My problems with my Bettas

[Elisabeth83]

So I lost one of my bettas yesterday to the bacterial problem I am having I am still treating the tank as one of the other boys has it too. His isn't as severe though..just a small area on his face. How long should I treat after it clears up to make sure it's gone?

Also how should I go about steralizing everything once the infection is gone? Maybe I should take empty the whole tank and steralize it as well as the sand? Then again if I will be using the same filter it doesnt make sense to do that. Maybe just do a really large water change??

It says on the bottle of the medication not to do any water changes during treatment but doesn't that make the water quality bad and then new diseases can come? I'm on day 5 of treatment and it says to treat until the bacterial infection goes away so I am looking at another 5 days of treatment at least if not more. That means 10 days or more without a water change? Hmmmm

HELP

 

[SRC]

I have mine in Beanie boxes...so I have to do water changes daily. They just get a fresh dose of medicine everyday. All I can do. Sure couldn't leave them in nasty water that long. I just make sure the dosage is exactly the same each time I change water.

You say you have a filter on your setup..how often do you do water changes?
You could exchange the dirty water with water that is already medicated. That way it doesn't diminish the amount of meds in the tank water. Either make fresh medicated water as needed, or make a whole bunch at one time and just use that when you need to do a water change.

How to Sanitize Glass and/or Acrylic Tanks

Sorry for your loss. Good luck with the other.

 

[WILDER]

You can do a water change if you add the correct amount of med back to the litres you have removed.

 

[Elisabeth83]

ok so if I remove say 2 gallons of water...I then add the same amount of medicine I took out to the new 2 gallons of water? Do I then still add the regular dose of medicine to the tank? so for example on the day I do a water change I add 5ml (including the medicine in the 2 gallons of water) instead of 4.2ml because I did the water change??

Do I make sense?

 

[Elisabeth83]

SRC - I do water changes weekly about 25% but I am thinking of doing 2 25% water changes weekly instead. The filter is a sponge filter so I usually just sqeeze the sponge in old tank water every 1 1/2 weeks or so. Maybe I should do even more water changes than twice a week? The tank is 14 gallons.

Thanks for the site with the info on how to sanitize things

 

[sylvia]

ok so if I remove say 2 gallons of water...I then add the same amount of medicine I took out to the new 2 gallons of water? Do I then still add the regular dose of medicine to the tank? so for example on the day I do a water change I add 5ml (including the medicine in the 2 gallons of water) instead of 4.2ml because I did the water change??

Do I make sense?

Hmmm... do you need to add a dose every day or something? If so, change the water before you medicate and then add the dose. You usualy need to re-dose because a lot of fish medicines are biodegradable and become useless after a certain period of time.

If you only dose once and that's it, add the dosage you removed when you are re-filling the water from a water change. This way you replace whatever you took out.

BTW, if the only fish in 14 gallons is a betta, you can probably skip your weekly water change and do it after 10 days (that's only 3 days later after all) and you shouldn't realy have problems. If there are other fish in the tank, just test your nitrates and if they get high (above 40) you need to do the weekly water change on schedule, otherwise, leave it so you can medicate correctly.

 

[Elisabeth83]

Yeah the medication is Waterlife Myxazin and it says on the pamphlet treat daily until symptoms disappear.

I have 3 bettas in the 14 gallon (divided)...so do you think I should just wait on the water changes?

 

[sylvia]

Yes, I think you can. If you want to be on the safe side, reduce your feeding a little and watch your nitrAte readings. You shouldn't have a serious problem after just 3 extra days.

 

[SRC]

You're welcome.

I think though...if I were you I would not try to sanitize plastic plants with bleach, as those directions state. Seems to me, that it would have the same effect as acrylic would..and release some bleach out into the water after you put them back in. I would prolly run those (if you didn't want to just replace them, which would be what I would do) thru the dishwater without any detergents..then use the plate dry to sterlizize them.

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I would just break down the dose to accomodate a gallon at a time, be much easier to try and measure out the proper dosage of meds..if you are going to do water changes. (it is my understanding that if it says 1 tsp to 10 gal..that is 1/10 for 1 gallon (count the ticks on your eye dropper or syringe to be sure)

But if you are treating 1 fish in a 10 gallon tank..I would just add new water and redose the amount it suggests...because if it says dose everyday...then yeah it prolly breaks down over 24 hours...so the whole 10 gal will need another dose the next day anyways. So taking 2 gallons out and putting 2 fresh gallons in wouldn't make a difference imo.

Or if you are really worried about it...you could make up several milk jugs of medicated water at the same time you dose the whole 10 gal tank, to replace the old water with..then re-medicate once you replace the dirty water. because the water in the jugs would be aged just like the tank water..only clean.