How to Heal a Betta's Stiff Fins...

[Sunfox]

My poor little betta was subjected to a crappy heater that couldn't get his water above 75 degrees. I switched it to an Aqueon Pro, which is now keeping it at a toasty 80 degrees, but it seems he got a bit sick in the meantime: stiff, clumped fins and lethargy, etc. I put a bit of Bettafix in since it was early on, and along with the heater his energy level is a bit better, but his fins are still stiff and clumped and he's not quite back to his usual vigor.

Is he still sick? If so, what could it be? My water parameters are fine, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10ppm nitrate, so I don't know what else could be causing it.

If he isn't, how do I help his fins restore their natural flowiness? Or will I just have to wait? I feel so bad watching him try to swim with the fins, they look like little pieces of cardboard dragging him down.

 

[Thyra]

I would Google "betta diseases" and see if you can find anything that resembles what you are talking about. I doubt very much that it was caused by water temp because in the past I have had a betta without a heater for several years. They are pretty hardy fish, although they do like a temp of 75 - 79 degrees.

 

[Sunfox]

Well, I suppose I should've been more specific. We live in a really cold area of the country so I wanted him to have at least 78 or more so during the night when the temp in the house plummeted he'd have a nice heat cushion. I'm worried he got stressed out because the water probably fell below 75 before the (really crappy) heater caught it and raised it back to 75 and he caught something.

I looked on Betta Care for it but the only things that came up were ich (no white spots), velvet (no gold dust), and argulus (still no large white spots).

Any other ideas based on these symptoms?

EDIT: The variation in temp during the night might've been the cause is I suppose what I'm getting at.

 

[Sunfox]

Holy crap, after running another round of tests I found my PH has dropped considerably! Barely 6.0 by the test's readings. Ammonia and nitrite are still at 0, for the record.

After a lot of reading up on it (Old Tank Syndrome) I found the hydrogen ions that the nitrifying bacteria in the cycle give off might have leeched some acidity into my system D: So much for the good PH in the water in this area, thought I had nothing to worry about there; glad I checked it.

I'm doing water changes with spring water from now on; screw the tap water and conditioning. Spring water supposedly has minerals to buffer against these ions. Hopefully 25% weekly changes with spring water will stabilize it.

Let me know if anything else needs to happen please. I've never had a PH problem before; I'm certain this is what happened to my betta now.

 

[Thyra]

You don't say what your pH was before so we really can't tell how much of a change it is. Most of us decide our pH is what it is and go from there - most fish will deal nicely with that. I gather there a few of the special cichlids that get more concerned. I don't know where you live or what you consider spring water. I have well water and it could, I suppose be affected by very heavy rains or run off, but I haven't bothered to check pH since I first set up my tanks almost 2 years ago. It is sudden changes that would cause problems, but even then you can handle it with the drip method.

 

[Sunfox]

Ah, of course. It was roughly 7.0 before. Within a week it's gone down that much; that could very well be it. By spring water I meant the gallon jugs of spring water you buy at the store. I had good results with that with other fish, but I lived in areas where the water was well buffered.

I live in northwest Washington state, if that helps. The women at the fish store told me the water in my area was good PH wise - they keep lots of fish too.

 

[Thyra]

I just didn't consider WA a cold state as compared to where I originally came from, but I still don't think lack of heat caused your problem. I had a betta in a bowl for a couple of years that I even took camping to the ocean with us and he survived. Then I got on this forum and learned better and got him new quarters. Any pH swing you had was gradual and I would certainly go back to your regular water just for convenience sake and expense. How do you get the water in the container the right temp? With a faucet you can control it. Sudden changes are your worst enemy in either temp or chemistry. The spring water you buy may not be anything like your tap water. I would definitely stick with tap water, like I said and change in your pH was gradual so I don't think that caused your problem either. You do understand the cycling thing and ammonia and nitrite poisoning, right? (You do see I also live in W. WA)

 

[Sunfox]

Well certainly I do o.o I posted the numbers. The tank was cycled before I got him and the ammonia and nitrite hasn't risen above 0 since I've had him. I did a 30% change with the tap water as you advised. WA is cold to me ^^; I came from the southeast so I'm still adjusting too, haha.

After the change he seems much more energetic for some reason. I didn't think it would do anything as toxins were nearly nonexistent aside from buffering the pH a bit, plus the cycling bacteria I added said not to do a change for two weeks, but since the test kit told me if pH was below 6.0 to do a 30% change, and that's more what the results looked like. Or maybe he's healing up. I still don't know then what caused it, but a really low pH I'd think would stress him out. It's been a few days now since he started looking ill and he still isn't exhibiting any other sickness symptoms, but he seems much better energy wise after this morning.

His fins are still stiff but he isn't clamping them anymore. I guess all that's left is to restore his fins if I can and make sure the pH gets to and stays at least at 6.5 if I can. It seems to be sitting at 6.0 now and I know I shouldn't change it more than .5 every 24 hours.

 

[Sunfox]

Another update on Axel (my betta xD)

He's back to normal with energy levels, by that I mean he looks like he'd burrow through the glass trying to get to me when I walk up to take care of him, zooming around and everything. His fins look MUCH better, much fluffier, still treating them with small amounts of Aloe Vera products (like Bettafix and water conditioners) to patch up the last few tiny rips he got while they were stiff, planning water changes every few days of 20% to make sure he's good to go until he's 100% better, then going back to the once weekly routine.

Got a pH buffering product to help maintain the pH between 6.5 and 6.8 if possible, I've heard bettas like slightly acidic water (but obviously not TOO much). The guy at the fish hobbyist store I found in town told me low pH might've been the cause of most of my problems, but obviously not all.

I've heard a bit about Blackwater Extract and, while I don't have any fish mandating Amazonian water conditions, I was thinking after I get the pH normal that I might try some as I've heard it promotes good health in bettas, though honestly I don't see how or why. Has anyone else heard of this and tested it with bettas?

 

[Thyra]

I still don't think pH had anything to do with your betta and I would personally use the water that came from the tap and stop chasing the pH. There are many people that don't use a whole bunch of medication in their tanks. I may have missed it, but what size tank is your betta in? And how long as he been in that particular tank? And where in W. Wa do you live that it is so cold? lol We all consider this "mild".

 

[KcMopar]

Just as Thyra says: Don't chase the pH unless it for a particular reason such as breeding. Regular weekly water changes will prevent old tank syndrome and maintain a constant pH which is more desirable for your pet. Also with weekly water changes be sure the temp is very close to the tank temp. Weekly water changes is the best way to insure your pet has a good, happy and healthy life.

 

[Sunfox]

Weekly water changes are always what I do, with every fish I've owned. This isn't my first betta, but it is the first time I've seen this happen.

The problem I had was I got my fish Monday of last week, put him in the 10 gallon cycled tank. By that Friday, before I even had the chance to do a water change, he was lethargic and had clamped fins with no other symptoms to tell me what was wrong, no redness, white spots, or anything, ammonia and nitrite were at 0 and nitrates were almost 0 as well. Temp was 75, and while I considered it at first I still don't think that was the problem unless the heater was really doing a bad job catching up when night hit so my fish was going through temp fluctuations, but it's unlikely. I changed the heater later and the tank has been at a constant 80 degrees.

So I tested the pH, got a reading of 6.0 with a test that wouldn't measure any lower. Got another test I'd had that went to 5.0, the test showed 5.0 on that one. For all I know it could've been lower. That really was the only odd factor. If you guys think of anything else, ask me and I'll answer, but symptoms and water measurements didn't add up (usually I see those symptoms in ammonia-poisoned fish, but like I said, ammonia was 0 before the fish, and has been every day since I put him in).

The guy at the store said my water could have low buffers (I forget the two letter designation for it, kH or something), so my pH dropped quickly. For all I know it dropped below 5.0 within a day (if that's even possible, dropping from 7.0 out of the tap) and if so, even a change more than .5 in a day would've stirred him up I think, I should've been testing it too, but since the water came out of the tap at 7.0 I thought it had enough buffers that I wouldn't have to worry.

Either way, the Bettafix and aloe vera got his fins back to normal, so I stopped that two days ago. There's nothing else going in the tank aside from food and treated water for his weekly change (which has only happened once, his second one is scheduled for tomorrow, I like to do them on Sundays).

So I'm hoping with this laid out that there's something to match it so I know what happened and how to prevent it.

Oh Thyra, to answer you, I'm in Oak Harbor. I know people who've lived here consider it warm right now, being summer, but I've lived in south Florida for the past 11 years xD This is cold to me. And as of this coming Monday he'll have been in the tank for 2 weeks. Hope this helps, I'm just happy he's better, but I'd really like to know what happened.

 

[Thyra]

You should be enjoying our summer then - short as it is -lol. BTW for your tank to be cycled you should be showing about 20ppm of nitrate. Kind of depends on what your tap water shows naturally, but you do need 10 - maybe as much as 30ppm of nitrate in a cycled tank. Another thing - you put him in a 10 g tank. Was he in a bowl or little cup when you bought him? Some bettas are scared to death when they first get their freedom. They don't know how to defend the whole place and just stay in one little area - I haven't noticed if they clamp their fins or not, but that would be a sign that they are stressed. I have one that I put in a 10g tank and I'll bet it took him at least 2 weeks before he actually started exploring the whole place.

 

[Sunfox]

I have, went whale watching last weekend Was so amazing! Husband and I go walking together a lot on the hiking trails up here. I love the atmosphere and will happily get used to the cold since it comes with the amazing territory.

Nitrate has been slowly on the rise, didn't give it much of a chance to get above 10ppm last time before I did that change. Should I let it build up more? I thought it was bad for fish in large amounts and less was better. That would mean it doesn't get above 10ppm in roughly a week, as I cycled it with bacterial supplements (instructions said do not do a water change for two weeks) and fish food, put him in Monday with 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and it looked to be 0 nitrate, and it measured 10ppm by that Saturday when I changed it 30% due to concern about the pH - is the low nitrate something I should be concerned about?

He was in a little cup, had lots of fight to him at the store (He was zooming up and down the cup where my fingers were, haha, I only get the really energetic fish).

I didn't think of that, it could've perhaps been another settling down syndrome that I haven't encountered yet (one of my bettas, my first, luckily, didn't have anything happen except maybe a lot of hiding, another one was on a food strike for a whole week, and others that you've heard before).

I dunno, it seemed within the first few days he was good to go, he'd been swimming around the whole place and always zoomed up to greet me for food in the morning, I guess maybe the stress of transport to the store from his breeder and then getting put in the 10g finally caught up with him 5 days after I put him in. If so, fish stress works in mysterious ways, none of them good =(