Looking for advice (I made a mistake trying to help my betta).

[BeetleLann]

I introduced my betta to a hospital tank that I thought was cycled when it in fact was not. Is it safe to keep him there?

Temporary Betta Tank: pH. is high, 8.2-8.4; ammonia is 0.25ppm; nitrite 0.25ppm; nitrate is low, just under 5.0ppm. Yes heater, preset to 78F. Yes sponge filter.

Backstory: Betta was moved in mid-August from 10G community tank because something is not right with his fins (albeit they were not pretty well before tank mates were introduced earlier this summer). I moved the last weekend of August, kept him in the plastic tank until present day. I have been doing daily to every every other water changes and treating with aquarium salt, but I have not been testing. I realize I should have tested sooner, life has just been life... busy and overwhelming.

Betta's fins are not improving. A kind lady in Boston is mailing me some meds I cannot get here in Canada. They should arrive by the end of the week.

But I don't know if I should keep him in the isolated tank.

My question is: should I try the new meds and keep him isolated in the tank that is not quite cycled, or should I return him to the larger tank where water parameters are cycled but there are other fish in the tank?  I have 3 corycats, 1 baby pleco, several cherry shrimp, and a nail, and I just worried he was stressed from overcrowding, which is why I moved him into a hospital tank after watching @Irene's video on hospital tanks.

Thank you in advance. I don't know what I'm doing 😞

#newtofishcare #quarantinehobby #novice #newbie

Edited September 15, 2020 by BeetleLann
spelling error

[ange]

It's hard to suggest that you use meds if we don't know what really wrong with his fins. Fin damage on a betta can come from several sources, like fin rot, tail biting, and fin nipping from tank mates. If possible, please share some photos so that people here can try to help you with the information!

For now, keep him isolated and keep the water as clean as possible while the tank is cycling. You can also seed filter media from your cycled tank to help the population of beneficial bacteria in your hospital tank. If your ammonia spikes you can dose Prime to bind the ammonia which will reduce the stress it puts on your betta, though this is likely unnecessary as you'll be performing frequent water changes.

Aquarium salt is a good general treatment if you're unsure what specifically is ailing your betta, just keep in mind that it will not evaporate from the water so can only be removed through water changes. It also will not prevent him from tail biting if that is what caused them to be unwell in the first place, though it can aid the healing process.

[Alexa]

What size is the hospital tank?
 

Keep in mind I’ve never owned a betta but this is what I personally would do. 

 

I would keep him in the hospital tank but bring down that PH; 8.2 seems really high for a betta... throw in an almond leaf, or roobios tea, etc... I would keep a close eye on ammonia and nitrates while it finishes cycling and continue to treat with salt. I’d cut down on feeding and keep up with water changes until the cycle is complete.

[BeetleLann]

17 minutes ago, Alexa said:

What size is the hospital tank?
 

Keep in mind I’ve never owned a betta but this is what I personally would do. 

 

I would keep him in the hospital tank but bring down that PH; 8.2 seems really high for a betta... throw in an almond leaf, or roobios tea, etc... I would keep a close eye on ammonia and nitrates while it finishes cycling and continue to treat with salt. I’d cut down on feeding and keep up with water changes until the cycle is complete.

Hey Alexa, thank you for replying 🙂

Hospital tank is 5G. I have copious almond leaves, a driftwood log and half a coconut shell to help release tannins to bring down the pH. Would you recommend using a pH lowering product? I have one, but I am reluctant to use it. 😕

 

[BeetleLann]

25 minutes ago, ange said:

It's hard to suggest that you use meds if we don't know what really wrong with his fins. Fin damage on a betta can come from several sources, like fin rot, tail biting, and fin nipping from tank mates. If possible, please share some photos so that people here can try to help you with the information!

For now, keep him isolated and keep the water as clean as possible while the tank is cycling. You can also seed filter media from your cycled tank to help the population of beneficial bacteria in your hospital tank. If your ammonia spikes you can dose Prime to bind the ammonia which will reduce the stress it puts on your betta, though this is likely unnecessary as you'll be performing frequent water changes.

Aquarium salt is a good general treatment if you're unsure what specifically is ailing your betta, just keep in mind that it will not evaporate from the water so can only be removed through water changes. It also will not prevent him from tail biting if that is what caused them to be unwell in the first place, though it can aid the healing process.

Hi Ange,

Thank you for your reply! I feel reassured about keeping him in the separated tank. To be honest with you, I assumed the tank was cycled because I used filter media from the larger tank. Oopsies.

I've shared some photos on previous posts, but I'll admit the quality is lacking lol Given that the fin damage began a while before tank mates were introduced, I don't think they caused it, but could have contributed. I'll keep up with the water changes and aquarium salt.

Thanks again and best of health to you,

Lanna

 

[ange]

Seeding a tank can be tricky. A guideline that I see a lot of people use but don't always mention is that they seed the filter media a few days before adding fish. I've personally had the best luck by running an extra sponge filter in a medium-size tank and then transferring it to quarantine tanks, though for my most recent quarantine I seeded the media by hanging a bag of bio rings in my invert tank for a few weeks.

Based on your photos it seems like you're most likely dealing with fin rot on your betta. Aquarium Co-Op has a brief article on it.