Another Rescue Attempt *Help appreciated*

[Meggie6347]

Creat: That's wonderful that you got them to stock less...better than nothing!

I can't tell if it's a male or female yet...so I'm just going to call it a her .but even today there has been a noticable color difference! I can only look down on her, as the breeder net is hard to see through, but I can see some color.

The baby just seems to be happily swimming about (which is a good sign...my last one didn't swim at all and ended up dying)...I fed her some bloodworms a few times today, just one or two at a time...I tried making them smaller, but I accidentally let a big one slip through the medicine tube...and she ate it! She might have swam around for 5 minutes with it sticking through her mouth, but she eventually got it down...she is just gobbling up the bloodworms like crazy! I will feed her brine shrimp maybe tomorrow and try to pick up some suitable food for her (unless bloodworms/brine shrimp are suitable until she is old enough for pellets?)

Like I said, my stocking in my ten gallon is very low...long story as to why it's so empty...1 half grown balloon molly, 3 amano shrimp, and 3 pygmy cories (plus an overload of snails, and 7 assassin snails to help take care of them!) It is pretty well planted, as you can kind of see from the pictures...plus loads of floating plants that you can't see in the pictures. And it is pretty heavily filtered (the filter is meant for a thirty gallon I think). With that information, could you maybe suggest a good cleaning schedule while I have the baby in here?

Thank you for your help! Any more suggestions would be wonderful! Any way I can make her home more comfortable? Or is it good the way it is with just some floating plants and know gravel in it (to make it easy to clean out extra food)..?

Thank you all! I will keep you updated!
Meg

Edit: I posted and then saw 3 more comments! I am pretty sure that what I have in there can handle 82 degrees...any opinions on that before I raise it? I don't think she has any ammonia burns, but then again it is hard to see through this net...

I really appreciate all of your comments!

[Creat]

Just floating plants is fine and like said water changes are mostly to remove the hormones that are produced that stunt growth water changes remove it. The 1/4 water change would be about average to me but I would caution doing large water changes a lot in a big tank it could recycle the tank and kill not just the baby but the other fish... so less water is helpful and easier in the long run but for now I would do little water changes maybe 1/8 every 2 days ...

[laynisample]

I would raise the temp. From what I've read about breeding I've heard that the best foods for babies are live or frozen foods. I heard freeze dried isn't all that good, but people chop up bloodworms and give them to their babies all the time it seems.

[Meggie6347]

Okay, that sounds good...I'll do a mini water change tomorrow then, or tonight. And after my workout I will also up the temp another two degrees....my fish should be fine. I've treated them for ich before by raising the temp to about 84-86, so they should be find with 82...

Oh and I forgot to say: all of my bloodworms/brine shrimp are frozen! I don't own freeze dried foods :) I have also not heard great things about them...

When I was feeding the baby betta bloodworms inside her net, my molly was watching me like O_o "seriously?" and was trying to eat them from *outside* the net...so I was nice and gave her some too...haha :)

[Creat]

Be sure to chop them! I have had babies choke on to large a worm before :)

[Sena Hansler]

poor molly: "SHARE!!!"

Anyways, frozen and live really are the best, but I am pretty sure everyone else pretty much covered everything :) with my stunted rescues I have had - some that were the size of your young baby actually (full grown stunted) along with my larger fry, I fed frozen, crushed pellets, and whatever live foods I could get I used.

[Meggie6347]

Alrighty, quick update: I have been feeding her alternating [frozen] bloodworms and brine shrimp. She seems to LOVE them. The other day I couldn't get her to eat...I got a little worried, but I proceeded to feed the fish outside her ned the food that would have been hers...when she saw the other fish eating, she wigged out and ate immediately when I tried to feed her again... Like *Okay! Big fish are eating, guess I will too!* Hehe

Her color continues to brighten, can't tell if she has grown at all yet, but I guess it hasn't been long enough to tell...

I will try to get a picture next time I clean out her net because you can't really see through the net enough to take a picture.

Water temp is still at 82. Water clean. I am very happy she is still here with me and seems to be improving

Thank you all for your help! I will try to do a picture update soon!

[bettalover2000]

She's really cute and you seem like a good owner. Just be sure to watch for signs of sickness, because if she's sharing water with other fish, it might spread.

[Meggie6347]

Thank you, Bettalover!

I have been keeping a close eye, they all seem healthy! And I have had this tank for 4-5 years, so it is pretty well established although all the dumb pest snails keep POOPING ALL OVER THE NET! So much so that i can't see through it! :O