genie

Ok-- having a fish in the office seemed like a good idea. While I was away for the weekend, someone fed Cobalt-- A LOT!! His tank was sooooo smelly and gross. There was food everywhere. He already is stressed with fin rot, and now I had to change most of his water, so he is super stressed. I had to take the plants and decorations out and wash them (w/ tank water) because they were soooo cruddy. Needless to say, I was unhappy. If he lives through all of this stress it will be a miracle. Now I hide the food!!

nmwierman1977

That's the only down side of having a fish at the office where you work. You can't trust the co-workers. I'm sorry. I'm sure he'll be fine. Just keep an eye on him and watch for constipation. Do you feed him green pea yet? If not you may want to start. It's a good way to keep them cleaned out. Natalie

Phloxface

I would find out who was responsible and SCREAM at them so the whole office could hear what an idiot he/she was! *No one has the right to feed your fish unless you ask them to. Make that ABSOLUTELY clear to everyone there and make sure they understand that overfeeding a Betta can KILL them! I would suggest you don't feed him for about 2 days and then feed only 3 small bits of cooked frozen or fresh green pea (remove the skin) twice a day for a couple days. Constipation KILLS Bettas very quickly and they get it from overfeeding. I hope he will be okay...

genie

Well-- he seems to be pooping ok! I had flakes in my desk drawer that I don't use anymore, and that is what they fed him. I think most if it just fell to the bottom and on the decor, so I don't think he really gorged himself-- but I will fast him for a day or so. (I fed him today-- is that bad)

poefox

Feed him a little less--or possibly skip a day or two. you could also try taking your food home at night when you go.

Bettas don't normally like flakes, though Rusty would now and then nibble on one or two of them.

genie

I use the little betta pellets now, but he liked the flakes, they had freeze dried brine shrimp mixed in. The flakes just got to be messy. I guess that I will have to take the food home over the weekend. Anyway, I was sooo mad about the gunky tank and the health of my poor betta. I think that I am going to add a carbon filter to the tank-- it already has an under-gravel filter (I know, they stink, but it came with the setup). I hope that will help with the quality of the water-- I do 50% changes every-other day.

COBettaCouple

You need one of those "Don't feed the man-eating poisonous jumping spitting fish" sign or something That stinks that someone would feed a fish not theirs.. how about a little common courtesy & respect from the co-workers.. how is his activity level and how does his belly look? Do you have a testing kit & if so, what is his water chemistry now? Maybe someone has a suggestion on a good product to help build up his strength & reduce his stress level?

He's over the finrot now, right? If so, are you adding anything to his water to prevent re-occurence and help the fins heal? The name of the stuff is on the tip of my tongue - help me please someone who's not having a brain fart on what it is called & would it help Cobalt feel less stress?

Our Bettas (other than finicky Sora) love those same flakes too. We usually feed them 2-3 of those for breakfast, then for dinner they'll have a small amount (2-3 of that night's dinner) of bloodworms, then color pellets, then betta pellets, then another kind of betta pellets with vitamins, then a half-pea dinner, then bloodworms to finish the week. Then they get a day to fast. Came up with this schedule based on advice to give them variety & try to balance the nutrients in their diet.

Hope your little guy is all-good soon and may the overfeeder of Cobalt get his head caught in the copier. :P

Isabella

I hope you fish will recover soon and that all will be well. Post a sign above your tank not to feed the Betta unless you specifically ask them to.

genie

Well now he is having a relapse with the fin rot. I am going to get some Marycin since the betta fix I have is not so good for him. (Thanks for the info). He is still very active, and he doesn't have a bloated belly. I think I am having a mini cycle again-- sucks!! All of my levels were good for about a week, but now not so good. Doing small water changes to keep ammonia down. I feel sooo bad for Cobalt, but he is holding on.

COBettaCouple

Do you have a testing kit that tests for just NH3? or does it test NH3/NH4+? What's your last ammonia count? Do you have any Amquel+ to help bring the ammonia down? -- IF that can be added while treating with Maracyn. Those Bettas are strong little fighters, he'll pull through.

genie

Hey- I believe in miracles. Thanks for the vote of confidence!

Timesdragonfly

Oh my! The same thing happened with Grim. The lady who did it thought she was 'helping' me. I hid the food, and she went through my desk and FOUND it. Ugh! I finally just taped feeding instructions on the food. When I've had to fast him, I taped a ... 'Do Not Feed Me, I'm Sick' sign on his tank. I work in a small office, only about 8 ppl. I think I have the one inclined to mess with him trained on how to propperly care for him. good luck!

genie

Yeah, there are over 200 people who work at my office. I can't even find the culprit! But, I have a sign up that says "DO NOT... feed the fish or tap on the glass"
Hopefully this works.