Rubbing Against Substrate W/out Ich?

[GuppyGoddess]

He was fine up until yesterday when I noticed he was sitting at the bottom of the tank. I lowered the water about 2" so it'd be easier for him to swim up. He only swims around when we come into the room. Otherwise he's at the bottom looking sickily.

I'm so new to fish keeping that I didn't recognize his movements as being rubbing his body against the substrate. I don't see any thing that could be described as "white spot," "ich," but because he looks so ill already, put Quick Cure into his water to see if this will help. I also fed him a portion of a pea to clear things out.

His ammonia levels are low, so his water should be fine.

Ah, the poor little guy. When I brought him home, I knew he was a bit sick, but hoped that he'd pull through.

Is it likely he has internal parasites and that's why he's rubbing up against the rocks?

 

[loraxchick]

He was fine up until yesterday when I noticed he was sitting at the bottom of the tank. I lowered the water about 2" so it'd be easier for him to swim up. He only swims around when we come into the room. Otherwise he's at the bottom looking sickily.

I'm so new to fish keeping that I didn't recognize his movements as being rubbing his body against the substrate. I don't see any thing that could be described as "white spot," "ich," but because he looks so ill already, put Quick Cure into his water to see if this will help. I also fed him a portion of a pea to clear things out.

His ammonia levels are low, so his water should be fine.

Ah, the poor little guy. When I brought him home, I knew he was a bit sick, but hoped that he'd pull through.

Is it likely he has internal parasites and that's why he's rubbing up against the rocks?

internal problems can sometimes casue rubbing. check him for velvet by shining a light on him when the tanklights are our. see if you notice a goldish dusting on him as that is velvet. hard to see unless you use the light in a dark tank. velvet is an external parasite sort of like ich.
just a thought.
cheers

 

[GuppyGoddess]

thanks. I posted a reply to you in the Betta Forum. I used a flashlight and found an odd lighter patch of skin by his ventral fin. It's the same spot he is rubbing against his body. I cannot tell if it's "gold dust" or not. What now?

Thanks.

 

[loraxchick]

was the patch just shinier or did it look fluffy/fuzzy/white? bettas often have lighter scales on their underside near their bellies. especially as they grow older, and depending on their normal coloration. also the fish will look different with a flashlight then under normal lights. velvet would appear as gold dusting across the body, not really locally.
how are his poops? do they appear abnormal (white/stingy/mucusy-clear?) is the anus red or inflamed? is he eating? does he appear bloated or skinny? how long have you had him? does he flick a lot or just now and then? still acting otherwise normally?
could you post a pic?
for now do a big waterchange, and test your levels beforehand. if you are able keep the temp lower (around 78) in case it is bacterial/fungal as they grow faster at higher temps. food soaked in garlic would help boost immune system and keep them having an appetite. teaspoon of aquarium salt/gal might be a good idea too if you have any (makes the water less tolerable to lots of beaties).
cheers

 

[GuppyGoddess]

was the patch just shinier or did it look fluffy/fuzzy/white? bettas often have lighter scales on their underside near their bellies. especially as they grow older, and depending on their normal coloration. also the fish will look different with a flashlight then under normal lights. velvet would appear as gold dusting across the body, not really locally.
how are his poops? do they appear abnormal (white/stingy/mucusy-clear?) is the anus red or inflamed? is he eating? does he appear bloated or skinny? how long have you had him? does he flick a lot or just now and then? still acting otherwise normally?
could you post a pic?
for now do a big waterchange, and test your levels beforehand. if you are able keep the temp lower (around 78) in case it is bacterial/fungal as they grow faster at higher temps. food soaked in garlic would help boost immune system and keep them having an appetite. teaspoon of aquarium salt/gal might be a good idea too if you have any (makes the water less tolerable to lots of beaties).
cheers

I just put him in the little cup he came in and took him to a pitch dark room. He has copper spots on him, not dusting. The copperish spots are located around his gill region.

He has normal bathroom habits and he is still eating. No bloating or skinny.

I've only had him a couple weeks and he's never flicked until this began yesterday/the day before.

I'm changing out all his water (and adding salt and moving him to my bathroom where I can keep it dark and quiet (right now he's in my son's room.)

Should I add more "quick cure" to his tank?

 

[loraxchick]

was the patch just shinier or did it look fluffy/fuzzy/white? bettas often have lighter scales on their underside near their bellies. especially as they grow older, and depending on their normal coloration. also the fish will look different with a flashlight then under normal lights. velvet would appear as gold dusting across the body, not really locally.
how are his poops? do they appear abnormal (white/stingy/mucusy-clear?) is the anus red or inflamed? is he eating? does he appear bloated or skinny? how long have you had him? does he flick a lot or just now and then? still acting otherwise normally?
could you post a pic?
for now do a big waterchange, and test your levels beforehand. if you are able keep the temp lower (around 78) in case it is bacterial/fungal as they grow faster at higher temps. food soaked in garlic would help boost immune system and keep them having an appetite. teaspoon of aquarium salt/gal might be a good idea too if you have any (makes the water less tolerable to lots of beaties).
cheers

I just put him in the little cup he came in and took him to a pitch dark room. He has copper spots on him, not dusting. The copperish spots are located around his gill region.

He has normal bathroom habits and he is still eating. No bloating or skinny.

I've only had him a couple weeks and he's never flicked until this began yesterday/the day before.

I'm changing out all his water (and adding salt and moving him to my bathroom where I can keep it dark and quiet (right now he's in my son's room.)

Should I add more "quick cure" to his tank?

i dont know much about quick cure. what is it for? what ingredients does the bottle list? (as far as medication goes)?.
dont over do it with the salt either. even just a small dose (1 tsp/5 gal) might be better actually.
dark is good as cuts down on stress, but make sure you check him over frequently.
im hesitant to say there is external issues as you said youve only had him a few weeks. bettas can dramatically change color very quickly, especially in nice surroundings with good care. it may start as one scale and then spread from there. it is also common for "lines" to appear on the gill flaps. a lighter colored vertical "stripe" which you might not even notice in normal tank lights.
just keep his water very clean. add a bit of salt and keep a close eye on behavior. make sure he eats, poops and swims normally.
any recent additions to the tank? could any spray products (like air freshener) have gotten into the tank?
just a few other thoughts.
cheers

 

[WILDER]

Velvet harder to get rid of than whitespot.
Get you a good velvet link.

Meds for velvet in the states.
Treatment:

Because Oodinium is extremely contagious, all fish, and the aquarium they inhabit, should be treated. Recommended medications include Paraform, Acriflavin, Quick Cure, and Formalin.

http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/heal...thprotist.shtml

 

[GuppyGoddess]

was the patch just shinier or did it look fluffy/fuzzy/white? bettas often have lighter scales on their underside near their bellies. especially as they grow older, and depending on their normal coloration. also the fish will look different with a flashlight then under normal lights. velvet would appear as gold dusting across the body, not really locally.
how are his poops? do they appear abnormal (white/stingy/mucusy-clear?) is the anus red or inflamed? is he eating? does he appear bloated or skinny? how long have you had him? does he flick a lot or just now and then? still acting otherwise normally?
could you post a pic?
for now do a big waterchange, and test your levels beforehand. if you are able keep the temp lower (around 78) in case it is bacterial/fungal as they grow faster at higher temps. food soaked in garlic would help boost immune system and keep them having an appetite. teaspoon of aquarium salt/gal might be a good idea too if you have any (makes the water less tolerable to lots of beaties).
cheers

I just put him in the little cup he came in and took him to a pitch dark room. He has copper spots on him, not dusting. The copperish spots are located around his gill region.

He has normal bathroom habits and he is still eating. No bloating or skinny.

I've only had him a couple weeks and he's never flicked until this began yesterday/the day before.

I'm changing out all his water (and adding salt and moving him to my bathroom where I can keep it dark and quiet (right now he's in my son's room.)

Should I add more "quick cure" to his tank?

i dont know much about quick cure. what is it for? what ingredients does the bottle list? (as far as medication goes)?.
dont over do it with the salt either. even just a small dose (1 tsp/5 gal) might be better actually.
dark is good as cuts down on stress, but make sure you check him over frequently.
im hesitant to say there is external issues as you said youve only had him a few weeks. bettas can dramatically change color very quickly, especially in nice surroundings with good care. it may start as one scale and then spread from there. it is also common for "lines" to appear on the gill flaps. a lighter colored vertical "stripe" which you might not even notice in normal tank lights.
just keep his water very clean. add a bit of salt and keep a close eye on behavior. make sure he eats, poops and swims normally.
any recent additions to the tank? could any spray products (like air freshener) have gotten into the tank?
just a few other thoughts.
cheers

What do vertical lines on the gill flaps generally indicate?

Quick cure has malachite green and formalin in it.

I just changed his water and put a tad bit of aquarium salt in, along with one drop of Quick Cure. I'll be checking on him frequently and keeping my fingers crossed! (and I do not think any products got into his tank but, of course, maybe something was on my hands. . .