What The Heck Just Happened To My Betta?!

[Smokescreen]

In the process of making this post, I'm pretty sure Atticus has died. I have no idea what the heck just happened. But I need to know what to do for his tank. I have snails, a kuhli loach, and dwarf frogs in there, and I want to know what I should treat the tank with that would be safe for them.

Here's how it all went down:

Generally, he was behaving normally. I only realized something was amiss when I noticed him rubbing against the rocks and plants in his tank about two hours ago, and upon closer inspection, I could see that his fins seemed to be tipped in white. Here's a picture:

As soon as I noticed that, I moved him to a half gallon that I had on hand. Checked the stats for the 6 gal:
NO3 - 0
NO2 - 0
pH - 9.0
Alk - 300
TH - 0
Ammonia less than .02

He seemed to be doing better in the half gallon, and I kept an eye on him for two hours while I tried to find something to help me figure out what was going on. I took some pictures to show his only visible symptom, and then just a little while ago, he started swimming up to the surface, putting his nose at the surface, and then he'd go stiff and fall backwards. He'd swim away like crazy for a second, then do it again. Then he started staying down longer, and swimming around the bottom of the half gallon on his side. A few times, it looked like he might have been bleeding from between the ventral fins and the anal fin.

I'm pretty sure he's dead now. When he started falling over, I put a bit of Maracyn into the water, because it was the only thing besides Melafix I had, and I didn't know what else to do. He settled down onto the bottom after a while on his side, and he hasn't really moved since. His gills were going a little for a few minutes, and then that stopped, and just now his ventral fins started twitching. It didn't last very long before it stopped. There's no water movement, so I know that wasn't it, and it was an actual twitch. Now his anal fin is twitching. I don't know if he's dead, and it's just what happens after they die, but I'm going to let him sit and see what happens.

As for the other fish in the tank, they all seem to be doing just fine. One of the scissor tail rasbora is a bit pale, but I think that's how I bought it. Only other thing that I can see that might be off is that the blue apple snail was sitting on the rock in the bottom of the tank with her syphon out, and now she's doing it again up on one of the plants. But she isn't making for the surface.

If anyone at all can help, please do. I have no idea what was wrong, and I want to make sure none of my other fish end up sick.

 

[Smokescreen]

I'm pretty sure I'm dealing with velvet, and that it was somehow spread through the snails. I got a gold apple snail for my three gallon betta tank, but since Helios decided to chew on his new pet, I temporarily moved said snail to the six gal, and then my sister took it for her five gallon guppy tank. Moe, the migrating gold apple snail, is the only common connection between the six gallon where Atticus lived and the three gallon, where Helios is now scratching himself on rocks.

So, after turning out the lights and wishing I had heaters for my tanks to help, I was lucky enough to find a Meijer stocked with Maracide and aquarium salt, and I've started treating for velvet. (considering Atticus used to be rather lavender [he's the fish in my avatar] and when he died he was shimmering yellow-green, I think it's the most likely culprit.) I'm a little worried about my kuhli loach and my two dwarf frogs in my six gallon, since loaches are supposed to be sensitive to medications, and I know you have to be careful medicating fish when there are frogs present. I put a small amount of aquarium salt in the three gallon with the one betta, but left it out of the six gallon because of the frogs.

Any advice from more experienced fish keepers would be extremely appreciated.

 

[JustKia]

Isn't a pH of 9 a little bit high?
If the pH of the 1/2G that you moved him to was significantly different that would probably have not helped.
You say the only link between the tanks is the snail, but what about you and your sister? Have either of you put hands into one tank and then the other without washing/drying inbetween?
If Moe, the migrating snail, is now in your sisters guppy tank - are any of the guppies showing signs of flicking, rubbing, generally illness?

 

[Smokescreen]

9 is a little bit high, yes. I've never had problems with the pH being so high before, so I'm keeping an eye on it. We did remove all the snails that I purchased at that time from all tanks, and I'm getting ready to go add some Maracide and a bit of salt to my sister's tank as we speak. There were no more casualties overnight, and the betta in the 3 gal is looking much better. No rubbing this morning.

There were no hands in tanks. And thanks so much for your reply.

 

[pippoodle]

is you ph normally 9 then?

 

[Smokescreen]

No, it's usually around 7, +/- .5 or so. I checked the pH of the 3 gal, and it was around 8, and I checked my ten gal clawed frog tank, and it's at about 8 or so as well. The tap water I use for the tanks is coming up an even seven. Do you think it would be a good idea to invest in something to lower the pH? I've never had this problem before, so I don't really know what would be best to do.

 

[pippoodle]

No, it's usually around 7, +/- .5 or so. I checked the pH of the 3 gal, and it was around 8, and I checked my ten gal clawed frog tank, and it's at about 8 or so as well. The tap water I use for the tanks is coming up an even seven. Do you think it would be a good idea to invest in something to lower the pH? I've never had this problem before, so I don't really know what would be best to do.

how often do you do a water change?
dont get something to lower the ph regular weekly water changes should keep your water stats stable

the high ph most prob would have caused the trouble you have had

DO A WATER change right away on all tanks to lower the ph

 

[smegforbrains]

It could have been Columnaris rather than Velvet.


In either case, upping the tank temperature to 30 degrees celcius for a week should wipe out any remaining evils.

 

[Smokescreen]

There was no stringy white fungus, though, and would that explain the itching?

 

[pippoodle]

There was no stringy white fungus, though, and would that explain the itching?

they dont have to have stringy poo i would still raise the temp
but do the WATER changes first you dont want fish in that high a ph


what decs/rocks etc have you got in the tank that could harden the water and raise the ph ?

 

[Smokescreen]

I just have fabric aquarium plants and a decorative rock I got at Petsmart, and a large gravel substrate. And I am definitely planning on water changes.

 

[pippoodle]

I just have fabric aquarium plants and a decorative rock I got at Petsmart, and a large gravel substrate. And I am definitely planning on water changes.

you need to be doing a couple of water changes a week at leasr 1 20-30% change once a week with tanks of that size
smaller tanks are harder to keep the water stats perfect than on larger ones

is it a real rock ?

 

[Smokescreen]

No, it's manufactured. And I'll definitely start more frequent water changes. I've had these tanks for about six months, and this is the first time I've had a problem with the stats going wonky on me.

 

[pippoodle]

No, it's manufactured. And I'll definitely start more frequent water changes. I've had these tanks for about six months, and this is the first time I've had a problem with the stats going wonky on me.

how often do you usually change the water hun?

 

[Smokescreen]

Normally do about 25-30% change every two weeks.