silverrabbit
Fish Addict
He looks better than I expected him to look. Agree about the ammonia burns, so hopefulle he'll come on leaps and bounds now you have him 
Foster-Homing A Sick Betta.. ***day 7 Update..pic Heavy**
- Thread starter Channti
- Start date
Is there anything I can do to treat ammonia burns? I picked up a bottle of pimafix at the petstore today... I was out anyway, and I figured it was a good idea to have some on hand. In my room here, meds wise I have Pimafix, Bettafix and Melafix, + API Super Liquid Ick Cure (although I doubt thats helpful for this).
Besides constant fresh water changes, is there anything I can do for the ammonia burns to help Jay(la) out?
Besides constant fresh water changes, is there anything I can do for the ammonia burns to help Jay(la) out?
silverrabbit
Fish Addict
I think clean water is the best thing, meds won't do much good
dont use any meds at this time-may do more harm than good. clean water is the best remedy for ammonia burns and most cases of finrot. you should see regrowth of healthy new tissue in about a weeks time. new growth will be "clear" and will color up with time.
dont overdo it with the food. i know you want to spoil him but can lead to more problems with his health/water quality. he is spoiled enough right now
everything in the plans sounds great! i also have a betta who likes to ride the bubbles from the sponge filter. cute stuff!
thanks for keeping us updated!
cheers!
dont overdo it with the food. i know you want to spoil him but can lead to more problems with his health/water quality. he is spoiled enough right now
everything in the plans sounds great! i also have a betta who likes to ride the bubbles from the sponge filter. cute stuff!
thanks for keeping us updated!
cheers!
What kind of changes can I expect to see in his fins now that he's in clean water? Will the black return to a normal colour? Will it just drop off and then the fins start to regrow?... I've never dealt with ammonia burns before, so I'm not entirely sure what to expect and what to look for.
*Edited for awful spelling.
*Edited for awful spelling.
honestly it depends on the extent of the tissue damage. if it is "surface damage" the black may just heal with no loss of fins. if it is deeper tissue damage (longer exposure/higher levels of ammonia) the black pieces may just fall off and regrowth will start from the remaining fins. so its difficult to say. just keep an eye on those fins for signs of major chunks going missing (more than just the black pieces) if you see very rapid fin loss, be prepared to treat for fin rot. basically, keep on top of those waterchanges for the next (at least) week and go from there. and watch for changes in behavior and appearance of fins. if what is now healthy tissue begins to show signs of black or falls off it is definitely finrot. but i am still suspicious of ammonia burns if he was kept in inadequate water for any length of time.
good luck with him. any change of some more pictures in the next few days (for comparison purposes)?
cheers
good luck with him. any change of some more pictures in the next few days (for comparison purposes)?
cheers
I spent 45 minutes today attempting to get Jay to sit still long enough for non-blurred pictures. Found out that the tank he was kept in at my friends house was 3/4 of a gallon.... So in the doubled tank size he's CONSTANTLY moving. Very passive betta... Getting the flaring was hard... Had to use two mirrors to get him to feel there was enough of a threat to flare.
To date, I've been doing 50-60% water changes, with Nutrafin AquaPlus and Cycle going into the water. I don't have a test kit here (I get PetSmart to test my betta tank water for free when it needs testing; my test kit is at home), and being in Exams, I can't take a trip to PetSmart via buses to get water stats on the bowl, so I can't provide water stats. He's eating 3 Hikari Betta BioGold Pellets, spread out one in the morning when the lights go on, one around mid-day, and one before the lights go out. I'm avoiding blood worms and shrimp pellets due to mess.
Here's the results of Day 3 in clean water.
To date, I've been doing 50-60% water changes, with Nutrafin AquaPlus and Cycle going into the water. I don't have a test kit here (I get PetSmart to test my betta tank water for free when it needs testing; my test kit is at home), and being in Exams, I can't take a trip to PetSmart via buses to get water stats on the bowl, so I can't provide water stats. He's eating 3 Hikari Betta BioGold Pellets, spread out one in the morning when the lights go on, one around mid-day, and one before the lights go out. I'm avoiding blood worms and shrimp pellets due to mess.
Here's the results of Day 3 in clean water.
BethK
Rattie tat tat
His color seems better in these pics, to the original pics you took. That's a good sign x
The betta expert
New Member
It may seem crazy, but a good thing to do is be interactive with the fishy. Sure it's a bit crazy and it won't heal betty, but at least you can make him happy.
Good luck!
Lia
Good luck!
Lia
I'm pretty interactive with him. He sits next to my 5 gallon on my desk, so I'm always there looking at him/touching the glass/flashing a mirror at him. He gets a LOT of attention. Especially because my friends keep coming to "visit me" and then spend half an hour each staring at my fish.
BethK
Rattie tat tat
IMO, you shouldn't flash a mirror at him, yes it gets them to flare up but it also can stress a fish as they go into battle mode.
I'm pretty interactive with him. He sits next to my 5 gallon on my desk, so I'm always there looking at him/touching the glass/flashing a mirror at him. He gets a LOT of attention. Especially because my friends keep coming to "visit me" and then spend half an hour each staring at my fish.
It would not be hard to watch a good looking boy like him!
I love Bettas. This guy looks to be in decent shape considering what he's been through. I'm sure he's make a complete recovery plenty of good water. Adding some aquarium salt can also help minimize the stress.Ammonia burns, if it's that is only temporary. Normally they do recover from that somewhat quickly once in good water. Bettas are pretty hardy fishies!
looking good doesnt seem any worse that's for sure. i wouldnt add salt at this point. clean water clean water clean water. give him two weeks and go from there. i agree his color seems much more vibrant, but that could just be the camera settings. good that he is active. he is very handsome (red VTs are my favorite!). just watch the black and make sure it doesnt spread up the tail. and also if you notice any on other fins(=finrot) but i dont think that is the case with this particular fish.
thanks for the updated pictures. they were very helpful.
keep us posted.
cheers
doesnt seem any worse that's for sure. i wouldnt add salt at this point. clean water clean water clean water. give him two weeks and go from there. i agree his color seems much more vibrant, but that could just be the camera settings. good that he is active. he is very handsome (red VTs are my favorite!). just watch the black and make sure it doesnt spread up the tail. and also if you notice any on other fins(=finrot) but i dont think that is the case with this particular fish.thanks for the updated pictures. they were very helpful.
keep us posted.
cheers
He's looking healthier each day. I don't have any salk, but like I said, I'm doing 50-75% water changes daily. I don't think his actual colour has changed in the time I've had him (My camera is a piece of crackers) but his activity level sure has changed. Getting him to sit still for pictures is impossible. The difference in the pictures is probably the lighting.
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The mirror is a highly argued thing when it comes to Bettas. My bettas in the 5 gallon flare frequently. They flare at me. They flare good morning. They flare good night. They flare at the heater. They flare at the bubbles. They flare at the food container. They flare at any visitors. They flare at their reflection on the back glass. The thermometer. Their Food. The Mag-Float. Their caves. Their plants. The divider. And even at each other (on occasion; though it hasn't happened for a while so I think they're used to each other).
Despite the almost constant flaring from Alpha Houdini and Chomp Cemlexarahey are both very healthy bettas, spoiled even. In fact, I use a mirror permanently stuck to Alpha's side of the tank to try to discourage his fin-chomping habit. He likes to chew off his own fins, chewing them down until he barely has any fin left. By sticking a mirror in the back corner, he can go and flare at himself when he feels like it, providing a distraction from his fins, and avoid the mirror when he doesn't. As long as he can "escape" and hide from the mirror, it's fine. My 5 gallon is fairly heavily planted with silk plants, so there are plenty of places to hide.
I see no harm in flashing a mirror at Jay for a couple seconds and then putting it away. If anything, it's keeping him interested in his surroundings. The bowl is pretty small and boring.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The mirror is a highly argued thing when it comes to Bettas. My bettas in the 5 gallon flare frequently. They flare at me. They flare good morning. They flare good night. They flare at the heater. They flare at the bubbles. They flare at the food container. They flare at any visitors. They flare at their reflection on the back glass. The thermometer. Their Food. The Mag-Float. Their caves. Their plants. The divider. And even at each other (on occasion; though it hasn't happened for a while so I think they're used to each other).
Despite the almost constant flaring from Alpha Houdini and Chomp Cemlexarahey are both very healthy bettas, spoiled even. In fact, I use a mirror permanently stuck to Alpha's side of the tank to try to discourage his fin-chomping habit. He likes to chew off his own fins, chewing them down until he barely has any fin left. By sticking a mirror in the back corner, he can go and flare at himself when he feels like it, providing a distraction from his fins, and avoid the mirror when he doesn't. As long as he can "escape" and hide from the mirror, it's fine. My 5 gallon is fairly heavily planted with silk plants, so there are plenty of places to hide.
I see no harm in flashing a mirror at Jay for a couple seconds and then putting it away. If anything, it's keeping him interested in his surroundings. The bowl is pretty small and boring.
Day 7 Update:
His fins are definitely looking healthier than they did a week ago. Alex takes him home tomorrow, and I've got her doing 50-75% water changes on his bowl for the next week, and then next week she's coming to see me so I can take her to the pet store and show her the filter material she needs, and set her up with some gravel and some plants I have laying around. Turns out that five gallon tank is actually a ten gallon, which is even better for her.
His fins are definitely looking healthier than they did a week ago. Alex takes him home tomorrow, and I've got her doing 50-75% water changes on his bowl for the next week, and then next week she's coming to see me so I can take her to the pet store and show her the filter material she needs, and set her up with some gravel and some plants I have laying around. Turns out that five gallon tank is actually a ten gallon, which is even better for her.
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