green gills

[fishlover2005]

I have a betta and i've had him for about a month now.. and he's been fine as far as i know.. he had parasites and i got parasite clear and put it in there and been following it like it said. but i noticed this evening when i changed his water that he's got green around his gills. and i was wondering what it was and everything that goes with it. what causes it and how to fix it and all that kind of stuff if somebody could help me i would appreciate it bunches..

 

[BettasRFriends]

Is the gills itself green? If so, I do not know. However, two of my female cambodian (opaque body) has red gills whenever they're active and flaring. When they sleep the gills turn pale.

 

[BettaMomma]

What kind of tank is he in and how warm is it?
Is he doing anything else besides sporting green gills? Are you sure it's a greenish color, or is it more grey? if it's grey then he's possibly got a bacterial infection...

what did you treat him for with parasites? and how did you know he had them - what prompted you to treat him for that?

 

[fishlover2005]

he's active sometimes and then others he just lays on the bottom of the tank and does nothing.. he usually does this when he gets a water change.. i knew he had parasites when he had a white line on him and my dad looked at him as well cause he had gotten a fish with it on one time long time ago. and so i went and bought parasite clear and it took care of it.. his water seems to be the same as usual.. i cleaned out his tank last night and put fresh water in...

 

[BettaMomma]

do you dechlorinate?
Is the water temp the same when he goes back in as it was when he came out?

Just trying to think of things that might be going on...

 

[fishlover2005]

no i don't.. i was told that since he's in a 1 gallon tank that its more hassel to go through all that than to just buy the bottled water cause everything is made for 10 gallon tanks or bigger.. i'm pretty sure that the water temp is the same.. if it isen't its pretty close it might be just a bit warmer.. maybe i just haven't noticed them before.. i don't know..

 

[BettaMomma]

Okay - STOP using bottled water immediately. That is a big problem to begin with.

You should be using dechlorinated tap water - it's got minerals in it that fish really really need. The dechlorinator will cost you far less in the long run than the water will - it's just a few bucks for a bottle - then use tap water that's the same temp as what he was in before the water change. It's really not a pain at all - just throw some drops in when you change out the water - not a hassle.

you'll notice a big diff in him once you stop using that water, trust me.
That's why he's unhappy after you do water changes.

And go back and tell whoever it was that told you that they need bottled water that it's NOT the way to take care of a betta.

 

[SRC]

Actually Bottle Spring water is fine to use, or so I have heard. It's no different then aged tap water....except that it's filtered as well.

 

[fishlover2005]

i have never used bottled water for him... i've just been using tap water.. so if i buy the stuff for his water. how much do i put in since he's in a 1 gallon tank and they said its made for 10 gallons or bigger

 

[newfishies]

my lps sells betta water conditioner, just a smaller bottle of the stuff like amquel, aqua plus or any other liquid dechlorinator. it has a top that only lets out drops of liquid at once, and directions on how many drops to put in each size tank. the other stuff works on 1 gallon tanks, you just have to figure out the maths as to how much to put in your tank! definitely get some, he doesn't like chlorine!!!!

 

[Texaswoman]

I would defianately use PRIME for your water treatment because it takes care of everything, and a little goes a long way, much more than most products, and it works to neutralize more toxicins and chlorine and chloramine which most water treatment facitlities use. It also breaks down nitrite, nitrate, and ammonia which can be the by product of taking care of the cholramine. I would also say I don't recommend using bottled water unless it specifies it has some sort of minerals and trace elements present still that weren't filtered out. The minerals and trace elements in tap water are still essential to make the overall health of the fish better off. That is why I add back to my RO water, Amazon Rain and some collodial silver. The water comes out labratory grade pure, and that is clean, but not healthy for the fish.

 

[BettaMomma]

Most dechlorinators tell you how many drops per gallon to put in.

sorry, I misunderstood your post earlier - I thought you were using strictly bottled water.

DO get dechlorinator ASAP - there is chlorine and all sort of other nasty stuff in the water coming out of your tap that needs to be taken care of before you can put him back in.

And you should only ever use bottled spring water in a betta tank when you've got problems with levels - spring water can help balance out the high levels, but only then should you use it. There are no minerals or elements in bottled spring water, and those are necessary for healthy fish.

 

[wuvmybetta]

I'm pretty certain that spring water does have minerals in it. It's natural water from a spring. Distilled water is an absolute no-no because it's straight RO,having been run through reverse osmosis to remove anything and everything.

I had a goldie who lived in straight spring water for many years (at least four),until I accidently used distilled water one day when I was in a hurry and...

But,are you sure you're not just looking at his gill plates? Are they shiny green?

 

[fishlover2005]

i don't think its anything for me to worry bout.. my friend said that he doesen't think its anything.. we think he's had the spots but never realized them till that night..

 

[nashnut]

I used bottled spring water for quite some time before switching over to tap water when I moved. I didn't want the fish subjected to all sorts of water changes so I used the bottled water until the move. Once I got settled I then started using 1/2 bottled water and 1/2 tap water for a few changes. Then I went to entirely tap water.

It's distilled water that is no good for the fish. Everything is taken out of that type of water..


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