# Sick Betta



## Padded Wall (Jan 3, 2013)

Hi everyone,

I'm having a problem with my betta, but searching google gives no results because most of the people having my problem don't know the basics of bettta care.

I have my betta in a 2 gallon fluval spec, cycled and planted. He has been in there for 2-3 weeks but recently his health has been going down hill. I hoped that water changes would help him recover, but they didn't.

The temperature is 80 degrees, the flow from the filter is very light, and yesterday I did a 100% water change along with a 40% change today. If he survives the night I will continue on with the 40% water changes daily. I originally had him on ADA Aquasoil and I figured maybe the water was too acidic, so when I did the 100% water change I tore down the tank and replaced the substrate with plain old sand. I'd hoped the clean water and more neutral ph would help, but it appears he's still only getting worse. He hasn't eaten in quite a few days. I'd been feeding him fruit flies which I culture (I keep dart frogs), and he loved them. 

I'm not sure what to do. He has no visible infections or parasites, but his fins have been clamped solid for about a week, which was when I knew something was going wrong. Now he's a very pale colour and doesn't look like he has much time left. I'm not sure what to do.

If anyone has any ideas or advice it would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to see my little buddy die a slow painful death.


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## Master wilkins (Dec 10, 2012)

Might be a parasite of some kind judging by the clamped fins. Have you tried medication of any kind?

P.s. i know you implied you know what youre doing, but i feel compelled to ask after reading that its been in there for 2-3 weeks. Did you cycle the aquarium?


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## Padded Wall (Jan 3, 2013)

The spec has been set up for a very long time and there had been some decaying matter in there for a while before I got the betta (I did a double 95% water change on it before putting him in), so I'm pretty confident it was cycled, although I didn't do any tests so it's possible it could have lost the cycle. It was pretty heavily planted, though, so that should have sucked up any ammonia or nitrates. Any remaining shouldn't have been too harmful as an acidic ph reduces ammonia toxicity. I figured if it was ammonia poisoning, then the 100% water change and 40% today would have had him recovering a bit, but he appears to only have gotten worse.

I have not tried any medications. That's partly why I'm coming here, to see if you guys had any suggestions.

Edit: to clarify my whole "most people don't know the basics of betta care" bit, I just meant that they were in small bowls with no filter or heater, so people just said that the temperature was too low or it was ammonia poisoning.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

Can you test the water? Sometime weird things can happen even if things look like they should be perfect...been there done that. I might try a gentle med like melafix first, and throw in an Indian almond leaf or two if you have them. If that doesn't work you might try a broad spectrum anti-parasite. Does he have any visible lesions or patches on him?

Sorry your guy's not doing well.


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## Padded Wall (Jan 3, 2013)

Unfortunately, I was too late. At about 3 am I realized he'd passed. Many tears were shed and I buried him in the garden. Thank you guys for the help.


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## jhj0112 (Jul 30, 2013)

I'm so sorry to hear this.. Losing fishes is the only part that I hate about this wonderful hobby..


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

Sorry for your loss.  Sometime there really isn't anything you can do, unfortunately.


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## Nicole (Nov 21, 2011)

That sucks. Did you have the betta for a long time? Maybe it had an internal infection when you bought it  
You sound like you can give a betta a great home so try again and don't give up. If you need to test your water, I have a test kit you can borrow.


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## Padded Wall (Jan 3, 2013)

Thanks everyone.

Nicole:
I do have my own test kit, but thank you for the offer. I only had him for a few weeks, but he started off looking very healthy so I have a feeling it was my fault, somehow. I have a few bettas already, and they're doing well. Funnily enough, my healthiest betta is the one in the filterless 2.5 gallon vase. (very heavily planted with soil substrate). Sometimes I wonder if it's the filters that end up causing my bettas trouble, because the others are in 5 gallon + tanks with filters and I've had a few lose their colour and get hurt fins, although they've always recovered. I think I'm going to sell the tank he was in, as I've had nothing but bad luck with it (ended up killing about 4 different batches of shrimp in various ways, as well as the betta), but in the year or two I've been keeping fish and shrimp I haven't killed anything else. I'm starting to legitimately wonder if it's cursed and I should just destroy it. Would it be morally wrong to sell a "cursed" tank? 

On that topic, would anyone be interested in purchasing a Fluval Spec?


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Sorry for your lost. Sometimes it may just be something beyond your control. 
Hope you feel better soon.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

Have you tried a sponge filter, like the kind shrimp keepers often use? Cheap, effective, no current and nowhere for fins to get caught. Works well in small tanks...we use it in Djamm's shrimp tank.

I've owned a "cursed" tank. I did end up selling it and haven't been struck by lightning yet, so you should be ok. New owner seemed fine with it.


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## Padded Wall (Jan 3, 2013)

I was thinking of moving all remaining bettas into heavily planted, MGOCPM capped with sand tanks with sponge filters. My betta in a 2.5 gallon planted filterless vase is doing swimmingly (pun fully intended), and has been for quite a while, so I figure if I apply the same method to the others (with an added filter just to be safe), I can keep them all happy and healthy.


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