Tiny white specks on my beta

Question
Hi, I got a beta fish a while ago and a got it a tank, about half a gallon to a gallon.  Well, I went to a PetCo store and got another fish and a plant.  The plant wasn't doing well and I noticed that the other fish had an odd dart-like object near it's top fin.  I thought it was normal.  Then my beta fish's tail started shredding up like it has just been in a fight with another beta or there was a chemical eating it up.  I took out the plant thinking that that was the problem.  The tail didn't shrink anymore, but now he has these weird white specks throughout his body and fins, I'd say about ten all together.  I was wondering if it is an illness or something or is it just something that I'm getting too worried about.  Also, I noticed that the dart-like thing on the other fish is getting fuzzy at the tip where it meets with the body of the fish.  My main concern is my beta.  Please help.  

Thank you.
Jay

Answer
Hi Jay;

Sounds like the fish are too crowded and maybe too cool. A tank that size is only big enough for one fish. Make plenty of water changes and get the temperature up. If your betta has salt-like specks on him then he has a parasite called "ich". It is common in tanks that have cooler water and fish that are stressed. If the spots are not tiny like salt it may be just fading color from the cool water.

Change the water 3 times a week. This will get rid of waste toxins and keep the fish more comfortable. It will also get rid of bacteria, parasites and fungi that are floating around in the water that want to attach to your fish.

Get a light on the tank so it can get up to 80-85 degrees. Parasites hate heat and it makes them weak. The higher temperature will also help the fishes' immune systems. Bettas require 75 or higher all the time. If it stays too low they get sick easily. If the temperature won't go high enough and stay there you may have to get a tank that can have a heater. The smallest size tank recommended to have a heater is 4 or 5 gallons. Reliable thermostatically controlled heaters come in 25 watts and up. That's the wattage used in a 5 gallon or so tank. You could try it in your tank, but it may overheat. You will want to add aquarium salt to the tank as well. They will need 1/2 teaspoon per gallon, so 3/4 of a teaspoon will be fine if it is a gallon and a half. Add it again every time you change the water.

The new fish may have a fungus infection. The extra heat, salt and clean water will help that too. You can also use a product called Melafix to help the fins grow back and fight infection. It has natural ingredients that soothe the injured and damaged areas. It doesn't further damage and stress the fish like traditional medicines do.

I am against using chemicals and traditional medicines for infections anymore unless it is absolutely needed to save the life of the fish. They often stress the fish further by burning their gills, eyes and skin. Parasites are becoming resistant to them too.

Do you know what kind of fish the other one is?

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Chris Robbins

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