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First rescues...pet store with 3 males in 1 tank

2K views 27 replies 3 participants last post by  lilnaugrim 
#1 ·
Ok, I went to the pet store that was supposed to sell my fry (after today there is NO WAY any of my bettas will be going there) and while they have never been good with bettas & know nothing about them I was dumbfounded to find 3 male bettas in 1 aquarium! Large tank, with a lot of plants and hiding spots so they hadn't killed each other yet. I don't have the knowledge or means to take care of really injured bettas, so I bought the two best looking out of the three. That way only 1 betta was left in the tank and no others to keep fighting him. This first one doesn't look bad at all. If you look close at him in person he's missing scales all over his body & he was hiding in the rocks, so I think he missed most of the fighting and just scraped himself up pretty bad. My mom has already adopted him once I am sure he's ok. The second one is pretty tore up. He seems to have nothing wrong with him besides totally messed up fins. I know either or both could have internal injuries. I am acclimating both of them in salt water. Any other suggestions for the best care I can give these two to help them heal up?
 

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#2 ·
I would also add stress coat. If there are internal injuries, which there very well could be, I would skip on the salt (depending on what type you're using). Epsom is fine for internet injuries, but it should be 100% pure (i.e. no dyes or perfumes). I would personally skip the salt and just let them be in the stress coat added water until you can figure out exactly what is wrong.
 
#3 ·
Hey there,

Okay for the first Betta it looks like warm, clean water is going to help him, no need for Aquarium salt right now. The Stress Coat will definitely heal up those missing scales and any tears he has in his fins but he should perk up within a week.

The second guy won't be needing Epsom salt for now since it looks like just external injuries. To keep fin rot at bay you should do 1 teaspoon of salt per gallon in his tank. Make sure to dissolve the salt first hand (I take a cup, put a little tank water in and measure out my salt and swirl it around until you see no more crystals and then add to his tank) Also adding the Stress Coat will help heal his fins up since they are badly torn up but the rest looks fine.

They may not eat for a little while since they were stressed from the tank and now stressed to moving to a new home but don't worry they will perk up soon enough when they find out they no longer have to hide.

Keep a close eye out for if their fins start to turn black at the edges and deteriorate, that would be fin rot which can come on easily so that's why we use a low dosage of AQ salt for now. Do not use AQ salt for more than 14 days at that dosage but I generally don't go over 10 days.

So you're going to want to switch their water out every day, make sure you use conditioner. How big are their tanks? Smaller is easier to treat in if you have them. So every time you switch out the water you need to add in as much salt as you took out so if you took out 1 gallon, you need to replace 1 teaspoon of salt.

If none of that makes any sense you can just ask lol and I'll try to explain a little better for you :D I hope all goes well!
 
#4 ·
Thank you both. I got it all lilnaugrim. I've had to use AQ salt before & plan 1 week. After that I will give him a break & see if he needs more. I haven't tried to feed them yet, but I have them isolated. I figured with everything they went through it will be best for them to not have to see another male for awhile. Tomorrow I will try and tempt them with some frozen food.

I only have 2 heated tanks I was able to use for them, that's one of the reasons all 3 didn't come home with me. The better looking of the two is in a 5 gallon filled about 1/3 of the way & the other boy is in a 2.5. Getting them used to the AQ salt very slowly, so far they both look fine with it. Neither is moving much, just kind of sitting there & watching everything. I think they are waiting to be attacked. Right now the only one they see is me. I figure they are going to need a lot of reassurance they are safe now. They will be being watched very closely.

On a closer look the one with better fins does have a few rips in his caudal, but that looks like about it. I'm just glad I stopped there on a spur of the moment & looked at the fish. I've been staying away from bettas for over a month now so I wouldn't bring any home.
 
#5 ·
Oh that's great :D Sounds like good care too me! Good luck with them and keep us posted ^^
 
#6 ·
Well this morning, my poor boy with the tore up fins was floating. Poor little guy, but at least for his last few hours he was safe and not having to fight for his life. The other guy is still swimming strong. I think I will take the one I lost back today & if the beat up guy I had to leave yesterday is still there bring him home.
 
#7 ·
These are really bad pictures, but I'm hoping someone can see something. This guys still seems to be loosing his scales. I took a small patch of what looked almost like snake skin out of his tank last night & around his beard the scales look lifted. Not pineconed, but like a layer of scales is getting ready to just peel off. I don't see it, but my daughter thought she saw some fuzzy looking stuff right behind his beard (where the circle is in the picture). I was going to get some anti-fungal med for the boy I lost over night because after I finished acclimating him I saw fungus (no clue what kind) growing around the end of his ripped up caudal. Would a fungus make the scales fall off a betta? I'm at a total loose here. What might it be & what do you think me best bet for helping him might be? I was thinking since he was in the same tank with the other maybe I should still get an anti-fungal medicine and treat him with it.
 
#10 ·
I see why you think he looks pineconed, but that's just his coloring (I believe). I got some better pictures that might help. Again, I circled the section of his scales I'm concerned with. They do not lay flat to his body & look like they are ready to come off.

Off to return the poor boy that dies last night and hopefully save the last boy I had to leave yesterday.
 

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#11 ·
You could do the AQ salt + stress coat treatment if you' like. I think that warm water would be best for him, though. Some fish's scales are lighter under the chin than others'. If his scales are coming off, I would think that stress coat and warm water would be your best bet.
 
#12 ·
Ok, then keep up what I'm doing. I'll get pictures of the last guy when he settles down. The third guy in the tank was still alive so I brought him home today. He does have fin rot, but I'm putting him right in AQ salt so he'll be ok. I'm hopeful both this new one & the orange one I got yesterday will be ok since they are both still nice and active today.
 
#14 ·
the AQ salt I am using 1 tsp per gallon. The stress coat I'm dosing according to the bottle.

The orange boy still is not eating. Not a big deal, I know that. I don't like how skinny he is though, so I'd really like to try and encourage him more. Can anyone tell me where to get garlic juice? I've looked, but haven't been able to find any.

After gettin a good look at the boy I picked up today yesterday I ended up with the best & worst of the three out of the tank. This boy today is very spunky. He's even eaten already. Only problem I can see with him is fin rot & tore up fins. Here's a few pic of him.
 

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#15 ·
Nice :)

For garlic juice just go buy a clove of garlic and then smash up a small piece to get the juice out of it. Easiest and cheapest way of doing it :)
 
#17 ·
So happy to say both rescues are still swimming happily. They are even starting to work on bubble nests & mark their territory. The one I brought home yesterday is still a bit jumpy & ready to attack anything, but I think they will be ok. Thank you both for your advice with these guys.
 
#18 ·
Yay! Happy to hear that :D Good luck to the little guys! With your help, I'm sure they will recover just fine ;-)
 
#19 ·
My last rescue boy has been named Zababa, a Mesopotamian war god, and has started eating! Just ate 8 pellets for me. The big guy is hungry I guess. I can see where his fins are starting to grow back and the fin rot has stopped! I am so happy with this boy & totally in love (of course).

My mom claimed the orange boy when I brought him home. I told her after I was sure he was ok she could take him. He hasn't a name yet as one hasn't struck my mom as just right(she also has a marble feathertail named Ming). I'm just a little worried about him though. He's still not eating. Can't tempt him with anything. He's kind of lethargic, only really active when he flares at my fiance. He doesn't look even remotely bloated, but I was thinking maybe I should try some epsom salt for him?
 
#21 ·
Yep, that's what I have for all my bettas. Frozen beef heart too. This weekend I'm going to try and pick up some frozen shrimp if he still hasn't eaten.
 
#22 ·
Could always try frozen blood worms. I've only had two fish decline it. One fish I call frankenstein since he was on his last limb when I rescued him...and he sort of just lays there. Nothing is wrong with him. He doesn't even get excited about food, but I know he eats since I've seen him pick a pellet off the ground when I let it stay.
 
#23 ·
Fuji, the orange male is still not eating. I got some live brine shrimp a few days ago an skyewillows suggestion and he did snap them up, so he has ate. But since then he's refused food again. Wants nothing to do with the pellets or anything else I have tried to give him.

Zababa, the purplish boy is doing great. I think he's always going to be a fighter. He's so cute to watch at feeding time. He'll flare at a pellet before eating it. Every single one. Flare...chop...flare...chop...flare...chop! His fins are visibly growing back and hes very attentive.
 
#24 ·
Ahaha Zababa sounds adorable!!

Did you try soaking the pellets in garlic juice for Fuji?
 
#25 ·
I did. Went and bought 2 cloves of garlic & ran both through the juicer. Still no interest. I just keep trying. Changing things up every now & then. Pellets at least once a day, sometimes soaked & sometime regular. Try the frozen beef heart & mysis shrimp every now and then in addition. Next week I will likely be getting some fresh brine shrimp for the pairs I am conditioning and I will make sure he gets to fill up on those too. Don't know what else to do but keep trying.
 
#26 ·
Ah alrighty then, well I guess just keep trying then. When he's hungry enough he'll eat whatever, he's probably still not feeling great is all :) But I am glad he did eat the Brine shrimp, that's good.
 
#27 ·
Fuji ate! I thought he was on the way to recovering his appetite this morning when I caught him flaring at the pellets. Tonight when they were dropped in he ate! Guess he finally feels safe and secure (or he got hungry enough). So glad he ate and I can stop worrying so much about him.
 
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