Life's Betta With A Fish

Furballsmom

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He starts going around and around on one side of the tank, over and over, and acting as though he's trying to find a way out...and he'd do this after water changes.

When he's comfortable, he hangs out, and swims normally. It took a while to figure it out but this seems to be it.
 

Furballsmom

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I figured his circling was either from the temperature, a falling or rising barometer, or the water. I even put him on Blue's side just to see if I'd missed something else... Then I saw a couple references online to very similar behavior after water changes, and someone posted/said why don't you eliminate the dechlorinator and just let your water sit for a few days or boil it and let it cool, so that the chlorine dissipates that way. Unfortunately I don't believe that eliminates chloramine, but Little Red has seemed much calmer after several water changes with reduced dechlorinator, so I'm feeling reasonably confident I have the issue solved for him. I hope so :)!
 
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kittyluv387

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I'm so happy to read about everyone having such nice tanks for their Bettas. Too many people use them as ornaments in tiny and inhumane containers. But I expect no less from the quality people on this website! I looked into getting Bettas before and it seemed like a 5 gallon tank would be good. But ended up deciding against it. We do have 3 cats lol.
 

Elphaba09

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But ended up deciding against it. We do have 3 cats lol
We have two fish tanks with a total of eight fish and three snails. We also have nine cats! I have a little stool so the cats can see the fish but not get near them. We have (luckily!) never had a problem. Silas, our baby cat, and Tara, our wack-a-doodle cat, really enjoy watching the fish. They watch them for hours sometimes.

I have an update on my betta. We decided to name him Fernando! I know it is a bit too much like Orlando, our recently deceased betta, but I heard the ABBA song recently and it kind of stuck. He looks like a Fernando!
 
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Graceful-Lily

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How are Silas' fins?
Pretty bad.

They'll probably take a long time to heal. I feel stupid for buying the fake plants in the first place because I heard people say it can damage fins but I thought I would have had the other tank set up by now (was planning on removing them completely). I'm just so busy. PetSmart did give me a full refund for both ornaments though so I can use that money to buy live plants which are around $5 - $10 depending on the type.
 

Willowy

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Stress Coat. Pretty good stuff, unless fishkeepers have changed their minds since I had a bigger tank ;).

Ammonia spikes can cause fin erosion too, do you have test strips?
 
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Graceful-Lily

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Stress Coat. Pretty good stuff, unless fishkeepers have changed their minds since I had a bigger tank ;).

Ammonia spikes can cause fin erosion too, do you have test strips?
No, I keep forgetting to buy them. I'll have to see if I can pick some up soon.
 

Furballsmom

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I ended up having to put one of the suction cups for the heater over the indicator light - it's so incredibly bright and intense that I wondered if it was keeping the fish awake at night lol
 
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Graceful-Lily

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I ended up having to put one of the suction cups for the heater over the indicator light - it's so incredibly bright and intense that I wondered if it was keeping the fish awake at night lol
Probably. If I'm pulling an all-nighter, I'll cover Silas's tank with towels to block out the light because they really shouldn't stay up late.

I'm going back to Big Al's today. Might come back with a fish tank. I can't wait any longer and the old one is slowing down my goals. Really want that community tank set up soon.

But I've always wanted a corn snake so I think I'm going to use the old tank for a corn snake. If not, I'll just give it away to someone for free.

I'm so confused with this. Keep going back and forth on what I said but at this point, I have enough money so I'll buy the fish tank.

Once Silas is moved, I don't know what I'm going to put in the 5 gallon. Maybe use it for shrimp and plants?
 
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Graceful-Lily

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Corn snakes are cool. My brother has one and she's very personable.

Is Big Al's a chain or privately owned? Privately owned fish shops can sometimes "find" good deals if you let them know your plans.
It's a chain I think. They have several locations in Canada, American, and the UK.
 
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Graceful-Lily

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I got 3 types of plants for Silas. I'm not sure what to expect from them. They have little metal things holding them together on the roots but I didn't take it off.
15796587083951494737476628671112.jpg


Got a 40gallon breeder from Big Al's. No canopy because it was $60 and I didn't feel like spending any more money. Maybe I can make one from acrylic or glass?
15796588709503110071102243191845.jpg
 

Willowy

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I think the metal things are weights and are supposed to stay on so the plants don't float.

Ooh, 40b is a nice size! Lots of fun. What do you have for a stand? For a top, you can get plexiglass at a hardware store, and most places will custom cut it for a fee.
 
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