malicious_muz Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 hi guys i recently bought a beta , it then died so i got a replacment (want my fault - i spent 130$ on gettign the equipment to house himn in ) now the replacment ive had for about 24hours isnt eating or even intrested in swimming.it looks like he's got cateracts and it seams as though he's blind.his fins are clamped and he just wants to float at the top of the tank - ive got the waterr temp set at 25 degrees , lighting and the water has had water ager added to it as well as aqua salt - what am i doing wrong ? ps: sorry for the spelling mistakes :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 How big is the tank? Is there a filter? Tell us more about the 'equipment' you're using. Where are you located? Could be the tap water quality in your area. Have you got any test kits, eg ammonia? If not you can take a sample jar of the tank water and ask your LFS to test it for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bren MacFish Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 A lot of bettas go into shock with the new environment and water type. Did you age the water in a bucket for about 24hrs with the dechlorinator? Read the bottle, it should work on Chlorine and Chloramine. Chloramine has a doublebond and takes longer to break down. Is the aqua salt, the blue crystally stuff? You add that at the rate of about 1/4 teaspoon per bucket. Very useful in Melbourne water which is very soft. I'm not keen on other kinds of salt. The water further north is much harder tho. It may be worth purchasing a couple of bottles of supermarket water and diluting northern tap water with that. When you do water changes just syphon the bottom out with a bit of hose and top up with aged or bottled water. A whole new batch of water is pretty hard for the poor old betta to get used to. You need a new bucket for aging water. Don't use one that you've been cleaning floors with etc... that'll give him cloudy eyes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2jdaze Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 Now was the betta like this already when you bought him? What I'd do is bump up the temp to around the 27 mark, add in some Melafix and Pimafix as a start and see if that helps. It might take a few days to see any change. I recently had a fish given to me that had all his fins twisted around themselves....With Him I've made sure his water is VERY clean (I've a filter for him - spare spawn tank lol) and Added bettafix to it every day for about a week, now his fins are almost normal again. Sounds to me like a water quality issue you have. Make sure the water is AGED well, lots of dechorinator/conditioner... A good one to use is Prime, It get's most of the bad stuff. I'd suggest bottled water, threated with prime and then add some rock salt/sea salt - must be pure and have no additives or iodine. Add some melafix/bettafix and fingers crossed. If you can get hold of some IAL that might also be a help to you. Good luck and I hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted August 10, 2007 Report Share Posted August 10, 2007 From the 'cataracts' it sounds like you've now got a minor infection to deal with. How big is the tank? Is it cycled? Cloudy eyes are usually a sign of infection, so grab some pimafix or melafix and add that in, tht should give us time to sort out what is going wrong did you buy both of the bettas from the one pet shop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2jdaze Posted August 10, 2007 Report Share Posted August 10, 2007 Is there any chance of a picture to show us what we're dealing with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malicious_muz Posted August 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 hi guys, thanks for the swift reply's . the filter came with the tank (hailea iso9001;2000) its a 6.6L tank , the aqua salt ive added is brandless white crystals i bought at the aquarium shop, and the heater is set to 26 degree's. ive narrowed the problems down to 3 things. 1 i didn't wash the gravel enough, i didn't age the water for 24hours (added the water ager then let it sit for an hour), and i wasnt running the filter because the flow produced by it disturbes the whole tank....and ive read that betta's hate water flow. so i gave back the betta fish and my snail to the shop for a week untill it gets better and i let the water age and filter to cycle. my only worry now is that when i get him back he'll get irritated by the water filter. any help on slowing down the flow in such a small tank? (ive tried filling the pipe to the filter with pebbles to slow down the flow and adding tubing to pump the water under the gravel - but it doesnt provide enough speed/flow reduction.) i would really prefer a filter for him (also so i can add some khuli loachs to the tank) and to keep the ammonia , etc to a minimum. - any advice? (btw i live in sydney , and i havent got any test kits for the water, and when i tried to feed either fish i was feeding them live black worms) -thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2jdaze Posted August 11, 2007 Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 there should be some air flow valves at your LFS, it's like a t shape with a little wheel on it and you turn that to alter the flow. Other than that I'd suggest you switch to a small sponge filter instead, you will still need that flow control valve though as any air pump will be too forceful. Gravel shouldn't be a problem I don't think... maybe it was just the water by the sounds of it. And yes Bettas HATE water flow because of their long fins. If the water flow is too great they have trouble swimming and they get seriously stressed out because of it so the filter OFF was a good thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2jdaze Posted August 11, 2007 Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 Oh another thing... Some people believe that feeding Live Blackworms can cause troubles as they can carry all kinds of nasties with them especially if they aren't brand new stock just in on that day or from a reputable supplier. So bad or older Blackworms may be another reason for troubles... NOT a definite one but some people have had bad experiences and others have no problems. Still, Blackworm is probably best done as a once every so often treat rather than staple everyday food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishchick Posted August 11, 2007 Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 if the fish has "cataracts" and is clamped after 24hrs it's most likely pH or ammonia burn. How different are your water parameters to the shop's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted August 11, 2007 Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 i havent got any test kits for the water Take a jar of your water to the shop and ask them to test it for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malicious_muz Posted August 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Hmm mmk so no black worms (prob go for live brine shrimp as a treat food then) ill look about for that valve ... i dont think it could've been ph/ammonia levels in the water that caused it to get sick now that i think about it....the shop that i bought him from implied that they feeding em once every 3 days keep the bettas in mini asain take away containers for about a week before changing water and dont provide much lighting , etc said that they dont have much stock loss at all and that they where hard fish.. D: so i m guessing it was the water - ill buy that spounge filter in about two days when i get some time off work -cheers guys and thanks to all who contributed ps:spelling as per usual and ill try taking pics when i get a digital cam :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malicious_muz Posted August 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 ok....so it seams my betta has the same whites over its eyes now....and its scales are puffing up...so dropsy me thinks ive been looking really well into my tank...and well ive been looking and it seams on the heater like theres so white fuzzy mould growth on it....so ive isolated my betta fish ( regretably put him into shock because i didnt use any of the same water to try and rid him of bacteria) and hes now in a container with water ager and aqua salt in it . (again i freaked out and didnt get to age the water) - so any advice on the situation? im reading there isnt any cre for dropsy and the best is to keep changing water? anything else i can do guys ... -ty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Elflett Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 If the PH is out of whack (some people have tap water at 8.6, hugely alkaline, others have it down under 6.6 - and some fall neatly in the 7.0 bracket... but you *need* to know... get a test kit or have it tested) the fish will suffer shock instantly, and will have the whites over it's eyes... so would a goldfish, and they're a lot hardier than a betta... Does your water ager treat chloramines??? If so, and you have them present, the ager will make ammonia as a by product when it breaks the chlorine ammonia bond... you could well be putting your fish into a vat of bleach, as far as it's concerned... If your ager DOESN'T treat chloramines, and you have 'em, it's even worse... add to the fact some feed lines of Sydney water already have measurable chlorine and nitrites, and you could be asking for trouble... I would suggest some bottled water in a new, food grade plastic container that has been well rinsed out... until you can test the water, and find out *why* the fish are dying, remove all possible causes you can... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
branjie Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 When you get your Betta back, keep the light off until has settled in and is acting healthy. The light can add stress, and is mainly in the aquarium for any plants you might put in the tank later on. How many litres is your tank? If it is small, you could forget the filter, and do frequent partial water changes to keep the water clean. My Betta struggled when he had to constantly battle a filter current, and it messed up his attempts at bubble nests (clumps of bubbles they like make on the surface of the water). He is really happy now he doesn't have a filter. If you think it is the water, maybe ask the shop what water they are using. I think it would most likely be the same as yours if you live close by. Like one of the others said, you could get your water tested to see if there is a difference. My LFS said not to use bottled water, as tap water contains minerals that the fish need (although a mixture of both would probably be o.k). You may have done this anyway, but when you get your fish home, float the bag on the top of the water for about 15 mins, then gradually add water from the tank to the bag. If he reacts o.k once you have added a fair bit of tank water, then add him to the tank. The next day, maybe feed a very small amount of flakes or Betta mini pellets. Once he is feeding o.k on dry food for a day or two, you could use frozen blood worms or brine shrimp. I personally find that brine shrimp can dirty the water more than the blood worms, and prefer to use mainly mini pellets and occasional blood worms. Good luck . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malicious_muz Posted August 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 mmk - ill make a point of testing the water pre-tank and the water thats in there currently....ive been changing the take away containers water (i put him in 4 isolation - away from fungus)....but he's gone SO pale , has super clamped fins....and is develeping white spots now...what the? is up with my water.... -thinking of starting fresh with just a fish and bowl - but i relay wanted the greens, heater and lighting, etc to make him happy- but it seams like all that stuff is killing him D: (so now i think he's got ick.....but im no expert ..) -ty for any help in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 what the? is up with my water Take a jar of your water to the fish shop to have it tested. They are usually only too happy to help. And make them help you. That's what they're there for. He needs the heater. Don't get rid of that. Just make sure it's super clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malicious_muz Posted August 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 mmmk - but the fungus that was in the tank was seen most on the heater....so i think that without any water flow a heater isnt to much of a good idea....would i need to scrub the heater twice a week as well or so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 Do you have an airpump? You could put a slowly bubbling airline near the heater. Yes, scrub the heater if it's getting gunky. Some of my tanks are like that. Seems to happen to me more with new heaters then after a few scrubbings they seem to settle down or I stop caring, one or the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 fungus on the heater? like on the suction cups etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2jdaze Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 I always get slimy stuff on my suction caps... never really worried about it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malicious_muz Posted August 30, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2007 ok its been a while, porky (my fish) died ... so i cycled the water for like 10days straight after scrubbing everything in the tank for Yonks. i got a new fish last night ....this one i bought froma differnt shop to see if it was perhaps the LFS problem....this male seams really happy and alot more friendly. besides the whole attacking random stuff - but that doesnnt really concern me. i guess im going to have to wait 2-3 more days to see if theres a problem (thats how long it took for my other bettas to start showing strange 'signs' ) ill keep you guys posteed -cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted September 1, 2007 Report Share Posted September 1, 2007 keep a really good eye out. It could well still be something that the other fish bought in, but with only 10 days and no sterilising it may still be in the tank. Watch carefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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