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Need help quick! Please

1K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  bettaowner101 
#1 ·
I keep my male betta, Tuna, in a 2.5 gal tank, no live plants. I have a heater for it, but the light keeps it in the upper 70's on it's on. I have a thermometer to watch it with.

I installed a filter in has tank this evening, and that's when everything went downhill. It's a whisper model for tanks up to 3 gals. I put it in just like the instructions said. And I've been checking on it and him quite often since adding it; to make sure everything was ok.

Well I noticed his face starting to pale and just off in general, so I imediately removed him and put him in a cup with fresh water, with the water treatment drops. But he's getting worse, his whole body is pale, there's stress stripes, and his fins (mainly top) are turning white or losing color. I've had Tuna for a couple months now and he's been healthy from day one.


Is it possible that the filter is putting bad chemicals back into the water from the filter cartridge? Unfortunately I don't have any aquariam salt for him. Does anyone have any ideas on what's wrong with him?
 
#2 ·
I don't think the filter put bad chemicals in the tank, but the filter could have stressed him out.
Usually with new tanks and filter, you'll want to run it for at least 24 hours with out the fish in the tank.
Maybe run the filter for the full 24 hours, or if you are cycling, throughout the cycling process. Keep him in an adequately sized tank for him until it's finished running through it's course. For right now keep him warm (steady 78-80 degrees F would be best) and keep him covered to calm him down.
I hope that helps!
 
#4 ·
I didn't know the filter was suppose to run before adding the fish. There is hardley a current at all. That was the first thing I looked for after plugging it in. It barely moves the plants right under it.

I'm heading to petco in a little bit and will get a nice hospital tank and some salt for him. Do you think a little salt to the water will help in this case?

Thanks for the help everyone. I feel horrible about this, he was perfectly healthy untill I put in the filter. He's still looking bad this morning.
 
#5 ·
Aquarium salt always helps. It is an awesome preventative also. I think the filter stressed him out. It may just take him a few days to get used to it.
 
#6 ·
Stress is the enemy of bettas!

Zen, Angelic and Dr are all right!

Bettas, due to massive breeding for the last couple of hundred years, are much more susceptible to diseases.

And breeding for long beautiful fins has actually made a fish that can not fight water current as well as a naturally spawned betta.

I believe that you should do as was already recommended and use a filter that makes very little water flow.

Your little betta was scared by two things : 1) change in his environment, and 2) faster water flow.

Stress causes bettas immune systems to slow down, and the microscopic bacteria that is in your tank then attacks, and causes any number of diseases.

And YES, get some aquarium salt, NOT TABLE salt, and use a salt bath to treat your betta while you let the filter assimilate the tank water for at least 24 hours wth your betta out of the tank.
 
#7 ·
I just wanted to thank everyone for all the advice and tips. As I said I took him out of the main tank and put him into a smaller one with clean water and aquarium salt. It took a few days but he finally started to look better today. While he was in the hospital tank I did a 100% water change and cleaned everything really good. I let the filter run 24 hrs without him in it was still nice and clean this evening, so I put him back in and he's doing really good. I'm not sure what happened but i'm so happy that he pulled through. I'll be keeping the salt in his tank from now on as a preventative. There's barely a current at all from the filter which is great and its at about 78 degrees right now, he seems to be a happy camper with most of his color back.

Thanks again everyone for helping me save my fishey!!!
 
#11 ·
Thanks guys. He's back to normal now with a nice big bubble nest and zipping around.
 
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