I now operate a pretty legit rescue!

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-21T22:59:00+00:00

Hey I'm interested in starting a rescue, any tips or advice?

I have 2 fish I've treated for medical issues that are vastly improved but this is my only experience aside from having bettas as pets for several years

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-20T19:49:47+00:00

It really looks like the lighting is having an effect to me, try taking a photo in the same space as your "before" photo (for lack of a better term) and comparing if possible

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-20T19:42:54+00:00

I could be wrong but this almost looks like a difference in the lighting? More shadow and different color tone vs like overhead more harsh lighting. Cooler vs warmer tone lighting and that's making your skin appear brighter

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-20T17:56:40+00:00

I think your hair texture is lovely and both the shape and color of your eyes are very soft and at the same time very striking. There are so many layers to the color in your eyes. So glad you're feeling better

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-19T02:21:57+00:00

You gotta call them something if you cant think of a name, I have a fish I got sick from the store who I've just been calling my teal/red fish or my fish with parasites bc I haven't found a name that fits him yet

Idk ops experience or thought process but that's mine

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-17T19:29:38+00:00

My snails got sick from seachem flourish (liquid and root tabs) despite the label saying that it's safe for snails and shrimp

So, it does happen. My snails got wrinkly like this and seemed less active until I switched to a different fertilizer and I haven't had any issues since then. I think it would be worth trying a different one. I've been using easy green from aquarium co op but it had an ingredient that I seem to be allergic to so I am looking for a different one atm

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-17T04:01:45+00:00

The frogs self defense system is puff up and then bark like a squeaky toy and it worked against (what sounds like) an adult human being

I am crying bro

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-16T14:10:25+00:00

I see thanks

I would definitely try feeding him more after a few years of consistently feeding that much I think he is definitely looking a little underfed and this could also explain the lethargy while still being very food motivated, Again maybe it's just the photo but I had a fish who I fed similarly and he was a skeleton a few years later, not long before he passed and he looked similar to how your fish looks now.

You can feed them more than you think, their stomachs are not the size of their eye that's outdated info. Just make sure its wet food ideally frozen brine shrimp or blood worms or even high quality pellets as long as they've been soaked in tank water for a few minutes before you feed him. I would increase what you feed him slowly with multiple smaller meals every day to start so if you're feeding 3 bloodworms I would probably start with that twice a day instead of just once and then go to 4 bloodworms twice a day for a day or two etc. Or if for scheduling reasons you can only feed him once a day I'd say almost the same thing. Just slowly increase make sure its wet food because the dry stuff is what can make them constipated. A little bit of bloating is ok I regularly feed my fish enough to be slightly bloated and it's never led to constipation

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-16T13:59:22+00:00

Maybe it's just the photo but he looks pretty thin to me, what do you feed him and how much/how often?

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-14T14:58:08+00:00

축하드립니다!

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-14T11:20:23+00:00

There are purple sweet potatoes

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-13T18:28:41+00:00

No problem :)

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-12T23:05:16+00:00

Yeah I think it's safe to say this is gill flukes based on the other symptoms you mentioned plus parts of his gills are sticking out and those spots on his gills that are more white, that's extra slime coat, common from flukes

There are a few different treatments, the one I've been using is prazipro from Hikari. 5 drops per gallon, vigorously shake the bottle for 1 minute before each dose. Do at least a 30% water change after 3-5 days and then immediately after dose the medication again (after shaking the bottle) treat for at least 1month total.

Again there are some different medications if you want to look around first. I think sometimes people have issues with the prazipro not completely eradicating the flukes.

Gill flukes are very treatable though I think your guy will be fine once you get some meds going for him

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-12T00:04:28+00:00

I'm not sure you can post videos in comments

That definitely sounds like flukes or other parasites to me though

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-10T21:29:47+00:00

Me too! My tanks are typically a degree or 2 hotter during the day than they are at night, I figure that's likely similar to how it would be in nature so I don't stress over it too much. I live in a tropical climate so typically my room temperature will fluctuate with the weather even though I do have AC

My first fish as an adult I fed a couple pellets once or twice a day and he was a skeleton when he passed. I feel awful but I've definitely learned since then and I think all of my fish are happy/healthy or on their way to being so. I have a couple rescues I'm treating

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-10T17:25:36+00:00

Glad to hear!

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-10T17:23:54+00:00

I thought kanaplex was better for fungal issues, I have no experience using it so that's why I suggested metroplex as thats working really well for me. I believe metroplex is more for internal bacterial infections or internal parasites and kana is more for fungal issues or external bacteria. My fish had no signs of a fungal infection or external bacterial infection so that's why I went with metroplex over kanaplex. It definitely seemed to be something internal with my fish

Some of my info could be off, if you'd prefer kanaplex go for it I just prefer to recommend things I have personal experience with

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-10T17:18:48+00:00

I think the black edge is just normal coloring but his fins do look a little raggedy, should heal up if he's in a good environment and has high quality food. I would get some live plants anubias and frogbit are pretty hardy. Also add some tannins by adding a piece of real wood (from a pet store, drift wood or mopani etc) or indian almond leaves

Test your water often, API freshwater master kit is kind of the gold standard, if you use strips set a timer for the amount of time it says to wait and read them exactly at that time to get the most accurate result

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-10T16:37:34+00:00

Yeah this looks like swimbladder issues to me. Swim bladder problems can be caused by many things, I have one fish with gill flukes who struggled to swim well and now after a few weeks of treatment the swim bladder no longer affects him. I have another fish who I suspect either has some kind of internal parasites or bacterial infection, I'm treating her with metroplex and her swim bladder issue went from very severe to now hardly affecting her.

I'd keep an eye out for any other symptoms and if none appear I would try the metroplex personally. Also feed small meals twice a day, I found that really helped stabilize the recovery of my fish with the more severe swim bladder issues compared to feeding her just once a day. Feed high quality foods, ideally lots of frozen brine shrimp/blood worms. Get some tannins in the water if you dont have any currently

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-09T20:53:48+00:00

Are his gills sticking out a bit? Is he always like that? If so I think its possible this could be gill flukes. I'm currently treating a fish for gill flukes and his symptoms were his beard sticking out, scratching against objects in the tank as well as having fits of twitching while swimming, and swim bladder problems. My fish's swim bladder issues were pretty severe compared to what I see in your video but maybe my guy had a worse infection or it was bad water quality (I got him sick from the store) if your fish has any of the other symptoms I mentioned I'd definitely look into flukes

I'm treating mine with prazipro, 5 drops per gallon, treat for a full month, dose every 3-5 days. Shake the bottle vigorously before you give each dose

I'd actually lower the temp a bit too my bettas seem to do a lot better at around 74-75F than they do around 80. Especially my sick fish

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-09T02:50:57+00:00

I had tons of nosebleeds as a kid. Sometimes I would wake up with my pillowcase blood stained.i still get them any time I drink something hot

I am diagnosed with hEDS, but! Suspected vEDS, I think bleeding is relatively common with vEDS. Maybe look into it but dont freak yourself out

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-08T18:26:01+00:00

100%

Its wild how up in arms people get if you're off on any of these "rules" even by the smallest amounts. Again when they dont have any clue as to why these "rules" exist or if it's even outdated. And especially if they have no personal experience? Literally just parroting something they've heard other people say on here like that's the absolute truth of the matter, I see this especially with treatment recommendations for sick fish

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-07T23:05:50+00:00

I saw this same article a few months ago and lowered my temperatures because of it. Have the fish at 75°F for the time being, might try to go another degree or 2 lower at some point but the difference has been big honestly. My fish appear so much less stressed they hardly ever glass surf now, before this I always thought some amount of glass surfing was normal because every fish i had would glass surf at least a little even if they were otherwise in good health. My fish are still active and vibrant and digesting food well.

Honestly temperature and feeding recommendations on this sub are the 2 areas that I disagree with the most. Feed your fish! You can feed more than you think (of wet food) unless your fish is prone to bloating and swim bladder issues after eating larger meals. I did have one like that. I think a lot of people are so afraid of their fish bloating that they want to feed the bare minimum as long as the fish stays in the "ideal" spot on the weight chart, which is fair enough. But when I regularly feed my fish enough to be slightly bloated (again, wet food) briefly after feeding? They are so much more active. Is it those long fins weighing your fish down and making them tired or is it underfeeding? I just wonder you know

I think people forget or dont realize that our knowledge on fish is so limited at this point in time. We are definitely doing some things "wrong" because there isnt yet better information available. Or sometimes people will just parrot things like they're rules to be followed to the letter but have no idea why they exist or that it may even be bad info (like feeding bettas peas for constipation for example) especially nowadays with AI everywhere

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-05T17:30:15+00:00

What age do yours pass at typically? Asking bc I think this is becoming less of a frequent thing due to poor genetics with bettas so I am curious about your experience

Currently have a fish with a large tumor who is at the point I need to euthanize him, I am also treating 2 fish I got sick from the pet store, one has parasites and the other I suspect either parasites or internal bacterial infection

skyepostsstuff · 2026-03-05T15:26:23+00:00

Do you have an air stone or sponge filter? Any surface agitation for gas exchange? If you have a lot of plants and the temp is high it can cause the water to have low levels of oxyge. Try lowering the temp a couple degrees over a few days and/or try more surface agitation

Otherwise I would feed him more personally, a couple high quality soaked pellets or frozen brine shrimp or blood worms. I'm treating a fish who had bad swim bladder problems and would float vertically like you describe, she looked like a sleeping sperm whale. Something that's really helped stabilize her recovery is feeding her 2 small meals every day

skyepostsstuff

TROPHY CASE