Betta looking so much better :)

FishkeeperLinz said:

Just today. Bloodworms are high in fat, (IIRC) so in normal circumstances, I'd suggest feeding them just once a week, but this isn't normal circumstances and Hank needs his strength.

Like I said, feed the bloodworms now, then try him with the pellets tonight. Once he's out of the woods, reduce feeding to once a day.

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Quin said:

Okay I have probably the best news I've been able to share since Hank got sick. My mom came in to watch me feed Hank, despite the presence of bloodworms, and she got to watch him eat 3 whole worms! He's much more coordinated today and only missed his lunges once. No garlic today, but I did try to coax a pellet into him. He wasn't interested, and while I was washing my hands mom said that she watched him eat it and then spit it back out lol

Also, in addition to the good news, I came back in and saw him SWIMMING! It was a short little break to the surface for air, but he didn't have a tilt at all. He went right back down to rest after, but I'm still taking it as a good sign that he has the energy for that. I really think this little guy is turning around. I can take pictures when I get home, I noticed his color was starting to creep back in yesterday

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FishkeeperLinz said:

Woohhoooooo!!

He's going to make it! He's eating, he's swimming, he's surfacing for air! This fish is a Wonderfish!

If you can't get him to eat pellets (yet), try other live foods - daphnia, brine shrimp, white worms. Just to get him away from the bloodworms for now.

Well done, Quin! So very pleased for you!

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FishkeeperLinz said:

He does need to start eating pellets etc, but for today, I'd be tempted to stick to the bloodworms to help him regain his strength. He has a taste of them now, so I'll be surprised if he needs the garlic to encourage him to eat. Maybe try the bloodworms now, and then the pellets later on?

He's not out of the woods yet, but he's certainly heading in the right direction.

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Quin said:

So I've had the light on for about 5 minutes while I was supplementing a little of his water (a little bit of evaporation, I let the water cure with prime while I was out before adding only enough to get the levels up, just to be sure Hank isn't fighting anything he doesnt need to.) Just while I've been in here, he's been alternating between swimming and coming to rest, back and forth. I'm gonna try to take a video to show you guys how well he's doing soon.

Anyways, update aside, I have a question. I don't really know the care requirements (nor the name) of his leafy plant, but it's turning yellow. Should I work on saving it or removing it from the tank? It's currently his only non-mossball plant, but I also don't know if decomposition affects water parameters. My LPS doesn't sell floating plants or I'd replace it in a heartbeat with those

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Quin said:

Ah I see, I will definitely do some research on that. I'll wait a few days to see if it does better with the lights on.

Also, I caught two full minutes of Hank swimming and doing his thing. He was paying a lot of attention to one wall and trying to nip it, so I put paper towels over that side in case he was seeing his mirrored reflection, or trying to get at something on the other side of the glass. I am still looking for something black to back his tank with by the way, but I haven't found anything I think will work yet

^look at him go! What a brave little fish

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FishkeeperLinz said:

He could be hunting microfauna on the glass that's too small for us to see. My Rams do it too, although not that close to the surface.

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Quin said:

That's good that he's healthy enough to go after that then, though if there's microfauna I sure hope it's beneficial!

I also wanted to say, Hanks fins are getting pretty thin. I don't know what fin rot is or how to identify it (reading through old forum posts to see if I can tell) but I know that it's a problem in bettas. Is he possibly sick with that, or is it just a side effect from what was already going on? His onset of dullness also made his gills and front of his belly slightly brown

Also as a side note, he let himself get under the filter. I know he was strong enough to get out since he used his swim bladder to raise his rear against it after a wait, but he was making me nervous anyways so I touched his tail with the tweezers so he would move. He seems fine now, and it's not the first time he's done it, but I wonder what he finds so interesting about that. I don't think it's a weakness thing since he pulls himself away pretty easily.

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Quin said:

That's good that he's healthy enough to go after that then, though if there's microfauna I sure hope it's beneficial!

I also wanted to say, Hanks fins are getting pretty thin. I don't know what fin rot is or how to identify it (reading through old forum posts to see if I can tell) but I know that it's a problem in bettas. Is he possibly sick with that, or is it just a side effect from what was already going on? His onset of dullness also made his gills and front of his belly slightly brown

Also as a side note, he let himself get under the filter. I know he was strong enough to get out since he used his swim bladder to raise his rear against it after a wait, but he was making me nervous anyways so I touched his tail with the tweezers so he would move. He seems fine now, and it's not the first time he's done it, but I wonder what he finds so interesting about that. I don't think it's a weakness thing since he pulls himself away pretty easily.

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FishkeeperLinz said:

If he was hunting microfauna (he certainly wasn't attacking his reflection - that's a completely different behaviour set - one that you'll know when you see it), take it as another good sign.

Nitrite poisoning would cause gills to look brownish, as it depletes the blood of oxygen, but if you've been using Prime and doing water changes,I can't see how it could be that.

You can see how transparent the fins are, but little else from those pictures. Are they torn at all? Any "blood streaks in them?

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