# Please Help My Betta:(



## Rebecca (Apr 6, 2006)

I Just Got My First Betta Fish (blue Splendon) , 3 Days Ago.
He's In A 1 Gallon, Temporary Set Up, And I'm Supposed To Get His 5 Gallon This Weekend.
I'm Afraid He Won't Make It...
He's Swimming Very Erratically, And Diving Into The Gravel So Hard That He's Digging A Hole. He's Also Rubbing On Anything He Can Find.
Will He Make It Through The Night?
It's Almost 11 Pm Here, And I Just Got Home From Work.
Please Help Me To Help Him.
Thanks, 
Rebecca And Swimmy


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## wodesorel (Mar 26, 2006)

First thing, what kind of water do you have him in? If it's tap water, has it been treated for clorine/cloramine? Have you tried changing the water (still use treated water) to see if that helps?

If so, it might be velvet or ick, or another parasite/disease. Does he have any spots or does anything look funny on his body? Check out the sticky on the top of the Betta page on "A very good disease site".

And thank you for getting him a bigger tank. They really love it!


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## Rebecca (Apr 6, 2006)

*Thankyou*

Thanks for your response. Before everyone screams at me, the reason why I got a betta fish was to rescue him from the yellowish sludge he was in at Walmart.
My friend has 3 bettas, one in a small vase with a plant, and two in a divided sludge hole, that holds about 8 oz of water on each side, when her spoiled daughter remembers to change it.
They've been alive in these deplorable conditions for over a year.
My Swimmy is in a 1 galllon aquarium, which I already decided was too small, that I half filled with bottled water, and tap water.
I live in the country with a dug well, so chlorine isn't an issue.
I will check out the disease link and spay that the pet store has betta parasite meds.
Honestly, he doesn't look very different, no filmy or white stuff, no coating, just a desperate erratic swimming. 
I gotten so attached to this beautiful creature and will be heartbroken if I lose him. He was so happy to be in his new palace upon arriva.
:help:


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Don't go medicating him just yet. He's probably just in shock from going from the yellow sludge to clean water, and if your well water is very much different from WalMart's city water, that too can cause problems until he gets used to it.


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## Sprite42 (Mar 10, 2006)

Even if your well water doesn't have chlorine or chloramine, it could still have metal content, iron or copper. You may still have to use some sort of conditioner that will neutralize heavy metals.

THe pH of what he was in and where he is now, may be enough to shock him abit. He will adjust to that, give him time there. You also may want to cover him with a dark towel to calm him down a bit and give him a sense of security.

If he physically doesn't seem ill, I would not treat him yet either. Medicating when there is no clear diagnosis will only build their resistence to meds when really needed.

A bettaholic in the making....Good job on the rescue!!


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## Rebecca (Apr 6, 2006)

*You're all awesome!!*

What a cool sight to get information!!!!!!!!
I'm ecstatic!! 
Swimmy is no longer acting psycho, he just IS psycho!
I got him a 5 gallon tank, (LOVE IT), and put some fancy smancy betta drops in it, and some of that good bacteria, let it stew, and put him in. I've never seen such a happy fish!! He actually looks different! He's bigger. Alright, he isn't bigger, but he thinks he is. He fans out his fins and is as proud as a pea****, strutting from this side to that, and pausing to flare at his reflection in my tea-kettle.
While I was at Walmart buying his tank, I paused to look at the bettas. One had pieces of his fin lying at the bottom of his yellow slimy water, in his cup. I complained to the management, bought some ick-away, and away we went.
I got him for FREE!!
I put him in Swimmy's 1 gallon, and he's also thriving!
Woohoo, a DEFINATE bettaholic!!!!!!
Oh, before I forget, I also went to Petsmart and got 3 adorable white cloud minnows to swim around with Swimmy.
He's a very aggressive fish who will flare at anything that reflects his beautiful self, and yet after sniffing around these little minnows, is happy to have them as tankmates.
Thank you all
Rebecca (Swimmy and Fishy's mom)
Yes, I know, the names are queer........


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