Betta fin rot treatment

[jwde2009]

Hi all,

Stereotypical Betta owner who learned about the nitrogen cycle after getting the Betta. Prince is going in his new 5 gallon when I get home (an upgrade from his 1 gallon). I want to treat his fin rot without messing up the cycling process. I'm just now getting nitrite readings! I'll put the filter media from the one gallon in the five gallon to keep the cycle going. I've read that when using dalt I should do a 100% water change daily and keep the filter off.

So here's my dilemma/question. Do I turn the filter off and ruin the cycle? Or keep it on and get salt in my filter media? Or wait until the cycle is complete to treat?

Thanks!!

 

[Essjay]

I would move the fish and media to the bigger tank. Clean water is the best cure for finrot. Monitor both ammonia and nitrite daily and do a water change every time you see either of them above zero. And if they do stay at zero, still do a daily water change as lots of fresh clean water is the best cure for finrot.

 

[IHaveADogToo]

I've recently been told that aquarium salt does more to make the fishkeeper feel like they did something than it does to actually help the fish.

And if you're changing 100% of the water, regularly, after adding salt, think about it... the salt is going bye-bye when you change the water. It's the clean water that's doing the healing, not the salt.

One of my bettas had mild finrot when I got him, and just giving him a spacious tank and clean water helped clear that up, and within a couple of weeks his fins were gorgeous. Then he had a tankmate that thought his fins were flake food, and now he's healing again, from that. I tried dosing his tank with salt but I actually think the salt made his fins worse. @Byron helped me realize the salt wasn't helping. Only now that I've done several water changes and I am certain all the salt is out of the tank am I starting to see his fins get better instead of worse.

 

[Essjay]

I forgot to mention - keep the filter running all the time. Bacteria will not grow in the filter while cycling if it is turned off. And if you do have some bacteria already, turning the filter off means the ammonia and/or nitrite won't get to the bacteria which means they'll build up in the water and make the finrot worse.
Salt does not kill filter bacteria. Things like antibiotics and methylene blue kill filter bacteria.