5 Gal Betta Set-Up: Advice/Help

Ok here are the photos I managed to take with the point and shoot. Sorry for the blurry quality, I did not want to use the "full flash" on the poor guy since I know they are sensitive to light. He didn't seem to mind the light, however, I did not want to cause un-needed stress for him so I only took a very few.

These should better show what I mean by the "gold" scales appearing on his face (chin, bear, and near the gills) and underbelly (on the fins near his pecs). They ONLY appear in these locations; his body does not appear to be covered in "rust" or a "gold dust" like velvet, but none the less I am still concerned about it since it is iridescent. You can also see what I mean about his growing pecs as well as the coloration change (blue iridescence). I tried my best to crop the s so you can see the details better, but if I really need to take more I can do so. Just want to be certain this isn't anything I should be concerned about. In my past years of fish keeping I have never experienced many fish diseases or parasites, so when it comes to actually spotting them, I tend to be worried about any little change (not to mention I have not kept bettas that were not already adults, so I have never viewed a maturing one). My hope is that this is just a color change (it'd be awesome if he is indeed marbled). If not, let me know what you guys think I need to do (as far as treatment and what not).

 

Here are some even closer croppings (not sure if they will appear larger though)
Also note that any "milky-ness" to the s are merely due to the reflection of the acrylic - his colors have not dulled at all, they are still rich and vibrant like in other photos I have posted (no flash = no reflection).

 

I have no idea if that should be a concern, but I really hope not, because it looks awesome!

 

I know right! I actually love the way it looks, but just only as long as it's not actually harming the fish. I've read up on velvet, but honestly the fish isn't showing any of the symptoms other aquarists talk about, and the gold isn't all over his body either. If you look really close you'll also notice some iridescent green mixed in with the gold and blue so I'm really hopeful this is just a color change.

Honestly I can't get over how much his pecs have grown! They're huge and very fanned out. Not to mention gaining a beautiful iridescent blue to them!

 

Hmm I wonder if maybe I should make a separate thread for this? I'm sure by now this one has been buried, lol. If it is velvet it's better to treat earlier rather than later you know?
Id hate to make another thread as I don't want to clutter, but I wonder if anyone else would be able to confirm or not?

 

Maybe toss one in the disease or betta section?

 

Where is the Betta section? I'm on mobile and cannot seem to find it...it only shows categories such as Freshwater, Saltwater, etc. I looked through freshwater and did not see any section there either other than "Newbie" section that fit my category.

 

Here's the link. It's actually where this thread is posted too, but maybe the new one would be better to help get some more eyes on it.

 

Thanks so much! It's hard to see the areas on the mobile app. >.<

I actually posted a thread to the disease section - thinking it was a better place to start it? I think I'll leave it go for a little and see what responses I get. I didn't notice that this thread was moved to the Betta section actually I just figured it got buried, lol. Anyways I'm hoping I can find out the culprit of the coloration. I saw maybe one other post that was similar to my case, but their fish was displaying all sorts of symptoms while mine is acting perfectly healthy/normal so idk...

 

No problem. I have a harder time working the mobile app than the desktop as well, so I completely understand Hopefully you'll get some good answers!

 

I (luckily or whatever) have no experience with fish that have had velvet in any of my tanks over the years. So I don't want to say that he doesn't have velvet, because that is not an area of expertise for me. But the gold flecking looks like a normal coloration to me. I say this because my first betta, Flare, got this coppery-looking coloration under his chin as he matured, and it wasn't because anything was wrong, it was just a color that came out after a short time once he was out of the death cup and into a large tank with good water to rule over his watery kingdom. Here's a picture, in case it helps.

 

I (luckily or whatever) have no experience with fish that have had velvet in any of my tanks over the years. So I don't want to say that he doesn't have velvet, because that is not an area of expertise for me. But the gold flecking looks like a normal coloration to me. I say this because my first betta, Flare, got this coppery-looking coloration under his chin as he matured, and it wasn't because anything was wrong, it was just a color that came out after a short time once he was out of the death cup and into a large tank with good water to rule over his watery kingdom. Here's a picture, in case it helps.

Ok so maybe it is a color change. What's odd though is the Betta now has gold eyes?? I went in to feed him and noticed his eyes almost glowed (in the dark no less) and when I turned on the light noticed his irises have gone from brown to gold? Do I have some weird subspecies or hybrid lol, I've never seen anything like this. Betta with glow in the dark eyes...what's next.

 

oooh, new pics?

 

oooh, new pics?

I wasn't able to capture any photos tonight, and just finished with a 40% water change so I'll try again tomorrow. I don't want to stress him out any further for tonight- Honestly the best way to describe it is literally that the irises themselves were almost luminescent/iridescent. I was legitimately startled when I went to feed him (lights are out mind you) and I see his eyes shimmering bright, I didn't know what in the world was going on.

I'm almost wondering if he is recovering from nitrite and ammonia burns? I know they can cause Bettas to turn black, and he did come from a death cup so I'm sure his water parameters were horrid. If you look on his back (near his head) you can see the black scales are starting to turn blue (mildly light blue). Maybe he's not only maturing, but also healing as well? (At least I hope so, poor guy doesn't need to go through getting sick after living in a cup for who knows how long)

 

Good news though is that it seems nitrites are going down again. I measured a weak 4 (3-3.5) today, though nitrates are still at their same levels. No ammonia though, so I'm going strong now on having a steady 0 reading.

Also my Amazon Sword seems to really be taking & flourishing in the tank. I had to trim the ridiculously long roots, but after doing so it seems to be spreading out and growing much better. Anubias and Java Fern had to be bound (via a rubber band) to the mangrove decor, though the Anubias is almost ready to be let "free" since its long roots are loving the nooks and crannies on the decor. I will take a update photo tomorrow and share it, the tanks shaping up nicely as far as aesthetics go. The Betta really enjoys being able to swim in and out of the plants and decor.

 

I was actually going to mention the gold flecks in his eyes. You can just see them in one of your close-up shots of him, but it's only along the edge of the eyeball nearest where the colour change that concerned you was taking place. Maybe he's a marble betta who's going to turn out solid gold!

 

I'm starting to wonder if he is indeed a marble. Today I noticed a lighter blue spot (scale) on his left side. At first I was startled because I thought he had lost a scale, but closer inspection showed that it's just turning to a lighter color.

He's also getting more color to his pecs, they look like they're going to be a bright iridescent blue.

I mean I can't lie....I'm still worried it may be something else, but seeing different colors (not just gold) does make me feel slightly more comfortable with thinking its a color change.

As for the levels they are still exactly the same, no change (ugh).

 

Oh and here was the best photo I could capture of his "eye shine." This was taken in almost total darkness, there's only a small light in the background so my phone could focus on the fish (sorry for the heavy grain and blurry quality).

 

And here's an update on what the tank looks like now.

Before:



After (Now):





You'll notice it looks a lot more "full" and complete now. Before it was very bare at the surface and upper levels, now there's plants to explore and hiding areas so Ryuu doesn't feel as out in the open. Same goes for the back, which was bare and reflected the white walls of the room causing the Betta to flare at himself. I added a artificial silk plant back there to break it up so that he is no longer stressed by his reflection.

You can see how well the Amazon Sword has taken, it's actually growing about 2-3 new leaves already. The Anubias is also doing well, and actually is one of Ryuu's favorite spots. He really seems to enjoy being able to swim in/out/around the leaves and stalks.

 

Looks awesome!

 

Update: (!)
Alright so I haven't posted lately and that's because things really had not changed what so ever, but today my water test yielded a wonderful surprise!....

0 Nitrites!!
Not only that Nitrates have gone up!
I was stunned when I saw the blue nitrite tube, lol. I was getting so used to seeing bright violet (2-5ppm readings)

So my current levels are as follows:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrates: 8-10ppm
pH: 7.8
Temp: 82F

The Betta has still been acting very healthy, but still remains gold around the beard and underside region. I'm thinking it's just a color change honestly since his ventral/pelvic fins have become more iridescent (blue/green).

I did have to get rid of the shrimps....Ryuu started eating them, literally...and had managed to kill 2 before I could intervene and remove them. When the tank has been cycled I am going to get a snail instead (any specie recommendations for a 5 gal, btw?)

The Amazon Sword is growing madly too, it's gained 3 new leaves in the past week! It's really filling out in its area.

 

Yay, so glad you're finally through that! On the snail subject, as much as I love mystery snails, I think with the betta I'd probably recommend a nerite if you want to get a snail. The mystery snails are probably my personal favorite, but they come out of their shells a lot more than the nerites do, making it more likely that Ryuu might decide to try munching on their stalks/feelers as well.

Edit: If you're going to get the snail though, you may want to bring the temp down a few degrees.

 

Yay, so glad you're finally through that! On the snail subject, as much as I love mystery snails, I think with the betta I'd probably recommend a nerite if you want to get a snail. The mystery snails are probably my personal favorite, but they come out of their shells a lot more than the nerites do, making it more likely that Ryuu might decide to try munching on their stalks/feelers as well.

Edit: If you're going to get the snail though, you may want to bring the temp down a few degrees.

Ok gotcha, I have always loved the look of zebra and tiger nerite snails so I'd probably get one of the either species versus a black or green. I owned some species of large snail (Apple snail I believe) way back when but boy was it a mess...it ended up laying pink eggs all over the lid of the tank hood.

As far as temperature goes....would 80 be alright for one? Now that I understand the "quirks" of my Hydor heater (basically it's off by 5-6 degrees) I experimented with 78 and the Betta didn't seem to be as active. He seems to really favor 80-82F.

Also, as far as feeding goes...would a nerite snail be able to survive in my tank without starving? I generally keep my tank clean and don't allow any Betta pellets to fall to the bottom. I mean I guess I could throw in 1 algae pellet (cake) every once in a blue moon, but would that suffice? I'm not as costumed to low food/bio load tanks; my other snail, algae eaters, etc. lived in large communities where food did fall to the bottom.

Oh and the eggs...do they lay them regardless if there is a mate present or even when they are in fresh water? I've heard the eggs can be tricky to scrape off surfaces? I have so many nooks and crannies that id worry id miss a few and dirty the tank.

 

I think 80 would be alright. From what I can find online, some sites suggest a max of 78 and some 80.

Personally, I'd probably toss something in extra for him on occasion if the tank is really clean, and see if he shows any interest in it. Mine almost never pay attention to the food I put in for the mystery snails, but they will sometimes... Usually they prefer to just clean the tank. I'd think, for one nerite though, you could probably easily break up the cake into smaller bits instead of dropping the whole thing it at once.

I don't honestly know if they lay eggs without a mate, but they will lay them in fresh water, they just won't hatch. They're tricky to clean because they're little, but I wouldn't think a few missed eggs would cause too many issues for water quality. That being said, I have 3 nerites in my 10g, 1 zebra, 1 tiger, and 1 bumblebee. I have had them for about 3 months or so and have never seen eggs from them on anything.

 

I have both mystery and nerite snails in my betta tanks, and each tanks sits around 80-81F. The snails always seem active. I haven't had any problems with the invertebrates at that temperature, I think you will be ok with it.

 

I have both mystery and nerite snails in my betta tanks, and each tanks sits around 80-81F. The snails always seem active. I haven't had any problems with the invertebrates at that temperature, I think you will be ok with it.

Ok cool, I will most likely add a zebra or tiger nerite next time I'm by the LPS.

You know lately I had changed the baffler on the aquarium, and now I'm getting the white protein/bacteria film layer on the water's surface. I am going to try adjusting the new baffle, but is there any specific airstones and pumps you guys would recommend for my tank? Keep in mind it's only a 5 gal, with very little places to actually put one. I don't want the Betta being disturbed by a strong or heavy one, but I also don't want that icky white film on the surface.

 

Perhaps if you put holes in the baffle so the flow is dispersed across the surface rather than straight out or down?

 

Hm, I see the same thing on my betta tank. I just added some floating plants, and their movement seems to be helping. I'll let you know tomorrow what the top of my water looks like.

 

The fish looked over fed, fast him every once in a while,
Get a marmimo moss ball! It's a easy plant (I use my ball to wash the aquarium glass)


Sent from your local fish expert

 

Sorry I never updated...I ended up modifying the baffler on the tank, and it seems to have significantly cut down on surface scum. My plans are to add a new hideout or foliage inside the mangrove decor since there is a rather large gap. Ryuu seems to enjoy a more semI "cluttered" tank and acts more active/secure when plants are nearby to hide around; he especially loves swimming in and out of the Anubias stalks. I've kept the front open though to provide ample clear zones.

Plants are doing fantastic, Amazon sword has grown like wild fire with a good 5-6 new leaves and even the Anubias has sprouted 2-3 small leaves. Java fern is a slow boat though...not sure it's going to do in the long run.

And tank parameters are nice and stable with the temp now remaining around 80F (preparing for a snail perhaps).

I do have a question for you guys as I am stumped on this one, and cannot find any answers on the forum. So I've noticed at night that Ryuu's colors fade, his eyes turn bright gold (I mean glowing gold), and his horizontal stripes appear. Should I be concerned about this? I know stripes are typically a stress indicator, but honestly their is absolutely nothing that should be causing stress to him. He even seems to lose his vision, and will kind of bump into things if he feels like "wandering" at night outside his sleeping log. Like I said, parameters are perfect, temp is always at 80....Tanks cleaned 1-2 every 2 weeks. It's just odd...and in the morning he acts completely normal too. No clamped fins, panting, etc. etc.

Anyone ever experience anything like this? Just curious if maybe this is normal?

 

I don't know that I've ever noticed gold eyes on any of my bettas but the fading colours and stress stripes are perfectly normal. I figure it's because in the dark there's no point trying to display to other bettas but very good reason to become invisible to predators