# MUST READ! ALL MEMBERS please read BEFORE posting!



## Lupin

Hi fellow members,

When you create a new topic we will need to ask a number of questions about your situation so we can best determine how to help you. To speed up the process, we ask that you have the following information available at the time of your first post:

1. What is the size of your tank?

2. What are your water parameters? State the brand of test kit used.

3. Is your aquarium set up freshwater or brackish water?

4. How long the aquarium has been set up?

5. What fish do you have? How many are in your tank? How big are they? How long have you had them?

6. Were the fish placed under quarantine period (minus the first batch from the point wherein the tank is ready to accommodate the inhabitants)?

7. What temperature is the tank water currently?

8. Are there live plants in the aquarium?

9. What filter are you using? State brand, maintenance routine and power capacity.

10. Any other equipment used (aside from heater and filter which are two very important components of the tank)?

11. Does your aquarium receive natural sunlight at any given part of the day? What is your lighting schedule (assuming you do not rely on sunlight for our viewing pleasure)?

12. When did you perform your last water change and how much water was changed? How often do you change your water? Do you vacuum the substrate?

13. What foods do you provide your fish? What is the feeding schedule?

14. What unusual signs have you observed in your fish?

15. Have you treated your fish ahead of diagnosis? If so, what treatments did you use? State your reasons for planning ahead of proper diagnosis. 

Thanks and good luck!


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## fish_4_all

*The roots of most Evils*

When it comes to fish and the things we hate see with them, most often it comes down to the basics:
Ammonia
Nitrites
Nitrates over 40ppm
Lack of water changes
GH, KH and/or pH not proper for the fishes needsUncycled tank
Stress from other fish

This is what always needs to be addressed in order to diagnose a problem with a fish. Once we can eliminate all of the above causes then and only then can we focus on treating a more specific disease like a swim bladder problem, infections or popeye. Sometimes it is too late once the major symptoms have come on but if we can catch the basics early enough then most times we can prevent the majors or at least have the situation in hand so the fish at least has a chance to survive the next stage of the problem.


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## herefishy

The best way to convey what you are trying to say, f4a, I think, is if you take care of the basics,practice patience, do your research, perform the maintainance, and use good common sense, you will be one step up in the game. Correct?


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## fish_4_all

Sounds about right Herefishy,

An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of treatment. 

If your hand is burning it doesn't help to treat it until you take it out of the fire. 

Don't blame the barista if you burn your tongue on hot cofee. 

Throwing caution to the wind is just asking for a face full of sand in return. 

And my Favorite:
If you have never jumped from a plane before how do you know if what you are wearing is actually a parachute?


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## Mirta

[
If you have never jumped from a plane before how do you know if what you are wearing is actually a parachute?[/quote]

You rely on somebody else's experience, I guess :?


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## studioskim3

I'm glad we have this forum. It helps me, a newbie to have somewhere to rely on... cuz sometimes, those at places that we think we can rely on (petco) aren't really helpful.  thanks peeps!


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## bettababy

If I may contribute here...
I have noticed in the past that some people get angry because we have to tell them things they don't always want to hear. I ask that *everyone please* take a look at the position we're in. The best thing about this forum over all others is that people are up front and blunt, while not being rude or nasty to each other. 

We assume that when someone comes here and asks questions that they want honest and true answers. Everyone here at FF works very hard to provide the most accurate answers possible. Please don't get angry with us if we offer advice you weren't prepared to hear or don't wish to deal with. There are many times when someone comes to us with a problem and we give an answer by stating the obvious. If a tank is overcrowded, it's overcrowded... and overcrowding causes many issues. We don't like to treat symptoms, we prefer to fix problems so the symptoms go away and don't come back. If there is a problem with something like overcrowding or mismatched fish, there is usually no way to fix it unless that basic is dealt with first. To coach someone through something against our own advice is not only dangerous, but very discouraging to those who give freely of their time to help. For this reason, please don't make demands on us to "fix" something while ignoring our own advice, and please don't ask us to ignore one problem and help treat another. That isn't usually possible and is a waste of everyone's time.

It gets very tedious to have to ask the same questions 100 times in a day because nobody has provided us with enough information to help. Answering our questions above is the fastest way to get help. We work hard and together to help save every animal we can... *so everyone.... work with us, please!*

As was already stated, if you spend the time to do it right the first time, you don't usually have to go through the stress and hassles of failing and then trying to do it a 2nd time.

There are a few things required by anyone who wishes to keep fish successfully:
Patience
Time
Work
Love

I added love to the list because many people don't understand that fish need attention just like any other animal. Most fish are very social animals if you take the time to get to know them. If you're taking the time for attention then you're always guaranteed the time for the work that needs to be done. There is no such thing as a pet who doesn't need care, and the species of animal will determine its care.

Sorry this was long winded but I thought this was the best place to add these comments. I don't wish to offend anyone. I only wish to make the job of those who work here easier and more pleasant, and the results for others will be more pleasant in return.


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## Flashygrrl

That was much needed, IMHO.


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## enthan

I am a new member here. I own betta about 8 months, during this few months i don`t even mix him with any fish. is it possible for me to mix him with other fish. because i thought to mix him with other fish.


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## GeegaFish

I thought that was very well said, Betta Baby! Kudos to you. 8)


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## Irene

*betta with bulge in its side*

Here are the answers to the questions:
1. I have a 1 gal. triangular-shaped tank bought at Petco that comes with an air stone and tube, light andno actual filter.

2. I use tap water that I dechlorinate with Wardley Watercare Chlor Out
and also a few drops of Stress Coat.

3. This has been the setup ever since we've had this fish, 2 years. I have natural aquarium rocks, approx. bean sized.

4. He is a single occupant, he ate 2 ghost shrimp and a cloud fish 2 years ago.

5. He has a plastic plant, the real one turned to mush. The plastic one has been in the tank for a year.

6. The temperature is room temp. When I change it I make sure, by touch, that it's not too warm and not too cold.

7. No filter, just the air stone that came with the tank.

8. What is a CO2 unit? I guess since I don't know the answer would be no.

9. It receives natural sunlight light all day long, indirectly. It's not sitting directly in the sun.

10. The last water change was done a 1 1/2 weeks ago.

11. I change the water approx. once a month. The tank doesn't really get dirty. I noticed that the plant leaves have gunk on them after just cleaning them, which is odd, so I know somethings up.

12. I feed my fish once a day in the evening, either Betta Bits or Blood worms, the blood worms not that often. This has been the only food I've ever used for my fish.

13. The lighting is the light the came with the tank and I don't really keep it on because he starts to get all aggressive because he sees his reflection and starts to attack the glass.

14. My concern is the bulge on his side. Lengthwise it goes from his side fin to almost his top fin and widthwise it goes from the bottom of him to just over his mid section, so just more than half his width. It developed a few weeks ago, out of nowhere. When I turned on the light right now and he was at the top I can see the light in it, like it's an air bubble so it's not a solid growth. It doesn't prevent him from going to the bottom and staying down there. But his demeanor is a bit stressed.

15. I don't test my water parameters, am I supposed to with this type of setup?

16. N/A

17. He's 2 years old and like all the other bettas he kind of just sat there due to the cramped confines of his cup but he did move around when we picked his cup up to get a good look at him.

Please help! I'm afraid if this bulge gets any bigger it's going to pop and that wouldn't be good.


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## beweeb

Betta baby i think you should add money too your list of requirements


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## Flashygrrl

*Re: betta with bulge in its side*



Irene said:


> Here are the answers to the questions:
> 1. I have a 1 gal. triangular-shaped tank bought at Petco that comes with an air stone and tube, light andno actual filter.
> 
> 2. I use tap water that I dechlorinate with Wardley Watercare Chlor Out
> and also a few drops of Stress Coat.
> 
> 3. This has been the setup ever since we've had this fish, 2 years. I have natural aquarium rocks, approx. bean sized.
> 
> 4. He is a single occupant, he ate 2 ghost shrimp and a cloud fish 2 years ago.
> 
> 5. He has a plastic plant, the real one turned to mush. The plastic one has been in the tank for a year.
> 
> 6. The temperature is room temp. When I change it I make sure, by touch, that it's not too warm and not too cold.
> 
> 7. No filter, just the air stone that came with the tank.
> 
> 8. What is a CO2 unit? I guess since I don't know the answer would be no.
> 
> 9. It receives natural sunlight light all day long, indirectly. It's not sitting directly in the sun.
> 
> 10. The last water change was done a 1 1/2 weeks ago.
> 
> 11. I change the water approx. once a month. The tank doesn't really get dirty. I noticed that the plant leaves have gunk on them after just cleaning them, which is odd, so I know somethings up.
> 
> 12. I feed my fish once a day in the evening, either Betta Bits or Blood worms, the blood worms not that often. This has been the only food I've ever used for my fish.
> 
> 13. The lighting is the light the came with the tank and I don't really keep it on because he starts to get all aggressive because he sees his reflection and starts to attack the glass.
> 
> 14. My concern is the bulge on his side. Lengthwise it goes from his side fin to almost his top fin and widthwise it goes from the bottom of him to just over his mid section, so just more than half his width. It developed a few weeks ago, out of nowhere. When I turned on the light right now and he was at the top I can see the light in it, like it's an air bubble so it's not a solid growth. It doesn't prevent him from going to the bottom and staying down there. But his demeanor is a bit stressed.
> 
> 15. I don't test my water parameters, am I supposed to with this type of setup?
> 
> 16. N/A
> 
> 17. He's 2 years old and like all the other bettas he kind of just sat there due to the cramped confines of his cup but he did move around when we picked his cup up to get a good look at him.
> 
> Please help! I'm afraid if this bulge gets any bigger it's going to pop and that wouldn't be good.


Ooops, they meant you should take the "questionnaire" and copy/paste it to the post you already had and give the answers there.


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## Lupin

beweeb said:


> Betta baby i think you should add money too your list of requirements


What do you mean, Beweeb?:question: Amount of cash just varies depending on the steps taken in treating the fish.


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## beweeb

it takes pretty much money to start an aquarium 
fish keeping is kind of expensive especially if you have mts


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## janilee

*Any suggestions needed for Betta lying down.*



Lupin said:


> Hi fellow members,
> 
> When you create a new topic we will need to ask a number of questions about your situation so we can best determine how to help you. To speed up the process, we ask that you have the following information available at the time of your first post:
> 
> 1. Size of aquarium (# of gallons) 1 gal hospital. Prev 10 gal.
> 2. Is your aquarium setup freshwater or brackish water? Fresh
> 3. How long the aquarium has been set up? Hospital, 1 wk. Prev 6 mo.
> 4. What fish and how many are in the aquarium (species are important to know) 1. Prev 4 tetras and 3 guppies.
> 5. Are there live plants in the aquarium? No
> 6. What temperature is the tank water currently? 80 F.
> 7. What make/model filter are you using? None
> 8. Are you using a CO2 unit? No
> 9. Does your aquarium receive natural sunlight at any given part of the day? No
> 10. When did you perform your last water exchange, and how much water was changed? Daily 100% in hospital
> 11. How often do you perform water changes? Daily
> 12. How often and what foods do you feed your fish? Currently Fasting. Beta flakes
> 13. What type of lighting are you using and how long is it kept on? 7 watt light. 24/7
> 14. What specific concerns bring you here at this time? Betta has been lying on his side with his head propped up for 2 weeks.
> 15. What are your water parameters? Test your pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. PH 7.8, ammonia 0, nitrate .5
> 16. What test kit are you using and is it liquid or test strips? Jungle strips.
> 17. When was the last time you bought a fish and how did they behave while in the pet store tank? One month. Fine and frisky.
> 
> Thanks and good luck!


Mojo is in a 1 gal "hospital" with only a glass blob to prop his head on. On the advice of another forum, the tank is completely bare so I could see if he pooped. I haven't seen any, so a 3 day fast, ending with a pea was suggested. We are on the first day of that fast. The water is treated with Betta water conditioner and 1 drop per 2 gal of water Quick Cure. He's been hanging on, mostly resting. Doesn't seem to have labored breathing and gets to the top for air pretty easily. I first treated him with CopperSafe for 2 days, but I was told it's not truly safe and so I started the Quick Cure. He has been Quick Cure for 4 days.
Tonight, I posted a picture on that site and got the message that this was "not good" and I might need to consider euthanasia. I found this site and am posting for a second opinion because I care for this fish and, though I don't want to be selfish and keep him alive if he's suffering and should pass on, I don't want to be hasty if he has a chance.
We thought he had velvet, so the Quick Cure was used. I'm not seeing the gold on the sides of his head, behind his gills, that I was seeing. However, he seems to be less active, now.
We can't discern any bloating, no raised scales. His eyes are very cloudy.
He seemed quite happy in his previous tank for the last 4 months, since I brought him home. Then, a couple of weeks ago, he became steadily less active, so we bought the hospital and moved him in. 
If I could figure out how to post a picture here, I would do so. Even if the sight of him makes my second opinion the same as the first.

thanks,
janilee


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## nicolaidy

*red gelitanous blob*

My brother and sister in law have a 55 gal freshwater tank with two african chiclids two african clawed frogs and an oscar. Tonight my sister in law Kelly found a red blob of gelatanous material hooked on a plastic plant in the tank. It looked like it may have something in the middle of it sort of like a blod clot. Is this an egg sac or some sort of parasite or what? Does anyone know?


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## stephanieleah

thanks for that input...it helps newbies like me to know what info applies when we post.


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