# Betta abuse how to help?



## madlikearose (Feb 10, 2015)

hello everyone! I need some help from you guys. I live in college dorm rooms and one of my friends on my floor has a beta. normally I was very excited until I saw his set up. he is in barely a liter of water, his water is dirty, he has no dechlorinator, and he has a sharp plastic plant, and he seems to be suffering from fin rot and a bloated tummy. truthfully I was appalled but she is my friend I don't want to be rude. I just wanted to take him away and give him a better place to live. how do I tell her that he needs better living conditions without making her angry? also is it bad that I plan on going in there when she's not there and putting some declorinator in myself? I can't stand to see him suffer like that. what does everyone suggest?


----------



## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

I'm a bit of a blunt person so any friend of mine would just get a straight (may be considered slightly rude) "You're doing it wrong and the fish is in pain/sick because of it". Then explain what was wrong (decor, lack of dechlorinator and water changes, need for a heater filter and larger space to swim. Explain the fin rot/rips and bloating along with other issues and what caused them/what fixes them. I'd give details on how to fix everything, where to buy what is needed for cheap (and give an price range for all the new necessary items) and finally offer to take the fish and give it a better life myself.

An alternative method is, if you have a betta that's healthy and properly cared for take the friend to see it, show how active and happy it is then tell them there's can be to if they make these improvements, and lay out all that needs to change. If they seem hesitant, uncaring, or cheap (don't want to buy $50-100 in new stuff).. offer to take the fish and care for it yourself "You can still come and visit [insert fish's name] whenever you'd like."


----------



## Schmoo (Oct 3, 2014)

I'm also a pretty blunt person, especially when it comes to animals, so I'd go with either of the suggestions Aurora made.


----------



## madlikearose (Feb 10, 2015)

Schmoo said:


> I'm also a pretty blunt person, especially when it comes to animals, so I'd go with either of the suggestions Aurora made.


Thanks guys


----------



## DangerousAngel (Mar 26, 2015)

I'd go with any of those, heck I'd probably go grab some Betta supplies including at least a 2.5 gal. Tank and snatch the fish when she isn't around and put the Betta in the new tank and surprise her with the new proper set up. If it was me I'd probably offer to take care of the water if she isn't too willing.


----------



## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

I'm a pretty nice and considerate person most of the time (I think!), but when it comes to animal suffering and death, I'm about the most blunt person out there. I have little patience for niceties in those situations, and to be honest, anyone who doesn't take care of their animals won't be my friend for long unless they change their ways. I would point-blank tell her that she is torturing and slowly subjecting that fish to a painful demise. I would then outline the specific problems with her setup (and I'd probably put some dechlorinator in that water as I'm speaking) and tell her what needs to be done to rectify the situation. I'd offer to take the fish if she can't/doesn't want to provide a better home for him. And now I'm going to end my rant because my sentiments are just getting more offensive from here haha.


----------



## DangerousAngel (Mar 26, 2015)

^+1

You could also let her check this site out if she doesn't believe you...


----------



## madlikearose (Feb 10, 2015)

Guys this betta abuse got bad! Went in there to check on this little betta girl. And the conditions are out of control. There is brown slime and mold on 95% of the tank. And she is bloated. I had to do something so I cleaned her tank. It was sludgey and smelled like farts and dead fish. I picked her up and put her in clean water while i cleaned her tank she cuddled up in my hand. while being covered in mold and slime. Apparently, her room mates already told her about that the fish needs better care, but she wont listen. I might steal her. help!


----------



## DangerousAngel (Mar 26, 2015)

AWW! I'd take her. That would have been the last straw for me. I would have snagged the tank and everything and left. Poor thing. :-(


----------



## madlikearose (Feb 10, 2015)

DangerousAngel said:


> AWW! I'd take her. That would have been the last straw for me. I would have snagged the tank and everything and left. Poor thing. :-(


I did it. I took her. At least for the weekend because the girl is away she is very big looks kinda bloated but almost like just naturally huge. her fin rot is so bad that her dorsal fin is down to a nub. and one of her ventral fins is completely gone.


----------



## DangerousAngel (Mar 26, 2015)

I'd get her on some Aquarium salt, and maybe Melafix. Do you have an extra tank you can use as a hospital tank?


----------



## madlikearose (Feb 10, 2015)

DangerousAngel said:


> I'd get her on some Aquarium salt, and maybe Melafix. Do you have an extra tank you can use as a hospital tank?


yeah dont worry i took her tank with her. i scrubed it good with boiling water. sooo imma get some salt in there


----------



## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Now just tell the girl that you went to check on the fish while she was away (perfectly reasonable since you've already cleaned the tank once for her) and found the fish dead. No more questions will be asked.

Can you post a picture of her? I'd probably recommend clean water and a methylene blue bath right now. You can do the bath right in the tank (since its a tiny tank already) and then just change 100% of the water 30 minutes after adding the methylene blue. The dosage for the bath is 1 tsp per 5 gallons (or 1 ml per gallon). This will help restore the oxygen-carrying capacity of her blood by reversing the harmful effects of ammonia/nitrite poisoning (methemoglobulinemia).

If her fin rot is really that bad, then you may need to treat her with something stronger than just salt. Nitrofurazone antibiotics have worked well for me in the past. I used to use fungus clear (contains this antibiotic plus an anti-fungal agent), but you can also just get Furan-2 which is the same thing except without the anti-fungal med. But do post a picture first so we can assess the damage.


----------



## InsertCheesecake (May 6, 2015)

This isn't Betta fish abuse, this is un-proper care. JESUS CHRIST BROWNISH SLIME??!. Okay now I think you should just snatch little Betta and save him/her from you're friend. And put a note on the table saying "Dear (name here) please forgive me, I can't help to watch such magnificent creatures suffer. If you want you're fish back. Give him proper care, or else over my dead body you will." (LOL a little over that dead body part but just ignore that)

Wait is s/he really you're friend? is s/he lazy to change water and put de-chlorinator?. If so then I don't think you should give little Betta back. If s/he isn't lazy then try to convince her to caring for the little poor betta. (also give him/her a 2.5 gal tank and a starter set that includes Sponge filter, Air pump, a small ornament, 2 silk plants and maybe some colourful gravel?) If so try anything to inspire her/him.


----------



## SiameseFightingArt (Jun 17, 2014)

^ lol

I would keep her water clean and use salt. If the fin rot gets really bad do not give her melafix, but tetracycline (really helps when my boys have bad fin rot). I agree with Cheesecake to get her a bigger tank with lots of decor for her to hide in. She's bloated right? I would fast her for two days then give her daphnia. Keep us updated


----------



## claxtongal (Apr 25, 2015)

I think you did the right thing by taking it. The situation has got too far out of control and that sweet fish doesn't deserve to live in such conditions.


----------



## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

SiameseFightingArt said:


> ^ lol
> 
> I would keep her water clean and use salt. If the fin rot gets really bad do not give her melafix, but tetracycline (really helps when my boys have bad fin rot). I agree with Cheesecake to get her a bigger tank with lots of decor for her to hide in. She's bloated right? I would fast her for two days then give her daphnia. Keep us updated


I think you got really lucky with the tetracycline. It is effective against gram-positive bacteria whereas the majority of fish infections are gram-negative. Tetracycline is also inactivated by hard water and light, making it ineffective in most aquarium applications. Like you, I would also recommend the OP avoid melafix. My thought is that anything that can be treated with melafix can just as easily be treated with clean water, which is a much, much safer option. I also agree about the fasting and daphnia, but I'd still like to see a picture to assess the degree and cause of the bloating.


----------



## AukWord (Mar 15, 2015)

madlikearose said:


> I did it. I took her. At least for the weekend because the girl is away she is very big looks kinda bloated but almost like just naturally huge. her fin rot is so bad that her dorsal fin is down to a nub. and one of her ventral fins is completely gone.


Do you have supplies for her? Antibiotics and salt, etc, I mean?

Thank you, so much, for trying to help her.


----------



## madlikearose (Feb 10, 2015)

AukWord said:


> Do you have supplies for her? Antibiotics and salt, etc, I mean?
> 
> Thank you, so much, for trying to help her.


Of course. I love bettas and all animals  I talked to her today about it and she seemed appalled that there was mold growing in with slime. She didn't know it got that. She said she has a 2 gallon tank at home and that she only put her in that one while being away at college because it was easIer. She has other little fish below that one in a 10 gallon tank. She has 4 guppies. They seem like the healthiest little things ice ever seen! So I taught her about bettas and that tat small of a tank needs to be cleaned out once a week at least and she said thanks and I think it is all good now


----------



## madlikearose (Feb 10, 2015)

InsertCheesecake said:


> This isn't Betta fish abuse, this is un-proper care. JESUS CHRIST BROWNISH SLIME??!. Okay now I think you should just snatch little Betta and save him/her from you're friend. And put a note on the table saying "Dear (name here) please forgive me, I can't help to watch such magnificent creatures suffer. If you want you're fish back. Give him proper care, or else over my dead body you will." (LOL a little over that dead body part but just ignore that)
> 
> Wait is s/he really you're friend? is s/he lazy to change water and put de-chlorinator?. If so then I don't think you should give little Betta back. If s/he isn't lazy then try to convince her to caring for the little poor betta. (also give him/her a 2.5 gal tank and a starter set that includes Sponge filter, Air pump, a small ornament, 2 silk plants and maybe some colourful gravel?) If so try anything to inspire her/him.


I know! the brownish slime like killed me. Never smelled anything so putrid. I think it is because at home she has a two gallon tank with a filter and everything, but here she is not use to not having a filter. She tries and she is my friend, I just think she is miss informed. I told her it might be a lot to take a ten Gallon AND a two gallon to school but her fish needs it that way so she said thanks for taking care of her. I hope she changes her ways and cleans it more and she does put dechlorinator in it i think so that is good too. I told her some supplies to get and hopefully that fishy will have a better life.


----------



## OllieJolly (Apr 11, 2015)

Animal abuse is a very serious issue, all over the world. I of course include fish in this.

Over here in the UK there is the Animal Welfare act: "_Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act places a duty of care on people to ensure they take reasonable steps in all the circumstances to meet the welfare needs of their animals to the extent required by good practice._"

I wouldn't have hesitated to adopt the fish myself in such a case. Explanation upon return? 

Bettas are very notorious jumpers(!)


----------



## InsertCheesecake (May 6, 2015)

Adopting the fish for yourself is not necessary at all. But just to "babysit" is very necessary, as the case is that the owner is not taking good care of her Betta.


----------

