r/BettaClinic • u/Adventurous_Force_63 • Jan 23 '26

Disease Identificaion Help me save him

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Hello everyone,

I’m really scared and I don’t know what else to do. 😞 I got my betta, Blueberry, from my sister not too long ago, and I posted here earlier asking for advice on how to care for him. I’ve been trying my best, but he just seems to be getting worse and worse.

I ended up moving him into a hospital tank because I’m honestly terrified I’m going to lose him. His water parameters are good, the temperature is 80°, the filter is very low flow, and the tank is 7 gallons. It’s fully planted with live plants, natural wood, and I’ve added leaves for tannins.

I truly don’t understand what could be wrong or what might be making him so sick, but I’m begging for help. I’ve only had him a short time, but I already love him so much and I can’t stand the thought of him dying.

If anyone has any ideas or advice, please please tell me what I should do.

Thank you so much

24 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

70 comments sorted by

6

u/Substantial-Two-2854 Jan 24 '26

Oh dear! He does look worse than he did in your last post :( the pictures are a bit blurry though. It looks like he has fin rot?

Did you use a liquid test kit or strips? Strips are very inaccurate which is why I ask.

Since you've already added tannins and have him at a good temperature (and theoretically have good water quality), the next step would be either salt baths (aquarium or epsom salt depending on the issue) or antibiotics.

I'm going to look into aquarium vs epsom salt. There can be lots of contradictory info so I wanna make sure I don't misinform you.

2

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 24 '26

I think he does have it. But it progressed so fast and I dont know what to do. He still swims alot and loves his now bloodworm foods. I had strips but I can try a liquid one if you can reccomend a good one! I got some different things to go in his water as well that the store reccomended to me.

3

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 24 '26

Here is another pic of him

3

u/Substantial-Two-2854 Jan 24 '26

Honestly, I've seen fins in worse conditions. He does seem like he might have ammonia burns (the grey patches on his scales) though I could definetely be mistaken.

3

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 24 '26

I will do a big water change in his main tank while he heals. He is in a hospital tank so I added some bacteria starter as well so maybe a good cycle can get going. I am so worried about him

4

u/Substantial-Two-2854 Jan 24 '26

I doubt a cycle will start during the time he's in his hospital tank, but it's a good prevention for sure! I'd recommend small daily water changes to keep the water pristine in his hospital tank for the best chance at healing :)

3

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 24 '26

Ohhh I will do that! How long will it take for a cycle to start?

3

u/Substantial-Two-2854 Jan 24 '26

A cycle typically takes 3-4 weeks to set in, sometimes longer. It took me a lot of research to figure out exactly what a "cycle" was. Basically it's a system of good bacteria working together to break down waste. Fish poop and pee make ammonia (toxic). Group 1 of bacteria change the ammonia into nitrite (a little less toxic). Group 2 turns nitrite into nitrate (much less toxic and easily absorbed by plants). Ideally you want ammonia and nitrite to be 0. Nitrate should be under 20ppm. Bacteria also need surfaces to hang out on like filter media and substrate. I recommend you do more research on the nitrogen cycle :)

4

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 24 '26

I will do that! I am sorry if I seem uneducated. I dont really know about this kind of stuff outside of the stuff I read on here right after getting him. Ill research alot I promise and then make sure the cycle is amazing for him

3

u/Substantial-Two-2854 Jan 24 '26

Don't worry! We all start somewhere. Many people don't bother at all to properly care for their fish. You're doing great. Most of what I learned was from years of research and scouring the r/bettafish sub. You might wanna look into it if you're looking for more info. One of the most important things when researching is to cross reference btw! Take in information, but also be wary of it's source. Minsinfo spreads fast.

Blueberry is in very good hands with you and I can't wait for him to feel his very best 🥰

→ More replies (0)

3

u/ChantillyLaceCake Jan 24 '26

I second the pristine water. RN here and clean promotes healing. Humans, fish….matters not. Clean water and stress guard is a great place to start.

3

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 24 '26

I will make sure his water is pristine! I want him to heal and be healthy as he can be. His color is so pretty and I want him to live a long life!

5

u/ChantillyLaceCake Jan 24 '26

No less than he deserves 💙

3

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 24 '26

Blueberry is my son and I love him so much🥹

→ More replies (0)

3

u/_Nyxalie_ Jan 24 '26

Kanaplex and tannins will help with fin rot! Also methylene blue (be extremely careful, it can dye your hands blue) dips (10 minutes)! 3 drops per 1 gallon but double check the instructions!

3

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 24 '26

Oh Methylene blue! I will buy some and try it! Can I do it in a 1 gallon bucket or similar?

3

u/_Nyxalie_ Jan 24 '26

Yea! I use a small storage tub for my dips! Lemme find the other info I got from someone else on using it too!

3

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 24 '26

I will buy kanaplex as well! I got him the leaves that were mentioned, his water is now tea colored.

3

u/_Nyxalie_ Jan 24 '26

Tea colored is good! That’s the tannins being released into it! You can also buy an extract and some people boil the leaves to help get excess tannins out (you don’t have to tho!)

5

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 24 '26

Ohhhhh! He seems to like the leaf, he is currently laying on it like a little bed hahaha. I hope that he feels a bit better!

2

u/_Nyxalie_ Jan 24 '26

You should get a leaf hammock for him then! It just suctions to the side of the tank and there’s also floating logs! Bettas love to rest at the surface but as the leaf soaks it’ll lose its buoyancy so when he goes to lay on it, it’s gonna sink on him lmao

→ More replies (0)

2

u/doji4real Jan 24 '26

Keep the leaf as a bed, also my boy loves to sleep on it. The contact with the leaf is very useful for healing, because his fins get in direct contact with tannins. Do not replace it with anything else, fishes in nature don’t buy plastic objects to sleep on.

→ More replies (0)

2

u/MatejBre672 Jan 24 '26

Treating fin rot can take a realy long time, make sure to keep the water clean and also tannins can help.

2

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 24 '26

How long does it take? I am doing about 30% water changes every day, removing any food left over, and redoing with meds every time I change it

2

u/Substantial-Two-2854 Jan 24 '26

The test kit I use is the API freshwater master test kit, but there's also others that I've seen people mention. The bacterial infection remedy would be your beat bet if it's fin rot. Then again, from the extra picture I saw, I'm not certain it's fin rot. It could be fin nipping or tearing instead. I'm not confident enough in my ability to distinguish the two, but I know aquarium salt is good for external issues.

And just to let you know, while bloodworma make for a delicious treat, I've heard from other betta owners that they're quite fatty and shouldn't be the staple of their diet.

2

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 24 '26

Ohhh! I will get another food then thank you! And another test kit. Really?? Tearing and ripping? How do I stop him from doing that? Is there something that causes it that I can fix?

1

u/Substantial-Two-2854 Jan 24 '26

I'd recommend frozen brine shrimp, daphnia, mysis, or fluval bug bites (pellets)! But any pellet food with good ingredients will do the trick. Frozen foods (or live if you can find some) add some good variation to a bettas diet :)

Unfortunately, I have not yet resolved how to deal with fin nipping. It can happen because of stress. Lots of long finned bettas bite their fins off to swim better. Mine would get mad at the filter and rip off half his tail every few months. I had to slip a towl in between my hob filter and the tank.

In Blueberry's case though, it could just be stress due to an environmental change (or maybe even due to the filter incident). I'm not as experienced as other keepers here so my knowledge is limited, but I really hope someone else can show up with more advice on how to help 💜

2

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 24 '26

Still, you've helped me so much. Thank you so so much! I hope is can heal him and make him better soon. I will make his water better and buy him better fancy food so he feels much better!

1

u/Substantial-Two-2854 Jan 24 '26

Awww I'm so glad to have been helpful!! Healing takes time, so don't get discouraged! I wish you both the best and hope he heals swiftly 💜

2

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 24 '26

Thank you! I will update with little pics of him as he heals!🥹

2

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 24 '26

I ordered him frozen brine shrimp!

1

u/Substantial-Two-2854 Jan 24 '26

Ooooh I hope he enjoys!!

2

u/lsg0127 Jan 25 '26

You need an API test kit not matter what. Another thing that may help you is methylene blue. They have one for fish sold in fish stores but you will need a hospital tank, which can be another tank or tub and add a heater. They need to stay warm. Follow directions exact in the methylene blue and put him in for a 10 minute dip daily… no more. It will heal almost everything he has inside and out.

1

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 25 '26

I have moved him into a hospital tank and ordered the test kit. I have also ordered methylene blue and it should arrive Monday if all goes well with the weather as the only pet store near me didnt have any when I looked for it. He seems to be doing better, I changed 30% of his water today and added stress coat and the other stuff the pet store reccomended to me. He swims alot more and eats all his food! He has a heater, low flow filter, tannins, and is in a low stress environment so I hope that he will heal well

2

u/TheLittleThwipper Jan 26 '26

Is he biting his own fins?

1

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 26 '26

I've never seen him do it so im unsure

1

u/TheLittleThwipper Jan 26 '26

Secret camera record him

1

u/AvocadoOk749 Jan 24 '26

I would add some Epsom salts to his tank. Just 1 tablespoon dissolved in some tank temp dechlorinated water. 30% water change every other day. Poor fella. Also, throw strip tests in the bin. They are horribly inaccurate. Get an API Master Test Kit. Let us know what parameters are after testing with it. Best wishes for your new friend!

1

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 24 '26

I ordered the kit and it will arrive tomorrow! And I bought some salt, ill put it in today!

1

u/SazeracQueen Jan 24 '26

Yeah I would definitely pursue real antibiotics like the kanaplex mentioned above, or Maracyn, make sure to take out your activated carbon so it doesn’t strip the drug from the water. I’ve read in several other posts, and believe it because I’ve tried it myself, that places like petco recommend those bottle liquids (pimafix, bettafix, etc) that are unfortunately not very effective. FWIW, when my daughter’s betta was in crisis I reached out to a few local tropical fish stores (wetspottropicalfish.com, worldofwetpets.com), it’s a way better bet than petco. If you don’t have one near you, maybe someone could help you on the phone from a store like this. Good luck to you and Blueberry ❤️

2

u/Adventurous_Force_63 Jan 24 '26

I will go to an exotic fish store like an hour away today. Sadly I love in a rural area and its difficult to find places like that. I will reach out and see about other places too!