A little help? I don't know whats wrong......

[Frizandi]

I meant Peanut Butter has NOW taken to draping himself over the thermometer< not "not". Darn uncooperative fingers.....

[Romad]

The white patch might be an indication. Is there any way to tell if it's fuzzy. Your boy could have a bacterial or fungal infection. Let him rest near the surface bc it sounds like he's trying to get air there. Do you have a leafy silk plant that you can put in there so he doesn't have to struggle to get to the top?

Try to post a picture of the patchy area.

Fingers crossed!

[Frizandi]

I'm trying to get a picture of the patchy area, but Peanut Butter is not cooperating. He's either draped over the suction cup or he's facing the wrong way. It's very hard for me to tell if it's fuzzy or not. He's kind of small and when he sits on the bottom of the tank he blends in with the gravel. I'll keep trying.

I don't know if you saw my previous post, but his tank numbers are as follows:

Ph: 7.2
Ammonia: .25 ppm
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5 ppm.

I tested my tap water for ammonia and found it to be .25 ppm as well.

Can we save Peanut Butter?

[dramaqueen]

I would switch to Prime conditioner. It neutralizes the ammonia in tapwater.

[Romad]

Good advice on the Prime conditioner. Your levels other than the ammonia are perfect. Other than keeping the water clean, keeping him warm and adding some AQ salt to the water with each change, it's hard to know where else to go here unless you want to assume he has a fungal or bacterial issue.

If you think the patchiness is abnormal for him, you might want to try a med. like Jungle Fungus Clear, JF Eliminator, Furan, Maracyn I & Maracyn II. I think most people on here would recommend the Maracyn combination.

Perhaps you can put him in a clear container and bring him to a good fish store so they can take a look at him?

Hope you can figure this out !

[Frizandi]

The pet stores around me don't have the Prime conditioner, so I was wondering: should I put Ammo-Lock in the water I intend to use for the next water change, until I can get to a bigger pet store over the weekend? I've already put in dechlorinator.

I got the Furan because they didn't have anything else, and I put some in the tank. He's still with us, draped over the thermometer. I took a few pictures (which aren't very good) and I'll try to upload them this evening. I'm not sure if they'll tell you anything, but at least you'll get to see where he spends most of his time lately.

One more anxious question: how long can he last without eating? I don't think he's had anything to eat in the past few days.

Oy.....

[xgoingdownx]

I've read that bettas can live for 7-10 days without food, although I'm not 100% sure on if that's true. Are you sure he won't eat anything? What have you tried? Usually bettas will jump at the chance to eat some bloodworms. [at least my betta loves them]

[Frizandi]

I'll try the bloodworms, thanks!

[xgoingdownx]

Don't give him too many as they're considered a treat because of the high level of protein. Too much will make him bloated/constipated. [but if he won't eat the pellets or flakes you have, it's worth a shot]

[Frizandi]

Got it! Thank you!