Poor fish 
I think we’ve had that doctor in the link present a few times. Always eye-opening.
I think we’ve had that doctor in the link present a few times. Always eye-opening.
Importing a Thai Betta - The experience
- Thread starter Autumnsky
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OP
OP
So there has been a bit of a turn of events since last updating.
Since he was sooo thin looking, I started going in on all days I was around the house and adding a extra feedings for the guy. Even a few extra pellets.
He is the nicest fish. He just sits at the top of the water and prefers if I scoot the floating pellets in front of him. I think the growth makes it not as easy to whip around and grab the pellets.
He just hangs out searching for the right pellet.
A couple months back after a QT time I added 7 young male Guppies to his tank as I hadn't decided which place they would end up.
Maybe they cheered him up or gave him something else to do. But he seemed amicable and hung around near the fish.
He gained weight and filled out looking so much better than before when he was most skinny. Now he seems pretty happy. Also I added 11 little nano Cories maybe a month ago. He didn't really see them much. No problem.
Past week, those other fish needed to get moved. I moved a couple Male guppies. Then getting prepared to move Phoenix and the other fish from that tank to different locations a few days back got him into the 12G Edge. Due to his slow and picky eating and making the 12G a shrimp tank, I wanted to move Phoenix over to a new tank.
He got bounced to the 30G Waterbox Guppy / Endler grow out tank.
This caused a problem not considered before. The Guppies /Endlers look /act like a video clip of a group of Piranha.
Fish jumping out of the water, splashing and gobbling as fast as they can. Piling on top of each other for a couple minutes.
This leads him out of luck for other than a bite of food.
Even when the food is added where I usually feed the other fish and then get him in a different corner and feed, they other fish figure out there is a new fish chow location, and swamp him.
Think I have figured out a way to keep the Betta able to eat 2x per day and that is to use a barrier to isolate the fish in the corner for a few minutes. He is a casual eater /slow and thinks about which pellet to eat for a second or 2 before grabbing it.
He didn't take happily to the idea of not getting his bedtime snack last night. He looked decidedly to be pouting and dissatisfied. So I shoo'd away the other fish by scooping them toward the other side of the tank while dropping in a couple Betta pellets at a time for his snack.
I decided that he will get to move to the Wine glass tank, but it has fish which need to be removed and put into the 72G and needs a cleaning as well. So will work towards that soon.
There are Ghost shrimp and Pygmy Cory Cats. Thinking on leaving a couple male Endlers and a Guppy male in there too to keep him company. It has a bunch of Duck weed though and need to get more aggressive on removing that.
So as the Phoenix he is, he has once again risen from the brink of death. I really truly thought he was at death's door before. I know the tumors are still there and he still could go at any time. Very happy he is such a sweetie and I get more time with him.
From the beginning I didn't allow myself to get too attached. Emotionally I kept my distance. Especially again when I saw the growths starting, then getting bigger and him getting thinner and thinner. But now I am stuck. Sometime between then and feeding him these few months I got attached. Emotionally invested. Darn it.
Darn it.
Since he was sooo thin looking, I started going in on all days I was around the house and adding a extra feedings for the guy. Even a few extra pellets.
He is the nicest fish. He just sits at the top of the water and prefers if I scoot the floating pellets in front of him. I think the growth makes it not as easy to whip around and grab the pellets.
He just hangs out searching for the right pellet.
A couple months back after a QT time I added 7 young male Guppies to his tank as I hadn't decided which place they would end up.
Maybe they cheered him up or gave him something else to do. But he seemed amicable and hung around near the fish.
He gained weight and filled out looking so much better than before when he was most skinny. Now he seems pretty happy. Also I added 11 little nano Cories maybe a month ago. He didn't really see them much. No problem.
Past week, those other fish needed to get moved. I moved a couple Male guppies. Then getting prepared to move Phoenix and the other fish from that tank to different locations a few days back got him into the 12G Edge. Due to his slow and picky eating and making the 12G a shrimp tank, I wanted to move Phoenix over to a new tank.
He got bounced to the 30G Waterbox Guppy / Endler grow out tank.
This caused a problem not considered before. The Guppies /Endlers look /act like a video clip of a group of Piranha.
Fish jumping out of the water, splashing and gobbling as fast as they can. Piling on top of each other for a couple minutes.
This leads him out of luck for other than a bite of food.
Even when the food is added where I usually feed the other fish and then get him in a different corner and feed, they other fish figure out there is a new fish chow location, and swamp him.
Think I have figured out a way to keep the Betta able to eat 2x per day and that is to use a barrier to isolate the fish in the corner for a few minutes. He is a casual eater /slow and thinks about which pellet to eat for a second or 2 before grabbing it.
He didn't take happily to the idea of not getting his bedtime snack last night. He looked decidedly to be pouting and dissatisfied. So I shoo'd away the other fish by scooping them toward the other side of the tank while dropping in a couple Betta pellets at a time for his snack.
I decided that he will get to move to the Wine glass tank, but it has fish which need to be removed and put into the 72G and needs a cleaning as well. So will work towards that soon.
There are Ghost shrimp and Pygmy Cory Cats. Thinking on leaving a couple male Endlers and a Guppy male in there too to keep him company. It has a bunch of Duck weed though and need to get more aggressive on removing that.
So as the Phoenix he is, he has once again risen from the brink of death. I really truly thought he was at death's door before. I know the tumors are still there and he still could go at any time. Very happy he is such a sweetie and I get more time with him.
From the beginning I didn't allow myself to get too attached. Emotionally I kept my distance. Especially again when I saw the growths starting, then getting bigger and him getting thinner and thinner. But now I am stuck. Sometime between then and feeding him these few months I got attached. Emotionally invested. Darn it.
Darn it.
Last edited:
TMaier
Aquarium Advice Addict
Those bettas can be heartbreakers.
Fingers crossed!!
OP
OP
After a clean up is completed, this will be the new home for Phoenix.
He is gulping for air more often now. The way a Cory does when it pops up to the top and gets a breath of air at the surface. He doesn't usually go to the bottom, hangs out in the plants in the top 1/3.
Info will be at the end of the thread as of today / post#49 going forward in his new tank.
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f70/4-tall-wine-glass-tank-won-at-auction-364997.html
He will be living with a few male Guppies /Endlers, appx 7 Pygmy Cories and untold number of Ghost shrimp. Not too sure how long he will go - he is not skinny and excepting tumors/growths, looks great. So maybe some good time left.
He is gulping for air more often now. The way a Cory does when it pops up to the top and gets a breath of air at the surface. He doesn't usually go to the bottom, hangs out in the plants in the top 1/3.
Info will be at the end of the thread as of today / post#49 going forward in his new tank.
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f70/4-tall-wine-glass-tank-won-at-auction-364997.html
He will be living with a few male Guppies /Endlers, appx 7 Pygmy Cories and untold number of Ghost shrimp. Not too sure how long he will go - he is not skinny and excepting tumors/growths, looks great. So maybe some good time left.
Fingers crossed for him!
OP
OP
Thanks, it is up and down frequently!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spent a huge amount of time yesterday working on the Wine glass.
Got him moved over today.
He didn't seem overly thrilled but was happier eating without being trampled by hungry momma Endlers / Guppies eating all his pellets, lol.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spent a huge amount of time yesterday working on the Wine glass.
Got him moved over today.
He didn't seem overly thrilled but was happier eating without being trampled by hungry momma Endlers / Guppies eating all his pellets, lol.
Last edited:
TMaier
Aquarium Advice Addict
He gets to be king of the castle now.
OP
OP
Yes, and the other fish are his subjects!
OP
OP
Here was a top down view from December when he was thin and the tumors were so sad to see.
Then it was this
In the last months I had worked on feeding him much more and putting the food in front of him and he responded by getting a little fat. But he was with some Guppies and I think he liked the company.
This past couple weeks he had begun to have more difficulty swimming and eating as much.
The bulge in the neck area (all of them looked a bit better because he wasn't as skinny) which had smoothed out some when he got some weight back on kind of popped out began to stick out more and it was apparent it was growing and making it harder for him.
Bought Clove oil as I had run out. But he seemed still pretty happy.
The week before he started to get swollen in the abdomen. I waited a few days trying to decide if it was bigger tumor or infection. I tried Epsom salt and that helped but it didn't look better. Then treated with medication and between the Epsom salts and actual medication he looked so much better.
I tried feeding him and he didn't seem to be able to get the pellets.
Then I tried putting the pellets in front of him, I saw he got it in his mouth but couldn't really swallow it. The next night he passed away.
Rest in Peace little guy. He is buried in the garden now under a pretty rose. Most of my passed on fish do not get buried. He was a special one.
Then it was this
In the last months I had worked on feeding him much more and putting the food in front of him and he responded by getting a little fat. But he was with some Guppies and I think he liked the company.
This past couple weeks he had begun to have more difficulty swimming and eating as much.
The bulge in the neck area (all of them looked a bit better because he wasn't as skinny) which had smoothed out some when he got some weight back on kind of popped out began to stick out more and it was apparent it was growing and making it harder for him.
Bought Clove oil as I had run out. But he seemed still pretty happy.
The week before he started to get swollen in the abdomen. I waited a few days trying to decide if it was bigger tumor or infection. I tried Epsom salt and that helped but it didn't look better. Then treated with medication and between the Epsom salts and actual medication he looked so much better.
I tried feeding him and he didn't seem to be able to get the pellets.
Then I tried putting the pellets in front of him, I saw he got it in his mouth but couldn't really swallow it. The next night he passed away.
Rest in Peace little guy. He is buried in the garden now under a pretty rose. Most of my passed on fish do not get buried. He was a special one.
Last edited:
OP
OP
Some pics
Last edited:
TMaier
Aquarium Advice Addict
Sorry you lost your boy. You worked hard to get him healthy when you first received him. And you provided lots of love and care while he was with you. When I lost my betta Blue, I never considered getting another. They are great fish that really bond with an owner.
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