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He was only small, but he taught me alot

895 views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  dr2b 
#1 ·
Axl has certainly made an impact and now after having him i know now how to better take care of my future pet store rescues and cant wait to find my next one, after properly cycling the tank.

What do i look for when choosing a new Betta?

How would i clean everything so i know none of the viruses survive and attack the new fish? run everything under hot water?

although i dont know what caused his last sickness, read that it has been linked to feeding live foods, even if they're frozen?. so was it the frozen bloodworms i tried to give him, even though he took no notice. Will these be safe to feed the Oscar so they're not wasted?
 
#2 ·
There is a very small risk that a betta will get sick after eating freeze-dried bloodworms. Especially if they are fed no more than 2 times a week (recommended). Bettas are alot more likely to get diesases from live worms. I somewhat doubt it was the FDBW. It isn't really a 'worm' at all. It is misquito larvae.

"what do I look for when choosing a new betta?" Well, are you trying to rescue the really sick ones or are you trying to get a (relatively) healthy one? For the first, it is easy to tell when a betta is sick (most times). Second, if you want a healthy one, those are the ones that will have alot of energy. They will generally be a little smaller than some, but they wont look like they are starving. Inspect the face, gills, fins, and body for ich, fungus, bacterial infections, hemoraging, cottony patches, flexibactor, pop-eye, etc.

To clean and sanitize a tank, I would just run it under hot water for a while (unless the tank is plastic!). After the hot water, it is a good idea to leave it outside for afew hours, if you have access (and your neiboor's dog wont eat it). After that, I think it is Ok, but if anyone else on the thread has another suggestion, please suggest it!

Good luck with your next rescue!
 
#3 ·
I bleach everything after a tank or jar has been inected. I use a 1 part bleach, 20 parts water solution. You should boil the gravel...toss out the filter cartridges and media (replaceable), and soak anything glass or plastic in the bleach solution. Dump out, rinse rinse rinse rinse rinse rinse rinse rinse rinse rinse...like at least 20 times very well. Luckily bleach washes off plastic and glass easily.
 
#4 ·
Someone told me that if you use bleech, you have to make absolutely sure that you remove any trace of it whatsoever.

Thanks MrVampire! I'll have to use this method next time I have to clean an infected tank.:-D
 
#5 ·
When I use bleach, I like to rinse quite a few times, then I let it sit out in direct sunlight for a good while, and rinse some more. It was something I was told when I first started. Not sure if it really makes a difference. But I like to refer to the rinse cycle as the rinse dance... might as well make some fun out of it right? :) If you aren't comfortable using bleach, I think you can use white vinegar also. Just still, you have to rinse like crazy. I always like to put water in for awhile and test the water to make sure it's testing safely too before I do anything else... to ensure I got the chemicals out.
 
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