my betta has ich need help :(

[Citrusy]

about a week ago one of my bettas got ich, we caught it on the second day and immediatly started the ich treatment we bought. we also upped the temp to 81F she is in a 10 gallan tank with 2 danios and 1, 1 inch common pleco. since its been about a week or so she has lost a lot of the white dots but she now hides in her cave all day really doesn't come out.

last night i got worried so i picked up the cave and she came out and i gave her some food and she ate all of it. then went right back to hiding. now what i really want to know is if she is getting better. really worried about her. she is a fun loving fish and it would hurt to loose her.

any advice on if she is getting better or not would help us a lot.


thanks :)

[NCPanthersgurl]

If the white spots are lessening the ich is probably slowly going away. A lot of time when they're stressed they'll hide like that. Just keep an eye on his appetite, as long as he's eating well and acting normal otherwise, hiding could just mean he's stressed or not feeling well. Also keep an eye on his color, make sure there's no drastic changes.

[Citrusy]

thanks. her fins and color look fine. i have to get her out of the cave to come eat so i will keep doing that once a day so she can eat. the pleco and the other fish seem healthy now its just the betta who is recovering slower then they are.

[Citrusy]

Today the bettas coloring has gone grayish. Not totally gray, she still has color, just some gray. She has a white stripe that appeared today before her gills near her face. She won't even come eat anymore. She just sits at the bottom, her eyes look glazed over, she seems as if she's gasping. She will come to the top for air once in a while, and I have seen her swim around a bit, but mostly she is on the bottom and she isn't looking good. The temp in the tank is now 83 degrees. she also has some white fuzzy? looking spots on her fins, as if they're deteriorating. I am still giving the tank the Ich treatments and changing 25% of the water every other day. When I change the water I have been sucking the rocks on the bottom. Please help me. I don't know what else to do. My fish is not looking good.

[Sakura8]

Hi Citrusy and welcome to the forum. I'm sorry your girl is so sick. Let's see what we can do.

First, get her out of the tank and into a shallow container with a lowered water level. This will help her be able to reach the surface easier. You can float the container in the tank to keep her warm if necessary. Next, can you take a few pics of the white stripe and the fuzzy spots on her fins? And finally, think back and try to remember if there's anything that might be different with the tank or the treatment. What medication are you using to treat the tank?

While she is in the QT container, you'll need to do daily water changes. See if that helps her, she may be having a reaction to the ich medication.

Keep us posted.

[Citrusy]

My fish didn't make it through the night. Thank you all for your help.

[Sakura8]

Citrusy, I'm so sorry to hear your fish didn't make it. :( My condolences.