White spot treatment?

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Oooh I saw the most gorgeous betta yesterday; he was that lovely blue colour, his bottom fin was blue and red with iridescent blue, his tail was blue with iridescent green. I’d have bought him there and then…however he had white spot.

So my question is how easy is white spot to treat on a betta? I’ve never ever had it in a tank before, he only seemed to have about 4-5 spots so he wasn’t covered but I’ve not had experience of dealing with it before.

Also does that mean that if I did get him that the white spot spores or whatever would be "in" the tank forever or would they be killed by medication/proper treatment?

[Mister Sparkle]

Don't buy a fish that shows ich at the store. And don't buy anything else from that store, either. It's a pretty good indication of the kind of care they provide.

[tahbi]

My fish just recently got the Ich disease, but I think it's gone now. It was my first time getting that disease but my fish basically cured themselves I think.

So for me, the disease was really easy to get rid of. But another member here, Zoragen, is battling a bad case of it. I think the disease varies with the conditions they're in and maybe even the fish.

Anyway, my 1 betta, 6 neons, and 1 CAE all got it. They're in a 10 gallon tank that stayed heated to 80 degrees, sometimes +1/-1 degree. I heard that Ich doesn't do well in warm temps, so that probably helped a lot I'm guessing.

If you buy the betta, how many gallons is the tank/bowl you're putting him in? Do you have a heater and thermometer for it? And if you really want him make sure you have aquarium salt or some kind of other medicine. I had to used Betta Revive (way expensive for only about 60 drops) for my fish since the pet store didn't have salt.

About the spores surviving. I'm not really sure. I'm guessing that if the disease doesn't show itself on the fish anymore it's probably dead. I was reading around and saw that it's good to continue treatment for at least 10 more days (7 days minimum) even if your fish doesn't have the disease anymore because it could still be floating around in the water trying to build back up.

I'm not all that experienced, but I hope I helped some! :)

[tahbi]

Here's my thread when my fish had the Ick on them: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=40867

There's also a picture in there of my betta with the dots on him.

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Thank you tahbi - I found your post useful.

However I think I agree with Mister Sparkle about not buying him. It's just too much for a "new" fish I think. If he is still there in a few weeks then I might get him.

Thank you

[tahbi]

No problem!

Personally, I'd buy a fish I really liked even if it had a disease (unless the disease couldn't be treated like dropsy). If it ended up dying or not recovering, at least you know you gave it the care and attention someone else may not have. :P

[Mister Sparkle]

Yes, but the argument can be made that you would only be encouraging substandard care on the part of the seller. No?

[zoragen]

Not supporting the store is important. It's hard tho if you think you can save him!

But you never know.

As tahbi said I'm still fighting ICH. I think my problem is that it started right before I went on vacation so I didn't catch it early.

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Originally Posted by tahbi

No problem!

Personally, I'd buy a fish I really liked even if it had a disease (unless the disease couldn't be treated like dropsy). If it ended up dying or not recovering, at least you know you gave it the care and attention someone else may not have. :P

I do really like him; but then I've got all the expense of treating him :(

Originally Posted by Mister Sparkle

Yes, but the argument can be made that you would only be encouraging substandard care on the part of the seller. No?

I agree; which is one of the reasons I decided against buying him :(

Originally Posted by zoragen

As tahbi said I'm still fighting ICH. I think my problem is that it started right before I went on vacation so I didn't catch it early.

How long have you had it?

[zoragen]

I started treatment March 28 right when I got back from vacation.

This morning he tried to eat but just couldn't manage it.

So tonight I may have to make a decision