Gash on betta's head, how can I save him? (Pics included)

[Eleven13]

Hey everyone,


My mother has had a betta for about a year and a half now. He's in a 1 gallon heated (sort of...the heater is trash and only keeps the tank around 74) tank. It has a filter but it doesn't get run often because he gets blown around by the current and stuck to the intake. I planned on transferring him to a nicer 2.5 gallon tank soon, but he came down with an illness/injury in the past week.

He hasn't eaten in about 6 days and is pretty lethargic. My mom didn't tell me about it until 2 days ago and I assumed it was constipation or maybe SBD until yesterday I noticed he had a cut right above his mouth (which I actually thought was just his mouth hung open at first)

I have done a 50% water change for the past two days to try to keep the water clean, but he will not even look at food (tried pellets, a pea, frozen brine shrimp). How should I proceed? He's alone in the tank so I can medicate and do whatever needs to be done. I also read that I should add salt to the water, is that a good idea?

Here are some pictures of it:

www.imgur.com/EDmVliD

www.imgur.com/5V65xtS

www.imgur.com/a1FNMLy


Thank you for any help I appreciate it!

 

[VOXGM]

Have u tried offering blood worms? 74 is fine for a beta. I would recommend a dose of prima fix and or melafix as a safe healing treatment. I myself have had good luck with both products. Others have not tho. Wouldn't hurt to try tho. I'd recommend getting him in a tank with a proper working filter. If u get a new tank and filter be sure to get some bio spira to kick start the cycle and be sure to monitor ammonia nitrite and nitrate levels every day or 2.

 

[VOXGM]

You also need to test the water he's in now. Bad water quality can cause major fish stress

 

[Eleven13]

Thanks for the reply, assuming he survives this ordeal I am going to get him in a better tank. I have one but I've been trying to fix the light fixture recently but then this happened.

I will look into melafix and prima fix, what is the most concerning to me right now is that he won't eat and hasn't in almost a full week. The wound isn't open and doesn't look that infected so if I can just get him eating again things will be looking up I hope.

 

[VOXGM]

To be honest, betas can go awhile with out eating.my honest opinion would be the fact that the filter isn't working and he's not eating may mean the water conditions are poor. When fish stress out they tend to look away from food. The filter helps rid ammonia/nitrites with beneficial Bactria colonies. I'm afraid that being as the filter hasent been running the BB has either died or is not converting due to no water flowing through it. Tho nitrates(last step of the cycle not to be confused with nitrites) can only be removed with water changes. Nitrate in freshwater is not dangerous till 180ppms or more. Really dependes on the fish your keeping. I do hear from most aquarist that 300ppm is the danger zone in fresh water. My opinion is to never exceed 80ppm at most. Get some QuickStart by API. It contains BB and its good to have a bottle aside for emergencies. Try not to over feed him either or the food will sit on the bottom and rot cause your nitrates to go insane. Get that water tested and stuff and then try offering him food. I'm sure he's really stressed out right now. I'd also recommended getting your self a bottle of seachem prime. Prime is a tap water conditioner that also binds ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates making them non toxic to fish for 24 hours. Note that they will still show up on a water test. Adds a slime coat as well. Plus it's all natural and doesn't mess with water chemistry. 2 drops per gallon one cap treats 50 gallons. Can't beat it I promise.

 

[Eleven13]

Thanks again, I actually do use prime and used it the past two 50% water changed I did yesterday and the day before.

I'm just confused because the tank has been running without a filter for a long time now and he's been a happy camper up until earlier in the week. I will test the water and see what's going on, but shouldn't 50% changes keep the nitrogen at bay?

 

[VOXGM]

I keep forgetting that betas actually breath 90% of oxygen of the air like we do and 10% from the water(something like that). Yeah u can do 50% changes. I'd still recommended prima and mela to heal his wounds. Stay away from aquarium salt.

 

[Berylla]

Please do not use prima fix for bettas! They are labyrinth fish and cannot tolerate it. The cut looks pretty bad and it probably hurts when he eats. Methylene blue is a very good treatment for surface infections like this. You can buy it at at amazon:

Amazon.com: Kordon/Oasis (Novalek) AKD37344 Methylene for Aquarium, 4-Ounce, Blue: Pet Supplies

Remove your filter since it will kill all the good bacteria. Put the filter in a bucket of old tank water and let it run there.

Since your tank is so small, remove most of the water in the tank and replace with new water treated with water conditioner, like Prime. Use an 1/8 of a tsp for a gallon tank. The water will turn blue. Use an airstone too to increase O2 supply for your fish.

The methylene blue will kill any bacteria and even parasites that may be attacking your fish. Change the water out every other day and redose the meth blue. He should heal up in a few days.

Regarding his appetite, after treatment encourage him to eat with some fresh frozen food like brine shrimp, or live fruit flys which are sold in pet stores. Good luck and let us know how he's doing in a few days.

 

[Berylla]

Please do not use prima fix for bettas! They are labyrinth fish and cannot tolerate it. The cut looks pretty bad and it probably hurts when he eats. Methylene blue is a very good treatment for surface infections like this. You can buy it at at amazon:

Amazon.com: Kordon/Oasis (Novalek) AKD37344 Methylene for Aquarium, 4-Ounce, Blue: Pet Supplies

Remove your filter since it will kill all the good bacteria. Put the filter in a bucket of old tank water and let it run there.

Since your tank is so small, remove most of the water in the tank and replace with new water treated with water conditioner, like Prime. Use an 1/8 of a tsp for a gallon tank. The water will turn blue. Use an airstone too to increase O2 supply for your fish.

The methylene blue will kill any bacteria and even parasites that may be attacking your fish. Change the water out every other day and redose the meth blue. He should heal up in a few days.

Regarding his appetite, after treatment encourage him to eat with some fresh frozen food like brine shrimp, or live fruit flys which are sold in pet stores. Good luck and let us know how he's doing in a few days.

 

[Eleven13]

Thanks for the response Berylla. Good news, he actually looks a lot better today and I got him to eat some pieces of frozen bloodworm. I did another 50% water change and ended up adding Stress Coat to the water so I'm hoping that will help chill him out and get him eating well again.

If the condition worsens I will definitely try Methylene blue, do I need to order it online or can I get it at pet shops?

 

[jessicafish]

having the tank at 80-82 degrees will help him heal faster! Is there anything in the tank that could've hurt him like that! I use API melafix it's an all natural medicine and it really does help!! it healed a cut on my betta (from a plastic plant that I removed) in a period of 2 days!!


A 2.5g tank will be way better for him so I suggest you upgrade as fast as possible!

 

[Alyxx]

Melafix and pimafix are both unsafe for bettas unless you use like 1/4 of the recommended dose. It can hurt their labyrinth organ, which makes it hard for them to get oxygen. I would use the methylene blue as recommended and keep the water as clean as possible until you can get some to reduce the chances of secondary infection.

 

[jessicafish]

Melafix and pimafix are both unsafe for bettas unless you use like 1/4 of the recommended dose. It can hurt their labyrinth organ, which makes it hard for them to get oxygen. I would use the methylene blue as recommended and keep the water as clean as possible until you can get some to reduce the chances of secondary infection.

why is it unsafe? it hasn't hurt my bettas at all!

 

[Alyxx]

why is it unsafe? it hasn't hurt my bettas at all!

The tree oils it is made from can coat the inside of the labyrinth organ and prevent it from being able to absorb oxygen through the air. Low doses are safe, but the amount recommended for other fish can hurt labyrinth fish. That's why they make bettafix - it's melafix at a quarter strength dose.

 

[VOXGM]

I'm loling

 

[VOXGM]

Using at half a does will not hurt them

 

[jessicafish]

Using at half a does will not hurt them

that must be why it didn't hurt my bettas because I only used a half dose!!

 

[VOXGM]

that must be why it didn't hurt my bettas because I only used a half dose!!

Agreed. Helped my bettas out a lot as well. Nothing wrong with prima and mela If used correctly.

 

[Berylla]

Meth Blue is not sold at pet store because it's considered too cheap to stock. Go figure. Keep a bottle handy for any QT situation. Just remember that it kills good bacteria so take the filter out, or take the media out into a bucket of old tank water.

I'm glad your fish is recovering. Keep up with the water changes and your fish will do fine. I have a betta in a 1.5 gallon and another one in a planted 1 gallon.

Regarding melafix, primafix, if it ultimately hurts how they breathe, it can't really be good for the fish, because the chemical will just stress them out more. Meth blue has the opposite affect, and allow more O2 absorption. It's often used to transport fish for this reason.