[c4talys7]

I just bought two Betta from Petco today and am currently keeping them in 1.5gal storage bins with an Arachais (sp?) bunch floating in each bin. I bought a 14gal kit that I was going to cycle then put them in (divided of course). But for now I was going to keep them in these bins and just change the water everyday.

PROBLEM!!! I got recommended by several people that the terra-cotta planting pots make a good cave for Betta. Well one of my fish tried to go through the hole in the bottom of the pot and got stuck. While my boyfriend and I were trying to free him he squirmed so much that he came out going forwards. He has a lot of missing scales and a little tiny speck of blood at the beginning of his tail. Pictures are below

There is currently AquaSafe conditioner in the water and I took him out of the bin and he is back in his small cup that we bought him in.

I need to know the next course of action please! I have Aquarium salt with me and the conditioner. I am a college student and don't exactly have access to anywhere right now.

The fish is swimming around and can go up for air and whatnot. He's just hanging out at the bottom of his cup right now but he still has his swimming fins (?).

This is his bin now with my glass mug in as a replacement for the terra-cotta pot.

What he got stuck in

He is still moving around a little, just kinda floating there. I have a heater but it is with the big kit which I have not set up yet because I was going to Cycle it. Unless I don't need to and I can just put the filter on, the heater in, and acclimate them? I do not have a testing kit with me but I bought pure ammonia because I heard that it was the most precise way to cycle a tank so if anyone can give me some more info on that and/or a course of action for my injured fish that would be great!

BTW: The other fish is as happy as can be. I took out his pot as well though. Didn't want to take chances.

 

[c4talys7]

One more thing, I did not change the bin water that now has the aquarium salt in it, but I took him out with water before I put the salt in.

 

[c4talys7]

There's no blood in the water but his skin looks pink and irritated.

 

[c4talys7]

Ok, since I have gotten no response yet and from what I found around the site I will be adding a little Aquarium Salt and adding him back into his bin. For about a week I will use the Aquarium salt (Possibly changing it to Epsom salt tomorrow) and do 1-2 water changes a day. The plant will continue to be in there until I get the big tank going and stick them in that one while it's cycling.

 

[Biomess]

Ouch! That poor betta! It sounds like you are going in the right direction in treating your little guy. From what I've been told with using Epsom salt for treatment is 1 teaspoon per gallon of conditioned water with 100% water changes every day for no more than 7-10 days.
You may need to keep him at a steady warm temperature, around 78-80 degrees, because a lot of temperature flucuations is stressful and with him healing, it would be even more so.
Also, I heard that some aquarium plants can't take the salt water treament too well, so I would keep a look out on the plant to make sure it's not deteriorating. Good Luck!

 

[c4talys7]

Thank you so much for replying! I was worried that what I was doing wouldn't help and I have him floating in his cup with about 3/4in-1in of water to make it easier to get some air. He was laying on his side this morning and keeps falling over. He can still swim up for air when he needs it though.

I might move his plant to the other fish's bin, who already has a bubble nest going, so he can start fighting that plant too lol. Least one of them is happy currently.

But thank you again! I'm going to look for Epsom salt at my pharmacy today and start on that with the water changes.

 

[vaygirl]

That's a very common occurrence with those pots. I really think we need a sticky about it. You can fill the hole with aquarium safe silicone.

I think you'd be better off with the aquarium salt then the epsom salt. Epsom salt is good for swelling and constipation. Aquarium salt is good for helping healing wounds and preventing fungus and infection.

 

[c4talys7]

Yeah there should be a sticky because I saw a lot of people that have these pots. His skin looks a little less pink today so I guess that's good. So I'll continue what I'm doing for the next few days and I'll probably move his plant out because I read it's not good with salt treatments.

I will hate to have to take out my other Betta's plant because he started another bubble nest around it. Would it be okay to add his plant after the cycling is done and I just put one plant in the cycling tank? Or will that mess up the whole deal?

Thank you for your help on this. I really hope he gets better and that his scales grow back.

 

[vaygirl]

No, it's fine just to have the one plant. I hope they grow back too. Take heart! My Kilo once got his face sucked into a siphon tube and lost a good chunk of skin. He healed up just fine. You can't even tell he was hurt. Just continue with your plan. It's a good one.

 

[c4talys7]

Thank you! He just lays on his side in his cup but I think that's because he's still feeling the after effects of the incident. Hopefully in the next few days he'll be well enough, more energetic enough, to go back in his other bin. He is refusing his food though. Maybe just stressed?

 

[c4talys7]

As an update and hoping for feedback, he is upside down and still breathing and when move the cup he flips back over and gets air. Is he just trying to heal himself?

 

[Here Fishy Fishy Fishy]

c4talys7,

The same thing happened to my betta, Baby Blue, about two months ago...
and I said the same thing, we need to sticky about terracotta pots for new betta owners. Bettas seem to be extra curious and it can get them into trouble, especially with those pots!.

After a week, BB healed up all on her own, with nothing more than regular water changes. BB was lucky, though.

BRB...

 

[Kethlas]

May I suggest little pieces of fresh garlic in addition to your salt routine? Garlic helps boosts the immune system and fight of diseases and parasites - and with open wounds like that, a little natural boost won't hurt.

I hope he feels better

 

[Here Fishy Fishy Fishy]

Try to PM (private message) oldfishlady... she is a 'super moderator' here and a wealth of information.

Good Luck with your fishy... hope he feels 'betta' soon!

 

[c4talys7]

Lol thanks! I hope so too...

 

[vaygirl]

Probably he IS stressed. Sometimes keeping them in a dim place helps. You can put a towel over his container with a corner open for air and just give him some time, don't hover. Easy to say, I know.

 

[c4talys7]

Okay thank you, I'll do his water change for today and put him up on my shelf away from the window light. If he doesn't improve I'll contact Oldfishlady then. He does seem to like to perspective of being upside-down though.

 

[c4talys7]

May I suggest little pieces of fresh garlic in addition to your salt routine? Garlic helps boosts the immune system and fight of diseases and parasites - and with open wounds like that, a little natural boost won't hurt.

I hope he feels better

I'll pick up some garlic today. I'm scared to tank him out of his cup because he swims upside down. He was perfectly normal and healthy when I bought him yesterday. Now he's breathing hard. Or perhaps since I was in such a panic I didn't notice it before.

 

[Kethlas]

How big is his cup/tank? He might not be getting enough air and space to move, hence the weird floating angles and heavy breathing. I work at a Petco, and I know it's rather common for them to just kinda float sideways or upside down in their cups due to the space. And since the amount of surface water tends to equal the amount of available air, he might not be getting enough of that.

Assuming he's still in the Petco cup, I would carefully pour the cup of water (and him) into his tank - or bin, if you're 14 gal isn't finished cycling - which should already be at least 50-75% full of conditioned water. It'll stress him out a little, but if your careful enough, it won't hurt him. Make sure he has enough room to move around in, a small plant or decoration (run some stockings or pantyhose over it first, that way you'll know if it'll snag his fins), and he should be fine.

As for said tank...personally, I've always felt it safer to let it cycle without adding chemicals. I've had a betta accidentally die on me because I had no idea what I was doing at the the time, and added him as soon as I filled it up - my fiancee and I were heartbroken for weeks. However, if you want to speed up the process, make sure you follow the directions on the bottle precisely.

Now, take a deep breath, and keep thinking good thoughts. Positive thinking has never hurt anything Good luck!

 

[c4talys7]

Thank you for your feed back. I have them both in seperate 1.5gal bins. The injured one is in his cup (his QT cup) and is floating in his bin. He started swimming upside down and looked like he had trouble getting to the surface for air so I put a little water in the cup so he can get air much more easily. I know that's what people do with Betta that have dropsy and can't swim well. So I thought I would use the same concept.

He looks a little more calm now. I tend to freak out over my pets a lot. I think the day after is the worst with any injury so maybe he's just stressed and trying to get better.

I contacted Oldfishlady though and learned from her that I should do tannins (sp?) in addition to what I'm doing. So hopefully he will be okay soon.

Thank you guys for all your help!