wiscobettas
- #1
HI everyone! Right before heading to bed last night I checked up on my betta, Julius (double tail betta whom I rescued a few months ago), and noticed that there were 1-2 white strings hanging from the bottom of his gills (see picture). Anyone know what they might be? Could they be worms? He also seems a little less hungry than normal, breathing harder than normal, and maybe a little duller, too. I just scrubbed down his tank the day before yesterday and I'm not sure why these are popping up now — I've never seen them before in my years of keeping bettas. Anyone have any advice regarding treatment and/or medicine?
Housing:
How many gallons is your tank? 2.5 gal — smaller than normal, I know, but he's still recovering from malnutrition/severe fin rot so it's easier to dose meds and do very frequent water changes in a littler tank.
Does it have a filter? No - do water changes about once every 3-4 days though
Does it have a heater? Yes
What temperature is your tank? around 75 degrees
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? No
Food:
What food brand do you use? Aqueon Betta Food
Do you feed flakes or pellets? Pellets
Freeze-dried? Yes, bloodworms for snacks
How often do you feed your Betta? How much? Once a day; he usually eats about 8 pellets at a time, occasionally 1 freeze-dried bloodworm as a treat
Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? Every 3-4 days
What percentage of water did you change? Usually do about 1/2 - 2/3 water change; the day before yesterday I did a full water change and scrubbed everything down (this was before I noticed the white strings).
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? Substrate is sand - I flush out the waste.
What additives do you use? Aquarium salt and a water conditioner.
Water Parameters:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: unknown
Nitrate: unknown
pH: unknown
Hardness (GH): unknown
Alkalinity (KH): unknown
Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? Last night.
How has your Betta’s appearance changed? There are 1-2 white strings hanging from the bottom of his gills. (See picture) I think he might be a little duller, too.
How has your Betta’s behavior changed? He seems a little less hungry than normal, breathing a little harder than normal.
Is your Betta still eating? Yes, but not as much/as excitedly as he usually does.
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? No, but I use aquarium salt regularly.
Does your Betta have any history of being ill? He was very malnourished and had severe fin rot when I first got him, but those issues have been resolved. No history of parasites/bacteria/etc. before this.
How long have you owned your Betta? Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? I've had him for seven months - he was very malnourished and had severe fin rot when I first got him, but those issues have been resolved.
Thanks for your help!
Housing:
How many gallons is your tank? 2.5 gal — smaller than normal, I know, but he's still recovering from malnutrition/severe fin rot so it's easier to dose meds and do very frequent water changes in a littler tank.
Does it have a filter? No - do water changes about once every 3-4 days though
Does it have a heater? Yes
What temperature is your tank? around 75 degrees
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? No
Food:
What food brand do you use? Aqueon Betta Food
Do you feed flakes or pellets? Pellets
Freeze-dried? Yes, bloodworms for snacks
How often do you feed your Betta? How much? Once a day; he usually eats about 8 pellets at a time, occasionally 1 freeze-dried bloodworm as a treat
Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? Every 3-4 days
What percentage of water did you change? Usually do about 1/2 - 2/3 water change; the day before yesterday I did a full water change and scrubbed everything down (this was before I noticed the white strings).
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? Substrate is sand - I flush out the waste.
What additives do you use? Aquarium salt and a water conditioner.
Water Parameters:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: unknown
Nitrate: unknown
pH: unknown
Hardness (GH): unknown
Alkalinity (KH): unknown
Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? Last night.
How has your Betta’s appearance changed? There are 1-2 white strings hanging from the bottom of his gills. (See picture) I think he might be a little duller, too.
How has your Betta’s behavior changed? He seems a little less hungry than normal, breathing a little harder than normal.
Is your Betta still eating? Yes, but not as much/as excitedly as he usually does.
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? No, but I use aquarium salt regularly.
Does your Betta have any history of being ill? He was very malnourished and had severe fin rot when I first got him, but those issues have been resolved. No history of parasites/bacteria/etc. before this.
How long have you owned your Betta? Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? I've had him for seven months - he was very malnourished and had severe fin rot when I first got him, but those issues have been resolved.
Thanks for your help!
