From: The Fish Lady 10/14/00
Subject: I would not move him right now
I would not move him right now, it might stress him out and that can case more problems. I would take the plants out that are not "live plants" I think that might be your problem. Keep the water clean, and keep using the salt and stress coat. you should use 1 tbl. of salt. Let me know how things go. I will just tell you that sometimes when this happends other things start to happen also so keep a close eye on him for spots and any slime coat problems.
The Fish Lady
From: Koya 10/14/00
Subject: My betta's tail has now got a chunk taken out of it!
Now Prince (my betta) has got a huge chunk taken out of his fin! I have some plants made of material and some live plants but I don't have any plastic plants. Should I put him in a smaller tank, like a small betta hex (he's in a 6 litre one now) and change his water and then treat him with some salt and stress coat? Do you have any other ideas on what I should do because now his other fins look a bit torn too but not as bad as his big fin.
Thanks again!
From: sword 10/14/00
Subject: can a frog live with my fish?
hi,
i'm wondering if it is possible raise a frog within my 10 gallon tank with fish. is it possible at all to do so? or must we have a separate tank? if its possible what do i feed it and how should i arrange the tank, if any.
From: lirunaway 10/14/00
Subject: African Dwarf Frogs
http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/misc_critters/frog_african_dwarf.htm
From: LAnce 10/15/00
Subject: Re: African Dwarf Frogs
I am not sure this answer is correct but I am pretty sure that what you said would work out just fine. Just make sure you feed it some sinking foods. I reccomend blood worms.
From: sword 10/14/00
Subject: is my tank considered overcrowded in a 10 gal?
ok, this is what i have in my tank: one cory catfish, 6 neons, 7 white clouds, 1 harlequin rasbora, and 2 swordtails in a 10 gallon tank. is this overcrowed? cuz someone said it was, but i didn't think it was since most of the fish are small, except my 2 swords. all the others are small. my neons usually eat alot, more than my sword, and harlequin. my cory seems not to get enough food, he goes to the top of the tank when i feed the other fish to search for food. any comments or suggestions?
From: Meagan 10/14/00
Subject: IMHO.... Yes, way too many fish... n/m
n/m
From: CT 10/14/00
Subject: Re: is my tank considered overcrowded in a 10 gal?
I have mostly questions:
* How long has the tank been up and running with all these fish?
* What are your water parameters?
* What kind of filtration are you using?
* Do you have a heater?
CT
From: dboe 10/14/00
Subject: Re: is my tank considered overcrowded in a 10 gal?
dont listen to CT she always justs keep asking questions and never answers them. i doubt your tank is overcrowded, but if i were you i would get some oto cats to eat algae, nad dump the 2 swords and the 1 harlequim and get 1or2 more cories. they like friends
your tank would end up like this:
3 corys
2 otos
7 neons
6 white cloud minnows
From: CT 10/14/00
Subject: What is a nad dump? n/m
n/m
From: The Queen of Poo 10/14/00
Subject: I'm not sure, but something tells me that I should know! n/m
n/m
From: jigga 10/15/00
Subject: it looks like "and" to me it is a typo. so it mean "and dump" as in get rid of probably
nm
From: LAnce 10/14/00
Subject: Plants?
Hello, I have a question, how do you make sure no snails get into your tank from live plants? I have a whole bunch of anarcharis in a highly snail infested 1 gallon tank, Now the thae tank is quite crowded and I wanted to grow anarcharis in my ten gallon. Are there any chemicals to kill the snails? One more thing, I do want snails in my one gallon tank but not in my ten gallon tank. Thanks! LAnce
From: craig 10/15/00
Subject: Re: Plants?
Clown loaches will eat snails rather quickly.
From: Craig 10/14/00
Subject: My Poor Zebra Danio
One of my zebra danios always hangs out in the corner. It's a female I think. There is another female, and a male in the tank. The male chases the females around constantly. The female I'm worried about always stays behind the filter, or the heater at the back of the tank. It oftens hovers in the same place. Is this a concern? I also have two cory cats. All of the fish seem healthy, although ammonia levels are a bit high since it's a new tank.
From: CT 10/14/00
Subject: Re: My Poor Zebra Danio
Run down to the LFS and get some AmQuel and apply it to your tank at the rate of 10 drops per gallon. This will neutralize the ammonia and allow you to cycle your tank normally. Be sure to also pick up a salicylate based ammonia test kit while you're there.
CT
From: Derrick 10/14/00
Subject: pH
I would like to know whether the pH of the water will drop or rise after addition of fishes???
Thanks
From: ph 10/14/00
Subject: Re: pH
hi, what i did when i was so concerned with the ph of my tank was i went to petland discounts and grabbed a wardley's bullseye ph 7.0 neutralizer. this helped me balance the ph at 7.0, though so far, i'm keeping it at 6.8. it really works, just add it every time u do a partial water change to keep the water at 7.0. they also have others, like 6.5 or higher. bullseye buffers the ph for u, so it's a good product to help u maintain the ph u want.
From: CT 10/14/00
Subject: Re: pH
Typically the addition of fish will not affect pH right away. The exceptions would be if your water has limited buffering capacity (low KH), or if you over stock your aquarium. The waste from fish (ammonia & CO2) can acidify the water and cause pH to drop.
Things to remember:
* Buffering (measured in KH) and partial water changes are the keys to stable pH.
* KH = Carbonate harness and is your water's acid neutrilizing capacity.
Hope that helps!
CT
From: Rose 10/14/00
Subject: Re: pH
The pH will stay where it is with or with out fish. The fish don't affect the pH at all. Although too much salt will raise the pH. Rose
From: LAnce 10/14/00
Subject: I did not name my self after the n'sync guy (just letting you know)
I think Lance looks like a girl. ( no offense)
From: LAnce 10/15/00
Subject: remember: (just letting you know)
From: confused??? 10/14/00
Subject: Re: I did not name my self after the n'sync guy (just letting you know)
what does that have to do with fish??? LOL
From: Rose 10/14/00
Subject: Re: I did not name my self after the n'sync guy (just letting you know)
We all can sleep better at night knowing that. LOL. Thanks for the early morning laugh. Rose
From: Meagan 10/14/00
Subject: Now we can sleep at night... thanks... LoL.. n/m
n/m
From: The Fish Lady 10/13/00
Subject: in and out
I have been in and out for sometime now, I am having computer problems. If anyone has questions on bettas or the betta in a vase you can go to my article index and read the articles under "fish"
at www.geocities.com/newsgirlhj/page5.html
Barb and Kick are also some of the best to ask betta questions if you need to talk to someone.
The Fish Lady
From: Koya 10/14/00
Subject: Re: in and out
Hi Fish lady. Thanks for helping me out with my betta's torn tail. I have another question about Prince. I have already posted it today. I may sound like a freak but I am still a bit worried about his tail and what Ishould do because it looks worse today.
From: Koya 10/13/00
Subject: What is wrong with my betta's tail?
Hi everyone. I am net on this message board. I have a question. Is there anyone out there who can help me? I (and Prince, my betta)would be so grateful! The problem is, Prince is my male betta and I keep him in a 5.5 litre tank and I have just noticed that one of his fins appear to be torn. His fin does not have any fungus on it and apart from it being torn it appears to be fine. Could it be the early stage of fin rot? . Other than that he seems to be fine. He still eats and is active. I don't have any type of filtration but I do use dechlorinated water (after it has sat for a few days). I have two other male bettas (in different tanks of course)and they are fine at the moment. PLease help! If it is any type of disease I would like to prevent it early.
Thanks for your time!
From: The Fish Lady 10/13/00
Subject: Re: What is wrong with my betta's tail?
HI, I have kept bettas for many years. Do you use stress coat in your water? It puts a protective slime in the water that helps the bettas fins keep for becoming torn. Stress Coat is also a decholorator by the way. YOu might want to try some fish tank salt (not table salt) you can get it at pet stores, it is good for their fins and also protects from fin rot etc. let me know how things are going.
THe fish lady
for more information on bettas see my article index at www.geocities.com/newsgirlhj/page5.html
From: Meagan 10/14/00
Subject: Re: What is wrong with my betta's tail?
This sounds a lot like the problem I am having with one of my male bettas... I have four, each in his own 2 gallon hex tank... One of the four had a horribly torn tail when I purchased him, it hasn't gotten worse, but it hasn't shown too much improvement either... Another of the four had a perfect tail when I got him, but he was my first and I had the UGF going... a big chunk of his tail was torn off on the tube... and it has never been the same since... now it looks as bad as the other ones tail!... it's like he keeps tearing it on some thing, but his plant is silk, not plastic... so I have no idea why this keeps happening... my other two males are still in wonderful shape... I use Instant Ocean sea salt and Stress coat in all their tanks, and still I have two with constantly torn tails!... So, I am paying close attention to this string of posts...
take care....... Meagan
From: THe Fish Lady 10/14/00
Subject: it will take time
The fins will take time to heal themselves, so just keep an eye on them.
From: Koya 10/14/00
Subject: Re: What is wrong with my betta's tail?
Thankyou for replying. I will give both of them a try and hopefully that will work. Thanks for your time. I will write back if things get better or worse. Thanks again :)
From: Barb 10/14/00
Subject: Re: What is wrong with my betta's tail?
Koya,
Sounds like a torn fin and not fin rot. What decorations or plants are in his bowl? Plastic plants are notorious for tearing betta fins. If the tear is not too severe, it should heal without problem. Let us know what caused the tear.
BTW, I like the name Prince!
Barb
From: adager 10/13/00
Subject: filamentous green algae
Ok I've got a 29g, moderately planted, lightly populated, community tank. My ph hovers around 7.6, my water is very soft to soft, no ammonia, no nitrite.
I started this tank after a move a few months ago, and wanted to try all live plants. I have a DIY hood with three 20 watt bulbs and was going to try a simple co2 system, but I want to get a handle on the algae first. The algae that is bothering me (there are several types in the tank that I am fine with) is the long stringy gooey green stuff. It quickly forms a dense slimy green carpet all over the front glass, that then starts reaching out into the tank. Every week I scrape it off with a razor, and siphon out the scraps when I do my water change. But within a week its back.
I anticipated algae growth and most of the fish in the tank are there to eat algae, I also have snails and algae eating shrimp, but everyone seems happy to feast on the other less aggressive types.
I enjoy having all the different forms of life in my tank (you should have seen the look I got at my LFS when I offered to buy some pond snails) and even a bit of algae is welcome so long as I have enough critters to control it.
This is the only type of algae that is out of control, it only grows on the glass, and seems to start in the current from the filter. I turn on all three 20w bulbs for about 14 hrs a day. I haven't added any fertalizers for 2 months. The only non algae-eating fish in the tank are a few bleeding hearts and they don't get fed very much at all so I don't think over-feeding has anything to do with it. Other fish in the tank are 4 oto's, 4 chinese algae-eaters, 1 bristle nose pleco, and 4 algae-eating shrimp plus a couple dozen pond and trumpet snails.
What is this stuff? Why does it plague me so? What do I do to get rid of it?
From: LAnce 10/14/00
Subject: sorry only one tip
so anwayz Chinese algea eaters DO NOT eat algea. You might be thinking of saimese algea eaters. these guys are the most common in pet stores, they eat algea. well, thats all I know. bye, LAnce
From: CT 10/14/00
Subject: Blue green algae
The slimy sheet algae is more bacterial than plant like. This stuff is nasty and tends to give off a moldy smell when you lift the tank lid.
Chances are pretty good that you've got high phosphates. What are your Nitrate levels?
A short term solution would be to use a couple of products -- one is called Chemi-Clean by Boyd enterprises and the other is Phosphate Sponge by Kent Marine. These two products in combination will stop this type of algae fairly quickly. You will still need to address the cause of this algae at some point which is excess nutrients in the water. If you have some fast growing plants they may be able to out compete the algae for food. I've had good luck with Water Sprite as a plant that will out compete algae.
Hope that helps!
CT
From: adager 10/14/00
Subject: Re: Blue green algae
Where would my phosphates be coming from? Is there anything else I should be looking for?
I'm not entirely oppossed to chemical treatments but like to avoid them if it can be helped, any suggestions.
From: CT 10/14/00
Subject: Re: Blue green algae
Some municipal water companies add phosphates, some water conditioners use them to stabilize pH - overfeeding will also add phosphates.
Non-chemical treatment:
* Add fast growing plants such as Water Sprite.
Alternate treatment:
* Use phosphate sponge by itself.
CT
From: Rose 10/13/00
Subject: Barb, CT and Art...just wondering
hey I was wondering what kind of fish, food and what size tanks you have for your fish? Why do you feed your fish what you feed them?
One other thing how do you get barbs not to eat everything you put in the tank. With my 8 barbs it doesn't matter where I put the food they finnish theirs and go after everyone else's. I can't get the other fish well fed. The barbs are anything but starving. They are in a 55 with Pictus cats, Bala Shark and soon to be Clown Loaches. Just wondering how you would solve a problem like this. I think I have tried just about everything.
Thanks for the info and help. Sorry to be a pest but I would like all my babies to eat and be healthy. Rose
From: Art 10/14/00
Subject: Re: Barb, CT and Art...just wondering
I don't have many tanks at home now (just two) because I have almost 300 at my store. When I am faced with the situation of shy and eager feeders in the same tank, I feed both ends of the tank at the same time. I start on one end (always the same end to condition/train them and once the eager feeders are busy, I begin feeding the other end. It usually doesn't take long for the rest of the fish to realize there is more food to be had where the eager feeders are not feeding. At this time, you should also drop your loach tablet in for the loaches (at night only for them). This usually works for me, hope it works in your tank. I believe any good name brand food is suitable for our fish. I like to see three or four different kinds fed appropriate to the species being fed. Before much was known about fish nutrition, I believe the label was more important than it is today. A little flake, pellet, freeze dried, and frozen should work well. Wardley, Hikari, Tetra, OSI, there are many good ones out there. For those of you who want to try something new, see if you can find a food called "New Life Spectrum". It is being distributed by Seachem. It was developed by Pablo Tepoot, a fameous AFrican Cichlid breeder. Pablo sent me some over a year ago to test and I must admit within a week we saw enhanced color and feeding response in many of our fish. Our customers also gave it rave reviews. Although it was developed for African Cichlids, it seems to do well with other fish as well, such as rainbowfish and other omnivirous species. It is the first food that seems to be better than anything else so far. I wish I had invested in it instead of just helping test it! Hope these suggestions work for you. Art Premier
From: Barb 10/14/00
Subject: Re: Barb, CT and Art...just wondering
My name is Barbara and I am a bettaholic.
Rose,
I have 7 bettas in houses ranging from one gallon to 5 gallons. There is such a remarkable difference in the way that my bettas in the 5 gallon tanks move and swim compared to the one gallon bowled guys. There is a study (which I can't seem to get my hands on) that demonstrated that bettas live longer if kept in larger houses.
I feed my betta boys betta-bio gold 2 pellets in the morning and 1-2 freeze-died bloodworms in the evening.
I also have 2 African Dwarf frogs, soon to join the frog WWF. They love frozen bloodworms but only after giving it a good go at trying to eat each other... frog wrestling at its' finest :)
Barb
From: CT 10/13/00
Subject: Re: Barb, CT and Art...just wondering
I'm down to two tanks now -- a 10g and a 25g -- It's tough being a recovering fish-a-holic. :-)
I have close to 20 different kinds of food that I alternate. Most times I feed my fish in the morning and in the evening -- feeding once a day every so often and skipping a day about once a week.
Tiger Barbs can be piggish and nippy as can Zebra Danios. They are aggressive eaters to the point of being a cause of stress for other fish. It's natural to overfeed so that everyone gets enough to eat. I'm just not a fan of these fish in a community tank for those reasons.
CT
From: Scott 10/13/00
Subject: New fish
I just purchased a new molly, that seems to be hanging out in corners of the tank, and then settles on the gravel. I can't see any weird color changes to the fish, but it's acting very weird. Sometimes it seems not to be breathing, but then flitters off to the corner again. SOmetimes it hovers & floats down to the gravel. A few times today, I thought it was dead. It's a ten gallon tank, nitates, amonia, ph all are ok. I don't know if this is because the fish is new or what. The other fish I have added in the past have never reacted like this.
From: sword 10/14/00
Subject: Re: New fish
hi,
how long have u got this fish? most stores would have a 48 hour guarantee. what i have done when i got a neon tetra that always sit by the air pump filter and doesn't swim anywhere else, i brought it back to the store, alive. i got an exchange. maybe you can do the same too, rather than trying to find a remedy for this.
From: CT 10/13/00
Subject: Re: New fish
Hi Scott,
Do you need some help? What are your water parameters (specifics would be a big help). What kind of fish do you have, etc. Tell us everything you can think of that will give us a clearer picture of what the problem may be.
CT
From: Tory 10/13/00
Subject: Brown Algae
Hello
Okay, I am getting some really confusing information regarding "brown algae".
This 10 gal tank is about 2 1/2 months old, no ammonia, ph about 8, plastic plants, no gravel, all fish healthy.
Increasingly, I am getting brown stuff covering the plastic plants. Now I also notice it on the glass, where the algae was green before.
Some said this brown stuff will go away, a pet store person said I have insufficient light.
It doesn't look like the fish are snacking on the stuff and it seems to be more of a film rather than strand-like algae.
Tank is holding 8 adult fancy guppies and more babies than I can count. (I just bought an identical tank to separate the girls from the boys - anyone want some guppies ? :)
Anyway, what's the verdict on this brown stuff? It's not very pretty and I don't want to keep washing the plants because I figure that without gravel I don't have a lot of surface for a bio filter.
Or something like that...
Tory
From: Art 10/13/00
Subject: Re: Brown Algae
It doesn't sound like true brown algae, sounds more like accumulated organics or cyanobacteria perhaps even diatoms. Is it light brown, dark brown, or reddish brown. Does it look slimy. Actually your filtration may be involved. What kind of filter do you have? If you don't have an under gravel filter, you won't have very many benificial bacteria in your gravel anyway. Are you vacuuming your gravel on a regular basis? Keep posting, somebody will find a solution.
From: Tory 10/14/00
Subject: Re: Brown Algae
Thanks for your replies
There is no gravel. I have some polished rocks on the bottom of the tank and lots of plastic plants. The filter is a AquaClear Mini power filter.
I don't know nitrate/nitrite levels - been having trouble finding a test kit. I am using two incandescent bulbs, which I like better than flourescent. Perhaps that is not enough?
I did have some neon-green slime stuff, that I was thinking was bacterial, on one of the plastic plants, which I removed. Not seen that bright green stuff since.
I am having a little trouble with removing uneaten food from the tank. Even when I turn the filter down the agitation in the water is thus that the food quickly drops to the bottom. And so, while some of my fish are quite happily acting as bottom-feeders, I have to feed the others a little extra which then causes more food to drop to the bottom.
To make matters worse, I have a mesh bag over my filter intake to avoid sucking up the babies, thus not a lot of solid waste goes into the filter. I don't like the noise made by the pump for a corner filter.
I do a weekly water change where I syphon as much of the debris as possible - so it's not exactly piled high on the bottom of the tank and I'm avoiding ammonia.
So is it possible that I have too much nutrient in the water, feeding the algae? Should that not be greeen algae?
Tory
From: CT 10/13/00
Subject: Re: Brown Algae
A few Ramshorn or pond snails, an Otocinclus and a few live plants should help you turn things around. Some plants like Anacharis or Vallisneria will do well in your high pH and help as well. Some kinds of brown algae can go away as Nitrates rise (what's your Nitrate level?). Some kinds will go away with more light (what kind of light are you using?).
CT
From: Erin 10/13/00
Subject: bloated fish
I have a fish that is very unhappy, he swims a few inches and drops to the bottom, swims and drops to the bottom and sometimes acts like he is gasping. His belly seems bloated and he just looks uncomfortable. He will also roll onto his side when sitting on the bottom. The other two fish in the tank seem fine. Any suggestions.
From: Art 10/13/00
Subject: Re: bloated fish
They are right. Info, Info! Also what is the current temperature and is there any reason to believe the tank was chilled in the last few days. Power outage, broken heater, water changed with too cool water? Could be swim bladder infection, gut impaction, nitrite poisoning, acute acidosis, and so forth. More info will help us help your fish.
From: Barb 10/13/00
Subject: Follow CT's advice!
Erin,
Also tell us what kind of fish you have. Are there any scales sticking out from his body? Does he float or swim on his side? What, how much and how often are you feeding him? How long has he been sick and when was your last water change in relationship to him becoming ill? What water conditioners do you use? Does he have adequate aeration?
Most importantly... What are your water parameters, that is, ammonia, nitrite, etc. levels right now?
Will look for your response,
Barb
From: CT 10/13/00
Subject: Re: bloated fish
Suggestions:
* Pass along as much information as you can regarding your aquarium and water parameters.
CT
From: katie 10/13/00
Subject: help my bettas
all my bettas seem to be dying first they loose their color then they stay down in the bottom and then their dead and their skin just comes off . what am i doing wrong
From: Kathleen 10/13/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
I have a sick Betta right now too! I am going tomorrow AM and get some copper medicine for him.
I think that he has velvet...they're prone to it.
You can also get aquarium salt. You can also use plain old table salt. One teaspoon per gallon. I've been putting salt in his tank when I change it every week but I think that I have been overfeeding him and it has fowled the water so the salt hasn't helped. Poor thing! I really feel bad!
From: Barb 10/13/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
Hi Katie!
I need a lot of info in order to help you. Please give me as much detail as you can with the following questions...
1. What size tank or bowl are they in?
2. Are you housing only one betta per bowl or more than that?
3. How do you "condition" your water, that is, are you using Amquel and Novaqua to remove chlorine and other toxic substances?
4. How often and how much each time, are you changing the water?
5. What substrate do you have in the bowl, that is, marbles, gravel, decorations, etc.? Do you have plants, either real or plastic?
6. What type of food, how much and how frequently are you feeding your bettas?
7. Is your betta in a betta/peace lily set-up?
8. Is there any filtration in your tank, and if so, please describe.
9. What are your water parameters, that is, the measured levels of ammonia, nitrites, etc.
10. Do you add salt to the water?
11. What is the temperature of the tank? Does the tank undergo water temperature fluctuations, such as maybe 72 degrees in the morning, but by afternoon the temp has risen to 76 degrees?
12. Describe to me in detail the illnesses that your guys suffered and the length of time between each becoming ill; like were they all basically sick at the same time or did they all die withing 1-2 weeks or did they die months apart?
13. How many bettas have died?
14. Does their skin come off before or after they die? When they are sick does their body seem dull, lacking the usual sheen?
15. Do you measure your water parameters, such as ammonia and nitrite levels? And if so, what are the levels?
Whew! All these questions ought to keep you busy all week-end!! I am suspecting a specific disease, but I want to find out if we can identify any fishie stressors, which are making your bettas more susceptible to disease or are out rightly killing your guys.
Don't give up! Bettas are the greatest and you can have success at keeping them. Let me know how you have been caring for them so far and we'll see if there is any room for improvement.
Barb (a bettaholic) :o)
From: KATIE 10/14/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
BARB I HOPE I ANSWERED ALL YOUR QUESTIONS IT SEEMS LIKE THEIR GOING FAST.
From: katie 10/14/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
Barb, here is the answer to all your questions you asked me. 1. a glass betta bowl 2. only 1 fish per bowl 3. i use tap water that is sitting out for 3 days before i use it 4. i change the bowls every saturday 5. i usr marbles and a little plastic plant 6. i fed my guys bio-gold 3 pellets morning and night 7. i wouldn't put my guys in a peace lilly set-up 8. i have no filtration in their bowls 9. i don't know what my water parameters are 10. i use no salt 11. the temp stays abot the same 12. at first they loose their color,then stop eating,then they get a almost brownish color,and stay at the bottom and don't move much,and their water gets real cloudy before they die even if i just had change them the night before 13. i had 8 now i have 4 sickly guys left 14. you can see a little skin floating around at first,the water gets cloudy and when the die all their skin comes off,they are very dull and not much color and nooo sheen. i've been having nightmares with all their skin floating around. please help their were so colorful when i got they now they look veryyy bad. what did i do that is killing them????
From: Barb 10/14/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
Katie,
The care of your bettas in general is good. I would also add Amquel and NovAqua to your water, to ensure that you remove toxic substances. For example, chloramines will not be removed from water by just having it sit out overnight and these are poisonous to bettas. Also, many will only feed 3 bio-gold pellets per day, as more than that may result in constipation. It is not clear to me what temperature your bettas are kept at. If they are kept at room temperature, then what is the temperature of your room? I ask because bettas easily get sick at temps below 70 degrees and even with temps in the low 70's.
It sounds as if your bettas have a slime coat infection, called chilodonella. It is very infectious and can easily be spread by equipment, which you might be using between bowls. BTW, how big are the glass bowls that you keep your bettas in? Chilodonella can be treated with Acraflavine from your local fish store.
You didn't kill your bettas, an infection did. Ease up on yourself. Let me know how things go and if you like, we can talk more in the future about keeping your bettas healthy.
Barb
From: katie 10/15/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
so how should i start with the water since its catchy what my guys have-and how long should i use acraflavine. they are in round betta bowls, should i put them in something bigger?do i have to throw all the marbles away and fish net? how often should i change ther bowls?
From: Barb 10/15/00
Subject: Response to Katie
Hi Katie,
I would change the water in the bowl and remove the marbles... your bettas can "rest" on the bottom of the bowl. Use the Amquel and NovAqua as per the instructions. Hold on the salt for now because your guys are already making too much slime coat and that is what you are seeing when they look dull and their skin is falling off. Salt at low doses stimulates slime coat production, so let's not give your guys anymore of that at this point.
Treat with the Acraflavine as on the package directions. If they are unclear to you, let me know what they say. If your glass bowls are fairly large, with the opening having a diameter of about 6 inches, then likely it is a one gallon sized bowl. If it is more like a vase, then the size would be a quart. It is important to know the size, so that you dose the medicine correctly.
I would just rinse the nets in very hot water for the time being. You can chuck the net when they're healed and use a new one. There also is a chemical disinfectant that you can buy in the fish store to soak the net(s) in when not using them (sorry, the name escapes me!). The marbles can be cleaned later in hot water (can you bowl them or will they crack?) or the disinfectant.
Hope some of this helps. I will stay on-line a few more hours tonight if you need me. Post a new message at the top, as this one is getting far down on the board.
BTW, what are the names of your 4 guys?
Take care,
Barb
From: katie 10/15/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
Barb ok now i'll go to the pet store and get acraflavine,amquel,novaqua. when i get back i should change the water. since it is infectious do i have to boil everything ,like the stones and the net and bowls? and do i use salt or not?
From: Kathleen 10/14/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
I have received a follow up message this morning.
Art told me not to use Stress Zyme and not to use distilled water. He says the fish doesn't have velvet he has a stress related disorder since his fins are fraying. He really doesn't have any black spots and he may have a tiny patch of white on his face. He feels better this morning and is out of his house swimming around. I changed his water last night. He ate a bite this morning too. Art says don't use salt and don't fed him for 5 days also to change him every day for a week and use proper ph 7.5. What do you think?
From: Kathleen 10/13/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
Hi Barb...I too have a sick Betta right now. I swear his fins are falling off! I change him once a week. He's in a two gallon tank with an aerator
that makes bubbles only. I feed him twice a day .
freeze dried blood worms, freeze dried brine shrimp and Omega one flakes. This came on suddenly. Maybe I have been overfeeding him and foweling the water. Is it velvet? He looks like he has pale patches on him and around his eyes.
He stopped eating today. I changed his tank this evening too. I have been adding salt when I change every week. I have him in distilled water.Is that OK? He is the first fish I have ever had and I am very attached to him. He was a present in a vase with a lily. I took him out of there after a week...cruel! Should I add Stress coat and stress zyme? I did that tonight when I changed his water. I put salt and those 2 things.I will go in the AM and get copper medicine and aquarium salt. I hope he's still alive in the morning. He would not come out of his little house to eat this evening. That's how I knew he was sick. I noticed a week ago that his fins looked funny and now he's really sick. Help!
From: Art 10/13/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
Do not used distilled water! Distilled water is mineral free, the fishes cells have minerals in them and if you put the fish in distilled water it may suck minerals out of the fish's body (via osmosis) so quickly it can make him sick, shock or even kill him. Do not use stress zyme. This product should not even be on the market. At my store, Premier, we do not even carry it. It is the bacteria that starts the filtration process by mineralizing organics and producing ammonia. We don't need more ammonia producing things with our fish. Do not use copper medicine, Bettas do not tolerate copper very well and his problem is not parasites. Instead of aquarium salt get proper PH 7.5. This will not only provide the necessary salts, adjust the PH to his liking, but will also help to replace minerals in his cells. Also the darkened condition, lethargy, and frayed fins indicated a possible stress induced infection. Treat him appropriately with Maracyn. I don't think that stress coat will have any benifit beside getting rid of the chlorine, if any, in your tap water. Do not even try to feed your fish for five days (he will be fine, he can go weeks without eating, not good for him, but he can if necessary). Change the water daily with dechlorinated tap water of the same temperature he is in, add the PH 7.5 and Maracyn. If he looks ok in five days try to feed him. If you are feeding a flake food, feed him only enough each day that would cover his two eyeballs. I know that doesn't sound like much, but he needs very, very little food. If feeding betta pellets, feed 2 or 3 a day. If your fish is fine after a few days, or you lose this one and want to try again, now that you know some of the basics you should have better luck in the future. Bettas should live about three years. I used to breed bettas commercially and one of my staff biologists wrote a book on bettas and is a real authority so if you have questions I can't answer, I can ask him. Lots of luck and let us know what happens. Care, Art Premier.
From: Kathleen 10/14/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
Art:Thanks for your help and info. I will definately do what you said. He seems better this morning. He is out of his house and swimming around and seems very alert. I'm happy! He stayed in his litte house until 2AM when I finally folded and tried to sleep. I can't believe I'm so attached to a fish! Four cats aren't enough I guess! I'm headed to the pet store this morning.
Why does everyone tell us to use aquarium salt if it's bad? He does have a white patch on his face and the only black is on his poor frayed fins.
From: Kathleen 10/14/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
I went to PetsMart and got everything that you suggested for Neptune today. He is acting like his usual active self this evening. Seems to feel better! My husband says he bets that the water (not distilled...spring) with the Proper PH 7.5 and the Maracyn has made him feel better. He is in a 2 gallon tank so I only put a quarter of the tablet in...it says a whole one for 10 gallons on the package. Is this OK? Also...should I put a quarter of the Maracyn Two in too? I will change him again tomorrow. I had to adjust the spring water down to 7.5 with the proper PH because it is about 7.6. This time last evening he was in his house hiding and barely moving so I guess this is some guarded progress. Thank you for your help and info!
From: Barb 10/14/00
Subject: Re: help my bettas
Hi Kathleen!
Aquarium salt, used in the proper amount, is not bad for a betta and I did not hear Art saying this. Most believe that table salt is harmful due to the anti-caking additives in it, so steer clear of it.
I do not advise using Proper pH 7.5 as it is an unnecessary expense and bettas don't require a pH this high. If your water has a pH of 7.6, then that's what your betta will live in and be used to. Mine live in a pH of 7.4. Bettas prefer a pH of 7.0 given a choice, but these pH differences just don't really matter to a betta. A change in pH from 7.6 to 7.5 is not a large enough change, that would make a difference to the health or behavior of your betta. If he's better, it is because of something else, such as moving him from distilled to spring water.
I usually recommend Maracyn 2 for fin rot. If you have that on hand, then use it. Do not use both Maracyn and Maracyn 2 at the same time. Your dosing is pretty close... The 1/4 tab is just a tad too much, so if you break the teensiest piece (very scientific!) off the 1/4 tablet piece, then your dosing will be right on.
Let us know how things go!
Barb
