Help, Poorly Fish

[Trollfest]

I've had a betta and 5 neon tetras for 6 days now and yesterday the betta's fins looked all stuck together. Today I've noticed a couple of white spots on the body and fins of 2 of the tetras. I've looked around the forum a bit and am thinking it's velvet or ich. Is it very important to know which it is or is the remedy the same for both infections? I have seen some slime and velvet remedy at the lfs, would this cover both? Have also read about adding salt, should I do this as well. I've just checked the stats and it was 0 for ammonia and nitrates and 5 for nitrites. I did a 50% water change after checking the stats.

 

[WILDER]

Did you cycle the tank before you added the fish.

How many gallons or litres is the tank.

If the spots are the size of a grain of salt it sounds like whitespot.
No salt with neons.
Also with some meds you sometimes have to half dose with neons. So read instructions carefully.
The velvet med should be fine.


Raise temp to 30.
Increase aeration with the high temp and med.
Remove black carbon from filter.

Sticky fins can be bad water quality, parasites, bacterial.
Sounds like bad water quality and parasites that causing the sticky fins.

 

[Trollfest]

I did a fishless cycle before adding the fish. The tank is 63l.

The spots on the neons are probably about the size of a grain of salt.

I'll raise the temp and up the filter. I've had it on low as I didn't want to stress the betta too much the current, but I guess that's the least of the problems right now. What are the chances of recovery do you think? As I said the betta's fins only clamped up yesterday, have noticed the whit spots today and will go get some medicine straight away in the morning.

I'm really worried. I feel like I've failed them.

Also, what's bad about black carbon?

 

[WILDER]

Ok.

You need to remove black carbon from filter if you use it, as it removes meds from the tank.

 

[Trollfest]

Ok, should I remove it permanently or just while treating?

 

[WILDER]

You only really need black carbon for removing meds from a tank. It's a complete waste of money to use it all the time.