[Crabbish]

Hi all. As you can see from my post history, I'm a new member and my betta just died. I'm very sad, and I wasn't planning on getting a new one anytime soon - I thought I would dismantle my tank, clean it out, maybe do a fishless cycle this time, and generally try to make everything perfect before I get a new little buddy. However, as fate would have it, a rescue betta in need has been plopped into my lap. He's been living in a bowl - like literally a kitchen bowl - for almost a year. No heater, no filter, no decorations or plants, nothing. I can't bring myself to turn him away, because even my imperfect setup has to be better than that, right?

My question is, how do I get my tank ready for him after the death of my old betta? Should I keep the new guy in the bowl for a while, to clean everything, and then do a new fish-in cycle? Or can I just run my filter for a few days, and anything nasty will die without a host? I know there's ich in my tank, and possibly worse, but it's so close to being fully cycled (I think) that I feel silly getting rid of all that good bacteria to get rid of the bad stuff too. Does anyone have any experience with this kind of situation? General advice? All of the details about my tank and cleaning regimen are in my other post, but I can comment them again here, if needed.

Thanks so much. I'm so glad this kind of community exists where I can ask these questions! Pet stores really don't educate people on this stuff very well!

 

[ThatFishThough]

The best way would be to do a 1/4 vinegar/water ratio and scrub the tank/gravel/decor, then put it all back in. Turn the heater up to 86*F to kill any lingering Ich parasites. I would re-cycle the filter with new media if you have it. We'd love to see pictures of the new guy!

ETA: Be sure to rinse very well if you do the w/v ratio.

 

[Crabbish]

Thanks for the advice! In that case, I imagine I'll be doing a fish-in cycle, since I can't imagine leaving him in a bowl long enough to re-cycle the filter.

I will post pictures as soon as I have him - my friend will be bringing him over this evening. Here's hoping he's in okay condition, poor little guy!

 

[Crabbish]

Here are some (not very good) pictures. I won't give my impressions, because I'm just not confident in my assessment - betta veterans, anyone have an idea about his health? How does he look?

 

[Veloran]

Hi and welcome to the forums.

He looks like the first betta I had so many years ago. It's a little hard to tell from the pictures and there seems to be some wear on the cup, but my initial impression is that there is nothing going on with him that some clean, warm water won't fix up rather quickly.

 

[Rainbo]

Your going to have to keep the tank at 86 degrees for 10 days to kill the ich,

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

Never fear fish-in cycling. Fishless was strongly suggested back when fish were exposed to toxic NH3 (Free Ammonia) during fish-in cycling. With the advent of Seachem Prime and products like it which converts the toxic NH3 to to NH4 (Ammonium) which is non-toxic, fish are no longer exposed to NH3. But this is only the case if one uses products like Prime which convert NH3 to NH4; not all products do. Nitrifying bacteria, thankfully, does not differentiate between the NH3 and NH4 and feeds from either.

If your tank had Ich you'll need to do as Rainbo stated.

 

[picklewyoming90]

Hi Everyone! I was looking to see if there was information already posted, as I am in a similar situation as Crabbish! Maybe I can ask for advice here???
I just rescued two male bettas who are in some rough shape. I started working in a house that has 2 boys with autism, and 9 pets. They are moving out of state, so I offered to take their bettas for them.
My previous betta passed away last month. She was at least 2 years old, and became sick; she passed away in 3 days.
I wasn't sure if her cause of death was detrimental or due to old age/immunity. I scrubbed the tank out, and substrate cleaned my tank many times.
I picked up these fish this afternoon, and they look to me like they may have experienced some neglect. They were living inside of those tiny bubble tanks that you mount onto a wall. I do not know anything about the water changing history; i don't think they used water conditioner as she didnt give me any, and added bottled water to one of the boy's temporary tank.
"Phirana" is the red betta, and I was told will dive for food. I guess that he is aggressive. He is a veil tail, and lived in the bubble tank for like 5 years.
"Bolt" is at least 3 months old. I':kiss:m not sure what type of fish he is.
I went ahead and added a male to the tank to see if he can get past the divider before I add the second fish. I added aquarium salt to the tank, wonder if there is anything else I can do for them? thanks!