5 Gallon Tank I rescued a betta today!

[Cowardlyslimeball]

Hi guys!
Today, I was at petsmart looking at the tanks on sale, and was walking past the betta section. This little dumbo halfmoon popped out at me. I'd seen him before, but this time he had fungus on his left eye, mouth rot, and some fin rot. He was just laying there, barely breathing. My pitty (and possibly a little MTS ops got the best of me.
There was a 5gal kit half off (only 20$!), so I formed a plan.
I got an employee to come over and asked him if I could take the betta home for free. He thought it was dead, so he gave me a weird look like 'why the heck does this kid want a dead fish' lol.
I explained his condition, and he said "oh ok 75% off? That was like 3 bucks.
He was super nice but I could tell he thought it would die and cause me eternal sadness. so I took the little guy to the checkout, only to find that I had 20$ and needed 23$ ugh.
But, the cashier just winked, said merry Christmas and took 10% off! She was probably reminiscing on the time that she was a broke high school student like me. (I am eternally grateful, kind human)
So basically they payed me 2$ to take a sick fish!
Anyway, I took him home, set up his tank, threw in some decor, some stress coat and aquarium salt, a spare heater, and here he is!


(You can see his eye and mouth infection in these ones btw)

He's so tiny! My other betta, who is a halfmoon as well is a lot bigger, does that mean he's just young, or is he always going to be small?
I'm so excited! Name suggestions?

 

[BigManAquatics]

Winkin', blinkin' and nod

 

[Biiba]

Awww he’s so cute. I hope he recovers! Such a lovely thing to do

 

[butterflybetta]

I was really close to rescuing a betta today as well! The poor thing had really severe swim bladder disease
I’m glad this betta has a great hime now!
My name suggestion is Dumbo lol. I know it’s not very creative, but it’s the first thing that popped into my head

 

[Cowardlyslimeball]

I was really close to rescuing a betta today as well! The poor thing had really severe swim bladder disease
I’m glad this betta has a great hime now!
My name suggestion is Dumbo lol. I know it’s not very creative, but it’s the first thing that popped into my head

Me too lol. It fits him (especially 'cuz he's not the brightest bulb :hilarious

 

[veggieshark]

They should not do 75% off on a dying fish, they should just give it to you; they'll make money on the tank and medicine because of the sick fish.

At least he doesn't have torn fins or sunken (or bloated) belly. You have a good chance at healing him.

 

[Cowardlyslimeball]

They should not do 75% off on a dying fish, they should just give it to you; they'll make money on the tank and medicine because of the sick fish.

At least he doesn't have torn fins or sunken (or bloated) belly. You have a good chance at healing him.

Well, that's true but I was willing to pay 3$. I ended up basically getting paid $2 for him, so win/lose haha
I agree, he's a lot more active in his new tank, I'm pretty confident he'll be okay!

They should not do 75% off on a dying fish, they should just give it to you; they'll make money on the tank and medicine because of the sick fish.

At least he doesn't have torn fins or sunken (or bloated) belly. You have a good chance at healing him.

Also, it's PetSmarts fish, they bought it, so it's the managers decision. I don't have any right to demand it being free. Seems pretty fair to me!

 

[NotSoAggressiveAquatics]

Beautiful little guy. I hope he makes a full recovery. And I’m sure you did but you seeded the new tank right?

 

[SpottedKit329]

Hi guys!
Today, I was at petsmart looking at the tanks on sale, and was walking past the betta section. This little dumbo halfmoon popped out at me. I'd seen him before, but this time he had fungus on his left eye, mouth rot, and some fin rot. He was just laying there, barely breathing. My pitty (and possibly a little MTS ops got the best of me.
There was a 5gal kit half off (only 20$!), so I formed a plan.
I got an employee to come over and asked him if I could take the betta home for free. He thought it was dead, so he gave me a weird look like 'why the heck does this kid want a dead fish' lol.
I explained his condition, and he said "oh ok 75% off? That was like 3 bucks.
He was super nice but I could tell he thought it would die and cause me eternal sadness. so I took the little guy to the checkout, only to find that I had 20$ and needed 23$ ugh.
But, the cashier just winked, said merry Christmas and took 10% off! She was probably reminiscing on the time that she was a broke high school student like me. (I am eternally grateful, kind human)
So basically they payed me 2$ to take a sick fish!
Anyway, I took him home, set up his tank, threw in some decor, some stress coat and aquarium salt, a spare heater, and here he is!
View attachment 752591
View attachment 752592
(You can see his eye and mouth infection in these ones btw)
View attachment 752593
He's so tiny! My other betta, who is a halfmoon as well is a lot bigger, does that mean he's just young, or is he always going to be small?
I'm so excited! Name suggestions?

If it's a Female name it Jewel, aurora, or violet.
If it's a Male name it.....
Hmm... Your gonna have to look up a list of fish names on Google if its a male

 

[AquaBaby]

How about Yuuki?

 

[butterflybetta]

Also, it's PetSmarts fish, they bought it, so it's the managers decision. I don't have any right to demand it being free. Seems pretty fair to me!

You actually can (and should!!) get the betta for free! I talked to a petsmart employee and they told me if you ask for the bettas in the isolation room, they’ll give them to you for free. The isolation room is where they keep sick bettas, so if you find a clearly sick betta and ask them for it, they should give it to you for free. Even though they have an isolation room to help the bettas, it’s not really a high priority for them to actually treat the betta. Petsmart is a HUGE company, they’re not going to loose any money from just a couple bettas. For them it’s quantity over quality anyway.
$3 for a betta is still a great deal!

 

[BenjiBear]

Maybe you can call him Jasper, i think it means treaure in maybe greek or persian i cant remember but theres a red crystal thats called Jasper and he got that lil red bit on his head. He's such a cutie! You did a really great thing for him!

 

[FoldedCheese]

You actually can (and should!!) get the betta for free! I talked to a petsmart employee and they told me if you ask for the bettas in the isolation room, they’ll give them to you for free. The isolation room is where they keep sick bettas, so if you find a clearly sick betta and ask them for it, they should give it to you for free. Even though they have an isolation room to help the bettas, it’s not really a high priority for them to actually treat the betta. Petsmart is a HUGE company, they’re not going to loose any money from just a couple bettas. For them it’s quantity over quality anyway.
$3 for a betta is still a great deal!

This is true. In fact they won't bend over backwards for ANY animal or reptile. Not just bettas in that room, sick birds, reptiles, and small animals. It's so depressing it was one of the reasons I had to leave.

 

[Cowardlyslimeball]

Thanks for the suggestions! I like yuugi and jasper, they both fit him!
I have an update!
Good and bad
Good: he's super active, although he's been resting/sleeping a lot.
Bad: he has ich, I started coppersafe treatment this morning.
Even though the hob has an adjustable flow rate, it's really been bothering him. He sleeps on the top, on top of a floating plastic plant. The filter pushes it in circles.
So I've been turning it off when he sleeps. Does anyone know how to make those plates for the filter?
Should I stop the salt treatment with the new ich treatment? I've never treated ich before, I've been lucky. So I don't know what to do

Beautiful little guy. I hope he makes a full recovery. And I’m sure you did but you seeded the new tank right?

Yes I did!

If it's a Female name it Jewel, aurora, or violet.
If it's a Male name it.....
Hmm... Your gonna have to look up a list of fish names on Google if its a male

I'm pretty sure it's a male. It was sold as a male, but that's not fool proof.

How about Yuuki?

I like yuuki! Is it a reference to anything? Sorry, I'm pretty uncultured lol

You actually can (and should!!) get the betta for free! I talked to a petsmart employee and they told me if you ask for the bettas in the isolation room, they’ll give them to you for free. The isolation room is where they keep sick bettas, so if you find a clearly sick betta and ask them for it, they should give it to you for free. Even though they have an isolation room to help the bettas, it’s not really a high priority for them to actually treat the betta. Petsmart is a HUGE company, they’re not going to loose any money from just a couple bettas. For them it’s quantity over quality anyway.
$3 for a betta is still a great deal!

I didn't know that, interesting!

Maybe you can call him Jasper, i think it means treaure in maybe greek or persian i cant remember but theres a red crystal thats called Jasper and he got that lil red bit on his head. He's such a cutie! You did a really great thing for him!

I like jasper, it's cute!

This is true. In fact they won't bend over backwards for ANY animal or reptile. Not just bettas in that room, sick birds, reptiles, and small animals. It's so depressing it was one of the reasons I had to leave.

That's so sad. I wish I had a locally owned pet store.. I don't like supporting the big chains.

 

[AquaBaby]

I like yuuki! Is it a reference to anything?

If I understand correctly, it depends on the way it's written.

It can mean hope. That seems fitting. It can mean courage/bravery. That seems fitting, too.

If I am incorrect on that, someone please correct me!

 

[Fisch]

Ich at this stage is most likely stress induced. Instead of starting with medication, he likes higher temp anyways, and you have to do daily water changes as well, I would just increase the temp gradually to 86°, do daily waterchanges and vacuum the gravel as well as the offspring will be released from the gravel into the water, searching for a host. Leave temp for at least a week after he is spot free.

 

[Cowardlyslimeball]

Ich at this stage is most likely stress induced. Instead of starting with medication, he likes higher temp anyways, and you have to do daily water changes as well, I would just increase the temp gradually to 86°, do daily waterchanges and vacuum the gravel as well as the offspring will be released from the gravel into the water, searching for a host. Leave temp for at least a week after he is spot free.

Thanks! The medication I added works for a whole month. Does that mean a 100% water change?
My heater isn't adjustable, either. I think it's preset at 78°f?
I need to get another heater anyways. Any recommendations?
I can totally do daily 25% changes and siphoning (it's bare bottom.at the moment)

 

[Fisch]

Thanks! The medication I added works for a whole month. Does that mean a 100% water change?
My heater isn't adjustable, either. I think it's preset at 78°f?
I need to get another heater anyways. Any recommendations?
I can totally do daily 25% changes and siphoning (it's bare bottom.at the moment)

Barebottom makes it easy, and 25% should be okay.
There are so many heaters out there. I personally have Cobalt Neotherm as they seem to hold the temp pretty well through ambient temperature variations.

 

[Cowardlyslimeball]

Barebottom makes it easy, and 25% should be okay.
There are so many heaters out there. I personally have Cobalt Neotherm as they seem to hold the temp pretty well through ambient temperature variations.

I can probably pick up a heater sometime soon.. but things are pretty busy with Christmas and all.
As I mentioned before, he loves sleeping at the top, on top of some floating fake plants. I only have a HOB, and even with adjustable flow rate, it still disturbs his sleep enough for him to go to the bottom, all stressed out.
Oh, and should I empty the whole tank to get the ich medication out?

 

[DoubleDutch]

Ye

They should not do 75% off on a dying fish, they should just give it to you; they'll make money on the tank and medicine because of the sick fish.

At least he doesn't have torn fins or sunken (or bloated) belly. You have a good chance at healing him.

Yeah, quite a interesting marketingstrategy when you think of it.
Treat fish badly, still ask money for them and sell it to someone who does care (and make it someone elses problem that way) and then sell the needed meds at the same time.

I wished some animal welfare organisations would jump in and get these LFS's fined constantly. " But they're only fish ".

 

[Bettatakeover]

Anything will work for the filter. I have a water bottle that I cut the ends off of and then cut down the middle (then take a lighter and melt along the edges of the cuts to soften any sharp pieces). That still created a lot of current so I baffled the cut ends with sponge and now most of the flow comes through the pores and down the back glass. You could just use a sponge underneath the output. Or a new soap dish

 

[Dippiedee]

How about Yuuki?

Or Yue. It means moon

 

[kansas]

Buying abused fish only rewards their abusers and gives them incentive to keep it up. I know some people have limited options, but if at all possible, buy your fish from people who take good care of them, even if it means getting them through the mail.

 

[Cowardlyslimeball]

Okay, so this morning, I did a 30% water change, added some more salt, and when I came back to check on him a couple minutes ago, I noticed that his fin is clamped! He's just sitting at the top.
Was he injured during the water change? Or is this another decease related problem?
What should I do! I'm very worried. Help!

 

[Bettamay]

He!s most likely stressed from all the diseases he’s having. Poor guy.