Betta Fish Is Sick! Please Help 911

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sbetta10

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Ammonia: When I measured it with the Testing kitā€”it was DARK green (between 4-8!!) This was before I did a partial water change 2 nights ago. It is now reading between 2 and 4 which is alot better..

Ammonia tester used (salicylate or Nessler-reagent based?): ? the kind where you put 8 drops of one in a tube and another 8 drops in another to combine it with the water your testing..

Nitrite: Slightly pink on the tester strip at .5?

Nitrate: Same as Nitrite

Are you testing with dipsticks?: yes

pH: 7

KH: 50

Temperature: Was 74.5 because of the wrong reading of the stupid sticky thermometer but is now 75.8 after turning on his heater for an hour or so and getting a digital thermometer.

Heater: yes but the smallest you can find for 1-3 gallonsā€”cannot keep the temperature stable! How do I do this?

Aeration: ? explain..

Water change amount/frequency: My sister was moving out of town and made me keep her betta (not that I minded) and she told me to change the water frequently (I was thinking every other week?) and to feed him daily. Thatā€™s itā€¦I was like, ā€œsounds easy enoughā€ and she had him for about a year and a half to two years already so I thought she knew what she was talking about. It turns out I accidentally forgot to change his water one of the every other so his water was about 3 weeks old (no partial changes..had no idea I could do partial changes) I always put him in his temp bowl (.5gallon) with aged water and dechlorinator while I clean his tank and add new water/dechlorinator and then let it sit for 24hours and then I return him to his actual tank (1.5 gallon in size)

Tank size/how long in operation: Currently, 1.5 gal tank with a flourescent lightā€¦I got him in one of those small betta divider tanks but the tank was all to him. After I found it to be leaking (and barely caught betta before he had no more room in the water) which this is where it all started because I think he caught something after sitting in his dirty small amount of water for a couple hours maybe while his tank was leaking.) I had no aged water on hand when this happened so I quickly made some with bottled water and put him in a temp tank. My boyfriend went and bought the 1.5 gal tank which I then aged the water, and dechlorinated. I was never told to do Ph testing, nitrite, nitrate, or ammonia testing levels. I researched and found this out on my own. But my tank had already been up for about a month before I found this out.

Filtration: Whisper filter with pump( I have to buy a new one every other month because it constantly just stops flowingā€¦it still sucks up stuff but does not pour out the spout)

Water additives/conditioners/pH adjusters: TopFin or betta conditioner..whichever is easiest at the time.

What, how much and how often are the fish/frogs fed: He used to eat a few pellets a day (not soaked as I did not know to do this). After he stopped eating completely (after the leaking tank mishap) I tried feeding him flakes and he didnā€™t want those either. For about 3 weeks, I kid you not, he would not eat! I finally researched other types of foods and bought him gel bloodworms that come in the pouch and I have NEVER seen him act so crazy to eat food! He loved them!! And since he was eating them, I kept feeding him those once daily for the first week and then switched to every other day..just a chunk or two that comes out of the packets. Now I have freezed bloodworms and he likes those just as much and still continues to eat now every other day. I choose to feed him every other day because his tummy seems swollen and he does have trouble swimming at times..he continuously lays on his side..at the bottom of the rocks,etc or gets behind the wisper filter and rests on one of the sticky things near the surface.

Tank inhabitants (number, size and type of fish/frogs): Male red betta, 2-3 years old now. I have had him for a year.

New additions/changes to the tank: aquarisol salt (just a single pellet of salt on each side of his tank.)

Unusual findings on the fish/frog: white raised cottony dot right below (or above) his eye. Whitish splattered looking paint under his mouth and gills (like on the bottom of his body)..gunk outlining his eyes

Unusual behavior: laying on bottom of tank or near surface..doesnt move much at all unless tapped on glass, clamped fins, lethargy..he IS eating though..

Medications/what has been tried or done do far: Nothing because this betta is so old and has never had ANY kind of medication/treatment what so ever. I bought Rid Ich + because I am pretty sure he has velvet (dust on his fins) fins are clamped, lethargy, gills seem to be breathing harder and harder. I also bought maracide (treats the fish, not the water)which I would like to try first..but I donā€™t know how to introduce it to him or his tank and with the amount of ammonia and temp..there is so much thought that goes into it that I donā€™t end up doing anything but a good ole water change. I added Nutrafin Cycle to see if it would lower the ammonia but havenā€™t tested it yet to see if it did.

Summary of potential fish/frog stressors: I wanted to get him out of the filthy tank as soon as possible so I filled up his temp tank (1/2 gal bowl) with tap water and added just under a Ā½ teaspoon of aquarium salt (aquarisol?) also added his conditioner which removes chlorine, chloramine, and other metals. I did a vacuum of his 1.5 gal tank rocks and filled the rest of his tank up with this pretreated water from petsmart. At that point his tank was disgustingly filthy, stuff floating everywhereā€¦oh forgot to mention the filter went out on me for the 2nd time and did not have money for a new one for atleast a few days. After a day went by of letting his temp tank (1/2 gal) sit, I added betta to it and he kinda freaked out..was swimming everywhere like crazy (nothing I have seen him do before) so after about 10 mins, I checked on him again and he was literally lifeless laying vertically at the bottom of the tank so I freaked and since I hadnā€™t emptied his old tank to clean it out yet, I just scooped him and put him back into his 1.5 gal tank ( I KNOW, I STRESSED HIM THE HECK OUT by doing this) but I could not just watch him die. But after adding him back to his actual tank, he just layed at the bottom, breathing heavily..now his breathing is ok but he is still just laying around at the bottom. Please help, I have grown immensely attached to ā€œBettaā€ and have spent a fortune on him this last 2 months (literally) and I am scared to do anything thinking it will put him in shock..He still has the few raised patches and the ā€œpaint splatterā€ under his chin and dusty dots on his fins. His fins are clamped and his entire color is paleā€¦a very faint color from his actual red color. His gills have these red things coming out but I donā€™t know if this is how he has always been but when I look at him from the front, his head looks huge, maybe swollen..and his belly is pretty full looking..I do know that at first we were overfeeding him and I was pretty sure he had SBD shortly before his old tank started leaking when all the issues happened. But now I am feeding every other day to help that..and when he initially had SBD, he didnā€™t eat for 3 weeks, maybe even longer until I got him the bloodworms, now he eats like a pig. I bought a new filter and installed it for him last night which seems to be working fine..for now. I just need step by step instructions on WHAT TO Do,ā€¦exactly with all details..not leaving one thing out..I still have quite a bit of room temperature aged water sitting around (including the huge jug I bought of ā€œpretreatedā€ water) so if I could get him out of the tank completely into clean fresh water (thatā€™s dechlorinated) in his new 1gallon temp tank. I want to medicate him but donā€™t know how or how much and with his type of water (ammonia being high and temp really low with a PH of 7 and nitrates/nitrites seem average. Should I just mix half of the pretreated store bought water with half of his tank water in the 1 gallon temp tank, add conditioner (how much?) and then add him to the gallon bowl with the medsā€¦do I put him in first and introduce the med slowly/gradually or do I mix it all up and then put him in it? What if the water does match what he is in now?How do I fix this? Hes still surviving and I want to make him better!

I am in need to save my betta! When you say 100% water change, does that mean I place betta in a temp tank while I clean his tank and add conditioner to it with the correct temp and then put him back in the tank after I am done? This is what I have always done but I just want to make sure this is correct. Would you recommend I go ahead with the maracide? I have now realized that the color of his coat is now a copper color and am scared this is velvet. Or even ich as he has a cottony white patch just under his eye.

I just tested my tap water and it has an amonia level of 1.
I tested my bottled water and it has a level of 0.
Either way, I think it is safer than the level 4 that I am getting currently in his 1.5 gal tank.

Will this (shifting from amonia levels like that) put him in shock?
Also I noticed my Kh levels are 50 in his tank but 0 in the temp tank i am trying to put him in.
the ph matches in both, the temperatures match in both.
the nitrite and nitrate is slightly different in the temp tank as it is at 0.

I forgot to mention that after giving him the salt dunk, the next day he had a looong string of brown stuff coming out of his anal fin area...is this parasites or him just being "unsconstipated"? i have suspected he may be.. Right now, I just need to know what to do to help him at this point since his ammonia is so high and his ph is so different from the water that i "prepare" for him. "prepare" as in using filtered water with betta conditioner that has aged for 2 or 3 days with the same temp as his tank.

Can I put him in a new tank entirely so I can clean out his big tank and start over with that one? Or will it shock him to go into a clean tank since he has acclimated to this high ammonia one?

I want to get a new heater (the 2-5 gallon one) because it has a set temp of 78 degrees but am scared that because I have a 1.5gallon that it will overheat his acrylic tank...The one i have now is the 1-3 gallon one and it doesnt have a set temp, it just keeps heating and heating and I have to remember to shut it off which is BAD for me since yesterday I forgot to shut it off before I went to work and it was on for 4 hours and his temperature raised from 72-78 until I came home on my lunch break and unplugged it. He was still laying in the same spot but he actually came out to eat and was swimming up top and is now behind his filter (he likes to rest right between the two suction cups) which is close to the top..he just seems depressed..I got a good picture of his spot below his eye and also of his belly area that looks splattered with white paint. He is a red betta but his color is pale, almost looks copperish. The only sprinkled dots I see on him is tiny ones on his fins. I can see a mucous coating on his skin..

Also, should I medicate him with the maracide or rid ich that I have? Should I go to petsmart for the 3rd time this week and pick up an antibiotic as well? How do I introduce the treatment to him? I would obviously have to move him to his temporary 1 gal glass tank but how should I do that and with his old water? or with part old, part new and then add medication and then add betta? Or add betta first and then introduce the med? This is the part I dont know about! He does not have those sprinkled dots all over his body..just on his fins and mouth area which is why I am stumped as to what this is..???
I am in need to save my betta! When you say 100% water change, does that mean I place betta in a temp tank while I clean his tank and add conditioner to it with the correct temp and then put him back in the tank after I am done? This is what I have always done but I just want to make sure this is correct. Would you recommend I go ahead with the maracide? I have now realized that the color of his coat is now a copper color and am scared this is velvet. Or even ich as he has a cottony white patch just under his eye.

Right now, I just need to know what to do to help him at this point since his ammonia is so high and his ph is so different from the water that i "prepare" for him. "prepare" as in using filtered water with betta conditioner that has aged for 2 or 3 days with the same temp as his tank.

Can I put him in a new tank entirely so I can clean out his big tank and start over with that one? Or will it shock him to go into a clean tank since he has acclimated to this high ammonia one?

Newest pic:
bta.jpg
 
seriously...calm down
I know some people do the aged water thing, but i must amit i never have...someone tell me if i'm wrong please.
syphone the water out. 75% every day, add dechlorinated water. I fill my buckets, add dechlorinator. and leave it to stand, while I'm syphoning water. my betta is in a 10 gallon tank, a 1.5 is really small. a 5 gallon tank is really what he needs.
he does sound like he has a severe case of velvet. the way to dose is explained on the bottle
It is usually 1ml treatment per gallon of tank water.
depending on the brand
many people say treatment and bettas can sometimes make them feel worse
75% waterchanges evey day but with your bettas symptoms i would treat, he sounds like he has a few illness
someone else will help. copy and paste your post to the emergency section, someone there will be able to help more than I. good luck x
 
seriously...calm down
I know some people do the aged water thing, but i must amit i never have...someone tell me if i'm wrong please.
syphone the water out. 75% every day, add dechlorinated water. I fill my buckets, add dechlorinator. and leave it to stand, while I'm syphoning water. my betta is in a 10 gallon tank, a 1.5 is really small. a 5 gallon tank is really what he needs.
he does sound like he has a severe case of velvet. the way to dose is explained on the bottle
It is usually 1ml treatment per gallon of tank water.
depending on the brand
many people say treatment and bettas can sometimes make them feel worse
75% waterchanges evey day but with your bettas symptoms i would treat, he sounds like he has a few illness
someone else will help. copy and paste your post to the emergency section, someone there will be able to help more than I. good luck x

Didnt mean to sound frantic but I just realized half of that post was repeated because i copied and pasted it. But either way, I am kind of freaking out when my betta has been sick after a a couple of weeks. I just want to make him better. I cannot find the emergency part of this forum..I dont see it anywhere..Another person in a different forum suggested possibly flex? After reading about it, it kind of makes sense..but this is where I get scared--I dont know exactly what it is..but he definately has a copper tint, right? I was afraid of him having velvet but i just hopes he pulls thru..I will try a 75% water change tonight by syphoning but i think i want to go ahead and put him in the temp tank and rinse his tank and everything with hot tap water then let them soak in pretreated water, fill the tank bak up with pretreated water and if I decide to medicate him it will be in the temp glass tank (since meds can stain acrylic). I really want a bigger tank but i am broke at the moment because i have spent a fortune on betta already with meds, treatments, foods, plants, deco, the 1.5 gallon tank is about 2 months old. If I decide to not treat him, I will put him bak in his 1.5 gal and watch him, if he gets worse the next couple of days, I will just treat him in that tank. Buy a new bigger tank and after his meds, get him in the space he deserves..I just didnt want to shock him with too much space since all he knew for two years prior was that tiny .5 gal leaky tank that i got him in...
 
The emergencu section is here:

http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/forum/2-tropical-fish-emergencies/

It's just above the betta forum if you are coming at it from the main page.
 
the detialed message was actually very helpful. no worries for the long post.
here is my suggestion:
remove from the 1.5. do a 100% water change with dechlor water. take the media out of the filter and give it some really good squeezes in the old tank water (from the waterchange). this will keep the flow running in the filter and should be done whenever the flow decreases. absolutely no need to buy a new filter ever month. and realistically is the cause of the ammonia in the tank-have a read on cycling. never take all of the media out and replace it. you start all over again. add the betta back to the tank when all clean. no need to leave sit overnight if using dechlorinator for water changes.
as for his feeding. 2-3 bloodworms every other day is plenty. dont overfeed him as will only cause more waste/ammonia/nitrites. he looks in good body condition. not skinny or bloated.
as for his illness. im nearly 100% certain that all his problems are down to the water quality. his color is off like that because of extra mucus he is producing in response to the ammonia levels in the tank. if ou dont see improvement (more vibrant color) within 4 days of clean water (dont freak out if you see the slime start coming off in "chunks" or stringy pieces. just the fish's body ridding itself of the excess slimecoat.
after the big waterchange do 40% everyday and test the water before for ammonia/nitrites and wait an hour after the waterchange and test again. keep the levels as close to zero as possible.
i highly doubt velvet or ich as you make no mention about flashing or rubbing against decor. to me, he simply looks washed out in color from excess mucus which is giving him a strange tint. ive owned some reds before and your's color isnt that much off. again-just a lot of slimecoat.
as for the "white specks" on his belly-are they raised at all? like grains of sand or slat? fluffy or fuzzy looking? from the pic its hard to tell. but to me looks like just his scale color in that area. my favorite betta i owned was a really red VT and as he got older developed silvery scales in his belly area and under his "chin". it could just be normal coloration. perhaps not but look for actual raised spots or fluff/fuzz to say differently.
number one right now is to get those stats sorted. do not keep changing the media in the filter! just remove from filter and squeeze it out good in old tank water during waterchanges when the flow is reduce. i cant say that enough! clean clean water and a cycled filter. oh, and those little 25 watt heater will be perfect for that tank. i use them myself and they keep constant 78 as advertised. dont worry about frying him. they are pre-set and turn off when the water reaches that temp. sometimes they only make it to 76 but i only found this is true in tanks ranging around 5 gal with the small heaters, and not a smaller volume like 1-2 gal. you should be just fine with that pre-set heater.
anymore questions feel free to ask. dont panic! just keep changing the water and test test test. the stress from the ammonia FAR exceeds the stress from the waterchanges. so do what you must to change that water frequently. even if you have to remove him from the tank to do so.
i will not be surprised if he gets well with simply keeping ammonia down. zero is the goal. likely his lethargy, color and sticky fins will improve within days! dont medicate until you know 100% what is wrong and right now. its likely the water which is easier and cheaper to manage than throwing meds (perhaps unnecessarily) at the fish.
all the best
keep us posted.
cheers!!
 
the detialed message was actually very helpful. no worries for the long post.
here is my suggestion:
remove from the 1.5. do a 100% water change with dechlor water. take the media out of the filter and give it some really good squeezes in the old tank water (from the waterchange). this will keep the flow running in the filter and should be done whenever the flow decreases. absolutely no need to buy a new filter ever month. and realistically is the cause of the ammonia in the tank-have a read on cycling. never take all of the media out and replace it. you start all over again. add the betta back to the tank when all clean. no need to leave sit overnight if using dechlorinator for water changes.
as for his feeding. 2-3 bloodworms every other day is plenty. dont overfeed him as will only cause more waste/ammonia/nitrites. he looks in good body condition. not skinny or bloated.
as for his illness. im nearly 100% certain that all his problems are down to the water quality. his color is off like that because of extra mucus he is producing in response to the ammonia levels in the tank. if ou dont see improvement (more vibrant color) within 4 days of clean water (dont freak out if you see the slime start coming off in "chunks" or stringy pieces. just the fish's body ridding itself of the excess slimecoat.
after the big waterchange do 40% everyday and test the water before for ammonia/nitrites and wait an hour after the waterchange and test again. keep the levels as close to zero as possible.
i highly doubt velvet or ich as you make no mention about flashing or rubbing against decor. to me, he simply looks washed out in color from excess mucus which is giving him a strange tint. ive owned some reds before and your's color isnt that much off. again-just a lot of slimecoat.
as for the "white specks" on his belly-are they raised at all? like grains of sand or slat? fluffy or fuzzy looking? from the pic its hard to tell. but to me looks like just his scale color in that area. my favorite betta i owned was a really red VT and as he got older developed silvery scales in his belly area and under his "chin". it could just be normal coloration. perhaps not but look for actual raised spots or fluff/fuzz to say differently.
number one right now is to get those stats sorted. do not keep changing the media in the filter! just remove from filter and squeeze it out good in old tank water during waterchanges when the flow is reduce. i cant say that enough! clean clean water and a cycled filter. oh, and those little 25 watt heater will be perfect for that tank. i use them myself and they keep constant 78 as advertised. dont worry about frying him. they are pre-set and turn off when the water reaches that temp. sometimes they only make it to 76 but i only found this is true in tanks ranging around 5 gal with the small heaters, and not a smaller volume like 1-2 gal. you should be just fine with that pre-set heater.
anymore questions feel free to ask. dont panic! just keep changing the water and test test test. the stress from the ammonia FAR exceeds the stress from the waterchanges. so do what you must to change that water frequently. even if you have to remove him from the tank to do so.
i will not be surprised if he gets well with simply keeping ammonia down. zero is the goal. likely his lethargy, color and sticky fins will improve within days! dont medicate until you know 100% what is wrong and right now. its likely the water which is easier and cheaper to manage than throwing meds (perhaps unnecessarily) at the fish.
all the best
keep us posted.
cheers!!

Ok, thanks for the reply. I was buying a new filter because the flow would absolutely stop at the top of the water. No matter how much I cleaned or replaced the filter, it would just stop and not start back up. I never thought about squeezing it though. I will try this from now on, everytime I do waterchanges.

I have removed him from the 1.5gal tank and put him in the glass 1gal temp tank. I cleaned out his entire 1.5gal tank and everything in it. Rinsed with hot water for a very long time, scrubbed down the walls with my dedicated tank scrubber. He actually was really responsive to the new temp tank. He was swimming around and he literally instantly improved..Of course still goes to the bottom to rest. since he was swimming around I noticed his fins looked kind of disentegrated at the ends. Almost kind of "riggidy" looking. I hope the clean water will help this and his other signs of stress.

I think the high ammonia levels had alot to do with uneaten food sitting at the bottom of his tank and not changing the water for 3 weeks, and I am sure changing the filter wasnt helping much at all either.

For three consistent weeks now, he has been eating 2-3 bloodworms every other day already. I think this has really helped him but now I know I need to syphone alot to keep the "dirt" down.

Thanks for the warning about the slime coming off in "chunks" because I am sure that would have freaked me out too!

I am not exactly sure what "flashing" is or looks like? But rubbing up against deco/rocks-he does do but only when he moves, when he lands-he hits things. He still swims sometimes at an angle like his equilibrium is off..and at one point caught him completely vertical in his tank, looking up to the surface..very strange..

The white specs are not raised at all (that I can see) Its hard to get a good look at the bottom of his belly but it is definately whitish/silvery under there and had been thinking that possibly is just from old age (maybe also from scooting along the bottom of tank along rocks) It literally looks like splattered paint on his belly and is not cottony looking at all-looks like his coat. There is, however, a raised single white dot just below his eye and then the gunk outlining his eye (this has came about just with in the last 3 weeks.)

I have the Hydor Mini Water Heater for tanks that are 2-5 gallons in size but it is not an adjustable thermostat so how will it keep a constant temperature? I left it on for 4 hours one time and the temp went from 72 to 78 degrees! So am I right to say, that is as high as they go? I just want to be sure (I am at work most of the day so I cant really monitor the temp to stabilize it or keep an eye if it gets too hot) I will test this out this weekend to see if it just stops heating after 78 degrees (not that I dont believe you, but for my own sanity!) Right now, without the heater, his tank will go down to 72 degrees at night, but around 75-76 during the day..

Thanks for all the tips! I am going to put him back in his 1.5gal tank today with his filter and keep an eye on him (currently, he is still in the temp tank as I was not sure if he needed medicated and was hoping to do the meds in the temp tank, but after I move him back to his actual tank, i will just keep it ready in case). I will add the heater this weekend and slowly raise the temp as I know this can shock them. I will do a 40% change tomorrow morning.

Thanks again everyone!!
 
hi there, hows your fella doing...any change. hope hes doing ok xx
 
the tank scrub sounds like you did a good job. in the future no need to strip everything out tho-simple water changes gravel vacuuming/siphoning and the occasional algae scrape of the tank sides should be enough.
i wouldnt worry at all about the specks on his belly-sounds like normal scale coloration. as i said, i had a very old red man once upon a time who got "silvery" on his belly with age-and it happened fairly quickly too. enough to make me watch him to see if he were ill. not the case, just normal color change.
the speck under his eye might just be slime. is there a chance of a photo of this?
raggedy fins is almost certainly from the ammonia. keep doing small waterchanges every day/ every other day until the ammonia readings are zero for at least 5 days in a row (test before the waterchanges obviously). clean water and good food usually sorts all fin issues out. bloodworms are the prefect food for him right now. 2-3 every other day is perfect. peas once a week may be a good idea as well.
you are correct in assuming the heater is preset for 78. most small, non-adjustable heaters are preset for 78. so no worries there and keep that heater on! swings in temp can cause issues from swimbladder disorders to other illnesses.
his loss of equilibrium is probably a swimbladder issue. again, keep the water clean and the temp stable (use the heater) and it will likey sort itself out. he didnt look bloated at all in the photos, which is another cause of swimbladder issues so that is likely not the cause. id point my finger at the unstable temp. see if this improves with the use of the heater. also dont just dump the water in when you refill the tank after changes. can also mess with their bladders. gently pour it in.
you dont have to squeeze the media with every waterchange. only when the flow is reduced.
flashing means they scratch themselves against surfaces in the tank. also called flicking or rubbing. its a quick burst against decor-basically scratching and "itch". its normal to see your fish do this every once in a while, but not too often. if they do it a lot, likely some problem there.
how does his color look? any better?
keep us posted:)
cheers
 
the tank scrub sounds like you did a good job. in the future no need to strip everything out tho-simple water changes gravel vacuuming/siphoning and the occasional algae scrape of the tank sides should be enough.
i wouldnt worry at all about the specks on his belly-sounds like normal scale coloration. as i said, i had a very old red man once upon a time who got "silvery" on his belly with age-and it happened fairly quickly too. enough to make me watch him to see if he were ill. not the case, just normal color change.
the speck under his eye might just be slime. is there a chance of a photo of this?
raggedy fins is almost certainly from the ammonia. keep doing small waterchanges every day/ every other day until the ammonia readings are zero for at least 5 days in a row (test before the waterchanges obviously). clean water and good food usually sorts all fin issues out. bloodworms are the prefect food for him right now. 2-3 every other day is perfect. peas once a week may be a good idea as well.
you are correct in assuming the heater is preset for 78. most small, non-adjustable heaters are preset for 78. so no worries there and keep that heater on! swings in temp can cause issues from swimbladder disorders to other illnesses.
his loss of equilibrium is probably a swimbladder issue. again, keep the water clean and the temp stable (use the heater) and it will likey sort itself out. he didnt look bloated at all in the photos, which is another cause of swimbladder issues so that is likely not the cause. id point my finger at the unstable temp. see if this improves with the use of the heater. also dont just dump the water in when you refill the tank after changes. can also mess with their bladders. gently pour it in.
you dont have to squeeze the media with every waterchange. only when the flow is reduced.
flashing means they scratch themselves against surfaces in the tank. also called flicking or rubbing. its a quick burst against decor-basically scratching and "itch". its normal to see your fish do this every once in a while, but not too often. if they do it a lot, likely some problem there.
how does his color look? any better?
keep us posted:)
cheers


It has been 5 days now. I got his tank temperature up to 78 over the weekend. Yesterday when I came home, the tank was heated to 82.7!! Umm, I tested it and watched it and it never went that high until yesterday! I turned it off at that point (which was before I went to sleep) I woke up to his temperature at 71.8! This fluctuation of temperature is going to kill him! I dont know what to do..he is still laying on the bottom of the tank breathing. His "cotton dot" under his eye is lightening up in color (isnt as noticeable). His coat color is still that pale copper color but it has brightened just a tad. He has been eating ever since I started him on bloodworms months ago. I feed him the frozen bloodworms (NOT freeze dried). I also have the packets of bloodworms in a nutrient rich gel which I feed to him if I dont have time to thaw out his frozen. The outlining is still around his eyes. He seemed to be moving around ALOT yesterday (going up to the surface alot) and this was when his temp was at 81. I thought this heater was supposed to stop after 78 degrees?! Thats not the case..and maybe its because I have it in a 1 gallon jar? Maybe if it was his 1.5 gallon tank, it would stay lower than 80. Question..how often do fish poop? Since putting him in this tank 5 days ago, he has not pooped at all. There is no debris of anything at the bottom...I think I mite try the blanched pea thing..but I have before and he didnt ever try to eat them cuz they just sink..I dont know what else to do..the "fungus" or whatever he has is still there. Any suggestions?!
 
put him back in the bigger tank with the heater. is it hot in the daytime? maybe just the water heating up. those little heaters are preset at 78 but may b e slightly off. if it stays at 81 i wouldnt worry. still acceptable temp for a betta. stable is more important than the *ideal* 78. id actually set up the 1.5, plug the heater in that and see where the temp sits with the heater on. if it is no more than 82-83 your ok. hed appreciate the warmer water than cool side (71).
they poop when they poop. fast for 3 days and see if he goes. if not try some epsom salt. helps with constipation.
as for the rest of the symptoms likely still sorting himself out from the dirty water/ammonia. good that he is still eating. how are his fins looking? any better? any new growth (clearish bits starting to grow in damaged areas?).
get the 1.5 gal sorted and report with any problems.
all the best
cheers
 
put him back in the bigger tank with the heater. is it hot in the daytime? maybe just the water heating up. those little heaters are preset at 78 but may b e slightly off. if it stays at 81 i wouldnt worry. still acceptable temp for a betta. stable is more important than the *ideal* 78. id actually set up the 1.5, plug the heater in that and see where the temp sits with the heater on. if it is no more than 82-83 your ok. hed appreciate the warmer water than cool side (71).
they poop when they poop. fast for 3 days and see if he goes. if not try some epsom salt. helps with constipation.
as for the rest of the symptoms likely still sorting himself out from the dirty water/ammonia. good that he is still eating. how are his fins looking? any better? any new growth (clearish bits starting to grow in damaged areas?).
get the 1.5 gal sorted and report with any problems.
all the best
cheers

I moved the heater to the 1.5gal tank and left it on overnight. I woke up to the temp being 80.5 which seems a little more stable in there than the 1gal temp tank (82.7 degrees with heater on). Since I moved the heater to the bigger tank, his temp tank dropped down to 70.5 so now I have a 10degree difference in water and I want to get him in the bigger tank where the heater stabilizes the temp better. I turned the heater off on the 1.5 tank a few minutes ago and I want to see where it is around 11:30, approx 3 hours from now--if it is just a 1-2 degree difference from the temp tank, then I will add him to the 1.5gal tank and raise the temperature slowly to where I can have it on at all times.

Epsom salt..is that the same as aquarium salt? I gave him an "aquarium salt" bath 2 weeks ago and the next day he had a major poop. That was the first time I have EVER seen him poop in the year that I have owned him. I dont have epsom salt but I do have the aquarium salt that I could use if needed. I will try fasting for 3 days, then feeding him a blanched pea (if he will eat it), if that doesnt help-then the salt dunk. Can a betta have SBD permanantly? I just have this feeling he is backed up and it is blocked..

His fins are still "rigiddy" looking at the ends but he seems to be slightly more active but still insists on laying at the bottom. The white raised dot that he had under his eye is lightening up but the silvery outlining around his eyes are still there. His chin and neck area have some clearish bits...his face looks different to me and I cant really explain it but he almost looks skinnier in the head, his color is a little brighter too.
 
aquarium salt would have the opposite effect as eposm-drawing fluid INTO the tissue which you dont want if hes bloated. any black patches on his head?
a pic would be really helpful if you are able to post one.
keep us updated.
cheers
 
aquarium salt would have the opposite effect as eposm-drawing fluid INTO the tissue which you dont want if hes bloated. any black patches on his head?
a pic would be really helpful if you are able to post one.
keep us updated.
cheers

Thanks for verifying that..I just find it odd that the only time I have seen him poop was immediately after I dunked him in the aquarium salt bath..I will use epsom next time though..

Well, I was going to put him back in his 1.5gal tank lastnight but I shined a flashlight on him to check on him and noticed something different, something I was afraid of all along! Betta now has this "dusting" that everyone describes for velvet. The dusting literally looks like glitter all over his body! So now ALL of his symptoms and with the very detailed history strongly points to velvet. I seriously thought I was just seeing things because I have not noticed this glitter dusting this entire time (maybe it just now appeared) but nope, I had someone else look at him too. I also noticed a shiny copper mark on his gill, and is actually on the other gill too.

So he has the copper dusting on his body and gills, he is lethargic STILL after 6 days of fresh clean water, he barely moves from the bottom, he "flashes" up against decor, rocks,etc and his whole coat is PALE, he has been eating (he just cant resist the bloodworms) but I havent fed him for 2 days now because we are fasting to get him to poop since he hasnt pooped the entire time in his hospital tank. He swims at different angles, sideways, upsidedown, vertical as I think he has SBD as well.

I immediately turned up his heater a degree or two and added a drop of maracide. The instructions say 2 capfulls per 10 gallons but I have a 1 gallon tank that he is in currently so thats why I did just a drop (it was like a drop and a half) I dont want to undermedicate so I was wondering if this amount was correct. It also says treat on days 1,3, and 5. After day 5-should I keep him in the hospital tank for a few more days until I see no signs? I just want to make sure i am doing everything right.

I took some pics yesterday and this morning to try and catch the "glitter" but that didnt work very well but I did happen to get a few good pics of him--another thing that worries me is the whitish slimy stuff around his mouth, chin, and gill area..it leads to the white dot right under his eye. His eyes have this outline of silvery shiny stuff and was wondering if that was velvet as well..Here are the pics:

Closeup of his face with the slimy white stuff on his chin, gill, mouth area:
bta-new1.jpg


This next one, is a good one of the gold rust on his gill:
bta-new2.jpg


Another closeup of his face and belly:
bta-new3.jpg


Another closeup of his face and belly:
bta-new4.jpg
 
does he look worse or better since the switching back and forth back and forth from tanks with heater, without heater, with heater without heater?
the MOST important thing is to get him into the 1.5 with the heater, do reagualr water changes and keep his environment stable. it does sound like velvet if he is flicking off surfaces and rusty "dusting". check and see how many threads there are in the cap of the med. if 4 or 5 "turns" of the thread, measure out one thread's worth of the med before adding to the tank (Did that make sense?). that would be approximate measurement for the 1.5. also with velvet, cover the tank! cannot survive without light.
likely his white specks/fuzz will vanish with clean water, meds and stable environment. stress can do strange things to a fish's immune system, and if he is fighing off some nasty or another, other things can crop up. nix the salt for now and just use the maracide for velvet. and again, keep the tank absolutely dark during treatment.
keep the updates coming.
oh, and swimbladder can be from constipation OR unstable water temperature. so make sure to get him into the tank that is heated. 80 is perfectly fine temp. the issue will likely sort itself out given time. fish can survive just fine either way, so long as they can still find their food. albeit they may look pathetic sideswimming.
cheers
 
hi have you googled "columnaris" it looks a bit like that but unsure. good luck
 

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