HELP i think i ruined the water in my fighting fishes tank!!!

[Sam2149]

I have a fighting fish in about a 3.5litre tank.

about 6 weeks ago he started getting black spots on him. I treated him for 2 weeks 'bettafix' and he slowly got better and seemed to recover and was happy again and started eating more. he seemed fine for a few more weeks. then i noticed he started getting more black spots.

I went to a pet store and got his water tested. They said that there wasn't much good bacteria in the water or minerals and suggested i add some stuff to the water and to treat him again with bettafix and not to do as many water changes as i had been doing.

They gave me some mineral stuff to put in his water that they put in a vial for me and i bought some API quick start to add some good bacterial to his water. I accidently poured too much of the quick start into his water but he formed so didnt think anything of it and added the minerals as well. that was last night. I noticed tonight that there was all this crystal stuff that was on the bottom of the tank (presumably what i put in) and so i scooped it out and some water and added some fresh water thinking that it would help. The water has gone really cloudy now and i am worried i have ruined the water in the tank by putting too much in and probably dissolving the extra mineral and bacteria by adding fresh water! what should i do??? please help i dont want my little guy to die he seems a bit stressed right now but that could be cuz i changed some of his water im not sure. what should i do???

 

[FishDad]

Well you fish store couldn't have given you worse advice.

You need to start over. Put that betta in another container temporarily and rinse out that entire tank with JUST water. Then put everything back in, treat the water with a dechlorinator and put the betta back in. Don't add anything for bacteria, it will grow on its own after a few weeks, maybe quicker in a smaller tank. As for the water changes you need to do as many as possible to keep the ammonia down while the bacteria grows. Just make sure you dechlor and keep the temp the same. This won't hinder bacteria growth as it only grows on hard surfaces, not in the water. You should expect the water to get a little cloudy after a few days. This is good, that is a bacteria bloom and the beginning of your tank cycle.

You need to research the nitrogen cycle to understand how this process works. Its pretty simple but often misunderstood, especially by local fish store employees.

 

[Newman]

I have kept bettas is 32oz deli cups for months while my tanks were getting reshuffled and ready for them. They do just fine in such a small cup if you put in a dried leaf (i prefer almond leaves) and change their water out a couple of times a week. Feed the betta every other day. you don't want him to get bloat.
so that's an alternative for you while your tank is getting cycled.

 

[FreshyFresh]

Yep. As stated, your typical pet/fish store wants to sell you every magic potion in a bottle they can. That's where they make their money. Like said, all you need is fresh tap water and a quality dechlorinator. Something like Seachem's Prime.

I only keep bettas in community tanks and personally wouldn't bother with one less than 10g in size. What ever you decide to keep your betta in, make sure you do weekly water changes at a minimum. You can drain the water down to where he/she can barely swim and refill with fresh, dechlor'd tap water of similar temperature. Your fish will LOVE you for this. Fresh water is more important than food and fancy supplies.

 

[Thyra]

I agree with all the others but I will say a small tank like that is very difficult to cycle and frequent water changes are absolutely necessary. I, too, like to keep my bettas in community tanks, but they do well even alone in the smaller tanks, it is just a lot more work to keep the tank looking good. Do remember - no sudden changes in temp.

 

[Sam2149]

thanks for all the advice guys! i put him in a new bowl that is pretty wide because i read online to make sure he was getting enough oxygen. I did three water changes roughly of the original water so he has a lot of fresh water but still some of the old water. Should i change it again soon with more fresh water? i don't want to stress him out even more than he probably already is. Will start new with my original tank and use the dechrolinating stuff i use to use. How long should i wait before i add him back to the tank? and should i use the 'bettafix medication' to to treat him for the spots or just let him readjust to all the changes?

thanks so much for all the help! and i will continue to do my original water changes like before!

 

[FishDad]

I would start completely over with fresh water of the same temp that has been dechlorinated. For now don't add anything but the dechlorinated. You can put him back in right away after that tank and any decode or substrate has been completely rinsed.

Also, oxygen is normally a good concern to have but bettas can breath air from the surface. Just an FYI.

 

[OrangeCones]

Will start new with my original tank and use the dechrolinating stuff i use to use.

Did you stop using dechlorinator?

 

[Newman]

you always want to use a good dechlorinator like Prime.
when chanign water make sure that its always the same temperature as the old water that the betta is swimming in. otherwise you will shock him.

 

[Sam2149]

you always want to use a good dechlorinator like Prime.
when chanign water make sure that its always the same temperature as the old water that the betta is swimming in. otherwise you will shock him.

i didn't stop using dechlorinator they just gave me this new one API' quick start' that they said to use because it had added bacteria in it. I was going to just go back to the old one i was using Seachem betta basics one.

I normally don't worry about him getting enough oxygen but the tank is a big jar type thing and he has been hanging out at the bottom of it which he doesnt normally do so was worried he might not be getting enough oxygen so put him in the wider bowl.

To get the new water to the same temperature is the best way to do that by putting the heater in the water and letting it heat it up? any reccomendations of how long i should let it heat up? i normally just add a tiny amount of hot water to warm up the water slightly that i use as the fresh water as i take half the water out into another bowl and put him in that before putting the fresh water in the tank and then add him back in.

thanks for all the help!

 

[Sam2149]

I read up on nitrogen cycling. The person who gave him to me who had fish before never told me about that so we never did that when i got him 6 months ago. But now i know i will go and get a testing kit and monitor it all!

I think i figured out there wasn't much good bacterial in the tank too. I use to add the dechrolinate after i added the old water back in to the fresh water not before so i probably killed off all the good stuff! which might explain why he got sick again.

He is back in his original tank with new de chlorine water and seems to be happier. Swimming around and chilling out. phew! hope everything else goes smoothly!

 

[Newman]

yeah sounds like you are making major progress.
what temperature is his tank usually at? you will want to heat your new water up to that temperature. use a thermometer.