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Please help me with my new betta

874 views 20 replies 5 participants last post by  lilnaugrim 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi Everyone,

I am a first time fish owner and need advice. I have fallen into the trap of following my local pet stores advice that setting up my tank 1 week prior to getting my betta was enough time. From looking on here I am now very worried as my tank is not cycled. I really don't want this to harm my beautiful new male betta Jasper. I have a 5 gallon tank with silk plants, a betta hammock, gravel, log cave at the bottom, betta floating log, filter, heater set at just under 80f. I also have a 3d background as my tank had an internal mirror on the back I wanted to cover so I didnt stress my new baby. I got Jasper 3 days ago and I bought a testing kit 2 days ago and the readings were ammonia 1.0, nitrate 500, nitrite 25, GH 250, KH 180 and PH 7.6. As the levels were so high I looked online and saw that 30% water changes will help. I done a 30% fish in water only change using water conditioner as I did the week prior to getting him. This brought the levels to ammonia 0.5, nitrate 250, nitrite 20, GH 250, KH 180 and PH 7.6. These are still so high, I'm so worried about Jasper. Does anyone have any advice please?

Despite the water condition Jasper seems so so happy. He is eating 2-3 betta pellets in the morning and he has a small amount of frozen brine shrimp or frozen mosquito larvae for dinner. He swims over to me for his food and eats the pellets from my finger. I soak the pellets in tank water first because he was having trouble eating them dry. He loves to explore the tank and sleeps on his hammock or in his log. He is still a bit nervous of me and will swim away from my finger when I hold it on the glass. I don't think he is 100% comfortable with me yet. Hopefully when he learns I'm not a threat he will follow my finger across the glass. I love him so much already I really want to do what's best for him.

I also put some stress protect in the tank before I got him to help with the change.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, thank you :-D
 
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#2 ·
Hi there GemmaT! Glad you found us :D

There is a product that Tetra sells called Tetra Safe Start, what it does is let your tank cycle for two weeks to complete the cycle but it keeps your Betta safe while it works it's magic. I kept my lights off while doing this to my 5.5 gallon so that it wouldn't stress out my boy further and lo and behold, two weeks later my tank was cycled! After that two week period, I suggest doing a 50% water change to get out any of the excess poo and stuff that sits in the gravel. From there on out you can continue with a weekly cleaning schedule :D For my 5.5 I usually do a small change like 20% on Wednesday and Saturday gets the full 50% again.

I hope that helps!

It also usually takes some time for a Betta to settle into it's new home, sometimes they've taken a day and suddenly they're all colored up and playful! But my longest was Rembrandt (my avatar pic), he took a month! He wouldn't eat during that time either, but I think it was mostly my fault since I left the lights on a lot longer than I should have (sometimes a full 48 hour cycle when I wasn't home). But after that he ate and he does tricks for me now! Betta's are such wonderful creatures :D

I'd love to see pictures of Jasper too!
 
#6 ·
Glad I found you too!
Thankyou, i will try to get to my pet shop asap. Is it similar to filter aid?
I think because im new to keepingfish whenever he is just chilling out i freak out and think hes ill!
I have been changing the water reguarly so levels dont become too high and i put anti stress in there and anti ammonia.
I am on my laptop now so will try and put up a pic, my camera isnt very good though because im only using my phone :)

Hi there GemmaT! Glad you found us :D

There is a product that Tetra sells called Tetra Safe Start, what it does is let your tank cycle for two weeks to complete the cycle but it keeps your Betta safe while it works it's magic. I kept my lights off while doing this to my 5.5 gallon so that it wouldn't stress out my boy further and lo and behold, two weeks later my tank was cycled! After that two week period, I suggest doing a 50% water change to get out any of the excess poo and stuff that sits in the gravel. From there on out you can continue with a weekly cleaning schedule :D For my 5.5 I usually do a small change like 20% on Wednesday and Saturday gets the full 50% again.

I hope that helps!

It also usually takes some time for a Betta to settle into it's new home, sometimes they've taken a day and suddenly they're all colored up and playful! But my longest was Rembrandt (my avatar pic), he took a month! He wouldn't eat during that time either, but I think it was mostly my fault since I left the lights on a lot longer than I should have (sometimes a full 48 hour cycle when I wasn't home). But after that he ate and he does tricks for me now! Betta's are such wonderful creatures :D

I'd love to see pictures of Jasper too!
 
#3 ·
Hi Everyone,

I am a first time fish owner and need advice. I have fallen into the trap of following my local pet stores advice that setting up my tank 1 week prior to getting my betta was enough time. From looking on here I am now very worried as my tank is not cycled. I really don't want this to harm my beautiful new male betta Jasper. I have a 5 gallon tank with silk plants, a betta hammock, gravel, log cave at the bottom, betta floating log, filter, heater set at just under 80f. I also have a 3d background as my tank had an internal mirror on the back I wanted to cover so I didnt stress my new baby. I got Jasper 3 days ago and I bought a testing kit 2 days ago and the readings were ammonia 1.0, nitrate 500, nitrite 25, GH 250, KH 180 and PH 7.6.
I think there may be something wrong with your test kit. I find it very odd that your nitrate levels are so high (anything over 100 is really pushing it), especially since the tank hasn't been set up long. You shouldn't even be getting a nitrate reading yet. I also find your nitrite reading bizarre - with 20ppm, your fish should be dead.

As the levels were so high I looked online and saw that 30% water changes will help. I done a 30% fish in water only change using water conditioner as I did the week prior to getting him. This brought the levels to ammonia 0.5, nitrate 250, nitrite 20, GH 250, KH 180 and PH 7.6. These are still so high, I'm so worried about Jasper. Does anyone have any advice please?
Once again, check your nitrate and nitrite, because those are wacky numbers. Good job on doing a change - I would continue with 50% changes every time the ammonia gets above 0.5ppm.

Despite the water condition Jasper seems so so happy. He is eating 2-3 betta pellets in the morning and he has a small amount of frozen brine shrimp or frozen mosquito larvae for dinner.
His diet sounds great. :)

He swims over to me for his food and eats the pellets from my finger. I soak the pellets in tank water first because he was having trouble eating them dry. He loves to explore the tank and sleeps on his hammock or in his log. He is still a bit nervous of me and will swim away from my finger when I hold it on the glass. I don't think he is 100% comfortable with me yet. Hopefully when he learns I'm not a threat he will follow my finger across the glass. I love him so much already I really want to do what's best for him.
My male fish are all wusses and swam away from my finger their whole lives. My females are generally a bit bolder (and angrier!). :) Sounds like you are doing everything right!

I also put some stress protect in the tank before I got him to help with the change.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, thank you :-D
Everything sounds great so far (apart from those odd readings)! Pictures? :)
 
#7 ·
Everything sounds great so far (apart from those odd readings)! Pictures? :)
Its so strange because a few people hae mentioned the readings being off! I have a king british testing kit with strips inside and they change colour and then give you numbers based on which colour came up. I bought the most expensive testing kit thinking it would be the best but it seems not! Im going to do 50% water changes every couple of days. Its so odd because Jasper will follow my finger on the surface of the water but gets so scared when i put my fingeron the glass. I chose him over the other bettas in the pet shop because he was the only one that followed my finger! lol.
Thankyou for youre feedback, i will try to get photos up now :)
 
#5 ·
Do 50% water changes or more, every single day. Your tank is cycling, and levels like that might not kill him now but they can affect his life-span.

Try and get ahold of a product by Seachem called 'Prime' it renders ammonia/nitrite non-toxic for 48 hours, but even with that keep up with water changes.

Have you checked you tap water for nitrates? That could be a reason for the high numbers.

Look into getting API's liquid master test kit, it's about $20 on amazon and very reliable.

Good luck. :)
 
#9 ·
Not a problem Gemma! We were all young fishkeepers at some point :)

Yeah, usually strips aren't the best for accurate readings. I don't know if you can get it, but I love the API Master Liquid Test Kit, it's not terribly expensive either (well, it's reasonable lol)

And yes, doing those water changes is good. And no, Tetra Safe Start is not the same as Filter Aid. I had to look up what Filter Aid was lol, for what I can tell it just helps remove cloudiness from water by just adding some extra filter media for the water to go through.

Tetra Safe Start is like a guard for your fish. It protects your fish from levels of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. It allows your tank to cycle safely while your fish is in there. You don't need to use it, but it does help a little bit and it was nice because I knew my fish was a little safer.

But doing 50% changes whenever the levels get too high is good as well, it will keep your little guy safe :) And don't worry, some are lazy! So laying around isn't too bad unless he's turned pale, laying on his side, breathing heavy, etc. Of course sometimes it's confusing too because I had one Betta that, when he slept, he would breath very heavily and I figured out that it was just kind of like a Betta "snore" lol, it became cute after I made sure he wasn't sick XD
 
#10 ·
The lady in the pet shop told me that filter aid puts benifical bacteria into the filter to help the cycling process. I dont want to go by her word though because she is thereason i didnt cycle my tank befor getting Jas. I will look for another testing kit and the tetra safe start. Hopefully its in the uk! Your betta sounds cute. Jasper is very lazy in that case. He hasnt grasped how to lie on his hammock correctly and trys to balance on the sucker lol. I hate that he is scared of me, i hope he warms up soon. He spends most of the time in his floating log. He hasnt been eating too much, i spend ages trying to show him where the food is and when he eventually builds up the courage to come near me the food drops to the bottom and he cant find it! Either thst or he spits it out! Maybe he is full or being picky.

:)
Not a problem Gemma! We were all young fishkeepers at some point :)

Yeah, usually strips aren't the best for accurate readings. I don't know if you can get it, but I love the API Master Liquid Test Kit, it's not terribly expensive either (well, it's reasonable lol)

And yes, doing those water changes is good. And no, Tetra Safe Start is not the same as Filter Aid. I had to look up what Filter Aid was lol, for what I can tell it just helps remove cloudiness from water by just adding some extra filter media for the water to go through.

Tetra Safe Start is like a guard for your fish. It protects your fish from levels of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. It allows your tank to cycle safely while your fish is in there. You don't need to use it, but it does help a little bit and it was nice because I knew my fish was a little safer.

But doing 50% changes whenever the levels get too high is good as well, it will keep your little guy safe :) And don't worry, some are lazy! So laying around isn't too bad unless he's turned pale, laying on his side, breathing heavy, etc. Of course sometimes it's confusing too because I had one Betta that, when he slept, he would breath very heavily and I figured out that it was just kind of like a Betta "snore" lol, it became cute after I made sure he wasn't sick XD
 
#11 ·
Okay, that's still good, it's just not the same thing that TSS does.

And don't worry! He's just getting used to his new home and how much space he now has! Some of my Betta's have only taken a day to get used to their new home while others have taken up to a month! And don't worry, they can live a long time without food, it's not necessarily healthy, but they can do it.

Make sure you scoop out the uneaten food if he doesn't go for it within a minute or so, or just before it sinks. Getting a brand new, or never-seen-soap Turkey Baster would be really good, I use them all the time for my Betta's! Either taking out uneaten food or picking out poo during the week :)

You'll probably have to get those items online, because I have a sinking feeling that they aren't in the UK :) But as we had stated, TSS isn't essential! It just helps, but if you're willing to do 50% water changes every few days or so, then that's just as good!

Oh and going back to the Filter Aid, it's still good to have if you want it. You can add the correct amount in every time you do a WC, you can never have too much Beneficial Bacteria! :D
 
#12 ·
In the pet shop he was actually in a 5 gal. It was very overcrowded with about 30 neon tetras! all they had was gravel!

I think i may get the filter aid. It might speed up the process. It will probably take a while to cycle as i am doing lots of wc. I think the anti-stress liquid i have seems good for him too. It has aloe and vitamin c and prevents against illness and poor water.

When he first went i the tank 2 days ago he was a little explorer, now he isnt bothered! :cool:
Okay, that's still good, it's just not the same thing that TSS does.

And don't worry! He's just getting used to his new home and how much space he now has! Some of my Betta's have only taken a day to get used to their new home while others have taken up to a month! And don't worry, they can live a long time without food, it's not necessarily healthy, but they can do it.

Make sure you scoop out the uneaten food if he doesn't go for it within a minute or so, or just before it sinks. Getting a brand new, or never-seen-soap Turkey Baster would be really good, I use them all the time for my Betta's! Either taking out uneaten food or picking out poo during the week :)

You'll probably have to get those items online, because I have a sinking feeling that they aren't in the UK :) But as we had stated, TSS isn't essential! It just helps, but if you're willing to do 50% water changes every few days or so, then that's just as good!

Oh and going back to the Filter Aid, it's still good to have if you want it. You can add the correct amount in every time you do a WC, you can never have too much Beneficial Bacteria! :D
 
#13 ·
Lol cutie, he might just be a picky eater as you said ^^ Sometimes they just don't want to eat, or don't like what you have. A little variety in his diet certainly won't hurt, they can get bored with the same things over and over again, but of course it's probably just because he's still getting used to his new home or a picky eater haha

Yeah that Anti-Stress stuff does sound good! Wish my StressCoat had Vitamins in it! Alas, it only has aloe :) But it works all the same and I'm happy for that.

I am uncertain if those things like Filter Aid or anything that adds beneficial bacteria will really "speed" up the process. But it does ensure that you will always have a good stock of BB, many times the BB can die off if there isn't an adequate source of food for them, like ammonia to start it off. Which is why usually we need a fish to cycle the tank, although there are ways now to do it without your fish! Fishless cycling is usually the fastest way to cycle (a little hard when you already have your fish, but good for future reference) your tank.

Also, maybe it's possible to ask your LFS for some Filter media, their tanks should be well established by now (unless they are a new store) and sometimes they will give you some old media for you to use. It's called "seeded" material and that will definitely help your cycle by already having a nice colony of BB. Of course, don't let it dry out if you do get some, letting it dry out will kill the BB.

Although sometimes it can be risky getting it from a store because they might have diseases that you don't know about and can infect your fish. So that's why it's most suggested to use your own old media, but of course that's very hard to do if this is your fish tank lol. But for a future tank you will now know! :D
 
#14 ·
I do give him a variety of foods but he just looks at it, sometimes he will eat. I would defo do fish less next time. Poor little Jasper shouldn't have to go through this :-(
When I woke up thismorning he was floating in the corner of his tank blowing tiny bubbles. So cute!
How do you know if you're betta is happy? It's very hard for me to tell! I read about old media and was going to get some from my Nans tank but her fish have fin rot so didn't in the end. The pet shop I went to seemed to have alot of sick fish so don't really trust that either!
 
#15 ·
Ah gotcha, well that stinks then. But just keeping up on the water changes every time the levels get high is the best thing you can do for him right now :)

It actually has not been proven if fish even experience emotions as we do, we can speculate however, if they are happy or what we think should be happy. Generally a "happy" Betta is an active one, one who wants to eat food and will "greet" you when you come up to the tank. However that can be untrue as well since many Betta's are lazy lol, they still eat but don't care too much to move or greet you. But don't worry, it seems like Jasper is happy to me, he's just getting used to his new home still.
 
#17 ·
Not a problem! :D If you've got other questions feel free to ask on here or make a different thread about :) We all love to help out, it's the reason we're here! ^^
 
#18 ·
I have just got home from work and one of my bettas ventral fins is curling upward. His fins also look slightly droopy and he doesn't swim around that much and stays at the top in his floating log. He isn't eating either. I've been changing the water lots. What do you think I should do? I'm so worried :-(
 
#19 ·
Curling is either from over exposure to Ammonia or hard water. If you know your water is hard (there's also a liquid test from API that shows you what your water is) you can add a piece of driftwood to the tank to soften it, it also releases tannins which are good for the Bettas. But it will also decrease your pH level, making it more acidic. But Betta's will get used to any pH level and it doesn't decrease it rapidly, it's just over time.

Don't use the pH down/up because it will harm your fish with how fast it drops/raises the pH and then it will only swing right back in the other direction once it wears off or you do a water change.

Do you have a tester for ammonia at least? That would probably be the best thing to get for him so that you can tell when the ammonia is getting too high and you need to do a water change.

However, the fin curling won't effect them in anyway but I don't believe it goes away very easily either. Two of my boy's have their Ventral's curled. Mercury's were curled before I got him but have straightened out a little bit since being in his new home. And then Rembrandt started his little fin curl about two weeks ago when I had an Ich outbreak. But as long as you keep your tank clean, there's not much else you can do for them :/

I'm still convinced that he's stressed from the move, try keeping his lights off all day and all night for a day or two. Having less light and less noises help them when they are Stressed to calm down :) And if he doesn't want to eat, don't force him to, he'll come around after a few days of not having food. :)
 
#21 ·
Okay, just making sure ^^

He'll come around, don't worry! You're doing great though!
 
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