Lupetta

Thanks so much I filled the tank...And even though the video said to fill to the edge of the black rim, the guy at the store said as long as a certain portion of the filter is submerged it was fine...I did that, and the top of the heater and filter are dry, cords and all *happy dance* but hopefully that's safe too? No part of the glass of the heater is exposed... Also, the suction cups keep popping up a bit...Not coming off completely, but I need to keep pushing them down which I can't do once the heater is running (which I'm just about to turn on)...Any tips?

I've got an Aqua One 25w heater for my 20 litre tank (which I'm literally in the middle of filling up) and I know this is terribly dumb, but is it safe for the top of the cord to go in the water? I've been assured by the guy at the petshop it is...But still feel uneasy since...Y'know..Electric shock and all. It's got 2 suction cups and is positioned upright on the side of the tank but once the tank is filled to the appropriate line for the filter...The top of the heater and about 5cms of cord will also be underwater....Am I doing it right? :oops:

I've been using API Betta water conditioner with him since I got him (it has green tea and aloe in it) It's hard trying to figure out filters, most of the tanks I've been looking at come with one already but I'm hoping to maybe swap it out for one that is more suitable while I'm actually at the store, to save me the hassle of getting home, setting it all up and then realizing that it's no good...But I don't know how to choose bad from good >.< Indian almond leaf was suggested to me, is that any good to use? Could I use that in conjunction with the tonic salt etc? When I put him in the new tank, until I get this fin rot sorted, should I leave out the stones, etc, and keep him to the bare minimum? I guess theory being keep it as clean as possible? Should I put live plants in with him or wait till it's healed up? The Wundertonic turned the water blue, and he is a blue fish so it's making it hard to keep a check on it but the best I can tell, no red buts...Just black bits and clear bits :tears: I'm in Auckland, so won't need a powerful heater since it doesn't get super cold here. How do I make sure he doesn't burn himself on it? Thank you so much for your advice

My Betta has fin rot (or is it tail rot? are they different? it so far, thankfully, seems to only be on his tail) which I noticed 3 days ago and straight away panicked (I love my fish) - I've only had him for 2 weeks, and noticed it on day 10! He isin't being kept in good conditions, through ignorance I went on the bad advice and assurances from friends who have these fish, and set him up the way they keep theirs (6.5 litre tank, no heater/filter)...Yes, I realized within a couple of days that this was NOT good, so please nobody yell at me for it because I'm taking steps to rectify it. I'm getting him a new tank tomorrow, 20 litres so I can get a filter and heater. I don't know what the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels are, no testing kit >.< Because of the size of his tank and lack of filter, I was doing a partial water change daily (around 30%). Since the start of the fin rot I was advised to do 2 partial changes a day, which I have been. On the advice of Animates I bought tonic salt and Wundertonic and started him on both the best I could, it turned the water blue and since he is a blue fish it made it really hard to check on the progress of his tail but as of yesterday (2 days into Wundertonic, 3 days into tonic salt) it seemed like it was a little better...Alot of the clear edge was gone, and the lower half that was all raggedy (like the membrane had melted away leaving just the spike part, I don't know what it's called) seemed to be almost sealing over as it wasn't nearly as bad, although part of the spike part was black on each of them, though the membrane was still blue.. But this morning...He is raggedy again, top AND bottom! Please can someone give me some advice on how to help him survive/heal his fins? (and also what to keep doing once I get his tank set up tomorrow? will it be better to just start cycling it with him in there so at least he is heated/filtered?) Should I leave out the stones etc until he is all better?