Myrtaceae, don't worry. My second betta went through the same problem, 2 tanks and her cup in 24 hrs.

Nice close up pic! It's hard to say as of yet if the two spots are ich parasites or not. They look like they could be but I would think he'd have more than just 2 of them, as once the little bloodsuckers latch on, they latch on in numbers.

There is a theory that ich is always present in our tanks but it's only when a fish comes under stress that his immune system lets its guard down and the parasites can take hold. Since he was a bit stressed by his moving ordeal, he could have gotten one or two parasites but if they look fuzzy, it's possible that he's already comepensating for them by producing extra slime coat. I would recommend you hold off on any treatment until/unless you see several more, enough to be absolutely sure he has a full-blown case. If that does happen, then get him into a small QT that is easy to change 100% daily. Add 3 tsps of AQ salt per gallon and bump up the heat to 86 degrees. Change out all the water every day because you want to remove as many of the parasites that fall off as possible before they can reproduce/reattach. Continue until you don't see any sign of ich and then continue the treatment for 3 days after that to be on the safe side.

What an adorable face he has, that really is an awesome pic.

Hope this helps and keep us updated.

 

From what I have seen with my own fish, we had ich twice, was similar to these pictures....

I'd have to say Sakura is right. But, the fuzzyness worries me.

 

Thanks so much for responding Sakura & Pitluvs.

I was freaking out because it's Christmas and I figured not very many people would be on. I hate to do anything to stress him out more unless I need to, so I want to start as conservatively as possible.

I actually saw ich recently at a petstore I visited while buying supplies (no the same one he's from, though), so I have a pretty fresh memory of it, and these spots don't seem to be as 'defined' as they were, and certainly not as plentiful. I just wasn't sure what else it could be, because they definitely are new.

But enough of being a worrywart for one evening. I'll check tomorrow morning to see if they've multiplied/grown and have a QT tank at the ready in case. I can stop at the pet store during lunch tomorrow and pick up anything needed.

And Sakura, I can't claim the photo-- my husband took it after he saw me flailing around the tanks. He'll be pleased you liked it. The full version is probably the best one we have of him so far, lol.

 

Oh yeah, the second pic definitely reminds me of when my sorority got ich. *shudders at the memory*

Will your hubby come take pics of my fish? I can't get anything half as clear and well-defined and close-up.

 

Heh, he likes taking close-up shots of bumblebees, so most of his camera stuff is for macro photography, which is a big help for little fish. He curses a lot about lighting and water distortion and stuff in fish tanks though, so I think he's going to stick to bumblebees except when I make him.

Here's the full shot from today:

He really does look better than he did when I got him, despite all the stress. Here he is 8 days ago:

You can see the damage to the anal fin & side is healing up nicely, so I figure he's a tough little guy. I really hope I'm just fretting too much. Better safe than sorry though, I figure.

 

Awesome shots! He's gorgeous guy, so blue!

I understand how you feel, it's so easy to worry about these little guys.

Haha, I'd feel safer taking pics of the fish than the bumblebees.

 

Sakura's advice is right on. Just make sure that you increase the salt dosage from 1 tsp to 3 tsps per gallon gradually over the course of 24 hours. This is absolutely the most reliable method to cure an ich infestation. BTW, I've never bought into the "spontaneous" ich theory. IMO, if you haven't had ich and it suddenly appears, then it was introduced by something that was recently added - all the more reason to quarantine.

 

Hey guys, I'm more and more convinced that it's not actually ich because I haven't seen any new spots appear (over 48 hours with no new spots now).

He still has the one on his chin and one on his tail, and I don't think they've changed in appearance. Any ideas as to what they might be if not ich? I know this seems like a lot of worry, but they are definitely new, and random new growths usually aren't good.

For now I'm holding until I see a change.

 

I'm hoping they don't grow into lymphocystis because I don't like the location of that one growth. If it did turn into a full lympho growth, it could seriously hinder his ability to eat.

 

Oh dear, I hope they aren't. If it is, I hope his immune system is strong enough to fight it off before it gets too bad.

No change so far. There is a small pinprick sized hole behind the growth on his fin that I'm pretty sure has been there the whole time(in fact, I spent a long time trying to determine if the growth on his fin was a growth or just new tissue growing in and looking white).

He's acting pretty spunky now that he's used to the tank, and he's fully colored up. At least it doesn't seem to be making him unhappy.

In the meantime, I'm going to keep all of the equipment for his tank separate from the other and keep a close eye. Gah, I wish it would change so I could figure out what it is, but I also don't want it to change because it might be for the worse. :-?

 

He sounds like he might be able to fight it off. Feisty and lively, so that's good. Yeah, I understand. Not knowing what it is can be frustrating because you don't know how or if you should treat it. Hang in there, you're doing a great job with him.

 

Thanks, I really appreciate hearing it. I feel live I've come back to fish keeping only to totally stress out and consequently damage my first fish back! I'm very happy that his inital (pet-store) fin damage healed up quickly, because that tells me he's pretty strong

I've made a promise to myself that I'm going to have all new tanks set up and cycled before I add any fish, so I don't have to stress any new boys out like this poor one was. It would be one thing if he got it from the pet store, but I think it's the rapid tank changing that stressed him out enough to catch whateveritis, and that's on me. :-?

I really appreciate your taking notice of this thread Sakura; it's definitely helped keep me sane/at least not freaking out as much as I would be.

 

Aww, don't be so hard on yourself, you're doing great. One thing I want to point out is a lot of pet store bettas have lasting effects from their stints at the store. Whatever your guy is going through could just be a lingering side effect from being stuck in that dumb cup for who knows how long.

I'm glad I could help you, Myrtaceae. And I know the feeling. It's so easy to freak out because you get so darn attached to them. And I understand the stressed feeling too. Feeling a bit of that myself with my tropical community tank, haha. But it's all part of being a fishowner. It seems like it's a neverending learning process.

Whatever your guy has, if anything, we'll knock it cold.

 

I swear I'm not trying to be hard on myself; I just feel like I learned all of these lessons years ago and promptly forgot them! I do appreciate you talking me down. I know that a lot of fish come sick from the pet store, but I hate to think that the stress I put him through encouraged it. The promise to have future tanks set-up in advance is as much for my stress levels as it is for the fish, lol.

Anyway, I'll watch him closely. I have a feeling he's more annoyed with the constant picture taking than he is with the growths...:roll:

Oh well, I have three pet stores within five miles and an active credit card, so if he does start showing more signs of something weird I can jump on it pretty quickly.

The thing is, if this goes away and I never find out what caused it, I'm going to be super perturbed. I wish we could just bring fish to the vet like we bring cats/dogs, and get him tested.

 

I tried taking my sick betta to my vet a few weeks ago. Even told them exactly what was wrong with him and what meds he needed but it was a no-go. I guess I understand they can't just give out potent drugs willy-nilly but still . . . *shrugs* The world needs more wet vets! *dunks a vet into a pool* Voila, one wet vet.