Sniperelite8243

im pretty sure this is what my sisters fish has but here is the quick story for now.

-were ordering sat broadband over phone and went in sisters room were it is quit.
-she has 1 gal(not even) betta/"goldfish"bowl with 1 betta inside it.
-the water had evaporated so muched that there was 2 inch of water above substrate. (marbles)
-there was poo floating in the water, and i mean alot,alot. i can not stress it enough.
-I did a water change/cleaning then and there once tank was in b-room. reg change yada yada. put him back and then my sis screemed at me for it( figures huh)

well it is not eating still its been 24 hours and i was hoping the water change would help. fish was pale white. it has some color back

-will it live?
-if so how do we speed the healing process.
-need answer bfore 10 am. going into town and if we need to get something we can get something.

Thanks.

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TwitchyHamster

Now is a good time to talk to your sister about proper care for animals. Fish or not that sort of neglect is un-acceptable. Perhaps this will be a valuable lesson to her to learn to either take better care of her animals or not keep them at all.

My suggestions-- Though I am not an expert like some of the people here, I have kept betta's over the years.

Go to Petsmart/Petco, get a mini bow aquarium. They make a 2.5g which I reccomend, but they do make a 1.5 which would be better than what she has now. Both these models have pumps in them that will "do the job" and keep the tanks cleaner and fresher longer between water exchanges.

A bigger tank would even be better but I'm assuming that she had a such a small bowl before that such a leap would be out of the question for now. I hate that there are bowls, vases even cups out there marketed as "beta approved" containers. Yes they are surface breathers but that doesn't mean a tiny teacup sized area is ideal and healthy. Unfortunatly many people think that. And Another sad fact about beta's is that most the time when you buy them at big chain stores they are already pretty darn old and nearing the end of their life cycles. (Ie so you get the full effect of their fancy fins.)

The poor fish is prob very stressed out right now and may not recover but you can also pick up a bottle of "stresszyme" or something simliar to put in the fresh water to help him out also.

I'm sure others here will have more to offer but that is about the best advice I can give you. I wish you and your sister good luck and I hope the fish recovers.

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Sniperelite8243

Thanks. we picked up some stress zyme. wish us luck.

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alexfevery

how long had the tank been that way?

how could she not notice there is no more water in there?

Sniperelite8243

dont know. never go in her room.

she did. she just didnt clean it so i did.

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alexfevery

My goodness, such negligence,

by the way how old is she?

Sniperelite8243

13

she last cleaned it before( like 2 months ago ) so i know she can do it.

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Nicholaa

Woah ... 13. See, I'm a parent of an almost 10 year old and a 5 year old and even they understand the value of taking care of pets (we have a dog, 2 cats and all my fish tanks at home and at school).

Are your parents not involved in the pet keeping? If parents aren't involved, then kids often don't learn the importance of caring for an animal. (Not blaming your parents at all, please don't think that, but I do believe it's essential for parents to be involved in the upkeep of pets with children.)

My 10 year old knows how to change the water, do strip and drop chemical water tests. She's seen Mollies be born naturally and she just watched me strip my Kenyi as well.

However... I am VERY particular about her feeding the fish because she always manages to just grab too much of a "pinchful" of flakes or whatever and causes over-feeding. I dunno why she doesn't get that concept, no matter how many times I show her...

Would I ever assign my daughter a tank to herself and not watch over it at all? Never. Ever. Maybe that's because I'm very very particular about my tanks, but at the same time, a 10 year old can't be 100% responsible for any animal on her own -- but a 13 year old should be more mature and understand (and see) what's going on with her fish (BUT - I again repeat, there should be still some adult supervision involved too.)

Keep up the good work in "watching over" her pets. I'm glad you care about their welfare.

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55G: All Male Mbuna Tank:
1 Labeotropheus trewavasae (Mpanga) - 3 Labidochromis caeruleus - 1 Labidochromis sp. "Hongi" - 1 Metriaclima fainzilberi Lundu "Flag Top" - 1 Pseudotropheus sp. "Perspicax Orange Cap" Ndumbi - 1 Metriaclima callainos (Cobalt Blue) - 1 Metriaclima estherae (Red) - 1 Metriaclima gresshakei - 1 Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei" (Msuli) - 1 Labidochromis flavigulis - 1 Cynotilapia sp. "Mbweca" - 1 Pseudotropheus saulosi - 1 Pseudotropheus sp. "Elongatus Usisya" - 1 Metriaclima hajamaylandi Cobwe "Lilac" - 1 Cynotilapia sp. "Lion's Cove"

Sniperelite8243

no. they made the mistake of giving her a doornob with a lock. since they never got a key the cant check on it. they dont have my key either but i take care of my fish. it just so happened that night her door was unlocked. mainly because a few days ago SHE broke her remote. now she is temperarily watching tv in my parents room. I would never trust her near my aquarium. she already tried to break it.
you heard that last part right.
quick reasons

-i had to remake my closet to support the weight. now supports are screwed into wall.
- she likes to pound on walls when mad(forshadowing wink wink)
-she got mad because parents wont let her get bigger tank( jelousy), just read above posts for some reasons.I bought my 120 with own money, plus responsible so thats why my parents let me get it. live in trailer, are rooms are inches apart, so if her fist manages to go through sheetrock my tank is next in the way. man this story just keeps getting better.
-pounded on walls, parents got her to stop, thankfully.
-tank saved, and fish lived hapily ever after.
The End.

As you can read she does not have much responsibility. to simplify it, lazy. It takes me about an hour- 1 hour and a half to clean my tank. i do it once a week. i dont mind because in return my fish are happy and i have an awsome looking tank in my closet.( no doors, tore them off.) her tank took me 3 min. thats straining the marbels in strainer and doing the necisary cleaning. if i overpassed something very difficult that would discourage cleaning, please tell me.

and as above. the door is locked most of the time so i cant really keep an eye on it. but when i can i do. but i hopes she becomes more aware of pet responsibilities. Make it simple i love animals and like to keep them( fish, cats, used to have birds but guess why we got rid of them. are loving cats that have a taste for bird, never got them though. gave them to my grandma and now there as spoiled as ever)

Plus when i move out of my house im going to get a bigger tank.

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terry54

WOW, That poor fish suffering needlessly from sheer neglect, thank goodness you were able to rescue it from a grim fate. Just wondering if you have offered her you take care of it for her or that maybe you both take care of it together by placing it in a neutral areal like the hall between your rooms. Where it will still be hers to take care of but if she gets busy you can step in and help her out (not take the fish from her). I suggest making Sun. A fish maintenance day for both of you, that way she will see you taking care of your fish and hopefully will in turn take care of hers. Just a few suggestions to try out but if non of these work and she insists on keeping it behind closed locked doors. For the sake of the fish and your sisters development it might be a good idea to have a confidential talk with your parents. Who knows maybe they will realize it's time to get a key to her door made.

I know this is a fish site BUT........ If at 13 she neglects animals,has a locked door, is argumentive and bangs on the walls in a 2 yr. Old temper tantrum like manor ! Oh My she is out of control and this fish situation is just the tip of the iceberg of problems to come with her. I in no way want to offend you by my statements. I just couldn't live with myself if I didn't speak my mind and give you a heads up. Who knows I might be wrong it's just that IMHO, her behaviors definitely send up red flags for me. I have nothing but well wishes for you, your, sister your family and the Betta for today and in the future,. Please keep us informed !

Good Luck
Terry