is my Betta OK? (picture link?)

"Deborah Mundorff" wrote in message
link.net...
He seems active and healthy. He interacts with us when we approach his
tank, eats eagerly when offered - (we limit it to at most 3 Betta Pellets
a day - but mix in one or two freeze dried bloodworms occasionally as a
treat) and his routine has not changed by our observation.
============================
I wont comment on his missing scales but will on his food. That is not much
food unless those pellets are awfully large for a betta. I feed mine twice
a day, usually all they want each time. They live between 4 and 5 years.
Thier diet is a mix of dried "betta" food and frozen fish foods.
--
ZB....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö ~~~~ }((((({*

Three betta pellets per day is conservative but because Bettas are
prone to complications stemming from overfeeding it's usually better to
err on the side of less, particularly when feeding a diet of dry foods
like pellets. A couple of small feedings per day (two feedings of 3
pellets each) will help to avoid issues with constipation and bloating.

I agree Zebulon, her betta is a little on the thin side but I don't
think it's related to the bizarre scale loss. Potentially, it could be
the quality of food. I wonder if the food was very old and the vitamins
dissipated, if a nutritional imbalance could be to blame.


Any updates on your fish Deborah?


Zëbulon wrote:
============================
I wont comment on his missing scales but will on his food. That is not much
food unless those pellets are awfully large for a betta. I feed mine twice
a day, usually all they want each time. They live between 4 and 5 years.
Thier diet is a mix of dried "betta" food and frozen fish foods.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. On closer inspection of the betta (his
name is "Current") - it seems that the fins are actually there, just loosing
color. I guess this can happen as a result of temperature fluctuation, and
our house gets very cold at night. We have moved him to a 6 gallon tank and
added a heater. The first day with the new heater he was making bubble
nests, which he had never really done... This was fun to see.

I think his color may return, it is hard for me to tell but it looks a
little better. We have stepped up the water changes a bit (although I
thought we were pretty aggressive already) and are testing for amoniona
every day - ensuring it stays 0. I'm still confused on the ph levels - the
reading on my strips seem really low and I haven't quite figured out how
that relates to fish health...

On an earlier suggestion I posted the same question on the betta forum at
Aquamaniacs - almost everyone responded that he looked healthy and that
color loss may be a result of age - but to also check the temperature.

Check out Current in his new home, and thanks again - it so nice to find
you.

http://nwgamefacephotos.smugmug.com/...23995538-M.jpg


On 1/18/07 6:57 AM, in article
, "IDzine01"
wrote:

Three betta pellets per day is conservative but because Bettas are
prone to complications stemming from overfeeding it's usually better to
err on the side of less, particularly when feeding a diet of dry foods
like pellets. A couple of small feedings per day (two feedings of 3
pellets each) will help to avoid issues with constipation and bloating.

I agree Zebulon, her betta is a little on the thin side but I don't
think it's related to the bizarre scale loss. Potentially, it could be
the quality of food. I wonder if the food was very old and the vitamins
dissipated, if a nutritional imbalance could be to blame.


Any updates on your fish Deborah?


Zëbulon wrote:
============================
I wont comment on his missing scales but will on his food. That is not much
food unless those pellets are awfully large for a betta. I feed mine twice
a day, usually all they want each time. They live between 4 and 5 years.
Thier diet is a mix of dried "betta" food and frozen fish foods.

Deborah Mundorff wrote:

I think his color may return, it is hard for me to tell but it looks a
little better. We have stepped up the water changes a bit (although I
thought we were pretty aggressive already) and are testing for amoniona
every day - ensuring it stays 0. I'm still confused on the ph levels - the
reading on my strips seem really low and I haven't quite figured out how
that relates to fish health...

On an earlier suggestion I posted the same question on the betta forum at
Aquamaniacs - almost everyone responded that he looked healthy and that
color loss may be a result of age - but to also check the temperature.


He doesn't look to me like he has the typical old age loss of coloring.
That's more of a general fading of his normal coloring. Think faded
cotton T-shirt.
What I think is happening is a simple color morph. Bettas that have
Cambodian in them (the lighter bodies where a lot of these nice colors
are coming from when mixed with regular colored Bettas) often will
change colors over time.
Also, it's very possible he has marble genes in him. This would mean
any type of color change at any time inhis life can happen.
These changes often happen in chunks and go from one color to an
entirely different color.
I happen to love marbles. They're like little surprises in each fish
that never stop.
So don't worry about him. He looks fine.
It would an entirely different story if he were missing scales in these
areas, but it never looked like it to me.

My betta won't eat pellets, only flakes.

"Angie" wrote in message
...
My betta won't eat pellets, only flakes.

===============
And my bettas hate flakes. They love pellets and thawed blood worms and
other goodies from the freezer. :-)
--
ZB....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö ~~~~ }((((({*

Angie wrote:
My betta won't eat pellets, only flakes.

Do you feed your Betta anything other than flake?
I ask because a varied diet is best for them.
Feeding a quality flake (or pellet..however, if pellet I recommend
Hikari's Betta Bio Gold), for one feeding and then the other feeding a
frozen food such as Brine Shrimp or Bloodworms.
Again, I recommend Hikari brand on the frozen foods. They simply have a
better quality product.
Stay away from too much dried foods, such as a flake or pellet and then
freeze dried Bloodworms. It can cause constipation and a very unhappy
Betta.
Brine shrimp also has a laxative affect, so it's a good "cleaner" food
too. = )
I know my local Petsmart and Petco's sell both the cubed or flat packs
of both frozen foods in the Hikari brand.
If you only have one or a couple fish, go with the flat pack. It's much
easier to break off a tiny chunk and thaw it in some tank water and
then feed accordingly.