1st tank - update

So, a couple of months later and I can report that all is well in my (daughter's) 1st tank.

With the exception of two casualties.

A while ago we were without electricity for a week, and could only run the filter, heater etc intermittently form the generator.

A week after power was restored, I noticed two things:
1. A sudden green algae buildup on the glass
2. "Pinky", my daughter's second favourite fish (after "9", the male), a female fighter, floating on the surface.

She was always the liveliest of the lot, and I contributed this to the power/algae problems we had earlier.

A couple of days later, one of the other females also went belly-up. In hindsight, this particular female was almost lethargic from the start, always hiding, or just hovering...

The algae problem was taken care of, but still needs a careful eye, and since then we had no more casualties.

The angles are fine, "9" as well as the remaining female are fine, same goes for the neons.

So, some questions...

1. Was the power/algae the liekly culprit here? (no sign of distress from any of the other fish before or since)
2. Fighter advice states that a ratio of 1:3 should be kept between males and females, yet ,my male and the remaining female seem quite content - no fighting, just the occasional flaring from him, and she couldn't be bothered...
3. What is a good long-term solution for algae growth? Someone suggested a algae-sucker?

Stephan

 

Hi there @dilbertza

The power outage could have been the issue, it all depends on how long the tank was without power. Your filter media will start dieing and causing all kinds of spikes in the water that might have killed the girls. I doubt that it was the algae.
Keep an eye on the male and female - they might get along for now, but you never know when one of them will decide to act out. My girls lived in harmony for about 3 months before the fighting started. S far its mainly been a few nips on the fins and they seem to have settled down again. But soon it will start again since they are being moved to a bigger tank. Im still considering what to put with them once I move them to the bigger tank.

For the algae issues, it all depends on which kind of algae you have what would be best to do. So show us some pics!

 

The long term power outtage would have killed off the bacteria in the filters. A power failure of an hour or longer can have devastating effects on the filter. You said it was off for a week, being on intermittently with a generator. We can therefore assume that the entire bacteria colony died off, and the tank started recycling again. The ammonia and nitrite spike would have caused the deaths, as fish cannot handle these.

The algae is also caused my this. What is interesting about algae is that each algae type grows under certain conditions. Some under high ammonia, some under high nitrates, some under excessive nutrients etc etc... so with a little bit of research you would probably find that the algae that developed is as a result of excess waste in the tank, due to an inneffective filtration system.

I personally would not go out and buy any algae-type fish right now, but rather let the tank settle down for a few weeks. Keep up WC at least 2-3 times a week for now. I am pretty sure that once the tank has settled down again that your algae will settle down as well. Keep feeding to an absolute minimum. If you chat to people like @solex69 you will actually find out that a feeding 2-3 times A WEEK for betta's is actually sufficient. Solex will explain that an "underfed" betta is actually a lot more healthier than a Betta that is fed everyday.

You may find the male-female ratio to be ok for now, purely because they may not be a sexual maturity, or mating condition. The fact that the male is flaring s also an indication that he may be getting ready to start the courting process. This is where you may start getting problems. Breeding Beta's is not as easy as chuckng a male and a female together. They need to be conditioned, and introduced in a specific way... so my suggestion would be to keep a look out at your LPS for another 2 females.

 

By default, Bettas tend to have a slow digestive system. If fed everyday, there will come a time where the fish's digestive system can't burn off the amount of food it receives, thus storing excess food as fats. Eventually the fish will be so fat that its internal organs will start failing. Signs of bettas getting sick due to over eating are:

1. The body/stomach is quite fat
2. The fish becomes lazy and prefers to either rest on a plant or other tank ornament
3. Improper breathing tempo

My advice is to feed a betta with a cycle of 1 day off every 2 consecutive days of feeding.

I used to feed my bettas only like twice a week and they lasted for quite some time, but I can understand why many people won't feel comfortable doing what I've done.

Ciao
D