Two Questions

[dixaisy930]

I came with yet another betta.. This one is a she, not a he, though. I couldn't leave her at the lfs...the other female bettas were sort of picking on her, she was hiding in a shell, and there was a chunk taken out of her tail. My question in, what can I add to the water to improve tail growth?

Second, I bought some live brine shrimp for my other fish (they love chasing them down ) and I was wondering if I could put one in for my bettas.

The new girl is so cute

I need help

 

[wuvmybetta]

they'll LOVE the brine,mine get about 8-10 a couple/few nights a week

I don't know what meds to tell you to use for your girlie,I don't use meds

maybe a pinch of salt?

 

[Inchworm]

... My question in, what can I add to the water to improve tail growth?

Hi dixaisy,

Congradulations on getting the new betta!

StressCoat is a pretty good product that promotes healing and restores the fish's natural slime coat, which she may have had disturbed by the other fishs' picking on her and by being netted, etc. It won't do her any harm, at any rate. I believe it also acts as a dechlorinator.

 

[dixaisy930]

Thanks! She seems to like her new home so far...She ate this morning (I thought I'd wait to feed her since she was probably a little stressed from the move and all). I haven't "introduced" (meaning putting her bowl next to theirs) her to the boys yet...don't want to over stimulate her.

I tried the live brine shrimp, and the boys loved them! Ever since Nux has been swimming about and watching me...it's like he's a whole new fish. Dogma loved stalking his new food.

Anyone ever try live bloodworms (for fish other than bettas, too)? My lfs has them, but I'm a little worried they might carry parasites or disease. Or am I thinking of live tubifex worms?

 

[Inchworm]

Hello dixaisy930

I'm happy to hear that your new betta is settled in and none the worse for wear and tear!

Live bloodworms are an excellent food and I've never had a fish that didn't love them. They are especially good if you want to condition fish before breeding them. Tubiflex worms look just like bloodworms except they are smaller and I have heard, not quite as nutritious.

I use them regularly for feeding all adults and give them (chopped up) to my fry as soon as they are big enough to eat them.

There are things to do to keep the worms alive and in good health until they are eaten and if you don't know how to care for them, I would be happy to tell you.

 

[dixaisy930]

That would be great! The live brine shrimp has been a big hit with all of fish (even the new girl loves them), so I think bloodworms would be the next logical step. I know my bumblebee gobies will go nuts for them. I just don't want to spoil the fish (more than I already do lol) and have them only eat live. I guess as long as I don't feed them live every day, this shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Inchworm]

I've never had fish get that spoiled, dixaisy930.

What I usually do is get several portion of worms on Saturday and when they are finished they have to make do until the next time. I prefer to do it this way rather than feed worms every other day because they are expensive -- compared to the other food -- and I don't want them to get old and die, which would mean they are wasted.

When you get them home, put the worms in a glass or something you can use to wash them. I have a plastic measuring cup with a little spout that I use for this purpose because it makes it easier to pour off water without losing the worms.

Then run COLD water into the cup and stir them up. You will see the water turn cloudy from the waste that is in there. Pour this off and repeat this process until the water runs out clear. Pour off all the water except just enough to cover them. Then pour them into a container and store in the refrigerator.

Every day or two you will want to rewash them to keep them alive and in good condition until they are fed to the fish. They should not have a nasty smell, only a mild one. (But they will probably smell bad when you first bring them home. Once they are washed, it will be better.)

They are a bit of work to keep, but you will be rewarded when you see how much your fish love to eat them.

 

[FishHeads]

Arg!! I need a little advise! How do you make a nasty little Blue Gourami to quick harrassing his tank mates?? I tried looking at other posts but I didn't see what I was looking for.

 

[Inchworm]

Arg!! I need a little advise! How do you make a nasty little Blue Gourami to quick harrassing his tank mates?? I tried looking at other posts but I didn't see what I was looking for.

Sorry FishHeads, you can't MAKE a fish do anything!

What you can do is take him out of that tank and put him in with larger fish, or try adding more tall plants for the others to hide in.

What kind of fish is he chasing?