Another Rescue Attempt *Help appreciated*

[Meggie6347]

Hey everyone...so I bought a baby betta from petco (I hate it so much...them selling babies) a month or two ago...she was in extremely bad shape...I didn't expect her to make it, I just wanted her to have a good home at least if she was going to die...she didn't end up making it.

Well we went to petco today and lo and behold there was a rack of baby bettas Funny enough, it was my little sister who convinced me to try to rescue one of them...so we picked this one because it kept following us around and looking at us...it seemed the most aware (which I always look for in bettas..it usually means a more social one)...

She is in an improvised setup right now, not ideal, but better than she was in before. Unfortunately, we really can't get another bowl or tank right now. (I already have 5 downstairs...they have started invading my mom's kitchen )

Anyway, I popped my breeder net into my ten gallon..the ten gallon is planted and extremely low-stocked right now, so I didn't think it would be a problem. I upped the temp a little bit, just to 80...a little on the high side I think for the fish I have in there, but they will be fine and the baby really needs it. After acclimating her, I put her in the net and threw some extra floating plants on top.

Unless my mom won't let me give her away if she makes it (which has happened several times...she gets attached to my rescues ) I am planning on rehoming her...if she makes it. (Don't worry, I'll wait until she has grown a reasonable amount).

I will try to get some bloodworms or brine shrimp into her either tonight or tomorrow.

Any help and suggestions are greatly appreciated! I would really like to try to save this one!

Sorry for the bad pictures, you really can't see her/him very well through the net.

Thanks for looking!
Meg





You can *kind of* see her in this one


Petco really needs to cut out selling baby bettas...it's just horrible. Luckily they keep the cups pretty clean (which is better for the adults, but still in no way acceptable for babies). I think they just feed them crushed up pellets, too...Their water is cold. I hate it

[Gracie8890]

Good for you for saving her! I know nothing about betta babies but ill give the "moral" support! Lol

[Meggie6347]

Haha thank you! I don't know much about babies, which is why I need help! Haha :) But I figured anything would be better than that cold, dirty cup...and I do know some basics. I really hope this setup is okay for her!

Thank you for your reply!

[aokashi]

Is she sick already? or are you just rescuing her from petco? baby betta arw not all that hard to keep alive. as long as you get a few things right.

1. temperature. atleast 82F up to 86F
2. food. must be nutritious. New life specturm Grow formula is pretty good. Feed it a few meals a day. make sure its stomach looks nice and full.
3. water. needs to be changes out often.... probably twice or three times as often as your are doin now.

[Meggie6347]

Thank you! She doesn't seem sick, but she doesn't look all that healthy...

The temperature right now is at 80...I will look up to see if the fish I have in the ten gallon can handle 82...if so, I will raise it.

I will try to go to the store to pick up that food you are talking about, but until then will bloodworms or brine shrimp be okay if I can get her t eat them?

How often do you suggest I clean the water I the tank?

Thank you for you help!

[Creat]

Hikari fancy guppy food is also good and accepted by babies :) And chop up the bloodworms fine and they can eat them. As long as the tank is clean that is a fine way to keep her/ him ( do you know if its a girl yet?). If your tank is cycled just clean it 1/4 every week depending on the stock. And I agree when I worked with petco when they started selling the babies we told them about how the customers do not like looking at dead babies and we cant keep them alive like that and they stopped sending so many ( from like 30 -5 babies). >.>

[aokashi]

the water changes are to promote growth more than cleaning :)

[MaggieLynn]

Right now I am on my second baby the first one passed within a week :( but my sammy is doing good. I agree warm clean water is very good my tank is about 80 at night and 86 ish during the day, offer food often and like stated look for the full tummy. I feed Sammy micro pellets from Hikari right now the tropical ones in the purple and before with Jillian I had bought Hikari first bites its in a green pack. This is basically a powder it is so fine but will be big enough for your baby to find and eat its atleast something I have never tried blood worms but hope to soon. I think the hardest part is getting the babies to eat. as long as you have clean water and at a toasty temp just get the little sweety to eat and if all goes well you will be golden

Also clean water and water changes are good to do because I find most petco babies have major ammonia burns which is sad. I almost want to from now on just buy the babies because then they at least have a better chance of surviving you know being taken care of by an experience keeper

[Creat]

Sorry for the double post I forgot to add...
If your other fish cant go past 80* I would recommend getting a half gal container with a mini heater and doing 100% water changes everyday

[MaggieLynn]

^ agreed, petco has mini flat heaters for under gravel for around $10, in a 1/2 gal which my baby is in it keeps the temp around 80 more with a cover and a light. Turkey basters work really well for water changes in small tanks and you dont have to remove the fish from the tank.