Fish Lore Tropical Fish and Aquarium Forum - Betta Fish

I Fell In Love Today... I Couldn't Say No!

Zenandra — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:16:40 GMT

I went into Petco today for fish food and stuff for my puppy, and I came out with a gorgeous new Super Delta boy! I've named him Sushi <3

Drum Roll Please!!!

TedsTank — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:02:39 GMT

You may merge the threads if you want....was thinking the other was a bit long....and started this without thinking again!

:;banaman "Something tell's me I'm into somethin gooood!!!" :;banaman
!!! TAH DAH !!!!!
So you all might be interested to know that MM and I have been communicating!!!

:;hf I have ordered 2 Male bettas!!! :;hf
A Pink for my Granddaughter, for Christmas
A Green for myself....of course his name is 2012...since I was told I must buy one to save the Universe!!!...lol
They both are Butterfly type with that nice white border on the fins.

And if they are even half as cute and sweet (and patient, bless her heart) as Karen has been.... these fish will be stunning!!!

Karen, I release you from your silence now....lolol

Good morning!!!

TedsTank — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:50:11 GMT

Good morning Bettaphiles and fishlorians!! The sun is out and beautiful day is shaping up!!! Hope you are all well!!!!

Got a special delivery this morning :)

MissMTS — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:16:44 GMT

Allow me to introduce my new boy "Taz", my new little boy from the Lady in the Shoe :) He arrived this morning and he is so cute and tiny, I can't believe it. I am keeping him in Kawaii's empty 5 gallon (don't worry, I filled the gap in the back of it). Honestly, nothing heals a broken heart like a new little betta to love, and he has done just that for me.

He is the craziest little betta I have ever seen, hence the name "Taz" after the Tasmanian Devil. Most bettas after being shipped look dazed and confused, but this little guy started wiggling around and flaring at me as soon as I opened the box. Talk about a boy with attitude :p Anyways, here are some pics and a short video. Karen sent me a pic of him that is way better than the pics that I took, so I'll have to dig it up later today.

http://s285.photobucket.com/albums/l...t=PB190139.flv

http://s285.photobucket.com/albums/l...t=PB190140.flv

Karen, thanks again! I just love him :)

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Volcan died just now, Haka is struggling. :(((((

redgal — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:35:21 GMT

Volcan is dead. I tried one last time to get him to eat but he refused. I sat and watched him for an hour and he took his last breaths and died. I think I must have killed him. I am so sad and feel like a terrible owner.

Here I am lecturing all my friends and family who have bettas in a 1g unfiltered and unheated prison and now one of my dear boys is dead. I tried to save him from a bad life by giving him 5g to himself, a filter, a heater, very good food, treats, interaction, hiding holes and plants and it wasn't enough.:(

I can't figure out what happened or why he died or why Haka is dying. I wanted to save them not kill them. I am a bad owner. :( :( :(

Haka is still struggling. I fed him this morning and now he is lying sideways on the gravel again. Here are the details - I was posting under this thread:

http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/be...boy-dying.html

I think they had swim bladder...or maybe my nieghbour didn;t feed them enough whilst I was away, I don't know. :;dk:(

If anyone can give me some insight on a possible cause so that I can learn from this, I'd really appreciate it.

I feel like such a terrible owner, I am so sad. Poor boy, what a horrible way to go ( whatever it was) and I failed to help him.

RIP Volcan., You were such a handsome, fiesty boy. I am so, so sorry my poor boy. I'll really miss you :(

Bettas and Filters

JaneAustenAddict — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:02:57 GMT

So I noticed that when I place a betta in my 5g tank with a whisper filter 10i, even on the lowest setting, it is just too powerful for the fish. The 10i is the filter that came with the tank. I have a whisper 3i and I was wondering if using the smaller, less powerful filter would be okay? It says the 3i is for 1-3 gallon tanks, but I am really not sure what elese to do. I really wanted to rescue another betta, but I don't want to have any problems like in the past.

The betta I have now is in a 10g with a whisper 10i and he is doing fine. When he was in the 5g with the whisper 10i, even on the lowest setting, he was getting either tossed all over the tank or nearly sucked up the filter. I actually ended up having to leave the filter off for two days while I set up the 10g tank for him.

He is not sick, he is very active. Always swimming around checking out the plants and decorations and flaring at my dogs whenever they stop to check him out. I know the problem is because the bettas from the pet stores are poor swimmers.

So, does the fact that the filter says it is for 1-3 gals mean it will not work in the 5g? I was kinda hoping that since it will only be one fish it would be okay.

Fish Troy population has grown. . .

fishtroy — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:32:22 GMT

Hi Everyone!
Yesterday I went to my local aquarium. There they have bettas of all colours, breeds & genders. Couple that with the fact that all the bettas are in death cups that have slime in the bottom & the people there are not very friendly (they treat the bettas very roughly) and you have a deadly combination for a population boom!
Seriously I went there with the INTENTION of getting 1 maybe 2 bettas (but I knew myself well enuf to know that I would undoubtedly come home with a minimum of three). Well fate took over didn't it?
I got there & to the luck of my budget they had a sale on selected bettas. They have four walls of shelves, roof to floor of bettas in death cups and one whole wall was on special. I don't know what bettas prices are like overseas but here even a veil tail can be gold lined. The average veil tail price is $12 - $14. Occasionaly you can get one on special but it is rare. Crowns can be anywhere from $15-$20. And for a delta or half moon you are looking at anywhere from $25 - $70.
So when I saw a $4 sale on 'veil tails' I was over the moon! The interesting thing is they try and tell what the fish are & price them accordingly writing what they believe them to be on their cordial cup. As you know I have been researching bettas online. Amongst the $4 sale cups of sickly dying betta (poor little things I wished I could rescue them all) a couple of bettas caught my attention. They are only young so they are very small, but I have my suspicions that they are Deltas. Their fins are different to VTs. I also noticed some males that looked like plakats. I was delighted at my find! Speaking of deltas I fell in love with a labelled 'Green Delta' . He was officially the most expensive fish I have ever bought! Then still I am a push over when it comes to veil tails.

So, intention of buying 3? How many fighters did I come home with?

SEVEN! Two male suspected Deltas, One Male Suspected Plakat, Two Veil Tails (one the lady called a butterfly but I think he is not a full one), One pretty Yellow fish that even they didn't know what he was & my very expensive but BREATHTAKING Delta Male. Will post pics & profiles of them as soon as I get the time.
I'd say it was a successful days shopping! :D

5.5 planted- meet Cowboy!

harpua2002 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:32:22 GMT

Here's a pic of our betta tank. It's a 5.5 gallon heavily planted tank with a mix of Eco Complete and natural colored gravel. Lighting is 2x 10W screw-in PC bulbs, no CO2, no ferts. The ghost shrimp have done well for keeping algae at bay, although I need to scrape the glass, lol. The star of the show is Cowboy, our halfmoon betta. Not a great pic of him, but at least you can see how pretty his fins are! :D

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Please stop now...i beg of you!!!

TedsTank — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:11:33 GMT

Please stop taunting me with your indrediblely wonderfull, stunning Betta pictures!!! I think now I am wanting one!!!

Now I must start searching the shops for "that fish" !!!! Every morning my car is calling me..."come Ted...we can do this...I will take you to bettas"!!

Even my driveway has begun slopping downhill to help move the car faster!!!

Last night the sunset looked like a giant betta flaring!!!

I have mouthbrooding bettas...aren't they enough??? No, No, No
Help me, what is this splendenssyndrome??

I even spread the jelly on my toast this morning....omg it looked like a betta!!!

Of Hati, the moon-chaser

hooxeii — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:53:12 GMT

So... I was bad. I went to a LFS to get my friend's water tesed, and sighted a gorgeous boy flaring at his neighbors. He's pearly pink-yellow, and semi-transparent. He showed fiestiness, so I couldn't pass him up.

So... his name is Hati, after the nose mythical wolf that chases the moon :) I thought about Skoll, too, who's the sun-eater, but Hati suits him more. He is acclimating quite nicely in a 3 gallon plastic tank I was saving. He is already trying to bite his tank decor. Silly!

I forgot to mention he's a veiltail.

Sadly no pics until my computer is fixed. I'm on my roomie's comp now, as mine pooped out the other night and has yet to be repaired.

Red was bad... very bad... (1)

Red1313 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:43:30 GMT

Well I um... It's a long story and will be posted on another thread. However remember those two 2.5 gals that were sitting empty... They're not anymore! :;a1
Allow me to introduce two of the reason's I'm not allowed out of the house without supervision....

Why do they always come in twos?
Anyway meet:
Shimmer and Shake (Shake is to follow)

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Should i get a new boy...?

Zenandra — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:54:50 GMT

I've been trying to be very good about not overwhelming myself with too many bettas at once, and i've been doing really well. But I'm going to petsmart today to pick up fish food, and I know im going to look at the male bettas... So should I get one? I have plenty of extra tanks laying around... Convince me that I need to save a little fishie from a cup on a shelf! :D

critters in fry tank

critter_fritter79 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:15:09 GMT

Ok, now that I am here at Mom's, she was very interested in breeding bettas and wanted to see how it is done. She is going to be moving to my area very soon and is thinking about going in with me to have an addition built onto my house or hers to be used as the betta room/maternity ward. I decided that since I am going to be down here for at least 2 months, probably longer, that I would go ahead and try another spawn.

I tried with my mustard gas pair, but the female is VERY aggressive and scared Saturn right out of any breeding thoughts. I ended up breeding a multi CT to my blue/green CT female. The spawn went off beautifully and I now have bunches of very healthy looking, active fry...that swim all over the tank INCLUDING the top of the water...hence the concern about the first batch of fry still staying at the bottom. Yesterday I was looking in at them...again...and noticed that on the sides of the tank what I thought were VERY tiny spots on the glass are actually some kind of critter in there. They are white..I think..and much smaller than the fry..the new fry...they are round and look like tiny dots moving around on the glass. Anyone have any idea what these little things are? Will my fry munch on them or could they cause the fry harm? I wish I could get a pic of the little things, but they aren't even as big as the eyes of the week old fry.:;dk

Agh! any suggestions on helping the regrowth of fins on a ct?

lyndra — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:11:45 GMT

I was out on Friday night and it was about time to clean out my Betta's tank... He has his own little 12 litre tank with filter and heater that gets a water change every two weeks.

My father decided that seeing as I wasn't home and the tank needed a change he would just put Firesong (my little Betta boy) into the community tank.

When I got home muttered something about putting neons into the little tanl.. I stopped.. thought.. and rushed to the community tank.

Our community tank is about 90-100 litres and only contains : two Honey Gouramis which are about 5cm long, Four Cichlids wo range from about 3-4cm long, one red tail shark, two albino plectos and two neon tetra... yes they are a bunch of aggresive fish.. but surprisingly we have very few problems with them, the Cichlids stick to the lower portion of the tank, the red tail shark to the middle and the gourami to the top, and apart from feeding time they hardly interact with each other except for they annoy the tetras who have learnt to avoid the bigger fish. This is not my tank, I have no say in the set up.

My betta was still alive but not very happy. I have taken his backing from his tank (it causes reflection in the evening due to the lighting of the room) to stop him flaring at it because he has already split his fin in one place

I have added photos where you can see a 'before' shot and you can see him grumping out this evening.

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does this sound good

Ga-rr-ett — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:27:42 GMT

i was wondering if it would be a good idea to have my Betta, some African dwarf frogs and some cherry red shrimp all in my spare 10 gal with filter heater and lights.

and i also want some suggestion for other small unusual shrimps, snails, frogs or anything like that that could live with the aquatic critters above.

thanks

do bettas like bigger tanks!?

binskiboi — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:13:16 GMT

This week im purchasing my beautiful red crowntail betta a 2.5gallon but thought about getting a 10 gallon instead. I've heard many times that bettas PREFER smaller tanks? is this true? I would rather get a 2.5gallon if hes not going to move and make room of the 10 gallon! Thanks alot! (btw video of him under freshwater videos, thread named...feeding my 10 gallon puffers, betta, and community tank)

I think my boy dying :(

redgal — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:54:23 GMT

:'( I think Haka is dying. He has had lotd of different symptoms over the last few months and has been acting strange. He had a very small cotton-like strands hanging from his tail for a while so I treated him for tail rot/fungus and it seemed to clear up, then he seemed to get velvet which I managed to treat successfully, then he lost scales, then constipation etc etc - you name it - he has had it but I seemed to have helped him through each disease. Meanwhile his tank mate ( divided tank) has remained totally healthy.
I've had the boys for almost a year now from my lfs. The water parameters are spot on and I clean the tank weekly and don't overfeed ( two hakari pellets twice a day)

I have been away for 10 days. When I left him he looked great and my neighbour fed them each two pellets every other day and checked in on them but sadly, when i got home last night Haka was lying on the bottom of his tank, gasping and couldn't swim off the gravel. I got him in a net and gently brought him up to some food which he ate but then sank right back to the bottom. I cleaned the tank and noticed he has the cotton-like strand on a bit of his tail again so I used some fungus clear in the tank ( this seemed to work last time). Then I wondered if he had swim bladder disorder or was constipated so I haven't fed him yet. He is swollen under his mouth/gill area, just like a general swelling. I see no signs of dropsy or anything like that and other than the swelling and cottony bit he looks really good. He is swimming a little better today and suddenly darts right to the top but then just sinks back down and flops on one side.

I am so sad. I don't know what to do. I've tried every medication in the past to keep him alove and now I have this feeling that he is going to die. I don't know how to help him. Is he old? How long do they live for?

I know I have given him a really good life - he has a beautiful 5 g, filtered and heated home with silk plants and hiding places and what not but I can't bear the thought of him suffering.

What do you think? What should I do/try?

Thank you for any thoughts. I am so sad and trying to remind myself that he will die one day but it's so hard to see him like this.

Lost Kawaii this weekend :(

MissMTS — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:21:07 GMT

Hi Guys,

I went out of town this weekend to visit my sister and got home this afternoon. When I came home, I turned on the light in Kawaii's tank and couldn't find him anywhere. The dreaded thought that maybe he had jumped out of the tank crossed my mind, and sure enough I found him on the floor behind my nightstand. The tank has a gap in the back that is only about a centimeter wide, and I never thought he would be able to fit through it. I feel awful :( He was such a sweet boy and I loved him so much. When I found him I just broke down crying. RIP sweet boy :(

Kate

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New Here ~ And Introducing My Bettas!

Zenandra — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:56:39 GMT

Hey all! I'm new to the forum, but not to bettas :;a1 I have been keeping bettas for about 5 years now. I gave breeding a shot a couple years ago but stopped and cut down my numbers when life sort of caught up with me and I had a lot of bad things happen all in a small period of time :-[ but just recently I've felt that tug on my heart to let these awesome little fish back into my life, and I am so happy i did, I even think im going to give breeding a shot again!

I would like to introduce my bettas to you guys!

This is Squishy, he is the only betta currently at my house

And these guys I just won on aquabid, they won't be mailed out until the 30th, but it gives me time to get the tanks ready

Dash

and the girls

is it worth it

Ga-rr-ett — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:47:38 GMT

so i have my beta in 2.5 gallon with one of those crappy filters that don't even have a sponge.
and im having trouble maintaining it because i have other tank and since its so small it gets dirty so fast would it be worth it to move the beta to a ten gallon with a hang on filter and heater.
the reason i im hesitant to do this is i already have 2 other larger tank set up in my small room and my mom hates my aquariums.
also i don't know if the shelfing unit i have will support a 10 gal is there any way to test how much weight it can hold.

Question: Female Bettas

uprightandlocked — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:22:51 GMT

Hello All!

I have some questions about female bettas. I always see them at the store and they seem to languish in those little cups longer than the boys do but I've never brought one home before!

My main concern with female bettas is do they always develop eggs regardless of whether or not a male is present? I've read about them becoming egg-bound and would like to know how common this is?

Are there any other differences in care between males and females?

Thank you!

-Tony

Platinum Bettas

babyblu — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:11:35 GMT

Hey there, I haven't posted in a while, but we lost our betta boy, Snowdrop, about two months ago and we haven't found a replacement yet. I'm having a very hard time searching for where to buy these beauties and wondered if anyone has any ideas as to where to search? Does anyone on this forum breed them? Thanks... :)

Also, the reason we are replacing him is that he was my daughter's fish, she's three, and Snowdrop is "in the hospital" rather than dead. She didn't want to accept that he'd be gone, so we're going with this idea... which I initially thought was a great one, until I discovered how hard it is to find a replacement.

He was sick when we bought him; we tried to save him, did the best we could, but he keeled over... we miss him, especially our little girl.

Thanks... Hope asking this is okay.

Jenn.

Couldn't Pass This One Up!

aquatic mouse — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:45:55 GMT

Isn't he gorgeous! He doesn't have a name yet, I'm trying to pick one as handsome has he is! :;f

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my pretty betta

Gouramiguy17 — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:16:54 GMT

Attachment 34687

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my male betta

momiji345 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:55:01 GMT

my male betta
His name is chihaya the scened
the under ground filter is not on i wanted to get a really nice pic of him

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my fish

momiji345 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:09:22 GMT

This is loona my female Betta fish.she is in a 5 gallon tank for now her other tank broke.Getting new one soon.

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Question: Betta Tank setup

Snowfrog — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:22:48 GMT

Howdy all:

First off. I am sorry if I placed this in the wrong location on the forums.

We are considering adding a betta to our fish family. We have a 1.5g tank ( one of the starter setups you can get at any major "chain store" I need suggestions for making sure that our new friend ( when we get him/her will be happy. We have a air-driven filter and 'craft' marbles for the bottom of the tank. what i need help with is : do we need a heater? if yes suggestions please.

Regards:
Snowfrog

PS. I forgot, are tankmates a good idea? If yes, what kind? was considering a Cory cat.

My divided tank!

uprightandlocked — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:45:59 GMT

Hello everyone!

First off - thanks to everyone who offered support and advice in my "Do they make ERs for bettas?" thread! I am happy to report that the boys have finished fasting for four days and this morning I fed them four pellets a piece (usually I do 5 or 6). Also, their fins seem to be in better shape then when I came home from my vacation. On Sunday I had added some VitaChem to their tank. This morning I added some more to help their healing process.

Also - thank you to the person who created the DIY Divided Tank thread! While I did use a store-bought divider to divide my tank, their was a lot of useful information in their on how best to set up the tank, etc. It also helped ease my fear that I would have a disastrous outcome with two male bettas in the same tank.

So far they are 5 days into living in the same tank. The first night they hovered in front of each other flaring and staring all night. Today when I woke up it was like they were back in their old seperate tanks. They barely acknowledge each other. This is good to see! I hope it lasts. I'm going to attach a picture of each half of their tank and then in two posts below add new pictures of Eos and Ansett!

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plink plink plink

valentine — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:24:31 GMT

i was at the store tonight not really looking to get a betta but looking at them, scanning the cups i hear plink plink plink...plink plink plink. so i look down and this little guy is bumping into his cup trying to get my attention.i had been chosen.

His name is Pilgrim.

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Betta information?

mmmxpoptarts — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:39:22 GMT

I'm doing a term paper for my Zoology class on Betta splendens, and I need more sources. I'm wondering if anyone knows any good websites with a lot of information about Bettas. :) Anything helps as long as it's about Bettas.

I have a book source and a couple websites already, but I need to make my paper fuller. Thanks!

Question: Hikari First Bites??

socks2009 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:11:49 GMT

I have just been watching them do the deed and removed my little lady once he was finished with her.....so polite. He is now arranging all the eggs in his nest

Well my microworms are on their way for next week. But i have also bought Hikari FirstBites (GREAT FOR ALL NEWBORN FISH)
Has anyone used this before? I have never seen it about until the last month or so and thought i would just buy some to try.
Is this a new product? is it good? i am a bit unsure. any thoughts appreciated
Ta

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A question of colour. . .

fishtroy — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:21:40 GMT

Have now been doing some research on betta colours to try and identify my babies past and present. Would like opinons on these three that I am a little stuck on. I'm sorry the pictures aren't better, I had to scan them and in that process they lose some colour

Ok Questionable colour fishy No 1:

AGAMEMNON Throughout the sites I did not find much mention of the colour purple. Agamemnon was what was appeared to be a few different shades of purple, plum and lilac. Does this fit into a category? Pic below:

Questionable colour Fishy No 2:

PHILOCTETES When talking about colour there seems to be debate about the colour green and what determines a green fighter fish. This is a close up of Philoctetes, does his colour qualify as green?

& Questionable Fishy colour No 3:

HECTOR This little guy was one of my favourites (not that I'm supposed to say that). He was sold as a Crown but due to his fin shape I have my doubts and I have no idea what to call his colour. Pic:

Thanks for your opinions!

Betta Fish & Live Plant Food?

JaneAustenAddict — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:46:34 GMT

I know bettas do good in planted tanks, and I know planted tanks require plant food... so I am wondering which plant food is safest for bettas? Does it matter which I use?

I guess I am just curious because sometimes you can not give bettas the same medicine as other fish because of the labyrinth organ, and I am trying to find out if this is the same for the plant food as well.

A little advice (good maybe for once!!)

Diggly — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:38:54 GMT

Right i have 3 bettas in a 20 g tank

hahaha how many of your hearts jumped then? :p admit it!!

But seriously I have divided my 20g tank and bought 1 male and 1 female, I have the female in the middle and there is little to no flaring which I am happy about.

I have noticed though that Randy seems to be stopping randomly when he sees her and sticking his fins out, it is like looking at a photo he just stays so still!! He has also been building huge bubble nests frantically so am I right in thinking that he likes her? or at least thinks of her as a potential mate?

Both randy and the girl are such beautiful colours that it would be awesome if I could get little fishy babies (the other male is a bright yellow colour and pics are to follow!!) Randy is blue and purple and the girl has a white body with a pink and purple tail and one of the most adorable faces (I am biased of course!!

My main concern with breeding them is space, I know I need to pull out males to stop them tearing each other apart if I do decide to go and get a breeding tank but I am in a flat so space limits the amount of extra tanks or whatever I would need to hold them whilst they were growing up for their forever homes.

Basically I would love advice on how I can seperate them out while taking up as little space as possible and I dont have a ton of money to spend on it all so cost effective would also be good! I would also like to consider the maximum amount of fry I could expect to survive, I would rather be over prepared than under prepared

The LFS would take them in for food and store credit so that is all sorted if I do go ahead with it.

- I think that is everything!

I look forward to your replies!

Sick Betta

Xhilrian — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:57:51 GMT

I've had my betta for a while, maybe a year or so, and he's just stopped eating all of the sudden. I usually feed him pellets, with occasional freeze-dried blood worms, but he isn't showing interest in any of it.

There's very small hard-to-see white dots on his head and the front half of his body around the edges of his scales, but I've read that fish with ICH swim frantically around and try to rub the ich off. He just sits in his silk plant all day and does nothing. There's also black stuff on the tips of his fins. He was rescued from a tank with rosy barbs who ate most of his fins right after we got him, the webbing between the longer parts hasn't grown back. It's on the tips of that.

I really don't know what to do, please help him. :'(

Edit; I forgot to add that it's a 1 gallon tank and that once a week or so I fill up the death bowl he came in, put him in it, then do a 100% water change. Probably not the best method, but it's worked just fine for quite a while.

My poor boy

Tony G. — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:43:11 GMT

Clayton is coming to an end. He is not the way he used to be anymore. He is old, i can tell. His bent spine isnt helping either. He is at least 3 years old, so i am scared he may not see 2010. I just notice everyday how he is deteriorating...

All paramaters are perfect and no change at all. he gets 1 WC every 2 weeks as since his tank is so small i am afraid to throw it into a mini cycle. Ive been spoiling him lately by giving him so guppy fry... but he is just not his old self. He usually gets furious when he sees me ( i seriously dont know why but it is hilarious LOL) and whenever i put my hand in the tank he doesnt even go up to bite me anymore.

i just hope he is peaceful in his last few months :-\

Names??

peacemaker92 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:23:15 GMT

I finally managed to get a few shots of my betta. He is SO not photogenic. LOL Sorry if some are blur, as I said, it was seriously hard to get a few shots of him.

I also need some suggestions for his name. Had him for a few weeks now but still haven't come up with a name yet, I'm no good at names! haha

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14" too tall for bettas? Also, can I divide 12g for 3 bettas?

iloveengl — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:55:02 GMT

I made a deal with the hubby that if I get the new job this week, then I am going to re-fill the 12g bowfront for new fishies (who were moved to the new 20g).

I really would like to divide it into 3 parts for 3 bettas (4g each).

It's 14 inches tall. Is that too much height for a betta to climb for air? I will lower the water if it's too tall. Please tell me what height would work.

If I have to lower it a bunch, should I only divide it in two since there will be less water?

I mainly want it three ways because that's one more betta I can save, but I also don't want to save three and then make them all unhappy in only 3-4 gallons of water. :-\

Unbelieveable Injustices. . .

fishtroy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:53:50 GMT

Ok, commonly referred to topic in this forum about bettas not being given enough space but I saw something the other day that left me ranting and raving about what people will do.
I was at a pet store. Picture this:
They have a large spare tank (They usually have fish for sale in it but they had sold out) about 80cm length and 50cm wide, totally set up with water, light, filter, heater, gravel ornaments etc. With no fish in, so guess what they did? They thought the tank needed a fish in it. So they put a fighter in it, Great we say! How wonderful for the fighter! NOT! They did indeed put a fighter in. The fighter was put in the tank INSIDE a cube shaped container, no bigger than 10cm on each side. It had airholes so he could breathe of course but he was closed inside the cube which they put on the bottom of this huge tank. So this little fighter is looking out at this gigantic tank with ornaments and swimming space beyond his wildest dreams and he is stuck inside a 10cm X 10cm clear plastic cube unable to get out and swim. :;f
What is with the world?!! Let him out to swim! You have the tank what would it hurt them? >:( I questioned the staff over the reasoning behind this, apparantly should someone wish to buy the fighter they did not want to have to exert the effort to net him from the big tank so kept him inside the cube. :;b I was incredulous for the rest of the day, had I had money I would have bought him. But what is the world coming to? :;fru

Help: Do they make ER's for Bettas?

uprightandlocked — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:06:12 GMT

Hello All:

I am in a world of trouble! I went on vacation for a week and left all of my children in the capable hands of one of my closest friends. While most of her experience in house-sitting came in handy while taking care of my two cats ... I thought it would be fairly easy to walk her through feeding my fish over the phone.

Unfortunately, she misunderstood my instructions! I use Atison's Betta Pro pellets and normally feed each of my little boys 5 pellets a feeding. When anyone baby sits my fish I usually tell them 3-4 b/c I know they won't have the patience to actually count the individual pellets and will overfeed, anyway. Well - she took this to mean 3 to 4 SCOOPS at a time!

I came home today and literally stood in shock as I looked at my two aquariums. Both tanks had pellets CARPETING the gravel! I kid you not - HUNDREDS of uneaten pellets covered the gravel, plants, surface and filter intakes of BOTH tanks. In each tank, the filters weren't working properly because they could not get any water through all the pellets stuck to the intake.

I looked anxiously for both of my boys and all I can say is WOW. The two of them are GIGANTIC! I didn't know what to do right away.

Then I came up with a plan. Please help me figure out if I made the right choice and what to do from here (and I apologize for how long this is getting!)

I have a 10g tank that had 4 RCS in it. At the end of this week, I am moving to an apartment (from a three bedroom house) and have been trying to figure out how to downsize anything and everything I can. I decided today to return to the RCS to the fish store I bought them from. Now with the 10g open, I decided to divide the tank and move both of my boys into it and out of their 5g tanks.

This is why:

The uneaten food in both 5g tanks was turning moldy. Clusters of white stringy fuzz were EVERYWHERE. As I looked, I noticed that the uneaten food could be seen UNDER the gravel at the bottom of the tank (those pellets are small!) and I knew that I would have to completely take apart both tanks in order to make them healthy and clean again. Then I looked at my boys. Not only were they gigantic - but both of them had ripped fins. I knew I needed to medicate them. So I decided to clean out the 10g from the shrimp, divide the tank, replant it and begin medicating my boys in it. I know that the larger the tank the more stable the water chemistry and also that it is most likely easier to medicate a 10g than a 5g. I bought some VitaChem and along with some extra StressCoat+ did a water change and began medicating the 10g. I am currently acclimmating Eos and Ansett will follow.

Just one question. The VitaChem says safe to use with the ChemNatural filter (or something along those lines) ... bought doesn't mention needing to take carbon out of the filter. Do I need to do that?

Thanks...are my boys going to be okay? Tonight when I go to the grocery store I'll get some jarred garlic and put some garlic juice in. How much do I use?

Anything else I should be doing? The 10g has a slightly raised water temperature to promote healing, by the way.

Thanks!

Ooops I did it again ;)

shellbell4ever — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:27:57 GMT

I'm not addicted,I can stop at any time!But I just couldn't leave this Beautiful Bad Boy there in that Death Cup...So he now has a Happy forever Home with "Me"...Take a look at his gills?One seems bigger than the other?Should I worrie about this?And the 6.6 Gallon is now resealed,but if it leaks again I am throwing it out!!we'll see... they say the 3rd time's the charm,or is it 3 strikes and your out(LOL)
Anyway I can not come up with a name...so I am asking for your suggestions :) So let's get going!!!

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Question: Thinking of Getting a Betta

Heather M — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:33:39 GMT

I was at Walmart today with my grandfather. I always leave the Walmart fish section depressed and sad for the poor fish, so I don't know why I look, but I just can't seem to stay away. Today I saw one of the most beautiful bettas I have ever seen, other than ones from breeders. One problem: I don't have a tank set up yet. I have a 20 gallon long that I was going to put guppies in, but after I saw that gorgeous betta today... sigh. I think I might have changed my mind. The 20 gallon just isn't an option yet since it isn't set up. I don't even have a stand for it yet. My cousin has one of those horrid little betta aquariums that she might let me borrow as a temporary home for the betta. Even though it's tiny, not cycled, and doesn't have a filter, I think it might be better than the death cup he's in now at Walmart. My brother would let me have some of his waterweed for the aquarium if I ask. Would it be ok to keep him in that tiny tank if I do frequent water changes? Any suggestions of how to care for a betta in this situation? I'm afraid he'll die at Walmart if I don't hurry to rescue him! :(

hi again everone, betta news

valentine — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:39:28 GMT

You may not remember me but a few years ago i posted on here about a betta fish that appeared on my doorstep. long story short, i oredered plants, the company messed up and sent me a betta fish in a tiny bag it was winter and he was nearly frozen when i noticed him, i came here to get info on caring for him because i didnt think it was right to keep him in a plastic tub.

His name was Valentino and he passed away in October, i was going to give his tank away because honestly I'm not a betta person but decided it would be better to save another little guy from a tiny cold plastic tub.

i decided it would be best to find the betta most in need of a nice home, Hal was in dark yellow poop filled water in a little plastic tub at walmart and knew that he was the one who needed a home. so thanks to everyone on here who helped me with Valentino in those early days, he never really recovered from his traumatic journey but i think he was happy and i know he was loved. I'm sure Hal is thankful too because he can cuddle with his heater alll night long and fight all the bubbles to the death (i don't know why he hates the bubbles but i guess that's his thing).

i added some pictures if you want to see him.

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Betta in a Planted Tank

JaneAustenAddict — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:59:01 GMT

Just wondering if anyone has or had a betta in a planted tank and how it worked out? I have been thinking about setting up the 5g minibow I have as a planted tank (it's currently empty and collecting dust) and figured I would rescue another betta. I just never had a betta in a planted tank and wasn't sure how it worked out for anyone else.

Also, would it be possible to use some kind of sand substrate or should I stick with traditional gravel?

I suppose the only reason I am thinking of rescueing another betta is I am unsure what other fish would go well in a 5g tank, if any. If you have any suggestions on another fish for a 5g planted tank please let me know.

Ripped fins, unknown cause

Bad Wolf — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:27:45 GMT

Okay, just yesterday I purchased a male, veil tail betta from my LFS. He was in good health and I placed him into my 7 gallon molly fry tank. He was doing really good, but this morning I went to go check on him, and his tail had a few rips. I have no clue what did it. Later on, after I got home from school, his tail was even more ripped. He looks like a crowntail, and probably could pass for one.

The only other fish in the tank are about a dozen 12 week old mollies and a 1 inch bristle nose pleco. There are a few plants in the tank (plastic and real), but I really don't see how that could have caused it. He is acting completely fine and healthy.

Any suggestions to what could have happened to him. Is there a chance he did it to himself or the fry did it to him?

Thanks

What color is my betta?

JaneAustenAddict — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:01:12 GMT

I was just wondering what color Dexter would be referred to as? I went to a few betta websites, but none of them show a betta with his coloring.

These let me know if the pictures are too fuzzy and I will try and get some better ones.

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How often do you feed your bettas?

JaneAustenAddict — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:51:13 GMT

I'm not sure about everyone else, but I have always fed my bettas every day, and they generally live for 2-3 years, sometimes longer. Well, I noticed the tops of the betta death cups in the store near where I live say to "Feed sparingly 2-3 times per week" and it made me think... how often do most of you feed your bettas?

Do you think you should only feed a betta 2-3 times a week?

Do you think you should feed a betta every day?

I have attached a picture of the lid of the cup, but I am not sure if it is to fuzzy to read.

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An introduction to some old friends. . .

fishtroy — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:58:19 GMT

Hi! Plugged my camera in to post pics of my other fish when I discovered I had the wrong memory card. Having said this I have just discovered on this memory card some pictures of my fighters I once had.
I am attaching pics of a few so that when I talk about them we can put a fish pic to the name!

The first is of course my beloved darling baby, nicknamed Wonderfish, Achilles. The one I talk about all the time. He has better pictures in other places but here are some introductory photos of him.

My ACHILLES: (Please note, he ALWAYS shows off for the camera or looks straight at it) His favourite time to show off for photos was when he was in a temporary container whilst I cleaned him:

He's not camera shy:

Another of my fishy friends is Jason, the Crown Tail:

And Eros, the veil tail:

I was wondering, :-\
when you post pictures on this site you often refer to the colours of the fighters with names such as 'multi', 'mustard gas' & 'slate'. Are there special colour names or are these just things you say? Please let me know I have no clue and would love to be able to identify my fish. (I pick my fish by their personality mainly but have an ambition to own as many different colours as I possibly can). Let me know! Chat soon! :;fr

3 gallon tanks

roseofsharon — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:21:44 GMT

Does anyone else have a 3 gallon tank for their betta?

I would love to compare notes.

I know more room is reccomended but this is all I can do for now. I have a heater, a filter for it, and I will be a good mommie, promise! Oh, and I plan to use Tetra Safe Start at the beginning...anyone have experience with this? Any pointers?

Oh, and does anyone have any good ideas for a top for my tank? I bought my stuff "ala carte" and so the tank didn't come with a lid....I have to be inventive.

Thanks ahead of time.:;f

20 Gallon Tank: I accidently ruined my Betta's bubble nest.

tl.christy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:28:35 GMT

I accidently ruined my males bubble nest when I was removing female Beatta my tank divider fell creating a current that caused my males bubble nest WITH EGGS in it to spread apart across my tank. :S. My Bettta's just mated today.. I can see a cluster of eggs in one spot in the nest.. do u think he will fix it and move all the eggs that may be in the parts of the nest that are spread apart|?? Or what should I do ?? I know this was a stupid carless mistake I didnt notice the divider fell til after.. do u think this will cause him to abandon the rest?

Thanks for reading and helping any thoughts u may have please leave.