Sick Betta White Chin & Gills

[Kaite]

Hello,
I recently got a new male betta (about 2 weeks ago). He was full of life for the first two weeks but in the past two days now has a swollen gill area, some small patches of white fuzz all over him and his gill, chin, and under belly have all turned white. He is in a pre-cycled, filters, and heated 10 gallon with partial water changed being done once a week. Before each water change I check the water parameters and everytime it as a 7pH and 0ppm across the board for ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite. He eats freeze dried bloodworms and shrimp in small amounts twice a day (he stopped eating the past two days). The first photo is him about one week ago and the rest are of him today. What can I do?? Please help & Thank You!

 

[the_lock_man]

Interesting that you have 0ppm across the board. I would only expect to see those results in an empty tank. In a cycled filter, you would expect to see a nitrate level of 20-60ppm (depending upon what comes out of your tap), unless you had a density of planting that is way bigger than what I see in your photos.
 
It could be that you are getting false zeros on your nitrate if you are using the notoriously iffy API nitrate test. It could be that you are getting false zeros on your ammonia and nitrite if you are using the even more notoriously iffy paper test strips. When you say you pre-cycled the filter, could you explain in detail how you did this please.
 
Another recommendation would be diet - I would suggest feeding him once a day only. Also try feeding him a variety of things. An all-meat diet is as bad for him as it is for us humans. Get some proprietory flake and feed that regularly. Also try him on some vegetables, say once or twice a week. The bloodworm and shrimp, really once or twice a week at most. Remember, too, that his stomach is only roughly as big as his eye, and he has no "I'm full up" response mechanism to tell him to stop eating.
 
Try feeding him a small amount of pea, it might help clear him through, in case the swelling is a build up of food.

 

[Wildbetta]

Your tank is obviously uncycled with the readings you are getting.  A fully cycled tank will show some nitrates.  I too want to know in more detail what this "pre-cycled" filter is all about. How much water do you change when you do your water change?  With an uncycled filter, you need to be doing 50% or so every couple days--at least twice a week.  Your betta is more than likely suffering from ammonia poisioning and/or stress from the ammonia.  Also what temp do you have your tank?  Bettas that are not feeling well do better with higher temps. I recommend 82 F/ 27 C or a little higher depending on your normal temp of the tank.
 
 
 

Another recommendation would be diet - I would suggest feeding him once a day only. Also try feeding him a variety of things. An all-meat diet is as bad for him as it is for us humans. Get some proprietory flake and feed that regularly. Also try him on some vegetables, say once or twice a week. The bloodworm and shrimp, really once or twice a week at most. Remember, too, that his stomach is only roughly as big as his eye, and he has no "I'm full up" response mechanism to tell him to stop eating.
 
Try feeding him a small amount of pea, it might help clear him through, in case the swelling is a build up of food.

 
 
I agree with the part about variety in his diet but it needs to all be meat based.  Bettas are carnivores and require no vegatative matter to be healty.  The freeze dried foods you have been feeding him do not have much nutrition and are bad to cause bloating issues.  The best thing is a couple good pellets that you can switch out back and forth to keep some variety in his diet.  You can also give him treats like frozen bloodworms and frozen brine shrimp.  Depending on the size of the pellet, you might actually feed him 2 pellets twice a day or 5--because some pellets are tiny and some are bigger.  I would stay away from flake food.  It does not contain the needed protien in the amount eaten as pellets and can foul up the water easily.  The advice for the pea is a good one.  Peas are good for bettas every once in a while for the laxative effect. 

 

[the_lock_man]

Your tank is obviously uncycled with the readings you are getting.  A fully cycled tank will show some nitrates.

 
However, an uncycled tank (filter) would show ammonia and maybe nitrite readings, so to me, it's not obvious what is going on. I think we need to wait and see what the OP's response is.

 

[Kaite]

Thanks for the responses everyone. My fish passed away within hours of my first post. When I typed my post I was writing it very quickly in hopes of finding a solution right away. My tank has been set up for about 2 years now with another betta living in it. (You can see him in one of the photos). I have a divider between the two fish. I do weekly 20% water changes and use an API liquid test kit (not strips). When I first set up the tank it did show ammonia and nitrite spikes during the cycling process and finally a nitrate increase. The nitrate level has since been 0 which I was under the impression was due to the water changes (now I feel stupid for assuming). The temperature in the tank is typically 79-80. Now my other fish is completely fine, no color change, behavior changes, nothing. So with this all being said, it is possible that my test kit is giving me false readings? Ill go out today and buy the food you both have suggested just in case that was the problem. I guess now I just want to make sure my tank is safe for my old fish.
Thank you again!