Finished my portrait of Omicron! It’s really hard to get accurate photos of the painting, since I have indoor lighting and some of the paints are reflective. He initially flared at it the first second he saw it; now he can’t stop studying it. I think it looks like uncanny valley to him and bewilders him a little.
If you want a portrait like this for your fish, let me know! Contact me here on tumblr, at deviantart, or e-mail at inthe13thhour(at)yahoo(dot)com. Pricing will depend on how complex the fish is (more intricate patterns take longer), but I’m thinking in the $25-$45 range (cost of materials included; shipping depends on your location but should be less than $5 in the US). The canvas is about 2.25in x 2.25in and comes with a matching display easel. Alternatively, you can request a same-size colored pencil illustration, in case you would rather have something flat that you can frame.
I also take commissions for lots of other things, like pets, people, web graphics (banners, backgrounds, sidebar images, signatures for your blog or site), tattoos…. the list goes on and on!
Meet my new Betta, Parzival (named after the character in Ready Player One, one of my favorite movies/books). I got him on May 21, 2019 at Petco. He is one of the spunkiest Bettas I’ve ever had, and he’s a joy to watch. Here’s his color progression over the past couple of weeks, which is actually pretty drastic. Videos to come soon!!
Update July 13, 2019:
Here is a new picture from today!!
Update September 4, 2019:
Here’s a couple new pictures!! He’s (almost) completely blue now
I’ve been so much busier than I thought I would have been and haven’t been back to my blog in a while. I’ll update you all on my babies!!
Update #1:
In my last post I was going to show you the new betta I got for the other half of my divided 10 gallon tank. Her name is Poppy and she is a GORGEOUS yellow galaxy koi betta that I got from Petco. I had been in this Petco a couple times for other things over the course of about 3 weeks, and she was there each time I went in. The last time I went in I couldn’t bear to leave her again!! So below is a picture of when I first got her compared to a picture of her today. Honestly, she really hasn’t changed much color wise which has surprised me, but she is definitely brighter!!
Update #2:
I have gotten an absolutely STUNNING super red bristlnose pleco for my 20 gallon aquarium. It was about an inch or inch and a half long when I first got it (still don’t know if it’s a male or a female) and now it’s about 3 and a half inches long!!
Update #3:
I have also gotten a second Bristlenose, this time a Black Longfin. It is gorgeous, but again I haven’t named it because it’s too young to determine if it is male or female. It is in my divided 10 gallon with my Bettas currently to be able to clean up the algae (which it is doing extremely well), and I switch what side it is on every few days. When it gets too large to continue doing this I am going to move it to my 20 gallon tank, but by that point I hope I have a 55 gallon tank to have my tropical community in.
Update #4:
My ultimate goal since I have started my fish rack is to have a 55 gallon tank on one shelf with three 20 gallons and a 10 gallon underneath.
The 55 gallon will be a tropical community tank, with Angelfish (yes, plural; I want at least one more) and possibly schools of Guppies, Neon Tetras, White Skirt Tetras, and Rummynose Tetras. I will also have my Bristlenose Plecos in here along with trying my hand at keeping German Blue Rams.
The 20 gallons will have all different fish. One I want to keep a pair of Betta mahachaiensis and Endlers Livebearers. Another is like to keep native fish, which at this point I would like Etheostoma spectabile, Etheostoma caeruleum, and Etheostoma flabellare (if you can’t tell, I LOVE darters). The last tank I haven’t fully decided on yet. The one idea I have so far is to have either one Banded Sculpin or multiple of the same size (so they don’t eat each other). But I could also use this as a grow out tank for fry from the Betta mahachaiensis.
The 10 gallon is my quarantine tank. I haven’t ever had one due to not having enough room, but I’m so grateful I am able to have one now.
I think that’s all the updates!! I’ll be sure to post more this year as my fish keeping journey continues.
