FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I hope someone on here can help me. My poor betta fish, who I love dearly, has contracted some nasty parasites.

I was changing the water for my fish last night and the water seemed a little cloudy to me. I turned on a brighter light and saw that there were actually hundreds of tiny (less than 1/2 cm) whitish colored worm/larva type things swimming around.

My fish was swimming happily. I have had several bettas, and he has been the most active of the bunch. He seemed perfectly fine...blowing bubbles, swimming nicely to the side of the tank to look at me, eating normally, etc. However, I looked closely at his head and saw that maybe 5-10 of these gross little parasites had attached themselves to my fish.

I had just changed the water, so I did not have any more clean water to put him in, or I would have just transferred him to another bowl. It was almost 2 in the morning, so I couldn't call anyone either. I am not sure when this condition happened, and if the problem was the old water or the new water.

I got out an old goldfish bowl and filled it halfway with distilled water. I also treated a half bowl worth of tap water with Stress Coat (for dechlorination). I let the two types of water sit out overnight and then combined them. Normally, I use tap water only and leave it out for a week or so. Unfortunately, I can't wait that long for more water. I hope some of the distilled water can dilute any extra chlorine that remains. I know distilled water lacks the proper minerals for fish, but I hope this combination can avoid problems with both types of water for a temporary solution.

I went to the pet store and bought some anti-parasite medication. I put a few drops in the water with my fish before leaving for work. I plan on transferring him to the new bowl this evening.

Does anyone have any idea what these parasites might be? It is hard getting medication when I don't know exactly what I am looking at. They don't fit the description of any of the typical betta diseases I have researched. We have had some bananas rot in my apartment in the past week. Perhaps they are fruit fly larvae or something gross like that.

Anyway, this is a long post. I need advice on
a) what to do about the water situation...should he be okay in the 50% distilled/50% treated tap water for a few days until I can get some more? I'm afraid to leave him where he is any longer.
b) what might those parasites be?
c) what medication can I use?
d) should boiling his old bowl be enough to kill everything off so I can eventually put him back in there?

Thank you so much.

Welcome to fishprofiles.com.

At first I thought maybe they were harmless planaria. However, they do not usually attach to the body of a fish like that.

Bettas do extremely well in something like a 2 gallon container, like a plastic smallworld one with a lid. If you filled a couple of water jugs with plain tap water and used your dehclorinator, leaving it to sit out overnight right near his present bowl so temp is the same, that would work out best. Distilled water can present problems. There is nothing to buffer pH and the pH is likely different. So going from a tap water situation to distilled, even 50% can cause a problem in that regard. There are no minerals either which is not good for the fish.

Did you put live plants in his bowl? If so, that is probably how these parasites got into his quarters. Is he in a filtered tank or just a plain bowl? How big is it?

Let's look at getting him into at least 1 gallon of water, long term. Cleaning is a cinch and with more water, it is easy to maintain once weekly. You can use live plants, but they should go through a process first to kill off bacteria, parasites and snails. I use a Tbsp of kitchen alum to 1 gallon of water for a plant soak, at least overnight (not for the fish, just as a plant soak). Then I run it through a 10 minute soak after many rinses, in Jungle's Clear Water which is potassium permangenate. Water temp should be about room temp to not shock plants.

If you can get a 1 or 2 gallon container, I would hand transfer him so you don't take any in a net or in a cup of water. Just reach in and grab him gently, but firmly so you don't lose him keeping the new bowl right nearby.

I don't know what parasite med you picked up, but I would highly recommend Jungle's Parasite Clear Tank buddies. These are jumbo fizz tablets for a 10 gallon, but if you just keep cutting it in half you can estimate for a 1 gallon (and easier for a 2 gallon).

Here is a type of container I use:

http://www.petpacific.com.au/reptile/reptile_living_world_aquariums2.htm

These are great for bettas. I throw a fake plant in there and some type of smooth cave for them to hide in and they love it. I even dropped a fake lily pad in there and it turned out to be his favorite hiding spot.

Bettas need the movement they get in a longer type of bowl with more water. Water quality doesn't sink too fast and once weekly is adequate to change water.

Let us know how he does and keep in mind, the best way to avoid stress and sickness is to not expose him to rapid drops or rises in temps.

A little freshwater aquarium salt, predissolved would be good too. Let us know what size you are dealing with and we can help you determine how much freshwater aquarium salt to use. In fact, it may help to do a concentrated dip before moving him to the new setup.

Diane