Possible Fin Rot?

[neverknownxx]

Hello, I'm a newbie when it comes to Betta care and in need of some help. :/ I purchased a colored marble Betta named Pastel from Petco about three weeks ago. When I picked him up from the store he was in good health and made regular bubble nests, but about a week ago he stopped.

Then I noticed brown, I'm assuming, cottony growths on him and a black one underneath his one gill. After five days of treating him with Betta Fix his spots have improved but the black spot hasn't. And today I noticed the webbing in between his fins is almost completely gone.

What should I do to treat his condition? : / I've been doing daily PH tests, monitoring the ammonium level, and regular water changes. I just want Pastel to feel better... : (

[prodrumernate]

do u have any pictures?also fill this out so we can get more info and help..

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?

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

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)?

[shellieca]

Tank size & water change routine/size? Typically these types of problems are due to poor water quality but without more info. we can't say for certain.

[neverknownxx]

Housing
What size is your tank? 1.5 Gallon tank
What temperature is your tank? Temperature stays between 70-75 degrees.
Does your tank have a filter? I use a Tetra Whisper filter for 1-3 gallon tanks.
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? The filter came with an air pump.
Is your tank heated? No.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? My betta doesn't have any tank mates.

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Pellets & frozen peas.
How often do you feed your betta fish? I feed him 3 pellets once every other day and half a frozen pea once a week.


Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? I've been doing it every day as of late but for the first two weeks 3 times a week.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 25% for the first 2 changes and then a 100% the 3rd time.
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? I use a NutriFin Betta Plus water conditioner & I'll test the PH level. Depending on the PH level I'll use API's HP up or HP down corrector. I've also been using a couple drops of Tetra's Ammonia safe when the Ammonium level gets higher than 0.15 ppm.

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? I've only been testing the water for PH and Ammonium levels.

Ammonia: 0.00 - 0.15ppm
pH: 7.2

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Besides the brown spots no. Pastel is usually a range of blues and white. He has a peach colored head though.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Yes, he seems more restless.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? He stopped making bubble nests about eight days ago and I noticed the spots six days ago. The fin deterioration I noticed this morning.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? I've been treating his 1.5 gallon tank with 15 drops of the BettaFix for 5 days now and doing 25% water changes.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Not that I know of.
How old is your fish (approximately)? I can't say. I got him off the shelf at Petco.

Here's a link to a video of him - it shows more details than the photos.
http://youtu.be/o1DHbTgLD7w


Here are a couple of pictures...

[prodrumernate]

the temp might be too low.recommended is about 78..ive seen debate on peas being fed.but ive mostly seen it as a way to help with swim bladder and constipation.i personally dont do it unless i have too.

with a 1.5 gallon u can do 2 50% water changes and 1 100% water change weekly.or you could also do 100% about every other day.a what i do here as well.

ph is fine and ammonia of course in any amount other than 0 is bad but 0.15 isnt too bad.i wont say its in a safe range but is fine as long as the water changes are done.

with the restless activity it could be he hasnt adjusted to the environment yet.watching the video though,thats how mine are when im around them or even wave at them.which is normal..

bettas are usually about a year old when u get them from a pet store.

from the look in the vid and pictures i would say fin rot.though i dont see much black or dark grey around his fins.

do the fins seem to deteriorate?

[neverknownxx]

The webbing on his pectoral fins is completely gone. The other fins seem fine. The pictures aren't showing the brown patches that are beneath the pectoral fins though... I've been treating with Betta Fix but, I don't think it's been working. For a couple days it looked as if the patches were healing but, it definitely darkened between yesterday and today.

[prodrumernate]

id stop with the bettafix and just do the water changes,medication can actually cause problems.

rite now whats best is that his water temp is about 78.boht my 2 gallon and 10 gallon are set at 78..and that u change the water as needed.give it a couple days.at any second it worse reply again.

[shellieca]

Originally Posted by prodrumernate

id stop with the bettafix and just do the water changes,medication can actually cause problems.

rite now whats best is that his water temp is about 78.boht my 2 gallon and 10 gallon are set at 78..and that u change the water as needed.give it a couple days.at any second it worse reply again.

I completely agree. Warmer water and frequent water changes work best, IME. That small of a volume of water can be difficult to regulate if at all possible a 5g would be much better.

[prodrumernate]

i have a heater in my 2 gallon.its an auto thermostat type heater.set at 78..that would be the easiest way to regulate the temp.as well as setting aside a couple gallons of water at room temp since tap water is usually colder.i have 5 1 gallon jugs i fill with water and let sit.letting it sit for 24 hours also helps rid of chlorine etc in the water.if sitting for several days u dont really need to use water conditioner but is recommended.i do anyways most of the time especially if its not sitting more than 24 hours atleast.

but i agree a 5 gallon is a lot better.i plan on getting another 10 gallon to set up a divided tank for my 2 girls.since one is in a 2 gallon.

[Silverfang]

Originally Posted by neverknownxx

Depending on the PH level I'll use API's HP up or HP down corrector. I've also been using a couple drops of Tetra's Ammonia safe when the Ammonium level gets higher than 0.15 ppm.

This might be part of the problem. Unless your Ph is lower than 5 or above 9 you really shouldn't alter it. Bettas will adapt to Ph better than if you are constantly altering it. The Ph swings will do far more damage.

As well when you detect ammonia, you should do a WC, not add some chemical. Water changes (with at least one good gravel vacuuming a week), or lots of live stem plants are the only ways to get rid of ammonia.

All you need is a good dechlorinator.