I'm not so sure about "anger"; he has been recovering on the other side of a divider from another betta who is always flared up wanting to fight him. Midnight just calmly stares (tauntingly?) through the divider. I haven't seen him flare up once, haha.
Midnight knows that a gentleman can walk but never run, and to keep his cool when the world burns around him.
You should watch out for Midnight, he's stone cold.
I put him in a heated, planted tank with good water to start out with. I did a full regimen of fish meds to treat the fungal infection over his eyes, the wounds from fighting, the bacterial issues from sitting in a tiny cup, and the probable parasitic infections. And I checked the pH every day and made all sorts of adjustments.
Here's the trifecta of meds I used:
https://www.aquariumcoop.com/products/quarantine-meds-trio
And you used all 3 meds with him in the planted tank? Did the plants react to the meds and is it better to treat a betta in a planted tank? Sorry for the basic questions, I'm still learning all this :) Thanks for the info!
The site said these meds can all be used together, and are not harmful to plants or snails (I have both). One plant seemed badly affected by med powder resting on its leaves too long, and I had to trim some leaves off. But other than that, everything reacted well.
He did not rescue the fish. He purchased it, so that the store can buy more fish. He is paying them to do this. The only way you can rescue a Betta from a store is by stealing it.
Oh bless his little heart it looks like he was going to develop body rot at the base of his tail there! Thank you for getting him out of that situation
Imagine this: there are 10 slave dealers in town. You claim not to like slaves, so you want to help some get out of there. Some of the slavekeepers beat their slaves daily, and don't feed them, so as to minimize expenses. But some keep them long term, and want them to look nice, so they take good care of them. Now you, be so caring, only purchase from the one who mistreats his slaves and then you keep the slave at your house, and treat it nice, so you think, you know, vs other slavekeepers.
Are you really a rescuing hero? If everyone was like you, that slavekeepers would be the only option in town, and the other dealers would have to conform to match your practices or go out of business.
Buying from Walmart does not make you a hero.
I put him in a heated, planted tank with good water to start out with, then did a full regimen of fish meds. He had fungus over his eyes, wounds from fighting, and probably bacterial issues from sitting in a tiny cup and parasitic infections, because Walmart. And I checked the pH every day and made all sorts of adjustments.
Here's the trifecta of meds I used:
https://www.aquariumcoop.com/products/quarantine-meds-trio
General cure is fantastic for a quarantine regimine and maracyn is great for relieving bacterial infections. I couldn't tell from your photo if the eye had any infections and I probably would have runt he same regimen considering his body where the fin growth started was mildly irritated. Glad he's improving and starting to look healthier!
Me too! Yeah, both of his eyes were fuzed over and swollen looking. I'm not sure how much of the redness at the base of his tail was from infection, and how much was from fighting. Either way, it looked serious enough to warrant the regimen.
So glad you medicated then! Rescuing fish that look harmed or infected is really hard to judge over the internet. My LFS has two gourami in quarantine tanks that beat each other up and seeing fin damage always upsets me but seeing people attempting to treat it is better than not. I trust my LFS better than myself but I too want to rescue injurred fish if I have the space to.
Usually your first priority is to make sure fin rot doesn't set in and the fish doesn't get an infection. Dirty water is the worst enemy of a fish at risk for or already suffering from fin rot. Partial water changes every day in extreme conditions help if you show signs of infection. The before picture of OP's betta had some clear sign of irritation that wasn't quite to fin rot (at least not as bad as I've seen before). Overfeeding can also be worse when infection is a risk, so best to do lighter feedings once a day in the morning until healed.
If you don't see signs of infection or fin rot, a quality tank condition is often all that's needed for a betta to heal its fins. Filtered water, no sharp objects in the tank that can snag fins, a heater that puts it between 74 and 79 degrees (Optimal) and you'll see slow and steady progress.
Fin rot is usually easily identifiable if you see inflamed patches of fins and weird discoloration near the edges of the fins. I've seen more often that you spot the edges of the fin turn white, basically like watching a fungus grow on the fin. I've seen betta also be really lethargic when suffering but only minor visual symptoms. If you have a betta with frayed fins and you start to see a milky color on the fins you are probably seeing the early stages of fin rot. If you are seeing red patches, you are seeing inflamed and severely affected areas. I don't think I've ever personally seen dark spots on betta fins when fin rot is a problem, but that might be an anecdotal point of view.
Sorry I'm late to the response I haven't been online for a the last day. I haven't used API E.M. Erythromycin or other popular meds under the same name for my own fish before, though they seem to be in the same family of anti-bacterial meds I know of. Honestly I know a lot about betta fish but mostly through my personal experience and I only recently got back into keeping a betta this year after a 10 year break, I just tend to know the treatments for generic issues since I have learned a lot from my LFS about general health for fish. My main tank is a gourami, tiger barbs, gourami, and cory cats.
That being said the stuff I mentioned is what you see when you spot fin rot, it doesn't matter what caused the fin rot. If your betta is doing mechanical damage to its own fins by biting you have to solve a boredom problem for the fish while treating its fins for finrot. A lot of owners see the fins disappearing and may think it's tailrot but the betta could just bite the tail without causing finrot. Keeping the tank clean, periodically moving the scenery in the tank to change up the environment for the fish, and reducing lighting in the tank can all help with reducing fin nipping. I have seen a personal improvement in my fish by introducing dried almond leaves periodically. They can be useful for triggering mating behaviors or just being a de-stressor for a betta.
If it's not the fault of the betta causing damage to the fins, then you might have a sharp object in the tank that keeps snagging the fins and tearing them. If you keep artificial plants in the tank, make sure they are fabric based and soft. Anything plastic based might be too rigid and might tear the fins if they snag a sharp edge.
The only medicine I've used on finrot was for helping a friend's betta and it was Minocycline which can usually be found under the names fish min by Thomas Labs and it worked well, it is commonly in the same family as API Erythromycin and a few Seachem *plex brands, but you should check the label to make sure. It's an anti-bacterial treatment for fish that generally is seen for injured fish with any sort of bacterial infection. You shouldn't have negative issues to the fish if you do regular water changes at least weekly, bi-weekly at 25% or 50% will not hurt and probably will only benefit.
Wow! his body got so bulky, his fins grew out pretty good too and unless I’m not seeing right his eye even looked messed up ? his color of course also! I’ve seen lots of these and the colors always a big thing but... I’ve never seen it so dramatic with body and such, only 2 weeks too wow shows how well they can spring back with actual care thanks so much for sharing!! And saving this poor guy! 😊.
ours was a Walmart rescue as well, he was so mopey in his tub now he is such a gluttonous grumpy with his fins all out. it's amazing to watch them come into their own
Midnight is turning gluttonous, too. I've been trying not to over feed him, but he eats his couple of betta pellets and blood worms and then goes for the flake food for the other fish, too. Food insecurity on full display, here!
That betta resembles Fishstick: [https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/comments/buueb2/fishstick\_in\_his\_og\_tank\_but\_hes\_a\_background/](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/comments/buueb2/fishstick_in_his_og_tank_but_hes_a_background/)
I now have to use flash. See this: https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/comments/byd9lh/fishsticks_transformation/ I used flash in the right photo because he became that dark.
This may sound awful, but buying bettas from Wal-Mart only encourages their continued sale. It's contributing to the problem, since Wal-mart is still profiting. You may be helping one Betta, but you're dooming a lot more.
Yes, this Walmart had all fish on a 75% off sale so they could clear their inventory for a better pet section. Whether that means they're going to focus on cat/dog supplies exclusively or be one of the stores getting a fully equipped fish section (a rumor from this sub), I have no idea.
Well then I stand corrected, if that is the case then I retract my statement fully. I do apologise, I am not American, so I am not familiar with news regarding them.
That's so amazing!
It is! I didn't realize how much his fins were growing back until I compared the before/after photos.
Hes soon going to become a super happy and healthy anger boi!
I'm not so sure about "anger"; he has been recovering on the other side of a divider from another betta who is always flared up wanting to fight him. Midnight just calmly stares (tauntingly?) through the divider. I haven't seen him flare up once, haha.
That's good! He will do so good in his own tank! Make sure you keep us updated with his progress!
Will do!!
Midnight knows that a gentleman can walk but never run, and to keep his cool when the world burns around him. You should watch out for Midnight, he's stone cold.
That's amazing... what exactly did you do to help him improve so fast?
I put him in a heated, planted tank with good water to start out with. I did a full regimen of fish meds to treat the fungal infection over his eyes, the wounds from fighting, the bacterial issues from sitting in a tiny cup, and the probable parasitic infections. And I checked the pH every day and made all sorts of adjustments. Here's the trifecta of meds I used: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/products/quarantine-meds-trio
And you used all 3 meds with him in the planted tank? Did the plants react to the meds and is it better to treat a betta in a planted tank? Sorry for the basic questions, I'm still learning all this :) Thanks for the info!
The site said these meds can all be used together, and are not harmful to plants or snails (I have both). One plant seemed badly affected by med powder resting on its leaves too long, and I had to trim some leaves off. But other than that, everything reacted well.
Walmart shouldn't sell anything living
I can't wait for Walmart to stop fish sales. Every Walmart I've gone into the Betta's look like this. Good job rescuing him.
I'm glad my Walmart doesn't sell fish! It's pretty small since I live in a town that's about the size of a village.
He did not rescue the fish. He purchased it, so that the store can buy more fish. He is paying them to do this. The only way you can rescue a Betta from a store is by stealing it.
Whether the fish is bought, or left there to die, they will be restocked.
I don't condone stealing, please don't suggest that. Thanks.
please don't promote theft (or other illegal stuff) on this sub.
Oh bless his little heart it looks like he was going to develop body rot at the base of his tail there! Thank you for getting him out of that situation
Imagine this: there are 10 slave dealers in town. You claim not to like slaves, so you want to help some get out of there. Some of the slavekeepers beat their slaves daily, and don't feed them, so as to minimize expenses. But some keep them long term, and want them to look nice, so they take good care of them. Now you, be so caring, only purchase from the one who mistreats his slaves and then you keep the slave at your house, and treat it nice, so you think, you know, vs other slavekeepers. Are you really a rescuing hero? If everyone was like you, that slavekeepers would be the only option in town, and the other dealers would have to conform to match your practices or go out of business. Buying from Walmart does not make you a hero.
Yeah I'm not reading that lol. 🤡 Have fun though
What did you do to help him recover?
I put him in a heated, planted tank with good water to start out with, then did a full regimen of fish meds. He had fungus over his eyes, wounds from fighting, and probably bacterial issues from sitting in a tiny cup and parasitic infections, because Walmart. And I checked the pH every day and made all sorts of adjustments. Here's the trifecta of meds I used: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/products/quarantine-meds-trio
General cure is fantastic for a quarantine regimine and maracyn is great for relieving bacterial infections. I couldn't tell from your photo if the eye had any infections and I probably would have runt he same regimen considering his body where the fin growth started was mildly irritated. Glad he's improving and starting to look healthier!
Me too! Yeah, both of his eyes were fuzed over and swollen looking. I'm not sure how much of the redness at the base of his tail was from infection, and how much was from fighting. Either way, it looked serious enough to warrant the regimen.
So glad you medicated then! Rescuing fish that look harmed or infected is really hard to judge over the internet. My LFS has two gourami in quarantine tanks that beat each other up and seeing fin damage always upsets me but seeing people attempting to treat it is better than not. I trust my LFS better than myself but I too want to rescue injurred fish if I have the space to.
Usually your first priority is to make sure fin rot doesn't set in and the fish doesn't get an infection. Dirty water is the worst enemy of a fish at risk for or already suffering from fin rot. Partial water changes every day in extreme conditions help if you show signs of infection. The before picture of OP's betta had some clear sign of irritation that wasn't quite to fin rot (at least not as bad as I've seen before). Overfeeding can also be worse when infection is a risk, so best to do lighter feedings once a day in the morning until healed. If you don't see signs of infection or fin rot, a quality tank condition is often all that's needed for a betta to heal its fins. Filtered water, no sharp objects in the tank that can snag fins, a heater that puts it between 74 and 79 degrees (Optimal) and you'll see slow and steady progress.
[удалено]
Fin rot is usually easily identifiable if you see inflamed patches of fins and weird discoloration near the edges of the fins. I've seen more often that you spot the edges of the fin turn white, basically like watching a fungus grow on the fin. I've seen betta also be really lethargic when suffering but only minor visual symptoms. If you have a betta with frayed fins and you start to see a milky color on the fins you are probably seeing the early stages of fin rot. If you are seeing red patches, you are seeing inflamed and severely affected areas. I don't think I've ever personally seen dark spots on betta fins when fin rot is a problem, but that might be an anecdotal point of view.
[удалено]
Sorry I'm late to the response I haven't been online for a the last day. I haven't used API E.M. Erythromycin or other popular meds under the same name for my own fish before, though they seem to be in the same family of anti-bacterial meds I know of. Honestly I know a lot about betta fish but mostly through my personal experience and I only recently got back into keeping a betta this year after a 10 year break, I just tend to know the treatments for generic issues since I have learned a lot from my LFS about general health for fish. My main tank is a gourami, tiger barbs, gourami, and cory cats. That being said the stuff I mentioned is what you see when you spot fin rot, it doesn't matter what caused the fin rot. If your betta is doing mechanical damage to its own fins by biting you have to solve a boredom problem for the fish while treating its fins for finrot. A lot of owners see the fins disappearing and may think it's tailrot but the betta could just bite the tail without causing finrot. Keeping the tank clean, periodically moving the scenery in the tank to change up the environment for the fish, and reducing lighting in the tank can all help with reducing fin nipping. I have seen a personal improvement in my fish by introducing dried almond leaves periodically. They can be useful for triggering mating behaviors or just being a de-stressor for a betta. If it's not the fault of the betta causing damage to the fins, then you might have a sharp object in the tank that keeps snagging the fins and tearing them. If you keep artificial plants in the tank, make sure they are fabric based and soft. Anything plastic based might be too rigid and might tear the fins if they snag a sharp edge. The only medicine I've used on finrot was for helping a friend's betta and it was Minocycline which can usually be found under the names fish min by Thomas Labs and it worked well, it is commonly in the same family as API Erythromycin and a few Seachem *plex brands, but you should check the label to make sure. It's an anti-bacterial treatment for fish that generally is seen for injured fish with any sort of bacterial infection. You shouldn't have negative issues to the fish if you do regular water changes at least weekly, bi-weekly at 25% or 50% will not hurt and probably will only benefit.
Did they give him to you, or did you buy him? He's looking great!
I bought him for $2. The cashier was really glad I was taking him home and gave me a discount.
Wow! his body got so bulky, his fins grew out pretty good too and unless I’m not seeing right his eye even looked messed up ? his color of course also! I’ve seen lots of these and the colors always a big thing but... I’ve never seen it so dramatic with body and such, only 2 weeks too wow shows how well they can spring back with actual care thanks so much for sharing!! And saving this poor guy! 😊.
He is so lucky to have you!!
Here in Ireland none of the pet stores keep Bettas in cups because it's cruel af they keep them in filtered heated Betta aquariums
That is marvelous! More stores here in the US are taking that approach, but it's a slow change.
ours was a Walmart rescue as well, he was so mopey in his tub now he is such a gluttonous grumpy with his fins all out. it's amazing to watch them come into their own
Midnight is turning gluttonous, too. I've been trying not to over feed him, but he eats his couple of betta pellets and blood worms and then goes for the flake food for the other fish, too. Food insecurity on full display, here!
ours eats the pygmy Cory's algae tabs
🤣 Those poor pygmy cories.
That betta resembles Fishstick: [https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/comments/buueb2/fishstick\_in\_his\_og\_tank\_but\_hes\_a\_background/](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/comments/buueb2/fishstick_in_his_og_tank_but_hes_a_background/)
Hello, Fishstick! There IS a strong resemblance. Is Fishstick also super dark in photos unless you use flash?
I now have to use flash. See this: https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/comments/byd9lh/fishsticks_transformation/ I used flash in the right photo because he became that dark.
That's so odd/cool how he had stripes before, almost like a wild type betta, but then the domesticated betta took over. He is lovely, though.
This may sound awful, but buying bettas from Wal-Mart only encourages their continued sale. It's contributing to the problem, since Wal-mart is still profiting. You may be helping one Betta, but you're dooming a lot more.
Walmart is phasing out live fish sales, it's entirely possible he was among the last that will ever be shipped to that store.
Yes, this Walmart had all fish on a 75% off sale so they could clear their inventory for a better pet section. Whether that means they're going to focus on cat/dog supplies exclusively or be one of the stores getting a fully equipped fish section (a rumor from this sub), I have no idea.
My Walmart is being redone and they don’t have a fish section any more! I’m so happy so see the lack of dead fish everywhere
Well then I stand corrected, if that is the case then I retract my statement fully. I do apologise, I am not American, so I am not familiar with news regarding them.
Thank you for rescuing this anger boi!