[carolinagirl]

Ok, first off I know that getting any betta from walmart is not right and just keeps the nasty cycle going but I couldn't help myself. Several were dead, one couldn't float right and the one I rescued didn't look any better. Manager gave him to me for free and right now I have him in a hospital tank with some bettafix (melaleuca main ingredient). Any advice?

Tank size: 1 gallon
No heater
No filter
Water treated with Prime

Pics will follow later. Right now he's just resting on the bottom and it looks like he's breathing rapidly under water, even though I know they swim to the surface for air. He definitely has fin rot. This is the first time I have ever done anything like this so I am DEFINITELY in new territory

 

[carolinagirl]

Uugh, not form walmart but from walmart :/

 

[Olympia]

Hm. Well I see you're in Texas so it's probably warm, but what's your water temperature? Vital to healing fin rot. Also you should be doing 100 % changes daily on him.
If he's breathing rapidly I think that's a sign of high ammonia that was probably in his cup.. So clean water.. Maybe some aquarium salt if you have some with you.

 

[carolinagirl]

Hm. Well I see you're in Texas so it's probably warm, but what's your water temperature? Vital to healing fin rot. Also you should be doing 100 % changes daily on him.
If he's breathing rapidly I think that's a sign of high ammonia that was probably in his cup.. So clean water.. Maybe some aquarium salt if you have some with you.

Well since this was a "spur of the moment thing" I didn't think of getting a thermometer but I would guess the water is at least 77-80. The first thing I did when I got home (didn't even put the milk up) was to clean out the hospital tank and get him moved over PRONTO. But I am a little unsure of adding salts or adding bettafix. Right now there are no salts but there is bettafix in there with him. Also I think he may be young cause he's on the small end. Also, should I feed him or let him kinda chill out and get used to being in something MUCH BETTER?

 

[JBosley]

I have heard bad things about betta fix. Most people on here seem to use non scented Epsom salts! I'm not sure how much, so I would wait for someone more experienced...

I hope he survives!

 

[carolinagirl]

yeah, since my post i've been researching bettafix and the more i read, the more nervous i get. i'm pulling him out of that water and putting him in fresh water with some salts.

 

[JBosley]

yeah, since my post i've been researching bettafix and the more i read, the more nervous i get. i'm pulling him out of that water and putting him in fresh water with some salts.

Good idea! Hopefully with warm water, epsom salts and frequent water changes he'll pull through

 

[Olympia]

Epsom salt is good for bloating.
A 7-10 day aquarium salt treatment is a good start, it'll clear up most unserious things, 1 tsp per gallon.

 

[Tikibirds]

Almost all my fish come from walmart, usually in bad shape.

First up - I would skip the bettafix. Many say its great but alot say it killed their betta. If you insist on using it, do NOT OD on it. The main ingredient can destroy their breathing organ. If you are using it for fin rot, I would switch to aquarium salt instead.

Do you have a tank with a heater? if so float him in it in his walmart cup.
If you have Amquel plus, I would suggest using that for conditioner. it's supposed to help with ammonia poisioning. If you have an eye dropper or turkey baster you can easily change his water if you keep him in the cup. I would also keep him in a dark, quite location for now.

For Aquarium salt - 1 teaspoon per gallon. Make sure its disolved before you add the fish. I use a milk jug to mix it up in.

Good Luck

EDIT:
I misssed the bloated part. if he is bloated then yes, use Epsom. it can be used for days on end. If you are fighting something external like fin rot then its aquarium salt and should not be used more then 10-14 days. it's 1 teaspoon per gallon for both

 

[carolinagirl]

Well, the only thing I'm sure of is he has fin rot. But maybe he doesn't. I really need to hunt down my iphone and upload some pics. Right now he is in some water with Prime and aquarium salts. He is in a dark area of the room and hopefully he will start to feel better soon. Will see how tonight goes and will feed him in the morning or should I feed him now?

 

[Tikibirds]

You can try feeding him now but I would wait till tomorrow.

here is an old post of mine. Maybe something in there would be helpful to you? He sounds like he is in a similar condition..all the pics are gone though but the info is still there

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=88932

 

[Luimeril]

in all honesty, i don't use meds to treat any kind of fin issue, even rot, unless it's REALLY bad, and WON'T go away.

just clean water usually does the trick. adding a little aquarium salt will help kill any bacteria, but in the CT i bought from walmart last easter(he was that stores LAST betta EVER!), just clean water did the trick. :B his rays grew back beautifully. even had a dinky one that was shaped like a Y. lol

 

[carolinagirl]

Just took a pic. I haven't seen him go up for air yet. He just stays on the bottom. I tried to encourage him to swim up but it was a no go. He seemed like he had trouble swimming but when i was floating him he darted back and forth okay. I'm afraid I'm in over my head but I gotta try. If he doesn't make it at least he will pass away in clean water instead of that crap walmart had him in. WM really needs to stop selling fish.

 

[carolinagirl]

You can try feeding him now but I would wait till tomorrow.

here is an old post of mine. Maybe something in there would be helpful to you? He sounds like he is in a similar condition..all the pics are gone though but the info is still there

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=88932

Tikibirds, the situation does sound similar. I'm just doing the best I can. Maybe I should float him in a cup in my regular fish tank. At least that ones heated. This might sound stupid but whenever I tried floating my other betta in his tank after changes the cup would always try to tip over. How do u stop that??

 

[Sena Hansler]

O_O terrible fin rot. My females had it (the smallest and weakest did NOT survive, and the one which the rot reached her body did not survive her battle either) when I first got them. Clean water is the best. with the cup, you can tape it to the side firmly. if there is NO improvement and in fact it gets worse (my one male was a rescue, given to me and his fins started falling off) AQ salt is the best, UP TO 3 TEASPOONS PER GALLON. And a huge note: DISSOLVE THE SALT FIRST BEFORE ADDING!!! I cannot stress that enough. You add the salt slowly over time, I prefer doing one teaspoon worth over the course of the day especially since some sick fish WILL be super sensitive to change.

 

[Tikibirds]

Poor fish

I used packaging tape to tape the cup in the corner of the tank. It will still be in an awkard position but it won't tip over anymore. I would float him and since he isnt going up for air, maybe only fill the cup up a little bit.

This was my guy when i brought him home:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/midnight_sun_pony/Fish/Untitled-1-12.jpg

A few days later he was looking so much better
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/midnight_sun_pony/Fish/Untitled-2-1.jpg

He has since pretty much recovered since January so it is possible he will recover.
At this point, it's up to him if he recovers or not. There is only so much we can do and I think you are doing about all you can for him right now..maybe some stress coat would help the fins? but i think his rapid breating is the more pressing concern

 

[Sena Hansler]

I find ammonia poisoning and burns will make bettas gasp like that. Lil' Sarah and Suzi had that problem. one had no fins, one had a rotting hole in her body :-( It took a good while for them to breath normal.

 

[Tikibirds]

agreed.
It took sluggles over a week to breath normally. I wonder if maracyn 2 or tetracyclin would help gill function? I think I used maracyn 2 for sluggie as well as aquarium salt and stress coat.

 

[LionCalie]

He is in very poor shape... advanced fin rot and horribly skinny. Getting Betta fish free from walmart doesn't support the cycle, they are losing money by giving them away. Sadly, I wouldn't be suprised if he doesn't make it. I rescued a betta for free from Walmart that looked just like your guy and he held on for a few days before passing. I hope your guy makes it, but if he doesn't you should take comfort in knowing that you gave him a fighting chance and he didn't die in a dirty and cold cup.

They are tough little fighters, so here's to hoping he pulls through!

 

[Sena Hansler]

give him cooked shrimp, mealworms (high in protein), and some pellets that.... Idk someone'll have to direct you to awesome pellets for him lol. But mealworms work for me, for skinny ones IF he'll eat. and try dipping in the juice from minced garlic and see if he takes it. Plus the garlic is beneficial to him anyways!