Are They Ill?!

[ryanp15]

my bettas were fine last week

but they seem a bit dull and underactive this week. I did a waterchange sunday night, they were also fed on sunday.

I've been feeding bloodworms about 3 times a week.

Also, what other frozen food (or non frozen) could I give them?

thanks!

 

[emmsy]

need to know perams mate

Emma

 

[devon_charm]

3 times a week is quite allot, what else are you feeding them?

 

[ryanp15]

3 times a week is quite allot, what else are you feeding them?

that's all i feed them, is there a better diet that I could give them?

 

[Colin_T]

you can try them on live or frozen brineshrimp
frozen marine mix
live daphnia, mozzie larvae, aphids or flies (as long as they are free of chemicals)

check your water quality for ammonia, nitrite & PH and temperature.
if you don't have any test kits then do daily partial water changes for the next week. This will dilute any nutrients in the water and should fix the problem if it is water quality related.

 

[ryanp15]

need to know perams mate

Emma

ph 7
kh 7
gh 7

these make the water ok, but i noticed the test stips are out of date, so i cant test the nitrate (no2 and no3) because the white bits have gone grey


I noticed that THE FINS ARE A LITTLE BLACK ON THE EDGES and in the male his fins are a bit lifeless. It looks like they are a bit frayed on the edge, they looked better than this when i bought them is it finrot, or a fungal infection. can i use tonic salts?

you can try them on live or frozen brineshrimp
frozen marine mix
live daphnia, mozzie larvae, aphids or flies (as long as they are free of chemicals)

check your water quality for ammonia, nitrite & PH and temperature.
if you don't have any test kits then do daily partial water changes for the next week. This will dilute any nutrients in the water and should fix the problem if it is water quality related.

i thought about giving them brineshrimp, and I've seen the marine mix, i might try that.

oh yh, the temperature is about 27 degrees Celcius

 

[devon_charm]

they need to have a main diet of betta pellets with the odd other treat once maybe twice a week that way there diet is better balanced. The odd pea, cooked and squished is also another good thing to do once a week or so.

 

[azulfire24]

3 little betta pellets once a day and 3 bloodworms once a w week instead of the pellets, thats what all my guys get, the black edges on the fins could be fin rot. i think that is treated with a anitbacterial like melifix thats us though, not sure of what is equivlant in uk.

 

[littlest]

Blackened and frayed fins could well be finrot. I'm no expert on diseases and treatments though, so you might be better off posting about it in the emergency section (with as much info as you can give, including a photo if possible).

A couple of things concern me: You spoke of bettas plural, and said that one was male. Are these bettas in the same tank? If so, is it divided? I'm not sure if you aware, but male bettas shouldn't be kept with other bettas (whether male of female).

What size is the tank (or tanks)?

Are they filtered?

How often are water changes?

You really need to know your ammonia and nitrite levels as these can be lethal to fish. Make sure you get some new test kits (liquid kits are much more accurate than strips). In the meantime do regular water changes. It's hard to say how regular since I don't know how big the tank is, how many fish and whether it is filtered.

oh, and how long have you had them?

 

[ryanp15]

Blackened and frayed fins could well be finrot. I'm no expert on diseases and treatments though, so you might be better off posting about it in the emergency section (with as much info as you can give, including a photo if possible).

A couple of things concern me: You spoke of bettas plural, and said that one was male. Are these bettas in the same tank? If so, is it divided? I'm not sure if you aware, but male bettas shouldn't be kept with other bettas (whether male of female).

What size is the tank (or tanks)?

Are they filtered?

How often are water changes?

You really need to know your ammonia and nitrite levels as these can be lethal to fish. Make sure you get some new test kits (liquid kits are much more accurate than strips). In the meantime do regular water changes. It's hard to say how regular since I don't know how big the tank is, how many fish and whether it is filtered.

oh, and how long have you had them?

I've had them nearly two weeks.

The tank is 30 litres, divided in half! I actually didn't know when I bought them that they needed to be seperate, the pet shop didnt say but i sorted that out the next day

I've done 3 or 4 water changes since getting them. I think the water should be ok anyway, becasue it's the same as I use in my other tanks. I will test it though, just to check.

Yes there's a sponge filter in there. I was wondering if I should put an aqua flow mini, 300 litres an hour i think, that I've got spare in to keep it cleaner.

thanks for everyones help

 

[dusky]

these make the water ok, but i noticed the test stips are out of date, so i cant test the nitrate (no2 and no3) because the white bits have gone grey

Test strips aren't as accurate as the liquid kits, i won't use them. Have had completely different readings from them when trying both ways at same time. Same when i've used them in the pool, and indicator yes,, but not as a definate reading.

 

[ryanp15]

these make the water ok, but i noticed the test stips are out of date, so i cant test the nitrate (no2 and no3) because the white bits have gone grey

Test strips aren't as accurate as the liquid kits, i won't use them. Have had completely different readings from them when trying both ways at same time. Same when i've used them in the pool, and indicator yes,, but not as a definate reading.

how much does a basic liquid test kit cost?

thanks

 

[littlest]

a masterkit containing tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH costs about £20. It will last you a good long while though.


was the filter in the betta cycled before adding fish? If not then there will probably still be some ammonia or nitrite so you might need to up your water changes for a bit until the filter catches up

 

[newfishy]

in the us around 20 dollars, but with my mater kit I get OVER 800 tests out of it. you pay 8-10 dollars for the strips and you get like 20 tests. Much much better value to get a quality liquid set.

I have also found the paper strips to be untrustworthy at the very best.