My newest addition who resides in a non filtered, uncycled, heated 2.5 gallon critter keeper is worrying me....most likely needlessly, but if there is anything going on I'd like to make sure I catch it before it gets worse D: I dunno what I'd do if he died..
He had a rather stressful trip home two days ago, so I'd imagine it'd take him a little bit to get used to things, but I've never seen a betta..'adapt' like this before. Its almost like he sleeps ALL the time, coming out occasionally to swim around, look at me, get a breath then goes back to sleep. Yesterday he'd just lay on the bottom behind the plant base.... and would only move if I moved the plant or he'd decided to on his own. Today hes sleeping, nose facing downward, IN the silk plant.
And I say 'sleeping' because his pectoral fins he holds to his side, and he tilts over a little sideways sometimes if hes sitting on the bottom.....not really 'clamped', his other fins appear relaxed as opposed to clamped shut. He has no trouble swimming around and I'm quite positive theres nothing wrong with my tap water....I have six other tanks that are running just fine without any problems and we have a well(I've tested, no ammonia or anything in the water...). The temp is hovering a littler lower then I'd like(76-77)currently, though it'd crept up to 80 yesterday and even then he remained inactive. I rinsed out the critter keeper throughly with really hot watter.....the water was dechlorinated before I put it in and theres also a bit of Epsom salt(just over a quarter teaspoon, for lack of aquarium salt, I've also been using it in my 5 gallon to treat Smores tail issue and its been working wonders...). I changed out some of his water today(a little less then half)....I have no clue. And now I just caught him hovering sort of with his pectoral fins clamped(others not clamped, oddly)and his body...like, stuck in mid wiggle. Though, as soon as I moved to grab my camera he started moving and is now swimming around just fine....help? Should I be concerned? Give him more time? Take down and re-clean the tank again? :/
Well, I'm having another problem now. I just watched him flick himself off of his plant several times, and I know thats not a good sign....also, it appears like hes rubbed off part of his metallic coloring on one side...at first I thought maybe it was a wound, but hes is that redish/pinkish coloring so its really hard to tell...
Heres a picture I took a couple minutes ago, the best on I could get...theres nothing sharp that he could scrape himself on,so I don't know what it is or how it happened....I first noticed a slight bit of discoloration there last night, but it looks like its gotten bigger/worse.
okay, I'm really worried about him now....hes not looking good at all that 'wound' has gotten much larger and really does look a little bloody, and on top of that he split part of his tail somehow and that part of the tail is bloody. Over all, he looks really tattered, which there is no explanation for. All thats in the keeper is a sillk plant, a hydro mini heater, and a thermometer. I have no clue whats wrong with him....could this be some kind of external parasite? Should I try treating him? What should I look for? What meds to should I get?
I've got the temp now holding at 79-80-ish and probably just under a teaspoon of Epsom salt in there....should I do a 100% WC and remove the salt? I assumed that if it was some sort of parasite, it might help with that....
Help...? I'm not good with sick fish....I've hardly ever had any, I really want to do al I can to save Smaug.
Edit: Aww, crap D: Just got a better look at him, DEFINITELY external parasites! Crap....All I have at my disposal is JFC and Furan-2....I'll tell my mom and try and get her to take me for other medication today, what should I get? Should I up the salt content? Get aquarium salt and replace with that? Take out salt all together?
Last edited by DragonFish; 10-26-2009 at 10:27 AM.
It sounds to me more like a bacterial infection from what I read on bettatalk, than a parasite. Bacterial infections can cause red patches and open sores on the fish's body. Jungle Fungus Eliminator is an anti bacterial treatment so I would try that.
Nope, I'm quite positive its a parasite....I can see them very clearly when he turns his face towards me :/ And from what I'm reading now on google, he has all the symptoms.....I'm pretty sure its not Ich though, the spots are a little larger and appear less salt-like....and they're all over his body.
Last edited by DragonFish; 10-26-2009 at 10:38 AM.
Okay, maybe I', wrong....but at first glance it did look really like an external parasite. Is this a fungal infection then...? Bacterial? Furan-2 I believe is the strongest med I have....it says its bacterial....and would JFC be strong enough or would I need to get JFE?
Oh, here are the pictures I just took....
Last edited by DragonFish; 10-26-2009 at 10:57 AM.
Ahh, okay, thanks I've started treating him with Furan-2, since I'm starting to think it is more bacterial......I'll pick up some tetracycline later as a backup too.
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that 'wound' has gotten much larger and really does look a little bloody, and on top of that he split part of his tail somehow and that part of the tail is bloody. Over all, he looks really tattered, which there is no explanation for. All thats in the keeper is a sillk plant, a hydro mini heater, and a thermometer. I have no clue whats wrong with him....could this be some kind of external parasite? Should I try treating him? What should I look for? What meds to should I get?
I've started treating him with Furan-2, since I'm starting to think it is more bacterial......I'll pick up some tetracycline later as a backup too.
