What a rescue

[FishEnthusiast]

Well I went to PetCetera today for the first time. The only reason I went was because they were having a buy one get 2 free sale. I saw the female betta tank and almost started to cry. The tank was overrun by hair algae. And the guy told me the bettas came in yesterday. All the tanks had not been cleaned in a long time. I counted the girls, there were 10. Weeeeelllllllll I thought, I really only hvae to pay for 4, and I can get some White Cloud Minnows (guy gave me danio's )too for free. So I looked at my ever loving husband and gave him my best puppy dog eyes and asked if he would be too mad if I bought them all. Of course I pointed out the $30 savings. He relented. God I love that man !

So I bought out the whole tank. Some of the girls appear to be sick. Because they were all in a tank together I am going to treat them. Right now I am just going to use salt. I am not sure what is ailing them. Once they are acclimated and I can take a look at them I will try to figure it out. The boys were in a bad way too, but I couldn't buy them, I don't have the tanks for that.

I will never shop there again, I left as soon as I got my girls because I was so mad at how dumb the people were. I won't even go into it because it has been said over and over. I will say this however, there was a dead and half eaten girl in the tank with the others. The guy cavalierly swished it around and said oh there is a dead one, like it didn't matter. He also rinsed the net out in another tank. The net had pieces of fish in it.

Here is what I am going to do with my new additions. I have a 20G that is home to some glolite tetras, rummynose tetras and juvie angels. I was already going to rehome the angels in my 55G, but now the glolites and rummynose are going to go there too. I am going to give the girls the 20G to themselves. Will this be enough room? They are all about 1" long right now. I can split them up into smaller groups when they are better. What is my best course of action right now? Should I treat the tank with anything other than salt. I have heard of some natural remedies, can I use these and if so, where can I get them that isn't the internet? I don't have any way to purchase something online.

Thanks all

 

[Kiarra]

They'll be just fine together in the 20G, as long as they don't fight with each other (and, really with 10 of them, there shouldn't be enough fighting to worry about). No need to split the girls up at all.

That's such a sad story. I'm so glad you bought them all! That store should be ashamed of itself.

Natural remedies are stuff like Colloidal Silver and Blackwater Extract/Indian Almond Leaves. I don't think you'll be able to get any Indian Almond Leaves locally, but some people have been able to find Blackwater Extract at Petsmart, though I've never seen it there. I have, however, found it at a smallish local pet store, not a chain store. A decent-sized bottle cost me $5.99 U.S. Colloidal Silver you should be able to get at a health store like GNC, though in low ppm, which would mean you'd have to use more to get the same effect. There's also a product called Amazon Rain that wuv uses, which is similar to Blackwater Extract from what I understand, and should be sold in some pet stores, but I don't think I've ever seen it.

Good luck!

 

[FishEnthusiast]

I really couldn't resist buying them all, I was going to buy six, but I didn't know how to choose. If it had been more than 12 or 13, I probably couldn't justify it, but hubby told me I could spend $20, and that is what it cost me, he really couldn't say anything. I might get some 1G bowls so I can isolate the really sick ones, I think the boys on my desk would appreciate the company of a lady beside them. I am going to the flea market tomorrow, so maybe I will get lucky.

 

[GSD]

wow 10 well doe for saving them.how do they look sick?

 

[FishEnthusiast]

I am not sure how to describe the ones that look sick. Their colour looks off, the tops of their head look a little grey(not sure if they are supposed to or not as I just got them) and some seem to be losing some of their slime coat on top of their heads. There were a couple who were obviously getting bullied, so they looked stressed, clamped fins etc...Most of the girls have nipped fins and a touch of fin rot. The most concerning thing is the condition their tank was in. I added some hiding places to my 20G so this is what it looks like now. The girls are getting along quite well. I have seen no aggression since putting them in the tank. There is only salt in their tank right now. I have not added any meds. I did put my sick boy beside the 20G. He perked right up. The girls take turns wiggling their behinds at him.

I decided to keep the rummynose in the 20G with the bettas because one of the rummynose has no eyes. He knows this tank pretty good, but I think adding him to the 55G would stress him out. I didn't want to separate the other 4 because they think Keller(the blind one) is their leader and they follow him everywhere. I also put the danios in the tank because they came from the same store as the bettas. I also don't want them so I am trying to figure out a home for them. Here is a pic of the tank. I put the bottom of a 4L jug of milk around the filter to break up the flow, the girls were having trouble with the current.

And a couple of pics of the girls that actually sat still for pics
This is Little Red

This is Patriot (she is red white and blue but hardly any blue so she can be the patriot of the states or canada)

I have one that is so beautiful, I am going to call her Sky. She refuses to sit still. I think she is the dominate one as she seems to keep the other girls in line.

 

[aznmidnite]

Hello FishEnthusiast,
Not sure where abouts in Canada you're are, but here's a link to a place that sells a type of Black Water extract in Canada (if you can't find any @ your lfs).

http/bigalsonline.ca/catalog/product.xml...ategory_id=2807

Nice rescue effort, and glad to see they are doing fine!

 

[FishEnthusiast]

Thanks for the link. I have a Big Al's that isn't too far from where I live. I don't like how they have been treating their freshwater fish, but that is another story. I think I will get some black water extract. I hear that it does wonders for the fish.

The price seems reasonable, I am assuming they are posting the price in Canadian dollars as it is the Canadian Big Al's site. I might try to get there tomorrow as it is kind of on my way home from school. I have finals this week and next so I am going to be super busy. I also have job interviews that I have to go for too.

I am hoping that all my schooling will pay off, I want to open a really good LFS that will actually care about the animals they sell. That of course is in the future. Well back to Auditing. Thanks guys, I will keep you updated on my pretty girls' progress.

 

[aznmidnite]

Hey FishEnthusiast,
If you're near a Big Al's, either you're on the West coast or East coast, right?

The online price is in Canadian $, however, I notice the instore prices are sometimes $1.00-$2.00 more than the online price.

If you're on the West coast, there is a place called Kind Ed Pet Store that carries 3 different brands of black water extract and they have cheaper prices.