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Lizardbab

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Hello 👋

This gonna be long so bear with me...

I have a butterfly betta who has had fin rot (I believe that's what it is) for about a year. I feel like I have tried everything and I've spent over 500 dollars on meds trying different things as well as completely rebuilding his environment to better suit him etc. I'll start from the beginning I guess.

The problem started after I moved him from a small fish bowl id clean once a week to a larger filtered tank. The tank id moved him to is a top fin escape with an internal filteration system.. the filter cartridges are expensive and mostly useless imo so I got an aquasponge and filter media which was working fine. There were fake plants and ornaments but enough space for him to swim.. he'd typically rest on the filter intake or in his house.

A few weeks later the fin nipping started and I'm assuming he got infected at that time. I have tried a lot of things to cure, kanaplex, colloidal silver 1110 ppm, melafix, maracyn and maracyn 2, fungal api, bacterial api, tannins/almondleaves for immunity, ich api, daily waterchanges(25% to 50%).

Since none of that worked, I wondered if it had something to do with his environment so I've since filled it with live plants (after cycling it, for the record his tank has always been cycled) with the addition of snails for algae because there are some diatoms. He has a lot more resting areas With little to now flow, which I thought may have been bothering him due to the space in the other setup, but alas, the rot is somehow worse.

PARAMETERS:
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: under 20 ppm
Kh: 180
Gh: 30
Ph: 8
TANK DETAILS:
5 gallon Top Fin Escape
Filtration - bubble filter with air stone and internal aquaspongue and bio media
Heater - 78 F
Live plants: 2 anubias petite, anubias bartari, the octopus grass plant (can't remember the name lol), moneywart, 2 Amazon swords
Fertilizer: (all by aquarium Co op; liquid dosage for 5 gal twice a week)
root tabs
ez iron
liquid green fertilizer
Water changes:
They've fluctuated with my worry lol but rn since his disease has been bad I've been doing 25% everyday for a week
Before I did 50% twice a week
Tank mates: 4 nerites (I know it's too many lol but I ordered 1 and they sent me 4, been supplementing with calcium block and algae wafers, they don't have anything wrong with em, they eat diatoms off the drift wood everyday)

Feeding:
One last detail, my betta has also been skinny his whole life. I've wondered if he's had a parasite? I feed him 5 omega one pellets twice a day and occasional blood worms. (I make sure he eats it)

So thats it, not sure whats wrong with him. I'm not sure how to treat him for this. He doesn't appear to be nipping his fins still. I've had some regrowth and then some rot in other areas. His dorsal is getting closer to his body and its freaking me out, but idk what to do.

Any help is appreciated 😊

Sorry for bad photo quality my good camera is not working rn
 

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Hello :)
Nitrates, KH and pH are too high.
NO3 should be below 10.
KH around 105.
It is likely possible your Betta developped a finrot due to unsuitable parameters; it is uncomfortable, so goes stressed out, then get the most common sickness in Betta : finrot.
You have to lower pH and KH with ROW or DW.
 
Does he poo regularly ? Did you ever deworm him ?
I am not sure because I never see him do it. I haven't dewormed him. I'm wondering if he might have worms because he's been underweight ever since I've gotten him despite feeding him more to see of he just had a higher metabolism. He has always had a lower immunity than my other fish it seems, like he's not getting the nutrients from his food.
 
I
Hello :)
Nitrates, KH and pH are too high.
NO3 should be below 10.
KH around 105.
It is likely possible your Betta developped a finrot due to unsuitable parameters; it is uncomfortable, so goes stressed out, then get the most common sickness in Betta : finrot.
You have to lower pH and KH with ROW or DW.
Figured those might be too high. What is row? Reverse osmosis?
 
Hello :)
Nitrates, KH and pH are too high.
NO3 should be below 10.
KH around 105.
It is likely possible your Betta developped a finrot due to unsuitable parameters; it is uncomfortable, so goes stressed out, then get the most common sickness in Betta : finrot.
You have to lower pH and KH with ROW or DW.
Also sorry I should have stated my nitrates are 0 lol there are no present nitrates in the tank rn. 😅
 
I am not sure because I never see him do it. I haven't dewormed him. I'm wondering if he might have worms because he's been underweight ever since I've gotten him despite feeding him more to see of he just had a higher metabolism. He has always had a lower immunity than my other fish it seems, like he's not getting the nutrients from his food.
So you have to deworm it as fast as possible; PanacurC 1 gram pouch is a good way to do it.
You also shoul add a Terminalia catappa leaf to detress it, all year long. Stress leads to 90% diseases.
 
Oh you can
ROW for Reverse Osmosis Water.
DW for Distilled Water.
Oh you can use dw for hardness? I thought I needed an ROW. I guess I'll just distill after using the conditioner to see if that makes a difference. Didn't know distilling would fix that
 
So you have to deworm it as fast as possible; PanacurC 1 gram pouch is a good way to do it.
You also shoul add a Terminalia catappa leaf to detress it, all year long. Stress leads to 90% diseases.
Ok I'll buy those plus use dw. Should I use hospital tank with those meds or keep him in there?
 
Yeah I just checked. Before plants it was around 20 but ppl were telling me under 40 was good so I didn't think it was a problem. Since adding plants my test strips don't show any n03
No.
Under 15 is good.
I'm curious to know wgich brand has strips testing ammonia...
Strips can be consistent if you proceed this way :

BANDELETTE E.jpg
 
Oh you can use dw for hardness? I thought I needed an ROW. I guess I'll just distill after using the conditioner to see if that makes a difference. Didn't know distilling would fix that
Of course. It is the best natural way to lower any parameters.
Eeither you buy distilled water, or osmosis water at a LPS (then at least in France), or you buy an osmosis machine so that you always have some on hand without having to move.
Once you have the right mixture (aquarium water + osmosis water) you just need to plan this mixture for each water renewal.
 
Ok I'll buy those plus use dw. Should I use hospital tank with those meds or keep him in there?
There's also Api general cure. I personally dilute dewormer in a glass of tank water, shake then pour into tank at the outlet hose.

Does he eat with enthusiasm or need to be persuaded ?
 

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