# EMERGENCY - lethargic, pale, has white spots



## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

Housing 
What size is your tank? 10-gallon
What temperature is your tank? 78 F
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? Yes, but only recently
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? 6 harlequin rasboras and one nerite snail

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? New life spectrum pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? Every day, sometimes skip a day

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? Weekly
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 40%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Prime water conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? He is extremely pale and colorless. His fins are ragged and transparent. He has a white spot on his tail, another one on his side, and a white area under his body near the front
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He is lethargic and won't come to the surface
When did you start noticing the symptoms? He's been losing color over months, and his fins have been getting shorter/more ragged. The white spots I noticed a few days ago.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No, I don't know what to do. I have a hospital tank set up that I can put him in but it's not heated. I could try to put my 10-gal's heater in there, but would that be okay?
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No

I'm worried sick about my little fish.  I don't want him to die.

Oh, and here is a thread I made a few days ago, before he got worse:
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?p=3620514#post3620514


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

He is looking terrible, I know it's Christmas Eve but I need help


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## soundwave (May 19, 2013)

Does he still have a good appetite? Do the white spots look like ich? I'd suggest doing a water change to see if it perks him up any.

I hope someone else will be along to help you further.


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

He's not even coming to the surface to eat. He looks really, really pale and sick.

I don't know what ich looks like. What is it?


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## Aquatail (Jun 29, 2012)

Have tried looking up pictures and comparing them to him? I can't give you a very good description of ick, sorry, so you want to try that. If you can, a picture of him, especially of the spots, may also help.


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

I just scooped him out of the 10-gal and put him in a little cup. He ate a pellet.

Guys, his right ear looks like it's rotting away. It's white and fuzzy looking. He almost looks bloated around his gills, too.


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## Aquatail (Jun 29, 2012)

Ear? You mean like his face? If he has cottony, fuzzy looking stuff on his face then I'd guess Columnaris. Take a look at this copied from the disease treatment thread and see how much it fits.

Columnaris
•Symptoms: White spots on mouth, edges of scales and fins, Cottony Growth that eats away at the mouth, Fins rapidly disingrate, starting at the edges
Gray areas around head and gills, As the disease progresses the gray lesions may change in color to yellow/brown/red, Lesions often occur in front of the dorsal causing a “saddleback” appearance, Lethargic, Loss of appetite, Clamped, Gasping for air
•Treatment: There are 2 versions of Columnaris: chronic and acute. Chronic Columnaris can take days to progress while acute can kill within a day. It is contagious so isolate sick fish. If more than one fish shows symptoms then treat the entire tank. Perform daily 100% water change in small tanks or ¾ water change in larger tanks. Make sure to clean the gravel. Treat with Aq.Salt: add 1 tsp/gal Aquarium Salt 3 times, 12 hours apart so that you end up with 3 times the normal concentration. Do NOT raise the temperature as it thrives in temps over 85*F, however, lowering the temperature does not seem to help fight it. Combine salt treatment with Mardel’s Coppersafe, Maracyn I & II, API Erythromycin, OR API Triple Sulfa, combined with Jungle’s Fungus Eliminator (if possible).


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

His side fin, the one next to his face. I thought those fins were called ears. One of the fins looks almost like it's missing. It's fuzzy and white. He is only using his other fin to swim.

I'm uploading pics now. I couldn't get one of the bad fin though, it just doesn't show up in pics.


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## Aquatail (Jun 29, 2012)

You mean his pectoral fins? The ones that are on both sides of his body and move a lot, like paddles almost? Sorry, that's a really bad description, but it's the only thing I can think of at the moment. >.<


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

Pics.

His body is always kinda crooked when he swims lately.




































I have him next to me in his little cup. He's swimming around and following my finger. He looks so horrible though.


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

Yes, the little paddles, lol.


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## Aquatail (Jun 29, 2012)

lol, yeah, it was the only thing I could think of at the moment...

If there's cottony, or fuzzy stuff that's eating away at his fins, I'd treat for Columnaris. Is his fin like gone, or just covered? I'd also definitely separate him from the other fish and keep a close eye on them for signs as well. Columnaris is contagious.


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

Ok. I have a hospital 1-gallon tank set up, I'll put him in there.

Do I have to use aquarium salt or can I use regular sea salt? I don't have any aquarium salt and... well, tomorrow's Christmas.

100% water changes every day, for a 1-gallon tank. Add 1 tsp aquarium salt three times, 12 hours apart.

Is that right, that's what I should do?


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## Aquatail (Jun 29, 2012)

I don't think sea salt is the same. I'm not 100% sure so you could ask in the regular section and see if someone there can confirm that, but I wouldn't risk using it because I'm pretty sure they are not the same. Since his fin has already deteriorated, do you have any medication on hand?


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

I don't have any medication or anything. I really, really should have put together a kit before all this happened. I feel terrible.


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## Aquatail (Jun 29, 2012)

It's ok, I didn't have a kit when one of mine got sick a few months ago. That's when I realized that it's important to have stuff on hand for emergencies and to do your research about medications and what they treat. Until you can get a medication and salt, I'd do daily water changes. 

You may also want to post in the normal section about substitutes for AQ salt. Now, I may be wrong, but I think there was another kind of salt that could be used, I don't think it was sea salt and I could be totally wrong but I figure it's worth a try anyway.

For the medication, seeing if you can find a Furan med or something like Triple Sulfa is what I suggest. As long as you're not allergic to sulfa meds, for the Triple Sulfa. I don't find them at my local PetCo, but I believe Petsmart has them. If you have any local fish shops, when they open, you can call and ask.


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

Thank you so much for all your help. I will ask about the salt.


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

If you can get to Walmart (Check to be sure they are open they normally are 24 hours) they sell Jungle fungus clear you can start treating with that. It helps with fin rot which your fish appears to have plus he has fungus. There are other drugs you can add but this is the basic one you can probably get started with now.


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## Aquatail (Jun 29, 2012)

No problem! ^_^ I hope your little guy gets better. Please keep us updated.

jadaBlu has a very good point. You may be able to find a regular store that's open and has basic fish supplies. I got my AQ salt from WalMart.


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

Thank you so much. It's 1 AM now and I have to go to bed, so I will check Walmart tomorrow. Dragon seems to be hanging on, he seems a little calmer in the 1-gallon hospital.

Oh - quick question, there are two assassin snails in the hospital tank, is it OK to keep them in there or will they get sick too?


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

+1 on what Aquatail and jadaBlu have said.

Columnaris is a bacterial infection. Fin rot can also be caused by bacteria.

If you can't get any medications, you can try Sea salt. (Aquarium, Kosher, Sea, Rock, and non-iodized salt all have the same major ingredient: sodium chloride.)

Personally, I don't like these salts, since the sodium can lead to other issues, such as bloating or buoyancy issues. But Columnaris can be aggressive, so treating it is important.

Keep the water temperature at about 76F. This is at the lower end of the range for Bettas, but it will also keep the bacterial growth fairly low. Also, frequent water changes will help remove bacteria and toxins from the water.

Once the stores open, I suggest picking up one of the following: Jungle Fungus Clear, or API Furan 2, or Hikari Bifuran. These will treat the Columnaris, and should also work on the fin rot.

Not sure about the snails though, as I don't have any. I'd probably remove them, just in case. Also, if your tank has a filter, remove the media before adding medications.


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

P.S. Don't use Aquarium salt and medications at the same time. 

As soon as you can get the medication (Jungle Fungus Clear, or API Furan 2, or Hikari Bifuran), do a full water change. Do not add any salt..... Then add the medication.


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## Aquatail (Jun 29, 2012)

When did that happen, LittleBlueFishlets? I could be mistaken, but I think I've heard about combining the two a lot. Also the disease sticky recommends that as well for Columnaris. I'm not doubting you, but I'm wondering if that's a new thing I'm not aware of or if I've been wrong about using both the whole time?


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

Here's an incoherent explanation (which is what I get for being online at 2:25am!) 

First, the effect on the body: 

Most medications are metabolized by the liver and excreted by the kidneys. So they put some stress on these organs.....

Aquarium salt is high in sodium. This can cause fluid retention and bloating. The kidneys also remove excess sodium from the body, so the use of Aquarium salt places stress on them as well.

So combining both medications and Aquarium salt puts a lot of stress on the kidneys. For a healthy fish, this may be OK. But for a sick fish, the immune system is already fighting a battle, and the kidneys may not be able to handle the extra workload. When this happens, the fish can start to bloat or have buoyancy issues. In severe cases, it can even cause kidney failure. Plus, if the body is working to eliminate fluid, it has less reserves available to fight off infection.

Next, with regard to infections:

Aquarium salt has mild antimicrobial capabilities. So it's good for minor infections, etc. But at low dosages, it isn't effective at dealing with major problems. (At higher dosages, you're back to the issues of bloating and kidney stress.)

Antibiotics are much better able to target "bad bacteria." (They were developed to be effective against specific types of bacteria.) So if there's an aggressive infection (as Columnaris can become), then I opt to forego the Aquarium salt and use a true antibiotic instead. 

Also, some medications cause less stress to the kidneys and liver than others. For example, Maracyn 2 (minocycline) is effective against Columnaris. But it tends to be harsher on the liver/kidneys than the furan medications. Also, minocycline has been around longer, so a lot of bacteria is now resistant to it. For these reasons, when Columnaris is suspected, I generally recommend the furan meds over minocycline. 

That's my approach, anyway. Other people have different approaches..... 

(I hope that made sense. I probably should have gone to sleep awhile back!)


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## Aquatail (Jun 29, 2012)

That made complete sense, thank you for explaining so well! ^_^ Your posts always have a bunch of really good information for people like me who are learning about diseases and such! Would you mind if I track down some of your posts using the statistics page and take notes? I am also hoping that does not sound creepy or anything... If it does, I apologize...


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

I picked up Jungle "Lifeguard" all-in-one treatment. It says on the box that it's extremely effective against ick and fungus. Is this a good medication? I got it from Walmart, so... yeah.

I also picked up a bag of aquarium salt. Should I use that as well as the fungus stuff?

Also, I'm keeping up on daily 100% WCs, and Dragon is hanging in there. He looks terrible though.


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

My instructions on the Jungle Lifeguard say to add 1 tablet a day for 5 gallons, for 5 consecutive days.

I have a 1-gallon and I'm doing daily 100% water changes. So I just added 1/4 tablet to the newly changed water. Tomorrow, when I do the full water change, I add a new 1/4? Or am I supposed to be increasing the dosage every day? The instructions do not seem to mention water changes.

I would really appreciate some answers. I want to do this right.


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## AkidaFish (Jul 11, 2013)

Well, if it says 1 tablet a day for a 5 gallon, then just add 1/5 of the tablet every day. You dont want to go over suggested dosage much. They want you to add the stuff periodically so you can aclimate a sick fish to the changing water chemistry.


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

But what I'm asking is, am I just adding 1/5th tablet every day after the daily water change? Meaning, the 1 gallon of water will have 1/5th tablet every single day. Or am I increasing the dosage to 2/5th tablet, then 3/5th tablet, up to a whole tablet in the tank - and still keeping up with daily 100% water changes?

Also, how the heck to I cut a tablet into fifths reliably?

EDIT: Does that make any sense?


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## Betta Nut (Dec 3, 2013)

The most likely explanation is, the directions are for a tank that is not getting water changes, so I will guess the medication's effectiveness wanes every day and needs to be replenished, not added to. So I'd just keep only adding the 1/4 tablet. 1/5 is harder to cut, 1/4 should be fine. Cutting quarters shouldn't be too hard, 1/2 the halves, and the very slight increase over the 1/5 will probably even out the dosage what it'd be without the water changes.
This is just what I would do, and a sugestion. I am not an expert whatsoever with medicating fish


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Hi Graceful, sorry to hear about your guy. You're getting some fantastic advice already from LittleBlue and Aquatail so I just want to chime in real quick.

First, not sure about the Life Guard. I'm not at all familiar with the active ingredient but I'm pretty sure it's not an antibiotic which is what you need to combat columnaris bacteria. The active ingredient you're looking for is nitrafurazone. If you can, please look for either Jungle Labs Fungus Clear tablets, API Furan-2, or Hikari HealthAid Bifuran. Those all contain nitrafurazone.

Secondly, yes, the instructions on almost all medications are written for 10gal tanks with the assumption that the tanks will not receive water changes until treatment is over. In a 10gal tank, you can get away with this unless you have the tank ridiculously overstocked. So in a 1 gal hospital tank, you'll want to do a water change at least every other day and redose the meds. 

Hope this helps and you're in good hands.


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

Thank you so much. I took notes on everything you lovely people said. I'll be running to my LFS to see if they have any better medication.


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

The active ingredients are: 1-CHLORO-2, 2, 5, 5-TETRAMEHTYL-4-IMIDAZOLIDINONE

After I clean my 10gallon I'm headed to my LFS to look for better meds.


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

Oh - and should I be using aquarium salt along with the medication? I bought aq salt the other day.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I usually recommend AQ salt with meds because it can balance electrolyte levels and help with the osmotic process; however, LittleBlue has done some research that suggests evidence to the contrary. The decision to use the salt is up to you. You may want to contact LittleBlue about her research on the topic.


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

I bought API FURAN-2.

Should I do a WC now and put in the starting dosage? Or wait until tomorrow's WC?


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## Aquatail (Jun 29, 2012)

I wouldn't wait. I'm not sure how rigid your water change schedule is, but doing it a day early shouldn't hurt.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Graceful, one way to make it easier to dose the 1gal tank is to get a jug that holds 5 cups of dechlorinated water. Fill it up and add a packet of medicine; mix well. Now pour 1/2 cup of medicated water into the hospital tank. You can save the medicated water for 24-36 hours but after that, you'll need to mix up a new batch.

There may be other ways to make the dosing easier but that's the only one I know of off the top of my head.


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

Lifeguard's active ingredient is "HaloShield." Its chemical name is _1-chloro-2 2 5 5-tetramethyl-4-imidazolidinone_. This is an "oxidizing salt" which kills pathogens in the water. It's also supposed to disinfect the water via the chlorine (1-chloro) component.... But I've never understood how it does this (or why Tetra includes it), since we usually add water conditioners to the water that remove/neutralize chlorine. 

Regardless..... The API Furan 2 that you've purchased is an excellent antibiotic. As Aquatail suggested, I wouldn't wait. I'd go ahead and use it now.

Sakura - Interesting! So you use AQ salt with meds to balance electrolyte levels and help with the osmotic process..... I'll have to do some research on that.... 

I've read (and found via my own fish) that using both simultaneously places stress on the kidneys (since the kidneys need to eliminate both the sodium and metabolites from the medications). This can lead to fluid retention and bloating..... 

I definitely need to do some research this to see whether the benefits (electrolyte balance and osmotic process) outweigh the risks (kidney stress). I suspect the answer will depend on the specific health problem.... A fish that's already bloated would probably react badly to the addition of AQ salt. But a fish that has healthy kidneys may benefit from its use..... Hm......... (Unfortunately, I don't have time to look into this now.... I really want to though! LOL)


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

I'm going to stick with just the API Furan-2 and see how he does. I might add aquarium salt later if he's not improving.

Thank you for the help with dosing, I always have trouble doing the math.

Is the medication supposed to be bright yellow?


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

His right side fin is completely gone. He's having a hard time swimming. My poor little fish D:


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## Aquatail (Jun 29, 2012)

Poor little guy. If he's having trouble reaching the surface for air you can lower the water level.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

LittleBlue, unfortunately I have no scientific data to back up the "balance electrolytes" thing. It's just something that I've seen repeated here and there in various fish books. I would be more likely to go with your research as it makes more sense to me.


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## Aquatail (Jun 29, 2012)

LittleBlueFishlets, when you do have conclusions for your research, would you mind sharing? I know you said you don't have time right now, but whenever you do conduct research on it.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I agree with Aquatail, I'd love to know the results of your research.


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

Graceful - how is he doing?

Sakura & Aquatail - Yes, I'll post anything that I find. I haven't had time to really look into it yet, but I did some quick reading. Basically, freshwater fish have evolved to produce very dilute urine, which allows them to conserve salts in their body. According to one source, it takes "very little energy" to do this, so it's not something that the fish struggles with. A healthy fish won't have issues with electrolyte balance..... but I need to find out more about sick fish, especially those that are already bloated.....


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

My apologies for not updating sooner!

Dragon is hanging in there. He at least doesn't seem to be getting worse. He's not moving much, though he does a half-hearted wiggle dance when I come near the tank. So he's still himself, he's just really sick.

He is eating OK, but having a hard time swimming due to his missing side fin. He's trying to adjust.

I'm keeping up with daily WCs and medicating with FURAN-2.

I feel so bad for him. I'm really hoping he pulls through.

EDIT: I have a cave in there for him that comes up to about an inch below the water. He's resting in it, so he doesn't have to swim far for air.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Thank you for the update, graceful. I'm very encouraged by the fact that he is eating. If necessary, you may continue with the Furan-2 for another two or three doses and then see how he's doing. It's better to continue with treatment and eradicate the bacteria completely than stop too soon and risk the bacteria returning resistant to treatment.


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

I forgot to feed him yesterday. Today he won't eat. My little fish D:

Am I doing everything I can? I have kept up with his daily water changes and meds, is there anything else I can be doing?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yes, you're doing everything you can. It's hard, I know. We always feel like there should be more that we can do for our sick little buddies but the Furan-2 is probably the best you can give him. Just give him love and continue to try and get him to eat.


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

He ate one pellet today. But he looks horrible. He's tilting to the side a bit and is very, very lethargic. Twice I thought he died but he's still hanging on.

At this point, is home euthanasia an option I should be looking at?


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## Aquatail (Jun 29, 2012)

Euthanasia is entirely up to you. He ate, though, and it seems to me that he hasn't given up yet. If you feel differently, we can walk you through it, if you need instructions.


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

Aquatail said:


> Euthanasia is entirely up to you. He ate, though, and it seems to me that he hasn't given up yet. If you feel differently, we can walk you through it, if you need instructions.


I'm going to wait and see how he does. I honestly don't know if I could put him down myself, I might have my dad do it for me. :-(

I am so sad for my little friend. I don't know if I'll get another betta if he dies. My first betta died after 4 months, and now this one's dying after 5 months.

My tank's nitrates are consistently at 20-40 ppm. I realize this is pretty high, and I've had a heck of a time trying to lower them. Could high nitrates be what's made him sick? And my previous betta?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

High nitrates could cause stress that leads to increased susceptibility to illness, yes. The only real ways to control nitrate levels are to use lots of fast growing plants such as floating plants and to increase the frequency and volume of water changes. 

Don't feel bad, please. There's a lot going on that makes bettas more susceptible to illness. For instance, a lot of pet store bettas have poor genetics that makes them weak. Then they sit on shelves in tiny unheated cups for weeks or months. That further weakens the immune system and often they are battling illnesses in the pet store. By the time we the responsible owners get them home, some bettas are just so stressed and weak that the change of environment pushes them over the edge and they succumb to illness, through absolutely no fault of the owner. It's a very sad truth about these wonderful fish.


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

I just switched to all fake plants. My plants would not stop dying on me. Everything just failed to thrive, even my frogbit and dwarf water lettuce turned brown and slowly melted. I understand what a benefit live plants can be - but I was dumping serious money buying new plants, and spending so much time scraping algae off of them. I just got so sick of it.

Thank you so much for answering all my questions, you have really made all the difference. :smile:


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Graceful, I hear you. I do not want to think about the money I've spent on my planted tank. I've torn it down and restarted it twice. 

Sometimes floating plants don't do well if there is not enough ventilation between the water and the hood. My salvinia routinely rots if I fill the tank too full. Often, floating plants are used in open top tanks to avoid that problem. And then, some people can also make floating plants grow in any condition. I don't get it. *shrugs*


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

Dragon died last night.


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## Aquatail (Jun 29, 2012)

I'm so sorry. SIP Dragon


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I'm so sorry, graceful.


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