Whats wrong with my Siamese fighting fish?

F

Firefly

New member
Hi,
My siamese fighting fish (lorraine) has really bad fin rot. Last week i went to the pet store to get something for it and they recommended Bettafix. For the last 7 days, i've been adding it to his water. He won't eat and when he does (try to) he can't even get the food in his mouth. He's become so sluggish, with very little energy whatsoever. Before i'd go up to him and try feed him and he'd be all energetic and jumpy now...he won't even swim up 2 the top of his tank to eat and when he does he tries to leap towards the food (he either just bumps it or misses it completely) then floats on his side and swims to the bottom of his tank. I've changed his water today and am going to stop adding the Bettafix as it seems to be doing him more harm than good. I have started putting aquarium salt in it though. Is there any other way of curing his fin rot without making him so sick. I'll be changing his water weekly from now on, but cani do any more than this?
 
Make sure your water is filtered, and change a third of the water every three days. Fin rot for bettas can only be fixed by Bettafix, so I suggest you mix some Bettafix with your normal fish-food.
 
You could even change the water daily if you liked. Also make sure you're using a siphon and are not removing the betta from the tank... just leave him in there while you change the water.

Clean water cures most fish problems.

Contrary to some popular belief, there is nothing at all "special" about old tank water that fish have been swimming in - instead it's just dirty and full of fish wastes. You will get people telling you that the water should not be changed often, or even NEVER to change it? That's torturing the fish, how would you like to swim in your own pee and poo, and breathe back in the same air you just breathed out.... eventually you're going to poison yourself, same concept if you don't change the water.

In nature you've got a HUGE amount of water diluting it plus many bacteria and different mechanisms going on. Your tank is a closed system and the fish's waste products don't get processed a whole lot. If you have a filter, that helps a LOT in processing the waste, but even if you have one, the full nitrogen cycle isn't complete (cycles in fish tanks are stunted versions of the grand nitrogen cycle that happens in biology all over earth) and wastes still need to be removed from the water. The more frequently they are removed, the better.

So daily water changes could be in order to help your fish get better FAST. I'd change 50% of the water every day until he is better.
 
Not much you can do from here, and I'm sure there are other things you can use to cure your fish's fin rot. Check your local pet store. Just keep watching your fish and hope for some better results.Your fish could also have an internal infection that you have not noticed and may not notice which will eventually kill him regardless of what you do unless you can find out exactly what it is and how to properly treat it.
 
Some people use salt and see improvements, but clean water is the real trick. If you have him in a 2 gallon container, I'd change the water at least every 3 days. When you feed him, scoop out any uneaten food particles. If he's in a 1 gallon then every other day. A lot depends on how much you feed him, too. If he's not too bad, then clean water should help out immensely. Nix the bettafix - you don't need it. Good luck!
 
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