Betta Fish, possible fin rot? Need help

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Reya

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Jan 11, 2018
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First of all, great job answering all my questions in one go! It may sound silly but that really helps move things along instead of going back and forth. Since you seem to really want to learn how to better take care of your new Betta I might give you more info than you want. lol


Once you get your test kit you will be able to monitor the water conditions and that will tell you how much and how often you need to change water (by monitoring nitrates) but 30% once a week is a really good start. But right now, especially because it wasn't cycled and he is sick I would suggest daily WCs. You have provided a much better home for him *claps*. Do you use a dechlorinator/conditioner additive? Which kind? Something like Prime will work as a dechlor and neutralize ammonia, nitrite and nitrates while the tank is cycling. Do you suck out the "gunk" from the bottom when you do WCs?


Sorry to tell you this but that food is horrible. Bettas are so prone to digestive issues and disease that a good quality food is essential. If you look at the ingredients you will see x meal, x gluten, x flour etc which are OK at the very end of the list (least included) but not at the top (most). Things like fish or shrimp meal are the very bottom of the barrel scraps too, look for krill meal or herring meal, something with a name before it. As a everyday staple I'd recommend New Life Spectrum Betta. It is more expensive but it is WAY better for him, the smallest size will last a very long time and he will have less health issues saving you money (and stress) in the long run. 3 pellets is a bit light on feeding but not bad for now with an uncycled tank but long term aim for like 5-10 pellets a day, preferably broken in 2 or more meals. As a treat you can give him things like bloodworms (dried, frozen etc.) and peas. Some people also like to fast Bettas 1 day a week. As you get to know the Betta you can determine if you want to do this, nothing wrong with it.


Any adjustments to lower flow? There are ways to divert the flow for bettas but I can't tell what kind of output it is to give suggestions.


If it truly is fin rot then the method described above is a good coarse of action but rinsing everything in hot water will reset your cycle completely as it will kill all the beneficial bacteria. Just keep that in mind is all. Diagnosing disease is incredibly hard, particularly over the internet, so most of us experienced hobbyist will be VERY hesitant to straight out say "this is what it is, do this to fix it". Best we can do is give you as much info as possible and in the end you decide the proper course of action. Have you done a WC or 2 since this thread started? Any changes in his appearance or behavior?
I went to have my water tested today and these were the results:
0 Nitrates
3.0 Nitrites
0 Total Hardness
0 Chlorine
0 Total Alkalinity
6.2-6.8 pH

I use Aqueon Betta Bowl Plus for water changes. I don't have a vacuum to clean out my tank atm, I do it by hand, so I don't clean the bottom, as I'm not sure how to without doing a complete water change. I'm planning on ordering one soon though.

I had no idea it was bad food, thank you very much for letting me know. I've now bought him New Life Spectrum Betta Formula and will feed him that from now on.

From what I can tell there's no way to adjust the flow, or even turn it on and off. It's either plugged in and running or unplugged and off. I can't take a picture at the moment but the filter has a square hole in the front, a bit above the water line, that the out flowing water falls out of and directly into the tank, a bit like a mini waterfall.

I performed a water change Friday and once again today, he's still very active. He hasn't acted any differently since I noticed the issue, he doesn't lay on the floor and he eats well.

I bought Stability by Seachem for the Nitrites and added some to his tank today, along with Melafix by API.
 

Rbishop

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You can use a piece of airline tubing to be a mini-vacuum and siphon items off the bottom. The small diameter will keep the water level from lowering to fast.
 

fishorama

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Keep up with daily or a least every other day large water changes. ANY nitrite can cause "brown blood disease". Get it to 0 as fast as you reasonably can, 3 is very high! Even .25 can cause damage.
 

myswtsins

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I agree with Rbishop and fishorama, said what I was gonna say. :)

Where did you get your water tested and by which method that they gave such a wide range for pH?

Keep up the good work!
 

Reya

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I agree with Rbishop and fishorama, said what I was gonna say. :)

Where did you get your water tested and by which method that they gave such a wide range for pH?

Keep up the good work!
I got it tested at a fish store by me. They used a test strip and the color it turned was a bit inbetween those two ranges so it was hard to tell exactly where it's at.
 

Reya

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After doing a 50% water change last Friday and cleaning the gunk on the marbles at the bottom of his tank I retested the water today.

The Nitrites are now at zero and the Ph is at 6.8. Everything else stayed at zero.

While the water has improved, my betta has not. He is still active, but he's lost more of his tail fin. I suspect his top fin may have melt as well. At this point what should I do? Is there a better medication I should buy?

I have been giving him Melafix for ten days, but the rot does not seem to be stopping.
 

fishorama

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Way to go fixing your water parameters so fast, good show!

I think it's time for an antibiotic but I rarely use them so don't have an exact suggestion. Look for 1 that says it treats fin rot & follow the directions for dosing & water changes.

You will have to do a bit of guesstimating for a 3g tank, the usual dosage is drug amount/10g. Not super hard, put the powder on a sheet of paper & with a knife or razor blade divide as best you can. Go a bit smaller than thirds & you'll be close. You can save the extra bit for part of the fourth round. I believe most antibiotics are given over at least a week or 10 days, often every other day. Again, follow the directions!

Good luck!
 
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