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Horton is doing betta!

2K views 13 replies 4 participants last post by  firewood04 
#1 ·
My lil guy Horton who has had Popeye since I got him which I think was an injury from shipping; all of a sudden started sulking around and not feeling well. He had me thinking that this was it! This is not an emergency post but I wanted to share that he is doing much better again.

I have to give him antibiotics every once in a while to help his Popeye when I notice it starts swelling again. I have tried everything to make it go away for good without any success. Anyway, I thought that we were going to lose him yesterday but 2 doses of KanaPlex and Epsom Salt have him swimming around again today! I am so happy to report that he is eating and swimming and doing his favorite things today! Whoohoo! I love this little guy and we have been through all kinds of treatment to get him better. He scares me when he doesn't respond to food when it is put right on his mouth with tweezers. He is very near sighted so I always have to help him eat.

Anyway, I just had to share in his success story again! Thanks for reading! :wink3:
 
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#3 ·
I will take a picture tomorrow. He is just in his 1 gallon hospital tank and not his 2.5 gallon planted tank right now.

I am trying to put him in the planted tank but it isn't quite cycled yet. I have to get him acquainted with it again later in the week as soon as the nitrates show up i mean.
 
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#4 ·
Okay, here are pictures of my guy Horton. They aren't the best but show you his personality anyway.

I still think he is just the most adorable fish I have ever met. He is happy go lucky despite his handicap and his fins are so pretty but I can't seem to capture on camera how beautiful he is. His personality just cracks me up and he still answers to "Horton did you hear a who?" I just love this lil guy a bunch!
 

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#6 ·
I don't think he knows he has popeye as he has had it since I met him and the person in charge of the fish that I bought him from said he had it for 3 months in the store. I took him home hoping to cure him but nothing has worked and he has scaring behind one of his eyes which leads me to believe that it is an injury that caused it. He is quite a happy fish and is no longer being teased by people in the pet store. I heard 2 groups of people taunt him while I was in the store and I just couldn't leave such a happy go lucky guy in that environment, besides I thought that I would be able to cure his eyes. He is living a wonderful life despite his handicap!

I know the one thing that he would like to be able to do is to eat his pellets without missing them! I guide them to his nose and he snaps out at them and he misses them about 1/2 the time. But he keeps going until he captures them.
 
#8 ·
People were calling him "Dumbo", "look at the funny looking fish", "Geez he is unusual looking and not as pretty as the others", "Who would even want a fish like that" etc... Horton was so dejected that he would slunk down in his cup and creep along on the bottom. I have not seen him do that since the cup. I tell him how beautiful he is daily and he really sits up pretty and interacts with me all the time. I really love it when he focuses on my face.

He is still swimming around all happy today and you can tell that he is back to his pleasant little self. He can't help his eyes and I can't fix them so we are both dealing with it and he is living a happy life but it will get better when I can get him into his regular tank with plants and all! If the tank has cycled he will go into it on Friday!
 
#10 ·
I know what you mean. Both Horton and Lazarus were rescues that I know that no one else would take home. Lazarus was sitting on his tail curled up in a 90 degree angle. I wasn't sure he would make it through the night but he rallied quickly. He had Ich so bad and a secondary bacteria but he changed within 24 hours. Also half his tail was missing. Now he is a vibrant turquoise and red with a beautiful half moon tail and quite the character. He chases a little red ball around his tank. He also makes me laugh!
 
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#11 ·
Well Horton got moved to his little 2.5 gallon tank today. He was a little shy at first but I put in his 2 favorite silk plants among the live plants and his hide (I call it his doghouse because he sits in it and hangs his head out so cutely) He found all his favorite stuff by the end of tonight. He stayed hidden in the dark corner for half the day but finally decided the tank was all right and made himself at home. The hiding probably had something to do with the cup I put him in to acclimate him, he hates that cup so much! He got bloodworms as a treat but only ate 2 of them so he got a couple of pellets too. He seems happy and I will post a picture as soon as I know that he is not so stressed out...I am excited to finally have him in a planted, cycled tank that is not too tall or large that he gets lost. I think he is going to love his new home!
 
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#12 ·
Here is Horton enjoying his new tank. I kept his favorite silk plants to help him adjust.
 

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#14 ·
Moving Horton into his little 2.5 gallon tank has proven to be the best thing ever for him! In all the time I have had him, he has never made a bubble nest. He was feeling so much "betta" that he built his very first bubble nest ever! I am so proud of him! Blind and all and he did it and he was proud of it too!
 

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