# Is my betta dying?



## Guest (Jun 6, 2006)

A couple of weeks ago one of my bettas had a bacterial infection so I treated with maracyn and it seemed to have cured him but it came back about 3 days ago so I started treating with maracyn again, but this morning I found him curled up into a ball on the bottom of the tank. So I took a net and started to net him out then he spun around a few times in the net and went back into the ball position. So is he dying or is he in pain or something?


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## harif87 (Jun 5, 2006)

Your sure it wasnt a parasite invasion??


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## Guest (Jun 6, 2006)

Well whats that? I saw on one of the links in the disease section that it had the symptoms of a bacterial infection. Am I treating this fish the correct way?


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## harif87 (Jun 5, 2006)

read the booklet that comes with the maracyn, it explains everything from bacterial to parasites to fungal diseases and their available treatments. Read it well, you should get a good idea whether the symptoms your seeing are caused by a bacterial infection or not.........if you dont have the booklet then tell us what the symptoms are...


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## Guest (Jun 7, 2006)

Well he died this morning, thanks anyways. :rip:


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## Sprite42 (Mar 10, 2006)

Sometimes these infections are just so med-resistant and move so fast that before we can figure out the best treatment, the fish are gone. I am sorry you lost him!


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## Guest (Jun 7, 2006)

Thanks he was one of the first bettas that lasted longer than 6 months, well at least I still have one more betta that has lasted longer than 6 months. Should I finish the treatment of maracyn just to make sure the other betta doesn't have anything?
here is a pic of him while he was in a dirty tank








and here he is in the divided tank







and the green betta is the other betta I have that I've had for over 6 months


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## harif87 (Jun 5, 2006)

maybe you should do soemthing about that alge


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## Guest (Jun 7, 2006)

I have, I just completly cleaned the tank today and there is no more algae, I do this about every month or two but it keeps coming back because its across from a window and I have no where else to put it but I do keep the blinds closed which helps alot. I also scrub the algae off every week as well its to bad I can't put an a otto or two in the tank.


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## Sprite42 (Mar 10, 2006)

That algae isn't going to hurt anything. I wouldn't mess with it until you are finished with the meds. 

And, yes, I would finish out the treatment of Maracin on the other betta. Is he showing any symptoms or having any problems? Have you tested your water chemistry lately...ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? How big is this tank...2.5 or 5 gallons? 

Healthy bettas usually live 2 to 3 years if kept in ideal conditions. If you are only able to keep them alive six months, you might want to look into the set up you are keeping them in or the source where you get them.


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## Guest (Jun 8, 2006)

its a 2.5g but I already did a 100% cleaning and cleaned everything out. No its not showing any signs of being sick and is active, should I still continue the maracyn treatment? No I haven't tested it recently because I don't have a test kit and i've never tested it before since it can't be cycled and the stats would always be different.


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## Christine (Nov 4, 2005)

Any time you start antibiotics, you need to finish the full run. Not finishing them can contribute to producing resistant strains of bacteria. At least, thats my understanding. So sorry for your loss.


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## Guest (Jun 8, 2006)

ok, thanks.


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## gemjunkie (Jan 20, 2005)

What do you mean by complete cleaning? Did you completely tear down the tank? If that's the case, you did more harm than good by removing any beneficial bacteria there might have been in the tank.

I have to agree on finishing the meds even if they don't seem to be doing any good. It is true this can cause med. resistant strains of infections that no one wants.

Why do people freak out on algae? Algae means cycling is at least starting and it's a good sign NOT bad. Algae bothers US NOT the fish.....


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## Sprite42 (Mar 10, 2006)

A 2.5 gallon is really not big enough for 2 bettas. Some bettas produce ammonia faster than others. With two in the tank, toxins could be building up faster than you think.

A 2.5 gallon will cycle. If ammonia is produced, the cycle begins. However, in something that size, any little hiccup can disrupt the cycle leaving your fish continually exposed to toxins. The only way to stop it is to know how many days after a water change that ammonia begins to show. THen you will know to change your water on the day before. Does that makes sense? For example....you do your 100% water change on Sunday. You test the water every day after. If ammonia starts to show on Wednesday, you will know hereafter that you will need to change the water every 2 days. If ammonia doesn't show until Friday, you will need to do the water change every 4 days.


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## Guest (Jun 8, 2006)

Ahh I see, but how could the tank cycle with no filter in the tank?


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## harif87 (Jun 5, 2006)

Cycling only makes good bacteria to arise in your tank. The filter that has somehting like biomax in it only helps the bacteria to be much more effective by providing it a porus medium that allows it to live in. Bacteria also lives on the walls of the tank and on the gravel so if you got no filter you can still cycle your tank


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## Guest (Jun 8, 2006)

What I mean by 100% cleaning the tank is by rinsing everything under scorching hot water to kill any disease left by the dead fish and cleaning everything off.


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## harif87 (Jun 5, 2006)

Durbkat said:


> What I mean by 100% cleaning the tank is by rinsing everything under scorching hot water to kill any disease left by the dead fish and cleaning everything off.


you mean tank ornaments? or like the tank itself? because by doing that you killed any good bacteria that was living on it too


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## Guest (Jun 8, 2006)

I mean everything.


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## harif87 (Jun 5, 2006)

lol, well then ull probably have to re-cycle your tank all over agian.


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## Guest (Jun 8, 2006)

I've never intended to cycle these 2.5g's anyway because I don't believe a tank can cycle without a filter.


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## harif87 (Jun 5, 2006)

of course it could cycle, bacteria doesnt just grow in the filter...also if your so doubtful and you rlly care about ur fish then buy urself a filter...or you can make yourself a spounge filter quick and easy


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## Guest (Jun 8, 2006)

I have had a filter in the tank (its a minibow tank that comes with a filter) but I took the filter out so that it wouldn't soak up the meds.


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## harif87 (Jun 5, 2006)

Sorry i didnt know, so put the filter back in, after all its cycled already.
-Cheers


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## Guest (Jun 8, 2006)

I will once I'm done with the treatment. I'll have to put the filter pad back in my 55g filter to get more bacteria on it. Would it infect my 55g if I do that because that filter pad was in the tank when this betta was sick before I started treating the tank?


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