Help with betta fish! - Page 5

nickoh · 08-11-2015, 01:30 PM

popping in again to say a great low maintence plant I used for bettas a lot is a green moss ball (often next to bettas in the little cups) they pick at it and play with it. It just looks like a ball of green fur. A lot of people think it's a "live animal", but it's just a live plant. No extra feeding or careful water temperatures needed to keep it flourishing. I find it helps keep the water a bit "grimey" if you know what I mean. It feels like stress coat or algae. The only problem is if you don't clean out the water as much it does stain the glass kinda green.

BrainGirl · 08-11-2015, 01:42 PM

Good point nickoh, too clean water can be as bad as really dirty water. Another thing good for bettas is tannins. If you don't have Indian Almond leaves (aka "catappa") or driftwood in your tank you can also buy something called Betta Spa which is just concentrated tannins in a bottle.

Enh98 · 08-12-2015, 04:04 PM

Okay, a few more questions please! I am thinking the little guy has swim bladder disease. He can swim a dart around for a few seconds but then sinks. I moved him to a 1.5 gallon temporary tank along with his heater and a thermometer to monitor temp. I used water from his tank to fill it. So now that I have removed about 1.5 gallons from his old tank I will finish the partial water change. Since he isn't in his tank currently, can I add 1.5 gallons of tap water back to the tank and treat it with dechlorinator? Or do I need to put 1.5 gallons in a separate container, treat it and then add it to the main tank after a day or so?

BrainGirl · 08-12-2015, 05:05 PM

Did the swimming problem start after you did the large water change? If you look straight down on him do you see any lumps or swellings? If this was caused by high nitrates the fast change in levels could have shocked his system and caused his symptoms. Or the change itself has resulted in a fish version of The Bends. In such a case, putting extra aeration in the tank can help, and also turning the heater temperature down.

Something that's supposed to help bettas in cases caused by constipation is to feed a skinless, mushed green pea. That helps to get their bowels moving and can sometimes reduce the problem.

Piebald · 08-12-2015, 11:43 PM

Enh98 I'm impressed you are taking such good care of fishy

I know it's not what you were looking for so props to you xx

Enh98 · 08-13-2015, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piebald

Enh98 I'm impressed you are taking such good care of fishy

I know it's not what you were looking for so props to you xx

Thanks for the encouragement but I'm really just hoping he dies soon, lol.
I'm in over my head with fish medical intervention!

racinghamster · 08-13-2015, 10:31 AM

Just a thought, but would a good vet have been able to advise on this? I`m not sure they see many goldfish or exotic fish but some do operate on fish!

Aquatics shops can usually give good, quick advice on things you may have tried already or have overlooked? When I looked into keeping a few fish or a single Betta, I remembered thinking to myself that once I had a tank `cycled` that I would never do full water changes just because of the videos I was watching or the websites that suggested the partial water changes. Being a total novice I would have been too scared to attempt that. I eventually went off the idea because keeping fish is such an art these days and for anything to go wrong, I don`t have any immediate help around so I thought keeping any fish would be selfish really as they need as much care (if not more) than your average pet. I felt like a minnow in an otherwise shark pond! So the idea was finally shelved. x

BrainGirl · 08-13-2015, 10:41 AM

Be very careful about who you get advice from. In my experience, and the experience of the vast majority of fish keepers, pet stores generally don't know anything about the fish they sell and will say anything to sell them. The most common one I hear is that common plecos will do well in a small tank. They don't. They can't. A pet store once sold me a baby common pleco for a 2 gallon tank! I know better now and I would never keep anything in a 2 gallon tank other than maybe a snail. It definitely wasn't suitable for a fish that can reach 2 feet in length!

It's a lot like the situation with hamsters. Stores are in the business of selling stuff and they're happy to avoid the truth if it means selling more. I really would advise finding a good forum to get advice from experienced aquarists or joining a local fish club.

There must be fish-experienced vets out there but maybe your best bet for that would be to contact a public aquarium. I bet someone there would know!

Enh98 · 08-13-2015, 10:59 AM

Unfortunately we only have chain stores around me (Petco, Petsmart) and I find they aren't any more knowledgable than me, in most instances. I'm definitely going to do more research before getting another fish. Fishy is in his hospital tank so I cleaned out his tank really well, disposed of the plastic plants and boiled his other decor to disinfect. I added a moss ball and some river rocks and will get some softer, silk plants. I don't think I'm ready to take on live plants yet. I *think* I've learned enough about the nitrogen cycle to learn how to properly cycle the tank before adding a new fish. Thanks to this forum I've gotten quite the education on fish and I appreciate it! What started out as an "easy" pet for my son has easily turned into the most difficult to maintain, lol!

racinghamster · 08-13-2015, 11:52 AM

It`s rotten luck that you have had this happen Enh98 and it can happen with the best intentions, which you had. They say fish are hardy and they can be, but they can also be delicate. Zoos and public aquariums are probably your best bet at getting decent advice, even with a phone call I guess rather than actually visiting if that`s too difficult. Really hope your wee fella pulls through for you. Sometimes we just have to do what we can and let them do the rest if they are strong enough. x