So this is Harry, I got him like three days ago. My brothers friend dropped him off as a gift for my brother, but he was so ugly my brother didn't want him. So now I have him.
As you can see, he's looking pretty bad. He's not a pretty color (although he has parts of him that are shiney and blue), and he's got what looks like blood in his fins. His fins also seem kind of...not fanned or what you call it.
This is my first fish ever, one that I didn't expect to own at all so we don't have all the proper equipment for him yet. But he showed up from the store looking like how he looks now so that isn't the problem. I've moved him from his little container into a rather big bowl with just tap water in it at first, but then i bought the de-chlorinater stuff from the store and changed his water with that in it.
So if you guys know what's wrong with him please tell me if I can fix it! I love my little fishy and don't want him to die :-(
I would start by making 100% daily water changes for the next 4-5 days, make sure the water temp is within a couple of degrees of old and new water and always use a dechlorinator with any new water added to the fish if on city water supply
Sounds like he is suffering from the affect of poor water quality (ammonia burns/nitrite poison) from the pet shop-often daily water changes will fix this in 4-5 days and then regular water changes of 2-50% and 1-100% a week until you up-grade.....
If he is not better in a couple of days you may need to do a 10 day salt treatment
Do you know what the water temp is? he needs a stable water temp of 76-80F area
Congrats on your new wet-pet and welcome to the wonderful world of Betta keeping......
Methylene blue is great for ammonia poisoning, if you can find some of that that doesn't have a bunch of other additives, it may be worth it to try. It will also discourage a secondary infection.
If you need to buy more supplies, I highly recommend ordering online. Online stores don't have as much overhead as retail stores so every item is around $10 cheaper than in pet stores. I use http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com you should look into getting an adjustable heater, such as a hydor theo, and a thermometer. How big is the container he is in? I can't see pictures until I get off the wifi I use at work.
I love him! That isn't blood in his fins; it's his pattern. He's a dalmation.
OFL and Adastra have said it all. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll recover nicely I've gotten a few of my boys like that or worse and they're all better now.
He's adorable. And Bettaslave is correct. That's not blood, those are spots. Perfectly normal. With love, care, heat and clean water he'll brighten up to be lovely.
What you mean he is not pretty? He is awesome? I just bought betta with spots on the fins and I love him! I hope he is doing fine. I have mine in 1G tank without heater and they doing awesome. Just make sure he is not near widow/door so he does not get sun on the tank or breeze if you have door/window open. That will cause temperature changes and they don't like that. You don't need any water conditioner, just let the water sit for about 48 hours and it will be safe for your fish and also more likely will have same temperature as water you fish is in (especially if you leave it close to your fish tank - remember water on the floor will be always slightly cooler than on the table etc.) So if you change water every other day, get ready new water for the next water change right after you changed it. That's what I usually do and it worked great for me.
Good luck and hopefully he'll get better soon.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Betta Fish Forum
1.8M posts
105.7K members
Since 2006
A forum community dedicated to Betta fish owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeds, health, behavior, tanks, care, classifieds, and more!