What about your cycle when you single betta gets sick?

[Oldfishlady]

Your water change bucket will work, however, part of treatment is observation and if the bucket is solid in color-that might make observation hard.

Any container will work-I like to use small bare clear containers that can fit in another tank so I can maintain heat-I attach it to the side of my heated tank with duct tape and will either use the lid it came with or plastic veggie wrap to retain heat/humidity over the water.

Personally, I don't worry about any soap residue-but if you worry-just give the container a rinse in vinegar to cut the soap residue-then a good clean water rinse after that.

[finnfinnfriend]

So what about while I'm changing the water? Will I have to do 100% daily changes or are two spread out 50% okay so I don't have to cup him or acclimate him?

[Oldfishlady]

In the display tank-not treatment or QT tank-If you have a filter or active growing live plants in under 5gal-twice weekly 50%-unless you have lots of stem plants-then 50% weekly.

I wouldn't do 100% daily-except when treating external parasite while in a QT. IMO/E you don't want or need to make daily 100% for most treatments-due to stress.

[finnfinnfriend]

Originally Posted by Oldfishlady

If you have a filter or active growing live plants in under 5gal-twice weekly 50%-unless you have lots of stem plants-then 50% weekly.

Oh I'm sorry I meant in the QT during treatment :)

[finnfinnfriend]

What would you suggest for most treatments then? Daily 50%? Are external parasites a common ailment?

[Oldfishlady]

Depending on what you are treating-but-generally 50% daily is all that is needed.
This is why I recommend premixing the treatment water-This way you can make 50% and provide the therapeutic dosage when using a natural treatment.

External parasites-Ich, velvet, flukes...etc....

[finnfinnfriend]

Would two 50% daily changes suffice for external parasites?

[Oldfishlady]

With external parasites-I like to do the 2 cup treatment and swap them out daily with 100% new treatment water (if I use any) or fresh dechlorinated water. This way one cup can dry out so the parasites will die between changes.
Part of the natural treatment I use with external parasites-is to manually remove them from the water as they fall off and why I like the 2 cup method.

IMO/E- less is best-If I don't have to use any salt or higher temps-I don't-this way I can keep the stress down. Stress is a big factor that can compromise the immune response and I weigh the "pros/cons" The 100% can be stressful too-but the faster I can rid the parasite the less I will need to do-Most of the external parasites that are common- have to be killed after they fall off the fish-otherwise we end up killing the fish.

While salt can kill some parasites that are not salt tolerant/resistant-The main reason you would use salt is for secondary infection due to the wounds left by the parasite when it falls/detaches from the fish. Fresh dechlorinated water will also help prevent this.

Higher temps-over 86F can speed the life cycle of some parasites, however, the higher temp can also be stressful on the Betta. I generally will raise the temp to about 80-82 since this is that happy medium to speed the life cycle-but not high enough to stop reproduction of some external parasites-like with Ich.

It all depends on the Betta overall condition to start with, their tolerance, how bad the infestation and what I am treating.

[finnfinnfriend]

Okay thank you.