# I need URGENT help!



## akjadestar (Mar 19, 2010)

Well I had this little terra cotta pot in my bettas tank, it was on it's side, and it was meant to be a cave.. but Venus never really went in it... he normally liked to stay on the top and hide in plants. Well... today when I got home from school I was looking all over for him in his tank, and I found him by the plant pot, with his head stuck in the hole that was on the bottom of the pot. I honestly thought he would never manage to get himself stuck there, and I thought it was pretty big of a hole, enough for him to slip through.. anyways... I got my sister to come up and I was crying because I thought he was dead... but my sister saw he was moving a bit, and I noticed he was puffing his gills in and out and his mouth was opening and closing. Since he hates fishnets we took it and put it near him thinking maybe if he saw it he would try to swim right away and pull himself free. He moved out a little, and I think when he did he rubbed off some of his scales... so then he squirmed back to how he was before... 
My dad helped us out and broke open the pot with some pliars... So Venus was free, but my dad told me he didn't look too good... well I just wasn't ready to see him suffering so bad... so I stayed away. Later my dad told me he was lying on his side, and he thought he was toast... we had the airstone on, thinking that would help him breathe or something. 
Well... I finally worked up the courage to go see him and he was lying on his side, still, but to my surprise he was still alive... his gills are slowly rising and falling. He has a patch of scales missing above his head... I'm keeping on his airstone so he can get a bit of oxygen since he can't go get air from the surface... and I'm doing a half water change tomorrow, that way I won't have to move him out of the tank... Hopefully it'll be enough and it has to wait til tomorrow since it's late tonight...
do you have any other advice? if he survives the night that is...


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## Sella (Mar 21, 2010)

Aw honey I think you're doing the best you can.. I'll pray for you and you're little manfish.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I would keep the water clean as possible and lower the water level so he can get to the surface easier. And plug up holes in terra cotta pots.


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## xxabc (Feb 1, 2010)

His main source of oxygen is the labrynth organ, not the gills. So the best way is to lower the water level by a lot, so he can reach the top much easier. Keep his water very clean as well.


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## Starbright (Apr 26, 2009)

I never even thought of fish getting stuck in that hole! I should rearrange my pot too > < I really hope he pulls through! 

What the above people said sounds right. Good luck good luck!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I've heard of it happening.


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## akjadestar (Mar 19, 2010)

Thank you! He's still hanging in here. I gave him some aquarium salt because it's supposed to help gill function, I don't know if I can lower the water level. The airstone tube goes inside a large riser tube, and when I've tried putting it outside of the tube, it seems to bother him a lot. And he's in really sensitive condition right now... so I'm a bit worried, and the water level has to be above the riser tube for it to work... Otherwise I would do that.. Oh he looks so awful, the only way I can tell he's still alive is his gills puffing out and occasionally he'll move around his tail... it looks like he's trying to swim but he can't get his head off the ground... I don't know why. But around his head is where a ton of his scales are gone, and since that's around the area he was trapped I think he has some gill damage. 
Just now I noticed a sliver of the pot still left behind in the tank, that my dad had left behind, and while I was trying to scoop it up with the net, Venus, who was right near by, was wriggling around.
Oh yeah, and this morning I found him in the same position , lying on his side. 
When I was changing his water this morning I didn't move him out of the tank, I just let him be and used a cup to scoop out half the water, then dumped in the new water. He wiggled around and I honestly thought he was about to die. He can't move! I don't know why he can't lift his head. I'm hanging on to my money does anyone know what medicine might help? I don't know what else will work... =[
I've never felt so hopeless...


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

I'm so sorry! It does sound like you're doing everything you can. If it were me I'd find some way to help him get to the top to get air here and there. Maybe by lifting him in your cupped hand rising him to the surface? Is he afraid of hands at all? I don't know if this would stress him. It's just an idea.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I would put him in a smaller container while he recovers. Then he can get to the surface easier.


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## akjadestar (Mar 19, 2010)

Well, I don't know if I wanna move him, I'm so scared of hurting him because he has so many missing scales... I'd rather leave him in his tank with shallow water, if I move him I'll only stress him out more and possibly hurt him. 
I may not know better (probably I don't) but I think he's only living on the air pump right now... I could just be full of it o.o 
So I'm in a dilemma right now... is the air pump even helping him? Because right now, I don't want the water shallow because the airpump doesn't work in shallow water. But if he doesn't need it, then I can lower the water level.
I'm still unsure though cause Venus couldn't swim to the top if he wanted to. Like I said, he's on his side and he'll try moving but he can't raise his head. 
But he must get around because almost every time I check on him, he's lying in a different spot. 
Another worry of mine is he might starve if this carries on too long. I limited his feeding to once every 2 or 3 days because he was getting a little fat and I feed him flakes and it's hard to control how many you feed him and I normally end up giving way too much. I was supposed to feed him this morning, but he can't swim, so yeah..
Does anyone know of a medicine or something I could give him?


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Lowering the water level or moving him to a shallower container is a MUST. If he can't get to the surface he WILL die of suffocation. Don't worry about stressing him out.. just get the water level lower. Raise his temp to 82-84*F and put some aquarium salt in the tank.

The most important thing is that he gets air.. there is no medicine that will help him right now.. he needs oxygen, heat, and very clean water.


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## xxabc (Feb 1, 2010)

Don't worry about the airpump. If you're worried about the oxygen level within the shallowed water, just do water changes very very slowly. Llike take out water from the opposite end of the tank with a cup (not a siphon), and then replace slowly as well. New water brings in fresh oxygen within water. I'm more concerned with shallow water that he can reach directly, for his labrynth organ, than the airstone (again, gills are only the secondary method for air). 

Good luck with him!


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## akjadestar (Mar 19, 2010)

But... he still can't even swim though... I mean, he's moved to different spots in the rock, but he can't even swim upwards because he can't raise his head. I have gave him salt... ummm I don't have a heater from him but I think I might buy one. His water is room temperature... maybe even a bit lower because we just had a snowstorm. 
If I can I'll buy a heater tomorrow, wish me luck with that... my family thinks he's dead already. I have like, 20 bucks hopefully it's enough. 
If I get a submersible heater, how could it go underwater though, if I make the water shallow?
I've heard of undertank stick on heaters but those only raise the water a few degrees which won't be enough. 
And I'm worried about heaters because I have a plastic tank and I'm always scared of the plastic getting melted. Does anyone recommend a filter I could buy for under 20 bucks, specifically at Big Al's, PetSmart, or PJ'S Pets?
And I've been adding salt, I normally do anyways to add electrolytes. 
On another site someone recommended giving him Stress Coat. Would that be a good idea?
And thanks sooo much guys for all the help


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Put the heater in the tank horizontally, like ----------------- .The plasric won't melt. I have all acrylic tanks and I haven't had any issues with melting.


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## akjadestar (Mar 19, 2010)

So does that mean it would be above or below the surface though? Also I'm worried about having the cord under the lid because then if the lid's opened a crack one of our cats might be able to open it up...


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## xxabc (Feb 1, 2010)

> But... he still can't even swim though... I mean, he's moved to different spots in the rock, but he can't even swim upwards because he can't raise his head.


Why is why I'm recommending lowering the water. It's definitely in his instincts to go up for air, or he will suffocate... there was this one experiment where a betta's (or perhaps multiple, as it _was_ an experiment) labrynth organ was removed, and there was plenty and plenty of oxygen within the water. It still suffocated to death. Your bettas last bits of strength probably include swimming to the top for air. 

Unless I read that wrong?


Here's what I've found so far, in a few seconds of google:
http://www.tropicalfishforum.net/showthread.php?t=2382
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/anabantids2/p/betta.htm (near the middle of the page). 

Hope those help explaining about the organs a bit. 

I also agree with at least having enough water to completely cover the to-be heater. It will short-fuse (?) if it's not fully submerged. I use Tetra Whisper, it's pretty cheap, and it does its job. ALthough it will probably help in the long run to go get an adjustable heater for a few extra bucks.

Yes, it will mean cracking the lid, however MOST lids come with "holes" to allow the wires to run through without any cracks. And this means the physical bulky heater itself must be UNDER, or COVERED with water.


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

You can also get a heavy book(s) and put on top of the tank so the cat can't knock the top off (or just not let the cat into the room where the fish is).

If he has lived 24 hrs since the incident more than likely he will pull through.


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## akjadestar (Mar 19, 2010)

OK, but I also realized something, I can't put it horizontally with the riser tube there, I could remove the riser tube, but last time I tried it was really hard and I had to tug a lot and I don't wanna hurt Venus, but I can try. Only if the heater is lying horizontally, it might block his way to the surface? I have a kinda tall skinny-ish tank, so that might be a problem.
Sorrryyy, you guys are probably so fed up with me xD


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## xxabc (Feb 1, 2010)

Heaters aren't THAT bulky lol. I know the Walmart tetra ones are pretty *short*, and the adjustables are pretty long. What tank is it? 5 gallon hex? Heaters will definitely not block his way up. If they were that bad, pshh, I live in Texas, I can deal with 80F all year long. Haha.


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## akjadestar (Mar 19, 2010)

It's a 3 gallon tank. Okay well I'll look but a question, will the heater be like, touching the gravel? And what if Venus like, happens to go and lie on the heater, would he burn himself?


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

heaters won't hurt anything in the tank and will not burn your fish at all. Mine frequently hide/sleep behind their heaters.


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## xxabc (Feb 1, 2010)

As long as the heater is properly plugged in and fully submerged (if directions say so). 

Heaters are made for aquariums, so no, they will not physically burn your fish. To play safe, don't allow the heater to touch the gravel. There IS a rubberguard, but that's on the bottom for when it stands vertically. You don't need to put the water level THAT low if you need to push down the heater.


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## akjadestar (Mar 19, 2010)

Well, I just took out about half his water and I'm keeping his plants in so he's not stressed and feels secure but I pushed them away so the water surface is open for him to get to. So I'll see about the heater. What kind would you recommend and can you give a link so I can see what it looks like?


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## xxabc (Feb 1, 2010)

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tetra-Heater-1-ct/10291808

I use this. It's short so it should fit your tank horizontally if you're really concerned about that. I still recommend buying an adjustable one, but I believe they're all tall.


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## akjadestar (Mar 19, 2010)

GUYS GUYS GUYS!!!!!!!!!! !
I can't believe this! 
For the first time since the accident Venus is up and swimming! I cannot believe it! And the best part? My dad and I made a bet, my dad thought he'd never be up and swimming again, and 5 minutes after making the bet, my dad went to the tank and tapped on the outside, and he got up and started swimming. So for winning the bet I got 20 bucks! So now I have 40 bucks so I could buy him a heater to help him feel better. 
I'm confident he's gonna stay alive but his injuries are concerning, like his patch of scales missing on his head. I'll keep the water clean to so there's no infection. He seems a little clumsy right now, and when I tried feeding him it took a bit to get the food down. 
But I can't believe this, this is surely a blessing. It was perfect timing for him to get better ^^


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

I'm so glad to hear that! Congrats.


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## akjadestar (Mar 19, 2010)

So he'll probably live now, but I'm concerned about his missing scales. Is there medicine I can give him? Someone on a different site suggested Stress Coat.
And I'll buy a heater soon now that I got an extra 20 bucks!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I don't think Stresscoat would hurt. It helps to protect the slimecoat.


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

Kilo recently got his face stuck in a siphon tube and it ripped away a half moon shaped crescent in his head, scales and all. I only used aquarium salt and clean water and it healed just fine. It was down to the white 'meat' of his head.  Now you can only see a faint scar. I think it took a week or two to heal? Give or take. I can't remember when I moved him.


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## ecoprincess (Jul 16, 2009)

i have the same heater as *xxabc*. It works great! HOWEVER if you are trying to hel him an adjustable one might be better so u can raise the temp a bit higher then this ones preset! 

YAAAAY for Venus!


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## akjadestar (Mar 19, 2010)

Okay well I can buy him some stress coat then. 
And yeah, the spot on his head is like a white sort of fleshy color, and also I noticed the color on his sides are a bit lighter, and under one of his pectoral fins. So I read the reviews on a heater and it said that for a 6 gallon tank the temp. was up to like, 76 degrees. Well Venus is only in a 3 gallon, so I'm worried that it might over heat the water, especially since the tank is only half full right now. And Venus has never had a heater and is probably rather used to room temperature or below, so it might be a little freaky for him... so does anyone know of one for a smaller tank?


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I use tetra whisper heaters in my 2.5 gallons.


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## akjadestar (Mar 19, 2010)

Okay ^^ thanks  
tomorrow I'm buying a whisper heater, stress coat, and maybe some AmQuel or PolyAqua (I LOVE Kordon's products ^^ )


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## Sella (Mar 21, 2010)

Awesome news!


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## akjadestar (Mar 19, 2010)

it is!
here's a couple pictures i took of him today:



















Other than the frayed, clamped fins and missing scales he's looking good to me!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

He's pretty!


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

He looks like he's mending just fine. In a couple weeks you won't even know he was hurt. I'm so glad!


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## akjadestar (Mar 19, 2010)

Hi again everyone! I bought him a heater on Sunday, the Tetra Whisper Heater..
He seems to like the warm water... on my thermometer it's at about 75...
But I noticed something bad... I mean , I'm not really really concerned... but it's not good. He was a rip/hole in one of his pelvic fins... It's like a thin little slit... I'm sure it will heal over time but I'm kinda nervous... that was not there before...


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## Divisible by Waffle (Oct 1, 2009)

Fin tears are a common non-serious betta injury. My halfmoon, Nero, ripped one of his fins flaring at me soon after I got him. It took less than a week for it to heal. Just continue keeping the water clean, and it should mend pretty quickly.

If you have plastic plants or anything else sharp in your setup, that can snag and tear fins. Otherwise, it's probably nothing connected to the major injury he just suffered, and it's probably not serious either.


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## akjadestar (Mar 19, 2010)

Yeah he has silk plants so it's not that , oh well, he seems a bit better.
Mmm only he's been twitching a lot... well he was last night but I think he's better now... last time i checked


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## Tinthalas Tigris (Jan 28, 2010)

to be honest. I'm surprised, Alana.

I had the exact same injury occur with one of my first and favorite bettas... "Flo" was her name, and she was the most gorgeous of deep dark blues. I was housing her for my sister in law.

Sadly, she was injured the same way, and died after 3 days of nursing her back to health. Mostly, because I didn't lower her water level low enough.

I think your betta will do fine. Keep that water level still shallow to not tire Venus out. Maybe 2 inches tops right now.


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## Firefly (Apr 9, 2010)

Glad to hear ur fishy is getting betta make sure to keep some good anti-bacterial meds for the area he got scratched, u dont want it to get infected.


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## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

*Beware of Flower Pots!!!!*

What happened to Venus also just happened to my betta, Baby Blue. We were lucky: although her scales were scrapped off in the same place as Venus, BB was able to swim and eat, and two weeks after the injury she is almost all healed.

BB had some advantages that Venus didn't. She's in a 5.5 gallon heated and filtered tank with at least a 10% water change each week (and quality monitored by testing). She's a healthy, growing young fish with a low stress level.

I didn't salt the water or add any treatments (other than a betta water condition, which I always add with every water change).

I was very careful selecting what I put into the tank with BB: silk plants, smooth small stones, and what I thought were smooth and safe small terracotta flower pots for hiding in.

I've taken the pots out and won't put them back in until the drainage holes are pluged with aquarium silicone!

I don't know how to 'sticky' threads, but this might be worth 'sticky'ing... to save other well-meaning betta parents and bettas from this preventable injury.

Cheryl


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