loves to chill on his little leaf.  Ralis is a delta tail, though he keeps growing and growing so he may well be a super delta.


Mikau was my first adventure into the money sink that those of us in the betta keeping business know as Aquabid.com.  Curse that site!  It's addicting. 


I'd tried to bid on two fish before Mikau that were both green dragon halfmoons.  I lost them both in a bidding fiasco... but then Mikau was put up and I bought him immediately with buy it now.  It took several weeks to finally get him to me but they were absolutely worth the wait.  Mikau is easily my favorite fish, second only to Jabu-Jabu.  His fins are huge and he's definitely a rosetail.  For those that don't know what that is, it means he was bred to have so much fin that his rays overlap creating a 'rose petal' effect.  It makes it harder for him to swim but he gets along just fine and spends the majority of his time in his floating log.  He loves that log!  

Japas was an 'unintentional' fishy.  When I got Mikau, he arrived rather beaten up.  He had a circular scar on him and rough fins.  The breeder had said to contact them when the fish arrived and let them know he was ok.  I did so and mentioned the rough shape he was in.  I have to assume that he/she took what I said to mean 'he's dead' because I received an e-mail promptly informing me that a replacement fish was on its way - Japas.  


He is Mikau's spawn brother and equally if not more gorgeous in his colors and fins.  I adore this color 'green dragon' and originally intended to find him another home.  But the more I looked at him, the more I fell in love and decided to keep him.    He now shares a tank with Ralis and Mikau and is regrowing his fins that he snacked on during shipping. :(