Sunburst and Beta

Question
QUESTION: I actually have 2 questions: the first is how do we tell the difference between our male and female sunbursts.  we have 3 of them and one of them is quite bossy to one of the other ones.  We were wondering if it is a territory thing or mating thing.  They were added to the tank at the same time.

The second question is about our Beta fish he is in a separate tank and is about 6 yrs old yes this age is correct as we have kept close track.  He seems to have SBD (swim bladder disease) is there anything other than lowering his water level and keeping his tank clean that we can do for him?
thanks
Heather

ANSWER: Hi Heather,

The way to sex platys is to look at their anal fin. Males have gonopodiums, females do not. Have a look:
http://www.fishforever.co.uk/livebearers.html
The left and the right show male and female red wag platys.

Platys do get territorial when kept in small tanks, what size is your tank? They do best in 20 gallon tanks or longer, they are too active for, say, a 10 gallon tank, so if kept in this sized tank they tend to be problematic. (The only livebearers that really work in 10 gallon tanks are guppies, unfortunately.) Of course, it is possible that you are seeing male and female courting behavior, which can stress the female nonetheless...a ratio of 1 male to 3 females is often recommended to spread out the attention.

Also, keep in mind that livebearers do best in hard and alkaline water, so a pH of higher than neutral (7.0) is best, and when you test the water for alkalinity or use a 5-in-1 test strip, it should say moderate or high, but NOT low, as this causes problems. There are ways to add more alkaline reserve if necessary, but first it's important to know the chemistry of your water. Soft and acidic (pH of <7.0 and low alkalinity) and hard and alkaline (pH of >7.0 and moderate to high alkalinity) usually go hand in hand...

Not to dwell, but also be sure you are giving livebearers the appropriate diet. Tropical flakes end up hurting them in the long run, look for livebearer flake, vegetarian flake, or Spirulina flake or pellets...ideally a combination of the three. Livebearers also enjoy the occasional skinned pea, that is, a cooked (or canned and unsalted) pea with the skin off. This keeps their intestinal tract clean and prevents constipation, which is a common issue with livebearers.

Now, about the betta - WOW! That is one old betta. Maybe a world record! Bettas are not usually prone to buoyancy issues, whereas it is a very common problem with goldfish. The treatment is the same for any fish, however: use some Epsom salt (1 tablespoon/3 teaspoons per 10 gallons is fine) dissolved in warm water first, and also avoid feeding dried foods. Shelled peas come in very handy here, they tend to help "pass" anything that may be impacting the fish.

There are medications that purport to treat swim bladder disease, but I have no experience with these and have not read of any that are particularly effective. You could read more here about medicating this disease:
http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/fish_diseases/swim_bladder.html

I would try elevating the temperature to 80-82 degrees before I tried medicating. This betta is too old to be medicated, in my opinion. Make sure to make any temperature adjustments slowly, maybe 1 or 2 degrees every few hours.

Best of luck, and take care!
Nicole

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I may have put my follow up question in the wrong spot sorry if this is a repeat.  the tank for the sunburst is a 20 gal and we have an afican dwarf frog in the tank.  the store suggested the fish flakes for both will changing the diet need to be gradual and will it affect the frog too? we are new to this and my son is doing very well taking care of things. We want the best for both him (by not losing his fish and frog ) and good health for fish and frog.

Answer
Hi again Heather,

That's fine, I saw the question in your comments but I'm glad you reposted here. Thanks for the rating!

It doesn't hurt at all for the frog to eat those other foods too, and you can still use the tropical flake sometimes, but feeding them that kind of flake exclusively often leads to constipation and bloat since livebearers need a little less protein and more vegetable matter. So there's no need to pitch the can of tropical flakes, but do look for the other kind of flakes (livebearer, Spirulina, or vegetable) since they are healthier. You could also look for something called "Tetra Algae Crisps" which is very palatable and healthy for livebearers. It floats better than flakes, so hardly any of it goes to the bottom (you might need to feed some other food at the same time, some that actually sinks to the bottom so that your frog gets some) and since it seems to be extra tasty, the fish eagerly gobble it up.

Does the frog actually eat the flakes? They can be quite picky, I guess yours isn't. The very favorite foods of ADFs (African dwarf frogs) are bloodworms. Frozen is the best, it's tastier and more nutritious, but some people say they eat freeze-dried also. I hear they also eat HBH Frog & Tadpole Bites which looks tasty:
http://www.lotsofpets.com/hbh-frgtadb.html
If you're a frog, that is.

It's fine for the fish to pick at a little of all this, but of course, it shouldn't be their staple diet. If you ever do give the frogs and fish frozen bloodworms, I bet they'll all go nuts! My fish do. One way to evenly disperse it is to let the little cube (or half cube, really, one whole cube is too much) melt in a little bit of water. Then pour the water into the tank. It will look like it is raining red worms! Bloodworms are mosquito larvae, not worms actually.

Oh, and if your betta ever gets better, he will love frozen bloodworms too! I only give mine the teeniest bit, but they sure love it, and frozen brine shrimp, also. Frozen foods like this are a really healthful treat for fish. They are not too high in protein, either (brine shrimp are mostly water) so no fear of giving them bloat unless you overdo it.

These few sites are really informative sites about ADFs:
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile99.html
http://allaboutfrogs.org/info/mypets/dwarfs.html
http://frogworld.net/african-dwarf-frog/

Glad to hear that your son is getting involved in the hobby. It may be a lifelong love of his, I know many people online who had aquariums when they were in elementary school and still have fish tanks today! It sounds like you're doing really well. Best wishes to both of you.

Nicole