the black from the cupped picture is normal. that's not the fin rot. :V my orange-red veiltail has that same edging. nothing to worry about. :3
honestly, though, tail biting is something that we humans worry about. i've had many tail biters that were more active after destroying most of their tail. Twitch, who was my chronic tail biter, never let his fins grow back in. he was a DTHM, and would NEVER stop swimming! he destroyed all four of his fins, but was the cutest, derpiest, most active DTHM ever. :3
Have you tested everything in the tank with a women's pantyhose to make sure nothing snags?
The hammocks have metal in them which rust and release toxins.. If you have not already removed the metal, you need to then do a series of 3 or so 50% water changes to remove the toxins
Most people will tell you that you will always need to do a weekly 100% change in a tank of this size, but you can try to cycle it.. cycling would have taken up to two months and during this time you should have been testing daily for ammonia and nitrite and doing an extra 50% change any time either showed up. With a tank this size it could have been quite a few days. In addition ot this twice weekly 50% with siphon, turkey baster or stir/dip method to clean the gravel will always be needed.
I would test your water and increase your water changes as well.
How do you maintain your filter and what filter do you have?
Have you tested everything in the tank with a women's pantyhose to make sure nothing snags?
The hammocks have metal in them which rust and release toxins.. If you have not already removed the metal, you need to then do a series of 3 or so 50% water changes to remove the toxins
Most people will tell you that you will always need to do a weekly 100% change in a tank of this size, but you can try to cycle it.. cycling would have taken up to two months and during this time you should have been testing daily for ammonia and nitrite and doing an extra 50% change any time either showed up. With a tank this size it could have been quite a few days. In addition ot this twice weekly 50% with siphon, turkey baster or stir/dip method to clean the gravel will always be needed.
I would test your water and increase your water changes as well.
How do you maintain your filter and what filter do you have?
I trimmed all the plastic parts of the plants so they are rounded instead of pointed before I put them in his tank, I wanted to be extra careful.
I went to the pest store and asked if I should test my water and they said no reason too and it is a waste of money, so I haven't tested my water yet.
So twice weekly I should do 50% change? I do have a turkey baster I try to clean the bottom when I see something has been down there for a day or two. http://www.petco.com/product/12351/A...arium-Kit.aspx this is my tank minus the divider. The Pet store employee said to change the filter once a month.
That's not necessarily why they snag. In fact the edges you created by cutting are more likely to snag than the factory made edges. I would definitely pull them out and check. Most plastic plants will snag.
There's metal inside the stem of the leaf.
If you're not going to do two weekly water changes a week of 50% and 100% you should own a drops kit for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and be able to test.
Eventually you may be able to cut back to two 50% weekly with siphon (this siphon part is important, you can't just take water off the top) but during cycling which takes up to 2 months many more changes will be needed: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=47838 You need to be testing daily with the kit and do the water changes as needed, or else abandon the filter idea and do the 50% 100% changes.
You should never change all the media in your filter at once or you will restart your cycle. Hopefully you have at least two pieces of media.. what filter so you have?
All the plants I own are silk plants that had some slightly pointy soft plastic leaves on the bottom, I am attaching a picture, I feel like I rounded them off really nice, I don't feel any sort of edge on them.
I see the metal now and have taken the leaf out, I unfortunately just realized there is metal in the back silk plant as well, should I take that out too? http://www.petco.com/product/119029/...t=BettaHPDecor <--- its that but green
I can do two weeks water changes, I just didn't know I was supposed to lol So halfway through the week do 50% and then at the end do a 100%?
I never knew about cycling, thank you! That is a helpful thread, I will read it.
I am not sure what you mean by "media"? also I am not sure what the filter, it says "The Quiet Flow power filtration" in the description for my tank, made by Aqueon.
All the plants I own are silk plants that had some slightly pointy soft plastic leaves on the bottom, I am attaching a picture, I feel like I rounded them off really nice, I don't feel any sort of edge on them.
I see the metal now and have taken the leaf out, I unfortunately just realized there is metal in the back silk plant as well, should I take that out too? http://www.petco.com/product/119029/...t=BettaHPDecor <--- its that but green
I can do two weeks water changes, I just didn't know I was supposed to lol So halfway through the week do 50% and then at the end do a 100%?
I never knew about cycling, thank you! That is a helpful thread, I will read it.
I am not sure what you mean by "media"? also I am not sure what the filter, it says "The Quiet Flow power filtration" in the description for my tank, made by Aqueon.
I was going to get live plants, but the pet store employee said that live plants put too much strain on the filter to put them in this tank.
If you're cycling, you don't have to ever replace 100% of the water but you do need the test kit and be monitoring carefully and keeping up on changes, like outlined above. If you don't want to cycle, remove the filter and do the twice weekly 50% 100% changes. It will be best for him if you cycle it.
Yes, anything with metal needs to be removed. It's not aquarium safe.
Media means stuff inside the filter.. My HOB has a sponge, biobag and bag of carbon. Carbon needs to be replaced anywhere from weekly to monthly (your filter should have come with instructions on this), the sponge only needs to be replaced every 6 months to a year, and my extra biobag is the same. I will only replace one type of media during the same month.
Your pet store sounds clueless.. sorry. But you don't need live plants either. You need proper lighting and some plants need special substrate, etc. It doesn't hurt your filter at all though.
I don't see a heater or a thermometer.. unless you are keeping your house a constant unchanging temperature of 80F+ he needs a heater, and with any heater you need an in tank thermometer. Using lights or a heat lamp to heat the tank is also not a safe way. Tank temp will be several degrees below room temp. In a tank of this size a 25w adjustable heater can be used. It should be tested for 24 hours in similar size container with thermometer to assure it will hold a constant temp between 78-80F. Once you know it's working your betta needs to be acclimated to the warmer water either by floating in a little plastic solo type cup inside the fully heated tank for an hour, or adjusting the heater to increase no more than 1 degree per hour or 5 degrees per day. Your betta's tank also needs to be on an interior wall, away from exterior doors, windows and any air vents.
If you're cycling, you don't have to ever replace 100% of the water but you do need the test kit and be monitoring carefully and keeping up on changes, like outlined above. If you don't want to cycle, remove the filter and do the twice weekly 50% 100% changes. It will be best for him if you cycle it.
Yes, anything with metal needs to be removed. It's not aquarium safe.
Media means stuff inside the filter.. My HOB has a sponge, biobag and bag of carbon. Carbon needs to be replaced anywhere from weekly to monthly (your filter should have come with instructions on this), the sponge only needs to be replaced every 6 months to a year, and my extra biobag is the same. I will only replace one type of media during the same month.
Your pet store sounds clueless.. sorry. But you don't need live plants either. You need proper lighting and some plants need special substrate, etc. It doesn't hurt your filter at all though.
I don't see a heater or a thermometer.. unless you are keeping your house a constant unchanging temperature of 80F+ he needs a heater, and with any heater you need an in tank thermometer. Using lights or a heat lamp to heat the tank is also not a safe way. Tank temp will be several degrees below room temp. In a tank of this size a 25w adjustable heater can be used. It should be tested for 24 hours in similar size container with thermometer to assure it will hold a constant temp between 78-80F. Once you know it's working your betta needs to be acclimated to the warmer water either by floating in a little plastic solo type cup inside the fully heated tank for an hour, or adjusting the heater to increase no more than 1 degree per hour or 5 degrees per day. Your betta's tank also needs to be on an interior wall, away from exterior doors, windows and any air vents.
I think I am starting to finally understand the filter process now, yes it has a bag of carbon and it does stick down into the water and sucks it up that way, I put it in the middle of a plant (I'll take more pictures.) I'll remove the othr plan to then.
They are really clueless, all I have around me is a ton of Petco's and Petsmarts @_@
I will start on the cycling path, my one problem is, since he has already been living in the tank, when I read the cycling method, it talked about "Fishless" cycling, so where can I put him while I start cycling the tank? (is a bowl ok?)
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