Please help me! I'm worried about my female ;(

[steezyjayy]

So about 2-3 weeks ago i bought a halfmoon female betta and when i got home i tried to pour her into another cup, but i missed the cup as i was pouring her out and she fell onto the kitchen sink. After i picked her up and put her back into my new cup i noticed that her right gill on the edge of it is all white! and now it looks like her left gill is turning white a little bit also. Please help me im worried about her!

Look at the picture below. That is how her gill looks like. please help! Thanks!

[callistra]

It may be injury or maybe there were chemicals in the sink that poisoned her. Is there any way it was there before and you didn't notice?

If she was injured or poisoned there's not much that can be done but wait and keep her water clean. Is she acting okay otherwise?

You can try adding epsom salt - pure 100% magnesium sulfate with no perfumes or other additives. Predissolve at a rate of 1 tsp per gallon and pour slowly into the bowl to avoid shock. You only need to replace salt along with a water change, and then only as much salt as water you change. It has mild antibacterial and fungal properties, and also helps with chemical poisoning.

More info could help if there's something else going on but the fall: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233

[veggiegirl]

Hey there,

Apart from the white on her cheeks is she otherwise healthy and active? Is she eating normally? The white on her cheeks may simply be her coloring, bettas are often pale when we bring them home because of the stress that they have suffered at the petshop, or during shipment. It may be that now she has had a couple of weeks to settle in that she is beginning to colour up.

The only other thing that I could think that it could be is maybe she sustained a type of burn from soap residue that may have been in the sink in which case clean water and some stress coat may help.

[steezyjayy]

Yes she does eat. I feed her Betta Bio-Gold but one problem is that when she swallows the food she spits it back out. Im guessing that she's still getting use to the food. And yes she is swimming healthy. I did a complete 100% water cleaning today. I didn't put her in until 30 minutes later after the water change because i wanted the medicine to spread around the tank and the water to get warm. She is acting a little bit weird though. She isn't active as she was before. I have a 5 gallon tank. Where can i get epsom salt?

[callistra]

When she spits it out does she keep trying until it eventually stays down or does she give up?

Is she pooping daily and what color is her poop?

What medicine are you putting in the tank and why?

Did you float in the tank and acclimate to the new water by adding some of the new water to the cup every 10minutes or so during that time?

Epsom salt can be found in pharmacies and pharmacy sections of grocery stores. I buy mine from CVS Pharmacy

[steezyjayy]

she keeps on trying but then eventually gives up. And i dont know what color her poop is lol. And beside the bettasafe conditioner i put ick medicine so she wont catch any ick and bettafix so i can heal her gill and fins. I'm not sure if bettafix can help but its worth a shot. And no i didnt let her float in the tank and acclimate the new water ;(

[veggiegirl]

Does she have Ich? You would be able to see small white dots on her......... It is never a good idea to medicate unless you are sure that they have the illness or disease. Medicating can be stressful for fish and affect the good bacteria that lives in the tank and helps them to survive...........

[steezyjayy]

Ok! No more ick until she actually has it! I shouldnt use bettafix either but i just want my poor baby to heal.

[callistra]

I would do a 100% water change and remove the meds. Adding meds as a preventive is a bad idea because you'll just breed resistance if your fish were to actually come down with something, and it's stressful.

The fact that she cannot keep food down is a big concern. How long have you had her and how long has she been unable to eat? Can you please go up to post #2 and fill out that link?

[steezyjayy]

Housing
5 Gallon tank.
I have a heater but dont know what the temperature is because it has no thermometer on it.
No filter.
It is heated.
She lives alone.

Food
I feed her Betta Bio Gold
I feed her once a day and on some days i dont

Maintenance
100% water change every week
I use bettasafe as conditioner and i put bettafix with ick relief

Water Parameters
Dont have a test kit ;(

Symptons and treatment
Right gill is damaged
It is currently next to the heater
After my water change today
No history of being ill
It is still young. It is still a baby. The fins are short.