Good and Bad News.

I went to the pet store today (Petco..eww, I know) And I was looking at their bettas, feeling aweful. I found one that was really perky, and lively and He just seems to determined to get out of the cup! Frantically swimming around and he just stood out to me, so I picked him up and looked at him, And he gave me this face like "Pppllleease get me outta here!" And I was like.. hmmmmm ok. I can do it! lol So, I bought him. He's a lovely crown tail. Pretty small, actually. Maybe only an inch. He's blue, and purple, and some white. He's marbled and just lovely. However, when I came home after getting him I came upstairs to show Apollo and Helios their new brother, and Apollo had died! :'( :'( I was just watching them last night, too and they seemed absolutely fine! And he was gone this morning..

Good News: I got a new Betta!! (Still to be named I think I'll continue with the gods theme, and I'll take pics in a bit)
Bad News: Apollo's passed on.

I have no idea how he died! I was medicating him for fin rot... maybe he had something else that I couldn't see. I just don't know.

 

That is awful!! So sorry that Apolla has passed. You were lucky to have each other for the time you did, and now you are doing another sweet thing and rescuing another betta from a horrible fate, so remember that. Good Karma will be yours. I know your heart is breaking....Val

 

It's true. My new guy is adorable. I absolutely adore him! I've cleaned out Apollo's tank and that will be my new fish's home. I'll probably put him in tomorrow and take pictures then or in a couple days after he's settled in.

 

It's true. My new guy is adorable. I absolutely adore him! I've cleaned out Apollo's tank and that will be my new fish's home. I'll probably put him in tomorrow and take pictures then or in a couple days after he's settled in.

We're really sorry for apollo passing on.. i'm glad he got sent to you - he got cared for & loved and that's what a betta wants. Congrats on the new guy too.

 

Ugh...

I came home tonight to Helios, now having Finrot.

However, the Vitachem should be coming in tomorrow, so I'll begin treatment on both of them with that. I don't want to medicate. I want to see if the vitachem will help Helios with his tail before it gets worse. It's not bad at all, just a bit shreded. He's grown so much since i've gotten him, probably about half an inch. My new fish is about the size that Helios was when I first got him, if not smaller. Awww my baby boys, I just want them to be happy and healthy.

New fishy is really skittish. I'm assuming it's just all the stress from the little cup, and coming to a new home, and having a person whoactually loves to lookat him, he's probably scared out of his mind! haha He's really very beautiful though and he's becoming more energetic since he's in a bigger space than the cup, I can't wait to see him in the tank! Seeing him eat will be good too. :-\

Edit: Yay! I'm a full member, now! ;D

You know, I was looking through the older posts, and My new fishy looks a lot like nmwierman1977 (Natalie's) RJ. Very, very similar, i'm sure you'll all see it when I get pictures up. <33

 

Ugh...

I came home tonight to Helios, now having Finrot.

However, the Vitachem should be coming in tomorrow, so I'll begin treatment on both of them with that. I don't want to medicate. I want to see if the vitachem will help Helios with his tail before it gets worse. It's not bad at all, just a bit shreded. He's grown so much since i've gotten him, probably about half an inch. My new fish is about the size that Helios was when I first got him, if not smaller. Awww my baby boys, I just want them to be happy and healthy.

New fishy is really skittish. I'm assuming it's just all the stress from the little cup, and coming to a new home, and having a person whoactually loves to lookat him, he's probably scared out of his mind! haha He's really very beautiful though and he's becoming more energetic since he's in a bigger space than the cup, I can't wait to see him in the tank! Seeing him eat will be good too. :-\

Edit: Yay! I'm a full member, now! ;D

So you're saying you weren't all here before?

The vitachem has done great for natalie & I look forward to getting some too. Good luck with Helios' fins and your new guy.

 

Poor Helios....I have decided fin rot is like a plague....hardly anyone here it hasn't hit.

Trying to find a bright spot, for fin rot it is that (so far at least) it doesn't affect their personality - well maybe their ego!! Neptune's tail keeps healing and fraying. The last red on his tail frayed on Sunday, so now I am also just going to keep him on the Vita Chem and clean water and see how it goes. It will be interesting. As I said in Storm's thread, I dreamt Neptune's whole body except head was gone due to finrot, and just his flaring head was swimming around..LOL..bizarre, I know....but he continues to be that feisty!

Good luck with Helios. I haven't been adding the full dose ( 2 drops per gallon) everyday...just about half dose...hopefully somone will read this and advise if we can do full dose daily. Val

 

Do you mean the full dose of vitachem? Hmm Yes, that would be useful to know. I should be getting mine sometime today, which i'm extatic about. 

It seems as though Helios is the calm one now, my new fishy is all skittish and will sometimes just relax on the bottom, but shoots around the tank, too. Helios seems all the more graceful now.

FLBettaCouple- You and you're wise cracks... lol Yes, i've always been here. 

 

Sorry about your loss... :'(...but glad to hear about the new addition to your family. Pretty lucky betta to have you!!

 

Mmmmmkay I have a ton of pictures, so i'm going to post one, but then a bunch of links, I went a bit crazy... But I know people like pcitures.

Here's Helios

Oh, and if a name comes to you for the new fishy, i'm always open to suggestions, i've not named him yet. Though, i'd like to continue with the gods theme.

 

He's a very handsome Betta! you could name him "pretty boy" after the american god of vanity. how about Pan?

This link might give an inspiration:

 

You know, I was looking through the older posts, and My new fishy looks a lot like nmwierman1977 (Natalie's) RJ. Very, very similar, I'm sure you'll all see it when I get pictures up. <33

Yes, he does look a bit like my RJ. His purple body, with his red tipped fins. RJ's head used to be white, now it's turned kind of yellowish and bit's of purple in it too.

Poor Helios....I have decided fin rot is like a plague....hardly anyone here it hasn't hit.

Trying to find a bright spot, for fin rot it is that (so far at least) it doesn't affect their personality - well maybe their ego!! Neptune's tail keeps healing and fraying. The last red on his tail frayed on Sunday, so now I am also just going to keep him on the Vita Chem and clean water and see how it goes. It will be interesting. As I said in Storm's thread, I dreamt Neptune's whole body except head was gone due to finrot, and just his flaring head was swimming around..LOL..bizarre, I know....but he continues to be that feisty!

Good luck with Helios. I haven't been adding the full dose ( 2 drops per gallon) everyday...just about half dose...hopefully someone will read this and advise if we can do full dose daily. Val

This is what I've been doing for 2 weeks now because RJ's tail got a bit frayed due to my lack of changing the water on time. This all depends on the size of tank you have too. It's 2 drops per gallon. So, When I do a water change I'll put 10 drops in and since his tail got frayed a bit I started putting half that dose in the tank everyday until it's done growing back. Then I'll go back to every other day just a few drops. I started doing that and almost immediately the fraying came to a halt and there is new growth coming back now. It gets better and better everyday. I never used any meds.

I did the same with my oto cat Barney in the hosp. tank. No meds just the vitachem every day. I put 3 drops in everyday until his tail fully grew back. It took 2 weeks for it to fully grow back and his tail was pretty damaged too. He never got fin rot though because I caught it right away. Hope that helps. Natalie

 

Mmmmhmm I think he's just stunning. <333

And he's so tiny! lol Two pellets for him, and he's good for a meal. (Thank God I did get him to eat)

[I'm still waiting for my Vitachem...it was supposed to be here today.... :-[ ]

Hopefully it'll be in tomorrow.

 

He is really beautiful! I just love pink Bettas! He looks a lot like my Lava. I used love seeing Lava swim with his beautiful crowntail fluttering behind him. Now he can only float.

 

Awww Phlox. Well, at least you've still got his company, he still wants to be with you so that's something, right?

Hehe I used to think that Helios was the energetic one, but compaired to the new fishy, he's really graceful and calm. Guess that happens with a month of age, huh? lol

 

Maybe Helios needs to watch "finding nemo" or something.

 

Haha yea, maybe Helios is just oging crazy in the tank. :

 

Haha yea, maybe Helios is just oging crazy in the tank. :

he might - if you watch Jaws!

 

I'd have to set up an elaborate set of mirrors for him to watch Jaws in my room. Since his ank is neighboring and below he tv.

I don't get it, his tank is growing algea, and there's a mystery snail in there, and the tanks hardly ever get any sunlight. I had the lights on for too long, I think.. but the snail isn't making a meal out of it.

 

are the room lights fluorescent and/or his tank light? it seems to me that the algae grows more with that type of lighting from our tanks. the only tank with algae is the only one we've upgraded the lights to those compact FL bulbs.

 

They definitely aren't flourescent. They're the generic bulbs that the tank came with.

But only Helios' tank had algea.

 

They definitely aren't flourescent. They're the generic bulbs that the tank came with.

But only Helios' tank had algea.

I think you need to sit that snail down and explain to him what his job is and that he'd better get to it or you'll sell him to a french restaurant. (he won't know your teasing. )

 

I think I also have the world's laziest snail! I bought one for Aenara's tank to clean algae which she promptly killed with her curiousity. I got another and she seems to be fine with him and leaves him alone but he just will not move around the tank at all! He sits in the exact spot I dropped him in all the time and just shifts position occassionally. Sometimes standing up, sometimes lying on one side or another or on his back. He refuses to crawl around! When I had him in the 1 gallon tank for treatment for fungus he was zooming all around. Maybe he doesn't like warm water? He seemed to be happier in the room temp water.

 

I think I also have the world's laziest snail! I bought one for Aenara's tank to clean algae which she promptly killed with her curiousity. I got another and she seems to be fine with him and leaves him alone but he just will not move around the tank at all! He sits in the exact spot I dropped him in all the time and just shifts position occassionally. Sometimes standing up, sometimes lying on one side or another or on his back. He refuses to crawl around! When I had him in the 1 gallon tank for treatment for fungus he was zooming all around. Maybe he doesn't like warm water? He seemed to be happier in the room temp water.

Maybe he is scared of Aenara! He might be playing opossum to make Aenara think he is a rock!

 

I wondered the same thing! She has never paid any attention to him so I don't know why he'd be afraid. I heard that Mystery snails hibernate sometimes so maybe the warm water sets him into hibernation. It's very frustrating because I got him to clean algae and now all he does is lay there and poop, adding to the bio-load. :

 

;D ;D ;D Sorry that whole "lay there and poop" was funny!

 

I was reading about the snail I just got for Cujo's tank and came across this FAQ addressing your lazy snail

My snails are inactive for most of the time. Am I doing something wrong? The temperature is OK and the fish seem to be healthy.

Apple snails are rather lazy animals, they only creep around if they need to. In other words, when they are hungry or want to reproduce themselves. If they have plenty of food, they will show almost no activity (why should they?).
In the case this inactivity sounds familiar to you and you worry about their inactivity, just reduce the amount of food for a week and see if that makes any difference (also check them at night!).
Another cause could be low temperatures. Make sure that the temperature stays between 18 and 28°C (65-82°F).

This is a pretty interesting site. It turns out my 'mystery' snail is an Apple snail.

 

cool.. those apple snails can get big. we were going to get one for each of our tanks, but they're too small for apple snails.

 

I've looked around different sites and know that the snails do get lazy.

The snail in Helios' tank has been moving around lately, and did discover the algae on the tubing, but hasn't found it on the plant yet... It's so interesting to see the differences in the two snails that I have. The one in my [unkown named fish]'s tank flies around all day long carefree. I did read that bit that if they have plenty of food, then they won't clean the tank... but how often should I feed a single snail? I have the parger wafers and did figure out how to breakthem down. But I don't know how often to feed them a portion of the wafer. Maybe once a week? And I take out the excess wafer after 12 hours, right?

 

I've not had snails myself so can't say for sure, but 1x a week sounds like enough and I guess you can adjust how often based on how much cleaning the snail does. Definitely take the uneated wafer out like you said. Sounds to me like you've come up with a good plan there.

 

Finally a name has been chosen for mmy new fishy.

I think Paris suits him fine. [And no, no relation to Hilton, and he doesn't make sex tapes - And he hasn't been to the iron pin, FLBettaCouple... haha]

So Paris it is, I got the idea from the movie 'Troy' Sure, Paris is a wimp, but he doesn't die, and he's the one who (in the end) brings down the great Achilles. So, I think it's a great name.

 

LOL.. welcome to Paris (not Hilton)!

 

I had a betta named Phineas and I really liked him.My friend had got him and eventually let me take care of him(feed him,let him live with me,etc).Today I was told that he wanted him back...Just out of nowhere...Nothing made him change his mind.This stinks.So I was going to go to the pet store today anyway to get Phineas a bigger tank but obviously plans changed.I went anyway and I got a betta that was MINE!I got him a tank that is a couple of gallons but sadly no filter and heater.My electric bill has been running really high lately because of the pond and swimming pool.So he is doing fine without a filter and heater but to keep him warm I have a bright light near him.He has a fake plant and a live plant to swim through and by.I am really excited I have my own betta now!Any suggestions on names?Since I don't have a filter how often will I have to change the water in his tank?(well actually it's a medium critter carrier)

 

I got him a tank that is a couple of gallons but sadly no filter and heater.My electric bill has been running really high lately because of the pond and swimming pool.

You have a POOL and a POND, and you are concerned about the electricity costs from a small filter and heater in a betta tank doing you in? Come on, go get your betta a filter, or you'll have to do 100% water changes every day like the breeders do.

 

Well I will see.I am going to go search around on filters.How is a hagen minI elite?Also will it be too big for a medium critter carrier?The lid would probably have to stay off.Do bettas jump?

 

Look in the DIY section on how to rig a sponge filter or something.

 

Will do.But if I would happen to get a hagen minI elite would it be too big?

 

Two gallon tank? Can you update your aquarium info?

I don't know about that filter, I don't have one. I think Lucy said that one didn't work well for her bettas, though. PM her and ask.

Edit: Just in case anyone doesn't read further down, I'm editing to add that Lucy was the right member, as she did have that filter, but she likes and recommends it.

 

I'll update it!I remeber Lucy mentioning it so I will talk to her.Thanks

 

Okay, good. I talked/badgered you into a filter. Now I can work on talking you into a small heater?