New Owner

[FearlessLiter]

Hi, everyone. I have never owned a betta fish. I bought one last week from PetCo (all of their fish looked really good). I was very impressed with his beauty and health and he is doing very well! He has so much vitality and charm! He makes me happy and I love him. His name is Horatio and he's either blue, green, or both, depending on the angle. He has a small tank (1 gallon, I think) with a heater, thermometer, filter, gravel, structure, and lighting. I have seen him blow bubbles and noticed this morning there were a few small patches of bubbles at the top of his tank.

Well, I went to Wal-mart yesterday and saw a little guy in cloudy water, his back was bent at what can be exagerated to be a 90 degree angle. His fins were close together (not fanned out at all) and he exhibited no activity. The exact opposite of the fish at petco. I took him home and named him Quasimodo. He looks like he has both scoliosis and sclerosis. I put him in a vase (I know! It's all I have! I promise I'll get him something better within my budget!) with spring water, some gravel, a heater, and a thermometer. His fins are now a bit more fanned out and his back less hunched. I have seen him blow bubbles. (To what extent is this a good sign? I doubt he's making a bubble nest in his condition). He has definitely perked up, but still look sickly and swims slowly, though I am glad to see him swimming at all. He is also finger shy. I have fed him and he ate, though it took it a while for him to do so and he didn't eat much. He has a black body, crimson fins, and blue scales on his anterior and some some blue on his dorsal fin. Help me help him.
Both heaters are self regulated, so they're not on all the time.

Quasimodo in Wal-mart conditions.

Horatio

Quasimodo relocated.

[fleetfish]

Oh goodness .. Horatio is my dream betta right there! He's gorgeous! I'm looking for a doubletail like him.

For Quasimodo, it looks like he might have a disease called Ich, little white spots all over his body. It's very common and it can be treated simply by using a heater have having pristine water - DAILY water changes, also adding a pinch of aquarium salt and black water extract, 82 degrees for temp, and a bubbler. In time he'll perk up and start feeling well enough to eat. He has such a sweet little face. Alot of bettas are finger shy at first, so just be patient with him.

[luv2run21]

aww there so cute

[FearlessLiter]

Thanks for the info and comments! Good luck finding another Horatio! I'm going out later today to get some things for Quasimodo. However, what is a bubbler? (I'm VERY new to this) How important is the 82 degrees? He's currently in 75+ degrees. His current heater claims to regulate at 78 degrees, which so far seems true. I have another little heater that can raise the temperature about 5 degrees. Also, I went out to inspect Quasimodo for Ich and I noticed at the tips of his fins, there is something like tiny masses of 'lent' there. Is this Ich or something else? How can I prevent Horatio from catching this?
I look forward to learning from you all soon!

[fleetfish]

A bubbler looks sort of like this:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/tc-photos/11...ard/504519.jpg

It would just add some oxygen for Quasimodo since ich hates oxygen, and also keeping the temp at around 82 is also an enemy of ich. Cottony growths make me think of either fungus or columnaris (both treatable, but it can be tricky!). You might want to go to the disease section of the forum for some quicker answers. :)

Keeping up with waterchanges is the best preventative measure out there for a healthy fishy.