Sprinkles The Betta

Kimmi · Jul 24, 2018

Hello! I just got Sprinkles a few days ago. He's in a 5 gallon that I *think* I cycled. He's great! Energetic, unafraid, and very friendly with me, and I'm pleasantly surprised by how entertaining he is.

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Kimmi
Jul 24, 2018

I'm a bit overwhelmed by all there is to learn, and I want to make sure I don't harm him with my ignorance, so I have two questions, if anyone is able to help.

The first is could he have fin rot? He is so beautiful I couldn't leave without him, despite not wanting to get a betta from Pet Supermarket. But his fins do look a little ragged.

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Kimmi
Jul 24, 2018

The second is my son was so excited about him that he fed him all by himself last night (he's two). There were pellets EVERYWHERE and Sprinkles was having a lovely buffet. I immediately put him in a bowl to keep him away from the food and rinsed everything in the tank, including the gravel. There was so much debris floating around that I did a 50% water change, with betta water conditioner and (later) a bacterial supplement. Then I added Sprinkles back to his tank. He is a bit bloated, so I know I shouldn't feed him for a day or two. Is there anything else I should do? Will rinsing the gravel harm the beneficial tank bacteria?

TL;DR: Newb betta owner. Hopefully a look at Sprinkles is worth the read. So glad to find this forum!

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Kimmi
Jul 24, 2018

Repolie · Jul 24, 2018

It's hard to see the edges of his fins because they're clear. Can you try to get a better picture on a solid coloured background? He's a beauty! He appears to be a marbled betta which means he'll change colours as he ages. Try not to rinse everything in the tank and get a siphon to suck up any debris and make water changes easier. As long as you didn't rinse the filter under tap water, your bacteria should be safe. Yes do fast him for a few days. Other than that, I think you're doing good.

Gypsy13 · Jul 24, 2018

Hello! Welcome to fishlore!
He sounds beautiful!
When you say you think your tank is cycled, which test kit do you use to check your water parameters? If you’re not sure about the nitrogen cycle, check it out.
I’m hoping he doesn’t have anything wrong with him. Let’s get some eyeballs shall we? Fanatic Hunter1 Discus-Tang could y’all look at this beauty for me please?

Kimmi · Jul 24, 2018

It's hard to see the edges of his fins because they're clear. Can you try to get a better picture on a solid coloured background? He's a beauty! He appears to be a marbled betta which means he'll change colours as he ages. Try not to rinse everything in the tank and get a siphon to suck up any debris and make water changes easier. As long as you didn't rinse the filter under tap water, your bacteria should be safe. Yes do fast him for a few days. Other than that, I think you're doing good.

Thank you! I'll try to get a better picture in the morning, as it's lights out right now.

Funny story: I ordered a gravel vacuum scant hours before "the incident." I did not rinse the filter, thankfully!

Kimmi · Jul 25, 2018

Hello! Welcome to fishlore!
He sounds beautiful!
When you say you think your tank is cycled, which test kit do you use to check your water parameters? If you’re not sure about the nitrogen cycle, check it out.
I’m hoping he doesn’t have anything wrong with him. Let’s get some eyeballs shall we? Fanatic Hunter1 Discus-Tang could y’all look at this beauty for me please?

I've been using API strips, the 5-in-1 and for Ammonia. Everything seems to look good, though I'm admittedly still getting familiar with the parameters. I'll be upgrading to the master test kit soon, I think.

Gypsy13 · Jul 25, 2018

Oh, please do get the master kit. The test strips are notably unreliable. It gets worse over time. Once the container is opened, the reagents on the strips start breaking down.
My hubby took a quick look and couldn’t tell about the fins either. He thinks the fake frog is awesome. We love frogs.

midna · Jul 25, 2018

whoa ho ho look at that super cute frog and cupcake though!!! lol. your betta is cute too love the name.

i'm gonna agree that it's possible he has fin rot, or maybe tail biting??

my little brother dumped an entire bottle of fish flakes in my tank when I was younger, just after a full water change (back when we did 100% water changes oops), so I can relate. maybe keep the food somewhere safe and away from the kid, and monitor him when he's feeding it.

Kimmi · Jul 25, 2018

Oh, please do get the master kit. The test strips are notably unreliable. It gets worse over time. Once the container is opened, the reagents on the strips start breaking down.
My hubby took a quick look and couldn’t tell about the fins either. He thinks the fake frog is awesome. We love frogs.

Oooh, I didn't know that! I'll get it tomorrow, then.

Me and Kiddo loved it, too! That and the lack of sharp edges are what sold us lol.

Kimmi · Jul 25, 2018

whoa ho ho look at that super cute frog and cupcake though!!! lol. your betta is cute too love the name.

i'm gonna agree that it's possible he has fin rot, or maybe tail biting??

my little brother dumped an entire bottle of fish flakes in my tank when I was younger, just after a full water change (back when we did 100% water changes oops), so I can relate. maybe keep the food somewhere safe and away from the kid, and monitor him when he's feeding it.

Definitely moved the food! Supervised feedings ONLY from now on lol.

The cupcake was my son's choice and I love it, too. He's got great taste!

midna · Jul 25, 2018

i'd love to have a tank dedicated to just cute deco (ooh and another tank with cool deco), but i'm too much of a sucker for natural planted tanks. i'm especially fond of the spongebob decorations lol.

my cat's name is cupcake ^___^ hehe

Fanatic · Jul 25, 2018

He looks like a perfectly normal betta to me!

Kimmi · Jul 25, 2018

I think you're right! Never really noticed the "clear" part at the end of his fins before. Oops.

Here are a few action pics of him, because he's spritely and I am not a very good photographer. But I think you can see the shape of his fins, for the most part.