I used to have a red VT that looked just like yours, but I can't find any pictures of him now... this is one of my last betta, though. He was a purdy crowntail:
His fins were a little messed up at the bottom, that was genetic... but I loved his colours!
His fins certainly -do- look odd, but it might not be fin rot...Some bettas fins curl and twist up like that when having had to deal with bad water quality like that (heck, some curl like that "just because", too, but I'd be willing to bet the poor quality for sure has had some effect here...). Aquarium salt, as was mentioned, sounds like a great idea, because it does look like some "clumping" going on...hopefully that'll help. Make sure to keep his water very clean and yes, get it warmer if you can, as soon as possible. That will help him heal. His tail also looks a bit frayed, which I suppose -could- be rot, or it could be him chewing on himself for nourishment, which I have seen many times. When my old boy Bishou went blind suddenly, due to disease caused by my newbie self two years ago, he started chewing on his tail. Chunks of tail would be missing, but it wouldn't have that "melted" look that is associated with rot...
Either way, clean water, warm temperature, and food every day should heal him right up if the damage done isn't too severe, outside of his body AND inside...
For what it's worth, I'm seconding everything Rosemaryninja and Katzyn said.
I kept two Bettas several years ago, a male and a female, in 1.5 gallon bowls and just changed the water weekly. No heating, filtration, etc.
I have for the last year kept two Bettas, again a male and female, in a heated, filtered, planted (and divided with a partition!) 10 gallon tank.
There is NO comparison in terms of quality of life. Though they are on nearly the same diet as the ones I had years ago, and the male even came from the same place as my old male, these Bettas are active, personable, and vibrant. My old Bettas would kinda wander around the tank and sleep a lot. These play in the current, fly to the front of the tank to greet me when I approach (and snub my DH who doesn't feed them, lol), sleep in the plants, and are constantly exploring when there's nothing else going on.
Oh, I forgot to comment on Rosemary's pic! MAN that is one gorgeous CT...*drool*
I, unfortunately, don't keep CTs andymore, due to having poor water quality for them. =/ Even my halfmoons and doubletails do poorly, and after my HM and DT both pass one one day, I'll have to not get them anymore until I can afford to get something to fix the water, whatever the problem is...
My CT females do fine, though, but I have a feeling that that is because their tail rays are much shorter, compared to a males'.
I completely agree, Shaina. I wish you guys could see all my 18 bettas - each one, even the kiddo who is recovering nicely from fin rot (I rescued him from my store - the rot was awful!) frequently rushed up to greet me, enthusiastically dancing for food. And the 13 girlies...Oh, man can they danced and leap out of the water for food. Love my tank full of girlies. <333
I completely agree, Shaina. I wish you guys could see all my 18 bettas - each one, even the kiddo who is recovering nicely from fin rot (I rescued him from my store - the rot was awful!) frequently rushed up to greet me, enthusiastically dancing for food. And the 13 girlies...Oh, man can they danced and leap out of the water for food. Love my tank full of girlies. <333
Aren't the girls crazy? I've had my girl hit my finger as I go to feed her...when my hand was still above the raised lid of the tank. I have a dropped water level in that tank, so I measured it and my hand was easily 4" above the water line
Oh yeah~ Almost all of my girls try leaping to get the food, and if I hadn't lowered the water level, they would have went flying out of the tank. ^_^' I've had several thoughts of training them to jump through a hoop. =3
u don´t really have to get a filter or a heater. u can get a large fish bowl but if its kinda small dont put a artificial/real plant it kills them bcuz they dont have enough space to move around!! trust me. my mom killed my fish by doing that. don t put it with other fish. not even their own breed(unless its mating season)they r fighters
u don´t really have to get a filter or a heater. u can get a large fish bowl but if its kinda small dont put a artificial/real plant it kills them bcuz they dont have enough space to move around!! trust me. my mom killed my fish by doing that
...That's why you get a bigger tank. Not having space, PLUS not having somewhere to hide if they feel stressed kills them. -_-
Troll?
Hm...because this irratated me, I'll blab on and on about why a bowl is a no-no for ANY fish.
1) With such a small amount of liquid, the temperature is constantly fluctuating, causing a usually-uncomfortable situation for a betta (or anything else).
2) Bettas are very good jumpers, as Shaina and I just talked about.
3) Most bowls create very little surface area, especially vases, which makes breathing from the surface a bit harder and more work for the betta.
4) Bowls must be cleaned more often to keep water pristine.
5) Medicating bowls is much harder than medicating most tanks. Have fun chopping that pill, or dividing that powder!
6) Bowls are good for cats and other animals to get into, as well as airborne bad stuff (like aerosol sprays, pesticides, etc.
7) Oh, and the big one - most are just TOO SMALL.
Friday or Saturday I'm going to town to get either a 5 or 10 gallon tank for him, a heater, a filter, and aquarium salt. I'll probably pick up some new food too. Right now he has flakes of some sort. I'm going to get some new places for him to hide in.
Right now he's in the betta and a vase type of 'tank.' Obviously no plant though.
Yeah, those vases can be pretty deadly for bettas... A 5/10g sounds great!
Remember when you're picking "hiding places" (which can help bettas seek privacy and destress) not to get one that has any sharp corners or edges that could cause a tear in finnage. Silk or real plants are usually preferred to plastic ones. Bettas are very intelligent fish and love interacting with their environment.
When you have time, I would definitely read up on the cycling process. This is basically a process in which you cultivate beneficial bacteria in your tank -- bacteria that will convert ammonia (produced by your fish, but also harmful to your fish) into nitrites (less harmful) and finally nitrates (least harmful, but which should still be removed by a regular partial water change). Cycling is essential in any fish tank. A tank that has not been cycled requires a lot more maintenance, and usually has far more toxic water.
Many people lean towards fishless cycling, including myself, but I think you should be fine cycling with fish, for various reasons: firstly, your tank will already have a fish in it. You could keep the betta in its current home till the tank is cycled, but I think housing him in a cycling 5g/10g would still be better than housing him in a vase. Secondly, in a 5g tank, your load will be pretty small, and even smaller in a 10g.
I like at least 2 gallons for Bettas.....the all-in-one kits are nice (such as Eclipse Explorer or MiniBow 2.5), but are expensive. A 10g kit is actually cheaper, and you have a lot more options. There's also an Eclipse 5g kit, I think. A filter isn't a big deal (they don't like currents), but a heater is necessary for optimal health. I don't use special additives, just Prime dechlorinator. I like to feed Hikari BettaBites and frozen bloodworms. Have fun with your new fishy!
Not yet, I've been trying to think of names. Any suggestions?
I just got done reading up on cycling, once I get my new I'll do that. I think I think I'll look more into both, it looks painful for the fish being used for cycling.
Remember when you're picking "hiding places" (which can help bettas seek privacy and destress) not to get one that has any sharp corners or edges that could cause a tear in finnage. Silk or real plants are usually preferred to plastic ones. Bettas are very intelligent fish and love interacting with their environment.
I'm really excited to, lol. This is my first fish that I really know what I'm doing with. That's awesome! I can't wait to see pictures. In about a month a buddy is going to give me one of his guppy's he's keeping at the school... I've already picked out the guppy too.
Careful about the guppy.....if a fish has long, flowing fins the Betta might think he's another male Betta, and get aggressive. A shorter-finned guppy would be better than a long-finned variety. I have 4 dwarf cory catfish with my Betta (in a 12G). They're ideal Betta tankmates. In the past I had a Betta in a 10G with several Tetras---black skirts, neons, etc.
Careful about the guppy.....if a fish has long, flowing fins the Betta might think he's another male Betta, and get aggressive. A shorter-finned guppy would be better than a long-finned variety. I have 4 dwarf cory catfish with my Betta (in a 12G). They're ideal Betta tankmates. In the past I had a Betta in a 10G with several Tetras---black skirts, neons, etc.
Not to mention, the guppy would prefer to be in groups of at least three, being a schooling fish.
What you could do, is get that 10 gallon, divide it in half, and have the betta on one side, 3-4 guppies on the other.
I, personally, prefer to stay away from most tetras, just because some can actually be more aggressive than the betta. At work, if you ever put a betta in with certain tetras, you'll come in the next day to find it dead, torn up. =( On Ultimatebettas, there's a few good topics and suggestions about tankmates.
I just have the four peppered cories (a bit too big for a 10 gallon...) and a male dwarf gourami with my females. I don't know how often drawf male gourami's get along with bettas, but I think there's more of a risk, if it was a male betta, rather than all these little girls.
My sister has a few bettas, she's got three regular ones and then one of those new finned ones. They just say in their little glass bowels. One of these days she wants to set them up with bigger, fancier bowls.
In my area, at least, I’m not sure what cat “rescues” actually do because I’ve contacted several , recently, about a couple of strays in my neighborhood and they won’t take them. The shelters are all full. What are these rescues collecting money for if all they do is tell people to build outdoor...
When I figure out how to post pictures, I will. I thought I had 31, but I forgot my MM H. chilensis passed last week. Here is what I am raising currently:
0.1.0 A. geniculata
0.1.0 A. hentzi
0.1.0 A. chalcodes 'New River'
0.1.2 B. albopilosum (Nicaraguan)
0.1.0 B. albopilosum (Honduran)
0.1.0...
Well, certain species, anyhow. But most of the snakes and lizards I've been interested in keeping are on the list, so I'm excited! We don't have a great place to set up any reptiles in our current apartment, so it'll still likely be a year or two at least before we actually have any scaly family...
So yesterday we took in two rabbits from a family member that could no longer care for them. They are both males, the bigger brown rabbit is a bit older than the smaller grey rabbit. They are both very sweet and seem to get along quite well even though they haven't lived together all that long...
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this is one of my last betta, though. He was a purdy crowntail:
