Betta hurt? What should I do?

[NewToFish2020]

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! I woke up to feed my betta but he seemed very lethargic and I’m now starting to see some white spots on him along with some scratched skin (see photos). The white spots make me think it might be ick but I’m not sure about the scratches. It might also be because he likes to sleep in this plastic plant but I’m afraid of removing it because he loves to sleep there. Any help?

 

[mbsqw1d]

Bin the plastic, get some real plants, keep the water clean, any sign of infection add some salt

 

[NewToFish2020]

Bin the plastic, get some real plants, keep the water clean, any sign of infection add some salt

Should the white spots be any sign of alarm?

 

[mrsjoannh13]

Can you post all of your water parameters (levels of ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, pH, GH, KH and water temp)? Are you doing water changes - if so, how often and what percent? His fins looked clamped which could be from water that is too cold or poor water quality or even some infection.

I do think the previous poster is also on to something with the plastic plants. Bettas fins can get torn easily on plastic so best to use live plants or at the very least silk vs. plastic.

From the photo, I can't see any white spots so I don't know that it's ich but it's hard to tell. I know it's difficult to get good, clear fish photos sometimes.

 

[NewToFish2020]

Can you post all of your water parameters (levels of ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, pH, GH, KH and water temp)? Are you doing water changes - if so, how often and what percent? His fins looked clamped which could be from water that is too cold or poor water quality or even some infection.

I do think the previous poster is also on to something with the plastic plants. Bettas fins can get torn easily on plastic so best to use live plants or at the very least silk vs. plastic.

From the photo, I can't see any white spots so I don't know that it's ich but it's hard to tell. I know it's difficult to get good, clear fish photos sometimes.

I’ve been doing 30% water changes daily to help him heal his fins.
Nitrate:0
Nitrite:0
PH:6.5
KH:80
GH:120
Ammonia:0
I have a preset heater set at 78 degrees.

 

[raylove]

30% water change daily sounds excessive when your water parameters look fine and I think that is likely to be adding to his stress. Not sure how big the tank is or whether there are any other tank mates but it looks a reasonable size and he looks alone. If I'm right I would change no more than 20% a week, also assuming good filtration and no overfeeding.
I assume you have checked the temperature with a thermometer rather than just relying on a stated preset, as these aren't always reliable and should be used as a guide only.
I don't know how long you have had him but bear in mind Betta's only live for about 2 years.
Hope it turns out OK!

 

[JxsPxxle]

My betta used to be in a tank with rocks and wood, and his fins would get ripped up by the filter flow pushing him into them, it could be this I solved the problem by taking out any decor that posed a threat and replaced it with soft, live plants such as hornwort.

 

[NewToFish2020]

My betta used to be in a tank with rocks and wood, and his fins would get ripped up by the filter flow pushing him into them, it could be this I solved the problem by taking out any decor that posed a threat and replaced it with soft, live plants such as hornwort.

Ok when I head to the store tomorrow I’ll grab some hornwort! Any other plant recommendations for bettas?

 

[Colin_T]

Are you adding anything to the tank (medications, plant fertiliser, etc)?

Do you use containers/ buckets specifically for the fish, or do you use any container in the house?

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The fish in the pictures has clamped fins and a cream/ white film over part of its body. This is normally caused by poor water quality or an external protozoan infection (Costia, Chilodonella or Trichodina).

I do not see any white spots or major damage to the fish.

Your water quality seems fine, and that combined with the white film only covering part of the body, would suggest an external protozoan infection. You can treat it with salt, (see directions below).

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SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), sea salt or swimming pool salt to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

If you only have livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), goldfish or rainbowfish in the tank you can double that dose rate, so you would add 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres and if there is no improvement after 48 hours, then increase it so there is a total of 4 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, Bettas & gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.

The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria but the higher dose rate (4 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will affect some plants and some snails. The lower dose rate (1-2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will not affect fish, plants, shrimp or snails.

After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.

If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.

 

[NewToFish2020]

Are you adding anything to the tank (medications, plant fertiliser, etc)?

Do you use containers/ buckets specifically for the fish, or do you use any container in the house?

---------------------
The fish in the pictures has clamped fins and a cream/ white film over part of its body. This is normally caused by poor water quality or an external protozoan infection (Costia, Chilodonella or Trichodina).

I do not see any white spots or major damage to the fish.

Your water quality seems fine, and that combined with the white film only covering part of the body, would suggest an external protozoan infection. You can treat it with salt, (see directions below).

---------------------
SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), sea salt or swimming pool salt to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

If you only have livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), goldfish or rainbowfish in the tank you can double that dose rate, so you would add 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres and if there is no improvement after 48 hours, then increase it so there is a total of 4 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, Bettas & gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.

The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria but the higher dose rate (4 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will affect some plants and some snails. The lower dose rate (1-2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will not affect fish, plants, shrimp or snails.

After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.

If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.

Yes I’ve put fertilizer for plants and melafix for the betta. Should I have not done that?

 

[Colin_T]

You can use aquarium plant fertilisers but don't overdose them because they can cause similar symptoms (clamped fins and cream/ white film over the fish).

In my experience, Melafix doesn't do much except make the tank smell like a wet Eucalypt forest.

Any chemicals, fertilisers or medications that are overdosed can cause these symptoms so you need to be careful about using the correct amount for the tank.

This can also happen if you use buckets that have had cleaning products in. There can be traces of chemical in the buckets and this can poison or stress the fish. Try to use buckets specifically for the fish and don't let anyone use those buckets for anything else.

 

[NewToFish2020]

You can use aquarium plant fertilisers but don't overdose them because they can cause similar symptoms (clamped fins and cream/ white film over the fish).

In my experience, Melafix doesn't do much except make the tank smell like a wet Eucalypt forest.

Any chemicals, fertilisers or medications that are overdosed can cause these symptoms so you need to be careful about using the correct amount for the tank.

This can also happen if you use buckets that have had cleaning products in. There can be traces of chemical in the buckets and this can poison or stress the fish. Try to use buckets specifically for the fish and don't let anyone use those buckets for anything else.

Ok I’ll keep that in mind. Should I do a water change incase this might be a cause of the symptom?

 

[Colin_T]

Melafix is unlikely to be causing this problem unless you overdosed it or had another chemical in the tank at the same time.

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If you have Melafix or any other medication in the tank, then do a couple of big water changes and gravel clean the substrate before adding any other medication or salt.

All chemicals and salt reduce the oxygen level in the water and mixing different things in tanks can lead to disastrous results. Doing some water changes before using something else helps prevent problems.

 

[NewToFish2020]

Ok thanks a ton! Hopefully my betta will feel better soon!

 

[JxsPxxle]

Ok when I head to the store tomorrow I’ll grab some hornwort! Any other plant recommendations for bettas?

Just any plants that would provide somewhere for your betta to hide in or lay on, they like to make beds from plants.