For the last year, I have gotten into an old hobby of mine, fish-keeping.  All year it’s kind of taken over my spare time, mostly because I started breeding bettas. They take a TON of work, don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.  It’s not something to be taken lightly and jumped into blindly.  But this post is not about that.

Because of my almost obsessive need of doing things right, I let keeping and breeding these fish take over my life.  I am the type of perfectionist that goes into something all of the way, not part of the way.  It’s a hard hurdle to overcome.  I want to do more than I am able, and get easily overwhelmed because of it.  So basically, I haven’t been doing any crafting of any type all year.  I may have spun up 2 skeins of yarn, 1 of which is still unplied, and have been knitting on the same pair of socks all year.  I can’t ever seem to find a good balance of it all.

As usual, I’ve come to realize that I’ve taken on too much to personally handle.  I currently have 9 tanks running: a 20 gallon that houses my current spawn (HMPK salamander); a 10 gallon with a halfmoon that I’m trying to heal fins on; another two 10 gallons that are divided 3 ways to house 3 male bettas; a 15 gallon divided 4 ways; currently housing 3 bettas; a 3 gallon housing a doubletail halfmoon; and a 5 gallon housing a HMPK; a 37 gallon housing black skirt tetras, an angelfish (for culls), and oto catfish; and a 55 gallon sorority (all female bettas).  Out of all of these fish, I have at least 5 or 6 pairs (male and female) that I planned to spawn.

Now that I’m trying to dwindle down my numbers by re-homing a few, and also by keeping my breeding to 1 spawn only, my thoughts are turning back to my crafting.  I miss it all – sewing, machine embroidery, dyeing, knitting & spinning.  Maybe not sewing so much, but I miss the end result of it.  I have my sewing/embroidery machine in the shop right now, so only have my basic Baby Lock to work with.  Which is ok for sewing projects, but I had planned on making a small diaper stash for someone and I need my other machine for it.  Currently I’m actively knitting a pair of socks.  I’m on the second sock currently, just turned the heel.  I hope to have that done by the end of the week.

Hopefully by the year’s end I will have things in a good balance.

I made a video tutorial on how to dye yarn on the stove.  It’s my take on “kettle” dyeing.  Please watch and enjoy!

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I’m working on a stocking right now – it may be a few weeks until I actually have things in stock, but just wanted to let you know I’m working on it!  Tonight’s menu so far has included a pound of Gaia bulky in Fish Pond flavoring

I’m also editing a new video on how to dye yarn – specifically kettle dyeing.  I’ll eventually also add hand-painting, more spinning videos, carding batts & spinning from them, etc.

My son will be going to pre-k in August, so hopefully I’ll be able to dye more often then.

I haven’t been doing much crafting at all as of late, but CFC has never been far from my mind.  I’m hoping to possibly re-vamp the site a bit, specifically the gallery.  I like my design, so I don’t think that will ever be changing.

I have also started a betta-keeping website if you’d care to check it out, you can visit it here.  It also needs updating, which hopefully I can get to tonight also

I thought I’d follow up on yesterday’s blog post with the proper care of the fish, Betta Splenden, or, commonly known as the ‘Siamese Fighting Fish”  This is gonna be a long one, so pull up a chair and get those kids out of your hair.  (hey, I made a rhyme!)

To start things off, I want you to get it out of your head that bettas are happy in tiny containers such as these, these, these, & these,   or that they don’t need a heater.  They are called tropical fish for a reason!  Also get out of your head the ‘betta in a vase’ phenomenon.  Please open your mind up and read on for the proper care of these wonderful, personable creatures.  When they are cared for correctly, they will delight you!

Ok, so you went into the local pet store for dog food, and passed by the bettas.  One caught your eye, and you just couldn’t resist.  This in itself is not always a good move, especially if you are uneducated on the nitrogen cycle of fish, or the particulars of proper betta care.  I won’t bore you with the specifics of the nitrogen cycle or “new tank syndrome” so here it is in a nutshell.  Fish poop and excrete ammonia.  Ammonia is very toxic to fish.   Good bacteria are needed to consume the ammonia and convert it to nitrite, which is also very toxic.  A different type of good bacteria is needed to consume the nitrite and convert it to nitrate, which is NOT toxic UNDER 40 ppm.  And finally, to remove the nitrates, you will preform daily-weekly water changes, depending on the size container your little fin-baby is in.

So how do you get this good bacteria?  TIME.  That’s it.  It takes time.  The bacteria free float in the air and happen upon water, and if there is an ammonia source in the water, they will consume it and multiply, and after about a week, the nitrite consuming bacteria come along.  The entire process can take up to a month.  There are ways to get around it.  One, you can cycle your tank with a fish in it.  This is not really a smart idea, because it will expose the fish to the toxins it produces, before the bacteria can neutralize it.  But, luckily there are products out there like Prime which will neutralize the ammonia and other toxins for 24 hours while the bi0-load (good bacteria) catch up. Two, you can use pure ammonia (store-bought) as your ammonia source.  This way you won’t harm any fish, but you will need to add ammonia daily to the water.  Make sure you get ammonia that is only ammonia and water.  No surfactants at all.

So, let’s set up a nice 3 gallon or larger tank for your new little friend.  Since you are a beginner to bettas, I do not recommend trying to keep them in smaller containers without a filter.  There will be ALOT more work involved for you otherwise, which I’ll get to later.  Get yourself a filter & media for that filter (bettas don’t like strong currents, so find something you can adjust like a sponge filter), a good water conditioner like Prime, good quality food,  a heater, a cave/hidey hole and a SILK plant, and a substrate (gravel, sand)  Now, a good cheap cave/hidey hole for bettas are the smallest terra cotta pots that you find in Wal Mart.  They’re 1.00 or less!  The only issue with these pots are the drain holes in the bottom.  You’ll need to plug it up somehow or bury that part of it in the substrate so that your new little friend doesn’t go wandering through and get stuck.  That doesn’t turn out so well.  You will need silk plants, not plastic, because of those glorious long flowing fins that first drew you to buying that betta.  Plastic plants tend to have sharp edges on them somewhere, and will rip up those beautiful fins.  This can lead to an infection, so we don’t want that.  It’s best to stick with silk.  Set up your filter & heater per manufacturer’s instructions, and set the heater between 78-80F.  Bettas are native to hot Thailand, and like warm tempertures.  Don’t plug anything in yet!  After everything is to your liking, add your water, wait about 15 minutes and plug in your heater.  You do this so that the heater can adjust to the water temperture before heating up – kinda like how you cool food off before sticking in in the fridge, only the opposite.

Did I mention to add your water conditioner?  No?  Well do that now.

Now your waters heated to the right temperature.  Let’s dump that fish in there!

NO!  STOP!  BAD HUMAN!!!

You need to acclimate your fish slowly to the new water, and to the temperture, or he will go into shock and may die.  So you float the bag or cup in the tank.  If it is a cup, take the lid off if it came with one.  The reason is simple:  bettas WILL DROWN if they don’t have access to surface air.  I have had this happen to me, so don’t let it happen to you.  If the cup tips with the lid on, the cup will fill up with water and have no available surface air.  No surface air for betta is like if someone held you under the water.  You’ll drown and die.   So after you’re floating Mr (or Mrs) Betta, you want to add a small, tiny amount of tank water to his current container.  Then, every 15 minutes or so, add more, until the container is full.  This will slowly acclimate your new fish to your water conditions – pH, minerals in the water, etc.   This usually takes me anywhere from 30 mins – 1 hour, more if I forget! (which I often do)

Now, and only now, can you let your buddy loose in the tank.

Now here’s the thing about bettas, and why I love them so much.  They are extremely curious, and since they are aggressive and kept solo, they bond with their human.  Yes, I said bond.  Yes, a fish can bond with you, just like any other pet!  They love to check out their surrondings, which is why you need at least one hidey hole and one plant.  Keeps them from being bored!  And once your little buddy gets to know you=food?  Oh he will dance and wiggle around for you everytime he sees you!  My bettas always come to the glass to look at me whenever I approach their tank.  I talk to them like I do any other animal, and they respond to my voice.  So love your fish and talk with him whenever you feed him, twice a day.

So, since we don’t have an established nitrogen cycle, make sure to add prime to your tank every 24 hours and this way your fish’s ammonia will not harm him.  Do this for about a month.  You’ll want to have a master freshwater test kit to measure the levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.  In the first week or so, you’ll see the ammonia spike very high.  Then it will start to come down, and the nitrite will go up.  In another week or so, that will go down and the nitrates will go up.  Once ammonia and nitrite are zero, your cycle is complete.  You’ll want to make sure that you test before adding new Prime, or you won’t get correct readings.

Perform weekly water changes to reduce to nitrates and gunk accumulation at the bottom of the tank.  This is why you need at least 3 gallons – any smaller than that and you will need to preform water changes every 2-3 days, or even daily if your container is 1 gallon or smaller.  In containers smaller than 3 gallons, it is harder to keep a good bi0-load in your tank.   It is also harder to keep the temperature stable, which you need to do so that your betta won’t get sick.

If you choose to keep your betta in a tank, 5 gallons is really best.  Betta will have lots of room to explore (remember that curious personality?), lots of room to spread those pretty fins, and lots of water to keep his environment as stable as possible.

If you choose to go with a bowl, you need to keep it heated somehow.  There are mini-heaters on the market like this that you can use.  If you choose to use a bowl, please, please, please!!!! use at least 1 gallon.  2 is even better.  That way your fish has enough room to swim in.  Those tiny little 32 oz containers that are sold for bettas (and some are smaller!) are cruel in my opinion.  I equate it to living your life in a closet.  You will need to perform daily water changes in an unfiltered container.

Now I know some of you object to my last paragraph.  You’re thinking, well I kept/keep a betta in those containers and my fish lived a long time/was happy.  The thing is, a betta will survive but not thrive in those conditions.  You can do your daily water changes, but betta will not truly be happy.  Keep your betta in a larger space and see how happy they truly can be.  You’ll see a huge difference in the way your betta acts.

Years ago, pre-children, I was a fishkeeping nut.  I had several freshwater tanks (I think around 6ish?)  There was a 55 gallon community tank, a 5 gallon tank with I think mollys, and several bowls and 1-2 gallon tanks for bettas.

We did alot of moving around back then – from a rental, to the in-laws, to my mom’s house.  When we settled in my mom’s home, she didn’t really want tanks all over the place.  So I scaled down to the 55  and a couple of smaller bowls/tanks.  When we finally got our own place, it was just the 55.  Then I had Abby.  After months of trying to keep it, because I loved it, I just couldn’t keep up anymore and we gave the tank to a relative.  Boy I miss that tank right now.

Well, now that I’m past the baby stage, I recently went googling for my favorite fish – the betta splenden.  These are some gorgeous fish.  And I’m not necessarily talking about the veil tail mutt variety at your local store.  I’m talking pure-bred beauties in the variety of half-moon, delta tails, plakats and the like.  Drop-dead gorgeous fish.  And so it started with 2 boys – a black/copper halfmoon and a dragon (who is either super delta or half-moon).  They got put in a 5 gallon divided tank, and recently one moved out into his own 5 gallon.

Sirius came to me this way, with a chunk of tail missing. It never quite grew in completely

After these two, I got several pet store ‘death cup’ babies.  After untimely deaths (from poor conditons from breeding all the way up until I had them) I found PetCo bettas, and they have some nice ones.  They even have halfmoons, and plakats now.  Got a few from that store as well.  Many have come and gone since I bought these guys.

Now, I have 11 – 4 girls and 7 boys.  I have 2 boys on the way as well.

My current brood excluding 2 I am shipping off Monday:

Gumbo, a halfmoon fancy marble.  He is my Thailand baby.  The pictures shows what he looks like when I got him, and what he looks like now, after only 2 months.

Sully – who I will likely give to a neighbor that has expressed intrest.  He is a super delta salamander with butterflying.

Squirt:  this picture is from when I first got him, about 6ish months ago.  He has grown alot since.  He’s a delta tailed white/opague mint.

Fleur, my little beauty.  She is a cambodian purple butterfly halfmoon.

Molly, my little crowntail girl.

And the newest 3:

Clover, a super delta green marble girl.

Toothless, so named b/c he was rescued from a chain pet store suffering from a horrible case of tail and body rot.  His entire tail was gone, and the rot was beginning to attack his body.  The rescuer adopted him to me <3

And finally Kadin.  I fell in love with him when the previous owner purchased him and showed pictures online.  When I saw she was letting him go, I jumped at the oppurtunity!  He is a fancy marlbe halfmoon plakat.

I have plans of breeding very soon.  Kadin & Clover are being conditioned right now to be my first breeding pair.  Bettas are aggressive fish, especially to their own kind.  So sometimes, the spawning process is a little rough.  To condition a pair, you must do daily water changes in at least 1 gallon containers.   Pristine water ensures good health.  You also add an Indian Almond Leaf (IAL) to the water.  This mimics their native waters and induces spawning.  It also softens the water.  I also feed them 3 meals a day to fatten them up – high protien foods since they are carnivores.  They get a meal of a high quality pellet (I am using Atison’s Betta Pro), a meal of bloodworms, and a meal of either brine shrimp or glass worms.  After about a week or two, they will go into a 10 gallon tank, complete with heater set to about 80, thermometer, IAL, caves/plants for the female to hide in, & a styrofoam cup for the male to build his nest.  If all goes well, the pair breed – the male wraps the female and squeezes the eggs out of her and he fertilizes them.  They fall to the bottom of the tank (which is only filled 4-5 inches) and he collects them in his mouth and then swims back up and inserts them into the bubblenest he built.  He continues this until all eggs have been collected.  Momma is removed from the tank, and Daddy stays with the eggs to rotate them to prevent fungal attacks.  After about 24 hours the eggs should hatch!  I’m hoping to start the process possibly Sunday, or next weekend.

In two weeks I will be traveling to Vicksburg, MS to pick up my very own angora bunny!  I am getting a sable baby that is 4 months old.  Not only will this be a pet for me, but also a fiber source.  I call it a pet with a purpose :p

I need to fund this bunny, so I’m stocking my Hyena Cart!  Use code “bunnymoney” to receive a 10% discount off of your entire order.  As an added incentive, order $50 or more and I will ship it first class for free!  To receive both discounts, apply code “bunnymoney” and then email me.  Once I have confirmed your order is $50 or more, I will invoice you sans shipping.  I may send an invoice before I receive your email, it will just depend if I see the order immediately or not.

Everything will go live tomorrow at 9pm CST.  Stay tuned for previews on Hyena Cart!  http://www.hyenacart.com/cajunfiberco

My mom made these jackets for them, and yes these are their ‘winter’ jackets LOL

Yeah, I’m a last minute kind of gal, for those of you that don’t know it

The Southdown Marketplace is this weekend, and forgetting about it (as per usual), I’m in a mad rush to get some yarn dyed up. I’ll be with my mom again this year, I’m not sure of the booth number, but she is always the 2-booth space by the big oak tree in front of the bayou/next to the cement crossing bridge.

But I will anyway.

You see the reason that I don’t blog often is because I feel if I’m going to blog, I need to make it interesting, and interesting to me means including pictures.  But adding pictures brings a whole new slew of perfectionism.  First there is taking a good shot, making sure it is exposed properly and such.  Then there is uploading to the computer.  Then there is editing, which is usually just resizing and raising contrast.  And in my head, that just takes too long!  I swear sometimes I think I have ADD because I just can not stay focused on one project for more than 10 minutes.  So to spend half an hour with pictures, instead of just writing, makes it too much of a time suck, not to mention that by then I figure you wouldn’t even care much about the post to begin with.

Sooooo… no pictures!  I’m just going to blog the nice old-fashioned way!

My birthday celebration was quite the success!  I am so proud that it did so well.  A huge thank you to the ladies that joined me : Lisa, Rebecca, Paty, & Tasha.  The stocking could not have been what it was without you ladies.  And a big huge, sloppy kisses & hugs thank you to all of my customers!  Without you, well, where would I be?  Drowning in mountains of fiber, that’s where!  Not that that is the worst way to go..

I am planning my next stocking as we speak.  I have been told via my Ravelry group that boy colorways are wanted.  I stepped back and looked at what I have been stocking, and the amount of pink surprised me!  So yes, I am working on boy colorways – right now in fact.  The first is cooking on the stove-top as I write this.  I have 4 total new colorways planned.

I just placed an order for 12 lbs of roving, some new things as well as old favorites.  Keep an eye out for it!

And now, a confession.  I am scared of spinning batts.  There!  I said it!  I have had these beautiful batts in my stash in the past, but I am unsure how to spin them.  So I ended up selling them when I needed the cash.  I do have one remaining batt, and that is a FOTM club installment from Becoming Art.

I have been after Theresa, who makes and spins from batts to make a video for all of us batt nOObs out there to teach us!  She plans to make several installments, and her first is dizzing a batt.  So, I watched her video and found myself a diz – a wooden donut bead on an abacus that was laying around the house receiving no love.  The hole is the perfect size, according to Theresa – 1/4″.  And indeed it was!  I made a lovely roving from the batt, and am spinning it now.  I have to say, I am no longer scared of batts!  Dizzing it did wonders.  I can’t wait to diz my next one!  Thanks so much Theresa!