Betta Fish Help!

[blissfulbirds]

Well, I don't think I can help. I'm very sorry about your betta. Wishing you the best! Anyone who knows fish crazy people...please tag them!

Thank you! just started treatment today so hoping for the best!

 

[the3quail]

Seems like fin rot..I'd clean his tank and soak anythig in water. Hot water. Maybe buy a new filter!
I'm a huge betta fish geek! You can PM me with any other questions!!

 

[cluckmecoop7]

That is a common misconception, the water is pretty discolored because of the Indian almond leaves that release tannins into the water! The brown water mimics his natural environment and is beneficial. Thank you for your concern though!

I thought of that right when I hit post and logged out. I'll edit, lol.

 

[HillGuy]

I never kept betas, but it has been my experience that fish become susceptible to bacterial and fungal diseases when they are stressed. I don't know the source of you water, tap, well or purified.

Things to check:
- make sure you are not using water that still has chlorine in it. (guessing you have this one under control.
- invest in an ammonia test kit and make sure your water is ammonia free
- invest in a nitrite test kit too

Ammonia & nitrate should not be present. If they are, your nitrogen is not complete, and you water is causing stress.

 

[ColtHandorf]

What do you mean by 25% weekly water changes? When you clean an aquarium, you need to change all of the water and thoroughly clean the filter too.

That's wrong. Just like mother nature doesn't empty her rivers or oceans, you shouldn't empty your entire aquarium to clean it. Doing so greatly increases stress on the fish as the aquarium must then be re-cycled. The aquarium cycle refers to the breakdown of fish waste (ammonia) into the by-product nitrite and further into nitrate. Nitrate must be diluted/removed in the form of partial water changes. Although technically live plants in the aquarium will help by using the nitrate as fertilizer.

That is a common misconception, the water is pretty discolored because of the Indian almond leaves that release tannins into the water! The brown water mimics his natural environment and is beneficial. Thank you for your concern though!

Common misconception or not, the water isn't clear and tea colored. It is cloudy and tea colored. Cloudy water occurs from one of two things: particulates in the water or a bacterial bloom. Considering the tank has just been started, chances are great that it is a bacterial bloom associated with the elevated ammonia levels in newly set-up aquariums.

Have you had your aquarium water tested? If so what are the pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels? If you haven't tested the water, I would recommend doing so. Liquid reagent test kits are more accurate than test strips. I'd also recommend testing your tap water or whatever water you used to fill the aquarium. Water treatment companies use a chemical called cholaramine which does not break down like chlorine does. When a tap water conditioner is used, it breaks apart chloramine and neutralizes the chlorine released. The ammonia is free to wreak havoc on the delicate system of a new aquarium until the nitrifying bacteria can convert it. This can be combated by using a product like Seachem Prime or Amquel. Prime is my personal favorite as it works as a tap water conditioner and has the added benefit of binding ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate in non-toxic forms allowing the bacteria to do their job and for you to do water changes.


All that being said, if the male betta is a veil tail and not a poorly-bred crown tail, then it does appear that he has fin rot. The easiest way to treat it is to remove him from the aquarium and place him back into a smaller container. If you float the container in the aquarium the water temperature will still be stable. I would medicate the water in the smaller container as well as change it daily. Fresh water (dechlorinated of course) never hurt a fish. I'd cut back on feeding so as to not contribute any more to unsafe water conditions. He should be fine during treatment without food, unless of course he was doing very poorly before you purchased him.

 

[_Moon_]

I know this might not be the best place to post this, i thought i’d try.

I rescued a betta fish a few weeks ago, and he seemed a bit stressed from the beginning. i have done 25% weekly water changes and he has lots of silk plants, a log hide, indian almond leaves, and the tank has a filter and heater at just above 78 degrees. in the last few days, i noticed the ends of his fins were slightly transparent, which i thought to be fin growth, however the clear parts are gone today and his fins are jagged. is this fin rot? if so, can anyone give any tips on how to help him? He is also more stressed recently and is swimming erratically and glass surfing.

attatched is a photo of him todayView attachment 2384460

So when you said weekly water changes, does that mean you remove him and put new water in his tank?