So Much For Cheap Pets....

The Tsar has been pretty cool with the idea that he's the only guy in an apartment full of females. Ok, two of the females bark and shed a lot. But at least he was always "da MAN".

Now, he has two other guys in the house. Our new bettas, to be precise. I picked out the turquoise one named Frank, and the Tsar picked out the red one named Santino. (yeah, been watching too many mafia flicks....so sue us!)

Anyway, you would think that two fish that cost about $3 each would be relatively cheap. Nope!

First, we had to get them a tank. Like, duh....but then, due to the Tsar's diligent research, we found out that the 1 1/2 gallon one was not sufficient. Ok.....told him to go get a new one.

So he got this kinda cool one with a built-in light and divider that holds about 2 1/2 gallons. The problem with this one is that the divider doesn't quite reach across the whole tank. Santino started zipping over to Frank's side, which as anyone who knows even the slightest bit about bettas can tell you, is not a good thing. It was amusing when they switched sides of the tank, but then we realized this one wasn't going to work, either.

Off to the specialty fish store we went, and got them a 10 gallon tank (the Tsar was adamant that they needed 5 gallons each for their mental health.....or something like that). Of course, there was no divider for that size, so we had to make one. And get a heater, and a filter, and a lamp, and some new rocks..... We were able to move over the plants to the big tank, so at least we didn't have to test out the decorations in the store with a pair of my old nylons to see if they would snag the fins if they brushed against them.

Then came the aquarium salt specially designed for freshwater fish. Yes, there is such a thing. Who knew?

Santino had a tiny little hole in his fin, so we have to get some special meds for that. And a test kit for the pH levels in the water. Can't forget the frozen brine shrimp and the frozen bloodworms for food. (BTW, you can't touch the bloodworms with your fingers, since many people develop an allergic reaction to them and develop flu-like symptoms in severe cases. I kid you not. When we feed them to Frank & Santino, we need to get toothpicks to ensure we don't touch the worms....anyway, since the bettas like to snap at the toothpicks to get the worms in the first place, it is probably a bad idea to feed them by hand anyhow unless you like tiny little fish bites on your fingers....)

Now, apparently, they need buddies according to the Tsar. Can't wait to see what Frank & Santino's new friends (most likely neon tetras) will require. After all, they're only about a buck each.