Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted February 22, 2023 Author Share Posted February 22, 2023 On 2/21/2023 at 6:58 PM, nabokovfan87 said: Completed round 2 Yep! On 2/21/2023 at 6:58 PM, nabokovfan87 said: that little spoon lid Is that like the one that comes in bacter ae? Like a round tray that sits in the container? On 2/21/2023 at 6:58 PM, nabokovfan87 said: Went to give Riddick some meds Is that the swordtail with the fin rot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted February 22, 2023 Author Share Posted February 22, 2023 (edited) Heavens-to-Betsy, I come home and.. hole in tail. What the 🚚 ? Here are some pics of tank, front and sides. Open to suggestions again. So far: course of salt, success regression course of kanaplex, success, then tail biting course of kanaplex 2nd time, success hole in fin Always IAL tea. There was a piece of plant at his tunnel entrance that looked pokey. I clipped it and removed it but idk. Felt like the consistency of a broccoli stem. Could that really poke a hole in a fin? 🤷🏻♀️ Back to square 1, I guess. Well I guess I recall @Colu saying it can be because he flared. I will add salt back. There’s no salt anymore. So 1 T/5g Edited February 23, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 On 2/21/2023 at 5:01 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said: Is that the swordtail with the fin rot? She's all better! Riddick is the black corydoras that may or may not be blind, but did have a bacterial eye issue. Totally thought you had baby plecos or something in the tube. Next time you take the filter out of the tank clean the tube with a brush or something. I don't think it's the source of any issues with the fish, but just a note. It'll re-grow strong bacteria, that's all that stuff is. On 2/21/2023 at 5:01 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said: Is that like the one that comes in bacter ae? Like a round tray that sits in the container? It's in seachem's med line. it is a weird oval shape. I don't have Bacter AE, not sure what that one looks like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted February 23, 2023 Author Share Posted February 23, 2023 (edited) On 2/23/2023 at 12:22 AM, nabokovfan87 said: Riddick is the black corydoras that may or may not be blind, but did have a bacterial eye issue. 👍 Hang in there little Riddick! On 2/23/2023 at 12:22 AM, nabokovfan87 said: Totally thought you had baby plecos or something in the tube THAT WOULD BE AMAZING! But no. Just gunk/algae. LOL Will clean on next maint. On 2/23/2023 at 12:22 AM, nabokovfan87 said: It's in seachem's med line. it is a weird oval shape. I don't have Bacter AE, not sure what that one looks like. It has a tray in it that holds a spoon. But now that I have it, I've come to learn that you ignore the spoon - you just need to put some on a toothpick and dose it. That's all you need. Overdosing could cause bad stuff. Like detritus worm explosions and water quality problems. Fortunately read bunch of reviews before dosing, so I just put a "hint" of it in the shrimp tank. They seemed excited and more came out of hiding to enjoy it. Edited February 23, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 On 2/23/2023 at 6:41 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said: 👍 Hang in there little Riddick! Oh he's the happiest little corydoras. Just one of those things where if I can't clear it up, I don't want to put him with the group and spread the genes. He'll have a good life no matter. He's the first one on sand and spends all day and night exploring, doing up downs, wonderful personality. On 2/23/2023 at 6:41 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said: It has a tray in it that holds a spoon. But now that I have it, I've come to learn that you ignore the spoon - you just need to put some on a toothpick and dose it. That's all you need. Overdosing could cause bad stuff. Like detritus worm explosions and water quality problems. Fortunately read bunch of reviews before dosing, so I just put a "hint" of it in the shrimp tank. They seemed excited and more came out of hiding to enjoy it. You'll giggle. Not the same spoon. I've seen people dip a paintbrush to dose it. I use a small plastic container and then a pipette to mix/dose out powder food. Tap in the amount I want from the container, mix it with tank water and then feed it in. Marks shrimps tank uses one of those blender bottles and mixes a few powders with tank water that way. Very effective for a lot of tanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted March 5, 2023 Author Share Posted March 5, 2023 (edited) Now that there’s practically no hardscape, Geppetto hasn’t been tail biting. I suppose he may have just wanted some more swimming room. I observed him from across the room yesterday where I could see his natural behavior (if he sees me, he fixates on only me, and begging/socializing, etc). He was exploring the bottom, looking around at things he might be able to pick up off the sand (possible noms), and he utilized both of the rock swimthroughs on the bottom during his trek. He also rests in his pvc. I think I’ve got it ironed out. Except for the small hole in his tail. It seems to be perpetually there. No dark or red edges or anything. Nothing weird about it. However he does have his low dose salt in the tank (+ tea) and has had 2 courses of Kanaplex, so I think I’m just going to leave it alone. He seems happy. Last week I added some s. Repens as well. I trained him to swim through his tunnel on command (little bit of made up sign language) and he gets a treat. He’s eager to do it. We’ve been working on dive down to the bottom. He “kind of” gets it (sometimes) but only goes down an inch. If he even partially does the trick, he gets a treat. Not to exceed 4 treats. Then we’re done. Just little mini sessions at mealtime, about 3 min. Not every day. He gets days off. Sometimes he will follow my finger to the other side of the tank also. And is rewarded. Edited March 5, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted March 8, 2023 Author Share Posted March 8, 2023 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted March 12, 2023 Author Share Posted March 12, 2023 (edited) Geppetto continues to have new growth on his tail. It’s clearish where it’s growing. So that is good. He’s happy with his habitat. 🙂 I still think it’s funny how picky these fish can be and how they rebel when they don’t like something. I’m learning as I go along. It doesn’t matter if I like the tank design. If he doesn’t like it, he’s gonna let me know. Edited March 12, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted March 16, 2023 Author Share Posted March 16, 2023 So guess who chewed his tail yesterday? 😞 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnebuns Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 Hey! I was just told that you are having this problem! I have an answer for you! We have bred bettas to have longer fins than they body's can really support. This is why they become lazy and fatigued easily. Occasionally a betta discovers its own flaw and realizes it can swim much more easily without its cumbersome fins in the way. Self mutilation in bettas is not rare at all. They do it so they can get around much more easily. They however do not understand the risks of infection and such. I've actually seen this as well in some delta tail guppies. It's actually especially common during shipping and other high stress times. To help him you need to basically lower his stress and "reset" him. (Did you try powering you betta off and back on?) Turn the lights down or off for a few days. Try some aquarium salt to help with healing. I'm sorry I didn't read if you've already done that. Also, try removing him for a day and rearranging the tank. "Restarting" your betta can stop this from happening but it doesn't always. Some do it for life unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted March 19, 2023 Author Share Posted March 19, 2023 (edited) On 3/19/2023 at 1:48 AM, Cinnebuns said: Did you try powering you betta off and back on? 🤣 I did shorten his light but mainly for the plants. I can try lights off for a few days. He will still get some daylight from the nearby sliding door, but perhaps this could comfort him. I do keep very low dose salt in there now. 1 Tbsp/5 gal. And catapp tea. Thanks 🙏 Maybe this will help with the brown algae in there too! Edited March 19, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted May 1, 2023 Author Share Posted May 1, 2023 Well, I made a mistake today. Got in too much of a hurry in the morning and forgot to feed Geppetto. Came home and found he had shredded the heck out of his tail. 😢 I wish this dude wasn't so self destructive! OMG 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted May 2, 2023 Share Posted May 2, 2023 What a goof. He needs a hobby besides destruction. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted May 11, 2023 Author Share Posted May 11, 2023 (edited) Geppetto’s fins are looking pretty bad. I’m at a loss of what to do next, given all I’ve tried. Open to suggestions. He has low dose salt and tannins. Some of it is tail biting. But I doubt he’d be able to bite the dorsal fin. Edited May 11, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted May 13, 2023 Author Share Posted May 13, 2023 Geppetto is in quarantine with Maracyn and level 1 salt. It will be a 5 day course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted May 13, 2023 Share Posted May 13, 2023 It looks like fin rot on the dorsal fin hopefully salt and maracyn will get that under control stopping the self mutilation going to be difficult to stop all together not a lot I could suggest for that that you haven't tried 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted May 13, 2023 Author Share Posted May 13, 2023 On 5/13/2023 at 10:59 AM, Colu said: It looks like fin rot on the dorsal fin hopefully salt and maracyn will get that under control stopping the self mutilation going to be difficult to stop all together not a lot I could suggest for that that you haven't tried Looking into a tank size upgrade for him. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted May 17, 2023 Author Share Posted May 17, 2023 (edited) So Geppetto is still undergoing antibiotic treatment in the quarantine tank. I’ve been keeping an eye on the dorsal fin which is slow to heal. The tail was coming back in nicely… when I checked this morning. This afternoon, a big chunk missing. The tank decor is a silk plant and a battleship which was carefully sanded. And his favorite pvc tunnel at the surface. So, he chewed his tail. Again. The dude is not making this easy, is he? Still does the happy wiggle dance when I approach, but man.. can we just, like, heal up so I can upgrade the tank for him, etc? I thought he’d be having fun in the extra space. Qt tank is double his normal tank size. I do think the issue is PART fin rot (particularly, the dorsal fin) AS WELL AS behavioral. So it has been a challenge, to say the least. Yesterday I did a 100% water change on his main tank and wiped down the walls. I was thinking the light was causing the fin chewing. But the qt tank has no light… Should I try dithers? He doesn’t have a good track record with snails. He was in with a BNP before I got him. The BNP never came out of hiding til Geppetto was removed from the tank… Edited May 17, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted May 17, 2023 Share Posted May 17, 2023 On 5/17/2023 at 11:56 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said: So Geppetto is still undergoing antibiotic treatment in the quarantine tank. I’ve been keeping an eye on the dorsal fin which is slow to heal. The tail was coming back in nicely… when I checked this morning. This afternoon, a big chunk missing. The tank decor is a silk plant and a battleship which was carefully sanded. And his favorite pvc tunnel at the surface. So, he chewed his tail. Again. The dude is not making this easy, is he? Still does the happy wiggle dance when I approach, but man.. can we just, like, heal up so I can upgrade the tank for him, etc? I thought he’d be having fun in the extra space. Qt tank is double his normal tank size. I do think the issue is PART fin rot (particularly, the dorsal fin) AS WELL AS behavioral. So it has been a challenge, to say the least. Yesterday I did a 100% water change on his main tank and wiped down the walls. I was thinking the light was causing the fin chewing. But the qt tank has no light… Should I try dithers? He doesn’t have a good track record with snails. He was in with a BNP before I got him. The BNP never came out of hiding til Geppetto was removed from the tank… Dither fish might distract him and allow his fins to heal as long as you have another tank to put the fish in if it doesn't work out 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted May 17, 2023 Share Posted May 17, 2023 Poor Gepetto. As aggressively as he eats his tail not sure if dithers will work but it would be worth trying. He has long fins so he can't chase anything too fast. Sad part is you'll have to have backup plans for anyone who doesn't work out. Personally I'd try SHORT FINNED guppies (of one sex) or Endlers. They are fast enough though I'm told Betta will go after fish at night. Purple aka Zaggi had to be removed from her tank because she attacked the long finned guppies but could not get to the Neons -however they hid while she was in there. White, well I had longer finned guppies in the tank and while I never witnessed him hurting them they all passed and were tattered. I added short finned platinum guppies and they have been totally fine. My Embers do ok too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted May 18, 2023 Share Posted May 18, 2023 On 5/17/2023 at 3:56 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said: Should I try dithers? He doesn’t have a good track record with snails. He was in with a BNP before I got him. The BNP never came out of hiding til Geppetto was removed from the tank… I would try the protozoan stuff. Chewing.... he might be going after things being felt on the fins. I can't say this with any ounce of certainty, but that is just what I would try. You've got the setup and everything perfect for the fish. A round of polyguard (seachem) might be a place to start. You can also try other external meds like ich-x. I do think dither fish is a great idea, especially given the main tank setup and how things are designed to give cover for those fish. Cardinal tetras or green neons are the ones I commonly see used, but I'm sure there's a list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted May 18, 2023 Author Share Posted May 18, 2023 (edited) So, I’ve seen recommendations that dithers should be added to tank first. Before he establishes territory. Thoughts? I already have black neons. I wonder if I could just move some of them over and see. That way I wouldn’t have to go through a one month qt with newly bought fish. On 5/17/2023 at 8:09 PM, nabokovfan87 said: You've got the setup and everything perfect for the fish. He doesn’t think so 😢 Edited May 18, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted May 18, 2023 Author Share Posted May 18, 2023 On 5/17/2023 at 8:09 PM, nabokovfan87 said: the protozoan stuff Explain? —— I sometimes play this game with him. He flares at these fake fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted May 18, 2023 Share Posted May 18, 2023 On 5/17/2023 at 5:14 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said: So, I’ve seen recommendations that dithers should be added to tank first. Before he establishes territory. Thoughts? Yes add the dithers first. Given all the issues you've had with the black neons is the only concern on using them. Beyond that, 100% On 5/17/2023 at 5:14 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said: On 5/17/2023 at 5:09 PM, nabokovfan87 said: You've got the setup and everything perfect for the fish. He doesn’t think so 😢 I know.... 😞. Trying like heck to figure this one out. On 5/17/2023 at 5:33 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said: On 5/17/2023 at 5:09 PM, nabokovfan87 said: the protozoan stuff Explain? Basically think of anything small in the tank that would potentially attack a fishes slime coat. Per the ACO store page / hikari pages for ich-x: Quote Commonly used to treat: Ich (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis) Velvet (Gold Dust Disease) Saproleniasis (Cotton Wool Disease) Trichondiniasis Fungal Issues Protozoan Caused Diseases It would essentially be very microscopic organisms we're talking here.https://www.fao.org/fishery/docs/CDrom/aquaculture/a0845t/volume2/docrep/field/003/ac160e/AC160E03.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted May 18, 2023 Share Posted May 18, 2023 I stand on my ongoing statement. Betta fish are not easy fish. Hope you figure it out my friend. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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