# What to do about near-dead betta?



## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

I had two bettas in a 10 gallon tank, divided with a plastic barrier rooted in the sand. It usually holds up fine, but the other morning, my mother-in-law woke me up to say I needed to go check on them, because the barrier was down and one of them was laying on the bottom. 

I walked in and looked, and sure enough, the barrier was sideways. I think one of two things happened: 1) My cat likes to climb on top of that tank to get on top of the snake tank and might have disturbed it enough to uproot the barrier, or 2) The sponge filter had come loose off its suction cups and may have pushed the barrier. 

Anyway, my black lace betta was laying on the bottom, and I thought he was dead until I reached in and he wiggled. He. looks. awful. All of his fins are shredded (none are completely gone, thank goodness) and he has a whitish wound on top of his head and another one near his gills. The other betta, a red and silver dragonscale, seemed unscathed. I moved him to our community tank because I was certain he was going to die and figured I might as well give him a nicer environment to do it in. 

I don't have any way to euthanize him (tried ice water with a fish before and 20 minutes later, poor guy was still alive. Never again.), but honestly, he has a major will to live because this was yesterday morning and he's still kicking. He mainly just lays in one of the fake plants in there, but he still has some fight in him, because he swims away when I check to see if he's alive. 

So... Is there anything I can really do to aid his recovery? None of the fish in there are bothering him and I have dosed the tank with Melafix.


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

As I told my neighbors earlier. It's probably going to make it so long as it's not showing any signs of disease and keeps swimming away from you. Helpful right? :x I really don't know. I'd keep it in the well filtered community tank. Hopefully one of the betta experts knows, because if I remember, it was your black betta that I liked? Was it someone else's? Regardless.

*EDIT!!!! IMPORTANT!!!!* Melafix kills betas. Betafix doesn't. Get it out of there now. Okay?


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## snyderguy (Feb 9, 2010)

I probably wouldn't move it at all and just see how it recovers with the melafix


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I would put it in a 5 with a heater, sponge filter, plastic plants. Maybe a drop of methylene blue or other antiseptic to keep it from getting fungus on the wounds. And just keep the water clean. Remove any uneaten food and keep changing the water. It will recover or it won't.


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

Well, the problem is I don't have any other tanks right now. Our spare (feeder) tank came up with a crack so I'm already down to my minimum. I can't put him in the really a nice tank downstairs because there is already another betta in that one, and where the feeders are being housed. 

funlad: I melafix'ed last night and he's still alive, so.... I think if something kills him, it won't be that. 

emc: Methylene blue? Isn't that pretty much most ick meds?


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

That's the thing! Melafix randomly kills betas! Or so says the many beta breeders here. Some are fine with it, some die slowly, some right away, others jump! It's like the lottery by Shirley Jackson. Read it; it takes five minutes if you're a slow reader; which I doubt you are!


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

methylene blue is good against ich and fungus. Some people would use salt or bettafix. Whatever you have. Some ich meds have methylene blue and formalin or a green dye and formalin. Formalin is kind of harsh, save it for nasty external parasites.


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## Bettawhisperer (Oct 1, 2010)

I NEVER use Melafix on my Bettas. I have had that same thing happen and all I do is add some salt to the water and Betta Revive. just leave him were he is and let him rest. In a few days he should be fine but again I would stay away from the Melafix.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

make yourown floating tank out of plastic bottles! Burn a hole at the top, thread a wire thru it and hang on the inside of the tank. If you want water to go into it burn holes throughout the body of the bottle. 
I have had the same experience with bettas and they have always recovered from many wounds but i did take extra care with daily clean water and betta fix.


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