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Post by subo on Jun 23, 2003 1:06:41 GMT -5
One of my boys, Cayenne, is a crowntail. I've had him for a month (from lfs). He's in a clean, gallon bowl w/tap water, StartRight & 1/2tsp aquarium salt, temp 75 degrees. The long tendrils (if that's what they're called) on the ends of his fins have begun to curl & thin out a bit. He's not overly feisty, but has an appetite, flares regularly, & blows bubbles. I thought read something on the old board about crowntails being more water sensitive (?) & preferring RO water w/added minerals. I have also read that some people mix RO & tap (?) Can anyone advise? Much appreciated.
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Post by Betta MVP on Jun 23, 2003 15:20:36 GMT -5
I have crowntails and they live in tap water treated with Amquel, Novaqua, and aquarium salt and they are thriving. I do know that as they age, the rays on their fins will begin to curl on the ends, this is normal for crowntails and also why some people don't like them.
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Post by subo on Jun 23, 2003 21:53:39 GMT -5
Thanks for the info! He's still handsome, (curls & all)...
He seems to be doing fine, otherwise. I'm not really sure of his age, but he's fully developed & finnage is likely matured, to say the least. Aren't they (most) around 9 months old when retailers receive/sell them?
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Post by Betta MVP on Jun 24, 2003 10:27:44 GMT -5
U.S. breeders are trying to breed the "curly ends" out of crowntails, the really high priced fish may not curl or not curl as much. I personally love the crowntails and don't mind the betta "perm" lol.
I think that the age of the bettas that you buy at lfs varies depending on the supplier, but most are probably at least 9 months.
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Post by BettaBGood on Jun 24, 2003 10:38:35 GMT -5
Yes, bettamvp, the "perm" is fine with me, too!
And from someone with chemically dependent hair, how lucky these fishies are to arrive in this world with such great body & fab color! : )
Thanks again.
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Post by Denise on Jun 24, 2003 21:59:03 GMT -5
Hi, We have very high pH in our area, so I mix my tap water with about 1/3 R.O. per gallon to get a close to neutral pH. I don't know about adding minerals -- can you buy minerals at the pet store? As you are probably aware, R.O. water is like distilled -- nothing in it and very low pH, so you would not want to use it by itself. I have one betta who is not a crown tail, but he has always had very ruffley, scalloped edges to his fins and tail. I bought him purposely because I thought this was so cute. His name is Ruffles, and I like to refer to him as having naturally curly hair!  |
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Post by BettaBGood on Jun 25, 2003 8:19:03 GMT -5
Ruffles! What a completely great name!
Thanks for the comment regarding mixing RO w/tap, Denise. I went ahead and bought a gallon this past weekend from the lfs & mixed half with tap for Cayenne. He's loving it! I guess it will be worth an extra couple of $ a month, as long as my other bettas don't get wind of it : )
Regarding nutrients/minerals additives, the lfs also had Kent Marine Betta Bowl Conditioner (the label specifically said that it is for use in tap or purified water & contains essential minerals, etc.) & added it to the RO. I think there are other products available, too (one is called VitaMix), but the small bottle I bought was the last one they had so I snatched it.
I know my tap PH is higher than 7.5, but I'm leary of messing w/"PH Down" with the bettas due to a bad experience with it in the past. However, so far, my other bettas seem to be just fine in conditioned tap water...(?), but I've only had them for a month or so.
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Post by Denise on Jun 26, 2003 2:15:58 GMT -5
Thanks! Ruffles is a real cutie. Unfortunately he is not feeling well this week. Can't exactly pinpoint what is wrong but he is resting in his plant a lot which he never does. He usually rests in the middle of the water staring out the front of his bowl and has never been a plant sitter in the past. He's eating, but I don't like the way he is acting and I went ahead and put him on some Maracyn Two.
I wanted to add that I would also not mess with the chemical pH down drops. I have heard many times that they should only be used in a filtered aquarium and not in a bowl (all my bettas are in non-filtered bowls). Also, people have commented that it takes a lot more than the recommended amount to even budge the pH level, and then you run the risk of burning your fishy with too much acid. Not worth the risk! At the pet store they tell me the fish are used to the high pH and don't worry about it. I didn't buy that 100% and I began experimenting on my own and came up with the mix of tap water and R.O. water to get a nice balance. I have since heard from other people who use this type of mix and they think it works well too. I always recommend it to anyone who is worried about high pH. Glad to hear Cayenne is happy in his new water!
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Nancy
Junior Bubble Nester
Posts: 242
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Post by Nancy on Jul 1, 2003 11:10:51 GMT -5
Where do you get your RO water? I just noticed that the water you fill yourself (at Wal-mart) is RO water. I was hoping to put RO water in here, but with hubby off work for so long, that project has been put on hold also. I am spending about $10.00 a week for water. That adds up. If I could mix it half and half that would be a pretty good savings over time.
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Post by BettaBGood on Jul 1, 2003 11:35:51 GMT -5
Hi, Nancy
I've been getting my RO water from our lfs. It's not far from my office & I pick it up during lunch hour each Friday. They charge $.85/gal (I don't know if that's reasonable or not) and I buy 2-3 gallons/week. I have been mixing 1/3 RO (conditioned with Kent Betta Bowl Essentials) with 2/3 conditioned tap.
Lots of people on this board recommend Aquamel/NovaAqua to treat tap, but I can't find it anywhere locally. When I'm almost out of what I currently use to treat tap, I think I am going to try & order online.
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Nancy
Junior Bubble Nester
Posts: 242
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Post by Nancy on Jul 1, 2003 12:40:51 GMT -5
As far as I know none of the lps here carry RO water, it is $.33 a gallon (fill your own jug) at Wal-mart though. 2-3 gallons a week isn't bad, but I buy about 15g a week. Thanks you have given me some ideas though.
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Post by BettaBGood on Jul 1, 2003 13:03:11 GMT -5
Well, as much as I like visiting with the "new arrivals" at the lfs each week, it looks like Wally's the way to go. Thanks for the price info...
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Post by Denise on Jul 4, 2003 3:47:48 GMT -5
Hi,
I get my R.O. water at Wal-Mart. I don't know if they have a fill your own there, I just buy the gallons off the shelf for 58 cents. It's the green label "drinking water."
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Nancy
Junior Bubble Nester
Posts: 242
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Post by Nancy on Jul 4, 2003 9:23:26 GMT -5
I didn't know the green label was RO water, I use the blue label water myself. I may switch to the RO water though (if I can't get it put in myself)
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Post by Denise on Jul 4, 2003 12:37:52 GMT -5
Nancy,
The blue label is spring water, which is good. The green label drinking water says it is processed by micron filtration reverse osmosis and ozonation. It has a very low pH so you would not want to use it by itself, but I have found it to be good for mixing with my high pH tap water. Good luck and happy 4th of July!
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