FlyingFishKeeper Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 (edited) Hi, I just noticed that the area below my betta's gills seems to be either pushed back, or damaged, it's enough that you can see the tissue that's normally covered up by the gills. (please excuse the cloudy water, I just added some crushed coral about 5 minutes ago.) I've noticed him flashing for a bit, and hard Cory say in a livestream somewhere that low pH could cause issues with irritating the skin and gills. I ordered some crushed coral and added it to help raise the pH to get him to stop flashing. He is still eating, but with a bit of difficulty, it almost looks like he wants to eat, has trouble chewing it. Mostly he's resting in the plants. My parameters are: NH3 & NH4: 0 ppm Nitrite: 0 ppm Nitrate: 0 ppm (The tank has been cycled for about a month or two, with plants taking a lot of nitrogen from what i can tell.) GH: 75 ppm KH: 40 ppm pH: 6.4 Temperature: 79ºF Source of Results: Tetra Easy Strips Ammonia, Tetra Easy Strips Six in One, and Marina Thermometer Could this be from misjudging when he was flashing and accidentally hitting this area? His tankmates are several red cherry shrimp, a few bladder snails and their eggs, and various worms, small inverts, etc in a planted 5.5 gallon. (To clarify on the picture, he does not have fin rot, his tail was pointed towards the camera making his tail look a bit shorter) Also if someone happens to know will this be permanent? Anything helps, thanks! UPDATE 2:03PM UTC: Last night he jumped out of the tank, and was out for probably a minute at most. He doesn't seem to have any injuries. He's still resting in the plants and still eating with difficulty. Right now I'm feeding freeze dried spirulina brineshrimp to try to give him good food. Edited March 19, 2021 by FlyingFishKeeper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaredL Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 23 hours ago, FlyingFishKeeper said: Hi, I just noticed that the area below my betta's gills seems to be either pushed back, or damaged, it's enough that you can see the tissue that's normally covered up by the gills. (please excuse the cloudy water, I just added some crushed coral about 5 minutes ago.) I've noticed him flashing for a bit, and hard Cory say in a livestream somewhere that low pH could cause issues with irritating the skin and gills. I ordered some crushed coral and added it to help raise the pH to get him to stop flashing. He is still eating, but with a bit of difficulty, it almost looks like he wants to eat, has trouble chewing it. Mostly he's resting in the plants. My parameters are: NH3 & NH4: 0 ppm Nitrite: 0 ppm Nitrate: 0 ppm (The tank has been cycled for about a month or two, with plants taking a lot of nitrogen from what i can tell.) GH: 75 ppm KH: 40 ppm pH: 6.4 Temperature: 79ºF Source of Results: Tetra Easy Strips Ammonia, Tetra Easy Strips Six in One, and Marina Thermometer Could this be from misjudging when he was flashing and accidentally hitting this area? His tankmates are several red cherry shrimp, a few bladder snails and their eggs, and various worms, small inverts, etc in a planted 5.5 gallon. (To clarify on the picture, he does not have fin rot, his tail was pointed towards the camera making his tail look a bit shorter) Also if someone happens to know will this be permanent? Anything helps, thanks! UPDATE 2:03PM UTC: Last night he jumped out of the tank, and was out for probably a minute at most. He doesn't seem to have any injuries. He's still resting in the plants and still eating with difficulty. Right now I'm feeding freeze dried spirulina brineshrimp to try to give him good food. I'm far from an expert, but wanted to share my thoughts. Jumping out of the tank makes me think a water quality issue. The ph of 6.4 seems low to me. The crushed coral sounds like the right move to raise the ph and kh a bit. Hope things work out for your buddy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 How long have you had him? What is your ammonia? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingFishKeeper Posted March 19, 2021 Author Share Posted March 19, 2021 Hi @Mmiller2001, I've had him since August, my ammonia is still at 0ppm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 3 minutes ago, FlyingFishKeeper said: Hi @Mmiller2001, I've had him since August, my ammonia is still at 0ppm. Has he ever been treated with meds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingFishKeeper Posted March 19, 2021 Author Share Posted March 19, 2021 I'm not sure about what the store's procedures are. However I haven't, I have some Paracleanse and Maracyn on hand right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Just now, FlyingFishKeeper said: I'm not sure about what the store's procedures are. However I haven't, I have some Paracleanse and Maracyn on hand right now. My guess is gill flukes. Paracleanse, per directions. Your GH and KH are fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingFishKeeper Posted March 20, 2021 Author Share Posted March 20, 2021 (edited) Thanks, I think I would still want to keep the crushed coral in since gH, kh, and pH are a bit low for my comfort level especially since i have some neocaridina, and to rule that out as a possible reason for flashing. Edited March 20, 2021 by FlyingFishKeeper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 2 hours ago, FlyingFishKeeper said: Thanks, I think I would still want to keep the crushed coral in since gH, kh, and pH are a bit low for my comfort level especially since i have some neocaridina, and to rule that out as a possible reason for flashing. Would anyone happen to know if it's painful for him from the skin being "folded" back? If so should/could I try doing something like this: If the risks outweigh the benefits I won't do it, although right now I can see him breathing heavily and sitting in the plants. He also seems to be "wagging" his caudal fin as he swims, which he sometimes did when he was excited, but he might be having problems swimming. Yesterday I attempted something similar but with a net propped on the corner of the tank to keep him in the water. Thank you! Have you started Paracleanse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingFishKeeper Posted March 20, 2021 Author Share Posted March 20, 2021 (edited) Thank you, not yet, I'm worried that netting him placing him in a hospital tank will be too much stress, with could do more harm then good. Right now I've noticed that he's being lethargic and breathing heavily so I want to rest him as much as possible before doing anything. Any feedback is still welcome! Edited March 20, 2021 by FlyingFishKeeper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 5 minutes ago, FlyingFishKeeper said: Thank you, not yet, I'm worried that netting him placing him in a hospital tank will be too much stress, with could do more harm then good. Right now I've noticed that he's being lethargic and breathing heavily so I want to rest him as much as possible before doing anything. Any feedback is still welcome! If it's gill flukes, he will die regardless. Lethargy and rapid breathing are signs of gill fluke progression. Permanent damage is occurring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 11 minutes ago, FlyingFishKeeper said: Okay, I'm setting up a bucket (all I currently have), how would I dose if I have to use half a packet of Paracleanse for 5 gallons? Thanks! How many gallons is the tank he's in currently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingFishKeeper Posted March 20, 2021 Author Share Posted March 20, 2021 (edited) 5.5, I ended up putting the meds on a scrap of shipping paper from Aquarium Coop, and divided them in half. Is it normal for there to be small grains on the bottom? I've heard that chemicals in the water willl form bubbles on the surface, but never of grains settling to the bottom? I'll post any updates here! Edited March 20, 2021 by FlyingFishKeeper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 10 minutes ago, FlyingFishKeeper said: 5.5, I ended up putting the meds on a scrap of shipping paper from Aquarium Coop, and divided them in half. Is it normal for there to be small grains on the bottom? I've heard that chemicals in the water willl form bubbles on the surface, but never of grains settling to the bottom? I'll post any updates here! If he improves. Repeat in 2 to 3 weeks. Then address the fins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingFishKeeper Posted March 20, 2021 Author Share Posted March 20, 2021 Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean by treat the fins since he doesn't have any problems there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 (edited) 9 minutes ago, FlyingFishKeeper said: Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean by treat the fins since he doesn't have any problems there? Thought you posted something about his fins. Maybe from another post. Ignore it. But retreat Paracleanse in a couple of weeks. Edited March 20, 2021 by Mmiller2001 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 I forgot to mention. Increase aeration. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingFishKeeper Posted March 20, 2021 Author Share Posted March 20, 2021 Thx. He's acting different already, and isn't breathing as heavily! Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 10 minutes ago, FlyingFishKeeper said: Thx. He's acting different already, and isn't breathing as heavily! Thank you! No problem. Just keep a close eye on him. Watch for secondary bacterial infections. Hopefully he will heal well. Just don't forget that second dose and then the 2 weeks later. After the 5 days, do a good water change and do more frequent smaller water changes prior to his next round of medication. Flukes can be tricky and some can be pretty resistant to meds. If he flashes after 2 treatments, I'd recommend a course of PraziPro. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingFishKeeper Posted May 5, 2021 Author Share Posted May 5, 2021 (edited) Hi, so last week he finished his treatment! Thank you everyone! I've noticed that area below his gills still seems to be "folded", I'm hoping it's not causing him any lessening of his quality of life. As of now he's still in his qt bucket since I have some baby shrimp that I'm hoping to get to a good size since the colony is still small. He seems to be eating well, although I'm assuming he's been biting his left ventral fin since I can't see any symptoms of finrot/melt, and the edges are clean. I'm hoping that as long as I keep the water quality clean and probably some enrichment he'll heal without any infection. Thanks! Edited May 5, 2021 by FlyingFishKeeper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbetta Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 I am very new to Betta. I certainly think that has to be because of some water PH problem. Even so, I also read an article, it is in Spanish but it translates well. In this article he talks about the problems of the different types of Betta and the diseases they can have according to the size of the tail, etc. Maybe you are interested in it. Best regards What is the best Betta species? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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