Help Sick Betta

[mrsfishowner]

My husband rescued a Betta from a vacant apartment. Tank was nasty slimey mess. Took Betta home. Cleaned tank, filter, gravel etc. Added airator. Monitored tank for nitrogen cycle. everything going fine.Two weeks or so later woke up one morning and tank was a slimey mess. Local fish store doesn't know what it was. Started all over again cleaned gravel, changed filter, water, etc. Monitoring tank all things as expected. Did water changes when needed. Yesterday Floyd (that's the fish's name) was very listless, laying against filter intake. We turned filter and aerator off. He seemed a little better without the current pushing him around. Hubby went to local fish place again. They said a little salt wouldn't hurt so he put 2 teaspoons in the 5 gallon tank. They also gave him melafix. He added 1/2 teasponn yesterday and 1/2 teaspoon this morning. He also removed the biobag from the filter and did a water change before adding thembecause the ammonia was very high and so was the nitrite. We put the filter on just to circulate the salt and melafix. This morning he seems a little better one minute and worse the next. Swims some but seems to let the current push him around until he gets up against aerator hose or under return from filter and then just lays/floats there. right now he just went to the bottom.
Anyway I think what ever his problem is it has something to do with the "slime" that appeared that one morning because hubby said when he did the cleaning yesterday the tank was statring to feel slimey. This is how the slime look that morning a few weeks ago: All surfaces covered in a mucus looking slime like a clear to whitish snot gravel had it glass looked foggy because it was on it, biobag just filled with snotty stuff. As I said we removed fish and completely cleaned tank and system. Floyd has no spots or injury that i can see.
Anyone know what this maybe?? Help!!!

 

[Gourami Girl]

I imagine your tank is suffering from new tank syndrome, it sounds as though you rescued the fish first and then set the tank up, which is perhaps the only way you could do it, but really the tank needs to be set up a good while before adding anyone.

What are the dimensions of the tank?

What are the readings at the moment?

Is it a Siamese Fighter? If it is they really don't require loads of tank movement and filtration as they actually live in small stagnant pools, they prefer not to be buffetted around the tank, they like peace and quiet. If you can i would set up a very small tank or (shock Horror) fish bowl, and add some bacteria to help it mature quicker, then add the fish, but lay off the food for a day or two, until the tank is a bit more mature, when you do feed, just give a TINY pinch.

Then while this is going on, you can be maturing the bigger tank for him, take readings and ascertain that ammonia is 0, add bacteria. If the ammonia is above 0 take 50% out and just keep running the tank empty until it is more healthy.

Bettas are prone to fungus, so keep a close eye on him and at the slightest evidence of any, use some Waterlife product to stop it, i'm not sure if it's Myxazin or one of the others, but this range is very good.

 

[mrsfishowner]

I imagine your tank is suffering from new tank syndrome, it sounds as though you rescued the fish first and then set the tank up, which is perhaps the only way you could do it, but really the tank needs to be set up a good while before adding anyone.

What are the dimensions of the tank?

What are the readings at the moment?


Bettas are prone to fungus, so keep a close eye on him and at the slightest evidence of any, use some Waterlife product to stop it, i'm not sure if it's Myxazin or one of the others, but this range is very good.

[snapback]919451[/snapback]​

Well you are right we didn't really have any choose but to clean up what he had been in.

The tank had already cycled when we got the slime. I know he doesn't really need the filter and aerator that we could have just bought a bowl but, he seemed very happy in the 5 gallon (US) tank Ammonia was 0 Nitrites 0 nitrates 10 or 15 hardness 120 TA was 120 ph was 7.2 He was one happy little fighting fish. the next morning the tank was SLIME CITY.

We have removed him from the tank to a 1/2 gallon bowl added melafix which is an antibacterial fish remedy made from melaleuca and a little less than 1/4 teaspoon aquarium salt. Tonight you can definitely see what appears to be a "mucus beard" hanging off his gills under his mouth area. I can't find anything online that sounds like that. The local fish people don't seem to know what would make all the Slime we had and I am assuming the "beard" is the same stuff as the Slime.

Isn't fungus usually on the scales and fins?

 

[riogal_11]

Be very careful using melafix, bettas are vert sensitive to it, and it should be very diluted and about half of the actual dose. If I were you I would keep him in the five gallon but skip the filtration and stuff, and do weekly 100% water changes. Does this slime look like an overproduction of slime coat? Try posting this in the betta section, you will get tons of help over there.

 

[mrsfishowner]

Be very careful using melafix, bettas are vert sensitive to it, and it should be very diluted and about half of the actual dose. If I were you I would keep him in the five gallon but skip the filtration and stuff, and do weekly 100% water changes. Does this slime look like an overproduction of slime coat? Try posting this in the betta section, you will get tons of help over there.

[snapback]920127[/snapback]​

Thanks for trying to help. Unfortunately Pretty Boy Floyd went to the great rice paddy in the sky this morning. The slime had no real color kinda whitish clear slimey stuff...could have been overproduction but, could one little fish produce so much it would be covering everything in a 5 gallon tank? didn't see any slime at night woke in the morning and slimey mess...less then 12 hours

 

[WILDER]

Slimey mass like that can be parasite or bacterial, any sign of flicking and rubbing or laboured breathing.

 

[mrsfishowner]

Slimey mass like that can be parasite or bacterial, any sign of flicking and rubbing or laboured breathing.

[snapback]920904[/snapback]​

No when it first happened he seemed fine. I'm starting to lean towards a bacterial infection in theory. He's gone to the "Rice Paddy in the Sky" so..................................thanks everyone

 

[WILDER]

Sorry R.I.P.