# Rescued Walmart Bettas Need Your Help



## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Hi,

Last night at Walmart I saw two Bettas in the most disgusting conditions and poorest shape I bought them and brought them home thinking I could try and save them, or maybe just give them a happier place to be in their last days. I have called and complained several times before to the store manager, and my complaints fall on deaf ears so I rescued them myself... I have no idea what I am doing! I don't know anything about Betta care, and I am dealing with two very sick boys. I hope someone can advise me.

The first (Stumpy) has an inflamed right gill which is red and sore looking. It is wide open, and inside I can see a sort of black velvety fold of skin. His eyes are almost completely black and he has no discernable pupils. His scales look a little rough, but not what I would label Dropsy based on the examples I have seen online. Since I changed his water, I also now see long stringy clear "wormy" looking things hanging from his gills, side fins, top fins and tail... basically everywhere... I don't know if these are new, or if they were just not visible in the filthy water they were previously in... He floats around a bit, but hangs out near the bottom for the most part. He pops up and grabs a mouthful of air from the top every now and then.

The second (Red) is in better shape but still not great. He also has the rough looking scales. His colors are dark, but he also has black splotches all over his coat. Since changing him into a clean bowl I see that he also has a few of the "wormy" things hanging from him, but nowhere near as many as Stumpy had. he floats very lethargically around the top of the bowl.

I read different forums and sites late into the night last night, and many advised Amicillin but none of the 3 stores I went to today stocked this and one told me that no one stocked this anymore. He sold me Betta fix which he proclaimed would fix everything that could possibly be wrong with the fish. 

To answer the forum questions:

Housing 
What size is your tank?
I don't have one for them -- yet. Right now they are in two large bowls, one is about a gallon and the other about 2 gallons

What temperature is your tank?
No heater, just a bowl.

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 until they are healed, then I may put one in my tank with a Danio and Catfish... But it's only a 10 gal tank, so I am concerned about space...

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
Betta fish pellets

How often do you feed your betta fish?
Only had them 24 hours, but plan to feed once a day.

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change?
Just did a complete change today as their water was cloudy and had a thick layer of food and poop on the bottom of the cup. I would guess that it had been weeks and weeks since it was last changed.

What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
I did a 70% change last night, and this morning I had room temperature distilled water so I did a full change.

What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?
I followed the bottle dosage of Stress Coat (using some complex fractions a calculator and a scratch pad to figure out the dosage for each bowl)


Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
Don't have the tools to test water.

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)? 

All of these are answered above.


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## TaylorW (Sep 4, 2010)

Don't use distilled, use tap with declorinator in it. Something to remove chlorine and heavy metals, like API stress coat or Seachem Prime. Tap water is better because it has minerals and nutrients and stuff the fish need in it. Pick up some aquarium salt too, this will help boost their immune system! Only use it for 10 days straight though. Try to get 25 watt adjustable heaters for them when you can,warmer water will speed up the healing process!

You're doing a good job with your water changes, since you have 1 to 2 gallon containers, keep changing the water 100% every 2 days! You might want to consider doing it once a day to try to keep them clean so they can heal.

I wouldn't use the medicine you got at the petstore yet, it sounds like they have ammonia poisoning or something along those lines. Hopefully someone more experienced than me can help you out, good luck with your new fish!!


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## TaylorW (Sep 4, 2010)

If your fish is already in the medicine, I would remove him, most of these betta fixes and fast cures are not beneficial and can make them even worse.


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Hi Taylor, Thanks so much for your reply. Unfortunately I am in an area with super bad council water... very limey. And I don't have a water softener. For one bowl I used water that I put through my new Brita pitcher, and the other I used bottled Dasani water which is not spring, but distilled. I figured it was the best way to get quick clear water as I could'nt bare leaving them in that filth another minute. Even the 70% change i did last night didn't help as you can see in the pictures above (taken before the 100% water change). I did add Stress Coat to both bowls though.

I hope this isn't a dumb question, but can I use aquarium salt in a bowl? How much would you recommend in bowls of this size (1gal and 2gal) These are just temp homes until I see if they pull through. Can I use a heater in bowls this small? Being in Texas it's still super hot here and we set our a/c to cool us down to a constant 78 in my house. Will this do?

Unfortunately I dosed their new bowls before I moved them so they've been in the Bettafix medicated water all afternoon.

I just took some new pics and it looks like the stringy bits have fallen off. 

Another thing... I have been looking at some pictures and other questions posted here and now I am concerned that they may be a little bloated in the belly for fish so small. I don't know what is "normal" though so I would appreciate advice on this.

Do I change their water now again because of the Betta fix? It will be their 2nd full change today, 3rd change of more than 70% in the last 24 hours. I don't want to over stress them.. 

Sorry for all the questions! I just really want to do right by them after the bad start they had. 

THANK YOU!


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## TaylorW (Sep 4, 2010)

Hi!! :-D I'm pretty new to fish myself, but I do know a bit of basic advice.

I know that they sell stuff that you can add to the distilled water to replace the lost minerals, but unfortunately I don't know what it's called :-( Hopefully someone better with fish can chime in here!

78 degrees is fine, I think most people keep their bettas somewhere between 76 and 82 degrees, so if room temperature is 78 they'll be fine for now.

I've not heard of Bettafix being an effective treatment for anything, and if you don't know what you're treating medicine is not a good thing. As soon as you can get some more distilled water, I would change it and just Stress Coat.

As for the stringy bits and the possible bloating,can you post your new pictures? The stringy stuffy and bloating can be symptoms of different things, so a photo would be helpful. Once again, hopefully someone that deals more with diseases than me can help diagnose!

I'm not positive if they need an immediate water change, I've never used betta fix, and I'm not sure which is worse, stress or meds! :-?

I'm sorry I'm not much help, but I'll try to answer all I can! I hope someone more experienced than me shows and gives you some advice!


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Even with the hard water I would still use it or mix 50/50 with the bottled water...the water from the home water treatment (Brita) is worse than your tap water I am sad to say....all it does is change one Ion for another that is far worse on them than the tap water.
Your goal is a stable environment/pH and hardness-they usually will adapt without any problem to hard water since they are a domesticated fish that has never seen its natural habitat....my water is really hard too with a high pH-I have to soften it to spawn some species of tropical fish but not with the Betta

Even with the use of bottled water-you need to use a dechlorinator-bottled water is not regulated and often it is just filtered tap water and can still contain chlorine/chloramines that are harmful to fish-the filtering process also can remove the needed mineral the fish needs for good health and overall well being as Taylor mentioned-you can use additives like Equalibrium by Seachem...but tap or 50/50 mix wold be best for the fish in general.

For treatment-I would do 100% daily water changes for several days and hold all food-if you have any live mosquito larva to feed since you are in Texas that would be good and helpful as well-also if you have any dried oak leaves to add that will help too with both stress related problems and the fins.

If he is bloated along with the fin issue I would use Epsom salt 1tsp/gal 
If it is just fins I would use aquarium salt 1tsp/gal

Both treatment I would do 100% daily water changes for 10 days-Hold food for the first 3 days and then offer half feeding twice a day every-other day during treatment.

I like to premix my salt in a clean 1gal jug to make water changes and correct dosage easier and steep the oak leave in as well

The container you have will work fine for the treatment process-I like to keep the water temp in the 76-77F range during treatment-if I see any floating problems I like to add plastic veggie wrap over the top to keep the air above the water warm and humid, light out in a low traffic location

You have to be careful raising the temp too high with an already compromised fish that came from neglected conditions like yours...it can cause other problems

Good luck-you got your work cut-out for you and hope to see some pic soon


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

The things hanging off of them that you saw earlier were likely pieces of their slime coat that they shed due to the high ammonia content of the water they were in. 

OFL gave good advice, the only suggestion I might add is for pure methylene blue if you can find it. It helps soothe ammonia poisoning and will help prevent secondary infections--it can be difficult to find these days, however. Try not to change a whole bunch of things at once--you will want to add heat and any additives like aquarium salt and/or epsom salt very gradually.


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Hi,

Thanks again for all your advice! I did a bit more reading last night and I found out about the slime coat. Boy is that scary to see if you don't know what it is!

Well, I left them overnight as they were, in the Bettafix treated water. This morning the water was pretty cloudy again, and stringy bits and odds and ends floating around the tank. So I cleared most of the water... I did about 80% because they were pretty freaked and I didn't want to distress them any more than is necessary. I figured 80% is better than nothing. I used stress coat as it was all I had in the house and unfortunately I used Britta water again.

Today I went out and bought more supplies. I got a chlorine treatment, aquarium salt, they didn't have blood worms, so he suggested frozen brine or white worms... I chose the brine. I did this because I was concerned that they really aren't eating much at all. I cut a pellet in half and last night I tried to feed them each a half, both sucked them in, and spat them out. I thought I would try something more tempting today. But you say to skip another day of feeding. Today will be day 2 that I know of, not sure when last they were fed in Walmart, but there was a ton of rotting food on the bottom of the cups.

I also got a little tank set up so that I am prepared to move one of them into more permanent digs when the time is right. I have that cycling now (I am learning so much!) and I used regular tap water with treatment. It's a 1.5gal tank with a small filter. How much aquarium salt should I use in a tank this small?

Right now they're in large bowls for treatment, my husband informs me that my imperial measurement skills leave much to be desired (we use metric in my home country) and when I estimated that they were in 1 and 2 gal bowl last evening I WAY overshot. While the bowls are MUCH bigger than the little cups they came in, he says one is about a gallon and the other is about a half gallon. But since we're having gill issues with Stumpy I haven't filled it up too much, I want to make it easy for him to access surface air which he does frequently. How much aquarium salt should I add to these? Should I add some salt today, or do that tomorrow with the next water change?

Red, (the healthier of the two) is moving around quite a bit today and if I hadn't seen where he came from I would think he was hunky-dory. Do I keep him quarantined until he makes some bubbles and eats a little? I am probably putting the cart before the horse here, but I want to be sure that he is healthy before I move him into the new tank and want to be clear on what type of behavior I should be hoping for.

Updated pics below. This afternoon there was a sunbeam coming through the window right across their bowls. They seemed to like it and both went to that side of the bowls, but I Googled pretty quickly just in case and discovered that Betta's do not like sun... so I moved them. 

The full bowl in the sun pic is Red. As is the one with my curious cat peeking in. The very sad looking little guy in the close up shot is Stumpy who has the inflamed gill as you can see.

EDITED: to replace pictures as they were HUGE.


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

Oh my, if they're in such small containers you should be changing the half gallon one every day and the one gallon container every other day. You might find it easiest to go out and purchase a couple rubbermaid/sterilite plastic storage bins--they're safe to use with heaters, super easy to clean, and they're really cheap. A 4 gallon bin is usually about $3 at WalMart, so once you're done treating your fish you can repurpose them around the house or throw them out. I use them all the time for quarantine tanks/hospital tanks and for keeping guppy fry. They are ideal for treating sick bettas because they are long and shallow as opposed to tall, so they get lots of swimming space without having to expend lots of effort going to the surface to breathe. You also won't need to change the water as often in a larger container. 

I hate to break it to you about your new 1.5G container, but if you can, I would return it and get something a bit larger. The cycle in a small container would be very difficult to keep stable--due to the frequency of cleaning and the fact that your fish would pollute that small volume of water faster than the bacteria could convert it would ultimately not be a very good environment for your fish. Most heaters are designed to be used in tanks that are two gallons or larger, so you might run into trouble with a smaller tank. I suggest getting a 10 gallon aquarium, big, I know, but you can divide it down the middle and put a boy on each side. This means you only have to maintain one tank instead of two and it will be much, much more stable! If you think about it, two separate tanks would take up more space than one larger one, anyway, and more power outlets. Your dollar also goes farther per gallon the larger the tank you buy.


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Adastra, that's a brilliant idea! I know exactly which tubs you're talking about... I think they're designed for shoe storage, and are about the size of a shoe box.

Bad news about the tank as I already have it all set up and cycling. Gravel, plants ... the works. It kind of scares me how the guys at my local pet stores keep giving me bad advice. Yesterday he was pushing the Bettafix as a cure-all. Today at a different store I was told that this was the ideal habitat for a Betta. (I wanted to put one in this tank and if I was lucky enough for both to make it, I was going to introduce the other to my fairly new -3 month old- 10gal tank with a danio and cory catfish.)

I will figure something out... Hmm... perhaps I can wrap it back up and gift it to my niece who has been begging her folks for a fish... It might help her cause if she has all the equipment!

You have all been so helpful and patient with all my questions, and generous with your advice. Thank you so much!


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

Very thoughtful, but I don't know if I'd put the burden of changing 100% of the water every two days on your niece if she's never had fish before--that might be kind of iffy, especially if she's young. You could sell it on craigslist or kijiji to a responsible adult or return it, though! I would return it so that the pet store doesn't profit from their bad advice, but I'm just spiteful, lol.


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Would Petsmart take it back? It's been used and assembled already. Niece is 17 and super responsible, but I can see your point.


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## TaylorW (Sep 4, 2010)

acloudconnected said:


> It kind of scares me how the guys at my local pet stores keep giving me bad advice. Yesterday he was pushing the Bettafix as a cure-all. Today at a different store I was told that this was the ideal habitat for a Betta.


It is scary, isn't it?? I'm so glad that I found this site before I bought my fish!

I'm glad to hear that Red is feeling better! I hope your other fish gets better too! :-D Oldfishlady and Adastra give GREAT advice, they've helped me out quite a bit  Keep up the good work and keep us posted! :-D


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

Oh, if she's 17 and understands the maintenance she needs to go through, then it shouldn't be too bad, I was worried she might be 13 or something. That's an age where your interests tend to wax and wane waaaay too much to be expected to devote frequent care to a delicate animal, y'know? If you stuff the thing full of live plants, it gives you a larger error margin in case something unexpected comes up you have to miss a water change. If you happen to have a pothos plant at your home or office, you can take a cutting of it and allow it to grow out of the water--it will help absorb some of the fish waste.


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Day 3 update on Red and Stumpy.

Did a 100% water change this morning, skipped the Bettafix and went instead with the aquarium salt option described elsewhere in this section of the forum. They seem OK, however Red now also has a slightly inflamed gill as his right one is now just slightly "open" where it was closed before. Stumpy's is as wide open as it has been since I brought him home.

Still haven't fed them, but since I don't know when last they ate at Walmart, I have decided to try them with some frozen brine tonight.

Other than Red's gill, the only other change I have noticed is that they both (mostly Red) have white tips to their "spikes" on their tail and top fin. Stumpy has them too, but they are smaller and not quite as obvious. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Photos:

1) Red body shot showing his slightly open gill.
2) Red white tipped spikes.
3) Stumpy body shot (SO CUTE! Kissing his reflection.)


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

It could be scar tissue from ammonia burns and not much can be done-usually the fish will be fine but it can shorten the life span some-I have seen some improvement with clean water and salt treatment but the scar tissues can inhibit gas exchange and the fish always seems distressed and gulping at the surface and tend to get secondary infection frequently due to stress.
Your fish look to be in pretty bad shape-it will take some time-like everything.........no magic pill or treatment...if you can get them to the 10 days mark they have a chance...good luck...


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

They've been very very still since the water change. Not a lot of movement at all, just hanging out near the top in one place. Is this normal with aquarium salt treated water? They were pretty active after yesterday's water change (Bettafix treated water). I guess it's been a couple (or more) days without food so maybe that also has something to do with it.

OFL, Thank you again for your reply. It breaks my heart that they are still showing new signs of their neglect. I am trying so hard not to get attached, but they're really special little dudes. Thank you for giving it to me straight.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

I would go ahead and feed them and see if they will eat...did you find any mosquito larva...if so give them a rinse and toss in to them...it is amazing how live foods can perk a fish up and boost their immune response

Since you have already compromised Bettas to start-their reaction to the treatment is expected IMO/E-if you have any native oak trees near by that are free of pesticides etc....look on the ground and find some naturally dried leaves-rinse and add some to the water and steep some in the pre-mixed salt water...works like the Indian almond leaf and bettas love the tanned water....good luck.....


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## TaylorW (Sep 4, 2010)

Aww, good luck with your little guys! I've been so worried about them! It looks like only time will tell how they will do, but know that with your love and care you've spared them of a horrible fate and now they'll have a chance! Keep up the great work, I'm rooting for you!


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

We're close to an area with live oaks, however while I would guess they are pesticide free, I can't be 100% sure. Worth the risk though huh? Will see if my hubs is up for a drive to go and grab some today. 

Excited to try the fresh food. No mosquito larva unfortunately, just frozen shrimp brine. I just put the tiniest clump of melted shrimp brine in their bowls and Stumpy lunged at it and devoured it all as fast as he could. Red was completely disinterested, so I removed it from his bowl after a few minutes. Might try again a bit later this evening.

@Taylor, thanks so much for continuing to check in.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Dang... no skeeters in Texas......mine are getting hard to find too I am North of you and that little frost we had the other day ended most skeeter larva...good thing the daphnia are still going strong.....the only live food left to collect naturally in the cold months...lol......
Good to hear one is eating, hopefully the other one will eat soon too.....


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Oh I wish I was adventurous enough to know where to start even looking for mosquitos. Usually we can't leave the house because of them... well I can because I am from South Africa where we are inundate with them, and somehow American "skeeters" don't like the taste of me one bit. They stay far away! My poor husband on the other hand... yowza! I believe he would like nothing more than to feed a few to our fish! haha

Also, no oaks near us, just live oaks and I've compared the leaves based on pics here in the forum not even kinda the same thing so I didn't use them.

I am going to keep updating right through to 10 days if I can keep them going that long. (So far everything looks promising!) I've been reading the archives of this diseases section and find it so sad that so few people follow up after they receive treatment advice. I need closure, and I am sure that y'all do too!

*Day 4 Update on Red & Stumpy:*

This morning I did another 100% water change, stopping them in a salt bath while I cleaned their bowls (2 minutes). I have been leaving bowls of water out overnight in preparation for the water changes so I can be sure that the water temps are roughly the same. The last few mornings I have noticed that their water had become super cloudy over night (Stumpy more than Red), but this morning both bowls were crystal clear aside from the poop (glorious poop!) at the bottom of both bowls. I am continuing to treat water with 1tsp/1gal aquarium salt in addition to the 2-3 minute salt bath (quarter-tsp/Walmart cup).

Food-wise we've been doing ok. Stumpy eats like there's no tomorrow I fight the urge to give him more than 2-3 bites. (Even though he is pretty emaciated... can he have more than this?) What I was super concerned about is last night after 2 q-tip heads (I cut the fluff off and make sure it's dander free) of shrimp brine his little belly swells up so much I fear he may burst, but in about an hour it goes back down to normal. I've attached a pic after his breakfast this morning two tiny pellets rehydrated in melted shrimp brine did this (Pic 1)

Red will not eat pellets no matter how small I make them. This morning I tried soaking them in Shrimp Brine to rehydrate them and he was not fooled. Refuses to take food from me, and waits till it falls to the bottom of his bowl where he sucks it in and spits out the pellet. He's pooping though, not as much as Stumpy, but he must be getting something in, if something is coming out right? He also bloats a little after feeding, but not even close to as much as Stumpy.

Red has lost a few strands of tail as you could see yesterday pieces were breaking off. He still looks pretty ratty today, but flares constantly... it seems any time he sees something red nearby... this morning it was a coke can... His right gill is still slightly open today, no improvement since yesterday.

Stumpy is quite active, swims around most of the day resting only briefly at the bottom of his bowl. He doesn't flare much, but I did give him a couple of minutes of mirror time last night and he flared up a storm with what little fin and tail he has. What I am so happy about is that today for the first time I can see a pupil in his eye in photos... They have been pitch black since I brought him home so I feel encouraged by this!

Here are their mug shots for the day. Taken right after their water change and breakfast.

Picture 1: Stumpy's tail and bloated belly. (If there is light behind him you can almost see right through him)
Picture 2: Stumpy full body shot.
Picture 3: Red flaring.
Picture 4: Red close up, also a little bloat although he really didn't eat much.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Awesome...they already look better......

Try using a bit of fresh garlic juice on Reds food and see if that won't help stimulate his appetite any-you can just roll it around in the fresh crushed garlic and let is soak up a bit of juice

Feed small frequent meals to Stumpy-tiny bits 4-5 times a day if you want and the garlic won't hurt him either...

I use fresh garlic in my homemade food as part of a long term parasite control-it take 6 weeks to do any good for internal parasites

Any standing water outside and you may find mosquito larva-I have buckets outside that I collect rainwater in and the larva and other critters naturally happen-I net, rinse and feed daily from these buckets and some of the buckets especially out at the chicken yard are pretty nasty and seem to grow the best larva...lol......

Good luck and thanks for the up-dates..it is nice to know how they are doing


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Excellent! I have dispatched the hubs to find standing water.. it's so dry here that I doubt we have any, but you never know! We've been making some repairs and we have a bunch of construction debris in our side yard until we're done. 

I am about to run to the store to get fresh garlic and will run by a different Pet Store to see if they have frozen blood worms.

Stumpy's belly is already going down and he's working on another poop. I've seriously never celebrated any poop as much as I have theirs. hahah(May swing by Party City for some hats and streamers *wink*)


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Well, I am back... did the garlic roll on some tiny pellets and broke out a few blood worms for dessert. Stumpy wolfed down the pellets as usual, but while he lunged for the worms, he spat the first mouthful out, and didn't even attempt the next one.

Red completely ignored all my attempts to feed him as usual letting the pellets sink to the bottom, and didn't even try and grab a worm. My hope was that he would wolf them down when my back was turned like he does with the Shrimp Brine but no... nothing.

Red doesn't look as emaciated as Stumpy does though, so I am not verly concerned... as long as he keeps pooping I know he's eating enough.

Both are still very active swimming around their bowls up and down, and not just sticking to the water surface.


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

Great to hear that they are doing so much better! It is pretty normal for some fish to bloat subsequent to eating brine shrimp. Brine shrimp are mostly fiber in the form of exoskeleton, so they're taking in a lot of material that is difficult to break down and pass through their digestive system--they're definitely great for constipation for this reason!

The blood worms should help, they have more protein and calories than brine shrimp and should be more enticing. 
If he continues to refuse to eat, he might have internal parasites--they often cause loss of appetite. Deworming is not very harsh on fish and they usually respond really well to treatment even if they have a fairly heavy parasite load. If you decide to deworm, choose a dissolving tablet with metronidazole and praziquantel. I have had some success with Jungle's Parasite Clear.


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## celine18 (Sep 25, 2010)

hey, if you still have that tank and want to return it, you can! i had a bowl from petco that was $8, 1/2 gallon, that i was using for water changes until i found something in my house, so i washed it out and returned it  as long as you clean the tank out and still have the reciept, and it's within the time limit (30/60 days, idk) they'll take it back. (i've even returned a half empty bottle of tetra safe start for a full refund before, haha )

oh, also gald to hear they're doing better! its great that you're working so hard to nurse them back to health


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## effy (Sep 21, 2010)

This thread makes me really happy! i love how much work you have put into these two bettas, and im glad you are getting the rewards back you deserve


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## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

Best of luck!! Nursing a betta back to health is such a rewarding experience. Hope everything goes well. 

Just keep up with the water changes and they should be fine.


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

*Day 5: Red & Stumpy*

Guess what?!? I got a bubble nest this morning from Stumpy! I've been wrapping them up at night for peace, to prevent my curious cats from staring them down all night, and a little to keep in any warmth that they may lose as we move into Fall temps in Texas. So this morning was like unwrapping a gift! It's not the biggest or greatest bubble nest I have ever seen on this forum, but it's more than one bubble and Stumpy made it so I am happy about that!

Food wise, I gave them both 3 small meals yesterday, but by the 3rd I could tell they weren't that into it, so today I will stick with 2 and then do 3 again tomorrow. I don't want to force stuff them, but they clearly need all the calories they can get at this point. Neither of them is keen on bloodworms, but they do eat the occasional one. Brine is Red's fave, and Stumpy will eat pellets and brine. This morning however Stumpy seems out of sorts.

I did the usual 100% water change followed by breakfast. Today I thought I would mix in some bloodworms with shrimp brine and some tank water pellets -- like a porridge -- and while Red was thinking about eating from the stick, and did eat a bunch once it came off the stick, Stumpy watched it fall slowly and languidly sailed down after a few pieces to slurp them up. I had quite a bit of clean up to do in his bowl though...

As far as activity goes... Red is flashing around his bowl and is really looking great and active today. Stumpy is floating near the top mostly, with all his fins flat and his um... "paddle fins?" are tucked against his body. Something isn't right with him... When I woke them up he was busy pooping and had built that little nest, and was swimming just fine. Since the water change he has been like this. They both have the exact same water but I added just a little more (temp matched) tap water to Stumpy's as his bowl is marginally larger. Do you think I should do a second change with him? I don't want to stress him out unnecessarily, but he is clearly not himself and hasn't been since this morning's change. I am probably just being paranoid.

Pic 1: Bubble nest! (There were more that had floated off when I moved the bowl)
Pic 2: Red is pretty much always all open like this now.
Pic 3: Stumpy see what I mean about being all slumped. He was looking more like Red's pic when I opened his bowl this morning (and last night when I wrapped them up).


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Thanks so much Celine, Effy and Doggy. I am really just doing what the experts on this forum are telling me to do and it's working! These ladies really know their stuff and I am so grateful to have found this site!


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## TaylorW (Sep 4, 2010)

Aww, the look like they're on the way to recovery!! I love how you keep us posted, I check in everyday!  You're going to be a great fish owner, Red and Stumpy will be spoiled little buggers in no time! Thanks for giving them such great care and a second chance!! Keep up the good work!


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## nomoretickets (Sep 29, 2010)

Go with the rubber tubs and get a heater. they will love you for that.


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## JaspersANGEL (Oct 12, 2009)

wow! this is my second time stalking this thread and as all the other's said: ur doing an excelent job of nursing those betta's back to life. Congrat's

Keep up the good work and keep us posted~


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

OH NO! Stumpy has been getting slower and slower as the day has gone one, and i just went to check on him and found him lying almost on his side at the bottom of the bowl. When I touched the bowl he moved again, and is now swimming around... but I can tell he's not himself today. Something happened since his water change this morning, he looked fine until then.

Suggestions? Should I change his water? Should I try and salt bath him? (Epsom or Aquarium?) He's been doing so well!!


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

He also has some weird TINY bubbles attached to the ends of two of his tail rays. They've been there a few minutes and have not popped or fallen off with his movement. Only two, only on the tips of two rays so maybe nothing. His scales are looking a little rough again, but not pine-coney. And his belly is bloated again, even though he didn't really eat much this morning, and has pooped since last night. I have an Epsom salts bath ready and at bowl temp... think I am going to do that and another water change in his bowl... I think something is up with the water because he's been off since this morning.... please let me know if you can think of anything else!


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

OK. I just bathed him in an Epsom salts mix for 4 minutes. While he was in there he spat out two or three mouthfuls of um... schmutz... it looked like his breakfast of this morning. Fish don't throw up do they?

Cleaned his bowl, but decided instead to use a Sterilite container since I did already have one around. I washed it out with super hot water, it was only used to hold light bulbs so it wasn't very dirty. I prepared a fresh batch of water, added aquarium salt and jungle start. He is in the sterilite bowl now so he is in shallow water, and can move around with ease. 

Anything else I could/should be doing right now?


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Will pics help? Here are two taken minutes ago. One from above, and one of him at the bottom which is pretty much where he's been since I moved him to this new container.


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## Feral (Sep 19, 2010)

Awwww, poor baby.... he looks like he's really been through hell on the half shell. That's one tough little guy to be hanging on in that shape!

I'm rooting for ya Stumpy!!!


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Thanks Feral, we appreciate it. 

He's swimming slowly around the bowl, but when he stops his tail goes down and his head goes up so he is almost vertical. Then he sinks to the bottom. Once he's been still on the bottom for a second or two he curls into almost a C shape then shakes himself out of it and starts to swim again. This is the same cycle over and over... 

He caught a glimpse of Red in the bowl next to him for a moment and flared up a storm. I didn't want him to overexert so I moved him and he stopped and resumed his lap around the bowl as described above.

He's had an S shape a lot since I've had him, but I assumed that was to do with the small cup he was in, both of them do this and then straighten. I have never seen him make this "C" shape with his body before though.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

You may want to change his treatment to the Epsom salt 1tsp/gal if he is still having the bloating issue

Be careful doing both the bath/dip and salt treatment at the same time-

I use Epsom salt the same as I do with aquarium salt-pre-mix and keep them in it 24/7 for 7-10 days along with the 100% daily water changes

I also will go up to 3tsp/gal as needed too with increase of 1tsp daily and watch tolerance- if distress noted add some dechlorinated water to dilute

Good luck and keep us posted.....

I just read your last post-you do need to switch to the Epsom salt 1tsp/gal with the one that is sinking
And sadly when you see the S and C formation....not a good sign....but don't give up these guys are tough and surprise you......


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Thank you so much. I already changed his water twice today and I don't want to do it too much. So, tomorrow I will do a 2tsp/1gal bath, and then put him in plain dechlorinated tap water and not add aquarium salt to his bowl.

I thought that maybe he needs more heat (It's 82F in this room right now, and my kitchen thermometer says his water is 78F). Just in case I went ahead and grabbed my only desk lamp -- it's 25W and puts out a little heat so I have that right over the water and he seems to float over there and hang out for a while. Is the light doing more harm than good? I read that it might be best to keep him in a quiet dark room, I have him directly under this bright lamp now.

He is playing with a pellet, but doesn't really take it in, kind of sucks it to him, and then pushes it away and is almost following it around the bowl.

Should I try and give him a pea or shrimp brine? Or rather not feed him? His belly has gone down some, not what I would call swollen or bloated, but definitely chunky... but then he is a scrawny guy so...


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Be careful raising the temp too high with an already compromised fish-78F is good.....if he want to eat I would feed him small amount several times a day

I would add Epsom salt 1tsp/gal to his water and leave him in it for 7-10 days but still making the 100% water changes daily-a leave in treatment not a bath/dip which is high level of salt (1/2cup salt/1gallon water) for 2-5 min or until they roll over...this is a last chance type treatment when all else fails and often is fatal-yours are not at that stage in my opinion

This is why I like to pre-mix my salts for the leave in treatment-so that the correct dosage is easier with the water changes


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

I've been scared to post this update in case I jinx it, but... things are looking promising in Stumpy's new Sterilite tank. He has perked up since I put the lamp up, and he is moving around much more. He still stops like he's in a daze and then shakes himself awake. And he is still making crazy shapes with his body, S and C shapes whenever he stops. He has eaten twice, only accepting shrimp brine, no bloodworms and no pellets, but I will take what I can get. Still round in the belly, but not bloated.

I moved Red to a Sterilte tub as well and have added a well cleaned coffee mug to both their tanks which they're exploring. I am sure they were getting bored with their little vase/bowls. 

My husband leaves for work really early and I've asked him to check that Stumpy is alive, and wake me up if he has passed because I don't want to have to deal with that on my own later. He is SO spunky and has the cutest little personality... I had no idea fish could be so personable! Red isn't wild about me yet, but Stumpy is already like my little buddy and I will be shattered if he doesn't pull through this. Oh please, oh please, oh please!


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## Waterbottle2 (Sep 8, 2010)

goodluck i'm sure they will pull through since you are giving them excellent care


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

*Day 6 Update on Red & Stumpy
*

Woohoo! We're all still here this morning and so far both Red and Stumpy are looking active and happy and on top of the world.

Both pooped some last night. Stumpy's was healthy and brown and two healthy pieces on opposite ends of the bowl which I think might mean he went twice?

Red's was healthy too, but a little strange. He has one piece but them 4 or so little I guess the only way to describe them would be pellets... like tube shaped though... Maybe he was just nervous. haha

Food wise Red still continues to refuse pellets, soaked in garlic juice, bloodworm melt or shrimp brine melt and he also isn't fooled when you roll one up in shrimp and brine and hand it to him. He IS getting less shy about coming to fetch his food from me. Today he ate two healthy mouthfuls of a mixture of bloodworm and brine (the only way I can get him to eat bloodworm).

Stumpy was his usual glutton self. Ate everything I offered. Two pellets soaked in garlic water and a mouthful and a half of the shrimp and blood worm mix. He is scary when he eats because that belly swells up instantly and he looks like he may pop. But I now know it goes down in an hour or so. 

This morning I took OFLs advice and skipped a salt bath while I washed out their bowls. I left them in bowl water in their Walmart cups instead. Their bowls today are treated with Jungle Start Right, and 1tsp/gal of Epsom salts. Even though it goes down significantly a short while after meals, the bloat still concerns me so I want to make sure they're not stopped up at all. 

Red's right gill is still a tiny bit open, but it is definitely showing improvement and is barely even noticeable on photos. Stumpy's right gill is still wide open and unchanged at all. I don't know that it will ever go back down, so it's a good thing he's got other breathing options right! 

My question is... of the bloat and the gill problem, which is more concerning? Bloat = epsom salt, gill issues = aquarium salt and I guess I want to figure out which I should be dosing their tank with for the next 4 days (up to 10 days) or should I alternate?

Today's pictures:

Pic 1) Stumpy up close. Look at that belly!
Pic 2) Aerial view of Stumpy so you can see his bad gill.
Pic 3) Side view of Red.
Pic 4) Aerial (kind of one side though, his back end is not actually puffy on one side as it appears here) of Red so you can see his gill.


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Thanks everyone for your well wishes and sweet comments. So great that you're rooting for these little guys. I truly don't think that they'd be here without the advice from this wonderful forum.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Good to hear they are showing some improvement for you and responding to your great care.....

At this point IMO/E-I would go with the Epsom salt 1tsp/gal leave in treatment along with the 100% daily water changes for the remaining days-The Epsom salt will help with swelling/edema and it also has a antibacterial/fungal effect
I don't use medication so I am not sure of the effect mixing the OTC product you have along with the salts-

Once the 10 days are completed I would do a 5 day of 100% daily water changes with just fresh/dechlorinated water to give their system a break and then in unfiltered heated container of 1-4 gallon in size-make twice weekly water changes....1-50% and 1-100%-if they are filtered container I would do twice weekl 50% to maintain water quality.


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

Sorry I didn't read your PM sooner. I tend to stop checking the forum after about 5PM EST. 

I agree, you should stick with the epsom salt rather than aquarium salt, because aquarium salt can make swelling issues worse. Epsom salt is typically OK to use with medications except for antibiotics, because there are a few of those that are "sulfa" based, and being that Epsom salt is magnesium _sulfa_te, that's where people tend to run into problems. I don't believe you'd have any problems mixing epsom salt with, say, pure methylene blue or a dewormer, but it's definitely prudent to check the packaging for warnings against the use of sulfates. 

Good to hear you've gotten them into larger containers, I'm sure they're enjoying the space. It doesn't seem like the temp in your house is too bad, luckily, but you should consider getting a heater because the seasons are changing and it'll start getting cold before you know it. If you have a space heater that works on a good thermostat, you can put the two fish in a small room and heat the room instead. 

Try not to go nuts with the brine shrimp, if they're getting noticeably bloated after feeding it might be better to feed them smaller amounts throughout the day rather than larger feedings all at once. 

Hopefully things will continue to get better for your fish.


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Thank you both! At this point I am not giving them any meds at all. Just dechlorinated water (Jungle Start Right) and Epsom Salt.

I found a great deal on an adjustable Theo heater on eBay and it will be with me in about a week. My husband says that if they both get to 10 days then we can go and get another tank and a second heater. Not long now! 

Thank you OFL for the water change schedule moving forward. It is much easier to have a set schedule to work with rather than second guessing yourself all the time.

Adastra thank you for the warning on Brine shrimp. I guess I've been sticking with what I know they will eat, but I can see how it wouldn't be an ideal source of food. Will try just blood worms and pellets for a few days. If they're hungry I am sure they will eat whatever I put in front of them. If not, then I have nothing to worry about. 

Thank you both again for all your help!


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

*Day 7: Red & Stumpy

WE MADE A WEEK!*

We had another great night! Both boys are doing well. Things are quite uneventful which is just how I like my things.

Eating is still a bit of a pain. I have stopped with the shrimp brine, and am now trying only bloodworm and pellets at meal times. Stumpy continues to eat whatever I put in front of him (although he seems to prefer pellets to worms). Red completely ignores pellets still... they fall right next to him and he keeps on swimming until I have something nicer to offer him. He is starting to pick at some bloodworms though, so we are making progress. I figure it's not natural instinct to let themselves starve, if he is hungry enough he will eat what he's offered. They both continue to be round about the belly, but they definitely cleared out their systems yesterday and I am confident that they are not stopped up in any way.

Both boys tails and fins are looking different to me today... Red's look longer... just a little.  And Stumpy's tail has these tiiiinnnyyyy little orb shapes at the tips which are odd, but I guess they're like new tissue growth?

Stumpy still spends a great deal of time on the bottom of the bowl and often still makes the C shape, but the more I observe him, I realize it seems less of a reaction to illness, and more to do with his little spine I think. Even when floating he's pretty curved. I am keeping an eye on it, but feeling less concerned that it's a sign of something sinister.

I think they may be bored though. Red less than Stumpy as he enjoys his cave, but Stumpy literally plonks himself down at the side of his bowl and stares me down for hours while I am working. If I listen closely I can almost hear him saying, "I'm boooorrreeedddddd. Feed me or something!" Their hospital tanks are pretty bare aside from the coffee mug cave. What else can I give them as entertainment? We do about 5 mins of mirror time every evening. I have them completely blocked off from each other though... should I give them a little peep hole where they might glimpse each other? Or is that cruel? 

Pictures:

1) Stumpy from above. He's filling out right? 
2) Red's tail, see those white tips? They're growing!
3) Red, body shot. (Nooo not THAT kind of body shot!)
4) Stumpy body shot. Yep, definitely filling out a bit.


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## TaylorW (Sep 4, 2010)

So glad for the updates!! I'm so glad they are recovering  Thank you for the updates!


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

*Day 8: Red & Stumpy*

:BIGgrin: Another day passes with two healthy fish. We've just done a water change and eaten breakfast... well Stumpy ate breakfast Red watched breakfast float to the bottom and stared me down till I gave him tiny piece of bloodworm.

Tomorrow is Day 9 and I am quietly confident that we are going to make it to 10 days with two fish which means we need to get a living situation handled ASAP. Right now the Sterilite tubs are an OK solution, but these boys are growing super bored in there with no entertainment. Tonight I plan, tomorrow I shop! Woohoo!

PICS:

1) Red in acclimating and "eating" breakfast (You can see breakfast at the bottom of the bowl...)
2) Stumpy bloated after 3 small pellets and a tiny bloodworm for brekkie.


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## LikeDiscoSuperfly (Oct 18, 2010)

Awwe this is such a happy ending for them. you HAVE you show us pictures of the new homes for them when you get them bought.


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## TaylorW (Sep 4, 2010)

I agree! I'll be so excited to see these cute little guys in their tanks! 

Aww, the breakfast pictures are adorable


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

Good to hear that they're doing so well.  You might want to browse around on the internet and get a good idea of what's available at the shops you're going to and then look up reviews for the products you're interested in. This has saved me some time and money in the past. Good luck. 

-- am I the only one who keeps reading it as Ren and Stimpy instead of Red and Stumpy? Lol.


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

*Day 9: Red & Stumpy*

Day 9 and not much to report.... well... aside from the BUBBLES THEY BOTH LEFT ME!! Yep, this morning both boys had bubbles all over the tops of their Sterilite homes. Stumpy more than Red, but there were loads of them floating everywhere, not all grouped. 

Hoping to get to the store tonight to pick up their new homes.. we're still undecided if we want to go for a divided 5gal, or if we want to just get two smaller tanks... will hopefully have some pics of their new home in the morning.

That's it for today's update!


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## Feral (Sep 19, 2010)

acloudconnected said:


> *Day 9: Red & Stumpy*
> 
> Day 9 and not much to report.... well... aside from the BUBBLES THEY BOTH LEFT ME!! Yep, this morning both boys had bubbles all over the tops of their Sterilite homes.


 
*SO GLAD *to read this- just got to be a good sign! :-D:-D:-D


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## LikeDiscoSuperfly (Oct 18, 2010)

acloudconnected said:


> *Day 9: Red & Stumpy*
> 
> Day 9 and not much to report.... well... aside from the BUBBLES THEY BOTH LEFT ME!! Yep, this morning both boys had bubbles all over the tops of their Sterilite homes. Stumpy more than Red, but there were loads of them floating everywhere, not all grouped.
> 
> ...


Awwe yay! Bubble nests, they have GOT to be feeling so much better. :-D


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## priceless819 (Nov 4, 2010)

Petco might need your help too! I was there yesterday, and while they did have a lot of bettas, there were dead ones and sick ones. I would buy a few more, but I don't have room for it..... It would be nice if I could put them all in one tank...Oh well. They are too addicting.


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Aww, it's so sweet that y'all are still rooting for them! It really means a lot!

I just got done setting up the new tank I bought tonight. None of the stores I went to had the 5 gal I was looking for, so we upsized and grabbed a 10gal. We have a heater, a filter and the divider all set up. We also got them each a leaf hammock thingy. Now we leave it all to run 24 hours before we put them in there tomorrow. 

I realize that I forgot to get a thermometer for this tank, and I definitely didn't have enough gravel. I also will need to get more plants for the dividing wall because I can see through this divider, although I have seen many other tanks on here use the same kind that clips on to the tank... how do you prevent them from stressing out and seeing each other all the time?

With a 10 gallon filtered tank I figure I won't need to do 3 weekly 100% water changes or anything like that. But surely until it has properly cycled I will need to be extra vigilant right? I plan to do 2 x 70% per week until it cycles, and then 50% a week... does that sound right?

Is there anything else I should know? 

Pics tomorrow evening of two handsome boys in their shiny new home.


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

*Day 10: Red & Stumpy Final Update*

Well we made it. Day 10! Both boys are now floating around in their divided tank, and I am terrified that the divider will fail, or that they will manage to slip through the little gaps in the sides. Please tell me that these things are safe! I have dropped the water level so they won't be able to jump over the top, but they spotted each other instantly and have been prancing about the dividing wall since then. The wall is as snug as I can get it. I buried the bottom in the gravel, and i've checked and rechecked the edges to make sure they're too narrow for these boys to it through... Part of me wants to give up and make another plan already!

How do I limit the stress of seeing each other all the time? How can I make sure sure that they won't squeeze through the edges... i mean aside from fattening them up so they won't fit! Do you find that they attack the little bits of tail that poke through the fence? Mine are thinking about it.

Split tank owners... your advice/reassurance here would be appreciated! 

Here are some pics.
(in the full tank shot you can see the water flow from the filter was super strong. I have since strapped a plastic bottle to it, and the flow has been corrected. I think I should do something about the filter intake though...)


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## Feral (Sep 19, 2010)

acloudconnected said:


> Aww, it's so sweet that y'all are still rooting for them! It really means a lot!


I haven't just been rooting for them, I've been rooting for *you* too! Seeing all the effort you've put into saving the lives of these two little guys ('just fish' after all :roll: ) really warms my heart- not everyone would go to the lengths you have.... 

I'm not a particularly religious person, but I do believe that the universe is constructed so that what you give out comes back to you:

"In as much as you have done to the least of these, you have done to Me". 

Thank you for your kindness.


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## TaylorW (Sep 4, 2010)

Oh wow! They look so healthy and happy!!!  You've done a wonderful job, you're a betta angel! 

If I hadn't seen the updates I might not have believed they were the same fish! Thank you for saving the little guys


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Hehe, Thanks so much Feral and Taylor! 

They're LOVING the tank. Loads of bubbles this morning, but my nerves couldn't take the posturing along the fence, so I got another divider and a long plant and sandwiched the plant between both dividers. Now they can see each other only in specific places... both places are conveniently in the middle of the divider and not the edges where I get nervous. 

If anyone manages to sneak past one screen, they would need to get by the second to cause damage. 

Same if they decide to try going over the top...  I can rest easy tonight!

My husband said today, "Wow, our $7 fish rescue turned into an almost $200 splurge.. but it was so worth it!" He decided to get himself some goldfish as well... we're overnight aquarists! haha

Thanks again for all your help and support.


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## effy (Sep 21, 2010)

Thats a great idea having two dividers, bettas do manage to nip each other through just the single layer, mesh like ones. Your set up looks perfect. 

If you are worried about how the water changes are going to go, you should get a water test kit, so that you can actually see the levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in the tank, and then decide how much water to change each week. 

On my cycled tanks, i only change 25% a week unless my test shows any high levels of anything. This works for me as my tanks are understocked, but everyone has different routines, so you should work out your own  good luck!!


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## LikeDiscoSuperfly (Oct 18, 2010)

Awwe, LOVE the newest pictures. So happy for them =]


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## Feral (Sep 19, 2010)

acloudconnected said:


> My husband said today, "Wow, our $7 fish rescue turned into an almost $200 splurge.. but it was so worth it!" He decided to get himself some goldfish as well... we're overnight aquarists! haha


 
*HAW!!! *Yup, ditto this- I realized before I headed for the checkout the first day that this was _not _going to be the trivial investment in money and time that I'd pictured, and once I got into trouble and came here for help the light *really *came on but as your Hubs says, it *is *worth it. I wouldn't have imagined having a personal relationship with a 2" fish, but here we are :lol: 

Best wishes to you, Hubby, and the swimmy guys.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm glad to hear that they are doing well.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Any up-dates...how are the boys doing.....


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Hi,

Everything is still going A-OK. More and more bubbles every day. They're both MUCH more active, exploring their tanks and getting into trouble. I've found both of them suspended vertically in the branches of the silk plants in their tanks... at first I was alarmed, but now that they're both doing it from time to time I see it's just one of their quirks. 

Even though I have baffled the filter with a plastic bottle, Stumpy still finds the stream up against the dividing wall and likes to swim upwards into the stream... it's very odd, but he doesn't do it for long... then he wanders off to rest on his leaf hammock.


Red just today finally gave in and realized that if he won't eat the pellets, he won't be eating that meal... and he is now eating whatever I put in without complaint. They're on 3 small pellets twice a day and frozen bloodworm pieces thrown in as dessert every other day. I should probably start introducing a fasting day at some point... but they're still both pretty small... maybe I will think about that later this month.

Right now I am doing a 50% water change every 2 days because their tank is still new. It's filtered, but with their recent issues I felt it best to over change than under change. In a week or two I may drop that to 25% every 2 days... I really don't know what's best until I get a water test kit. After our splurge this month that's not going to happen... It's on my Christmas list though... so in the interim I am going to just be extra careful for safety's sake.

Here are the pics! Red is on the left, Stumpy is on the right. Neither would stay still long enough for me to take a pic... It makes me happy that they won't stay still, so I won't complain. haha  The single blurry guy is Stumpy.


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## baylee767 (Nov 5, 2010)

How's that inflamed gill on Stumpy? Is it getting better, I can't really tell from the photos. If it's hard to get an image of them then they _must _be active!


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Unfortunately, his gill hasn't improved. Red's went up and down in the first few day, but Stumpy's is beyond repair I think. When he does flare up, you can compare the two "flaps" and there is some skin at the top of the healthy gill that appears damaged in the "broken" one. He doesn't seem to have any difficulty breathing though, he doesn't hang out on top to use his other breathing organ, so I think its more superficial than anything. Certainly isn't slowing him down as you can see. Haha It's part of his little character now, this lopsided little face of his... I love him perfectly imperfect as he is! haha


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Better pics of them. In the first one you can see what I mean about Red being vertical and hanging out in the plants. Today I've noticed that he isnt always in the plants when he does it... sometimes just in the middle of the tank he "stands" on his tail fin. Very freaky. But he doesn't look stressed or anything... Anyone else have fish that do this?


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## TaylorW (Sep 4, 2010)

They look so happy and healthy!!!  Red and Stumpy are such little sweeties   I love how they look better with every picture! 

Hehe, my betta likes to sit in weird ways, sometimes "sitting" on the bottom on his big tail and sometimes draped over a big plant. Sometimes I catch him curving his whole body over one of his little moss balls, his head and tail both touching the ground! I guess laying on them is more comfortable for him 

I think it's probably a personality quirk, some bettas like to rest in weird ways!


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## LikeDiscoSuperfly (Oct 18, 2010)

They just keep looking better and better with each picture!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

They're beautiful.


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## wallywestisthebest333 (Nov 30, 2009)

Oh wow! D: How did I not notice this thread? I love it! They look great! You're wonderful for giving them a nice home! =]

I wish I had a 10 gallon now though. XD I should've just spent the darned money. Oh well. Guess that's what I'll ask my Aunt Connie or my Grand Parents for Christmas! XD Or I'll just use my money! XD

So are you thinking about live plants? =]


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## windfire (May 25, 2010)

thoroughly enjoyed reading through this thread, i dont check up here every day, my bettas are all relatively healthy thank goodness but i'll send hot sunny summer south african greetings your way every now and then ;-) the boys are both looking awesome and i would thoroughly recommend live plants, they all i use. you could also look into collecting some rocks to make caves, if you prefer natural tanks. enjoy them my lil man at my desk is a constant source of delight and distraction lol.


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Thanks for the encouragement everyone! Everyone is doing just great over here. My little guys are just showing more and more of their personalities everyday and they've completely won my husband over with their antics (they greet him super enthusiastically every day when he gets home as their tank is near the entry). He liked them before, but now he's crazy about them... Makes me happy!

I've been doing some 50% water changes since their move to this tank, but tomorrow I am going to try a bigger change as I am seeing some browny dust stuff lying on the surfaces in the tank. Also, I am kind of OCD and those divider screens are driving me crazy because they aren't straight.

@windfire How cool that you're a Saffa! haha Where are you from? I was born in Durban, spent my teens in Jhb, and most of my adult life in Cape Town... my heart remains with Cape Town though. Thanks for sending the summer greetings! We're actually only just getting some cooler weather here and it's WONDERFUL! 

Thanks for continuing to check in everyone!


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## Waterbottle2 (Sep 8, 2010)

glad they doing so well.


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## celine18 (Sep 25, 2010)

they look so good! i'm glad that they're doing better, they've really come a long way! i have to say, also, i love what you did with the dividers, putting two with plants inbetween to keep them from seeing each other, that is such a good idea!!!!!


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## Meg215 (Jan 27, 2010)

Ok I know I'm bumping an old thread, but I just have to say I loved reading this! What a great story! You should keep a Betta Blog. =D I'd totally read it everyday! I love these little guys already! Good job =)


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

*Update!*

Still so many lovely comments on this thread so I thought I would update with some new pics. We just did a big tank clean today and I took some updated ones. Still to very happy, healthy boys I am proud to say. 

1) Red (he moves too fast to be captured by camera anymore)
2) Stumpy
3) Side view of dividers with plants between them


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## LikeDiscoSuperfly (Oct 18, 2010)

they look like normal bettas now, good job mama. =]


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## kfish (Oct 5, 2010)

I can't believe this transformation! Congratulations! You did such a great job. Thank you for not giving up ever. 

I hope you don't mind, but just to show off how great of a recovery they've made thanks to you, here's a comparison! I hope I got everybody's names right. 

*Stumpy:*

















-----

*Red:*


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

Thank you both! @kfish... OMG! Thank you for putting them next to each other like that. I guess I knew that they look different and I've flicked back through old pics. But when you see them next to each other like that... honestly it made me tear up seeing how bad they were. So happy!!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

What a difference! They're beautiful!


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

*Update! (3 Months Later)*

Thought I would update this thread as it's been a while since the last pics. We had a bit of a scare earlier this week with a water change that left them out of sorts afterwards, but both boys are back to normal now.

*Stumpy:*
While Stumpy is happy he is not 100%. When I first brought them home and we started nursing them back to health I did notice a slight lump on his left side, but hoped it would go away with some time and care. Unfortunately it never has, and has in fact grown larger. I think it's most likely a tumor, and while it doesn't seem to affect him at all, I know it means he won't be around for a whole lot longer. I am just happy that he didn't live out his whole life in that dingy cup on a shelf in Walmart. Anyway, he's still perfectly happy and has the biggest personality you've ever seen on a fish. (Don't tell anyone, but he's just slightly my favorite guy.) I should add that his open gill never did close up again, he still looks as goofy as ever and I love him just as he is. This last week I've noticed he is bloating more than usual after meals, so I am working on remedying that. Yesterday he had brine shrimp and this morning a small piece of pea... his bulge seems smaller, but I am going to fast him one more day to see if we can get it down some more. Thinking about putting him in an Epsom Salts bath if it doesn't clear up by the weekend.

*Red*
Red is my handsome boy. He's shy, and not very interactive. He prefers me to leave him alone, and I am sure that has more to do with the treatment he went through in Walmart than the care he has received with me. Red needs special care when feeding... only the tiniest pellets for him, and they definitely need to be pre-soaked. His favorite past times are hanging out in the silk plants and bobbing up and down gently with the current from the filter out-put. He is perfectly healthy, (aside from his brief spell yesterday) and still enjoys flaring for a few seconds up at the fence when his brother swims by. (Stumpy never flares at the fence anymore, but will flare if they're in their water change cups, or if I put a mirror up).

Their photo's are below. Please note that the white marks on the side of the tank are calcium(?) deposits from our very very hard water area. It seems I am too timid with the scrubby sponge and now it's too late I think.


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## pumpkinspikepie (Feb 18, 2011)

You did a really great job with them. They seem like awesome little guys! It's interesting, I work in cat rescue and you did this for fish, the similarities are actually pretty surprising! I'm glad you are all doing well.


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## BETTACHKALOVE (Nov 22, 2010)

U are so grate and those bettas are lucky bettas. Nice to know that someone care that much about beautiful bettas. Oh so difficult to see them in that stores,just want to buy them all.

I saw your post 3 mo ago and was wondering how are they doing. 

I am not an expert but one time one of my co worker bettas at work looked very bloated. The girl put to mach pellets in his tank by accident. He was like that for about 4 days. He also didn't eat for 4 days,but it cleared by itself. Bloating went away and he started to eat.

Good luck


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## brandonwlee (Jun 22, 2009)

By judging from the colour and condition, Its been a great transformation and i bet your bettas are happy with your care. like BETTACHKALOVE put it, we need to admit that your bettas are so lucky to have such a responsible and good owner, not too many people have the time and passion to rescue a betta in bad condition. two thumbs up and keep up the good work!!


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## BETTACHKALOVE (Nov 22, 2010)

Also i want to add something. It wonderful that people try to help and literally guide u step by step with explanation. How wonderful and helpful it is


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## kfish (Oct 5, 2010)

Awww!!! So glad to see they're still doing so well. You did such a great job.


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## BlackberryBetta (Feb 6, 2011)

Good job rescuing them and nursing them back to health. That is what I do. I don't buy from breeders or anything like that!


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## acloudconnected (Oct 28, 2010)

@ BETTACHKALOVE You're right, this forum was the most important factor in their recovery. Literally life-saving! I am so grateful that this site exists.


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

This is hands down one of the best rescue stories I've read on this forum, super mega kudos to acloudconnected and everybody involved!

I enjoy how much love and effort everybody has on this forum for their bettas, treating them like their own children rather than "just fish". It's really inspiring for a novice like me! XD


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