Recent content by Esmerelda

My fish died this week. I don't know what happened, except that it was a swim bladder issue. It became worse everyday, despite my use of epsom salt and Kanaplex, along with API stress coat. It all happened very, very suddenly. It started with clamped fins despite the pristine water conditions...

1. The water is between 76-79. I'm on my third heater. This one isn't perfect either. 2. How do I measure KH and GH? 3. I change the water once a week. The pH is currently around 7.2 15-20% changes. I siphon out the water and add a mix of distilled and tap water, and add water conditioner and...

This is a bit of a before and after. When I got her in August vs. now. And I think she changed because of the marble gene. Looking back on the videos I took, this fish always had her fins spread. Now they're usually tight. I'm not sure if it's tense, but they're not spread. She just looks...

This has been going on since before she got stuck. She's just not spreading her fins completely anymore. She doesn't look bloated from the top. Sometimes she swims with her spine are looking arched. She's my first betta and I've been known to be a paranoid first-time keeper. I figured it's...

I was going to feed my betta last night, and she gave me quite a fright. She was squeezed between the filter and the wall. She was vertically upside down. I thought she got stuck and died, so I gentle moved the filter. She swam out and acted fine. Her fins are never really completely spread out...

I also took my filter apart when I cleaned it. I wasn't sure how to put it back together. After trial and error, it started flowing again. Maybe I messed something up.

Ever since I cleaned my betta's filter. I wrung out the sponge, but not too much so the filter media isn't stripped of all the beneficial bacteria. Sometimes since then, I've noticed that the flow of water is way too high. It will shoot out and blow my fish around. Other times it's just fine...

My fish is even sleepier today. I've barely seen her out and about. But again, she's eating fine, the water's clean, the temperature is warm enough, and she's not struggling to breathe. She's not particularly old either.

A little while ago, I noticed how she lays on the gravel. So I got her that tube to rest in. She uses it sometimes, but still prefers the gravel.

Do your bettas slow down a little in the winter? I'm pretty sure my betta is fine, but I've noticed she's been resting on the gravel more than usual. When I approach the tank, she immediately comes up to greet me and flutters her fins. She's eating well. She likes it when I draw on the tank or...

It just says 78. It was kind of a cheaper (possibly temporary) one. It's been between 78.1 - 78.6 I think it's 25 watt.

So far so good. The heater said it's preset to 78, and it's maintained that so far. Is that okay? Cause 78 is like the minimum for a betta, right?

My new heater is coming today! Hopefully all will be well again in my tank.

Oh, I'm sorry! I wasn't making myself clear. The heater that doesn't work properly is running in the tank now. It's been running all this time. I just want to find a better one. On a daily basis, this one is running in the tank.

I'm fairly sure the one overheating is 50w. When it's daytime and I'm around home, I am able to turn on/turn off the heater when it overheats. I watch it closely during the day. My goal is to not have to manually regulate it constantly. Just have it stay the temp I set it to.