# API Stress Coat & Water Changes



## Celticgal (Aug 23, 2014)

I too was unfortunately misinformed by my LFS that bettas prefer small cubes and require very little maintenance. I walked out of the store with 3 bettas and 3 one-gallon cubes. It took less than 24 hours of watching them to realize they would be happier in something larger. Fast forward to hours upon hours of reading forums and watching YouTube. I now have three five-gallon tanks on order that will hopefully be arriving next week. The 25 Watt Eheim heaters and Tom's Mini Internal Filter w/ spray bar and adjustable flow arrived yesterday.

In the mean time one of the bettas developed a couple of pinholes midway up his caudal fin and about an 1/8 inch in. Within two days the pinholes had been replaced by a small piece of fin missing. I moved him to a 1/2 gallon QT with aquarium salt and 100% daily water changes. I did this for 7 days. He's now in a 1 gallon treated with Prime and API Stress Coat Plus, using their recommended dosage (1ml per gallon -- double the water conditioning dose) for the repair of fins. Should I still do daily 100% water changes, or every day or two a 50% change with 100% once a week. I took the gravel out of his tank in order to make it easier to see and remove his poop. If it's thought I should do some partial changes (50%) what should the Stress Coat dosage be -- 1/2 ml (for 50% of the gallon) or 1ml? I've read that some people have concerns about the effects of aloe on the betta's gills. Being a newbie I really don't want to harm this little guy. I've also ordered some Atison's Betta Spa. Would he be better off in that or should I stick with the Stress Coat?

Sorry for all the questions, but I really don't want to screw this up.


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## freeflow246 (Jul 24, 2011)

I've used stress coat when my fish were sick/injured before, and I never dosed it for the full amount on the bottle. I dunno, it just seemed like a lot when I was already using Prime to condition the water. You can't really overdose on Prime, but I would be careful about using more stress coat than it says on the bottle.

The pinholes could be fin rot from the conditions at the store, or it could be from flaring at the other bettas. Can they see each other?

Moving him to the .5 gallon was a bit unnecessary; he could have stayed in his 1 gallon. On the .5 gallon, you need to do 100% water changes every day. On the 1 gallons, you should also be doing 100% every day. Maybe alternate between 50% and 100% changes if it's too much.


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## hubbley (Apr 23, 2014)

Isn't API stress coat+ also a water conditioner?


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## freeflow246 (Jul 24, 2011)

It is, but I'm a bit leery of suddenly changing my betta's water conditioner, and Prime is easier to dose for me. So I only add stress coat to Prime to help with injury/illness or other stress.


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## hubbley (Apr 23, 2014)

I just bought some API Stress Coat that I was going to switch to next time I did a water change. The dosage did seem like a lot compared to the 7 drops per gallon I've been doing. I was told that switching them shouldn't be a problem..?


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## freeflow246 (Jul 24, 2011)

Maybe it's not. I was always just nervous about suddenly switching cold turkey. But it probably won't be a problem to just switch it all at once. I'm a bit of a worry wart.

Out of curiosity, why do you dose at 7 drops per gallon?


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## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

Freeflow - many less concentrated conditioners (like tetra) say to dose their conditioners at 7 drops per gallon. 

hubbley - I personally would go buy Prime. Its by far the best and most used water conditioner. You also only use 2 drops per gallon so one bottle lasts you forever.


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## hubbley (Apr 23, 2014)

I have been using tetra. Seems to work well, I don't know why I bought the API. I will consider buying prime. I didn't see it in the store I was at. I have spent so much money on my fish this week, I might wait another week or two. 
Could I use the stress coat with the tetra or no? I don't think I kept the receipt so I don't know of I can return this.


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## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

Yes, you can use the stress coat with the tetra. However, just use it if your fish are sick or injured.


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## Celticgal (Aug 23, 2014)

In case what I originally wrote about the Stress Coat dosage I'm using was confusing. The directions on the bottle are "Add 5 ml per 10 US gallons of aquarium water. Double the dose to replace slime coat and to repair damaged skin and fins." Since his fin is damaged I used the double dose, which works out to 1 ml per US gallon.

While looking for info on the other day on the internet I found a posting from someone saying they'd received and email response from API regarding their product Stress Coat Plus. In part it read "Stresscoat+ will not neutralize or remove nitrites. It does lock up small amounts of ammonia but usually just enough to cover ammonia produced after chloramines are neutralized." 

http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/cleaning-maintenance/45513-if-you-use-stress-coat-please-read.html

Is this something that shouldn't concern me if I'm doing 50% water changes every day or two? At this point what I could really use some help with is what would most benefit Horse....yes, that's his name. Don't ask  in healing his fin. Stress Coat +, Dr Atison's Betta Spa (for the wild almond leaf extract), or Betta Revive by Aquarium Solutions. The last one I mentioned was being recommended by my LFS, but they're also the ones that said a one gallon tank was plenty.


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## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

Stress is very useful in repairing fins. So you can use it as that. 

As for what that post said, ignore it. 

Personally, I use Seachem Prime as my main water conditioner for all of my tanks and if one of my fish as fin damage then I also add double the dose of stress coat to that tank. I have no experience with the Betta Spa, however I do not recommend you use Betta Revive. I always stay away from meds marketed towards bettas since many may not actually work. In addition, fin damage is easily fixed with stress coat and clean water.


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## hubbley (Apr 23, 2014)

Norman does have a bit of fin damage I guess. Some dorsal rays are missing and his...ventral? Small ones under him, are very bent and now shrivled looking at the ends. His fins are just looking rough and I don't know why. I thought stress coat might help more than tetra.


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## Celticgal (Aug 23, 2014)

Vivian K Jean -- Thank you for letting me know I'm okay with using the doubledose of Stress Coat+ along with the Prime. Is there a minimum/maximum range of time to use Stress Coat for treating the fin damage? I wasn't keen on using (and haven't) the Betta Revive because it's a medication. It's that blue stuff I've occasionally seen a betta in at the pet store in those depressingly tiny cups. I'd prefer to hold off on medicines unless other options have failed. 

How often do you think I should change his one gallon tank and what percentage? If every change should be 100% I'm good to go on those dosages Prime (2 drops) Stress Coat+ (1 ml). But if some of the changes should be 50% I'm not clear on how to dose. I found some posts regarding Prime where they said no matter what percentage the water change, to dose for the full amount of water in the tank. e.g. -- if I'm changing out 1/2 gallon of one gallon (50%) I'd still use 2 drops (dosage for one gallon). But I haven't been able to find out anything about the Stress Coat. Do I only dose the amount I'm replacing or dose for the one gallon?


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## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

You should be doing daily 100% water changes in a 1 gallon tank. 

Are you thinking about upgrading? I personally think a 1 gallon is too small of a tank for a betta. 2.5 gallon is the minimum. 

If 100% daily are too much then do one at least every other day. or 50% every day. 

Yes, I dose my tank for the full amount of water during a water change. So if you end up doing 50% water changes, add enough Prime and Stresscoat as if you are doing a 100% water change.


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## Celticgal (Aug 23, 2014)

I am absolutely upgrading. I have three 5-gallon tanks that should be arriving next week. The thermostat heaters and filters arrived yesterday. My next step is to get some low light plants.

I was so naive when I walked out of the fish store with three bettas. If I had a do over I would have purchased everything first and brought home only one betta. Oh well...I hope I can do good by my triplets.

Thank you for the advice. I'll be changing Horse's tank tomorrow. I'll probably only do 50-70% this time only because the little trooper's been through 100% changes with aquarium salt 7 days in a row, followed by the 100% to the Prime and Stress Coat yesterday.


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## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

Ok that sounds good 

Don't feel bad for getting bad information at a pet store. it happens all the time. The important thing is that you did research and are now correcting all the problems


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