Poor Betta

[EOD]

My poor Betta is a bully that loses fights. First we had the problem with the spotted puffers which I returned to walmart, then we let the betta heal a bit and tried returning it to the tank and it immediately picked a fight with my cichlid and it looked like one of the cat fights you see on cartoons so I yanked the betta back out and it's going to remain secluded from now until I can figure out what to so with it. I named it Curtis after 50cent since he seems like a bully and got shot like 9 times. Advice?

Also, I know I've been posting A LOT and I'm sorry if I'm a nuisance but I want to learn all there is to learn.

 

[fishycat]

He needs a bigger tank with filtration & a heater, for one. If kept in the bowl, he'll need daily 75% water changes. Highly recommend a tank w/filter & heater. With those, 50% water changes every other day. This will help fin regeneration & overall health (did I mention a filtered, heated tank?).

Edit: lol, didn't notice you're in Hawaii, too. Petco in Pearl City (by Walmart) has cheap tanks (they have a $1/gallon sale that ends this weekend I think). Walmart has the 10g kits which your betta would really love.

So yeah - you probably don't need the heater, but filter is a must!

 

[EOD]

Awesome! The pet store in mililani told me about the $1/g sale and I was super excited BUT they said that it doesn't include the hood or anything else so I figured it would end up costing me quite a bit. I get paid Wednesday and I leave Friday for Maui. I think I'll go to petco wednesday and buy a nice new tank and start it's cycle (WITHOUT FISH:grinno before I leave. I have a 1-2 gallon hex aquarium that is filtered and we can put the Betta in there tomorrow. The heater, yes, is not needed but I did put a little heater in my 40gallon because last time i put my hand in that water it was very cold, since the installation of the heater I've noticed a lot more movement and action out of all the fish and now the angelfish is chasing the other ones (i posted this problem just now in a different thread) Once I get the new tank and I get back from Maui, I can use you guys (yeah thats right, USE YOU! jk) to help me figure out how to arrang my fish so that they will all be happy considering the current arrangement is

kinda skrewy still.

Can you guys let me know what type/size/substrate/rocks/plants you recommend for this new tank. Let's make it a class project...you being the class and me being the hot (of course) teacher. (even know it's backasswards since you are all the teachers but I always wanted to be a hot teacher)

 

[EOD]

Oh and where do you live fishycat? It's so cool to find more fish lovers here in hawaii. Now I can find better places than walmart!

 

[purplecandle]

Why do you put the betta with notoriously aggressive fish?

Cichlids and puffers? Not only aggressive, but with teeth.

And in a bowl?

POOR BETTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Taysius]

If you plan to keep your betta with other fish, it needs to be very mild fish. Usually a school of neons or harlequin rasboras works well. Even then, your betta may not like tankmates so might need to live in solitude.

 

[jpappy789]

I agree that you can't really blame the betta...depending on the cichlids it was a bad idea to begin with...same with the puffers. As Tay said, the tankmates need to be much more mild.

And if you have an already cycled tank then you can just use some of that established media and skip the fishless cyle altogether.

 

[Piranha86]

My poor Betta is a bully that loses fights. First we had the problem with the spotted puffers which I returned to walmart, then we let the betta heal a bit and tried returning it to the tank and it immediately picked a fight with my cichlid and it looked like one of the cat fights you see on cartoons so I yanked the betta back out and it's going to remain secluded from now until I can figure out what to so with it. I named it Curtis after 50cent since he seems like a bully and got shot like 9 times. Advice? Also, I know I've been posting A LOT and I'm sorry if I'm a nuisance but I want to learn all there is to learn.

Ok, a betta needs it's own living area. Period. 80% of all cichlids are agressive, and especially to a slow fish with long, flowing fins. I don't mean to sound offensive, but what really ticked me off is that you kept a Green Spotted Puffer in freshwater. As juveniles, they need strong brackish, and adults need full marine. All puffers are agressive and would relish the chance to tear up a betta.

Why do you put the betta with notoriously aggressive fish?

Cichlids and puffers? Not only aggressive, but with teeth.

And in a bowl?

POOR BETTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

+1

 

[Pufferpunk]

Use Melafix to heal those torn fins.

 

[Piranha86]

Use Melafix to heal those torn fins.

MelaFix is betta-bad, in my experience and some other people's experience.

Melafix has been implicated by some as responsible for deaths in labrynthine fish (including gourami and betta). Others report that it can be used in these specimens with no problem. It seems to be highly dose dependent; Bettafix uses same active ingredient but is more dilute and therefore 'safer' than label usage for Melafix. I personally think that there is enough anecdotal eveidence to suggest there could be a danger. I would either elect not to use the product (concentrating on clean water instead) or alternatively dose the Melafix at the concentration listed with Bettafix. Regardless, without improved water parameters recovery will be difficult so I would concentrate your efforts there.

I've had some really bad experiences with bettas and melafix. I wouldn't use that or betafix or prima fix on any of my fish anyway. There are better ways to treat what those products are meant to treat.

I've found the best thing for treating fin rot in bettas is clean, clean water, increasing the temp to about 84F and salt. (1 tsp aquarium salt per gal water). That heals fin problems up faster than anything else I've seen, it's cheap, salt never expires, there's a lot of leway with dosing (you can go up to 4tsp of salt per gal without negatively affecting your betta) ...

It makes good sense to me, but ... to each his own.