"New" Rescued Betta

[baylee767]

So I'm calling him "new" Because he was my sisters. Half his body is black, but his fins and tail are a beautiful blue. The poor guy was VERY mistreated, hint the rescued Betta I put in the title. My sister's only 9 and she's had this Betta for 2-4 months now. He is still smallish so definatly under a year. His fins have been torn up from possible combo of a pointy plastic plant and maybe finrot. For the first couple of months he lived in a half gallon bowl with water changes once every couple weeks. I begged my dad to let my sister have a 1.5 gallon kritter keeper so that her Betta might be better. Naturally, she took this as a cue not to change the water as often when he was transfered. He's been in the keeper for almost a month now and has had 1 water change. When ever I'd look in the surface was covered in hairs and there was poop all in the water. According to my sister I should feed him 3 pellets in the morning and 4 at night. It makes sense that he is bloated, fortunatly he's not constipated. I always reminded her to change her water but she would just say "uh-huh" And continue watching her T.V. Luckily I've gotten a hold of this little guy.

I was transfering him into cleaner water when he unfortunatly fell on the ground. It's okay he's better now but I freaked out a lot when it happened. Quick question: I just noticed one of his pectoral fins has a small rip in it. How do I help it heal quicker and prevent infection?

This happened an hour or two ago so by now he's recovered and been put inside his old tank (after it was cleaned out completey!!!) And now he's sort of swimming around in my room. The strange thing about him is even though he was kept in a half gallon bowl for most of his life and always has dirty water, he's the most active Bettas I've ever seen! That's where being young is an advantage, I guess, because he's stronger than an older Betta and can survive these conditions.

I can't take pics now because he's been stressed out enough. It's the first time I've seen stress stripes on a male /= so I'm not bothering him. I know to cure his bloating I'll fast him and I'll post pics tomarrow to see if he has finrot. Once I can afford it I'll get him a larger tank, but for now how does 100% water changes every other day sound? I haven't decided on his name yet. My sister unnoficially called him arco iris, which is some language for rainbow. I think I'm going to change that, after all he is my Betta now and I haven't decided on the name yet.

Welcome to my care, unnamed Betta! I'm glad to have helped another Betta, and I'm glad to be able to care for more than one Betta!!!! And so the chaos of owning multiple Bettas begins.

[demonicangel132007]

Congratulations on the rescue! It's terrible that you had to get him in the condition you did though. Hopefully, a name for the little one will come to you soon. :)

[baylee767]

Thanks! He's more active than my other Betta whos always had clean water and has a larger tank. I'm not going to switch their tanks because while the unnamed Betta doesn't know what having a larger tank is like, it would be cruel to give Neon a tank almost half the size of his current one now that he knows what space is like. Once I can afford it I'll get the Betta a larger tank (another kritter keeper XD) If he recovers well. I suspect he has velvet, though. Can I treat it with metholin blue? And if he doesn't have it and I give him metholine blue will it harm him? Also, how much should I use to treat him in a 1.5 gallon kritter keeper?

Name wise for some reason I keep on thinking of king but I hate having a pet named king so that's not going to be his name!

[LikeDiscoSuperfly]

Awwe, good for you for taking him in and nursing him back. =]

[baylee767]

We hes survived through the night so I think other than the torn fin and stress and maybe some slime coat damage he's okay...

[LikeDiscoSuperfly]

good! he is probably muuuuuch happier now.