Rescued Betta - *updated 4/10/09*

[raec]

Hi all

Im very new to keeping fish and wouldnt have even considered a Betta for a while yet except one has landed on me. He's been abused for want of a better word by previous owner thru ignorance and was heading for the toilet when I offered to take him away. He was in a 10ltr tank stuffed with plastic ferns, too many plastic ornaments and too little maintainence.

I have bought and set up a quarantine tank for him, 25 ltrs and nothing but water inside while I try and deal with him and hopefully he will recover. His fins have been ripped to pieces and he obviously has fin rot so I didnt want to chance him going in the community tank. I've added 5 ltr from my existing tank into the quarantine tank and disposed of the water he had (it was green). He is swimming around happily in the bare tank and Im hoping he will be ok coz even with the fin damage he's so lovely to watch. And so the questions begin....

1. I have Myxazin ready but he has been in tank with Protozin (last dosed Thurs) so do I wait the 4 days it says or is it ok to start the course?

2. If and when he recovers what is the best substrate for him? (I have 3 new silk plants ready)

3. I've read alot on here about bettas liking coconut shells...im allergic to coconut so what else is good?

4. The quarantine tank obviously hasn't been able to cycle so is there anything I can do to help ease the extra stress this will cause him?

5. Am I doing whats best for him?

couple of pics (someone please tell me how to get decent pics of fish coz Im crap)

Thanks

 

[jennybugs]

1. I have Myxazin ready but he has been in tank with Protozin (last dosed Thurs) so do I wait the 4 days it says or is it ok to start the course?
I've only ever used MElafix and Pimafix to treat tail shreds and fin rot in bettas
2. If and when he recovers what is the best substrate for him? (I have 3 new silk plants ready)
I'd go with sand substrate personally. I have a small bit of smooth bogwood in my tanks with anubias tied to it and some moss balls and floating plants too
3. I've read alot on here about bettas liking coconut shells...im allergic to coconut so what else is good?
Any large leafed plants will be ok or moss balls. Something smooth for them to rest on. Some people like to use small terracotta pots as well
4. The quarantine tank obviously hasn't been able to cycle so is there anything I can do to help ease the extra stress this will cause him?
I'd highly recommend getting some Tetra SafeStart to boost the filters. Have you got any mature filter sponge (unsquished) from your community tank that you could put in the new filter? This would boost the cycle immensely
5. Am I doing whats best for him?
Yes. I think keeping the tank nice and clean is a priority while you treat him. Maybe you can keep this tank just for him so he has a chane at his own domain

Good luck with him. I am sure he has good potential to regrow his fins and tail and be a beauty

 

[loraxchick]

hi there
he is quite ragged looking but ive seen worse who have fully regrown their fins.
to answer some questions.
medication is most likely unnecessary. just keep up with water changes making sure to keep the water very clean. clean water is generally the BEST remedy for fin disorders unless very out of control. give him a week or so in new clean conditions and keep an eye on the fins for signs of degrading or (hopefully) new growth (will appear as clearish with a hint of what color they will become).
cheers for bare bottom for now. best of ideas as less gunk will accumulate. turkey basters work well for removing debris in the bottom. as for substrate, up to you. they do equally well in gravel, pebbles or sand. personal preference (or whatever you have on hand).
as for decor, steer clear of things that are jagged or sharp as they will inevitably tear the fins. silk plants and live plants (live being a preference) are great. and you can really load them in there as bettas love to swim thru them and rest on them. it would be very difficult to have too many. only when they are so dense that they physically can not navigate would it be too much. bettas dont *need* a cocnut cave. some bettas like to use them for naps. none of mine ever took any sort of interest in them. a clean terracotta pot on its side would have the same effect(and are pretty cheap in a garden center).
bettas are notorious for hating filter flow. so make sure the current is not too strong for the fish. if you find this is happening there are several steps you can take to reduce flow. point the outflow towards a corner, pantyhose over outflow, tie floss or sponge over the intake(also a good idea if the filter has a wide intake as it can suck up and absolutely shred fins).
dont over feed the guy. bettas are pigs and will eat practically as much as youll feed them. this can cause all sorts of problems from constipation to swimbaldder disorders. it is good practice to feed a cooked deshelled chopped up pea about once a week and then starve them for a day to help clean them out (so to speak). id suggest you try this now just to make sure he's in "working order" as he was obviously neglected in his previous owner's care. most bettas go NUTS for peas
it may also be good to flare him with a mirror for several minutes a day. sometimes when they have bad finloss, when it regrows it goes all wonky and has a crinkled appearance and flaring them (if in otherwise good health-dont want ot stress him out TOO much) helps keep the rays straight as they regrow their fins. just an idea but not absolutely necessary. also a fun way to interact with the fish and helps them live a bit "naturally" as they would flare at others in the wild. but then again some bettas are not flare hapy and wouldnt find this game worth playing (one of my boys anyway).
best of luck with him. let us know how you get on with him and how he is doing over the next few weeks (or more
cheers

 

[raec]

Thanks for the replies and the help, its very much appreciated and very very helpful

I'll take the unopened myxazin back and see if they will swap for Melafix instead, went purely on advice of LFS for medication as I've been lucky enough never to need any yet. I'll grab some safestart as well, my existing tank is only 7 weeks old and recently cycled so I dont think there is enough media to share around.

Peas I've read about previously, I have been adding one into the community tank after sunday dinner so ill pop one in his as well

The tank will become his own space, one of the reasons I wasnt considering Betta's for a good while yet is reading the need they have for separate tanks. I have live plants in the community tank which I thought of splitting once he has recovered to go alongside the silk ones. It has a mini filter which is turned to min and I have pointed the outlet towards the corner so it doesnt cause him problems.

I was thinking a daily 25% water change for the next week or so with meds added, I'll give him a few days without meds first tho and see if he improves


Just gotta come up with a name now lol

Cheers

 

[loraxchick]

if going to the lfs and considering live plants for hte betta tank, see if the have some camboba or elodea(aka anacharis). you can float this around in the tank and it will grow fine (doesnt need to be planted and wont die if floating). will give him sonething to rest on as well as use up some of the ammonia to keep water stats better while cycling.
just another thought.
cheers and best of luck with your rescue boy!

 

[ellena]

Well done on taking him in, I hope he recovers and grows lovely long fins
Just to clarify on the meds, myxazin is antibacterial and you'll need to use this if the finrot infection is still there (black bits on the tips of fins and tail) Once it's gone and you're just trying to regrow, melafix (at half dose) is what you need, along with very clean water. Melafix won't get rid of the actual infection though.

 

[raec]

Two weeks on and he's still with me

Stayed in a quarantine tank for 2 weeks and fins are recovering slowly. Redid the tank completely for him yesterday, its gonna be his permanent home and he seems quite happy all on his own. Put down a substrate of sand with live plants and couple of terracotta pots/ornaments for him to swim around and chill out in. Funny thing flares at himself in the side mirror at least once a day then swims around with himself for ages popping back and forth to see if he's still there, started coming to front of tank everytime we walk past as well and watching us alot

Have a star trek thing going on with all the fish but to me he'll always be plain old george and im hoping he's gonna be around for a long time yet

Pics to follow

 

[coldcazzie]

Sounds fab - glad he's settles in and is comfy with you! Good for you for rescuing him