# My Fish is Turning Gray!!!!



## Scubakrat (Feb 25, 2014)

Please help! My little man is losing color for some reason! He's literally turning gray!!!!! 
The only thing I did differently today was feed him some frozen blood worms... I'm in a panic! He's not even reacting to the net coming up close to him when I try to get him to swim away! Please help! What is this, what can I do to help him? D:








There also appear to be blue spots in his eyes that I've never noticed before... They're bright, and reflect alost like the lighter blues in his scales. This is the best picture I could get, as he's swimming rather lazily. :'(


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## BettaBabyBoo (Feb 25, 2014)

I'm certainly no expert, but people might be able to help better if you filled out this sticky: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233

Water changes, tank size, and the heater/filtration are usually the most important. Hope somebody can help!


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## BettaBabyBoo (Feb 25, 2014)

Does it look like this? Here's more info on it: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=90086


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## Scubakrat (Feb 25, 2014)

BettaBabyBoo said:


> Does it look like this? Here's more info on it: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=90086


He doesn't look like the picture, which is leaving me sort of hopeful that it's temporary.
Also, I'm not sure if this matters, but when I got home, he was sleeping on top of his heater? Near the electrical cord.
I'm not sure if it's my eyes getting used to it as I'm watching him now, but it's starting to look like his color is coming back???? I'm probably wrong... Is that even possible; for their color to fade and then come back for some reason? 
Please excuse my craziness here... I'm really worried about him 

*Housing 
What size is your tank?* 10 gallon
*What temperature is your tank?* In the high 70s, as usual.
*Does your tank have a filter?* Yes.
*Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?* No.
*Is your tank heated?* Yes.
*What tank mates does your betta fish live with?* None.

*Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?* Nutrafin Max flakes with freeze dried bloodworms. He's been eating this since I got him and it seems to be the only food he won't be picky with. However, before I left my house and returned to find him this way, I had just given him some frozen blood worms. It was the first time I'd ever given them to him.
*How often do you feed your betta fish?* Once in the morning and sometimes once at night, depending on how he reacts to food being dropped in the water.

*Maintenance** 
How often do you perform a water change?* He's only been in the tank for a week now, so I have only given him one so far (In this tank, otherwise I changed his water twice a week in his old bowl).
*What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?* 50%
*What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?* Betta Safe water conditioner and API aquarium salt.

*Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?* I have before, but since my pay was little I was only able to get test strips... I got to the pet store too late to get his water tested today D: 
*
Ammonia: 
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: *

*Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? *He appeared to be turning gray n the area behind his gills and around his pectoral fins. As I said before, I'm not sure if my eyes are fooling me now, but it almost looks like his color is returning??? I'm very confused... I think my eyes are playing tricks on me.
* How has your betta fish's behavior changed? *When I came in to check on him, he was sleeping on the top of his heater, where the power cord meets the cap. He's never done this before and when he moved it wasn't fast and "graceful" like normal. It was more jerky with short tail strokes. He also didn't seem to react to the net when I placed it in the water to see if he'd swim away from it. 
* When did you start noticing the symptoms? *Right before I posted this, as soon as I got home.
* Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? *I looked up his symptoms and read that I should give him a 70% water change. Right now I am conditioning the new water and waiting for its temperature to lower so that it's more equivalent to that of his tank. 
* Does your fish have any history of being ill? *Not in the time I've had him 
* How old is your fish (approximately)? *I am not sure... I've only had him for a month now... :'(


Thank you so much for your quick replies!!! I am sorry to be so frantic but I've grown very attached to him and don't want to see him fall ill because of something I did or could've prevented!


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## BettaBabyBoo (Feb 25, 2014)

Like I said, I'm no expert, but I don't think the frozen bloodworms could've been that bad. I've heard feeding it like that might sometimes give them parasites unwittingly, but I don't think that would make your little buddy turn gray :/

A water change is always a good thing. I'm pretty sure it's one thing it's nearly impossible to do too many. Maybe he'll perk up after?

You said he was laying on the heater? Does he have any plants or bridges he can lay on instead? Do you have a thermometer that is accurate to say he's high 70's? 

I know my healthy betta likes to rest by the heater because he's a little heat seeker. I don't think that's something to be overtly worried about.

The color change, is it still gray? Did he have trouble breathing? Did he seem unusual anywhere else? I know you said he was lethargic and unresponsive-- what time is it where you're at? I know my boys don't like being disturbed from sleep.

Hopefully somebody with more knowledge can help us puzzle this out!


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## Shine (Jul 5, 2013)

I had the same problem with my betta. All I did was change the water, conditioned it and the next day my fish was fine. I hope yours pull through...very nice betta


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## Scubakrat (Feb 25, 2014)

BettaBabyBoo said:


> Like I said, I'm no expert, but I don't think the frozen bloodworms could've been that bad. I've heard feeding it like that might sometimes give them parasites unwittingly, but I don't think that would make your little buddy turn gray :/
> 
> A water change is always a good thing. I'm pretty sure it's one thing it's nearly impossible to do too many. Maybe he'll perk up after?
> 
> ...


I've only had the thermometer for a short time since I'm buying him all these things from paycheck to paycheck, but so far it's been very accurate. I simply say high 70s out of habit, especially since I was also told that that's a good place for the temperature to be. 

The decor is where I'm lacking, at the moment, because I can't find any that isn't smooth enough, or doesn't have holes he can get stuck in at the moment. I feel like he could rip his fins on most of the stuff I've seen so far. He does have a glass "box" in there right now, but he doesn't seem too interested in it. He also has a plant that's been in his environment with him since I got him. I've seen him sleep under it before, once inside it even!

It's currently 1:26am here. I've been out for a few hours with the lights off, my room locked up and entirely dark though. I'd feel so silly if I found out that he was simply groggy or something....  But that's where the color comes in.
He appears to be normal right now, but again, I'm not sure if my eyes are playing tricks on me or not. I just want him to be ok!

When he sleeps, I'll have to look hard to notice any gill movement and I try to avoid turning the lights on suddenly (I have a dimmer switch).
Right now he seems to be breathing normally, his gills are moving at their usual, steady beat and his mouth isn't wide open or anything.

The rest of him seems fine to me. I have my sister watching him as I'm typing this and he's returned to "glass surfing". This so so puzzling! Because even she said he looked as if he was "silvery" where he'd normally be dark blue. 

Even for a non-expert, you're doing a great job of helping me sort this out and putting my mind at ease, thank you so much!


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## Scubakrat (Feb 25, 2014)

Shine said:


> I had the same problem with my betta. All I did was change the water, conditioned it and the next day my fish was fine. I hope yours pull through...very nice betta


That's such a relief! I'm glad he's okay!
Hopefully my little Scuba will have the same luck


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## BettaBabyBoo (Feb 25, 2014)

I know bettas can change color if they have a marble gene, and I've heard of "coloring" up when pet store bettas become healthier and get to their best and most natural look, but I don't know for sure if that would apply here...

Don't worry so much about living paycheck to paycheck, and don't blame yourself for not having all of your equipment. It's a growing process, like a tree, heheh. You wouldn't expect a sapling to suddenly turn into a mighty oak! Although, my motto has definitely been get the necessities first. At the top of my list right now is a liquid test kit, since the strips I bought are pretty much useless >

Anyways! He probably was a bit sleepy, but you probably didn't do anything wrong by disturbing him to make sure he was okay. If everything else seems normal, though, that's very good! If he seems to be better now, and isn't acting abnormally or anything, I would suggest letting him alone to go back to sleep, and then checking up on him in the morning


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## Scubakrat (Feb 25, 2014)

BettaBabyBoo said:


> I know bettas can change color if they have a marble gene, and I've heard of "coloring" up when pet store bettas become healthier and get to their best and most natural look, but I don't know for sure if that would apply here...
> 
> Don't worry so much about living paycheck to paycheck, and don't blame yourself for not having all of your equipment. It's a growing process, like a tree, heheh. You wouldn't expect a sapling to suddenly turn into a mighty oak! Although, my motto has definitely been get the necessities first. At the top of my list right now is a liquid test kit, since the strips I bought are pretty much useless >
> 
> Anyways! He probably was a bit sleepy, but you probably didn't do anything wrong by disturbing him to make sure he was okay. If everything else seems normal, though, that's very good! If he seems to be better now, and isn't acting abnormally or anything, I would suggest letting him alone to go back to sleep, and then checking up on him in the morning


I think I'll do that then, maybe it'll help whatever this is pass if he gets more rest. I've already assigned my sister to "fish duty" while I'll be at work tomorrow xD But, asss oon as I'm out, I'll be buying a test kit. I did have a question about them though.
I noticed they're pretty big. Is that because they're just many individual tests, or do they also include solutions to correct what a test may indicate that you're missing? Lets say, a pH increase for example.


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## BettaBabyBoo (Feb 25, 2014)

From what I just read up on them, the master kit(which I'm going to get, since it has everything haha) tests six different things and "includes instructions on how to correct the problem area". I'm sure the actual instructions won't be too hard to decipher.


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## jackfaz (Sep 16, 2013)

If your room/ tank suddenly went from dark to light, that's probably the reason for the color change. My guys get really pale when I suddenly turn lights on. I agree that a water change is a good idea just in case, but most likely he's fine


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

He's stressed out, when fish get stressed out they turn pale and depending on their color can go white or grey/silver. Those lines you see, the two ones running down his side are stress stripes. Fish can get back their colors again once they are no longer stressed.


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## Scubakrat (Feb 25, 2014)

lilnaugrim said:


> He's stressed out, when fish get stressed out they turn pale and depending on their color can go white or grey/silver. Those lines you see, the two ones running down his side are stress stripes. Fish can get back their colors again once they are no longer stressed.


As horrible as this may sound, I'm so glad he's stressed rather than something worse! But I know that stress weakens their immune system, so I wasn't too take immediate action. do you have any tips on how I could make him feel better? I have a trial of stress cost, but I'm not sure how to use it. of course it had instructions. but what about the conditioner and salt I already have in the tank?


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## jackfaz (Sep 16, 2013)

Why do you have salt in the tank? Unless you're treating an active infection, it's not needed. It puts stress on their system because their kidneys and liver have to process the salt. Long term use could cause organ failure.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Yeah, same question, why salt? ^_^ you should only use salt for the case of infection or sterilizing an open wound otherwise, as these are freshwater fish, they should be in freshwater :-D

At night or after lights out throw a towel/blanket over the tank for the night and take it off before light on or just in the morning if he has no light. The pure darkness helps them settle down and unstress. And it doesn't make you sound bad that he's stressed over something else! It still means you care for your fish  Is he in a busy area of the house at all?


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## jackfaz (Sep 16, 2013)

In reference to what lilnaugrim said^, if you do put a blanket over the tank monitor the temp to make sure it doesn't get too hot. My tanks got near 90 when I had them covered.


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## Scubakrat (Feb 25, 2014)

alright, I'll try a blanket! 
I started using the salt because I thought he was getting sick and was told that it helps them recover... guess I was misinformed! D: 
not too busy of an area, really. he's up in my room, which is vacant most of the time while I'm at work. he's in a cozy little corner up high on my dresser, which is the most stable surface other than my studio, but that's right in front of the Windows :/


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## Scubakrat (Feb 25, 2014)

I also just got out of work and am at the pet store now! could anyone suggest some plants that he might like in his tank and which I should stay away from? I'm hoping that a few places to hide and play around in might help relieve his stress.


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## shatterstag (Feb 25, 2014)

Scubakrat said:


> I also just got out of work and am at the pet store now! could anyone suggest some plants that he might like in his tank and which I should stay away from? I'm hoping that a few places to hide and play around in might help relieve his stress.


ask for low light true aquatic plants, if you're still there! things like java fern and anubias don't like to be planted in the substrate, they cling on things like driftwood and rocks, so if you can pick up a slice of driftwood with one on it. very easy to take care of!

i love giant cardamine, or Brazilian pennywort, it's a fast growing low light floating plant with lillypad like leaves, my betta loves it

another nice plant is ambulia which ive heard is easy to grow in basic conditions (? i think? wouldnt know i have a big planted tank with strong light, but it seemed fine when i had a low light fixture so). its big and pretty and fluffy, my betta likes to wedge himself into the leaves to hide


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## Scubakrat (Feb 25, 2014)

shatterstag said:


> ask for low light true aquatic plants, if you're still there! things like java fern and anubias don't like to be planted in the substrate, they cling on things like driftwood and rocks, so if you can pick up a slice of driftwood with one on it. very easy to take care of!
> 
> i love giant cardamine, or Brazilian pennywort, it's a fast growing low light floating plant with lillypad like leaves, my betta loves it
> 
> another nice plant is ambulia which ive heard is easy to grow in basic conditions (? i think? wouldnt know i have a big planted tank with strong light, but it seemed fine when i had a low light fixture so). its big and pretty and fluffy, my betta likes to wedge himself into the leaves to hide



Sadly, they didn't have much to choose from at the store, so I just went with a fake plant instead. I made sure to get a silky one and I even found a hideaway that wasn't too rough!  He seems to be enjoying his new decor! I'd post a picture, but I'd rather not wake him; He's sleeping on one of the leaves near the surface and it's adooooorable! :checkedout:
There is a nursery I could always pop into when the weather warms up! And I like the idea of floating plants, so I'll keep those suggestions in mind! Petco doesn't really have much variety, and it's pretty much the only shop I know of right now. (Petsmart is a mess around here!!!!) 


I also went ahead and covered half of his tank (lengthwise) with a dark, purple towel. I'm not too worried about the heater overheating his water since it's a preset one that turns itself off once it reaches the set temperature, but I've been checking on him and everything seems to be stable. Hopefully the extra hours of rest in his new "bed"/hideout will make him happy!

While I was at the pet store, I saw at least THREE bettas dying or already dead... It made me so sad because they're lives too and deserve to be healthy. So it makes me so happy to be giving my Scuba a good chance at a long, healthy life.

Again, I'll post pictures asap, as I still don't really know what stress lines/stripes/marks look like just yet, but I'll do my research! I also just feel more secure having others confirm what I pick up on.


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## Shine (Jul 5, 2013)

How's your fish? is he okay now???


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## Scubakrat (Feb 25, 2014)

Shine said:


> How's your fish? is he okay now???


His tank is very dark, and I'm doing my best to keep my room as dim as possible with the computer on, so it's hard to see him. But, last I saw him, he was sleeping peacefully on one of the leaves of the new plant in his tank :-D

I'm going to post a picture in the morning to see if his stress stripes went away. For now, I'm just keeping quiet and keeping my room dark so he can get better. But I'll definitely let you know! Thank you for your concern!


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## esun1993 (Mar 1, 2014)

From my personal experience with Alpha, it seems like Steve is just stressed out! Try to get him a couple hiding spots and stuff to explore. 

As for reducing stress, I just started using API stress coat, it works like a regular conditioner but also helps reducing stress and help healing damaged fins-so you wouldn't need the AQ salt! I got it because Alpha made a hole in his top fin, now it's completely healed, and apparently there's new fin growing on his tail! 

Hope the little guy gets better soon!!


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## Scubakrat (Feb 25, 2014)

esun1993 said:


> From my personal experience with Alpha, it seems like Steve is just stressed out! Try to get him a couple hiding spots and stuff to explore.
> 
> As for reducing stress, I just started using API stress coat, it works like a regular conditioner but also helps reducing stress and help healing damaged fins-so you wouldn't need the AQ salt! I got it because Alpha made a hole in his top fin, now it's completely healed, and apparently there's new fin growing on his tail!
> 
> Hope the little guy gets better soon!!



Thank you!!
But I'm still confused about the stress coat. Do I use it during a water change or at another time? I use water conditioner every time I do a water change. Does stress coat replace conditioner, or do you add it along with conditioner?

Because Steve is my first betta, I want to leave no room for error. Forgive me for pestering, but I need exact instructions and a little background if I'm going to understand something like this. 

I think I read about Alpha before too! I hope he's doing well!!


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Stress Coat is a water conditioner so you can either use it in conjunction with your regular water conditioner or you can just use the Stress Coat. I would just use the Stress Coat rather than mixing, there's no harm in mixing but if you only have to use one and not both, why use both?


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## Scubakrat (Feb 25, 2014)

lilnaugrim said:


> Stress Coat is a water conditioner so you can either use it in conjunction with your regular water conditioner or you can just use the Stress Coat. I would just use the Stress Coat rather than mixing, there's no harm in mixing but if you only have to use one and not both, why use both?


Good point!!  So I'll use it during my next water change, which brings me to my next question...

I was testing his ammonia levels and I'm very new to the liquid tests. I can't tell if it's indicating a .25 or a .50 reading! Can someone help me out here? Haha, I'm sorry if the questions are getting obnoxious, but I need to know, for Steve!








Also, if my ammonia levels get too high, do I have to use a chemical to reduce them or do I just perform a water change?
Again, thanks for your patience and help, everyone!


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Honestly, that looks like 0ppm to me!

But if they get too high, no need to add chemicals, just do a large-ish water change like 50% or more depending on how much ammonia you have and Steve should be fine!

And no worries, questions are why we are here! So ask all the questions you need to whether you think them silly or not, we're here to learn to be better fish keepers so how can we do that if we don't ask silly questions time to time? ^_^


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## Scubakrat (Feb 25, 2014)

*An Undape*

He's awake now and swimming about the left side of his tank, which is odd to me, because he seemed to favor the right before. However, ever since I placed the fake plant in, he's started glass surfing on the opposite end.









(For some reason, my phone makes him appear so green! Whenever I use my camera he appears blue. But here he is, wrapped around the heater.)

He was wrapped around the top off his heater when I woke up, but did come out of hiding when he saw my hand come over the surface for food (Which he ate in no time!).
His stress lines still appear to be present as well and I'm beginning to wonder why. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard that they shouldn't take long to disappear?
When I went to check on him before he DID flare at either the filter or the back of the tank. I'm wondering if he can see his reflection now because of the dark towel I have covering the tank. If so, I'm sure this can be a huge contributor to his stress. 












This is a view of his updated setup. I thought I'd post it just incase I was doing something wrong. I'd rather be called out on that than have a sick fishy! I feel so bad for him. I just want him to feel better. :-(


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## Scubakrat (Feb 25, 2014)

lilnaugrim said:


> Honestly, that looks like 0ppm to me!
> 
> But if they get too high, no need to add chemicals, just do a large-ish water change like 50% or more depending on how much ammonia you have and Steve should be fine!
> 
> And no worries, questions are why we are here! So ask all the questions you need to whether you think them silly or not, we're here to learn to be better fish keepers so how can we do that if we don't ask silly questions time to time? ^_^


Thank you!!! :-D
I wouldn't be educated enough to do this correctly if it weren't for this community! xD

Now I just have a question about cycling my tank...
Because of the scare I had with some stringy white things in his tank the day after I introduced him to it, I changed all his water and had to scrub it down... I was very paranoid. Don't worry though, I didn't use soap! Just a gloved hand!
Since then, I've only vacuumed his gravel and changed his water (obviously together with the use of my siphon) twice. Once for usual maintenance and the second because of the scare this post was originally created about.
I know that cycling a tank is pretty important, as it has an effect on the quality of the water. I've read up on it through these forums and am pretty familiar with it, but how do I know when my tank is beginning to cycle and what stage it's in? Because of all the water/environment changes, I suspect that it's been interrupted and that it could also be one of the biggest factors that's stressing out my baby boy 

It takes me a while to really grasp these sort of things. If I'm not told like a student in a classroom, it doesn't really stick... I hate it lol.. And I'm not very good at applying general information to my situations, hence my many questions. So, to everyone, your time patience is greatly appreciated!


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## Scubakrat (Feb 25, 2014)

Another question just came up! Hoooo-boy! :demented:

I took a video of him to kinda give an idea of how he's behaving. He was flaring at the tank again so I took the towel off and it seems to have solved that problem.
But, towards the end of the video, I noticed that it's more of a red color around his gills now... Is this another sign of stress or something more serious? In other pictures I've taken of him there is a very slight hint of the red, but that's when he wasn't so pale in the face. Could that just be his natural coloring? I'm paranoid...

The tapping is just me hitting the screen to either focus the camera or take pictures as I'm recording xD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymu8rS0_sdM&feature=c4-overview&list=UUkJekDbBGB2v8q1SSU7Z-FQ

Ne's not very camera shy. He just swims right up! xD


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## Dakieda (Mar 3, 2014)

My betta does almost the same thing. He doesn't always do it though. How long have you had yours? I think its because mine sees his reflection on the tank wall, he flares at it alot. When researching this, because I was worried he would tire out from constant flaring, they say its normal and they will eventually realize it is their reflection...hopefully that is true.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Nope, the red on his gill plate and face are normal; it's part of his coloration. As for the towel, most likely since it is a dark color, when you open the front he is seeing his reflection however this doesn't normally stress them out unless they find their reflections intimidating which can happen but generally they color up as they try to "fend" off the offending fish. You can fully take off the towel during the day, just have it on at night. As I said before, you don't need to do this nightly unless you want to and feel like it is helping him, make sure to take it off during the day though so he can have his full 24 hour cycle of night/day 

As for the Nitrogen Cycle; I recommend getting a bottle of Tetra SafeStart, this is basically a bottle of bacteria but 'ye be warned'! not all bottled bacteria are created equally lol. TSS actually has the bacteria that you need to kick start your cycle! The other bacteria bottles will just help along the cycle but it doesn't actually kick start it like TSS does. Anyway, once you pour the entire bottle into the tank (get the smallest size if you can so it's cheaper on you) you let the tank sit for two weeks; no water changes or nothing. He will be fine, the bacteria will protect him from harmful levels and your tank should be cycled within the two weeks!

That's just one option though, there are others if you don't want to go down that route. If you were going to do just a regular Fish-In cycle then you would do no water changes and just let the tank do it's thing.


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## Scubakrat (Feb 25, 2014)

lilnaugrim said:


> Nope, the red on his gill plate and face are normal; it's part of his coloration. As for the towel, most likely since it is a dark color, when you open the front he is seeing his reflection however this doesn't normally stress them out unless they find their reflections intimidating which can happen but generally they color up as they try to "fend" off the offending fish. You can fully take off the towel during the day, just have it on at night. As I said before, you don't need to do this nightly unless you want to and feel like it is helping him, make sure to take it off during the day though so he can have his full 24 hour cycle of night/day
> 
> As for the Nitrogen Cycle; I recommend getting a bottle of Tetra SafeStart, this is basically a bottle of bacteria but 'ye be warned'! not all bottled bacteria are created equally lol. TSS actually has the bacteria that you need to kick start your cycle! The other bacteria bottles will just help along the cycle but it doesn't actually kick start it like TSS does. Anyway, once you pour the entire bottle into the tank (get the smallest size if you can so it's cheaper on you) you let the tank sit for two weeks; no water changes or nothing. He will be fine, the bacteria will protect him from harmful levels and your tank should be cycled within the two weeks!
> 
> That's just one option though, there are others if you don't want to go down that route. If you were going to do just a regular Fish-In cycle then you would do no water changes and just let the tank do it's thing.



Really?! No water changes?! I've done two so far, but I was under the assumption that I should do at least a 30-70% once a week!
A friend of mine just told me about that product, and he has so many tanks it's crazy, so I guess it must be good! I don't get paid for another week though, so would it even be worth it?
I don't want to stress my Scuba more than he already is! His stress lines still seem to be there and it's making me feel so bad


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

No water changes while the tank is cycling, after that THEN you do your normal weekly water changes to keep the nitrate from too high and to replenish the minerals that have been lost 

You could do daily water changes and it will basically do the same thing but take a little longer for the bacteria to build up since you are taking their food source (ammonia) away technically 

It is a possibility that those lines are his permanent coloration, however this is extremely rare and generally they'll just have the lines on and off for a while. I had a girl that was stressed whenever she saw me but over a months time she finally got used to me and wouldn't be stressed any more. Each fish has their own time to get settled in, some only take an hour while others take up to a month and sometimes even more depending on the situation! You just have to give him time


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## Scubakrat (Feb 25, 2014)

lilnaugrim said:


> No water changes while the tank is cycling, after that THEN you do your normal weekly water changes to keep the nitrate from too high and to replenish the minerals that have been lost
> 
> You could do daily water changes and it will basically do the same thing but take a little longer for the bacteria to build up since you are taking their food source (ammonia) away technically
> 
> It is a possibility that those lines are his permanent coloration, however this is extremely rare and generally they'll just have the lines on and off for a while. I had a girl that was stressed whenever she saw me but over a months time she finally got used to me and wouldn't be stressed any more. Each fish has their own time to get settled in, some only take an hour while others take up to a month and sometimes even more depending on the situation! You just have to give him time


This is very true! I'd hope he isn't stressed by me! He seems to know that I'm the food bringer because when he sees me he gets curious and when my hand goes over the tank he darts up to the surface for food!

My sister just got a tank though, and I recommended the TSS. She got it and we're gonna use it tomorrow.

But, for now, I'm just gonna leave his water be and wait for the cycle. I don't wanna tamper with him anymore haha.
Thanks for your help!!


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## Shine (Jul 5, 2013)

Glad the little guy pulled through...I know how you feel, I have a tank of betta females...


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## Scubakrat (Feb 25, 2014)

*An Update!*

Hey all! I just wanted to make a post out of excitement! 
Over the past few weeks, Scuba has been doing quite well! I couldn't be happier!

He's as curious as ever and even swims over to the side of the tank when I come home, as if to say hello. It's so cute! He still doesn't seem to mind cameras either!;-)

















The glass surfing has also stopped completely!!! I'm assuming it's from the addition of his fake plant that he loves so much. He still uses it as a bed and loves to rest on it when he isn't floating around or trying to hide under his little ornament that he can't fit under... /sigh
I'm looking for a little cave-like hideaway and am hoping to find a local fish store that has them over the weekend, as well as a few more plants. And, speaking of plants, two of his betta bulbs are beginning to grow!!!
I had to remove one because of a white fuzz that began growing on it but, even after its removal, the tank and my little fishy seem to be fuzz-free and stable.

While assisting my sister in the treatment of a fish she decided to save from a fungal infection at petsmart, we also purchased a container of NLS pellets. He LOVES them! And, unlike his flakes, he never turns them down! However, I've been noticing a slight bloat in him so I think I'm going to begin soaking them in a cup of tank water before I drop them in.
He's eating like a little pig and has definitely accepted me as the food-bearer since he glances at the surface every time I come up close :lol:

So, all in all, I think he's very happy! He swims casually if he's not sleeping on a leaf, or trying to fit in a hole that's half the size of his head. (I blame his curiosity) He follows me around and even swims up to the glass to watch me as I get out of bed in the morning. It's hearbreakingly cute....

The only thing that hasn't changed about Scuba is the pair of lines running down his body. I originally thought them to be stress lines, but they still haven't gone away, and his chin and belly got lighter and lighter in color to where they're a softer shade of blue. I did a test with a flashlight though and it's not velvet. Since he hasn't become lethargic, and isn't floating close to the ground and out of sight, I'd like to think that they're just another part of his coloring, but I'm only a beginner, so I'm still not sure!








The quality of the picture isn't the best, since he kept darting around to catch the fish in the mirror while I was giving him some exercise, but it gives a clear idea of the lines that are on his sides even when he's at rest and not flaring at his reflection.


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