# Betta fish and green tea



## Fleetwood (Jul 8, 2011)

I know this was probably a topic brought up previously, but I've used green tea before-in placement of the other, more pricey "good for your fish" stuff, with success on ill Bettas, but I was wondering if this could be a good way to de-stress an otherwise healthy fish? I was also wondering if anyone had tea recommendations and would be willing to share their experiences using green tea (decaf, of course!)


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yes, I think it's just fine to use green tea/tannins as a de-stressor. Aside from the tannins, the darker water color simulates a betta's natural habitat. It's probably healthier to use green tea as a de-stressor than it is to use aquarium salt. However, I'm not 100% on what any long-term effects would be if you used green tea ALL the time.


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## Fleetwood (Jul 8, 2011)

Thanks for your input, I'll be sure to pick some up fairly soon. I'm a tea drinker as it is, but right now, all of my teas have caffeine within them. I obviously do not want to use it all the time, but seeing as my Betta is going through an adjustment period I believe it would come in handy. However, as usual, I want to double check before I do anything. [:
I believe the green tea will be a good thing until his next water change. 
I've been looking into getting a sun lamp too, eventually-to put near his tank. He has no light attachment. I know that a desk lamp would be fine too, but could anyone tell me whether or not it'd be worth it to get a desk sunlamp?
I was thinking that in the winter it'd probably benefit the two of us, actually.
Ha.

Also, do you have a brand of tea you'd recommend by chance?


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## Fleetwood (Jul 8, 2011)

Hm, I have some sleepytime tea. It's a decaf herbal with lemongrass, some florals and spearmint. Would this be alright, or should I just go ahead and get some good ol' decaf green?


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## Fleetwood (Jul 8, 2011)

Ah. Just saw that it has chamomile. Let's discount that idea...I'll just try and find a decaf green.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yeah, it's best if it doesn't have any extra flavors. But Sleepytime is good for you if you have insomnia.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

do you use the tea simply to darken the water or to lower the PH also? mine seems to be a tail bitter or something along those lines. did a 100 water change and put half a cup of decaf green for colour (1g tank), the ph level hasn't dropped in the tank. had the fish on 1 week of AQ salt within the past 2 weeks and i dont want him to stay in AQ salt 24/7/52.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

You CAN use green tea/tannins to lower pH but you may need more than half a cup. And it's good you took Nel out of the AQ salt, he shouldn't be in it more than 10 days or so anyway. Hopefully he gets past the tailbiting thing.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

Sakura8 said:


> You CAN use green tea/tannins to lower pH but you may need more than half a cup. And it's good you took Nel out of the AQ salt, he shouldn't be in it more than 10 days or so anyway. Hopefully he gets past the tailbiting thing.


thank you Sakura, i dont know if he will get stressed out if i drop the ph with a tea bag for 6hrs. i was forced to stop his AQ treatment because he had 3 small holes in the caudal tail between the spines 2-3mm long. they healed within 24 hours after AQ stopped . now i just hope his ragged tail will heal, dont see any rot but the caudal and the top fin are curling on the edges.\

i read on another thread here that 2 of the user's fish tail bite if the water is %100 clear. im hoping thats the case with mine. im presuming that the colour change has already added some tannins to the water to destress. do live plants also have such effects? got 1.5 stalks of anacharis in the 1 gal to kill ammonia. id put in more but the silk plant takes some room in the tank.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I don't know if live plants help but I know some driftwood can leach tannins. The plants may help destress him in that he has places to hide, though. I hope his fins heal up for you.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

Sakura8 said:


> I don't know if live plants help but I know some driftwood can leach tannins. The plants may help destress him in that he has places to hide, though. I hope his fins heal up for you.


thank you Sakura, i hope his caudal spines get straightened out within a month or so. think theres some regrowth (clear white area) but then again they may be weak areas to look out for.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

looks like Nel is not responding to much now with the darkened water. first time i used green tea in his tank and hes just floating in a few spots without being too active. didnt even take a bite of food when offered. is this usually what happens or is it anything to worry about? he had 20 minutes in the small glass when i put the mixed water in his glass.


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

As per my numerous tests, Green tea appears to lower pH in a relatively safe manner. If you want to remove the tea from your tank, a MAXIMUM of 30% must be removed in order to not pH shock your fish.

However this also depends on the alkalinity of your water...hmm...moar testssss *science goggles*.

Right now I've cut back on teabags to a "spa" treatment more than permanent living conditions. I leave the teabag in the tank for 24 hours to steep, take it out, then change the water the NEXT day.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

If he was pretty stressed, then I'd say this is a normal reaction. He's just chillin'. It may take a bit for him to get his appetite back too. And even if the green tea doesn't help with visibly de-stressing him, the tannins should help with the healing process. As long as he doesn't freak out and go darting all over the place.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

he's mostly ignoring me, fins drooping but not clamped. tried feeding him just now. he didnt even move to chase the toothpick or mini turkey baster that comes with PH test kits. think he's still shocked a bit, though it probably helped him with fin healing a bit. ill take out 25% water tomorow with clean water. the ph here is usually 7.4-7.6. the ph in the tea tank is the same as clear water.

would it be feasible to always have tea in there 1/4 cup tea (or less) to 1 gal of clear water?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Hmm. Poor guy, I hope he perks up soon. I'm not sure about having tea in there all the time You might want to PM Oldfishlady, she'll probably know something about this. I'm pretty sure you can have Indian Almond Leaf in there all the time, though. Except IAL is so hard to find.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

i'll give him 2-3 daya to remove the tea to take him off it. the anacharis does its job for the ammonia.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

If the pH never changed though, I don't think he was shocked by the tea or anything. He must just be stressed from something.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

Sakura8 said:


> If the pH never changed though, I don't think he was shocked by the tea or anything. He must just be stressed from something.


it could be fom the darker water colour, the introduction of tannins, or he could just be chilling. i'll figure out something. worst case ph change would be .2 drop but nothing more.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Good luck.


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## Fleetwood (Jul 8, 2011)

Sakura8 said:


> Yeah, it's best if it doesn't have any extra flavors. But Sleepytime is good for you if you have insomnia.



That's actually why I have it. [:
I'm glad you and another user were able to help another with questions regarding green tea. It's actually a great alternative if you're in a bind like myself. My Betta isn't super stressed or anything, but I believe it to be a good idea to steep it in there until the water mimics the natural habitat. He's not breathing heavily or tail biting or anything of the sort-thank goodness.

He just seems frazzled to me and I want him to be comfortable.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

found out my betta took the day off in the green tea water, one lazy sob lol. his active again and eating.


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

Sakura8 said:


> Yeah, it's best if it doesn't have any extra flavors. But Sleepytime is good for you if you have insomnia.


You'd put anyone to sleep Sakura. Remember? I wanna try tea in my tank, but how would I remove it? I have a cycled 10g


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Neil D said:


> You'd put anyone to sleep Sakura. Remember? I wanna try tea in my tank, but how would I remove it? I have a cycled 10g


Water changes get it out, also the carbon will eventually filter it out. You are getting sleepy . . . okay, not starting that again.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

nel3 said:


> found out my betta took the day off in the green tea water, one lazy sob lol. his active again and eating.


That's hilarious. Like a day at the spa for him.

Fleetwood - My mom used to give me Sleepytime tea when I was a kid and I didn't feel well. Always worked. I hope your guy perks up, poor thing. I wonder why he's so frazzled?


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

Sakura8 said:


> That's hilarious. Like a day at the spa for him.
> 
> Fleetwood - My mom used to give me Sleepytime tea when I was a kid and I didn't feel well. Always worked. I hope your guy perks up, poor thing. I wonder why he's so frazzled?


i think i'll just remove the tea 25% at at time and add less next time to start the cycle again. dont think it'll be 24/7 but until the fins improve.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

That sounds like it will work.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

did a 25WC to take out the tea colour, his tail is getting a bit worse . one more spine end is shorter


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

He may need aquarium salt and Stress Coat then. Is he a tailbiter?


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

Sakura8 said:


> He may need aquarium salt and Stress Coat then. Is he a tailbiter?


i havent caught him biting yet, though i never did buy stress coat. just how does a fish go about healing the tail? would spines stick out and slowly fill in from the gaps?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yup. You will see clear film where he is missing fin - that is the new growth. It will eventually color in to match, although it might not match exactly. If they bite off the spine, that will grow back too. Stress Coat has aloe vera which helps them with fin regeneration. A high protein diet like frozen and freeze-dried bloodworms will help as well as warm water.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

Sakura8 said:


> Yup. You will see clear film where he is missing fin - that is the new growth. It will eventually color in to match, although it might not match exactly. If they bite off the spine, that will grow back too. Stress Coat has aloe vera which helps them with fin regeneration. A high protein diet like frozen and freeze-dried bloodworms will help as well as warm water.


thank you, i'll definetely get stress coat today. i never expected fin issues would get the best of me, some spines were damaged and it might seem like its getting worse. i'll have to double check today as its 4am. 

the heater will be in next week, its a matter of picking it up south of the border. ive been giving him frozen brine shrimp every 2 days. i have frozen blood worms also.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Frozen brine shrimp is good. Is he eating okay? And do his fins have any black edges or anything?


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

im only 25yrs old and i swear this fish will give me grey hair for his tail issues. there are no black edges but his caudal tail got worse since 3am-> 3pm today. torn bitten you name it (5 places on caudal) no black edges. took 30 minutes to take him off the tea into AQ salt in the .5g. off to buy stress coat and forget about green tea. i'll get 50 ial leaf bags soon when i have time in a few days. he has no serious issues eating ever since he first did so when i got him.

i have a question about my betta's behaviour. ive read that some bettas love larger tanks and some like smaller tanks. it may be that he started it all when he got into the 1 gal from the .5g for the first 9 days i had him. sometimes i wish i could just be a fish whisperer. i'll leave him in the .5 gal for 2-3 weeks to test this out during and after the AQ salt.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Go by his behavior. If he hides a lot in a bigger tank, he may be more comfortable in a smaller. But I wouldn't get him anything smaller than a 1 gallon no matter how freaked out he acts. You have to do too many water changes in a .5 gallon.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

Sakura8 said:


> Go by his behavior. If he hides a lot in a bigger tank, he may be more comfortable in a smaller. But I wouldn't get him anything smaller than a 1 gallon no matter how freaked out he acts. You have to do too many water changes in a .5 gallon.


thank you sakura, i'll only keep him in the .5g for 3 weeks to test it out and let it heal. he did stay within the top half of the 1 gal where the silk plant took the most room. is it ok to add prime conditioner to stress coat (1ml-1L to heat fins) in a .5g? its easy enough in the 1g but not sure for .5g.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yes, I think you can add Prime if you add only a drop. Water change in a .5 gallon is every day. Should go quickly with that small amount of water but it's important not to miss a day. Three weeks as a QT while he heals is fine, he'd need water changes super often anyway.


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

I would do 2 WCs in a 0.5g, one in the morn onE at night.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

thank you, i'll do that sakura. 1 week of stress coat/prime with AQ then the remaining 2 without AQ salt. i'll also try do do 2 WC a day depending when i work. i have to wake up at 2 am to get to work at 4am, so i wont be able to do a WC those mornings. 

id like to toss out a question about my 1gal tank. if he doesnt like it too much for a sudden jump in swimming space. is it feasible if i fill the 1 gal with 3/4 of water for a week then do a stick with a full tank? it may help him get accomodated to the 1 gal better.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Hmm, yes, that's a good idea to get him used to it. Start small and keep filling up as he adjusts.


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

Oh sure. Thank Sakura but not me. Well then. Whatever. *stalks off*


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

Neil D said:


> Oh sure. Thank Sakura but not me. Well then. Whatever. *stalks off*


sorry Neil D, thank you for suggesting to do 2 wc a day. i never would have thought of that (im not lying at all about that).


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

Your welcome. *remains aloof*


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

*sigh* Neil, anyone ever tell you you're a goofball?  Thank you, Neil, for your advice. I'll keep it in mind if I ever have a fish in a small tank.


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

No ones ever told me that. They have said ima spaz however...

Anyways, why a small tank? What's that supposed to mean?!? *hysteric blabbing*


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Well, your WC advice really only applies to small tanks and none of my bettas are in small tanks right now. Wait, I do have one guy in QT but I change his water like every 6 hours. 

Spaz, heheh.


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

It's funny, I don't own a small tank either! I have a Divided 10 g.


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