# Is this a malnourished betta?



## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

Housing 
What size is your tank? Standard goldfish sized. Probably 1G
What temperature is your tank? Room temp
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? No
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? HBH Betta Bites
How often do you feed your betta fish? 1 pellet / day

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? Unknown. Seems to be whenever the water gets low
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? Unknown. Seems to be whenever the water gets low
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Unknown. None that I'm aware of.

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia: 0.25 (most likely because some of the food he refuses drops into the crappy gravel in his bowl)
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
pH: 7.0
Hardness: 0

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I'm helping both of my sons babysit their classroom bettas for the holidays, but one of them has me puzzled, both in the way it looks and the way it acts. It's fins looks like a plakat to me, but it's super skinny (half the width of the other two bettas), has giant eyes, swims with difficulty because his tailfin seems too small and stares at food like its something from an alien planet.

When I tried placing it next to one of the other two bettas, it didn't react in any way shape or form (bands, flaring, polite acknowledgement).

My only guess right now is that he's severely malnourished, since they feed him 1 pellet a day, while his bottle says to feed him 3-4 pellets twice daily.

Any thoughts? I've tried bumping up his feeding to twice a day, but he refuses to eat more than his one pellet a day.


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## Starfish1 (Dec 9, 2012)

Oh wow that is not a good environment for a betta to be in, with such a small tank and no heater. The minimum for betta to thrive in is 2.5 gallons, and they always need a heater, the water needs to be 78-82 degrees. I can only imagine how cold his water is getting at night and on weekends. Is there any way you could pick up an inexpensive tank for him and the other little guy and little heaters to put in them?

He also needs to have frequent water changes, for a container that little it would have to be almost daily. For a 2.5 gal it would be every 4-5 days and for a 5 gal weekly. The new water will need to be the same temp as his tank and it needs to have dechorinator added to it. Make sure you don't warm his water up too fast if you do get a tank and a heater. Only a few degrees at a time otherwise it can shock their system, for example adding cold tap water is very bad. And water that's too cold on a daily basis can cause them to be lethargic and not feel well and be very prone to getting sick. 

Yes, one pellet a day is definitely underfeeding him. I feed mine 2-3 pellets a day depending on the size of the betta. From his picture it looks like he has an advanced stage of fin rot from being too cold and not having his water changed nearly enough. 

Betta tanks also always need to be covered because bettas like to jump and they are very good at it. I see that you have plastic over his tank  but a better cover would be a piece of cardboard with some holes in it and a small weight on top or a screen of some sort. Bettas come to the surface to breathe the air so i'd lower his water level a little so there's room for air for him to come up and breathe, and then change the covering for right now. He needs to have some air getting under that plastic. 

I'm not quite sure why they have bettas in the class without doing any research as to how they need to be kept, it would be a great way to teach the kids to care for a pet, by checking their water temp every day, changing the water every few days, measuring the water conditioner to add to the tank, taking turns feeding him etc. Is there any way you could get him a little setup and print out some info for the teacher from a website on how to care for a betta? Unfortunately people see bettas in little cups in the pet store or in bowls on tv and they think it's fine to keep a betta in those conditions until the betta gets sick and dies.


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## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

I agree, it's a terrible environment. They really should have a goldfish, given the dynamics of the classroom, but it is what it is. 

The plastic wrap actually has a gajillion holes poked in it, but I hadn't considered a piece of cardboard. The poor little guy is such a weak swimmer, I'd be very surprised if he could break the surface, let alone jump out.

Sadly, I think the reason for bettas is because they're the new goldfish. It doesn't help that most people assume their lifespan is normally 1-2 years.


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## hannah16 (Mar 3, 2011)

Goldfish in 1 gallon bowls is a common misconception. Goldfish need very large tanks to thrive in; 1 gallons are FAR too small. 

Bettas can do decently in a One gallon for a SHORT period of time. They should be bumped up for at least 2.5 gallons. Mini Bow tanks I believe have filters but what you'd want is the Petsmart 2.5 gallons with a mini heater. It's a mini version of a much larger tank, long and rectangular. In total it'll be about $30 for 1 two and a half gallon with a mini heater. Each betta should have one.

Write it off as a classroom donation and saving a few fishy lives.


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## Withered (Mar 13, 2012)

For right now, until you can get him in a new setup if that is your plan, I would at least go out and get some water conditioner and a small glass thermometer so you can test how cold his water is. I would scoop him out in a small cup, like a solo cup, and clean out his bowl with some warm water along with the marbles or whatever they are using for substrate in his tank. Fill the bowl back up with water and put the amt of water conditioner equal to the size of the bowl. Sometimes it's only a few drops depending on what type you get. Prime is a pretty good choice. API Stress Coat may be good for him as well considering it seems like he has some pretty bad fin loss. I would slowly acclimate him back into the water, which means put a scoop or two of the new tank water in his cup every 5 minutes and work up to 15-30 minutes. Release him back into his bowl, and top off his water. Like Star said though...he needs about an inch at the top so he can come up for air. I would try to put him in the warmest room in your house as you possibly can as well, at least until you can get him a heater. He may perk up with some clean, conditioned water...but if it could be warmer..that would be better for him as well.


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

Starfish1 said:


> I'm not quite sure why they have bettas in the class without doing any research as to how they need to be kept, it would be a great way to teach the kids to care for a pet, by checking their water temp every day, changing the water every few days, measuring the water conditioner to add to the tank, taking turns feeding him etc. Is there any way you could get him a little setup and print out some info for the teacher from a website on how to care for a betta? Unfortunately people see bettas in little cups in the pet store or in bowls on tv and they think it's fine to keep a betta in those conditions until the betta gets sick and dies.


I agree with you, starfish.


This poor guy. With how sick he looks, he definitely needs some help. 
(Please note that I do get that you are looking after a classroom fish, these suggestions are what I would give any fish owner, and I Know that they involve spending money. I know that investing in a pet that isn't your own is sometimes a losing situation, but the poor little guy needs some TLC). 

For the damaged/rotting fins, I would start with daily water changes adding in Aquarium Salt (I believe it's 1 teaspoon dissolved in warm water and added to the tank before the fish, make sure you let it sit so the temp is evened out), and some Stress Coat (API makes a great Stress Coat/water conditioner you can pick up a bottle for $5-$10 at a local Petsmart or PetCo). If you're feeling in any way invested, an added bacterial suppliment is also a good idea, because when you change the water daily you are not allowing for the tank to cycle and for good bacteria to build up. He may have popeye if his eyes are big, and depending on how severe it is you may have to medicate, but start with the fresh water and the stress coat and salt and wait a few days and see how he looks. If he gets worse, you may have to medicate him. Mardel makes some good medicinal products, as well as API. Maracyn-two I think would be your best bet. Remember to only give partial doses according to your tank (which is likely to be a .5 gallon or a 1 gallon, as you said). But you can probably hold off on the medication until you see whether he gets better or worse with the proper water changes and some stress coat and AQ salt. 

If the betta is not eating, you can try tempting him with a frozen food. Either frozen glassworms (mosquito larvae) or brine shrimp are the best. Stay away from freeze-dried things like bloodworms. The frozen are the closest to live food you'll get, and that will help him get better, and have the best nutrients. Frozen food generally comes in blocks. The best way I've personally found is to have a little glass bottle with a lid (I use mini ketchup bottles, one for each type of food, respectively). Put one cube in and let it defrost until you can pick up the food with tweezers (gross, I know, make sure the tweezers aren't a favorite pair, and they are cleaned with hot water) and feed the fish a few morsels. Then, you can put a lid on the little container and put it back in the freezer. (this is what I found works best for me, anyways).

If you're feeling really invested, maybe you could buy the lil guy a small tank with a light (like an Aqueon Minibow. This time of year, they're usually on sale) or PetCo carries a $20 one-gallon fish tank (their brand) that has a light/lid, an undergravel filter (You probably can go without the filter if you're going daily changes). It also makes for a better home than a goldfish bowl, although I'm privy to suggest that a larger tank will make for a happier betta in the long run (though I would definitely leave that up to the owner, as that is quite an investment). And, if you so desired, a heater (make sure it is suitable for a small tank if you do, so that it isn't too powerful. A decent one may be around $15). Also, if the fish is looking droopy and depressed, any pet store will sell small plants for cheap. Silk plants are best for bettas aside from live plants, but you can get a plastic one, if you make sure it has no sharp edges, and it's fairly "soft." Sometimes a nice environment addition will help a sick betta feel a little less poopy. If he's having a hard time swimming, make sure to lower the water level a bit so its a shorter trip to the surface.

I'm sure there are things I'm not remembering right now, but these are what I would do for starters. And then like starfish1 said, you can help all of the classroom bettas by letting the teacher know the proper ways to care for her fish.


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## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

Sadly, he goes back to school on Weds, but I'll see what I can do for him in the time I have him.

I've got some stress coat that I'm using on my guy and some aquarium salt left over from when I had a late-night fin rot scare that I can put in his tank.

What's the best way to avoid transmitting all of his ailments to my tanks or my 6yr old's classroom betta? I have two syringes that I've been using to test water and siphon out food, which have since been replaced or cleaned with dish soap.

Thanks for the info on freeze-dried bloodworms. I bought a whole container of them and was feeding them to my betta as a treat, not realizing they were nutritionally deficient.


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## aemaki09 (Oct 23, 2012)

+1 to what everyone has already said

In addition, I suggest getting a care sheet about betta's with accurate info, I believe someone made one on this site not too long ago I'll look around for it. 
Even if you cant get a new tank for him, I'd suggest atleast buying different better quality pellets for him, something like omega one or new life spectrum if its possible for you to get those. Also, amazon is selling 7.5 watt betta sticks for like $5 right now (plus shipping) I'd get one of those and a thermometer if you cant upgrade him to a bigger tank.

Also I'd suggest talking to the teacher when you give him/her the care sheet and letting them know that you would be willing to either re-home him or take him for yourself if the teacher doesnt want to put as much care into him as required. I know some people think "its just a fish" but they deserve good lives too!


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

The absolute best way to avoid any actual diseases from fish to fish is to have a separate set of "fish tools" (ie; net syringe, anything you would be putting in the sick betta's water) specifically for sick fish. And, don't under any circumstances use dish soap! No matter how rinsed you get anything you clean with soap, there is always a soap residue that can be harmful to fish. Hot water to rinse your tools every time you use them, and for tanks that have housed sick bettas, you can sanitize them by pouring hot water (like boiled on the stove hot) inside of them. You can do that to most anything you use for your fish, but be careful not to melt your plastics. 

The freeze-dried bloodworms make excellent treats bor bettas, as they LOVE them, but you want to make sure your staple food for them is high in protein and nutrients to keep him healthy and well fed. The bloodworms just make the betta happy


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## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

Ugh. Ok. Time to break out some boiling water. I had no idea how much more complicated it was to take care of multiple bettas, but better to find out now than when I end up with multiples of my own, right? 

Unfortunately, re-homing isn't an option  My wife put her foot down on getting more tanks when I suggested today that I wanted to get another tank.

As for water changes... 
OFL recommended two water changes a week for a 1G tank without a filter. Are you recommending daily changes since he's sick so I can redose him with AQ salt?

I'm guessing I want him in fresh water before I send him back to school. I can put some of my spare water sprite or salvinia into the bowl to try and help mitigate the poor water quality and try and provide the little guy some comfort.


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

Daily water changes, not just for the AQ salt (which you do not want to add more of without a water change because it doesn't evaporate out or, if you have a filter, it doesn't filter out) but also because an unfiltered tank will end up with lower water quality quickly, and for fin rot you want to keep the water clean so that the fins start to heal. Bad water quality is what causes rot most of the time, and the clean water, salt, and stress coat will help the little guy get better. For a healthy fish, the two water changes a week is proper tank maintenance and will help your fish to remain healthy. 

I'm not sure about the addition of your live plants, partially because I know that you want to keep the water surface clear for the betta to be able to breathe, and I'm not 100% knowledgeable about live plants and fish. I don't know how either of those two plants will effect the water. I'm sorry, I can't offer you any good advice either way with that. I'll try to find someone who can help though.


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## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

From what I know in the short time I've had a planted tank, both plants sit on the surface and are really good at absorbing excess ammonia. They're basically weeds under full light, which makes them hardy and easy to grow in low-light conditions. Both have good root systems that grow from the surface of the water and provide structures that bettas like to build bubblenests into.

Is it silly to be worried about waking up the betta to change his water in the dead of night?

The instructions on the AQ salt say 1/2 tsp per gallon, but I recall you want to double that dose for cases like fin rot.

I also have a few gallons of water from a well-cycled tank that I can put into the bowl. That would be the equivalent of adding bacterial supplements to the water, wouldn't it?

Also, thank you so much all for your advice. I had a suspicion something was up, but I've never dealt with a case of fin rot and didn't know what I was looking at.


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## TheCheese909 (Aug 11, 2011)

I would break away from pellets, they never hold enough nutrition for an ill Betta, especially a picky eater. If you can find some frozen, not freezedried foods like GlassWorms (mosquito larva) you can feed him that instead. It's something that will help him greater than any pellets or flakes out there and will entice him to eat. Imagine being handed dry cereal every day and becoming bored with it, then being handed a nice juicy steak (or if you're a vegetarian then a nice big fresh salad). 

If he actually is sick and you're treating him with AQS then I wouldn't add any live plants at all. You may want to find him a very soft plastic plant or a silk plant. Having no cover at all can really upset a Betta and make him feel very out in the open which isn't something they like at all.

Since you are doing the salt treatment in a 1 gallon you'll want do do daily water changes. Now for a normal tank of 1 gallon with a healthy fish then it's pretty much every other day.


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

Sagat, It's not silly to be up in the night worried about the fish and his water. If you've already made a water change today, however, you don't need to make another one until tomorrow. You don't want to do more than the one per day because you don't want to stress the little guy out any more than he already is since he isn't feeling good. And yes, you can do 1 tsp per gallon of water since he's a sick fish. I wouldn't recommend adding a different tank's water to his bowl, especially if there are other fish in the tank, simply because this guy's immune system is already low since he is already sick, and you don't want him to catch anything that may be in the established tank that doesn't effect your healthy fish. It's better to not have the bacteria for the time being because you want the fresh clean water. Just make sure you let new water sit and acclimate for 30-45 minutes before you put him in and make sure you try to have the temperature of the new water as close to the old (preferably the same so as not to stress him out) as possible. If you use a small container to put him in while you change the water, you can float it in the new water, so the temperature is evened out when you move him to the new water (if it will fit in the bowl). If it doesn't fit, I know some people recommend that you add a small amount of the new water every 10-15 minutes until the temperature is the same.


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## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

That makes sense. I have plenty of dechlorinated tap and RO water sitting in buckets in the same room as him, so the water temps should be close to identical.

I guess I'll wait til morning to change his water and see if I can bring him back to pre-school on 7th.


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

good luck!


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## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

Just a quick update:

Alex and... I'll call him Mr. Blue for now, are happily sitting in their cups acclimating to their new water. I wanted to play it safe, so I'm going to be adding water to their cups slowly over the course of 1-2 hours before I add them back to their respective tanks.

Alex is the guy we've been talking about and he's in the rightmost cup. Alex got a 100% change, a tsp of AQ salt, ~.5mL of StressCoat+ and will be getting some thawed brine shrimp in his cup before I transfer him over.

Mr. Blue got a 50% change and ~.5mL of StressCoat+ and was fed beforehand, but will probably get one or two thawed shrimps, just as a treat.


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

Awww, poor Alex! He is so small. He's lucky that he went home with someone who cared enough to take extra care of him!

Everything you're doing is great! Remember when you feed him, he may not eat at first. Just take one shrimp and slowly pull it across the water in front of him. Bettas are natural carnivorous hunters, and the movement will help spark that in him. Try for a few minutes, and if he doesn't go after it, go ahead and try again in a little while. Keep trying till he eats, and when he does, feed him a few. You don't want to feed him too much, because remember, his stomach is small (a betta's stomach is about the size of his -healthy- eye). 

You did absolutely perfect with the water changes, and you are acclimating them very well. And I'm sure that Mr. Blue will love a Frozen Shrimp Treat.


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## Withered (Mar 13, 2012)

I hope Alex gets better! You are doing an awesome job at taking care of him. He is lucky to have someone who cares so much.  Good luck, and I hope he continues to get better!


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## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

Boy, it was hard to find time to get some good pictures between all of the stuff going on in the house, but here's an update:

It took awhile to get Alex to eat, but I finally got him to recognize brine shrimp as food. I used a medicine dropper and slowly dropped brine shrimp in front of his mouth over the course of about 30m. It took about 8-10 tries, but he finally got the idea they might be food and ate one. I probably overfed him too much (4 or 5 brine shrimps of varying sizes), but I was happy he ate.

After feeding him, I put him in the living room on a table where my old betta tank used to be. I'd built home-made ductwork out of a cardboard box so that I could redirect warm air from the vent onto the top of the table, which bumped the tank temp from 72F to 80F... Then realized I had no reliable way of matching water temp.

So, on the 1st, I took my old minibow1 out, filled it up with treated water and set it next to Alex's tank so that that the water could be heated to the same temperature. 

Feeding went waaaay easier this time and Alex's behavior had perked up alot. He was acting like a normal betta and he didn't swim like he was fighting his water tension or his own buoyancy and only one shrimp hit the bottom of the tank during feeding time; better yet, he actually had the energy to pick the one fallen shrimp off the floor of the tank.

Evening feeding went even better, since I noticed he'd either started blowing bubbles or was attempting to build a bubblenest. His fins aren't ringed in black anymore -- It's more like a ring of smudge, but you can see it for yourself in the picture.

I decided to keep him with us til my son goes back to daycare/pre-school on the 7th, so that should give him another 5 days of recovery and I'm testing out my 7.5W heater in my minibow1 to see how hot it makes the tank. If it's in tolerable limits, I'll offer it to the teacher to help keep Alex warm.

Over the weekend, I'm going to start transitioning him back to pellets, to make sure he continues to eat after he leaves my care.


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

Wow, his coloring even looks a bit more vibrant. 

Its awesome that he is eating, and good thinking introducing him back to eating pellets. I don't think that 4-6 shrimp is overfeeding, him (my healthy little piglets will eat about as much, if not more if I let them). Making sure that he sees the pellets as a food source will be the best for him, though, so that he continues to be healthy when he leaves your care. 


You are doing an excellent job bringing him back to health.  I'm so glad that he is getting better.


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## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

Well, I have to admit to using a flash in that last picture to get him to look like anything but a dark blob.

He's more irridescent than the original picture, though... sort've like a dark, coppery brownish green.

Do any of you have an idea on how fast his fins will start to regrow?


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

Fin growth definitely depends on the fish, the tank conditions, what he is fed, and a bunch of different little things. Alex's fins are so short that I can't really tell what tail type he is, so I can't say for sure. fresh water and the AQ salt will definitely do worlds of good, and you may see new growth in a few days, to a week, but as far as the fins growing back fully, that could take weeks, to months, depending on the fish.


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Try a new food, a treat like brine shrimp or bloodworms (whatever you can get into him... And get him out of the bowl.


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## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

He's eating frozen brine shrimp atm and today, I decided to let my son feed him. Alex took to his pellet like he was starving and managed to ingest it without alot more ease than he has in the past, so I'm no longer worried about food confusion.


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

That's great news! 

How is he looking today? Any changes in condition with his fins and his eyes?


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## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

I'm starting to wonder if it's his tank distorting his eyes and not popeye. I'm also wondering if his original coppery color was the beginning of body rot. I'm surprised at how much more blue he is in the afternoon light.

Here's today's picture taken with my phone with no photo-adjustment. You guys can judge his progress for yourself. Bear in mind that the very first image was taken with the same phone, at night, without a flash and photo-adjusted so you he didn't look like a little dark blob. He looks a little more coppery to me than this picture, but maybe it's because of how his body is bent. You can see hints of that copper on his underside and the base of his tail.


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

I'm not 100% sure, but I'm almost positive that rot isn't affiliated with a coppery color. 

If you look at him with a flashlight (or a light of some kind that's bright enough to let you see his scales more clearly) does he look like he had a dusting of maybe a goldish color? That could POSSIBLY indicate velvet, but if it's coppery, it could just mean it's an iridescent sheen to the coloring, which is normal for a lot of bettas. 

Also, Cheese and I have been debating back and forth, and we think it's possible that Alex is a girl, though it's hard to tell 100% because of the lack of fins. But especially in this new picture, the shape of the body makes me think "girl." [but it's not for sure, just a thought]


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## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

I decided to do a quick check on Alex before hopping on the forums and found him floating at the top of the tank and struggling to swim down. 

After a brief bout of panic and some quick websearching, I'm guessing I overfed him brine shrimp and gave him a swim bladder problem :/

After his nightly water change, I'm going to fast him for the night and see if that helps clear things up, then switch back to pellets for half his meals.

@Fishehgobloop:
You know, the first thing I asked the teacher was whether Alex was a girl.

She was adamant he was a boy, but I just went and shined a flashlight on him again and thought I saw hints of horizontal banding (one short one at about eye level, behind his head and two thin wispy ones at the halfway point and below.

They're still too faint to be conclusive, but the other two boys in the house have 100% lack of banding. Do juvenile females grow into their stripes? They got Alex at the beginning of the school year, which would make him over 4 months old.

After looking at him a second time, and getting my wife as a second opinon, it looks like he doesn't have velvet, but may be a she.... Which would be great, from a finnage perspective.


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

How big is he? He doesn't even look full grown.. maybe growth stunted by poor water quality.. 

Share this with the school. Teachers care about kids. They don't want to abuse fish. They're just ignorant.


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## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

She's about 1.5" which is roughly the same length as the other two bettas.

I'm pretty sure Alex is a female. During tonight's water change, I got a better look at her under full lighting and took some pictures with my real camera. My wife pestered me to put a plant in there, so I yanked an artificial one out of the 29G and put it in there, which Alex will take with her when she goes back to school.

My experiment with my 7.5W heater was an abysmal failure. After 24hrs with the heater on and in the tank, the water got to a scorching 97F. I'm pretty sure the teacher has better things to do than fiddle with a heater (like watch 20-someodd 4yr olds), so the heater will stay here.

I included a color corrected version of the first picture I took, just because it's amazing to me how much her stripes have come out in the last few days.


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

It looks like a juvi to me..IDK someone else can comment on that. I'm not good with baby betta stuff. I've never raised one. Also looks like from the first pic maybe Velvet  Definitely bad rot. Imho, that betta won't make it if you send it back to school without some serious educating and changes by the keeper.

If you shine a flashlight on him does it reflect gold dust? http://www.flippersandfins.net/velvet.htm

Those are stress stripes.. If that water got so hot it's no wonder.. watch him/her carefully.. temp swings like that are often times lethal..


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## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

The goldish reflection seems confined primarily to the body. I'm pretty sure whatever I see is irridescence, since it's strongest on the body and weaker on the fins. 

It definitely doesn't look like the case of velvet in the second picture on flippersandfins.net.

The empty tank was the one with the heater, so there's no worries there, but it's possible the stress stripes are from the water change. Today would be the 2nd 100% change since Monday.

When do I stop doing 100% changes? When there's no more black spots on the fins?


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

Gotcha that's good with the heater.

There are ways to do water changes that won't cause stress like this.. I'm on my phone so it's hard to copy.. I can't get it to work. If you go to the thread in this forum marked 'female betta with half eaten head'.. Skip photos if you have a light stomach.. And down a ways in quotes I wrote about how to make large water changed


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## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

Will do. Thanks Callistra.

I'd been meaning to read that thread, but got distracted by my own fish 

Edit: Ok, read the thread.
Here's my process for water changes:
1) Fishbowl and 1G Minibow sit side by side in the same area for a day
2) Dissolve AQ salt into minibow
3) Scoop fish out into a 12 oz solo cup, which gets sterilized with boiling water after each change. (The cup gets quickly rinsed out in cold water to keep it from melting the cup)
4) Mix the new water to dissolve any remaining salt crystals and fill fishbowl up halfway, reserving about 1/3G of water to acclimate. Put StressCoat+ into the fisbowl
5) Add ~1oz of the new water every 15m for about an hour
6) Unceremoniously pour poor Alex into the bowl after an hour of acclimating to the new water. It seemed like pouring is probably as stressful as netting, plus it saves me from having to stick my net in boiling water oen time.
7) Refill the 1G Minibow and put both tanks back on their table under warm air


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

Your wife was wise to suggest adding a plant. I didn't read the whole thread but bettas like places to hide - it makes them feel secure. if you could find a small cave, that would be good too :-D

Poor thing.


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

Callistra, I think that this is what you were talking about for the water changes?

"To do a water change, use a little cup like a plastic solo cup - this cup must be only for him and have never been used with soap or other chems. Scoop him up in this cup (keep him in the cup about 1/4 full of water - it doesn't need to be much because he won't be in it for long) and leave him in the cup while you change his water. To do the 50% use a turkey baster - dedicated only to him that has never seen soap or chems - and drag it through the gravel and try to suck as much of the poop out as possible, in addition to 50% of the water. Use a thermometer under the running tap to get it to be the same temp as the water that is normally in his tank. When the thermometer says the flowing tap is the right temp, fill back up his tank. At this point, add the conditioner (dose for how much water you change - if you change half the water you add half gallon worth of conditioner, If you do a 100% water change dose for the full gallon change). Float his plastic cup with him in it in the new water. Slowly add a couple tablespoons of the new water into his cup every 10 minutes for at least an hour. Finally, dump him in gently but try to get as little of the old cup water back into the tank as possible. When you do the weekly 100% you will do mostly the same thing except empty his tank fully and rinse everything in it very well under warm water but never use soaps or chemicals. Once it's fully cleaned/rinsed you can refill it and repeat the cup/acclimate phase."
[sorry for the misquote]




Everything that you're doing, Sagat is good as you're going to get as far as 100% water changes, and I can say that I wouldn't do anything different. 

As far as the velvet thing, if you are positive that you are not seeing any gold dusting, then it's most likely iridescence. 

The stripes that you are seeing (as far as horizontal stripes go) are stress stripes, but that is to be expected if a fish is sick. You may not see her full coloring until she has been properly cared for for up to a month, simply because she is so accustomed to poor water quality it may take her that long to 1. feel better and 2. become accustomed to GOOD HEALTHY CLEAN water. I think the stripes that you are thinking of are verticals, which a female will start to show when she has eggs and she is ready to mate. (Please do not quote me 100% on that, as I've never bred bettas before, but I did a little research last year and I remember that was one sign a female is ready to mate).

I'm glad that you got a plant for her. I'll bet that it will help her to feel safer to have covering, and the silk plant is perfect, as it definitely won't harm her fins in any way, which unfortunately is always a possibility with plastic plants.

Sorry for my hiatus, I was dealing with home stuff. How is Alex doing today? Any better? Has she started to swim better from the swim bladder thing? Any better?


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## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

No worries. Life has a way of keeping things busy 

Alex seems pretty stressed, since her horizontal bars are more visible than yesterday. I'd thought horizontal bars were a female-only trait, since I always see them on the females at my LFS, but in retrospect, that might be because the females are always stressed from being kept sorority-style.

My son fed Alex this morning after a night of fasting, except that he fed her two pellets, which caused her swim bladder to go out of whack again. I thought she was building a bubblenest, but after watching her today, what I think is happening is that she can't swim down and ends up gulping lots of air as a consequence of being stuck on the surface, then spitting out the bubbles.

It's been a harrowing 24 hrs, watching her float around, but she's currently sitting in her solo cup waiting for her acclimation period to end so that she can go back in her bowl and go to bed.

On the bright side, I saw some real pelvic fins today, instead of the little nubby ones she's had forever. She still has black spots all over her fins, but the band of black at the edges haven't changed, which makes me wonder if that's her natural color. Hopefully there'll be some fin growth in a few days to help clarify the mystery


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

Female bettas I've noticed do tend to show their stress stripes a lot faster than males, but I have males who will show stress stripes. A lot of my males will, however, just lose their coloring if they get stressed. It, as always, depends on the fish. Some bettas are more dramatic than others. Though in Alex's case I would say it is because she is sick that she is so stressed out. Which is normal you just have to do everything you can to help her feel less stressed, and you're doing an excellent job thus far. If you want, you can add 1/4 to 1/2 a dose extra of the Stress Coat for her and see if that helps ease the stress. 

For the swim bladder problem, if you have unscented, undyed Epsom salt available, you can give Alex a "salt bath" when you change her water. Epsom salt is a good treatment for swim bladder and constipation (which both generally show the same symptoms of bloating, having trouble swimming, laying on the side, etc.) In a separate cup than the one you keep Alex in, dissolve 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt per gallon in warm water, wait till the water is the same temperature as the water that Alex is already in, and put her in there for 15-20 minutes. You can do this a couple times a day. Also, make sure you do your best to monitor her poops, so you may want to remove the substrate from her tank. 

If she's showing signs of new fins elsewhere, then keep up with the daily water changes and AQ salt. Hopefully the rest of the fins will start to show one way or the other what's going on with them. If you aren't seeing any more deterioration in the fins, then it just may be the coloring of her fins. I have a blue betta whose new fin growth has scared me a few times because it looks black when it first starts out but then in a week his tail is all healed. (He is a notorious tail biter, so I've gone through this a couple different times).


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## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

I've been worried about stress, so I opted to just withhold feeding and keep an eye out for constipation. Give that she's already showing stripes, would adding an epsom salt bath on top of daily water changes and AQ salt add further stress? 

I know SBD doesn't kill, do it seems wiser to let nature take it's course.

Today's picture update! Alex's pectoral fins are coming in nicely, and it seems like there's 1cm of new, transparent growth on the anal and caudal fins


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

Alex definitely seems to have a bit more color in this picture. I can see the black spots that you're talking about on her dorsal fin, and I think that might just be the coloring. I know that all of my blue bettas have had those spots in their fins, and my black and copper betta, Amaro has them as well. So long as they're not rotting away and they're not raised off the fin, I think it's safe to say it's the coloring. 

It's great that Alex's pectoral fins are growing in! That's a good sign, if I ever saw one. 

You can hold off on the salt bath for a couple of days, I think that's probably a good idea. If it persists, though after a couple days, I would try one or two baths. 

How is Alex swimming today? Any better than she has been?


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## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

It's a little better, but I think she's floaty again because I couldn't resist feeding her a tiny pellet. 

I'm going to fast all my bettas tonight and tomorrow morning -- It helps I won't be home tonight


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## Sagat (Dec 13, 2012)

Last update before Alex goes back to school (my son had a fever today, so no school for them).

He takes pellets, but not as eagerly as he took the brine shrimp.

Fin growth has been great and his caudal fin kinda hangs behind him a little.

Alex's SBD seems to have gone away after two epsom salt baths and a 1.5 day fast. Stress bands are faded from yesterday, but he's more lethargic and spends more time resting on the bottom of the tank now that he doesn't float all the time. However, I didn't do a water change today and that's usually when he's most active. I also didn't get to look at him until about the time his lights go out. He only had a dark cycle of about 8 hrs last night... can fish get sleep deprived? 

He also sometimes floats off the bottom of the tank, head first. That has me worried, since its new behavior I haven't seen before but he usually wakes up and rights himself again. (image 3)

Last night, around 12:30, he decided to stop swimming and just plopped down at the bottom of the tank. I can't decide whether he was attempting to sleep or expressing how poorly he feels. 

We also got him a little castle over the weekend. He seems to like it, since he'll hide in/under/near it. (last image)


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