So I got the girl! But is my tank ready for her? Help!

[Roemgie]

Originally Posted by LittleBlueFishlets

Why did you add salt? And how much did you add?

Bettas are sensitive to salt. Too much can harm them.

If you used tap water, it will contain enough 'salt' for her. You do not need to add any more, unless you're treating a specific condition (such as fin rot, etc). And even then, she should only be in it for a few days.

I added AQ salt and it's to help the breath better???? It's not just for sickness and I added less than a tablespoon because I was afraid it would be too much if I added enough for a whole 5 gallon tank.

But its designed to relax them more or just help them breath better

[Myates]

Yes.. and the tank is cycled, so can't do too many big water changes.. but the salt has to go soon. I would recommend either every other day about 20-30% water changes totaling to 4 to 5 water changes all together. Bacteria is in the gravel and filter media, so it shouldn't crash your cycle. No need for AQ salt unless treating..

On that note, she looks like she *may* have a touch of fin rot in her tail.. the coloring is off. Could be wrong though.. keep an eye on it, if the tail isn't deteriorating then it's most likely her color, if it starts to fall apart then it would be rot.. you would want to treat her in a smaller hospital tank as to not ruin your cycle.

[Myates]

You posted while I was typing..

Originally Posted by Roemgie

I added AQ salt and it's to help the breath better???? It's not just for sickness and I added less than a tablespoon because I was afraid it would be too much if I added enough for a whole 5 gallon tank.

But its designed to relax them more or just help them breath better

Bettas are labyrinth organ breathers.. they don't breathe like other fish.. they breathe the air we do.. so AQ salt won't help them breathe. It helps promote gill health, but they don't use them like other fish.

Here is what AQ salt does for a freshwater betta:

Dehydrates them - leads to kidney damage/failure.

The fish/bacteria/parasites (that they always have on them) become resistant to the benefits of the salt, making it so if they do get ich or fin rot, etc.. the salt will be pretty much useless and you will have to use harsh chemicals which can just as easily harm/kill the fish as what the ailment the fish has will do. So being exposed to the salt all the time will make the healing properties useless.

Some freshwater fish can live in slightly salty waters.. some freshwater fish can live for a very short time in salty waters.. this is where the betta lies.. normally 10-14 days is the max you want them exposed to the salt.

I don't think there is anything that "calms" a fish down like that to be honest.. a fish who is comfortable in their environment will be calm. If anything, Stress Coat would be used to help "calm" them.

[Roemgie]

Originally Posted by Myates

Yes.. and the tank is cycled, so can't do too many big water changes.. but the salt has to go soon. I would recommend either every other day about 20-30% water changes totaling to 4 to 5 water changes all together. Bacteria is in the gravel and filter media, so it shouldn't crash your cycle. No need for AQ salt unless treating..

On that note, she looks like she *may* have a touch of fin rot in her tail.. the coloring is off. Could be wrong though.. keep an eye on it, if the tail isn't deteriorating then it's most likely her color, if it starts to fall apart then it would be rot.. you would want to treat her in a smaller hospital tank as to not ruin your cycle.

I don't plan to add anymore but I figured if she had any cuts or was stressed the salt (not added to the required amount of 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons) would help her and its not fin rot, she has red in the middle of her tail


So are you saying that the AQ salt can crash the cycle?

[Roemgie]

Originally Posted by Myates

You posted while I was typing..



Bettas are labyrinth organ breathers.. they don't breathe like other fish.. they breathe the air we do.. so AQ salt won't help them breathe. It helps promote gill health, but they don't use them like other fish.

Here is what AQ salt does for a freshwater betta:

Dehydrates them - leads to kidney damage/failure.

The fish/bacteria/parasites (that they always have on them) become resistant to the benefits of the salt, making it so if they do get ich or fin rot, etc.. the salt will be pretty much useless and you will have to use harsh chemicals which can just as easily harm/kill the fish as what the ailment the fish has will do. So being exposed to the salt all the time will make the healing properties useless.

Some freshwater fish can live in slightly salty waters.. some freshwater fish can live for a very short time in salty waters.. this is where the betta lies.. normally 10-14 days is the max you want them exposed to the salt.

I don't think there is anything that "calms" a fish down like that to be honest.. a fish who is comfortable in their environment will be calm. If anything, Stress Coat would be used to help "calm" them.

Ok so my room is dark so that picture doesn't show the red in her tail as well as I wanted it to.

And I had no idea, I was always told it was helpful to have some salt in the water which is why I added some but not a ton

[Roemgie]

[Myates]

Ah.. I see the coloring.. okay then, not rot :) (She is a pretty grizzled girl, btw)

No, the water changes to remove it could cause it to go wacky.

Forgot to mention aq salt and live plants tend not to go well together either..

You didn't add much, so honestly you don't have to do that many water changes. I guess I got worried for a moment, half distracted here by a pair begging for food next to me lol..

Since it is a small amount you needn't to worry a whole lot right now. I would just do 2 water changes a week for the next couple of weeks - only about 30-40% water each time (only siphoning 1-2x a month since you have live plants).

The amount of salt shouldn't be too much to cause a whole lot of damage anytime soon.. but I would recommend not using it as the dangers with salt + bettas + live plants outweighs any benefits it may have in general.

[Roemgie]

Originally Posted by Myates

Ah.. I see the coloring.. okay then, not rot :) (She is a pretty grizzled girl, btw)

No, the water changes to remove it could cause it to go wacky.

Forgot to mention aq salt and live plants tend not to go well together either..

You didn't add much, so honestly you don't have to do that many water changes. I guess I got worried for a moment, half distracted here by a pair begging for food next to me lol..

Since it is a small amount you needn't to worry a whole lot right now. I would just do 2 water changes a week for the next couple of weeks - only about 30-40% water each time (only siphoning 1-2x a month since you have live plants).

The amount of salt shouldn't be too much to cause a whole lot of damage anytime soon.. but I would recommend not using it as the dangers with salt + bettas + live plants outweighs any benefits it may have in general.

Yeah :) I didn't mean to sound rude about it I just panicked for a minute because I always adopt the sick fish and for once I finally decided to find the prettiest betta and take them home and I was like 'NO!'

Ok I think I read about that today and I was hoping it wasn't true but I'm glad to know!!

And no worries :) I know that feeling!!

So even though I didn't add a whole tablespoon I did come close. And since you've mentioned it (maybe I'm just paranoid) but she's been constantly swimming around. She's also breathing a little heavy (I would imagine from the tons of swimming she didn't get to do before). Should I go ahead and do a water change right now or wait until the morning?? I just want to make sure I don't hurt her!

She's also not swimming around like she's running for her life but she is constantly moving (I know its to be expected since she just got upgraded form cup to 5 gallons in 1.5 hours lol) but I just want to make sure I'm not being to relaxed about an obvious stress sign or something

[MistersMom]

Oh. My. God. You take AMAZING photo's, Your fish and tank are gorgeous..!

[Kuro]

she's so pretty! she must be loving all the new space after being in that cup at petco. have you thought of a name for her yet?