Betta With Ragged Gills?

I made a previous about this betta and his ammonia poisoning that he got from his terrible petco cup. his gill covers are permanently sticking out and have extra tissue it seems. I fear that even if he heals from his ammonia poisoning, his gill covers will never be able to work properly but I don’t know what long term effect that would have on him. if anyone knows what’s going on or why his gill covers are so damaged please let me know. i’ve only had him for a couple days and i’ve only given him one methylene blue bath. he’s lethargic and breathes heavy and has dark red gills (hence ammonia burn) but other than that he’s okay. his fins aren’t in the best condition though.

*I circled his gill cover. in the picture you can see that it thins out towards the end, making it a clear color. it looks crispy almost. it can’t be flesh with his body. this is the best picture I have of it*


tank:
heater at 78
about an inch and a half of dechlorinated water- treated with prime, stress coat and aquarium salt
water changed daily
long air stone to prevent suffocation during recovery

 

Unfortunately, ammonia poisoning can cause scarring. I also have a betta whose gills were ammonia damaged (they are not housed in cups where I live, but he was shipped in a tiny bag all the way from Indonesia and I bought him immediately after he arrived at the LFS- when I got home I did an ammonia test on the bag water and it was off the charts).

I feel that the best treatment for this is not medicine but rather very clean water, changed regularly, and the addition of Catappa leaves or other sources of tannins, which have a soothing antibacterial effect. Also, I'd advise keeping him in a tank with a lid so that when he goes to the top for air, the air he gets will be very humid. My own betta has made a good recovery with this treatment, though sadly some of the damage is permanent.

 

I agree that clean water is the best remedy for something like this. The gill that you circled in the picture will likely never go back down or look normal. My previous betta fish had the same exact issue but it was from gill flukes. After treatment his gill plate was always flicked out like yours is in the picture. It never effected him as far as I could tell but he had an array of other issues. Keep in mind that male betta’s gills always stick out past their gill plates, it’s called a “beard.” And I think the dark coloration of his gills is actually normal as he is a dark colored betta fish. I had a blue betta who had black gills.

 

I agree that clean water is the best remedy for something like this. The gill that you circled in the picture will likely never go back down or look normal. My previous betta fish had the same exact issue but it was from gill flukes. After treatment his gill plate was always flicked out like yours is in the picture. It never effected him as far as I could tell but he had an array of other issues. Keep in mind that male betta’s gills always stick out past their gill plates, it’s called a “beard.” And I think the dark coloration of his gills is actually normal as he is a dark colored betta fish. I had a blue betta who had black gills.

thanks for your reply. I didn’t know that male bettas have longer gills! also, my betta is actually quite light! he’s a coral color. so pretty.

 

Unfortunately, ammonia poisoning can cause scarring. I also have a betta whose gills were ammonia damaged (they are not housed in cups where I live, but he was shipped in a tiny bag all the way from Indonesia and I bought him immediately after he arrived at the LFS- when I got home I did an ammonia test on the bag water and it was off the charts).

I feel that the best treatment for this is not medicine but rather very clean water, changed regularly, and the addition of Catappa leaves or other sources of tannins, which have a soothing antibacterial effect. Also, I'd advise keeping him in a tank with a lid so that when he goes to the top for air, the air he gets will be very humid. My own betta has made a good recovery with this treatment, though sadly some of the damage is permanent.

unfortunately I don’t have access to indian almond leaves or anything else that releases tannis. i’m interested in the leaves but to order them it would take over a month to get to me and i’ll be sure to put a lid on! I don’t have a lid on his tank currently. thanks for your help

 

unfortunately I don’t have access to indian almond leaves or anything else that releases tannis. i’m interested in the leaves but to order them it would take over a month to get to me and i’ll be sure to put a lid on! I don’t have a lid on his tank currently. thanks for your help

It's autumn in the Northern Hemisphere- there are a myriad of sources of free tannins everywhere right now. I use oak leaves, beech leaves, birch leaves, alder cones (but not pine cones, these are poisonous to tropical fish)- you can even use Roobois tea from the supermarket. Honestly, Catappa is not magic, because there are tannins everywhere. Just make sure your source leaves fell off the trees naturally, rinse them well, add them to the tank.

 

It's autumn in the Northern Hemisphere- there are a myriad of sources of free tannins everywhere right now. I use oak leaves, beech leaves, birch leaves, alder cones (but not pine cones, these are poisonous to tropical fish)- you can even use Roobois tea from the supermarket. Honestly, Catappa is not magic, because there are tannins everywhere. Just make sure your source leaves fell off the trees naturally, rinse them well, add them to the tank.

This weekend, I'm making my magnolia leaves again for my tanks - pick them dried & dead on ground. Boil (low boil) for 20 minutes in a sauce pan n stove & sit in a Mason jar for 48 hours.

As long as you don't use pesticides in your yard, you can use tannin leaves that are homemade.

 

Also, cinnamon sticks will work- you do have to boil them first as they are too strong otherwise (20 minutes is recommended, and of course let them cool after).

I'd provide links to other sources but there's a rule about competing sites and I'm not sure exactly what it covers, but I'm pretty sure it includes sites that sell various leaves for aquarium use, which is how I learned that many kinds of leaves will work.

I honestly think it's a shame that marketers have led people to think that the only good source of tannins is Catappa sent from across the world.