# One Distressed Betta and a Very Confused Human



## Nameless (Jan 8, 2012)

*WAIT A MINUTE - still the same fish with 'ick'*

I just read in an article about ick that it doesn't just come from nowhere. A fish in an ick free aquarium doesn't just get ick out of -er- sky. My sister's betta has been in that tank for nearly a year now and never had ick before. There were some plants added maybe six months ago or so that brought snails, but she didn't get ick then either.

So how on Earth did an ick free tank get ick if not ick infested fish were ever added???

I am now afraid what I thought was Ick may be something else entirely. But I totally see the little white speck! It is right there on her side where it has been for several days. It is small, but still there!


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

I would go no filter. Make sure it has a heater. Take out all substrate and do a 100 percent water change. Buy methylene blue and dose as directed. Add some aquarium salt too. Fast currents could stress it out, but I keep the light on for my 15 gallon 8+ hours a day. Good luck with your sibling's fish.


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## Nameless (Jan 8, 2012)

Hmm. Alright. I cannot really find a place to buy this blue stuff? Where can you normally find it? As well, I read that it is used for fungal problems. Does that mean that I shouldn't put my betta's filter back into her bowl since it is currently on loan to her fungified sister fish?

I'll tell my sister and start taking everything out tonight. Hopefully. It may end up stressing her out more than her fish currently is.

And, I have heard many times that bettas feel unsafe and therefor more stressed when the don't have any places to hide. Do I keep the plastic plants and her hidy bridge in the tank even if everything else is coming out?


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

You can find methylene blue at local fish stores or online. It's about 12 bucks with shipping for one but it's worth it. I wouldn't put your betta's filter back into her bowl if it has fungus on it. I would take everything out except a few little hiding spots.


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## Nameless (Jan 8, 2012)

Are you talking about the Kordon Methylene blue? Because I am finding many products that have the blue stuff in it, but they are called a list of other names. 

I am searching for a local fish store (though there isn't anything out where I live) because I want to get it really soon. I mean, I don't think my sister will too much mind the price, but the fish has ick now, not just in 3 to five business days or even monday (one day shipping). 

Goodness, so many questions, I am sorry. Since I can't put the filter back into my betta's bowl, how many times (and of how much) should I change of the water until I can afford to buy a new filter? Or DIY it, I may just have to DIY it again until I can get another one. Which will still cost money that I don't have, but anyway. It is a three gallon bowl with a few live plants, if that helps. 

Snap, I had some more questions, but now I can't remember them -_-

edit: I remembered them.

Firstly, how do I disinfect all of the gravel and plastic plants/props before putting them back into the tank after the ick is gone?

And also, I use the same syphon to get the water out of my sister's tank as I do to get the water out of mine and my other sister's fish bowl. Which, as I realize now, is probably the stupidest thing I could have done. SO! Is there a chance that the two fish in the fish bowls will get ich too? because I don't know if they can be properly treated in the fish bowls...


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## endlerguppy (May 7, 2012)

get API freshwater aquarium salt and use the recommended amount for your aquarium.i thought my one eyed blackmoor was going to loose his eye because of popeye but i used the salt and within days his eye was getting better.and try doing water changes every few days and heat the tank to about 80-84f and make sure its filtered.


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## Nameless (Jan 8, 2012)

My sister's tank has been salted with API aquarium salt since around the time that the pop eye showed up, which is more than a month ago now. I've decided to just let my sister keep my filter since I can't put it back into my bowl, so I have a filter. But Betta Guy said to keep the filter out? IDK.

And it is heated. At 82-4 right now =)

The fish has become a little lethargic since lesterday morning I think. Maybe the ick is finally beginning to bother her. The little ick spot hasn't fallen off yet. It needs to fall off already so that the medicines can kill it -_-

But she is still super active whenever I open the little feeding port on the front.

As well, my betta in my bowl is also acting lethargic now. I am a little terrified that she may have gotten ick from the siphon. No spots or anything yet. I want to throw some treatment in there, but all we have is these Tetra fizzing tablet things and I don't think I'd be able to cut it to the right size DX.
I can't salt the bowl though, as I have read people doing on here, because it has a few live plants in it. Maybe a little salt. Or maybe I'll just bring up the heat? Urg...


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## FRIENDLYFISHIES (Aug 7, 2012)

Bettas definitely can stress due to current and lighting, theyve been known to become exhausted from the current which derails their immunity leading to further complications along with lighting. When the lighting is too bright and there isnt enough places to hide and rest they can actually develop eye sight problems and blindness as well, you may also see bettas biting their own tail down due to current and lighting (stress)...Is the tank heavily planted? Are there places for the betta to hide and rest. 

Have you ever heard of indian almost leaves?
you can find them on ebay, they are great for betta immunity and the tannins from the leaves create a tea color in the water, bettas love dark water and it helps them to feel more at home in their tank. Ive also heard that there was a study done and Oak Leaves have 99% of the same qualities as indian almond leaves, just be sure they are well rinsed before placing them in the tank. If you treat the betta in a hospital tank id use 1 tsp of AQ salt and a few leaves with daily 80-90% water changes for 10 days (more than 10 days with AQ salt can result in kidney damage and death.) if you need to keep treating, take 5 days off AQ salt then re-treat for 10 days. If your using a filter, what kind of filter is it? there are ways you can baffle the outflow current and intake flow using sponges or a plastic water bottle. 

I googled baffled betta filter and got some good examples 

http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/betta-fish/122332-ultimate-betta-filter-baffle.html

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=78959

Im not sure what kind of plants you have but my javas and anubias have been able to handle AQ salt treatment so far and seem to be fine..other plants I dont know about :/


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## Nameless (Jan 8, 2012)

Oh, I have several java and one anubias in my betta bowl. I guess I can add salt if she does get ick, thanks ^_^ The tank isn't very planted, since the bigger Javas kept wanting to die off, but they left a bunch of smaller javas floating around the bowl.

As for a filter, she doesn't have one because it is on permanent loan to her sick sister in the ten gallon. I thought that my sister's fish might be ailing because of the water flow, so I gave her mine since it is less trouble for me to change three gallons of water more often than her ten without a filter. So there is no water flow in my betta bowl. 

The filter that my sister now owns is a Hydro II sponge filter hooked up to an air pump. I had to lower the flow a bit because it was still too much, by folding the hose over on itself, tieing with a hair band, and then inserting an old bit of hose in the middle to keep the hair band from slowly slipping off as well as opening the kink a little bit more. The sponge I chose is for a 20 gallon tank, and hers is a 10 gallon. 

I've never heard of indian leaves. I'm afraid to do anything different with her tank right now because of the ick.

But I did put one of her plastic plants back in there and she is looking better today. The ick spot is still there, but she is less tired looking.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

Bettas are good with a little current. My 15 gal has a lot of current, but their parents were wild caught. Driftwood also helps with tanons, but you want to remove it and any other plant matter from the tank when treating for disease. I personally don't use Indian Almond Leaves because they are more expensive than banana leaves. Banana leaves do the same thing and I have used them before. I would treat the disease first and then add the IAL. Post pictures of the "Ick spot". When the fish has ick, it will have a bunch of white spots instead of just one. Remove all live plants too.


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## Nameless (Jan 8, 2012)

Sorry, maybe I was unclear. I'll try to explain it all.

There are three betta fish:

My older sister's fish in the ten gallon. Her tank has a heater (currently set on 84) And is salted with API aquarium salt. It also has a filter, a Hydro II sponge filter for a 20 gallon that came from my bowl. This is the fish with the pop eye and the tiny white dot that I believe might be ick. The tank has nothing in it currently besides the heater, the filter (which I decided to leave in so that it could help restart the cycle), one plastic plant for the fish to hide with, and a disolved tablet of Tetra ick guard. I will post a picture of her as soon as I can, but she seems to want to hide the side from me that has the spot like she is ashamed of it or something.

My betta is in a three gallon (that used to have the filter), is heated to about 82-83, is not salted, and has the live plants. It is the only betta housing that has live plants. This fish does *not* currently have any white spots on her at all, but I did use the same siphon to clean her bowl as I did the tank before realizing that it could spread the ick. 

And the third betta, my younger sister's, is in a 1 gallon that has no live plants or anything, and also does not have any ick spots. But her bowl was emptied with the same siphon as the other two. 

Does that clear it up? Sorry to confuse you guys with mentioning the fish bowls, it is just the tanked fish that seems to have ick.

EDIT: I tried to take a picture of her several times but all I ever got was glarey glass from the flash. Turned the flash off (and all the lights on) and all of the pictures came out way too dark or small. I guess I'll just describe it.

It is reeeaaally really small, almost impossible to see. I mean, sometimes I can't even see it at all and then the fish will turn a certain way and it shows up like it catches the light or something. There is just one of them, one and only one. It is smaller than a 'grain of salt' for sure, but I couldn't find anything else that remotely explained a little white dot on the fish besides Ich.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

Imagine you are taking a picture of a mirror when you take pics of your fish. If it would reflect back at you with a mirror, it will reflect at you with a fish tank.


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## Nameless (Jan 8, 2012)

Sorry, I'll keep trying but there is just no capturing this fish on camera. Or, not my camera anyways. I would need to use one of my step mom's small camera lights to shine directly at the fish at a certain angle and try to take the picture fast enough to get a picture where the fish would show up at all. I did catch a few that showed the fish with popeye, but the dot isn't visible at all.

The pop eye did get worse today, though. Just a little while ago. For nearly two months her eyes have been slightly bulging and just stayed that size, but today they got a little bigger after I changed 25% for normal water. She has been in that tank with salt and melafix/pimafix for so long I felt like she needed a break. She has become very slow and mostly just floats at the top of the tank since I started adding the ick tablet things. Maybe I should go back to just nothing but good old fresh water and see if stress alone is what is driving her to illness.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

Try methylene blue.


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