# Stress



## BlueMaxx (Jan 10, 2006)

What can I do to help Maxx out of his stress?
I have Stress coat for him.
When and how do I give it to him


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Stress Coat, despite the name, really isn't used for removing stress. It's made for soothing the bumps & scrapes a fish gets when being moved to a new tank and for making new tapwater fish-safe. That's pretty much it.

If your fish is having some stress-related problems, then the thing to do is figure out what's bothering him and fix it.

usually a water change helps. Put some water in a bucket, a CLEAN bucket that does NOT have any residue of soap or anything in it, and let the water sit out for two days. You can put some stress-coat in this water at the rate of 2 or 3 drops per gallon, or you can use just one drop per gallon if you then put an airstone in the bucket to aerate the water for a day or two. 
After that, check the wter temperature and make sure it's very close to the same as the water Maxx is in already. A couple of degrees warmer is okay, but a couple degrees cooler is NOT okay.
Then change 1/2 the water in Maxx's bowl. The next day, change 1/2 again. After that, change 1/2 with this previously prepared water every week. That usually perks up any stressed-out little fishie, but look for any other things which might be bothering him, like a tankmate, or a reflection of himself, or a bad batch of food, or whatever, and fix the problem.


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## BlueMaxx (Jan 10, 2006)

I did a water change yesterday in his little bowl and added the stress coat and he is just hanging out. Looks like maybe his fins are starting to undo them selves but he is still not eating.
My little heater and filter will be here today and I will set up his 2.5 gal tank and let it cycle for a day and then put him back in it. maybe that will bring him out of his funk.
Other then that I will jsut have an ugly betta.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

What is your regiment (water changes, feeding). Tank temp, Tank size, filtration?


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## BlueMaxx (Jan 10, 2006)

I would change his tank bi weekly at a 100% change and feed Am/ Pm only tank temp was at 78 and he lives in a 2.5 gal tank I have a heater and a filter coming intoday and am planning to set it up again and cycle for a day with out hims in it. I use filterd water and treat it with Betta Bowl Buddies from Junglelabs it works great for him.

I did have a gold fish in there with him and then I took the gold out and that is when I noticed that he looked different, fins were clamped and he looked sick. i figured maybe he was missing his friend or his friend gave him a fungus. (The gold died in the little bowl that I had placed him in after I took him out of Maxx's tank.)

I treated maxx for a fungus and that wasn't working, did water changes and meds.
Now we are going on a week and maxx still looks sad.
His body is sort of paleblue and his fins kinda have color(blue) and that is about it.

Nina


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

If possible raise the temp to 80-82 degrees. When you change the water is the water the same temp?


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## BlueMaxx (Jan 10, 2006)

Ok I went to get the heater and well they are out at petco and that is were I bought Maxx at and I did recieved my filter. So what is the best Heater to get for a 2.5 gal tank. The one I wanted was the Hydor Mini Heater 7.5 watts.
If there is something out there that HANGs I would rather have that instead of the under gravel.
His fishy bowl is at 78 right now and he is under a lamp to heat up ( i turn it off at night no worries there)

So any other sugestions?


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