[Alice2wolf]

I bought a red crown tail betta fish a few days ago and today i noticed that he has this whitish film around the base of his fins, he is lethargic,will suddenly dart around occasionally (wont run into anything though),wont eat. His color is darker than usual as well.The tank I have him in is a quarantine. I've never seen this whiteness at the base of fins (I've seen it in other places on bettas just not there). In the quarantine tank he is looks Healthier and happier but those white places still worry me. I looked at diffrent illnesses online but none match his symtoms.




Housing
What size is your tank? 1 gallon
What temperature is your tank? 75* F
Does your tank have a filter? no
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? open top
Is your tank heated? no i control water by room temp.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Aqua culture Betta Pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? 1 twice a day every day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? once 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? de-chlorine and chloramine tablets

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? Haven't tested

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? white patch around base of fin
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? lethargic, will suddenly dart around, wont eat
When did you start noticing the symptoms? yesterday
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill? I dont know, i just got him
How old is your fish (approximately)? mabey 5 months to a year?

 

[callistra]

One gallon will requires a minimum of 2 water changes a week - one 50% and one 100%. While he is ill more frequent changes may be required.. even every other day, because you will see ammonia by 48 hours.

Can you share photos? Does he look like he is sprinkled in salt at all? If you shine a light does he look like he is dusted in gold: http://www.bettainfo.com/wp-content/uploads/betta_velvet1.jpg http://www.bettafish.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36503&d=1315280143 Anything fuzzy like cotton?

 

[Alice2wolf]

yeah i have pictures its hard to see (and its upside down because of ze stupid camra) but its that yellowis stuff on the base of the back fin. I forgot to add that i use ammonia clear tablets once a week to help with the ammonia biuld up) and its a whitish/clear film in reality

 

[callistra]

I'm sorry but I can't tell a thing from the photograph.. it's even hard to tell it's a betta.

I would discontinue ammonia clear tabs. There is no substitution for water changes. If you're seeing ammonia you need more frequent changes

What water conditioner do you use? Make sure it's in liquid form.. those tablets are slow to dissolve and don't work so well in my experience. Personally, I like Prime. As long as the bottle says it remove chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals you should be good.

A white clear film? I wonder if he is shedding his slime coat in response to water problems or disease. The darting is usually a sign of problems with ammonia or a parasite infection. Can you check his gills for flukes? Is he breathing heavy? No salt sprinkle or gold dust? What does his poop look like?

 

[Alice2wolf]

Yeah sorry about the picture i didn't know it would pixalate like that and I'll start doing more water changes (I'm getting a bigger tank later today a five gallon and i used a tetra aqua) i have a few better pictures with it circled but they are still slightly blurry (because my laptop hates my ipods pictures) theres no flukes hes not breathing hevily and his droppings are normal but he'll be lethargic on second and speedy gomaslic the next (there is a slight salt looking spot behind his jaw though)

 

[callistra]

Sprinklings of salt is ick.. That could definitely cause this behavior. Like these: http://www.petsintouch.com/pnn/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/ich-big.jpg
http://www.petfish.net/articles/pix/arts3/ick.jpg

You will need a larger tank to treat this because you will need to get his temp up to the mid 80s. The 5 gallon will work. Leave the bottom bare for now.. give him a few good silks to help him feel secure but that's all I'd do while you're treating for ich. You will also need a good quality adjustable heater so you can control his temp - 50w Aqueon pro or Jager I suggest. Use a glass in tank thermometer to monitor temps. Get the tank set up and to the same temp as his current tank. Give the heater a good thorough testing to make sure it will hold temp. Once you acclimate him to his new water you can increase the temp 1 degree per hour up to 5 degrees per day. Click it up.. let it come to temp.. wait an hour.. repeat. You want to get his temp up to 85. It may take a couple of days to do this without stressing your fish out.

In the mean time treat with aquarium salt and 100% daily water changes as outlined here: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=73332

 

[Alice2wolf]

phew thank you I have delt with ick before and I already have the meds on hand Ill treat him as outlined and udate with news