I Dont Know What This Is Eh !

[crunch7]

I was feeding really nutritious pellets to my Betta , Now mr.choosy has so many leftovers all over the tank. I have aquatic sand as my aquarium base. I have found out that the left over food have got fungus or something on it, and i can make out lines of fungus all over the sand surface.

See i am not sure check the pictures here : http/img545.imageshack.us/slideshow/webplayer.php?id=20110922230637995.jpg

First does my Betta look infected, there is this white portion just below the mouth. it seems betta is loosing colour and that area is puffy type. Now whats the cure or is it normal.

Plus how to get rid of the fungus?

 

[crunch7]

also can i add plec to get rid of the fungus problem ?

 

[coldcazzie]

not sure about the betta - it doesn't look ill to me, but I'm no betta expert, perhaps posting in the betta section would get you better advice on that front.

Certainly don't "treat" anything until you're sure what it is.

Also, if you have food rotting in the bottom of the tank then 1, you are feeding too much and 2, you are not cleaning the tank properly. You're in a fish in cycle situation, so you should be doing daily water changes, and removing any poop or waste while you do it, and feeding the bare minimum, so 2 pellets once every 3 days would be ample. Am I correct to assume that this is not what you're doing?

No! Do not add a plec!

 

[loraxchick]

The betta looks fine. The silvery scales under his "chin" appear to be normal coloration. Often bettas get that as they get older or if they are a bit bloated.
as for the food issue. Do not overfeed bettas. If there is extra food you are feeding too much. Cut back on feeding. Bettas will often eat until they look like they will explode. Their stomachs are about as big as their eyeballs. 2-3 pellets a day is plenty of food. Skip feeding once a week.
He sure is handsome. Such vibrant blue! Id say he is just fine.
cheers

 

[fishyfeet]

i agree with the comments above, feed less, you could add a small plec or a couple of cories to clear up left over food as yes they would cause fungus, right now i would clean out the bottom of the tank remove all left over food and do a 50% water change and not feed for a couple of day, he looks good, then try one pellet a day to start with and build up to 2 or 3, by then you might have a plec or corie to keep your tank clean, or apple snails are good cleaners also, di

 

[loraxchick]

i agree with the comments above, feed less, you could add a small plec or a couple of cories to clear up left over food as yes they would cause fungus, right now i would clean out the bottom of the tank remove all left over food and do a 50% water change and not feed for a couple of day, he looks good, then try one pellet a day to start with and build up to 2 or 3, by then you might have a plec or corie to keep your tank clean, or apple snails are good cleaners also, di

I would not recommend a plec or cories until we have more information on the tanksize and how long its been up and running. Just my opinion. easier to just not overfeed.
cheers

 

[coldcazzie]

I would not recommend a plec or cories until we have more information on the tanksize and how long its been up and running. Just my opinion. easier to just not overfeed.
cheers

[url="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/373547-my-first-fish-aquarium-and-my-betta-is-chasing-the-molly-or-platys-occasionally/]Not very.[/url] Like I said, the op is in a fish in cycle. Minimal feeding and definitely not adding any more fish is the way forward at this stage

 

[laura120381]

hiya crunch!

hope you are ok. as caz says, if there is food lying about you are feeding too much. fish only have stomachs the size of their eye so they need a lot less to eat than you think!! don't worry if your betta seems constantly hungry. only feed what can be eaten in 2mins, with NO leftovers. they will pollute your tank.

don't add anymore fish just yet. we need your tank to be a bit more established first. its still early doors and as you had a few problems when starting out, give it a bit more time! a pleco will grow WAY too large for your tank so is not at all suitable. they start off tiny and become monsters very quickly!! they are also poop machines and need very highly powered filtration! don't be fooled by the little cuties in the shop!!! corys could be an option for your tank but please consider letting it become a bit more established before you add any more fish.

now for the bad news!! the common 'tank cleaners and algae eaters' such as catfish and plecos, cories, snails , shrimps etc will NOT clean all the C**P from your tank! yes they'll have a nice time grazing at algae etc but unfortunately the majority if the work is still down to us!! good old elbow grease i'm afraid. bottom feeders such as corys still require a suplimentary diet of pellets/wafers etc as tank algae does not constitute a balanced diet!

good to see you have come back here for advice. post up here or you can pm if you prefer. good luck with the algae scraping!!

L

ps - a good think for removing stubborn algae from glass is an old credit card!! give it a clean in hot water 1st then use to scrape the algae off...cheaper than one of those algae magnet doo-daas!!!

 

[crunch7]

you know i am an alarmist, i just finished cleaning up the tank and changing 100 percent water. BAd news, the leftover pellets had become black fungus colony and the rocks were concealing the outgrowth. I have added a few drops of anti fungi in the new water. Plus i also brought a pleco. Tank size for those who don`t know its 20 litres. and don`t worry i can return the pleco if it gets too big.

 

[fishyfeet]

is it fungus or algae though, the plec will hopefully feed on left over food, and depends what sort it is, i am glad you realised that some species can grow quite big and outgrow most tanks i should know i brought three of them,
20 litres is quite small even for a small plec, you might have been better off with a couple of corys or apple snails, still you can decide what to do once youve returned the plec if indeed you want to, well done, di

 

[Fishy friend2]

Return it now as soon as you can.
you will stunt the fish and it will die in a small tank like that

 

[lilfishie]

any pleco is already too big for your tank plecos produce an awful lot of waste, and shouldn't be used to clean up left overs, they need food of there own

 

[fishyfeet]

if its small it will be fine for a few weeks, i wouldnt keep it too long though, i have 6 bristlenose plecs, and i dont feed them they eat algae mostly maybe see them occasionally on fruit or veg i put in, but mostly young plecs like algae.
do you have hiding places for him though, or a small piece of wood, di

 

[crunch7]

Please please can I keep it for some days. She is so cool and my betta is having no issues too. And there are lots of rocks and marbles and also a small castle to play around with.

 

[fidjet2]

Please please can I keep it for some days. She is so cool and my betta is having no issues too. And there are lots of rocks and marbles and also a small castle to play around with.

Being "cool" is not a reason to keep a fish. It needs to be taken back because it WILL get stunted and die - as stated above-