Young Betta Looking Worse After Giving Medicine...

[keithp]

A young betta I got looked like she had a bit of ich on her, so when I got her I added some of that blue betta fix medication to see if that would help, I only added half of what they said to use being she is so young I didnt want to shock her body. Now my house temp is lower than at the pet store, and being the tank is 2 gallons I have no heater, so I have been placing a plant light near the tank (with a thermometer to moniter temp) so her water will be warm and not cold, but no way I can safely get it to over 70 F, which I heard Ich or Velvet need warm temperatures to get rid of.

First day I got her she ate great was a bit pale and stressed but from all the travel that's why at such a young age. She was scraping her body a lot too.

So after giving her meds yesterday, I wake up today and her fins are now tightly clamped, she is scraping her body, she hardly can eat, she is breathing heavily, and she has 1 or two fleshy white patches under her gills which seem to be annoying her a lot, she isnt swimming much either.

I have now given her 4 drops of mardel-maracide which is stronger than the betta fix medication. I gave less of a dose again so not to shock her. I managed to get her to eat a single frozen brine shrimp, but she wont eat any more than that. I also do daily water changes with room temp dechlorinated water.

I am not sure what else to do? I will take a picture soon of her to see.

 

[keithp]

Ok here is pictures. The white fleshy growth under her gills is gone, so not sure if it fell off or is a parasite moving!

Here she is 2 days ago when I got her.

Here she is now (and yes her color is different a little) Last picture shows the white spots under her head best and edge of fins are white.

 

[loraxchick]

you really need to get her a heater or get the temp up to around 76 minimum. shes probably stressed from the cool temps, chage of environment, meds and whatever is bothering her skin (her itchiness). she will more likely get worse if you dont. stress is no joke for fish, and plays a big role in their immune response and overall health,
cheers

 

[fishyfeet]

have you got heater in there, i always find betta prefer temps up in the 80's, this alone would cure several problems, i also cant see a filter, or is that not her tank, id do a good water change, keeping the water as warm as poss, then treat the tank they put her somewhere dark where she can relax. There is a lack of plants or cover for her, im sure its just stress. di

 

[keithp]

I have been keeping the light on longer to get the temp higher but not directly on her, and the betta is doing better, but still has signs of ich and some stress.
I was hesitant to put her in the large tank because she wasnt swimming well when I purchased her, so I thought if I put her in the big tank with water too deep right away she could drown. But if it was stress causing her to be weak, than as long as the temp is warm I think she can go in her big tank tomorrow. I will also continue the medication that treats ich or velvet, as it has seemed to help and her color is actually more vibrant than before I got her. I hope she pulls through!

 

[Inchworm]

Hi keithp

I'm so sorry to read that the little girl is not doing well. It sounds more like a bacterial infection (finrot) than ich. If it was ich it would be more likely to be tiny speckles like salt all over the fish.

I agree with what loraxchick posted. Stress can lead to all kinds of nasty things and she has had more than her share already.

I hope to see that she is recovering soon.

 

[tom130691]

why does it apper to be in a pint glass

i would put it in the big tank asap and if it is struggling get a floating trap to keep her in for a bit

 

[fishyfeet]

you could put her in a keep net in the main tank until she is a little stronger, she is so sweet, i really hope she picks up, di

 

[Mauricia]

Does your big tank have other fish in it? because I would be worried about spreading disease. If it does though, you could put her jar in the big tank and that would heat it up nicely until you get her better and can transfer her. If the bigger tank is to be all hers then I would put her in right away, you can put her in a breeding net but she needs warm water. You should also put a bunch of plants, real or fake, to help alleviate stress. And keep the lights off if they're fake and you can warm up the tank.

 

[keithp]

I put her in the large tank today, and she looks a lot better thankfully. She ate 4 brine shrimp by herself with no help from me which yesterday she refused to eat at all, she is enjoying the large space to swim in, and my worries about her not swimming well are gone, she is doing just fine. She is nervous around the plants, but in a week I bet she will use a leaf to rest on it's something new to her.

She is alone, no other animals with her in the tank, all to herself.

 

[GuppyGoddess]

[/quote]/

Now that she's in her larger tank, as long as you keep her isolated, she'll most likely do wonderfully. My 1" female betta entirely LOVES her 10-gallon tank. She patrols it back and forth. I've tried adding in other fish and she pales right up and shows signs of stress, all of which evaporated after I rehommed her tank mates.

 

[loraxchick]

i also doubt it is Ich as it would be like little grains of salt sprinkled over the fish. i dont see that with her in the pics.
shes still a little stress-striped. give her a few days in her new tank (which is much better! more stable anyway). a healthy fish can generally fight off most infections so now that she is getting proper care, she will likely be fine with no medication. just make sure shes feeding, pooping and has clean, warm water. just gotta wait and let her settle in. she is very small, and absolutely adorable!
best of luck with her.
cheers