MUST READ! General Betta Care and FAQ (V. 3.0)

[MonochromeTyde]

Hello everyone! I've found this thread to be very helpful, but I have a question. I'll be getting my 10 gallon from my mom's house today to use for my two bettas, but do I need to cycle it first? I've read around and asked, and I've seen some people don't bother, while other people say your fish will die if you don't. So I'm still very confused on it all.
Thanks!

[Sarada]

You should to make life easier on yourself because it will require less maintenance in the long run.

[Kokonoko]

Was wondering, the apple snail in my tank is leaving behind quit a bit of waste ont he glass surfaces of the tank (Some sort of sticky glue like waste). Is there something specific I can use to clean the inside of the tank glass?

[MonochromeTyde]

Thanks for the help, but I ended up opting out on the 10 gallon and went with two 2.5s instead. ^^; They're quite nice actually, and my fish are way more calm now.

Kokonoko, I've seen tank glass cleaner at the pet store before, you may try that. ^^

[BettaGirl290]

MY BETTA HAS A HUGE EYE BALL HELP!!!!!!!!!!!! its really, really,REALLY weird, she was fine earlier on but know her eye is all wacky.

[Sarada]

Quarantine...epsom salt, daily 100% water changes for ten days. Your Betta probably has pop eye.

[BettaGirl290]

Originally Posted by Sarada

Quarantine...epsom salt, daily 100% water changes for ten days. Your Betta probably has pop eye.

how many doses?

[sebamd]

Originally Posted by BettaGirl290

how many doses?

From http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.htm :

DISEASE: POPEYE
this betta's eye has more than doubled in size
GENERAL INFO:
If you always keep your betta’s water very clean, he is not very likely to get Popeye. Popeye is a bacterial infection usually caused by poor water condition (in other words filthy water because you were too darn lazy to get off the couch and attend to your betta!!!). but popeye can also be the tip of the iceberg, the external sign that something inside Mr. Betta is going very wrong. For example, tuberculosis will sometimes result in popeye. In that case, the popeye may not be curable or even if it gets better the fish will die (because tuberculosis is not curable and always kills its host). In short the fish will have died, not of the popeye itself, but because of the more serious disease that triggered it.

SYMPTOMS:
One or both of Mr. Betta’s eyes start bulging out. In about 2 to 7 days the eye might look so grotesque you will be afraid to look at your betta. Casimodo on a bad day will look more attractive then your betta at that point!! Please do not destroy your betta! In many cases, the bettas make a full recovery from it and look normal again, as if nothing had happened. Only some of the popeye cases are caused by the terminal diseases mentioned above and will result in your betta dying. The rest will heal nicely if caught early and treated aggressively (see below). During outbreak, betta may be less active, may stop eating.
TREATMENT:
As I said, popeye is usually not fatal and Mr. Betta will often fully recover. On occasion he may lose an eye. But if you catch it right away, he should be fine. Immediately do a full water change. Keep his water very clean, changing it every third day. After putting him in clean water, add the antibiotic Ampicillin to his water. This medication usually comes in capsules. A full capsule usually treats 10 gal of water.( That is because they had a link to a First Aid Kit they sell, on the petstore they might have a different dossage) So for a 1/2 gallon of water, open the capsule and take the right proportion of powder and sprinkle on jar water. You may steer gently with a disposable plastic spoon. This is a white powder and will not affect the color of the water. Do not overmedicate! Once Betta’s eyes are back to normal, keep treating for one more week (just to be sure) and then stop the medication. And keep his water clean from now on darn it!!

[ANHEL123]

Originally Posted by twistersmom

im glad you made this post. I am now in the process of setting my 5gal tank back up to put a betta in. All the great people in the forum talked me into it. Never had a betta, and they made me feel i was missing out on something great. I do have a question. Why are they sometimes kept in blue water at the stores?

i have 5 betta at home and 3 betta at the dr off . Then i know about 12 people has about 2-3 bettas,so we have a lot of bettas:-p.

I want to tell u guys betta doesn't need filters. Like i say me and people i know all togeter have about approx 45 bettas none of them have filters. Same betta about 2.5 years old.

One time i went to pet stere and the girl who work there had betta for 3.5 y. She don't have filter,she don't change it every 7 to 10 days for 1 gal of woter,and the temperature in the tank about 72 degrees.

My 2 betta at home about 2.5 y old and rest of them about 9 months old. In the summer i put them in 1 gal. And 0.5 g tank. In the winter i put them in 2.5 gal. My house cold in the winter so i put hitters. But i always put 72 degrees. The office i have bettas for about 2 or 2.5 y in 0.5 g . The office closed on saturday thru mond and dr put temperature in the winter 69 degree. Fish live there for so long. I stressing hitters because for some people it difficult to have hitter if betta in the small tank.also i in the winter i am paranoid i check my bettas all the time because one time the hitter malfunctioned. The temperature in one of my betta dropped to 58 degree. Betta was not moving on the bottom of tank in the morning then when i came from work at 5 p.m. Fish was like nothing happened to him:-p

water change

also when u change water too often u stressing them out. I change my 2.5 gal every approx 10-14 days.and i always leave a portion of their original water. I try to take it from the top before all dirt from bottom goes up. My betta at dr office 2.5 y ald approx and i change them every 7 days. I think it bad idea to change portion of the water every other day.u stressing betta .

It's funny i have girl working with me she has betta on her desk in 1 gal tank. I always scream at her it's ameizing she change her betta every 3 wk which i always think her fish will get sick her betta about 1 y old. I think her betta has good immunity:-p

[Finatic]

I think you should because if you go on vacation or whatnot, then the ammonia will quickly build up and poison them. If you have the beneficial bacteria in your tank, then they can convert it into nitrate, which is much less toxic for your fish.