Scales missing, pink showing... Help!
Hi everyone! I joined here a while back when I bought a fish from Petco that had issues and eventually died from Ich. I then went to a different pet store, local, and bought a beautiful Betta named Chopstick. He has been with us for about 6 months now. I’m totally attached to him and think of him as a little child. Please excuse my long post, but I want to make sure and cover everything.
Almost three weeks ago, Chopstick became ill with constipation due to over-feeding, including fin rot possibly or something else due to high nitrate levels. After my husband and I got back from a trip during the weekend prior to him feeling bad, we noticed the tank had a vast amount of pellets floating at the top. I found out that my husband put way too many pellets in the automatic feeder, about 3 pellets, 2 times a day (6 total). Hence, why he never feeds him anymore and only me (learned that mistake). After that weekend, Chopstick became bloated, didn’t move around much (hiding in his cave) and noticed a lot of fraying on his fins. I automatically did a 100% water change and bought Betta Fix API. Along with that, I fasted him for 3 days (noticed him pass a nasty round, bloody poop), following the 4th day by feeding him a pea (frozen, etc) that I read online. Thankfully, he ate the small portion of the pea and began acting normal again by that Saturday (March 2). I stopped the Betta fix API solution that Friday (March 1) noticing his fins starting to grow back. I started to vary his eating habits by feeding him betta pellets one day (2 total), brine shrimp one day (2 little pieces crushed up), blood worms (2 little pieces), and a small pea cut in a small piece to eat one day. I haven’t fasted him for one day (like what some of the websites say to do for part of their diet), simply because he goes NUTS whenever I come up to the tank. I believe he had gotten used to eating a lot. He’s very spoiled. Also, we syphoned his tank with a 50% water change that weekend after he started feeling better (March 2). Everything seemed fine with him all last week (March 4 - 8), but slowly started to notice another issue -- his fins and scales gone.
I noticed this weekend (March 9th/ 10th) that his top fin was still real small and frayed. And noticed scales missing near the top fin (as seen in photo). It’s starting to show in more places and his other fins don’t look as pretty and full as they used to be. We did a full 100% water change last night (as it was time) and started him on the Betta fix API solution again. Every time I notice we put that betta fix API solution he acts a little strange and swims quickly into his cave. Last night after the water change, he stayed in his cave again, and laid at the bottom of his tank acting almost similar to how he did a couple weeks ago.
This morning, I checked on him. He was swimming around more and came up to the front of the tank to say, ‘hello’ to me. He seems better, but would like to know what might be the cause of him losing scales: 1) Is it something new? 2) Is it leftover from when he was sick a couple weeks ago that I should have continued treatment the whole 7 days like it said on the bottle (stopped after 5). Any help would be much appreciated, as I really do care about Chopstick and would HATE to lose him after all this hard work I have tried to do to keep him alive.
UPDATE: as seen above, my husband said the pink/red is starting to go away.
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Housing
What size is your tank? 3.5 gallon
What temperature is your tank? 78
Does your tank have a filter? Yes – but taken out due to treating him with Betta fix API
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Betta pellets, brine shrimp, blood worms, and a small little piece of a frozen pea thawed in his water within the microwave
How often do you feed your betta fish? Once a day, 2 small pieces
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Weekly – ½ water change one week. Full water change another
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? 1 ½ teaspoons of aquarium salt by API, Stress Coat by API (5 ml) as directed on bottle. ***Just started him on Betta Fix API
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? – Not since I have done the water change. I can update if need be tonight when I get home.
Ammonia:
Nitrite: 0 total
Nitrate: 0
pH: 7.5-8
Hardness: 75-100 total
Alkalinity: 180
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? spots of pink, skin looking color, not colorful blue on top fin. Frayed fins still and more scale loss (see photo). UPDATE: his scales aren’t red, more of a light blue.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Eats, acted normal this morning. As of this afternoon when my husband looked at water levels, he was feisty wanting food.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? New symptoms of top scales not showing started Monday.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Yes. Did a 100% water change and started used Betta Fix API again.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Yes, was ill with constipation and treated successfully two weeks ago.
How old is your fish (approximately)? I bought him from the local pet store 6 months ago. I’m assuming they are about 1 year old when sent, so 1 year and 6 months?
Thank you again everyone for your time!
Hi everyone! I joined here a while back when I bought a fish from Petco that had issues and eventually died from Ich. I then went to a different pet store, local, and bought a beautiful Betta named Chopstick. He has been with us for about 6 months now. I’m totally attached to him and think of him as a little child. Please excuse my long post, but I want to make sure and cover everything.
Almost three weeks ago, Chopstick became ill with constipation due to over-feeding, including fin rot possibly or something else due to high nitrate levels. After my husband and I got back from a trip during the weekend prior to him feeling bad, we noticed the tank had a vast amount of pellets floating at the top. I found out that my husband put way too many pellets in the automatic feeder, about 3 pellets, 2 times a day (6 total). Hence, why he never feeds him anymore and only me (learned that mistake). After that weekend, Chopstick became bloated, didn’t move around much (hiding in his cave) and noticed a lot of fraying on his fins. I automatically did a 100% water change and bought Betta Fix API. Along with that, I fasted him for 3 days (noticed him pass a nasty round, bloody poop), following the 4th day by feeding him a pea (frozen, etc) that I read online. Thankfully, he ate the small portion of the pea and began acting normal again by that Saturday (March 2). I stopped the Betta fix API solution that Friday (March 1) noticing his fins starting to grow back. I started to vary his eating habits by feeding him betta pellets one day (2 total), brine shrimp one day (2 little pieces crushed up), blood worms (2 little pieces), and a small pea cut in a small piece to eat one day. I haven’t fasted him for one day (like what some of the websites say to do for part of their diet), simply because he goes NUTS whenever I come up to the tank. I believe he had gotten used to eating a lot. He’s very spoiled. Also, we syphoned his tank with a 50% water change that weekend after he started feeling better (March 2). Everything seemed fine with him all last week (March 4 - 8), but slowly started to notice another issue -- his fins and scales gone.
I noticed this weekend (March 9th/ 10th) that his top fin was still real small and frayed. And noticed scales missing near the top fin (as seen in photo). It’s starting to show in more places and his other fins don’t look as pretty and full as they used to be. We did a full 100% water change last night (as it was time) and started him on the Betta fix API solution again. Every time I notice we put that betta fix API solution he acts a little strange and swims quickly into his cave. Last night after the water change, he stayed in his cave again, and laid at the bottom of his tank acting almost similar to how he did a couple weeks ago.
This morning, I checked on him. He was swimming around more and came up to the front of the tank to say, ‘hello’ to me. He seems better, but would like to know what might be the cause of him losing scales: 1) Is it something new? 2) Is it leftover from when he was sick a couple weeks ago that I should have continued treatment the whole 7 days like it said on the bottle (stopped after 5). Any help would be much appreciated, as I really do care about Chopstick and would HATE to lose him after all this hard work I have tried to do to keep him alive.
UPDATE: as seen above, my husband said the pink/red is starting to go away.
--------------------------------------------------
Housing
What size is your tank? 3.5 gallon
What temperature is your tank? 78
Does your tank have a filter? Yes – but taken out due to treating him with Betta fix API
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Betta pellets, brine shrimp, blood worms, and a small little piece of a frozen pea thawed in his water within the microwave
How often do you feed your betta fish? Once a day, 2 small pieces
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Weekly – ½ water change one week. Full water change another
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? 1 ½ teaspoons of aquarium salt by API, Stress Coat by API (5 ml) as directed on bottle. ***Just started him on Betta Fix API
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? – Not since I have done the water change. I can update if need be tonight when I get home.
Ammonia:
Nitrite: 0 total
Nitrate: 0
pH: 7.5-8
Hardness: 75-100 total
Alkalinity: 180
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? spots of pink, skin looking color, not colorful blue on top fin. Frayed fins still and more scale loss (see photo). UPDATE: his scales aren’t red, more of a light blue.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Eats, acted normal this morning. As of this afternoon when my husband looked at water levels, he was feisty wanting food.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? New symptoms of top scales not showing started Monday.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Yes. Did a 100% water change and started used Betta Fix API again.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Yes, was ill with constipation and treated successfully two weeks ago.
How old is your fish (approximately)? I bought him from the local pet store 6 months ago. I’m assuming they are about 1 year old when sent, so 1 year and 6 months?
Thank you again everyone for your time!