Jenee'
Junior Member
Posts: 29
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Post by Jenee' on Jul 6, 2016 18:55:38 GMT -5
Hi everyone- My betta continues to improve. He has a lot of the transparent new growth now, and the fin edges have mended so much that they are no longer frayed, but one smooth continuous edge. I have been trying to get a good photo with my cell phone for the last 30 minutes, and it just isn't happenin'.... But Zen and I are BOTH doing the happy dance, now!
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Post by Carl on Jul 6, 2016 21:47:59 GMT -5
Hi everyone- My betta continues to improve. He has a lot of the transparent new growth now, and the fin edges have mended so much that they are no longer frayed, but one smooth continuous edge. I have been trying to get a good photo with my cell phone for the last 30 minutes, and it just isn't happenin'.... But Zen and I are BOTH doing the happy dance, now! Awesome! Carl
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Jenee'
Junior Member
Posts: 29
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Post by Jenee' on Aug 16, 2016 17:02:01 GMT -5
Zen was doing much better with his fins growing back. But I went away for the weekend to a wedding, and I came back to Zen looking awful. He is doing the same thing my previous betta was. He has lost color, is lethargic and bloated, and laying on the bottom of his tank. He came to the surface to eat yesterday, but seems worse this morning. At first I thought that maybe he was constipated, so I blanched a pea right away, and he ate some. But today, his scales seem a bit extended. I am just so frustrated, and I'm feeling super guilty about being a bad fish mommy.
His tank parameters have been stable ever since the fin incident when I first got him. The PH has been holding steady at 7.6 ( I check the PH constantly with the issues I have had with it) and there is zero ammonia, nitrates and nitrites. I still do a 25% water change every week, I have vacuumed the gravel probably 3 times over the last 2 months, and he is getting the Sanyu betta food, 5-6 pellets per day. (It is SO hard not to feed him more!) The KH and GH have been in range, but I haven't checked it lately. He has frog moss, IAL, matrix in a prescription bottle along with the sponge filter and the wonder shell, and live hornwort and an anubis plant. I did an immediate 50% water change, and I gave him a 20 minute methylene blue and epsom salt dip/bath yesterday and this morning, to maybe help with bloating and possible toxins. It seems to really stress him, so I'm not sure about continuing it. He gets even paler and breathes faster after the bath. I started Kanamycin yesterday, so hopefully it will help out. Should I continue to try to feed him? I thought I would fast him for a couple days if he was constipated, but the raised scales disturb me and I'm afraid it may be dropsy. Should he still have food for energy and healing, or is it better to fast? I had a random thought about the aquarium decor. It is the only thing that is not natural in the tank. I bought a rock wall with a couple doorways that both of the bettas loved to rest in. It formed a "room" in the back corner of the tank and they both loved to hang out there in the evening. Is there any possibility that a batch of decor from a major chain store could contain toxins? I know that they aren't supposed to, but neither was dog and cat food or infant formula, and they both have had it. I'm racking my brain trying to figure it out, and this thought just occured to me, since both bettas have been acting identically after about the same time frame. I'm about to give up. It isn't acceptable to me to be unintentionally harming these little guys. I so enjoy them, but can't take the guilt. They depend on me, and I am 100% responsible for their health and well being, and I'm failing. How is it that I have known other people with bettas that have lived years with absolutely no care or knowledge about water quality? They just throw in some dechlorinator and nothing else. Is there a super tough fish out there that reacts with their owners that would be better for me?
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Post by Carl on Aug 17, 2016 9:53:45 GMT -5
Sorry about this problem again. I am sure you are doing your best, especially keeping a Betta in an aquarium with a filter rather than a bowl. Some ornaments coming out of China do not have aquarium safe epoxy coats, so removing this certainly is worth a try Adding AAP/SeaChem StressGuard after this bath might be helpful Resource www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Seachem.html#stressguardMore information on Dropsy Treatment: www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2006/11/betta-with-dropsy.htmlAs for others with no issues with their Bettas; These are notoriously over bred fish that are often kept in very poor conditions before you the hobbyist ever purchase the fish. So sometimes it is just dumb luck as per genetics, and poor care that you have know way of checking. Some Pet Stores have better sources. I would recommend any retailer that uses Aquatropic as their FW fish supplier. www.aquatropic.com/There are cichlids that are easy to care for and react with their owners. In my bedroom i have a Red Parrot Cichlid that is such a fish. Others include Severums & Dempsey Cichlids Carl
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Jenee'
Junior Member
Posts: 29
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Post by Jenee' on Aug 17, 2016 11:06:16 GMT -5
Thanks Carl. The first thing I went to was your article. I really trust you and your scientific based knowledge. And VAST knowledge, at that! I followed the directions of the dropsy article.
Zen looks a little worse this morning. Maybe a bit more bloated. It sure came on fast... When I left Friday, he was happily swimming around, begging for food as usual. He is normally a dark blue black color, but now he is a fleshy light blue. If he isn't going to make it, I hope he goes quickly. I can't stand watching him suffer. I do have some clove oil on hand if he continues to digress, but that will be sooo hard to do.
If I do lose him, I think I will try one more time without the aquarium decor I had in there. I try to keep it interesting for him to explore so that he won't be bored. I'll just buy the betta log in place of the wall and keep floating plants around with the Indian Almond Leaf. I have several marimo moss balls and frog moss, which Zen loves to burrow under to sleep at night.
I'll keep you posted.
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Jenee'
Junior Member
Posts: 29
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Post by Jenee' on Aug 17, 2016 21:02:10 GMT -5
Well, I just lost Z. The only thing I am thankful for is that it happened fairly fast. My previous betta Max hung on for a couple weeks. I was ready to euthanize Z if he was doing worse by this evening. He saved me from that. Poor little guy...
Does anyone have opinions on the gravel I used? It is from Petco, and claims to be safe and non-toxic, but I took some outside and crushed it, and it is a white type of rock, obviously painted black. Could it be possible that the paint was toxic and damaged his kidneys? I just don't trust big manufacturers these days, and I wonder if that could have played into it. And I still wonder about his wall decor-a painted resin type material.
One last thought is lighting. I have him in an east facing garden window with no direct sunlight, only filtered, diffused light through the plants in the window. I thought about it and decided it would be somewhat similar to their natural habitat. Was he possibly not getting enough or the right type of light? There is no algae in the tank, so I don't think that was the problem.
I just can't think of anything else I could be doing so wrong. These two have had a much better home than the vast majority of bettas out there. I have been keeping the parameters stable and within range, albeit a bit high PH for my comfort level. I decided not to chase the PH and just keep it stable.
I know you guys don't have a crystal ball to give me concrete answers, just was interested in your thoughts about the aquarium decor, gravel and light before I try one last time... I will do without the aquarium wall decoration and the gravel. Just plants, and some more gravel and a betta log from AAP. Sigh.... I can't believe how attached one can get to a silly little betta fishy.
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Post by devonjohnsgard on Aug 18, 2016 11:55:36 GMT -5
Sorry for your loss. That did happen fast, which in my mind, his immunity was very weak from being ill before. All we can do is use prevention. Feeding is key too. Can't remember what you were feeding. It sounds like you were doing everything else right. Focus on KH and not pH. Electrolyte minerals, a little warmer temp, and good food.
I don't think the light is the issue. If anything, having some light on some time through the day helps with mood and breaking down waste.
I haven't heard anything about that type of substrate... I usually use rock or fourite. If it's cheap, I wouldn't trust it either.
Yes, I get attached too :/ I just take my loses as learning experiences.
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Jenee'
Junior Member
Posts: 29
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Post by Jenee' on Aug 18, 2016 15:06:01 GMT -5
Thanks for your input. I was feeding Sanyu betta pellets, 5 or 6 pellets a day. He suckered me into feeding a couple extra now and then, but I won't fall for it next time. It is so hard when they come out and beg every time I go to the kitchen sink, which happens all day long! I am going to order the spirulina brine shrimp for variety and "treats". I had a mix of flourite around the plants and the black gravel stuff from Petco everywhere else. I'll order more flourite and use it exclusively next time, and also a CFL bulb for lighting. I want to build something for the new guy to swim into and around like the wall I had. What do people use for decor that is safe for that? Do natural rocks leach? I'm also worried about them being too sharp for their fins. I was thinking about ordering driftwood instead, but all the pieces are too large for my 2.5 gallon tank. It would also be good for my high PH water. I'll keep checking back for a smaller piece.
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Post by devonjohnsgard on Aug 19, 2016 13:26:06 GMT -5
Rocks can leech, just put them in a gal of water and best before and after to know how they effect water chem. Maybe 48-72 test.
I use rock and driftwood.
Driftwood is great.
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