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Sick Betta - Sudden

1K views 26 replies 5 participants last post by  lelei 
#1 ·
Tank Specs:
10 Gallon
Heated
Live Plants
Cycled
Ammonia .25


A few days ago I noticed white pimples (raised) on one of my neon tetras. He acted fine and was eating. The pimples then disappeared and reappeared on different areas of the tetra.

A day later my betta would not move at all and laid on the ground, coming up occasionally for air. Now, he lays right at the surface and does not move or eat. I noticed very tiny white worms crawling over him.

I am currently treating him with Super Ick Cure to see if that helps.

If anyone has any other suggestions, please let me know, thank you.
 
#6 ·
If the worms are on the outside would aquarium salt not be better? I know epsom works well for internal parasites but it sounds like they're outside - unless they are coming from the fish's bottom in which case epsom is definately the way to go.

Have you seen the fish use the toilet, Ginzuishou? If it is white and stringy then it is definately an internal parasite problem and epsom salt is your best bet! I hope he makes a full recovery!
 
#9 ·
I read if they are out on the fish, they usually come out from inside..uggh
Ahh. I'm not very well versed on fish diseases so I thank you for the information.

I haven't noticed any white and stringy feces. I did put salt into the tank, but noticed no change in 24 hours. I did a water change and then added the ICK treatment. I could finish the ick treatment and then move on to parasite treatment.
Is your betta currently in a hospital tank? I know Lelei mentioned this. If at all possible a 1 or 2 gallon container would be ideal for monitoring him, keep it bare bottom and feel free to add a few small plants so he doesn't feel too exposed. It'll also be easier to treat, though it'll require daily 100% water changes.

Ick in itself I believe is a parasite, so it may be worth using the parasite treatment instead. I don't know how safe it is to move straight from one medication to another -- I'm hoping someone with more experience than myself can help you with that.
 
#10 ·
Did you notice a little white spot on the fish, or just the worms themselves, Ich usually starts with the "White spots" first, then use Ich treatment, but if worms are already appearing, it could be internal parasites, I would still use Epsom for the first 3days, and not use the Ick treatment for now..
 
#21 ·
I noticed two white pimples on neon first and then a couple of days later my betta became ill. Upon close inspection, there appeared to be the tiniest little white worms crawling on my betta. That's when I dumped in the Super ick cure treatment. So far so good............
 
#11 ·
-- or it's harmless planaria.

My plakat gets them on him when he's been hunting through the weeds in his tank. They drop off after a while, disappear.. they eat fish poo and junk at the bottom of the tank and usually aren't seen at all unless there's too much food/waste lying around and a population explosion happens, or there's a major change in the water that drives them out of the substrate. If you've recently medicated your tank, that'd do it.

Could be gill parasites, but if it was that he'd have been sick as a dog long prior to being exposed to ich medication if he's this sick and there's enough flukes, and big enough ones, to be seen crawling all over him..

Did you medicate the tetra? If so, did you do so in the tank (I'm assuming the betta is in the same tank)?..

If it was in the tank, was the betta sick like this -before- the medication? Or did you not medicate the tetra and then the betta got sick, and then you added ich cure?

These details could help figure out what's wrong with him. Please don't panic-medicate, as too much/unecessary/wrong medications can actually cause your fish to become sick...
 
#22 ·
I treated all fish with the following and never secluded any fish:

The very first thing I did was add aquarium salt to treatment levels. After I felt that had no effect, I did two days of Pimafix. Worrying that it might be ick, I did a large water change and then added Ick treatment to the entire tank.
 
#12 ·
This is a description of how Ich presents itself:

The adult parasite burrows into the skin of its victim, feeding on blood and dead epithelial cells. The irritation caused by the burrowing parasite causes the skin of the fish to swell and produce white cysts seen as a small spots.

The fish feels as if it's been bitten by a mosquito. It's not unusual to see infected fish scratching against rocks and gravel in an effort to get relief.
After several days of feasting, the engorged parasite develops into a trophozoite, burrows out of the fish and sinks bottom of the tank. Secreting a soft jellylike substance, it forms a protective membrane inside of which it divides into hundreds of baby parasites, known as tomites. The hungry tomites soon leave their home in search of a fresh fish to dine upon.
It is during the free-swimming stage, which lasts a mere three days, that the parasite is vulnerable to medication. Once it has burrowed into a new host fish it is safely protected from chemicals in the water.
 
#14 ·
^ Very good info.

But the part of the ich life cycle visible to the naked eye doesn't look like "worms" at all. (Not to say he doesn't have ich - in fact, I'm betting on it..)

It's just that there's no 'worms' I've found that would be crawling on the fish's skin.. whereas I've seen planaria do just that to my plakat, pretty regularly with no harm done.

I'm attempting to help the fish avoid the stress of extra medications if they aren't needed... so some more info on these 'worms' would be great.
 
#15 ·
^ Very good info.

But the part of the ich life cycle visible to the naked eye doesn't look like "worms" at all. (Not to say he doesn't have ich - in fact, I'm betting on it..)

It's just that there's no 'worms' I've found that would be crawling on the fish's skin.. whereas I've seen planaria do just that to my plakat, pretty regularly with no harm done.

I'm attempting to help the fish avoid the stress of extra medications if they aren't needed... so some more info on these 'worms' would be great.

Yea, that's why I had to look it up for myself, It got me confused, I know it's a parasite, but I wasn't sure if for the ick, the treatment would be Aquarium, or Epsom, thinking if it's internal, but started as ick..and wanted to reccomend the right way to treat..so it sounded like they already are burrowing out.. Aus..what is Planaria?:|
 
#17 ·
Planaria is a worm like creature who is present in the tank when ever there is fish poo or fish food. They're harmless, but annoying. The best way to get rid of them are more water changes. They're usually microscopic and are hard to see. They are usually found on the sides of the tank.
 
#18 ·
Detritus worms (commonly confused for planaria) are a substrate dweller that look like thin, short hairs and can be found crawling up the sides of an aquarium or swimming through the water column in graceful S movements. They will have a population explosion if there is excess food or debris (whether fecal matter or decaying plant matter) and will go away with time and regular water changes.

Planaria are a species of flatworm and usually have an arrow shaped head, they often hitch-hike in on plants. Planaria are sometimes confused with tiny freshwater leeches... which they are not.

Both are harmless with the exception of large planaria (these can take out fry).

http://www3.sympatico.ca/drosera1/fish/worms.htm is a fantastic page to look at for worm IDs.
 
#20 ·
Hi, everyone. I am the original poster.

After two days of the Super Ick Cure treatment, my betta has started to recover. He has gotten his color back and is eating, which is a huge step from before.

He still hovers near the top via the Betta Log, but I think everything is going to be okay.

I have 2 more days of treatment and will let everyone know how it goes.

Thanks so much for the help and support!
 
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