help with betta fin rot and the nitrogen cycle

[duneshell]

I'm really struggling to get my tank cycled and I'm worried about my betta's health. I've had him for a month now and he's been in a 5.5 gallon tank. He had fin rot, but I managed to get it under control and even saw some new growth on his fins. However, his fins are starting to get worse again. I just can't seem to get the ammonia levels down to 0 - when I do, they quickly spike back up. I've been doing 50% water changes every other day and 75% on the other days, but I'm wondering if this is stressing him out and making the fin rot worse.

He seems happy and interactive, loves being talked to, and his color is still great. But I'm at a loss for what to do about the ammonia levels. I've tried aquarium salt and stress coat+, which helped before, but it's not working now. The fin rot isn't getting worse fast, and he doesn't have the dark spots or holes he had before. I removed all the plastic plants that could be irritating his fins.

My current levels are:
Ammonia- .5
PH- 6.6
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 0
Temp- 78

I'm just not sure what to do next - any help would be appreciated.

[aquanaut]

Hi, thanks for the kind words about my betta. I'm really struggling to get things right for him, and I appreciate you taking the time to help.

I didn't do a fishless cycle before getting him - I've been trying to cycle the tank with him in it, which I know isn't ideal. I've had him for a month now, and I'm starting to think that's part of the problem.

I haven't added any new fish or inverts to the tank, but I did have some plastic plants that I removed because I was worried they might be causing him stress.

I can post a picture of the whole tank if that would help.

I'm using API dechlorinator and API test kit.

I've been doing 50% water changes every other day and 75% the other days, but I'll try reducing that to 30-50% like you suggested. Maybe that's part of the problem - I don't want to stress him out with all these water changes.

I'm just really stuck and I don't know what to do. I've tried aquarium salt and stress coat+, but it's not working like it did before. I'm worried that I'm doing something wrong and it's going to make things worse for him.

[duneshell]

Hi, thanks for the kind words about my betta. I'm really struggling to get things right for him, and I appreciate you taking the time to help.

I didn't do a fishless cycle before getting him - I've been trying to cycle the tank with him in it, which I know isn't ideal. I've had him for a month now, and I'm starting to think that's part of the problem.

I haven't added any new fish or inverts to the tank, but I did have some plastic plants that I removed because I was worried they might be causing him stress.

I can post a picture of the whole tank if that would help.

I'm using API dechlorinator and API test kit.

I've been doing 50% water changes every other day and 75% the other days, but I'll try reducing that to 30-50% like you suggested. Maybe that's part of the problem - I don't want to stress him out with all these water changes.

I'm just really stuck and I don't know what to do. I've tried aquarium salt and stress coat+, but it's not working like it did before. I'm worried that I'm doing something wrong and it's going to make things worse for him.

I've had tons of experience with fish tanks in the past and to be honest, a fishless cycle never really crossed my mind since I've never had issues with the nitrogen cycle before. I haven't added any new fish or inverts, just my betta and some decorations. The quarantine situation has made it tough to get out and get anything else.

For dechlorination, I use Tetra Aquasafe and Stress Coat+. My test kit is the API Freshwater Master kit. I've been doing 75% water changes because the ammonia levels get too high if I don't. I'm not sure how to keep them down without doing such big water changes, so I'm open to any suggestions. I'll include a picture of my tank as you requested.

[aquanaut]

I'm definitely considering adding some live plants to help with the ammonia levels. I just haven't had a chance to get any yet with the quarantine and all. I'm thinking some Java moss or Anacharis might do the trick.

I see what you mean about the water changes, I didn't think about needing some ammonia in the water for the filter to cycle. I'll try sticking to 50% changes and see how that goes. I just get worried when the ammonia levels get too high and I don't want to stress my betta out any more than he already is.

[oldraider]

I think adding some fast-growing plants could really help with the ammonia levels. For example, aracharis, hornwort, or moneywort are all great options - they absorb what they need from the water and are super easy to care for. You can either plant them in the gravel or just let them float. I'd also recommend checking out Tetra SafeStart Plus - it's got the good bacteria you need and following the cycling instructions on the site should help get your tank up and running.

[duneshell]

Hi, thanks for the kind words about my betta. I'm really struggling to get things right for him, and I appreciate you taking the time to help.

I didn't do a fishless cycle before getting him - I've been trying to cycle the tank with him in it, which I know isn't ideal. I've had him for a month now, and I'm starting to think that's part of the problem.

I haven't added any new fish or inverts to the tank, but I did have some plastic plants that I removed because I was worried they might be causing him stress.

I can post a picture of the whole tank if that would help.

I'm using API dechlorinator and API test kit.

I've been doing 50% water changes every other day and 75% the other days, but I'll try reducing that to 30-50% like you suggested. Maybe that's part of the problem - I don't want to stress him out with all these water changes.

I'm just really stuck and I don't know what to do. I've tried aquarium salt and stress coat+, but it's not working like it did before. I'm worried that I'm doing something wrong and it's going to make things worse for him.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm actually looking for some online places to buy live plants, since I'm stuck at home right now. I'll definitely cut back on the water changes, I didn't realize I was doing too much. My tank is a bit bare, I know, but I've been using some decorations from my 38-gallon tank to try and get some beneficial bacteria going, and I plan to transfer them over in a week or so.

As for the fin rot, I'm really concerned about it. I've been trying to get it under control, but it's just not going away. I've already tried aquarium salt and Stress Coat+, but like I said, it's not working as well as it did before. Do you have any other ideas for treating fin rot, or should I just keep doing what I'm doing and hope for the best?

[aquanaut]

I'm really struggling to get my tank cycled and I'm worried about my betta's health. I've had him for a month now and he's been in a 5.5 gallon tank. He had fin rot, but I managed to get it under control and even saw some new growth on his fins. However, his fins are starting to get worse again. I just can't seem to get the ammonia levels down to 0 - when I do, they quickly spike back up. I've been doing 50% water changes every other day and 75% on the other days, but I'm wondering if this is stressing him out and making the fin rot worse.

He seems happy and interactive, loves being talked to, and his color is still great. But I'm at a loss for what to do about the ammonia levels. I've tried aquarium salt and stress coat+, which helped before, but it's not working now. The fin rot isn't getting worse fast, and he doesn't have the dark spots or holes he had before. I removed all the plastic plants that could be irritating his fins.

My current levels are:
Ammonia- .5
PH- 6.6
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 0
Temp- 78

I'm just not sure what to do next - any help would be appreciated.

I actually got my live plants from Zorchzon and eBay, but that was a while back, before all the quarantine stuff started.

If you've got an established tank with zero ammonia and nitrite, have you considered swapping some of the filter media between the two tanks? That way, some of the beneficial bacteria from the 38-gallon tank could seed the 5.5-gallon tank's filter.

From what I can see, the fin damage looks stress-related to me. Once we get the water quality and tank decor sorted, it might just resolve on its own. Maybe add a bit of aquarium salt - about one tablespoon for your tank size - or a general tonic to protect the fins from infection while we get his environment sorted out.

[oldraider]

You could give moving some gravel from another tank a go - there's beneficial bacteria in there too. As for salt, you've got a few options - pool salt, aquarium salt, or even rock salt will do, just steer clear of table salt.

[duneshell]

I've been adding aquarium salt, and I'm pretty sure he had fin rot a couple weeks ago, but it looked different then. Thanks for clarifying that it might be stress-related. I did try moving filter media from my big tank, but I only had it in there for about a week before transferring it, and I know you're supposed to wait two weeks. I also added some gravel from the big tank. Maybe I'll try again with the filter media now that it's been in the established tank for longer. My 38-gallon tank has great levels, so I'm hoping that'll help. I'll try to get a live plant, reduce the water changes, and give the filter media another shot.

[duneshell]

I think adding some fast-growing plants could really help with the ammonia levels. For example, aracharis, hornwort, or moneywort are all great options - they absorb what they need from the water and are super easy to care for. You can either plant them in the gravel or just let them float. I'd also recommend checking out Tetra SafeStart Plus - it's got the good bacteria you need and following the cycling instructions on the site should help get your tank up and running.

I've tried a lot already, but I'm willing to try everything you guys suggest. Thanks so much for your help, I really appreciate it.