Obviously my first post here - I need some big time help from someone that knows a lot more than I do! I'll just go ahead and fill out the template provided in the sticky. Thank you if you stick through this whole saga!!
1~What type of fish is afflicted?
Betta fish. I believe they have ich (started two days ago with a few grains of salt looking dots, to yesterday completely covered).
2~What are your tank parameters
(ammonia - 0, nitrites - 0, nitrates - 10, temp - currently at 84F, pH - 6.2)?
3 ~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
36 gallon, been set up for over a month.
4~What type of filtration are you using?
Big double sponge filter with an air pump rated for up to 55 gallons.
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
2 female bettas. Both affected. One is a small blue thing, the other is a larger elephant ear variety.
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
Last did a water change 3 days ago after returning from vacation. I had a neighbor feeding fish and they must have overfed, because I did find some ammonia on test and I had a dead whiptail catfish in the tank. Removed when I found it and did a 25-30% water change. I worry this may have been hasty and the waters were not the same temperature as the tank. I use
RO water for changes and top ups. The tank is heavily planted so I do not vacuum. Since this is a brand new tank, I've only changed water once before, before adding the fish.
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
So tank has been running empty over a month. Two weeks ago added a whiptail catfish and a mystery snail to see how they did. Everything looked great. One week later added the two female betta fish. They looked great up until the day after the water change.
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
No.
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?
Aqueon betta pellets. Nothing new there.
SO after all of that, my problem is the ich. It started after I did a hasty water change after an ammonia spike after I had been on vacation and a friend was feeding the fish. The water temperature was closeish to what was in the tank but I didn't measure. Changed out 25-30%. The next morning, the remaining fish seemed lethargic and I noticed white dots on them. I went out an bought Kordon Rapid Cure and added it per label instructions, upped temp from 78F to 82-84F. The next day, the ich seemed more profound on the fish but they seemed perkier, treated again. The larger elephant ear was really perky and bullying the small betta, so I moved the little one into a breeder/isolation net.
This morning, both of them looked decent. The little one in the net was really energetic and eating well. The elephant ear looked a bit dumpy and was hanging around on top of the heater, which she had never done before. Today after work, the little betta looks great and the elephant ear looks like she's about to go belly up. Her fins look rough, she's sadly floating at the top of the tank, looks like she's having a hard time oxygenating.
Is there anything I can do to help her? Would a water change be warranted? I was planning to do at least one more day of the medication, should I continue? Any words of wisdom welcomed!
Linear Mode
