"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Betta Enjoy Them,They Grow Up So Quickly!

~With the arrival of spring and warmer weather we have the always present mosquito larvae in our animals' water troughs. When life gives you larvae, why feed the fish! That is what larvae are good for! Here is one of my Bettas. I have 3. They are like keeping exotic, living art in the house. My Bettas live a long time , at least 2 or 3 years..and I think the last one that died had lived here for 4 years. They are just beautiful. I put them in glass bowls or containers with rooting plants. It is relaxing to watch them. Often I find them cradled in the nook of a root, and though books tell me fish don't sleep, they appear to be thoroughly enjoying the fish equivalent of a recliner! Anyway, back to mosquito larvae. Now that the mosquitos are enjoying the weather by using every possible water source to leave their young in, I am scooping the abundant supply of larvae in my net to feed my Bettas. If you click on this picture ( above ) it will enlarge and you can see the larvae this Betta is about to snap up!
~Quacker update:They are growing so quickly! Remember the ducklings ,all16 came in this litle box?~
~Then all 16 were moved to this plastic bin in the bathroom?~
~The ducklings grew quickly and were moved to my brooding shed!~
~Now, observe the same waterer in the previous picture with above picture in comparison with the size of the ducklings.They are as big as the waterer! These little quackers are always at the water! It is near impossible to keep them dry, and you can see the splashing of food mixed with water all over the outside of the waterer. I clean and refill the water several times a day. I am excited for the day I move them near the pond in preparation for them to start life there...they will be happier about this than me.
~Another Betta, isn't he gorgeous? A living centerpiece, complete with color and greenery.~

14 comments:

BT said...

Oh it's such a heavenly post, Beta fish (Siamese Fighters?), mosquito larvae and beautiful ducklings. I can't wait to see them moved outside. They are so lovely and will love the new freedom no doubt.

Anonymous said...

Your pictures are so enjoyable Kathy. I cannot believe how the ducklings have grown! Keep us posted.

LindaSue said...

It just gets betta and betta - sorry couldn't resist -- I used to keep betta in a jar with plants - they are so languid and beautiful colors. Ducklings are adorable - have you ventured over to check on the wild ducks' nest?

noble pig said...

Beautiful! The ducks are so cute too, I bet they are noisy as well.

Don't even get me started on the larvae. UGH. We have West Nile virus around here and it scares me quite frankly.

KathyB. said...

BT, the ducks and I will enjoy their freedom! They are so beautiful in my pond, and ducks were not meant for confined spaces...they are pretty messy.

Mildred,only one of the ducklings would fit comfortably in the box they arrived in now!

LindaSue, you betta!I have checked the snag the wood ducks are in, but all I see is a glimpse of the female returning from somewhere and she disappears inside the snag in seconds!

Noble Pig, we have West Nile around here too. That is why I am glad we have so many frogs, birds, bats, and bugs dwelling here that grow fat on larvae , kind of an endless buffet from now til fall!

Shelley said...

I used to have Bettas when I was younger. Seeing yours makes me want to get them again. You're right - they are peaceful to watch. Nice to see how big your quackers are getting too! :)

Thistle Cove Farm said...

This is a really interesting post, Kathy. We only have running water and many years ago I put a nineteen cents gold fish in the water trough. Goldy is now a couple of pounds big and still living; he's about ten years old.

Mary Humphrey said...

Wow, the beta's are gorgeous!

The ducklings have really grown. It always amazes me to see how fast they grow, and to see their feathers arrive.

And, yes, such a beautiful centerpiece!

Anonymous said...

They do grow up fast! My sister-in-law has a beta fish, the one that we visited with in Georgia, it's really her daughter's though, my almost 4 year old niece!

A. Joy said...

The kids and I really liked seeing the duckies in the pictures today! Especially that yellow one popping up above the rest in the first photo. Have you picked a favorite?

KathyB. said...

Shellmo, I just can't resist those little plastic jars with the bettas at the pet store. The colors are so beautiful and they are the easiest fish besides goldfish to care for! Let me know when you get another!

Thistle Cove, wow! Goldy is a carp now! We had 2 goldfish that thrived and grew in our sheep water trough, for several years...they were getting pretty big and then one day the Blue Heron spotted them and they are no more.

Mary, the beauty of creation is amazing , isn't it? I guess ducklings have to grow fast because they have to fend for themselves pretty soon after hatching!

Amy, does your niece's betta have a name?

A.Joy,I notice I like to watch the biggest, yellow Rouen and there is a little , active and funny Dutch Hookbill......

Lanny said...

I am quite sure that ducklings are my favorite baby. They must be because I have three in my bathroom. Mosquito larva are definitely at the bottom of the baby list!

Anonymous said...

What a great idea to feed the larvae to the betta fish! My son loves watching the larvae in the creek - he thinks they move funny ;)

I hear you about the ducklings and the water! We are moving our teenagers outside today. They will still need a light, but they can go crazy with the water out there. Happiness for all of us. We had 13 more hatch on Wednesday and we have another nest to hatch next week - what was I thinking???

Someone identified the plant that I posted pictures of, it is called - “Heal All”, it is in the mint family and it’s Latin name is Prunella vulgaris.

Paula said...

Wow- the babies sure are growing! They're still so cute though!