Sick fuzzy Betta, beginner mistakes.

[PerryM]

Hello!
I am new to fishkeeping and apparently have made a bunch of mistakes but trusted the local fish store and maybe that was a bad idea. I bought a beautiful what was supposed to be precycled (was set up and running in store with the fish already in it) 12 gallon planted tank with a Betta fish and 10-12 tiny endlers (which I now know is probably overstocked). I bought everything as it was set up in the store- they even drained the water into a jug for me to take home and use. This was 72 hours ago. The endlers all look great but the betta hasn’t eaten really from the beginning. I assumed he was stressed from the move and he would settle. Well, I came home today and he has white fuzzy patches. I have been trying too feed him fluval bug bites for Betta and tropical pellets for the endlers. I can’t tell you what the filter size is and I stupidly didn’t ask and the store isn’t open tonight. I did a 20% water change and then went out and got an api fresh water test kit and a heater. When I did the water change I used fritzguard to condition the water. The ph is at 7.8, ammonia 0.5, nitrates 20, nitrites 2.0. The tank is now at 78 degrees but I just put it in today as the first store had told me I didn’t need one. It was in between 72-74 degrees for the first 48 hours I had it. The endlers look fine and healthy. Can anyone help me identify this fuzzy stuff and what I need to do or what I can change? I’m assuming I should go buy a small hospital tank for him tomorrow? I took him out of the tank and put him back in the transport cup with some preconditioned Betta water for the evening given the parameters. Gosh if feel terrible if I kill him after only 3 days. I was really looking forward to the hobby

 

[Aiken Drum]

Selling a pre-cycled tank is a novel approach ive not seen before. Things that could have gone wrong.

- It takes 6 to 8 weeks to cycle a tank. Was the tank set up and running for long enough to cycle the tank before you bought it?
- if the filter media is allowed to dry out the bacteria responsible for your cycle will die off in 2 or 3 hours. How was the filter media transported on the way home and how long did it take you to get everything set up again after it got broken down in the store?
- Possibly overfeeding. If you are feeding more than is being eaten, or more than was fed in the store, this leads to more nitrogen going into the water than the cycle has established to process, and you are now seeing the results.

There are 2 likely causes of whats happened to the betta. You have the conditions for both.

1. Fin nipping from the guppies and secondary infection. Did you see any aggression between your fish?

2. Poor water quality.

Clean water and a stressfree environment will give your betta the best chances of recovery.

So short term, yes a small hospital tank will help your betta recover. Something 2 to 3 gallons will suffice, lots of water changes to keep the water pristine, maybe some aquarium salt to help with the infection. And you need to get the water parameters safe in the display tank. From where your water parameters are, 2 x 50% water changes (a couple of hours apart) will get things safe.

Medium term, get your display tank cycled. What do know about the nitrogen cycle? Do you know how to cycle a tank?

Longer term. Decide if you want to try betta back in the display tank. Endler guppies are considered a safer mix than regular guppies with bettas (assuming you have genuine endlers), but mixing any fish with bettas is a risk.

 

[PerryM]

Hello!
I don’t know how long the tank was running before I bought it. I just trusted them as they had decent reviews and set up tanks without fish in them around cycling so I figured they were doing it right. I should have asked more questions. It probably took me just about an hour and a half to transport the tank and get it set up. The drive was only about 20 minutes from store to home and literally all I did was put it on my counter and run the water from the jug they gave me (taken from the tank) back into it. I suppose it could have taken longer. I did not note it but there really wasn’t a ton to do. I have been very careful about over feeding after I accidentally fed too much the first night and had to scoop it all out. I did notice during the gravel vacuum I did yesterday there was a LOT of organic material in the sand and am wondering if that had anything to do with it.
I have watched lots of YouTube videos about the nitrogen cycle and found your post to someone not that long ago that had high ammonia and nitrogen. I followed the advice there last night and I changed the water twice several hours apart but at that time it was midnight and didn’t retest the water. I am going to go to a different local fish store today for a hospital tank or maybe just a permanent second tank for the betta. I have not noted any aggression but I am worried about the stocking level. I will retest the water a little later today and post updated water parameters as soon as I can. I did add the nitrifying bacteria starter but am wonder as to what timing I should do that with all the water changes. Also I am wondering how soon can I retest the water after doing a change? Do I need to let the tank circulate for a certain amount of time afterwards to get accurate results? I have copied down you thorough reply on the other post (daily testing with changing at certain parameters) and will follow it.
For the salt for the betta, I have been reading about epsom salt vs aquarium salt. I think this is a situation that would call for aquarium salt, correct? The advice I have seen on that is about 1 TBSP per 3 gallons to start with. If no improvement seen in 5 days, increase to 1 TBSP per 2 gallons. Replace any salt if you have to to water changes before the end of the week. If it works, wait 1 week then do a 30% water change without replacing the salt. Repeat this cycle 2 more times to remove most of the salt and then leave in quarantine for 1 more week before reintroducing to the main tank as long as the fish stays well. Does this seem accurate?

Oh, I do believe they are true endlers but I posted a closer picture below…

Thank you so much for all of you time. My 3 year old has named the betta “Octopus” and I really appreciate you trying to help us save him.

 

[Aiken Drum]

However it happened, your tank isnt cycled. The cause doesnt really matter, you just need to cycle the tank which it looks like you have in hand.

I would test the water daily around the same time if you can, and then do water changes if dictated by your test. If you want to retest afterwards, then let the water mix a little for 15 minutes.

Use the fish stores for what they are there for. Buying things. If the store you got everything from is the best value for a hospital tank, i would get it from there. If you get to know someone there and feel they are knowledgeable and trustworthy, no need to ignore them just because they work there. Try and find out who keeps fish that works in the store and you then know they have enough knowledge to have a conversation with.

With a hospital tank, your salt dosage is good. Aquarium salt. Remember the hospital tank isnt cycled, so you will likely be doing daily water changes to keep parameters safe. I would change 1/3 water daily regardless to make sure the water is as clean as possible.