Ace and his troubled tail and the Fluval Chi

[Pwanter]

Hello all! First time poster long time reader. I have a double tail halfmoon double betta in a 6.6 gallon Fluval Chi with a heater. The temperature stays around 78 degrees. I do weekly water changes with out fail. When he is healthy he is more beautiful than any saltwater fish I have ever seen. He shimmers in blue, greens and purples. We spend about 8 to 10 hours a day together. The last three months I have been having an issue with frayed fins. His color is not as bright as it once was but not too bad. I have increased my water changes and at first that worked. He started getting better. Now however he is getting worse and the amonia levels are spiking a few days after I clean it. I have a Mardel Live NH3 reader you leave in the tank and monitor it daily. Well I guess I actually look at it about 4 times a day because I am on edge about this. No sign of any spots or anything that would lead me to think ick or parasite. I used to think that it was the tank because he would let the filter suck him up by his back end and dart out at the last minute. One time for sure he got it caught on the little nub you open and close the compartment to the filter. That lead to me buying an Evolve 8 which he hated and tried to jump out of. The filter is good but too much movement for him. He is currently back in his Chi. I tried betta fix and he had a bad reaction to it. I had to do an emergency water change pronto. I have some Maracyn 2 here but I am a little worried about the oxygen levels in the tank when adding medication. If any of you have any experience with this tank and meds please let me know. I am very concerned about his fins and giving him antibiotics. You hear the pros and cons of these medicines everyday and it gets a little confusing. Thanks

[shellieca]

That's odd you'd have ammonia all of sudden. Have you actually tested the water with a liquid water test kit? I don't k ow how reliable those leave "sensors" are I've never used them. How long has the tank been running? Have you recently changed out the filter media?

[Pwanter]

I have had the tank set up for about 7 months. I have test strips and the sensor. I have not bought a test kit yet. I wanted to move him into the Evolve and basically take the tank down and start over but he did not tolerate that tank more than 20 minutes. He likes his tank even if I dont think it is the best thing for him. I change the filter and the carbon at each water change. My ph runs high this I know already.

[Hershey]

Test strips aren't accurate, and over-changing the filter disrupts/re-starts the cycling all over. That might be why.

[shellieca]

+1 with Hershey. The filter shouldn't be changed so often that's where 90-95% of your BB lives. I would've left him in the other tank at least a day or two, sometimes they freak out at first over change but then settle down. As for the Ph, its more important that its stable, the actual number isn't typically a problem.

[Pwanter]

Have you guys used Maracyn 2 for fin rot? It was recommended to me. Or I could get some tetra start up and see if I can boost my healthy bacteria if I wiped it out trying to correct the issue? Any luck with either of those products?

[Hershey]

I personally avoid meds and just go with AQ salt. Not sure about the start up.. but Tetra isn't the most popular manufacturer in general by reviews. People recommend Seachem prime I believe.

[shellieca]

I've only used fresh clean conditioned water with maybe a little Aq salt but not usually.

[Pwanter]

Leaving him in the tank for atleast a day was my plan until he tried to jump out hit the thermometer and went back down into the tank where the filter current pushed him down to the bottom of the tank. I think he was stunned when he hit the side of the tank. I have never seen anything like it. It really startled me.

[Hershey]

Try moving the meter and baffling the filter. There's a thread on it in the Care or Habitat section.