His name is Mustard, I want to give him the best life possible, he’s currently in a 10 gal. But I want to do a planted tank more natural looking. Had I known he was bringing home a fish I would’ve done research before.
Terrible pic I know, he is a half moon rose tail betta ?
He looks like he possibly is bloated? I only fed him two pellets. But will wait 24 before feeding him again. He is either hiding behind the filter or in the castle.
He sinks to the bottom, we have a little leaf hammock but he does not use it. I just don’t want him to be suffering. So please what can I do, he does swim around especially when I have the lights turned off in his tank. I’m not sure if he’s got popeye?
The filter also seems too strong but I have no way of adjusting the flow.
Someone please help me because I have grown too attached in the last two days. I have also ordered a ph testing kit, we have well water but I did use a dechlorinator. We have the money and I’m willing to spend it to help my son.
https://i.redd.it/5mkid4pjbaug1.jpeg
Posted by Most_Sprinkles_8921
13 Comments
He seems ok. Mine likes to rest on various things and seems to like sand. Just make sure to keep the water clean. Maybe add some sand at some point?
Hey you’ve got him in a 10g and that’s better than most people.
He looks fine to me. Is the tank cycled?
For the filter, what kind is it? You may be able to add some sponge or filter floss to diffuse the flow.
And do you have a heater?
If the tank isn’t cycled you could go to your local fish store and ask for some mulch? It’ll help with the cycling process by adding beneficial bacteria. It’s never a good idea to add a fish to a non established tank. Not your fault though it’s good you’re doing research. You could also buy a filter with an adjustable flow. 10 gallons is a good size. Feel free to ask local fish store more questions abt adding live plants to ur tank. You’ll need dirt substrate!
You will need to cycle the tank doing a fish in cycle. I would start by getting an API freshwater test kit, Seachem prime and Seachem stability. I will attach the photo how to know how much water to change.
What kind of filter do you have? Do you have a heater for him? What kind of pellets are you feeding him?
For now I would keep the lights off to give him time to adjust, keep the water warm (80-82 degrees) and you can add some tannins to help boost his immune system. If at any point he looks like he is struggling to swim up and breathe, put him in a cup (like the one they come in from the pet store) and float the cup in the tank. This will allow him to breathe easier but keep him warm.
In a 10 gallon I’d say a fish-In cycle is pretty safe. If you don’t have a water testing kit just do water changes every few days depending on appetite. Live plants will help, and as I say to everyone, airstone. They made my bettas a hundred times more active because they weren’t sitting at the surface to breathe etc.
You seem sad, but you’re in a pretty good position and he’s a stunning fish. A 10 gallon is kinda foolproof for a betta
Beautiful colors!
https://reddit.com/r/bettafish/w/fishincycle?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
The best thing you can do is try to quickly cycle the tank. Its not ideal, but you already have the fish. Be prepared to do a lot of water changes. seachem prime is my go to water declorinator/conditioner. It binds to ammonia to make it less toxic to fish, but still usable to benificial bacteria (at least what they claim). As other suggested, ask a local fish store if you can take some squeezed sponges (that has loads of benificial bacteria). I don’t know if it really works, but I like to use seachem stability to speed up the cycling process for my tanks (took me 2 weeks to fully cycle a tank with it, but i also had some old filter media from another tank that I added to help the cycle). Do partial water changes daily.
One thing that will really benefit is adding real plants to the tank. Plants help absorb nitrates.
As for the filter, what kind is it? if its hang on the back, you can add filter floss/meshpad in the exit of the filter to reduce the agitation.
I recommend switching to a sponge filter for bettas. Leaf hammocks sometimes work for bettas but I recommend a betta log. Bettas have a labryth organ so they like to gulp air even while sleeping. Betta logs have a hole in the top which allows them to gulp air while sleeping and you can train them by feeding them in it. They don’t like the current caused by hang on the back filters. Their long fins make it difficult to swim in tanks with a lot of current. As far as the popeye I would need to see both eyes. If one is alot bigger than yes it’s popeye. In that case give it Epsom salt baths in a one gallon bowl for 15-30 minutes to reduce swelling. Add Kanaplex and aquarium salt to the tank but you have to remove carbon which is also why I recommend sponge filter cuz they don’t force you to use carbon like most hob filters do now. I only use carbon when removing medications it’s not needed in a healthy aquarium. If you want a polisher use Purigen it lasts longer and is rechargeable so you don’t keep wasting money on basically charcoal that costs a lot more than it should. If you have gold fish yes you use carbon to help with the smell if not it’s not needed. I’ve been working in aquatics for 5 years and have healed dozens of bettas with popeye so please heed what I say.
You have great advice. But along with it, please remove the plastic plant as it will tear his fins.
Since everyone else has helped you with the tank already, I’m just here to answer your question. Rosetail and halfmoon are different tail types. I’m not super great with telling apart half moons and deltas (or super deltas), but I think your betta is one of those!
Hi OP, information and resources to support the next 4-6 week long process of growing the good bacteria of the nitrogen cycle that prevent water from becoming toxic.
You are going to need to urgently purchase:
– big bottle of dechlorinator as you’re going to be doing almost daily water changes. Seachem Prime is excellent.
– an accurate liquid test kit such as the API Master or NT Labs freshwater. Test strips are a waste of money as are inaccurate and under read, leading to fish sickness that is unnecessary.
You’re going to need to test the water he is living in most days over the next 4-6 weeks for toxic ammonia, toxic nitrite, nitrate and pH, these are the absolute minimum water parameters you need to monitor.
In short, fish waste releases ammonia which is highly toxic and burns the skin, gills and fins of fish extremely badly. In nature and also a tank that has been prepared and the bacteria grown in for the weeks before adding a fish, good bacteria process this toxic ammonia into nitrite – still toxic and stops the blood carrying oxygen causing suffocation and haemorrhaging. Both ammonia and nitrite are nasty stuff and kill fish. More good bacteria convert nitrite into the end product of nitrate which plants eat and we keep at healthy levels of below 20ppm with regular water changes.
pH is important to monitor as too low or too high harms fish, if the pH is unstable it can kill. The nitrogen cycle itself is affected by pH too.
A nitrogen cycled tank will test 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and a level of nitrate. Don’t be fooled by early testing that shows 0 across all parameters- a glass of water will test the same as it takes time for the toxins to show up.
As your tank has none of these bacteria, you are essentially going to have to manage the water toxicity with testing and water changes so the fish survives the process.
Here are a few beginner friendly links to nitrogen cycling a tank with a fish already in it, and how to help him survive. Knowledge will help you and him:
1.
https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/nitrogen-cycle?srsltid=AfmBOoo0c5qm6BMn8cI3Yg3a5-qryssL2APY3eAeBuNg9254IjsTg4yP
2.
https://aquacadabra.com/blogs/news/how-to-cycle-a-fish-tank-the-beginner-s-guide
3.
https://fishlab.com/fish-in-cycle/
4.
https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/features/how-to-cycle-a-fish-tank-the-complete-guide/
There’s a Reddit guide for impulse buying a betta without having a set up ready too on the mod questions reply to your post:
https://reddit.com/r/bettafish/w/fishincycle?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
The good is the tank is a decent size over a tiny one meaning it will be easier to keep safe and stable, and you’re asking for help 🙂
Ignore the comments who act like a fish-in cycle with a single betta fish in a 10 gallon tank is the end of the world. It’s very simple and low risk. He’s in better conditions than he was in the petco betta cup. Daily large water changes are unnecessary. At most maybe 15% every other day. Use api’s liquid test kit and stay within a safe range until you’re fully cycled. On average considering tank size and 1 fish, I’d say 2-3 weeks