| Petco's betta selection, plus a question |
[Dec. 6th, 2009♥07:18 pm] |
Today I dropped by Petco and was amazed at what I saw. I read here about the king bettas they were selling, but I was VERY surprised to see not only the king bettas (big suckers!), but half moons, deltas, and double tails, along with the regular veiltails and crowntails. SO EXCITING! I wanted to buy but have no space. A shame, because the majority of the fish were absolutely beautiful (and all alive!).
I noticed the cups are sadly a lot smaller than the ones at Petsmart, but they have more space to actually swim (they’re long, not tall is what I mean). The bettas are also very young/small most of the time (barely over an inch long w/o fins for some), so they still look like they have plenty of room. Oh well, guess bettas might always have to be in the small cups at pet stores. :[
A good thing though was the things I saw on the cups, such as This container is not a permanent home for your betta, along with tips like how they dislike strong currents and some other good tip I fail to remember right now. It was nice to see those suggestions, but it doesn’t help that they sell incredibly small tanks alongside the bettas.
I also have a question. While I was there I picked up some crickets that were incredibly cheap and just begging to be eaten, so I nabbed some thinking my boy Agni would enjoy them. Then I got to thinking about parasites and nasty things, and was wondering if giving him crickets would be a good idea. I gave him one when I got home anyhow (he loved it), but would like to know if there’s anything he might get because of them. |
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| New bettas |
[Dec. 6th, 2009♥07:17 pm] |
So...I have already posted I have two happy boy bettas in my classroom at school--Beethoven and Holst. They have approximately 3 gallon tanks and are forever building bubble nests and making me clean up the slimey aftermath once all bubbles have dissipated. They will eventually live in a divided 10 gallon planted aquarium (after the holidays). Until then, they swim happily.
Today I was at a local chain store. I needed to pick up water conditioner for the boys and some other things for my pets, but I decided to swing past the bettas stand. I was slightly horrified. The jars were disgusting. I found a dead male betta and a possible second death. They were priced to clear.... kind of like "We've had these jars of fish too long, let's clearance and get rid of them!" To say the least, I gave the dead one to a worker and she's like "ew, well...thanks!" I decided to look around some more and found the females in poor shape as well. I know they aren't as appealing as males, but I have a bad habit of adopting "defective/sad" fish. In any case, I found two very tiny females. The one looked pretty bad and her jar was horrifically dirty. She has fin rot, but is savable in my opinion. She is almost white, but she has a peachy tint in the right light. The other is red/blue. She's gorgeous in the right light! They are in TEMPORARY cubes and will probably move into a divided 20 gallon, unless they can live undivided. I need to figure out the filter issue. It has a low flow filter, but should I use a sponge or pantyhose to cover the small intake?
I have a few questions about the girls in general:
- Can female bettas live together peaceably? I know males cannot. I have read conflicting information on females.
- What are the best plants for betta tanks?
- What do you do about your filtration problems? Do they need water changes as frequently in LARGE tanks?
Pics behind the cut:
( Read more... ) |
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| Raising pH? |
[Dec. 5th, 2009♥02:35 pm] |
I got my water tested yesterday, and my pH was low. It was reading between 6.2 and 6.4. I don't want to use any chemicals to raise it, because I feel like that will swing the pH either too fast or too unsteadily anda not be stable with it.
Is there anything I should do to raise it? I've read crushed coral, but I don't know how much to use to raise it, or what I should be trying to raise it to.
If my well water is just too acidic, would it be better to use chemicals and powders, or just use a bottled water? Any brand recommendations?
(Side note: anyone in NJ, DE, or the Philly area know where I can find some dwarf cories? Pygmaus or Habrosus. |
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| Betta lying on side |
[Dec. 4th, 2009♥04:01 pm] |
So my other roommate's betta, Hero, makes a habit of floating at the top of the bowl on his side. We poke at the bowl and he jolts back to reality, but it's kinda creepy.
He's acting normal, nothing out of the ordinary minus his creepy playing dead act. Should we be concerned? |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 4th, 2009♥11:47 am] |
First off I wanted to say thanks for all the help with Crownie's tail. I'm still changing his water every 3 days and putting a bit of melafix in and he's doing much better.
In other exciting news, I got a new fish! I stopped by my friend's fish store to visit (bad idea, lol) and he was telling me he had a run on bettas over the weekend and only had a few left (7 to be exact). I saw this guy and I had to have him. I love his colors! He's mostly a peachy orange but he has a touch of ice blue on the bottoms of his pelvic fins, and when the light hits him just right he's got the same iridescent ice blue on his body. Plus the black on his face and pectoral fins. He's adjusting well and seems very happy living on my desk. He does have a hole in his tail fin but I figured I'll just do the same for him as I'm already doing for Crownie. I didn't want him to go to someone who wouldn't take care of that for him. Here's some pictures of my new boy:
( 2 pictures of Sol under the cut ) |
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| BioSpira is back?! |
[Dec. 3rd, 2009♥07:23 pm] |
So my google-fu tells me that Tetra "Safe Start" is the same thing as BioSpira. Posted on a forum, from a Marineland rep:
Hello,
We are re launching it in May[of 09]. We have re packaged it and increased
the concentration to make it shelf stable. It will no longer need to be
refrigerated as long as it is used by the expiration date. The
freshwater version will be branded Tetra and called Safe Start. The
Saltwater version will be branded Instant Ocean and still be called
Bio-Spira.
Regards,
Robert Huber
United Pet Group, Aquatics Div.
Senior Consumer Relations Specialist
Robert.Huber@Tetra.net
1-800-526-0650 ext. 6126
Woo, great news for fishkeepers everywhere! Now, if I happen to find this stuff, but already added StressZyme to the tank, would it hurt to dose it, full dose, with SafeStart? |
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| More questions |
[Dec. 2nd, 2009♥10:25 pm] |
| [ | feeling |
| | curious | ] |
| [ | listening |
| | The Cemetry // Architecture in Helsinki | ] |
So, I picked my tank. It's a 5 gallon bow-front by Marineland, called a corner tank. It's not a triangle, but an exaggerated bow-front. I'm going to cycle it using StressZyme (unless someone thinks Cycle is TONS better?).
Three quick questions!
1. Would to be okay to have Mango in the tank while it's cycling? I'll keep bacteria supplements (StressZyme or Cycle) going and keep an eye on the tank... any ammonia higher than .5 will warrant a water change. I'm looking for the quickest way to get this tank going, but I really want to move Mango as soon as I get the tank set up. My desk really shouldn't have his 2.5 AND a 5 on it. It's not sturdy enough. If I do it that way, using water changes to keep the ammonia from one BIG spike, how long will it take to mature? Is it even worth it? Is it safe for Mango?
2. I might just be paranoid, but it looks like Mango's got the tiniest touch of fin rot. Black lining along the edge of his fins, slightly clamped. He's always had a black/blue lining on his fins, but the clampyness concerns me. He also has a new tiny (less than an inch) tear on his tail. I'm not sure what it could be from, as all of my decorations were pantyhose tested. Anyway, do you think a round of JFC is in order? If so, I suppose I'll use the 5g as a "bowl" (no filter running) while I treat him so it'll be easier to dose. If not, I'll just be ridiculous about my water quality til it clears up, and maybe some melafix to help the tear?
3. More tankmate questions. How would a betta do with platies? I'm thinking about these "Sunset Coral Dwarf Platies" that are basically just Sunset Platies bred to be small. Less than 2", most of the ones I've seen are around 1", 1.5". They're adorable, and I was thinking 2 or 3 would go nicely in the 5g once it's established. I don't know if bettas would go after their fins.
What about Glofish? They're Zebra Danios genetically engineered to be bright red, orange, or green/yellow (not dyed). They're PRETTY. Me like. Will Mango get pissed off with the bright colors? Will their quickness and darty-ness stress him out? Are Danios schooling fish? Could I get away with 3 + Mango in a 5g?
Would Harlequin Rasboras work? Those were also suggested to me, but I don't know much about them and if they school or are fin-nippers.
And I'm guessing there are no small bottom feeders or cories that would work in a 5g. |
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| Betta with a twisted tail |
[Dec. 3rd, 2009♥03:07 am] |
This is my new boy, Celeborn. He was something of a pity-purchase, because I wasn't convinced about his health and he'd been in the shop for a while. But he seems to be settling in reasonably well, though he hasn't eaten yet.
My main concern with him is his tail. It's twisted over and I don't know if it's damaged or just a trait of this particular fish. I'd appreciate some insight. :)
( Celeborn the Betta ) |
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| Question (probably been asked before, but...) |
[Dec. 2nd, 2009♥10:50 am] |
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Those "King Bettas" they sell at Petco -- those are actually Plakats, right? They certainly look like them if they're not. I ask, because I was thinking about getting one sometime down the road. They are certainly interesting, that's for sure. |
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| Tail trouble and more |
[Dec. 2nd, 2009♥11:16 am] |
As some of you may remember I have one crown tail betta. I had him in a 6 gallon with some African dwarf frogs, and I guess the frogs were nipping at the betta's tail when I wasn't around to see. I went out and bought a 2 gallon tank for the betta, and he'll live out the rest of his days in his own tank, poor thing.
Here is my problem - his tail is going from slightly nibbled to horribly tattered. I'm changing half the water every 3 days to help him out, but I can't see that it's making a difference. I bought some melafix and put about 10 drops in his tank, but that just made him start swimming in circles and trying to bite his tail. He's now back in clean tap water with conditioner and a touch of aquarium salt in it and doing ok. He still eats, swims around, flares....all the normal betta behavior. He just has a short raggedy tail now and looks awful. I don't care about getting his 'old' tail back per say, I just want my poor guy to be healthy again. What should I do to help him out?
( picture taken with old camera )
eta: What kinds of problems should I be on the lookout for? I know tail rot is a possibility, but is there anything else that could creep in while he's recovering? |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 1st, 2009♥09:49 am] |
Who hates me yet? Everyone? Alright.
So, I woke up this morning to a betta-sized nip in the dorsal fin of one of my corys this morning. I'm not sure if one nip in the first 18 hours is worth separating, but I'd rather be overly cautious. The nipped cory was on Silas's side.
So, since Simon has a cory-mate and couldn't seem to care less about him (unless the cory runs INTO him, in which case, he just swims away), I am going to put both corys on Simon's side. I've also read they were social/schooling fish, anyway, which the guy at the fish store said they were NOT, but I don't think he was that well-versed in fish, anyway, because he said bettas were fine with any fish except other bettas.
So, anyway, as I've said before, my 10-gal is currently divided into 6/4, with the side with the filter larger. Silas is currently on the biggest side, but since Simon is going to have both corys with him, I am going to switch the sides they are on so Simon and the corys have the larger side.
Also, the cory already on the filter side seems to like eating gunk off the pantyhosed filter grate, so that's probably best, anyway.
Thoughts? Is this a good step? |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 30th, 2009♥11:13 pm] |
Okay, I'm sorry, I'm gonna win Most Prolific Poster over the past week....
So I have a clear plastic divider in my tank, separating one betta/cory pair from the other.
I keep hearing varying things about whether a clear divider is safe or not. MOST sources seem to say yeah, it just takes them a day or two to chill out and get used to it.
Also, I may be moving both corys on the same side of the divider... not because they are sulky alone, but because Silas doesn't seem to appreciate his "friend." I figured I'd give them some supervised time to settle down together first, but I'd rather be overly cautious. |
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| Five Gallon Tanks and Five Gazillion Questions |
[Nov. 30th, 2009♥09:38 pm] |
More questions from me. I want to make sure I'm doing this right, 'cause it's gonna be expensive and I don't want ti screw it up.
I would like to get a five or six gallon tank. I absolutely LOVE the Marineland Eclipse 6 gallon, but can't find it anywhere near me in my price range. It looks like my options are either the Marineland Eclipse 5 Hex, or the Top Fin 5 gallon set-up.
And so the questions begin!
1. What watt heater? I've read conflicting sites saying 50w and 25w. I assume a 25 watt would be okay but I want to make sure. I'm probably going to end up getting the Top Fin filter since it's the cheapest adjustable one I can find - any experience with them?
2. If I go with the hex, can I do 1 betta and 2 cherry barbs? I know that the Hex's shape kind of kills it's ability to hold fish, but I'm not sure by how much. What other combinations would work? I want all of your ideas! I <3 cories but I think my tank's too small for them along with my betta. Same goes with ghost catfish, who i think do best in pairs? Would that be pushing the bioload? Throw out whatever possibilities you can think of with 1 betta in a 5 gallon tank. What about with the top fin, that isn't as vertical?
3. If I wanted to give live plants a shot, how would that work? Incandescent lighting and plain gravel substrate? Do I need plant food/root tabs? Is it worth the hassle?
4. Will a 5 gallon cycle? Any experiences with the nutrafin product "Cycle"? How does it work?
5. What is the maintenance time-line for a 5 gallon? Gravel vac once a week til it's established for a month, then 25% a month or gravel vac every other week? Am I waaay off there? I'm not even sure where I heard that but I did, so I thought I'd throw it out.
6. Any experiences with the Top Fin 5 or Top Fin filters in general? I know they're the petsmart private label brand, but hey that means they're guaranteed for life! Other than that, don't know much about em.
7. Anything else I should know? This is my first time trying a real "tank". Throw your advice at me! |
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| Rest in peace, Optimus Prime |
[Nov. 30th, 2009♥06:47 pm] |
EDIT: Now that your comments have effectively made me feel like a horrible person, could you at least HELP me by telling me things I SHOULD have in case something happens to my other fish.
About a week ago my blue and red crowntail, Optimus Prime, became quite listless and started looking very poor. His fins looked all stringy at the ends and his color was dull. He was still eating, so I kept up with his feeding. I didn't have any spare cash for any kind of medication, and everyone else around me has the whole 'its just a fish' mentality...So poor Optimus sadly died a few days ago. Leaving Megatron with nobody to spar with between their tanks.
 RIP my fishy friend |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 30th, 2009♥05:07 pm] |
So I got a new fishy! He's a gorgeous while twin-tail with blue accents on his tail. I have named him Simon.
I also got two little corycats to play on either side of the divider. :D
Anyway, I did the pantyhose trick with the Tetra Whisper so I don't have another tragedy. But, I'm wondering, will my crowntail, or my billowy twin-tail be better on the side with the filter? Or won't it matter since it's panty-hosed?
Also - poor Silas has had all 10 gallons to himself since Tertius died... now he'll have a roommate again! |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 30th, 2009♥12:11 pm] |
Two reminders:
1. Due to ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) twirlandswirl's recent tragedy, it came to my attention that no one had made a post about this in a very long time. Please consider your tank equipment very carefully. Even hardware that has good reviews on commercial pages can be misleading. In particular, I refer to the Tetra Whisper filter. Many people use this filter and love it--and many more people have had their bettas killed by it. It's a great filter for fish in general, it it's good quality and does it's job well. But it can be deadly for long-finned fish that aren't adapted for fast-moving currents. When it comes to long-finned fish, it has a grievous design flaw: the impeller (the part that spins around really quickly to make the suction to draw water inside) is located directly on the other side of the grate. When a betta swims too close to the filter and gets sucked against the grate, his fins can slip between the slats and get tangled around the impeller, trapping him. This can lead to some serious fin damage. (A former member, shwin, once posted pictures of her betta Shishy before and after his run-in with the filter; sadly, I can't find those pictures anymore, but where Shishy had enormous, billowing fins beforehand, he was left with a ragged half-inch stump for a tail, and half an anal fin.) If you don't find him in time, it can kill him, as twirlandswirl sadly discovered. (I'm sorry for your loss, honey.)
I strongly advise anyone using the Whisper filter to find a replacement. If a replacement can't be found (or isn't an option), consider cutting off the toe of an old pair of nylon stockings and slipping it over the end of the filter. This will create a buffer that will protect your fish's fins should he find himself stuck to the filter grate. (You may need to secure the stocking with a rubber band.)
2. I forgot to announce when it began, but we're knee-deep in Spontaneous Fish Dead Season. Keep a close eye on your fish and be sure to treat any symptoms of illness quickly and efficiently.
And a general reminder: if you ever have any questions (about our experiences with tank equipment, about whether your fish is showing symptoms of illness, or anything at all), you're always welcome to post your questions here. It doesn't matter how "newbie" your questions are, you'll get an answer. We were all new to fish-keeping at one point, we all had to ask the dumb questions once. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 30th, 2009♥10:20 am] |
So, as I said in a comment yesterday (but never actually posted), poor Tertius didn't make it. I did all I could for him, even manually bringing him to the surface with a spoon-sling so he could breathe, but, ultimately, his little body was too battered to make it. Rest in Peace, Tertius, swim freely in the big rice paddy in the sky!
But... this leads me to a few questions. He got sucked against my filter, and that's how all the damage was done... but, as many people have suggested, I think he had problems before and that's WHY he got sucked into the filter. Because a few days ago, he was intentionally "riding the current" for fun. I don't know what could have gone wrong, but it seems something certainly did.
Do you think the filter is dangerous, though? I have the Tetra Whisper for a 10-gal tank (which I have). I've heard it's the safest out there in any reasonable price range. Should I take it out and return it, or do you think another betta will be fine, Tertius was just at his end, anyway?
If it matters, my set-up is a 10-gal with a divider for two boys, but the side with the filter is slightly larger (it's probably 6-gal one side, 4-gal the other) to accommodate for the filter.
So. Can I put another fish in with it, or do you think I run a huge risk?
Also. Tertius didn't die in the tank. And it's a new tank, I just got it Friday. I'd rather not do a whole water change because my other boy, Silas, who was Tertius's tankmate is also brand new and I don't want to spaz him out by changing his whole environment TWICE in just a few days. So, since there was no "death" in the tank, am I good with not changing the water, for Silas and a new fish?
Finally! My last question is, I'd like to get a new fishy (empty half-tank=sad), but I want to branch out a bit from PetSmart and whatnot. I live in Orlando, Florida... does anyone know of any good fish stores or breeders in the area, particularly those that carry some more unusual types of bettas? Google gave me a few suggestions, but I figured this was a decent place to ask as well.
TL;DR version:
1) Poor Tertius didn't make it, rest in peace
2) Is the Tetra Whisper dangerous?
3) Where can I get a good quality betta in Orlando?
Thanks for all your support, everyone! |
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| Holst and Beethoven |
[Nov. 29th, 2009♥10:59 pm] |
Some background:
I purchased bettas for my special ed classroom. Beethoven, a blue male, and Holst a red male. The kids absolutely love them and I do all the maintenance on the aquariums (currently 3 gallon tanks), as they sporadically use hand sanitizer and I don't want them to accidentally kill the fish. I brought them home in their tanks for Thanksgiving weekend and cleaned their tanks on Thursday. They will go back Tuesday, because I want to clean their tanks again tomorrow (water tank was broken/repaired today).
On to my question...
I was observing the bettas this afternoon and discovered bubbles galore at the top of Beethoven's tank with some "slime". There have been random bubbles and this unique goopy look before. I clean the tanks once a week. Was he building a bubble nest? have they been building bubble nest? does this leave residue? is building nests common practice? Should my boys have a "lady friend?" what personality traits should I know about male bettas? I'm just curious, as I think they are great personalities to have around. |
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