Auberon's second week found him exploring his flower pots (though not hanging out in them for too long) and flaring at me for the first time. He remains active and inquisitive and, though he spends a bit more time hiding, still wiggles his way to the front of the tank to say hello when anyone passes by the tank. When he is out of sight, he is generally behind his driftwood, near the filter, or wriggling his way through the java moss. He has continued sleeping near the thermometer and spends a lot of his waking hours swimming around the suction cups of the heater, chasing his own reflection. I've entertained the idea of getting a Betta Bling hoop from ZooMed for a little kitsch and additional stimulation.
Auberon continues to have a healthy appetite and thoroughly enjoyed chasing and eating garlic soaked blood worms after his water change. In the future, when feeding frozen food, I will try to slice off the tiniest bit of the cube as not to waste or overfeed. I've read that many betta keepers also soak food in Vita Chem-- I'll add that to my shopping list.
With this week's water change, I did a little rearranging, moving the marimo moss balls around and adjusting the driftwood so there is more space between the filter and the wood which should lower the chance of Auberon getting trapped. I am noticing new growth on plants but also some algae (diatoms or bba?) on the Java ferns. With the next water change, I will remove some damaged leaves and try to wipe away some of the algae. I'll need to research further, but I may need to dose with some flourish or excel to keep the plants happy.
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I'm playing catch-up on recording my parameters here but, save for the last few days, things have been pretty steady. As per the advice I received on the aquarium sub-reddit, I've attempted to perform two small water changes a week however, I ended up removing a great deal more water than intended while vacuuming the substrate during my last water change.
As I did with my first water change, I removed water and immediately (and rapidly) replaced it with some Prime treated water that I had aging in a bucket with some almond leaves. By using this water, and adding such a large quantity so quickly, I believe I may have shocked Auberon as he was swimming erratically a few hours after the change.
Parameters: 8/27 - 9/7
The drop in pH after water changes indicates that the water I'm adding has a lower pH (testing confirms this is true) and could definitely be responsible for Auberon's odd behavior.
In the future, I will try removing less water and slowly adding new water to the tank as to not shock Auberon with the sudden change. Considering the water pH is not optimal, I really need to try and keep it as stable as possible.
