Betta Rescue...

[mdugly]

Hi,

I have adopted a sick, rough looking betta.
It was in a bowl (~1 - 1.5 g) and came with
a partly used bottle of medication (Melafix from aquarium pharm).
Don't really have more info than that, other than
the it has been 'sick' before, and this medication
apparently cured it...

I bought a second hand 10g tank with intentions of quaratine tank
for my SW tank, but it is used for the betta now.  There is ~1" of
argonite, a piece of pvc and plastic cup and a bubble stone -- otherwise empty.
Not the greatest looking now, but plan to add some plants/tankmates
once get over this 'hurdle'.

I used RO water, but did not let tank cycle before adding betta -- figured
10g of clean (moving) water was still better than <2g of still water...
The tank has AC70 with a 'used' sponge (that came with filter) and a new sponge.
The idea was to seed the new sponge and chuck the old sponge later -- not sure if
this was good idea, or not...  currently not using any carbon/media.

So, it has been over 2 weeks and medication is all gone.
But I am uncertain how effective it was.  Not sure if I should get
more of the same, or try something different.

He is swimming a bit better now -- had some issues first couple days, not
sure if it was due to sickness, or just the new current (suspect not too much
opportunity/need to be strong swimmer if stuck in a bowl ?)

He also doesn't like the light too much - can see his reflection and shows his stuff.
So I keep it off, as he doesn't need extra stress right now.  But hope to eventually
get him used to it, as would like to add plants later on.

When I initially looked at him, I thought the area at the tail fin was 'gone', meaning it
looked like you could see thru it.  Now is it white, especially notice when the light is on.
I am not sure if this is getting better, or worse...
(Really should have taken some 'before' pics - all I can remember now is that is wasn't red, and didn't really get a good look as he didn't like the lights.)

One large white spot, on his bottom middle fin has cleared up. but he still has other white spots.
Not sure if this is ich/rot/velvet  or a combination...

Currently feeding some tetra flake that came with him, and started some fried dried blood worm.

Also, noticed small snail in the tank yesterday.  Assuming it came from used AC filter ?
Just saw the one, but was wondering if this could turn into a problem, or is it a good thing.

Any comments/advise much appreciated.   

Thanks,
-mike

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[nes]

Lucky Betta! He's geting some PREMO care!

The most common cause of sickness in bettas is water temperature. Somewhere along the line the fact that bettas are TROPICAL fish seems to have gotten lost among the common consiousness... a temperature of 78-82 degrees must be maintained in order to keep these fish healthy and just bumping him up from room temperature I'm sure has done a wonder for his spirit, and from that point it's all just recover.

I would turn your light back on - the flareing at the sides of the tank is VERY healthy for male bettas and is actually better for them and not as stressful as most people belive. Just think is it better to sit on the couch feeling sorry for yourself when you're sick? Or go for a good jog and get everything moving again? It's the same for your betta. I like to keep photos of females or other males taped to the sides of my lonely male's tank - it keeps him entertained.

You are exactly right about him not being strong enough to fight the current yet due to living a still environment, and don't worry he will gain muscle strength once he gets used to it. However, you shouldn't be concentrating on creating a cyclone environment in your tank. Bettas don't live in rivers, they live in slow moving or even stagnent ponds and puddles (mostly rice patties actually ). So while you want to create enough of a current that your water is getting filtered a calmly moving stream is actually a more natural environment for you fishy.

You've done a great job seeding the tank (with your old sponge) and I wouldn't worry about the water conditions you're currenlty keeping. Veil-tale Bettas (your average store-bought variety) are fairly hardy and as long as you keep up with regular small water changes he should be just fine.

Becareful not to overmedicate your bettas because they can be sensative - I've had alot of good luck with melafix though.

Your betta will probably eat up those snails (don't count on him to control the population though) so they are a good thing. I would actually switch to frozen bloodworms instead of freeze dried they are less nutritous but are usually more readily excepted. LOTS of bettas end up grossly overweight and this is what kills alot of them so don't overdo it on dinner (and don't feed by instructions on the back of the package - they are all wrong!). Just fee enough to maintain a healthy body weight - you don't want your males looking pregnant!!

HTH

Nes.

[Sarah Bella]

78-82 is a bit warm for everyday, they are quite lethargic at those temps too.  i keep my bettas between 72-75,  i go up to 78-82 for medicating and breeding only.

Melafix is used to heal wounds after a battle of fin rot or fungus.  The most common issues with bettas are actually from poor water quality, not temps.   If you do not see any visible rot/fungus DO NOT continue using the melafix, but pick up another bottle for future use just in case. 

For ick and velvet Aquarisol works well with temps upped to 80ish. Quick cure also works well for ick but my preference is aquarisol and i use it at every water change as a preventative measure.

You do not need to cycle the water for betta,  you don't even need a filter for him in a 10g as long as you change the water frequently and suck the poo off the bottom daily.  If you go filter-free then i would suggest plants.   Hornwort is ideal as it floats and makes for a good hiding place.

Sounds like his tail is healing, injuries start healing clear then to white, then colour up when the healing is done.

I would turn the light on during the day, if he's flaring thats a really good sign, if he didn't flare i would worry.

Bloodworms (frozen of freeze dried)  should be given only as an occasional snack, or for conditioning,  not daily as a meal.  Tetra has Betta Min, a very good staple food for bettas, any brand of betta bites/bits are adequate for daily feeing as well.  Bettas will eat almost anything, even tropical flakes so if you have a stockpile of fish food already then you don't really need to get anything special for betta. 

[mdugly]

Guess time will tell.  I would rather not medicate if not necessary, so
will wait it out for a bit to see what happens. He does seem to be doing
better each day...

Time to do some reading -- don't know where I go the idea of flaring being stressful,
but likely NOT from a book 

Thanks!
-mike

[Sarah Bella]

constant flaring at other males can be very stressful for a fish, can cause "fin blowing" ...

but flaring at himself once in a while is a good sign and a very natural form of excersise.   "Flare training" ( exposing the male to a mirror or other male for 1/2 hour a day) is also an important tool in raising young males it improves caudal spread and aggression. 

a really good website is

www.bettas4all.nl

you will find everything you will ever need to know about betta there.  The articles section is phenomenal, everything from basic care to advanced genetics. 

I'm glad your fish is on the mend, they are pretty tough.

[nes]

International Betta Congress is the best place of all for info!

http://www.ibcbettas.org/

Nes.