Betta Rant

[Loralyn94]

So my whole experience with keeping my betta thus far feels like a completely failed attempt. I got my boy, Ryu, from petsmart with a friend as a spur of the moment buy. I bought everything he'd need, the basics atleast, brought him home, set up his temporary .5g tank (i already had plans to upgrade him within the week to a large antique jar thing), and thought that was that, the rest would be calm waters (pun intended).

That's when all hell broke loose.

-Sigh- Within the next 2 days I noticed some dark edging on his fins and they seemed very ragged, so I did some research, found this site, posted pics, and determined it was fin rot.

I went back to the pet store, bought AQ and the rest of the necessary supplies for my little friend that i hadnt realized were so necessary, and then started treating him.

Then they stopped. I woke up a one morning and looked in at him in his new 10g tank he'd gotten all to himself when i thought I'd have to be treating him with maracyn, and noticed all the healthy new growth was gone along with chunks of his tail and anal fin. That's when the tail biting began.

He got a water change, more terra cotta pot houses (which he wont go into), bottle caps (which he ignored), and an upped dosage of AQ from .5 tsp per g to 1tsp per g.

Seems good, right? No. I look down and he's flopping around in his tank with red patches forming on the bottom of his body and top of anal fin. AQ burns, and its my fault. So i remove him, let the AQ disperse more then cautiously add him back in and watch for signs of distress. Nothing.

Things seemed good, but of course when that happens it means theres trouble just around the corner. I continued to try to be the best betta mommy that i could, frequent water changes, modest feedings, new decorations, baffled filter in my worry that it may irritate him, constant monitoring of temperature and water parameters. I thought i was finally getting ahead, minus the constant annoyance of his stress stripes, but no matter how hard i tried to make his live stress free, they wouldnt disappear.

And then today happened. I get home from a night out with family, walk in my room, look in his tank and check on his fin regrowth and general well-being like normal, then comes the frown. I look closer at his gils, and above one is a tiny perfectly round white spec, like a single grain of salt. My heart dropped. Ick. 25% water change, then frantic searching as to treatment and causes of Ick.

So now its off to the store tomorrow to get some PP and ick meds, and hope this doesnt become anything worse. -Sigh- Theres no hope for my sanity with this fish. So to sum up my little story/rant: I CAN NOT STAND HOW NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY TO DO RIGHT BY MY LITTLE FISHY NOTHING SEEMS TO GO RIGHT! (sorry for the yelling, but I had to get it out, and in the real world outside of the forums people look at me funny when I scream in defeat about my fish).

And yet, no matter how much crap I have to go through to keep this fish alive, I'm dang well going to do it! I'm way to determined for my own good.

[HelloThere123Betta]

WOW...I'm so glad my fish never did this! No offence but I don't know if I would have been as motivated as you! Good Job! From my point of view your being an excellent Betta Mommy by trying to help him no matter what, instead of just giving up. Hopefully he gets better!

[NCPanthersgurl]

Wow, you've been through a lot! I'm glad you're still persevering though. That fishy will thank you in the end.

Sometimes pet store Betta's have lowered immunities because of bad conditions prior. My Starscream that I bought two days ago is pretty much a goner :( I've done all I can think of and he's just gotten worse; I'm pretty sure he won't make the night. But my Richtofen, who was on his death bed three days ago is now muchhh better. So it depends.

The one Betta I've never had an issue with *knock on wood* is my Mystique, she's a little female CT. >.< And my Jazz...well he's healthy, but he had the tail biting streak...>.<

Oops, back to the point, keep doing what you are and the more stuff he makes it through the heartier he'll be. And when you get to the point where he stabilizes he'll be awesome! {Awesome..er? lol}

[Loralyn94]

I'm hoping within the next two weeks, things will be better and there will be no more sickness for him.
This forum is part of the reason I'm trying so hard, without it I wouldnt know most the things I do and is just such a good feeling seeing how much people really care about there fish and how hard they try. And it is a constant reassurance that I'm not crazy. :)

Its weird, it seems to be that the ones that have the problems are the ones that most people get more attached to. I mean regardless I would like my little guy, but having to deal with all of this just makes me want him that much more.

[Luimeril]

don't let it get to you. i've had bouts of bad luck, too.

Caroline one day, clamped. i thought it was ammonia, so i did a water change, and waited. the next day, she was still clamped, but she always clamped up after them, so i waited a few more days. she was STILL clamped, which was odd, so i kept a watch on her. she went downhill. i treated for everything i could think of, but nothing helped. she finally passed away a few weeks ago, the same day the females i ordered from a user on here arrived. i swear she was hanging on till they arrived.

soon after Caroline got sick, my oldest, a male named Cup, got some nasty bloat. looked like he swallowed a marble whole! i treated him for it, fasted him for a week or more before it went down. but, after that, he started to go down. he couldn't swim at all after that. he lay on the bottom, trying so hard to go up. i tried everything i could for him, but he kept going downhill. near the end, he got fin rot. Cup NEVER got fin rot. ever. he'd rip a fin by flaring, but i kept up on his water changes because of him ripping his fins all the time. so, for him to get fin rot.... he must have been ill. he eventually got to the point where he wouldn't eat, and just lay there. after he passed away, i ordered two new females. not to replace Cup(and later Caroline), but because i hated his spot on the Dresser being empty.

[Loralyn94]

It always sucks to have to go through these rough patches. But i swear this forum is like therapy, it helps so much to know so many people have been through everything your dealing with.
I swear keeping betta's was so much easier 10 years ago as a kid.

I'm so sorry about your betta's, thats always a really hard time.

[Luimeril]

yeah, and now, my favorite VT, Purple, is acting ill. :/ you're always gonna have moments where you're like "can this GET any worse?!"... but, usually, it doesn't. i'm sure Purple'll perk up when i change his water today. maybe he needs some extra TLC. :d

[NCPanthersgurl]

Yup, Starscream passed this morning while I was at work. :(

But Richtofen is swimming around happily in his tank, for the first time in three days :D

I have 5 Betta's in their own tanks, a tiny spawn, and I'm in the works of ordering 4 more females off Chard56. Personal experience; you'll have your ups, your downs, your way downs, and then things balance out pretty well. :)

[Loralyn94]

Originally Posted by NCPanthersgurl

Personal experience; you'll have your ups, your downs, your way downs, and then things balance out pretty well. :)

I have to say thats probably the best way to put it. And you just have to think, it sucks to have them sick or if they die, but when you get to look in there tank and there happily swimming around it gives you this awesome feeling.

I'm so sorry about starscream, but im sure you did the best you did for him and we just have to remember that.

Luimeril, I relly hope Purple gets to feeling better. Let us know any progress she has :)

[Luimeril]

thanks. :3 i changed his water today. i hope that helps him. D: i already lost my girlie. i dun wanna lose my purple boy!