Beginner betta tank enthusiast

Hello all! Just starting getting into the freshwater aquarium hobby! We currently have 1 Japanese trapdoor snail, a kuli loach, a golden dojo loach, an African dwarf frog, and a beautiful male betta.
Our tank is planted with a few Anubis, 4 water lily bulbs, some bamboo and a few others I forget at the moment. This photo was mid water change but the whole family made an appearance! ❤️ Joining the fishlore world because our beloved betta has had a rough go since we adopted him from petsmart. He’s had sicknesses that we’ve done our best in treating witch medicines. He’s a fighter and the chillest betta fish I've ever known. He’s best friends with our golden dojo loach And they swim together in circles around the flow of their filter all day long and chill together when they’re not active. I want to make sure all our beloved fish and plants are safe and happy in their home and that I become as knowledgeable as possible so they can all thrive.

 

Beautiful tank! Welcome to the hobby, and welcome to Fishlore!

I just thought I'd add to be a bit careful, dojo loaches are cool water fish, with the max temp of water for them being 76 farenheit. Bettas need 78-81 farenheit, so they aren't totally temp compatible.

Also kuhlis are schooling fish! They typically need a school of 5+ to be happy and active, as well as to feel safe.

Ah, sorry, missed that you have an ADF. ADF also need the company of other ADFs to be happy, so at least 2 is needed but 3 is preferred.

What size tank is it? Also, I saw that you don't know about the nitrogen cycle, that is important and you might want to read up on it.

 

Welcome!!
Yup, Bloodfeather started pretty much everything I was going to touch on.

The dojo’s won’t be able to stay with the betta and thrive, because there needs require cooler temperatures than you’re little betta who will be happiest at a temp around 80.
Some better options for him would be a school of Ember Tetras or maybe Chili Rasboras.

And definitely read up on the above mentioned nitrogen cycle, if you haven’t already. Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle Forum

 

Welcome!!
Yup, Bloodfeather started pretty much everything I was going to touch on.

The khuli’s won’t be able to stay with the betta and thrive, because there needs to be more of them and they need cooler temperatures than you’re little betta who will be happiest at a temp around 80.
Some better options for him would be a school of Ember Tetras or maybe Chili Rasboras.

And definitely read up on the abovementioned nitrogen cycle, if you haven’t already. Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle Forum

Ah I think you're confused, kuhlis are tropical and need higher temps like the betta. The dojo is the cool-water one.

 

Could you take a moment to fill out the template so we can get a better sense of your tank?

Fish Emergency Template | Freshwater Fish Disease 376562

 

Ah I think you're confused, kuhlis are tropical and need higher temps like the betta. The dojo is the cool-water one.

Oops! My 5 hours of sleep are catching up on me. I meant to type dojo but somehow somewhere something went wrong. Let me fix that

 

Oops! My 5 hours of sleep are catching up on me. I meant to type dojo but somehow somewhere something went wrong. Let me fix that

No worries lol, all good

 

Beautiful tank! Welcome to the hobby, and welcome to Fishlore!

I just thought I'd add to be a bit careful, dojo loaches are cool water fish, with the max temp of water for them being 76 farenheit. Bettas need 78-81 farenheit, so they aren't totally temp compatible.

Also kuhlis are schooling fish! They typically need a school of 5+ to be happy and active, as well as to feel safe.

Ah, sorry, missed that you have an ADF. ADF also need the company of other ADFs to be happy, so at least 2 is needed but 3 is preferred.

What size tank is it? Also, I saw that you don't know about the nitrogen cycle, that is important and you might want to read up on it.

Thanks so much! Tank size is 10 gallons and we plan to add in more loaches and another ADF when we upgrade to a 15 gal.
I didn’t know this about the dojo loach, he seems very active and happy but I will look into what I can do to make sure he’s comfortable.

Welcome!!
Yup, Bloodfeather started pretty much everything I was going to touch on.

The dojo’s won’t be able to stay with the betta and thrive, because there needs require cooler temperatures than you’re little betta who will be happiest at a temp around 80.
Some better options for him would be a school of Ember Tetras or maybe Chili Rasboras.

And definitely read up on the abovementioned nitrogen cycle, if you haven’t already.

Great thank you, As far as tetras go, they would be a better for the loach correct? Because they would be aggressive towards my betta from what I’ve been told?

Could you take a moment to fill out the template so we can get a better sense of your tank?

Fish Emergency Template | Freshwater Fish Disease 376562

Tank
What is the water volume of the tank? 10 gallons

How long has the tank been running? 4 months

Does it have a filter? Yes, a 10 gal topfin filter

Does it have a heater? Yes.

What is the water temperature? 79-80

What is the entire stocking of this tank? (Please list all fish and inverts.) khuli loach, golden dojo loach, African dwarf frog, Japanese trap door snail and a betta fish

Maintenance
How often do you change the water? Weekly

How much of the water do you change? 30-50%

What do you use to treat your water? Top fin water conditioner

Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? Both substrate and water.

*Parameters - Unknown. Waiting for freshwater test kit to arrive in mail with new substrate and larger tank. (Ik this makes diagnosing my issue much more difficult) I’m doing the best I can with what I have at the moment.

Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? I was instructed to use pristine natural organic waste management and wait a few days before introducing fish? I have no idea if that was accurate? Probably not.

What do you use to test the water? Nothing to test the water with yet.

Feeding
How often do you feed your fish? Twice daily morning and night (Excess food is removed)

How much do you feed your fish? Recommended amount of 3 pellets for betta and or 3-4 bloodworms for each critter. Sinking alge wafers are cut in half and put into the tank for the loaches (I should have gotten minis)

What brand of food do you feed your fish? Omega one bloodworms and topfin betta pellets.

Do you feed frozen or freeze-dried foods? Frozen blood worms

Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this fish? I’ve had the betta since December 2019. I’ve had the loaches since the start of April and the ADF & Japanese trap door snail since the middle of April. (All other fish/inverts were quarantined for a week before adding into my main tank. No issues to report with other inhabitants)

How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? Two months ago. (Treated with Maracyn two and imagitarium parasite remedy before coming back a month later) noticed it came back on 5/10/20

In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? White cotton like/stringy growths on head and front of body. Swollen/bloated/constipated stomach

Have you started any treatment for the illness? Yes, treated with maracyn two.

Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? Yes. Fin rot and columnarus looking growths. But he got better and clear scaled before declining once more a month after recovering

How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? Lethargic, chills at the bottom of the tank. twitchy, swollen stomach, and his colors are not as vibrant.

Explain your emergency situation in detail. The top of my bettas head swelled with a string of white coming out the top of the head. I wasn’t able to monitor for a full 24 hours and returned to see his scales and whole top of his head missing. He still swam around and greeted us and ate some bloodworms after being put in his quarantine tank. Although he’s eating he’s acting very lethargic and his scales are falling off his head as he swims. His stomach has swelled again during his sickness. I began maracyn two treatment on May 11 2020.

Update on day 2 of maracyn two treatment: the top of my bettas head has developed a cloudy substance stuck to the top of his wound.

Update on day 3 of maracyn two treatment: cloudy white growth on top of bettas head has detached itself and wound seems to be healing. Betta was able to poo and looks more deflated on day 3.

 

Welcome!! I am also a huge betta lover!! You have a pretty tank! I do agree with people that posted above me. I would look at upgrading your tank for the fish you have so you can give them schools. A 29g tank would be a great option!

 

Welcome!! I am also a huge betta lover!! You have a pretty tank! I do agree with people that posted above me. I would look at upgrading your tank for the fish you have so you can give them schools. A 29g tank would be a great option!

Thank you so much! It’s a work in progress! We just ordered a 15g fluval flex so we’re slowly working our way up there! Hoping to become familiar enough with the hobby to do a betta sorority 30g with a plethora of live plants and hides. Still doing research and learning, we will see where it goes

 

Thank you so much! It’s a work in progress! We just ordered a 15g fluval flex so we’re slowly working our way up there! Hoping to become familiar enough with the hobby to do a betta sorority 30g with a plethora of live plants and hides. Still doing research and learning, we will see where it goes

I'm working on my first sorority in a really long time! I'm importing them but they all grew up together so I'm hoping it works out. Time will tell! Working on getting the tank rescaped until they get here!

 

I'm working on my first sorority in a really long time! I'm importing them but they all grew up together so I'm hoping it works out. Time will tell! Working on getting the tank rescaped until they get here!

Good luck with everything! If they’ve grown up together, I’ve heard the chances of success will be far greater! Very excited for you!

 

Thanks so much! Tank size is 10 gallons and we plan to add in more loaches and another ADF when we upgrade to a 15 gal.
I didn’t know this about the dojo loach, he seems very active and happy but I will look into what I can do to make sure he’s comfortable.

Add more kuhlis for sure. They have a low bioload so at least 6 total. Your dojo will need a new home eventually. Dojos produce a lot of waste, get a good size (up to 12 inches) and grow quickly. Would recommend a 55 gallon or larger. They are quite friendly and I have trained them to eat from my hand. They can live 7-10 years too.

 

Add more kuhlis for sure. They have a low bioload so at least 6 total. Your dojo will need a new home eventually. Dojos produce a lot of waste, get a good size (up to 12 inches) and grow quickly. Would recommend a 55 gallon or larger. They are quite friendly and I have trained them to eat from my hand. They can live 7-10 years too.

Kuhlis can live 10-15. Just thought I'd say hilarious

 

Nice tank. I'm so jealous.

 

Nice tank. I'm so jealous.

Thank you!!!

 

Thank you!!!

Ur welcome. I'm just stating facts