[khartli]

Housing
What size is your tank?
- 3 Gallon
What temperature is your tank?
- 80 to 82
Does your tank have a filter?
- Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
- Yes
Is your tank heated?
- Yes

What tank mates does your betta fish live with?
- Alone in Care Tank
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
- Topfin Color enhancing Betta Bits
How often do you feed your betta fish?
- One pellet, Twice a day (assuming he eats more than one)

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?
- Every day 30% Change
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?
- Kordon Ammonia Detox, and Stress coat
- Aquarium salt as directed

Water Parameters:
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 0 ppm
pH: 6.8
Hardness: No tester
Alkalinity: No Tester

Symptoms and Treatment

Day One (First image is pre-ick):
- Started out with Ick, treated with Tetra All-Around Treatment for three Days.

Day Four (Image 2):
Acclimated medication (not working) out with water changes and Tried Ick Cure on Fourth Day, Treated half dose as directed for four days (spots disappeared).

Day Eight (Image 3):
Ick appeared gone for 2 days. Fish looked dying, gasping, and dark dyed from ick medication. In desperation, took little water from tank, then drip acclimated to fresh water with salt and kordon treatments only for about an hour before moving to heat sterilized hospital tank. Placed fish in net within water so it could breathe at surface.

Fish remained very motionless for day, continued to eat once a day, then perked up and started to dart occasionally in panicked motion.

Day Eleven (Last two images from today):

No sign of Ick. Fish unable to swim normally, rolls over with current, and stuck at the bottom as if sinking. He refused his one pellet he's been eating. Thinking about swim bladder from all the medication, I mushed two peas and placed in tank. Fish did eat tiny bite. He's doing okay, just mild fin rot from stress, slight increase in color, but is unable to move outside of very occasional wicked fast darting then resumes laying on side.

Hasn't eaten outside of the pea nibble. I'm just worried what else I can do for him and if anyone knows what's happening to him now. Outside of this, he is 1.5 years old, no other history of sickness past ick, and one slight ammonia exposure as a baby. He's generally a very happy fish with a sassy attitude. You can see him post infection. He's been such a trooper so far.

Not sure what I should do or how long to keep him in hospital tank. He seems unhappy. I do have a 10 gallon tank with his old decoration that has been stagnated of fish for 11 days. I was considering moving him to see if his old environment would help, but was paranoid about ick still being there since it was never treated, just empty of fish.

 

[Veloran]

If he's darting like that, it almost looks like he might still have parasites. I'm not familiar with the medications that you mentioned above or what's in them. I would see how he fared with clean/warm water (no salt) for a day (82-84 degrees) and if he's still not looking better, start him on a round of API General Cure or Jungle Parasite tabs (do not combine the meds with salt).

If he had SBD, he'd sink like a rock instead of slowly sinking back to the bottom. If that's not the case, then maybe you could try giving him some frozen bloodworms or if he does, maybe some frozen daphnia.

As for the tank, you could try to take everything out and sterilize everything but most parasites so not survive more than two weeks without a host, especially if you have the tank heated to over 80 degrees. Or you can treat him with the general cure in his tank.

 

[khartli]

Well see he's eating more after I feed him a pea.

He just won't swim. I don't know if he's exhausted or just lazy or his bladder is bad.

He doesn't sink as much but he's not very motivated to move.

How long should I wait before he can go back into the main tank? Do I need to disinfect that one or just wait three weeks?

My fish looks unhappy more than anything else in his barren environment. His color is better today, and the finrot is leaving gradually from the slight salt in the water.

 

[hrutan]

Most of us don't recommend peas, since bettas aren't meant to digest vegetable fiber. Frozen daphnia has the same effect, but without the controversy.

 

[Veloran]

How long has he been in the salt, if it's more than 10 days I'd take him out. The salt doesn't actually treat the fin rot anyway.

Try to feed him pellets or bloodworms (I recommend Hikkari brand, try to stay away from San Francisco Brand). Give him a few more days of pristine water in the QT, make sure he's clear of the parasites and once he looks better you can put him back in the tank.

 

[khartli]

He's eating about half as much as he does when he's healthy.

His fin rot is receeding and he is a little more active and colorful.

I stopped adding salt and it'll gradually cycle out with my daily water changes.

He's still not swimming much though. Does it take a long time to recover from parasites? I'm just worried about him. I'm glad he made it but I hope he's not going to be dormant from now on.

You guys have a guess on recovery time maybe? I'm still hesitant to place him back into the main tank in fear he's get parasites again. For now it's just running at 82 without him.