Betta issues...i give up

[Stormy27]

I'm having some trouble figuring out what is wrong. I'll read something think that's it, go to the aqua shop and told something else. I've had this problem for sometime now and i'm over it. Here's and example. I read that the water should be around 80F so i went to buy a heat and was told that 73 is ok for bettas

here is my journey:

1. I bought my fish his dorsal fin was a little bent but that was ok.

2. After a while I noticed his tank wasn't ass dirty with waste and he had this bump on the side. Figured it was just food but just incase i didn't feed him for a few days and it went away. I bought peas but someone said it wasn't good for bettas

3. Dorsal fin shriveled. So i went and bout a liquid fungus cure drops...NOTHING...doesn't work

4. Gold dust between his fins. Maybe velvet? Went to buy something, but decided to try the aqua salt. I bought protozoan and ick preventative drops just incase and will start that next week if he doens't improve

I bought a heater but it's 100w so i'm going to buy another one today.

I filled out the form but i thought i should give a background check. THis fish thing is a lot harder than i thought. :(

Housing
What size is your tank? 1 1/2
What temperature is your tank? 73F
Does your tank have a filter? no
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated? no
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? 0

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? baby pellets and frozen blood worms
How often do you feed your betta fish? 3 pellets once a day and blood worm with 2 pellets once a week

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? once a day or every other day with salt treatment. Usually once or twice a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 100
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? bio supplement, water conditioner and aqua salt

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH: 7.8
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? colour fade, gold dust between fins
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? hides a lot but that could be because I put him next to my sink where i do water changes so maybe he thinks i'm going to take him out
When did you start noticing the symptoms? 3 weeks ago, 2 weeks
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? first fungus cure, then salt and soon if the salt doesn't help protozoan and ick prevntative drops
Does your fish have any history of being ill? no just bought him
How old is your fish (approximately)? ??

thanks for reading its a lot i know

[heathbar]

Sorry about the problems with your betta and the mixed information you got. Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformed people out there, especially at big name pet shops.

I'm not an expert or anything but I can tell you for sure that 73F is not a suitable temperature for a betta. They are tropical fish and need a temp around 78F to be comfortable and healthy.

I'll let the more experience members respond about your other issues.

[Pataflafla]

For a heater, 25 watts should be good for your tank size. As far as water changes, once he is off of the aq salt, 1 50% and 1 100% weekly will be enough to keep the water clean.

For the gold dust, did you shine a flashlight over it in the dark? Another possible way to tell it to take a picture with flash in the dark (I know it'll be hard to see him, so I'm assuming some light is allowed for this).

It is regular for bettas to have a gold iridescence on the underside of their face and their stomachs, so it's possible that the gold you are seeing isn't a parasite.

[Stormy27]

Thanks guys

[Myates]

When you use a flash on the camera, as well with a flashlight, keep in mind you will see colors you don't normally see using a regular light. Most will have a gold-type shimmer to them. There is a difference in the natural shimmer to velvet. He isn't showing any other symptoms of it, that you listed, so I wouldn't be too concerned.

As for his dorsal fin- is it just bent over and curled around? If so, then a curled fin is usually a sign of either bad water conditions, or hard water- which happens easily with a betta from a fish store.

I would remove him from AQ salt immediately- it is not needed in your situation with anything you have listed. Using it when it's not needed will increase the chances of the fish and bacteria building up resistances to the beneficial factors of the salt, as well as potential kidney/liver damage due to over exposure.

No bio supplement either- what you are just wanting is the water changes listed above with tap water, a water conditioner that removes ammonia/nitrate/nitrites and binds metals. Nothing else is needed. Adding in more and using medications when not needed will cause more damage then any good.

Unless the dorsal fin has black edges, flaking off and crusty looking, or white cottony growth on the edges, there is nothing to be done with it. I have a couple of boys that have a curled dorsal fin when I got them, and after a long time in prime water conditions, they haven't changed.

He's probably stressed from doing so much water changes, and all the medications you have used. I would do a complete water change, just add in only the water conditioner and let him be for a few days before you do the regular 50% water change (as mentioned above 1 50% and 1 100% per week). He'll calm down and start to be active and happy once he isn't as stressed.

Does his dorsal look similar to this? (Ignore the rest of his fins- he got into a fight with the net before he learned to just go into his cup when it's water changing time)

[Stormy27]

THanks. but i'm sure something is wrong. He wasn't like that when i got him. His fin was bent but it looks crumbled up like paper (just the ends).i will stop the salt treatment tomorrow and see if he gets better.
maybe the water is too cold.
i bought another heater elite 50w so i hope it helps.
50w seems too strong bt thats all i could find and ive been looking forever. im going to plug it in and test in a container

[Myates]

The dorsal won't likely fix itself once it's curled and crumbled. But definitely keep up on the water changes, that won't hurt him. Just don't over do the amount of water you change.

Test in his home tank- just keep an eye on the thermometer to see what temp it gets to. Is it adjustable?

[Bombalurina]

+1 to not buying the bio supplement in the future. It's not relevant to this problem, but I'm betting the only thing it does it add "good bacteria" to the water. Mostly, this is just a gimmick and is wasting your money. Even if it is working, it's pointless in an unfiltered tank, as the filter provides the best home for such bacteria.
So, this doesn't help your current situation but may save you money in the future. :)

[Myates]

You're right Bom, will save money, and some fish can be over sensitive to additives. Why it's best just to stick with the basic, good ol clean water and conditioner :)

[Stormy27]

So I bought a 5g today. I was going for the 10 but it made more sense for the 5. I'm going to set it up and hopefully he'll get better once I put him in the larger tank with a heater.
I forgot to mention he was rubbing himself on things but now he doesn't do it anymore.
thanks for your help