Newb With A Pirate Themed Tank! Arrr!

[Twitch1977]

Hey everyone nice to meet y'all! A friend of mine got a betta fish in a vase with a plant for his office tossed in some of those ghost shrimp and be damned if I didn't kill half my day sitting in his office watching that fish chase those shrimp around. Well this week his bowl got so green I couldn't really see what was going on any more so I figured I'd start out on my own in my office. I was stumbling through a pet store and came upon this masterpiece.

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Now what's more fun than pirates right? Anyways it's a 2.65 gallon, 10 liter tank and it came with a Hagen Elite Mini filter thing. The pet store lady swapped out the included gold fish crap for some betta food and water conditioner, I grabbed myself a fish and I was off to the races.

After learning a hard lesson that gravel needs to be rinsed first, I did somewhere around a trillion water changes to get the gravel clean I dumped in the conditioner, let the water acclimate and in went the fish and he's doing pretty darn well so far I think.

So far in the tank I just have the gravel, the silk plant and the filter thing. I have not yet decided on the optimal location for the plastic pirate ship thing for the fish or the pirate ship decals for the outside of the tank.

I'm kinda wondering if the filter is too strong for the fish and wanted to seek out some advice for my pirate to be from all you experienced folks. When I have the filter on Fillet (as he's been named) tends to stick to one side of the tank where the water current is less, if I unplug the filter he tends to roam around a bit more (but still seems to favor that side). The filter is just strong enough that you can kinda see the silk plant tendrils wiggling around a bit. Is this too strong for my pirate in training?

Also since this is an office aquarium I'm hoping to get it set up so it's as self sustaining as possible and doesn't stink! I assume the filter will help greatly in this so I'm hoping it'll be alright. Is there any sort of plant that I can stick in there that can survive semi-low light that may help out? (I have a couple windows in my office so there is quite a bit of light during the day it's just not directly on the tank.)

Is putting in something like those 'ghost' shrimp (I think they're also called Amano or something like that) a good idea to help with the algae? Is there something better for this purpose? Adding more crawly things, like the shrimp appeals to me since more things to watch = less time spent working.

I thank you all for any advice you could dispense and it will be greatly appreciated by both myself and Fillet. I would be happy to pay in kind by dispensing my own wisdom but unless you're looking for a place to buy a pretty kickass pirate themed tank in Saskatchewan I'm afraid I won't be much help.

Thanks again,
T

[cocoa_pleco]

hey.

I dont know why they call that a goldfish aquarium, goldfish need 20g each, but a bettas super in there.

Java moss and java fern are low-light plants that will work.

Ghost shrimp are great for cleaning. Theyre peaceful and scavenge alot.

The current is fine. I got one of the filters that came for yours at a store for 2$, and its low-flow

One of my bettas is in a 20g, and the other the "water-home 2" the waterhome is really good. havent done a water change for 6 months


welcome to ac

[Chrona]

In such a small tank, you will probably want to do a 50% water change every other week or so to maintain good water quality.

[cocoa_pleco]

and if you want another fish in there, bettas dont go after white clouds too often. you can add 3 white clouds, and 4 ghost shrimp with the betta

[Chrona]

and if you want another fish in there, bettas dont go after white clouds too often. you can add 3 white clouds, and 4 ghost shrimp with the betta

It's a 2.65 gallon tank. You don't want to put 4 fish in there, not to mention the betta will eat the shrimp :P

[bettaboy691]

firstly that tank is too small for goldfish or bettas IMO.
bettas need atleast 5 gallons
the water also needs to be heated.
i also dont think its fun to watch shrimp being chased by fish, shrimps are living creatures that deserve our respect. the betta probally wasnt happy with another creature in its small space.the shrimp should have been removed and given back to the store. please tell your friend to research about his fish too. keeping bettas in small varses is cruel and all bettas need atleast 5 gallons.
im annoyed that the store sold you the tank and the fish the same day, but like most pet shops, out to make money.
you seem to not have done any research what so ever, you need to read about cycling and general care of bettas. i wouldnt be suprised if your betta died soon. plonking him in after the water was added isnt a good thing to do, sure it was treated, but it wasnt cycled.
the filter probally is too strong. a sponge filter would be better.
for easy plants, try java fern, and most mosses (java moss, christmas moss, moss balls)
i wouldnt put any shrimps in there either, they need higher temperatures of the water and would be unhappy in that small space with a betta,
please please please think about the life and well being of your beloved fish, it needs a proper tank, with a heater and filter thats suitable.
plenty of plants would help too, the betta would be happy with more plants.

[cocoa_pleco]

skip my white cloud idea.

just a betta and shrimp. The shrimp will be able to hide if you put in plants. a small heater is also good too

[Chrona]

Ghost shrimp actually need colder water than bettas (thought both will do fine in 75-76. Over 80, and they start to get vicious.

You may want to consider one or two Amano shrimp. They are bigger than ghost shrimp and will not turn into 2 dollar treats.

The filter is fine. It has an adjustable outlet and flow control. The betta will be fine. I would recommend doing a 25% water change every other day for a few weeks though, as ammonia will build up for a while, which is toxic to the fish. Until the bacteria population builds up, there isn't much you can do about it other than water changes or putting a small media bag filled with zeolite in front of the outlet.

[Drumachine09]

Ok, ill be the first to say it. Is your tank even cycled?

[Chrona]

Welcome to AC btw :thumb:

[Chrona]

Ok, ill be the first to say it. Is your tank even cycled?

Probably not, but zeolite and water changes will work around that.

[Drumachine09]

You said water changes every other week. I dont think thats often enough for a non cycled tank.

[Chrona]

You said water changes every other week. I dont think thats often enough for a non cycled tank.

Read my latest post :P

I meant every other week for when it matures on the other post

[*Sarah*]

Ok, ill be the first to say it. Is your tank even cycled?

Not according to what he said, bought the tank and fish and plunked it in. Really though, which of us as newbies did the same thing? I did, and I bet most of u did too, so don't be too harsh. I had my days of keeping Bettas in vases...NOW mine is in a 40 gallon lol. BUT it took some education to get me there.

That said, WELCOME to AC. There is LOTS of information on this site for you, and you will learn TONS about how to best care for your fish and any future fish. The Free Aquarium Ebook that you will see in the menu is a great read and will teach you a lot.

One of the main things that you need is to get a heater for that tank. Opposed to what store people will tell you, Bettas do need warmed water. You can get heaters for small tanks, there are under gravel ones and the common tube ones. You can find them on Ebay or possibly at your LFS (Local Fish Store). YOu will need to do possibly daily 25% water changes on your tank to lower the stress on your fish from cycling.

[Twitch1977]

No sadly my tank is not cycled, until I started reading through some of the stickies after making my post did I realize that such a thing even existed.

I asked the lady at the pet store if the kit would be appropriate for a betta and she said it would, I asked if there was anything I had to do with the water besides treat it with the decholorinator before putting the fish in and she said there wasn't.

So I appologize for placing my fish in less than ideal circumstances but I did the best with the information set I had at the time.

I'll try and get my little pirate some real plants early next week and after a few weeks I'll see if I can track down some of those Amanoa shrimp things.

I greatly appreciate all the advice I've received and also your critisism. I would never intentially done anything that I thought would cause any harm to my little fishy and I really hope that he'll be alright, I really thought I was really treating my betta like a king giving him such a big tank with a filter and all that, only time I've really seen those fish they've been in little fishbowls or in a vase with a plant.

Thanks again,
T

[Chrona]

No sadly my tank is not cycled, until I started reading through some of the stickies after making my post did I realize that such a thing even existed.

I asked the lady at the pet store if the kit would be appropriate for a betta and she said it would, I asked if there was anything I had to do with the water besides treat it with the decholorinator before putting the fish in and she said there wasn't.

So I appologize for placing my fish in less than ideal circumstances but I did the best with the information set I had at the time.

I'll try and get my little pirate some real plants early next week and after a few weeks I'll see if I can track down some of those Amanoa shrimp things.

I greatly appreciate all the advice I've received and also your critisism. I would never intentially done anything that I thought would cause any harm to my little fishy and I really hope that he'll be alright, I really thought I was really treating my betta like a king giving him such a big tank with a filter and all that, only time I've really seen those fish they've been in little fishbowls or in a vase with a plant.

Thanks again,
T

Don't worry about it. We've all gone through the same phase, but as long as you are willing to learn and make things better, all is well :)

Does the tank come with a heater? You will need one.

[Twitch1977]

Don't worry about it. We've all gone through the same phase, but as long as you are willing to learn and make things better, all is well :)

Does the tank come with a heater? You will need one.

No unfortunately no heater came with it, but I'll see if I can track one down this weekend while I'm out and about!

T

[Chrona]

No unfortunately no heater came with it, but I'll see if I can track one down this weekend while I'm out and about!

T

Sounds good. Make sure it's a submersible one. See if you can get a tiny 10-15 watt heater. The recommended amount of heating is 3-5 watts per gallon. More and the heat will kick up a bit too quickly when it turns on, and if less, the heater may not be able to keep the temperature constant

[Drumachine09]

No sadly my tank is not cycled, until I started reading through some of the stickies after making my post did I realize that such a thing even existed.

I asked the lady at the pet store if the kit would be appropriate for a betta and she said it would, I asked if there was anything I had to do with the water besides treat it with the decholorinator before putting the fish in and she said there wasn't.

So I appologize for placing my fish in less than ideal circumstances but I did the best with the information set I had at the time.

I'll try and get my little pirate some real plants early next week and after a few weeks I'll see if I can track down some of those Amanoa shrimp things.

I greatly appreciate all the advice I've received and also your critisism. I would never intentially done anything that I thought would cause any harm to my little fishy and I really hope that he'll be alright, I really thought I was really treating my betta like a king giving him such a big tank with a filter and all that, only time I've really seen those fish they've been in little fishbowls or in a vase with a plant.

Thanks again,
T


Its not your fault. I didnt know about cycling untill i joined this site too. If you stick around, you will be a fish guru in no time.

[jeffs99dime]

welcome to a.c.

[cocoa_pleco]

hell, i went 3 years without knowing what cycling was.

[DemonShark]

I suggest ghost shrimp and not amano shrimp since they cost like 3 dollors more for one. It seems good for your betta how ever. Betta are surface dwellers which means they dont really care for the filter. try feeding him floating pellets. You DO have to do waterchanges to avoid junk being stuck in the gravel which the shrimp cant get. Hope this helps!

[Chrona]

Bettas often eat ghost shrimp though. Not so much amano shrimp, since they are twice as large.

[DemonShark]

Well hed have to get adults ones then.

[cocoa_pleco]

they cant swallow adult ones like demonshark said

[DemonShark]

Yea like i said lol

[wijnands]

If I came across a tank like that for such a good prize I'd be very tempted to make it a shrimp-only tank. Some fireshrimp for example. Add a few slow growing plants and perhaps even a fake plant or two and you should be set.

[bettaboy691]

so your going to buy a heater and some live plants? good. get them before the shrimps.
float the bag of shrimps in the water for 20 minuets and then release, this helps the temperature become the same.
just to say, so all you people who think most begginners dont bother reading and researching about cycling etc you are wrong. you are giving begginners a bad name. sure your inexperienced and unknown to alot of things, but you should, like with any pet, research properly before buying. im not saying im perfect.just i researched before i bought my fish, and i managed to find out about cycling etc. it helps.
and for the person who went 3 years before knowing what cycling was, shame on you? why didnt you do any research, was you totally ablivious to your fish dying?
and again, please think about getting a larger tank for your fish, if you love him like you say you do, get a 5gallon. not much bigger but he'll welcome the extre room. its easier to filter and heat too. you could even place the decorations from the pirate tank into the new tank.
and my bettas usally dont bother with shrimps of any adult size, they will eat the cherry shrimplets, but thats all. if you were to get a 5gallon, you would beable to add a few pygmy cories, ottos and possabily a few other creatures.

[Chrona]

so your going to buy a heater and some live plants? good. get them before the shrimps.
float the bag of shrimps in the water for 20 minuets and then release, this helps the temperature become the same.
just to say, so all you people who think most begginners dont bother reading and researching about cycling etc you are wrong. you are giving begginners a bad name. sure your inexperienced and unknown to alot of things, but you should, like with any pet, research properly before buying. im not saying im perfect.just i researched before i bought my fish, and i managed to find out about cycling etc. it helps.
and for the person who went 3 years before knowing what cycling was, shame on you? why didnt you do any research, was you totally ablivious to your fish dying?
and again, please think about getting a larger tank for your fish, if you love him like you say you do, get a 5gallon. not much bigger but he'll welcome the extre room. its easier to filter and heat too. you could even place the decorations from the pirate tank into the new tank.
and my bettas usally dont bother with shrimps of any adult size, they will eat the cherry shrimplets, but thats all. if you were to get a 5gallon, you would beable to add a few pygmy cories, ottos and possabily a few other creatures.

Well, with all fish (and especially with shrimp), you most definitely do not want to release them after only acclimating for temperature. The water chemistry in the LFS water and your water are most likely different, so you want to pour half a cup of tank water into the bag every 10 minutes for at least 30-60 minutes. You will put less much stress on the fish this way, decreasing new fish mortality rate. This is most likely why so many people end up killing cardinal tetras, giving them a bad rep for being hard to keep. I lost cardinals too until I started doing 2 hour+ acclimations

Don't go with live plants for now. There is no need and it's an additional factor. Unless you are willing to spend some time researching them.

And most beginners DON'T know about cycling. I didn't when I first started. Go to any LFS and ask the people browsing there if they know about cycling. I guarentee you that the vast majority will not. The problem is not research. If people knew there was so much more to be known about fish, I'm sure the vast majority would go out and learn (I sure would have), but it's not like fish come with a warning label that tells to to look up so and so. The fishkeeping industry has always been plagued with beginners thinking there is nothing more to keepin fish than a bowl of water and fish, but that is obviously not the case. I highly doubt you (or anyone, me included) has gone through the hobby without making a mistake due to lack of research. As long as people are willing to learn and spread the word, then it's a plus in my book. Case closed. :P

[Twitch1977]

Hi all,

Just wanted to check in and let you know when I got back from my weekend away I checked in at work and my fishy is doing alright. He still pretty much just sticks to one side of the tank and didn't want to eat anything but other than that he's doing ok. I dumped out about a half gallon of water and put in some new stuff.

you are giving begginners a bad name

I certainly appreciate your opinion and where you're coming from, but I disagree. I specifically asked the pet store owner what needed to be done to get this fish in an aquarium, they said put in the water and decholorinator, let the fish get use to the temperature then put it in. I asked again if there was anything else that needed to be done to the water and she said no. Based on that and the fact that most of these fish spend their lives in goldfish bowls and vases I made my decision and went with it. I'm not saying I went the best route and doing it again I'd cycle the tank properly, but I made the effort to find out the correct information.

And in further note to that the fish is doing perfectly fine without the cycling. If I hadn't bought the fish he'd probably be swimming around in a vase with a plant right now or a goldfish bowl which seems to be the destination of most of these fish and they all seem to survive just fine for a very long time.

Anyways I'm trying to learn more now and I'm doing my best with my little fishy,

T

[Drumachine09]

Hi all,

Just wanted to check in and let you know when I got back from my weekend away I checked in at work and my fishy is doing alright. He still pretty much just sticks to one side of the tank and didn't want to eat anything but other than that he's doing ok. I dumped out about a half gallon of water and put in some new stuff.



I certainly appreciate your opinion and where you're coming from, but I disagree. I specifically asked the pet store owner what needed to be done to get this fish in an aquarium, they said put in the water and decholorinator, let the fish get use to the temperature then put it in. I asked again if there was anything else that needed to be done to the water and she said no. Based on that and the fact that most of these fish spend their lives in goldfish bowls and vases I made my decision and went with it. I'm not saying I went the best route and doing it again I'd cycle the tank properly, but I made the effort to find out the correct information.

And in further note to that the fish is doing perfectly fine without the cycling. If I hadn't bought the fish he'd probably be swimming around in a vase with a plant right now or a goldfish bowl which seems to be the destination of most of these fish and they all seem to survive just fine for a very long time.

Anyways I'm trying to learn more now and I'm doing my best with my little fishy,

T


I try not to let peoples opinions personally, but when they are directed at me, or to someone who was un-informed, i get the urge to tell the opinionated person to cram it where the sun dont shine.


Your doing the best you can, and as long as you keep trying, thats whats important.

[bettaboy691]

i wasnt trying to be rude, just saying it bluntly. i agree that its not your fault is the fish shop dont tell you the right answer when you ask, atleast you asked. its a shame the fish shop lied to you.
i have made mistakes in the past, im not saying im perfect, but i did do research before buying a tank, and about cycling. sure i bought a few of the wrong fish because the fish shop said it would be fine, but now i always research what ever i do with my fish, i will never take the word of a fish shop employee ever again.

[Twitch1977]

My pirate fishy is still doing fine, he finally started eating a bit today, just some of the flake food he didn't seem to care for the beta pellets but I think it was because the filter was moving them around to quickly on the surface. He wasn't eating the flake food either until I unplugged the filter, when they settled down a bit he started going to town on them.

I bought him another silk plant to give him some more cover I think it also reduces the current a bit in the tank. I'm going to try and find another one that gives some decent ground cover then try and get a few of those shrimp to put in to take care of some of the gunk that's probably starting to accumulate on the ground, even though the water has stayed clean.

The pet store lady (who I've learned shouldn't always be trusted) said a fish like the octiluous (sp? something to that effect) would be a good fish to use to clean up the floor as well. I looked around for some of those amanoa shrimp that you guys talked about but they don't seem to carry them anywhere around here.

T

[bettaboy691]

octiluous, commonly known as ottos, are great fish. but they need good water quality and a mature tank. they are shoaling fish and like to be in groups of atleast 2. they mainly eat brown algea, but algea wafers and cucumber they will also eat. they are weak fish that arent usally bothered by the betta, nor the betta bothered by them. they keep them selves to them selves.
amano shrimp are usally found in mojority of fish shops, some times labeled as tropical shrimp, try getting a few pic from google to see what they look like and compear to the shops shrimps. ghost shrimp will also do well in the tank. maybe try some of those.
if your bettas ever in a tank of 5gallons or more, maybe try some harbrosus corys, they are the smallest dwarf cory and are active little fellows, again not bothering with trhe betta and usally staying on the bottom. they need sand substrate though. as with any species, do plenty of research before purchasing, it helps to know everything about a certain fish or shrimp. you can trust members on here to give the right information, but reading a little extra dont do any harm.

[Twitch1977]

My fishy is still doing pretty good. I added another (silk) plant and three ghost shrimp. The fish is leaving the shrimp alone which is good and the plant definitely helped create some areas of the tank with less current so the fishy doesn't need to tread water constantly when he wants to rest, which I assume is a good thing.

He still doesn't seem to be too interested in eating. I sprinkled in some betta food pellets but he just ignores them until they eventually sink to the bottom or I scoop them out. (I try and scoop them out but I figures the shrimp will get them if they hit the bottom.)

Yesterday he ate a bit of the flake food that I think is intended for goldfish that I sprinkled in, but that's the only time I've seen him eat since I got him. Actually just as I was typing this he picked up a betta pellet that was on the bottom chewed it for a second and spat it back out.

I don't know if he's still adjusting or what but I hope he starts eating soon. I turn off the filter when I put the food in because I thought that maybe they were moving too fast for him to catch but that doesn't seem like it helped much.

T

[bettaboy691]

he may just eat when hes hungry, if your offering food daily, the options there. maybe try tetra betta pro, its flakes, but as your betta eats flakes, it may be a good idea to feed him them? maybe the pellets are too big or hard, or he simple doesnt like them.

[Chrona]

Most likely, the betta is stressed from cycling, so he isn't eating much. Don't feed him any more goldfish flakes. They seem to cause indigestion when fed to tropical fish, from what I've seen. You should continue to do 50% water changes every 3 days or so. It's a small tank, so it's not really a tough job.

[Twitch1977]

I watched him a bit more closely today and he seems to eat the pellets that sink to the bottom a bit so I'm confident he's getting enough food at this point to sustain himself.

I have been doing the water changes, probably not 50% daily, but closer to a third of the water, I hope that's alright.

He's taken a few shots at the shrimp but only when they wander directly in front of his nose, I guess that's what they get for trying to tease them, and as soon as he scares the shrimp off he lets them be, so I'm happy about that.

One thing that is really starting to concern me though is the condition of his tail, it's starting to get a real 'shredded' look to the end of it. At first I couldn't recall if it was that way when I got it from the store but now I'm starting to think it's getting worse, it kinda looks like it's in tatters at the end of the tail. Is that something that heals?

I have 3 silk plants in there right now so I didn't think that they would cause any damage, is this something that I need to watch out for? Is there anything else that could be causing it? Someone suggested to just stick with fake plants since it's one less element to worry about, but maybe real plants would be better?

Thanks again,
T

[Twitch1977]

Well I hope I made the right call. I got home from work and did a bunch of googling and it sounds like my poor fish has fin rot, at least that's my best assumption after comparing what he looks like to the pictures I could find on the net. I feel really bad for the little guy.

I ran out to the store and grabbed some Jungle Fungus Eliminator which was recommended by one web site, it says 'Clears Serious Fungus and Bacteria Fast' and specifically mentions fin rot (and makes the water look yellow).

I changed about 85-90% of the water out with fresh stuff and put in a half teaspoon of that fungus eliminator. I also put in a heater and set it to 82F. I really hope this helps the poor little guy. A site suggested adding some aquarium salt as well? Would that help? Is there anything else I should be doing?

I sure hope he starts getting better. And I really hope I did the right thing and not something that will make it worse.

T

[Chrona]

Well I hope I made the right call. I got home from work and did a bunch of googling and it sounds like my poor fish has fin rot, at least that's my best assumption after comparing what he looks like to the pictures I could find on the net. I feel really bad for the little guy.

I ran out to the store and grabbed some Jungle Fungus Eliminator which was recommended by one web site, it says 'Clears Serious Fungus and Bacteria Fast' and specifically mentions fin rot (and makes the water look yellow).

I changed about 85-90% of the water out with fresh stuff and put in a half teaspoon of that fungus eliminator. I also put in a heater and set it to 82F. I really hope this helps the poor little guy. A site suggested adding some aquarium salt as well? Would that help? Is there anything else I should be doing?

I sure hope he starts getting better. And I really hope I did the right thing and not something that will make it worse.

T

No, salt won't do anything for finrot, don't bother. As for the fungus meds, I'm 50/50. Lots of medications will nuke your biological filter, aka the beneficial bacteria, which ends up causing more stress than finrot could have caused, but it's a moot point now, but I don't know if that particular one does so.

Everything else sounds good though. Maybe back it down to 33% water changes every other day though, unless you are really good with making sure the incoming water is the exact same temperature.

[Twitch1977]

I thought about the potential of it wrecking the bacterial filter as well but I didn't read anything to that effect. In the end I just figured if I was the fish I'd want the bacteria eating me alive dead and risk problems with the water.

I just hope it turns out ok for him, I feel pretty bad.

T

[Twitch1977]

I think my little fishy is doing better, some of the spots on his fins seem to have gone down and he seems more active than he did before, he seems to be taking a bit more interest in the shrimp which I take as a good sign. The water is a *lot* warmer for him and I'm really regretting not getting the heater right out the gate.

I don't really know what he should look like when he's recovering from the fin rot but the spots are smaller and I think maybe the infected tail parts don't look quite so necrotic, I really hope he pulls through.

T

Edit: The shrimp are a lot more active as well, before they just hung around the bottom of the tank, now they're starting to climb around on the plants and such.

[Chrona]

Yep, most fish will pull through finrot from my experience. It's not nearly as bad as some other diseases. The betta is probably enjoying the warm water now. They are a tropical fish after all, and rather active. You don't normally see that side, because they are kept in unheated bowls.

Keep up the good work :thumb:

[Twitch1977]

I stopped in at work to check on my fish today, I changed about 25-30% of his water with some fresh stuff.

Hi tail certainly doesn't look like it's getting worse so hopefully he'll start healing pretty soon.

The anti-bacterial stuff I used said to repeat the dosage every 4 days after a 25% water change. 4 days would be up Sunday evening, I wonder if I should give him another dose, I don't want to kill off the good bacteria (that is hopefully forming) but I don't want to take any chances with the fin rot either. I also wonder if they want me to give a dose sized for the entire aquarium with the 25% water change or one applicable to just the 25% of the water that's being cycled out.

If anyone has any input or suggestions on the best course to follow I'd appreciate it.

Other than that my fish seems happy, he doesn't want to eat the beta pellets though, I even bought him another brand and he just ignores them. I don't know if he's eating them from the ground later or not, I know the three ghost shrimp sure eat them off the ground. I don't know if there is another food I should try or just wait it out or what. I usually try and drop a pellet or two right by his nose when he is near the surface but he just ignores it.

He's very active now, constantly swimming all over the tank and chasing the shrimp around. He doesn't seem to want to eat the shrimp, just after the thrill of the chase because he had one cornered once and he left it be.

More gunk is starting to get in the tank, maybe over the weekend I'll try and come in and rinse off the plants. I think next week I'll get a few more shrimp to help handle clean-up. Would a couple of those Ottos work better?

Thanks again,
T

[bettaboy691]

glad you bought a heater, im sure things are starting to pick up, i would probally add 1 extra dose to the tank after the last recomended dose as i find it helps, but i maybe wouldnt risk it with shrimps, if they are acting well, they i possably would.

[Twitch1977]

Well the shrimp are fine so far and that's after a 90% water change and a full dose of that anti-bacterial stuff for the tank, so I'm pretty confident they can handle it.

I guess I'll just see how the fishy is looking some time this weekend and maybe just do a half dose and see how it goes if I think he needs it.

Thanks!
T

[Twitch1977]

Stopped in to see my fishy at work, he seems to be doing better and I think some of his tail is starting to regrow, where it was looking pretty tattered I think those sections have started thickening so i hope he's on the mend.

I changed out about a half gallon of water, I didn't put in any more of the anti-bacterial powder, I figure no sense killing off whatever good bacteria I've got in there if he's on the mend from his fin rot.

He didn't seem at all interested in either of the betta pellets I have for him, but I put in a couple flakes of 'tropical fish food' and after leaving them float in the water for about 5 minutes he finally started to pick at them a bit, taking a bite then kind of spitting it back out. I guess I'll have to look around and see what other kinds of betta food I can find for him. I'd be a lot happier if he was eating regularly.

Other then that all is normal, he does seem to be a lighter shade of color than I remember him but I seem to read that it's kinda common for fish to change their color by a few shades so I don't know if I should be concerned or not.

The shrimp are all doing well too, I think I'll probably add a few more next week.

T

[Twitch1977]

I think I spoke to soon the other day when I said my poor fishy was recovering from his fin rot, after getting a chance to really watch him today it's evident that's not the case and through the course of the day I saw another small piece fall off.

I put in another dose of the medicine, I emailed the company that makes it and says it will most likely damage my (non-existant to infant) beneficial bacteria I don't really know which other way to go though.

I pulled the plants out and rinsed them off to get some of the gunk out and just moving the gravel around stirred up a lot of junk so I bought a gravel vacuum and I'm going to try and do some clean-up first thing tomorrow with that. Then I'll probably swap out another 30ish percent of the water and just cross my fingers and hope things improve.

The company that makes the medicine did include a not saying that it's not great for crustaceans which is bad news for my shrimp, but they survived the last round so I'm hoping they'll pull through this as well. It's really just my poor rotting fishy I'm worried about.

Wish him luck and if anyone has any other advice lemme have it,
T

[Chrona]

Melafix + Pimafix is a good remedy for finrot that doesn't harm inverts.

[Twitch1977]

Pirate fishy update,

The fin rot is still progressing on my poor fish. He's due up for a water change and another shot of medicine tomorrow.

A part of his fin was kinda white and I thought it might be some regrowth but when I came back from lunch that part of his fin was shredded and looking like the other bad parts.

The part on the underside of the fishy is pretty much untouched, his tail is down to about an inch long but it was never really as long as my friends fish to begin with. I kinda think it might have had fin rot at the pet store when I got it. The fin along the top side of the fish isn't as nearly as bad as the tail but it's starting to lose pieces too.

I really hope he starts showing some improvement soon because it's not looking to good.

T

Edit: I found the Melafix but not the other stuff at the pet store. I don't know if I should switch to that instead of this Jungle Fungus Eliminator stuff or not. I think I'll probably stick with what I have for now and see how it goes.

[Twitch1977]

Just a little update the finrot is still progressing pretty rapidly. I put in another dose of the medicine yesterday. My fishy has a lot more of an appetite now and immediately goes for the food. He still won't touch the beta pellets but he loves the flake stuff. He remains really active.

I don't know how long it takes to start recovering from finrot but I hope it starts happening pretty soon.

T

[Chrona]

Just a little update the finrot is still progressing pretty rapidly. I put in another dose of the medicine yesterday. My fishy has a lot more of an appetite now and immediately goes for the food. He still won't touch the beta pellets but he loves the flake stuff. He remains really active.

I don't know how long it takes to start recovering from finrot but I hope it starts happening pretty soon.

T

Are you only adding Melafix still? The Pimafix Melafix combo works a lot better. Or if it continues to worsen, then you can go with the traditional, harsher chemical treatments. I'm sure there are tons of products at your LFS.

[jbritney]

I hope your beta turns out ok!
I'm sorry you've had bad luck with your fish but you're really making a great effort at doing what you can.

[cocoa_pleco]

this threads from last year

[jbritney]

this threads from last year

*smacks forehead*

I saw 4-25 in one of the dates so i thought i was good to go. oops!
and now i am wondering what happened with his fish!

[jbritney]

It looks like this is the only thread by that user.

[cocoa_pleco]

*smacks forehead*

I saw 4-25 in one of the dates so i thought i was good to go. oops!
and now i am wondering what happened with his fish!

lol, it happens

he hasnt been on since last june, so i dont think hes coming back

[fastfly]

lol, it happens

he hasnt been on since last june, so i dont think hes coming back

I bet you he will....when another fish gets sick, so I hope I don't see him for a long time :hmm3grin2orange:

[smaug]

GEEZ!!! Old thread indeed! I was wondering how the heck I missed this thread!All that advice was given and the member is nowhere to be found.

[cocoa_pleco]

lol, i was like CHRONAS BACK!

[smaug]

Yeah!I dont remember him real well,but a little.

[cocoa_pleco]

Yeah!I dont remember him real well,but a little.

at first, he was always on, then his fish got TB and he wanted to give up, then he left for a long time, then a few months ago he came back and answered 1 question, then he left again

he was REALLY smart at planted tanks

[smaug]

at first, he was always on, then his fish got TB and he wanted to give up, then he left for a long time, then a few months ago he came back and answered 1 question, then he left again

he was REALLY smart at planted tanks
THATS how I remember him!

[pinsonpa]

That is too funny. I too was reading this thread thinking...50+ replies...wow, this must be a hot topic. I dove in head first and started noticing all these people I've never heard of like bettaboy and chrona and it was driving me insane.

I feel like the butt of a big joke now.:hmm3grin2orange:

[MDMAN]

I too just read a 7 page year old thread hahaha

[SkinnyChicken]

This place has gone quite mad !!