very sick betta

[lindsayframe]

Housing
What size is your tank? 5g
What temperature is your tank? 76-78
Does your tank have a filter? yes (activated carbon temporarily removed)
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? 2 small corydoras

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? bloodworms once a week, nutrafin pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? daily, though he hasn't been eating recently

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? twice a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 25
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? bettasafe

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:0
Nitrite:5
Nitrate:0
pH: n/a
Hardness: n/a
Alkalinity: n/a

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?

his fins are no longer full, but almost look as if they are either clamped, or rotting. If rotting, it's a very strange, linear decomposition.. there is also whitish at the tips. I noticed this morning that he was covered with a thin white film as well, I could only see it when he was at the very surface of the water. I will try and upload a picture momentarily.

How has your betta fish's behavior changed?

lethargic, sometimes normal, sometimes spastic. Rubs himself on things sometimes when he swims, not sure if this is due to irritation or due to his newly decomposed fins and difficulty swimming. I bought him a little "fish hammock" so he switches between lying there at the surface of the water, and swimming around. Previously he was hiding in the eye of his spongebob ornament all day, but he is a bit more active now that he's back in the 5g.

When did you start noticing the symptoms? a week ago

Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?

I had him in a 2.5g hospital tank with AQ salts and betta revive. He spent most of his time hiding, and today I moved him into the tank with the corys again and he is MUCH happier. (There is a filter and heater in this tank). He is moving around way more. I have added maracyn 2 to this tank, as it is all that is available in my small town.

Does your fish have any history of being ill?
I bought him from a petstore where he was kept in a little vase. So probably.


I only noticed the thin white film today, as I previously thought that he was just "paler". What is this likely, fungal or bacterial? And what should I use to treat him? I really only have Walmart to pick from, as only one pet store carries fish here, and it has almost no stock. Also, as my corys are scaleless, I couldn't use certain Jungle products, and I think they are liekly contaminated so I would prefer to treat the whole tank.

Thanks

[lindsayframe]

Here is a picture of him on his hammock

[ryancalif]

Your nitrite level is way too high. You should do a water change immediately... try for 50% and retest.

[lindsayframe]

Whoops, sorry, mixed up nitrite and nitrate levels when I wrote them down. Is 5ppm nitrate still high? And if so, is water change still advisable even though Maracyn 2 specifies no water changes until 5 days? Thanks

[LyraDove]

I've seen posts and a complaint petition regarding the company the make's the 'Pineapple' decoration; it is made of metals that can leech into the water.

[lindsayframe]

I removed the decoration upon reading this! What does this mean for my fish? What effect would heavy metal poisoning have on a beta, and how could I cure it?

[Bombalurina]

I'd suggest PMing a mod and asking them to move this to the disease section. You'll get a lot more help there from the diseasy-experts. :)

One thing I would note: you will need to upgrade to a 10 gallon in the near future. Cories will not be happy in a 5 gallon long-term, especially if you only have two, as they are schooling fish.

To deal with the heavy metals, do a 100% water change and clean everything well. If you can get hold of Prime, do so, as this detoxifies heavy metals. :)

[lindsayframe]

Thanks guys! How do I get ahold of a user name to send my pm to? I'm not sure who the moderators are.. I'm a bit new :p thanks!

[LyraDove]

A previous post from AyalaCookieJar --
I believe the brand is Penn Plax. This isn't a question but I would like to warn people on this decoration (the specific decoration is the pineapple house from Spongebob).

I recently found exposed metal on this decoration that went undetected because it was covered by the paint, that chipped off. I also noticed places rusting on the inside of the decoration... More exposed metal. Just a warning that although these are advertised as safe for aquariums, it seems that they use metal in the internal structure (or maybe I just got a defective product).

Rust causes toxins in the water so please check your decor closely! I have removed this decoration and WILL NOT get another. My poor fishy is obviously feeling better after removing the decor and a large water change :(

[Bombalurina]

Some moderators on here include Sakura8, DramaQueen, Romad, OldFishLady and Olympia. :)