A mysterious illness

[dawnlight]

Hey everyone,
I'm really worried about my red veiltail betta Reggie - he's been off for two days now. Thursday was a total loss, he just lay at the bottom of the tank all day and wouldn't eat, which is super unusual for him. Now, he's hanging out near the surface, gulping air every few seconds. I used a flashlight to take a closer look and noticed these white, wispy threads on his body - I'm thinking maybe a fungal infection? Not sure if that's what's causing the heavy breathing or loss of appetite, though.

I've moved him to a QT and I'm treating with 2tsp of aquarium salt per gallon, and dropped the temp to 75 degrees - I don't want to medicate unless I'm sure what's going on. Has anyone else dealt with this? Any advice would be great, thanks!

[coltin]

I'm really hoping someone can help me figure out what's going on with Reggie. I think it would be super helpful if I could get some pictures of him to you guys, but I'm not sure how to go about doing that.

Could you tell me what kind of water parameters I should be checking for? I know I should be looking at ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels, as well as the pH of the tank water, but I'm not sure what the ideal ranges are for a betta.

I'm also wondering if I should be doing some major water changes to try and help Reggie recover. Would doing a 75% water change and cleaning the gravel every day for a week be a good idea? And I just want to make sure I'm doing it safely - I know I need to make sure any new water is free of chlorine and chloramine before adding it to the tank.

[dawnlight]

Hi,
I just tested the water - the levels are: Ammonia 0.25, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0, and pH 7.2. I'm continuing with the 2tsp of aquarium salt per gallon, and I've also ordered Kanaplex which should arrive tomorrow, hopefully that will make a difference.

I've been doing daily water changes and adding stress coat to help Reggie.
Here's a picture - as you can see, his fins never fully recovered from the fin rot he had when I first got him. The white stuff on him is really hard to see, even with a close look. I'm still unsure if it's a fungal infection or not. His coloring makes it difficult to spot any inflammation. Unfortunately, he's still refusing to eat.

Thanks again for all your help - I really appreciate it. Any further suggestions are welcome.

[whetu]

Can you post a pic of the whole tank, would really help to get a better idea of Reggie's environment

[dawnlight]

I don't have a pic of the original tank - I had to take it apart for a thorough cleaning when I realized Reggie was ill. The tank was pretty minimal, just him and a couple of plants, but I was keeping up with regular water changes so I'm still stumped as to how this happened. I've had Reggie for 10 months now, and this is the first time I've seen him like this.

Right now, he's in a tiny holding tank because I was worried he was struggling to reach the surface in the 3-gallon tank. I'm a bit concerned about him not eating - I know bettas can survive for a while without food, but I'm getting a bit anxious. I did manage to get him to eat a couple of pellets yesterday, but nothing today.

[whetu]

I think adding some floating plants to his tank would help Reggie feel more secure, you know, give him some places to hide and feel safe.

[dawnlight]

That's a really helpful suggestion, thank you. I'll try adding some floating plants to the holding tank to see if it makes him feel more secure.