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February 16th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| Bullied Betta
We just got a male betta to add to our tank and for a couple days everything was fine. He kind of "claimed" a corner of the tank and kept chasing the rosy barbs away from it, and we ignored that because there wasn't any serious fighting going on. But when we woke up this morning the barbs had chased him into a little plastic treasure chest and he won't come out of it, they keep swarming around it. We learned that apparently bettas breathe air from the surface, and he hasn't been up there all day. Will he be fine, and will the barbs eventually stop picking on him, or should we just take him out? | 
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February 16th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Bettas really don't do too well in community set-ups. I would take him out & give him his own 5 gal. set-up. | |
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February 16th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| Well, I guess we'll stop listening to the people at the pet store. ._.
Thanks. | |
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February 16th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| I would take him out asap. Betta's do best when by themselves. He is probably very stressed. They do need air from the surface. Like Amanda said a 5 gallon would be perfect for the guy. He will become a whole different fish once you get him in his own tank. They are so fun and personable you'll fall for him fast. I did mine.  . | |
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February 16th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Xhilrian  Well, I guess we'll stop listening to the people at the pet store. ._.
Thanks. | Pet stores don't always give the best advice. Sorry they got you into a jam. Allot of people have been in the same boat your in. I was there once too. Just do some research on your own and take advice from the pet store with a grain of salt. | |
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February 16th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| Quote:
Originally Posted by CHoffman Pet stores don't always give the best advice. Sorry they got you into a jam. Allot of people have been in the same boat your in. I was there once too. Just do some research on your own and take advice from the pet store with a grain of salt. | Or research and just stop caring what they say. I feel really bad for poor Cobalt.
Well, we're getting him out right now. Hopefully he's still alive... | |
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February 16th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Poor little guy. I'm really sorry you received bad advice from the fish store.
If you haven't already read this, it's a great source of information: Welcome and Betta Care Guide - Please Read First!!!
Good luck, let us know how he is. | |
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February 16th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| Oh, they ripped the poor baby up. His fins are all torn apart.
We scooped up water from the tank and put him in a temporary tank while we let water sit out, and I guess we'll get him a tank tomorrow. | |
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February 16th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| But it sounds like he's moving, still, which is good. As I was reading this thread, and I read "he's been in there all day" I was really worried that he had already died of suffocation. I actually don't know how long they can survive without surfacing, though I presume it's quite a while.
Fins will regrow, as will his confidence. He'll be a happy betta in no time. | |
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February 16th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| I'm glad he's still alive. That was a close one. Keep him warm. Three products are recommended for situations like this. Garlic Guard (or a couple of drops of garlic juice) Fish protector (or extra Stress Coat) and Vita-Chem.
Keep his water pristine to prevent infection.
Good luck and keep us posted. | |
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February 16th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| We put water conditioner and stress coat in there. It's only been a little while but he already looks so much happier! Tomorrow we're going to get him a tank and setup. I'm really glad I thought to come and ask you guys about him. Poor little baby...  | |
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February 16th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Great job for taking him out.....He'll be so happy to get a tank of his own. Pretty soon he'll be doing the Betta dance for you. Lucy gave you some great advice. If you just keep his water super clean he will heal up pretty fast. They make some great 5 gallon set ups that come with the filter and heater. I ended up putting my Betta in a 10gallon to himself because they are about the same price as the 5gallons...Have fun tank shopping tomorrow. Keep us posted. | |
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February 16th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Good, I'm glad he's doing well. You'll want to put some seeded media in the new tank you are getting him, to insta-cycle it. Then perform frequent water changes to keep everything clean and get the parameters in order. Good luck! | |
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February 17th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| Well, we got a 1 gallon tank because that's all we could afford, but it looks big enough. I'm growing "betta bulbs" so that I can get the fake plants out soon. He's eating and swimming around fine, he just needs a little TLC. | |
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February 17th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Keep an eye on Craig's List and your local Freecycle group. He really needs pristine water and to be kept warm so he can heal. A 1g can't be heated consistantly and the ammonia can build up quickly.
I'm glad to hear he's swimming and eating, thanks for the update | |
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February 17th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Yup, 2.5 is a minimum for bettas, but until you can find one the one gallon will do okay. | |
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February 17th, 2009
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| | Fish Mentor
| I am glad he is alright.
Do you have any photo's of him?
-Matt  | |
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February 17th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| I don't have photos yet, and I don't know how to get them from camera to computer.
I'll be on the lookout for a bigger tank, but I think he's just happy he isn't getting eaten by the barbs anymore. XD | |
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February 17th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| People will be spring cleaning soon, keep your eye out for yard sales! | |
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