My betta has a hole in his fin and shows erratic swimming patterns!!

I got my betta 2 weeks ago and he always had a pin hole in his dorsal fin. I thought it would go away soon because I do 25% water changes every other day as I dont have a gravel vaccum yet. The hole was small as first but it got bigger. Im worried because I read that pinholes can be a form of finrot. I attached some photos.

Tank
The tank is a 10 gallon. The tank has been running for 5 weeks. It has a filter with a strong suction and strong flow, but I used a sponge to surround the tube and used the water bottle technique for the flow. The tank doesn’t have a heater as I live in a tropical area (California) and the room gets a lot of sun. The water temperature is 77°F. When the temp is too low, I use a water bottle full of hot water and that usually brings the temp up to 80°F.
My betta is the only fish in the tank.

Maintenance
-Change water every other day
-25% water changes
-use prime conditioner to treat water. I use stress enzymes API ONLY when I see my fish is stressed out.
-I dont have a gravel vaccum at the moment for the substrate

For my parameters, I dont know because I dont have the testing kit.

Feeding
I feed my betta 3 aqueon pellets in the morning (10:00am) and 2 aqueon pellets at night (10:00pm). I always make sure his feedings are 12 hours apart at least. I fast him every Wednesday. I feed him aqueon dehydrated bloodworms and cucumbers once a week.
I also noticed that there is daphnia in my tank. Many are in his log and I see him eat them.

Illness and symptoms
I’ve only had him for exactly 2 weeks. Yesterday, he was acting weird. Whenever he touched something, he would swim very fast and bump into things. One time, he got stuck on top of his betta log so his whole head was out of the water. Luckily, I was there to see it so I could help him.
After the incident, he stayed in his plant with his head facing towards the surface. His gills were moving very fast.
He did the same thing today. It was time to feed him cucumber but he swam very fast, bumped into the glass, and stayed at the bottom, slightly leaning his body to the left.

I havent started any treatment. I need to watch him more but I suspect that it is swim bladder disease and fin rot.
He also has a “S” body shape sometimes—not all the time.

 

I know you said you don’t have a testing kit so I would highly recommend getting one or getting your water tested at a store because that’s crucial to your fishes health.
Do you know if you cycled the tank though? And I mean not just letting it run for a week

 

I know you said you don’t have a testing kit so I would highly recommend getting one or getting your water tested at a store because that’s crucial to your fishes health.
Do you know if you cycled the tank though? And I mean not just letting it run for a week

Hello
I cant afford a testing kit right now because I only have $15. I’m a minor and my parents gave me a betta out of nowhere. They refuse to spend any money on it because, according to them, “They dont need all that. Im not wasting anymore money on a fish. I know how to take care of them.” So Im forced to spend my own money. Before I got a betta, I spent $90 for some of the fish supplies but I couldnt get a testing kit. So please understand my situation. I really want to keep my betta alive.

Hello
I cant afford a testing kit right now because I only have $15. I’m a minor and my parents gave me a betta out of nowhere. They refuse to spend any money on it because, according to them, “They dont need all that. Im not wasting anymore money on a fish. I know how to take care of them.” So Im forced to spend my own money. Before I got a betta, I spent $90 for some of the fish supplies but I couldnt get a testing kit. So please understand my situation. I really want to keep my betta alive.

Do I keep my betta somewhere else and wait for the tank to cycle?

I know you said you don’t have a testing kit so I would highly recommend getting one or getting your water tested at a store because that’s crucial to your fishes health.
Do you know if you cycled the tank though? And I mean not just letting it run for a week

What can I do for now?

 

Hi! I see that you have a limited budget, which I definitely relate to! One thing that really has helped me save a lot of money is price matching. Basically whenever you're at Petco/Petsmart go online to their website and look up the product you're buying, and more often than not it will be at a discount. If you show the cashier the website price they'll give you that price. Usually the test kit (API Freshwater Master Test Kit) is $35, but with price matching I got it for $25! So, once you have the $25, I highly recommend buying the test kit. You'll be able to tell what your Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and pH are, which are all crucial to keep your fish healthy. It's difficult to know if your tank is cycled without the test kit, but since it was only set up for three weeks before you got the fish, my guess is that it's not. It's good that you're doing frequent water changes and using Prime to treat your water, as that will help with any ammonia and nitrites that are likely in the water.

As for feeding, I would feed him until his belly is *slightly* rounded instead of doing a set number of pellets. Depending on the size of the pellet, you may be under or over feeding him. It's good that you're fasting him one day a week. As for the cucumbers, bettas are strict carnivores, and feeding them veggies does more harm than good because their digestive system doesn't know how to handle it. (You'll see that feeding peas can help, but that is not actually true). It seems like he is doing what's called "flashing" where they kind of bump into something and then swim very quickly. Here's a link to a YouTube video explaining this and possible cause and solution:

Also, even though you live in a warm climate, it is always a good idea to have a heater, it will keep the water at a more constant temp. I know you're on a budget, but this is also an essential. I use the "Hygger Mini Submersible Heater" off of Amazon in both of my tanks. They're adjustable (mine are set to 79ºF) and they show the temp digitally on the heater. Since you are in a warmer climate, you may not need such a powerful heater. The 50W that I use will likely be sufficient.
I hope that helps!!

 

I know you said you don’t have a testing kit so I would highly recommend getting one or getting your water tested at a store because that’s crucial to your fishes health.
Do you know if you cycled the tank though? And I mean not just letting it run for a week

Also, thank you for reminding me! I almost forgot that you can test your water at the store. I’ll get it done when I go get a gravel vaccum. Perhaps.. this week?

 

Also, thank you for reminding me! I almost forgot that you can test your water at the store. I’ll get it done when I go get a gravel vaccum. Perhaps.. this week?

Good idea! However, I'm pretty sure that the stores test for GH, KH, pH, Nitrite, and Nitrate, but not Ammonia.

 

Hi! I see that you have a limited budget, which I definitely relate to! One thing that really has helped me save a lot of money is price matching. Basically whenever you're at Petco/Petsmart go online to their website and look up the product you're buying, and more often than not it will be at a discount. If you show the cashier the website price they'll give you that price. Usually the test kit (API Freshwater Master Test Kit) is $35, but with price matching I got it for $25! So, once you have the $25, I highly recommend buying the test kit. You'll be able to tell what your Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and pH are, which are all crucial to keep your fish healthy. It's difficult to know if your tank is cycled without the test kit, but since it was only set up for three weeks before you got the fish, my guess is that it's not. It's good that you're doing frequent water changes and using Prime to treat your water, as that will help with any ammonia and nitrites that are likely in the water.

As for feeding, I would feed him until his belly is *slightly* rounded instead of doing a set number of pellets. Depending on the size of the pellet, you may be under or over feeding him. It's good that you're fasting him one day a week. As for the cucumbers, bettas are strict carnivores, and feeding them veggies does more harm than good because their digestive system doesn't know how to handle it. (You'll see that feeding peas can help, but that is not actually true). It seems like he is doing what's called "flashing" where they kind of bump into something and then swim very quickly. Here's a link to a YouTube video explaining this and possible cause and solution:

Also, even though you live in a warm climate, it is always a good idea to have a heater, it will keep the water at a more constant temp. I know you're on a budget, but this is also an essential. I use the "Hygger Mini Submersible Heater" off of Amazon in both of my tanks. They're adjustable (mine are set to 79ºF) and they show the temp digitally on the heater. Since you are in a warmer climate, you may not need such a powerful heater. The 50W that I use will likely be sufficient.
I hope that helps!!

Hi! Thank you so much for your response. It was really helpful!
Today, I got the Freshwater Master Test Kit and got it price matched as you said. I also used a couple coupons (thank God). As soon as I got home, I tested the water. Here are the water parameters:

Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 5.0 ppm
pH: 7.6 ppm

The pH is too high for my betta and I dont know how to lower down the pH. Is there another way I can lower it without a chemical?
Also, I watched the video you attached and my betta is showing the symptoms of Gill Flukes. I looked up PraziPro in the stores near me, however, I couldn’t find it. I found it on Walmarts website but its not sold at my walmart. I dont think this will work but I’ll try to ask my parents to order it for me.

Hi! I see that you have a limited budget, which I definitely relate to! One thing that really has helped me save a lot of money is price matching. Basically whenever you're at Petco/Petsmart go online to their website and look up the product you're buying, and more often than not it will be at a discount. If you show the cashier the website price they'll give you that price. Usually the test kit (API Freshwater Master Test Kit) is $35, but with price matching I got it for $25! So, once you have the $25, I highly recommend buying the test kit. You'll be able to tell what your Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and pH are, which are all crucial to keep your fish healthy. It's difficult to know if your tank is cycled without the test kit, but since it was only set up for three weeks before you got the fish, my guess is that it's not. It's good that you're doing frequent water changes and using Prime to treat your water, as that will help with any ammonia and nitrites that are likely in the water.

As for feeding, I would feed him until his belly is *slightly* rounded instead of doing a set number of pellets. Depending on the size of the pellet, you may be under or over feeding him. It's good that you're fasting him one day a week. As for the cucumbers, bettas are strict carnivores, and feeding them veggies does more harm than good because their digestive system doesn't know how to handle it. (You'll see that feeding peas can help, but that is not actually true). It seems like he is doing what's called "flashing" where they kind of bump into something and then swim very quickly. Here's a link to a YouTube video explaining this and possible cause and solution:

Also, even though you live in a warm climate, it is always a good idea to have a heater, it will keep the water at a more constant temp. I know you're on a budget, but this is also an essential. I use the "Hygger Mini Submersible Heater" off of Amazon in both of my tanks. They're adjustable (mine are set to 79ºF) and they show the temp digitally on the heater. Since you are in a warmer climate, you may not need such a powerful heater. The 50W that I use will likely be sufficient.
I hope that helps!!

I’ll also look into getting the heater you mentioned. Thank you so much!

 

Your ph is fine for bettas. My ph runs at 7.6, and I have owned quite a few bettas who have had good lives. If you add something to give off tannins in the water (when you can), that will bring the ph down a little.

Some people don't like the look of tannins (it tints the water brown), but your betta will love it. Tannins are very good and will help in the healing process. Tannins provide low level natural anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. I use Indian Almond Leaves in my betta tanks. Others get tannins from driftwood (be careful with this - please read to find out how to treat it if you get driftwood). Others use organic rooibos tea - the natural kind with no caffeine. I find that the tea tends to clog up my hob filter, so I don't use it very often.

These are things that you can look into after your fish baby gets better.

Good luck!!!! I hope he gets better; he is a very pretty boy!

 

Your ph is fine for bettas. My ph runs at 7.6, and I have owned quite a few bettas who have had good lives. If you add something to give off tannins in the water (when you can), that will bring the ph down a little.

Some people don't like the look of tannins (it tints the water brown), but your betta will love it. Tannins are very good and will help in the healing process. Tannins provide low level natural anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. I use Indian Almond Leaves in my betta tanks. Others get tannins from driftwood (be careful with this - please read to find out how to treat it if you get driftwood). Others use organic rooibos tea - the natural kind with no caffeine. I find that the tea tends to clog up my hob filter, so I don't use it very often.

These are things that you can look into after your fish baby gets better.

Good luck!!!! I hope he gets better; he is a very pretty boy!

Oh thats great! I’ll write that down for when I need it. Thank you so much and he indeed is a pretty boy.

 

Hi! Thank you so much for your response. It was really helpful!
Today, I got the Freshwater Master Test Kit and got it price matched as you said. I also used a couple coupons (thank God). As soon as I got home, I tested the water. Here are the water parameters:

Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 5.0 ppm
pH: 7.6 ppm

The pH is too high for my betta and I dont know how to lower down the pH. Is there another way I can lower it without a chemical?
Also, I watched the video you attached and my betta is showing the symptoms of Gill Flukes. I looked up PraziPro in the stores near me, however, I couldn’t find it. I found it on Walmarts website but its not sold at my walmart. I dont think this will work but I’ll try to ask my parents to order it for me.

I’ll also look into getting the heater you mentioned. Thank you so much!

I’m glad you were able to get the test kit! You’re seeing some nitrates which is good. However since there is ammonia, do a 20% water change, and do these until there is no ammonia for many days in a row. As for the pH, 7.6 is just fine, my pH is 7.4 and I’ve had 0 issues. Trying to mess with pH can change it too drastically and can end up being a danger to the fish. And they may sell the PraziPro on Amazon. I haven’t used it before, so if I were you I would do a lot more online research on flashing and on using PraziPro, or post again on this forum specifically asking about that.