squishys not himself

[kyle89]

So my girlfriend just called me an said squishy is no himself. He is hanging around tge top of his 5 gallon tank. She changed half of his water because so readings where high. Im on my way there now to see him. My question is would betta fix and aquarium salt help. I waa gonna stop at the pet store before i get there. Anything would be a big help

[Laki]

Sorry to hear he's not himself.

DO NOT use bettafix. Some people like it and it works no problems but I avoid that like the plague. It contains tea tree oil which burns the labrynth organ. Please don't use it!

I also wouldn't use aq salt until you assess what is going on. aq salt is generally used for external issues like fin rot, torn scales, ammonia burn.

Epsom salt helps internal issues like bloat, some parasites and swim bladder problems.

Go see him yourself, get an accurate description -pics if possible- and report back. It might be temperature, too much food, ammonia, nitrite or any number of other possibilities.

[kyle89]

Since she change half of his water would it be bad when i get tgere to vacuum the gravel or would that be stressful

[kyle89]

Also how much table salt? A small pinch. I also did not get bettafix. I found the thread asking about it

[kyle89]

So i just got here and i believe its fin rot!

[Laki]

NO, NOT TABLE SALT!!!!!

There is a large difference between table salt and aquarium salt!!!

No, go ahead and vacuum the gravel. The worst dirt settles under the gravel causing ammonia spikes.

How often is his water changed? It's hard to see the color of his fin edges but as a crowntail they look a little feathered. He needs to be in pristine water, warm and changed 50% once a week (for a 5g).

[kyle89]

I meant table salt as in Epson salt. I vacuumed the gravel and added a little aquarium salt. The tank is brand new. We only started using it on Sunday so today was the first change. I have the filter off because he is very weak.

[kyle89]

These are my water readings after vacuuming. The thermometer reads 78 but the water doesn't fell very warm

[Laki]

The nitrite looks a little high. Is there an ammonia reading on those strips?

If you turned off the filter, you should remove it since any Beneficial Bacteria (BB) on it will die thereby spiking the ammonia levels further.

If he's weak as well, you could lower the water line to whatever you feel he can manage without too much struggle. Epsom salt will help his insides feel better. Not aquarium salt so much, but it's fine for now.

[kyle89]

I feel so bad. No they don't!! Unfortunately squishy swam into the corner and passed away today. :'(