White Puffball on Betta's gill?? Pictures and Video Included

[dkpate]

I have Melafix, Pimafix, Maracyn Plus, QuICK Cure, anti-parasitic food, salt and about 10 other meds because I used to live SO far away from any stores that sold them.
Melafix is anti fungal, and Pimafix is anti bacterial. I like them because they are all natural, and won't kill your biological filter or interrupt your nitrogen cycle.
Remember with bettas, to only use 1/2 doses of the meds. If there are specific directions for tetras, use the same for the bettas. I had to use QuICK Cure on one of my bettas after I got him, and it worked well.
If you do take the gravel out and clean it, make sure you don't use tap water. Tap water has chlorine which will kill the good bacteria. If you can use a siphon vacuum, that would be best. I think they make tiny ones for betta tanks, but you would probably have to shop around online. My favorite site for fish stuff is www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com.
It's really nice to see someone care about bettas as much as I do!

[PetBettaFish]

Thanks for the info dkpate! Oops, I used the full dosage of quick cure, I'll make sure to be more careful next time! I didn't know that you medicate bettas like tetras... :/

I live in a dorm without a bathroom, I have to carry the fish tank down the hall to the community bathroom to do water changes... So how should I clean my gravel out?? Can I just take a cup of water mixed with water conditioner to rinse out my gravel?

[PetBettaFish]

I'm also not sure how using a siphon vacuum in a public restroom would work out :p

[PetBettaFish]

Oh, and as an update, Victor's white spot has gone away!! Thanks guys, I think the salt and letting the water get a little "dirty" made the difference

Although one of my fake plants has some brown stuff growing on it, should I throw it out?

[libbyb]

Instead of carrying your tank down the hall, get a 5 gallon bucket. Make it a "fish only" bucket. They sell them at Home Depot. If you can't get to a hardware store, use a new plastic waste basket. Carrying the tank back and forth increases the risk of the tank breaking.
When you siphon your tank, the water goes in the bucket. The siphon hose will have a tube at the end that you place into the gravel and will suction out the detrius and waste but leave the gravel. Discard the water then refill. Make sure the temperature of the new water is the same as the temperature of the water in the tank. Don't forget to treat the water with a water conditioner to remove the chlorine and chloramine before you put it in the tank.

[bluerose]

Brown stuff is likely algae... you can rub it off with your fingers next time you do a water change.

Might I ask why you don't want to get a filter? It's a good investment in your fish's health and makes a tank much easier to maintain.

[PetBettaFish]

Hmm... looks like I'll be adding a "fish bucket" and siphon to my wish list! Your way of cleaning tanks makes a lot more sense than my way of cleaning tanks Libbyb. I'm not sure why I never thought of not taking the tank to the bathroom? Lol :P

Honestly Bluerose, I'm scared of screwing up the nitrogen cycle. I know filters make water changes less frequent, but then I would have to test the water all the time and make sure nothing got to unsafe levels. And I've heard a lot of horror stories of fish winding up dead from ammonia or nitrogen spikes or whatever.... I would almost rather just clean my tank every 2-3 days manually than risk my filter not working and killing my fish At least I know for sure if I do partial water changes everyday I can't screw up too badly....

And it is only 2.5 gallons, so it's not difficult to take a little time out of my day to get Victor some clean water

[Phrozian]

Also, bear in mind that once the white fluff is gone, it can leave behind an open wound that will take time to heal. Try not to relax for now, and keep working hard on keeping the water clean. This is only half the battle!

[PetBettaFish]

I still added the salt, did a 70% water change, and fed him his pellets and a worm as a treat! I'm still going to keep an eye on him, but I was so relieved that he looked better!! I had nightmares that when I came back to school his head would be covered in white fluff O_o

[bluerose]

Largely, you'd be doing what you're doing (frequent partial water changes) until the tank is stable, and then just weekly/biweekly changes, depending on your tank.

I have a betta, three tetras, and a handful of shrimp in a planted 5gal-- it's unfortunately a bit neglected (frustrating circumstances have left it at home while I'm at school, so I only get back to it every couple of weeks), but the fish are happy and the tank is doing well, if a bit algae-coated in spots. I do a 50% water change when I'm home. Once I get it up here I'm going to rescape it and add more plants, but it's a solid little tank with a very healthy bacteria colony (obviously-- it's stable despite a high bioload for the space).

Not possible whatsoever without a filter...

[PetBettaFish]

I'm still thinking about getting a filter, but for some reason adding a filter overwhelms me. I guess it's because this is my first fish aquarium and I'm super attached to my fish :P

What all do I have to do with a filter? I need water test strips, right? I know that I'm supposed to not wash the filter media or something.... Would I need to cycle my tank to have a filter?

I also won't be able to get a filter for a little while anyways, it will have to go on my wish list along with the siphon :P

[PetBettaFish]

I would really like to add some live plants eventually though, so I think a filter might be easier if I go that route.

[dkpate]

The brown is probably diatoms, and that's new tank syndrome. They will usually go away on their own, or you can see if you can get like 2-3 malaysian trumpet snails.
Glad the spot is gone!!!
You can get the siphon at Walmart for around $5. I would get 2 buckets, and since you just have the small tank, you can get the smaller buckets from the dollar store. No need for the giant 5 gallon ones. The reason I say to get two is because it's much easier to have the new water ready as soon as you are done taking the old water out, and you aren't mixing dirty with clean. I have a bucket for old water, and a bucket for new water.
A filter is nice because it helps a TON with the nitrogen cycle. The only time you have to mess with it is when you clean the filter media. The box will tell you to change the media every month, but that's just a ploy to get you to spend more money. When it gets gunky, you just rinse it in your bucket of old tank water during a water change. With the bettas, I only have to clean their filters about once every month and a half. If you get one, and the flow is too strong for Victor, you can get come cheap plastic craft mesh ($3 for 6 sheets) and tie it in front of the flow with fishing line. I will see if I can add a pic of my getup on here, so you can see what I am talking about.
Most of the stuff for bettas you can get at Walmart for fairly cheap. Heaters, filters, decorations (although I prefer dollar store fake plants), media, plastic mesh, siphon, etc., and you won't break the bank. I got my filters for about $8, the siphon for $5, mesh $3, heater $13. Not too bad for a whole setup!

[libbyb]

Originally Posted by libbyb

Instead of carrying your tank down the hall, get a 5 gallon bucket. Make it a "fish only" bucket. They sell them at Home Depot. If you can't get to a hardware store, use a new plastic waste basket. Carrying the tank back and forth increases the risk of the tank breaking.
When you siphon your tank, the water goes in the bucket. The siphon hose will have a tube at the end that you place into the gravel and will suction out the detrius and waste but leave the gravel. Discard the water then refill. Make sure the temperature of the new water is the same as the temperature of the water in the tank. Don't forget to treat the water with a water conditioner to remove the chlorine and chloramine before you put it in the tank.

dkpate, phrozian, jeremyblevins:
I hope I got it all right. Please add or edit as necessary.

[PetBettaFish]

Fortunately, it's fall break this weekend, so I'll have time to go to the pet store an walmart to look for extra supplies! Thanks for all of the great advice, I'll definitely try to pick up a siphon this week! And I'll try to get a filter sometime soon.

[libbyb]

After your tank is cycled, you can spread out your PWC's a little as long as you do it slowly and build up to your routine. Once you've got the routine set, they'll get used to the frequency of the PWC's. Just don't spread them out too far between each one.

[libbyb]

Originally Posted by PetBettaFish

I would really like to add some live plants eventually though, so I think a filter might be easier if I go that route.

If you want a plant, you can get one real plant. They're not expensive. But you can't get them at the dollar store! Fake or real plants make all the difference in the world in aesthetics.

[dkpate]

I have real and fake plants, but if you want decoration and don't have a pile of money, the dollar store is fine. Right now I think the siphon and filter are more important.
Even if you do get a filter, you will still need to do 2-3, 25-50% pwc's a week in that tank. If you don't, you will noticed fin curling, rot, etc. I have 4 bettas, and I can tell when I haven't changed the water enough. I have 2 divided tanks, a 5G (temporary) and a 10G.

[PetBettaFish]

I'm going to try to get a siphon as soon as possible! Hopefully in the next couple of days. The filter will come next... can I put a 5 gallon filter in a 2.5 gallon tank? I really don't like to order stuff offline.

[dkpate]

Make sure the siphon is small enough to get going in your tank. You might have to do some shopping around, since the bigger ones (about 12 a inch plastic tube) aren't able to start siphoning because you can't fill them all the way up with water. They do make smaller ones for betta tanks though. I order alot of stuff online at www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com, they are a good company. And I know alot of people use Big Al's too.
I would get the little Whisper filter that is rated for 2-10 gallons. They are on the bottom of this page: Walmart.com: Pets: Fish: Filtration, Heaters & Supplies
You could also go with the 1-3 Whisper. Walmart will ship them to you for like $.97 or free, but they usually have them all in the store.
This siphon might work for you too: Penn Plax Squeeze-Vac Gravel Cleaner - Maintenance - Gravel Cleaners at BigalsOnline

This is the one I was thinking of: Ultra Self-Start GravelVac Slim Jr. - 6" - Maintenance - Gravel Cleaners at BigalsOnline

It only has a 6" tube, so you can get it into the tank. The bigger ones will never fit.