Anyone a fish lover?

[sgorny]

I have a betta, well, two, really. But this is about my favorite, Big Blue. I'm worried I've hurt him (well, I'm pretty sure I did), and I want to know how to help my baby recover. So read on to the horror, below.

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I was using a mini gravel vac to clean the gravel (a gravity feed siphon device) and drain water in my 2.5 gal Eclipse Aquarium, and got distracted for a second... and Big Blue swam up the nozzle! I screamed, probably jumped, as he flailed around in there.

The next thing I knew, he was out, swimming crazily across the tank until he ran into the wall, then dove down through the (fake) plants, and ended up lying tail down/nose up in the corner, still as death. I was sure I'd killed him, but then I saw his gills moving.

I quickly added enough conditioned water (that felt the right temp when compared fingers dipped into each quickly) to bring it back up to full, and he started swimming around.

But I see he's injured. He has two areas that are white and kind of fluffy on his back (which weren't there before the vacuum incident). If I had to guess, I'd say he lost a few scales (2-3) in each section as he tried to flip around inside the tube. He also has a whitish small spot on his left side, between his gills and his front fins. and a small dot on the top of the same fin.

I'm thinking he thrashed around in there good enough to lose some scales. But the slightly "fluffy" looking appearance of the area is strange. But I *know* it wasn't there before the incident, because I look at him all day, and he was fine.

I dip his water with a "6 test" strip weekly, and it has been fine - no nitrites, nitrates, chlorines. Medium water (not hard or soft), and pH about medium (7.2?). Nothing in what is listed in a worry zone. Although I *did* do an ammonia dip last week, and it was at the "stress" (0.5?) level, the first beyond 0. And I did a 30% water change, last Thursday, but it was back at the same level again today.

I feed him BettaBites, only 4 or so, twice a day. He eats them all quickly (sometimes a few at a time), and never spits them back out. He has seemed happy until now, always eating well, building a decent sized bubble nest, swimming around vigorously, and coming forward in the tank to see me whenever I lean over and peer in.

Is there anything special I should do to help him heal? Change water more frequently? Anything!

I just want my little boy to get better!

Comments

[julie709.livejournal.com]

Maybe the spots look fluffy because he had just lost the scales and didn't have time to heal yet?

[gh-lover.livejournal.com]

i have a betta myself. keep an eye on the water and he should heal on his own w/ the scales

[hsifeng.livejournal.com]

I think most aquarium stores sell 'anti fish ick' medications that you can put in the water. I would just talk to one of their techs and ask them if you should treat the water to ensure no bacterial infections and then let the little man heal on his own...

[foundgale.livejournal.com]

hi, I just described what happened to a co-worker. she said the same thing happened to her beta. Get something called "stess coat" it some slimy stuff that you add to the water. he'll heal right up.

Steph

[qafhappy.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! I use StressCoat to condition the tap water before I put it in, and put in the "healing amount" (twice the conditioning amount) right after it happened.

I've been at away from work since it happened, but the staff said he was fine on Friday. I'll see him tomorrow, and I don't know what I'll do if he isn't doing well... but it's 70 miles round trip to work, and with the cost of gas, and the fact that he was looking the same (not worse) the day after, and that I worked Sat & Sun at a place 25 miles each way in the opposite direction... I just couldn't get back.

I won't forgive myself if he isn't OK.