**Posted this in the care forum, not sure where it should go!~**
So I've had my Betta, Mr. Fish, for some time now(a little over half a year). I left for a month on a study abroad and had my sister take care of him. To my horror, when I returned, his bowl looked disgusting and his heater had broken :(
I did some research and found out he had a mild case of fin rot and have been treating it accordingly with AQ salt the last few days and just bought him a brand-spankin new aquarium with the works.
But anyways, my question is, do you guys see anything I missed in my diagnosis? He's being very active, eating like a pig and is rarely(if not at all) clamping his fins though, I'm noticing a little bit of itching on his part.
I'm just a bit concerned with the muck looking material that has accumulated around his head. Should I treat for an early onset of velvet?!? Or am I just being a fish hypochondriac? :C
He seems to be swimming just fine. A small case of fin rot, that the salt should take care of that. As for the "muck" and what you said about "bit of itching". He may have a case of ick. Easily treated, and it doesn't seem too bad. The salt will also help with that. Stress usually causes ick, be it from being moved around, too low temp of water, bad water conditions, or being harassed by other fish. A betta I had a few years ago always got ick when i tried to put him in a divided tank with another betta.
If it doesn't seem to be clearing up, try some salt baths. usually within a week of daily treatment, ick will clear right up.
He seems to be swimming just fine. A small case of fin rot, that the salt should take care of that. As for the "muck" and what you said about "bit of itching". He may have a case of ick. Easily treated, and it doesn't seem too bad. The salt will also help with that. Stress usually causes ick, be it from being moved around, too low temp of water, bad water conditions, or being harassed by other fish. A betta I had a few years ago always got ick when i tried to put him in a divided tank with another betta.
If it doesn't seem to be clearing up, try some salt baths. usually within a week of daily treatment, ick will clear right up.
Ah ok! I've been treating him with AQ salt already, I think the white specks that you might be seeing were bubbles on his tank (I just had done a water change for him~) xD
How would I administer salt bathes??? I've never tried that before :0
Im happy though, he doesnt seem to stress too much from water changes, though he thoroughly HATES his thermometer and it stresses him to no end (so I moved it to the back chamber)
How I do it, is put like a teaspoon of AQ salt in a cup, like the ones they come in (I save them for this reason) and fill it with new water that is the appropriate temp, dissolve the salt, then put the fish in it carefully, watching closely for any adverse reaction, and let them chill (figuratively x3) in the cup for a few minutes, while i do a water change for their tank, then put them back in the tank after.
How I do it, is put like a teaspoon of AQ salt in a cup, like the ones they come in (I save them for this reason) and fill it with new water that is the appropriate temp, dissolve the salt, then put the fish in it carefully, watching closely for any adverse reaction, and let them chill (figuratively x3) in the cup for a few minutes, while i do a water change for their tank, then put them back in the tank after.
Oh that sounds really neat!
Do your fish really like it? I'm just a bit worried the salinity might be a bit too much for him xD
Ugh, on a side note, I saw the saddest HM at this mom and pop pet store today, he had the worst looking fin rot I've personally seen. I offered to take him off their hands and try to nurse him back to health since the effort and medicine would be more than the fish (they were trying to sell him for 15 dollars and I didnt have my wallet with me, and the price was outrageous, though he did have nice colors) They refused, telling me that he would be fine, and someone would eventually buy him. >:U
I'm debating going back their soon and just buying him
Oh that sounds really neat!
Do your fish really like it? I'm just a bit worried the salinity might be a bit too much for him xD
Ugh, on a side note, I saw the saddest HM at this mom and pop pet store today, he had the worst looking fin rot I've personally seen. I offered to take him off their hands and try to nurse him back to health since the effort and medicine would be more than the fish (they were trying to sell him for 15 dollars and I didnt have my wallet with me, and the price was outrageous, though he did have nice colors) They refused, telling me that he would be fine, and someone would eventually buy him. >:U
I'm debating going back their soon and just buying him
I hate how petstore keepers know NOTHING about the animals they have for sale. My dream is to own a petstore, and I actually know how to care for everyone.
I know it's bad, but I'd have the mind to just steal the little guy. Not like they'e going to make money on him if he dies... i know, i know. stealing is bad, but... seriously... Though they could be trying to sell a sick fish so you have to by the medicine from them, so they make more money...
As for the salt baths. I don't think any fish really "likes" being taken out of its home, and put into a small cup of salty water for a few minutes, then back into its home... granted the home is clean and all, but still.
AQ salt i believe comes with instructions on how much salt to use, but if not, you can look it up on the net.
I hate how petstore keepers know NOTHING about the animals they have for sale. My dream is to own a petstore, and I actually know how to care for everyone.
I know it's bad, but I'd have the mind to just steal the little guy. Not like they'e going to make money on him if he dies... i know, i know. stealing is bad, but... seriously... Though they could be trying to sell a sick fish so you have to by the medicine from them, so they make more money...
As for the salt baths. I don't think any fish really "likes" being taken out of its home, and put into a small cup of salty water for a few minutes, then back into its home... granted the home is clean and all, but still.
AQ salt i believe comes with instructions on how much salt to use, but if not, you can look it up on the net.
Ugh I know, that actually crossed my mind, but he was in this nasty glass bowl and I think I would be in more trouble taking the bowl, than the actual fish =__=
My five year old cousin I was with at the time actually cried because she was so worried about the "bootiful fishy" and I teared up.
Definitely going to try and go back and save him in the next week or so ~
Also going to give mr. fish a salt bath tomorrow, hopefully it will do him some good :'D
If I end up rescuing the fish from the castle of evil, mind if I shoot you a pm? I probably will need advice on how to best help him back onto his feet~
I'd also like to correct myself from earlier. A tsp of salt in a "cup". My cups are huge, i mean like as in a glass. Usually in salt directions it tells you 1-4 tsp for a gallon. so you could either make up a gallon of the salt water and do that, or what I used to do, is take like a half gallon kritter keeper and put a tsp of non-iodinized table salt in it. that helped clear up ick in about week with them being held in the kritter keepers in the salt water all day, everyday for a week with 100% water changes everyday. At the end of the day, you would see brown gunk on the bottom of the keeper (dead ick). I wouldn't do this longer than a week, but it always worked for me.
I'd also like to correct myself from earlier. A tsp of salt in a "cup". My cups are huge, i mean like as in a glass. Usually in salt directions it tells you 1-4 tsp for a gallon. so you could either make up a gallon of the salt water and do that, or what I used to do, is take like a half gallon kritter keeper and put a tsp of non-iodinized table salt in it. that helped clear up ick in about week with them being held in the kritter keepers in the salt water all day, everyday for a week with 100% water changes everyday. At the end of the day, you would see brown gunk on the bottom of the keeper (dead ick). I wouldn't do this longer than a week, but it always worked for me.
So even if I dont see any white dots on his head/body he could still have ick? D:
I just dont want to stress him or do anything that would make him freak out xD
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