Pleas help! My betta swam into filter intake!

[Cichlidkid09]

Please Help! Betta swam in intake filter and badly injured. Scraped fins, scale loss and damage, and a stressed fish. It was a very tight squeeze. Feel free to ask questions
The water parameters are good. Should I buy him some Indian almond leaves and stressguard?

 

[fishfoodlady]

He'll probably be OK. I have one who was attacked by another fish. He was grabbed and shaken, so I transferred him to his own tank. His fins and scales grew back, and he's healthy and happy. They're tough, hardy fish. Just keep his tank clean to avoid parasites from attacking his wounds.

 

[FoldedCheese]

Frequent WCs will help him heal and prevent infection. I would recommend a 30% WC every 2-3 days.

 

[Cichlidkid09]

Frequent WCs will help him heal and prevent infection. I would recommend a 30% WC every 2-3 days.

Should I do one today or not? I don’t want to stress him out too much by doing one today but if you think it’ll be fine than I’ll go for it! Should I turn the filter back on or leave it off?

 

[FoldedCheese]

Should I do one today or not? I don’t want to stress him out too much by doing one today but if you think it’ll be fine than I’ll go for it! Should I turn the filter back on or leave it off?

I would personally do one and I would turn the filter back on. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like you put a sponge over the intake so he shouldn't be able to get back in.

He will get used to the more frequent WCs when he realizes that you aren't trying to catch/get him when you have your hands in the tank. As long as you keep him in the tank and move slowly I have found that to help minimize stress. I also went through having to help my betta heal some missing scales so I was doing very frequent WCs while also doing a fish-in cycle. He got used to the WCs and now when I do one he just cruises around sometimes stopping to watch me or he'll swim up to the gravel vac to look at it.

 

[Flyfisha]

Definitely run the filter 24/7.
Continue changing some water often. It’s even more important to change water often now to avoid infection.

On the subject of Indian almond leaf.
It is something that has been used for hundreds of years in countries that have been keeping fish much longer than us in the western world. It’s also scientifically proven by the western world to help .
Now is not the time to say “ I don’t like the colour of the water that has tannins in it “

 

[Cichlidkid09]

Definitely run the filter 24/7.
Continue changing some water often. It’s even more important to change water often now to avoid infection.

On the subject of Indian almond leaf.
It is something that has been used for hundreds of years in countries that have been keeping fish much longer than us in the western world. It’s also scientifically proven by the western world to help .
Now is not the time to say “ I don’t like the colour of the water that has tannins in it “

Yes yes yes! I hate when people say the water is dirty etc. when I use Indian almond leaves! Thank you for the advice! Any tips to prevent this happening in the future?

 

[FoldedCheese]

Does he have many places to hide in the tank? He might've been looking for a small space to feel secure in or he might have just been exploring.

 

[Cichlidkid09]

Does he have many places to hide in the tank? He might've been looking for a small space to feel secure in or he might have just been exploring.

Yes he has plenty of places to hide his favorite spot is actually between a piece of spider wood and Anubias. He’s always been a curious guy so he was probably just being adventurous lol.

 

[FoldedCheese]

Yes he has plenty of places to hide his favorite spot is actually between a piece of spider wood and Anubias. He’s always been a curious guy so he was probably just being adventurous lol.

Mine is the same way, he loves exploring to a fault. That's how he managed to scrap off some scales when I first got him. I had an anubias inside of a small rock cave and I thought the roots/rhizome would deter him from trying to squeeze into it. They did not lol.