My first fish - "Chocolate Factory"

[Batman]

Just thought I'd drop a line to say hi and tell everyone that I finally got my first fish and I have called him Chocolate Factory. It wasn't my intention on Saturday to buy a fish - as it I am still waiting for my 330L tank and cabinet to be delivered. However, in the pet store (yuck, I know, but the nearby LFS has closed until it re-opens under new management this Saturday) their were about 10 Bettas in those stupid little cups of water. They had them all together, so they were all swimming around their little cups flaring at each other madly - except for one that is - it was lying peacefully at the bottom of it's "bowl" DEAD.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I'd intended to get a betta as part of my community for my first tank. My ideal was to get a plum / violet (really purple) one - and they had three, one of which I thought was really beautiful - really, really purple. I decided I was gonna buy him - but first some supplies.

I'd already purchased, online, four spare corner filters and a couple of air pumps (along with all the necessary stuff for my main tank - canister, heaters, nets, test kits, quality food etc.) I'd also already purchased some pea sized gravel and a couple of bags of sand - enough to fill the tank entirely, but that's another story.

Before purchasing though, I went to Big W to get a container to put him in - an 18 litre "storage container" - they style I intend getting three or four of for hospital and spawning tanks. Nine bucks for an 18L container, vs $20 for the stupid little plastic thimble with a sprinkling of flourescent pink gravel (plus the cost of the fish.) God it is such a stupid way to sell fish.

I got that from Big W, went back to the Pet Store and purchased Chocolate Factory (although I hadn't decided on his name until half-way through my round of golf), then went home and set the whole shebang up in under an hour before hitting the golf course.

He wouldn't eat the expensive "quality" flakes and pellets I had purchased, so I thought, oh great he's going to be one of those Bettas that one describes as a finnicky-pain-in-the-arse. Anyway it's about 30 hours after purchase and I'm thinking "Oh great, my first fish and the stupid thing wont eat the food I provide . My $1000 setup is looking like a really bad idea now - wonder if I can cancel and get a refund?"

But then I have a bright spark - "wait a minute, I remember reading on the Internet that Bettas are carnivores and like fresh food." I don't eat a lot of red meat, so there is no steak, not a piece of liver, kidney, pork, lamb or anything that might turn my carnivorous little friend Chocolate Factory on. Except for the kangaroo steaks that I'd bought about twelve months ago to try - it is really nice meat really, but as I say I'm not a meat eater really. Tuna and chicken, lots of veggies, salad, the works - no worries, but not much meat for me.

Anyway I took the kangaroo out of the freezer and shaved off a bit to try him on - perhaps about the size of four or five grains of rice. I chopped it up really fine and took it back to the "tank."

What a difference.

Chocolate Factory changed from a lazy (and pretty boring really) swimmer into a crazed, purple piranah (albiet a pretty small one) swimming and thrashing all around the container, looping the loop, flaring at nothing in particular, just going nuts really. And he attacked the kangaroo meat like it was his first meal in six months. Well I suppose, considering the way the Pet Store had him, it could very well be.

Anyway, there you go, the story of my first fish "Chocolate Factory."

[Ira]

Ok...Ummm...Why chocolate factory?

Chicken and tuna isn't meat? News to me.

[Pegasus]

Great post Batman, keep em coming

Try him with a few white worms or chopped up eath worm.

[Batman]

Why chocolate factory? Why not? :lol:

Ok here goes:

I'm on the golf course and thinking, "well I suppose I should give him a name." So I start thinking, and I think well he's violet, so how about "Violet" (originality reigns) but he's a boy, then I say maybe "Viola" - nah too French. Violet, violet, violet - hey there was a Violet in Charlie and the Chocloate Factory (one of my favourite books when I was a kid) and I think you see where I'm going here...

So I decided "Charlie," a boy's name, a little bit silly... But then it really hit me - why not go the whole hog with the silliness and just call him Chocolate Factory. It appealed to my sense of the absurd and so "Chocolate Factory" it is!