hi everyone, i'm fairly new to this and i was wondering what are some things that can happen to a betta when they're exposed to high levels of ammonia? well, besides fin rot.
Well, general distress up to death. How much ammonia? The fin rot is not "from" ammonia, it is from the ammonia causing loss of the fishes immunity to bacteria and sickness.
The most notable thing is damage to the gills which can be permanent. They will start to look purple and may even bleed. The fish can also develop red streaks on the body and fins as a result of internal hemorrhaging. High levels of ammonia make the fish work harder to maintain an equilibrium which leaves them less energy to fight off infections. This is what causes the fin rot and other infections commonly associated with high ammonia.
If you cycle a tank and do proper water changes on a non-cycled tank you will have no problems with this.
High level of ammonia in water is poisonous and it can kill your betta..it can be prevented by frequent water changes that can lowering the ammonia level..
Ammonia poisoning can happen suddenly, or over a period of days. Initially the fish may be seen gasping at the surface for air. The gills will begin to turn red or lilac in color, and may appear to be bleeding. The fish will being to lose its appetite and become increasingly lethargic. In some cases fish may be observed laying at the bottom of the tank with clamped fins.
As the damage from the ammonia poisoning continues, the tissues will be damaged as evidenced by red streaks or bloody patches that appear on the body and fins. Internal damage is occurring to the brain, organs, and central nervous system. The fish begins to hemorrhage internally and externally, and eventually dies.
Will my Betta recover from ammonia poisoning? I've been changing the water every few days, but he seems to be getting worse. What is the most humane way to kill him? I don't want him to suffer.
Fitzohana, let's back up- What are your fish's symptoms? Do you have a way to check ammonia levels? Perhaps someone on this forum can help your fish before you consider euthanizing- Can you fill out the following information?
Housing
What size is your tank?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have a filter?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated?
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?
Housing
What size is your tank? 2.5gal
What temperature is your tank? 80ish
Does your tank have a filter? yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated? yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? omega one betta buffet pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? 3-5 pellets once a day, with one day fasting
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? when the ammonia level reaches 1-2 ppm, which is usually 1 1/2-2 weeks
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? tetra betta safe water conditioner
but yeah, around 1-2 ppm of ammonia. my female betta is great, always energetic when she sees me. so far i've had no problems with her and i've had her since march 1st. btw can anyone help me identify what kind of betta she is?
Has good information about water quality. It recommends this water change schedule for a 2 gallon (you always round down the number of gallons to be on the safe side.): 2 gallon – 50% 2-3 times a week and one 100% once a week.
So, if you are only changing the water once every 2 weeks, that is far too little.
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I also will recommend Prime as a great water conditioner/dechlorinator. It can help to neutralize >some< ammonia. But do not think you can just dump this in and not do water changes!! You still need to keep up with the water changes. This just helps keep the water better for your fish.
If you cycle your tank, then the water change schedule is less and easier on you. Also it keeps the water better for your fish!
Typically tanks smaller than 5 gallons will NOT hold a steady cycle. That is why I said if you ever do get a 5 gallon or larger tank -then- you could cycle it.
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I wish you and your fish the best. I am only trying to help and educate you on how to better care for your fish friend! No one starts out an expert! Heck, I still learn things here all the time. <3
I agree. 1-2 ppm of ammonia is deadly and would kill some more sensitive fish. Ammonia should always be at 0 ppm. On that size tank you should be doing water changes twice a week as perscribed by wystearya. No tank (aside from the special cases with a nod to OFL) should ever have its water changed that infrequently.
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