Betta help please!!

[TropicalCod]

Hi all

Came down this morning and my betta seems to be struggling

He seems to have lost some of his fins (fin rot?) and is spending a lot of time at the top.

I’ve checked the parameters and they’re ok, and do regular water changes, around 50% weekly.

Have had him about about 6 weeks now and when I got him he was red with what looked like a bit of blue/white in his fins. Hoping this was just his colours etc.

Any advice would be good. Did notice the tank temp was down a bit so turned it up a few degrees to 77.

I’ve got a 30l planted supafish cube and a nano heater that tbh prob not strong enough for this tank IMO.

Thanks in advance

)j

 

[hansgruber7]

He looks stressed. When you say the parameters are ok, what does that mean exactly for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, PH? How large is your tank? I assume you have a decent filter?

It's not unusual for bettas to spend a lot of time at the top, but I suppose if his behavior changed dramatically it could indicate stress.

I would start with daily water changes (at least 25%), add some salt and see if that helps.

 

[TropicalCod]

He looks stressed. When you say the parameters are ok, what does that mean exactly for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, PH? How large is your tank? I assume you have a decent filter?

It's not unusual for bettas to spend a lot of time at the top, but I suppose if his behavior changed dramatically it could indicate stress.

I would start with daily water changes (at least 25%), add some salt and see if that helps.

Hi,
Thanks for the reply.
Parameter wise nitrate less than 5, nitrite 0 PH 7.8 ammonia 0 phos 0 ..30l cube and filter is ok.

You mention salt, is this tropical aquarium salt or would a bit of marine salt suffice?

Thanks

 

[hansgruber7]

I have used tropical aquarium salt, though I do not know if marine salt would be advisable. In my experience, these types of problems with bettas are usually due to water quality, but it seems like your water is ok. I assume there are no tankmates? Have you cleaned out your filter lately? Sometimes that can affect water quality. Another thing to think about is your PH. I noticed it's a little high which is probably fine. If you're doing 50% water changes with water that has a dramatically different PH, that can be stressful for a betta, especially over time if it happens every week. It might be worth checking the PH of the water you are adding. If it's very different, you might want to change less at a time. Say 25% twice a week or something like that would be less stressful. This can happen if you have something in the water like Indian Almond Leaves that changes the PH. If that's the case, I think it's advisable to reduce the amount of water changed at a time. You can run into similar problems with large temperature swings. If you have a heater that is at 78 degrees, but the water you are adding is room temperature, or even colder from the tap it can be stressful. Over time, regular PH and temperature swings can lead to health issues like fin rot. Just something to think about based on my experience.

 

[TropicalCod]

I have used tropical aquarium salt, though I do not know if marine salt would be advisable. In my experience, these types of problems with bettas are usually due to water quality, but it seems like your water is ok. I assume there are no tankmates? Have you cleaned out your filter lately? Sometimes that can affect water quality. Another thing to think about is your PH. I noticed it's a little high which is probably fine. If you're doing 50% water changes with water that has a dramatically different PH, that can be stressful for a betta, especially over time if it happens every week. It might be worth checking the PH of the water you are adding. If it's very different, you might want to change less at a time. Say 25% twice a week or something like that would be less stressful. This can happen if you have something in the water like Indian Almond Leaves that changes the PH. If that's the case, I think it's advisable to reduce the amount of water changed at a time. You can run into similar problems with large temperature swings. If you have a heater that is at 78 degrees, but the water you are adding is room temperature, or even colder from the tap it can be stressful. Over time, regular PH and temperature swings can lead to health issues like fin rot. Just something to think about based on my experience.

Funny enough I pulled the filter apart this afternoon an although it’s small, the pump was fairly clogged and the bottom sponge was very dirty. I washed the loose gravel too. Was amazing how much gunk was in it and it’s been running for two months. I clean the small top sponge every week. I’ll be doing both now along with a lesser % water change.

I’ve got java moss and java fern in along with just a few rocks. Took the spider wood out a few weeks ago as it was leaching a white slime . Just wondering if the plant fertiliser I use might be affecting my beta..my lfs said it wouldn’t be a prob. I also use correct amount.

My beta seems a bit perkier this afternoon too but still needs some care.

I did tropical years ago before going salty and never had fin rot but that was a bigger tank.

Thanks for your help BTW.. appreciated

 

[Colin_T]

It has clamped fins and excess mucous on the fins (white bits on the edges). This is normally caused by poor water quality or something in the water irritating the fish.

--------------------
Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week. The water changes and gravel cleaning will reduce the number of disease organisms in the water and provide a cleaner environment for the fish to recover in.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks. However, if the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it. Wash the filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use them. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn. Cleaning the filter means less gunk and cleaner water with fewer pathogens.
Filters should be cleaned at least once a month.

Increase surface turbulence/ aeration to maximise the dissolved oxygen in the water.

 

[FishGuest5123]

77F is a little cool and cause bettas to become lethargic. Keep his temp as close to 80F as possible. When you clean your filter media, be sure to do with tank water. Don’t use tap water as it contains chlorine.

 

[hansgruber7]

Funny enough I pulled the filter apart this afternoon an although it’s small, the pump was fairly clogged and the bottom sponge was very dirty. I washed the loose gravel too. Was amazing how much gunk was in it and it’s been running for two months. I clean the small top sponge every week. I’ll be doing both now along with a lesser % water change.

I’ve got java moss and java fern in along with just a few rocks. Took the spider wood out a few weeks ago as it was leaching a white slime . Just wondering if the plant fertiliser I use might be affecting my beta..my lfs said it wouldn’t be a prob. I also use correct amount.

My beta seems a bit perkier this afternoon too but still needs some care.

I did tropical years ago before going salty and never had fin rot but that was a bigger tank.

Thanks for your help BTW.. appreciated

I wonder if your driftwood leaching white slime could have affected him. Getting the gunk out of your filter I think will make a positive difference too. Maybe worth looking into the plant fertilizer. I use Easy Green from Aquarium Co Op which has worked great with no problems for my fish. Good luck!