Ich Vash!  Betta is Ich-y  11/30/05
I bought this Betta a week and a half ago. His name is Vash. He has white spots on his body. He was acting healthy yesterday and I saw no signs of anything wrong. Today I noticed the ick and went to the store and bought Ick Away. I clean his water very regularly, but I'm afraid I feed him too much. Could that have caused it?
<You should feed very, very sparingly in this small tank.>
I'm so confused. He is in a 2.5 gallon tank and seemed extremely healthy (flared fins and playful movements).
<Yup, Bettas are great.>
Why did he get this disease? I just lost another beta exactly a week ago.
<He may have already been carrying it at the store (the life cycle of Ick is around 4 weeks).>
This one is my favorite and I really don't want him to die. I'm sorry, I didn't have time to read through all the sites on WetWebMedia. Is there anything else I can do? I'm afraid I will lose him very soon. Please respond as soon as possible.
<I would gradually raise the temperature in the tank (you'll need a small submersible heater) to over 85 degrees. This will speed up the life cycle of the ick. Add aquarium salt according to the directions on the package to kill parasites. Replace part of the water frequently with dechlorinated water of the same temperature, salted enough to keep the salt concentration at the correct levels. When removing water from the tank, try to suck it from the bottom. Continue this treatment (heat and salt) for a couple of weeks after all symptoms have disappeared. After this, do read up on nitrogenous wastes (ammonia, nitrite and nitrate), and how to keep them in check.>
Thank you. -Katie-
<Welcome. Best of luck to you and your Anabantoid friend. John> 

Ich! Vash!  Getting Better  12/1/05
Thank you so much, John, for the quick reply.
<You're welcome>
You probably saved my fish. Vash is clearing up. He only has a few spots now.
<Good to hear. Remember, Ich has a 4-week lifecycle... and is only visible on the fish for one week of this, so be sure to follow the recommended course on the bottle through to completion. Vacuuming off the bottom will also help to get rid of parasites which have dropped off the fish.>
I wasn't able to go purchase a heater last night, but I turned up the heat in the dorm.
<Stability is key here>
The Ick Away seems to have done the job for now, but I am still concerned. Should I continue the treatment? I'm afraid I have become rather paranoid about Vash after Wolfwood (my other Betta) died last week. Wolfwood's bowl sat next to my "super loud" alarm clock. Could that have been a factor in his death?
<It's always important to limit stress factors in fish, especially in such small quarters>
I don't know what was wrong with him. He wouldn't eat and he laid vertically at the bottom of the bowl with his tail straight up. He swam on his side and had to do complex acrobatics just to get up for air. It became increasingly harder for him to do so. He eventually gave up and dove down into the rocks as fast as he could and didn't attempt to get air any more. I don't know if it was the lack of air or the force of the impact that killed him. Could he have had a swim-bladder problem?
<I'd suspect water quality issues.>
As for Vash, do I have to look online for a heater for so small a tank (2.5 gallons) or can I get one at Wal-Mart or PetSmart?
<I can't say (don't have such stores locally). It may even be cheaper to just buy a cheap 5g tank and a 50W heater. Then, with a small hang-on filter, you have the perfect tank for a Betta.> 
Also, should I purchase rock salt and pH test strips?
<Nitrite and ammonia test kits will be of more use here.>
Another question I have concerns my friend's Bettas. She keeps her room fairly cold (probably around 60 degrees), and she keeps them in rather small bowls. Her fish have been doing fine for months now. Is this a fluke?
<It can be done -- these fish are very hardy. Unfortunately, they all-too-often suffer for this.>
I gave her Vash's old bowl after I bought the tank for him, but it still doesn't seem big enough. Her fish often change to a
grayish color when the water gets dirty but become vibrant again once their bowls are cleaned. She changes the water once a week, but that doesn't seem enough for such a small bowl. Sorry for writing so much. 
<You're very welcome. Good luck with Vash.>
Thanks again, Katie.
<Best regards, John> 

Betta With Ich  12/7/05
My Betta is suffering from ich. I have noticed that his tail is becoming increasingly ragged and I am finding pieces of it on the bottom of his tank. Could this be from fin rot, or could the holes left by the parasite be making it more susceptible to tearing? The pieces of tail are scattered within close proximity to his decorative Roman columns. Could he be tearing his tail on that when he goes to scratch himself? I need to know whether or not to treat him for fin rot. Is it bad to mix medication for fin rot and ich? What is the best medicine (in your opinion) that works for each disease? Some websites say that ich medication should be coupled with bacterial medication to fight secondary infection. Is this necessary? If so, is it safe to combine medicines for ich, bacteria, and fin rot or would it unduly stress out my Betta?
<Do a 30% water change, vacuum the gravel and change the filter. Heat the water up to 82 F. Treat with Rid-Ich+ by Kordon and treat with Nitrofuranace at the same time. follow the directions on the bottles.-Chuck> 

I Thought He Had Ich...  12/5/05
I thought that my Betta had ick because he had white spots, but they went away after a day. He is still scratching though. He likes to but his face in the smooth rocks on the bottom of the tank. He didn't do that before. I looked more closely and found that there is a red break in the pearly scales that cover most of his head. It is right in front of his gills. His body is red so I wonder if it was always like that and I failed to notice, or if its a symptom of something. Is there a disease that has scratching, quick-fading white spots, sluggish then erratic movements, and red slashes by the gills? Is it ick or something else? The red marks are really throwing me off. Please help. Thank you, Concerned Betta Owner.
<Lindsay, your Betta likely still has ick. The white spots are only visible on the fish for one out of the four-week lifecycle of the parasite. I would treat by slowly raising the temperature to 85 degrees, and salt the water with aquarium salt, according to the directions. During this time, perform regular water changes, being sure to salt the replacement water the requisite amount. Please also read up on "cycling" a tank and how to test for water quality. Best regards, John> 

Betta With Ich  - 01/03/2006
My Betta has ich. The instructions on the medication say to give the   recommended dosage every day until cured. I was wondering if my tank  doesn't have a filter, should I still give the dosage every day? Will the medicine build up inside the tank and poison my fish? The bottle also says  to remove the carbon
filter (which I don't have). Is this because it will suck  up all the medication? Please help... I am very confused. I don't want to  over-help the little guy.
< You Betta got ich from the water being too cold and by being exposed to the parasite. Treat as prescribed on the bottle. Try to get the water temp up to 80 F. Do 50% water changes every day before medicating. In three to four days you should see some improvement.-Chuck>