# Brown Strings Hanging?



## uberfish (Nov 7, 2011)

Hello everyone... I am a fish caretaking novice - we have inherited the fish pictured from family who had to move overseas. To be honest, I'm not even sure it is a Betta fish, so excuse the post if it isn't...

Anyway, this morning, our fish started having these brown-ish string-y things coming out from the bottom side of the fish (near the middle of it's body). Have had the fish for a few months now, and haven't seen anything like it before, so I assume it isn't poop. Maybe it is? He/she's had about 3 of these come out this morning already, each about a 1/2 inch long. Is this a parasite of some kind? 

Also a side note, but maybe related... ever since we switched to a new can of fish food (TetraMin tropical flakes), the food seems to stay floating in the tank for long periods of time. I typically scoop it out if it's been floating for more than a day. We use bottled spring water with aquarium salt and Topfin Betta water conditioner added. 

Anybody know what's going on? Thank you!


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Welcome, and that my friend.. is poop =)

On a side note though, some friendly advice-

It is hard to tell in that pic if it is a betta, but it's not a goldie.. so we will assume it is a betta.

In that size of a tank it is recommended to do 1 50% and 1 100% water change per week. 
Stop use of AQ salt as long term use of it will harm their inside workings, and a will cause kidney failure. AQ salt is used for specific treatments, and is used for no longer then a 10 day period when in treatment.
As well as it is very highly recommended to use only tap water- as bottled/spring/distilled water lacks the proper nutrients/minerals they need to be healthy. Why water conditioner is used for the tap, to make it safe without taking out what is needed.
Flakes, especially tropical, aren't the best for bettas- there are betta specific flakes. You are wanting food with the first ingredient to be fish/meat meal with a high % of crude protein (anything over 42% is good) rather then wheat. There are some betta specific flakes, but you have to be careful with using flakes as they can easily bloat them- as well as foul up the water. Remove any uneaten food within a few minutes after feeding otherwise it will foul up the water.
Betta pellets are the best staple food and you can easily control the amount to feed a day 4-6 a day, spread between 2+ meals, or 8-10 "mini" pellets a day, also spread between multiple meals.
If you are preparing for winter, I would suggest a heater, as they are tropical fish and they require 78-82*F to stay healthy. Anything lower will lower their immune system, as well as their metabolism will slow down and they will become lethargic and not eat as well as they should.

If you have any more questions, or pictures to clarify what he is, feel free to ask/post!


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## uberfish (Nov 7, 2011)

*Thank you!*

Thank you for the reply (and guidance). Will hoof it over to the store to get the heater and make the food/water changes recommended...

Thank you for clarifying the "condition" of our fish. Surprised that it was the first time I witnessed any pooping during the time we had the fish!

Thanks again!


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Anytime =)

Bettas don't poop a whole lot, I think I've only witnessed any of mine poop a total of 2-3 times all together. Why they work out good in a smaller tank.

I would suggest a 10-15 watt heater, if you get one larger make sure it's adjustable, and keep an eye on the temp. A thermometer will help with that- one that you put in the water, as the external sticky one isn't all that reliable.

If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask. These guys have a lot of myths about them, and they are sold as "easy" fish- which they are, but require the basics. Once you have them and are on the proper cleaning schedule they do become easy and fun! You'll start to see him perk up and he'll start dancing whenever he sees you, and sometimes will even jump out of the water for a pellet lol.

Good luck and enjoy him!


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## Tisia (Mar 15, 2011)

looks more like a guppy to me in that pic. most of the stuff myates mentioned would still apply either way. I think they're omnivores though in which case they wouldn't need as high of a protein food

also a good idea to remove uneaten food after about 15 minutes, otherwise it'll be adding extra ammonia to the water which is never good


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

You are right, could be a guppy.. I don't see the anal fin flowing down. D'oh! I just saw the longer tail and longer dorsal fin.. hmm..
Then the flakes should be fine if it's a guppy- is there a way to get a better side view of him?


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