Sick betta, help please

[oneponygirl]

About a month or so I got a betta for my son (I am the one responsible for it's care). It resides in a two gallon tank on his dresser (not by any windows so no breeze) which uses a big air stone for aeration. We hadn't had it for very long when I noticed one day that it seemed listless and it's colors faded. I did a partial water change and watched. No change after a few days so I did another water change and added Melafix (it was recommended by a pet store). No change, or worse. I did a full water change because it seemed murky in there and there was food rotting on the bottom (turned out dh was feeding it too). I also bought a crab to help keep the food cleaned up and reduced it's food - especially since it eats rarely now. Then one day I noticed that when he moved suddenly that pieces of his tail and fins were dropping off. I sprinkled some tetracycline in his tank (also recommended by a pet store). I alternate days of the tetracycline with partial water changes and today is the third day for the tetracycline. His condition hasn't improved and it's almost as if his color is leaching into the water. The water is very reddish with a line of color at the top that sticks to the tank. Should I do that last day of the tetracycline? A full water change? What? Help please. This is my third betta, the other lived for years and years and I never had a problem so this one throws me.

Also, can anybody recommend a brand of food. The store didn't carry the brand I had previously used with mine bettas years ago and this food sinks way too fast.

 

[3fsh]

#1 Remove the crab from the tank!!! Crabs produce enormous amounts of waste and ammonia, he will die and kill the betta along with him if you don't take him out immediately. He can also kill and eat the betta in his sleep... the crab may be the reason for the shredded tail.

#2 Do a 100% water change with fresh, warm, dechlorinated water. Melafix is extremely potent in small tanks... you can only use a few drops or you will kill your fish.

#3 Stop using the tetracycline... this is a very powerful medication that should only be used if you have a confirmed diagnosis of an illness that needs it. His condition right now has most likely been caused by the poor water conditions.

#4 Do 50% water changes every two days with warm, dechlorinated water.

With these 4 things alone, he should improve. I am almost 100% certain that the poor water quality (and maybe the crab nipping at him) are what caused his problems. The best betta food you can use are Hikari Betta Bio-Gold pellets. It would also be a good idea to buy some frozen Hikari blood worms to help him recover more quickly. Good luck with the little guy!

 

[oneponygirl]

Thanks for the reply. I forgot to put in my original post that I removed the crab after only a day. I wasn't sure about the safety of him and medications. To assure you, I did only use a few drops of the Melafix and only a tiny sprinkle of the tetracycline after trying multiple partial water changes. I'll go back to the water changes only and see if he improves. Have you any idea about how soon I should see improvement?

Also, I am getting so many mixed messages about how much to feed him. I've been told twice a day, once a day, and once a week. My previous bettas I believe I fed once daily but now I'm doubting my own knowledge. It's been a few years since I've had the tanks set up because I married a military guy so we were moving a lot. Now we're settled (he resigned) so I'm starting to get back into it.

The crab currently resides in my three gallon eclipse tank with the tetras and gourami. They all seem happy, he leaves them alone. If anything the gourami actually pesters him a little. He's a tiny little guy, a little bigger than a nickel maybe, very efficient with keeping the bottom clean. If he's "dirty" then should I do more frequent water changes or what?

I had wanted ghost shrimp because I have had them before but the store didn't have any. I had previously had a cory but I hated it, he really was filthy, made a lot more mess than he cleaned up that's for sure. So is there anything that will help keep the tank clean that doesn't make it worse?

 

[3fsh]

You should see improvement within a week.... if not, then you can try some medication.

I feed my bettas 2-3 pellets twice a day and they are very healthy and happy. It is okay to feed them 4 once a day, but it is healthier if you do it in two sittings.

I would never have a crab in anything less than a 10 gallon. They produce an enormous amount of waste and ammonia. A three gallon will have problems coping with that. Plus, you should only have 1in of fish for every gallon. It sounds like you are already stocked up with fish... so the crab should be re-homed if possible.

Ghost shrimp would do wonderfully in there... they barely produce any ammonia or waste. I could ship some to you, if you would like! You can also have some malaysian trumpet snails. They keep the gravel spotless and eat leftover food and fish waste. I can ship some of those to you as well.

 

[Dart]

What type of food are you feeding your betta? I know flakes and bloodworms can dirty the water quicker than pellets.

I know my guy who has chronic fin rot (if there is such a thing ), the minute the water gets a little dirty he starts loosing parts of his tail/fins. He also will only eat bloodworms which cause the water to get dirtier quicker so i have to do a water change very frequently.

My other 4 non-picky eats eat pellets which dont' cloud the water so i don't have a problem with fin rot.

They get fed 2 times a day, with one or two skipped feedings a week (it just happens)

You could try adding some salt or stress coat when you change the water to help repair the damaged fins.

 

[oneponygirl]

Thanks guys, y'all are so helpful. 3fsh, I wouldn't mind having the ghost shrimp and a snail since that's what I originally wanted. I wonder the cost??? Feel free to e-mail or PM me.

Dart, he is only getting pellets at this point, I just haven't picked up any bloodworms yet. I usually gave my last bettas pellets daily and bloodworms once weekly. Right now I have to stand at the tank at give my current betta one pellet at a time since if I even just put two in there the second one has sunk before he's had a chance to get it (I don't remember the brand it's in my sons room and he's napping), I never had that problem before. I'm going to look and see if I can find the kind previously recommended.

I did a total water change and he actually seemed a bit perkier even before the change so I'm hoping that he's out of the woods. My little boy is so into animals even at just 15 months, he "helps" feed his fishy in the morning (I shake a pellet out, close the can and give it to him and he "shakes" a pellet out). It would break my heart if his little fishy died even though my ds wouldn't know any different.

What would be a good book to check out regarding fish facts? I had a book that I thought was good but it doesn't talk at all about things like shrimp or crabs and it doesn't talk at all about "output" as far as what fish are dirty v. ones that might be cleaner. It also gives a different ratio for fish to water. It talks about inches of fish to square inches of surface area stating that tropical fish require less than the other kinds. I want to do more (and better planning) for my next tanks. I already have a 5 gallon that I would like to set up soon and someday get something much, much larger.