Newbie with a sick betta in a new tank

don't use melafix with bettas. or bettafix either. both contain melacula (spelling?) oil and it blocks the uptake of oxygen to the betta's labrynth organ.

the fins that are gone are most likely due to fin rot because the betta was not cared for properly. daily water changes and a clean environment are the best course of action. salt is not required as freshwater fish need fresh water.

if you do need to medicate if clean water and clean environment do not help the fins then use a product called betta revive by hikari. it contains methylyne blue and malachite green so it will stain soft plastic a blue colour. the silicone in your tank will be blue after but it doesn't look that bad.

your betta could very well be feeling the effects of 'old tank syndrome', which happens when a fish is taken out of an environment that is below standards (dirty water/improper care) and put into a clean tank. basically it is a form of shock for fish.

i'd put the filter on the tank but be sure to remove the carbon from the filter media. turn the current on it's lowest setting if it is adjustable for now, to let the betta get used to some flow in the water. once it seems he is used to the lowest flow, turn it up just a touch every day until it is running full force. bettas love current as long as it isn't too rough.

if you could post a photo of mr betta it would be helpful in determining the extent of the fin rot and the fungus.

i noticed you said you put in a tab of the fungus clear and then started medicating with melafix. it is not a good idea to mix meds.

i'd do a large volume water change to remove the cocktail of meds from the water, and perhaps continue with only the fungus clear for now, until the fungus clears from the betta's sides. after that, do another large volume water change and put the carbon into the filter to clear any remaining medication.

oh, btw, welcome to AC! you'll find tons of info here and our members are very helpful and friendly!
 
Welcome to Ac, Iwould really recommend making a post in the freshwater newbie or disease and illness section. My best advice to you for your betta is to do daily water changes. The white patches and the fins should clear up with very very clean water. As to the filter flow, you can try and dampen it by bouncing it off decoration. Congratulations on making the right choice and ugrading the tank. I think you will find once this is all resolved that fishkeeping can be a very rewarding hobby. Best of luck to you and Fysh!
 
Sick betta update

Fysh is into his/her second day in the new 10 gal tank and seems to be eating a little better (or is it my imagination?) Last night Fysh was roaming around the gravel sucking up and spitting out some of the betta pellets that have become water-logged and sunk to the bottom. He even got a little animated while seaching and darted around a bit. But he still spends a lot of time hovering out of sight in his castle.

The newest development is the color of the water. It has a definitely become cloudy, green-ish I'd say. We went out last night and bought an API Freshwater Master Test Kit. The water tested slightly alkaline at 7.4 pH. Ammonia was 0, Nitrite was 0, Nitrate was 0. (Fysh is the only occupant and has been in the 10 gallons of new water less than two days. We had not even heard of "cycling" the tank before we bought it and put Fysh into it.) My wife says the color showed up when we dosed the initial fill-up with the Fungus Clear tablet. I didn't notice the color at first but it seems to be getting murkier. Is this normal? We are not using the charcoal filter element until after we finish the treatments.

It's just a waiting game now, I suppose. We've invested a lot in this one little sick fish. Any suggestions are welcome.

Oh, yeah. Will the damaged fins grow back? I've read about the tips of fins and tails growing back but some of Fysh's fins seem to be rotted away down to the cartilage framework. Will extensive damage like this grow back? I've posted two pretty crummy pictures. One is a profile that shows the damaged lower fins hanging down. Fysh lifts these up when moving about. The other picture shows Fysh's color.

And how do you tell the sex of the betta?

Thanks.

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I do not know anything about the medications or water clouding but with just the betta in a 10 gal. I would think you will have some time before ammonia/nitrite levels become problematic between Water changes.

You said something about him picking up and spitting out betta pellets off the bottom. The betta pellets will be your biggest waste producers if left in so you may want to get a new clean (non soaped) turkey baster to suck out any old food that he does not eat within a few minutes so it does not add to bioload till tank gets its cycle done. May even want to feed some and if he does not eat within 30 min remove food and then try again a few hrs later so he gets chances to eat but food is not left in to foul water if you are not doing water changes per medication doseing instructions or till your testing says you need to.

Wish the little guy luck and hope he recovers ok.
 
Give it time to get used to the tank...it may be a while....you could also try feeding a frozen blood worm occasionally to perk its appetite.
 
Poor Fysh! It's a good thing he's got your family to take care of him.
The test kit readings are all at 0 because the tank hasn't begun to cycle yet. Ammonia ought to be the first thing that becomes measurable, so keep testing for that one every day, and then do water changes accordingly.
The color of the water is due to the medication, but the cloudiness may be due to a bacterial bloom. This makes your water cloudy or hazy. Usually it's not cause for alarm and will clear up on its own with regular water changes. Many things can cause a bloom. Tanks that have only recently been set up, like yours, often experience a bacterial bloom as the ammonia- and nitrite-consuming bacteria begin to colonize the water. Eventually these bacteria will attach themselves to to tank surfaces, especially inside the filter, and the water will clear up. Also, uneaten food sitting at the bottom of the tank can contribute to a bloom. Like Cluunox said, it's best to clean this food up anyway. Do you have a water vacuum to help with water changes? In addition to using a turkey baster, you can use a water vacuum to suck up the old food and then do a small water change at the same time.
BTW, if you can get your hands on a used (i.e., cycled) filter pad, this will speed things up considerably and make Fysh's water quality more stable. You'd need to have access to someone's established tank, take out a piece of their filter pad without cleaning it, carry it home in a bag of water, and put it inside your filter. Or, just squeeze its contents into your filter. The pet store might do this for you (but be aware that their tanks can also spread diseases to your tank this way).
 
Fysh's Tuesday Update....

Fysh is one happy little guy. The meds seem to be working on he fungus / bacterial growths on his sides. The largest patch has shrunk dramatically since last Friday. Today is when we change out 25% of the water and re-dose the tank with Fungus Clear. I'll use the our new gravel vac to clean up and drop the water level. We have continued the Melafix medication despite warnings. Seems like for any issue there are at least two opposing arguments from you experienced fish keeper folks. Thanks for all your advice.

We installed an amusement ride in Fysh's tank yesterday; a bubble curtain. He loves it! He was just curious at first; cruising near the gravel looking the whole thing over. Now he dives down between the curtain of bubbles and the glass then lets the bubbles take him for a ride to the top. Other times he backs up until his tail is being buffeted by the bubbles and just hovers there, tail flopping in the breeze. He is hilarious! Fysh has plenty of other places in the tank to get out of the currents, especially inside his Roman ruins ornament but chooses to spend most of his time in or near the bubbles.

Also, Fysh's smorgasbord of frozen food arrived this morning. As per our research for feeding suggestions, he now has bloodworms, mysis shrimp, daphnia, spirulina brine shrimp, beefheart, and tubifex worms. I know, it's ridiculous. What can I say? I'm O/C. We have enough food for a house full of aquariums.

Hmmmm, more aquariums..... Maybe we could move some furniture around and.......

Help! I'm hooked and I can't get off!
 
Yay! Another potential victim of MTS- multiple tank syndrome. Don't worry. The urge happens to all of us!

Great news about Fysh! You're right. Many of us "agree to disagree" about which meds to use when, but in the end, as I suspected, what you did turned out to help the little guy. Great work. Thanks for the update. Post "happy Fysh" pictures soon :)
 
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