Betta nesting and sick?

[Jess]

Hello,

I have a betta in a 1/2 U.S. Gallon at work.
No heater, no filter.

I used to change 1/3 to 1/2 of the water every week or so. My fish
developed some white fuzzy cottony looking fungus on his body (towards
the tail). I had always treated the water, with BettaPlus product at
every water change. But now I started doing full water changes every
week. I also add a little of salt in the water. And I use a product
called BettaFix (24 drops every day) in order to treat the sickness.

Warren, my betta, is doing much better. The cottony fuzz is almost
gone. There is a smidge left. However, I noticed there was a hole the
size of a pin head in the middle of his fin. It seems that his gill is
also "longer", it seems to continue up the side of his head a bit
(sorry don't know how to explain it better).

However, during all this, Warren still has a very deep color. His fins
and tail are very long, they are not clamped. He moves around fairly
often. And ever since the full water changes, he makes bubble nests.

Is he ok?
Can he be sick and still be nesting?
Am I being a freaky worried mother?

Thank you in advance for the help.

Jess

[Daniel Morrow]

"Jess" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Hello,
>
> I have a betta in a 1/2 U.S. Gallon at work.
> No heater, no filter.
>
> I used to change 1/3 to 1/2 of the water every week or so. My fish
> developed some white fuzzy cottony looking fungus on his body (towards
> the tail). I had always treated the water, with BettaPlus product at
> every water change. But now I started doing full water changes every
> week. I also add a little of salt in the water. And I use a product
> called BettaFix (24 drops every day) in order to treat the sickness.
>
> Warren, my betta, is doing much better. The cottony fuzz is almost
> gone. There is a smidge left. However, I noticed there was a hole the
> size of a pin head in the middle of his fin. It seems that his gill is
> also "longer", it seems to continue up the side of his head a bit
> (sorry don't know how to explain it better).
>
> However, during all this, Warren still has a very deep color. His fins
> and tail are very long, they are not clamped. He moves around fairly
> often. And ever since the full water changes, he makes bubble nests.
>
> Is he ok?

Seems like he is o.k., I am guessing you should continue using the
medication until the product says to stop. Him making bubble nests is a
great sign I think. Later!


> Can he be sick and still be nesting?
> Am I being a freaky worried mother?
>
> Thank you in advance for the help.
>
> Jess
>

[Elaine T]

Jess wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I have a betta in a 1/2 U.S. Gallon at work.
> No heater, no filter.
>
> I used to change 1/3 to 1/2 of the water every week or so. My fish
> developed some white fuzzy cottony looking fungus on his body (towards
> the tail). I had always treated the water, with BettaPlus product at
> every water change. But now I started doing full water changes every
> week. I also add a little of salt in the water. And I use a product
> called BettaFix (24 drops every day) in order to treat the sickness.
>
> Warren, my betta, is doing much better. The cottony fuzz is almost
> gone. There is a smidge left. However, I noticed there was a hole the
> size of a pin head in the middle of his fin. It seems that his gill is
> also "longer", it seems to continue up the side of his head a bit
> (sorry don't know how to explain it better).
>
> However, during all this, Warren still has a very deep color. His fins
> and tail are very long, they are not clamped. He moves around fairly
> often. And ever since the full water changes, he makes bubble nests.
>
> Is he ok?
> Can he be sick and still be nesting?
> Am I being a freaky worried mother?
>
> Thank you in advance for the help.
>
> Jess
>
Sounds like he's improving, so stay the course. I suspect the big water
changes are doing more than the BettaFix because this sounds like
ammonia poisoning. Ammonia can cause illnesses like fungus, pinholes in
fins and gill irritation. Have you tested the water for ammonia at the
end of the week before the water change? A week between water changes
is probably too long for your small, unfiltered bowl. Also how is the
water temperature? Bettas need warm water, around 76F-80F. If it drops
below 72F, some fish start to really show stress.

There are a lot of ways to control ammonia. The best way would be to
put him in a more suitable tank or bowl. Two or three gallons is much
nicer for bettas because it's big enough to heat, filter, and even
decorate. Many small, inexpensive tanks come with a built-in
undergravel filter or you can use an air-driven sponge filter. The
little Eclipse tanks even have a built in filter and the filter motor
warms the water enough that you don't need a heater.

You can also remove ammonia with zeolites ("white carbon") as gravel,
make it nontoxic with Prime, AmQuel+, or AmmoLock, or do smaller, more
frequent water changes. Zeolites need to be replaced every couple of
weeks. You could also try low-light plants like java moss or java fern
that will improve the water quality.

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com

[Dr Engelbert Buxbaum]

Jess wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I have a betta in a 1/2 U.S. Gallon at work.
> No heater, no filter.

Those are somewhat sub-optimal conditions, which may weaken the immune
system of your fish and make him susceptible to opportunistic
infections. I'd put him in a larger tank (at the very least 1 gallon, or
may be on of those 10 l (about 2 gallon) hexagons), with a heater to
keep the temperature at about 25 degrees Celsius. Betas are tropical
fish, after all. A few plants probably wouldn't hurt either, they could
make up for the missing filter.