Betta fish: Very sick

Question

Betta Fish   QUESTION: I have one female betta fish who has been acting odd lately.
I got sick with pneumonia in the spring and I was unable to clean her tank as much as I used to. I had her in a 1 gallon fish bowl that I did water changes on 2-3 times a week. I fed her about 1/3 of a fresh and thawed [frozen] pea once a week and fed her bloodworms and flakes every week as well. Well after I got sick, I unfortunately could not give her that treatment because I was in and out of the hospital. She began to develop fin rot that I have been trying to get rid of and cannot for some reason. She began to blow bubbles a lot everyday. (She's a female so it's not a nest) Are the bubbles a symptom to a disease? I didn't find the bubbles abnormal but after reading a separate question, I do now. And just this morning as I was looking at her, she darted across the gravel as if she had an external parasite. I lost two other betta fish to external parasites that I could not get rid of and I'd be devastated if I lost her.
So right now she has...
-Fin rot
-Blows bubbles
-Darted (only seen one time- but I sure it can progess)
-She also has a white dot or patch on the side of her face by her eye. The patch is about the side of her eye and it looks almost like a lump as if it IS the parasite itself.

I did a full water change to her 1 gallon bown and added
-Aquarium salt
-Jungle: Parasite Clear [Tank Buddies]
- And of course the regular dechlorinator

But I was still worried so after about 3-4 hours I moved her into a 3 gallon tank with a heater set to 80 degrees.
I then added to this tank:
-Dechlorinator
-Aquarium salt
-Stress coat (To be on the safe side)
-and Bacteria Supplement

I did not re-add the Parasite medicine because I was afraid of overdosing.
I plan on changing her new 3 gallon tank twice a week and adding the salt, bacteria supplement, and dechlorinator and/or stress coat.
I feel terrible that I got sick and neglected her. I love this fish so much and I could never replace her.

Am I on the right track? Is there anything else I need to do or buy to heal her?

Thank you!


Additional information:
-She eats like a piggy as usual
-She doesn't have clamped fins
-She  is acting rather normal (besides the one time darting)
-I have actually forgotten to feed her peas lately but I will for sure feed her a pea tomorrow morning and get her back on a routine diet and do anything else possible to get her back to her full health!

**The picture attached shows a chunk of her dorsal fin has been rotted away :(


ANSWER: Hi Jasmine,
Do not heat her water too quickly as this is deadly to fish.  Heat it up very very slowly.  One degree every two days.
Do water changes everyday for 5 days, change it completely, always using a good water conditioner such as stress coat, and add diluted aquarium salt.  1 teaspoon to 3 gallons of water.  Keep her in the 3 gallon tank, and put a silk plant in it so she can rest on the leaves.
Vary her diet, feed her good quality food so she can build up her immune system.  There are many foods you can feed her, betta pellets, betta flakes, daphnia, glassworms, plankton flakes, bloodworms.  Be careful not to overfeed her.  Feed her 2 or 3 times a day...example 2 pellets or 2 flakes for one meal.  Her tummy is the size of her eye, so we must be very careful when feeding her.  There are also vitamins for fish at your pet store which could help her.
If you do not see a change, you will have to use an antibiotic, but this would be the last resort.  Tetracycline is very good for fin rot.  She should show signs of getting better with every water change.
I hope your little lady pulls through, and please keep me posted on how she is doing.
Lynda

Some female betta do blow bubbles.  The reason is unknown.  It could be because she is not well at the moment, it could be something internal, and it could be normal.  Do the water changes, and see if they help.  If her situation doesn't get better as days go by, treat her with tetracycline.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hey! Thank you so much for the help. She has shown improvement after the first water change. But I have one more issue. My parents were yelling at me because they believe that if I change the water everyday, it will shock and kill her. They think I should call the pet store and ask them what to do, but everyone who is serious about their pet fish know that pet stores don't know anything. They offer betta fish owners those super tiny bowls as fish tanks for the poor creatures! Is there a way you could give me to explain to my parents why the water changes are important. I know that might be odd, but I don't want to argue with them everyday... they killed their pet fish. I don't want mine to die :(

Thanks again!

Answer
Hi Jasmine,
I don't want to argue with your parents, as they are partially right.  In an established tank, you cannot change all the water.  You must do water changes every week of 25%, but this is for a cycled tank where there are many different kinds of fish.  In a cycled tank, you cannot change all the water, you would kill your fish.  The Betta is different... the Betta is special.  When you keep a Betta alone in a tank, he does very well, when all the water is changed once a week depending on the size of your tank.  He also does very well in a cycled tank.  When keeping a betta in a five gallon tank or smaller, all the water must be changed once or twice, and even three times a week depending on the size of your tank....but if you are keeping a betta in a 10-20-30  and up gallon tank, you cannot change all the water, therefore you must have a cycled tank, which means, no ammonia, no nitrites, and nitrates must be safe.  To do this, you let your water run for a month or so with a used sponge that you buy at your pet store, and add used gravel to your tank.   Most pet stores will give you a handful of gravel in a cycled tank to help you along.   Once your water chemistry is right, you can then add fish, but slowly, always checking your ammonia, nitrites, and nitrate levels.  Water changes must be made every week of 25% to be sure that your water quality is right.  This is the way to go for all fish, but the Betta, is another story.
In a three gallon tank, this does not apply to the Betta.  You must change all of his water at least once a week to ensure that he is in clean water.  You could cycle your water, but I do not see any reason why for a betta in a three or five gallon tank if you change all of his water once a week.  This applies only to the Betta, and no other fish.
The Betta is one of the most mistreated fish on the market.  So many gadgets are sold for this poor fish, it just turns my stomach over.  A betta should be kept in a heated tank, and it should be kept in a five gallon tank, and nothing under this.  Vendors don't care, they are there to sell, give poor information, and so many bettas end up dying, way before their time.  The one gallon tanks, mirrored tanks, vases, and all the other gadgets they sell is heartbreaking.  The bettas are intelligent little fish, and should not be treated this way.  When you buy a betta that you know is young, he should live 7-8 years, but most do not make it to a year in these small tanks.  There are no laws to stop these people, only information.  This is the main reason I am on this site, to help people who own bettas.  We get attached to this little fish, and we do not want them to die.  We do not know their age when we buy them, but we must try and make their life as happy as we possibly can.  This goes for all fish.  We take them out of there home, to bring us happiness in ours, we must do everything we can to make their lives comfortable.  I breed bettas, love them, they are special, and for a reason I cannot explain, we do get very attached to them.
Do your water changes, tell your parents, it's okay, but if you see she is struggling, and is not getting better, then buy her the antibiotic.  Usually with water changes like I have told you, she should be on her way to recovery.
Keep me posted, do not hesitate to write me in the days to come.  I am leaving on vacation Monday, so would really like to know how she is doing.
Lynda