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Its happening again!!

1K views 11 replies 3 participants last post by  crystalicethorn 
#1 ·
I had 2 VT bettas that had died and i had no way to identify the disease, but in a matter or 8 days they were both dead.
Now 2 of my newer bettas have the exact same symptoms!!!! And i dont wont to loose them too!
They are both in different tanks, but they have the exact same problem and it started at the exact same time.
The have rips and holes in their tail, they wont flare but they are still eating for now but one of them seems to have digestion problems cos the pellets he eats come out almost the same except for a bit or compression when he poops.
Paladin (the one with digestion problems) also has white under his gills) but i cant tell with Pipin because he is white.

Can anyone PLEASE help me. I love them and if i loose them i will never know if i could have done something and it will kill me inside!

PALADIN
Housing
What size is your tank? 3.5 Gallons
What temperature is your tank? 24C
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? yes
Is your tank heated? yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? 2 cherry shrimp

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? small betta pellets, frozen blood worms, frozen daphnia and a treat, beef.
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2 times a day for the pellets, every few days for blood worms and daphnia, and around once a month for the beef.

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? once a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50% every week
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? dechlorinator and recently i added filter bacteria.

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? No, I havent found any test kits were I live.

PIPIN
Housing
What size is your tank? 4.5 Gallons
What temperature is your tank? 24C
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? yes
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 flakes (he wont eat pellets, and frozen blood worms.
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2 times a day for the flakes, every few days for blood worms.

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? once a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50% every week
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? dechlorinator and recently i added filter bacteria.

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? No, I havent found any test kits were I live.

HELP ME PLEASE!!!!
 
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#2 ·
Hi... Can you post photos, so we can see their fins?

a) You said that Paladin eats "small betta pellets, frozen blood worms, frozen daphnia and a treat, beef."
What brand of pellets are they? How many pellets do you give him? Is the beef cooked or raw?

b) You said that Pipin eats "betta flakes."
What brand are they? How much do you feed him?

c) 24C (75F) is considered near the bottom of the preferred temperature range. You could try increasing the temp to 26C (79F), and seeing if that helps.

d) What brand of dechlorinator do you use?
 
#3 ·
I tried taking pics but they are not clear and since they are small rips they are harder to spot. I will try soon again but i dont think they'll be any good.

Paladin gets small pellets called super vit mini granulat and i give him a few (around 5 but they are really small, i change the amount when he looks fatter) but i ordered some better ones which will hopefully be arriving soon. As for the beef, I only give them previously frozen meat. But i havent given him in a while so i dont think its the cause, seeing as how my other fish ate it and are doing fine.

Pipin gets a pinch of Tetra Betta flakes.

And i will try to raise it.

As for the dechlorinator its called 'easy life fluid filter medium', but my other fish dont have a problem with it.
 
#7 ·
He doesnt bite his tail, He cant get to the botton fins and his tail also has holes which cant be due to tail biting. And i dont think its stress and he didnt have the usual fin rot symptoms, like the white areas on the tail. It looked more like it was pulled off.

And only one of my bettas eats flakes (pipin) because he will not eat pellets. I know they arent the best for him but I tried feeding him pellets and he just spat them out.
 
#6 ·
Are the edges dark (black, gray, brown)? Or do they look "smudged?"

If not - then he may have gotten it caught in something, or bitten them off....

If yes - then may be bacterial. In that case, your original water temp was good. Lower water temp means the bacteria don't multiply as quickly....

If it's bacterial, here are two options for you to consider:

a) Aquarium salt. It has antimicrobial properties, so it can help if this is a bacterial infection. Start with a dosage of 1 teaspoon/gal (dissolve completely in water before adding). Acclimate slowly. Don't use more than 10 days max.... The downside is that aquarium salt can cause bloating and buoyancy issues. (And if used too long, can cause kidney failure.)

b) Gram negative medications. Most bacterial infections are due to gram negative bacteria. You can treat with Mardel Maracyn 2, (Must be "2.") or Tetracycline, or Furan 2 / Bifuran / Jungle Fungus Clear, or API Triple Sulfa.... Downsides are the medications are harsh on their systems, especially the liver and kidneys..... Also, you'll probably need to remove the carbon from the filter and you'll need to do a partial water change beforehand to remove your Easy-Life conditioner as it neutralizes meds. (Also, while treating, you'll need to use a different conditioner.)
 
#8 ·
They are dark around the edges now, and it looks like its getting better. But he doesnt bite it and the tank is 100% fish safe, nothing sharp and no plastic plants.

I removed all the decor from Paladins tank, (Pipin's wasnt that bad so i left his the way it was) and only left the heater. I set up a 10 gallon for him and its cycling so once I'm sure hes ok he will go in there. Also the dechlor i use has anti-bacterial and infection properties so thats helping him recover.
 
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