Betta male with injured gill

FishForums.net Pet of the Month
🐶 POTM Poll is Open! 🦎 Click here to Vote! 🐰

J CZA

Fish Fanatic
Joined
Mar 31, 2018
Messages
140
Reaction score
3
i havea betta male who has a damaged or inflamed gill. he has started to lay in tank decor and on the slow filter and is laying on the floor more. I dont know if i should use my e.m. erthromycin treatment on him tho. his gill looks pushed oud and with a little gash on it. he was at the top of the tank gasping for air and now is lating on the floor of the tank. can you please help he is my favorite betta.
his tank water is a little foggy and i did a 30 %waterchange on it today and it didnt change. i dont have any test kits and theree is a heater in his tank at 78 he is in a 10 gal tank. the tank is not planted it only has a moss ball. he still eats.
 
there is ****ing air leaving his gill when he breaths!!!. should i put him in a shallow bowl?
I put him in a small bowl and he jumoed. Hes awimming like bormal. Should i use betta care to fix the damage. Is he lasts the night.
 
Last edited:
Keep him in a shallow container with a couple of inches of water, or put him in a net that is resting across the top of the tank so he is in the net in the water. Use a small rock or marble to hold the bottom of the net down so the fish doesn't get tangled up in it.

Bettas breath air from the atmosphere and don't need to be in deep water.

-----------------------
If your water has gone a milky cloudy colour, it is from too much fish food breaking down in the water. Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the tank every day until the water has been clear for a week.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the aquarium.

Reduce feeding to once every couple of days. Don't worry, the fish will not starve.

------------------------
Post a picture of the fish if you can, it helps identify problems.

Do not treat him yet because we don't know what is wrong. Most fish health issues are from poor water quality and regular water changes will fix the majority of them.

Erythromycin is a strong anti-biotic designed for people, and should only be used as a last resort in treating serious bacterial infections in fish.
 
Keep him in a shallow container with a couple of inches of water, or put him in a net that is resting across the top of the tank so he is in the net in the water. Use a small rock or marble to hold the bottom of the net down so the fish doesn't get tangled up in it.

Bettas breath air from the atmosphere and don't need to be in deep water.

-----------------------
If your water has gone a milky cloudy colour, it is from too much fish food breaking down in the water. Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the tank every day until the water has been clear for a week.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the aquarium.

Reduce feeding to once every couple of days. Don't worry, the fish will not starve.

------------------------
Post a picture of the fish if you can, it helps identify problems.

Do not treat him yet because we don't know what is wrong. Most fish health issues are from poor water quality and regular water changes will fix the majority of them.

Erythromycin is a strong anti-biotic designed for people, and should only be used as a last resort in treating serious bacterial infections in fish.
I just used erythromycin
Can i use a 3 gal and get clean water for him an leave him in therr?
 
i havea betta male who has a damaged or inflamed gill. he has started to lay in tank decor and on the slow filter and is laying on the floor more. I dont know if i should use my e.m. erthromycin treatment on him tho. his gill looks pushed oud and with a little gash on it. he was at the top of the tank gasping for air and now is lating on the floor of the tank. can you please help he is my favorite betta.
his tank water is a little foggy and i did a 30 %waterchange on it today and it didnt change. i dont have any test kits and theree is a heater in his tank at 78 he is in a 10 gal tank. the tank is not planted it only has a moss ball. he still eats.
Betta can breath from the surface as well as through their gills. They get air from the surface and their labyrinth organ allows them to absorb the oxygen into their bodies. Can we get a closer picture of his injury? I will need you to answer a few questions, it is very important that you do so before we can provide any immediate instructions. For right now I suggest another immediate 50% water change of conditioned water. Make sure the water has been treated with water conditioner and is as close to the tank temperature as possible. Pour the water in gently to prevent your betta any undo stress. Make sure you DO NOT USE anything with -afix (melafix, bettafix etc) to treat his injury. The ingredients in these medicines are known to damage a betta's labyrinth organ and making it even more difficult for him to breath with a gill injury is not what we want. Do not medicate with anything until we can be sure of how to help you. Randomly tossing in medicine in a panic can do more harm than good. Right now you need to keep your betta as calm and stress free as possible so his condition does not worse. Lot's of clean, warm water and gentle water flow and no dangerous decor or tank mates will achieve this.


First thing is first, what is you Ammonia, Nitrates, Nitrites, Ph, and alkalinity? Since you don't have a test kit you will need to go to a local pet store that offers free water testing. Take a sample of your tank water and have them test it, make sure to get accurate numbers, write them down, and get back to us.
How long have you had the tank?
Is it cycled?
How often do you clean the tank?
Do you siphon the gravel when you clean?
How often and in what quantities do you feed your betta?
Is the flow from your filter strong? Does he struggle to swim near the surface because of it?
Do you have any sharp, rough, or pokey decor in your tank? Shark edges and points are especially dangerous to betta as their delicate fins get caught on things easily. This, combined with a strong current, can cause him to sustain an injury on the decor.
Does he have any tank mates or is he alone?
Have you made any recent changes to the tank like additions of fish, plants, decor, etc?
Can you describe his injury in more detail? It is inflamed or swollen? Is there any discoloration like white tufts (fungus) or pale scales around the wound? If you could provide a close up picture of the injury that would be great.
 
yes if you have a small container you can move him into that.

Just keep him warm, you can float small containers in a bigger tank to keep the temperature stabile.
 
S
yes if you have a small container you can move him into that.

Just keep him warm, you can float small containers in a bigger tank to keep the temperature stabile.
Hould i get him new water?
 
Get a clean container and fill with tap water. Add a small amount of boiled water to get the temperature similar to his tank. Add double dose of dechlorinator. Aerate vigorously for 30 minutes. Then float the container of water in his tank for 5-10 minutes to get temperature the same. Then move fish into clean water.
 
yes if you have a small container you can move him into that.

Just keep him warm, you can float small containers in a bigger tank to keep the temperature stabile.
I had him in a small contaner and he jumoed out
 
Get a clean container and fill with tap water. Add a small amount of boiled water to get the temperature similar to his tank. Add double dose of dechlorinator. Aerate vigorously for 30 minutes. Then float the container of water in his tank for 5-10 minutes to get temperature the same. Then move fish into clean water.
Ok. I have the water at the same temp. Ill add conditioner and put it in a bowl. Got it
should i feed him? this might damage it more...
 
Last edited:
Get a clean container and fill with tap water. Add a small amount of boiled water to get the temperature similar to his tank. Add double dose of dechlorinator. Aerate vigorously for 30 minutes. Then float the container of water in his tank for 5-10 minutes to get temperature the same. Then move fish into clean water.
Betta can breath from the surface as well as through their gills. They get air from the surface and their labyrinth organ allows them to absorb the oxygen into their bodies. Can we get a closer picture of his injury? I will need you to answer a few questions, it is very important that you do so before we can provide any immediate instructions. For right now I suggest another immediate 50% water change of conditioned water. Make sure the water has been treated with water conditioner and is as close to the tank temperature as possible. Pour the water in gently to prevent your betta any undo stress. Make sure you DO NOT USE anything with -afix (melafix, bettafix etc) to treat his injury. The ingredients in these medicines are known to damage a betta's labyrinth organ and making it even more difficult for him to breath with a gill injury is not what we want. Do not medicate with anything until we can be sure of how to help you. Randomly tossing in medicine in a panic can do more harm than good. Right now you need to keep your betta as calm and stress free as possible so his condition does not worse. Lot's of clean, warm water and gentle water flow and no dangerous decor or tank mates will achieve this.


First thing is first, what is you Ammonia, Nitrates, Nitrites, Ph, and alkalinity? Since you don't have a test kit you will need to go to a local pet store that offers free water testing. Take a sample of your tank water and have them test it, make sure to get accurate numbers, write them down, and get back to us.
How long have you had the tank?
Is it cycled?
How often do you clean the tank?
Do you siphon the gravel when you clean?
How often and in what quantities do you feed your betta?
Is the flow from your filter strong? Does he struggle to swim near the surface because of it?
Do you have any sharp, rough, or pokey decor in your tank? Shark edges and points are especially dangerous to betta as their delicate fins get caught on things easily. This, combined with a strong current, can cause him to sustain an injury on the decor.
Does he have any tank mates or is he alone?
Have you made any recent changes to the tank like additions of fish, plants, decor, etc?
Can you describe his injury in more detail? It is inflamed or swollen? Is there any discoloration like white tufts (fungus) or pale scales around the wound? If you could provide a close up picture of the injury that would be great.[/ hbubbles come out from his injury...https://imgur.com/a/E2pnYHx
 
https://imgur.com/a/E2pnYHx
if he survives. i should do a full 100% waterchang and clean the tank fully so there is no more of the e.m. meds in it.?
 
Last edited:
Do I see pine coning on that fish?
 
Do I see pine coning on that fish?
i don't know. i really hope not. he has a open wound and a hole in his
gill and air is getting out. it could be an infection but i do wc on tine and everything. i think it might be, what should i do.
 

Most reactions

trending

Staff online

Back
Top