# Blue Moon sick.........



## Guest (Sep 10, 2015)

Hey there folks..........Blue Moon is sick. I have checked on him and he looks like he has fin rot and ich. He has white specks on his fins, not sure if it is ich or not. I am doing a test of my levels, make sure they are okay. Then may do a water change tonight. I have aquarisol and anti-fungus medication. I am worried about Blue Moon. What am I going to do, other than the water change and seeing if my water parameters are okay?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I know very little about bettas. I do know many finrots respond well to daily water changes. Take a good look at the fish at the same time every day and take a picture if you can. If the fins continue to get smaller, you know that what you are doing isn't working. But if the damage halts, he will likely recover completely even in regrowing fins takes a long time. If water changes alone don't do it, try a med, if the damage doesn't slow in a day or two, do a huge water change and try another. There are fungal fin-rots, there are bacterial fin-rots, there is physical damage like tearing or nipping, and there is chemical damage from low pH or high ammonia. 

Ich looks like grains of salt on the fish and tends to appear suddenly after a drop in temp or introduction of new fish or plants. If you think it is ich, I think you should use the aquasol. Do a big water change with substrate siphon first. Especially if the fish is scratching or gasping, make killing the ich your priority as it usually kills faster than finrot.


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## Guest (Sep 10, 2015)

Yeah, he isn't scratching on anything. He may have torn his fins. I will keep an eye on him for a day or two, then I will start the water changes. I had to skip a water change last week, because I wasn't feeling well. So it could be because of that. His fins look like they are torn. I am hoping that the water changes do the trick. If he is lethargic in the morning, I will let you guys know. I put a squirt or two of aquarisol in his tank tonight and will do a water change in the morning after I see how he is. I am hoping that it is curable with just the water changes and aquarisol.

My water parameters are 

ammonia .25ppm
nitrite 0ppm

I didn't test for nitrates as I will probably do that at a later date.

I didn't think that I would have this problem with an established tank. I do remember though that the three decorations that are in his tank, are from the 55 gallon and haven't been cleaned. Would taking them out and cleaning them, hurt the cycle?


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

Priority would be to do a water change now to dilute the ammonia, if it is fin rot the ammonia is burning the fins.


Why did you add meds ( not measured ) to a tank with out a water change?


If you clean the decorations, you will remove any bio film that has developed....


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## Guest (Sep 10, 2015)

I was in panic mode. I don't think when in panic mode. Besides I will be doing a water change tomorrow and starting treatment, doing water changes and adding the aquarisol.


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## Elliott225 (Jan 9, 2014)

Check the water temp to be sure it's warm enough. Ich is always present be with warmer water it lays dormant. I like to add a bit of aquarium salt to the water, so of like a tonic. Not much, just like a 1/4 cup per 10g.


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## Guest (Sep 10, 2015)

I don't use aquarium salt or any salt with any of my tanks. The temp is at 82 degrees F, and it is nice and warm in the tank. Stuck my finger in the water and it was warm. So he may just have the fin rot and not ich, since ich won't survive in warmer temps.

Blue Moon still comes begging for food, he is not lethargic at all. I am going to do a water change today and put in aquarisol for treatment/preventative. I will do it for a whole week, until next Friday. Hopefully his beautiful fins will get better. I just fed him, so I have to wait a few hours before doing the water change.


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## Guest (Sep 10, 2015)

Okay I have a belly laugh for you all. I was doing the water change to my 5.5 gallon tank, took out the decorations so that I could get the gravel vacuumed. When I was vacuuming the gravel, Blue Moon gets stuck in the vacuum, tries to swim out but cannot, gets sucked up through the tube into the bucket. I am like 'where did he go', then I look in the bucket, sure enough there he is. I scoop him out with my hand and put him back in the tank. I thought it was funny that he got sucked up the vacuum and into the bucket, as I didn't think he would be able to fit. Anyway, after I did the water change I put in 10 drops of dechlor and 5 drops of aquarisol. Hopefully it helps him. Yes I did a 90% water change today, the rest of the time I will be doing only 50% water changes until next Friday.


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2015)

Well I have tested for nitrates and they are...........10-20ppm. YAY!!!! My 5.5 gallon tank didn't crash. Now I just have to keep up the water changes and hope that his fins heal.


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

What are the ammonia & nitrIte levels.


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2015)

Okay my levels are as follows

ammonia .25ppm
nitrite 0ppm
nitrate 10-20ppm


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2015)

WildForFish: would doing a water change every day hurt the nitrate level? I need to get the ammonia down, I think I know the culprit for my ammonia level still being present. I have to clean my gravel vacuum as I have used it to take the water out of my 55 gallon. So would doing a water change every day hurt the nitrate level?


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

Blue Moon,

Are these current levels tested today at the same time?

Very odd to have the same ammonia level after a 90% water change.


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2015)

Yes they are the same taken today at the same time. I know that it is odd that I have the same reading as yesterday, after a 90% water change. But I think I know the culprit for the ammonia reading. It may be the gravel vacuum. As you know, I am cleaning my 55 gallon. I only have one gravel vacuum and have to use it with both tanks. After I do a water change today, I am going to clean the gravel vacuum and see if that does the trick.


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2015)

It also could be the filter cartridge that has been in there since I set up the tank in June 2015, that is causing the ammonia to stay at the same level.


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

I am not quite sure the tests are being performed correctly:

In chat I asked for all levels at 1:38pm and you stated you were going to do them now.

You edited your post with all levels at 1:39pm

AMMONIA TESTing should take at least 5 minutes

NITRITE TESTing should take at least 5 minutes

NITRATE TESTing should take at least 7 minutes

I am trying to make sure things are done correctly and we have accurate information to help you.


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2015)

The instructions say to wait 5 minutes for the color to develop before reading the test on all three, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. I set a timer to 5 minutes and wait until the timer goes off to read the test. 

So it could be that I just need to do water changes every day for a week to get the ammonia back to 0. 

I looked at my filter cartridge and it doesn't look dirty as in needing to change. So it cannot be the filter cartridge that is spiking the ammonia.

I did a huge water change, like 100% water change. I will wait until tonight to test again and see where my levels are. I will post them in this thread tonight.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

A couple of things:

1-- ick is NOT always present. If you get rid of it, properly and completely, it's gone.
2-- it takes 94F to kill ick by temperature. The 80's just makes it mad.

3-- an adult Betta you buy in a store is already middle-aged.
4-- Change all the water every day. Set some water out to age, and use a little at a time.

5-- your gravel vac is not causing ammonia spikes. It's just NOT. Your test kit might be wonky, though.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2015)

I tested my tank water today. Started at 9:55am until about 10:15am. The results are:

ammonia a little less than .25ppm

nitrite 0ppm

nitrate 10-20ppm

So my tank is holding the cycle. Just have to figure out why there is some ammonia. I haven't changed the filter cartridge at all, it has been in the filter since June 17th, when I set up the tank.

TOS: the nitrate and nitrite and high pH range expire 12/2016, the ammonia expire 2/2017 and pH expire 1/2017.


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2015)

Okay folks. I did a water test beginning at 8:23am, the results are 

ammonia .50ppm, I will do a water change
nitrite 0ppm
nitrate 10-20ppm

I am worried about Blue Moon because his fins look a little bit worse today. I will be doing 90-100% water changes and getting new filter cartridges. I will also be medicating him with the anti-fungus medication and yes it cures fin rot.


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

You will remove established bacteria if you replace the filter cartridge.......


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2015)

Couldn't the filter cartridge be emitting the ammonia in the tank? I don't understand how long carbon is actually good for a tank. Doesn't carbon leech things into the tank?


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

What type of cartridge are you using?

Please post a picture and I can walk you though removing the charcoal.


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2015)

Not sure if you will see this or not, but if you don't it is a top fin 10 filter cartridge where you can open the top and put carbon inside and place the plastic thing inside the media. That is as best of an explanation as I can give. I had to take a pic of my bigger one as I couldn't get a pic of the smaller one without removing it from the filter.


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

Blue Moon said:


> Not sure if you will see this or not, but if you don't it is a top fin 10 filter cartridge where you can open the top and put carbon inside and place the plastic thing inside the media. That is as best of an explanation as I can give. I had to take a pic of my bigger one as I couldn't get a pic of the smaller one without removing it from the filter.


Pic not found


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

Hopefully you get the idea from the pic.

Remove charcoal quickly, do not let the filter bag dry out.....


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2015)

Thank you WildForFish! Yes I get the idea fromthe pic. Thank you so much for your help. Hopefully my ammonia will go to 0. I will take out the carbon now. Thank you again for your help. If I have to dose Blue Moon with medication, I buy more carbon when he is better to remove the medication. Or does a large water change remove medication?


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2015)

Okay, got the carbon out of the filter cartridge. Had to reach in the cartridge to get the rest of the carbon out, then I put the media together without the carbon, and put the cartridge back in the filter. Yes I did it as quickly as I could. Now to let it run a few hours then test the levels, hopefully my ammonia will go down. If it does end up going down, I will be able to dose Blue Moon with medication for his fin rot.


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## Guest (Sep 14, 2015)

Okay here is the ammonia. I have .25 ammonia. Since I have ammonia, I think that I will just keep up with the water changes every day, maybe even twice a day. Not sure why I have an ammonia reading. Well tomorrow will be another water change and so on.


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## Guest (Sep 14, 2015)

Update on Blue Moon: Blue Moon has begged for food this morning, and I tested the ammonia and there is no spikes from yesterday, it is still .25ppm. Looks like Blue Moon is on the mend. Thank you to all who have helped me through this. I was very worried about Blue Moon. Going to look at other decor for next month as I don't have the money right now to get any new decor. Also going to look into getting some meaty food, have enough money for that at least. Please keep Blue Moon in your thoughts/prayers that he gets better each day. Saw him swimming around this morning, which is a relief because I thought that I would lose him. Probably only going to do a 50% water change today, since the ammonia is staying put. Again, thank you all who have helped me along the way.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

It could be a false reading. On a color chart, yellow water is not always ammonia. Or there could be ammonia in the tap water.


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## Guest (Sep 14, 2015)

The color was light green, which is .25ppm, but yeah it could be a false reading. I could take some in and have them test for ammonia and see. That is an idea, maybe I will do that in a couple days if the ammonia stays where it is at.


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