Hi all, my betta (who from here on I will refer to as Bruce) is getting really old so I thought I'd share what I've done to keep him comfortable so far.
I've had Bruce for about three years, and he was adult size when I got him so I don't know his exact age, but I'm pretty sure he's old. His red has faded dramatically in the last 6-9 months (this is supposed to be a sign of aging?) from a bright orangey red to a very dark red, and he's extremely lazy compared six months ago (another sign?) , he's also slowly going blind in his right eye.
What I've done for him so far:
Moved his more active tankmates (white clouds, kuhlli loaches and small cae) so he doesn't get startled as easy, only him and the usd cat remain in the tank.
Feed him in one spot - less food, more frequent feedings. I have lily pads on the surface of the water, I use these as a 'current barrier' by dropping the food between two pads where it stays for a while and gives him a chance to eat it without having to chase it around the tank. I've also been dropping the food on his left side, to make sure he can see it.
Added more broad leaved plants so he has more things to rest on, and stole some wood from my SA tank to try making an 'almost dead spot' with very little current in a corner of the tank so he has somewhere to rest away from the current. I used to redecorate his tank every month or so, so he had something "new" to explore - this has stopped too.
I've also adjusted his filter down as low as it goes, to try and make it easier for him to swim without exhausting himself.
I was going to move him to a little 50ltr tank but decided that he deserves as much space as I can provide him with, plus he's been in his current tank since I brought him home and I feel like moving him would stress him out to much.
This is what I've done so far, if anyone has anything else I can do to help make him comfortable for his last run, please let me know.
Also, out of curiosity, does anyone else do this sort of stuff for their elderly fishies?
I've had Bruce for about three years, and he was adult size when I got him so I don't know his exact age, but I'm pretty sure he's old. His red has faded dramatically in the last 6-9 months (this is supposed to be a sign of aging?) from a bright orangey red to a very dark red, and he's extremely lazy compared six months ago (another sign?) , he's also slowly going blind in his right eye.
What I've done for him so far:
Moved his more active tankmates (white clouds, kuhlli loaches and small cae) so he doesn't get startled as easy, only him and the usd cat remain in the tank.
Feed him in one spot - less food, more frequent feedings. I have lily pads on the surface of the water, I use these as a 'current barrier' by dropping the food between two pads where it stays for a while and gives him a chance to eat it without having to chase it around the tank. I've also been dropping the food on his left side, to make sure he can see it.
Added more broad leaved plants so he has more things to rest on, and stole some wood from my SA tank to try making an 'almost dead spot' with very little current in a corner of the tank so he has somewhere to rest away from the current. I used to redecorate his tank every month or so, so he had something "new" to explore - this has stopped too.
I've also adjusted his filter down as low as it goes, to try and make it easier for him to swim without exhausting himself.
I was going to move him to a little 50ltr tank but decided that he deserves as much space as I can provide him with, plus he's been in his current tank since I brought him home and I feel like moving him would stress him out to much.
This is what I've done so far, if anyone has anything else I can do to help make him comfortable for his last run, please let me know.
Also, out of curiosity, does anyone else do this sort of stuff for their elderly fishies?
