I woke this morning to find my male beta that i've had for 3 years bloody and on the floor. his tank was knocked over and i assumed he was dead. As i started moping up around him i noticed he wasn't in the same position and I touched him and he moved! I returned him to his water, but he's missing some scales and looks badly beaten. Now that he's back in the water i can see his gills moving but that's about it. Every so often he'll swim around. What can I do to help him survive?
2006-10-20 04:55:09 · 8 answers · asked by Jamie G 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
So, three year old Sparkles didn't make it :( I think the fall and the stress was just too much for him. Thank you guys for all your awesome answers though.
2006-10-20 09:16:32 · update #1
Missing scales isn't a horrible thing, just make sure the water is clean so they don't get infected while trying to heal. Since bettas can breathe air they can last being out of the water longer then most fish. The fall itself may have done something to his insides though so make sure to keep an eye on him. But leave him in the dark and don't bother him too much so he can calm down some and not be even more stressed.
2006-10-20 05:13:21 · answer #1 · answered by Nunya Biznis 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Jolly is right, clean water and a little sea (aquarium) salt, just a pinch, does wonders for a betta. It is something you can add every time you do a water change too. It helps promote healthy fins and scales, while keeping the germ count down in the water. Use some stress coat also.
Poor guy, it is amazing how hardy these fish are. I dropped one of my bettas down the garbage disposal while changing his water. THANK GOD it wasn't on, but I thought for sure I had killed the poor fellow. The amazing thing is he acted like it didn't phase him when I pulled him back out and put him in his clean tank.
Good Luck and Take Care
2006-10-20 13:43:30 · answer #2 · answered by escapingmars 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
OMG! I'm surprised that fishy is still alive!.. Holy cow -sorry to hear that fishy and cat got into a fight..Like someone else said only time can heal him-if it's possible.. Next time you get a fishy get a tank for I think 5$ at wal mart with a lid on it (small one) and keep the lid on at all times..Heck you can get a fancy one for 10$ that has a light in it..put fishy's rocks on the bottom and after fishy is in it you can put the lid on and plug it in and then fishy has a light..:) ( I had one for my beta )
2006-10-20 12:06:57 · answer #3 · answered by Rain32 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Methylene blue will help him ward of any fungus that might try to attack him. Once a fish hits the dry floor, their slime coating is scraped or rubbed off in places. A fungus or parasite will then attack this area.
Mela fix will help too and will promote the regrowth of fins if any were chewed or nipped.
Both of these are available at any good pet store that sells fish.
2006-10-20 13:53:21 · answer #4 · answered by 8 In the corner 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
same thing happened to my oscar (he jumped out while trying to attack my roommates cat!!) and then the dog attacked the fish before I could reach him.
Salt works great...get sea salt from any petstore for like a buck..and use that in clean water. Scales and fins can grow back fine..but stress is a killer in itself.
2006-10-20 13:36:21 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It may not survive much longer but try using antibiotics in the water.
2006-10-20 12:53:02 · answer #6 · answered by FacingEviction 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the only thing you can do is give it time im sorry about the situation but theres not much that can be done except for getting it antibiotics
and those want promise it will be okay but it's worth a try
2006-10-20 12:00:36 · answer #7 · answered by Brian B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
just put in some dried "ketapang" leaf (brown colour) in the tank. it will help your beta to recover more effectively. i've seen many people did it before. the result are remarkable.
2006-10-20 12:39:25 · answer #8 · answered by 360 degrees 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋