Betta troubles

[powellmacaque]

Hi, I am new to the forum, and fairly new to caring for my fish. I know the basics and compatibility, its just I am new to the diseases. I have a year old betta that has been living in a 2 gallon bowl for the past year, and he loved it. I then decided that he needed a bigger home, and moved him to a 10 gallon, and he did fine. I let the tank cycle, and bought a flying fox and three neon tetras. After about a week, I realized that all my fish had ick. I then treated my tank with medicatin as directed. It worked for a little bit, but I caught the ick too late, and it killed all my fish besides my betta. I let him alone for a while and he seemed cured from ick. I treated for ick a day or so after my other fish died, and then stopped. Now all my betta does is lie at the bottom of the tank and it looks like he is gasping for air. He goes up to the top every now and then to eat and breath, but he is just inactive. I'm afraid he is dying... Maybe I am wrong. Should I move him back to his bowl to avoid harrassment from the other fish who might pick on him, and is there anyway to cure this¿ Thanks for any help in advance.

[Harlock]

What other fish are in with your betta? You said all of your other fish besides it died and then at the end of your post you mention other fish who might pick on him. I would certainly keep the betta in the 10 gallon. Are you certani all of the ich is gone? Also, when fish have Ich it unfortunately opens them up to other diseases. Did you follow all of the instructions for whatever you medicated with?

[powellmacaque]

I just recently bought lat night two paradise gouramis -it said at the store they were compatible with bettas- and two ''feeder'' fish. I am reading the symptoms on the side of the ick medication, and the symptoms went away for a bit, but then I think my betta could have had a relapse¿ Now he is showing all of the symptoms, minus the white dots. Should I continue medication even with non-infected fish in my tank¿ Will that kill the other fish, or should I just use a smaller dose¿

[powellmacaque]

Also I read somewhere that non-idoized salt helps. Is this true¿

[jonny p]

hey powellmacaque im only a newb but i just went through medicating for ick a couple of weeks ago, im only replying because i think harlock wont be able to reply to you till later tonight because he's american,

id say you'll get a better explanation off him or someone else later

but here my 2c

ick can appear to be gone i.e. the spots will disapear because the parasite falls of and goes through its free swiming stage then a couple of days leter you get the spots again and the process starts again,
thats why i think harlock said to check what the medication says on the bottle normally it will be a treatment cycle like add meds on day 1 day 2 day 3 then again on day 6, to be sure you caught the parasite,

bacause you can only get rid of ick when its in its free swiming stage,
hope this helps just search this forum and and the web for ick, to get a better explanation than i gave.

[powellmacaque]

See my bottle doesn't give days, it just says 1 teaspoon/24 hours till symptoms disapear. I will try treatment for the next two weeks. I'll add a little salt too...

[FireBallKY]

I too just went through a bout with my betta in his 2 gal tank. From what I researched, he had either Columnaris or Fin Rot. I think I read somewhere that these are closely related. I went to the Pet store and bought a pack of BettaMaxx and almost instantaniously I could tell he felt better. Just follow the directions on the box.

By the way, the aboved mentioned diseases are bacterial in nature and the BettaMaxx is like an anit-biotic.

Hope this helps!!!

[Harlock]

Sorry I was sleeping and wasn't here to reply. Jonny p was correct. I was asking about the ich med directions because it should have directed you to keep treating the ich for a period of time after the last spot fell off. It could be that your betta still has ich. Ich usually attach themselves first to the gills as there is no slime coat on them and they are an easier target for the parasite. This might explain the lethargy and the heavy respiration on the bottom of the tank. I would not treat with medication and salt at the same time. I would choose one or the other. My personal preference would be to use salt.

Also, do your paradise gouramis look similar to this fish (http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/paradisf.htm)? If so they do not belong in the same tank as a betta. They are labyrinth fish, just like a betta. Labyrinth fish have been reported, by numerous sources, to fight one another just as two male bettas would. Also, if the fish you have is the paradise fish I linked to, they are considered aggressive fish known to harass slower-moving fish. Bettas are not the fastest fish around. Lastly, those three fish really stretch the limits of the water quality and stocking capacity of a 10 gallon tank. A paradise fish is better suited to a larger tank as a single show fish, in my opinion, rather than as a group or tankmates with other Anabantids.

So, in summary, keep treating for ich. If your water is cooler, treat for 2-3 weeks after the last sign of ich is gone from the fish. I prefer salt for this as fish seem less stressed about salt than they do meds. Don't use meds + salt, as this just adds to the stress. Verify what the new fish are and then take appropriate action. Good luck!

[powellmacaque]

Yes, those are the fish I bought. I have a friend who has a 65 gallon tank, do you think it would be better to give the fish to him -he already has paradise gouramis in his tank-¿. My betta is a very passive betta. When I place a mirror next to him, he doesn't flare up, or swim frantically like most bettas. I think that is because when he was in his 2 gallon bowl, the only available spot that I had at the time was right next to a mirror in my bedroom. Will this passiveness make him more prone to attack, or will the gourami's realize he isn't a threat and just leave him alone¿ Also I think you mentioned something about overstock, what do you suggest is a good amount of passive-not too aggressive, 2-6 inch fish to put in a 10-gallon¿

Today I gave him a dose of the ick treatment, and went to school. When I gave him the treatment he was still at the bottom of the tank. When I got home just now, he was at the top of the tank swimming about. I will keep treating for about 2½ weeks...

[powellmacaque]

Also, I think my betta might have fin rot, becuase its tail is not as long as the others that I've seen... But it's fins were short even before I put it in the 10 gallon, months before, but I just didn't notice..

[Harlock]

Yes, those are the fish I bought. I have a friend who has a 65 gallon tank, do you think it would be better to give the fish to him -he already has paradise gouramis in his tank-¿. My betta is a very passive betta. When I place a mirror next to him, he doesn't flare up, or swim frantically like most bettas. I think that is because when he was in his 2 gallon bowl, the only available spot that I had at the time was right next to a mirror in my bedroom. Will this passiveness make him more prone to attack, or will the gourami's realize he isn't a threat and just leave him alone¿ Also I think you mentioned something about overstock, what do you suggest is a good amount of passive-not too aggressive, 2-6 inch fish to put in a 10-gallon¿

Today I gave him a dose of the ick treatment, and went to school. When I gave him the treatment he was still at the bottom of the tank. When I got home just now, he was at the top of the tank swimming about. I will keep treating for about 2½ weeks...There really is no way for me to predict how your gouramis will react to him in the long run. I just know that mixing Anabantids of just about any group can lead to trouble. There are always exceptions, of course. Heck, I once had an Angel Fish and an African Butterfly fish that were perfectly happy living with my guppies and neon tetras. The reason I said you may be overstocked is I was considering the adult sizes of these fish. Paradise gouramis can get four inches long. Bettas can get 3-4 inches long You are housing a lot of fish in a 10 gallon tank.

If you wish to keep the betta in the 10 gallon, there are other options you can use. Since bettas will utilize a lot of the tank, especially the middle and upper parts, bottom feeders are usually what most people think of right away. I personally usually suggest 5-6 pygmy cory catfish as they are very fun, active, daytime schoolers. They attain a maximum size of an inch. Your betta would be fine with them and they would definitely leave the betta alone. I think it's a great combination.

[powellmacaque]

I was also wondering if my food choice was good for my betta and its tank mates. I have a 3-day rotation of BetaMin flakes, TetraMin crisps, and shrimp pellets. My betta seems to love the little brine shrimp particles the BetaMin has, so I thought it would like the shrimp pellets, but it seems to love the crisps...

[powellmacaque]

http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/db2.cgi?db=fresh&uid=default&ID=0013&picture3_page_view=1 this is the variation of betta that I have, and mine looks nearly the same, except the fin that is long and flowing here is much shorter.

[Harlock]

Well, they can often have the same coloration, but a different tail style. I don;t even know that much about bettas, but I know there are delta-tails, veil-tails, single ray, double ray crown-tails... it just goes on and on. ;) If you have actually seen the fin shredding, then it may very well be fin rot, but you said it always had a short tail, right?

[powellmacaque]

I really don't remember, but I'm pretty sure it might have been maybe a few millimeters longer, but nothing outragous. It's tail isn't tattered, so if you didn't know any better you would think that it has had that short of a tail all its life.

Another betta-related question, I was looking up on this site for the different kinds of betta, and I found quite a few like the peaceful betta and et cetera. Does anybody know if they are available for purchase, and what place sells them. I will probably be buying a 55 gallon and a couple of other tanks in the near future, and I think it would be cool to have some bettas besides the normal Siamese Fighting Fish.

[Analog Saint]

Paradise Fish will become increasingly aggressive with age. If you do keep paradise fish, keep them individually, and keep them separate from the Betta.

Don't get me wrong- paradise fish are wonderful little cretins... I love my paradise fish but they're rough company, and the betta probably wouldn't be happy with them. I'd return the paradise fish and get some placid company for your betta... Ghost shrimp are very entertaining to watch. A couple dwarf frogs would be good- but they are kinda hard to feed. Maybe some hatchets or tetras, a few snails, or some otocinclus catfish?