[fishyfish1994]

does my betta have a parasite?!?!?! Emergency! please any answers!!

I have edited this so please read the bottom it has other information that may be important.
Housing
What size is your tank? one gallon
What temperature is your tank?room temp
Does your tank have a filter?no
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?no
Is your tank heated?no
[/B]What tank mates does your betta fish live with?none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? BettaMin topical medley
How often do you feed your betta fish?twice a day. small amounts at a time.

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?every 5 days
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? Nutrafin Betta Plus. tapwater conditioner. contains almond leaf extract

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?no have not tested

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?HAD clear fungus but wet away after water change. stringy white poop
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? no longer moves much. doesn't eat. cannot swim upright. was at the top but now can't even swim up. he swims in circles on his side at the bottom.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? 3 days ago.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?no
Does your fish have any history of being ill?none
How old is your fish (approximately)?not sure definately adult. he is a half moon betta


ok so i bought my fish about two weeks ago and i have changed his water once. i use the water conditioner i think its called? i am using well water and feeding him small amounts at a time. i went out of town for a night and fed him before i left. i do not have a heater but its been super hot lately and do not have a filter or anything else. when i got home he was floating on top of the water trying to breath on his side stuck in the plant. also there were some ants on the outside of the tank not near him at all.so i took the plant out and the water was murkey even tho i changed it the day before. he also had a clear algea? stuck to him so i channged the water. he continued to stay at the top of the water using the side of the tank to float straight. two days later the algea is gone but he cant eat and stays on his side. his back tail never moves anymore so he cant swim... only with his front flippers. today when i woke up he just lays in the bottom of the tank flat on his side. when i go to the tank he swims in circles on his side around the base of the tank. tonight i noticed long white stringy stuff floating around. i took it out sadly to say and it was hard like rubery. at first i thought it was his tail falling apart. lol. but then i noticed he was pooping the same stuff. i have a one gallon tank and its plastic i dont know if that matters. please help i really like this little guy. he has become part of the family.

 

[nympxzie]

There are a few things you mentioned that will not allow me to narrow down your description to parasites.
1) 1 gallon is too small for a betta to live in, I personally consider 2.5 gallons to be the minimum tank size a betta should live in. LINK LINK LINK
2) "room temp" is likely too cold for a betta, even if your house it hot right now the temp could fluctuate very quickly in the bowl/tank due to the small amount of water. You betta will need a heater (traditional heaters will not fit in a tank of that size and could over heat/ or cause even more fluctuation thus needing a larger tank) Temp swings can cause serious stress and lead way to illness in betta.
3) I highly recommend a sponge filter for any betta tank it will keep your tank cycled and filled with healthy bacteria that will break down toxins.
4) once a week clenaings are not enough. In a tank of that size you will need to be cleaning very often. If you upgrade to a 2.5 you can manage 2x per week to once a week cleanings
5) Tetra food products are very poor in nutritional value and can cause bloat and constipation in a betta. Most users here use Omega 1 buffet or New life spectrum pellet LINK
6) Knowing your tank values is very important! Ammonia will build up to deadly amounts in a small tank in a matter of hours, your betta could be experiencing ammonia poisoning. It is important to own a liquid test kit and test your tank water frequently. If you do not know about the aquarium nitrogen cycle read this LINK

 

[SharkyTheBetta]

Sorry to hear that your fish is ill. They are wonderful fish and in a short period of time they become like a family member indeed. So I understand what you feel right now. Can you please provide some photos? They will be very useful.

There are many things to be said, but taking into account that he cannot swim properly and that he is laying on a side, he clearly has SBD. The problems with his swim bladder may be caused by overfeeding, parasites, internal bacterial infection etc. If you say thst he is pooping white stuff, then indeed he may have internal parasites. A good med to treat them is PraziPro or another main that contains praziquantel.

My advice is to get a larger tank, 1 gal is too much small for your little fish. Also, the water parameters will be more stable in a larger tank and it will be easier for you to keep it clean.

I also agree with everything nympxzy said.

 

[nympxzie]

Yes, stringy poop usually means internal parasites as SharkyTheBetta said! with that in mind poor food can also cause stringy poops (at least in my experience) I'm more worried that you may be dealing with parasites on top of something else! That's why we both really need you to get a bigger tank and test your water etc so we can rule things out.

 

[jessjord]

i agree to what everyone above is saying. However, i just wonder and feel like i have to ask since you just got your betta two weeks ago and you are saying "stringy white poop" i want to ask if you are possibly mistaken that for his slime coat.

i was once a new owner as well, and i swear i thought the white stuff was poop until i saw the real poop lol just figured i should ask before you decide to start giving him meds.

also it would help to post pictures of your guy so everyone could get a closer look. also buy testing your water it could tell you alot of things that might be wrong. if you take some of your water to the local petstore they will test your water for free.

 

[nympxzie]

A shedding slime coat is never a good sign though! If the betta is indeed shedding it's usually an indicator that something else in the aquarium is going awry.
OP said they saw the betta excrete this stuff too so it is unlikely it is slime coat if they actually watched it come out.

 

[jessjord]

@nympzie- you are right i did not notice that the OP stated that they saw it coming out

 

[SharkyTheBetta]

You should really buy him a bigger house. Please make some photos and post them here. If you can take a photo of the white stringy poop would be useful.

How tall is your tank? Is it a vase or something? I'm asking you this because if it is tall and your betta has swimming problems and now stays at the bottom, you should lower the water level. Betta needs to breath fresh air in order to live.

Also, from my personal experience, internal parasites can cause SBD in bettas.

 

[fishyfish1994]

well im sorry to say he passed away this morning but i have two other bettas and they are all in different tanks and doing great. on is a baby and the other an elephant betta. i got a 2 gallon tank last night but i think i was a little too late for my beloved fishy. thank you all so much for your advise. im going to town tonight to get a heater, filter, good food and test kit. Again THANK YOU ALL SO SO MUCH!!

 

[SharkyTheBetta]

I'm sorry to hear... SIP little fishy.

 

[nympxzie]

SIP, good luck to you and your other fish. Hopefully this does not happen again, losing a fish is hard.

 

[jessjord]

so sorry to hear about your little guy SIP