Betta Dying

[EllRog]

In the photo her fins look eroded and the anal fin looks red so I'm thinking bacterial infection. Do you have medication for that? It doesn't really explain swelling though so I would still do the fasting/ blanched pea.

@cupofjoel is there anything else in the tank that would be harmed if using meds?

 

[cupofjoel]

In the photo her fins look eroded and the anal fin looks red so I'm thinking bacterial infection. Do you have medication for that? It doesn't really explain swelling though so I would still do the fasting/ blanched pea.

My suspicion is that she tore those fins, but I will keep an eye on them. She does seems to be growing her fins back from the erosion.

 

[JuiceBox52]

is .25ppm high? someone just said I could be getting a false reading. Honestly I hate how the API master kit makes it so hard to see the colors and how the shading of the color changes depending on how close you hold it to the color sheet and how bright your room is lit.

Back to my fish. She can't be holding eggs since she's alone in her tank.

Try reading outside in the natural light

 

[EllRog]

is .25ppm high? someone just said I could be getting a false reading. Honestly I hate how the API master kit makes it so hard to see the colors and how the shading of the color changes depending on how close you hold it to the color sheet and how bright your room is lit.

Back to my fish. She can't be holding eggs since she's alone in her tank.

Females regularly hold eggs, they just need a male to fertilise them

 

[cupofjoel]

@cupofjoel is there anything else in the tank that would be harmed if using meds?

There's a nerite snail. I can try the meds, but I'd rather see what she has before I give her something that isn't needed.

 

[cupofjoel]

Try reading outside in the natural light

I can't go outside, I'm in an apartment with no balcony so I have to hold it near natural light near a window. LOL.

 

[cupofjoel]

Females regularly hold eggs, they just need a male to fertilise them

DID not know THAT!

 

[cupofjoel]

I can't go outside, I'm in an apartment with no balcony so I have to hold it near natural light near a window. LOL.

But honestly, it's not eggs. What concerned me to even start this post is that her scales seemed to be sticking out and she stopped eating and being active, just sitting at the bottom of the tank.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

is .25ppm high? someone just said I could be getting a false reading. Honestly I hate how the API master kit makes it so hard to see the colors and how the shading of the color changes depending on how close you hold it to the color sheet and how bright your room is lit.

Back to my fish. She can't be holding eggs since she's alone in her tank.

It isn't super high. It shouldn't be above zero, unless like Juice said, that your tap water gives a false reading. But your OP says you usually get readings of zero when you test? Which confuses me.

A reading of 0.25ppm for ammonia shouldn't be high enough to make your betta this sickly. But the concern is that the ammonia may have been higher than that yesterday and today before you tested, but has since been lowered by the filter and live plants. It's possible to have an ammonia spike and not realise until you catch the tail end of it with a test, but by then, the fish can be quite badly affected.

 

[cupofjoel]

It isn't super high. It shouldn't be above zero, unless like Juice said, that your tap water gives a false reading. But your OP says you usually get readings of zero when you test? Which confuses me.

A reading of 0.25ppm for ammonia shouldn't be high enough to make your betta this sickly. But the concern is that the ammonia may have been higher than that yesterday and today before you tested, but has since been lowered by the filter and live plants. It's possible to have an ammonia spike and not realise until you catch the tail end of it with a test, but by then, the fish can be quite badly affected.

No, there's only one nerite snail in there and he's happy and moving around.

My first test today was .25ppm, my second test after the 60% WC came to .25ppm again. Maybe I did read it wrong the first time. Yellow and light green look pretty similar which I hate about these tests!

 

[AilyNC]

is .25ppm high? someone just said I could be getting a false reading. Honestly I hate how the API master kit makes it so hard to see the colors and how the shading of the color changes depending on how close you hold it to the color sheet and how bright your room is lit.

Back to my fish. She can't be holding eggs since she's alone in her tank.

I tested my tap water and tank at same time so that I have a control test. I can see if the colour is different between them.

 

[cupofjoel]

Okay, good news and bad news.

She's moving around now and because of that I can see her bottom fins and tail fin is ragged and eroded more than yesterday.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Did you add any plants or anything recently?

 

[cupofjoel]

Did you add any plants or anything recently?

No. I would have added that info. Usually when I post something I try to include as much info as possible.

 

[JuiceBox52]

No. I would have added that info. Usually when I post something I try to include as much info as possible.

I hear ya. Just trying to think out every possibility