BettaFix? Am I doing too many H2O changes too??

[BettaMomma]

Okay, so Harvey has been through a lot.
I rescued him from WalMart.
His fins have been deteriorating for quite some time now.
His eyes are sunken into his head (another topic) - and now I discovered he has a somewhat pinkish spot on his side.
He's in a 2.5G unfiltered, heated tank (generally between 75 -78 degrees).
I was doing water changes religiously every 5 days.

his fins are getting worse.
He still flares and swims around as if he's happy as a lark.

I called the lfs store today (a specialty store that I trust a WHOLE lot) and explained to the guys there what is going on w/Harvey. They told me to come in and they'd go over what I should do.

They sold me a bottle of BettaFix for 4$ and told me to stop changing out his water so much! They said I was probly causing the problem myself. The one guy that always helps me out with questions said he changes his 5 gallon out only every 3 weeks.

Is the general concensus here that I'm doing too many water changes? There's never any food rotting away on the floor of the tanks cuz I hand feed my boys one pellet at a time.

So anyway - I changed out Harvey's tank and put in the amount of BF they told me to. Just looking for some assurance that I might be on the right path. And how often to change the tank.

thanks.

 

[RandomWiktor]

I wouldn't agree about a 5 gal every two weeks.

However, I think if he's been sickly, he needs mild filter and a raised water temp. They make these wonderful throw-away filters that are very small. I use them in both of my 2.5 gals. They only cost about 4 bucks, then maybe another four for the small air pump. Since its hooked to an air pump, you can adjust the current for your fish. And, if you had a filter, you would only have to do a 25% water change weekly, which would decrease the stress from frequent water changes.

With sick fish, a higher water temperature is usually beneficial. Something like 80, or even 82, might help him with his fin troubles. You might even be able to add some aquarium salts; they are supposed to work wonders.

 

[Synirr]

Water changes are never a bad thing, in my opinion. I've cured finrot cases through nothing but daily water changes. As long as you're using dechlorinator or aging your water, it's great. Three weeks is simply too long to wait between changes, if you ask me.

 

[BettaMomma]

Do you have a name for these little filters, or a brand or somethin?
I, at this point, am willing to try just about anything - well, short of going out and getting him a 5 gallon filtered/heated tank.

 

[BettaMomma]

Yeah, I agree - I think the 3 weeks is way too long.

He does fight me horribly when I go to catch him at water changin' time.
It must be incredibly stressful for the poor dear.
uugh

 

[RandomWiktor]

Do you have a name for these little filters, or a brand or somethin?
I, at this point, am willing to try just about anything - well, short of going out and getting him a 5 gallon filtered/heated tank.

Awwr why not? Mine love theirs Yea, I know, mucho dinero.

I can't really think of the brand name, but I'm sure any local LFS would have them, they're fairly popular for small tanks.

Water changes are def. good if there is a problem, don't get me wrong, but they can also be stressful, so if he really bugs out or hurts himself during these cleanings, a filter might be a good idea.

Do you ever add stress coat to his water since you need to handle him for water changes? Maybe some of his slime coat is rubbing off on your hands?

Also, does he come to the surface readily if you show up? Chances are you could just scoop him into a cup so he doesn't need to be handled. I only have one betta I can't do this with and need to hand catch. Its worth a shot I suppose?

 

[BettaMomma]

I generally take the water out til there's about 2 inches left.
I then put a large cup down into the water and sort of wait around for him to swim into it.

After several minutes, his curiosity gets the best of him so he winds up in the cup and i just scoop up the cup and poof! he's in. I've never had to hand catch them. Man does he get mad when he's in the cup, tho - he flares and he goes back and forth til I dump him back into the tank. Sometimes I have to let the suction of the cup get him into the cup, too. He swims hard against it but eventually I can get him.

Yeah, I'd LOOOOVE to invest in even 10 galloners for each of my boys. I just decided that I'd rather house 3 boys comfortably than 2 luxuriously (moneywise, ya know). Eventually I will upgrade them all slowly, but in the meantime I need to get them all healthy.

I haven't ever added StressCoat to his tank - I will look into that.
When I show up, he starts flaring and flaunting - he's quite the showboater. He goes back and forth, up and down - not sitting still for a moment when I'm around. He loves to play.

 

[reddeerhobbiest]

i bought a cheap gas syphon from walmart and i find this the best way to change water. i use the syphon to suck up stuff from the bottom and this way i dont have to stress them out by catching them all the time. i just leave enough water in the bottom to cover him. as far as i know you should be doing daily water changes with fin rot problems. the betta fix works good, keep using salt, and have you checked your water ph? i have a friend who was using her distilled water and had problems with her fish. i did a ph test and the diltilled water was around 6..she now uses her well water which is around 7.5 much better results. are you dechlorinating your water also? chlorine in tap water is bad for these little guys. ( also when i feed mine i give them one pelt at a time so theres less waste in the water)

 

[littlefishie]

I believe they're called PennPlax somethingorothers.. I'll check Big Al's.
Never mind, they don't have the right one, just a corner filter.. I'll check Petsmart then.

http/www.petsmart.com/global/product_det...D=1109040723732 This is one kind, I'm checking for the others..

This is the kind a friend of mine uses in her 2.5 hexes. She splits one Elite 799 air pump between the two filters and it works great.
http/www.petco.com/product_info.asp?fami...s&ct2=Bowl&ct3=

Edit :: forgot this one, it's actually marketed as a disposable:
http/www.petco.com/product_info.asp?fami...%26+Corner&ct3=

 

[AlexsDaddy]

I use the Duetto 50 filter by Marineland in my 2.5 and 5 gallon tanks. It's a fully submersible filter with adjustable flow that can be reduced right down to a trickle if you want it that low. It's a 3 stage filter (mechanical, chemical, and biological all in seperate compartments). I don't remember how much I paid for them, but I think it was around $15 US. They work great too. Water stays crystal clear and media refills are cheap. I have been treating one of my females for fin rot with MelaFix. 3 drops/gallon with a 100% WC every other day. Her fins are longer now then I have ever seen them and I have had her for about 6 months. Salt baths are good for fin rot as well. I doubt the water changes would be the problem though. Fin rot is generally caused by poor water quality so maybe you're not changing it often enough?

 

[BettaMomma]

Well, here's what I've done since last night:

I moved Harvey to the other side of our living room closer to the heat register. He's now a few degrees warmer. I put in the BettaFix last night, and I checked on him this morning and his tail looked to actually have some clear growth (very teeny bit) starting to come in.

I don't do anything with salt - haven't thus far anyway. That stuff scares me to no end. I know everyone's doing it, but I can't imagine it, just yet. (one day it will be no big deal to me, but not yet...) (don't ask)

Anyhow - i'm going to keep up with the BettaFix (i've now started Amos on that treatment also) treatments for the full 7 days.

At some point in the next week i'm going to go invest in some sort of filter for his tank. I had been doing 100% water changes every 5 days, so I doubt that it was that I wasn't doing enough water changes for a 2.5 gallon tank???
and for the past week or so I had been using the MelaFix but that stuff seemed to be ineffective against Harv's tail probs.

I'll keep ya posted on the progress.

 

[reddeerhobbiest]

ya it can be scary doing a salt bath or salt dip. but you really should use a pinch of salt in your water every time you do a water change. they do much better with the salt. the salt keeps their stress coat good and keeps paristites and fungus away.
good luck

 

[BettaMomma]

I keep hearing so many different things from so many different people.
How to treat is just SO overwhelmingly confusing.

I am just going to go with the BettaFix treatment first.
If that doesn't do it, I will either treat a second round of 7 days with it, then if it still doesn't work I'm going to give the Maracyn Two another try.

In the process, I'm going to go out and get him a nice 5 gallon tank, complete with heater & filter. And, to make him feel better i'm going to get him all new decor. I 've got my eye on some beautiful river rocks and some nice lovely natural colored pebbles at the petstore.

I'll also pick up a background for the tank.

AND... I promise I will pick up some salt.
How long it will be before I use it is another story, but I do have a 1/2 gallon jar at home ready and waiting for a dip, if need be.

Thanks, and wish us luck.

 

[SRC]

Why are you so scared of salt? That is one of the best treatments for fin rot there is.

Bacteria = dead when introduced to salt.

If you measure it out, which isn't hard at all, it is actually safer and more simple to use then any other medications. since most medicatiosn come with instructions for 10 gallon usuage..and you have to break it down to accomodate what size tank/container you happen to have. Salt is broken down by the gallon.

I don't think you should use salt everytime you do a water change though, only when they are having problems. Otherwise what is the point...the bacteria will just adapt to that and you won't be able to use it anymore..kinda like pinicillian (sp).

To give a salt bath (which they can live in for extended periods of time) put 1tbsp Aquarium salt to 1 gallon of water.

To give a salt dip (which should be used for up to 30 minutes at a time) put 4 tbsp Aquarium salt to 1 gallon of water. (use stresscoat or something similar, of course, to treat the water, along with the salt)

Some people say there fish have rolled over (passed out) when put in the dip..personally I have never had one do that...they all have done just fine with it. I think maybe they just added more then 4 tbsp of salt lol.

 

[BettaMomma]

I'm a weenie.



I keep hearing the "passing out" stories and i'm afraid I'd flip out. (or pass out also) lol

I promise - I will get some salt TODAY and I will warm up to the idea of salt baths, soon.

One question about the salt bath though - should it be done using water from their tank, or clean water? how do you know you've got it the same temp as the water they're coming out of ???