# Betta turned grey, fins look straggly



## speedingpenguin (Nov 3, 2015)

Hi everyone,

My brother bought this betta fish a little over a year ago but earlier this summer got a job offer that required him to relocate and be on the road most of the time. Soooo, he gave the fish to me. I've never had fish before, but it seemed simple enough.

He had been doing 20% water changes on a weekly basis with distilled water, so I continued doing that. I read that bettas like bloodworms so I also bought some frozen bloodworms and switch off between the fish flakes that he had been feeding and bloodworms, giving 1 day off per week, and occasionally take half of a pea and pinch it up into little bits and feed him that.

I read that bettas prefer still water so I run the filter half the time and cut it off during the day usually. 

Anyway, a few months ago I had to go out of town for a little over a week and had a friend come by and feed the fish, when I came back the fish had lost a lot of his color. I figured maybe it was to do with the change in feeding schedule, but it never quite returned. Gradually he continued losing his color and turning more of a grey color, but seemed to be full of energy and still had his usual appetite.

3 weeks ago I was watching him and I noticed that his fins were looking different, they looked kind of straggly and the webbing between the spines looked thinner. As soon as I noticed this I started doing some searching online and from what I found it looked like fin rot.

Followed the instructions I saw online, bought a small 1 gallon tank and aquarium salts, and a water testing kit as well.

Water conditions in the tank when I first noticed the fin condition were pH of 7.6, Ammonia appeared to be 1.75 (Ouch!?), Nitrite and Nitrate were both 0.0

Set up the quarantine tank inside the 5 gal tank with the heater on the outside of the quarantine tank, conditioned tap water and 1.5 tsp aquarium salt (1 gal of water), and did 80% water changes the first 2 days (mixed the new water the same way, working up to 2 tsp / gal by the end of day 3). Re-read the online article about treating fin rot and saw that it said 100% specifically for the water changes, so from then on I did 100% changes, 2 tsp/gal aquarium salt.

Also emptied the big fish tank, dumped all the gravel, and cleaned everything thoroughly. I feel guilty for not knowing all that was involved in maintaining the aquarium and am embarrassed to admit, but the bottom of the tank in the gravel was filthy. The gravel got rinsed in clean water until the water drained completely clean, tossed the old plants and replaced them with new plants just to be safe. Set it all back up (still with the quarantine tank inside), and after a full week of the salt water treatment I let the fish back into the (newly cleaned) 5 gal tank.

He seems happy, zipping around the tank and hanging out in his usual spots, occasionally harassing the snail, exploring the new plants and still loves to eat... But I'm not sure if his condition is improving at all.

I filled out the info form with all the details (below) and am attaching several pictures. Any insight, tips, suggestions, or ideas are greatly appreciated. This has been a tremendous learning experience, but I really want to make sure the fish is healthy and hopefully his fins and color can regenerate? (his health and happiness is the main thing though, I've grown to love the little guy quite a bit no matter what color he is!) 

Thanks in advance

**********************I N F O**************************

*Housing*
*How many gallons is your tank?* 5 Gal
*Does it have a filter?* Yes, TopFin 10
*Does it have a heater?* Yes, National Geographic 25w Submersible 
*What temperature is your tank?* Not sure
*Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?* No
*Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind?* 1 Apple Snail

*Food:*
*What food brand do you use?* Omega One Super Color, Omega One Whole Frozen Bloodworms
*Do you feed flakes or pellets? *Alternate flakes & frozen bloodworms
*Freeze-dried?* No
*How often do you feed your Betta? How much?* Sm. pinch of flakes or 3-5 frozen (Thawed in hot water) bloodworms per day, 1 day fast per week, 3-4x per month substitute half of a pea for one feeding

*Maintenance:*
*Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change?* Weekly
*What percentage of water did you change?* 20%
*Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water?* Dip only
*What additives do you use?* Nothing until now. Had been using distilled water, now using tap water w/ Top Fin water conditioner

*Water Parameters:*

*Ammonia:* 0.25 - 0.5
*Nitrite:* 0.0
*Nitrate:* 0.0
*pH:* 7.2
*Hardness (GH):* ??
*Alkalinity (KH):* ??

*Symptoms and Treatment:* Had started losing color a while back (months), was slow and gradual but now has turned grey/silver
*When did you first notice the symptoms?* 3-4 months ago started losing color, 2-3 weeks ago noticed that his fins looked different. 
*How has your Betta’s appearance changed?* Loss of color, fins started looking straggly and more transparent than usual
*How has your Betta’s behavior changed?* Not much (if any), still full of energy and normal appetite
*Is your Betta still eating?* Yes, normal (ferocious) appetite
*Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how?* 1 week in a quarantine tank w/ aquarium salt (up to 2tsp / gal)
*Does your Betta have any history of being ill?* No
*How long have you owned your Betta? Was he or she a rescue?* My brother bought him from PetSmart a little over a year ago, then gave him to me... :-?


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## speedingpenguin (Nov 3, 2015)

Also, I've been putting snail jello in the tank once a week for the snail.... Baby food (green beans), gelatin, and crushed up tums.... From what I've read this shouldn't be an issue, but figure it's worth adding just in case it has something to do with this


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

Hi

Just a few things that I feel I should warn you about



> *What additives do you use?* Nothing until now. Had been using distilled water,


Distilled water is not safe to use with any fish. Ever. 



> *Ammonia:* 0.25 - 0.5


The only safe level for ammonia is zero. 



> Sm. pinch of flakes


In my opinion good quality pellets are the better option. A bettas stomach is about the size of its eye.



> *What temperature is your tank?* Not sure


You may need to invest is a glass thermometer they are about 3 bucks each on ebay. I keep my fish at 80 deg F.

I wonder, now that you are no longer keeping him in distilled water and treating his water with water conditioner if he wont get better all by himself?


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## speedingpenguin (Nov 3, 2015)

Thanks for the reply! I only recently learned that dilstiiled water was not good, though FWIW the fish was healthy and vibrant for the first year of his life, with only distilled water.
I did another 60% water change yesterday and will check the ammonia level today to see if it's gone down, I know there's not supposed to be any. Could that be what's causing the straggly fins and loss of color?
I'll be going to the pet store today, my brother has one of those stick-on thermometer strips on the tank but it doesn't appear to work. Is this the type I should get or is there something better? Any particular food pellets that you suggest?

It's been a couple weeks since the tank was cleaned, he came out of the saltwater treatment, and the tank has been filled with treated tap water but he doesn't seem to have improved much yet....


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## speedingpenguin (Nov 3, 2015)

Just to update, I went to the pet store and bought Ammo-lock and mixed 2.5ml (since the instructions said 5ml/10 gal, this tank is 5gal), diluted in in a cup of water and diluted that water several more times in another cup as I added it with the filter running (cartridge out) to hopefully circulate it quickly and evenly without being too concentrated at first.

The instructions say that it neutralizes the ammonia that's in the water until the biological filter is able to eliminate the ammonia naturally... I'm gonna have to do some reading on that for sure, but what exactly is the biological filter and how do I ensure that whatever the tank needs to manage this on its own is optimized? 

Also got another one of the stick on glass thermometers, it's been on the tank now for about 20 mins and is on the opposite side of the tank as the heater. Right now it's reading *75*f*.

As for the pellets, I bought the Zoo-Med micro betta floating pellets. Do you recommend adding it to the rotation, or eliminate the flakes all together?

Thanks so much for the help, I just want the lil' guy to be healthy!


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## speedingpenguin (Nov 3, 2015)

Just an update, Mr. Fish is still full of energy and eating normally, I've been feeding him less than I had been, changing 20% of the water every day or two, and his condition hasn't seemed to change or improve any.

Any other ideas on what the discoloration and fin condition is, or steps to take to help him recover? Is this just something that's going to take weeks or months to recover from?


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## speedingpenguin (Nov 3, 2015)

Bumping up to the top, his condition doesn't seem to have improved since changing to conditioned tap water, pellets, and monitoring water conditions and keeping the ammonia level at 0.

Any help please? He seems himself as far as behavior and activity, but his fins still look really straggly...


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## LittleStar (Oct 2, 2015)

Hi there, I think you are on the right path and this was likely a result of too much ammonia. Ammonia poisoning takes some time for any fish to recover from so don't expect that a water change will improve him right away but over time. No way to know exactly how much time depends on the overall health of your fish.

If you have an ammonia problem or bad water do a 50% water change daily until ammonia reads <0.25 and add a couple drops of Prime every day to detox remaining ammonia. Use Prime by Seachem its best in terms of these products but you can use the one you've selected, if its Prime two drops per gallon per water change, also two drops per day (per gallon). Must be testing for ammonia, get the 5 in 1 test strips at least. You want to ideally be changing 25% of your water each week on a healthy cycle.
CYCLING TUTORIAL
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...ssories/cycling-two-sentence-tutorial-555434/

If you feel your friend needs treatment for fin damage, consider the product Melafix. Read all about it online and they also have one called Pimafix they can be used together if needed. Follow instructions closely and discontinue use if adverse reactions occur. This is just my opinion, and your opinion is the one that really matters.

Sending positive thoughts your way, keep the faith!


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## speedingpenguin (Nov 3, 2015)

Hey LittleStar! Thanks for the reply! 
This issue really started back in October and before even, November is when it became obvious that it was more than just age-related change and that's when I started testing the water conditions and doing more frequent water changes and using conditioned tap water instead of distilled. The ammonia problem has been under control for a few months now, which is why I'm confused/concerned why his fins are still so straggly looking. 

I will look in to the Melafix / Pimafix and see if it looks like a worthwhile venture. 

Thanks for the positive thoughts and reading and replying to my thread, I appreciate it! (and so does Mr. Fish!)


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## LittleStar (Oct 2, 2015)

Most welcome! Another possibility for treatment if not the others I mentioned, I read:
You could also do 1tsp. aquarium salt per gallon of water. Dissolve and add it slowly over the course of several hours so you don't shock your fish. Change 25% water every day, adding back the salt that was removed (1 gallon =1 tsp.). Do this treatment for 10 days. One person said they tried it with success. Make sure its Aquarium Salt for freshwater fish. Take some water out of tank and put it into a shaker bottle and add the salt and shake until its all dissolved then add it to aquarium. This is a limited 10 day deal, if not getting better by then discontinue most do not recommend long term salt for Betta. Okay its just another option. 

Aquarium salt is not good for live plants so if you have those you'd have to QT fish to use this treatment. 
The Melafix is safe with plants.

Keep the faith!


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

> Labyrinth fish, like bettas and gouramis, can be seriously injured or even killed (according to many reports) by the use of BettaFix or MelaFix, the stronger formula. While other fish can tolerate melaleuca extract (the active ingredient in Betta/MelaFix) quite well, the labyrinth organ present in bettas is highly sensitive to it. The melaleuca can burn the labyrinth organ and at high enough concentrations or with enough exposure, can damage the labyrinth organ to the point that the fish cannot breathe with it. These fish cannot breathe using their gills alone and will suffocate as a result of this. .


http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=96720


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## LittleStar (Oct 2, 2015)

Yes I've read that one too. Product says safe for Betta's. Reviews say this is unfounded and that the part of the tea tree that could be harmful has been refined out of it. 

Never used it myself though. User Myats posted that thread in 2012. If there is a rule that we cannot suggest this product please let me know Mods I don't want to break any rules!

Tea tree oil (imo) is mis-stated in that thread as "just like alcohol". It is a natural antiseptic and I'm not a chemist but I'd like to know if the person who did the post is and where the chemistry comparison chart for alcohol and tea tree oil would be. I use it all around the house, and on my hands regularly, I have personal experience with tea tree, and it heals without burns. Now, I'm not a fish, but I'm just sayin. I don't just like tea tree oil, I love tea tree oil.

This is a product for ten day treatment (limited) and for milder cases. Note I am referring to the API Melafix brand, not Bettafix. 
apifishcare.com

All meds carry risks. As with all products even aquarium salt, discontinue use if adverse reactions. This is just my .02 and the opinion of the fish owner is the only one that really matters.

Other medication options most welcomed please do share.


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## speedingpenguin (Nov 3, 2015)

Hmm....

Well, I had done the aquarium salt treatment when I first started working on this issue and didn't see much improvement (if any).
I've got a bunch of plants as well as a snail, so this would have to be done in a quarantine tank if I were to give it another shot. I'm not really sure if that's worthwhile or not?

I don't think I want to take the risk with those medicines based on the seemingly high potential risk, and the fact that right now the fish seems OK other than a ragged appearance. (But hey, I'm a little rough around the edges maybe, so it might be a case of the pet looking like it's owner? hehe)

I do appreciate the input though!


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## LittleStar (Oct 2, 2015)

Great okay then in that case I def. recommend: Kordon Fish Protector, it is herbal, it has echinacea in it, it repairs cell tissue, boosts immune system function, resolves clamped fin and reduces stress. Provides a nice slime coat, don't need to use much. 
Sending positive thoughts your way for a speedy recovery for your friend!


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