More problems

[callistra]

It can easily take an hour or more for room temperature water to be brought to temp with a heater.. meanwhile his holding container is cooling off to room temp.. Unless you have a heater in there too? So then from there you just dump him in? This is a problem. Why are you aging water? Not necessary unless you have unstable tap ph.

Are you still messing with ph using that easy balance stuff?

The medication you are using should handle external parasites like gill flukes or velvet.

[mstenorsaxplayer]

I age the water because people in this website said that if I don't, he could get gas bubbles in him. The heater I use tends to heat kinda fast though. The thermometer read the same temp on both the old water and the new. I am so confused.

[AyalaCookiejar]

What kind of thermometer do you have? I have never aged water and have had no problems.

[mstenorsaxplayer]

Look, I did everything how I have always done it and it never bothered him before. Now we are saying its the thermometers fault???
I want to know why he might still be scratching, has inflammed gills, but other than that acts fine?
I never aged it either until a bunch of people on here told me that if I didn't it could cause gas bubbles inside him. I don't want to take a risk. What does me aging water have to do with it anyway?

[callistra]

Not acclimating him to 100% water changes can cause what I think you're seeing. You said it "Swelled" up right after a water change. Like it said, sounds like he got a shock and is breathing more heavy after a water change. In the past you said you were only doing 20% water changes before he got sick. Big difference.

Does he flash more right after a water change too?

As for the rest of it.. sounds like what you're using should work, unless it's actually bacterial or a water problem.

[mstenorsaxplayer]

Okay. How do I acclimate him?
What do you mean by "flash more right?"
If is is bacterial, what do I do?
I promise, I am not meaning to sound short. I am just worried bout my lil dude.

[callistra]

The way I said above with floating for an hour and adding new water slowly. I would also discontinue the tetra stuff that messes with ph.

Broad spectrum Kanaplex, Maracyn Plus, Furan 2 + epsom salts (100% pure magnesium sulfate with no additives per ingredients label, predissolved at 1 tsp per gallon and added slowly over an hour+) for swelling should take care of it, if it is an actual bacterial infection.

[mstenorsaxplayer]

Okay. Thank you so much fr your help! :)

[Sakura8]

The initial symptoms - flashing and rubbing - sound like external parasites like flukes, which can cause swollen gills if they are gill flukes. But the treatment you are using, malachite green and formalin, should take care of those. This leads me to think that there is something else going on.

Do you think you can test your tap water? It would really help if we knew what your pH and hardness were right from the tap.

Also, do you use a water conditioner that detoxifies heavy metals?

Per the bloating - I might be missing something but the bloating could be related to his diet. Tetra food products contain a great deal of undigestable filler products that can cause bloating and indigestion problems. I would recommend switching to a high quality pellet that has fish products as its first and second ingredients. Avoid foods that have wheat products listed first or second on the ingredient list. Good foods to try are Omega One and New Life Spectrum.

I think Callistra's concern with you aging the water is that, while you wait for it to sit, your little fellow sits in a cooling container. If you want to age your water, it's best to pre-age it. Fill a big bucket with water, dechlorinate it, and add a heater. Let it sit overnight. Then it is ready for use. Otherwise, you don't really need to age it. Gas bubble disease is pretty rare in bettas and even if he does get a bubble, it will dissipate on its own.

[mstenorsaxplayer]

I can't test the tap right now. I ran out of testing strips and stuff. I have to get more when ever I get paid.