HI! I'm new to the forum and hoping someone can help me out!

I have a male crowntail betta (named Aurora Australis, Rora for short.)

This is my second betta, the first one had no problems but a friend fell in love with it. When I moved I let her keep him.

He is in my 1-gallon hospital/isolation/quarantine tank all by himself. It is unheated, but the house tends to be around 76*. It also doesn't have a filter but I do frequent water changes (50% every other day)

I AM GOING TO UPGRADE!!!! I am working on getting him a 5.5-gallon, with a heater and filter. It's going to be nicely planted with live plants as well. This should be a nicer set up for him! He may even get some shrimp friends;)

Okay, so when I got him he must have had some fin rot but I didn't notice it for a while. The first thing I noticed was he had fungus, which I treated and it cleared up, but I kept him in the quarantine tank a week longer to be sure. I noticed the fin rot on him and started treating with melafix. I've been doing that for two weeks now and it's still not better!

I'm getting worried about him! Any ideas? :H

Here's a picture of said fishy!

:Thank:

First, let me say, I think the set up you have for him is fine, I have most of my males in 1 gallons myself.
I know that in some boards you are going to be screamed at for "neglecting" or "abusing" your betta
That will NOT happen here.
Fin rot in CTs is odd, I actually have never known it to happen, but your guy really looks like he has it. OR ammonia burn, (which is also what it looks like to me)
If you could increase his temp, that might help, but for sure, add some salt to his water.
I use about a table spoon per 10 gallons, and 2 for theraputic use.
Try melting the salt in about 10 teaspoons of hot water, and when it is disolved, put one teaspoon in his tank when you w/c and the a half teaspoon every time you do a 50% water change.
Because of the rotting aspect, you may want to go to 50% change every day. If your water is particularly hard, you may want to buy spring water for him until he clears up. I don't recommend any of the ph adjusters.
Betta spa, or IAL to soften the water might help as well.
Good luck, and I hope that some others can recommend other things that might help you and your betta.

I would do as Bella mentioned. You might try adding some bettafix as well. I had an elderly betta who had fin rot all the time unless I used heat, salt and bettafix .

Okay. Seeing as I can't drive, the soonest I can get to the pet store will be Thursday. I feel bad, but I'm trying the best I can! <_<

So i need to get:
- Salt (I assume you're talking aquarium salt, not marine)
- See if I can find 'bettafix'
- Check the price of a 5.5 gallon and heater and see if I have enough for it (Yea for two babysitting gigs this weekend ;) )

As for it being ammonia burns, I kinda doubt it. The only time it's above 0 is right before I do a water change, and it's BARLEY up then. (Though I don't run a test every other day, but I'm assuming it doesn't drastically change when I don't test it ;) )

I have around 7 for my Ph here, that's okay right?

What's a good brand heater to use for a small (5.5 gallon) aquarium?

Also, I'm guessing this betta to be just under a year old. (Maybe)

You can use ice cream making rock salt, same exact thing, and costs a lot less, (like 84 cents for a 4 lb box, verses 2-3 dollars for a lb). And you can get that at the grocery store.. usually in the baking aisle.
The only thing is that the ice cream making rock salt isn't 100% pure, so it leaves a small amout of sandy residue when it is disolved.
I would also get Melafix, which is the same as bettafix, only at a higher concentration. I had the break down of bettafix to melafix, but I have lost it in the move.
A filter is not necessary, especially since you would have to cycle it, and with him fighting with fin rot, that wouyld be too much stress.. It is usually too much stress on a completely healthy betta.
Besides which it is hard to hold a stable cycle on smaaler tanks like 5 gallons... You and he would be better off doing water changes.
A heater is good. If your house is warm enough though, it isn't needed. (I keep my house at 82, because I am anemic, for example). But having one as a back up just in case of unexpected temp drops is always a good plan.

I hope he improves. I live in a building built in the 1920s so my one tank on my night stand by the window needs a heater or it runs cold even with the light on. I have 2.5 gallon minibow with a hydor 7.5 watts heater in there. I got the heater at Petco and paid around $15 for it. It is pretty neat it is flat and you can burry it under substrate or put it flat along a wall .
http://www.petco.com/Shop/SearchResults.as...1&N=0&Ntt=hydor
http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?R=8...familyID=14614&
It keeps the temp in the upper 70s to 80 range .

I have melafix and I've been using it for two weeks. 0.5 mg a day

I hope to get the heater tomorrow. I'm going to petsmart though. I'll see what they have, if they don't have what I want (a small heater) then I can order online of convince my mom/dad to take me to petco:D

I'm probably making a Drsfostersmith.com order before to long. Planning on using the Azoo Plam Filter for the 5.5-gallon. I could always get the heater then too, depending on what petsmart has.

I only have petsmart and petco near me (and in different directions!) that i will shop at. The others have painted fish/keep they fish is bad conditions.

Also, I may be gone this weekend, 2-3 days. No one will be here, with it be okay that he won't be getting the melafix over the weekend?

I love Rora, and I think he loves me. He eats frozen bloodworm out of my hand, only fish I have that will do that! Thanks for helping me help him! :Thank:

Aww that is so cute that he eats out of your hand. :wub: Since you have a one gallon and you are buying a heater you also need to make sure you have an accurate thermometer as well. It is almost impossible to heat a 1 gallon however you might be able to do it with the 7.5 watt hydor I mentioned. I would not recommend a wattage above that for a one gallon because you will end up cooking your betta. If you are going to heat , and it is good for finrot to heat, I would upgrade his tank to a 2 or 2.5 gallon tank. Wall-mart has the 2.5 minibow for $25. Something to think about. It comes with everything but heater and thermometer. Word of warning if you do get one you may want to make sure the flow meter on the minibow whisper filter is turned all the way down not to create too much turblance for mr. Betta. p.s Wallmart will also have aquarium salt cheaper than the petstore. but as for the hydor you will have to get that at petco or online I think

He's going to move into a 5.5 and I would be carefull not to cook my betta :D

That is why it is so hard to heat a one gallon. That is good he is moving into a 5 gallon then you might want a higher watt heater with a temp control gage. Some of my freinds swear by neptune heaters. As for the wattage, it should say on the heater package what size tank it will heat

This forum is so helpful! Thank you ^_^

I'm debating on where to but the tank!

I would love to have Rora on my desk, but i don't need another reason to procrastinate whilst on the computer;)

The bookshelf where his tank it now won't hold the 5.5-gallon.

I could keep him in the living room... *starts plotting and begging parents* :P

Walmart carries a 2 gal. hex tank that is very decent. If you're looking for the 5 gal. size, the eclipse 5 gal. at walmart is an awesome tank. You may have to make a baffle for the outflow till he gets used to the flow. But I do agree with labell that you shouldn't try to cycle a tank with a fish that already is fighting fin rot. Any ammonia spike could make things that much worse.
After you get it under control, I don't see a problem with it... but until then, pass on the cycling.

Also, the most important things to battle fin rot are salt and heat. Outside of that melafix, but I would wait on the salt and heat. You'd be amazed what the best case living conditions can do.

Anyways, I would suggest a 25 watt adjustable visitherm stealth heater for a 5 gal. They are great and the plastic cover keeps you from breaking them like the glass ones. I have the 200 watt on my 29, 400 watt on my 55, and will be purchasing a 25 watt for my 5 gal. salt when i get the money.
In my 10 gal. betta, I temporarily have a 50 watt whisper heater, but i will be replacing it with the visitherm as i become financially capable.

I like building my own tank system for the most part. I'm going to get an AGA 5.5-gallon. Hopefully tomorrow. I'm not going to put a filter on it to keep it from cycling, but that why he can have heat and salt!

sounds good.

I just want to add an aside.
I have been using Morton's brand rock salt. And the water was clean, just a little bit of white sand.
I ran out of that, and for some odd, I haven't been able to get Morton's.
Anyway, I opened up a bag of rock salt that I bought when I bought my daughter's ice creammaker.
This stuff is NASTY.
So if you are going to use rock salt, use MORTON'S rock salt.

Well, he's in a 5.5-gallon tank now. He has a heater, and I have salt in there, plus daily melafix and frequent water changes, replacing the salt from the water change. But he's not getting better. :unsure:

He's taken up the hobby of laying on the bottom of the tank (I don't have substrate in there because of all the water changes I’m doing, and meds I’m dosing) either on his side for a 45* angle. He's got me worried about him! Any more ideas?

~Tori and Rora

I am out of ideas.
Sometimes when I have a fish that is doing that, I'll give him a drop of Quick Cure, (which permanently stains silicon), and sometimes it helps them to pull together, sometimes it doesn't.

If he's looking so tired he may be battling parisites. My first guess is gill flukes. Take a look at his gill filaments while he's breathing. If they don't look right that might be the problem. I'm not a big fan of running out and medicating at the first whim, but if he does have gill flukes the flukes won't leave until your betta is dead. Unfortunately I have to log off for today. I hope he gets better soon!

You might read the pinned testomonial on Betta Revive too. I swear by it. Especially, when you don't have any symptoms but depressed betta.

His gills look fine to me. I held a mirror up to the tank, he went crazy, and I could see his gills. But I’m not experienced on what to look for :unsure: They didn’t took ragged or have parasites. Plus, he hasn’t been starching at them, as far as I’ve noticed.

He's not constantly on the bottom. He just rests there for a couple minutes and swims around again. I have a couple plastic plants I could put in there to make it more interesting for him. Should I?

I took a picture of him today (and then stupidly deleted it :angry: ) and compared it to the old picture. His fins look a bit better, barely. So here's to hoping!!! ^_^

Everyone: :ROCK

Sounds like you're doing everything you can for him and he's showing signs of coming back. I did just want to mention to be very careful with the Melafix. It is very strong and I personally have taken it out of my medicine cabinet. It irritates the affected areas, stimulating fin growth as a protective mechanism. Also only replace what you take out in water changes. It does not dilute as quickly as other medications. I do agree with Bella's idea of Quick Cure. I have often used it to "wake up" a fish. Also use this sparingly as, it too, is a strong medication. Just out of curiosity, are you using a dechlorinator? You said you had moved and didn't know if the two waters could be different. Good luck with the little guy and keep us updated!

I tend to disagree with you. bettafix is a good med. I had an elderly betta it worked wonders in who had fin rot. As for Bella's water she did say that they just painted her apartment and some of the paint keeps falling into her water

I never said it wasn't effective, but it can potentially put unneeded stress on the fish. Medicines can have side effects and in the fish world, it's no different. Also Bettafix is diluted by 80% versus Melafix, meaning you would need 5 drops of Bettafix to equal one drop of Melafix.

I'm following the direction carefully. I'm using a little less then it says to, just to be safe. As well, my dad is a doc so it's easy for me to get hold of syringes for more accurate measuring:)

He's lost the whitish tip to the fins, and they don't look as raggedy.

I think he's going to pull through :WOW: hopefully, in a few weeks he'll be good as new!

I can't wait to get planting! I can't deiced if I want to get shrimp, or a dwarf frog to go in the tank with him.

Heheh, I would go for the shrimp. Cheaper and more fun to watch! Though sometimes, they might end up being an afternoon snack for your betta, they're still so much cooler! :muhaha

:) Yay, I hope your boy feels completely well soon~

Very true Haeun.

It's hard to tell for the picture (it was feeding time, so exciting!) but he's doing SO much better! Some of his fins are getting the fork in them!

As for him having a buddy. I got two amano shrimp and took them out of the QT yesterday and put them in with him.

Long story short, he likes to chase them OUT of the tank and I only found one of them (I think the cat found the other) which was amazingly alive. So now I have an amano shrimp and a ghost shrimp (which has eggs so I’m keeping in the QT for now) and no where to put them :angry: I guess they'll have to go with my DPs.

So now what do I put with him? A frog can't get away fast, so I’m worried for it now. I could do an otto or two with him, or I could leave him by himself.

As well, the tank is now covered in hydra! :angry:

Anyways. Rora 'says' :Thank: He really is looking and acting so much betta! (pun intended)

He DOES look better. He's colored up more.
Whatever you are doing, keep doing in.
You might want to bleach out the tank though..
(after taking him out of it), and then super dechlor it to get rid of the hydra, unless he is eating them...
Some bettas don't like company. Your guy might be one of them.
He'll probably enjoy sparring with a mirror more, than sharing "his" space.
Though I am sure he had LOTS of fun chasing the shrimp.

Oh i'm sure he liked chasing the shrimp:P

I have a mirror by his tank, kept mirror side away. Every couple days I let him defend his territory. He LOVES it:D Guests think it's so funny!

He's eating so well now too! I keep trying to get a picture of him eating from my hand, but he's to quick (and the camera to old!)

I haven't seen him go after the hydra. In a week or so I'll bleach the tank. It's not a 'problem' it's just kinda ugly:P How concentrated should the solution be? I'll be sure to super scrub the tank before he goes back in!

Just had to let everyone know:

*screams* Rora made his first bubblenest EVER! I'm so happy right now ^_^

Yay! :WOW:

:WOW WOW :WOW WOW :WOW WOW :WOW WOW
:WOW WOW :WOW WOW :WOW WOW :WOW WOW

I am so happy for the both of you!!!

You could put an apple snail in there with him. Congrats on the bubble nest

I second the apple snail vote!!
:C

I have one in another tank, Turbo that I could move back in with him. Turbo used to live with him but when I started using the big guns to get Rora better, I moved him since he didn't need the medication and I didn't think it would all the good for him!


Hopefully he won't chase Turbo out of the tank!

How strong should the bleach be when I clean out the tank? I’m going to bleach the filter too (since I know they’ll be hydra in there.) I’m going to cheat and use a filter pad from another filter so it won't cycle when I start the tank back up (at least not much^_^)

1:10 is my usual ratio, I dunno for hydra though.
Not that I even know what hydra is... except something from greek mythology and I don't think that is what you are referring too...
Someone clue me in.
:bonk