someone please help

[thegoldfishgirl]

Must be nice! There's a few fish societies down there I wish I could join.

Sorry about mixing up your gender!

Anywhooooo. First off I would like to say that netting a fish is a no go. Nets should only be used as a way to herd a fish where you would like them to go. You can also do this with your hand. Which I find much easier.

I posted in a thread some awesome videos on handling and sedation techniques. I'll link to it later.

For the H2O2 dab, you want to herd Thanksgiving into a bowl. Then gently lift his fins up and dab them quickly with a soaked Q-tip. You'll know if it is working when the area you dabbed has obvious bubbles sticking to it. Here's a great video by Solid Gold Aquatics on hydrogen peroxide swabbing:

https://youtu.be/xN1s_0jdaRA

 

[Copplanes]

Must be nice! There's a few fish societies down there I wish I could join.

Sorry about mixing up your gender!

Anywhooooo. First off I would like to say that netting a fish is a no go. Nets should only be used as a way to herd a fish where you would like them to go. You can also do this with your hand. Which I find much easier.

I posted in a thread some awesome videos on handling and sedation techniques. I'll link to it later.

For the H2O2 dab, you want to herd Thanksgiving into a bowl. Then gently lift his fins up and dab them quickly with a soaked Q-tip. You'll know if it is working when the area you dabbed has obvious bubbles sticking to it. Here's a great video by Solid Gold Aquatics on hydrogen peroxide swabbing:

https://youtu.be/xN1s_0jdaRA

thanks for linking me to a vid, this is great. the parasite medication says to treat for 10 days, so well play this by ear.

i use a cupping method. he's too smart to swim into it, but i can trick him. i agree with not handling. the only time i've actually used the net i have was for the salt dip(just didn't know another way to do it the way i needed to)

did you say there are fish societies?! what!

 

[thegoldfishgirl]

Valuable Information on Fish Handling and Sedation

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...share_tid=352755&share_fid=78817&share_type=t

Also, I see you've posted about Thanksgiving on two different threads haha.

I'm glad you're cycling your tank. Adding ammonia while Thanksgiving is in the tank is a really bad idea! Thanksgiving is already producing ammonia. Also, I would take any edgy or sharp objects out of the tank. Betta's tend to rip their fins easily.

Tucson Fish Society:

http://www.desertaquaristsociety.com/#2608

 

[Copplanes]

Valuable Information on Fish Handling and Sedation

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...share_tid=352755&share_fid=78817&share_type=t

Also, I see you've posted about Thanksgiving on two different threads haha.

I'm glad you're cycling your tank. Adding ammonia while Thanksgiving is in the tank is a really bad idea! Thanksgiving is already producing ammonia. Also, I would take any edgy or sharp objects out of the tank. Betta's tend to rip their fins easily.

Tucson Fish Society:

http://www.desertaquaristsociety.com/#2608

oh, yes, while he's in the hospital tank i want to get his permanent home cycling ASAP so i can add him and let him finally relax. I didn't mean adding ammonia to his hospital tank, he's currently in a separate 5gal

i was attempting to cycle his 10gal with him in it and that is what probably initiated all these problems. I've never cycled before so i don't reeeeeeally know what i'm doing in setting it up.

 

[Copplanes]

UPDATE: View attachment 291728View attachment 291729
Day four! i did a 50% water waterchange without overdosing in the parasite medication. i just replaced half the water with clean water with the same dosage of meds.
he looks better! the red is going away throughout his body. even my husband sees the great difference!
it looks like he's starting to grow back a little of his top fin.
i made the executive decision to add 1/8 tsp of AQ salt.
i'm planning on getting some epsom salt today but i've never used it before
also, he loved the shrimp. i fed him one this morning and he's been lively and more animated than i've seen him in weeks

 

[Copplanes]

 

[thegoldfishgirl]

^( o u o )^ Yaaay! Keep up the good work!

 

[Mebbid]

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].

The ph difference i am referring to happens from a difference of co2 in the source water from the water currently in use. Get some water fresh from the tap and do a ph test. Then let the water sit out overnight and test it again in the morning. Almost every single person will have a sizable difference in the ph readings. Reducing that water change to 50% makes the difference in ph negligible.

I believe you are mistaken about epsom salt. Chemically, it is magnesium sulfate; theres absolutely no sodium in it. Its used differently and for different reasons than aquarium salt. My recommendation for its use was 1 - 3 teaspoons per 5 gallons instead of tablespoons. Which is a perfectly safe dosage for an aquarium and sufficient to work as a laxative.

 

[Mebbid]

oh, yes, while he's in the hospital tank i want to get his permanent home cycling ASAP so i can add him and let him finally relax. I didn't mean adding ammonia to his hospital tank, he's currently in a separate 5gal

i was attempting to cycle his 10gal with him in it and that is what probably initiated all these problems. I've never cycled before so i don't reeeeeeally know what i'm doing in setting it up.

You really dont need to cycle them separately. It will be just as much work and take just as long doing a fish in cycle than a fishless while quarantining.

Take a look at this article posted here on the forums for some more info on the proper procedure.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/fish-in-cycling-step-over-into-the-dark-side-176446.html

 

[Copplanes]

You really dont need to cycle them separately. It will be just as much work and take just as long doing a fish in cycle than a fishless while quarantining.

Take a look at this article posted here on the forums for some more info on the proper procedure.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/fish-in-cycling-step-over-into-the-dark-side-176446.html

i didn't know i could set up a whole planted tank and add him to it right away and just monitor the cycle. that forum was great, thank you!

i did hear you on the Epsom salt, i added the AQ as a measure for the fin rot. i still plan on getting some Epsom salt, but i've not seen a distended belly or swelling.

 

[thegoldfishgirl]

While that post was really informative and interesting...choosing the route of subjecting your fish to toxic water over being patient is just not cool. It only takes a few hours for ammonia to build up.
At least for the fish-in stocking method.

In Copplanes case, she really doesn't have a choice. Since she already has the betta.

The reason for the quarantine tank though, is because of the medicine. This medicine, since it's aimed at parasites proooobably won't kill the bacteria growing but, since we don't know for sure...why take the chance?

As he said in the article, there are many fish keepers out there who abhore the fish-in method because they've had bad experiences in the past.

That's me.

You never know what kind of fish you're working with and what they've been subjected to before you purchased them. I purchased my first goldfish online from a recommended breeder. She was absolutely gorgeous. I did a fish-in cycle because I was impatient. Didn't want to wait. I did have a gameplan though. I had a water change schedule and tested the water every day. I had to do giant water changes. It was an absolute battle. I did all of that ... but a few months later, after the tank was cycled, she passed away from prolonged exposure to nitrites. Absolutely unnecassary exposure.


I know, he said don't start with an expensive fish. She was medium range in worth as far as goldfish go. This is about more than the money though. Fish lives are worth more than the money. They're worth the wait. We should be treating them that way. If fish lovers subject their fish to this mild torture due to their own selfishness...it's no wonder the rest of the world doesn't think twice about flushing a goldfish.

The risk out weighs the benefit.

Especially for someone who doesn't have ready bacteria to aid in the growth of the colony.

 

[Copplanes]

While that post was really informative and interesting...choosing the route of subjecting your fish to toxic water over being patient is just not cool. It only takes a few hours for ammonia to build up.
At least for the fish-in stocking method.

In Copplanes case, she really doesn't have a choice. Since she already has the betta.

The reason for the quarantine tank though, is because of the medicine. This medicine, since it's aimed at parasites proooobably won't kill the bacteria growing but, since we don't know for sure...why take the chance?

As he said in the article, there are many fish keepers out there who abhore the fish-in method because they've had bad experiences in the past.

That's me.

You never know what kind of fish you're working with and what they've been subjected to before you purchased them. I purchased my first goldfish online from a recommended breeder. She was absolutely gorgeous. I did a fish-in cycle because I was impatient. Didn't want to wait. I did have a gameplan though. I had a water change schedule and tested the water every day. I had to do giant water changes. It was an absolute battle. I did all of that ... but a few months later, after the tank was cycled, she passed away from prolonged exposure to nitrites. Absolutely unnecassary exposure.


I know, he said don't start with an expensive fish. She was medium range in worth as far as goldfish go. This is about more than the money though. Fish lives are worth more than the money. They're worth the wait. We should be treating them that way. If fish lovers subject their fish to this mild torture due to their own selfishness...it's no wonder the rest of the world doesn't think twice about flushing a goldfish.

The risk out weighs the benefit.

Especially for someone who doesn't have ready bacteria to aid in the growth of the colony.

honestly, i want to keep him in the hospital tank with daily water changes and get him healthier and grow back his fins, and cycle his main tank in the mean time. i just don't know what ammonia source and bacteria source to use in a fishless cycle. i really wanted to set up a planted tank, but i know nothing about co2, fertilizers, or lights

 

[thegoldfishgirl]

Haha, yah plants are hard to work with. A great starting point is looking up The Green Machine on youtube. I learned a lot from them! I tried to plant ans be all cool but, my goldfish keep eating the plants ಠ_ಠ There's a reason they only have tropicals in their tanks haha.

Good bacteria...at least bacteria that has worked for me in the past (and right now, currently cycling 3 quarantine tanks for a project I want to do) is Seachem Stability.

 

[Copplanes]

Haha, yah plants are hard to work with. A great starting point is looking up The Green Machine on youtube. I learned a lot from them! I tried to plant ans be all cool but, my goldfish keep eating the plants ಠ_ಠ There's a reason they only have tropicals in their tanks haha.

Good bacteria...at least bacteria that has worked for me in the past (and right now, currently cycling 3 quarantine tanks for a project I want to do) is Seachem Stability.

lol! at least i know Thanksgiving won't eat any plants.
i'll look into seachem stability. i have microblift bottled bacteria already, i wonder if they're the same or different.
any advice on fishless cycling is greatly appreciated.

 

[Mebbid]

Aquarium advice to the rescue take a look here for a fishless cycling guide. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/the-almost-complete-guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling/

The bacterial additives generally arent effective. By and large the majority of people see no benefit to using them for a myriad of reasons outside of their control.

Planted tanks are easy, as long as you select the correct plants and have the equipment for what you want. For a low light tank the various cryptocoryne and aponogeton species as well as java fern and java moss are all very hardy easy to grow plants. No ferts or co2 supplementation are necessary to grow these plants. If you buy plants your tank isnt equipped to handle then they will just end up dying.

 

[sadiqueakhtar00]

Hey,have you tried using salt as a treatment, as salt is the magic medicine for treating most of the fresh water aquarium disease and problem.

 

[thegoldfishgirl]

Hey,have you tried using salt as a treatment, as salt is the magic medicine for treating most of the fresh water aquarium disease and problem.

She has put a bit of salt in to help the betta's immune system while he's getting better. We also did a salt dip before treatment.

@Copplanes I forgot to say that you can totally do one again. Salt only kills certain bacteria but, it's also useful for stripping the slime coat off a fish so they're more receptive to the medicine.

 

[Copplanes]

She has put a bit of salt in to help the betta's immune system while he's getting better. We also did a salt dip before treatment.

@Copplanes I forgot to say that you can totally do one again. Salt only kills certain bacteria but, it's also useful for stripping the slime coat off a fish so they're more receptive to the medicine.

i didn't know that, thank you! it's been a week since i started the parasite medication and he's rid of all symptoms. i just completed a 50% water change and redosed the new water with the medication. i'm considering abandoning the treatment and seeing how he does the next few days with water changes. the red in his fins has cleared up a bit, but his fins don't seem to be growing back. considering light dosing of melafix to see if it can help heal his red tattered ends, which it did a few months ago.
still haven't noticeddddd a bowel movement, but it's possible i've missed it from not checked between water changes.
i'm going to pick up epsom salt today

 

[Copplanes]

for anyone that cares, this is what a week of good advice and correctly treating illness has done for my Betta

 

[thegoldfishgirl]

Thank the Lord, he's looking better! What does the medicine bottle recommend on treatment time??

An epsom salt bath would be a good idea (for his constipation) . I think I posted up above on how to carry that out! We also have to make sure we kill the parasite that caused all this in the first place though. Or else he'll never poop. Maybe an epsom salt dip while he's in treatment? We really need to get him pooping. It could get ugly fast for a betta that won't poop.

I think a few days of fresh water would help out Mr. Thanksgiving a lot. After the bottle recommended time of medicating is over, of course. During this time, you can do 1 tablespoon per gallon of aquarium salt, or the Melafix. Both are safe. Both will help with fin regrowth! (I personally would go with salt though.)

Thank you for posting before and after! I was wondering haha. He really does look much better.

You also have to keep in mind that in extreme cases of fin rot the fins don't regrow. We'll see what happens!

I'm so proud that you've been taking the needed time and going above and beyond in helping Thanksgiving! It's really heart warming (⁎⁍̴̛ᴗ⁍̴̛⁎)