Betta: Help! Is he getting worse?

[Shana0310]

I bought John Wayne (cause he's red white and blue) from PetSmart 3 weeks ago. The first photo is when I brought him home. I noticed his fins seemed to be fraying (photo #2) assuming fun rot I put him in a .5 gal QT and treated with Aq salt and daily water changes with Stress Coat. Today is the 6th day of treatment and I fear his fins look worse then they did 6 days ago. He has not been subjected to the current of the filter for the entire time so It can't be damage from the filter. When not quarantined he is the only fish in a 5 gal heated/filtered tank. I have the QT tank floating in his tank for warmth. He is very active and eating well. I haven't been testing the ph or ammonia levels in his QT tank since I'm changing the water daily. My questions are...

Does fin rot get worse before it gets better?

Do you think it is fin rot? Or a nervous owner?

Could the damage be self inflected?

Any advise of what to do next?

Tomorrow will be the 7th of treatment and I had planned on putting him back in the tank. But not sure if I should continue treatment in the QT.


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[Shana0310]

Any advise is appreciated. Thanks


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[JAnders]

Can't offer any fish advice but there is a section for "Unhealthy Fish" and you may get more response there.


Good luck!

 

[Shana0310]

Thanks! I wasn't sure where to post this.


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[Mebbid]

Was the tank cycled? What are the parameters?

This is one of the huge drawbacks of excessive inbreeding of fish to get these huge fins. It's not natural, nor is it good for them. You have to keep absolute pristine water to keep fins like these from degenerating.

This betta is the same one that is set as my profile picture.

The fins do regrow, but only if you keep very good water parameters.

I don't know if I would define it as fin rot, because there doesn't seem to be an associated infection much like mine was. But more of a degredation. Either way, clean water is the cure for both.

 

[Shana0310]

I think I'm causing way more harm than good at this point. Last night I topped off the water, added stress coat, prime, and Bettafix. I also added a plant and a cave and released him from QT. Then I started stressing that the cave could have sharp edges...so I took it out. The water was SO cloudy from moving the gravel around it was down right murky. But I didn't want to clean it cause it's still cycling so I decided to put him in and see how things looked this morning. The water was still really cloudy so I took an ammonia sample it was .25. Which is better than it had been since out of the tap my ammonia level is .5. Well went home at lunch to check on him and the water was still really cloudy and he was lying on the bottom of the tank. So what did I do? A 100% water change. Basically started from scratch. Put a new filter in. Added Stability, Stress Coat, and Bettafix. At least it looks clean but I'm stressing this poor guy out. I have vowed not to take him out again until he is well or dead. His color is good and he's interested in food but otherwise just sad. I'm gonna kill him with care if I'm not careful. They were right when they say small tanks are harder. I have a 26 gallon that is beautiful and the fish are thriving. I'll be lucky if he makes it through the weekend. Wish me luck.


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[FishayFishay]

I think I'm causing way more harm than good at this point. Last night I topped off the water, added stress coat, prime, and Bettafix. I also added a plant and a cave and released him from QT. Then I started stressing that the cave could have sharp edges...so I took it out. The water was SO cloudy from moving the gravel around it was down right murky. But I didn't want to clean it cause it's still cycling so I decided to put him in and see how things looked this morning. The water was still really cloudy so I took an ammonia sample it was .25. Which is better than it had been since out of the tap my ammonia level is .5. Well went home at lunch to check on him and the water was still really cloudy and he was lying on the bottom of the tank. So what did I do? A 100% water change. Basically started from scratch. Put a new filter in. Added Stability, Stress Coat, and Bettafix. At least it looks clean but I'm stressing this poor guy out. I have vowed not to take him out again until he is well or dead. His color is good and he's interested in food but otherwise just sad. I'm gonna kill him with care if I'm not careful. They were right when they say small tanks are harder. I have a 26 gallon that is beautiful and the fish are thriving. I'll be lucky if he makes it through the weekend. Wish me luck.


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Best of luck to you. It reminds me of when I had a smaller tank and was fish in cycling. It was a disaster. I hope you and your betta make it through this and if the betta does. I bet you it'll be 10x as beautiful as it already is. Good luck

 

[Hholly]

When you change the filter cartridge you are throwing away your beneficial bacteria. Keep the ammonia down with water changes and he should pull through.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/fishin-cycling-step-dark-side/

 

[Shana0310]

Well I put the old filter back in. Hopefully that will help. **fingerscrossed**. But he is so sad looking right now.


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[Ulmina]

Well I put the old filter back in. Hopefully that will help. **fingerscrossed**. But he is so sad looking right now.


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My Betta went through bowl rehabs & changes twice lately, and he looked sad, too. I think too much change is bad for any fish. He is probably more fine than you think. I've had a couple freak-outs lately, myself (over different issue), so I know some of us are nervous parents.

I would let him be -- talk to him and tell him you're sorry for all the stress and changes, but they are over now. Give him 20 - 30% water changes every day or 2 at most. I have small (2 g and 5 g) and if you don't mind frequent WC, I really don't find them difficult. Eventually, your nitrifying bacteria will have a good colony and even the WC can slow down a bit after that. That's the plan, anyway.

Good luck -- I'm sure you'll be fine! Have faith & send your guy plenty of love vibes.

 

[Shana0310]

He's up. He looks like hell, but at least he's up.


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[Shana0310]

Farewell John Wayne
R.I.P.


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[Hholly]

Aw sorry you lost him.

 

[Ulmina]

Farewell John Wayne
R.I.P.


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So sorry.

Okay, now let's get to work!

Review in your mind everything that happened and the steps you took.
(This is not a beat-up session -- most all of us have killed a fish or two somewhere along the line. Rather, this is the SCIENCE method.)

1. I bet the .5 gal hospital cube was not heated. That would be very stressful.

2. You treated for an illness he may not have had.

3. He prolly didn't know why he got demoted to a tiny space -- more stress and very rapid accumulation of ammonia in .5 g.

4. Sometimes when we worry to much about another, we can actually make them worse (like people. "Am I that sick? Maybe I should be more worried?")

5. More important than losing John Wayne is What Did You Learn? Use this experience to do a bunch of research/reading on the various ways to keep Bettas, such as:

Siamese fighter, Betta splendens

After all this, you will be ready to jump back in and be a more confident fish-mom.

Have fun!

 

[FishayFishay]

Farewell John Wayne
R.I.P.


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Sorry for your loss. At least the suffering is over. May he R.I.P

 

[Rhiann]

I'm sorry for your loss. Some suggestions above for what to learn from this sound great, and I'm no expert, but I've also come to think that some bettas might be so messed up genetically that they are like time bombs. One of mine (a female) was naturally a very light color, and after a few months, I could see her insides literally starting to bleed. She wasn't injured, the water was well heated with perfect chemistry... Perhaps your betta had a problem that you couldn't have fixed no matter what. I hope you regroup and try again, though, because bettas really make great pets!