Re: Betta queries

[Flash Wilson]

On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 04:45:44 GMT, Renee > wrote:
>Betta 1: One day, suddenly had shortened, and "clumpy" looking fins.
>Did water changes, used Bettafix to instructions. Betta seems healthy
>- swims, eats, responds to attention, etc - but is oddly "stiff". Not
>as writh-y as the others, and his fins aren't at *all* flow-y, and are
>still rather unattractively stumpy. They seem somewhat inflexible, and
>never "flare" at all. He's been this way for weeks now. No sign of
>fungus, no sign of lethargy. Any ideas?

No idea on that one sorry.

>Betta 2: Has suddenly developed a fussy palate. Is now refusing
>(either ignoring, or grabbing then spitting out) Betta Bites, Betta
>Bio-Gold, daphnia, BettaMin Tropical Medley, TetraMin Tropical
>Granules, and Tetra Nature's Delica "wet" food. The latter will
>usually get some interest, although he clearly doesn't like the
>stringy bits. He's still active and acting *hungry*, but then
>playing Morris with whatever I offer. Any other recommendations on
>food for the discriminating betta?

Have you tried tetra prima? Mine like that. They do eat the Delica
but only under sufferance, and they will sometimes take frozen
bloodworm (but the cubes are so big I feed them to the other tanks
and then "rescue" a little for the bettas).

--
Flash Wilson
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Losing the Electric Ballroom to compulsory purchase by LUL sucks!
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[IDzine01]

(Flash Wilson) wrote in message >...
> On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 04:45:44 GMT, Renee > wrote:
> >Betta 1: One day, suddenly had shortened, and "clumpy" looking fins.
> >Did water changes, used Bettafix to instructions. Betta seems healthy
> >- swims, eats, responds to attention, etc - but is oddly "stiff". Not
> >as writh-y as the others, and his fins aren't at *all* flow-y, and are
> >still rather unattractively stumpy. They seem somewhat inflexible, and
> >never "flare" at all. He's been this way for weeks now. No sign of
> >fungus, no sign of lethargy. Any ideas?

Well, it's hard to say without knowing your water parameters. (pH,
ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, kh and gh. Also maintaining a temperature
between 74 and 80 is important too.
Clamped fins are common with sick betta. I don't recommend treating
him until you know what's wrong with him. The best thing you can do is
give him clean water.
I'm part of a Betta message board that has a bunch of really great
experts. If you're interested it's free. You can sign up through
ezboard or visit http://pub36.ezboard.com/baquariumbbs. They saved the
lives of many of my bettas on numerous occasions.

>
> >Betta 2: Has suddenly developed a fussy palate. Is now refusing
> >(either ignoring, or grabbing then spitting out) Betta Bites, Betta
> >Bio-Gold, daphnia, BettaMin Tropical Medley, TetraMin Tropical
> >Granules, and Tetra Nature's Delica "wet" food. The latter will
> >usually get some interest, although he clearly doesn't like the
> >stringy bits. He's still active and acting *hungry*, but then
> >playing Morris with whatever I offer. Any other recommendations on
> >food for the discriminating betta?
>
My first question would be, How much are you feeding him? Their
stomachs are about as big as their eye and shouldn't be fed more then
that amount at a time. Also, dried pellets are bad for a bettas
digestion. They swell in the stomach and can cause constipation or
even swim bladder disorders. The best food for a betta is either
frozen bloodworms or bloodworms in gel. (freeze dried come with their
own set of problems) There isn't a betta on the planet that doesn't
love bloodworms. If you insist on feeding pellets, it's very important
that you soak them before you put them in your bettas tank. This will
allow them to swell up to their full size before they get into his
stomach. The Bio-gold swells the least of all the pellets. I've never
used the daphnia, but I hear it's ok. Again, go for the frozen or
gelled.