Trying bettas again

[jeaninev]

Hello everyone!  

I want to improve the 5 gallon tanks I have for my bettas. I must confess I tried to read all about redox, uv sterilizers, etc. but I am overwhelmed with the science and massive amount of information.

Is anyone willing to simply tell me what to do? That way I can get started with improving the health of the tanks immediately while I tackle learning all this information at my slower speed.

The tanks I have are these:  www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0173I55IS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1  Notice that the lighting is LED.  Java ferns grow like crazy in these tanks - I'm constantly giving some away.

They are heated. I use wonder shells (usually)

Our water supply composition changes constantly; although it is NEVER capable of maintaining any level of pH!  I keep a supply crushed coral in the tanks.  

I tend to buy the "poorly" bettas at the pet store. Good clean water saves them. However, I recently had a female just slowly, steadily decline over the course of 3 months.  No sign of illness as far as I could tell.  After a while I bought a new fish for that tank - a healthy active plakat that I simply fell in love with!  He was so active I was shopping for a 10 gallon tank for him when I noticed his bulging, then scales pine-coning; I put him in a hospital tank with Epsom salt, Kanacyn.  I did the methylene blue and double kanacycin baths but he gone in 48 hours. It hasn't even been a week since I brought him home. 

What is the first thing I should do to improve these tanks? (Also, what do I do with the tank that had the sick plakat? How do I make it safe to use again?) 

Thank you.

[bettarescue]

First off, welcome to our forum! I am so sorry for your loss. When bloating and pineconing are present, it is very common the fish will pass. Many times this is from renal failure along with fluid buildup, usually dropsy (but not always).

I know the articles can be overwhelming, they are so full of information and can take some time to digest. Below I have linked the most important articles that I urge all keepers who want a starting point to keeping the tanks and the fish as healthy as possible.

www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Disease.html

Tbh, keeping bettas is like playing Russian roulette. Even when they come home seeming completely healthy, many have genetic issues from overbreeding and/or damage we are not able to see. Being exposed to cold temps, high ammonia, and zero filtration in the store cups often sets them (and us) up for failure down the road, as long term damage has already been done to the gills and organs. Even doing everything perfect, you may still end up with a fish who is constantly ill or succumbs to an unknown. IThere is no fish like a Betta, so much personality and affection for their keeper... plus their remarkable beauty makes them impossible to resist.

Below are some points that changed slot for me in the Betta game:

Filtration: two forms for redundancy. HOB and sponge (the sponge is the best at bio filtration).

Water change: 50% weekly with thorough graval vac every time (also find sand substrate works best with bettas, this makes it easier to get the most organic material up during cleaning and can help lower the chances of saprolengia and Aeromonas simply as there are less nooks and crevices for food etc to hide and decay, which can also be picked at and eaten later by mr nosy gills). Wondershells in constant supply for trace elements and mineral cations (I see you already got this one down 😉)

Water quality: checking you PH GH and KH are important. If your KH is too low your PH will swing (which sounds like is happening) and this will cause havoc in any fish as shock comes into play. Butt bettas are very prone to osmoregulation issues and this will exacerbate the problem 10 fold. If you need to raise your KH, do so naturally and only worry about your PH being stable.... bettas thrive in slightly acidic all the way to water that’s hard as rocks (happy bettas even in 8.2PH).

www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumKH.html#kh

Food: HUGE one for me. I feed the AAP premium Carnivore crumbles, which have perfect number for fish health in both short and long term. This food absorbs water well and personally I have never had any bloating or constipation from feeding it. If I had more time I could spend an hour singing the praise of these well formulated foods, and the versatility can’t be beat either (can be crushed and used in medicated food slurries or even used to make snail-o!).

www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Quality_Fish_Food.html

UV sterilization: I know this isn’t usually practical in Betta tanks, however the use of a true level 1 or 2 UV Sterilizer is a huge game changer. From illness to algae to water quality, it’s the genuine “big stick” in the hobby. Unfortunately I have not personally been able to utilize one in my personal Betta experience, however I keep some very uncommon and acutely sensitive species of puffer fish and until I actually got to utilize one didn’t TRULY understand how invaluable they are to healthy fish and tanks. This isn’t to say you can not achieve a balanced tank without one, however it is much easier to do so with one (this also pertains to redox balance). The below link is a heavier one, but if you want to explore and learn more about the benefits- it’s a must read.

www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumUVSterilization.html

There are many facets that I haven’t mentioned here as this is not an exhaustive list, rather the cliff notes to my personal experiences rescuing/rehabilitating As well as keeping bettas (and all fish really).

[Carl]

Hi & Welcome to EA!!

You already got a lot of good information & I especially agree with the point "keeping bettas is like playing Russian roulette.", so be careful to no be too hard on yourself.

Often UV Sterilization is difficult with the small tanks we keep our bettas in unless they are part of a system.

Feeding, besides the before mentioned Crumbles, even some of the more basic foods such as Hikari or Sanyu are a good part of the diet.
Source for one:
www.americanaquariumproducts.com/HikariFoods.html#betta

Consider using AAP Wonder shells at about 1/4 does, so one or two Small Wonder Shells

Complimenting these with Pillow Moss and Betta Spa are also good ideas too

Resources:
www.americanaquariumproducts.com/MedicatedWonderShell.html
www.americanaquariumproducts.com/FrogMoss.html
www.americanaquariumproducts.com/FrogMoss.html

Not to dump more reading on you, but this article is helpful as to general good fish keeping practices
www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Disease.html

Carl

[jeaninev]

A big thank you to both of you!

What makes a UV sterilizer so difficult for a 5 gallon tank?

Is there a better way to test for GH KH and pH? (I hate the time consuming process with the little drops and tubes - and I always lose count!) I'm hoping there's a device that can save time.

Does switching to RO water significantly reduce the amount of virus and bacteria in a tank?

So you recommend a 50% water change every week? I was always taught that damaged the slime coat and smaller changes were better. No? Or 2 water changes of 25%?

You also recommend having both hob and sponge filters? Is there a filter that combines both? (I have one electrical outlet per tank: heater, filter, light...worrying about overload)

What do I do with the empty tank that held the fish with dropsy? Does it need to be torn down and disinfected? Can I "fallow" the tank and re-introduce a fish without having to start it all over? (I'm also considering switching it to a shrimp tank)

If I do get another better, I'm wondering if buying from a reputable breeder is better than supported the lfs stock.

Thanks again for the information!!

[Carl]

Here are a few answers:

*A TRUE Category A or B UV Sterilizer is generally bulky & simply do not fit well with smaller aquariums, especially when employing important pre-filtration.
The most simple way would be the AAP CUP-609, but it is still rather large for a 5 or even 10 gallon aquarium.

Further Reading:
www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumUVSterilization.html

Resource:
www.americanaquariumproducts.com/InternalUVSterilizer.html

*The most simple way is using a test strip. While not as accurate with as precise of numbers, it IS accurate enough for most aquarium keepers

Further Reading:
www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2007/02/aquarium-test-kits.html

Resource:
www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquariumtestkit.html#5in1

*Using RO water makes little difference for viruses or bacteria. These are more for water quality as per parameters

Further Reading:
www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2016/01/use-of-ro-di-softwater-in-aquariums.html

*Generally with good filtration, a 25% water change should be more than enough. Parameters will help determine this

Further Reading:
www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_cleaning.html

*Yes as to sponge Filters & HOB Filters. Better for redundancy and improved bio filtration.
This said, adding a Sponge Pre-Filter (AAP Filter Max) to your HOB filter will still improve bio filtration (& even mechanical filtration)

Further Reading:
www.americanaquariumproducts.com/sponge_filtration.html

Resource:
www.americanaquariumproducts.com/PreFilter.html

*Generally with an aquarium that had fish with Dropsy, it is not necessary to tear down & disinfect (other cuases just need to be addressed). But this would not hurt if you have the time & patience

Further Reading:
www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2006/11/betta-with-dropsy.html
www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Disease.html#sterilize

Carl