Sick Betta Fish- Cubbie

[LisaGibson]

HI All, I have a sick, very well loved betta fish here and am looking for possible reasons and solutions. I pasted the template- here goes.
Tank

What is the water volume of the tank? 3.5 gallons
How long has the tank been running? We've had him since December
Does it have a filter? yes, it does- I change the filters monthly
Does it have a heater? yes, it does
What is the water temperature? 78 degrees
What is the entire stocking of this tank? (Please list all fish and inverts.) just my little guy Cubbie

Maintenance
How often do you change the water? about every 4-5days or so
How much of the water do you change? I change about a third of the water
What do you use to treat your water? I use a dechlorinator- water conditioner by aqueon, I also add in a bit of quick start out of concern that I'm stripping out bad bacteria. My ph tends to run high at times which is why I do this every 4-5 days or so
Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? both- to get out the fish waste

*Parameters - Very Important
Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? no, I got him as a gift and had to set it up quickly.
What do you use to test the water? I have a test kit by api
What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.

Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 5.0 ppm
pH: between 6.8-7.00. This is the one parameter that vascilattes for me- I changed it Sat so still good but after a few days it can rise up to 7.2-7.5 or so

Feeding
How often do you feed your fish? twice a day
How much do you feed your fish? it may be too much- 3-4 pellets per feeding; he is not over-weight by any means
What brand of food do you feed your fish? Omega One Betta Buffet pellets, every now and then a Topfin Betta Bloodworm treat
Do you feed frozen or freeze-dried foods? freeze dried

Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this fish? going on 9 months
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? He first had almost a scale covering one of his eyes a few months ago (not popeye but almost like his skin covering it), Two days ago, Saturday, I woke up and noticed that he was off.
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? He always gets super excited to see me in the morning and he was more listless at the bottom of his tank on Saturday and wouldn't come up to eat (which is his favorite thing to do). Only one of his side fins was clamped (the other is freely moving). He looked paler than usual. He stayed at the bottom of his tank, coming up for air only, for most of the day. At night he wouldn't sleep up in his usual silk plant. I started him on Kanaplex that day. The next morning, he seemes miraculously improved- swimming and eating. His fin still alittle favored but moving better. We thought that we were out of the woods but this morning I woke up to find him more listless again and when swimming doing so erratically. Upon inspection, I noticed that he had either bitten off part of his fin that was clamped on Sat. or it had come off- like a ragged chunk that I found at the bottom of the tank. And it looks like some blood around the site a bit.
Have you started any treatment for the illness? Kanaplex- second dose today
Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? No
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? More listless Sat. and today (with a break Sunday)- the one sided fin issue.

Explain your emergency situation in detail. (Please give a clear explanation of what is going on, include details from the beginning of the illness leading up to now) This is all above. Would love to bring him to a vet but no vets in my area seem to take betta fish. Wondering if a different med would be better? What do people think about aquarium salts? I keep reading poor water quality but I test weekly and am dilligent about changing if ph gets too high. Wondering if upgrading to a 5 gallon tank would help vs. the 3.5 gallon. Thank you everyone.

 

[LagerthaM]

Could you possibly post some pictures of your little guy?
Most illnesses can be treated with water changes because they can help improve water conditions and are less stressful then medicating for both you and your fish. Kanaplex is one of the best medicines out there for common use, so in my personal opinion, there isn't anything better you could use. Upgrading to a five-gallon may help you in the long run because bigger tanks are easier to maintain and less stressful on the fish because they have a bigger habitat. I think the clamped fins and tail ripping (bettas will rip off their tails if they feel stressed or if they are too long) may be caused by stress but I can't say that for sure. Sorry, I don't have any concrete answers, I hope this helps.

 

[DoraCory]

I'm going to disagree about the nitrates, they are at 5ppm, which from my understanding is fine. If they were over 40 ppm then I think there would be cause for concern.

However, water changes are still a good idea to help heal the broken/torn/bitten fin.

LisaGibson Are there any sharp ornaments your betta could have damaged his fin on?

 

[CheshireKat]

Does it have a filter? yes, it does- I change the filters monthly

This is not necessary. Rinsing the cartridge of some gunk every now and then in old tank water is fine. The cartridge holds a lot of bacteria that keeps your tank cycled; changing the cartridge means you get rid of a lot of good bacteria.

pH: between 6.8-7.00. This is the one parameter that vascilattes for me- I changed it Sat so still good but after a few days it can rise up to 7.2-7.5 or so

This is a big problem. You do not want your pH to be changing like this. It can cause stress on your fish's body. Have you tested your tap water pH? What substrate do you have?
If your betta is stressed from the pH fluctuations, he may tear/bite his own fins.

He first had almost a scale covering one of his eyes a few months ago

This sounds like diamond eye. It's a genetic thing with some bettas, unfortunately. Is it still like that?

your nitrates look a bit high,

5ppm is not high at all, it's barely neglible. Mine is always at 20 because of my tap water but I have live plants that use it so that's a good thing. Above 40 is an issue.

 

[LisaGibson]

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the responses. I uploaded a picture where you can see his busted fin. I agree with the ph concern. The water in Nashua, nh tends to run at a high ph of around 7.6. Ugh. I add a couple of lowering drops to get it at 6.8 prior to putting it in the tank. It goes up on its own about 3 to 4 days after the change. Maybe from his waste? I have aquarium rocks that I vacuum, two small live plants, one large silk plant for him to sleep on, and his cave. Thank you again to everyone. Hope I attached the pic properly.

 

[LisaGibson]

Sorry, one last thing, thank you so much for letting me know about the diamond eye. We always wondered. He still has it. Thank you again.

 

[LisaGibson]

Oh, and does anyone have water recommendations? Is spring water better than tap?

 

[LisaGibson]

Sorry, last one, promise. He seemed to have bitten his fin overnight last night that was clamped sat morning. The other fin was free flowing. The one that's missing a chunk was the clamped one.

 

[CheshireKat]

Oh, and does anyone have water recommendations? Is spring water better than tap?

Not necessarily. It's arguable whether this water is "better" than that water. There's several things to consider.

I agree with the ph concern. The water in Nashua, nh tends to run at a high ph of around 7.6. Ugh. I add a couple of lowering drops to get it at 6.8 prior to putting it in the tank. It goes up on its own about 3 to 4 days after the change. Maybe from his waste?

Oh, that's the problem then. Your pH is fine, why lower it? 7.6 isn't too high, could be worse. Mine is 7.6-7.8 (kind of in between on the tests) and my bettas are absolutely fine. You're trying to use a quick fix on something that isn't broken to begin with and you're seeing the results in pH fluctuations which harms your fish more than the original pH.

That's not how pH, KH, or GH works. Waste does not increase pH. The acidity and alkalinity is one factor (KH), and the minerals and such in your water (GH) is another. Aquarium Water Hardness | Tropical Fish Success

It sounds like your betta might be severely distressed to be self-harming this way, but some bettas seem to have a genetic disposition to it. When did this sort occurring and when did you start changing the pH? Does he tear fins after water changes? Are there any patterns to his behavior?

 

[LisaGibson]

It seems like I got some bad advice. I had gone months ago to a small tropical fish shop to get the water tested, before I had a testing kit. The shop owner had told me that the ph was too high and that it could make him sick, that I should lower it and gave me lowering drops to keep it around 7. This is the first time he has ever torn his fin like this. And I've been lowering it if too high, according to the advice, from the tap for months. The last water change was Saturday because of his clamped fin and he bit it my guess is this morning. It's never happened before. He usually seems happier after water changes. This is eye opening. Thank you for letting me know this.

 

[CheshireKat]

PH is kinda controversial in terms of ideals. The bettas you get at your local store (especially chain stores) likely are in the same or similar water as you have. Some people believe you need to match your water parameters to the fish's native habitat's, but since most fish are tank/captive-bred and raised, this can be problematic. A lot of fish can adjust and adapt with no problems, especially in hard water. Some fish can't tolerate certain water and/or do better in certain conditions, that's true. But a lot of times, it's not necessary.

I'd stop adding the pH lowering drops and finish Kanaplex according to the instructions. Because this seems to be behavioral, I'd try to figure out when is causing his distress. It may be the pH changes, but the only way to know for sure is to give him time and not lower it anymore.

If you think he'd prefer a lower pH, there are better ways to do it like driftwood. Sudden change in the water contents like you've been doing can cause havoc on the fish and aquarium.

 

[LisaGibson]

Thank you so much. You've given me some hope here that I can get him back on track. This does make good sense- I've been fighting against the ph and it has caused too many fluctuations. I'll keep you posted if that's ok. Take care.

 

[CheshireKat]

Thank you so much. You've given me some hope here that I can get him back on track. This does make good sense- I've been fighting against the ph and it has caused too many fluctuations. I'll keep you posted if that's ok. Take care.

Glad I could help, and yes, please, I'd like to hear how he does. I can't imagine ripping my own tail and fins. Poor fella.