how long die sit take for a betta to heal?

[rich e rich]

Hello,

I just brought my betta back to life by providing better facilities (pump and filter, better room temperature). And it's doing well.

But it still doesn't look like the full betta when I first bought it, still a little down looking, with a thin clear stripe on its side.

How long would it take for the betta, provided that I change 50% water twice a week, to return to its fully healthy and beautiful state?

yeeh mon

[ChoclateBetta]

How big is the tank any decorations what is the temp 78-82F is best you need a heater because in the average home the temp changes and most people except me do not keep their room tropical temp.

[LadyVictorian]

Do you have a heater? Why had he gotten sick before or what had happened to him that made him poor off? How many times do you clean the tank a week? What is the tank size? What kind of filter do you have? What are you feeding him? And lastly for now was he previously ill from something he needed to be treated for?

[rich e rich]

Hi, thanks for the replies. Its a 5 gallon tank. My kast thread was " Betta fish being lame". It was sticking to the top of the tank with its fins closed. So I changed all the water and put in a filter, and it swims about well now. But I still notice that it doesn't flare up at mirrors, fins are a little closed this morning (it was flowing and open last night). I feed it a few tiny betta pellets 3 times a day. Is this too much food?

[rich e rich]

**sticking to one spot at the top of the tank I mean

[rich e rich]

room temp is trpoical coutry temperature, no AC

[TheCheese909]

Tank temperature goes down at night (no sun to heat it) and with fluctuate during the day. A heater is needed to keep the tank at an even temperature.

Some Bettas do not like to flare at mirrors and will just look at themselves, swim away or try to look at you instead.

There is a difference between fins being droopy and sticking together. When they are droopy, that's normal. Can you provide photos so we can see if he is sick at all?

3 pellets a day is fine so long as he does not look bloated and if he looks very thin you can feed him more, usually up to 5. I'm able to feed some of my Bettas 7 or 8 pellets without them looking fat/bloated at all.

A stripe down the side of the body usually indicates a stressed fish. Do you have lots of soft plants and decorations for him to hide in? Bettas do not like to feel like they are in the open and love to swim in and through plants and decor. It makes them feel safe and happy.

50% water changes twice a week is okay, but it would be fine to do them once a week as well so long as he's just stressed and not actually sick. If it's just from stress you can do a 50% water changes for two weeks then 100% every third week. This is how I clean my 5 gallon aquariums and my fish are fine with it.

You can also try looking for API Stress Coat+, which is a water conditioner and a stress reliever for fish. You should be able to find it at your local pet store.

[rich e rich]

I'll get photos up when asap. It's swimming around alot. It has some plants and decorations to hide in.

Thanks for the advice TheCheese909, funny name, lol, you like cheese? I don't, i'm vegetarian.

I saw the API Stress Coat +. Do you think that their product for bettas is a better buy?

I had a plant, comething like this:
http://www.thatpetplace.com/Myriophy...n-myrio-208896

I seemed to be dying, as the leaves were becoming pale and dead looking. The tank is not in the sun, but inside. Do all live plants require the sun? If not, what is a good plant to put that does not require sunlight?

[rich e rich]

excuse the type errors

[TheCheese909]

I do like cheese lol, and they have vegetarian/vegan cheese as well that's also really yummy.

Live plants do require special treatment and some like sun light more then others. I'm not the one to ask about live plant care as I really only keep Marimo moss balls, which are great to have in a Betta tank.
( http://www.ebay.com/itm/Marimo-Moss-...-/250843581936 - the ones for sale here are super tiny though)

API Stress Coat+ is GREAT for Bettas! Many of the users here use have given up their old water conditioner and started using this instead.

If it's dying then it should be removed from the tank. With it rotting in the water it could be what's making your fish ill.

You should easily be able to find some silk plants for him like what are in the attached photo. I found mine at PetCo, but they can also be found at PetSmart and any local fish store. They look good, are soft so they don't tear fins and are easier to take care of then live plants.