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 Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 9:49 am
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First of all let me say I have never owned fish. I've admired them a lot and even played with the idea of learning the ropes for a salt water tank setup, but before before recently I had no interest in bettas, for the most part because the industry seemed kind of skewed.
In any case, our story enters with my girlfriend and I headed to Barnes & Noble to buy a book. It was out of stock and we figured, for the hell of it we would troop next door to the petco to buy Skylar ( our Aussie ) a toy. When we arrived we browsed a bit and I came across the betta display. I ogled the little guys and gals for a while and actually, all things considered, they looked pretty healthy. Then I noticed something... each betta was in it's own little 'cubby hole' on a big three sided stand. I saw something in the middle and after carefully moving the display around I saw one sad little betta boy looking rather sickly and helpless. I called management, a man who shook his head and said that some kid probably put him there. He started to walk away and I was very concerned. I asked where he was taking him, to be met with the reply ' To our fish expert. He's probably taking his last breaths. '
P.S...? I am a sucker. I knew he was sick, even with my limited knowledge I know what a swim bladder is and I figured his was problematic. He looked like he was 'gasping', too, and he could barely move. Tearfully I asked the manager to hold the fish at the counter while I picked out a tank, some gravel, water conditioner, antifungal and a plant for the poor little guy. As far as I saw it, this little boy who had barely had a chance was going to die in a tiny cup, or worse( my imagination told me...) be dumped out somewhere. I figured if I could do something about it I would.
Fast forward an hour and here I sit in my room, slowly filling his tank and bobbing this lethargic, lifeless little thing in it. I talked to him the whole time, apologized for human nature, and then slowly switched the water in his cup. He had looked so sick I thought he would die from the shock, but he held on like a little trooper. After a half hour I finally let him into the tank, where he settled on an Amazon Sword leaf. When I went to bed he was in the same place, and I sadly bid him goodnight and turned out the lights.
At about four in the morning, though, something woke me up. A soft 'ping, ping' noise that wouldn't rest. I turned the light on to see that my sickly little guy was swimming! And not only swimming...diving, picking up little pebbles and blowing them at the side of tank closest to my head. As soon as I looked over, he puffed up and retreated to his plant. Because I was already up, I soaked one of the little pellets I had bought and he gobbled it up.
I went back to bed and rose at a more decent time to find he was still, seemingly, healthy and chipper. I gave him one more soaked pellet and he ate it with no problems at all.
I'm not sure if this little guy is a miracle or deserving of a grammy, but I could care less either way. Now, of course, I've run into the fact that I'm a complete novice and I could use someone to show me the ropes. (:
The tank I bought is 5.5 gallons. Since I figured it would be a short term thing, I just threw in gravel and one plant - amazon sword. (I've worked with various philodendrons before.) I don't yet have a heater or filter... recommendations? I'll also be getting a little thing for him to hide in, and I know I need to watch out for his fins but other than that are there better or worse decorations? How often, and how many pellets, should I feed this little one a day? Any suggestions on what percent and how often I should change the water? Do you guys have any ideas on varying up his diet?
I know I can look all this up, but I really prefer personal input! So thank you all for the time you took to read this. I took some pics and I'll include them below. Does anyone know what color/breed he is? Or a guess at how old he might be? He had no stickers on his cup... His name is Kimchi, by the way. wink
Kimchi
This is how I currently have the tank set up... I think it seems big enough. If you guys agree, then today I'll fit a little heater, filter and a hide out place - maybe another plant too!
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 10:07 am
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 1:58 pm
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Great sized tank! For a filter... I use AquaClears mostly. They make a 5-20, and I use it on my 10 gallon, turned down all the way. I think it'd be too big for a 5.5 gallon, personally. AZoo (I think) makes a "Poket Filter" for tanks up to 5 gallons. It think you have to order them online.
For the heater, you can get 2-15 gallon heaters made my Tetra at WalMart for $13. They are good little heaters, but not adjustable. I use the 10-30 version in my 10 gallon.
Also, I would look into buying an actual aquarium, and not a reptile tank. I had a 6.6 gallon reptile tank bust on me in the middle of the night. Left my betta and 2 Ghost Shrimp in the smallest Kritter Keeper you can buy for 3 days >.< PetSmart is having a 20% off sale on most tank kits if you have a PetPerks card. Even if you dont, they have a pretty good selection of tanks.
What kind of food did you buy him? I would suggest New Life Spectrum or Omega One. Both are rather pricey, but with such a high qualiy food, you dont have to feed as much, so it last forever. Pellets are best, as flakes tend to cause Dropsy, a rather untreatable condition where the stomache bloats to many times its regular size. Treats are also good too. My boys love Brine Shrim and Bloodworms. Frozen is best, but you can buy freeze dried, if you soak them in tank water before you feed them to him.
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 1:58 pm
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 2:03 pm
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 2:19 pm
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That's an awesome tank for a betta. <3 Akari and Vanilla already pretty much covered what needs to be covered. My two cents is about heater brand preference (Aqueon), and filter preference (Aquaclear, but using an Aqueon QuietFlow 10) but I also have a tank that's twice the size of yours. x3
Impulse/pity buys aren't usually the greatest, but I'm glad he's doing so well with you. Do get him lots of plants and things to explore. Betta are inquisitive fish and enjoy patrolling their territory. They seem to always find something new to investigate.
And a little tip on fake plants, if you somehow can't find silk ones. If they look like they would catch on a pair of pantyhose, don't bother with them. Too great a risk of catching and ripping fins.
Color/fin type guessing is a hobby of mine. If I were to venture here, I'd say he's a cellophane delta, obviously with crimson breaks. x3 If his tail spread is 180° or more when flared, he's a halfmoon. Less than that, and he's a delta.
Age is rather hard to determine, but can be estimated by size. Two inches is common for a 3-month old. A grown adult is about three inches. But again, it's hard to guess based on that. Most betta in pet stores are around 6 months old, though. And Akari beat me to it on both fronts. xD
Very pretty boy, though! <3
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 2:23 pm
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 7:23 pm
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Gabrielle_AnimalLuver Crew
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 7:31 pm
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 10:46 pm
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Update! wahmbulance
Azu: I think I'm going to purchase another good sized live plant ( along with the amazon sword I have in ) and a stick on silk plant that has some good volume to it!
Akari: You are a life saver, so you know! After what you said I throughly investigated my tank and noticed a hair line crack right below the plastic fixture, I went to sterilize a large glass bowl for a temporary holder and when I came back into the room the thing was split down the side. ( thankfully not shattered! ) I swapped the water and got him and his plant into the new temp, covered it and phoned the Petco. They offered me a complete credit transfer and gift card compensation toward a 10 gallon aquarium ( with a light and hood ) which I'm picking up immediately after my morning class tomorrow. I negotiated a bit because of the tiny cut I wound up with from the crack, and they said the replacement they will provide is meant for fish, but if I'm not satisfied, off to Petsmart I go. The irony and timing of that was creepy... literally the moment I read your reply. I can't imagine if I hadn't caught that.
Sooo the universe strongly agrees with everyone that I needed to buy a tank asap. My first fish experience is filled with crisis. emo
On a lighter note... I picked up the tetra heater and I'm going to pick up an Aquaclear 20 for the 10 gallon, like you suggested!
As for food I bought Zoomed micro floating pellets, though the only thing I really knew to look for was crude protein. I used to use an Omega One supplement for my dogs, and I really liked the product so I think I'll order that. ( is there a type specific for bettas? )
Vanilla: I would have never thought of that. I've got both pvc and pots right at hand, too. Thank you so much for the good idea!
Eiz: The pantyhose (catchability? :p) is a really good margin for me, so thank you very much for that. Aside from my lives, I'll take care to pick decorations that won't catch him up. And thank you ( and Akari both! ) for helping me out with his color and tail type. Earlier I played a bit with a little mirror and it flared out rather widely, but I couldn't tell you if it was 180 now... After he's settled in his new ( again... confused ) home, I'll snap a photo.
Kip: Thank you. heart It's such a funny little quirk. I never imagined a fish could be so personable, but are they ever. eek
Gab: I'll definitely look into the logs. I didn't know they existed, but how neat!
Thanks again everyone, I really appreciate your responses and advice. I'll keep you updated and add some more pics of 'welcome home' take two. sweatdrop
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 10:10 am
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Graylayce Update! wahmbulance ... Akari: You are a life saver, so you know! After what you said I throughly investigated my tank and noticed a hair line crack right below the plastic fixture, I went to sterilize a large glass bowl for a temporary holder and when I came back into the room the thing was split down the side. ( thankfully not shattered! ) I swapped the water and got him and his plant into the new temp, covered it and phoned the Petco. They offered me a complete credit transfer and gift card compensation toward a 10 gallon aquarium ( with a light and hood ) which I'm picking up immediately after my morning class tomorrow. I negotiated a bit because of the tiny cut I wound up with from the crack, and they said the replacement they will provide is meant for fish, but if I'm not satisfied, off to Petsmart I go. The irony and timing of that was creepy... literally the moment I read your reply. I can't imagine if I hadn't caught that. Sooo the universe strongly agrees with everyone that I needed to buy a tank asap. My first fish experience is filled with crisis. emo On a lighter note... I picked up the tetra heater and I'm going to pick up an Aquaclear 20 for the 10 gallon, like you suggested! As for food I bought Zoomed micro floating pellets, though the only thing I really knew to look for was crude protein. I used to use an Omega One supplement for my dogs, and I really liked the product so I think I'll order that. ( is there a type specific for bettas? ) ...
Wow, that is creepy! Mine litteraly busted. 3:18 in the morning. WORST NIGHT EVER. There is was, sleeping away, all happy and comfy in my bed, when I hear CRACK! Splooooooooooosh! Hows that for a wake up call neutral My carpet was soaked, my bookshelf... Thankfully all my books survived! Thats would have beed like $500 in books! gonk
Awesome, I'm sure you'll be happy with both products =)
I hear-tell, that there are Omega One Betta Buffet pellets, but all I can find are flakes. I haved used them, but have lost 2 Bettas to Dropsy, and will not go go back to all flake diet for them. If you can find the Pellets, go for it, but PetCo has New Life Spectrum brand Betta pellets, and my boys love 'em, as do my Endlers. Just stay away from foods with wheat and corn products with in the fist few ingredients, and you should be fine.
Another suggestion on the food note. You can buy a few cans/packets of differnt types of betta pellets and mix them all together in one container. Thats what I do, and it gives them a little bit of something different each time they eat. As treats, I reccomend frozen Bloodworms and Brine Shrimp. He'll love you for those wink |
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:18 pm
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Yiiikes. I can't even imagine. It's really impressive that you saved your fish after something like that... and when a moment before you were just sleeping. eek Ugh, I just dropped a check for this semester's text books, that would have been painful xD
Today when I felt the difference in glass/seam caulk thickness and whatnot, I did a pretty huge face palm. How could I have expected anything different. stressed I'm just thankful it happened under those circumstances though, because if mine blew in the middle of the night I think I'd have lost it.
Poor kid did really well for his third home transfer in three days, though. sweatdrop He's really enjoying his new tank and accessories. I did pick up some spectrum pellets, though! He is all about them. I think I will buy a few brands and mix them. It makes a lot of sense! Tomorrow ( while I'm stocking the gas cans in case Palm Beach County gets slammed. neutral ) when I pick up one more thing or two I'll get some bloodworms as well. Do you thaw them?
Below are some new pictures. He discovered the ship's hollow underside about an hour ago, and unless he's wiggling at me for food he's retreated to the port side. -.-
( By the way, if you're wondering... his filter current was a tad strong, so I boiled an ace bandage a cut it up, made it into a little filter cozy. It still pulls and collects very well, but the current isn't nearly as invasive, and before I wrapped it it seemed to be stressing him. )
Fun with little circular mirrors so we flare for the camera. (; That would be my thumb, by the way. He's such a little guy.
his crimson bits seem to be a little darker, and he's developing what look a little like stripes on his back. Are they from stress? I've heard about 'stress stripes' but I don't really know what to look for.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:30 pm
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Glad he likes his new home! My Halfmoon Gambit has a castle from WalMart, and he is OBSESSED with it. If he's not glaring at to feed him, or prancing around his tank flaring at nothing (he knows he's hot stuff LOL), then he's shoved up in his castle. When I can over to say hi, he gets really angry for interupting his quite time in his castle rofl
I thaw the blood worms in a bit of tank water, then use a turkey baster to give out up to 6 (large) blood worms. They should keep in the fridge for several days. Only use the bright red ones after the fist day.
I can just about bet you those arent stress stripes, but his true colors coming out. But be sure, since you just sat the tank up, to do 50% water changes every day for a week or so while the tank cycles, as the cycling process is very stressful on fish. Or buy some Tetra SafeStart, but thats $13 you can pretty much save for something else wink
I bet you those red spots will grow and/or change color as he grows. Mst white Bettas with spots are Marbles. The Marble gene is a really neat trait. You should look into it!
Great pics! He really is small X3
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