Rescape

Thank you Dolfan for the beautiful plants! With the bamboo gone, I have had to use the giant sponge in the photo to baffle but he has total free swimming range over his tank now. I just realized I put the bacopa in upside down I think but V is enjoying all of it. The subwassertang especially! I love that the glass tube heater is gone and my cobalt is basically invisible

I still need more plants, or at least for the bacopa to grow, but it's a start.

 

How does V like it?

 

wow, GREAT TANK!!!

I didn't forget to turn caps lock off. it was on purpose.

 

How does V like it?

He's a happy dude, aside from the fin rot. The long piece of hornwort that's dangling down he uses like a ladder, and he loves cramming into the subwassertang in the bowl. Definitely will be ordering more of that stuff when Dolfan's got it available (and I have money). I did the rescape during a WC between Kanaplex doses while he was in a methylene blue bath (which have gotten way less stressful, no more clamping afterward!) so when I put him back in he was patrolling everything. I don't know if you can see the frogbit floating up top but he seemed to find that entertaining. I noticed him doing some rearranging haha, my water wisteria has gotten enormous (no idea how or why).

He especially loves the baffle job. There is virtually NO current in his tank now. It looks stupid but ir's the only way I could come up with on the fly and it actually work much better than the bamboo did. He really seems to like the subwassertang, shoving through it and pushing it around. And I love the bacopa.

 

I love your fish... please share him...

 

What a great looking rescape! No wonder V is a happy boy with all those plants to play in

And that is the only good thing about finrot is that the fish don't seem to suffer even when it looks bad to us. We stress plenty but at least they don't!

 

mg13 - I'll share him if you'll come help him take care of the fin rot haha.
FiscCyning - Yeah he hasn't seem affected by it at all. When it first came back it got really severe in just a couple hours, he looked rough that night. But he may just have been sleeping. Since then he hasn't seemed to notice it at all. But it's a nasty infection. This is the second time it's come back in the month and half I have had him and it gives his fins red tips and a bloody discoloration. Really unpleasant, he was so close to healing both times it came back too. Third time's a charm though. So far it hasn't progressed since it came back, I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Thank you everyone I really want more plants on the left side of the tank now that the current has been so well baffled. I'm thinking more water wisteria to start with as he seems to love it most of all and it's growing quite a bit. In fact, I'm not even sure I'll have to buy more

 

I'm glad the plants are working out. I think plants make any tank better, more natural, cleaner water, more oxygen available, better aesthetics, the list just goes on and on. I'll keep you posted on the subwassertang as it grows back in.

 

I'm glad the plants are working out. I think plants make any tank better, more natural, cleaner water, more oxygen available, better aesthetics, the list just goes on and on. I'll keep you posted on the subwassertang as it grows back in.

Please do! And the bacopa...and the frogbit...and the...haha. Just let me know. The thing I love about plants, beyond their role in the ecosystem, is how easily they make the tank look nice. I have all these great aquascape visions but have trouble translating them to reality but, with plants, I don't have to. It doesn't matter how you put them in, they just look good haha.

 

yes, @poetisinjustices, haven't I kept checking up on him, maybe suggesting some stuff?

anyway, I live in WA, any you live in PA, so there's not much I can really help with... lol

 

yes, @poetisinjustices, haven't I kept checking up on him, maybe suggesting some stuff?

anyway, I live in WA, any you live in PA, so there's not much I can really help with... lol

Encouragement IS helpful. Especially now that it's back again. His tail is looking pretty good and I thought we were doing really well but this morning I noticed his pectoral fins are looking kind of bad, both of them. No discoloration but they look degraded. He's got one more dose of Kanaplex and we'll see where we're at when that's done. I'm also going to start salting his tank once the medication is done.

Anyway...the subwassertang is a huge, hilarious hit. This is what he's taken to doing with it...he buries his whole body into the plant and just leaves his tail poking out haha. He sleeps like this at night now.

 

lol

That stuff looks like jello on the picture

 

lol

That stuff looks like jello on the picture

The subwassertang? I guess it kind of does haha. It's more like seaweed, V really likes it. I just threw it in there in two big bunches and he's doing all the work re-scaping his own tank haha.

 

funny guy, I want him all the more...

is V his name?

 

funny guy, I want him all the more...

is V his name?

It's short for his full name - Virabhadra. Virabhadra is the Sanskrit name for the warrior incarnate of Shiva

I'm a big yoga practitioner and I'm just in love with the culture. If you practice, you might already know this, but the Sanskrit names for the Warrior 1, 2 & 3 poses are Virabhadrasana, so that's where I drew from in giving him a meaningful name

 

ohhh.

well V is a good nickname for someone with such a long... ummm... unique name..

lol

It really goes with him well though. (the name, not the abbreviation)

 

I love the jars with glass pebbles in! so colourful!

gahhh.. Now I'm torn between glass and terracotta in the new goldie upgrade.

That suBwassertang looks great, might have to get some for Perce - I will find a way to give him a 10 Gal when I upgrade the goldies... seeing the space V has makes Percy's 2.5 Gallon look like a bowl.

Hope he's feeling a little better.x

 

I love the jars with glass pebbles in! so colourful!

gahhh.. Now I'm torn between glass and terracotta in the new goldie upgrade.

That suBwassertang looks great, might have to get some for Perce - I will find a way to give him a 10 Gal when I upgrade the goldies... seeing the space V has makes Percy's 2.5 Gallon look like a bowl.

Hope he's feeling a little better.x

I went with glass for the betta tank because of how smooth and fin friendly it is. I like the terracotta better. Plus it's very porous and will house BB.

Unfortunately he isn't really doing any better. In fact I think he is slowing down. I am sitting in the car on my way out of town and he's at home. We will see where we are at when I return.

 

lol

your DRIVING to vacation and you found time to get on here? lol

your light is on now.

 

wow ur tank looks great

 

poeticinjustices is on vacation at the moment...

lol

she's still on here though,'

V is actually sick... again, I hope poeticinjustices doesn't mind me replying for her, but its so hard when our friends have Death lurking at their doorstep, she said meds aren't working, and she thinks he won't make it this time, her vacation is tearing her away from him, so he isn't getting constant attention,

so sorry for her... and him

 

aww really? I thought he was getting better. that's sad I wasn't on here for a while guess that's why I didnt know. I hope he gets better though

 

we're all hoping and praying... poor fish

pet stores fault.

 

ya know it might not me the pet stores fault as much as the breeders... ive looked at a few pictures of his fins and if I'm not mistaken there is a bit of extra branching at the tips I see could that maybe what's causing it? I don't know for sure but I have heard the more branching a halfmoon has the more it could be prone to fin rot? maybe its related to a feather tail or a rose tail? I have seen them more often in petstores lately. I really do hope he heals up though

 

I went with glass for the betta tank because of how smooth and fin friendly it is. I like the terracotta better. Plus it's very porous and will house BB.

Unfortunately he isn't really doing any better. In fact I think he is slowing down. I am sitting in the car on my way out of town and he's at home. We will see where we are at when I return.

Good point with the BB, you have solidified my decision.

All the best to V. Enjoy your break.xx

 

Lookin' good!

 

ya know it might not me the pet stores fault as much as the breeders... ive looked at a few pictures of his fins and if I'm not mistaken there is a bit of extra branching at the tips I see could that maybe what's causing it? I don't know for sure but I have heard the more branching a halfmoon has the more it could be prone to fin rot? maybe its related to a feather tail or a rose tail? I have seen them more often in petstores lately. I really do hope he heals up though

I wondered about this. But don't really know enough about what's normal branching in betta fins. I even considered the possibility he is tail-biting, but I've never seen him do it, and he has some damage on his dorsal and pectoral fins. He can nip his own dorsal, I saw him do it accidentally once, but not likely he could get his pectorals. If he can, well, the yoga-inspired name would be even more appropriate lol. Anyway, we'll see what happens without the meds (again). Thanks all for your kind words.

 

ya could you tell me at the tips of his fins does it make a little y looking shape? that's what I'm thinking I seen on a few of his branchings. like these slightly not all out like this but slightly cuz it can cause tail biting and fin rot multiple times

 

ya could you tell me at the tips of his fins does it make a little y looking shape? that's what I'm thinking I seen on a few of his branchings. like these slightly not all out like this but slightly cuz it can cause tail biting and fin rot multiple times

Yes...actually, it does, quite a bit. I can even see it on several of the exposed rays quite clearly. They are stripped of the membrane and they branch out in a Y shape at the end.

 

its probly got some feather tail gene than it is quite common for them to bite at their fins or scratch then on something to reduce the weight of being pulled down by the extra rays
here is an artical that explains some of the problems a more extreme version would have I don't think they will be much of a problem but it might explain a few things

 

Well the thing is it already is causing problems, right? He has had 3-4 fin rot recurrences in under 2 mos and meds don't work. So we are already having trouble.

Here's an interesting tidbit. This morning I watched him rip off and devour a giant chunk of his dorsal fin. I mean giant. It was kind of an accident. I was feeding him, he turned sharply to catch a piece drifting by his face and mistook his own dorsal fin and just shredded it. So that explains the damage there and why it looks so different on the dorsal.

But the tail doesn't look just bitten or shredded. It looks infected. Red tips and red discoloration. And I am not sure how to stop that. I can deal with tail biting or whatever. Can't deal with constant and recurrent infection.

 

it could be a secondary symptom to a bacteria infection maybe or a parasite? also a sudden change in temperature can also cause it sometimes. idk if you had teated for these things before but its just an idea.

 

it could be a secondary symptom to a bacteria infection maybe or a parasite? also a sudden change in temperature can also cause it sometimes. idk if you had teated for these things before but its just an idea.

There was a heater malfunction that caused a couple temp swings right before the third recurrence. I have addressed this issue. I am keeping his temp on the lower end to inhibit the bacteria. I could SWEAR he looks a little better today though. So I persevere.

 

That's great that he's looking a little better today! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the little guy!

 

that's good I don't really have any more ideas...

 

that's good I don't really have any more ideas...

You helped a lot. I'd been considering he may be related to a rosetail and that might explain the fin rot and immune system issues. But I didn't really know how to tell since, in terms of caudal spread, he's just a halfmoon. Your comment about the Y-branches on the fin rays rang true to me and restored a little faith that just letting him be for awhile might help. So, you did a lot, thank you

 

your welcome hope he gets better-er

 

your welcome hope he gets better-er

Sigh. Me too. Day by day we go. Given this new information and the fin-eating I witnessed this morning, I'm mentally preparing myself for the possibility that if he DOES survive this, he may never have fully intact fins. I'm switching him from a HOB to a sponge filter (cycle's all whacked now anyway) and hoping to decrease current in his tank and thereby stress that way. I'm going back to the small, environmental changes as "medication" and hoping that'll be enough to get him through.

 

wooh go V! He sure is a fighter. Glad all your efforts are finally seeming to pay off. You guys deserve it.

 

I need to do a water change and am thinking about a rescape on this tank. I’m not happy with it currently. I’ve ordered some slate and am hoping to make a cave or 2 so I can remove the barrel decoration. How would you change this tank to make it look better?