Betta not eating.

[Perseusmom]

Is your tank cycled ? If not that will not be enough water changes. You need to do two 50 percent water changes per week and if you dont have a gravel vacuum you should get one, they dont cost much I think I paid like 6 dollars for mine and they are so worth every penny, one of the weekly water changes you should use the gravel vac to clean the gravel.

As for his fins I will let Teeney help you with that since she has the picture...Good luck be sure and ask more questions of you need to.

[teeneythebetta]

Okay I got the picture this time! I figured I'd post it for others to see.
That is defenitely fin rot. :( Poor baby. Heres the treatment advice for fin rot from the illness sticky:

--Treatment: Conservative: Treat with Aquarium Salt at 1 tsp/gal. Increase water changes to 100% daily. Replace accurate amount of salt following water changes. Add Stress Coat to help repair tissue. If there is little to no improvement within the first 5 days, you can increase the salt dosage gradually to 2tsp/gal but do not continue any salt treatments past 10 days.
--Medication: If Conservative treatment is ineffective use API Tetracycline, API Fungus Cure, API Triple Sulfa, OR API Erythromycin. Also add Stress Coat to help regrowth. Continue until fins/tail stop receding and start showing some new growth.

The most important thing is to have SUPER clean water. Fin rot is caused by poor water quality so defenitely keep his water very very clean.

[tn102]

Should I get a small tank to keep him in? I read conservative somewhere online, and they said use a small tank because it lets it treat better.

Also is that what I should do is the conservative? That pic is from when I first put him into the tank, so he is looking a bit worse.

[teeneythebetta]

Originally Posted by tn102

Should I get a small tank to keep him in? I read conservative somewhere online, and they said use a small tank because it lets it treat better.

Also is that what I should do is the conservative? That pic is from when I first put him into the tank, so he is looking a bit worse.

A small tank would be nice, as long as you can find a way to heat it. The reason small "hospital" tanks are preferred is because it is a lot easier to do daily water changes on small tanks than say, your 5 gallon tank, especially involving 100% changes.
How many watts is the heater you have?

I would just go with the treatment I listed above. His fin rot isnt as bad as some really awful cases others have dealt with- there are some bettas that have almost no fins left it gets that bad.

[tn102]

The heater is 50 or 55 I do belive. Made for 5-15 gallons, it's the only one that is carried at walmart. Could I try floating a smaller tank in the big one until he is ready to go back in, where then I would change that tanks water as well?

And how do I do a 100% change exactly? As in where do I put him since there is no water?

[teeneythebetta]

Originally Posted by tn102

The heater is 50 or 55 I do belive. Made for 5-15 gallons, it's the only one that is carried at walmart. Could I try floating a smaller tank in the big one until he is ready to go back in, where then I would change that tanks water as well?

And how do I do a 100% change exactly? As in where do I put him since there is no water?

I have used a 50 watt heater in a 2.5 gallon quarantine tank. But I only reccomend doing that if your heater is adjustable and has a thermostat.

Yes you could float a container in there.
I would probably have two containers- one for him to be in, then when you a do a 100% water change, just put the new water in the second container and use a net to put him in the second cup. Then all you need to do is change the cup's water.

Make sure your container will float and leave air holes and breathing room in the cup for him.

[tn102]

No adjustment, but it has a preset of 78 +/- 2 degrees. Actually says its a 2-15 gallon.

I just got out of work. Bought Jungle aquarium salt. I alsoi got a .7 gallon tank to quarentine him in, but will only fill it with .5 gallons to keep math simple.

Glad I didn't just throw him in tap water like the lady at the petstore said. Also decided finally on a name too. Viktor will be his name. He is such a trooper too. I'll get am updated pic up shortly.

[tn102]

Here is an updated photo, just taken a few minutes ago. Now that I am home I am reading some posts that my phone missed. This is the best picture I can take.

I don't know how to cycle the tank. I would like to, but as of right now it isn't a high priority. Right now I have a filter that is meant for a 1-3 gallon tank, but should have a Tetra Whisper In-Tank Power Filter PF-10i (Up to 10 Gallons) Monday, along with a proper hood for the tank, not a folding plastic/glass thing and a small LED light from his small tank.

He seems happy to see me, as he was swimming about when he saw me. When I walk away from the tank he doesn't swim so much. Poor guy, I wish I could have started his new life here better.

EDIT: also I need to clean the outside of the tank from all the fingerprints from handling it. would Windex be OK since it is the outside?

[TheCheese909]

I wouldn't use windex.. Not anywhere near a fish tank.

You can use a water/vinegar solution though. Sometimes just taking a paper towel can clean off the outside.

If you want an actual product to use then you can buy API Safe & Easy spray, Petco & PetSmart both have it, I love the stuff and use it all the time when cleaning the tanks both inside and out.

[teeneythebetta]

Okay c:
You can use water vinegar like said above, or you can spray the windex on to the paper towel and then wipe the glass.