He is usually very active and swims around his 5 gallon tank (which is filtered and heated apropriately), however when I got home, he was lying on the bottom with his fins quite clamped. Also, his eyes are both a little cloudy. He still eats like total pig but only comes up to get food or air. I put 'Aqua Safety' in this morning (10ml for 5gal.) it should regulate all the pH and stuff but i haven't got a test kit handy and probably won't get one for a while... please help!
PS i also have a small catfish who is in the tank and he seems 100% o.k. (they are not aggressive towards each other)
2007-05-28 05:56:07 · 7 answers · asked by bettaz_paigiepops 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
No, he doesn't have ich, but i do have ick medicine for him thanks! :)
2007-05-28 06:08:53 · update #1
I'll assume your tank has been running for several weeks and that ammonia isn't the problem since the catfish seems unaffected so far.
The cloudy eyes could be from a fungus, a protozoan or a bacterial problem. Given the clamped fins as well I would start by looking closely for velvet. Shine a string light on him and look for any golden to reddish shine that is not normal for his coloration. If you see that it's velvet which can be treated with most better ich medications or a treatment such as Maracide. Covering the tank to prevent light from getting in will also help cure velvet as it can use light as an energy source.
Also look closely at his eyes. If the cloudiness seems to be inside his eye then I would suspect a bacterial infection and the best treatment would be an antibiotic. Maracyn 2 or Maracyn TC would both be good treatments for common eye infections.
If the cloudiness seems to be more on the surface of his eye and seems slimey or smooth it is most likely a protozoan infestation that can be treated with a good parasite medication such as Clout or Maracide. If is it on the surface but appears very fuzzy then it would be a fungus and should be treated with a good fungus medication such as MarOxy.
There are of course other brands of fungus and protozoan treatments but the one's mentioned are effective and usually readily available. If you can't find these as a local shop owner for recommendations.
MM
2007-05-28 06:17:52 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
First if your betta has any small white dots or a whitish film/cloud around his body then he has ick or another infection. What you are explaning with the cloudy eyes sounds like either an imbalance of the nitrates in the tank or that he has a fungas. The best thing for you to do is to go and buy a cheap test kit for like 4 bucks from a store and test his water. If everything is fine then i'd ask your pet store what kind of medicine to get to help him feel better. Make sure that you ask someone who really knows what they are talking about and not a cheezy employee who only wants to sell you the most products that you don't need.
2007-05-28 13:04:02 · answer #2 · answered by cviperml 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
try doing a 50% water change. this is usually my first line of defense for any sick fish and it works amazingly well. it will reduce ammonia and nitrate and excessive bacteria. it also puts oxygen back in the water. clean water is good stuff.
he sounds like he might have a little irritation going on with the eye thing and clamped fins-- you might want to watch extra close and look for signs of bacterial infection like if they get puffy. anytime i think there is bacteria i treat with a maracyn and maracyn2 combined. do a water change before because you need to keep the water for a week while you are treating.
2007-05-28 14:26:11 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cloudy eyes? Check your ammonia. If the tank is new then its the cycling process. If the tank has cycled, then if you happen to use the white carbon in the filter and you are adding aquarium salt, then when you change the water and add more salt and don't change out the zeo-lite it leeches all the ammonia right back into the water. Zeo-lite (white carbon) exchanges salt for ammonia and vice-versa.
2007-05-28 13:59:18 · answer #4 · answered by Sunday P 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Seems like an infection, with 'Aqua Safety' , he will be back to normal i a couple days. Betta's get spooked easily, when i bought mine, a week ago he did the same exact thing. He will be back to normal in a day or so. Now about his eyes, i would keep an eye on them for a few days. It might be minor or major i would need to say a picture.
Good Luck
2007-05-28 13:22:56 · answer #5 · answered by Tunish305 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I would do a water change,I think clamped fins can be a sign of high ammonia.If his tank isn't cycled(hopefully you know what this means) you may have to do water changes as often as every 2nd day to keep the levels down.
2007-05-28 13:18:06 · answer #6 · answered by Jackp1ne 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Well maybe you need to stop feeding him to much.
2007-05-28 13:40:00 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋