Blub

Oh no...


So, as many of you know, I have a new boy named Najavo. He came from a person who bought a tank, and didn't know how to care for the betta that came with it, so I rescued the Betta. Navajo is now in my 7.5gal. He's having a few problems...

A) Swimming. I suspect that he was in an unfiltered tank, as his swimming muscles do not appear strong. I've put a baffle on my filter, and he can now rest anywhere in the tank, but he does not move much.
B) Eating. His mouth is slightly wonky, and he does not appear to be able to eat very easily. I gave him a Hikari betta bio gold pellet, and tried to chew it, but it popped out of his mouth! He tried to eat it about 5 times before I decided to try him on 'TetraBetta' - a kind of really small flake food. He could eat that, but isn't chasing it down easily.
C) Finrott? He has slight white tips on his fins, although nothing is rotting off.

What on earth should I do?! I'm really worried about him.

Sprinangl2

oh, hatchet, i'm so sorry! i just got my first betta on Wednesday, so i don't really know what to do...maybe you could put in some Vitachem or Garlic Guard? just to be on the safe side....but i'd wait until the more experienced people reply.

COBettaCouple

He may be having fin regrowth in the white tips on his fins and his fin strength should increase. I'd watch his activity levels though as lethargy could indicate internal parasites.

I'd try to find him very tiny food.. Ocean Nutrition Betta Pro Pellets and New Life Spectrum Grow Pellets are both very small. You can also try pre-soaking his food or going with a diet of thawed frozen bloodworms.

Martinismommy

I would try soaking his pellets...My boys all spit them out if they are not soaked..Make sure he eats the 1st one before offering the next...Hikari freeze dried bloodworms are great too..They are soft and easy to get down for their little mouths....

As far as the white on the tips of his tail I'd say he is just growing....My boy Dunn was all lavendar when I brought him home and now his rays are all tipped with red....Here is a picture of my Granddaughters boy Barney...He has grown the white tips on his red rays in just 1 week of being here....I believe finrot is black not white.....

I'd just give him time to settle in...He'll be fine.....

Barney white tips...

Blub

You guys are awesome!

So, as far as feeding goes... How long do I soak the pellets? Do they need to be soaked in tank water?

Just checked on him. He's sitting on the filter, not moving... See how he is in the morning.

Martinismommy

I soak them in garlic guard for maybe 2 minutes..Any longer and they get mushy......You can use water from his tank if you don't have any garlic.....

Blub

I'm going to have to start growing some garlic! A whole bed or two... I have a HUGE garden and the beds are just waiting to be dug out... (My tip: never buy a plant unless you want to become totally addicted and have no space to move and HUGE light sets above all your tanks...) I love the new avatar!

Blub

Wait, if he is growing... I know when I get growing pains it's really annoying... Maybe fish get growing pains, and he's 'standing still' because his fins ache?

Shawnie

Poor lil man!!! hes probably not use to having loving correct care in a tank!!

so hes shocked a bit ...also, if you can have your mom buy a jar of fresh garlic with the juice in it, then soak pellets or food in the juice, it entices eating and its very very good for him...I hope he gets better because he really needs to know how much you love him and want him to be well!!

Darlene

I hope he gets to feeling better soon.

chickadee

Hatchet, he has been very poorly treated and is in very bad shape and you will hopefully see very great improvement in him in the coming months but remember this problem did not come on quickly and will not be over in a matter of days. He is going to need a lot of Tender Loving Care. When you can get the Fishtamin and start giving him some vitamins and soak his pellets in some garlic water and give him a lot of time to get used to the swimming as remember he is not used to the current being put out by the filter. (I wish you had a sponge filter cycled for this particular fish to begin with). He is probably sore from his head to his tail from fighting the current and does not want to move for fear of it hurting just yet. He probably hates moving at this time but be very patient and perhaps (I cannot believe I am saying this) just for the couple moments you are feeding him you could turn the filter off so that he could eat without having to chase the food down. He needs to eat to build up his strength and yet does not have the strength to chase the food through the current just yet. Then as he gets a bit stronger you can leave it on while he eats but this is one little weak guy just yet.

I do agree that the white on his fins is probably just the damaged parts regenerating themselves so you see he is already getting some good about being with you and having clean water and good care. He just needs some patience and love and continued time to learn and grow and build up his swimming muscles and remember that until he does get them built up he is going to not feel so good as it will hurt to be sore muscley and have to move around so be patient but don't be worried as he will move when he needs to but he is like we are, when it hurts you don't do it unless you have to. You will find that little by little it will be better and soon you will not believe he is the same fish he was. It is such a bad thing that the people that had him were so horrid to him and had no intention of being good parents to him as long as they owned him. They should have at least cared for him well when they owned him and then sold him, but they had no interest in him and it shows. Thank goodness he came to you and you will adore him and he will have excellent care. He will soon learn to love you very much simply because he was so poorly treated and now will really appreciate the better life he has. Just give him time to get to feeling better. I know you are an excellent betta dad.

Rose

MissMTS

Hi Hatchet,
It seems like everyone has given you great advice, so I won't bother to repeat what has already been said. I do hope that he is doing better though. He is lucky to have you as a daddy, and I know you will take great care of him. It is so sad when people mistreat fish, but at least his old owner was wise enough to sell him since they knew they couldn't take care of him. I am sure that under your care he will slowly gain strength and recooperate. Just be patient....I know its hard.

Blub

Update: when I got up this morning, I decided to play with the filter a bit. I cleaned the impeller, and got out some of the foam that I was using to baffle it. I have managed to really reduce the flow! I'm thinking of getting a sponge filter, sticking the sponge in the 48gal for a week or so to get it up and running, then sticking it in Najavo's tank. I only with Fluval had bothered to include the current adjuster in their smaller + series models!

I wish the seller had said about the filtration thing.... It is so difficult to get it right - I spent an hour trying to get a setting that didn't deathen us and was slow enough to swim in. He's much more active! I hope he's thinking "Hey, I can swim in this tank!"... He's also shpowing interest in my finger on the glass!

I'm thinking I'm going to give this seller neautral feedback... Because he was very good about the thing where he needed to be late, but when he did arrive there was a problem!

When should I bring peas into his feeding program? I'm going for strength at the moment, with all the betta pellets... I'm hoping to find an excuse to get into town so I can get garlic juice... That shouldn't be hard!

angelfish220

If He will take them, now. Peas will help flush any bad stuff out of his system and get him better faster. And I find having the none processed food makes bettas VERY happy

welshalien

Oh Hatchet, it must be so frustrating to have waited so long and then watch Navajo have problems. Navajo is using muscles he's not used to using and I agree completely with Rose about those muscles hurting him.
I turn the filter off while feeding Pepper (my son and his girlfriend's betta). The flow just shoots the pellets all over the place and he isn't strong enough to chase them down (he was in an unfiltered bowl originally and is still getting used to the current).
Just try to be patient -- I know it's hard! -- and realize we're all pulling for you and your sweet betta boy! You are a good dad and he'll be better soon, I know it.

Kelly

chickadee

He can have peas any time but be sure that they are not to replace a meal as he needs all his meals and they should not be within 3 hours of a meal so all his food is digested. He can have 3 small pieces of pea that are not bigger than 1/4 the size of his eye at a time. His tummy is the same size as his eye and you do not want to overfeed him and make him feel bloated or overstuffed so he cannot swim well. Also be sure to soak his pellets even if you do it with dechlorinated water now before you get the garlic water or garlic juice. You do not need him getting constipated to complicate things.

I am so glad he is starting to do better.

Rose

Devon

I always provide a small glass or cup turned on its side with the opening facing away from the current for my betta babies, to escape all movement in the water when they wish. They really love to have a "cave" as well, it seems to make them feel very secure, especially when they are getting used to new surroundings.
Good luck and I hope that he gains his strength back soon!

Blub

I only wish I could have been prepared... I assumed when he didn't know how to care for him, he was in a heated filtered tank... I'm going to ask dad to email the seller to see what conditions he was kept in! I'm annoyed as well - my baffle came of in the night! However, I saw Navajo swimming around, and niot just to take a breath! I think he's getting stronger... I'll start turning the filter of at feeding tim now - thanks for the tip! I think he was fed some bad food and his mouth doesn't appear to be able to swallow my Bio gold! I hope he can grow his mouth back to a good shape.

So, I'll make sure Navajo doesn't miss out on veggie day like Malachai did! I feed them to my other fish, so it's no problem. I was origionally worried about the carnivorous diet and all...

Is antison's Betta pro flake or pellet food? I can get that fairly easily. I thought since he has trouble with pellets, if that was flake then I'd be OK food wise.

Devon, I have a cute little coconut as a 'moving present' for him! I'm going to remove it when my other plants arrive, but by then he'll have enough 'green caves' to house an entire city!

I did a bit of thinking yesterday, and it strikes me. At the very least, this is Nav's 5th home! First was the bubblenest tank, then some jar when he was identified as male, then the pet store, then the person who sold the person who I got him of the tank with him in (Home no 4) and now here! I suspect he is about a year old... So, 5 homes in 1 year! Yikes, no wonder he seems shocked.

I think he's getting better day by day... I might throw in some hornwort to cover for the hygrophila until that comes!

Darlene

I'm glad to hear he is getting better. I'm sure he will keep getting better with a dad like you taking care of him.

Lucy

Hatchet, you're doing so well for this little guy.
5 homes? Poor thing!

I'm so happy he's found you to give him lots of love in his forever home.

peacemaker92

Hatchet... Hope it gets better soon. He's a very nice fish and deserves the best! He really deserves you, you're such a good fish keeper! Send me a message about his condition soon. Sorry couldn't check out your threads for the last few days, was very busy and had no time to get on the web. Hope to hear from you soon! Good luck and all the best!

chickadee

Hatchet,

Atison's Betta Pro is a pellet but it is the tiniest of pellets and even bettas with sore mouths will be able to easily handle it. It is for bettas technically under 6 months of age as it is super concentrated food and high protein and all but it will do for a betta like him that has been mistreated and needs special care much better at this point than the Betta Bio-gold would in my opinion. He also needs his veggies as you know and some vitamins to help him get his strength up and soon you will see a different boy.

I am thinking you will probably not get much help or satisfaction from the seller. They have their money and are rid of the fish and that is after all what they wanted. I would put the past behind you and just satisfy yourself with the feedback and go on from here with the satisfaction that he is YOUR fish now and you have total control over his treatment from here on out. While we may like the idea of being able to get this person for mistreating this fish, remember that most of the world out there is functioning with misconceptions about how bettas need to be treated and perhaps he or she is one of these. It is not their fault they do not know what to do with these lovely fish, but it is their fault that they do not want to find out. Be thankful that if they did not want him that they did not just flush him but tried at least to find a new home for him. And you can both be thankful that that home is now with one of the most caring and loving betta parents that I know....YOU. You know how to help him and concentrate on that and we will help you with information or any way we can and hopefully Navajo will respond with all the strength that we KNOW these little guys are capable of mustering when they need to.

I wish you a happy day with him and do stop fretting so. You are not going to do yourself or him any good doing it and you may become sick and he may pick up on it and worry for you. He sounds like he is improving and gaining strength and we are all of us pulling for you and sending good thoughts and prayers for you and him. Just keep giving him good food and clean water and warm conditions (within the limits of course) and he cannot help but get better. If you notice any real differences or problems then get excited but you are wearing yourself out with worry over him and he just needs you to love him, which I think you already do. Be sure to put your hand on his tank side or front several times a day and talk to him and call him by name so he gets to know you. It will help to bring out his personality. If he has had all those homes it is going to take him a while to figure out that this one is the final one so do not move him about. Keep him in that tank or it will make him insecure. He is going to take longer to get to trust you than one who went right from the breeder to you as he has been in and out of too many places. You will have to show him that you love him by being attentive to him and talking to him and spending time with him at meal and treat times and some during other times. When you clean his tank talk to him continually. You don't know if he has ever had a tank cleaning or how it was done and if it was a scary experience for him. Be sure to use his name a lot so he knows that is him. Please do not remove him from the tank to clean it or do maintenance. Everytime this fish has been removed from somewhere it is to a new home or by someone who has not loved him. He needs stability and that means staying home no matter what. He will learn to get used to you and your presence in his tank and it will be good for him. More than any other fish I have commented on this fish NEEDS human companionship and you are, my friend, the perfect one to give it to him. You have patience with the fish and you love them. Those are the two main ingredients and I know you can do this.
We are here if you need us and we wish you luck with your new baby. Good going, betta parent.

Rose

Blub

Rose - his mouth ain't sore - no cuts etc. (No redness whatsoever) - it's hard to explain but I'll have pics soon. You know when they yawn? His mouth is stuck in that yawning position...

Do I sound like I am fretting? (I have a minor life issue right now that must be responsible!) That's weird I don't think I sound like I am... (But then, I am a total idiot.)

Well, when mum and dad get back from Venice they will find I'm not playing computer games so much but nursing a special needs Betta. It is weird acctualy, the night before I got him I was dreaming about him being a special needs boy with a huge case of fungus combined with whitespot... Alright, he's not quite that but it's strange how I ended up with a special needs betta...

jdhef

Hatchet, I don't know you very well, but I do know you well enough to know you are not a total idiot! And don't argue with me about that. If your a total idiot, what does that make me?!

Blub

Lol... I think I am a bit stupid! Well, maybe not about fish but everything else (I hate you Maths...) is a "Uuh... What was that?".

chickadee

You are NOT stupid or an IDIOT for heavens sake! You are one of the most caring and loving individuals that I know and you may take it from me that for your age you do amazingly well. Hatchet you are marvelous! It is special that you care so much for this darling fish. You do not see how many people out there do not care about anything and here you are caring about this fish so very much it brings tears to my eyes.

Please know that this is so special and it is wonderful and you have people who care about you so please do not put yourself down that way.

See how many people came to your defense when you needed them to? And this fish has been the most awaited and looked for fish in the history of Fishlore I do believe. Do you think we would be giving up on either of you? We love you both.

Math is a rite of passage that we all have to go through and a part of growing up and while we are going through it we wonder what good is it? BUT believe me when you get older, like me, you will see why it was so important. I could not function without some of the very math that I did not appreciate having to learn in school and it seemed so silly or dumb at the time. You will thank yourself many times over for just going ahead and working hard and learning it when you get older that I promise you. It is amazing how many times a day I use it and in little things that make my life so much easier. So just try to believe me and find a way to make it fun. I know you can do it. You are so talented and you can find a way to make a game out of it or better yet, you mentioned computer games, find the computer games that deal with math and get VERY good at them. Make it a challenge and it will be fun at the same time.

Have a GOOD Day and Bless you, my friend.

Shawnie

from the day I joined, I told you hatchet that you were so very intelligent, and so grown up for your age...alot of us have gained alot of fish knowledge from you and if anyone can make this special boy all better, you can.....maybe the special needs betta needed you more than you know!! I wish more of our young people acted in your manor..maybe you should give a class on "growing up with responsibility & respect" to some of our kids!!

jdhef

Einstien failed math, and he turned out pretty smart. Now I on the other hand struggle with spelling!

Blub

Wait... That is pretty weird?! I think Einstein was the cleverest guy in history, correct?

I don't know... I usually look for things (Turns out the Betta food was right next to the tank!) and spend an hour looking under my bed etc... To find it's where it should be! Alright... I guess I'm acctualy not so much of an idiot (I meant in the way crazy/insane way of stooopid...) this last few weeks and I have no idea why...

Navajo update: I gave him some hornwort and it seems to be helping! I floated it next to the fliter - where I'm going to put the Hygro (A special veriety with large leaves - I figuered a Betta would love to rest on them!) when I get it.

Devon

Hatchet I haven't talked to you lots but you are being sooo gentle and kind to your betta and you've given some great advice and help here on FishLore... so don't put yourself down! You rock and Navajo is so lucky to have you as a betta daddy!

Really glad to hear that Navajo is improving; keep us updated!