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bettabeginner

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SORRY ITS LONG BUT PLEASE HELP!!


Hi guys.
Iā€™m a betta beginner here and I really really am desperate for help. About 9 months ago I got a beautiful delta tail betta who was blue and red named, Itachi. Over the past few months Itachiā€™s fins became raggedy. I figured it was from being in a small 2.5 gallon tank with decor that might have injured him. (I live in a small dorm with limited space) Despite that I had his tank heated to a constant 78-80 degrees with regular water changes and gravel vacuuming. To help his fins I started using almond leaves and instead of using the fin harming kinds of filters I used a sponge/charcoal filter made for tanks 5 gallons and less with an air pump.

The fins never improved but they stopped tearing. After I stopped the almond leaves the tearing began again. So recently I did a deep clean and used the API fin and body cure for a 2.5 gal Dose. Along with almond leaves again. I then upgraded his tank to a 5 gal with much more gentle decor that wouldnā€™t harm him. No improvement. Itā€™s been a few weeks since he got into his new tank, cycled using his old filter, heated perfectly. The water is crystal clear and warm. He is still active and happy but his fins are not improving :(

I watched YouTube videos and got aquarium salt. At first I wanted to try the salt dip but after seeing his reaction to the first time I got scared and decided to just use salt in his new aquarium and daily 20-30% water changes.

I tried to follow another youtuber who had a betta with the same severity of fin rot, she used 2tsp of aquarium salt per gal for moderate fin rot. First I tried 1tbspn, but then moved up to 2, and then upped it to 4. He seems to be doing fine with this large dose but still no regrowth.

I did that for 10 days, but no changes. I was suggested to lower the salt to 3 tbspn in his 5 gallon tank with 30% water changes every other day, readding the salt I took out (approx 0.5 tbspn) with dechlorinated water that I would soak almond leaves in. This si what I am currently doing now, its been about a week.


His fins to me look like they are still the same. I don;t know if I am doing this right. I was advised to just continue until I see some improvement and keep monitoring to change the dosage as needed. I included pictures of him. Please help me save my baby boy I love him so much and I want him to get better soon. The black tips on his fins are normal he always had that itā€™s part of his color. But the tearing is not normal.

please help me Iā€™m trying my best but Iā€™m still new at this and donā€™t hate me Lol I promise Iā€™m doing my best, thatā€™s why Iā€™m here posting this during a global pandemic. Some people have been telling me to stop the salt and just do clean water but I do not see how that can help if I already tried that and that is why I turned to salt.

p.s he eats well, he Has about 6 pellets every day 3 in the morning 3 at night and every other day I feed him a dried baby shrimp in the afternoon as a treat. His current decor and tank do not bother him, he has not been getting torn by them. Also his water parameters are fine.
 

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I will continue the salt for maybe one more week. I ordered Kanaplex so I am hoping to give that a shot when it arrives (~two weeks from now)
 
Got it! Thanks guys. :) I guess I will stick to salt and do 2 tbspns, with daily 75% water changes, starting tomorrow with almond leaf extract and API stress coat. Hopefully I will see improvement, the kanaplex was more of a last resort in my mind which I will keep as a back up if all else fails. I will keep ya'll updated, thank you so much once again!
 
add salt, not anti-biotics.

use 2 heaped tablespoons of rock salt for every 20 litres (5 gallons) of water. keep salt in there for 2-4 weeks.

do daily water changes and gravel clean the substrate (as recommended by JuiceBox52) for a couple of weeks.
Since I will be doing the 75% water changes daily as you recommended, should I just keep adding 2 tbspn during every water change or a reduced amount? Thank you again so much
 
Hey guys! Just a one week update, not seeing any crazy improvement on his fins yet. His tank looks amazingly clean though from all these water changes. I am hoping to see some sign of healing soon! Until then I will continue for 2 weeks, maybe 3 depending on observations :)
 
I have a question regarding Itachi's progress. Unfortunately he started growing some small fuzzy stuff on the fins of his belly. It is not very big or spreading yet but he definitely did not have that before ever. I am wondering if it would be ok to lower the temperature of his tank just slightly, I think I have been using warmer water during daily water changes and aquarium salt to make him feel less stressed and more comfortable but I should be using slightly less warm water to delay the growth of his fin rot. What do you guys think?
 
I have a question regarding Itachi's progress. Unfortunately he started growing some small fuzzy stuff on the fins of his belly. It is not very big or spreading yet but he definitely did not have that before ever. I am wondering if it would be ok to lower the temperature of his tank just slightly, I think I have been using warmer water during daily water changes and aquarium salt to make him feel less stressed and more comfortable but I should be using slightly less warm water to delay the growth of his fin rot. What do you guys think?
If you fluctuate the temperature then the stress it will cause him will lead to further illness. Leave it at one consistent temperature, I keep mine at 80F, and make sure that the fresh water that you put in on the water changes is the same as what's in his tank. Any sudden changes within his tank can have real impact on the fish.

As for the fuzzy things on his fins, you'll have to provide a photo for members to see to be able to diagnose. It could be a number of things
 
Sorry about that! I have the pics over here. I am getting concerned since it seems like so far nothing has worked. Also the "fuzz" kind of looks like slimy also, which I read was a sign of worsening fin rot. The salt and daily water changes are still ongoing, this is week 2 but it doesn't seem like there is any improvement yet.
 

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@Colin_T doesn't look as if the infection has been killed off by the salt. Surely by week 2 we shouldn't be seeing black tips? Should have very slight new growth by now shouldn't he?
 
@Colin_T doesn't look as if the infection has been killed off by the salt. Surely by week 2 we shouldn't be seeing black tips? Should have very slight new growth by now shouldn't he?

The black tips are part of his natural color! His fins used to be double the size and a rich black on the edges! But yes, so far no regrowth or sign of infection decreasing. I am debating whether or not to continue for a little longer or just try the medicine I have on hand
 

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