Other I got a Sick Betta...now what?

[ClemmyOddieIndy]

@ClemmyOddieIndy The pellets cannot be exchanged since they've been opened. For now they will just have to do. I owe my mom $70 for all this stuff, and I have no money for the next week or so, so I can't be sending things back and forth to the store- especially already used. Not to even mention that my mom did NOT want a fish in the house- for reasons unbeknownst to me. I'm going to try and get him in that 5 gallon I have, but my mom says its a hassle to clean -_- and it takes up too much space. Until I can find a space clear enough for it, thats out of the way and inconspicuous, he's going to have to stay in the 2 gallon for the time being. I turn the filter off throughout the day and I always have a constant eye on the temperature. He really seems to be perking up since I have gotten the filter and heater- so it will just have to do for now.

The ammonia was at a .50 when I first tested, the I added 1/5 a rim (they said that 1 of the rim edges inside the cap was like 1 mL or something like that) of Prime and it was pretty close to, if not exactly at the 0 mark. Tomorrow morning I will try the garlic thing, thank you.

You got it at PetSmart right? You can return opened things to PetSmart. It's where I worked, trust me. You can return a half used can of dog food. You can even return that filter that you've used. Without the receipt it's in store credit, with the receipt it's however you paid. If your mom used a credit card, they can look up the receipt for you.

Why are you running the filter? What are you expecting it to do?

ETA: You should either keep the filter on or off. It's not really going to be doing anything for you either way. Your tank is too small to hold a stable cycle, and if you are even attempting to cycle turning off the filter is killing the BB, so any attempt is futile.

 

[YourSoJelly]

Yeah I did. Huh- never knew that.

I'm running the filter in hopes for at least a little bit of cleaning and a itsy-bitsy current. On an actual fish forum they all say that a 2 gallon is fine. It's kind of like a 2x3 for 2 sows on here- not preferred but it works fine. I'm leaving it on throughout the night, and I will have to make my plan of action tomorrow then.

 

[YourSoJelly]

[MENTION=27350]ClemmyOddieIndy[/MENTION] what is BB?

 

[ClemmyOddieIndy]

Yeah I did. Huh- never knew that.

I'm running the filter in hopes for at least a little bit of cleaning and a itsy-bitsy current. On an actual fish forum they all say that a 2 gallon is fine. It's kind of like a 2x3 for 2 sows on here- not preferred but it works fine. I'm leaving it on throughout the night, and I will have to make my plan of action tomorrow then.

It's totally fine to be in a 2g. My favorite tank is the 2.5g tank. The thing I'm pointing out is that you won't be able to cycle a tank that small, and maintain it. Your tank will collapse at some point. None of my 2.5g are cycled. It doesn't matter because if you keep up on water changes your water quality will be fine. None of my Betta tanks have filters. The tank is too small, the filter is pretty much pointless. You need to do 2 weekly 50% water changes with or without the filter. It's not hurting anything, but it's really not going to make a difference unless you are going to attempt to cycle the tank. Now, if you are planning on moving him into a 5g at some point in the future then you could cycle that tank.

 

[YourSoJelly]

[MENTION=27350]ClemmyOddieIndy[/MENTION], I do (hopefully) intend on moving him. I just don't know when- which is my big problem here. It's just that the stupid tank he's in now isn't even meant for fish, it's meant to be a terrarium and my parents are full-on against the 5 gallon.

 

[ClemmyOddieIndy]

It's not letting me edit.

BB=Beneficial bacteria.

 

[YourSoJelly]

SUPER HAPPY! With quite a bit of convincing, mom's gonna let me move him to the 5 gallon tank tomorrow! Yay!

 

[YourSoJelly]

Turns out that my other tank was a 10 gallon!! Not a 5 gallon! Yay! Alpha will be so happy!

 

[ClemmyOddieIndy]

You can cycle a 10g. I would keep him in the 2g and cycle the 10g, then put him in the 10g.

Also, keep an eye on him, as there are some fish who become lethargic and depressed in larger tanks. I've had several. But, most of the time they are happy to be in a larger tank.

 

[Lexikat]

I haven't read all the replies so forgive me if this has already been said. I had a sick betta that was on his deathbed and I was able to revive him.
I did Epsom salt baths every day, bought a heater and bigger tank and stopped feeding crappy food. The pea is not a good idea. Good Luck!

 

[YourSoJelly]

[MENTION=27350]ClemmyOddieIndy[/MENTION] he actually started swimming all around in the new tank. He seems way more happier in this new tank compared to his small one.

[MENTION=33352]Lexikat[/MENTION] he has actually done remarkably well without the Epsom salts. I almost want to say that the warmed, filtered water with proper food has boosted his health tremendously.

 

[ClemmyOddieIndy]

@ClemmyOddieIndy he actually started swimming all around in the new tank. He seems way more happier in this new tank compared to his small one.

@Lexikat he has actually done remarkably well without the Epsom salts. I almost want to say that the warmed, filtered water with proper food has boosted his health tremendously.

Since he's already in the tank, don't do an in fish cycle, don't worry about cycling. Cycling would've cut down your water changes, and helped to make sure the tank stayed stable. You'll want to do at least one 25% water change a week with gravel vacuuming. As long as you don't add any other tank mates or live plants it should be fine.

 

[YourSoJelly]

Since he's already in the tank, don't do an in fish cycle, don't worry about cycling. Cycling would've cut down your water changes, and helped to make sure the tank stayed stable. You'll want to do at least one 25% water change a week with gravel vacuuming. As long as you don't add any other tank mates or live plants it should be fine.

Okay, what's a gravel vacuuming? And okay. Thank you!

 

[Rayen]

Okay, what's a gravel vacuuming? And okay. Thank you!

Gravel vacuuming is basically what it sounds like, you deep clean the gravel with a special siphon you can buy in stores. For a small tank like what you have, and with a little dedication, you can use a turkey baster frequently to clean up the poo/random junk off of the bottom of the tank each day. It's not as effective (so much gets stuck in gravel! I hate it!) but it can work.

Also, I'm not sure what your new tank looks like, but I noticed in the 2 gallon jar that the plants you had in there didn't look quite tall enough. Make sure you either get a few real plants or some silk/soft plastic plants (they can tear their fins on the sharper plastic ones) so that your betta has somewhere close to the surface to rest.

 

[piggy_mom]

Hi, i would like to recommend the forum My Aquarium Club For help with your fish questions. They are a online forum and they have lots of experts on there and they will help you out. I am on there as well, its truly a great forum!

by the way, your tank is small, we recommend at least a 3 gallon because its easier to keep the water levels under control. but if you can't thats okay.

 

[neb803209]

Mix ups Bach of salt water and poor it over it in a net if that doesn't work then it best to keep doing it a few times

 

[piggy_mom]

Neb803209, that is very bad advice. Pouring saltwater over a betta will make it go through shock, you should gradually introduce salt to the water. And pouring saltwater on a fish's body will burn like heck, it may even kill it.

 

[YourSoJelly]

Thank you all for you kind words of advice, but sadly, I lost Alpha a few weeks ago. He powered through 3 months and I like to think he knew he was being cared for.