Betta Fish Illness

Question

My Betta   QUESTION: My betta has been sick for about half a year.  He has a sore that looks almost like a cut on his top fin.  It started as a hole and a white spot in the fin and has gradually eroded the entire fin.  He now has a big sore on his body (just below where the fin would be) and only a little sliver of fin left.   I treated him for ich in the beginning, then did a general fungi treatment.  A few weeks ago I used Betta Fix.  None of these treatments seem to have helped!  I have been to pet stores and looked online and no one is able to tell me what's wrong with him.
Please help!

ANSWER: Hi Amanda,
Poor Betta, this doesn't look good at all.  Is he alone in a tank, or is he with other fish?  What size tank is he in?  What is the water temperature?  These are important things that I would like to know.  It could be that another fish bit him...it could also be a parasite that is eating him alive!  If he is not alone, move him to a hospital tank.  If he is alone, change all the water in his tank making sure to add a good conditioner.  I would then give him a treatment with quick cure.  You can find quick cure at wal-mart.  Add one teaspoon of aquarium salt to 5 gallons of water previously dissolved to his tank.
Try this, and get back to me after you have tried this treatment, and give me more details on his living conditions.
I hope this treatment works.
Lynda

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

QUESTION: He is alone in a 1 gallon tank.  I changed his water today and tried API General Cure Anti Parasitic Fish Medication on him (recommended by a guy at PetsMart).  I'm supposed to give him a dose today and a follow up dose on Friday.  Should I stop this treatment and give him quick cure instead?
I don't have a thermometer so I don't know the exact temperature.  Should I get one?

Answer
Hi Amanda,
Since you have started treating him with General Cure, continue with this medication, as changing it now would be bad for your betta.  Hopefully this medication will help him.  I was also thinking that it could be internal parasites.  Feeding him food especially made for internal parasites could help him too.  Make sure you have the right dosage of "General Cure" as overdosing would be very bad for him.
You should get a thermometer.  When changing his water, you should make sure that the water you are using is exactly the same temperature as the water in his bowl.  Using Stress Coat every time you make a water change would be good for him.  Add a little aquarium salt to your water that you have dissolved.  1/4 teaspoon would help.
Here is some information on Bettas...

A betta needs 5 gallons of water to be healthy, and happy.  
In his habitat the betta may live in shallow waters, but he has lots of room to swim.  
Keeping Bettas in small bowls, containers, vases etc, is cruel.  The Betta is one of the most mistreated fish on the market.
He needs a heated tank,  Temperature should be 78-80 degrees.  He is a tropical fish, and is cold under this temperature.  Cold bettas get sick, are miserable, and live unhappy lives. ( Always remember that when heating a tank, do this very very slowly..1 degree every two days, as bringing up the temperature too fast could kill your Betta.)  They should have a silk plant in their tanks, so that they can rest on the leaves  They also need a little tunnel or some knick knack that they can go through.   You may add 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt in his water which has been diluted before adding to his tank.  1 teaspoon to 5 gallons of water.
Aquarium salt helps them with stress.
He needs a varied diet. This is very important.  Betta pellets one day, Betta Flakes the next, Daphnia the next, and bloodworms should be given once a week as a treat.
He should be given one frozen cooked pea a week, and on the day you give him the pea, he should fast.  
Cook a frozen pea until it is well cooked and tender.  Remove the outer layer, and cut into tiny pieces.  
Feed your Betta one piece at a time making sure it doesn't fall to the bottom of the tank.  This helps to clean out his system.
A betta is prone to constipation, and constipation leads to Swim Bladder Disease.
He should have 2-3 small meals a day, and not one big meal.  We must remember that his tummy is the size of his eye.
Example:  2 pellets for one meal.
Water changes are very important.  Water changes must be made every week without fail with a good water conditioner such as Aqua Safe or Stress Coat.  There is also a conditioner made especially for bettas.   Never put two bettas in the same tank, they will kill each other...male or female.  The Betta male is a loner.  Females can be kept together in a big enough tank.
When treated well, a betta can live up to 8 years, if you buy him when he is very young, and be a very good friend.  (Unfortunately we do not know their age when we buy them at the Pet Store which is why some bettas die young.
He's an intelligent little fish, and should be treated with kindness.
Too many vendors know nothing about the betta, and don't care...so don't give good information on how to keep them.
They are there to sell, and will say anything just to make a buck.  They send you home with your bought betta, telling you a small bowl is perfect, and bloodworms!  The poor customer thinks he has everything he/she needs, and then the fish gets sick, money is spent to cure him, and eventually the fish dies.   
This turns my stomach over.  Unfortunately there are no laws to protect fish.  
Bettas kept in small bowls, one gallon tanks, and vases, will get sick, and are very hard to cure in such little water.  They end up dying, and
that hurts the person who has grown so attached to them.  They don't deserve to be treated this way.
This is how a Betta should be treated.  If treated this way, you will have your friend for a long long time.  I have bred them, love them, and know what is good for them.
I hope this helps, and if you have more questions, please write me again.
Lynda