Am I paranoid??????

[sandrac8388]

Hey guys,

I got this little guy Wed night from my LFS. He seemed just fine besides being clamped in way too cold of water. He was beautiful so I decided to grab him! I figured all he needed was warm clean water and some food and TLC. Now, I know it takes time for a betta to come out of their shell after being "home" but something just seems a little off about him now. I have a feeling he may be sick or something just isn't right. Idk what it is I just have a "feeling" he is very lethargic, has not eaten, his poop seems grey/greenish. Today was the only time he has poop a little ity bitty string. His scales seem off and his head just seems flakey to me! I swear maybe I'm just over thinking it. Maybe someone can help me out and calm my nerves? I figured by now he would have opened up and eated some pellets or frozen shrimp.

He is in a 5 gallon QT tank with a heater at 80F. I have not changed his water yet until today because I didn't want to stress him out too much. He just floats on top or floats on top of some plants.

He has no name yet. I don't want to get too attached just in case

[whatsupyall]

Wow, this issue is so common on this forum lol. Same recommendation as I have given to others: Increase temperature, add salt, add indian almond leaf, and change water 50% daily or bi-daily. You should see a gradual change. Just make sure you've condition the water that is being added and be sure it's the same temperature. You want something around 83-ish degree F. Indian almond leaf is definitely worth the investment to keep your fish healthy and active for years to come, so if you don't have some on hand, I suggest ordering some online. I get mine from Amy on Ebay. It tans the water a bit, but I think it looks cool still. Usually if those steps do not work and you see no progress after a week, your betta might be on his way to mosquito larvae world. Good luck and keep us posted.

[MissLyss1024]

He is beautiful! He looks healthy other than the clamped fins. I would keep things nice and warm and quiet for him and definitely add salt. Keep the water pristine too! I've had so many issues with pet shop fish I've sworn from now on when I bring one home it's going straight into salt treatment in qt. I'm pretty sure the "flaking" on his head is just his coloration, in fact both my boys have that. Good luck!!

[whatsupyall]

Originally Posted by MissLyss1024

He is beautiful! He looks healthy other than the clamped fins. I would keep things nice and warm and quiet for him and definitely add salt. Keep the water pristine too! I've had so many issues with pet shop fish I've sworn from now on when I bring one home it's going straight into salt treatment in qt. I'm pretty sure the "flaking" on his head is just his coloration, in fact both my boys have that. Good luck!!

Lol! Straight to salt treatment.

[sandrac8388]

It seems to be a case of ich. Can anyone help with that? The sticky on the thread page give two different methods. Any advice?

[ChoclateBetta]

He might have parasited but finding parasites outside a Betta that color is hard if it is internal they make special pellets for them.

[sandrac8388]

Chocolate, you are right. Because of his color I didn't notice anything at first. Until I held him under the light at an angle you could see all the white spots everywhere. His head is very flaky and I've caught him scratching against the wall of his cup. I hope to get ich med from API and slowly raise his temp to 86 to stop the growth of parasite. I will do daily changes with the med for about 10 days. My boyfriend accidentally used his net for another fish we have and so unfortunately he will go under treatment as well just incase.

[ChoclateBetta]

Salt treatment and IAL with it will work well to.

[sandrac8388]

Originally Posted by ChoclateBetta

Salt treatment and IAL with it will work well to.

What does IAL do? I heard about it and everyone loves it!

[ChoclateBetta]

IAL helps scales and fins, it lowers PH, and it releases tannins which does things like boost immune system.