[castielthebettafish]

i think my betta fish castiel has dropsy. i followed the instructions i found on google and set up an aquarium tank with iodine-free salt, water treatment, a bubbler, a heater, a thermometer, and i added two (fake) betta leaves for him to hide/rest. I've added bettafix medication. i fed him the high nutrient food. did i do this right? I'm super worried and want to know if there's anything more i can do. the attached video in the tweet is me showing him and everything i used (though the video was taken before i got the medication) so anyway please let me know what you think. also, i don't know if this matters, but today my biglipped catfish died. they shared a tank. i don't know what was wrong with him, he didn't show any signs, but i found him upside down with his head a darker gray than the rest of him. i don't know if this has any correlation i just thought i should mention it. I'm not a super experienced fish owner. the only other tankmate he has (not in the hospital tank with him of course) is an assassin snail. also in his normal tank are a bunch of live plants. if its important i can say what but i got them all at the pet store so i doubt they're the problem. i have a talent for overthinking so i apologize if this seems like I'm rambling. anyway please reply with advice or opinions.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1363976143800524803

this next vid is of castiel himself so yeah please let me know

 

[Fish 4 sale ¢50 a fish.]

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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...

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[BettaloverSara]

Hello! I’m so sorry your boy is not feeling well and that you are feeling so stressed. The second video unfortunately had to be removed but we can certainly help if you fill out the form. When you do can you please be specific about what’s in the bottles you showed in the video, I didn’t personally recognize the products. Do you use salt all the time or just for treatment? Also, do you see his scales “pineconing?” It would look like the picture. I couldn’t tell from the video. We need the form filled out to help but I thought I would add some questions.

 

[castielthebettafish]

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PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Fill out this form so we can...

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

Housing:
How many gallons is your tank? 15
Does it have a filter? Yes
Does it have a heater? Yes
What temperature is your tank? usually around 81
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No.
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? He has an assassin snail and until yesterday, a big-lipped sucker catfish.

Food:
What food brand do you use? Top Fin
Do you feed flakes or pellets? pellets i think? it says "betta crumbles" on the container
Freeze-dried? i don't believe so
How often do you feed your Betta? How much? twice a day, about a pinch of food

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? I've only had him about three months and due to the fact I have a filter, multiple live plants, a snail, and a big-lipped sucker catfish I didn't realize I needed to perform a water change, but at two different points in time some of the water had evaporated so I replaced that water.
What is the source of your water? Tap water but of course i treat it and leave it out overnight so the chlorine evaporates
What additives do you use other than conditioner? What brand of conditioner? Treat, Cycle, and Soothe from the brand Boutique Betta. I believe I used Api conditioner.

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.

Nitrite: NO2 was 0.5
Nitrate: NO3 was about 50
pH: about 6.5
Hardness (GH): about 60
Alkalinity (KH): 0

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? Yesterday I noticed what I think is dropsy, I noticed what I think could be fin rot a few days ago.
How has your Betta’s appearance changed? His chest/neck seems bloated and white. His tail fin is smaller and seems a bit frayed at the ends.
How has your Betta’s behavior changed? It hasn't.
Is your Betta still eating? Yes.
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? I moved him to the hospital tank after dissolving and adding the correct amount of iodine-free salt and I put in 8 drops of bettafix.
Does your Betta have any history of being ill? Not that I'm aware of.
How long have you owned your Betta? About three months.
Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? Not that I saw.

 

[castielthebettafish]

Hello! I’m so sorry your boy is not feeling well and that you are feeling so stressed. The second video unfortunately had to be removed but we can certainly help if you fill out the form. When you do can you please be specific about what’s in the bottles you showed in the video, I didn’t personally recognize the products. Do you use salt all the time or just for treatment? Also, do you see his scales “pineconing?” It would look like the picture. I couldn’t tell from the video. We need the form filled out to help but I thought I would add some questions. View attachment 1027095

I don't think he's pineconing, if he is it's very minor and mostly unnoticeable. This is my first time using salt, its for the treatment. The brand of what I used is called Boutique Betta, this is what I used, the ingredients and purpose is listed. Additive Starter 3 Pack

 

[BettaloverSara]

Sorry for the late response . Can you take a picture of him please? Try to get a clear shot of the area you are concerned about. Your nitrite and nitrate levels are quite high. Even with the betta out it is not good for your pleco. Can you do four separate water changes of 25% over the course of a day or two? Spaced at least 4 hours apart.
the pleco will become too big for the 15 gal eventually so you will need a bigger tank for him on day.
I have never heard of the company that makes those conditioners but the only one you really need is seachem prime if you are looking to switch.
If you want a stress free way to cycle your tank please have a look at this tutorial. You will need a water test kit. I recommend API master test kit.

CYCLING: the two-sentence tutorial

Change half the water when either ammonia or nitrite approach 0.50ppm (alternately, 25% at 0.25ppm), or weekly, whichever comes first. Add Seachem Prime at 2-drops per gallon of tank size every day until cycled. That’s all you have to do. You can stop reading now. But there’s a lot of...

www.bettafish.com

 

[castielthebettafish]

Sorry for the late response . Can you take a picture of him please? Try to get a clear shot of the area you are concerned about. Your nitrite and nitrate levels are quite high. Even with the betta out it is not good for your pleco. Can you do four separate water changes of 25% over the course of a day or two? Spaced at least 4 hours apart.
the pleco will become too big for the 15 gal eventually so you will need a bigger tank for him on day.
I have never heard of the company that makes those conditioners but the only one you really need is seachem prime if you are looking to switch.
If you want a stress free way to cycle your tank please have a look at this tutorial. You will need a water test kit. I recommend API master test kit.

CYCLING: the two-sentence tutorial

Change half the water when either ammonia or nitrite approach 0.50ppm (alternately, 25% at 0.25ppm), or weekly, whichever comes first. Add Seachem Prime at 2-drops per gallon of tank size every day until cycled. That’s all you have to do. You can stop reading now. But there’s a lot of...

www.bettafish.com

as i mentioned the pleco did unfortunately die about two days ago so this weekend as soon as I get the chance I plan to take out the snail and put him in a temporary home while I empty and clean the entire tank. i took a video of castiel, the betta.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1364588145195499520

 

[castielthebettafish]

castiel is making bubble nests now in his quarantine tank, does that mean he's getting/is better?

 

[KekeTheBettaDoc]

Bubble nests are a sign of sexual maturity, not happiness. I think if he just looks rounder than usual and is not pineconing it is probably just bloat, similar to what humans can get if we eat a little too much. Keep him in the quarantine tank and perform daily 50% water changes. I would also look into using a better pellet-such as Omega One, New Life Spectrum, Fluval Bug Bites, or Northfin Pellets. Feed 2x-3x daily and space feeding apart. You can also feed him some frozen daphnia as a laxative. If he doesn't get better with the new food and daphnia after 5 days, you can try an epsom salt dip. I can walk you through how to do it if you would like :0