BeetleLann
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Posts posted by BeetleLann
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1 hour ago, giantlumberjack said:
Though sadly i need to report that i think my zebra snail died.
Almost forgot to put this somewhere but does anyone know what kind of cory this is? Want to get him some friends but not sure what kind he or she is.
Not a technical term, but sure if a cute one! 😉
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On 7/12/2020 at 11:26 PM, Lizzie Block said:
Thought I'd share my success story here ☺️ - my betta has been battling fin rot for a good few months now. Or at least that's how long I've been noticing issues. I believe one of the most important aspects of treating fish is identifying the root cause. In this case, I determined that I had simply gotten a bit lazy with his tank.
Knowing bettas can be exceptionally hardy and the fact that my tank was already cycled, I was only doing water changes every 2 weeks or so. Sometimes longer. Fast forward about 4 or 5 months to mid-April, when it peaked. The fin rot began as some red discoloration on the ends of his fins where they had previously been white. This is usually the first warning sign, discoloration.
Nearly 5 days after I started noticing this, it had progressed to almost the entire loss of his tail (top photo) and I could knew acting fast was my only option. I got my 5 gallon hospital tank ready with my air pump, airstone, heater and a few silk plants I had on hand to make him feel comfortable.
My first step was water changes - a lot of them. Keeping the tank CLEAN. I was doing a 50% change every three days with a teaspoon added of aquarium salt per gallon that I was changing. (PS. never add SALTwater to top off SALTwater, only add it when you're changing the water as you could easily build up too many salts for the betta and stress him/her out even further.) I repeated this process for about 2 weeks.
I could tell with the salt that the fin rot wasn't getting worse, but it also wasn't really getting any better. So, I progressed to treating with meds. I usually use this as a last resort, but I didn't have much time to decide and I didn't want to lose my fish while I waited around for things to improve. I used erythromycin to treat him as this antibiotic is commonly used to treat fin rot, is very accessible and widely understood. A good one is Mardel Maracyn found here. There was the potential that the fin rot could have been caused by a fungus. But in my research, I found that many people had success treating it as a bacterial infection with an antibiotic, so I wanted to start there and move to an antifungal if needed such as Ich-x.
I followed the instructions for the erythromycin and before the treatment was even over, I began to see improvements. I did not run a second round. His tail began growing back a clear-ish white color and later began to turn a dark blue/black which was very similar to his original coloration.
Now, I am feeding him a variety of his favorite foods and changing his water about every 5 - 6 days (with no salt) and just working as hard as I can to keep his tank sparkly clean. He isn't 100% yet as this type of infection causes a lot of damage which takes a long time to repair, but we are definitely in the home stretch!!
- Water changes
- Try Aquarium Salt, UP to 3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon) per gallon
- Or Antibiotics, Antifungal or both
- More Water changes forever
Top photo is just before I started antibiotic meds (April 19th, 2020) and bottom photos are from today.
What he looked like the first 6 months or so after I got him! 🥺
Hello Lizzie!
Your post was forwarded to me because I think I am dealing with a similar problem! I can't get quite as good of pictures as yours (you take AMAZING shots); do you think this is also fin rot? I made a (very long) post earlier today about my struggles if you would like more context about this specific situation.
Thanks so much,Lanna
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1 hour ago, GC73 said:
I tried to get some better pics to see if you think it is nipping, so I hope these do the trick. The lighting isn't great and he's a stubborn little bugger who never stays still long enough for a picture. I've done a water change, dosed with aquarium salt, and crunched up some almond leaves. The water is still blue from residual medication.
I also thought about possible fin nipping. Bettas will go after their own fins, if stressed enough. Sterlite brand totes are fish proof. Rubbermaid totes are only if it is stated “food safe” on the label. I’m not sure what you have available to you, but the clear ones really do make great tanks. I would double or reinforce with clear packaging tape to prevent bowing. We have three 20 gallons purposely going in totes. We doubled each and the total cost was under $20 each tank. That may be a really good option for you. No need to rehome anyone or rush to decide what to do. Move back home. Get settled. Upgrade from the tote type tank when you can.
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Thank you, Brandy! Hopefully once I'm moved back in with my parents' and things calm down, his condition will stabilize. Thank you for the reassuring words ❤️
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Hello GC73!
Thanks so much for your reply ❤️I'm glad you have also fallen in love with corydoras, 'cause they are heckin' cute and cool! My albinos have really grown on me, but I will rehome them if the general consensus suggests that is the best option... I thought my betta is okay with company, but then again, his fins say otherwise. However, my dad will take them, but he already has some cories (I don't know what kind, plecos, gouramis, and something else that is quite and darts around. I don't know if he needs 3 more fishy friends, either).
My betta is a veil tail. I have never experienced nipping, so I don't know if that's the problem, but someone on FB suggested it may be. I think shredded really is the best word to describe them, I'm trying to get a good picture for you.
Do you think I could get away with keeping the pleco, the shrimps, the 1 snail and my betta in the 10 gallon until I can afford to upgrade tank sizes? Hoping to do so before xmas.
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Hello everyone!
First, I'd like to say thank you to Aquarium Co-op for creating this forum 🙂
I am relatively new to the hobby and I know I still have a lot of learn, so I'd like to ask for some help from people who are experienced in betta care.
I have joined CARE because posting on social media groups is not helping me solve my fish problem. I have also spoken to the staff at my local aquarium store, and they have reassured me that I'm following the proper care procedures, so I feel a bit stuck, frustrated and at a loss.
Anyways, enough with the preamble- my betta's fins look mighty rough. I do not think fin rot or disease are causing the issue only because I have been attempting to treat the issue for several months now and they still look miserable.
Below is a somewhat chronological list of my adventures with this hobby and trying to help my betta (I'm sorry it is so long, I just want to give as best of a description as possible of what I've been doing so everyone reading understands what is going on):
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Back story- I have owned 3 bettas in 5 years: one was adopted from a former roommate and he passed after about a year or so, then I took in another betta for about 2-3 years before he passed. Both were homed in a small 1G tank and did fine.
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In January, I was feeling lonely after the passing of my second betta in December, so I purchased a new little guy. He was kinda homely when I got him, but the important thing is that his fins were healthy. My new guy was introduced to the 1G (which was sanitized before adding the new fish), and he lived there for a few months.
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(This is when his fins started to look like cr*p) Where I live (Canada), we went into COVID lockdown mid-March. I moved back in with my parents and brought my betta. However, after a month, I moved back to my apartment and left my betta in my parents' care. I think this may have been a good part of the problem. You see, my well-meaning father introduced a small plastic plant with tiny sharp leaves from his tank to my betta's tank. This probably started the tearing (if that, in fact, what is the issue). Dad also thought my betta might want some friends, and put him into the 33G for a day. Needless to say, I didn't want that so I asked dad to put betta back into his small tank. A week or so later, I came back to collect the fish, tossed the plastic plant, and brought him back to my apartment. Once back, I treated him with almond leaves, daily water changes, and a product purchased off Amazon called Betta Revive. His fins didn't really improve, but they didn't get worse either. Unfortunately, I do not have pictures from this time, but I this story is why I do not think it is fin rot.
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Also during quarantine, I found a 10G on the street someone had put out with the trash. This was very exciting because I've always wanted to upgrade tanks, so I worked on cleaning it, researching how to set up and care for a planted tank, and began ordering products. A friend-of-a-friend recommended a specific plant dealer to order from, so mid-April I placed an order for several baby aquatic plants. I set up my tank with Fluval plant and shrimp stratum, introduced some driftwood, and allowed the tank to cycle. For like, a month at least. And still no sign of the shipped plants...
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Turns out buddy didn't think my order was worth enough to ship on time, so I waited 2.5 months for an $80 purchase. After waiting for a while and not hearing from the guy, I thought I got ripped off. I was frustrated because I really wanted to introduce my betta to the large tank, and I was tired of waiting for the plants, so I introduced him before planting anything. Maybe this wasn't the best idea, but I thought that a larger tank could help improve his fins if he had more space to swim around in.
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FYI I also grow pothos out of the water and have done so in both the small tank and 10G.
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Plants finally arrived early august: baby anubias, baby buce, baby crypts, baby swords, xmas moss, moss ball.
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(I did a dumb?) I may have gotten a bit eager with the hobby, and over June and July, introduced some tank mates including: a baby bristle nose pleco, 3 albino cory cats, some cherry shrimp friends, and a nerite. Staff at local store said I should have no issues. However, someone on reddit told me to rehome everything because the tank is overstocked... but the guys at my local store say it's fine because things are babies and I clean and do water changes often.
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I didn't think the tankmates were bothering him, but I'll admit I may be wrong. My betta more or less kept to himself, but he picked up some of the cories' habits and started eating the algae wafers I put in the tank. Silly dickens. (They are now separated, BTW.)
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I have reduced feeding times from 2x a day to every other day to reduce waste output. I have also added new items to his diet to see if that helps; I was previously using Aqueon's betta food, but now have introduced: frozen bloodworms, chilled baby brine shrimp (betta doesn't eat them), fluval bug bites, and sometimes some veggies. He still has an appetite and is an active fish.
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I check my tank parameters often, and the levels are typically about: pH 7.6; ammonia 0-0.25 (which I realize is a bit high, but I tested my tap water and it is the same); nitrites 0ppm; nitrates 20-30ppm; temp fluctuates between 77-82 F. Tank is filtered, HOB, and has a heater.
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Recently, I watched Irene's video on quarantining fish and isolating them to a hospital tank (THANKS IRENE!!!!) so my betta is now in a 5 gallon plastic bucket filled with about 4G of water. There is no filter, only a heater. I do daily water changes.
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Prior to the plastic container, I had put him back in his small 1G and was treating with aquarium salt and daily water changes, but the tank started to smell bad so I took him out and put him back in the larger tank.
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For the last 4 days he has been in the 5G container, and I have been treating with a product called Betta Revive. Just so everyone knows, I LIVE IN CANADA, I cannot get products like Kanaplex because they are banned and you need a prescription...
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Tonight I am going to do another water change and start aquarium salt treatments again. I am going to continue this for the foreseeable future.
- I am also moving back to my parents this weekend, and I am nervous because I am worried it'll stress out my fish.
I will post more pictures when I can, but if anyone, ANYBODY, can suggest ways to improve what I am doing and/or diagnose my problems, I would be eternally grateful!
I want to give my fish the best life possible, even if that means I have to rehome. I am really enjoying this hobby, and I feel SO bad for my betta.Thank you so much in advance! ❤️
Lanna
(PS I know the photos aren't great, I suck at getting good pics and my betta doesn't like the camera. These pictures are from July 31 and August 4)
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Back story- I have owned 3 bettas in 5 years: one was adopted from a former roommate and he passed after about a year or so, then I took in another betta for about 2-3 years before he passed. Both were homed in a small 1G tank and did fine.
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Hello Kenneth from a fellow Canadian! I am new to the hobby, new to the forum, and excited to find you on here because you are Canadian, too. I will be following your posts 🙂
Wishing you and your fishy friends best of health,Lann
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Hello giantlumberjack from a fellow Canadian!
I am new to the hobby and to the forum, and I am excited to find a fellow Canadian on this site!
I will be following your posts 🙂
Best of health from the KW area,Lann
Howdy from Canada!
in Introductions & Greetings
Posted
Hello, me too! KW ish... just getting into the hobby! 🙂