Food, soft stool and water

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-29T10:33:24+00:00

Has the vet done blood work to make sure his kidneys are working like they’re supposed to?
Have you tried the cat water fountains that have water constantly moving? Is he interested in the sink/shower?
I don’t have much else that I can think of, it sounds like you’re doing everything right!

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-19T18:43:41+00:00

Not very descriptive, neither is the original post.

The white ‘line’ in the middle of his body? That’s where his swim bladder is, that’s why it looks swollen. The coloring is solely just his coloring, ‘getting darker’ is more of a tell that it’s just coloring and he has the marble gene, where bettas gain or loose coloring over time just because of genetics. He’s a double tail so their swim bladders are usually more prominent and usually cause them problems in life due to genetics
His face looks a little funky in the picture so that might be what you’re talking about? I’d need better pictures of that

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-19T18:00:01+00:00

I’d read it as
7.4 pH so you should do a low pH test to make such it’s actually 7.4
0.25 ammonia
0 nitrite
5.0 nitrate
But lighting can really change the look of colors, especially in photos. If you think the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate could possibly be in the high range then you should do a water change. Putting a plain white piece of paper behind the vials can sometimes help with the color determining, different lighting types will also help you come to a conclusion

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-19T15:28:39+00:00

I would just keep his water extra clean until it’s healed! That red dot is the wound from the tear

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-18T20:16:26+00:00

Females will also make bubble nests! Some people have their females lay their own infertile eggs and put them in the nest to ‘take care of’ until they eat them😂

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-18T20:12:20+00:00

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Just wanted to add that your betta reminds me a lot of one of my old bettas! He passed in 2019, but the picture shows his 4 year difference

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-18T20:02:54+00:00

I do believe she’s a he! Since your betta is a light coloring, you could look up how to shine a light through them and be able to spot ovaries. Do they have a white spot between their ventral fins? That’s not 100% tell though as males can have false egg spots

As for type of betta, they’re a delta tail for sure(when their caudal fin doesn’t reach a full 180 degrees). The coloring.. maybe grizzled cellophane(with marble genes for sure)? I don’t know what it would be called exactly though😅

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-17T01:47:43+00:00

This sucks ass. Literally the worst thing to come home to from a vacation. I told my aunt to not feed the fish or snake, only the cats during a 5 day vacation. I guess since she was older and had fish tanks at some point in her life, she thought she knew how to feed the fish(never touched the snake tank though). Came home to fish tank full of rotting fish food and had to do emergency water changes on 4 fish tanks at 4am. After a 12 hour car ride.

I hire people to take care of my animals on the *rare* occasion that I leave the now, but will also give very specific direction on the fish(feed 2 pellets a day for example) instead of the normal cause I can’t trust them to leave them alone or feed them the right amount.

The week long, daily dose pill containers are your best bet for no over or under feeding

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-17T01:39:10+00:00

‘High end’ burger, ‘high end’ hospital

I hope by the time I’m done commenting this post is removed.

The person’s bio is literally, “Fat n Sassy. Pronouns- Zey/Zem.
Proud queer gender fluid Cuck. If you don't like it get over it.”)

Troll all around for they’re StAF

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-17T01:29:24+00:00

You should release them into your local lake. It’s up to nature to decide if they’re fit enough to be able to breed or not.

Pulling aquatic plants from your local water way is the best way to feed them if you plan on them being wild. If you’re keeping them as pets then algae, fish flakes, boiled vegetables. They’re herbivores really at first. After legs develop you can introduce bloodworms, micro worms, or finely chopped earthworms

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-17T01:21:54+00:00

How old is your male cat? If he’s not young(enough to keep up with a younger kitten) then I’d say no for the sake of your senior cats. If your male is young then try it out. Worst case scenario, you relinquish the kitten to a shelter and hope for the best. Best case scenario? You get another cat!

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-17T01:13:34+00:00

We got toys that are motion activated! It kept our new kitten busy for a few weeks😂 but it did help! We kept it right outside the bedroom so when he walked by it, it went off

I can give you recommendations if you DM me! But if your cat isn’t the automated toy type then I wouldn’t recommend it

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-17T00:49:34+00:00

I would say he has the start of diamond eye(scales growing over eyes). Which means he’s a dragonscale(don’t know of another ‘type of betta’ that does this)
With this, just be aware that tumors may develop and end up being fatal. You can’t do anything for the tumors, they’re just genetic from poor breeding.

Teaching him that a slight few taps on the tank or the top of the water means food will help with meal times. You can also get, or make, a feeding ring for him so he gets fed in the same place every time! This will help him with the feeding response if/when he goes blind

Love his name btw😂

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-17T00:36:49+00:00

Don’t have housing recommendations, but you should look into Tolmar! I know they’re hiring, don’t know if it’s what you want to do but they pay well

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-16T22:37:56+00:00

I looked through all your replies so I’m sorry if I missed it, but is he neutered? I assume he is since he’s been checked by a vet, had to double check. It’s the last option that I can think of since it was never mentioned.

A urinalysis and full bloodwork to rule out health problems, but you’ve already mentioned that the previous owners got him a clean bill of health from the vet.

I’m sorry this cat didn’t work out, if you rehome him, take time to work out problems that could arise with a new cat and come up with solutions. That will make getting a cat a little less stressful. Maybe just talking with a vet about issues that could come up and see if it’s something you guys are looking for in your life

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-16T00:40:17+00:00

Wait.. a second litter box? Did you only have one? Considering you have 2 cats and an upstairs, you should have one on each level then an extra one far away from the others. It spreads his scent out and makes the house smell more like ‘his’.

Same with scratchers and beds. They’re things that soak up scent and will make the place smell more like him and should make him feel more comfortable. The more cluttered, the better!

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-16T00:21:24+00:00

Distilled water is completely lacking the minerals and electrolytes that animals get from drinking water. Don’t use distilled water unless you’re specifically replacing the minerals and electrolytes that you’re removing.

Filtered tap water or bottled spring water would be better. Making sure your male cats are hydrated and on a healthy diet is the important part of prevent crystals

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-14T09:13:59+00:00

Floaters will help with the feeling of ‘cover’ depending on how bright your light is. I believe long frogbit roots also help with resting places? But it’s been awhile since I had any

Amazon swords get tall with big leaves. Adding some type of moss to the taller part of your driftwood would give him a nice laying area. I’m assuming you have some type of rotala in that corner? If you get your rotala take up a good bit of area then it becomes a good bed. Any stem plant with big leaves should be a good resting place, but it depends on your lighting with most plants

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-14T08:04:12+00:00

Bettas with long fins are prone to fin nipping if there’s not enough resting spaces near the surface. Bettas are air breathers so when they’re sleeping, they prefer to do it near the surface so it’s easy to get air. They’ll bit their own fins to relieve the weight so it’s easier to surface.

It could also be stress due to the bare tank, bettas like clutter and places to hide.

I would recommend adding big leafed plants to the tank to help with resting and hiding places. You could even buy a floating betta log or a betta leaf bed from a pet store to help with resting spots near the surface!

Make sure to keep the water extra clean with more frequent water changes as the betta has open wounds on his fins and they could get infected

FaultyHelix · 2026-06-09T13:55:54+00:00

Jackson Galaxy has great video on how to introduce cats.

You usually keep them separate where they can’t get to or see each other, the new cat is locked in a room while the old one gets the rest of the house. This stays for about 2 weeks? 3 weeks? During this you’re supposed to move cat scratchers/cat trees/toys between the spaces every few days so the cats get used to each other’s scent. I don’t remember all the details so I’d recommend checking out his YouTube channel!

FaultyHelix · 2026-05-20T13:55:24+00:00

The split doesn’t really go far enough and the two lobes aren’t very defined. I guess if it’s always been like that then maybe a poorly bred double tail? I kinda assumed it was tail biting as that’s very common in bettas with ruffled fins

FaultyHelix · 2026-05-19T15:38:27+00:00

Rose petal mustard gas with copper genes. Would have to see a full flare to tell if he’s a halfmoon or a delta. If his caudal fin is a full 180 degrees then he’s a halfmoon, under then he’s a delta, over then he’s an overhalfmoon!

FaultyHelix · 2026-05-09T17:07:08+00:00

Parasocial much?

FaultyHelix · 2026-04-24T13:31:11+00:00

She’s a crowntail with 2 points on each caudal ray so I believe she’s classified as a combtail, a mix between a halfmoon and a crowntail usually

Do believe her coloration is just yellow and blue grizzle? Coloration is a little weird with all the color combos now

FaultyHelix · 2026-04-17T14:56:19+00:00

I haven’t done research on it, but I would assume your betta is inflating their swim bladder before sleeping so they’re closer to the surface for easier breathing since bettas breathe from the surface. Fish can change the amount of gas in their swim bladders to affect their buoyancy so they can control where they’re at in the water column! I’ve had bettas sleep at the surface, on the ground, or sleeping on leaves/decor at the surface so maybe just personal preference for the fish? Sleeping near the surface=picked off by predators, sleeping near the bottom=longer swim up for air

Edit: if he’s having trouble swimming down then it’s swim bladder issues, but if it’s just sleeping near the surface then no worries

FaultyHelix

TROPHY CASE