BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Fish Huh?

I know I haven't posted in a while, I have been really busy between work and school. Rusty, wo has been affectionatly nick-named "Pig," is doing well. I am a little worried about his fins looking a little frayed, but he is doing well. He gave me a scare earlier this week though. I looked in his tank and there was a white film in it, floating in the water. I took the net and scoped at it, and it was white and stringy, and was not liguid, it had actual substance to it. I can not figure out what it was. I changed his water and even washed the gravel out thoroughly today, and he seems to be happy. However, I am out of BettaFix, so I did not put any in there as I usually do when I change the water (just a squirt), along with the cycle. I am going to get some tomorrow, and I am going to start treating him for fin rot just in case. Does anyone recomend using aquarium salt for sick battas? Also, should I use stress coat, Betta water conditioner, or cycle? I have been using cycle whenever I change his water, and I do not use the Ph stuff, but I am not sure about which is best for Pig.

I was thinking about getting Pig a "lady friend" Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I was going to get one and put her in a seperate little plastic tank I have to quarentine her for a little while, and then put her in with him and see what happens. He just seems so lonely in there. I wish I could put him in my cichlid tank when I set it all up, but the chemical balances are all wrong for him.

How long do people let the water sit in their tanks before placing their fish back in there? I usually do not wait long, and I don't set water out beforehand. Should I? I place water in the tank, add the cycle and the bettafix and then wait about an hour and place Pig back in there. Should I set out the water beforehand or wait longer? I hate to wait longer because I hate him being in that small cold cup for so long (in water from the tank). I have 2 1/2 gallon and one 1 gallon milk containers sitting aside. Should I get a couple more and fill them up and let them sit for a day or two w/ the cycle already in it, and then change the water?

Okay where to start...

aquarium salt - always a good idea, I add it to my guy's water at every water change anyway, as it inhibits the growth of bad bacteria.
Bettafix, I wouldn't add it at every water change, but you might want to think about stress coat
Don't house females and males in the same tank, it may sound like a good idea, but unless you have a huge tank, he will probably beat her up pretty severely. Bettas can be very terretorial and aggressive, but it all of course depends on the temperment of your betta
When you change the water, you should age your water for about a day or longer, to ensure that it is both at room temperature and that all the harmful gasses have "aired" off. When you change the water, it would be a good idea to float your boy, and his cup, in the tank, so that the temperatures gradually equalize. After about 10 minutes, add a little new water to his cup, then wait a little longer and add some more. Do this a few times to gradually aclimate him to his new water (just like you should do when first getting a new fish).

Good luck, let us know what happens!
Elise

Hi BG...

I wouldn't put any bettafix in the water at all. That is probably what is causeing the film in his water. I know when I have to treat my fish with that it does cause cottony looking floaties, even though it is a treatment for fungus issues. Bettafixh should only be used for fish who are suffereing from fungus problems...maybe bacterial too.

I would have some water set aside for water changes. If you have a bucket or large jar to put the water in with the conditioner/stress coat and aquarium salt (1/2 teasp. per gallon) added you could fill it right after doing a water change...then it would be sure to be ready the next time you need it.

If you don't have a heater in his tank and his water is just room temp, then you shouldn't have to worry much about the water temp either..as long as the change water is in the same room. (temps can be different from room to room)

The less "stuff" you put in his water the better really. Just water conditioner/stress coat and the aquarium salt should be enough.

Also, definitly NO females in with males...lol...one of them is sure to get killed ! If you want some company for him you could get another male and set them next to each other. Some people say you shouldn't do this because they would get all stressed out staring at each other....but I havn't found that to be a problem. It seems they soon understand the boundries and once that is figured out they just occasionally flap thier fins at one another and move on....but of course, these fish are individuals and there may be the occassional exception.

Well, Pig seems to be doing well, he is his normal wacky self. I have begun to place my finger in the tank to see if he will swim up to it, and the first time he did it he swam close and just looked at it. The second time he swam away. I have only done it twice, I don't want to stress him out. I am going to one of two awesome fish stores tomorrow, and I am going to get him some stress coat, aquarium salt, Bettafix, new gravel, new plants, and a new cave. Thus far, the white film has not come back. His fins seem so much longer than normal, but they still look a little shredded. I am going to start treatment w/ Bettafix right away, and I am going to add aquarium salt.

I wouldn't do the bettafix treatment BG.....just keep his water very clean and put a little extra aquarium salt in for him.

I try hard not to use meds for my fish. I hate the 7 day treatment with bettafix because you can't change the water for those 7 days...I'm a clean freak with my fish water and it drives me nuts that I have to let them sit in that.

Best thing for torn fins is just plain clean water. Bettafix or any other med really isn't necessary unless their fins become infected and actually show signs of finrot, such as dark tips and fins falling apart and discintagrating...getting shorter and shorter. If you take action quickly enough by cleaning water and keeping it good and clean when you see fin damage caused by whatever...then the issue should never get that far and meds shouldn't be necessary.

I agree, I tried a lot of Melafix on my first fish, and so far have only done one round with my new one, and I have found aquarium salt to be far more effective.

Okay, an update:
Rusty is doing okay, I suppose. The first thing I am worried about is that the ends of his fins look a little shredded and they look like the tips have lost some color, they look almost transparent, but only on the very tips.

I changed his water on thursday, and the white film had not come back that I could tell as of friday evening when I left my house. I set out his food for my mom to feed him on saturday, and when I came home sunday afternoon I fed him and set out 1/2 gallon of water. I came home last night around midnight and noticed him laying on the bottom of the tank not really swimming around. This is rare for him. I decided not to wait to change his water, or at least some of it. I took out about 3/4 of a gallon of water, added 1/2 gallon that I had set out earlier in his tank, and added 1/2 teaspoon of aquarium salt that my boyfriend gave me, and added 1/4 teaspoon of cycle. I waited about two hours and then put him back in and fed him. He ate and seemed to be doing well. The reason I decided not to wait any longer to change his water was because there was a greasy looking film on top of his water, it looked almost as if there was oil on top of the water. Also, there was white things floating around in his water. It looked like someone had put pieces of cotton in his water. There was that smell in the water that comes when you don't change the water enough, and it was a little cloudy.

I decided this morning that I am going to do a full 100% water change tomorrow afternoon when I get home from work. If he is in a 5 gallon tank, how much of the following should I add:
Aquarium salt- added 1/2 teaspoon last night
Stress Coat
Cycle- normally add 1/4 teaspoon
I feel bad doing this to him, but I do not want him in that dirty water anymore. Also, will loosing his gravel until sunday stress him out or will he just sulk? I need to get him new gravel, but have been so busy I have not been able to get to the fish store.

Also, should I stock up on Melafix?

All I give my fish is really clean water and aquarium salt, I believe the amount you should add is 1/2 teaspoon per gallon, but it should say right on the package.

You should have Bettafix or Melafix on hand, but don't add it at every water change, as it should only be used when the fish is sick. I've heard people say they've seen the same cotton like stuff when they were medicating tanks, so that might be from the bettafix.

Taking the gravel out isn't a bad idea if you are worried about disease, as it provides less area for bad bacteria to hide. Make sure you rinse all new gravel very well, but NO soap!

Good luck, someone else may be along with better advice, but I gotta run!
Elise

I am one of the less learned here, but I have found in my tank (.5 gallon acrylic) that it seems to be a bubble nest which creates that 'film' you mentioned. I notice that when the bubbles dissolve there is a kind of shiny film on the water. You could also try using glass stones which can be more gentle on his fins. (Rinse well before putting in the tank) Or river stones which you might even find at a local dollar store. Some advice I was given was to put the cycle in your aging water instead of waiting and putting it in the tank. H.T.H ~Melanie

I thought about a bubble nest, but I honestly don't think that is it. I am VERY worried about him though. He doesn't blow his little bubbles anymore like he always used to do. The top of the tank used to be covered in them, now there is hardly any and Rusty barely swims anymore from what I have seen. I am going to change his water tonight or tomorrow, and he is going to loose most of the gravel, I may keep some in there. I am just super worried about him right now <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />