Poor depressed betta

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SpankyPlants

Small Fish
#1
Dec 15, 2004
11
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Nebraska
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#1
Hi all!

I have a question regarding my betta, Einstein.

Once upon a time, Einstein was housed in a 20-gal hex with several white cloud minnows. Then I moved, and the minnows and the hex went to the LFS, and Einstein went to a 2-gal vase like his bro, Khan. Soon after this, Einstein started to deteriorate. His fins and tail melted away and his pretty blue and purple colors washed away and he became the scary albino betta. He stopped eating or swimming, and wouldn't even flare at Khan. I watched his transformation from sexy thang to bus station hobo, and I devised a plan to make him better. I figured he was depressed from the tank move, and he missed being able to swim freely around. So I set up my spare 10-gal as a tank for him (it is becoming an asian swamp biotope) in the hopes that he would get better. He started eating again and he swims around and flares at things and some of his color has returned, but his fins and tail still look terribly mangled. I posted a pic so everyone can see just how pathetic he is. It's kind of fuzzy...



My question is, how can I make him pretty again? I put aquarium salt in the water because I've heard people have had success in fin repair with that, but it doesn't seem to be helping at all. He's acting fine, he's jsut very, very ugly. If anyone can offer a suggestion I'd be very much obliged!

Thanks!
 

CAPSLOCK

CAPSLOCK

Elite Fish
#2
Jul 19, 2004
3,682
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Cape Cod
#2
Sounds like he might possibly have gotten fin rot in the vase. If the fins are free of the fin rot, then they will heal up given time. You can also put in some bettafix or melafix or some other anti-fungal medication to help make sure the fungus is gone first. Either way, it will take time for the fins to re-grow.
 

S

squirrelgoddess

Small Fish
#4
Dec 9, 2004
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Am I mistaken that you could probably do both Bettafix and Melafix? Each uses a dose per day for a week, so that would be easy enough to keep track of. It might not be necessary to use both, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't hurt either. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, though.

Spanky, you may find that the Melafix clouds your water a bit at first, but I'm treating my 10 gallon with it at the moment and after a few days it cleared right up. I think it's partially because you have to remove activated carbon filters when using the stuff since they absorb most of the medication. Either way, I'm glad that it cleared up after initially cycling through the tank, and call me crazy, but... I think the stuff has a pleasant smell! (It's ok to call me crazy, really; my boss and co-workers at the pet store have already made their allegations :) )
 

S

SpankyPlants

Small Fish
#10
Dec 15, 2004
11
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Nebraska
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#10
*bawling* He died! I don't understand how it happened... I came in here after work to check my e-mail and he was fine, but when I came back a couple hours later... he was dead on the bottom of the tank. It's weird to get attached to a fish like this, but he was such a neat little guy. He'd watch me when I was typing and would sit on his lily's leaves and would jump for his food... Poor fish. I miss him. :(
 

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