I've recently started keeping a 10gal fresh with 4 female beta. Although i began treating with the first sign of one fish as it began getting discoloration on the top of its head and missing scales looked like a freshly picked scab all the time. from time to time with treatment of melafix and betafix it would heal over slightly but become just as bad within days. the eye also had a ring of white puss that filmed over the entire eye just before it died. then two bettas that showd no sign if sickness died within two days of eachother. now i have one last betta which i have seperated after cycling a new 10gal. currently treating with betafix because i dont know what the hell else to do and the " fish specialists " at petsmart are getting tired of my constant calls and walk ins with my fish but, they all seem to tell me the same advice. i talk to someone different everytime. Unfortunatly it seems like this beta is getting worse. i tried to explain these white tube like things protruding from under her mouth and the scales that look like there missing on the top of her head in small patches. they told me to treat it for ich and dissmissed the call. im not an expert but i have had ich before in a past tank and it never looked anything like this. ive done regular water checks and find my levels to be ideal. any advice would be more than appreciated! Please help i dont want to lose this fish!!Sick Beta
- Thread starter crimson88
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I've recently started keeping a 10gal fresh with 4 female beta. Although i began treating with the first sign of one fish as it began getting discoloration on the top of its head and missing scales looked like a freshly picked scab all the time. from time to time with treatment of melafix and betafix it would heal over slightly but become just as bad within days. the eye also had a ring of white puss that filmed over the entire eye just before it died. then two bettas that showd no sign if sickness died within two days of eachother. now i have one last betta which i have seperated after cycling a new 10gal. currently treating with betafix because i dont know what the hell else to do and the " fish specialists " at petsmart are getting tired of my constant calls and walk ins with my fish but, they all seem to tell me the same advice. i talk to someone different everytime. Unfortunatly it seems like this beta is getting worse. i tried to explain these white tube like things protruding from under her mouth and the scales that look like there missing on the top of her head in small patches. they told me to treat it for ich and dissmissed the call. im not an expert but i have had ich before in a past tank and it never looked anything like this. ive done regular water checks and find my levels to be ideal. any advice would be more than appreciated! Please help i dont want to lose this fish!!
Can you get a picture? What are the ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels of the tank? Scales can go missing when the bettas fight with one another. Sounds like your females weren't really getting along. The white tubes sound like a parasite. Sorry I can't help much, maybe someone else will chime in.
Can you get a picture of it? What are your water parameters (Amm, nitrite, nitrate)?
Also, try adding some aquarium salt to the water. Actually take some water from the tank, and disolve the salt into that. You want it to be about 1tsp per gal of water. Add the disolved salt water back to the tank a bit at a time over the next hour or so, so it's not a shock to the fish. And turn the heat up a bit. A degree or so at a time until it's around 86 degrees.
It sounds like your fish might have a parsitic infection of some kind, but it's hard to say for sure without seeing it. Ich treatment would probably help with other parasite problems, but it's better if we can get a picture and make sure that's what the problem is before you start treating for ich.
Also, try adding some aquarium salt to the water. Actually take some water from the tank, and disolve the salt into that. You want it to be about 1tsp per gal of water. Add the disolved salt water back to the tank a bit at a time over the next hour or so, so it's not a shock to the fish. And turn the heat up a bit. A degree or so at a time until it's around 86 degrees.
It sounds like your fish might have a parsitic infection of some kind, but it's hard to say for sure without seeing it. Ich treatment would probably help with other parasite problems, but it's better if we can get a picture and make sure that's what the problem is before you start treating for ich.
unfortunately my camera wouldnt do it justice, ive tried . they never picked at each other,they got along. i will try to treat for diff types of parasites with an antibiotic, i kind of think its a parasite too. nitrate : 0 Nitrite: 0 Ammonia: 0 ppm
Thanks for your help!
Thanks for your help!
without seeing a pic it's hard to tell, but the 'tubes' around the mouth sounds like mouth fungus to me...
Try a google search on 'Betta' and 'mouth fungus' ( or 'Betta diseases' ) and see if you can find any pictures that look like what you're seeing... Make sure that you spell it correctly, as the proper fish name is 'Betta' and not 'Beta'.
Try a google search on 'Betta' and 'mouth fungus' ( or 'Betta diseases' ) and see if you can find any pictures that look like what you're seeing... Make sure that you spell it correctly, as the proper fish name is 'Betta' and not 'Beta'.