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Just took in a possibly sick betta?

777 views 12 replies 6 participants last post by  Iorek 
#1 ·
Hi there! I've been trying to read as much as possible on everything I can do for my Betta, but I figured I'd start a post to get some help on my particular situation. I'm a newbie when it comes to Betta care. I just took home a Betta a few hours ago from my job, I was worried the fish would end up dying in a pet store or get flushed. I assume hes sick due to the way his fins look in comparison to some others Bettas I've seen, maybe I'm wrong. I was going to get a 2.5-3 gal aquarium kit with a heater and all that. Then, I saw some posts on cycling, and I'm not quite sure what to do. Do I wait and cycle the tank, or can I put him right in? I feel guilty not putting him in a nice aquarium all ready, but I don't want to make matters worse. Any input would be much appreciated!

I've attached a photo of him as well.
 

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#2 ·
Cycling a tank that small is a personal preference. Myself, I don't cycle anything under 10g. I would set up his tank with fresh clean treated heated water, slowly adjust him to the change and put him in :) He looks alright to me, but unsure about the black around his fins. Someone with more experience on fin rot should see this and comment. He's a beautiful boy though! Congrats.
 
#4 ·
I do think it's partially his color, but I also think he has the beginnings of fin rot. At this point, I'd just treat it with clean, warm water. If you notice it beginning to spread over the next couple days (keep comparing him to this picture here as a reference point) I would do an aquarium salt treatment. But, I think clean warm water should do the trick. If you get a 2.5 g - 3 g make sure do water changes at least twice a week to keep the water clean and him healing.
 
#6 ·
He will be very happy in that. Make sure you get a heater and a thermometer. Those are very important in ensuring your betta's health and happiness. He is a beautiful boy by the way. :)

At the bare minimum you need something for him to hide in to feel safe and secure as well. Make sure you can fit your thumb in it, if you can't he could get stuck. Also, make sure it's smooth on the inside as well. I bought a decoration once, that I had many others of, and I always run my hand inside, there was a really sharp piece of the decoration that would've impaled my little guy if he'd gone in there. I pulled it out stuck in my thumb.
 
#9 ·
Sometimes when you first get a betta, they won't eat for the first few days. My girl, Winter, didn't eat for about five days when I brought her home. Just keep offering him food, and if he doesn't eat it in 3-4 minutes then remove it so it won't polute his water.

I would also like to recommend API Stress Coat+ water conditioner. It contains aloe vera, which makes fish less stressed. If he does have fin rot, it may also speed the healing process. Whatever you do, avoid BettaFix.

Good luck!
Saphira
 
#10 ·
All of my bettas didnt eat for a week when I got them. I was so stressed and was trying to figure out what is wrong, actually it was just the stress. They got stressed by moving and dont want to eat.

to eliminate the stress, I practically offer them live food(not frozen real live food)



playing with live food make them a little happier. I prefer brine shrimp and worms( be careful about the parazites, I got my live worms from reliable sources)

His tail are looking good to me, because of the stress of new home, he can start to bit his tails as well ( it happened to me once)

Just keep his water warm and clean and he will be fine in no time and he will start to watch your every move :)

He is gorgoes handsome boy :)
 
#11 ·
Thank you every for your help! I'm slowly putting together more and more nice decor for him (i couldn't help but buy the spongebob pineapple hehe). I got a heater in there now as well. I think I'll try getting him the stress coat and see if that helps. I'll update once I do!
 
#12 ·
Yesterday, I did a complete water change, set up the decor better, and finally put in the filter. After all that, my Betta (I finally named him King Neptune) seemed a lot happier, moving around a lot more. I bought Stress Coat and some Bloodworms, today, and he was loving the bloodworms! So glad he finally ate, even without using the stress coat. I wanted to get some opinions on the filter, I'm not sure if it's too strong for my little guy. He seems perfectly fine, but there are times when I see the water coming back into the tank over powers him a bit. There doesn't seem to be a way to slow it down either. Any suggestions on a different filter? Or will this one be okay for now?
 
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