Getting Worse, Disease? Sick? Just Stressed?

[lovebugsmom]

Hi, we (my son & I) could use some help! We brought "TeknoBlu" home from Petco 2.5 wks ago....We were only supposed to look, cuz I wanted to do some research b/4 we brought him home! I caved I'd purchased a rectangular 1 gal tank several months ago, knowing he wanted to get a fish & understanding from the private pet shop that it was more than sufficient room for a goldfish or betta. Hind-sight is a great teacher! Since then I've been trying to learn as much as I can & keep an eye on him for signs of disease, infection, changes, growth, etc., & also while I've been trying to learn how to use this site! So thankful for it!

TeknoBlu is an iridescent blue veiltail; his body is about 1.25 inches long & is very dark, almost black unless u shine a light on him. His fins are turquoise with red. His dorsal fin is curled at the end (doesn't open up, came home that way). His pelvic/ventral fins were/are tattered/torn looking half way down; with the edges curling & darker in color, red/brown from the rest that hangs, which were white but seem to be changing to blue in some areas.

He looked ok to us (not knowing any better) & got much more active a day or so after moving into his new home...1 gal w/hammock leaf, multi colored glass & polished stones. Originally had a small bushy silk plant in there, but he seemed uninterested in it & reduced his swimming space. Added a thermometer a week later....He built a bubble nest a couple days into his new home and has each time we've changed his water. He hates the process but seems to like the clean water once in there. Are frequent bubble nests a good thing?

His caudal/tail fin looked edgy but we didn't think discolored. It's the turquoise blue but with red. We kept watching him not really sure if he was healthy or not. I was reading about different diseases & thinking maybe we should treat him for "general" issues but wasn't sure. I couldn't figure out how to post on the site at first & then 4 days ago (5 now) we noticed a split in his tail fin, half way up to his body; was fairly certain it wasn't there b4. Still couldn't figure out how to post but decided to start treating him with AQ salt. He perked up right away & his color looked brighter overall; even half way up his body, you could see his iridescence ...I read about that "unnamed disease" & thought he might have that, but he's still with us! He built another bubble nest so I thought it was a good decision.

More reading & 3 days ago, noticed when shining a light on him, little silver looking spots on his gills & here & there on his body; as well as, whitish looking spots on the top (near his head) of his eyes. 2 days ago (friday pm) noticed a slight bulge on each side of his body near his tail. Then yesterday afternoon, finishing water change that my son started I'm sure TeknoBlu got really stressed out...(put him in way to small a container for way too long while waiting for me to help him my fault, should've been there from the beginning)...I noticed the fin rot. His tail fin, near the split that we thought was getting better, definite black edges & pin holes. We lowered his water level & this time didn't put any gravel down, only so we could see if he poops or not...not sure how to tell? He was active last night & first thing this am but is just hanging out more on the bottom of his tank. He usually hangs out on the hammock or near the temp gauge.

I got on the computer & kept ready until I figured out how to post a question. Got it all typed up only to find I was no longer signed on . My son got it started again today & I'm providing the details. We took pictures & will try to post after we get this up. More detail below.

Thank you! Any input will be appreciated.
Housing
What size is your tank? 1 gal.
What temperature is your tank? 72-74*F
Does your tank have a filter? no
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated? no but will get one
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Tetra O BettaMin Tropical medlely--combo of red flakes & freeze dried brine shrimp (Petco)
How often do you feed your betta fish? 1-2 times a day My son has been giving him the shrimp in the morning & I usually give him a few flakes in the pm
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? every 3 days at first & now every day for last 4 days
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50% day 3; 100% day 6 & 100% everyday the last 4 days
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Betta bowl plus by Aqueon (Petco) says: "Water conditioner / dechlorinator PLUS trace elements specifically formulated for bettas" 1 tsp per gal since day 1; & 4 days 1 tsp of AQ salt; 2 days 1.5 tsp of AQ salt
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? no If so, what are the following parameters?

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Today his tail is really tattered & chunks missing; spike-y looking
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Seems kinda down, lower energy
When did you start noticing the symptoms? sense we brought him home: ventral fin torn up, dorsal fin curved/clamped?, tail fin ragged looking. 5 days ago: split in tail fin; 3 days ago silver spots on gills, whitish spots eyes; 2 days ago: bulge on each side near tail; 1 day ago: black on ends of tail fin & pin holes edged in black; today: more of tail fin gone & spike-y looking;
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? yes with salt; 4 days ago w/1 tsp Aq salt per gal, 2 days ago 1.5 tsp per gal
Does your fish have any history of being ill? not that we know of; may have come home sick, but definitely worse since yesterday. Afraid we stressed him out but not sure if he needs meds or not??
How old is your fish (approximately)? idk we just got him 2 weeks ago from petco.

[lovebugsmom]

I'm attempting to upload pictures of TeknoBlu taken on 9/7 & 9/8. Hope this works & helps you to help me to help him. We're very attached already! He seems to like to have us around & see what's going on. His appetite is good. He eats everything put in front of him. Earlier there were 2 white stringy, zig zaggy, very loosely wound formations in his tank. Poop? Now I can only find one. Yesterday, we didn't put his rocks/gravel back in so we might be able to tell if he is pooping. I'd like to be able to put him back in the full gal tank, cuz it's not really that much room for him anyway.

[lvandert]

I would double check your aq salt box and re-read the directions for dosing. My box says 1/2 tsp per gallon for repairing fins. If yours says other wise then never mind this.
At this point I would recommend a cure all. Something that covers fin rot is crucial. I believe API and Tetra both have very good cures for this.

edit: just saw the pics. His dorsal fin is just curling from hard water, its not deadly or even harmful. The tail on the other hand is fin rot. Just get a medicated cure for that and you'll be ok :)

[lovebugsmom]

Thank you so much! My mom is going to do what you suggest.

P.S. Your rabbit is very cute :)

[lvandert]

If you want his fins to uncurl I recommend Indian Almond Leaves; they help lower the hardness of the water. Their relatively cheap and Amy's leaves on Ebay is by far the best I've come across (you don't need the best grade, D will be fine). They'll tint the water a brown color which will help promote healing and over all good health. Natural drift wood will slowly lower the hardness as well.

The bunny thanks you for the compliment :P

[Tikibirds]

From the pic, it kinda looks like he was nibbling on his tail and it got infected with fin rot. I got some chronic bitters. As soon as the fins are almost back to normal, they are gone again

The curl on the top fin is harmless.

As for poop, it should look like tiny little brown cinnamon buns. If its white and stringy - he may have parasites.

For aquarium salt-I go with the guidelines from this site, which is 1 teaspoon per gallon. I think the API box says 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons or something like that. Different species have different salt tolerances, which I think is why API says 1 teaspoon per gallon. I only have bettas so I go with what some of the mods on here say. If you want to use less salt - that fine too but I wouldn't use more. Stress coat and/or Krodon's fish protector will help with the fin regrowth.

EDIT:
Amy's leaves are great. Even if you get her cheaper C grade, they are still pretty big sized leaves - they may have some rips or tears but that does not affect their quality. Sometimes she has the "irregulars" with free shipping. I usually get 2 orders of those. ALso, if you use a large peice of leaf, once it starts to get water logged, bettas love to swim and rest on top of it or under it.

I think the darker red/brown color you see in him is just that - his coloring. I think the brownish color in those 2 long dangly fins near his head is called mustard gas?

[lovebugsmom]

Ivandert & Tikibirds Thank u both for responding! Found Amy's site & have IAL on order.

Unfortunately he's not lookinggood, his color is off, fins are clamped n raggy, he darts around now & then but is as lethargic as he's ever been, started swimming funny n hung out at the bottom. The whitish spot on his gill has continued to grow all underneath & he just looks haggered; fin rot is getting better (maybe) but I cant figure out what's wrong & the best course of action. He could have any # of things based on DarkMoon17's Disease & Treatment part I & II, popeye (we thought they both looked swoellen), dropsy (could be pinconning; we dont know what he's "supposed to look like), ex or internal parasites (white stringy poop), inflamed gills (one pic shows all red), columnaris or even velvet (pics). Swim Bladder, read to much food! Can they have all this stuff at one time?

The 100% water changes really stress him out n he seems to be much worse the following day; b4 he built bubble nests after every full water change. Last couple of days I've done 3/4% change. I bought a 10watt heater (only one said safe for 5 gal n under) It kept his tank at 84* but he seemed to get worse in appearance (white/grayish patches on n near his gills much more pronounced n spread.) Can he have all these things at one time?
Didn't affect his energy level to much but it was still declining. His appetite is still good, except yesterday. Earlier tonight he looked n acted like he wasn't feeling well but perked up after I gave him dried brine shrimp pieces. Thought blood worms were good for them so he's been getting dried ones the last few days, mixing it up between the flakes, shrimp & blood worms...read something tonight said no nutrientional value to worms (?).

He had close to 10 days of Aq salt treatment & wasnt getting better. I bought Maracyn II, Stress Coat & Epson Salt. 1st double dose of Maracyn II last night along with ES 1.5 tsp for the gal. Haven't used Stress coat, need conversion of 10 gal to 1 & way to measure it. Still using Aqueon conditioner/dechlorinator with minerals.

Going to change water n redose Maracyn II with ES. Please let us know what u think. Should I be doing something different?

[lvandert]

The stress coat you could use at a 1ml to 1 gallon (for healing). His fin rot does look to be clearing up a bit and the maracyn will help with that even more. I would give him a few days of this treatment and see if he perks up.

[lovebugsmom]

Thank U! I should use the Stress Coat+ or the Betta Bowl Plus, not both right? Do u think I should use the heater anyway? His tank stays @72-74* w/out it. The heater brought it to @84*. I saw where higher temp is better for somethings & lower temp for others?? Also read last night someone said Maracyn could lead to internal damage. Is there something else I should be using instead?

[lvandert]

yeah either or. I would go wit the stress coat myself. I would keep his temp around 78-82 if you can. Maracyn can cause damage if dosed for more than your supposed to. The box should say how long you can go for. Just like any other medication when used improperly can cause issues.