Eskielvr

Well Spartacus still has some fin shreddage. I thought I saw it almost healed and then yesterday it looked shredded again so I don't know. I hadn't done a water change for 1 week and 3 days and at first I thought maybe that was why he was healing, because I wasn't messing with his water and it wasn't stressing him or something. I did a water change yesterday though and started adding the Vitachem.

My betta book arrived yesterday and I read through it all. I was disappointed that it didn't go in depth very much about water changes. It basically just says give your betta clean, fresh water with good filtration and heat and they'll be fine and dandy and will heal. But they didn't say how to keep the water clean and fresh. It didn't list how much of a water change or the frequency of it. For instance, for my 5 gallon tank, would changing it twice a week cause too much stress? Should I change it every 2 weeks instead? etc. And there was only a little paragraph about fin rot and didn't really say much about it.

I'm just concerned because we'll be leaving for 2 weeks and I don't have anyone I can trust who'd be competent enough to do a water change once a week while we're gone and don't want to come back to a dead Betta. I thought maybe I could condition him to the water quality so by the time we leave for two weeks, if there's ammonia present while we're gone he'd be conditioned to that level, or something along those lines. It's happened with my previous fish before and when I finally did do a water change, had to do it over the course of 1-2 weeks since they were so used to the ammonia level, and just wiping out all the ammonia completely in one setting would have shocked and killed them all.

I'm hoping he'll be fine while we're gone. My other Betta that I had in a vase did fine everytime we'd leave for 2 weeks, so I would have assumed a 5 gallon tank wouldn't be a big deal for that time.

COBettaCouple

we had to leave our bettas for 2 weeks when we made a trip to denver. my mom could feed them and talk to them, but that was it. So we just gave them all a good cleaning and partial water change the day before we left and the day after we got back. They all did fine.

Phloxface

If the tank is cycled there shouldn't be any ammonia. Do a 30-40% water changes and gravel vac before you leave and it should be fine. If the tank is not cycled use Prime or AmQuel+ as your water conditioner and it will keep ammonia levels safe for the fish for a while. Another product I've used which works great for a cycled or uncycled tank is called "Phos-X" it's a small packet that you put in your filter in the last stage of filteration (right in front of the clean water pouring out) that absorbs all nitrites, nitrates and phosphate. I have used it on an uncycled tank and when I tested the water it really did get rid of all nitrite and nitrate even though I was getting high readings right before. It would just be a little added protection.

P.S. Getting rid of ammonia through a water change would never shock or kill your fish. Not getting rid of it will. They don't get used to it. Some fish just tolerate higher amounts longer but it will eventually sicken and kill any fish.

voiceless_kat

Eskielvr...........just to help you know you aren't alone. Yesterday I wrote on some thread about how healthy Storm was, risen from the dead and all. and this morning, he had some frays on his beautiful tail. When I checked his water yesterday, ammonia was 1.0 and I added AmQuel +. It had been 2 days since I checked the ammonia. This morning, I checked it again, and it was 1.0 again. I did a 25% water change, added AmQuel and NovAqua and am hoping that will help. I am not going to medicate him.

I think his tank is starting to cycle. I am currently cycling an empty tank for him with Zymbac, which is half done. I don't like the idea of cycling the tank with Storm in it. I am sure he does not have a bacterial infection or anything. I think the ammonia just shot/spiked.

Lesson to be learned and I have said it before, but never seem to follow my own advice. " If you fish is fine, don't say it, write it or even think it outloud - cuz the very next day, something will happen". LOL

Val

COBettaCouple

That should be a new addition to the book of Murphy's Laws.