Regular Tank Maintenance-?

[Barbels]

Wow, sef, please tell me where you ordered the syphon with the built-in squeeze thingie. That sounds neat!

I really enjoy the anticipation of getting something in the mail. The shipping can be murder, but it's still fun.

That up&down thing never has worked well for me, I usually suck (blech) on the hose end to start the syphon; however, I believe that can be dangerous because the bio poopies in the water aren't necessarily good to ingest.

What size tank is Horatio in? Does he have tankmates?

When I stopped using the Stress Coat, I just waited until I did my next big water change and used the Chlor Out instead.
I'm sure Stress Coat is fine for a lot of folks. If you feel better using it, do some research and if you feel like it's right for you, go with it. I would feel terrible if I talk you out of it and then it turns out I caused you to do the wrong thing.

Don't forget to let me know where you got your syphon dillie.

[Emerson]

The brand of siphon is Lee's, and I only found it on two sites: petdiscounters.com, and everythingfishy.com. I can't remember which I ordered from; one site requires a minimum order and the other doesn't. I think I ordered from everythingfishy.com because the postage was cheaper ($4.95 vs. $8-something).

Check it out and see what you think! I'm eager to get it.....last night's partial change was a mess! (thank goodness for paper towel!) ;D

[ana]

you should be fine just cutting the Stress Coat and going to just dechlorinator

many of us use melafix or bettafix preventatively at every water change, i think that this may have protective properties for the coat too and seems to be quite safe

[Emerson]

ana said:

you should be fine just cutting the Stress Coat and going to just dechlorinator

many of us use melafix or bettafix preventatively at every water change, i think that this may have protective properties for the coat too and seems to be quite safe

Do I still need dechlorinator if I'm buying bottled water? I contacted the manufacturer and was told that it does not contain chlorine, but I guess I just wanted to be on the safe side.

Do you not use anything for slime coat?

Thanks!

[Barbels]

I use nothing for slime coat. I've been told that a fish produces his own slime coat just fine under healthy conditions.
I feel best when I add as little "stuff" as possible to their water. If you decide to use a dechlor, make sure it not only removes chlorine, but also removes chloramines. The chloramines, from what I understand can be fatal to fishies.
I guess if the bottled water people say it's not in their water, then it probably is not. It just seems to me that those would have been added to the water SOMEwhere along the line simply to remove harmful bacteria. Of course if Horatio has been doing just fine, then that's what matters most.

[ana]

i dont use bottled but i never have complete faith in what is implied on labels, i remember reading about how one bottled water was taken off of the market for a while because it had really high levels of lead a few years ago

i guess if it were me, id dechlorinate anyway. dechlorinators do more than just remove chlorine usually anyway, dealing with chloramines, high levels of heavy minerals, etc

[ana]

no, i leave the slime coat health up to the fish, trying to keep him healthy enough that he can produce correct amounts of protection

i do though add melafix to every water change and i think that it may help to keep it healthier

[Emerson]

Hi,
I am convinced that Stress Coat could be too much of a good thing because of the Aloe Vera.

Can somebody tell me what the difference is between Melafix, and the Novaqua/Amquel combination? I've heard a lot of good things about both.

I only bought a very small bottle of the Stress Coat, so it's not like I'm out a lot of money. I would feel better continuing to use a dechlorinator and maybe something for the slime coat, just as a precaution and because Horatio seems to be doing well with the additives.

Hey! -- Good news! He's back to building a bubblenest, after seeming to lose interest in it this past week. They're baaaack!

;D

[Betta MVP]

Melafix is an herbal medication with tea tree extract in it. It's mainly used for healing wounds or helping with fin regrowth. It has some antibacterial properties as well, but I never use it for any serious problems like fin rot. It really is a great thing to have around if Horatio ever rips one of his fins or something like that.

Amquel detoxifies ammonia and eliminates chlorine/chloramines. NovAqua removes chlorine and detoxifies copper and other heavy metals, plus adds electrolytes and helps with the slime coat especially if you handle your fish a lot doing water changes, etc.

I use the Amquel/NovAqua combo in my uncycled bowls and jars, since ammonia can build up quickly in them. In my cycled tanks though, I don't use the combo, only NovAqua since the good bacteria take care of the ammonia. If you want something to help with Horatio's slimecoat, I highly recommend NovAqua.

Congrats to Horatio on his bubble nest! He must be a very happy guy knowing how much you care about him!

[Emerson]

Thanks! The little guy is so smart. He figured out that his nest was getting wiped out where I was dipping out the water for changes, so he has moved his bubbles more toward the back of the tank and is proudly inspecting them as I type this! Hopefully, when I get my new siphon, it will enable me to drain the water without causing too much of a disturbance.

As for those products, it sounds like I can go with one or the other but probably don't need both Novaqua and Amquel. Since I don't handle Horatio during water changes (which, to me, sounds like the biggest issue with slime coat), and since I already use salt for adding electrolytes, I would almost say that Amquel would be sufficient -- but then, as you said, I don't really need to worry about the ammonia. Decisions, decisions!

I think I will buy some Melafix to have on hand, just in case the little guy gets too rambunctious.

[Does anybody know of an on-line pet supply store that doesn't charge shipping?]

Thanks!

[Betta MVP]

What a smart little guy! I absolutely love bettas, just when you think they can't get any smarter, they surprise you lol.

I'm one of those people that swear by Melafix and always have it on hand just in case. My bettas actually seem to like it. My Gimli had a little tear on the end of his fin and would swim to the spot where I was putting in the melafix so the drops would fall on his body lol.

I don't know of any online pet stores with free shipping unfortunately, but you might look on Aquabid.com and see if you can get a deal.

[subo]

Some of my fish don't do too well with full doses of Melafix, it seems to make them "shake,". If I use it, I reduce the doseage, which does the trick but takes longer... I also bought some Bettafix (which I later discovered is just diluted Melafix - made by the same company, but more expensive).

Also, at one point, I was using (weekly changes) a drop per gallon of Aquarisol (I read somewhere it was a good preventive measure) and all of my bettas became listless & clamped (?). I realized it was the Aquarisol by deduction. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing?

Thanks.

[ana]

aquarisol is a copper based product, too much copper in the system can lead to lead poisoning

i use melafix as a preventative instead. though i do like aquarisol for its medicinal qualities

ive never had a problem with melafix though, before i used it at every change i would add it if a fish was sluggish or seemed depressed and they always perked up, i dont know why you had that problem, maybe mine are just used to it

[Denise]

Hi, and sorry I am so behind on answering. I used to be able to post on my work computer, but we have restricted internet use (they block out shopping, entertainment, etc.) and I can't use this new message board from work. I can read, but I can't post. This really cramps my style because I have so little time at home to spend on the computer.

Well, the majority of opinions here seem to be against aloe vera and Stress Coat. I have not had any personal bad experiences with it because I have never used it. Only passing on what I have heard that aloe can be too heavy. I am sure Aqua Safe, Chlor-Out, and Jungle Start Right are all good, just to name a few. I have heard Prime is great, but have never seen it in any of my stores. I have used Kordon's Novaqua and Amquel for over ten years because they were highly recommended to me when I first started with my goldfish, and now I use them for the bettas too. Novaqua doesn't list all the ingredients, but I don't think it contains aloe vera. It says it replaces lost skin slime, adds electrolytes, removes chlorine and removes copper. I also use Amquel which removes chloramine and detoxifies ammonia. You could always contact the company if you wanted. On the Novaqua bottle I have in front of me it says e-mail: [e-mail] and the website is www.novalek.com. Kordon is a division of Novalek, Inc. I use ten drops per gallon because it calls for one teaspon for ten gallons. But, I am treating tap water with all kinds of nasties in it and you would probably be just fine with a little less in bottled water. I use 1/4 tsp. per gallon of aqua salt.

You guys are cracking me up with your comments about the toothpick! I use this method because all my bettas are in bowls with sturdy lids that my husband made in order to keep out my cats. It's a hassle to take the lids off all the time, so I feed with a toothpick through the air holes. First you dip the end of the toothpick into their water and then barely touch it to the food and a couple of pieces of food will stick to the toothpick because it is moist. Then dip the toothpick and food into the water and the food floats and does not sink. Bio-Gold never sinks, but sometimes the HBH bites sink and this really helps to put them in very gently with a toothpick. All the bettas get a new toothpick every time and we do not share anything - just in case. I have twelve bettas and I even have the food divided up in a couple of those little plastic pill containers that have little compartments for Monday, Tuesday, etc. Each betta has their own compartment (I write their initial on the outside with a marker), so I am not putting anyone's toothpick in anyone else's food. Once you've had a sick betta or two, you learn not to share anything between the fish. If it's easy enough for you to just open the lid of the tank and gently place the food on top of the water, then you don't need the toothpick. I am always careful to have clean hands too when I handle my fish or their food, and no hand lotion or perfume. Don't worry -- you're doing a great job with Horatio!

[BettaBGood]

I've never tried feeding from a toothpick, but admittedly, on & offing lids is somewhat of a hassle. My bowl lids are actually round picture frames with netting attached over the small "picture" openings, so I don't think the toothpick will work for me. I love the idea, however, of the daily/weekly pill containers for food! How handy, too, if you ever have the need to trust another to feed fishies!

Do you all feed only Betta BioGold? Do you "treat?"