MattsBettas
About Me:
What is your real first name?
Matthew, but I go by Matt a lot. Either works.
Where are you located?
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
What is your occupation?
Student
How did you choose your forum user name?
Name's Matt. I have bettas. Still makes me mad that there's no apostrophe in there, but it would look funny if there was one and I'm not even sure if they're allowed.
My Fishkeeping experience:
When & how did you become involved in fishkeeping?
I was always had fish of some sort growing up, on and off, whether it was a betta or a small community. I still cringe thinking of how I cared for them and never bothered to quarantine. Ahh, so glad to have found this forum.
How did you discover this fish forum?
I frequented it for information after discovering it on a google search one day and decided to join.
What kind of fish do you currently keep?
LOTS of domestic bettas (Betta splendens), Betta channoides, Endler's livebearers (Poecilia wingei), and marbled/marmorkreb/self-cloning crayfish... Believe me, the fish I want to own are MUCH more exciting then the ones I do!
What size tanks and setups do you have?
Running right now I have a twenty gallon planted, three ten gallons (One blackwater, one java moss stuffed, and one with gravel and a chunk of pipe), three five gallons, a three gallon, a one gallon jar (naturally planted), and then jars for bettas (sitting in a spare ten gallon with a heater). All filtered and/or planted. I think that's all. Then there's a few in storage.
What would be your dream tank?
200+ gallons densely planted with schools of... Something. I really just want it big and planted. A massive reef would be amazing too.
Do you name your fish? If so, what are their names?
My fish only get names if they're really special or someone else names them. The one that has a name is Squirt, a super tiny runt that lives in the aforementioned 1g jar.
What is your favorite fish?
One? I'm supposed to chose one favorite fish? Ugh... If I had to choose one fish I like more then all the rest, Betta persephone comes to mind- critically endangered and beautiful. Have to point out that LittleBettaFish and her amazing photography is the reason that they're at the top of my list (yes, there is a real list). My favorite fish that I own or have owned is the domestic betta.
What was your most challenging fishkeeping experience?
I made keeping the channoides difficult for myself, but most challenging was probably raising multiple betta spawns simultaneously.
What advice would you like to share with the forum community? Quarantine and do water changes, and never be afraid to learn more!
Other stuff about me:
What are your other hobbies?
This is the hobby... I love photography, that's pretty much the other one. I run a lot and bike quite a bit during the summer, swim, and listen to a lot of music... If those count as hobbies.
Do you keep any other pets?
Yup, a leopard gecko that is getting old.
What are your favorite bands/type of music?
There's no specific genre I listen to, but some artists I like are The Black Keys, Lana Del Rey (she's definitely a favorite... Way less popular then she should be), Florence + The Machine (I see a trend -_-), Tegan and Sara, Morgan Page, Martin Solveig, Calvin Harris, David Guetta, U2, Rihanna, Avicii, Rudimental, The Neighborhood, OneRepublic, Mumford & Sons... I could go on.
What are a few of your favorite films?
I don't really have favorite films, despite the fact that I watch a ton.
What are your favorite TV shows?
Breaking Bad, How I Met Your Mother (only because I'm currently blowing through it on Netflix), The Office (American), The Blacklist, The Amazing Race, and The Daily Show all come to mind. There's still so much tv I have to watch and so many I'm forgetting.
What are a few of your favorite books?
I actually don't read a ton of novels... Most of my reading material comes in the form of articles. I recently read The Book Thief and really enjoyed it, though.
What is your favorite food?
I just like food, period. I don't really have a favorite... But bananas and apples and every other fruit are awesome. If I had to pick one favorite food though... Cabbage rolls.
What are your pet peeves?
Don't really have any that come to mind. Not a whole lot bothers me.
What is REALLY important to you?
My friends are super important to me. I'm also really passionate about equality.
What is your favorite silly quote?
Don't have any favorite in particular... But anything on an Ecard or out of Ellen's mouth should be relatable and entertaining to me.
Anything else that you'd like to share?
Not really. I'm not all that exciting of a person. I second Jennifer, though- feel free to message me for a question or a rant or anything else.