rescued betta

[kerrid]

so i was going to wait until my main tank was cycled so i could quick-cycle the 10g for my sisters poor little betta. i checked his little bowl today and there was like a film over the top of the water. the temp was under 60. ammonia was at least 2ppm, if not more. nitrite was .25, and nitrate was 0. so being the nice big sister that i am, i got the poor thing out of there. right now, hes in a bag floating in the 10g. im gradually acclimating him to the water by putting some from the tank into the bag every 5 minutes or so. even just in the bag he seems more active. am i doing this the right way? what should i expect for the next few weeks? i was planning on putting some shrimp in there eventually. i was told to put one in first to see if mr.betta was compatible with him. if he is, should i wait before i get more?
thanks!

[blackwolfXKAV]

I would wait, and acclimate him very slowly. Going from such poor conditions could cause him to suffer osmotic shock, which could very well kill.

You mentioned you planned on "quick-cycling" the ten gallon tank. Is this a non-established tank, or did you have other critters in it already? If it is not cycled, you are going to have to be careful. Even though this should be an improvement from his previous conditions, the tank willl still need to be cycled and filtered, with frequent water changes.

Good luck!

B.W.

[kerrid]

thanks for the quick reply.
no, the tank isnt cycled. i was planning on waiting until the other tank was fully cycled so i could jumpstart the cycle on the 10g. but because of the conditions of his water today i just couldnt wait any longer, i had to get him out of there.
i put him and his old, gross water in a bag and let it float in the tank for about 20 minutes. over the course of the next hour or so i gradually added tank water to the bag.
after that hour i took half the water out of the bag and continued to add more tank water gradually. he's now in the tank and seems so much happier, but its only been a few minutes.
he's explored the entire tank so far and he seems to really like the heater. could this be a problem?
and what about shrimp, or other critters to keep him some company?

[blackwolfXKAV]

Give him a day or so, and see how it goes. As to the shrimp or whatever other critters, I wouldn't say that the betta is likely to benefit from their addition. Also, some bettas can be quite aggressive towards these types of animals, while others do just fine. I would wait and see at this point.

[kerrid]

i checked on mr.betta this morning when im pretty sure he was sleeping, and he was still right next to the heater. just wondering if this is not good, or since he was so cold in his bowl that he just wants to heat up?
well im almost positive that i woke him up and he got quite upset. he made a bee-line for me, gills flaring, which i thought was an improvement since the only time ive seen his gills flare was when i put a thermometer in his bowl a while ago.
his activity level has definitely increased, and he likes to swim behind the filter and heater. but he always ends up near the heater when hes not exploring.
another question; his fins and tail are not what they should be. his tail kind of droops and his fins have lost color. will they grow back and be like they should be?
and for feeding, what can i give him besides pellets to spice up his diet a bit?

[Rbishop]

Do you have any other structure in there for it to hide around, or even some fake plants?

[kerrid]

theres a fake rock structure with some leaves coming off of it. and i took a fake flowery-thing out of the bigger tank so it wouldnt be so empty. im going to walmart or petsco (my 2 favorite everything-but-fish stores) to get some more fake plants and a smaller gravel vac. should i be getting anything else for him while im there?

[Rbishop]

I think mela-fix will help with the fin damage.

[wataugachicken]

when you have the choice of keeping your fish in a small uncycled tank (bowl) or a large uncycled tank, always choose the largest one. more water means wastes will be diluted, which means that the fish will stay healthier longer during the cycle with less frequent water changes. at least the tank has a filter and a heater. . . .

[kerrid]

mr.betta is 95% better :)
he's eating normally, exploring the tank and such.
i bought frozen bloodworms the other day, would it be ok to give him one as a treat once a week?

the filter i have on his tank is not adjustable and he gets very upset with that. is there anyway i can adjust it without having to buy a new filter?

his fins/tail are still not back to normal. i didnt want to put anything (medication) in the tank until i knew he was all set in there. whats the best stuff that will get his fins/tail up to speed?

now as for company for mr.betta...i would like to put some peaceful bottom dwellers in there with him (if possible) id like shrimp but theres always the possibility that he might eat them. what, if anything, would be ok to put in with him?

sorry for all the questions!

[klfvilla]

Hi Kerri, here is the link to correcting your filter problem. If I can do it, anyone can do it. http://www.petfish.net/kb/entry/13/347

Any troubles with it, let me know and I'll try to help. Good luck!

[Sammie7]

I would say some pygmy or panda cories for the bottom. They probably won't bother each other. But I would wait until your tank has stabilized before getting them.

[kerrid]

Hi Kerri, here is the link to correcting your filter problem. If I can do it, anyone can do it. http://www.petfish.net/kb/entry/13/347

Any troubles with it, let me know and I'll try to help. Good luck!

i just tried it and it works wonderful!
thank you so much!

[Deadline]

I have heard wonders about Melafix and its what I am using now, though I am new to this hobby so I have not seen any effects as of yet. I have noticed however that it makes them perkier. Maybe some kind of Betta high? lol

[Becca3711]

I also reccommend Melafix and Primafix.

Also, I have albino corys and julli corys with my betta and they all geta long great. I also have 1 gold mystery snail.

[Sammie7]

I have heard wonders about Melafix and its what I am using now, though I am new to this hobby so I have not seen any effects as of yet. I have noticed however that it makes them perkier. Maybe some kind of Betta high? lol

Just make sure you don't use it full strength, as it is supposedly not good for their labyrinth organ( what they use to breathe). You are suppose to use it in half the dose or use Bettafix, which is basically the same as Melafix but in a diluted form.

[Deadline]

Just make sure you don't use it full strength, as it is supposedly not good for their labyrinth organ( what they use to breathe). You are suppose to use it in half the dose or use Bettafix, which is basically the same as Melafix but in a diluted form.


Oh wow thanks for that info, I did not know that! It really only tells you on the bottle how much to use for 10 gallons (1 teaspoon, or tablespoon, forget the exact instructions) but I normally only put 5 or 6 drops into my tanks that are smaller than 10 gallons.

[kerrid]

Just make sure you don't use it full strength, as it is supposedly not good for their labyrinth organ( what they use to breathe). You are suppose to use it in half the dose or use Bettafix, which is basically the same as Melafix but in a diluted form.


oh man, wish i would have checked this earlier. i put 1 teaspoon in his tank (recommended dosage). should i put the carbon back in the filter and do some water changes?

[Sammie7]

oh man, wish i would have checked this earlier. i put 1 teaspoon in his tank (recommended dosage). should i put the carbon back in the filter and do some water changes?

That sounds good. Carbon will help take it out, but a 50% waterchange should be good too. They say on the instructions to keep adding it for a series of 7 days, I believe(can't check right now I at school), but think about this: the melafix doesn't go anywhere it stays in the water, so you are effectively ODing it everyday you are adding more, since the original amount is still in the water. I am able to smell that stuff in the water even after a few PWC, so adding it everyday for 7 days will not be good, especially on a betta.

As for your prior question about the best thing for healing fins, the best thing is CLEAN water. If you just keep his water very clean and just add a few drops of the melafix his tail should heal fine.

For now I would just do a 50% water change to get the melafix to about half dose instead of the full dose, but I wouldn't stress myself to much over it. He should be fine.

[kerrid]

thanks Sammie, big help.

[Jahosacat]

Thanks for the note about the melafix. One of my Bettas has a tail that I'm giving 1 more day and water change to start healing, then it's melafix. I didn't realize I had to cut the dosage!

[Caresteph]

I have a lavendar crown-tailed betta, who I moved about a month ago out of a bowl into a filtered, heated 5 gallon tank. I've put in silk aquarium plants so that the sharp tips on plastic don't rip his fins...you may wish to consider that type of decor when buying stuff for him. I have 3 medium tall"ish" plants in the back and 2 small ones in the front, and he loves to hide in the small ones. Good luck!