Temporary Betta Rescue.

[soritan]

So, I'm doing a bit of fish sitting for someone I know. Their bowl seems to have been neglected for a time, and I'd like to get him spotless (naturally).

He's got 2 ghost shrimp keeping him company in a 1.5g to 2g bowl (I can't quite gauge it yet). The tank itself is totally empty but for substrate, and I observed him chasing around a ghost shrimp quite aggressively -- to the point where the shrimp threw itself against the bowl's wall and got stuck. Luckily, I was nearby when it happened, so he was stranded only a few seconds. I added a terra cotta pot to make for an easy hidey-hole for the shrimp. I'll be adding java moss in a few minutes for even more hiding spaces and a place for the betta to have a seat.

SO, my question.... I suspect the bowl is filthy. I'm not sure that it'd be a good idea to put both betta and shrimp through a 100% water change. I'm thinking of doing many partial water changes all in a row, perhaps simply twice a day, for a couple days. The problem is really the substrate, it hides so much gunk that it's nearly impossible to get clean, armed with only a turkey baster. Do you think it'd be best for my house guests for me to just bag them, totally clean the bowl and refurbish it with silk/real plants and a proper hidey, or do you think I should be gradual about it? I think the person I'm fish sitting for wouldn't mind if I redecorated the bowl, handed it back, and said, "There, all better." I almost suspect they'll be happy. *shrug*

I've had him only a short time, about a day or so, and I woke up this morning to him having built a huge bubble nest. He's the guy I mentioned in the heater thread, who frequently goes through massive temperature changes. Since my room is quite even for bowls, he's probably quite happy right now.

He's afraid of me when I feed him. I feel a little sorry for him. His owner's road is paved with good intentions.

 

[catxx]

refurb time!!
that's what i'd do.
rip everything out, start over, the betta & shrimps will appreciate in the long run!

maybe buy them a heater for xmas!

 

[soritan]

The betta immediately sat in the terra cotta pot and the shrimps stayed 'outdoors'. Role reversal. Anyways, so long as they see each other less, right? I think I'll just put a silk plant in there, for now, and put in the java moss tomorrow or the day after, when I've the nerve to net 2 ghost shrimp.

The substrate was a really poor choice for such a small space. It's largeish pebbles. I fed a single bloodworm today, and watched it slip through a crack and fall almost 1.5" down. No ghost shrimp, no matter how despearte, can reach that. And their owner feeds them HBH pellets, so I can imagine how many little pellets are stuck in there. I'm thinking of a small layer of sand, just for show, so that nothing can slip into any cracks, with maybe a single large river stone as a 'center piece', and I'll maybe cut the terra cotta pot in half and keep it in there.

Why am I reminded of those awful shows they have on tv, where people sneak in to other people's houses and completely redesign them?

 

[catxx]

haha yeah
do a "changing rooms" on them, but don't do a botch job with MDF and flowery motifs with a "theatrical theme" yeah?

 

[soritan]

What, no statuettes of Comedy and Tragedy? Bummer.

*laugh* It's an oddly shaped vase. Perfect for a betta in many ways, because it's so wide at the top and then it suddenly closes to a smaller opening (slightly larger than a CD), but there's very little floor space. So it'll be a weird challange for me. It's basically shaped like a 'V'.

 

[Joby]

I say go for it, rip the sucker apart and re-furb!

I'm sure a complete clean shouldn't be a problem, and your plans sound awesome. Apart from the statuettes and comedy and tragedy

 

[OohFeeshy]

If it looks like they haven't had a water change, the best bet may be to syphon all the water out into another container (take the betta and shrimp out first though ), clean the substrateand change maybe, a cup of water twice a day? A change of substrate might do good, perhaps filling the gaps with sand would be better?

 

[soritan]

Oh, good idea OohFishy.

I think that there's way too much substrate in there, right now. I can see why they'd want to keep it up that high, it's attractive like that, but it's so deep that food has a nice long way to fall, and it's totally out of arm's length for the shrimp. Perhaps removing half the substrate and then filling with the sand? I wouldn't have thought of that.... I'll give it a go, if it doesn't look good, it's simple enough to fix, without betta and shrimp present.

 

[Durbkat]

Just put the fish in a cup for each fish and take the pebbels out and put some natural colored gravel in there and a few silk plants and keep the pot in there. I'm sure those fish will like any thing you can do for them.

 

[soritan]

It actually already has "natural colored gravel", I think that it was a very poor choice for the container, IMHO. Sure, it's pretty to look at, but it's irregular shape and depth makes it extremely easy for food to get lost in all the cracks.