[Brj13]

This has been getting worse day by day. It started out as a red patch and in just 3 days its turned into this. We have been putting 'Bettafix' into her tank as a precautionary measure but am not sure what to do! We have also changed her water to make sure everything is clean but am so worried. The poor thing must be in such pain and I feel awful for her

Any info welcome <3

This her good side, what she normally looks like but you can see it poking out the other side

 

[Animals15]

Hi I am sorry your girl is not feeling well! Can you please fill this out so everyone can give the best advice possible? Thank you and I hope we can figure out what is happening with your girl!

Many illnesses can be traced to water conditions. Your water-changing schedule is the most important element in diagnosing. Please be honest.

Housing:
How many gallons is your tank?
Does it have a filter?
Does it have a heater?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind?

Food:
What food brand do you use?
Do you feed flakes or pellets?
Freeze-dried?
How often do you feed your Betta? How much?

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change?
What percentage of water did you change?
What is the source of your water?
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water?
What additives do you use other than conditioner? What brand of 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.

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness (GH):
Alkalinity (KH):

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms?
How has your Betta’s appearance changed?
How has your Betta’s behavior changed?
Is your Betta still eating?
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how?
Does your Betta have any history of being ill?
How long have you owned your Betta?
Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased?

PLEASE PROVIDE CLEAR PHOTOS

NOTE: EMBED YOUR PHOTOS. PLEASE DO NOT LINK. Click on the paper clip in the toolbar.

 

[Brj13]

So it takes a form to really see how mistreated this girl has been! I have been honest, and feel awful. Please help me!

Housing:
How many gallons is your tank? 1.5
Does it have a filter? No
Does it have a heater? Yes
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? No

Food:
What food brand do you use? Hikari
Do you feed flakes or pellets? pellets
Freeze-dried? no
How often do you feed your Betta? How much? Every day - 10 pellets

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? Once a month
What percentage of water did you change? 90%+
What is the source of your water? (The tap)
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? Full clean of stones, paraphernalia
What additives do you use other than conditioner? What brand of conditioner? Aqua One

Water Parameters: Havent done this - not sure!
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.

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness (GH):
Alkalinity (KH):

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? 3 days ago
How has your Betta’s appearance changed? Started as a red inflammation, now MUCH worse (see photos)
How has your Betta’s behavior changed? She seems sad, assume in pain, slower
Is your Betta still eating? yes
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? BettaFix - into tank
Does your Betta have any history of being ill? No
How long have you owned your Betta? 1 year almost to date
Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? No

 

[Animals15]

Hi , I made plenty of mistakes as a fish keeper in the beginning, but all you can do is learn and grow. Take the experiences of others and learn from them and be willing to make care changes. You seem to really care about her so I hope you will find some of these recommendations helpful! It is stressful, but members here are here to help you!

I am not an expert on medications for fish but there are some things you can do that will help with general care.

Indian almond leaf or IAL are great for bettas as they have anti bacterial propeties and can provide stress relief. Add a large leaf to her tank or a few smaller ones. It will turn the water brown from tannins but that is a good thing!


Get an aquarium syphon and start cleaning the tank bottom immediately. Buildup of uneaten food and waste can weaken her immune system and it can happen quickly. Syphon until all the gravel has been all covered and the water runs clear. You can use a clean unused turkey baster until you get the syphon as well.

Once you have the syphon/ turkey baster and have done this, I would syphon every few days from now on with each water change. I used to do this daily to be sure no food is built up and waste.

I would do a water change immediately with temperature matched water of at least 50%. The next day do another 25% and from then on do a 25% at least 3 times per week spread out.

You did not give the tank temp, if you do not have one, I would recommend a floating glass thermometer for her tank as a stable temperature of 78-79 is usually good!


Adding something called garlic guard to her food may be helpful as it can sometimes help with parasites. You can also crush garlic and add the juice to her food.

 

[Animals15]

I forgot to add, you did not provide water parameters, so I assume you do not have any way to test. Good water quality is crucial for her long term health. I would recommend reading about ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and ph to start with and get either an api master test kit, or some strip tests for those. If you are not familiar with the aquarium nitrogen cycle, I believe there is a sticky for that somewhere on the forums.