Greetings everyone! Another newbie here!

[Vidjhaya]

Hello all and everyone!

We recently adopted a pet fish in our family, for my daughter, because she adores animals and was still grieving a lot from when our old kitty passed away before the holidays... And we are not really ready for another cat...

... and I knew very well I would be the one taking care of the fish, while letting her give him his food... sometimes... Okay... I admit it. I wanted a pet fish. Guilty. Daughter gave me the perfect excuse to go get one without too much arguing from husband. And since she could never give him the same name every day and kept changing from "Fish" to "Fishy" to "insert anything new everyday here", I even got to name him.

So now I have a betta fish =^.^=

Reading is nice and all, but if I am going to take care of the little guy, I'd love to have actual input from people, be able to ask people with experience if I need, and learn and share from and with other fish-loving people.

So here is Malfurion's beginning in his new family...

At first we had gotten those small "betta tanks" with a led light at the bottom,can't remember the name right now. I thought it seemed small for a small tank made for bettas, but hey, gotta start learning somewhere.

So I started reading, I wanted to see if he was normal, healthy, etc. Some of his fin seemed weird to me, and I was afraid he might have fin rot. Well, pet stores... He has the tip of one of his fin with a white spot, and it seemed odd to me.

I tried to keep the water clean, take care as best as I could... but last week, his condition suddenly deteriorated. His color started getting quite dull (he is a blue betta), his appetite basically disappeared, and he became extremely lethargic, would either hide under something or just float in the back corner of his little tank. His fins were clamped.

I got worried I was going to lose him. Clearly this little tank did not make sense. So first thing the next morning, I was out to get a 5 gallons tank, a heater, filter, and some fin rot/fungal medication. (Oh, and a marimo ball). Came home, set up the tank (I had prepared water the night before so it would be room temperature by the morning). When all was done, I introduced him in his bigger home.

After about 10-15 minutes, he was exploring, resting, exploring again. In the evening, he was still exploring... The next day, when we came home from work, he was swimming all over the place. It took about 3 days, and he started eating again. His fins are no longer clamped, and he runs (read: swims) to the front of the tank when we enter the room to see us.

He seems so much happier now.
I am still a bit worried about his health and hoping for the best.

I am looking forward to learning from all of you and becoming a good fish mama.

(Here's a photo of him tonight, I used a mirror to make him flare so I could actually photograph him... wow, this little guy swims fast! I am now the proud owner of about 25 blurry pictures of a blue fish.)

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Regular water changes and don't over feed him and he should be with you a while

If you have any problems with him clamping fins, going off his food, looking unhappy, etc, do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate and see how he looks a few hours later. Most fish health issues are caused by too much food and poor water quality. Doing a big water change (75%) will dilute nutrients and disease organisms and buy you time to jump on here and ask for help.

 

[Vidjhaya]

Thank you very much! I will remember that for the future!
For regular water changes, in a 5 gallons tank, is about 25% water change every week what is usually recommended?

 

[Colin_T]

25% each week is what most people do. Personally I found bigger water changes to be more effective because they dilute nutrients and harmful pathogens more. I had lots of water holding facilities and did 75-90% water changes on most of my tanks but that is probably overkill for most people. 50% is pretty good because you are diluting the nutrients and waste by half.
Just be sure to dechlorinate any new water before it goes into the tank.

Basically fish live in a soup of bacteria, fungus, protozoans & viruses, along with their own waste and the waste from other creatures in the tank. Doing bigger water changes and complete gravel cleans removes more micro-organisms and waste leaving a cleaner environment for the fish.

In a new tank, bigger water changes also dilute ammonia and nitrite, both of which are harmful to the fish. Because your tank is new, I would suggest a 50% water change twice a week for the first month or so, until the filters have established and are removing the ammonia and nitrite. Then cut back to 50% weekly.

 

[Vidjhaya]

Thank you so much for the tips! I will definitely do that, especially since, as you said, this is a new tank, and therefore not cycled yet. I have gotten 3 marimo balls to put in it to help (and since they are low maintenance... I'm starting small

I did a 25% water change two days ago, so I'll start with 50% for the next one and keep that up for the next month the way you suggest. I am guessing it should also help him heal better. He is now very lively compared to the way I've always seen him, which I find reassuring, but if he could get to look the way he behaves, that would be awesome. =)

Thanks again!

 

[Colin_T]

yes, clean water and a clean tank will always help fish to recover faster than being left in a dirty environment

 

[seangee]

Until the tank is cycled it is best to do daily water changes of at least 50%, possibly even more than that.