u/CerberusFangz

Hi,

This is a bit of a vent, sorry— it’s really sad for me to say, but I think that I may have to unfortunately say goodbye to my two bettas, Rogue and Blue.

My school’s staff got them in the spring of 2025, after asking me and me telling them not to. In December of 2025, I decided I couldn’t stand seeing them like that and spent hundreds of dollars setting up 10 gallon fish tanks for each of them. I’ve watched them go from faded and sad to energetic and full of personality, and they have become something that motivates me to stay on track. I planned to bring them to college with me this fall.

Unfortunately, the security head here has told the center director that the heater and filter are not necessary, and are dangerous because they are not connected to GFCI outlets. I told the school I’d be willing to buy the outlet materials if the warehouse could switch them out, but he refused. He said the tanks needed to go, and that betta fish did not need to be in a tank that big.

I told him they need to be in a 5-10 gallon tank, and he said “no they don’t”. I told him they also needed 76-78 F water, and he also said they did not. He tried asking me what the PH I was running was, when I answered him 7.6-7.8, he told me there was plenty that he could ask that I didn’t know, and that he had fish tanks too. He told me a couple months ago that he knows they dont need that, because he had a friend who fought bettas and the guy “just kept them in cups that werent heated” and “they were fine.”

I told him I had nowhere to bring them, and would rather put them down or something if they wouldn’t let me keep the tanks. He said they’d “figure something out”, but I know that he will put them back in a little vase like the ones they used to be in, everyone keeps insisting it’s fine for them.

I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to return them to a pet store. I don’t have friends I trust to care for them. I could put them in my bathroom, but they’ll throw a fit about that too.

What should I do? Put them in vases again? Put them down so they don’t have to go through that? Give them to someone to take? Idk what to do.

Hi,

This is a bit of a vent, sorry— it’s really sad for me to say, but I think that I may have to unfortunately say goodbye to my two bettas, Rogue and Blue.

My school’s staff got them in the spring of 2025, after asking me and me telling them not to. In December of 2025, I decided I couldn’t stand seeing them like that and spent hundreds of dollars setting up 10 gallon fish tanks for each of them. I’ve watched them go from faded and sad to energetic and full of personality, and they have become something that motivates me to stay on track. I planned to bring them to college with me this fall.

Unfortunately, the security head here has told the center director that the heater and filter are not necessary, and are dangerous because they are not connected to GFCI outlets. I told the school I’d be willing to buy the outlet materials if the warehouse could switch them out, but he refused. He said the tanks needed to go, and that betta fish did not need to be in a tank that big.

I told him they need to be in a 5-10 gallon tank, and he said “no they don’t”. I told him they also needed 76-78 F water, and he also said they did not. He tried asking me what the PH I was running was, when I answered him 7.6-7.8, he told me there was plenty that he could ask that I didn’t know, and that he had fish tanks too. He told me a couple months ago that he knows they dont need that, because he had a friend who fought bettas and the guy “just kept them in cups that werent heated” and “they were fine.”

I told him I had nowhere to bring them, and would rather put them down or something if they wouldn’t let me keep the tanks. He said they’d “figure something out”, but I know that he will put them back in a little vase like the ones they used to be in, everyone keeps insisting it’s fine for them.

I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to return them to a pet store. I don’t have friends I trust to care for them. I could put them in my bathroom, but they’ll throw a fit about that too.

What should I do? Put them in vases again? Put them down so they don’t have to go through that? Give them to someone to take? Idk what to do.

Hi,

This is a bit of a vent, sorry— it’s really sad for me to say, but I think that I may have to unfortunately say goodbye to my two boys, Rogue and Blue.

My school’s staff got them in the spring of 2025, after asking me and me telling them not to. In December of 2025, I decided I couldn’t stand seeing them like that and spent hundreds of dollars setting up 10 gallon fish tanks for each of them. I’ve watched them go from faded and sad to energetic and full of personality, and they have become something that motivates me to stay on track. I planned to bring them to college with me this fall.

Unfortunately, the security head here has told the center director that the heater and filter are not necessary, and are dangerous because they are not connected to GFCI outlets. I told the school I’d be willing to buy the outlet materials if the warehouse could switch them out, but he refused. He said the tanks needed to go, and that betta fish did not need to be in a tank that big.

I told him they need to be in a 5-10 gallon tank, and he said “no they don’t”. I told him they also needed 76-78 F water, and he also said they did not. He tried asking me what the PH I was running was, when I answered him 7.6-7.8, he told me there was plenty that he could ask that I didn’t know, and that he had fish tanks too. He told me a couple months ago that he knows they dont need that, because he had a friend who fought bettas and the guy “just kept them in cups that werent heated” and “they were fine.”

I told him I had nowhere to bring them, and would rather put them down or something if they wouldn’t let me keep the tanks. He said they’d “figure something out”, but I know that he will put them back in a little vase like the ones they used to be in, everyone keeps insisting it’s fine for them.

I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to return them to a pet store. I don’t have friends I trust to care for them. I could put them in my bathroom, but they’ll throw a fit about that too.

What should I do? Put them in vases again? Put them down so they don’t have to go through that? Give them to someone to take? Idk what to do.

I forced myself to keep it simple since this was supposed to be a quick adopt that I’m selling, but I’m looking for critique/advice on my work, so I know what to do better next time!

I’m going to school for art in the fall, and I really want to be a character designer/animator, and improve on my art/storytelling/design skills.

I’m really trying to get better at designing interesting characters as well as color theory and rendering.

I’m starting to make adopts, it forces me to draw and design- and get out of my comfort zone! :)

How did I do? Is there anything in my process that I should fix?

I plan on refining the designs for the character sheets, so the bland looking ones on the right will have some more accessories :))

I’m going to be posting an auction them when I finish today— I plan to have a starting bid of $5 and auto buy of $50, which includes a complimentary flat-colored halfbody sketch— and a couple more expensive options for more complimentary stuff.

Am I underpricing? I only have 1.5k on instagram, and so I’m a lil worried abt how much appeal I’ll get 👁️👁️

✌️😭 and honestly I feel like even the top right is a lil bland

These are adopts I’m working on, I want them to be likeable before I post them…

Left for the weekend and came back just now to see that my boy, blue, has a bald spot on his head! He often weaves around the branches I have in his tank, and I haven’t had any issues- but there are a few short branches that he mightve clipped himself on.

Just making sure this is the cause and not something else, so I can correctly treat it :>

I’m trying once again to add lighting/color scheme beyond the local colors to this piece, however I’m having trouble.

For starters, the character is a sheep-feline hybrid that works as a butcher for an underground meat trade. She is antisocial, and tends to be deadpan.

I want the painting to look threatening, dark, malicious(?)— but I feel like something abt the lighting is always too soft…

I will link the older posts and my refs in the comments