Lucky Bamboo & glass marbles???

[thecloudpainter]

Hello all...

Please - I hope someone here can help me.
I just got a Betta about 4 days ago, and thinnk that
something may be wrong with him.
I have a huge vase with about a 6" opening at the top.
I planted 3 lucky bamboo into glass marbles and they've
done great. I thought putting a Betta into this clean, airy
environment would be a good thing, but now am wondering
about the safety to my lil fish.

Is this ok?
Any advice?

Thanks all...
Sincerely
thecloudpainter

 

[Lateral Line]

You'll probably get better betta advice here.

 

[Carolinesugar]

Hiya, not sure if i can help really, without more of a description abt wot is actually wrong with him. also pix wud be gud!

has he got a heater, filter and clean water ?

Also what are the water parameters ? PH, NitrIte, NitrAte, Ammonia and temperature.

 

[sylvia]

You are feeding the fish right?

Read through the link in my signature - that'll tell you all you need to know about cycling and the wellfare of your new fish.
Also get a small heater and a small sponge filter. Go to your LFS and buy a test kit for ammonia/nitrItes and nitrAtes and a thermometer and you may want to replace the marbles with a finer gravel as uneaten food will sink in between the marbles and rot...

 

[bkk_group]

as long as you do full water changes every 5 days (use aged water, at least 2 or 3 days old to replace with) and rinse out the marbles you should be fine. where is the vase located? does it get enough warmth from it's surroundings? depending on where in the world you live, it's possible to make do without a heater, as long as your room temerature stays consistant. we don't use heaters by the way. you didn't say what was wrong with your fish, or are you just worried about it's environment?

oh, just wanted to mention that if the vase is too tall, your betta won't like it. nothing taller than 7 or 8 inches.

 

[GuppyDude]

does the betta have atleaste 1g of swimming space? is the bamboo blocking the sufrace of the surface of the water, he might noe be able to get air? are you feeding him right, i know ,most places will tell you to feed him ones a week but u'v gott feed him everyday.

 

[thecloudpainter]

http/www.fishforums.net/html/emoticons/rolleyes.gif

Wow!
Thanks for all the great responses!

Ok - I'll try to get pics in the next couple of days...
but- in the meantime...
It's a huge vase, filled about 1/2 to 2/3 with
varying sizes of glass marbles and rocks. That leaves
about 8" of vertical space and probably 10" horizontal
working up to a 6" throat on the vase.
The 3 bamboo stalks do not take up much room...
I thought the Betta would like to hide and play around them.

I keep this in my bathroom, under a skylight (diffuse light)
and it's nice and warm in there.

I feed him Betta Bits - that's what the girl at PetsMart
recommended.

As far as equipment, all I do is every few days, use a turkey baster
(well sterilized) to remove left over food and debris on the marbles.

Is this not going to be stable enough for the lil guy?
He just seems lethargic... general malaise... ya know?

Thanks for all your help...

Thecloudpainter

 

[MAM]

using a turkey baster is a great way to clean gravel in a small tank.

question, are you treating the water before you do a water change (a dechlorinator)? how often do you do a water change?

 

[AlexsDaddy]

If you don't have a water test kit, you might want to get one and test for ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte. Any ammount of Ammonia is bad for your little buddie. NitrItes and NitrAtes usually only show up in a cycling or cycled tank though but you should check for them anyway and high ammounts of these can be bad for your fish as well. If all you do for water changes is take a little water out when you syphon the uneaten food out of the gravel, that may not be enough. If it is anything under a gallon of water (or any ammount of water really, a gallon or more is better for them though) you should test for ammonia every couple of days, and once you get even just a little bit of a reading (it usually only takes a couple of days in a small tank), you should do a big water change to get rid of it. I do all my changes with a gravel vac as well as suck out the uneaten food (in my uncycled bowls) with a baster. That way I kill 2 birds with 1 stone, clean the gravel and change the water. Hope this helps!

 

[daniodude]

are you feeding him right, i know ,most places will tell you to feed him ones a week but u'v gott feed him everyday.

once a week!?!?!?!? Isn't that like starving the fish? how much food for once a week? I feed twice a day, everyday.
DanioDude

 

[Kittycat]

I suggest you add a weekly full water change. Depending on how much water the vase can hold, it might also be better to remove some marbles to give the fish more space.

 

[f250fisherman]

The betta should be alright, just do water changes. It there is not more than a gal of water, I'd do water changes every 3-4 days. The more you change the water, the healthier it will be. I wouldn't advise trying to cycle the tank, as smaller tanks are very hard to keep managed. The levels fluctuate a lot. 1 gal's can be cycled, but it is work.

 

[GuppyDude]

yes daniodude i have been told by many stores ( walmart being one of them ) that feeding a betta once or twice a week is healthy and that if u feed them too much everyday that they would die.......

 

[thecloudpainter]

Hey all...

Thanks again for all the wonderful help and advice...

Okay...
We live in the foothills of the mountains outside of San Diego
and have our own well. So, I don't believe that chlorination is
an issue, however the water is extremely hard. pH is unkown
at this time.

The Gardener (what we named the lil Betta), is becoming more
and more lethargic, and doesn't show a lot of activity. He's not
even chasing his BettaBits anymore. He's spending alot of time
at the top, not even moving. A couple of times, I've reached in
(clean hands, of course) and touched his back to get him moving.

We're not set up for some of the equipment ya'll are taking about...
basically, just a free-standing bowl in our bathroom.

I'm not sure if I just bought a sick or elderly Betta, or if something
in his new habitat is hurting him. I got him a PetsMart. He wasn't the
most active, but looked very healthy with vibrant colors.

Will try and post pics of The Gardener in bit.

Thanks again, all...
these replies are really helping me troubleshoot.

Hasta~
thecloudpainter

 

[thecloudpainter]

Hey all...

Okay - here are the pics of The Gardener and his home...
There are 3 pics... so please bear with me...
Hasta~
thecloudpainter