Betta melafix and feeding

[garytodd]

I'm hoping someone can give me some advice please.

My Betta has cloudy eye. Water test showed ammonia was 0.25 so I cleaned the tank and did a 35% water change.

I'm on my third day of medicating with Melafix. I'm realy worried as I don't think he has eaten in 5 days. He couldn't see the food to start with and now he just sits on the bottom of the tank.

I've added weekend pyramid fish feeder because it's meant to disperse the food into the water so it will feed automatically.

Will this increase the ammonia level?

The bottle says another water change after 7 days. Could this not do further damage to the Betta?



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[Essjay]

I would stop using the melafix immediately. It contains aromatic oils which interfere with the labyrinth organ in bettas and gouramis. The majority of fish illnesses are caused by poor water quality, so water changes should be the first 'treatment' to try.

Those pyramid feeders often cause problems by dumping a lot of food in the water at once; and they are not good for bettas as they need floating pellets.



You mention the ammonia being at 0.25 - what is it now and what is the nitrite reading?
How big is the tank? The absolute minimum for a betta is 2.5 gallons (10 litres) but 5 gallons (20 litres) and above are preferable.
Does the tank have a filter? If it does, did you do a fishless cycle before getting the fish?
Does the tank have a heater?






Your plan of action is:
remove the pyramid feeder
do a large water change now to remove a lot of the melafix
do water changes every day for the next week to remove the last of the melafix, and improve the tank water by keeping the ammonia level at zero.
Get some betta pellets such as Atisons or Omega One
Check the ammonia and nitrite levels every day to make sure they stay at zero. If they are above zero, do a water change. When they have been at zero for a week, go to testing every few days, then when you are sure they are staying at zero, you only need to test every few weeks. Once both ammonia and nitrite stay at zero, go to weekly 50% water changes.

 

[garytodd]

Thankyou fot the advice. I took the metafix advice from a previous forum. I should have asked for advice immediately.

I've removed the food and done another test. Amonia 0.25 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 5.

Tank 30 litres
Filtered and heated.
The tank has been set up for 6 years and I always make sure the water is perfect before I add a new fish.
I feed him pellets which he loves but he couldn't see them because of the disease on his eye. That is the only reason I put the other food in.

I'll follow all of your other steps. Unfortunately it will probably be too late for this one as he hasn't eaten in a long time and doesn't look god at all.

Thanks for your help. I'll come back to you if anything else changes.

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[garytodd]

Hi essjay

I've got the ammonia and nitrite down to zero after a large water change yesterday. You say I should carry on the daily water changes for a week to get rid of the Melafix. Please advise what size percentage these changes should be.

The betta is lying in the rocks, sonetimes upside down but his gills are still going. Is there anyway that you think I could feed him?

He still has the fungus over the eye.



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[Essjay]

Personally I would do 50% daily for a week, then check the ammonia and nitrite levels every day and do a water change if either of them show a reading above zero. Since the tank is well established, hopefully the mini cycle will not last more than a few days and when you finish the week of water changes things should stay at zero. Then you can go to the recommended 30 to 50% weekly water change. (One betta in 30 litres shouldn't need the 50% a fully stocked tank needs)


Do you have any frozen bloodworm? If you do, try defrosting a tiny bit off a cube and offer him that. If you have a pipette, you can use that to dangle one bloodworm in front of him - or tweezers would do as well. If he eats that, offer another to a max of 3 bloodworms. But keep hold of the bloodworm so you can remove it if he isn't interested. Most bettas will eat bloodworm even if they won't eat anything else. But don't get him used to bloodworm or he'll get the taste for them and refuse to eat any other food afterwards. Bloodworms aren't very nutritious, just very tempting.

 

[NickAu]

Time to face reality, From your description he is suffering and isn't going to get better, do the humane thing and put him out of his misery.

The best and quickest way to do this is by catching the fish in a small net then using your thumb and forefinger crushing his head causing instant death.

Sorry if this upsets you but its the right thing to do.

 

[garytodd]

Essjay, Nickau. Thanks for the advice. I forgot that I got some bloodworm in the freezer. I'll try that once. If he doesn't take it I'll have to find some way of putting him out of his misrery. Unfortunately I haven't got it in my to squash him. We are quite fond of him with him being our only fish.



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[NickAu]

Unfortunately I haven't got it in my to squash him

I understand. You can use clove oil.

Clove oil is a sedative which at high doses, can be used to euthanase small fish. Unlike veterinary anaesthetics, clove oil is readily available from most chemists. Around 400 mg of clove oil per litre of aquarium water is sufficient to cause death in exposed fish. The clove oil should be mixed with a little warm water first before adding it to the water and fish slowly. Do not add all at once as fish get excited - add the clove oil mix over a 5 minute period.

 

[garytodd]

NickAu, Essjay

Appologies. I've just realised I didnxt reply. Unfortunately the fish was dead when I went to apply the clove oil. Thanks for your advice. Ixve learned alot.

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