New tank problems already!

[Finzzup]

After 3 days of normal readings, I did a huge water change, checked readings again, waited 5 hours for all the water to get to the right temp and then added a Betta and 2 Neons and 2 White Clouds (they sure are prettier than I originally thought!).

Today, readings are all still normal. I have not yet fed them. But my Betta seems to have a cloudy eye now and the other four fish are all huddled in the corner at the bottom of the tank underneath the heater! The temp seems to be steady at 78 degrees and my thermometer is at the opposite end of the heater.

Do they just take awhile to adjust to their new surroundings? Could I have a faulty thermometer???
I hate to dump in any medications (and I wouldn't know where to start yet) at this point for the Betta's cloudy eye...

Any help is appreciated! This is a small 6G Eclipse tank. Thanks!

[Arctic_Fishery]

bro,
why would you put any other fish in a small 6 gallon tank with a betta(siamese FIGHTING fish)??!!!sometimes it works but in most cases it doesn't.What probaly happenned is when the lights went out the betta immediatley went after the fish....so that explains the fish huddling in one corner......also maybe the fish tried to fight back and injured the bettas eye or maybe the betta is getting popeye(maybe before you bought him he was already infected but no signs occurred.....ive seen it happen)all i know is, if you can get another 1 or 2 gallon tank put your betta in that one and let your other fish live happily......i mean all your fish are so stressed that you dont know what will happen next....keep us all posted friend........good luck!:)

[Darkangel]

Sorry Arctic_Fishery but you need to keep up on the threads. This person added these fish on everybodies advice here. Betta's are not violent fish and will not attack other fish except for male bettas. You may be right about the betta if it is a new one and not the one she has had for some time. Finzzup, what if any do you have in the way of decorations in your tank? If the heater is the only item in the tank they are feeling insecure and are hiding around the only structure availible to them. If there are no plants or anything in the tank consider adding some. The more places to hide the more secure the fish will feel. Otherwise allow them a few days to acclimate to your tank. If the bettas eye gets worse move him to your old tank to treat him instead of treating the whole tank. Lets see what happens to him in the next day. Yes white clouds are very nice fish. That is why they are called the poor mans neon.

[Bruddah Chrispy]

Originally posted by Darkangel
Yes white clouds are very nice fish. That is why they are called the poor mans neon.

Wish I'd known about them before I blew that $2.00 on 4 neons. ;)

[rjl420]

I have several tanks with bettas, corydoras and small tetras coexisting peacefully.

I agree that if there aren't any places to hide, the fish may feel insecure which could be stressful. What is the filtration on this tank? I assume some sort of HOB, does it have an adjustable flow? bettas don't apprecieate too much current, so if you could lower the flow, he would appreciate it (you could also use a sponge to ease the flow). I'm gathering that you've had the betta for a while, and he's been healthy, but are the neons and WCM new? they may have introduced a pathogen which could be leading to the cloudy eye, is it also bulging outward? in the future, when your tank has been established, it's a good practice to quarentine your fish to prevent indroducing anything unwanted to your tank.

I'm catching up to this situation, sorry if you've been through this over and over. I also assume that the tank is cycled, (fishless?)

[Arctic_Fishery]

to darkangel:
yea well i didnt know of any previous posts(and i havent seen none regarding this thread since i registered, which was only 5 days ago) so theres nothing i can do about that....i didnt even know it was a female betta i assumed it was a male...i wasnt trying to come down on finzzup i was simply in a hurry to tell what might be wrong cuz it was posted in the newbie forum........i'm at no fault here.......

to finzzup:
sorry for sounding blunt and rude.......i was just getting hyper-active.......my bad.

[Cuddlebug910]

Deep breaths people...

First off, Darkangel- actually, not everyone suggested adding those fish with a male betta. I was one of the people that said that whether the fish got along would depend on the personality of the individual betta. Saying that bettas will not attack other fish, except for another male betta, is simply not true. I've seen it happen. And it wasn't in an overly crowded tank. It simply depends on the personality of the individual betta as to whether or not he'll tolerate companions.

That said...
Finzz- Don't get discouraged yet. This doesn't mean your betta is a demon that can't get along. You'll have to wait and see. I would agree that you should try to increase hiding places if at all possible. This will help the lil guys feel more secure. You said your readings are normal. What's "normal"? I'm assuming that you're meaning ammo 0, nitrite 0 and pH in an acceptable range. If so, that's great. I'm having trouble finding your original posts... Were you the one that did a fishless cycle? Sorry for all the questions that you've probably already answered...
Fill us in on cycling, water conditions, etc. And keep an eye on that eye! :)

[Darkangel]

Cuddlebug910, I stand by what I said. Because a betta may chase another fish does not mean it is attacking it. You say you have seen it happen, I have had fish for 20 years and never seen it happen. Arctic_Fishery it is a male betta. I never said anything about you, just the post you left. The words you choose and the statements you made were wrong. Having said all that I believe the fish are acting this way due to new tank jitters for lack of a better term.

[Cuddlebug910]

I guess that would depend on your definition of attacking... I consider removing an eye to be 'attacking'. ;)

[Finzzup]

I apologize folks! I posted this morning and then my new computer arrived and I couldn't log back on until just now!


Originally posted by Darkangel
Finzzup, what if any do you have in the way of decorations in your tank?
Darkangel - I really don't have all that much yet. I put in two rocks that each have a hole in the middle and I put in some very short, silk plants towards the front of the tank...

So they really don't have anywhere to hide -- I've been trying to do everything at a minimum for fear of overdoing it as I have read so many beginners do! :)


Originally posted by rjl420
What is the filtration on this tank? I assume some sort of HOB, does it have an adjustable flow? bettas don't apprecieate too much current, so if you could lower the flow, he would appreciate it (you could also use a sponge to ease the flow). I'm gathering that you've had the betta for a while, and he's been healthy, but are the neons and WCM new?
It's an Eclipse tank and I am not really sure how to answer that! It has a Bio-Wheel and I cannot adjust the flow -- however, it's not a fast current where the water is moving a lot at the top. I've had my Betta for about 18 months and he's always been in a jar. And yes, the neons and WCM are new. I did put them in all at the same time -- not sure fish would have an 'order' about them as to who was there first, so I figured this would start them all together equally!


Originally posted by Cuddlebug910
What's "normal"? I'm assuming that you're meaning ammo 0, nitrite 0 and pH in an acceptable range. If so, that's great. I'm having trouble finding your original posts... Were you the one that did a fishless cycle?
Yes, to all of the above! :)


Originally posted by Darkangel
I believe the fish are acting this way due to new tank jitters for lack of a better term
I believe you are right -- by the end of the day, they were not all huddled down at the bottom anymore, although they DO prefer to hang around the heater. I have had absolutely NO problems with the fish not getting along -- the Betta has totally ignored the others and vice versa, so I am very glad of that! I was prepared to take the Betta out immediately if I thought it was not going to work out.

The other thing I tried was to turn up the heat a tiny bit -- but the thermometer registered at 80/82, so I turned it back and am bringing another thermometer with me tomorrow to double-check the first one.

The Betta's eye has not gotten worse and it still looks about the same... for awhile there, I thought that side of his face (I guess it's his face? :p ) looked a little whitened, too, but it no longer does.

He also freaked out a bit the day before when I gave him freeze dried bloodworms to eat -- apparently he made a pig of himself and paid the price for awhile but totally recovered. I probably should've given him one more day...

I hope it's not pop eye -- I tried searching for info and this came up repeatedly. Most of the remedies I found for this was to do a total water change immediately -- should I try this so soon?

Thank you all for the helpful messages! I am really glad I found this site because without it I'd be lost!!!!!

[Darkangel]

I would not try a big change just yet. Since you say the eye is cloudy and not swelled I do not think it is popeye. The cloudy look could be any number of things. I say leave it a day or two and see what happens. I do not mean to upset you but I hope you know your betta is reaching near the end of most betta's longevity? Two years or so seems to be about average. Take into account the age the fish was when you bought it and you can see that you have done very well with him. Lets hear how things go in the next day or so. Later.

[Finzzup]

Originally posted by Darkangel
I do not mean to upset you but I hope you know your betta is reaching near the end of most betta's longevity?

:( I have thought of that, too, and I really hope that is not the case! When I got my Betta, Mr. Utley (named for the keyboard player from the Coral Reefer Band - Jimmy Buffett's band), it was probably for all the wrong reasons, and I have really come to LOVE this guy! I swear he knows it's ME near him vs. someone else. One time, I was really upset over something and I honestly believe that little fish knew it -- he started doing all sorts of nutty things and made me laugh!

[Wippit Guud]

On the betta attack part, I've witnessed a betta attack once, mine attacked the rainbow shark in the tank.

The betta is now in a jar a month later, still trying to recover.

[rjl420]

Originally posted by Finzzup

It's an Eclipse tank and I am not really sure how to answer that! It has a Bio-Wheel and I cannot adjust the flow -- however, it's not a fast current where the water is moving a lot at the top. I've had my Betta for about 18 months and he's always been in a jar. And yes, the neons and WCM are new. I did put them in all at the same time -- not sure fish would have an 'order' about them as to who was there first, so I figured this would start them all together equally!


it sounds like it may have just been an aclimation period and that your fish will be fine. just keep an eye on that eye.

I have an eclipse #3, and your right, there is no way to adjust the flow. but if you notice that your betta is constantly at the bottom of the tank and avoiding the top of the tank you may want to use a peice of foam to ease the flow. also, if you ever plan on spawning them, you will need less current and almost no surface disruption to allow him to make his bubble nest.

keeping the tank at 80-82 should help with the eye problems also.

[Slappy*McFish]

Originally posted by Wippit Guud
On the betta attack part, I've witnessed a betta attack once, mine attacked the rainbow shark in the tank.

The betta is now in a jar a month later, still trying to recover.

lol..sounds about right...I had a similar experience with a betta and a redtail shark.

[Finzzup]

Originally posted by rjl420


it sounds like it may have just been an aclimation period and that your fish will be fine. just keep an eye on that eye.

keeping the tank at 80-82 should help with the eye problems also.

Today, everything is still about the same... all readings are still normal. Betta is all over the tank and his eye is still about the same, too.

However, I put the heat back down -- SHOULD I raise it to 80-82? I guess everything I've read always says 78 but I haven't seen what is too low and what is too high....

[rjl420]

I'd ride out the 78* and see how it goes. I keep my betta tanks at ~78-80*, but if the eye begins to get worse maybe raise the temp back up. a lot of parasites lifespan shortens with the increase in heat (doesn't sound like a parasite), and it seems to speed the metabolism of the fish up also, which can help with healing.

he could have just scraped it against something also.

the tetras/WCM aren't showing any signs of illness? are they becoming more active?

[Finzzup]

Originally posted by rjl420
the tetras/WCM aren't showing any signs of illness? are they becoming more active?

Thanks again for the help! I've left it at 78 and the Betta today is doing super -- eye is all cleared up and he's looking good. The other never showed any signs of illness but they still just hang low below the heater and rarely go anywhere else. I brought in a 2nd thermometer today to verify the 1st and it is correct...

I have a radio sitting near the aquarium and put a little decorative turtle my daughter gave me on the radio. The Betta seems to HATE that turtle! haha! About every few hours he dashes over to that side of the tank and gets his "fighting" look up for about 10 seconds and then goes away.

They sure are fun to watch! Having the fish in my office has helped me a lot, too -- I'm the webmaster (or webmistress) for a community college and I have had a lot of problems with headaches from working on the computer so much. My eye doctor told me to take at least 15 minutes of each hour and look AWAY from the computer - yeah, right!

Now, however -- that is EASY for me to do! :D I have something to look AT and honestly, it has helped!

[ArkyLady]

I'm glad Mr. Utley is feeling better! So funny him fighting with the frog. My betta would fight with my finger on the side of the glass, though I think he was playing. I could put my hand in the water kinda cupped and he'd swim inside my hand, so he was quite tame. He knew who I was when I walked in the door too, he'd get all excited, but had no reaction when anyone else came in.

I've been debating getting a fishtank for my office, just a small one like you have. I have an empty spot here on my desk right next to my monitor that would be perfect. I have some cories in with some mollies/guppies that need salt, but the cories don't like salt so I haven't put it in there yet. Thinking about putting them out here with me and adding a few more fish with them. I want to get another betta :)

Hope Mr. Utley is with you for quite some time!

[Finzzup]

Originally posted by ArkyLady
I've been debating getting a fishtank for my office, just a small one like you have.
Definitely go for it!!! I am so thrilled with my little aquarium and have to admit it's looking GREAT! My office has a lot of blue in it (I have one of those fancy desks with a blue top), so I put dark blue gravel in the bottom of the tank, cut out of piece of black posterboard to fit the back (for now - still want to find something better), and used a colorful rock and a white, interesting looking rock from our old aquarium. FINALLY added plants (fake ones) and that is what also finally brought the fish out! They were huddling below the heater until I put those in and now they dart all over the place.

And I'm thinking the other way now! I want a large aquarium in our house again.... in our old house, we had a tall, 55 gallon setting on the island in the middle of the kitchen -- hubby modified it to keep the pump in the cabinet underneath and it was easy to siphon water directly into the kitchen sink. I LOVED that aquarium so much. When we put our house up for sale, the realtor said it was hurting the sale, though, because people didn't like the aquarium in the kitchen. Obviously people with no imagination... :rolleyes: