Craigslist Betta

[Barbgirl]

Hi Everyone!!

I am getting my first Betta tomorrow! It is not my first tank, I mostly keep shrimp, but I have always wanted to try one and found this guy for free on craigslist, so I said Hey! perfect! and I didn't want him going to anyone that would continue to keep in the half gallon tank without a heater! Trust me it is coooooold up here in New England right now.

But to get to the point I was sent here to you guys from theplantedtank because something is up with his fins and I am thinking fin rot but just wanted to make sure. I am terrible at uploading pictures so I am just going to put the link in :}


The tank he will be going into is a 2.5 gallon moss tank with some driftwood that has been thoroughly checked for rough edges. It is fully cycled (housed endlers for a while)


http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=198510

[soady]

The tank you want to make his home sounds good. It is definitely fin rot. You can find out how to treat fin rot on this forum so I'm not gonna post instructions. He should recover easily. Good luck! :)

[Laki]

Yikes.
congrats on him! He's beautiful.. Well, he will be once that rot is cleared up.

Warm clean water is #1.
Then you want to premix 1tsp. aquarium salt per gallon (this stuff is so cheap at places like walmart in pet section- just make sure its aquarium salt and not marine or table salt). Mix it all up and then use it as his water for 10 days- changing it DAILY (this would mean mixing water daily with water conditioner and the aq salt)
Get on ebay and look up indian almond leaf too. They're so cheap it's unbelievable and they're a must have for bettas. When they arrive, always keep one in the tank (it tans the water which is the perfect ideal environment for bettas) and acts as an antibiotic. Cannot overdose either.

[Barbgirl]

Got my new boy today!

His fins are pretty tattered but he definitely has an attitude!
Because I don't want to risk the moss in my 2.5, I am thinking that I will keep him in the half gallon he came in just for the 10 days that I am adding salt.

For the IAL I know in the shrimp world they are interchangeable with northern oak leaves which is what I use to add tannins and low pH and create a blackwater type, is it the same with Bettas?

[Shadyr]

Yes, Oak leaves are a good tannin source too. The IALs are supposed to have other healthy properties for bettas too, (anti fungal, immune boost, anti-bacterial) but I don't know where to seperate fact from fiction on that, nor if Oak has those same properties.

[Barbgirl]

[Shadyr]

Oy, little bit of fin rot there to be sure, but looks like you might have a tail biter on your hands. Once the rot is fixed and you put him in his newer and more spacious digs, that might take care of itself. I hope

He's pretty though!

[Barbgirl]

Thanks! This site has been great!

Hopefully he isn't a tail biter *crosses fingers* but if he is then that means more research research research on here. And I willing to do everything needed for him :)

[Shadyr]

Tail biting seems to be mostly stress/environmental in nature, so if fishy is happy and in a place he likes, it should be minimal. My halfmoon was a pretty pretty peacock till I had to take him home to make sure he got fed with my others while we went on vacation. He did not approve of his temporary home and half his pretty tail was shredded by the time we got back. Since going back to *his* home...not a nip.

[Laki]

Okay, so you know about blackwater- yes :) Bettas LOVE it!!
He will fancy up nice and fine with some TLC. With some of the heavier finned bettas, like halfmoons, tail biting can be a psychological thing.. Like once they start they can't stop in some cases bc they find it easier to swim. So be careful with any filter/currents in the water.