i know i did it wrong...

[Memo]

go ahead and slap me with a wet noodle... i did things backwards. i had fish growing up and it didn't dawn on me that a betta fish would be any different than the fish we had when i was young. my 4 year old daughter wanted a betta fish and we decided it would be a good pet for her to start with.

so i bought a 1 gallon tank, some gravel, a couple plants and some betta food. then brought memo home. the 3rd day i noticed one of his fins on the bottom looked kind of shriveled. so i googled it and learned that it was fin rot. i bought some fungus eliminator and changed the water. since then i have done a complete change every other day. 5 more days passed and both fins were looking bad and getting worse. so i went to the one pet store in town (memo was bought at walmart) he gave me something called betta fix. so i started putting that in his water once a day.

my daughter and i went out of town for a few days, so hubby took care of memo. he did go an extra day before his water was changed but otherwise everything was the way i was doing it. i came back after 5 days and he has NO tail, his top fin is nearly gone and he has no back bottom fin. the 2 fins that were shriveled are still there... although still shriveled.

so i googled it again. i am really worried about him and i want to do all i can for him. so i went out and bought a 3 gallon tank, i bought some water conditioner, i took out his old plants and replaced them with silk ones, i bought a heater and i got some aquarium salt. i have that all set up and put him in his new home tonight.

i don't have a test kit yet, i know they are cheaper at the pet store so i am going to wait till tomorrow to get that. i have always used culligan water, the water stays between 78-80 degrees.

his new aquarium has a tetra filter with it. ( i am not sure what the thing in his old tank was called, it blew bubbles into the water but i am not sure it qualified as a filter) he is near a window, but he doesn't get any direct sunlight. i was keeping the light on in his tank all the time in order to keep the temp up, but now i won't need to.

i normally feed him pellets but every 2nd or 3rd day i either give him freeze dried brine shrimp or his favorite freeze dried bloodworms.

other than not having fins, he seems decently happy. he isn't lethargic, he eats when he is fed, he interacts with us. he doesn't flare anymore, but... he has no fins so i don't know how he could.

is there anything else that i should be doing to help him? how long will it take for his fins to grow back? will they grow back? should i still add the betta fix?

any advice is much appreciated. i know i should have looked all this stuff up before i even bought a fish. honestly i normally would research something before jumping in... i honestly didn't realize it would be different than mollys and guppies.

[dramaqueen]

Hello and welcome to FishForum. I would try some Jungle Fungus Eliminator. That and clean water should help. For a 3 gallon, I would change the water once a week. Hope this helps.

[Memo]

also... should i use the salt till his fins grow back or how long should i use the salt.. do i need to remove it after a certain amount of time, or does it lose it's effectiveness after a while?

[Memo]

Originally Posted by dramaqueen

Hello and welcome to FishForum. I would try some Jungle Fungus Eliminator. That and clean water should help. For a 3 gallon, I would change the water once a week. Hope this helps.

thank you!!

should i change it more often for now? till his fins look better?

[dramaqueen]

Yes, that would probably be a good idea.

[jeaninel]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I want to commend you on doing your best for your new friend. A lot of people wouldn't have bothered with how much you've done. I'm glad you bought him a larger tank. You're doing a good job.

Keeping the water clean is the best thing for healing. Ammonia can build up pretty quickly in such a small tank. I would keep doing the water changes every other day as you have. Once he is completely healed then you can ease up on the water changes a bit. I find myself doing regular water changes on my betta tanks about every 3rd or 4th day. I have a test kit so I keep a close eye since the tank is not cycled. I find a small amount of ammonia starts to show up at about this time (about .25ppm).

Regarding the salt I think it will aid in healing his fins. Although, to be honest, I don't use salt with any of my fish.

Good luck and keep us up to date on his progress!

[Vikki81207]

I use aquarium salt when treating for fin rot. It seems to be helping. Fishy seems happy. I use one teaspoon per gallon of water.

[Memo]

thank you all so much!!! i have really become attached to him and i would hate to see something happen to him. not to mention, my daughter who spends a lot of time telling him how much she loves him. she sings to him every day.

i am headed out now to get test strips for his tank. i will keep you posted.

[Angelmonster]

First off use salt! Salt is your best friend for sick fish! Keep doing what your doing but until you see his fins growing back use 1 t spoon of aquarium salt per gallon. Remember that you should put the salt in a cup and let it dissolve and THEN put that in the tank.

Keep changing the water every other day, do a full tank change. Once his fins begin to grow back then do a deep clean on the tank(hot, salty water with a rag)and rinse it three times. Then put the betta in there and resume normal cleanings

edit: You want to test your Ph but don't worry, it is not the PH that is doing this to the fish ^_^

[Memo]

Originally Posted by Angelmonster

First off use salt! Salt is your best friend for sick fish! Keep doing what your doing but until you see his fins growing back use 1 t spoon of aquarium salt per gallon. Remember that you should put the salt in a cup and let it dissolve and THEN put that in the tank.

Keep changing the water every other day, do a full tank change. Once his fins begin to grow back then do a deep clean on the tank(hot, salty water with a rag)and rinse it three times. Then put the betta in there and resume normal cleanings

edit: You want to test your Ph but don't worry, it is not the PH that is doing this to the fish ^_^

i thought aquarium salt didn't dissolve.. should i be using a different salt?