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Post by AmberC on Mar 16, 2006 13:12:53 GMT -5
We got Freddy at Wal Mart, a year ago this past February. He's been doing great up until now. It doesn't appear that he can close his mouth. I just fed them, and he can take a piece of food (I'm using flakes at the moment) in, but then a few seconds later he spits it out. Sometimes he goes up to the top for air, which he doesn't normally do (I have a filter) and then he lets air bubbles out of his mouth and gills.Other than these problems, he's still swimming around and acting normal. Poor Freddy :-(
Amber
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Post by TevisRider on Mar 16, 2006 13:17:41 GMT -5
Ahhh poor Freddy, I hope he makes a recovery. I myself, kill fish and plants. They are not allowed in my home.
Char
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Post by linda on Mar 16, 2006 13:19:46 GMT -5
Be sure you don't have anything in your home like "Glade Plug In Air Fresheners". They will kill bettas. Best wishes for Freddie--I love bettas. They seem to have so much personality.
Linda
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Post by AmberC on Mar 16, 2006 13:31:21 GMT -5
I don't have the plug ins because they kill houses! My mom's fiance was an electrician, and he said those things are dangerous and he'd never allow one in his house. I figured it was a good line of thinking and I don't put them in my house either. Everyone is so obessed with how things smell. It drives me nuts! As long as there is no *foul* smell, I don't worry about it. It was starting to smell a little *doggy* in here, so I put the dogs outside and vacuumed in thier room and under the crates, and sprayed some Febreeze on the carpet. When they come in I'll wipe them down real good with some baby wipes and hopefully they'll smell better. They really need a bath, but it's too cold and I can't afford the groomer right now.
Amber
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Post by TiAmosJewell on Mar 16, 2006 13:34:36 GMT -5
Bettas are normal already close to a year old when they're sold at pet stores so that they have that beautiful finage. If your fish was a breeder before being sold it could well be he was over a year old. The normal life span being 2-3 years we really don't get much time with these beauties. Unfortantly it's most likely old age  You probably just haven't noticed him going up for air before but that's just the way Bettas breath it's 100% normal. I'd be worried if he wasn't going to the tope for air! |
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Post by Denise not logged in on Mar 16, 2006 13:57:55 GMT -5
You know my guess would have been old age except for what happened to my betta that my sister stole from me (she fish sat and refused to give him back, she enjoyed him so much). She called me concerned about him and considering I had him for about 2 1/2 years when she took him, I told her old age. She went to the petstore and bought some sort of medication and treated the water for a while and the darn fish turned around and lived for 2+ more years. He was old when he finally died last fall.
She bought a new one and says he is spoiled, won't eat anything but blood worms. GL
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Post by RideNSlide on Mar 16, 2006 14:35:17 GMT -5
The blowing bubbles part is totally normal for Bettas... thats what a lot of males do when bored, or during nesting... they make a big "bubble nest" My bettas always have a ton of bubbles at the top of their tanks at the end of the day when I come home from work  If you are worried about oxygen (and your betta is in a larger bowl) you can buy a pump and an airstone and use that.. one of mine is in a 5 gal. tank in my kitchen and I have a bubble wall for him, because I don't do full water changes every week.. usually 1/2 water changes every week. Also, make sure you're doing your full changes every week if he's in a smaller bowl, and use the appropriate water conditioner, etc etc. And for the going to top for air, its hard to explain, but Betta fish have gills and they also have a little "lung" contraption that works much the same as lungs do, as they originated from very low-oxygenated bodies of water... so they can get oxygen via gills from the water and also from the top of the water. For his mouth not closing... is it gaping open??? Or does it just have a little "o" in the middle? Some bettas can't close their mouths entirely... sometimes I find some like that when they are shipped into the pet store, and they live a perfectly normal life... however, if his mouth is gaping open, I would suspect that he maybe got a piece of gravel lodged in there, in which his survival chances are close to nil. Other than that, I second Jewell's post, he may have been older when he came to WalMart. I did have one that I got VERY young from a pet store (he was small when I got him) and he lived 3.5 years with us. Good luck! -Britt |
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Post by AmberC on Mar 16, 2006 14:54:27 GMT -5
I've noticed him going up for air before, but not bubbles coming out of his mouth and gills. He's never tried to make a bubble nest, but I've seen them do that, and it's an obvious and deliberate thing. You know they are *doing* something. What he's doing, is he goes up for air, and then as he's swimming away, the bubble just kinda pops out of his mouth. And the bubble pops as soon as it hits the surface.
It doesn't look like anything is stuck in his mouth. It's just hanging open. I wouldn't say "gaping" like you see in fish that are near death and appear to be drowning. Just open.
He's in a 10 gallon aquarium with a trickle filter on the back, and shares the tank with a platy, 3 tetras, 2 cory catfish, and a pleco (yeah it's a total myth that bettas have to live by themselves!). I had him in a bowl when I first got him, but it was too much of a pain to keep up with such frequent water changes. So we got the tank!
He's WAY bigger than the bettas they sell at Petsmart, so he's probably pretty old.
Amber
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Post by TiAmosJewell on Mar 16, 2006 15:06:00 GMT -5
Other then age the only other thing I can think of is if you have gravel he may have picked up a little peice and got it stuck.
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Post by AmberC on Mar 16, 2006 15:10:42 GMT -5
I was just looking at him again, and when he turns and I get a look into his mouth from an angle, I can see inside it pretty well, and it doesn't look like there's anything in there. Most of my gravel is a color that would be pretty easy to see. So he's probably just old. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what happens with him.
Amber
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Post by Newfygirl on Mar 16, 2006 17:16:27 GMT -5
Oh yeah - I've always had my bettas in with other fish. They just can't be in with another male betta. Or Gouramis, as I have learned, after have one eaten by the gouramis...then again, those gouramis eat everything. I just can't bring myself to flush the darn things as mad as I've gotten at them - we've had them almost 3 years. We have found that the gouramis do not eat plecos, red finned sharks, mollies or catfish.
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Post by RideNSlide on Mar 16, 2006 17:20:41 GMT -5
I don't have a big tank for my other fish One of my Bettas is in a big vase, the other is in the 5 gal tank with two african dwarf frogs They get along pretty well. Sometimes at the store i'll put a Betta in the Danio tank, as Danios get along with basically anything, and they coexist quite peacefully... and we've also had a Betta in with the Black Skirt tetras, they also got along very well. I love Bettas Its tough to stick to just one... when they come in to the store every week I always see the neatest colored ones and I want to take them home... but then I remind myself that I have two already lol. Sounds like maybe an age thing then, Amber, if he's got nothing lodged in there. -Britt |
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Post by AmberC on Mar 16, 2006 18:16:58 GMT -5
I wish bettas could get along with each other. What would be prettier than a tank full of bettas? If Freddy dies I'll definitely get another one.
You know Britt, I was told that if I put a dwarf frog in with Freddy, he'd nip the legs off. I shoulda known that wasn't true! I love dwarf frogs. I'm gonna get one! Or more.....
Amber
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Post by RideNSlide on Mar 16, 2006 18:45:17 GMT -5
Well, mine never had a problem with the dwarf frogs, plus the frogs were smart enough to swim away if he got mad at them lol.. I gave them plenty of hiding places.
A long time ago with an old Betta I tried putting a firebellied newt in with him... the Betta ate his eyeballs out.. never try that one again. The Newt wouldn't even run away.. just sat there and took the beating. I do love firebellied newts, though, I would like to have a tank full of them some day.
-Britt
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Post by AmberC on Mar 20, 2006 18:25:48 GMT -5
Well I asked about 5 people at pet stores about my betta. Nobody has ever heard of bubbles coming out of the gills (and my platy is doing it too). But as far as his mouth goes, one person said he could have a tumor that's interferring with closing his mouth. I suppose it's possible. We'll have to wait and see what happens, I guess!
Amber
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You probably just haven't noticed him going up for air before but that's just the way Bettas breath it's 100% normal. I'd be worried if he wasn't going to the tope for air!
If you are worried about oxygen (and your betta is in a larger bowl) you can buy a pump and an airstone and use that.. one of mine is in a 5 gal. tank in my kitchen and I have a bubble wall for him, because I don't do full water changes every week.. usually 1/2 water changes every week. Also, make sure you're doing your full changes every week if he's in a smaller bowl, and use the appropriate water conditioner, etc etc. And for the going to top for air, its hard to explain, but Betta fish have gills and they also have a little "lung" contraption that works much the same as lungs do, as they originated from very low-oxygenated bodies of water... so they can get oxygen via gills from the water and also from the top of the water.