Kaetlin's Fish - Page 2

**Pareeeee** · 09-26-12, 10:51 AM

I always, as a rule, add about 1-2 teaspoons of salt to my 33 gallon tank after every water change. It prevents stress and aids them in forming their natural 'slime-coat' to prevent disease. Any more than that would damage my live plants.

Never had any fish eat their own fins because of it...can't speak for bettas as I don't usually put salt in their tanks, but I have used it for treatment of diseases and have never witnessed this fin eating phenomenon.

You have to use actual Aquarium Salt made for fish. Don't use table salt or cooking salt, as they have additives such as iodine. (BAD!)

Wildside · 09-26-12, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pareeeee

You have to use actual Aquarium Salt made for fish. Don't use table salt or cooking salt, as they have additives such as iodine. (BAD!)

Right-o!!!!

Kaetlinv · 09-26-12, 11:41 AM

Well at the moment, Jazzy is in a 1liter little bowl, changed weekly with a dechlorinator (and keeping a healthy amount of his 'old' water with his slime / bacteria).

Chubsy is in a 1 gallon for my dorm-duration. Once I get more snakes, I will put Chubs in one of the tanks (as I will one day switch to tubs for the snakes, except for 'pet' snakes which will be in decorative vivs), and have ample room to grow.

For now he is smaller than an adult Betta, so the 1 gallon tank is a lot of room for him! I have no intention of keeping him in a 1 gallon for his entire life.

We have had Jazzy for almost a year, and he's been doing great with how we have kept him!

Before when we had kept bettas they died within a few months. Now me, being a nerd and older... Researched them and he's been doing fantastic because of it.

Any tips will be fantastic though. I want them kept healthy as can be!

Wildside · 09-26-12, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaetlinv

Well at the moment, Jazzy is in a 1liter little bowl, changed weekly with a dechlorinator (and keeping a healthy amount of his 'old' water with his slime / bacteria).

Chubsy is in a 1 gallon for my dorm-duration. Once I get more snakes, I will put Chubs in one of the tanks (as I will one day switch to tubs for the snakes, except for 'pet' snakes which will be in decorative vivs), and have ample room to grow.

For now he is smaller than an adult Betta, so the 1 gallon tank is a lot of room for him! I have no intention of keeping him in a 1 gallon for his entire life.

We have had Jazzy for almost a year, and he's been doing great with how we have kept him!

Before when we had kept bettas they died within a few months. Now me, beign a nerd and older... Researched them and he's been doing fantastic because of it.

Any tips will be fantastic though. I want them kept healthy as can be!

You're changing the water wayyy too much. Remember every time you change the water you are completely disrupting a stabilized ecosystem. Not to mention disturbing the fish's natural slime coat. Feed just enough for your fish to eat and not leave any over, every other day and try not to change the water more than once a month. You can add water but don't do a full change until absolutely necessary. If you're getting algae move the bowl away from all sunlight.

Kaetlinv · 09-26-12, 11:56 AM

Really? I make sure to never completely change Jazzy's water. I'm not sure the exact measurements, but the little circular bowls the betta come in is how much of his 'slime' water I make sure to keep for him.

If I don't need to change his water weekly, how can I tell when to change it? I've noticed that the top of the water gets a thick film over the top. I know the bubbles are his nests.

I've been feeding him three pellets (Make up about the same size as one eye combined) every day, and a 'fasting' day on sundays.

So to make this easier...

Water questions:
How often should the water be changed?
What are signs that the water should be changed?
When I change the water, I keep a decent amount of his old water, should I keep more old water vs new water, or vice versa?

Feeding questions:
How often should I feed him, and what amount?
Is feeding little bits over the course of the day better than one huge meal?
Do betta need a 'fasting' day?
I've read that Betta are 'gorge' eaters, is this true or not?

Misc questions:
Do betta need to 'play'?
Ive noticed that Jazzy responds when I come close to his tank, do betta like the company, or just expect food when I come near?

Any other information is great, too!

Raan · 09-26-12, 12:37 PM

Every week you should do a half water change give or take then whenever you feel is need prob once a month since its only one fish do a full water change. Make sure let all water sit for 24 hours with your betta water solution in it before changing the water.

Raan · 09-26-12, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pareeeee

I always, as a rule, add about 1-2 teaspoons of salt to my 33 gallon tank after every water change. It prevents stress and aids them in forming their natural 'slime-coat' to prevent disease. Any more than that would damage my live plants.

Never had any fish eat their own fins because of it...can't speak for bettas as I don't usually put salt in their tanks, but I have used it for treatment of diseases and have never witnessed this fin eating phenomenon.

You have to use actual Aquarium Salt made for fish. Don't use table salt or cooking salt, as they have additives such as iodine. (BAD!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildside

Right-o!!!!

I always use aquarium salt with my angelfish without any problems but with bettas it always seems to affect them in this way. At one point I thought it was fin rot but then figured the salt would prevent that.

Wildside · 09-26-12, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raan

I always use aquarium salt with my angelfish without any problems but with bettas it always seems to affect them in this way. At one point I thought it was fin rot but then figured the salt would prevent that.

I think you may have something else going on with your bettas. The situation you're describing would make more sense if it were reversed. I'm thinking there might be something in your water you don't know about. Bettas are almost a brackish fish. The Asian waters they come from have a higher salt content than the South American waters where Angels originate.

Kaetlinv:

Betta are aggressive fish. When you come near he is preparing to protect his "puddle". That thick slime is part of his bubble nest. A good sign of a happy male betta is a large bubble nest. Their natural environment is stagnant, barely moving water. I only ever changed when it started stinking or was discolored. Also, keep in mind that bettas are labyrinth fish. They breathe the same air you breath instead of the oxygen in the water. It's the exact thing that allows them to thrive in stagnant puddles.

All fish are gorge eaters. If he is eating all that you give him and there is nothing left to rot and foul the water then you can just keep feeding him the way you are. I wouldn't change his water at all until needed. Just add a little to make up for evaporation. As for your goldfish, well goldfish are more resilient than Bettas. They eat garbage and can live in about anything from a block of ice to algaefied muck. My only advice with him is to refrain from overfeeding and keeping him too clean

Kaetlinv · 09-26-12, 03:55 PM

Alright then, I'll leave Jazzy's water to its own manifestations then. This last time I redid his water because it was half gone from evaporation when I'd noticed - I'll just add water from now on.
Yes he had been eating all the food i give him, I watch to see if he does or doesn't.

Keeping the Goldfish too clean, or the Betta? I've read that for goldfish that they can die from the ammonia they produce from their waste. When I cleaned his tank on monday it reeked of it. I also had been feeding him too much and some food was in the gravel, so that could have part of it. I've been watching him eat since I cleaned his water.

Wildside · 09-26-12, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaetlinv

Alright then, I'll leave Jazzy's water to its own manifestations then. This last time I redid his water because it was half gone from evaporation when I'd noticed - I'll just add water from now on.
Yes he had been eating all the food i give him, I watch to see if he does or doesn't.

Keeping the Goldfish too clean, or the Betta? I've read that for goldfish that they can die from the ammonia they produce from their waste. When I cleaned his tank on monday it reeked of it. I also had been feeding him too much and some food was in the gravel, so that could have part of it. I've been watching him eat since I cleaned his water.

Goldfish die from the ammonia they produce when they are packed industrially. You know, 100000000 goldfish per square inch of water? One Goldfish is not gonna produce enough ammonia to kill itself in a week. The rotting food on the other hand is bad if there's no filtration.

One thing I've been forgetting to tell you. When you do clean their bowls rinse the gravel in tepid water, not hot. Gravel can act as a sort of filtration system and you don't want to kill the bacteria that lives in it. The bacteria that breaks down harmful toxins from fish waste

Raan · 09-26-12, 04:26 PM

Ya I have no idea about the bettas and aquarium salt thing, I stopped using it and its all fine now and still continue to use it with my angelfish and they are fine aswell

Kaetlinv · 09-26-12, 04:36 PM

Tepid meaning luke-warm / comfortable, correct?

I've always done this for Jazzy when i clean his tank, I know too warm can kill him, so I've made it a habit to clean / keep them in room temp water

**Pareeeee** · 09-26-12, 04:38 PM

Bettas are cleaner than goldfish. Goldfish are poop monsters!

Anyway, I, personally, would do a 50% water change once every 2-3 weeks, wouldn't risk waiting till the water 'stinks' though. Don't worry about a film on the betta's water, they mostly breathe air by way of the labyrinth organ, although they do use their gills to an extent (more of a secondary backup, lol)

Kaetlinv · 09-26-12, 04:48 PM

Wasn't worried about the film on Jazzy's water too much - Just wanted to know if there was a point of 'too much'

**Pareeeee** · 09-27-12, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaetlinv

Tepid meaning luke-warm / comfortable, correct?

I've always done this for Jazzy when i clean his tank, I know too warm can kill him, so I've made it a habit to clean / keep them in room temp water

Just try to get the new replacement water as close to the same temp as the water in the tank. Sounds like you are doing that, just keep doing what you're doing.