# rescuing my first betta... uh oh



## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

Oh boy. So this male betta is 3 years old. He's never had conditioned water, he's never had more than one water change a week, he always acts dead, he had fin rot and fought it off on his own and now he may have dropsy. 

So we have a tank for him, but I don't know how to go about this. He's so used to crappy water conditions that I'm terrified he is gonna croak from shock. So... Yeah any suggestions? He needs tannins and API General Cure state. That's all I know. We're trying to prepare ourselves for picking him up Monday.


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## logisticsguy (Sep 7, 2012)

Oh Wow poor guy! Well I would get a hospital tank ready for him. Who know what he might have so a strong broad spectrum med like paraguard would be good. You may want to acclimate him to the hospital tank water slowly by floating him in a large cup and adding the new water slowly over a period of a few hours. Doing frequent water changes for a couple weeks and keeping him warm will help him greatly. If you have IAL you could get it soaking in warm water for some strong tannins. Good for you!


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

This is the one from the store I was telling you about. I kind of doubt he'll make it, but considering what he's fought through with no help, who knows. He also has the giant gene I think. He's friggin huge. Wish we had a bigger tank for him but I figured getting him better was more important.


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## logisticsguy (Sep 7, 2012)

You never know because he is a fighter just staying alive so far. Given good conditions and meds he could make it and surprise. I never underestimate the spirit in these guys. You should take some pics of him so can take a look and see what we are up against.


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Fill this out with both his previous conditions and his present conditions please-


Housing 
What size is your tank?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have a filter?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated?
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

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

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?

What makes you believe he has dropsy? Until we can diagnose him the best thing to do is super clean, warm water...acclimate him VERY slowly.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Noodle, wow. He's 3 years old and he's spent it all at a pet store? That's kind of . . . lousy store.

Well, since he's never had clean, conditioned water the first thing you'll want to do is acclimate him very carefully. I'd suggest using the drip method. 2 ways to do it.

1) Get a length of airline hose. Put the fish in a container with the water he was bagged in. Put one end of the hose into the tank that will be his new home and get a siphon going. Tie a knot in the hose until the flow is just a drip into his temporary container. Leave him like that, with the new water dripping gradually into his container, for about an hour. By then, the water should've doubled or so in volume and he should be sufficiently used to it to go into his new home.

2) If you don't have an airline hose, then every few minutes you can dribble about a tablespoon worth of new tank water into his temporary container. Do this until the water has doubled in volume. Then he should be ready to go.

After he's been in clean water (tannin stained is okay) for a day, get him started on his meds. General Cure and possibly add Kanaplex too. If he's really in bad condition, add 1 tsp of epsom salt per gallon too.

Now, since this guy has been in pretty bad conditions there's a possibility he's a carrier of a whole bunch of diseases and bugs so be very careful to not cross-contaminate anything with Tony. 

I hope the big guy lasts until Monday. Even if he doesn't make it, it would be nice if he could spend at least one day in clean water with someone who cares.


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

Alright, I think I can do that. I have eyedroppers I've dedicated to administering ammonia into my fishless cycling tank. I'll sanitize one and do the dribble method. 

Oh and he wasn't living in a pet store. It is a soap store who kept him as a sort of store pet. Regardless, the "care" he received there was sub-par. 

I have a question. After doubling the volume of his nasty water with clean water, do I transfer him into fully clean ter? I'm afraid his dirty water is toxic with nitrates, the tank he'sd in is coated oin brown algae.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yes, transfer him into the clean water. The drip method slowly adds in clean water to dilute the dirty water so that the shock of the transfer shouldn't be quite as bad. If you have any doubt, you can continue the drip method for even longer than an hour. I mean, some saltwater keepers will acclimate for 6 hours. :shock: 

When you first get him home, you may want to also add about a quarter cap of Seachem Prime (if you have it) to his shipping bag. Then transfer him into his holding container for the acclimation process.


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## Rana (Apr 27, 2013)

While you're acclimating him you could double the volume of water in his bag, and then take out around half the amount and start dribbling in fresh water again. That way instead of 1/2 old and 1/2 new water, he'll be in approx. 1/4 old and 3/4 new by the time you're done. And if you do it once more, it lessens the amount of old water even more. Best of luck, he sounds like a real fighter!


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

Everyone already gave awesome advice so I just wanna say that I'm hoping for him to make it  Best of luck!!


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

If any fish is too stubborn to die its him. Heplays dead when he sleeps. Lays on his side not moving at all and wont wake up for anything.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

That would scare the daylights out of me. Wow, Noodle, you sure do find the fish with the weird quirks.


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

Just wanted to say, bless you for giving love to a creature so small and easily over-looked.


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

We're going to do our best. I really hope we can do something for the tough little bugger.


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## logisticsguy (Sep 7, 2012)

How did you get him out of that store xnoodle? Did you bug them until they finally gave him up? You saved him from certain death, I just hope you got to him soon enough. Good luck and if you need anything just let me know.


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

Essentially I harassed them enough and slammed them with enough information to finally convince them to do the right thing. I hope we get him soon enough too. But the rest is in his little fishy hands. If any fish is going to fight dropsy it's him.


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## VJM (Feb 7, 2013)

Good for you! And good luck to him. If he at least gets some time in clean, warm water that must be like heaven.


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

Alright. He's here with us and we're working on his tank. Bloat is quite bad, so I'm hopeful that the dropsy is just caused by the bloating and parasites and not organ failure yet.


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## Minnieservis (Mar 12, 2013)

Oh good luck with him! I hope he makes it


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

Well, here he is, getting used to clear, tannin'd water before we start treating him tomorrow. His pineconing isn't great, though it's not awful. Super white poop (bad parasites), though he is inhaling food like a monster. I also never really realized how huge he is. He's a giant, veiltail, elephant ear. o.o Everyone, say hello to the huge, grumpy, angry, hungry, and sick Mr Handsome.


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## rmarkham (Oct 4, 2012)

Poor guy 

SCREW DROPSY! Seriously! 

 I hope he gets better for you!


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

No kidding. People mentioning dropsy to me has the effect that people mentioning cancer to me when my mom had it has. It just makes me inwardly enraged. Such BS that it happens and always happens to the most awesome fish out there... I just hope this big SOB can prove that you can fight it.


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

lol I submitted an entry to the grumpy betta contest. This 4-5 inch long monster can really look p***ed off.


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## rmarkham (Oct 4, 2012)

He's so pretty!


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

He kind of alarms me. I look to my left and I see little Gay Tony flitting about happily, all 1.5 inches of him. And then to my right I see Mr Handsome, sitting there staring at me like he wants to kill me. This 4.5 inch long leviathan waiting for his chance to taste blood again. Ahahaha


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## Auburn Sakura (Apr 7, 2013)

He's a beautiful fish, I hope he gets better and happier! Poor fellow. D We wish you the best of luck with him!


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## VJM (Feb 7, 2013)

He is beautiful! Sounds like you have your hands full.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

From that one pic, I don't see pineconing so that's a good sign.


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

I couldn't take a good picture of him. There is slight pineconing that you can see mostly close-up. It's not that bad yet, so I'm hopeful.


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

I wouldn't mess with him


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## Viva (Oct 18, 2012)

Wow! No water conditioner for THREE YEARS!? Thats terrible  I hope he pulls through for you.


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

So his dropsy'd scales have almost completely gone back down, his appetite is huge again, and he's flitting about in his tank. Still having some swimming issues which is either, I figure, SBD still or just old age. xD "Handsome Jack" as he's come to be known is really a stubborn old git. And it looks like he might just pull through.


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## rmarkham (Oct 4, 2012)

I demand more pictures!


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

By your command.








Look at that big cranky bugger. It's like he gave dropsy the finger.


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## rmarkham (Oct 4, 2012)

SO shimmery!

Is he a plakat? 

I'm glad he beat dropsy.


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

No he's a veiltail. He just is very camerashy. He won't let me take pictures from the side yet, as he's still getting used to me. I figure he'll be okay with it soon though. And yeah he's shimmery as hell. His fins are even starting to unclamp, and they've been clamped for like, a year.


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## Saphira101 (Nov 14, 2012)

Hope he makes it!

I'm so glad you took him in.  

Perhaps you could start a journal for his recovery?


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

AHaha the journal is pretty short. Warm water. API General Cure. Sunlight.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Wow, the little bugger looks fantastic! Looking at him, one would not guess the conditions he'd been in before you got him, Noodle. Way to go with him!


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

Thanks Sakura! Little bugger is even surfing when he sees me. His raised scales are literally no more.


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

Got a great photo of him today. He isn't clamping anymore, which shows off just how ragged and mangled his fins are after fighting off fin rot without any medication. But he's eating, surfing, flitting about, and not laying down like he was dead all the time. His bloat is almost gone, his raised scales are literally gone, and he's having less trouble swimming. Handsome Jack is a real fighter!


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## cheylillymama (Apr 30, 2013)

He's gorgeous!
How awesome


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## quietlythundering (Jan 29, 2013)

So gorgeous! It just goes to show that sometimes all they really need is warm, clean water and love. Why is that so hard for people to understand?


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

Sometimes all we can do isn't enough. But sometimes the fish is just to stubborn to die.


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## logisticsguy (Sep 7, 2012)

Good job sir! He is likely still in shock from being ammonia free for the first time in years.


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## quietlythundering (Jan 29, 2013)

"Stubborn Jack." I think that's what I'll name my next betta XD


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

So glad he's improving. It's amazing what some TLC can do for a sick animal.

My heart always fills up when I see people caring so much for the littlest animal ^___^

Yes, they're fish but even fish deserve a good life!


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

Always the best for my fishies. :3


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

So he's completely got his ventrals uncurled now. First time I've EVER seen him like this. He's happy, healthy, and bouncing back. What a CHAMP.


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## Auburn Sakura (Apr 7, 2013)

He's awesome! You're awesome! Glad he's doing well. He looks much better!


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

I'm excited. Our big tank's cycle FINALLY finished. So he's going in Tiny Tina's old tank (big compared to everything he's lived in)!


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## Auburn Sakura (Apr 7, 2013)

Awesome! I bet he'll love his new housing! ^.^


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

How happy IS Handsome Jack with his new tank? o.o
Happy enough that this morning he *made his first bubble nest ever!!!*


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## XxxXnoodleXxxX (Dec 1, 2012)

Big man's in Tiny Tina's old tank! 








HE LOVES IT. I've never seen him this happy.


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