Betta Dying?

[GraceStromer]

Hi everyone!! The reason I posted here is because I believe my Betta is dying.
I have a male Betta that I got a couple months ago. I have a 3 gallon tank with filter, heater, and air stone. For a couple weeks now he's been acting depressed, stays at the bottom of his tank, and it seems to me that his gills are a slight brown color. The rest of his body is a little faded, too. A while ago he started to get fin rot, so I treated him for that and it hasn't gotten any worse (but it hasn't gotten any better either). I change the water just as much as I should (in fact, did a %100 change yesterday) but that doesn't change his behavior at all. I'm afraid that he's going to die because he won't eat, not even the bloodworms that he used to love. Just this week it's taken a turn for the worse and he barely swims around at all. If you can help me at all it would be greatly appreciated!!!!!! If you have any questions I will do my best to answer.
Thank you all!
-Grace Elizabeth

[LebronTheBetta]

Please fill this out:
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233

[GraceStromer]

Housing
What size is your tank? 3 gallons
What temperature is your tank? 78 degrees
Does your tank have a filter? yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? yes
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? TetraMin flakes, bloodworms
How often do you feed your betta fish? every other day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Once a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 25-50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Water conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH: 7.5
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Brownish around the gills, fins torn
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Become lethargic and won't eat
When did you start noticing the symptoms? About a month ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Medicine for torn fins
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Not really
How old is your fish (approximately)? He was an adult when I got him 2 months ago.

[LebronTheBetta]

Seems like nitrite poisoning. It's also called brown blood disease. Symptoms are gasping for air, brown or tan gills, etc. I would stop that medication, and rid the water of it. I suggest to QT your Betta, and no more of that medication. Instead, treat with AQUARIUM SALT. 1 teaspoon per gallon. Do 100% changes daily, and that should help with his nitrite problem and fins.

[GraceStromer]

Thank you so much. What does "QT" mean? And we got some aquarium salt so that we can treat him, but it says to add a teaspoon for 10 gallons. How much should I put in to cure him? Thank you.

[LebronTheBetta]

No, it's actually 1 teaspoon per gallon. Not 10. QT means quarantine. Like a hospital tank that's around 1 gallon. It's easier for you and the Betta to breath.

[GraceStromer]

Ok. Thank you so much!!! This is the only tank I have, so he's in there right now but I've added the aquarium salt. How often should I put it in there? The bag says monthly but that doesn't seem like it's enough for him. He's really sick.

[LebronTheBetta]

You have to treat him with the salt for 10 days. You have to do daily 100% water changes, too. 10 days is the maximum for using AQ Salt.

[GraceStromer]

Thanks! How do I prevent this from happening again?

[LebronTheBetta]

Well, you could do more water changes. Your tank isn't fully cycled so you need to do 2 50% changes per week until it's cycled. Your welcome BTW.