# New "Tankmates"!



## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Thursday, I bought four plants and a moss ball at an aquarium shop near my ice skating rink. =] The moss ball is super-cute and feels like velvet. o.o I bought two bunches of cabomba (I think that's how you spell it), and they look so, so pretty! I also bought two of another plant... I can't quite remember what they're called. =/ They have roots and are very thin and grass-like.. I have all of them in a quarantine tank now that's probably two gallons, maybe 1.5. I thought I should probably quarantine them, since they were in other tanks.. And the other tanks had fish.. The cabomba was with the cutest little discus fish. o.o They looked like they had really adorable freckles and swam after the man's hand when he took out the cabomba. The grass-like plants were with other fish in a different tank. The staff there was really helpful and educated. I'm not sure how long I should leave the plants in "quarantine", but I'm sure Turbo will love them when they eventually get to his tank. =] The first gentleman who I spoke with suggested that I get some sand for the rooted plants, but I'm not sure about sand.. =/ I may just get a much smaller substrate for the area that will have the grass-like plants, but I heard that you can just "bury" the stems of the cabomba. They have three little metal clips on each of the bunches to hold them together. =] I loveee the way they look! The grass-like ones would be really cool to get a bunch of and put them together, like a little forest for him. I'm still trying to figure out a name for the moss ball; such a cute little guy! =]!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yay for moss balls! You're lucky you got cabomba. It's illegal in CA for some darn reason. You can just bury the stems of cabomba but for the grass, a fine substrate will be best. You can always put down sand and then some gravel over it. I'm sure Turbo will be very happy to have his moss ball pal.


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## Larkspur (Jun 26, 2011)

I really want to get a moss ball I think James would have fun pushing it around the tank!


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Thank you. =] I think that the grass-like plant may be a form of vallisneria (if I'm spelling that correctly). Maybe "Italian Val". I love the way that the cabomba looks, and I'm thinking about getting some more. =] They were only $2.99/bunch! Any idea on how long I should leave them in the quarantine tank? :/


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

You could leave the plants in quarantine for maybe a few more days if you want. I'm bad, I never bother to quarantine my plants. Just check yours for red worms or snails before putting them into the tank, but even if they have some, Turbo will probably just eat them.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Thanks. =) The plants look so cool. o.o I'm excited to see how he'll react to the moss ball; I'm still trying to find a name for it. I'm considering removing most of the artificial plants and just making everything natural in there for him. I sincerely doubt that he could tear his fins on actual plants..or a moss ball. Lol. That would be awkward. "How did your betta tear his fin?". "A moss ball.. >.>". xD So weird. I've heard that plants help keep ammonia levels down, as well. I wonder if you can have too many plants, aside from over-populating.. Do plants have any negative effects? Would they affect how I clean the tank? I siphon the gravel, and two of my plants have roots. =/


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

There is a theory that moss balls are trying to take over the world and that some of them have mouths that bite. ;-) My moss ball Floofi now looks like Pacman. 

Sounds like what you want to do is a natural planted tank (NPT). You really can't have too many plants but you do need to have the right kinds. I know a little about plants but if you really want to set up a good NPT, the best person to contact is Oldfishlady. She knows plants inside and out. 

As far as I know there aren't really negative side effects to having plants. They can make your nitrate levels a little higher but they will make your ammonia levels lower. To clean the substrate with plants, you can gravel vac as usual wherever you don't have plants. When you need to clean near the plants, just hover the gravel vac over the surface. It will pick up most of what needs to be cleaned out. The rest will be used by the plants as fertilizer/food.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Okay. =] Thanks. I went back to the aquarium store and found out the name of the grass-like plant. It's isoetes quill. So, I have two isoetes quill, two cabomba, and one moss ball. =]


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Well... I changed water today and added some cabomba and the moss ball. The moss ball finally stopped floating. xD I put it in about an hour ago. Its sooo cute! Turbo hasn't really noticed it. I put a bunch of cabomba in and a single "branch" of it in, as well. He's already swimming through it and seemed to nip it. =] My brother and sister keep going into my room when I'm at work. -_- They decided to shred the other cabomba bunch; only one "branch" of it was salvagable, from what I could tell. =( I'm not sure about the isoetes quill.. They decided to bury the roots of it, which I've heard isn't advisable. So, I unburied them, but I haven't added them yet, because I'm not sure if they messed those up, as well... Unfortunately, I dropped two of the safest artificial plants in the sink while pouring out the old, icky water.. So, I haven't put them in yet, so Turbo's tank looks pretty...empty. I'm pretty sure he notices it. Lol. For a while, the moss ball was on the side of the tank with the filter, so it was getting stuck to the intake tube. I finally put the panty hose on it. =] It doesn't look too bad; it actually blends in pretty well. The only thing is..it was waterproof, apparently. So, it took a while to rinse it off. I actually stuck the piece into the gallon of dechlorinated water for a while to get it all wet and "cleansed". I can't wait until I can get more cabomba! I'm thinking about some other plants, too. I already love these. =)


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Cabomba grows really fast too. When a piece of Cabomba gets tall, just snip the top off and plant it. Instant new Cabomba.  Oh, about the moss ball. Once a week, take it out and squeeze it over a bucket to get all the old dirty water out. Then kinda roll it around in your hand a bit to keep it round. 

Why on earth did your siblings shred the other cabomba bunch?


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Thank you for the tips. =] I'll definitely be needing them. I'm not sure why they did.. They can be pretty mean. =[ At least, the cabomba I have left seem to be flourishing. One of the "stalks" is almost to the top of the tank already. o.o Quick little things... Turbo seems to enjoy them and swimming through them. I don't blame him; they look like they'd be fun to swim through. Very soft. =) I do feel kind of bad for the moss ball, though..  He's kind of been ignoring it.. But it's just sooo adorable!!! I go back to the aquarium store tomorrow!!  It's one of the highlights of my week now. I may get some more cabomba. I don't want to get too much, though. The stuff really can grow!!
It's* <--- Correction from prior post.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

You're so lucky you can get cabomba.  It's considered a noxious weed in California so it's banned here. And hurray for trips to fish stores. 

My betta ignores my moss balls too. Some bettas love them and some could care less. My bettas apparently are moss ball snobs.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Noxious weed. Lol. Makes it sound like a drug. Turbo seems to be more interactive with the moss ball now. =] Not much, but he knows it's there. I really want to get some more cabomba, but I'll have to wait at least a week. I have another purchase in mind for today. Female betta! Yay!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Post pics of your new girl.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I wish I could do pictures! She's the most precious little girl! She's Cambodian in color (I hope I got that terminology correct...), so she's like an off-white with red-ish fins. And she has a bit of red-ish around her head. She has adorable ventral fins. I can't get over how cute they are! And her eyes.. She has these huge, expressive little eyes (Yes, I know; I used "huge" and "little" in the same sentence, describing the same things.. Lol.). Still trying to think of a name for her. I want to go with the outer space theme.. Like Comet.. I said I was going to name my next fish Cosmo (Comet + Turbo = Cosmo), but...she's a girl. Lol. Maybe...Luna? I don't know..


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

She sounds adorable! I'm glad she found a good home with you and Turbo. Luna is a pretty name. Or Nova. Wow, naming is tough, isn't it?


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Very tough. I think that my sister was hungry. She wanted to name her Cherry..or Strawberry...Or Raspberry... xD Or..something else, but I can't remember. I finally put her in the tank. Her own, of course. She's intensely active. The only thing I'm concerned about is the heating.. The thermostat says eighty-two degrees, which is warmer than Turbo's tank, but I think it may be fluctuations, because I added and removed a lot of water to try to stabilize the temperature.. So, I wouldn't fry her..or freeze her.. I do have one of those mini heaters (Hydro Mini). I'm afraid to turn it on tonight, though; I don't want the water too hot for her. She seems to enjoy it the way it is.. But I don't want to wake up in the morning and have a fish-sicle.. :/


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

The Hydor minis. They're the flat ones, right? Hmm. If it's been on for a while and 82 is the hottest it gets, then you should be okay leaving it plugged in. What I usually do is leave it plugged in until I go to bed and then unplug it. If the temp is warm enough and the house is warm enough, it should take all night for the tank to cool off, giving you plenty of time to wake up and plug in the heater in the morning. How big is her tank?


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Yes, one of those. It says it's made for two-to-five-gallon tanks, the smallest I could find. I don't have it plugged in at the moment, because I was concerned about it getting too hot, since that was the issue with the water at first; it was almost at ninety (Eek!). Her quarantine tank is two gallons, but it has a little bit of small gravel in it, so it's a bit less, actually. It will be her temporary home for a while; then, I'm dividing my ten-gallon and putting her in with Turbo.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Utimately, what I ended up doing with my Hydor Mini was plugging and unplugging it as needed to keep the temp stable. I'm sure she's a happy girl with you.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Thank you. =] It ended up being on all day, and the temperature is at about seventy-seven, which is close to where Turbo's tank stays. It's supposed to keep it heated a few degrees above the ambient temperature, so it's doing a good job. =] It's kind of cold in our house, or I think so, anyway. Do you think I should unplug it tonight? Or should I just leave it plugged in to keep the temperature at seventy-seven? I fed her this morning! She ate three tiny granules, and it was sooo cute. I got my mother and sister in the room to watch, because it was so adorable!!! I can't get over how cute her little ventral fins are. I thought of the name Celeste today.. I feel so bad that she's not named yet...  I just call her Little Girl Fish, for now. Lol.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

77 is about right. It can even go up to 80. If the heater is keeping it right about there without overheating, then you can leave it plugged in if you feel comfortable enough with it.

 It took me so long to name one of my guys that his named ended up being Anonymous.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Lol. I thought about that name, too, actually. Anon, for short.. I think... I'm going with Celeste... Maybe. I got her a tiny plant. Her bowl looked lonesome. She and Turbo are interacting. =] It's sooo cute!!! She has so much personality. Oh... By the way, there may be other tankmates... There were some snails attached to the plants.. Lol. So cute. And I'm thinking.. Purple cabomba for her side and the original cabomba for Turbo's side. =)


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Celeste. Ooh, I really like that. It's a good name if you decide to stick with it. Haha, it's fun watching the guys and girls interact. Sometimes the girl will flare up and the male will actually cower. 

If you get purple cabomba, get a plant fertilizer like Seachem Flourish. Purple cabomba is a little harder to grow than regular cabomba but if you can get it to grow, it will look super pretty.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

The only thing is that it means "sky blue" in Spanish, which she's not. Lol. Still cute, though. They take turns staring at one another. She'll watch him swim around while he ignores her. Then, he'll stare at her and she'll ignore him. I just saw him blow a bubble. I had an idea, but I don't know how well it would work out.. When I divide the tank, I could have Turbo on one side and her on the other. Then, I thought that I could get another female or two later on to go with her, like a miniature sorority. I'm just worried that it wouldn't be enough room. Plus, I've never tried a sorority before.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Celeste can also mean heavenly or starry in Latin.  

Mmm, the minimum recommended size for a sorority is a full 10g (that's what my sorority is in). You can always start out with the tank divided and then move Turbo to his own tank later on and turn the 10g into a sorority in the future. When you do decide to start a sorority, just let me know if you need any help getting it started.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

My problem is that the largest tank allowed in college is a ten-gallon.  They don't limit the amount of fish, just the size of the tank. I noticed that most of the sororities were in ten-gallon tanks, so I was just curious. Any ideas what I should do with the snails? :/


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Oh, that's right, you got some hitchhikers with your plants, didn't you? You can keep them and they'll eat algae and other junk but they may also nibble on your plants. And pond snails breed worse than rabbits.  So you'll either have to remove a bunch of snails every few weeks to keep the population down, or you'll have to smush 'em now before they get established. :/ If you do want "pet" snails, I definitely suggest nerite snails. They eat algae like champs and they can't breed in freshwater so you don't have to worry about them overruning the tank.

Bummer about the 10g limit. So you can basically only have the 1 10g tank. Yeah, I really wouldn't recommend trying a sorority in anything but a 10g and up. But you could always divide the 10g and then get some pet snails or shrimp for each side.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I don't know what type of snails I have; there are only two. They have dark bodies and dark brown shells.. Any ideas? :/


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

They're almost definitely pond snails. Those are notorious for coming in on live plants. It's up to you if you want to try and keep them or smush 'em.  Good luck with them!


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Uh-oh. o.o I've heard bad things about pond snails.. We have a pond nearby, but I'm assuming it would be a reallyyy bad idea to set them free there. Lol. They're so cute.. Maybe I'll give them to my little sister as pets; she's been wanting a hermit crab...


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Haha, you can give them to your sister and say it's the gift that keeps on giving because those two pond snails will multiply like crazy.  She'll have 40 before she knows it.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Lol. She's seven; she'd probably enjoy them. =] I would, too, but I can't really keep them in my aquarium and let them take over. Lol. Cute snails, though. The little girl flared at me. =] With her little gills and no beard, and it was sooo precious!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Aren't girls so cute flaring? Someday when you have the space, you should definitely have a sorority. Nothing is more fun than watching the girls interact.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

They are! She has so much personality. I can't wait for Turbo to get better! Once he's all healed up, I can put them in the ten-gallon and divide it.  Sooo excited!!! I know she'll just love all of the extra space. She has the oddest way of sleeping.. I thought she was dead, at first. xD She puts her head in this plant and puts her little butt up in the air. LOL. Then, you get worried, so you wake her up, and she flares and glares at you. Adorable.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Everyone always says females have no color and are boring but I find them to be almost more interesting than the males. She sound so adorable sleeping!


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

She is so precious. =] She comes up and flares at me. And she looks so little because of her shorter fins! She's like a baby. Lol. I can't wait to get her into the ten-gallon!! I'm having some issues, though. I had to take out the live plants from Turbo's tank to do the treatment with aquarium salt, so I put in two of the artificial plants, the two safest ones. And I could see a little new growth on some of his fins, so I was getting all excited.  Then, he ripped them again. -_- I'm seriously considering putting him in the two-gallon and her in the ten-gallon for a while.. But, since he's been in there, I don't know how much of the water I'd have to change to ensure that she doesn't get fin rot. That makes me reallyyy nervous. Her fins are so little compared to his; fin rot must travel faster on females. She's very active and vibrant; I'd hate for her to get sick. =[


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

If you can, probably change close to 75-90%. Just make sure your filter stays wet (take it out and put it in a bucket if you have to). As long as your girl doesn't have any open wounds or tears, she shouldn't be in any danger of getting fin rot even if there is some bacteria left in the water. 

Girls are so much fun, aren't they?


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Yes, they are. =] I just finished one of the most dramatic water changes I've ever done.. -_- By that, I mean poor Turbo is a drama king and didn't like my plan.. Lol. I went to Walmart earlier to get a treatment tank for him, and the most appropriate size I could find was probably close to .8 gallons.. So, I decided I'd kind of float it in the tank so that the surrounding tank water would keep it warm, and he'd stay in there to make it easier to treat his fin rot. =] Sounded like a good plan. I was happy with it. He wasn't.. Soooo... Back to the ten-gallon he went, but the .8-ish-gallon on its side is making a very nice cave for him. Lol.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

XD That's a betta for you. If it's easy, convenient, and makes sense, a betta will immediately show his disapproval for it. But at least you were able to find a use for the .8g tank.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

He likes it a lot. Lol. He adores caves. Now he has a big one and a small one. =] And he and the female betta bonded!!! It was sooo cute. He was all panicky. And she was watching him. And he started staring at her. Then, they started taking turns staring at one another and looking away whenever the other one noticed. Then, he started swimming around, and she followed him. It was so, so cute. =)! My sister told me that she thought my female fish was pregnant. xD I think she's what you'd call "eggy"... Must be happy..


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Some female bettas are just permanently eggy. As long as her behavior is okay, it's eggy and not bloating or anything serious. It can be kind of hard to tell sometimes in the females.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

That's one of the main reasons that caused me to be nervous about getting a female. Lol. She's super-active. And I think I see her..ovipositor..? Something like that... She acts perfectly normal and cute. =] The ovi-"thing" is the little...thing...just behind the ventrals, right?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Little white thing sticking out? Yup, that's the ovipositor. It'll stick out all the time but it may be more prominent at times depending on how eggy she gets.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Yes, that! If I look closely, I can see it. Since I'm not going to breed her right now, will she just..stay eggy? Or will she "pass" the eggs?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

She may always look kinda eggy - some females do. But if you've had her in view of Turbo a lot and she realizes she's not breeding, she may drop her eggs. Unless you actually witness this though, you may never know she did it because the fish almost always turns around and eats the eggs. Apparently, it's a good source of protein.  After she eats the eggs, there's a chance she'll pass "eggy poo" for several days. This poo is usually off-whitish and long and stringy and can go on forever. During this time, she might seem like she's sick and she may not eat. One of my girls did this to me and I was freaking out. After a week of epic almost non-stop eggy pooing, she was back to normal and I never let her set eyes on one of my males again, the little hussy. XD


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Lol. She's where she can see Turbo, I think.. But they don't really interact much or anything. She just swims around with her belly and ovipositor showing. And flares. And is super-cute.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

If she continues to get eggy, then maybe move her or put something up so she can't seem him for a while. It could be getting her hopes up.  "I'm gonna be a mom? Really? Really? I'm not? Awww."


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Awwwww. That seems sad. =[ My mom was looking at her today, and she was looking at my mom. And she was talking about how cute her little black beady eyes were. Everyone thinks she's just adorable. I wish I could get pictures of her.  I really wish I could put them in the ten-gallon now. Patience will pay off eventually, I'm sure.. I've decided to name her Luna.  I called her name, and she wiggled.. Such cuteness.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I love the name Luna. It fits her well. I love the eyes on females. They're more expressive than the eyes on males, I think.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

They certainly look bigger.. Turbo's eyes were pretty intense today when he was staring at me after I put him in the little tank.. He's still angry.. The salt wasn't working out with him, so I'm really hoping that just clean water and a smaller tank, for now, will help him out.. I feel so bad for him and his little fins.  The girl (Now, I have to get used to calling her by her name instead of "female fish" or "girl fish". Lol.) is darting around her tank, all cute-like.. And he's just kind of swimming around and taking his time. Lol. Poor guy. He tries to get out for a while. Then, he rests. Then, he tries again.. =[ I feel pretty guilty about putting him in the little container.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Just keep telling yourself it's for his own good, it's for his own good. One thing you could try is to get 8 cup Gladwares at the grocery store. Because they have a frosted bottom, he can't see the tank outside and he might be calmer. But the downside is the small size means changing it twice a day. They float quite well, though.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I don't think I could do the twice-a-day water change, honestly. =[ I have so much going on. He's been in the little mini tank for a while now... He absolutely refused to be in any salt... I've been doing 100% water changes daily.. But his fins don't seem to be getting any better.  They're not getting any worse, on the positive side.. Maybe, they're getting better so slowly that I can't tell, especially because there's no salt.. I don't know. But it's so sad. =(


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Turbo, Turbo, you shouldn't make so much work for Comet. 

One way to make small-tank water changes go faster is to premix the water and conditioner in a big gallon jug. Then you just dump the water out and pour. 

Does he have big blackened edges still or is it possibly still tailbiting?


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## abdullah79 (Dec 16, 2011)

*Today i bought a new tank*

I bought a new tank today and i am so happy that i can finally take my turtles and fishes separately.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

You're lucky your turtle didn't make a meal of your fishies. It happened to a friend of mine. And hurray for new tanks!


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I figured that out; that's how I do my water changes now, since I'm usually pressed for time. =] I'm not sure.. His fins look ragged.. Like, someone took scissors and clipped them to make frills and accidentally made a few little tiny triangles.. Like.... ||||||\/\\\\\|||||| Yeah, I realize that's not the best description... But I'll try to get some pictures. Not sure how well it will work.  My computer's been having some major issues.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)




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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I'm pretty sure he's been tailbiting. If he had fin rot, the edges would be blackened and he would have lost huge chunks of fin at a time.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

They still look kind of shredded, though. The anal and dorsal fins are affected, too.  I don't know how he could have gotten to them.. They just look kind of like.. Peeling a little bit of cheese of of those string cheese sticks.. Sorry; best thing I could think of. Yes, I'm hungry. Lol. And his pectoral fins look marbled, I guess. That's what I always thought it was.. I doubt that they have fin rot. If they can get it. Lol.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

It's truly amazing how flexible these guys are. Most of the time, we never see them bite but they do it. I had one that took off almost everything. Dorsal, anal, tail, part of his ventrals. It was incredible. All in two hours. So who knows how Turbo is really managing it but it sure sounds like he is.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

He probably is. Lol. He definitely isn't tearing them now. I'm considering just putting him back in the ten-gallon, because I'm afraid of him getting depressed; he's not that active now, and I think it may be due to the tinier container. :[ Probably feels sad and like he's being punished. I noticed some weird stuff, though.. So, I put off putting him back in the ten-gallon.. First of all, he looked a little bloated and seemed to be having a little trouble swimming.. I was planning on seeing how he was doing later and using some epsom salt if I needed to, but it wore off, and he doesn't seem bloated any more; it must have just been the pellets. He's used to granules, but my twenty-month-old sister decided it would be fun to pour them all out... -_-..... How cute.... This is going to sound super-weird and awkward... But.. He had a string of bubbles...coming up from where he'd eliminate waste.... And the floated to the top... And the string was still attached.. And they were really tiny, tiny bubbles.. And it was weird. Do you think bettas can pass gas, maybe? :/ Idk.. But..yeah. Awkwarddd... Moving on! And he had weird things on his fins.. Like..strings but with a little fluff. And I knew that was bad and changed his water quickly... And they went away... And came back... Now, they're gone.. :/ Again..without me changing his water this time.. I wonder if it's just something in the water? >.> This is totally driving me insaneee... Plus, I work more than full-time now.. So, I get home and I'm all, "Ahhhh... Water changes...again...". xD


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

String of bubbles from his . . . oh-kay, yeah, that's a new one on me. XD 

The strings of fluff could have been some excess slime coat that came off. That happens sometimes.

You must be tired after all those water changes.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Yeah; I texted my friend and was all, "Umm.. Awkard question... Can bettas..uh...flatulate?".. And he was all, "I don't know.. xD". xD So.. Maybe, it's one of life's great, unanswered questions. Lol. He's very swimmy at the moment.. He stops and rests every now and then.. His fins are still all...eh..  So.. Do you think I could put him back in the ten-gallon tomorrow? =] And get a divider... And put them together. o.o...  Yes, I'm completely exhausted!! I work about forty hours a week. And they're like...seven-hour, eight-hour, nine-and-a-half-hour...sometimes TWELVE-HOUR...shifts... The seven-hour shifts are the short ones. xD


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I think he should be fine in the 10g. Get him in, get them settled, and go get some rest.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Woo!!! I am SO excited!  Okay; question.. I've not changed the water in the ten-gallon since I've had him in his little mini tank. But there is still water in it, where he is in the mini tank _in_ the ten-gallon tank.. The filter's been running the whole time, and I've not had any other fish in it, of course. Not yet.. So, would I have to do a water change on the like.... Forty-or-so-percent of water that is in the ten-gallon tank? Or just add new water? Because I don't think the ammonia level could go up without a fish or something in the water.. :/ And I think the new water might just even it out, kind of.. Plus, I don't want little Luna to get sick. =[ She's so cute and bubbly. Lol.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

How much new water would you be adding in? If the 10g is like half full or a little above half full, then just adding new water would probably count as a water change.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

It seems to be about.. 40-45% full.. But that's with the mini tank in it. Once I take out the mini tank, it may be about 30-35% full. I had to take out water to make sure that the mini tank would stay in it without floating away like a little boat. xD


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yeah, they do that when the water is too full. Or tip over. Smart idea to keep it from sailing away.  Then yeah, I'd definitely say just fill it on up. Add enough dechlorinator to treat the whole 10g though. And you're good to go.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I usually just fill it up using gallon jugs. So, would it be okay to treat each gallon and add it? Or should I put untreated gallons in there, _then_ add the dechlorinator?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Treat each jug. I use Prime so for me, it's 2 drops per gallon.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Alright. So, I'll just fill it up like I normally do. I got the divider Thursday. =]! It does feel a little rough on one side, which kind of worries me.. Do you think that would be a problem?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Put Luna on the side that's a little rougher. She's less likely to rub against it trying to get to Turbo. Males will swim closer and flare a lot. You can also try putting cabomba in front of it so they can't get as close.

Happy New Year.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Thank you! Happy New Year to you, as well. I tried to put Turbo in the ten-gallon.. <.> Didn't go well.. So, back to the hospital tank. I have no idea what's going on with him now.. Ugh.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

How did it not go well? 

Some bettas don't like big tanks. Weird, I know, but they prefer smaller tanks. I wonder if Turbo is one of them?


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I posted a new thread on what happened in Betta Fish Diseases and Emergencies. So far, it seems to have just been stress. And he must be losing more slime coat again this morning.. Do bettas lose slime coat after being significantly stressed? Or can it just be a random thing? Anyway, he's _still_ in the hospital tank. I had to re-empty the ten-gallon last night to put the hospital tank back in there..at around two in the morning... And, worst of all, I couldn't use my fish bucket!!! So, I had to use his water change container.. And I had to scoop out about the equivalence of 1/4 of a gallon..walk to the kitchen...pour it out....walk back to my room...scoop out more water...walk back to the kitchen... And so forth and so on. -_- But he's pretty much gotten his color back, from what I can see. I was so excited about putting him back in his ten-gallon.. =( -Sigh-


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I'm so sorry all that happened in the middle of the night. I'll go hunt down your thread in the Diseases section.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Turbo's back in his ten-gallon! Still not looking any better.  I saw more white on the tips of his fins, but different.. So, I guess, even more slime coat coming off... =( But his fins still look bad.. He has more space, though, and I need to get more stuff for his tank today so he'll feel more secure. I'm experiencing some trepidation when it comes to adding Luna. One part of me is like, "ADD HER! You knowww you want to!!! You've been waiting so longgg!!!".. And the other part wants to wait until Turbo's fins seem to be getting better..


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Which fins have the white tips? A lot of bettas develop white tips on their ventral fins, which are the two long fins that hang down. Hmm. I wonder what's up with the boy.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

The white tips are on the ventral fins and have been for quite some time. On the other fins, excluding the pectoral fins, white stuff will appear.. And go away.. It usually doesn't last long at all, so I've been thinking it was just slime coat coming off. He's not as active, but he's more active than he was in the mini tank. Maybe, he'll get more active once I get more cover for his tank. It looks kind of bare in there, honestly.. =[ I'm sure it makes him feel insecure, and he probably doesn't want to move much and draw attention to himself when he doesn't have much cover. Maybe?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I'm guessing the white tips on his ventrals are normal and the white tips on the rest of his fins may be either slime coat as you thought or new growth that comes in after he bites his fins. I hope he perks up for you.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I'm pretty excited, because I think I saw some new growth yesterday night! =D Woo!!!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yay! Hope he keeps it up.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I looked at his fins again.. And the tiny white tips on some of his caudal fin are still there. I'm 99% sure it's new growth. It sure looks like it. !!!! SO happy!


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