New betta/possibly sick

[ANHEL123]

Howard in 3 gall tank. How much and how often you change his water?
How long you have Howard?
How much aquarium salt did you use? Did you dissolve salt before you add it in the tank?
What are the symptoms now for 2 sick fish?
Really don't need to treat Sheldon with salt if he is acting normal.

[Meg126]

Yes Howard is in 3 gallon. I have done 2 full water changes in the last 3 days trying to get him to pep up.Aquarium salt it said 1 rounded teaspoon per gallon pre dissolved in a gallon jug. Howard has been with me same amount of time but wasn't housed with the other two (came in small cup) which is why he's by himself. The two sick guys hang out either near the surface or bottom sometimes almost horizontal. I sometimes think they are dead. Then they will sometimes dart or swim around then back to the top. No eating the past 2 days for either. Howard (in the 3) will lay in a J shape on the bottom as well. Leonard ( in the 10) will lean against the sides at the bottom.

[Meg126]

Sheldon (in 10 gallon healthy) is dealing with a MILD case of fin rot which is why I thought the salt would do him good. He also has some areas that looked like he ripped them on something. All 3 boys are rescues.

[ANHEL123]

wait for callistra advice. But i was thinking if it might be external parasites since you wrote that they dart and Leonard leans against the side. With ext parasite fish dart and try to scratch against the objects. That i was thinking why Leonard do that , unless he is just lethargic and laying on the bottom. And if any of them have ext parasites then all of them will get it since you sharing between them.
So lets wait what callistra think. We need to figure out what wrong with them. So sorry..
Do you have sharp decorations in the tank that Sheldon could ripped his fins?

[Meg126]

Leonard passed away during the night His tank mate Sheldon is still doing fine. Battling fin rot but eating swimming and exploring just like always. Howard (in the3) is looking like he won't make it much longer either. Checked his water ammonia at 0 temp at 79. Won't eat and lays in his betta hammock near top all day.

[ANHEL123]

Sorry for Leonard. With Howard if you want to try aquarium salt higher dose ? Try 3tsp/gall with daily 100% water changes. Or he needs medications but you don't have time to look for it, unless you want to try. You can try to even do a few water changes a day if he still alive. See if it can help.
With Sheldon i am kind of worry since he was in the same tank with Leonard. What i would recommend take Howard out and disinfect the tank so you can put Sheldon in there. You can keep Howard in his original cup and do aquarium salt 3tsp/gall. Disinfect 3 gall tank with 10% bleach. DO NOT USE ANYTHING FROM 3 GALLON TANK. Throw everything out. Just use diluted bleach 10%. Let it sit for about 15-20 min wash it really well like million times with hot,warm,cold water,wipe it and wash it again let it sit to dry out for a few days better on the sun to neutralize the clorax.

While you still have Sheldon in the same tank where Leonard died at least do 100% water change again. I don't know but it really worry me that he in the same tank. Like i wrote before his immune system might be stronger but he might be get sick later . So i think you need to try to prevent it

[Meg126]

[ANHEL123]

You really doing good job. You rescued sick bettas there is always run the risk of not being able to help them. Even if we can't cure them at least we know that we've given them some time in good clean water and some love,which is more than they would get if we hadn't picked them up and brought them home.
So don't be sad. You did the best you could. Now i just pray that Shaldon would not get sick.
Please keep us updated.

[callistra]

I am so sorry you lost Leonard :( Rescues are hard because they can come with any number of problems to begin with and often require special care and lots of time.

You have 3 bettas in 2 tanks? Is this correct? Leonard was with Sheldon in a 10g. Howard is in the 3g by himself?

Sheldon who was sharing the tank and battling fin rot is a concern to me because you don't know what got introduced to his tank and the fin rot may just be his own way of displaying symptoms that are from the disease the other one had.. or maybe not. Hard to say at this point. But if your filter is able to run carbon I would do so for 24 hours.

The darting and stuff can be parasites. It can also be ammonia poisoning. That's why I was concerned about your all over the place readings. With an ammonia reading of 4ppm your divided tank had potentially lethal levels of ammonia. Leonard may have been suffering ammonia poisoning. The fin rot boy may just be hardier. What is the ammonia in the 10 gallon now? When you do water changes you need to be using a siphon to vacuum your gravel thoroughly. If you just take water off the top that's not enough. What's the ph of your water? 0 is not a valid number or even a number on your chart.

please try to get good photos

In the 10g does the divider have holes that allow the water to pass back and forth? What filter are you using? How long has this tank been up in running?

For the 3g, what filter are you using, how long has it been up and running?

For Sheldon I will wait for more info from you, but I would looking around for Kanaplex by Seachem for that fin rot in case it's bad.

For Howard is he flashing/darting? Can you see a sprinkling of salt on his body? If you shine a flashlight on him does he look like he's got gold dust on him? Is he bloated? Do you see anything physically wrong at all?

[callistra]

Big water changes should have careful acclimation like this:

To do a water change, use a little cup like a plastic solo cup - this cup must be only for him and have never been used with soap or other chems. Scoop him up in this cup (keep him in the cup about 1/4 full of water - it doesn't need to be much because he won't be in it for long) and leave him in the cup while you change his water. To do the 50% use a turkey baster - dedicated only to him that has never seen soap or chems - and drag it through the gravel and try to suck as much of the poop out as possible, in addition to 50% of the water. Use a thermometer under the running tap to get it to be the same temp as the water that is normally in his tank. When the thermometer says the flowing tap is the right temp, fill back up his tank. At this point, add the conditioner (dose for how much water you change - if you change half the water you add half gallon worth of conditioner, If you do a 100% water change dose for the full gallon change). Float his plastic cup with him in it in the new water. Slowly add a couple tablespoons of the new water into his cup every 10 minutes for at least an hour. Finally, dump him in gently but try to get as little of the old cup water back into the tank as possible. When you do the weekly 100% you will do mostly the same thing except empty his tank fully and rinse everything in it very well under warm water but never use soaps or chemicals. Once it's fully cleaned/rinsed you can refill it and repeat the cup/acclimate phase.