Swimbladder problems again:(

[fishyinpa]

Should be fine for 4 gallons. Good luck!

[Kim]

Oh, that's great that it's actually 4 gallons! I'm sure your betta will appreciate the extra space. Just so you know, the general rule for heaters is 5 watts per gallon, so a 25 watt heater would be fine for up to a 5 gallon tank. I have one on a 5.5 though and it does a great job still.

I always use a mild bleach solution to clean anything that I don't know what has been in it. I do this because I'm neurotic and I want to kill any germs, parasites, etc. You have to rinse it REALLY well though because bleach can kill/poison your fish. I've never had any problems other than my mom yelling at me for using too much water though!

[dramaqueen]

Well, after nearly busting my rear on the ice to get to Petsmart, I didn't find what I wanted. :( The only 25 watt they had was a Hydor that was not adjustible. I may look at Marine Depot to see what the have.The Stealth at Petsmart had only 50 watts and higher. :(

[dramaqueen]

Well, I decided to order from Drs Foster and Smith. Its too much of a hassle for me to try to go to different places looking for one. So I got the Stealth Visitherm 25 watt heater. YAY! The shipping costs an arm and a leg so that wasn't so good. The good thing is that the heater was 15% off. :):( But anyway, my poor little fish will have to wait another week to 10 days to be put in his new, warm home. lol

[dramaqueen]

My tank is plastic. Will the vinegar still be ok to clean it with? If so, how much should I use?

[achelle3]

Hey, how's your fish doing??
My betta Kale had a swim bladder problem last summer. I tried doing the pea thing, as that's all I heard to help. I used a bettafix remedy and tried other similar things. He was on his side for so long(more than a month, maybe 2). I can't believe he survived, because a few times I was sure he was about to die. He would float on his side, then finally was able to at least get down to the bottom and underneath a fake plant I've got in there. That was all that held him down. He ate normally and everything, just couldn't swim because he'd float to the top.
I'm happy to say he's still alive now I've had him for over a year now. And I got another betta, because the poor guy would never have been chosen at Wal-Mart.. really dislike how they deal with the bettas. The newest one has one huge eye and he's a small little guy compared to Kale..
Anyways, just wondering if your fishie was still floating or what?

[dramaqueen]

Its really wierd. He floats on and off. Sometimes he swims up and down like normal then he floats off and on for a few days.Mine eats like normal, too. Thanks for asking. :) Yeah, Walmart is terrible about taking care of their fish. I hear all kinds of horror stories. My Walmart doesn't have fish, thank goodness. My Petsmart is pretty good though and thats where I get my fish.

[achelle3]

Hmm, well your fish seems to be hardy so he can survive I'm sure. :) I don't understand exactly what's wrong, but he's been doing it for a while and it's similar to what my fish did.
I think I did get Kale from Wal-mart too, usually take pity on the poor things, so then I give them a much better place to live. The other betta I've got doesn't eat as much, poor guy can't see right with his eye so it's hard to get him to eat.
Good luck getting your fish back to his normal self!

[dramaqueen]

Thank you. :)