Fin Rot In Betta

[AngKat]

I seem to be having 1 problem after the other with my new fish

The other day I noticed my betta's tail looking torn. I thought it was done by the new male Mollies I got so took them straight back to my lfs. Over the past day it has RAPIDLY spread and is half way up his body. I got some medication today but I'm worried about giving it to him as he's in a community tank with Molly fry which were born last night.

The only other tank I have is a little 14 litre with no filter or heater which I was getting rid of. Should I put him in there with some of his tank's gravel and water or will that cause more problems? Is this going to be fatal for him? We've only had him 3 days

 

[Noahs ark6]

if it were me, i would put him in the small 14 litre and do small but quite frequent water changes, but you will defineatly need a heater (bettas are tropical) and possibly an airstone to provide water flow around the heater

 

[AngKat]

Problem is, I don't have another heater and the tank is plastic, so may melt it. Could he not survive without a heater for a week or two?

 

[colleen0309]

It could work if your room temperature and tank temperature are about the same or a little higher. They probanly aren't. My house is set at 70F and my tanks are at 78F

 

[AngKat]

My tank is 24-25 degrees, the baby monitor tells me it's 23 degrees upstairs

 

[fluttermoth]

I'd treat him in the tank. His problems will only get worse in an unfiltered tank, I'm afraid. Molly fry a pretty tough, they'll more than likely be fine.

 

[colleen0309]

It's close enough that I might be willing to try it, but I wouldn't let it drop below 23. That's a really tough call. I think I'd get him moved into the 14l and get a little heater made for those little plastic containers as soon as possible. Lots of little water changes may be all you need. You may have to get a med for fin rot if it doesn't clear up.

 

[Noahs ark6]

It's close enough that I might be willing to try it, but I wouldn't let it drop below 23. That's a really tough call. I think I'd get him moved into the 14l and get a little heater made for those little plastic containers as soon as possible. Lots of little water changes may be all you need. You may have to get a med for fin rot if it doesn't clear up.

+1 yup

 

[AngKat]

It's so tough. I feel really sorry for him. He's not looking good at all and has been hiding in the cave all day. I've got a med called myxazin. I have put the heating on and think I may risk moving him. I've not got much hope though tbh

 

[PlatyQueen]

I also have a plastic tank with a platy in it. She has no heater and an airstone to keep the water moving and she does just fine. The only thing i reccomen for that situation is a water chang every other day with slightly warm water. to get food off the booton take a straw, put your finger on top and keep it there, lower it near the food, let go then put your finger back on, it should have sucked up some water. NEVER SHOULD THIS BE DONE WITH YOUR MOUTH!!! Fin rot is caused by poor water conditions such as: not enough water changes, or over feeding and food getting stuck in the gravel.

 

[loraxchick]

I would get him in the q tank, bare bottom (no gravel) and medicate with the meds you have. Fast moving finrot is bacterial in nature. I would not worry too much about a heater if the water will remain at 68F or more. Cooler temps will also slow the growth of the bacteria causing the finrot. Waterchanges are important with no filter and feed every 3 days (cooler water=slower metabolism=they dont need as much food).
best of luck
cheers

 

[AngKat]

Thanks for your replies. We moved him last night and kept the house temp up. This morning he didn't seem any better and ignored his food. I even tried blood worms. I got a call at work around 11am from my OH saying that little Kirby had died We only had him a few days but I still feel really sad about it.
My ammonia and nitrite levels are both 0 but I seem to have quite high nitrate. Not sure of the exact level but the pet shop I took a sample to yesterday said it was red. Could this have been the cause and how can I reduce it? I done a 30% water change last night and when I stirred the gravel there was quite a lot of debris. I had only done a change 1 or 2 days before that when I first noticed the fin rot.