# Help, please!!! =[!



## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Yesterday, Turbo's fins seemed fine.. There was one that looked a tad "crooked", and the other one had looked the same it had always been. This morning, he looked fine when I turned on his light and told him good morning. Tonight, I went into my room, and his fins look VERY different. o.o It's so drastic that it looks like he morphed into a crowntail!! He's still swimming around and flaring. I noticed him breathing heavily the other day, but he was still active, and I thought it was the stress of the water change. He's breathing normally now. His fins are just very, VERY different. Sometimes, when he swims, his caudal fin isn't spread out now. =[ Sometimes, it is.. What's happened to my betta????? Please, help!


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## Loralyn94 (Jul 22, 2011)

Could you try and post some pictures so that we could see what your talking about? It makes it easier on people who give advice to know what there thinking is wrong is actually whats wrong. 

Is there any dark edges on his fins? Or do they look like theyre shredded and torn?


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## flowerslegacy (May 10, 2011)

Hi Comet, Any way you can post a picture? There are a lot of folks who can help diagnose the issue, but it's hard to imagine what you're describing. Also, under "Betta Fish Diseases and Emergencies" (the same place where you posted this thread) there's a form you should fill out. It asks genereal questions ie. tank size, food type, etc. You can cut and paste it into your post. This will really help!


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Housing 
What size is your tank? Ten gallons; about eight gallons with decorations and substrate.
What temperature is your tank? Eighty-two degrees.
Does your tank have a filter? Yes.
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? Occasionally; I only turn it on sometimes.
Is your tank heated? Yes.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? No other fish/creatures.

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? TetraMin Tropical Granules.
How often do you feed your betta fish? Usually, twice a day, a few granules each time. I haven't fed him today, because I thought i'd give him a day to "digest".

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? About once a week.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? About 25%.
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Water conditioner.

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
Not lately.
Ammonia: Last time I checked, it was between 0 and .25..
Nitrite: N/A
Nitrate: N/A
pH: 7.6, I believe.
Hardness: N/A
Alkalinity: N/A

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? His fins seem almost like a mutated crowntail's.. I previously believed he was a round-tailed betta... Now, they all seem ripped.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? I've not really noticed any behavioral changes in him..
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Tonight; just minutes ago.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No; I wasn't sure how to proceed.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Not that I'm aware of.
How old is your fish (approximately)? I'm not exactly sure.. He's still rather small; maybe between six months and a year?

I'm currently trying to get some pictures.. He's still moving pretty quickly, so it's really hard to get a clear shot of him with my cell phone.


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## Loralyn94 (Jul 22, 2011)

If theres no dark edging and the fins just appear to be ripped, it could be tail biting. But theres no way to tell for sure without seeing pictures.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Here are some of the pictures that I was able to get... I know; they're not the best.  Sorry.. 
In one, you can see how he clamps his caudal fin sometimes.. Not often, but occasionally.
In the other ones, you may be able to see his caudal fin better in the reflection on his tank...
I did my best. =[ I hope these help!!


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

The edges seem to be a darker blue than the rest, but his tail has always had color variations.. I'm not sure if the color has really changed or not.. =/


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## Arashi Takamine (Mar 3, 2011)

Doesn't look like tail biting....Maybe he got caught in the filter?


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

The intake of the filter doesn't really seem to be that strong. He's been in this tank for about 2.5 weeks, and he's not had a problem with that before.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Here is a picture that I found that looks similar to Turbo (not coloring):
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g49/bettaSunshine/DSCN5090.jpg
However, the tears/rips/whatever they are are smaller and seem to be between each individual ray or every other ray..


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Any suggestions?


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

=/ Maybe.... I could add one more gallon of water so the water level will be a little higher and the outflow from the filter won't have to fall so far to get into the tank, making the filter baffle more efficient. In case, the outflow hurt his poor little fins. =[ And.. Perhaps, I could put gravel around the intake, in case the intake hurt his fins.... Any other ideas?


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## Pataflafla (Jun 2, 2011)

You could try baffling your filter or covering the intake with some pantyhose to ensure he doesn't get caught in it.

I have to agree that it doesn't quite look like tail biting. for preventative measures you could qt him and treat him with aq salt, but I wouldn't do that unless you started to see his fins have dark edges or red edges that slowly seem to dissolve his tail. If it does get to that point, premix 1 gallon of dechlorinated water with 1 tsp of aq salt and do daily water changes while he's in qt, though he doesn't need to be for now.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

What kind of decorations and plants do you have in there? Perhaps he caught his tail on a decoration? And can you see any blackened edges or streaks of red in his fins? Usually when they lose fins like this in so short a time, I would say tail biting. But often times the tailbiting is big chunks and you can really tell it's tailbiting because the bites are in the shape of a mouth. It almost looks like Turbo has gotten his fins caught on a spiky plant.

The only way the outflow could hurt his fins is if it's so strong it knocks him around and maybe knocked him into a decoration or plant. Think back and see if you can remember any time you've seen him swimming or hiding under a certain plant or decoration. My guy swims under his plants all the time, belly to the gravel, and sometimes it seems like he has to really wriggle through. If you had a spiky plant perhaps it caught his tail as he went under. I've seen it happen with my guy. I even saw a piece of fin hanging off the plant before. 

Also, even plants that aren't super spiky may have a sharp plastic bit near the bottom. If you're not sure, take the plant out and feel near the base for any spiky plastic stems that poke out. 

Maybe do your 25% water changes every two days for a week or so to keep the water extra clean. That way it'll help prevent infection.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I managed to get another fairly decent picture of his fin damage.. It seems to mainly be isolated to the caudal fin. A small area of the anal fin, closest to the caudal fin, has a teeny tiny bit of damage but not much. The dorsal fin is pretty much the same as it always has been, and the ventral fins are still fine.


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

I know you sent me a message to look at this thread in hopes that I can help, but I am honestly puzzled. I have never had to deal with fin issues yet. To me it seems like the rays are still there, but the fin between the rays is missing?? Doesn't look like a finrot to me though, since it's so even and effecting the soft fin between the rays. But take that with a grain of salt (pun intended) since I have one seen this stuff online, not in person. My guy actually tore his fins tonight... blah!

Either way, I would get him into some AQ salt, his fins are going to need it to heal from whatever this is. Eee I hope someone can come along and help! Or do as sakura says and keep his water really clean, and move to AQ salt if you see it get any worst. 

Look around your tank.. is there anything he could snag his tail on?


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I baffled the filter, but it's still pretty strong, which is why I'll probably raise the water level a bit. I have some plants in there. When I took them out to clean them, I squeezed them to be sure that they weren't sharp, and they were all pretty soft. =] He has a bush-like plant that he likes to hide behind (especially when I'm trying to get pictures of him...) and another plant whose name I can't quite recall at the moment (very soft) that he likes to rest on from time to time. The filter is creating a really strong current. I'm starting to think that I didn't put enough water back in when I did the water change. There is one plant that is directly under the filter current, but it's not spiky. It does have tiny leaves, though.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Pitluvs, that is pretty much exactly what it is!! The "webbing" (definitely not the correct term...) between the rays seem to be what's affected, mainly on the caudal fin..


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

If you can hear the water falling really loudly, then you need more water in the tank. I agree with Pitluvs, you can QT him and put him in AQ salt or you can leave him in the 10g and observe with lots of water changes. Mostly we just don't want it to become infected.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I agree. I'm going to go treat another gallon of water..at two-ten in the morning. Lol. Hopefully, I won't wake anyone up. Do you think he has a high risk of getting an infection with his current injury?


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## Pataflafla (Jun 2, 2011)

If his water is clean, then I would say he's low risk so long as his conditions are kept clean and he's relatively stress free.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Alright. I think I'll just scoop him out for a second, add the water, put him back in, and watch him closely. Instead of a weekly water change, I'll do a 25% one every other day. =]


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I just added the water. The sponge (for my filter baffle) is in the water now.. Just the tips of it.. Is that safe? =/ Could the sponge possibly hurt my betta?


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Turbo hates me for putting him in that little container.. I kept the container I got him in for water changes and such.. And he hates it. Probably has flashbacks.. =[ Traumatized, I'd bet.. I'm going to put him right back in the tank, as soon as I'm sure the sponge thing is okay. =)


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

No, the sponge should be okay but keep an eye on it all the same. Good luck!


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Thank you. =] He's back in his tank now. I fed him a little as a reward for being so good. Lol. Even though he hates me sooo much right now. He bit my finger! xD I noticed a tiny cloudy-looking spot on each of his eyes.. =/ Otherwise, he looks very healthy, aside from the fins and little stress stripe. I really think that container triggers PTSD in him.. There is still a very tiny current from the filter, even with the water as full as possible (with room to breathe) and the sponge actually in the water.. It doesn't shove him down now, but it does slightly push him back; I've noticed him swimming against it, kind of like a person on a treadmill. I don't think it's a danger to him now, though. For some reason, he loves to swim behind the filter... Lol. While he was in the container, I noticed how much he's changed since I brought him home; his coloring is great! Also.. About his food, I was using flakes. Then, I planned to switch to pellets, but I thought they'd be too big for him. So, I'm using granules... Even the granules need broken in half sometimes! Originally, I'd said that he was probably six months to a year.. I'm leaning more towards the six months, though.. Do they make smaller food for bettas? The granules I'm using are made for bettas and similarly-sized fish (and ornamental fish, too, probably), but they're still pretty big for him; sometimes, he has to swallow them and spit them back out a few times before he can eat them.. If I break them in half, it's less likely, but it can be pretty hard to break already-tiny granules in half...


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

If tiny is what you want, you can't get smaller than New Life Spectrum Small Fish Formula .5mm Sinking Pellets (whew). They're so small they're like coffee grounds. You can get them at Petco. Anything smaller than that is fry food. 

I'm glad to hear the filter baffle is working. You do want a little current to keep the water moving so it sounds like the setup is great. 

Aww, poor Turbo. "The cup, not the cup! Nooo!" I bet you're right, it probably does bring back bad memories. But he'll get over it, food always makes them forget.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I'll check back on the thread tomorrow. It's past three in the morning here, and I have work. Lol. I can sleep now, knowing that little Turbo is doing well. =] Thank you all for all of your help! If his fins start looking worse, I'll be sure to move him and put some salt in his water.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

The sad thing is.. I can actually picture him saying that every time he sees the cup... =P


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Night Comet, get some rest.  And good night Turbo, get better quickly!


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Turbo's acting like he doesn't even notice his fin issues. Lol. I informed everyone in my family about his condition, especially so my mother won't let my younger siblings in my room while I'm at work (My brother likes to stick his hands in the tank... -_- And he _never _washes them!). I'm going to try to find that food that you suggested. I usuallly turn Turbo's light out at night and keep it on during the day. Do you think the light would be unnecessary stress while he's injured, or is it okay, since he's still behaving as though he were well?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

As long as he doesn't seem stressed out by the light, I would leave it on. Most people try and keep their bettas on a regular day/night schedule by doing what you're doing: leaving it on during the day, turning it off at night. I'm glad Turbo's acting so healthy, that's great. It means the tears aren't infected.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Good. =] I have some freeze-dried bloodworms and baby shrimp (gammarus) that I was thinking about giving him. I've heard that freeze-dried foods can make them sick, though. =/ So, I'm not sure how to give him a varied diet without it getting him sick.


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## Pataflafla (Jun 2, 2011)

I haven't had any problems feeding my fish freeze-dried bloodworms. I usually only use it as a once a week meal before fasting and even then they only get maybe 3 at most. The only exception is Frog because she needs to gain some weight quickly and she will only eat those or krill now.

As long as you don't overfeed and don't feed them exclusively, I don't think you'll have any problems other than some minor constipation. Feed them more as a treat every once in a while and you should be fine. and might get a boy blowing some bubblenests as that is what Mirage and Yorick do after eating them.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Thank you. =] I'm thinking about getting tweezers just for the fish food, because I hate breaking the gammarus up. >.< They still have legs and eyes and everything. o.o Speaking of fish constipation... I've still not noticed my fish eliminating any waste. =/ Should I be concerned?


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## Pataflafla (Jun 2, 2011)

If he isn't bloating or having buoyancy then I don't think you should worry just yet. I have a hard time catching my boys poop, but I know they do from the massive piles left on the gravel where they spend most of the day. Depending on the color of ground cover you have it may be harder to spot. Mine is black and white so it's easy to spot the bright red and olive green of the food poops and a little harder to fine the light pink from krill and dark brown from blood worms.

If you're really concerned you could qt him for a day that you feed him and see if he lets any drop by the next morning. I do that occasionally because I can never catch Moonshoes actually going, and since he's one of the newest to the tank, I worry about him having parasites to transmit.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

He doesn't seem bloated or ill at all. My substrate is actually a mix of tans, burgundies, and whites (and similar colors), so maybe that's why I've not noticed.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

He does have an adorably round little belly.. I don't think that's bloating.. =/ I just got done feeding him. He seems to be swimming just fine; he's hunting for food right now. Even with his fins torn, he still swims around very quickly and is intensely active. Is it normal for their bellies to be a little bigger right after you feed them?


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## Pataflafla (Jun 2, 2011)

Depending on how much you feed them yes. If you feed 1 pellet, there's very little expansion for their stomachs. As you increase to 3-4pellets you'll notice their stomachs get rather large. A good rule of thumb is to feed them an amount that is similar in size to their eyes, as that is how big their stomachs usually are.

It'll go down over time as they digest so nothing to worry about.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I was looking around the tank, and I did find something that may be betta feces.. =/ 
And I tried to get a good picture of his belly.. =/ But I don't think that you can see it very clearly.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Thank you. =] I like the "eye rule". I'll remember that.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Lol. I was supposed to leave for work a few minutes ago, so I'll go now. I'll do a water change when I get home tonight. I also noticed that his container says "Veiltail" on it.. And he definitely doesn't look like a veiltail. Maybe a roundtail, but not a VT.. =/ Or maybe he's just young.. I don't know. I'll be back later! =)


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Comet, about that pic. Looks like you found some betta poo. The brine shrimp should also help encourage him to go.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Good. Then, he isn't constipated!  I'm about to do his water change. I read something about not cleaning off the artificial plants in a ten-gallon tank, because it could interfere with the cycling by unnecessarily getting rid of the good bacteria that has developed in the tank.. Is this true? Should I not rinse off the plants whenever I change the water?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Depends. My fake plants were so covered in brown algae they looked like they were made of rusted metal. I had no choice but to rinse them (and then ditch them for live plants). I would say only rinse your plants if they start to feel slimy or look nasty.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

The last time that I rinsed them, they felt a little slimy, but they weren't discolored. How long does it take for a betta's tail to regenerate?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

It depends. You should start to see new growth within a few days. It'll be a clear film at the end of the fins. Don't worry, the clear part will color up.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

When I changed the water this morning, I found some more betta waste! =] (Is it weird how I'm so excited about that? Lol.) I also rearrange the tank decorations whenever I do a water change. I think he's liking this arrangement; he keeps swimming through the amazon sword plant (I think that's what it is..). =] His tail looks about the same. =[ No new growth yet. I gave him a baby shrimp this morning, too. He loved it. o.o He didn't eat it all, because it was kind of big. I tried to give him a granule or two afterwards, and he ignored them. =/ But he _adored_ the shrimp!


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

The tips of his fins look a little white-ish now.. I think that's good. =/ But he has a white0looking speck near his head..


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Should I be concerned about the speck? =/


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I've also noticed some very interesting color patterns on him.. o.o I don't know if they're normal or not.. Reminds me of a dalmation, kind of.. ;/


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Can you describe the white speck and the color formations? However, if I have to guess, I would say the white speck could be, and most likely is a missing scale. The color formations, depending on what they look like, could be him marbling up. And new fin growth is clearish-white, is that what you see at the ends of his fins?

I'm glad he loved the brine shrimp.  Yum, he says.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

The white speck look kind of like a very tiny, shallow indention, maybe two of them really close together. The dalmation-like pattern is like.. The dark rays near the end of his caudal fin fade off into little specks.. Like: _____-----. :/... Something like that.. Is this "marbling up" a good thing? I know that I'm seeing a lot more color in him! Instead of just a dark blue and black, he's now got black, turquoise, bright red, and what looks like a peachy color. =] I hope that the fact that he's developing new colors is good.. I definitely think he has new fin growth. =] I'm starting to see more white-ish clear on the end of his caudal fin!


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## Pataflafla (Jun 2, 2011)

It's perfectly fine for a betta to marble up and display new colors once tehy feel their home is acceptable. Usually the darker and more vibrant the colors themore comfortable they are, unless it's an already light colored fish, which may be a little different.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

The whitish specks sound like missing scales. Those will grow back in pretty fast. And he does sound like he's marbling. As long as the coloring isn't a weird unhealthy looking black, gray, or red. But you can tell when it's a "bad" color. Marbling is great, a lot of people love marble bettas, they're very popular.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

That white speck has gotten bigger! It's more like a line or streak now. =[ Is that normal??


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

He also has a little stress stripe. =[ I think that may be because his lighting schedule was messed up; I was out yesterday, and asked my father to make sure that his light got turned on. My father forget to tell my mother that Turbo's light needed to be turned on. So, I came home at around eight... And poor Turbo was still in the dark. =[ So, I turned his light on. Then, I left it on all night; I wasn't really sure how to get him back on his schedule. I'm thinking about just turning his light off while I'm at work and turning it back on when I get home. It would only be about five or six hours of dark, but it may get him mostly back on his lighting schedule..


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Do you think you could get a picture of that white mark? And is there anything he could be rubbing his head on, like the underside of his filter or a decoration?


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I have all of the ends of the decorations buried in gravel, so I don't think that's it. I don't think it could be the filter; he can only touch the sponge part of it and the intake, but the intake isn't very strong at all. I can try to get a picture of it, but he's so incredibly active that it's hard to get him still long enough.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Is the whole white streak indented the way the specks were?


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

The white streak seems to be fading now.. I can't really tell if the whole thing was indented or not. It looks like it's almost gone now..


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Well, if it's fading that's great. Maybe it was a temporary scratch or something, it's hard to say but if it's going away, then it's probably nothing to worry about. *fingers crossed*


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Turbo's fins are still regrowing nicely, and he's still swimming and active. I just checked on him, and he has this odd white-ish clear thing on him. =/ It's not ich; it doesn't look like salt. It almost looks like a nearly transparent scale or something, just hanging out on his side, right above his gill. =/ What is it??


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Also, it's not on the same side where the scratch was, and it doesn't just stay there. When he moves up or down, it moves, as well. I seriously doubt that it's a parasite or something living. It's like... If you get a piece of tape stuck to your finger. =/ It's just..there.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

It could be part of his slime coat coming off. Or it could be something else. Does it look kind of fuzzyish? Like this:


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

No. :/ It's gone now. Just a white speck... I just got back from work.  11.5-hour shift.. My mom says he's been doing well today, though. He still has that little scratch. I've noticed even more fin growth on him.  He got so excited when I came home and told him hello. Lol.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Okay, if it's gone I'll take that as a very good sign. It might have been excess slime coat coming off. I'm glad he's doing so much better.  As for the scratch, hopefully it will heal. If it gets bigger or starts looking funny, then I'd worry.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

The speck from the thing that was attached to him is gone now. That scratch is still there, though. =/ I've noticed a little white around his gills; he acts completely normal, so I'm hoping it's just coloring.. What do you think? :/


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Is the white around his gills on his gill covers or on his actual gills? And is it pure white or grayish white? And how is his breathing?


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

=/ This is really frustrating.. I just checked him, and the white on him that I was talking about is _gone_.... He breathing is fine. The only thing that I noticed is that he's built another bubble nest. =/


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Why oh why do bettas like messing with our minds so much? Well, it's possible the white was some slime coat coming off. Not sure, I guess all you can do is keep an eye on him and post back if it shows up again. At least it's gone, that's good.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Would that be bad? o.o Don't bettas need their slime coats to keep them healthy, like an immune system?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yes, they do need their slime coats, you're totally right.  But sometimes when they get sick, they overproduce to compensate for whatever is ailing them. When they start to feel better, they shed the excess slime coat. Watch for any more signs of white spots or anything that might look like an external parasite.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Alright; thank you. Parasite signs would be like..white waste products, right? Oh, and I did actually see him eliminating a little string of waste days ago. =] It was so...cute.. :/ xD


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Do you think it may have been from where his fins were injured? Could he have produced excess slime coating for that? :/


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

It's possible he did produce some extra slime coating then to help him heal up faster. And yeah, internal parasites would be whitish, stringy poop. External parasites would be white spots or if he was rubbing along things like he was trying to get something off.

Pooping . . . cute? Lol.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I got excited about it.. Asked my family if they wanted to see my betta defecating.. They didn't. =/ He's a perplexing little guy. He seems totally well now. He's actually adding some more to his newest bubble nest. o.o You should see it. It's like...ultimate. I posted a thread about it. About to go add another picture. It's _huge_.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

His fins have healed surprisingly fast... He has tons of new growth. It's almost like it was before. =] Maybe even a little longer? o.o


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I'm really glad his fins have healed so fast, that's great news. 

And yeah, I remember the first time I actually saw my betta poop. It was like, "Wow, he poops? I've never seen that before!" And then there are the bettas who like to let it dangle for two hours. :roll: Lovely, just lovely.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Lol. xD The new growth on his fins are even starting to get some color. =] _And_ he's starting to do full flares now! With his gills, too, instead of just his fins!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yay! He must feel good then, if he's flaring and building bubblenests. I'm glad he's getting back to 100%, you're taking such great care of him.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Thank you. =] He deserves it. He's so adorable. I love that little guy so much. His flaring is much fuller now. You can really see his fins now; so pretty.  I keep wanting to buy him more things, but I don't know what else I could get him. Lol. Maybe I'll get him some of that grass stuff.. Hairgrass, I believe it's called? I've been wanting to get a moss ball, because I've heard that bettas love them, and they sound so cute. =D I'm not sure how much maintenance they'd require, though.. I've read up on them some, and they seem fairly simple to keep, as long as you roll them a bit and squeeze them from time to time. Lol. I'd hate to kill a moss ball. o.o Did you just get another one? I noticed that you have Gromph now, in addition to Floofi (Which I think is just the cutest name!).


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Thank you, it was actually another forum member, Neil D, who named Floofi for me. I came up with the not so creative name Gromph on my own. ^_^ Yup, moss balls are really pretty easy. Most of us QT ours for a week or so to make sure they don't have any snails or something on them, then just plop them in the tank. Give them a good squeeze once a week and fluff them out a bit and they're good to go. All they need is a bit of light. Hairgrass is good too, although it needs to be planted (moss balls go anywhere and sometimes even just float). 

I'm really glad Turbo is doing so much better with his fins. We'll keep an eye out for any more white spots or suspicious things like that but it sounds like he's getting back to feeling good so that's wonderful news. Definitely keep me posted and if there's anything you want to ask a question about with Turbo, don't hesitate to PM me.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

You're welcome. Gromph is cute, too. =] I don't have any live plants. I just have the fluorescent lighting, the type that was supposed to go with the tank hood I bought, I guess. Since I'm still fairly new to betta ownership, I doubt that I'd be too good with live plants, so all of mine are artificial. Lol. I found some artificial hairgrass stuff at Walmart. I always look at the bettas when I go there. We also have a local pet store that sells tons of fish and fish accessories. Pretty expensive, though. They have a nice selection, and I love to browse through what they have.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I can't look at the bettas anymore when I go to get supplies. I come home with one. In fact, my family is like, 'You're not allowed unattended in pet stores anymore." If only the bettas weren't always in such sad condition, I wouldn't be so tempted to bring one home.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Last time I was there, I saw a nearly transparent one, a butterfly one, new crowntails, and _a lot_ of pretty colors. They practically had to drag me away from the section. Lol.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

So many bettas in need of loving homes. It's so hard to resist them, isn't it? That's why I try not to look. I'm not always successful, though. ^_^


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I really want another one, but I keep thinking about the future. In college, I'm only allowed a fishtank that's ten gallons or less. I've considered putting my second one in a smaller tank and dividing the tank when I get to college..


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

In theory, you can divide a 10g 3 ways and they have enough room to swim and be happy in. I haven't done that but others have. It might work for you.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I found a lovely one on AquaBid that I adore, too. o.o A "black orchid". Reminds me of a figure skating dress. Lol. Might name him Czisny (spelling?) or..Kwan. Lol. xD Then again, the little Walmart butterfly was gorgeous. o.o They also had several CTs, but I'm more fond of HMs and such, not that CTs aren't beautiful. I love them.  I'd just be so paranoid all of the time.. "o.o... Does he have fin rot?? Did that fin look like that yesterday????". xD You know what I mean? They really are quite lovely, though. I watched a video of one yesterday. So cute and lush! =D


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## Pataflafla (Jun 2, 2011)

My 10 gal is divided into three sections. No problems with too much aggression (Other than Ratchet, but if he even sees another male he goes nuts). I just put a tall plant or two in front of each divider to help block out the view. And lower the water level to prevent jumping.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Someone on here used a "fern wall" or something for their divided tank. I _loved_ that idea. I just don't really have any experience with dividing tanks, and I'd hate to downsize little Turbo. He's so happy being the king of his ten-gallon. Lol.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I'm about to leave for work, so I just checked on Turbo again. Guess what? -_- The white is back. It's so weird; it just comes and goes. He gets another water change when I get home from work, and I'm definitely cleaning his heater off (Ick! "Heater snot"!).


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## dragonflie (Aug 5, 2011)

It's probably just biofilm. Get used to seeing such things. As a tank matures it becomes alot less spotless.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Haha, yeah, I totally understand what you mean about the CTs. I'm the same way, that's why I only have one CT and he was a special case: he was really sick and I wasn't expecting him to live. I rarely see more than his dorsal fin though because he is handicapped and spends all of his time sitting on his tail. To this day, I'm still not really sure what his tail looks like. I'm not even sure if it's fully grown because he sits on it so much.

I hate biofilm. It's so gross. But Dragon is right, nasty slimy stuff becomes the norm in an older tank.


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## Pataflafla (Jun 2, 2011)

Ratchet is the only one I have a hard time diagnosing fin rot in (Of my crown tails at least), but that's only because his fins get progressively redder as they go around. He at least poses when I get the camera out so I can check then. I think Iorek would be the hardest to diagnose if it were red fin rot though since he's got such rich red fins.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Awwwww.  All of your fish sound so cute! It kind of makes me want a CT. Lol. I just got home from work, and I'm sooo tired. Turbo's swimming around, all cute-like. =] The white is almost gone, just down around his "chin". It just comes and goes, I guess. :/ He has a little stress stripe. =[ Maybe, he misses me when I'm gone? Cute little guy. It's so late; I'll have to do the water change before I leave for work tomorrow.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Turbo probably does miss you. Bettas bond a lot with their owners, it's so sweet. Although sometimes I'm convinced they bond with the food we give, not us. I'm glad to hear he's doing well so get some well-deserved rest.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I have to unplug the heater before I take it out to clean it, and I'm concerned that it would make Turbo's water too cold, and he'd get stressed. You think he'll be okay? :/


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Unless your house is absolutely freezing, the water in Turbo's tank shouldn't cool down so fast that he gets cold and stressed while you're cleaning the heater. And if it does cool down a degree or two, the change will be gradual so it won't stress him that way either. It's really sudden changes in temp that can cause them to go into shock, like taking him from 60 degree water and putting him straight into 80 degrees. I think it'll be okay to unplug the heater.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I cleaned everything before work. =] The heater isn't icky now. Lol. I took out the bubble wand, because it was getting ickiness on it, too (Such a professional term, ickiness.. :/). He had a stress stripe yesterday, but it's pretty much gone now. He's all adorable and swimmy. Yesterday, I saw some fish feces in his little cup that I keep him in when I change his water! =D I have to get another one now, though. -_- My boyfriend picked it up, and it broke.. His fins are getting longer. o.o I think he is a VT. I like watching him swim.  I miss him so much when I'm at work! Too bad that I have to work today. =[


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Sometimes I wish you could hug fish.  And I have no idea what that ickiness is that makes everything so slimy and nasty. Ugh, but I get it too. I'm so glad he's improved so much that he's swimmy and happy. That's the best news ever.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I was just thinking that! I texted one of my friends and told him I wanted to hug my fish. He said it probably wasn't the best idea. Lol. xD Obviously. But they're just sooo cute!!! =]! 
O.O!!! I just looked at Turbo, and there is this fly in his tank!!!!!!!!!!! And he's swimming over to it, like "Hey... Can I eat you??". o.o... I don't think he should eat the fly................


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I took the fly out.. Turbo watched me. Lol. :/ Turns out, the fly was still alive.... So, it's recovering now. I hope the fly didn't contaminate his water. o.o I seriously doubt it, but still...


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Haha, he can eat the fly if he can catch it but he may have trouble getting such a big thing down in one gulp. In the wild bettas eat all sorts of insects.  I never have bugs fly into my tanks so none of my bettas are lucky enough to have that treaet.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

That's a treat to them? o.o I've heard of people feeding their bettas wingless fruit flies or something.. But common house flies? o.o That are..living? >.< At least he left it alone. xD I fed him after I took it out, a little reward for ignoring the fly. He'd probably eat a gnat if one flew in there.. :/... I wish I could get him insects. I think he'd like them. =]


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

You can raise mosquito larva as long as you make sure none of them actually turn into mosquitos. Just set out a bucket of water, add a bunch of dead leaves and you should get larvae in a week or so. I tried but I live only a few miles from a mosquito control center so I never got any. :/ And yup, they can even eat common houseflies. Oldfishlady, our super moderator, feeds her fish all sorts of bugs. Some, she says, that she doesn't even know what they are, haha. But I'm sure Turbo is just as happy with the treat you gave him, probably even more so because he didn't have to catch it like he would a fly. :-D


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I might try the mosquito larvae. =] He might enjoy them, and it would help to add a little variety to his diet. He does love the freeze-dried baby brine shrimp, though.. Even though they're way too huge for him. xD And I don't want to break them up, though.. They still have eyes. And legs..... >.<!!! I feel like they're watching me.. o.o.. I wish we had a mosquito control center here.. :/


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Live foods are always the best, bettas just love them. Next best is frozen so that's what I have to use. And I totally understand about the shrimp. I feed frozen brine shrimp to mine and well . . . *shudder* I'm so glad I have tweezers.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I'm going to buy some tweezers; I've been planning on it.. Maybe two pairs.. So I can tear them apart. o.o.... >.< Ick. I wouldn't know how to tell when the larvae were ready to be eaten, though.. Or how to remove them.. :/


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

You can remove the larvae as soon as you see them using a brine shrimp net. Then you just hold the net under your faucet and rinse the larvae off and feed. Feed the bigger ones first since they'll grow up faster. I've heard you can also freeze extra larvae in ice cube trays. My mother would kill me if I did that. She had a hard enough time when I put frozen bloodworms in the freezer. >.<


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

"My ice cubes tasted funny..."
"Really? Did they have little specks in them?"
"Yes, now that you mention it.. :/ I think they did.. What was that? Fruit..?"
"Mosquito larvae."
"o.o?! _What_???"
xD


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

:rofl: Yeah, there's a lot of potential for a mixup like that. :rofl:


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Lol. Turbo's tail is messed up.. Again. =[ And it was getting so pretty! It was almost back to normal!!!!  This time, it doesn't seem shredded.. Just a little piece from the tip is missing. =/ No dark colors, like before.. Just..gone.. <.>


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Oh man, I hope he's not turning into a tailbiter. What kind of gravel/substrate do you have? If you have those flat marbles on the bottom, it's possible he got the tip of his tail caught between the marbles. I think my VT got his long anal fin caught once because it had bloody tips for a few days.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I just have neutral-colored gravel. Not dyed, no marbles or flat stones.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

How does his tail look today? Any more missing bits?


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

As of now, the tail still looks the same. If anything, it looks a little better. There is already a little bit of growth.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Hopefully he just caught it on something or even took a tiny nip at it. I'm glad to hear he's already got more growth coming in.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I went out and got some stuff for him today.  I have two pairs of tweezers for feeding him foods that I'd rather not touch (xD I think you know what I mean...), nail clippers (For making foods that I'd rather not touch smaller and more bite-sized.), panty hose (Just to be sure that the intake of the filter won't hurt him, even though I'm sure it's fine. Can't hurt, though..), a new place to hang out for water changes (Small Kritter Keeper thingie with a lid.), anddd... Frozen glassworms (white mosquito larvae).  They're in the freezer now.. :/ They look pretty icky. They're all cubed and gross-looking.. Probably one of the things I'll use the tweezers for. xD


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

How is Turbo doing? He's one lucky betta, you've gotten him just about everything a betta could dream of.  I especially like the kritter keeper idea, that's nice of you to think of him. My guys still have to hang out in their cups because the kritter keeper I bought for water changes keeps getting pressed into service as a home for rescued bettas. Oops. Sorry guys!


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Turbo seems to be doing well. The ends of his caudal fin are a deep, dark blue now. I guess, that's his coloring, since they've always been pretty dark at the end, as far as I know. He ran into the gravel last night. Lol. He was wiggling around and swimming down, and he hit the gravel with his belly and looked around like "Whoa.. o.o It ends... Oops.". Then, he went back to swimming. xD His little "chin" area is a little... Not white.. More of an off-white or pale silver-ish color. It's been like that for a while, so I'm starting to think that it's just his natural coloring. =) Which is pretty cute..
Even though the Kritter Keeper is larger than the cup, I think that he still hates me during water changes. Lol. I even got a blue lid for it, because he's mostly blue.. So, maybe that's his favorite color.
I'm thinking about buying him a friend. Obviously, not to put in the same tank, but maybe in another tank to put beside of him. =] I was considering a female, but I don't really have any experience with females. =/ Plus, I'd be paranoid about them. I'd think they were bloated when they got eggy. I couldn't tell the difference. :/ So, maybe, he should have a male friend. Lol. The other betta would probably get his/her own ten-gallon, too.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Haha, I laughed when I read about Turbo hitting the gravel. Sounds like he's got plenty of energy. And I think no matter what you put them in, they'll always sulk a little during water changes but they forget all about it the moment you feed them. I love that you even got him a blue lid to match, though. Like I said, he's one lucky betta. :-D

I have . . . seven girls. I can't believe I had to stop and count them because I couldn't remember how many.  It's true the girls aren't as pretty but they're a lot more active because they don't have big tails. And you don't have to worry about tailbiting since for the most part, they can't reach their tails. Usually when a girl gets eggy, their egg spot sticks out a lot more and the bloated look is more just behind the head where their egg sac is. If you do get a girl, you can always PM me if you're not sure about her being eggy or bloated. Guy or girl, I bet Turbo will be happy to have someone to flare at and show off to.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I have been looking at Aquabid bettas. They have some pretty ones there; females, too! It's practically the only place that I see females.. :/ They're so cute.  They seem to have larger, more expressive eyes than the males.. But that could just be how I see them. The males have cute eyes, too, of course. 
I hope he thinks that he's a lucky betta. I just fed him his second feeding of the day, the night-time feeding. He missed the first two granules. xD They just kind of floated to the bottom, while he stared at me like "Okay... Sooo.. Where's my food?"... And I was all, "There, Turbo! Down there! =D".. "-_-... -Waits to be fed-". xD He's such a cute little guy. =D 
I've made him a feeding schedule and planned it out on a calendar. Lol. It involves granules, flakes (crumbled), pellets (crushed or halved), freeze-dried baby brine shrimp, freeze-dried bloodworms, and frozen glassworms (midges). Fasting days, also. =] I think that covers everything.. :/ I might be forgetting something, though. I have the "dosages" of the food written out, too, as a key. Yesterday, he got pellets. Today, granules. Tomorrow, freeze-dried baby brine shrimp. But just one of those, because they're pretty big for him; he must be fairly young. =/ He gets a freeze-dried bloodworm about once every two weeks; he's not gotten any yet. I wonder if he'll like it. =/


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

In my experience, only very picky or very sick bettas didn't care for freeze-dried bloodworms. Turbo is going to be a good and healthy betta too because with your schedule all written out, there's no way he's going to be overfed. That's great, since overfeeding leads to so many problems. 

Actually, I agree with you, the females do have larger and more expressive eyes. I mean, my males know how to give me the "feed me" eyes but my girls could make a vending machine feed them with their pitiful expressions. I really love my girls but I also really love my guys. Heck with it, I just love bettas in general. XD


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I know what you mean! They're sooo cute. o.o In Walmart, we have this CNB, and they've decided to adopt a betta... They put the little guy in a one-gallon bowl, filled it about a fourth of the way full with substrate, and stuck a some bamboo in there... The last time I saw the fish, he looked sad, and I felt bad for him. He's not been there the past few times.  I hope he's okay. I was seriously about to ask them if they'd give me the fish... Lol. 
I was looking in the classifieds for bettas. I'm really nervous about getting a betta shipped to me, though. I'd feel bad for the stressed betta. =[ 
I'm trying to think of some good girl names.. I was going to name my next perspective betta male Cosmo.. Which, oddly, makes me want a Wanda. xD Maybe... Galaxy... Or Galaxia.. Or..... Esther.. Or Estrella.. Or... Luna. Oh.. I like Luna. =]


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Luna is a good name. It's so fun naming bettas. It doesn't make any sense to name most other kinds of fish, like tetras, because you can't tell them apart anyway. But bettas are fun that way and people on the forum get so creative. 

I hope the poor Wal-Mart betta is okay. I'd be sad too if I was stuck in that little 1 gallon that probably wasn't changed often. 

I drool over Aquabid bettas but I can't afford the shipping. As far as that goes, all I know is to open the box in a dark room so their eyes can adjust to light. And to be ready with AQ salt and tannins in case they ARE stressed from the journey.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I never thought about the dark room; that's a good point.. What if the betta is afraid of the dark? o.o Poor betta.. =[ I have aquarium salt but no tannins. :/ I've been trying to find some Indian almond leaves. I found some online, but I have no way of ordering them; no credit or debit card, even though the bank said they'd send me a debit card when I turn eighteen. It may be time to remind them. Lol. I was thinking about taking an IAL and letting it float on the top of Turbo's tank. He may like that. =] Or, maybe, make a little IAL "section" and give the IALs their own little corner or something..


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## SassyBetta (Aug 1, 2011)

what does butterfly mean> and what does it look like?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

IAL is so hard to come by. You can use dried and clean oak leaves or decaffeinated green tea for tannins, also. And I have a betta who is afraid of the dark. Or was, anyway. I put her in a big 10g tank and when I turned the hood light off she got stress stripes. I turned the light back on and she colored up. She did that a few times. And then she decided she was also agoraphobic and got stress stripes all the time until I moved her back into a smaller 2.5g tank. Crazy silly girl.

Sassy, where did you see butterfly? I think it refers to a tail type that has color on part and a lot of clear on the end. I think.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I think she was referring to an earlier post that I made about a butterfly betta that I saw at Walmart. _So_ pretty. o.o I almost gave in.. Lol.
I just found a stunning pineapple female betta on Aquabid. o.o She looks like a Luna.. She almost seems to glow. I do think it's kind of funny to refer to her as a "pineapple" betta, though.. I don't know why.. Maybe, it's just the sleep deprivation. But she really is amazingly pretty. She's fairly close, too! In Georgia! =D I'm deeply considering her. o.o 
I told Turbo last night that I'd let him see all of the bettas I'm considering getting for him, so he can let me know if he'd want that one as a friend or not.. I'm not really sure how he's going to tell me.. But I think I'll know when I see it. xD I asked him if he wanted a blue friend, to match him, and he actually wiggled, and it looked like he shook his head "No.". Lol. I guess, he's one for variety.. =)


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

:lol: Turbo's not into the matching set look, I guess.  I can just imagine him wiggling away shaking his head. Maybe he'll tell you which girl he wants most by bubblenesting? I bet he'll find a way though, he's a smart fellow. A pineapple betta girl would look stunning with him. I imagine the betta he picks for his friend will be a very pretty one. He has good taste too. 

Well, best of luck with the betta search. I'm off to bed. G'night Comet and Turbo!


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Goodnight! =] Thanks.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I got home from work, and I looked at Turbo. The white is back. -_- He must really hate his slime coat or something. I don't know.. But he has one speck. Then, he has a little bitty "fleck", kind of like last time. It will most likely be gone in the morning, knowing him. xD


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I've noticed something else about Turbo. =/ He seems to "jerk".. Like.. He swims.. Then, he moves his head back to look beside him.. Swims.. Suddenly moves his head the same way.. Swims.. Etc...... Is this just a cute little quirk?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Hi, sorry for the totally late reply. Holiday and all. Uhm, refresh my memory: is Turbo a halfmoon?


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I'm honestly not sure.. He's still pretty young. I'd say...five or six months, if that. =/ He's so little that sometimes I have to break his granules in half. He was sold as a VT at Walmart.. I'm not sure how accurate Walmart is with that classification.
By the way, I'm sorry for the late reply, too; I just got home last night. I've been in the hospital since Monday.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Wow, what happened? Are you doing better? I'm sorry to hear you were in the hospital.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I was sick Monday, but I went to work, anyway. Then, it got worse. I kept trying to ignore it, but that obviously didn't work out. They admitted me late Monday. I stayed Tuesday and part of the day Wednesday. I had gastroenteritis, commonly known as the stomach flu. I was also really dehydrated. I'm still not feeling completely better. =[ And Turbo must have missed me. No one to feed him. =[ At least, it wasn't too long. I'm going to get his water changed today. I've noticed him breathing a little heavily. Maybe, it's from stress. His light was on from Monday to Wednesday. -_-! Even though I told Allen that he needed to turn off Turbo's light when he got home. He's been eating, but he started spitting out a little of his food this morning. Poor little guy. =( Must have been stressful for him, too.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Wow, I'm glad you're out of the hospital. I'll say fishy prayers for both you and Turbo. He probably did miss you and all the attention and love you give him.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Thank you. =] I did his water change, and I looked at him before I put him back in the tank, and he had the most pronounced stress stripe I have _ever_ seen. o.o It scared me. It was like.. Totally white... And it went all the way to his head and striped it and his face.. It freaked me out. I got him back in his tank, and he acted pretty normal. The stripe faded quickly, but that was just a big scare.  He has some of that silvery white-ness on him. I added a "cave"-type thing. =] His tank kind of looks like a jungle now. o.o I'm hoping that he's enjoying it. =]
Oh, plus! He ate some food without spitting it back out. =] He must have been super-hungry; he kept jumping. xD He probably really missed his regular feeding schedule. =] I'm trying not to feed him too much, though, because I'm afraid to just stick him back on his schedule after a few days without any structure..


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I'm really glad that stress stripe went away. Whew! It's odd but none of my males have ever stress striped before. My females do, but not a single one of my males has ever striped. Go figure.

He can probably go back on his regular feeding schedule after a day or two. You feed him a great balanced diet so it shouldn't take too long to readjust him.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I saw him in his little cave this morning. =]! It was sooo cute.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Don't you love it when they hide like that? Then they peep out like, "Did you miss me?" :-D


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Yes! =] He's so intensely cute! He's been looking a bit pale lately. =[ Poor little guy. I stopped by Walmart today, and they had a new shipment of bettas. There were several CTs. I'm not usually interested in CTs.. But there was this one yellow CT there.... I really wanted him!!! He had an obvious injury to his head; his eye was very injured. I don't know if he could even see out of it. =[ He was flaring, though. There were also a few that may have been mustard gas bettas. A cute little orange-ish betta was there, and he was very, very young.. He had an intensely bad case of SBD. =[ He kept floating to the top. He was extremely bloated. I felt so bad for him. Then, there was another betta there that wasn't doing well at all. I talked to him a little (Yes; I talk to the bettas...xD). Then, I put him back down and spoke with some others. When I looked back at him, he was dying. ='( I felt so bad!!! I wanted to take him, too, but I doubt that he's alive now... Poor baby. :'[ This man walked over to the betta section and asked about a betta who had a cup so damaged that they'd had to tape it up; he said that he thought someone must have bought him, because the betta was gone. I commented, saying, "I hope so; they keep the bettas is such horrible conditions here!"... I looked at him and noticed that he had a Walmart nametag on.. He agreed with me, though. So, I left Walmart wanting to take three bettas home with me! Only two of those are probably alive now... =( I've never had a CT.. I'm really thinking about getting him, though.. Or the little guy with SBD...


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Those poor Wal-Mart bettas. It's just heartbreaking. I've rescued two bettas from my Wal-Mart and they both died within hours of being brought home. I hope someday soon Wal-Mart stops selling them.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

My first betta was from Walmart, and he lived with my boyfriend, who inadvertently killed him. =[ Turbo is from Walmart, too. I usually try to pick the healthiest ones. I rearranged the bettas (I do that, too...), and they started flaring and being all cute! I wanted to put them all in a buggy and take them home with me... Lol. xD The yellow CT was so energetic, though. I've never seen anything like him. His eye was partially separated from his body, and he was still flaring and swimming around some. o.o And the poor little guy with SBD was trying so hard to swim around. =[ I wanted to take him home and put him in epsom salt; I just know he'd make a great little betta for someone if he's given the chance to get better... =[ I also saw several multicolored CTs and one black CT with blue specks. o.o


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I'm glad Turbo found a good home with you. I hope the other ones find good homes soon. Or pass quickly so they aren't suffering.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Turbo's tail is almost completely better! =]


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yay! That's awesome news. Now I hope he doesn't nom it off again. -_- Good luck with him. :-D


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Turbo's tail was almost completely back to being perfect... And guess what? -_- His anal fin got a few tears. And his caudal fin has a rip in it, between the rays again, that goes veryyy far up. It's like a little strip that's barely hanging on. I'm getting so frustrated with this! Every time it's lovely and flowing, it gets torn. =[ I told him I'd have to take his plants out.. I really don't think that they could have hurt him, but I suppose that it's possible. It's just one tear, which is odd. I am very reluctant to remove all of his plants, though.. He's been getting a lot more bold. He's even slept in his cave some. He spends most of his time swimming around the front of the tank instead of the back. =] I'd hate to remove them, but I don't want his fins to be hurt any more. I'm so sad that his beautiful caudal fin is messed up. <.>


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Is it possible he's becoming a tailbiter? 98% of the time we never catch tailbiters in action but when there are tears that can't be accounted for that what's I tend to think.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I'm not sure. His tail was healing very rapidly. =] Then, I saw these little "chunks" missing from it.. Like, kind of triangle-shaped in a way. Would that be tail-biting?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yup. That would most likely be tailbiting. Triangle chunks = mouth-shaped bites.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Great.. =/ My fish is self-mutilating. =[... I'm trying really hard to keep him happy and engaged.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I know how you feel. 3 of my boys decided to eat their fins. Little buggers.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Maybe his new tankmates will cheer him up. =] I made a thread for them! I'm really excited about adding them; I just want to give them time in their quarantine tank.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I'll check it out.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Okay. =] Thanks. He seems to tear/nibble his fins a lot; they look so ragged. =[ Even when they grow back, they don't look the same. Kind of thin and "wrinkly", if you know what I mean. Like..ripples or something.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yeah, I understand what you mean. It's very frustrating but at least you aren't alone. Lots of bettas love to bite their fins for some incomphrehensible reason.


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## ILoveBettas98 (Nov 4, 2011)

Hi.  I don't know much about the diseases of bettas, but to me it knida sounds like fin rot. Look on Google or Ask.com and type in "Fin Rot" and see if the results sound the same. If not, try the same sites and type "Betta Diseases" and see if any results match the sickness. I hope your betta gets well! :-D


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

Thank you. =] I don't think it's fin rot, because the injuries are very distinct. I could match them to the artificial plant that did it. His tail gets messed up almost as quickly as it heals. I noticed that he's losing a little slime coat. Hopefully, the fin tearing and tailbiting won't be an issue once I get the actual plants in his tank.


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