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The 3.5 gallon IS the upgraded tank. *lol* We originally had a 1 gallon tank - unfiltered and no light - and when we decided to add a snail, we moved him to a filtered, lighted 3.5 gallon and added the snail about a week later. As I said in my original post, everything was fine after that until last month when the original betta died despite no signs of illness or distress.
I enjoy watching the fish and snail, and spend a lot of time just watching them both. It's relaxing after a long day at work. Many years ago we had a lovely 20 gallon long tank with three small corys, a dwarf gourami, 4-5 platys. It was a lovely tank that we had for over 2 years. But then our water heater went wonky and basically poached all the fish one day while I was at work. Every single one died. I dismantled the tank after that and eventually sold everything.
But last summer my daughter won a betta at a state fair, and so we got the cheap 1 gallon tank. After a few months I agreed to get the upgraded 3.5 gallon tank so we could have a snail, knowing we could use the 1 gallon tank for quarantine, if necessary.
I don't see myself ever going back to having a 20+ gallon tank again.
Well, this weekend I saw signs of fin rot (a small tear and one small area missing) on the betta's tail. Have removed the snail to fresh water in the spare 1-gallon tank and am now treating the fish in the big tank. =(
The fish is looking better after 2 doses (of four) of the fin rot meds, although I'm starting to think it isn't fin ROT so much as fin LOSS. I did a water change last night and removed all the artificial plants in case the fish was being damaged by those. I have put in an order for 6 marimo moss balls to put in the tank instead - those will arrive Saturday.
Also, I bought a new filter over the weekend that was supposed to be for a 3 gallon tank (I felt the filter that came with the aquarium wasn't really doing much). My tank is 3.5 gallons, so I figured it was appropriate. The bonus was this filter also aerates, which my old filter didn't do. Well, the filter proved to be too powerful - last night I noticed that whenever the fish swam near it, he was really struggling to get away from it and to the other side of the tank.
It was then that I noticed that it was only using one pectoral fin half of the time to move around the tank. I wonder if somehow that filter "pulled" the fish too much and injured one of the fins. I immediately unplugged the filter altogether and will give the fish a couple days without the filter to recover. I'll be purchasing a filter intake sponge cover tonight to lessen the pull of that filter before I turn it back on.
Good news! The fish's pectoral fin appears to be fully functional again. Last night when I got home from work I sat and watched him for a good 30 minutes and he was trucking all over the tank, coming up to the front to flare at me, ate his food, and generally looked perky and happy. Phew!
This morning I snuck into my sleeping daughter's room to check on him again and he immediately came to the front of the tank to greet me.
Okay, let me just say that I LOVE Marimo moss balls - got them on Saturday morning and after an overnight quarantine in treated water to make sure they didn't have worms in them, I put them in the tank. They are definitely real ones and so, so soft.
The betta did not know what to make of them at first, and kind of avoided going near them for a while, but then came around eventually. When they finally sank, he swam to one and brushed against it and I could tell he was in love because last night when I walked in to check the tank he was resting on top of the biggest one (about the size of a tangerine).
No idea if the snail has checked them out or not - he tends to stick to the outside of the tank versus the inside. This morning I used the net to push a moss ball up against the wall of the tank in the hopes he discovers it today.
Also, I briefly turned on the water filter to see if the betta could handle it, and for about 30 minutes I watched and he did fine. Swam all over the tank, including near the waterfall area near the filter. No issues whatsoever. I left the filter on for a few hours to let the water cycle through the filter a bit, before turning it off. I'll continue to run it a few hours a day to get the water moving until I receive the filter cover that I ordered, and then I'll run it 24/7 again.
The moss balls are still lush and green (I was worried since I had read that sometimes they die when you put them in your tank). Not only that, but this weekend I saw the snail crawl all over them, so clearly he likes them too.
I've got the filter running 24/7 again - fish and snail are not bothered by it at all. I did receive the filter cover, but it's pretty big, so I'm loathe to put it on if I don't have to. I think I'll just store it in case I need to bring it out for some reason (i.e., injured fish).
Did a PWC on Saturday morning, and all water parameters look good.
Our betta died in early July, and rather than get a new betta, we opted to get guppies. All three did fine for the first 2-3 weeks and then all died within a week of each other, despite water testing completely fine, and regular PWCs. Snail is doing TREMENDOUSLY well - his shell has grown by almost an inch in the past 5-6 weeks alone.
I think I'm just going to stick with having the snail in the tank - he is thriving and extremely active. He loves the marimo moss balls in particular and climbs on them all the time.
Ever consider getting a larger tank? Is there something about Betta fish that you enjoy?
Not everyone has space for a big tank, and bettas are gorgeous fish! I would love to have a small, beautifully planted tank with for a very pampered betta.
I know it’s a little late, but have you taken your water to pet smart to get it tested, they will test for everything for free. Algae is a sign that something isn’t right, your nitrites or nitrates are likely high. Maybe your test kit is no good.
I just got my first fish so I’m by no means an expert, but all the signs (and dead fish) point to nitrites or nitrates being high despite what your test shows you.
Never had the water tested at PetSmart, but our snail continues to thrive and is now easily twice the size he was this summer. The moss balls are still green and lush, and with minimal partial water changes every two weeks or so, all seems well in the tank.
I've thought about adding something (NOT fish) to the tank to make it more interesting, but the fact is that the snail is awesome, is healthy and growing, and seems content to putter around his tank all day.
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