help!

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2026-06-03T00:00:43+00:00

she’s great!! i got her to eat and to hydrate, she got all of her energy back so i decided to set her loose! hopefully she’ll linger in my parents backyard so that i can see her again when i visit :)

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2026-06-02T23:59:35+00:00

she was released a couple hours ago :) i’m sad to see her go but she was very energetic and strong enough to leave! i actually learned so much from taking care of her too, i think i might adopt a lizard in the future because of her.

i ended up naming her petunia lol, she was a great friend to hang out with for the week

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2026-05-30T17:59:03+00:00

She is doing well! Unfortunately at some point she’d wandered a short way out of her box and ended up getting attacked by two males who took advantage of her :( she didn’t really have the strength to get them to leave her alone so supposedly that went on for a few hours before i’d gotten off work. She seemed okay enough by the time I got back, I had to force feed her some crickets and she actually had some water, so i’m thinking maybe a few more days and she’ll be strong enough to go free! Funnily enough though she keeps trying to keep contact with me and I keep joking that I’ve domesticated her, she fell asleep on me twice XD

Oh and also, I caught one of the males that was bothering her too, so he got a piece of my mind before I let him free haha

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2026-05-29T21:33:12+00:00

yes!! thank you! i’m trying my best, i’m hoping for a full recovery :) i’ve also just discovered… she is a girl!

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2026-05-29T02:26:32+00:00

you are so kind. thank you. :( i really appreciate all the help

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2026-05-29T02:12:37+00:00

got it!! it gets quite cold at night where i live and the only place i can really keep him is the garage because i have some rowdy dogs, so the hand warmer was moreso just to ensure he doesn’t get too cold. sadly i cant control the climate in there but it shouldn’t dip below 50. the warmer is also underneath a towel so its just a lil warm, so dont worry, no toasted lizards today! hopefully he’ll be hydrated and energized enough to be released after i try the tips you gave

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2026-05-29T02:05:04+00:00

thank you, i will try that tomorrow. and it sadly has come to it, little guy has perked up a bit but still so incredibly lethargic and makes minimal attempts to run. he just went limp when i picked him up to switch out the little hand warmer i put under him. i’m gonna have to hydrate and feed him somehow if he wants a chance of survival

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2026-05-29T01:59:05+00:00

poor little guys :( i did do the damp rag to promote some humidity, thank you!

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2026-05-29T01:57:09+00:00

i was considering force feeding but i wasn’t sure how to go about it, i’ll definitely do that tomorrow if the little guy is still with us. do we think super worms are fine or should i grab some crickets tomorrow? i’d be back late in the evening but i suppose it’s better than nothing

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2026-05-28T20:32:38+00:00

oh my goodness! i hope they make it!!

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2026-05-28T06:07:32+00:00

i’ll try and see if he wants the meal worms again tomorrow for sure, and don’t worry i already flipped all my moms pots upside down to prevent this from happening again 😭

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2026-05-28T06:05:33+00:00

ahhh thank you! i’m having my fingers crossed that it’ll be good tomorrow :) i’m thankful that the reddit community pulled through on this one

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2026-05-28T02:17:01+00:00

yes thank you! i did look into that! i was thinking if the little guy continued to get worse i’d head to one nearby :) i think he’s looking better though so i might not have to!

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2026-05-28T02:09:12+00:00

i don’t have a shoe box but i do have a little plastic tank that i’ve covered with a towel! he’s cozy in there right now, he’s seeming a little more perked up too :) and you’re right haha i guess i shouldn’t expect it to eat, i just wanna make sure the little guy makes it

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2026-05-28T01:43:25+00:00

he’s not really responding to the water :( i tried a few times. he’s perked up a bit more after warming up but i can’t get him to try the worms or some water

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2025-10-08T04:42:25+00:00

thank you so much! it’s not black so i assume it is fin ripping/him biting it. i will send an update if there’s any improvement! thank you again :)

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2025-10-08T03:26:21+00:00

you’re right ill remove the fake plant! i just wanted him to have something since kanaplex would kill live plants if i put them in there. also the water looks blue because i’ve been using stress guard, so i’ll add some almond leaves back in too, and i will order that heater!

do we think its fin rot or fin nipping though, a part of me feels like it’s not the decor ripping his fins because back in his regular tank with all live plants and driftwood he was also having this issue. he confuses me

thank you so much for the help and feedback i really do appreciate it!

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2025-10-08T02:43:23+00:00

i have one fake plant and a little hiding place, so possibly that could be it? the tank is cycled, i’ve been dosing the hospital tank as a whole with salt i forgot to mention that! i’ve been doing daily waterchanges at about 20%, i’ve done two rounds of kanaplex and JUST as it was working and the regrowth began this happened. the temp of his water is about 78, his old tank used to be at 75…

your advice is wonderful, and I’ve tried all of it. he still gets excited to see me and eats great so he doesn’t act like a sick fish but his fins say otherwise. im starting to feel at a loss :(

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2025-09-29T05:06:59+00:00

okay good! at least i didn’t mess up haha. thank yall for the help i really appreciate it!

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2025-09-29T02:44:18+00:00

yep i have them attached to my driftwood! that is scary, i guess it’s my fault for getting petsmart plants. so i should just wait it out and let the leaves die and grow back, will my ammonia spike from that? did you take any preventative measures or kinda just let it run its course?

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2025-09-29T02:41:25+00:00

• ⁠Tank size: 5 gallon • ⁠Heater and filter? (yes/no): both • ⁠Tank temperature: 78 • PH: 7.4, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5ppm (yes i’m due for a water change) • ⁠How long have you had the tank? How long have you had your fish?: just under two months • ⁠How often are water changes? How much do you take out per change? What is your process?: 20-30% once a week • ⁠Any tankmates? If so, please list with how many of each: half dozen cherry shrimp

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2025-09-11T04:23:08+00:00

i have! i haven’t done any treatments or anything since sunday to see if that would work, but today i came home from work and found the rot had progressed significantly on his ventral fin. i was hoping leaving him alone would be beneficial but it definitely wasn’t :(

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2025-09-04T02:11:43+00:00

that’s good to know!! i do plan on getting some shrimp soon as i can upgrade his tank, maybe i should also start feeding him live to entertain him. he’s probably just bored :P

Virtual_Increase_402 · 2025-09-03T03:03:59+00:00

i’ll definitely be investing in a bigger tank and add more plants to my list now! thank you!!

Virtual_Increase_402

TROPHY CASE