Shawnie

Ok after checking 4 different pet stores...and having to get back home, Im out of garlic gaurd and prime..(used most on rafikki after his flying ordeal) ....but I do have stress coat ....after the grandbabies leave, im going on a further hunt but in the meantime, for the new rescues, will the stress coat help their fins?

I did pick up some splendid betta fix but HAVENT used any without checking here first! suggestions on that?? says all natural antibactrial for a bunch of different things...including re-growth of damage fins..that seems to be all thats wrong so far with these new boys...thanks a bunch for any help!

capekate

Hi Shawnie, I have the API stress coat as well and use it when needed. I think it would be a good addition til you can find something else for your new bettas. It has aloe vera in it, so it may help the fins somewhat. At least you will be giving it some slime coat protection, one of the ingredients in the stress coat.
My daughter has betta fix and used it on her lil boy when he started to get some fin rot. So far so good.. but I havent asked her lately how he is doing now. Ive never used it, so cant say.

Shawnie

hmmm thanks kate..so for now ill just use the stress coat until I hear about the betta fix...id hate to do worse harm then when I found them..or they found me

chickadee

Bettafix is watered down Melafix and contains an ingredient that is harmful to the labyrinth organ of bettas and gouramis and other labyrinth organ fishes. Now they say that the concentration is safe for them but it does have a cumulative effect and Iwould say that since it is used in the tank for several days running with no water change, I would never use it on a fish of mine for fear of losing them due to damage to this vital organ. It smothers them if it is damaged. I lost one betta due to use of Melafix and will not take chances with others. While I cannot legally say that you cannot use it, I will say that I cannot in all good conscience ever recommend the use of Melafix or Bettafix on any labyrinth organ fish due to the probability that it will damage or destroy the labyrinth organ and damage or kill your fish. If you think about it the ingredient in question is an oil based product and since the surface needs to be free and clear for your betta to breathe and oil will make a slick on the surface of the water, it just makes sense not to use anything that is going to coat the surface to prevent them total access to the surface to be able to breathe air as they need to to survive. When you see them butt the surface with the top of their head that is them taking a breath of air as their labyrinth organ is on the top of their head.

So it does remain your choice, but as for me, I will never recommend or use this product on my fish.

Rose

Shawnie

TY !! that so explains it ...i havent and wont use it...the boys seem to be doing well with the stress coat I used..as well as having room to open themselves up a bit!!!!! they still dont have total finage but they are breathing well, eating fine, and eyes as big as saucers!!!! im still going on the hunt for garlic guard as I so feel that and stress coat, saved rafikki! ty again everyone!!

chickadee

Shawnie, a good substitute for Garlic Gaurd is just plain Garlic Juice off of the Minced Garlic you find in jars (fresh not dried) in the grocery store. The garlic part is the part that helps their immune system anyway and is much cheaper than the fish preparation and more readily available. Just look around. I found it at the Dollar Store even. If you cannot find it at the store, ask the clerks, they will have it somewhere. It is in a jar with the garlic all minced up and soaking in its own juice. The juice is what you use to soak their food and I even got a couple of my little guys to eat a couple pieces of the garlic themselves a couple times. Fish do like the taste of garlic for some reason. If you try to feed them the garlic you will have to cut it up for them in very small pieces like you do the peas. Just not the dried kind.

The Garlic Gaurd is a good product and I do use it too but the garlic juice was my first product and I find it does work as well. So if you cannot find the Garlic Gaurd, you may want to start out with the garlic juice until you can find some of the other.

Rose

COBettaCouple

Yea, Rose has you set on garlic and stress coat should be ok until you can get the vita-chem and/or fish protector. I get ours online at thatfishplace.com.

You could also go with some extra water changes to keep the tank extra clean.

Shawnie

TY TY TY TY ...Im off to work, and the boys are still doing well, or much more well then they were , tonite ill hit the fishplace and I did the garlic this morning with their feed..THANKS SO MUCH rose and cobetta!!!!!

Shawnie

is that the same as thatpetplace.com? because thats all Im finding on google

mlinden84

I think so... I think it's just the fish part of the site.



If I were you, I would just make sure to keep the water really clean (daily water changes if necessary) until you can get those extra products... even after. I've found that extra water changes are really helpful for a betta's damaged fins.

chickadee

http://www.thatpetplace.com and http://www.thatfishplace.com are the same place. As was stated the second site is just the fish portion of the first site.

If you get the catalog it will say ThatFishPlace.com but the website is thatpetplace.com

Hope this helps.

Rose

COBettaCouple

How's it going with them?