[bettababy]

Unfortunately I have seen this problem a lot. DO NOT treat with ick medication, this is NOT ICK!

What you betta is suffering from is a bacterial and fungal problem, and possibly popeye from looking at the pictures.

The best place for him right now is in a bowl, kept warm (mid 80's), and away from any stress. Keep his water extremely clean, 50% water change/day. Also, keep him well fed, this will help to boost his immune system.

If you choose to use medication, the best thing for him is a combination of "Fungus Eliminator" by Jungle, and Methylene Blue. Dose it according to the directions in a large enough container/bucket, and change his bowl water daily with this medicated solution daily. If covered, you can keep and use this medicated water for up to 48 hrs after it is mixed, but after 48 hrs throw it out and mix fresh. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO OVERDOSE the medication.

There are other medication options, but this is one that I have found to be of the 2 most effective without risk to the fish. Bettas are very sensitive to medications, so be careful what you try to use.
If you need more help, let me know, I'll do what I can. If you LFS doesn't stock the meds you need, let me know and I can send you a link of where to order it from.
Good Luck!

 

[bettababy]

Not all meds will be effective on all illnesses. Especially with bettas, I have seen some very "resistant" strains of bacteria and fungus...
Once a strain is immune to a certain medication, it isn't going to have much effect, which is what it sounds like you're dealing with here.

Once again, I will suggest the meds I stated in my previous post. There are a few others available, but these meds seem to treat the widest range of issues, and offer you the best chance of taking care of any fungal problems you are now having.

The most important things in curing your fish are going to be clean water, good food, and a small tank/bowl where he will experience the least amount of stress. Keep him warm, also... 80 - 85 degrees is best when they are sick.
Good Luck to you!

 

[bettababy]

Take a look at the active ingredients in those 2 medications... if you see the same things listed, you could be overdosing him. I wouldn't use both of those meds together (at same time). Overdosing can cause as much harm as not giving him anything at all.

 

[bettababy]

I would suggest the betta pellet food over the flakes. Many bettas won't eat the flake food. If your fish eats flake, you'll want to make sure it's "betta flake food" and not just standard tropical flakes... the standard tropical flake food doesn't hold enough for nutritional content for a betta.

 

[bettababy]

With the water changes, they should be done with fresh medicated water. It is much easier to dose both of those meds if you work with a larger container of water (3 gallon bucket) with a cover on it. Use the water, then cover it and use it for the next change, also. The prepared water can be used safely for 24 hrs after mixing it. Be very careful NOT TO OVERDOSE these meds. The fungus eliminator has salt in it, and too much of either of those meds could cause more harm than good.

After a week of using the medicated water, then do the water changes with fresh unmedicated water, the color will come out as the meds are dilluted.
Give him a good week after meds with clean water, good food, and warm temps and see if he hasn't begun recovering yet. If not, let me know because there is one other medication that is safe and effective on the bettas, but it's a bit more potent than the 2 you are currently using, so I hesitated to suggest it because of the fish's current condition. I was afraid that it would be too strong for him in this state.

I have had great luck with the 2 meds you are using now, as have the others I have coached through this sort of problem. I have spent many years researching the bettas and the various meds available. Many of the fungus and bacterial problems seen now days in the bettas are resistant to most common meds on the market.

There used to be an awesome med on the market for the bettas, but it was made by Aquatronics, who went out of business a couple of years ago. I have heard that Jungle Pet Supplies has picked up the patent on these meds, but I have as of yet to see them on the market again. When these meds were no longer available, I spent months doing the research to come up with a comparable mixture of ingredients to mimic the old medication. The fungus eliminator and methy blue combination was as close as I could get. If you ever have the chance to purchase a medication called "spectrogram", grab some... it's always useful when keeping bettas and probably the most effective med I have ever found for their bacterial and fungal issues.

Good Luck and let me know if you need any further help.

 

[bettababy]

I would give Leon a good week on the meds, then switch back to using just clean water, but keep doing the water changes every day to every other day for a couple of weeks. He's going to need the clean water to heal properly. Don't give up on the eye problem just yet, either... I have seen some fish recover completely from things like this. Time and a lot of TLC is what he needs now. If his appetite is down, then decrease the amount of food you offer him at one time. As he begins to feel better, his appetite should pick back up.
As for the heater, what he might be seeing is his reflection in the glass... and thus attacking the other fish he's seeing. If this is what he's doing, that is a good sign, it means he feels up to a fight. A lot of times you can tell just by sitting back and watching for a while.
Watch for any new symptoms to deveolop, just in case, but it sounds as if he's on his way back to recovery.
Good Luck to you both!