Question about hospital tank

[Kaiopaka]

So, my betta, Archimedes, has a mild case of what I suspect is fin rot (the very edges of his tail are black and ragged). Since he has a highly planted 10 gallon tank (water parameters Ammonia-0, nitrite-0, nitrate under 10ppm, pH 7.4) that he shares with two apple snails, I was considering moving him to a 5 gallon bare hospital tank. Problem is my water pH is 8.0 out of the tap - I don't treat it for pH,(I do treat it for chlorine, chlorimeds and heavy metals) for his tank's 10% weekly water changes, the plants and driftwood lower the pH. (During the water changes, Archie and the snails are moved to a gold-fish bowl filled with old tank water, and the new water is allowed to circulate with the old water for 20 minutes before they are carefully put back in.) Last week our AC went out, and the tank water soared to 95 degrees in a few hours and stayed that way for a couple of days until the AC was fixed, which is where I believe he was so stressed out to cause the fin rot bacteria to get a foot-hold.

Archie gets two-three pellets or freeze-dried blood worms twice a day, except on his weekly fasting day - he is currently behaving and eating normally.

So, since neither the snails nor the plants can tolerate the aquarium salt or the marycn 2 to treat the fin rot, what should I do? I do have some sphagnum moss (I use for my orchids).

[HarlequinBBRM]

You can put him in the cup he came in and float it in the main tank to maintain the temperature. Just premix the aquarium salt (1 tsp/gallon) and put him in the cup. Make sure it is only for 10 days though.

As far as the pH goes, if he is only in the treatment for 10 days, it should not be that critical of a thing. You could also buy some of the pH modifiers and attempt to match the tank pH, but that could be a bit fiddly.

And if the temperature ever soars like that again, you can put icecubes in a plastic bag and float it in the tank to lower it.

Good luck!

[Kaiopaka]

Thank you very much. I'll try that.

Bridgett