A one or two gallon container is most convenient for measuring meds. Bare bottom with just a heater is what i do. No filter since most treatments require daily water changes anyway. Bare bottom for many reasons, ease of cleaning etc..
I always put a silk plant in with them for cover. Some people float a hospital bowl in the betta's regular tank to keep it warm. Some use critter keepers, large mason jars or pickle jars. I match the temp for them in all fresh, treated water.
I use a 1.5 gallon cube shaped tank that I had in the shed from years ago, but most anything will work as long as it holds water.

 

One more thing. A rule of thumb for salt use, epsom salt is for inside issues, bloat, constipation etc. Aquarium sat is for outside, infections, wounds and such.

 

+1 to Witchipoo.

My hospital tanks are just the 1 gal. tank kits you can get at Walmart. I leave it bare-bottom, with a silk plant and heater.

 

Can hospital tanks be smaller than 1 gallon? I have a new betta, (bought two last weekend, my first ones) and I admit I bought him because he looked like he needed rescuing. He has fungus, according to my research, so I'm using API Fungus Cure. He's having trouble going to the surface (pretty lethargic), so I have him in a cup floating in his tank to keep it warm. It looks like it's easier for him to get to the air this way. I switch the water out in his cup every couple hours to keep it clean, and to dump out the little fungus bits that are coming off him. He's looking better, but still not eating. Is the cup a bad idea? I don't want him to drown : (
Also, I was thinking about getting API General Cure too, in case the stress and bad conditions he was in caused other damage. Can I use both at the same time? Should I be doing salt treatments at the same time? I put aquarium salt in when I set up the tank, so he's getting some when I clean out the cup water.
I have Aqueon pellets right now, (that's all I could find local) but I ordered brine shrimp. I went with freeze dried because I read that frozen can contain parasites. Wrong choice? The options are pretty limited in this town, so right now all I have is the internet.
Thank you for any help/advice!

 

My fish has had multiple issues unfortunately, so my hospital is quite versatile now.

This is what I started with (http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=661162)
- 5 gallon critter keeper (for instances when medication comes in 10 gallon doses, easy to half)
- 2 glass jars that fit into the 5 gallon at the same time (for treatments that require daily 100% water changes and for meds that can be easily dosed for 1/4 gallon)
- adjustable heater (different issues need to be treated at different temps, so adjustable is a must)

This is what I added since:
- turkey baster (to suck out waste)
- mopani wood with plants (hold cycling bacteria since I don't have a filter, provides cover)
- air pump (some medications deplete water of oxygen and extra aeration is strongly recommended)

All components are removable, so the hospital can be customized to whatever set-up I need.

 

extra thermometer for the hosp tank!

 

+1 to cakes488, and also whatever equipment you use (turkey basters, fish nets, etc) needs to be dedicated to the hospital only, as many illnesses are contagious.

 

BunniFeet, he should be fine in the cup provided you change his water often, which you do. Just make sure your medicine dosage is good, so I would pre-measure the medicine into another container or his main tank or something, then use that medicated water for the cup. He won't drown unless he has no access to surface air, in fact it is recommended to lower the water level if fish has trouble swimming, so you are doing the right thing.

API claims that all their products can be combined HOWEVER if it was my fish, I would try to get an accurate diagnosis as best I can, and only treat what I need. General Cure in particular is for parasites. Does he show parasite symptoms?

You can combine general cure with epsom salt for parasites, but again I would really recommend that you get a diagnosis first. In fact, you should start a new thread under Diseases and Emergencies section. There is a sticky with a form that you will need to fill out, and post some pictures. Then you can get some good advice for what to do and what meds to use etc. I read that columnaris (which is bacterial) can look very similar to saprolegnia (I think that's how you spell it, which is a fungus) and the treatment for one may not work for the other.

Your food is fine I think. I read that freeze dried is not recommended.

 

olgamc, thank you : ) I added a new thread to the Diseases section like you recommended. I measured the meds for his whole tank, and was using that to refill his cup when I swapped it out. I'm not sure if he's showing any parasite symptoms, or he's not matching anything I've read so far. I'll research both the things you mentioned, and see if I can confirm the diagnosis. You think the pellets are okay? I've read that they can be low quality

Thank you for the advice!!!

 

BunniFeet, you are welcome! I searched this forum for betta food suggestions and found that Omega One or New Life Spectrum are the highest recommended, followed by Aqueon. Apparently the best is NorthFin, which is available in Canada, so that's what my lucky boy got today.

 

I'm pretty sure I've heard that AQ salts and Epsom salts are NOT compatible, so make sure to figure out exactly what you need before treating. I've also heard it said that if you need to switch from one salt to the other, you should give it a couple of days and an 100% WC in between.

Wrapping a dark towel around the hospital tank can reduce stress by keeping things calm and dim. You don't want to overcrowd a hospital tank with plants/ornaments as you'll want to be able to monitor your fish's health, but someplace to hide is needed.

Could you perhaps link to your other thread(s)? If we knew what symptoms he's showing, we might be able to give you more specific help. Good luck.

 

Whoops! accidental double-post.

 

olgamc, I'm glad your boy is eating well : )

Overprotective, how do I link the threads? It's called Fungus and maybe something else

I wasn't so much going to combine the salts, as possibly use both API Fungus Cure at the same time as API General Cure. Or maybe a salt treatment at the same time as one of those? I've read to not treat with salt more than 10 days, but I'm not sure how long I can use the API products

 

BunniFeet, you can just copy and paste your thread's url into your response. It will automatically turn into a link. Like this: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=677361