Still struggling with my betta and fin rot --- need advice

[Goldie Blue]

On 6/22/2022 at 5:41 PM, A Moore said:

How is your Betta now? Is he in his new Flex? How did the hospital setup work out?

He is still in the hospital tank, but I am going to move him into the Flex later tonight. The numbers have stayed stable for 3 days now, and I am having a hard time keeping the ammonia in the hospital tank down.

He has been in the hospital tank ( 4 gallons with daily 25-50% water changes from my main established tank ) for 12 days now, with 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon. We went with the lowest level of dosing first, and never increased. He's showing improvement every day, and I can't tell if it's totally cured but he certainly looks better than he did 12 days ago! I'll add pics of the day we moved him into hospital tank, and of him today.

As you can see, the bloody spots on his tail fin are totally gone, and his coloring is coming back. The bloody spots healed up within two days of him being in the hospital tank too, so it happened pretty fast thankfully. He is swimming around the hospital tank regularly, he never did that before in my 55g. I still see the redness by where his tail meets the base of his body, but I can't tell if that is from the infection, or just a vein that is there normally?

His red gills look totally healed up as well. We did no meds, just aquarium salt and water changes daily. It sucks that the sponge filter I added was not cycled, but it looks like things are going in the right direction.

I am feeding him some new food (Northfin Betta Bites), along with frozen brine shrimp, frozen bloodworms. I tried giving him live fruit flies, and he wanted nothing to do with it. 

If he looks like he is getting worse again, I can salt the Fluval Flex, I made sure to attach the plants I have to items I can remove from the tank if I need to medicate or salt so that it doesn't kill them. At this point, the ammonia in the Flex has been at 0 for three days, and I can't get the hospital tank to go below 0.25ppm so I think it's the right move to make. 

On 6/22/2022 at 5:41 PM, A Moore said:

Asking because my Betta has body rot, looking for any and all suggestions 

Don't be stupid like me and wait too long to help your guy. I just wasn't sure it was fin rot, and looking back on it now I was really dumb not to see that it was. I'd definitely try salt first, my guy has responded well to it. Just make sure you have an airstone in whatever setup you treat him in. If you have any questions, just ask! I am by no means an expert at this, but I am happy to share my experience with you! I hope your betta can recover!

[A Moore]

I love this update! So glad to see he’s improving. 😍 I hope all goes well with the move and he continues to improve!  He’s pretty and almost looks like he’s smiling in the last photo. 
I’ve been using cappata leaves now after rounds of antibiotics off and on.  I added a small amount of salt so my plants don’t die but have a hospital tank brewing to start KanaPlex in food. (Per recommendation on this site). I see improvements with just the additional leaves even though I always keep one in the tank. 
Thank you for the update and the timeline and what you did for your betta. It sure helps to read what others have tried and what works!

[Goldie Blue]

On 6/22/2022 at 10:23 PM, A Moore said:

I’ve been using cappata leaves

I have those in the Flex waiting for him! They have been soaking for 12 days in the water. I hope they help him, they didn't make a dent in things when I put them in the 55 gallon tank he was in before this. 

On 6/22/2022 at 10:23 PM, A Moore said:

He’s pretty and almost looks like he’s smiling in the last photo. 

He was an absolute beauty before this ordeal. It breaks my heart, and I hope I can restore him to his former glory. This fish has my heart for sure, he is so gentle and friendly. 

Let me know how the KanaPlex works out. I fed it to Goldie Blue for about 5 days after two rounds of Jungle Fungus Clear, I thought he was doing better then he went downward REAL quick. The photo above where he has the bloody spots and a chunk of his tail fell off...all that happened after I thought he was better after the 2 courses of meds and KanaPlex. Doubtful it was anything to do with the KanaPlex, just saying keep your eyes on things even if you think your fishy is getting better. 

Do you know why your betta got body/fin rot? For the longest time I thought it was my water quality, but now I fully realize it was stress from the harsh flow in my 55 gallon tank he was in. Would you mind sharing a picture of him? I really hope that you can get your fish friend healthy, this is SO stressful to go through, but on the other hand I have learned so much from this community and now have the knowledge that I will can use for future catastrophes. 

[A Moore]

I’m so glad you told me about the meds! That’s the advice I was given, KanaPlex with the Jungle Fungus Clear. I hesitate on so many meds because in the past I feel like I over medicated my Bettas to death. I have pics posted on here under diseases. I think you can tap my member name from this post and it will show up. 🤔

[A Moore]

On 6/22/2022 at 10:44 PM, Goldie Blue said:

Do you know why your betta got body/fin rot? For

No!! Super frustrating! I keep his tank pristine and different healthy foods. All I can think is that instead of the snails and 4 shrimp being “enrichment” they might be stressing him.  I was letting off the meds when he got body rot! 😰 I thought maybe he’s just getting old and his fins will never look like he was before. The tank has always been well balanced and stable. Another thought is that maybe it’s just genetics since I purchased him from a big box store. 

[Goldie Blue]

On 6/22/2022 at 10:54 PM, A Moore said:

I think you can tap my member name from this post and it will show up. 🤔

I just read through your post, Pinky is a really beautiful betta! 

On 6/22/2022 at 11:06 PM, A Moore said:

I thought maybe he’s just getting old and his fins will never look like he was before.

If he is two and a half years old, and from a box store, then there might be a chance he won't bounce back. I hate to even say that out loud, because my Goldie Blue is from PetCo, and I have only had him a little over a year but I have learned so much about how awful the breeding is with the ones they sell at big box. 

I hope you have good results with the leaves and the salt. I was like you and afraid to add to his stress by moving him, but honestly once he got into the hospital tank and had the full aquarium salt dosage I mentioned, he started improving so fast. You have the advantage of having a seeded filter at least, I was all YOLO and put him in a tank with nothing but cycled water from my old tank lol.

I also thought the 55 gallon tank he came from was pristine and well balanced. The parameters were/are never off, I kept up with weekly water changes etc. I honestly think it was from the flow, which is really strong in that tank. I know now that I over cleaned things, but even with that factored in I still think it was the stress of the flow of the tank. He'd also get SUPER stressed out when I dosed that tank with Easy Green, like he'd visibly change colors within 24 hours. He is just a really sensitive fish apparently, which is why I think this Flex will be a great forever home for him. I will not put anyone else in there with him, the flow is perfect and calm, and if I need to pull plants out to medicate him again I can easily do so. 

On 6/22/2022 at 11:06 PM, A Moore said:

All I can think is that instead of the snails and 4 shrimp being “enrichment” they might be stressing him.

It's crazy how sensitive the bettas can be, and they all have their own personality. My betta in my 10 gallon is so angry all the time, but Goldie Blue has always been soooo chill, never flares, always so friendly, comes to see me every time I come over to the tank, and eats from my hand or a pipette. It hurts my heart so much to see him suffering.

 

 

[A Moore]

On 6/23/2022 at 12:40 AM, Goldie Blue said:

I just read through your post, Pinky is a really beautiful betta! 

Thank you!! He looks worse this morning and will be going into the new tank for sure. I think he has developed popeye now 😫

It sounds like you have a great setup now for your baby. All we can do is our best but I know how you feel! I can’t stand seeing Pinky suffer either. 
 

On 6/23/2022 at 12:40 AM, Goldie Blue said:

It's crazy how sensitive the bettas can be, and they all have their own personality

Yes!! Pinky is a true fighter, flares at every snail.  I think I did make the mistake of putting anything else in there. I truly thought the enjoyed hunting down the shrimp. He would eat the ones he could see but the Amano are clear and the red cherry must just be stealthy.  😂

That’s SO sweet that your Goldie Blue will eat from your hand. Bettas have such big personalities!  Hopefully we will each get past the diseases.  Thank you so much for your reply and assurance!  Helps to know I’m not alone!

[Goldie Blue]

On 6/23/2022 at 12:06 PM, A Moore said:

He looks worse this morning and will be going into the new tank for sure. I think he has developed popeye now

Oh no!!! Did you end up moving him into a hospital tank? I think getting him into salt right away will be good for him. Let me know how it's going!

I moved Goldie Blue into the Flex last night, he seems to love it and the parameters are staying stable so far. The lightning and black background in that model tank really make his colors pop, he looks like an iridescent mermaid! I hope he can regain his old colors back because he will really shine in this tank, literally!

[Torrey]

On 6/23/2022 at 11:06 AM, A Moore said:

He looks worse this morning and will be going into the new tank for sure. I think he has developed popeye now

 

On 6/23/2022 at 5:29 PM, Goldie Blue said:

moved Goldie Blue into the Flex last night, he seems to love it and the parameters are staying stable so far.

It is absolutely fabulous to see betta folx willing to listen to their bettas, instead of "my parameters are stable and within range" and therefore not change anything.

Number one thing any of us can do, is be willing to change our approach, and both of you are willing.

Cattapa/IAL have to be at a really strong solution (meaning lots dissolved in the water, giving a tannin appearance) to make a difference. Smaller containers are therefore much easier to get the stronger concentration than larger, so I am sure you will see a difference. Plus, the majority of big box store bettas come from various Pacific Islands, where water is brackish, so they have never been exposed to pathogens we have in our freshwater tanks here. My last 2 bettas had to always be in therapeutic levels of aquarium salt. Within 48 hours of trying to decrease salt levels, they would regress, and each time faster than the time before. My crowntail female I am 90% sure died from old age when I had my TIA (I came home from the hospital and she had passed). My moontail was ~half her age, and passed 6 months later. He was also a special pumpkin, who was regualrly trying to remove himself from the gene pool (entertained himself by jumping into the tank with a very strong pond pump, so he could do the equivalent of a fish roller coaster ride. I finally let him stay there, and he died happy).

Hornwort can be acclimated to therapeutic levels of aquarium salt, as well as a few other plants (mostly similar plants with needle shaped leaves, makes it easier to control osmotic pressure), so you don't have to choose between the salt the betta needs, and plants. You can have both, if you are willing to take some time to acclimate.

May both of you see full recoveries in your fish!

[Goldie Blue]

On 6/23/2022 at 7:04 PM, Torrey said:

Number one thing any of us can do, is be willing to change our approach, and both of you are willing.

Hi Torrey! Thanks for your reply, you've been such a big help to me through this. I'm willing to do whatever it takes for my bettas. I kept the hospital tank sponge filter running in the event I need to pull him out of the Flex for whatever reason. While I really like the way the Flex tank looks, the lid for it is really inconvenient, even after buying lid prop arms. He seems happy so far, but I am keeping a VERY close eye on him.

I found the coolest local fish store today, it's not very close to my house but it's worth the drive. They have a ton of medications I was looking for over the last few months that I ended up having to order online. They also sell live brine shrimp so I got some for my guys, and unfortunately neither of them want anything to do with them. The cool thing is all their bettas are in long tanks, and they are gorgeous. If/when the time comes and either of my boys pass, I will certainly get my next betta from them. 

On 6/23/2022 at 7:04 PM, Torrey said:

May both of you see full recoveries in your fish!

I really hope we get happy endings. I lost one of my praying mantises today, and have been nail biting these last two weeks with Goldie Blue in the QT tank. I just want all my babies to be healthy and happy 🥰

[A Moore]

On 6/23/2022 at 7:04 PM, Torrey said:

Number one thing any of us can do, is be willing to change our approach, and both of you are willing

Thank you Torrey!  Definitely willing! I appreciate the encouragement!  

 

On 6/23/2022 at 7:04 PM, Torrey said:

Cattapa

I can’t remember how to spell that word for anything 😜

I am out of the leaves and used some Fritz Dark Water. I didn’t add what was recommended (just 10 m) because I have Jungle Fungus tabs in the tank. Is it okay to mix that and also add salt to the tank? I have KanaPlex now that I intended on mixing into his food. I don’t want to bomb Pinky with so many things at once. Do you have suggestions? I just looked at him this morning in the hospital tank and he’s laying on his side at the bare bottom tank next to the heater! Looks pitiful like he doesn’t have strength to even get up to greet me. My instinct is to get this medication out now. 

[A Moore]

On 6/23/2022 at 7:04 PM, Torrey said:

last 2 bettas had to always be in therapeutic levels of aquarium salt. Within 48 hours of trying to decrease salt levels, they would regress, and each time faster than the time before

This may be the answer I’m looking for! I have had a couple bettas before Pinky and so frustrated that they decline so fast when I get them home. 
 

On 6/23/2022 at 8:30 PM, Goldie Blue said:

He seems happy so far, but I am keeping a VERY close eye on him.

I hope he looks good today! 
 

On 6/23/2022 at 8:30 PM, Goldie Blue said:

I found the coolest local fish store today, it's not very close to my house but it's worth the drive

That’s awesome! Love that the bettas have nice long tanks! We have a fantastic one in Nashville we love to visit when we want to spend time sitting in traffic 😜 or there for other reasons. 

[Goldie Blue]

On 6/24/2022 at 7:12 AM, A Moore said:

My instinct is to get this medication out now. 

Is he in his regular tank or the hospital tank? I felt like the Fungus Clear didn't work as well as the salt alone. I ended up having to do two rounds of it because after the first 4 days he still looked bad. With the salt treatment alone I saw he was looking better within the first 24/48 hours. 

How many days has the Fungus Clear been in there? If he's struggling and laying on his side that's not a good sign. I did see mine hanging out by the heater now and then as well, but never struggling like you mention yours is. Maybe add another air stone and bump the heat up a degree or two?

If it were me I'd probably get him into clean water and try the aquarium salt, you can also give him the kanaplex in his food while doing that. With Pinky having actual body rot though, you might need to start at the lowest dose of salt treatment and boost it up if he's not showing improvement. 

I'm so sorry you're having to go through this as well. it's so stressful, and hoping you're doing the right thing and then things still go sideways sucks 😞

[A Moore]

On 6/24/2022 at 8:55 AM, Goldie Blue said:

clean water and try the aquarium salt, you can also give him the kanaplex in his food

Yes 🙌🏻 already did the water change and he almost immediately perked up. Colu, another person on this forum, has been helping me a lot. They recommended the same thing. I started with 1 tbsp of salt since I reduced the water amount to about 8 gallons to allow more surface agitation (and easier for him to come up for air). Mixing the food potion now. 😬

I meant to tell you I was sorry about you losing one of your mantises. 😥 My 8 yo had one for a while but our cat kept harassing the habitat. We released the mantis after about a week (we found her outside) and now have a huge tank with two hermit crabs. Talk about work and requirements! They are awesome but we had no idea what they required and anyway.. we are learning a lot about all these wonderful creatures. 

On 6/24/2022 at 8:55 AM, Goldie Blue said:

Is he in his regular tank or the hospital tank?

Hospital tank

[Goldie Blue]

On 6/24/2022 at 9:09 AM, A Moore said:

Yes 🙌🏻 already did the water change and he almost immediately perked up. Colu, another person on this forum, has been helping me a lot.

I am so glad to hear that! Colu is a doll, they have helped me out a bunch too, and I probably would have lost all the fish in my 55 gallon last year if not for their advice! Please keep me updated on Pinky, I am really hoping he will turn around for you guys.

On 6/24/2022 at 9:09 AM, A Moore said:

I meant to tell you I was sorry about you losing one of your mantises. 😥 My 8 yo had one for a while but our cat kept harassing the habitat. We released the mantis after about a week (we found her outside) and now have a huge tank with two hermit crabs. Talk about work and requirements! They are awesome but we had no idea what they required and anyway.. we are learning a lot about all these wonderful creatures. 

Me keeping mantises all started with wanting to show my now 8 year old son how the oothecas hatched when he was 6. I thought they were such neat creatures, so I have been keeping some more of the exotic ones the last few years. Although my spiny flower mantis passed away yesterday (literally no idea why either!) my orchid mantis molted this morning, so that was pretty exciting to discover! I am up to 4 fish tanks - 55 gallon with barely anything in it at this point, 10 gallon with 1 betta and a nerite, 20 gallon with Bubbles our axolotl, and the Flex with Goldie Blue in it. My husband has said "NO MORE FISH TANKS!"....but clearly he forgets who he married. There will definitely be more fish tanks. 🤣

[A Moore]

I love it! Haha!! I have 4 tanks now too, a 60 gal tall with cichlids, 29 gal with quite the mix, the 7.5 Betta tank and now the hospital 10 gal. Plus a 40 gal hermit crab tank with a topper. I homeschool our 8 yo son so I write it all off as “science”!  My husband said I finally have the “farm” I always wanted!!  I’ve always loved cats and still have one but we found out in the past couple years that my husband is allergic to everything! The fish don’t bother him 😜

[Goldie Blue]

On 6/24/2022 at 11:26 AM, A Moore said:

I homeschool our 8 yo son so I write it all off as “science”!  

You're killing me, I feel like we are living the same life right now...we homeschool our 8 year old son too! Yeah we also have 2 dogs, and my husband is always waiting for me to bring home some new animal or creature lol. I feed a bunch of hummingbirds out back as well as having a small garden, so it feels like the animal chores are never ending some days, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I am that person that if I see a dog on the side of the road I am stopping traffic to help it, and probably brining it home and probably keeping it if nobody claims it. That is how we ended up with 5 dogs a few years ago lol. 

[A Moore]

Before we had our son I would capture the neighborhood stray cats, my neighbor volunteered at the spay and neuter center and had them “fixed”. She would bring them back to me to care for and find homes. We had 22 cats at one time (due to two females having litters at the same time). I was that crazy cat lady. 😅😝

Too funny! I totally get feeling overwhelmed with the animal chores lol 😂 

[Torrey]

On 6/24/2022 at 6:12 AM, A Moore said:

Thank you Torrey!  Definitely willing! I appreciate the encouragement!  

 

I can’t remember how to spell that word for anything 😜

I am out of the leaves and used some Fritz Dark Water. I didn’t add what was recommended (just 10 m) because I have Jungle Fungus tabs in the tank. Is it okay to mix that and also add salt to the tank? I have KanaPlex now that I intended on mixing into his food. I don’t want to bomb Pinky with so many things at once. Do you have suggestions? I just looked at him this morning in the hospital tank and he’s laying on his side at the bare bottom tank next to the heater! Looks pitiful like he doesn’t have strength to even get up to greet me. My instinct is to get this medication out now. 

Kanaplax in the food, salt and catappa are all good together. I would need to re-read, but I want to say the Jungle Fungus won't work as well with botanicals in the tank (see if there's a warning on the bottle maybe?) @Odd Duck might know.

After a while, I quit using anything other than indian almond leaves (catappa) and salt. The rest of the treatments seemed to cause more stress and the cost benefit ratio wasn't sufficient.

That being said, body rot can quickly lead to septicemia (blood infection). If at all possible, get slides (I don't remember what you need to stain the slides) and get Odd Duck the pictures of the slides to identify if the body rot is a gram positive or gram negative bacterial infection. Each require specific antibiotics if you actually want to help the fish. Antibiotics are gram specific (what works on one, won't work on the other). Occasionally you can see more than one bacterial infection, and the fish will need two different types of antibiotics. 

[Odd Duck]

On 6/25/2022 at 9:25 PM, Torrey said:

Kanaplax in the food, salt and catappa are all good together. I would need to re-read, but I want to say the Jungle Fungus won't work as well with botanicals in the tank (see if there's a warning on the bottle maybe?) @Odd Duck might know.

After a while, I quit using anything other than indian almond leaves (catappa) and salt. The rest of the treatments seemed to cause more stress and the cost benefit ratio wasn't sufficient.

That being said, body rot can quickly lead to septicemia (blood infection). If at all possible, get slides (I don't remember what you need to stain the slides) and get Odd Duck the pictures of the slides to identify if the body rot is a gram positive or gram negative bacterial infection. Each require specific antibiotics if you actually want to help the fish. Antibiotics are gram specific (what works on one, won't work on the other). Occasionally you can see more than one bacterial infection, and the fish will need two different types of antibiotics. 

I’ve not read up on Fungus Clear since I prefer meds that are a single medication instead of multiple meds, so I know what’s actually working and what isn’t working.  I do really like the combo of salt at 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons at least, and 1 per 3 gallons is sometimes needed.  Plus IAL’s or at least tannins in general.  I’ve also used rooibos tea with some decent results along with the IAL’s.

It would be lovely to have results of Gram’s stain, but it’s a bit of a pain to use since it’s a bit finicky, and not necessarily cheap, plus it goes bad fast.  You have to follow directions carefully or it won’t be accurate.  Plus you need to have a microscope, immersion oil, and good enough optics with enough magnification to see the bacteria very well.  There are some antibiotics that are broad enough spectrum to work on many Gram negatives and many Gram positives.  Each usually favors one over the other, but there are a few that hit both types.  Of course there’s no antibiotic that will universally work on every possible infection.

Give me a minute and I’ll go have a look at @A Moore’s post.

[Odd Duck]

Any new photos?

[Goldie Blue]

On 6/27/2022 at 11:19 PM, Odd Duck said:

Any new photos?

It is really hard to get photos of Goldie Blue in this new Flex tank! But he has been in it for six days now, and everything is staying stable. He seems happy in there, the flow is super gentle and he swims around a lot.

Now, here is where I need advice! He looks like he is getting better and more color, but I see him everyday so it is hard to tell for sure. The bloody spots on his tail are gone, however that red spot (which I think is a vein?) by the base of his body where his tail comes out is still there. Is that part of his body, or is that still fin rot? I never saw it before he got sick because his body was always dark blue there. His tail looks like it has new growth and I notice the iridescent colors he used to have in it are coming back.

Here is a collage, the BOTTOM LEFT is the one of him the day I put him in the hospital tank...the other three photos were all from today. Thoughts?

 

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/22/2022 at 8:44 PM, Goldie Blue said:

He was an absolute beauty before this ordeal. It breaks my heart, and I hope I can restore him to his former glory. This fish has my heart for sure, he is so gentle and friendly. 

Let me know how the KanaPlex works out. I fed it to Goldie Blue for about 5 days after two rounds of Jungle Fungus Clear, I thought he was doing better then he went downward REAL quick. The photo above where he has the bloody spots and a chunk of his tail fell off...all that happened after I thought he was better after the 2 courses of meds and KanaPlex. Doubtful it was anything to do with the KanaPlex, just saying keep your eyes on things even if you think your fishy is getting better. 

Do you know why your betta got body/fin rot? For the longest time I thought it was my water quality, but now I fully realize it was stress from the harsh flow in my 55 gallon tank he was in. Would you mind sharing a picture of him? I really hope that you can get your fish friend healthy, this is SO stressful to go through, but on the other hand I have learned so much from this community and now have the knowledge that I will can use for future catastrophes. 

I have a FEW updates for you.  Tangentially related information I wanted to share whenever I was actually upright and functional again.

 

First thing, I was on a benley stream and the question came up about treating the disease, specifically gram negative bacteria. It was the stream a week old if you wish to check it out. He mentioned a specific strain of antibiotic to use. If there is ever any further issues, is recommend starting with that. I'll find it and edit this post with the exact one mentioned.

Neomycin (Neoplex from Seachem)

 

Second thing, I've finally been able to watch some of the members videos and there is one by inglorious Bettas talking about QandA and just about Bettas generally speaking. One of the types mentioned was a specific variety/morph of Betta that looked really really similar to yours with regards to the tail shape and how the tail splits into a certain amount of rays. Because of the flow, there might be issues even in low flow environments. It was something where I would ask you what variety of Betta you have, or just compare it to some of the pictures you had before the illness.  Either way, I wanted to try to pass some of that information to you so that you could check out the video on question and/or be able to understand how to care for your fish as best you can.  There was a few questions that came off of her answer and it went down a conversation of stressors for the fish and I just kept thinking about the story you had mentioned and how the fish was running into issues.  I am glad the fish is doing much much better now!!!

Lastly, I wanted to check in, see how things are going with both of your Bettas.

 

On 6/28/2022 at 4:31 PM, Goldie Blue said:

Thoughts?

It might just take a bit longer to heal. I'd keep monitoring right now.

Edited June 29, 2022 by nabokovfan87

[Goldie Blue]

On 6/29/2022 at 3:06 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

Neomycin (Neoplex from Seachem)

Thanks for this info and time stamping that clip, very helpful! I found this awesome LFS last week, so I will go over there and pick some of that up in the event I need it.

On 6/29/2022 at 3:06 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

It was something where I would ask you what variety of Betta you have, or just compare it to some of the pictures you had before the illness.

Goldie Blue is a Halfmoon Betta. Is the Q&A you're talking about within the co-op site? If you happen to have a link to it let me know. I can imagine that carrying around that big, fancy, delicate tail is stressful enough on its own without all the other issues that factor in. Being that majestic comes with a price. 

I do think he is happier in the Flex, I see him cruising about the tank all the time now, whereas in the 55 gallon tank he literally just sat in his log all day. I think he is moving in the right direction, and I am sure growing back the tail damage he lost will take quite some time. I did find out that he hates live food, he won't touch any of it that I have given him. He spit out the live brine shrimp, fruit flies, mealworms, and mosquito larvae. But he devours the frozen brine shrimp, so go figure lol. 🤷‍♀️

I still don't think we're out of the woods yet, and have been testing his water every day and closely monitoring him for any signs of stress or the fin rot coming back. Thanks again @nabokovfan87 for all your support and information!

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/29/2022 at 2:13 PM, Goldie Blue said:

Goldie Blue is a Halfmoon Betta. Is the Q&A you're talking about within the co-op site? If you happen to have a link to it let me know. I can imagine that carrying around that big, fancy, delicate tail is stressful enough on its own without all the other issues that factor in. Being that majestic comes with a price. 

It's on the co-op channel, under playlists, under "member playlists".

There was a talk that was given, then a follow-up video after the talk. I haven't watched the talk yet.

On 6/29/2022 at 2:13 PM, Goldie Blue said:

I do think he is happier in the Flex, I see him cruising about the tank all the time now, whereas in the 55 gallon tank he literally just sat in his log all day. I think he is moving in the right direction, and I am sure growing back the tail damage he lost will take quite some time. I did find out that he hates live food, he won't touch any of it that I have given him. He spit out the live brine shrimp, fruit flies, mealworms, and mosquito larvae. But he devours the frozen brine shrimp, so go figure lol.

Interesting! 😂