One last try. Feel like giving up ;(

[sandrac8388]

Ok, I feel horrible and super frustrated. In all seriousness I’m losing sleep and not focusing on my work at school. I feel like I screwed up so much that there is no fixing my betta. He has a clamped tail, with maybe tail biting, and now some white thing on his forehead. I went from keeping him in a 1.5 gallon tank with no heater no filter nothing, to putting him in a 10 gallon heated now filtered tank with all this beautiful décor he loves swimming through. He made a bubble nest for the first time. I hope someone can help and clarify things once and for all and if not I’m just gonna have to make a trip to an aquatics specialist to fix all this crap bc I’m stressed about my one betta ( I have two but the other one is ok).
Problem: Last night I installed his filter in the 10 gal and put AQ salt in because I heard from another source its ok for every water change. Obviously it is not (heard from another source). So today I am going to do a 100% water change and pretty much start from scratch with both of my bettas. The filter has not been in for long. Installed it about 9pm central 9/20/12. So I don’t think any BB has built up. They both will have a 100% change on their 10 gallons. This is what I will be doing.
Cleaning and rinsing (rinsing lots of times) their tank along with marbles and décor. Will make sure everything is spotless
Setting up their tank with filter, heater. and thermometers, and water of course with prime conditioner.
Letting the tank settle for a few hours. And then letting their cups float for a few hrs too (no feeding tomorrow)
They will both have filters by aquaclear filter which I like bc currents are super slow and can be managed with the little flow handle. I heard the filters will eventually cycle on their own and so then I will only have to do 25% changes each week. I do have an API test kit that I use. Should I test the water after I finish the set up or one week after or when?
I will not be doing this if my clamped tail betta is in reality sick. if anyone tells me he is really sick and needs to be “hospitalized” I can and will do that. If so please let me know what I need so he can begin the process in my 1 gallon tank that I have.
Everything has been horrible for my maybe sick betta I just want him to relax and be stress free. He is however VERY VERY ACTIVE, which is weird. He has been since he got his new home. Even after I put him in the tank with the salt he was just still as active. I think he was playing with his filter a bit. I love how he is happy, he just doesn’t look like a healthy betta.
So there, I will be starting from scratch with the water change and tank set ups today 9/21/12. Hopefully I do this right and i can finally be a good betta mom to mufasa (clamped betta) and zorro (piebald marble face betta)
I’m sorry if I sound mean but Im just feeling hopeless and really do feel horrible, I don’t want mufasa to die. I feel like some help contradicts eachother and I’m running back and forth. I look at everyones bettas and they look so happy, then I see mine and he looks awful and I just want to be a good mom. Thank you very much to those that will reply. Here are a few pics of my babies. Mufasa is obviously the sick one. The white dot appeared last night 9/20/12. I'm staying up typing this..hopefully i can sleep tonight. I have a busy day dogs getting groomed..starting over with the bettas, and i need to get groomed too lol and clean my messy apt with filter instructions and heater instructions everywhere.


this little maybe sick betta is still very active and has a HUGE APPETITE^
This is Zorro with the mask..he is overall healthy i believe...unless anyone says otherwise


OH AND BOTH TANKS ARE HEATED. MUFASA- 80 F
ZORRO- 78-80 F

[Bettanewbie60]

This is only my advice/opinion...quit the AQ salt..let them settle into their new 10g tank. Do 50% water change twice a week, vac the bottom if necessary. You don't need to do 100% changes, or wash everything in the tank each time...just take out the larger caves and plastic plants and let them sit in the water that you took out of the tank while you refill. Check the temp of the new water, make sure it is conditioned...you can do all this with the fish in the tank, or take him out if you have to, but leaving him in and adding the water slowly will probably stress him less for now until he gets used to water change day, and being cupped.

[aokashi]

My advice....
relax XD and give the poor thing sometime :) he's probably just recovering.

[Bettanewbie60]

Originally Posted by aokashi

My advice....
relax XD and give the poor thin sometime :) he'a probably just recovering.

+1...exactly.

[sandrac8388]

thank you all for replying. I was told if i leave him in for more than 10 days with the AQ salt in his home he could have organ failure..that is why i wanted to do the water change and start over. I have had the little one for a while now, i just used to be a bad momma. he is used to me and will follow me. any other tips on anything else i can do?

my other betta doesn't have a filter yet. I will be getting one today. all his levels are 0. Can i just add the filter in? he could use some more water in his tank how do i do that? condition the water before hand or do i put the water in tank (he will be in the cup)and condition the entire tank?

[sarahspins]

Clamping is sometimes just stress, and a move to a new tank with change of scenery can definitely cause that.. if there are OTHER things along with it then I'd worry.

The white dot - does it look like any scales are missing on this head? I would suspect it's just an injury/scrape caused by an overly curious betta before an illness given his array of new decor. I would take anything out he could get stuck in or rub against for a while and see if it starts looking better.

[Bettanewbie60]

Originally Posted by sandrac8388

thank you all for replying. I was told if i leave him in for more than 10 days with the AQ salt in his home he could have organ failure..that is why i wanted to do the water change and start over. I have had the little one for a while now, i just used to be a bad momma. he is used to me and will follow me. any other tips on anything else i can do?

my other betta doesn't have a filter yet. I will be getting one today. all his levels are 0. Can i just add the filter in? he could use some more water in his tank how do i do that? condition the water before hand or do i put the water in tank (he will be in the cup)and condition the entire tank?

You can put the filter in, just rinse off the housing part without the filter media in it first to remove dust etc. from manufacturing. I premix my water in empty 1g jugs, and keep them ready at room temp for partial water changes (PWC)...if you already have conditioned water in the tank it may be harder to know how much conditioner to add. Hope this helps. Don't worry so much lol..you are doing great!

[ANHEL123]

Well if Mufasa has white dots and he didn't have them before i would not put him with another betta and i will recommend do not share anything between them in case he has something contagious. I don't know what is that white spot ? Is it something new? Is it fuzzy, cottony like? Sometimes white spot can be nothing or it can be starting of something. So i would wait and make sure white spot don't get bigger, fuzzy or spreads. And it always good be safe then sorry. If it something that is contagious then he can give it to your other fish.

Nothing wrong with 100% water changes especially if fish is sick.
I just was posting link in aokashi threas and i will post for you guys what can you treat bettas with daily 100% water changes. Not sure if everyone saw those links

see page 1; page 43 #422 and see page 42 and page 52 Amazing right!
www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=10815

another link which is amazing:
www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=113927

And i do for all my tanks 2.5 and 5 gall 50% and 100% a week . Don't have problems with my old bettas ever.

[ANHEL123]

About aquarium salt . With my first betta i was confused, because people give you different opinion. I used aq salt for my first betta on regular basis. Then i found out that you really don't need to do it. It doesn't prevent disease or parasites and long term use can cause resistant pathogens/parasites issues and kidney damage...and long term non-therapeutic dosage can limit it ability to work for treatment when needed..fresh,clean,like temp dachlorinated water is the best prevention method.
So i never used it with my other bettas. I have 10 of them for long time now.

[sandrac8388]

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE REPLIES. I decided to do a full water change to get rid of the salt and because the water was looking pretty foggy after i added the salt.

but i spoke too soon about my other betta...i came home to this...his top fin looks like it was cut into...too clean to be biting no? PLEASE HELP ME!!! this doesn't help the worrying.. :((((