My first Betta, Learning the tricks...

Hi,

Right I got my betta yesterday, and i'm going to have millions of questions about him. As I said he's from a cup, won't he be weak, from lack of excerise and tend to get sick quicklly because of this? When I first introduced him to the tank he looked fine swam around etc. In the evening I took a good look at him, his fins are a bit threadish at the ends and I saw some thing thin cottonish blob on his side, I remember reading about a disease like this... should I wait a bit and see if he'll recover himself or use a general aid to clear him up from anything he may have? Another thing, after he swims for a while he just stops and sits on th gravel, like how they do in the cups. And sometimes he stays in that position for quite a while. Will it stop or is it normal?

As for the other fish story, he's with the black tetras now. If I see any aggression between them I'll see if he gets on with the mollies, if not, then glowlights and if that too, then I think he really wants to be on his own...

Thanks!

 

he could need time to adjust, or be a bit cautious of the tetras.. sounds like he might have fungus and fin rot, but i'm not 100% without a pic. Trisulfa or Fungus Clear tabs would help. Trisulfa's the better product, but also the stronger one.

 

Hers a pic with but I can't say its clear enough...


i'l put a dose in for him tonight,thanks.

But what's making me worried is his just sitting on the gravel, he sits on one place for about 10-15 min at a time! ??? see he just sit like this for ages...

 

He's a beautiful fish!
That's normal for Betta males. They aren't as active as other tropical fish. They swim around for awhile and then sleep for awhile. If you think he might be sick it might be a good idea to medicate him. Often the stress of being shipped to the store and then going from the store to your home can lower their immune system and they become sick. It is very common for them to be sick right after coming home. You should maybe give him some antibiotic like Maracyn-Two and see how he feels after that. The "general cure" medicines are very weak and I wouldn't bother wasting time and money on them. Maracyn-Two helps with the most common problems of fin rot, fungus and internal bacterial infections.
What size is his tank and is it filtered and heated?

 

I believe that Betta is in a 8 gallon, and I can definitely see the heater in the 1st picture. I think your betta is acting fine, but not sure about if he has a diesease or not. Our little female (we just got her, and her name is Tweeter, shes white/cream body with reddish purple fins), acts just like your male. But our male (Bruno, completely red/maroon) acts great swims around ALL the time and plays. I think our female does not like to be in a tank with other fish. Shes in with Balloon Mollies, Platys, and a rubber lip plecostomus (29 gal tank). We are watching for any signs of aggression. Our male has some platy babies in a breeder net and 2 ghost shrimps (10 gal tank). He seems much happier. I am thinking of convinceing my sister to move her to her own 10 gal tank as we have a spare. Brianna

 

Thanks everyone! Yes I do have a filter and heater and tanks cycled as far as I know. I've nothing else besides the general aid, its worked before with ick and fungus, however I hope to get proper medicine soon as my budget allows it (sooner if it doesn't work for the betta).

He's shown interest in the tetras but hasnt really been aggressive to them.... not takin my eyes of em for a mint!

 

It took my bettas a few days to realize that they didn't have to lay on the bottom of the tank anymore, that there were other decorations to rest on. And now even though they have silk plants and caves and things they'll still occasionally just rest on the bottom for whatever reason. So that seems to be a common behavior.

It took Jett close to a week to explore his tank when I first got him. He just hovered in one corner and acted very timid. And now you could not catch him if you tried, he is very busy constantly. I almost never see him rest, but when I do it's on the gravel in the front of the tank lol

I think that it takes them time to stretch and re-learn how to use their swimming muscles and how to enjoy life again. I hope your little guy perks up soon, but just give him some time to adjust. Does he have a name yet? Cujo, Romeo, and Jett say Hello!

 

Congratulations on your betta!

 

Thanks Armadillo...

Unfortunately he passedaway. Yesterday when I first saw the fungus it was just a blotch on one side but as the evening wore on, it was on both sides going on towards the tail. This morning when I woke up he was dead. :'( :'( its so sad I just got him and now...but what can you do but accept?

Thanks for your help all the same...I hope t get one again, but I going to ask the petstre ppl to let me know soooon as they get new stock, so it won't have to go through cup horror!

 

Oh, that's so sad, Sabi. I am really sorry for your fish. Am sure you would have taken great care of him but it looks like the stress of the transport/new home was just too much for him.

I have decided to start building up my little pharmacopea wtih the obvious meds like fungus, ich, parasites. Not much comfort now, but perhaps you could start that too? Thing is, I always hesitate to medicate, and these things are better caught early. Anyway, all this to say there was nothing you could do given how quickly he died. You did your best.

Your fish store will ignore you about the cups, I fear, but it's worth a shot. They think they're the experts, you know which, frankly, they should be given that lots of people go to them for advice.

 

Good idea Armadillo, i'm going to open a important medicine topic in the bgnrs section.

 

we're sorry to hear that he didn't make it.. it's sad when they get a home at last, but something they got in the pet store takes the chance away.

 

Hi,

Just wanted to say i've ordered another betta, and wanted to know is there aynthing particular I can do to prevent what happened the last time? If any of you have suggesions? Its really sad when you get a fish to lose it straight afterwards and to top it some ppl have the nerv to say that bettas cant stay in tanks!! I was just wondering maybe there's some thing I could do maybe...
Thanks

 

Am about to join you in the betta world, but I have absolutely no experience yet. Good luck, though. Hopefully, it was just a very weak fish to start with, and you'll get a stronger one this time.

 

What do you mean you ordered another Betta? Where did you order him from and how long is it going to take for him to get to you? I'm sorry to hear of the death of your first one. Natalie

 

Am about to join you in the betta world, but I have absolutely no experience yet. Good luck, though. Hopefully, it was just a very weak fish to start with, and you'll get a stronger one this time.

I hope so too! And goodluck with your betta!

What do you mean you ordered another Betta? Where did you order him from and how long is it going to take for him to get to you? I'm sorry to hear of the death of your first one. Natalie

I ordered one at my lfs along with some other fish, they are going phn me when they get all the fish.

 

ohh....I thought you ordered one online somewhere and it was being shipped to you. Well I hope that this one is healthier for you. Good luck with it and let us know when you get it of course.Natalie

 

Hi,

Just wanted to say i've ordered another betta, and wanted to know is there aynthing particular I can do to prevent what happened the last time? If any of you have suggesions? Its really sad when you get a fish to lose it straight afterwards and to top it some ppl have the nerv to say that bettas cant stay in tanks!! I was just wondering maybe there's some thing I could do maybe...
Thanks

well, the ideal thing would be a cycled tank just for him.. he'll be stressed a bit after his journey to the pet store so helping him feel calm and secure will be good for his health. when we bring bettas home, what we do is take a little cooler with crumpled up paper or handtowels (the better option) and after getting him, we make sure he's secure in the cooler with the 'packing' setup to keep his container in one spot during the trip home. we'll leave the lid just a tiny bit open for air, but mostly closed to keep it dark for him and protect him from A/C vents.

acclimate him slowly to his new tank, floating him and adding a little tank water at a time until the water temps are pretty close. You might feed him a little while he's in his cup and let him have the rest of the day to explore his new surroundings. make sure nothing could snag or tear his fins in the substrata or decor.. they love live or silk plants and cave-like things they can swim through or rest in. (those $2 neon caves at wally-world are a hit with our bettas.)

i'd treat the tap water with Prime and give him VitaChem (or another liquid vitamin) daily. keep the temp around 80 and post his pic at the first sign of anything that concerns you IF that comes along .. and don't worry about false alarms - we'll just be glad he's alright.

talk to him as often as you can, even if he just swims around at first.. love and attention go a long way to helping him feel safe and secure.. and that helps him stay healthy.

best of luck with your new guy and we look forward to pics.

 

I got a fish as a gift several days ago, and now am playing catch up to figure out what he (Indigo, my beautiful new Betta) needs. I have to echo a lot of the sentiments here and note that it is horrifying how much misinformation there is out there.

So, to go buy his new home, food, etc., I've been doing research all night. I'm curious to see how much contentious disagreement I get from my lfs employee's tomorrow since, at this point, I probably know far more about indigo's needs then they do. ;D

I the meantime I'm happy to report that despite being in a bowl that looks like it should hold brandy, not a fish, he is mellow, but seems happy.

Pictures of his amazing inky colors to come once he's moved and settled.

 

I can't wait to see your new fish, Sabi. Am sure you'll take great care of it. I have a question, though: if you order it, does that mean you can't choose the colour?

Amorinthe: I'd definitely say so (misinformation). It's really amazing that I feel I know more than the pet store people. I think it's because they never keep the fish for long, so they know much about the really short-term needs of fish (like water!) and that's about it. Do you have pictures? I loooove betta pictures!

 

Thanks for the info FLBCoupl! By saing 'treat the water with "prime"' do you mean something like 'cycle'?

I can't wait to see your new fish, Sabi. Am sure you'll take great care of it. I have a question, though: if you order it, does that mean you can't choose the colour?

I said I wanted a blue one, at least my dad did as I asked him to phn and order....
So i'd guess you can.

 

Prime is just water conditionner (i.e. you treat your water with it at water change time). It seems to be a lot of people's favorite because it is great at detoxifying even ammonia/nitrites. It's also supposed to replenish the fish' stress coat. Of course, it also binds metals like other conditionners. I've started using it and I find it great, as it works out cheaper than my other conditionner because Prime is so concentrated. You need 1 drop for 10L of water (as opposed to a capful for my Tetra AquaSafe conditionner).

 

This is what it says on the 'cycle' bottle...

Cycle
Super concentrated formula to keep aquariums healthy.
Quickly creates a safe and healthy environment.
One small dose contains enough beneficial bacteria to rapidly consume ammonia and nitrite.

When:
weekly to maintain biological balance.
new tank setups.
..
..
..etc.
Is this perhaps an equvlent to prime as i've never seen it at my lfs?

 

- this is Prime. It's a concentrated water conditioner than also helps keep fish safe from high ammonia, nitrite or nitrate levels.

cycle is a bottle of expensive water that is supposed to have good bacteria in it, but from what i've seen of using it and confirmed with others is that cycle creates mini-cycles in your tank and you have to use it forever or it crashes and never really does anything for your tank. we had a big bottle of it & chucked that when we found out that it was a negative thing for our tanks -- and it explained the water chemistry trouble that we'd had.. after stopping the use of cycle our tanks were able to really get cycled.

 

hmmm. well i'l look for something like prime....

 

Prime is great to use if you are cycling with a fish in the tank. Unlike AmQuel+ which removes ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, Prime only detoxifies it and makes it safe for the fish, but still allows the cycle to continue uninterupted. The ammonia test kit will still show high ammonia because it measures ALL ammonia in the tank. An ammonia alert tag (a must have for all tanks) measures only ammonia that is harmful to fish. I cycled Nile's tank like this with Prime to keep him safe. He had no problems and the tank cycled in less than two weeks, without me even using any filter media from my other tanks. Once the tank is cycled I only use NovAqua+ as a water conditioner and only use a little Prime after medicating if the meds have sent the tank into a mini-cycle.

 

HI Pholoxface

Can I ask you a few questions about your notes? It sounds interesting.

Why do you use Novaqua+ as your normal conditionner? Is it cheaper than Prime? I stuck to Prime out of habit, even once I am cycled.

What are ammonia alert tags? Are they a sticker like the sticker-thermometers, and they change colour if the wrong ammonia is found in toxic levels? Are they reliable if they're strip readers?

You cycled in less than 2 weeks? Wow! Was that a really small tank? Did you use substrate from an established tank? That's amazing.

 

Thanks FLBC Armdlo and Phlx. I hpe you guys are'nt getting irritated with me, its just that i'm still a newbie at this and dnt knw anything abt aquarium medcn etc...
Hopefully I'll visit my lfs tomro and I'll check for some thing like prime, hope I find it!!

 

Gawd, you're kidding? You're bothering to find out what's best for your fish. What's better than that? You've seen the million questions I post, hey!

 

HI Pholoxface

Can I ask you a few questions about your notes? It sounds interesting.

Why do you use Novaqua+ as your normal conditionner? Is it cheaper than Prime? I stuck to Prime out of habit, even once I am cycled.

Prime is fine to use all the time but I prefer NovAqua+ as a regular conditioner because it not only gets rid of chlorine and stuff but also contains vitamins and echinachea to strengthen immune system and helps prevent viruses and disease. It also helps build a healthy slime coat. Prime is actually cheaper because you only need a few drops but NovAqua+ has a lot of extras.

What are ammonia alert tags? Are they a sticker like the sticker-thermometers, and they change colour if the wrong ammonia is found in toxic levels? Are they reliable if they're strip readers?

They are plastic tags that stick inside the tank with a suction cup. The dot in the middle changes color if ammonia is present. Unlike the test strips though, ammonia alert is quite accurate, but a regular liquid test kit should also be used to double check.

You cycled in less than 2 weeks? Wow! Was that a really small tank? Did you use substrate from an established tank? That's amazing.

It was a 4 gallon tank and I used nothing from  any of the other tanks.

 

Ooooh, that sounds really interesting (NovAqua+). I'll see if I can get a hold of some. I really like the idea of vitamins and disease prevention (I own mollies...). Prime does claim to help with the slime coat. I think I'll wait, though, as I stocked up on Tetra AquaSafe, then was told about Prime, so stocked up on that (am a great believer in safety stocks ;P).

Aw, 2 weeks for 4G. Am cycling a 5G right now with used filter media + some used substrate. Should be a breeze!

I'll look into these ammonia tags, thanks for the tip!

 

Aqua safe? I can get that!! Will that do in place of prime?

Gawd, you're kidding? You're bothering to find out what's best for your fish. What's better than that? You've seen the million questions I post, hey!

Ok,ok don't get so mad!! I jst wntd to be sure you'l undrstnd!

 

;D

I went from AquaSafe to Prime because AquaSafe doesn't protect against ammonia/nitrate/nitrite, so I guess if your tank is cycled, why not? But it sounds like AmQuel+ really does have some nice advantages too.

 

we used to use aquasafe before we found out about prime and it is a good water conditioner. but if you use that, it's good to have amquel+ in your fish cabinet also.

 

Amorinthe: I'd definitely say so (misinformation). It's really amazing that I feel I know more than the pet store people. I think it's because they never keep the fish for long, so they know much about the really short-term needs of fish (like water!) and that's about it. Do you have pictures? I loooove betta pictures!

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no one get upset - he's only in the bowl a little longer while his tank cycles. In the meantime I think he enjoys swimming around by the kama sutra on the shelf behind him. i'm hoping once he's in the tank I can get some more pics that better show off his amazing coloration. he's an amazing inky color that becomes a brilliant green at the tips of his fins. yes....it's love already.

 

That betta looks scarry! I guess its cause of the eyes from the flash lol.

 

He looks this amazing emerald green. Beautiful fish, congratulations on your find!

Book titles are the first thing I looked at and I had a good chuckle!

 

his colour is wonderful!

 

Heh before I post pics I always check to see what's in the background that I don't want people to know about me. For instance, before I shuffled tanks around, I was always getting my play-doh or my slinkies in the pics. Do I really want people to know that I am 33 years old and still play with slinkies and play-doh occasionally??

Oh wait... oops!

 

Heh before I post pics I always check to see what's in the background that I don't want people to know about me. For instance, before I shuffled tanks around, I was always getting my play-doh or my slinkies in the pics. Do I really want people to know that I am 33 years old and still play with slinkies and play-doh occasionally??

Oh wait... oops!

lol.. I can't throw any stones in that area..