someone please help

[Copplanes]

i'm trying to soak a pellet so it can sink

 

[thegoldfishgirl]

So, you're actually doing something really dangerous.

You have to change 100% of the water and then add the medicine in again. Or else the medicine will build up to a toxic level.

When I need to do a 100% waterchange I make it easier on myself and the fish by using a small bowl.

I gently guide the fish into the bowl and float the bowl in the water or set it aside on the table while I change the rest of the water. Once the new water is ready, gently but quickly take the fish out of the bowl without dumping the old water in the freshly made water.

As for food, try bloodworms. You have to be careful which ones you buy though. Some companies don't sterilize their bloodworms enough and they can give your fish internal parasites. Don't want that to happen again. A known and trusted brand is eLive Bloodworms sold only at Petco. I forget the other brand sold everywhere. I'll have to get back to you!

 

[Copplanes]

i'll do the 100% water change now.
anything i can put in the water to help with his fin rot while i'm doing these water changes?

 

[thegoldfishgirl]

Since it's not extreme and I'm not medically trained to recommend any mixture of medicines, I would just let it heal on it's own.

Clean water is a good antidote. If the fin rot is still prevalent after we get those pesky parasites gone you can add aquarium salt to help his immune system speed up the healing process!

For now, I would focus on the biggest problem.

 

[Copplanes]

i coaxed him to eat a pellet! i soaked it first and cut chunks off with the end of a straw and he ate it in small bits. hoping to see a poop now

 

[Copplanes]

Since it's not extreme and I'm not medically trained to recommend any mixture of medicines, I would just let it heal on it's own.

Clean water is a good antidote. If the fin rot is still prevalent after we get those pesky parasites gone you can add aquarium salt to help his immune system speed up the healing process!

For now, I would focus on the biggest problem.

alright, took him out and redid the tank, 100% water changer, dechlorinated and 4 drops of the medication.
he ate that one pellet in small pieces. should i wait to see if he poos before giving him more food later?

 

[thegoldfishgirl]

should i wait to see if he poos before giving him more food later?

Great! I'm happy he is improving a bit!

This is exciting ♪( ´▽｀)

I would wait. Betta's don't need to eat everyday as it is. I would try feeding him every two days while he's sick. We don't want him to get too overloaded.

How long has it been since he's pooped?

 

[Copplanes]

Great! I'm happy he is improving a bit!

This is exciting ♪( ´▽｀)

I would wait. Betta's don't need to eat everyday as it is. I would try feeding him every two days while he's sick. We don't want him to get too overloaded.

How long has it been since he's pooped?

it's been at least 3-4 days. it was basically impossible to monitor while i had him in the 10 gal, and i haven't seen anything since i moved him to the hospital tank. but this pellet he ate is the first food he's taken in a week so im hoping that will result in something.

 

[thegoldfishgirl]

Lovely! Continue the treatment and water changes and the food every few days~

All we can do now is wait and see if he improves.

Good job! ٩(˃̶͈̀௰˂̶͈́)و

 

[Copplanes]

Lovely! Continue the treatment and water changes and the food every few days~

All we can do now is wait and see if he improves.

Good job! ٩(˃̶͈̀௰˂̶͈́)و

thank you for your continued help! you're undoubtably responsible for his recovery thus far!

update: day 3 of 100% water change and re dosing the water with the parasite medication.
he seems a little more energetic, and i haven't seen him lay down. he sometimes does drag his bottom fins.

you can see in these pics that the red is pretty bad, and i feel awful that he has open sores. i want do something to help his fin rot, but i'm being patient. it's hard to tell thus far if it's gotten better than the first day.

i noticed his abdomen looks black. i don't know if this is a symptom of something, but it's a little weird.

please let me know what you think!

 

[thegoldfishgirl]

Let's not celebrate yet haha! Thank you for the thanks though~
I am very happy to help!

There is something you can do to help his fin rot. It requires his cooperation though, since you don't have access or the experience to sedate him.

The reason why I wanted to wait for a few days until we focused on the fin rot is because handling a fish and messing with their fins is a very stressful game.

Stress is a fish killer.

So, I would only recommend dealing with his fins after he's recovered a bit more. It is usually recommended to cut off the irritated parts of the fins. In your case, the red bits at the bottom. It will bleed a little but dabbing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) with a Q-tip on the wound afterwards will help dissinfect it and stop the bleeding.

The only thing is, I would recommend changing his water every 12 hours (twice a day) for about two days after you cut his fins. As well as a continued dabbing of hydrogen peroxide. Which is tedius and time consuming. If you'reup for all this then please go ahead with it!

Make sure to dissinfect the scissors with hydrogen peroxide first.

I have no idea why his abdomen is dark...he looks very stressed overall.

The poor baby.

 

[thegoldfishgirl]

Oh and I finally remembered to look up the food I was telling you about:

San Francisco Bay Brand: Bloodworms



Bettas are so small I would feed one bloodworm at a time. Their stomach is as big as their eye. Which is really small haha. When I owned a betta I also had goldfish. I was lucky that I didn't have to figure out a safe way to refreeze the other bloodworms in the pack because I could just feed the rest to my goldies~

You should be able to find this brand of bloodworm at any pet store!

 

[Copplanes]

Let's not celebrate yet haha! Thank you for the thanks though~
I am very happy to help!

There is something you can do to help his fin rot. It requires his cooperation though, since you don't have access or the experience to sedate him.

The reason why I wanted to wait for a few days until we focused on the fin rot is because handling a fish and messing with their fins is a very stressful game.

Stress is a fish killer.

So, I would only recommend dealing with his fins after he's recovered a bit more. It is usually recommended to cut off the irritated parts of the fins. In your case, the red bits at the bottom. It will bleed a little but dabbing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) with a Q-tip on the wound afterwards will help dissinfect it and stop the bleeding.

The only thing is, I would recommend changing his water every 12 hours (twice a day) for about two days after you cut his fins. As well as a continued dabbing of hydrogen peroxide. Which is tedius and time consuming. If you'reup for all this then please go ahead with it!

Make sure to dissinfect the scissors with hydrogen peroxide first.

I have no idea why his abdomen is dark...he looks very stressed overall.

The poor baby.

i don't even know where to start with that level of ...surgery? i am far too inexperienced to find a way to cuts his fins... or get him to cooperate enough to cut him and dab him with the hydrogen peroxide. i really don't mind tedious, but i really don't think i'd be able to do this successfully.

as for the bloodworms, i have heard that they aren't a complete meal for bettas, that they are more of a snack or treat that would otherwise be unhealthy as the core diet. is there any truth to this?

thanks again!

 

[Copplanes]

Oh and I finally remembered to look up the food I was telling you about:

San Francisco Bay Brand: Bloodworms

View attachment 291686

Bettas are so small I would feed one bloodworm at a time. Their stomach is as big as their eye. Which is really small haha. When I owned a betta I also had goldfish. I was lucky that I didn't have to figure out a safe way to refreeze the other bloodworms in the pack because I could just feed the rest to my goldies~

You should be able to find this brand of bloodworm at any pet store!

they were actually completely out of blood worms at my petco.
i bought these:

 

[thegoldfishgirl]

Not feeling comfortable about cutting your fish's fin is totally normal! When someone first told me about it two years ago I thought they were crazy! Anywho, if you don't want to trim the bad stuff you should at least get some hydrogen peroxide on the ends of his fins. Don't do the swab in the hospital tank or anywhere near his gills unless you're going to protect them from H2O2 dripping on them.

It's fairly easy though. Just gently lift your fish up (keeping his head and gills in the water) and quickly dab his fins with the soaked Q-tip. You know it's working when you can clearly see the bubbling of the H2O2 on the area you applied it.

As for betta nutrition, I am sure they need an all around balanced diet like all fishies! They're diet is more protein concentrated though. I feed mine bloodworms and Repashy Soilent Green. Brine shrimp are also a great choice! Since you have multiple choices now, go ahead and feed both. Just remember! Betta's stomachs are only as big as their eye! They are fish that are easily overfed and killed.

 

[Copplanes]

Not feeling comfortable about cutting your fish's fin is totally normal! When someone first told me about it two years ago I thought they were crazy! Anywho, if you don't want to trim the bad stuff you should at least get some hydrogen peroxide on the ends of his fins. Don't do the swab in the hospital tank or anywhere near his gills unless you're going to protect them from H2O2 dripping on them.

It's fairly easy though. Just gently lift your fish up (keeping his head and gills in the water) and quickly dab his fins with the soaked Q-tip. You know it's working when you can clearly see the bubbling of the H2O2 on the area you applied it.

As for betta nutrition, I am sure they need an all around balanced diet like all fishies! They're diet is more protein concentrated though. I feed mine bloodworms and Repashy Soilent Green. Brine shrimp are also a great choice! Since you have multiple choices now, go ahead and feed both. Just remember! Betta's stomachs are only as big as their eye! They are fish that are easily overfed and killed.

can you tell me in more detail how to handle my betta while doing the hydrogen peroxide remedy?

 

[Mebbid]

Wowzers, where to start here.

1st: Im glad your fish is showing improvement!

2nd: No more 100% water changes. Complete new water is a stressor to fish. Pulling new water (especially from a tap) is not going to have the same pH as the old water. 50% water changes is the most thats recommended. The original problem was definitely the water parameters but at this point you're substituting fin rot for ph shock. 50% water changes can be done safely every 2 - 3 hours. Go crazy with it. Keep your ammonia at 0ppm, nitrite at 0ppm, and nitrate below 40ppm and you will have happy fish.

3rd: Fin rot - The best bet is to leave the fish be and give him healthy water for him to heal. Netting and handling the fish is going to damage his slime coat making him more stressed and susceptible to fungal and bacterial infections. I had a betta with a similar issue as yours. This picture is the before picture

while my avatar picture was taken after he healed. Just let him be and he will heal.

4th: Constipation - Assuming this is really constipation then i would suggest using epsom salt. 1 to 3 tsp per 5 gallons is sufficient for constipation.

5th: Food - Mysis shrimp is awesome, good choice!

 

[Copplanes]

Wowzers, where to start here.

1st: Im glad your fish is showing improvement!

2nd: No more 100% water changes. Complete new water is a stressor to fish. Pulling new water (especially from a tap) is not going to have the same pH as the old water. 50% water changes is the most thats recommended. The original problem was definitely the water parameters but at this point you're substituting fin rot for ph shock. 50% water changes can be done safely every 2 - 3 hours. Go crazy with it. Keep your ammonia at 0ppm, nitrite at 0ppm, and nitrate below 40ppm and you will have happy fish.

3rd: Fin rot - The best bet is to leave the fish be and give him healthy water for him to heal. Netting and handling the fish is going to damage his slime coat making him more stressed and susceptible to fungal and bacterial infections. I had a betta with a similar issue as yours. This picture is the before picture

while my avatar picture was taken after he healed. Just let him be and he will heal.

4th: Constipation - Assuming this is really constipation then i would suggest using epsom salt. 1 to 3 tsp per 5 gallons is sufficient for constipation.

5th: Food - Mysis shrimp is awesome, good choice!

thank you so much for your response

1. thank you! i love this little guy. i make a lot of mistakes due to naivety but i want him to live a long healthy life.

2. my pH is very high to begin with. it's on my list of things to deal with. i'm planning on slowly substituting water with balanced water from the fish store, after he's all better, and after i have a cycled tank set up. last time i checked my pH was around 8. i live in AZ and the water is very hard here.

3. the redness at the end of his tail isn't getting much better, but the redness that's within his fins has gone down considerably since the daily water changes and being hospitalized. i was hoping to add a little AQ salt to his water soon, but i'm not sure if it would have ill effects while he's being treated with the parasite medication. Waiting to hear back from thegoldfishgirl about using hydrogen peroxide on the bad part of his bottom fin.

4. he's accepted food twice now(both times were 1/4 of a soaked pellet) but i've yet to see a bowel movement. how much epsom salt would you dose 1 gallon?

5. Thanks, i'm excited to give him one, just waiting to see if he can make a BM. i'll have to try to epsom salt.
side question: how would you deal with refreezing/refrigerating or using partial amounts of the shrimp or worms? they come in these giant cubes and i only really need one at a time.

again. thanks so much for the help. it's so appreciated

 

[thegoldfishgirl]

The reason why I suggested a 100% water change daily is because if Copplanes is a busy student or has a day time job etc, he can't be home all day to take care of the fish. I personally wouldn't be able to.

If he does water changes every 24 hours there isn't going to be that much of a pH difference.

I do agree that smaller more frequent water changes are great when they can be done though. Most people end up taking that as 25% every week or something. Instead of 10 - 20% each day. It's advice you have to be very specific about.

You also don't want to have a constant epsom salt treatment at that high percentage. It needs to be a dip for approximately 5 minutes or less. Depending on the fish. Suspending a small fish in high concentration for a long period of time (until the next water change) could be detrimental.

For a dip you need 3 tablespoons per gallon. That's an approximate 3% concentration.

As for the redness not subsiding...that's seems like more than fin rot. I also say wait though. Clean water is a great cure for a lot of fish problems. Buuuut I've also never seen red spots that bad on the ends of a fish's fins before and called it fin rot. Which is why I suggested H2O2 swab to help kill anything that's there. It may just be a really bad case...I feel that it also could have to do with Thanksgiving dragging his fins on the bottom. He could have irritated something or cut his fins on the rocks leaving a way in for some nastey bacteria. It is possible to have multiple conditions going on at once. It seems like another bacterial infection on top of fin rot.

Give it a few more days...if you don't see considerable improvement I would highly recommened cutting it off and starting a new. Or AT LEAST swabbing it with H2O2.

For the extra frozen food I would get a teeny glass tubberware from the store. I have some and they are not only adorable but very helpful for this.

Also sidenote:

I also live in AZ! This is my first time meeting another fish keeper from Arizona! It seems all the fish keepers and societies are squished in Phoenix and Tucson. Of course I live in neither...so I'm up in my small town all alone (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`) tending to my babies [emoji226].

 

[Copplanes]

The reason why I suggested a 100% water change daily is because if Copplanes is a busy student or has a day time job etc, he can't be home all day to take care of the fish. I personally wouldn't be able to.

If he does water changes every 24 hours there isn't going to be that much of a pH difference.

I do agree that smaller more frequent water changes are great when they can be done though. Most people end up taking that as 25% every week or something. Instead of 10 - 20% each day. It's advice you have to be very specific about.

You also don't want to have a constant epsom salt treatment at that high percentage. It needs to be a dip for approximately 5 minutes or less. Depending on the fish. Suspending a small fish in high concentration for a long period of time (until the next water change) could be detrimental.

For a dip you need 3 tablespoons per gallon. That's an approximate 3% concentration.

As for the redness not subsiding...that's seems like more than fin rot. I also say wait though. Clean water is a great cure for a lot of fish problems. Buuuut I've also never seen red spots that bad on the ends of a fish's fins before and called it fin rot. Which is why I suggested H2O2 swab to help kill anything that's there. It may just be a really bad case...I feel that it also could have to do with Thanksgiving dragging his fins on the bottom. He could have irritated something or cut his fins on the rocks leaving a way in for some nastey bacteria. It is possible to have multiple conditions going on at once. It seems like another bacterial infection on top of fin rot.

Give it a few more days...if you don't see considerable improvement I would highly recommened cutting it off and starting a new. Or AT LEAST swabbing it with H2O2.

For the extra frozen food I would get a teeny glass tubberware from the store. I have some and they are not only adorable but very helpful for this.

Also sidenote:

I also live in AZ! This is my first time meeting another fish keeper from Arizona! It seems all the fish keepers and societies are squished in Phoenix and Tucson. Of course I live in neither...so I'm up in my small town all alone (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`) tending to my babies [emoji226].

thanks for the advice!
it's cool to meet another fish keeper in AZ! you're right about the city though, I'm down in tucson. And i'm also a girl, just so you know what pronoun to use, lol!

now, for dabbing with h202, how can i do this?