sores on back and fin rot- not eating

bennjimen

my betta has what looks like sores on his back and fin rot. he has recently quit eating anything given to him. I havn't even had him for a year yet. I am worried. I hate when animals are sick.

Can anyone give me any advice. i have put tetracyclin and some of the chlorine balancer stuff in his tank. :(

herefishy

Check your ammonia levels. they may be high.

Lupin

Welcome to Fishforum.com.

I'd also include pictures for quick diagnosis. Water changes are known to help and like Bob mentioned, check ammonia along with nitrites and nitrates. What size is tank? What is your tank maintenance schedule? Temperature? Do you run heater and filter?

bennjimen

how do I check ammonia levels? I have not hada Betta before but made sure I did research and I never learned any thing about ammonia levels.

bennjimen

i have no wya to include pictures or I would. The sores on my bettas back are getting bigger. I change the water once a week or every two weeks depending on if any new chemicals have been added to our water. my betta is not eating at all and when I checked on him earlier today part of his fin had fallen of and was laying in the bottom. Anything for that?

SST

Do a 50% water change, if you haven't already. This will help dilute any excess ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites.

To test your water parameters, you'll need to get the API master test kit, the liquid kind. Follow the directions and post the results here. You need to test the pH, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.

If the ammonia and nitrites are anything above 0, do a partial water change. If the nitrates are above 40, do a partial water change.

To help your betta heal, you'll need to do frequent small water changes to keep your water conditions perfect. You can dose the water with melafix (at 1/5 the stated dose) or with Betta Fix (same stuff, already watered down).

You should be doing weekly partial water changes, or more often.

What size tank is he in? Do you have a filter? Heater? What is your water temperature?

teh13371

hdo you feed him? if you keep feeding him when he isnt eating, it will not help any. also check if he is eating the food when you arent there-hide or put it on a spot where he sees it and you can be sure that he did or didnt eat it