[mintchloechip]

Hi there, this is my first post on this forum, and I'm looking for some advice. I'll lay my situation out as clearly and concisely as possible, but I'll warn you now this is going to be long.
Monday, 7/6
my friend told me that she wanted to get rid of the fish she had-- two female bettas and two glofish tetras. She cleaned the tank and put the fish in a little tub and brought them over. It's a 6 gal cylinder. I filled the cylinder with same temp water (conditioned) and put them in, so they essentially had a 100% water change. I gradually warmed them up once in the tank. Since then I've checked water parameters daily (so far only seen ammonia increase slightly, so I dosed with prime) and have been dosing Seachem stability to try to get it cycled.
Tuesday, 7/7
I removed one betta (Sapphire), who is now in a 5 gal by herself and seems much happier for it. (I am preparing to set up a 20 for the other betta and the tetras, and once that is fully cycled I'll add more tetras). Ruby (the other betta) had stringy white poop stuck to her. It was like an inch long. She seems to have passed it, and I haven't seen it happen again since.
Thursday 7/9
I fed the fish for the first time since receiving them. In the evening I gave them freeze dried daphnia soaked in tank water with a little garlic juice (heard garlic may be good for them). Unfortunately the stores around me sell everything but live or frozen daphnia. They ate it quite happily.
Today is friday and I'm about to do a water change
Here are the tank details as of right now:
pH 6.4, Amm 0.25 ppm, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0 (API Master Test Kit)
78.4 degrees F, filtered, and lightly planted. Not yet fully cycled.
Going to rotate food between Hikari Daphnia, NSL pellets, and frozen bloodworms. Planning on doing water changes weekly. I usually do about 40%.
My question: Is Ruby fat, constipated, or should I treat for internal parasites? Parasites seems to be the diagnosis for stringy white poop, but the other two fish in the tank seem totally fine, which I don't think is indicative of parasites. The tetras are active and look good. From what I've seen their bodies are the right size and I've never seen white poop from them. So far all I've done is fast Ruby 3 days and given the daphnia with the hopes it would get her digestive system moving. She is also not pineconing. Should I try other treatments for constipation? I figured I should try that before medicating. I'll also mention I don't know what the black stripes are on her sides but I'm pretty sure it's not her normal coloring or breeding stripes. Any input on that is also appreciated. I want to get her and the tetras in the 20 asap but I figure if she has something communicable I need to treat all of them, which will be easier in the 6 gal.

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

Because we do not want to guess and possibly do further harm, please fill out this form. While I realize you may have covered some of the questions in the above post, the questionnaire has the most important information in quick-reference form. Thank you.

*****PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Fill out this form so...

Many thanks to BF/TFK Member Mike for developing this questionnaire. It is the same form with a few additions. Please copy and paste into a new message and fill out this form when seeking help for your Betta. This information and a clear photo posted directly into the thread will help us give...

www.bettafish.com

 

[mintchloechip]

Ah, sorry about that.
Housing:
How many gallons is your tank? 6 gallons
Does it have a filter? Yes
Does it have a heater? Yes
What temperature is your tank? 78.4
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? Yes, two glofish tetras.

Food:
What food brand do you use? New Life Spectrum pellets, Hikari Daphnia, and Frozen Bloodworms San Francisco Bay Brand
Do you feed flakes or pellets? Pellets, betta formula, but I have not fed her these yet. My friend fed her tropical fish flakes by TopFin.
Freeze-dried? Hikari freeze dried daphnia
How often do you feed your Betta? How much? I fasted her three days and then gave about a pinch of daphnia. I usually feed bettas 2 pellets in the morning and three at night with Bloodworms or daphnia a couple times a week. My friend seems to have fed them irregularly.

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? My friend hardly ever changed the water.
What percentage of water did you change? I gave her completely new water coming into my care. I usually do 40% for my other tanks
What is the source of your water? Tap.
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? I vacuum the gravel every time i change the water.
What additives do you use? What brand of conditioner? Seachem Prime and Seachem Stability to establish biofilter.

Water Parameters:
What are your water parameters? Please give exact numbers. If tested by pet store please get exact numbers. "Fine" or "Safe" won't help us help you. Important: Test your water before the regular water change; not after one.

Ammonia: >0.25 ppm (if i have a hard time telling I just found up to be safe)
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
pH: 6.4
Hardness (GH): I don't have a test for gh and kh.
Alkalinity (KH):

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? Upon arrival Monday. Friend says she's always looked like that.
How has your Betta’s appearance changed? Since receiving her she is fat looking.
How has your Betta’s behavior changed? So far for me she acts normal. Inquisitive, swims around normal, likes eating.
Is your Betta still eating? Yes
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? Gave daphnia to try to clear digestive system.
Does your Betta have any history of being ill? Friend says she's always looked this way, so I can't be sure.
How long have you owned your Betta? 4 days
Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? Again, my friend says she's always looked like that so I can't be sure. In my care she has gotten more color on her body.

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

Welcome to the Forum!

You are wise to quarantine. You should know in 2-3 weeks if she is actually sick (some advise to quarantine for a month).

She is quite pretty and doesn't look bloated to me. I think she's just being well-fed and out of stressful environment. But keep a watch on her. I would take similar photos every couple of days so you can tell if she's changing.

 

[mintchloechip]

Welcome to the Forum!

You are wise to quarantine. You should know in 2-3 weeks if she is actually sick (some advise to quarantine for a month).

She is quite pretty and doesn't look bloated to me. I think she's just being well-fed and out of stressful environment. But keep a watch on her. I would take similar photos every couple of days so you can tell if she's changing.

Thanks for the input! I'll keep an eye on her!