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Post by goldenpuon on Feb 8, 2009 11:10:50 GMT -5
Thanks for the support Kagome. This morning I noticed Dawn still had a swollen nose and something white coming out of it. I gave her some Melafix and 1/2 a medicated wonder shell. I also gave her some food for internal parasites which is kind of how the thing coming out of her nose looks, she has oen scale sticking out and that is where the white thing is. I'm not sure if she'll accept the medicated food immedietely since bettas can be picky and when I agve it to my goldfish even they refused it at first. She looks like of hungry though so I'm hoping.
Critique is much more active than before and looks like he's recovering. He is eating and chewing on his food but spitting a little out. It looks like he's getting some though.
Kagome, unfortunately, I have no idea what a make or model of a camera is. I have a Kodak EasyShare with the numbers and letters DX7440 by its name.
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Post by Carl on Feb 8, 2009 11:42:45 GMT -5
Renee, unlike the regular Wonder Shells which are of equal mineral distribution, the medicated wonder shells do not have their medication as evenly distributed and are best used whole or in multiples.
A direct application of Methylene Blue or Potassium Permanganate (PP is stronger) to the affected area using a Q-Tip might be helpful as well.
Carl
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Post by kagome on Feb 8, 2009 12:17:29 GMT -5
Renee, I looked up your camera and found directions for it. You do have a close up setting, two actually, so I would start with those first. You may need to turn on your flash manually. If those don't make things better then try the "back lit" setting for things that are in shadow or when the light is coming from behind them. Hopefully this will help you get better pictures so we can see what's wrong with the poor fishy. Here is a link to directions for your camera. www.kodak.com/global/en/service/publications/urg00261toc.jhtml?chapsec=urg00261c1s1&pq-path=2321click on "taking pictures and videos" then click on "camera modes" That will take you to a table that explains the settings on your camera and tells you what those different letters mean and how to use them. If you scroll down you will see a table that explains things within the Scene mode, that is were the close up and back lit settings are. I hope that's helpful. warmest regards, kagome
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Post by goldenpuon on Feb 8, 2009 16:20:31 GMT -5
I went through all the directions on "How to take a picture". I know that the shutter button is the left one on the top of the camera but I have no idea which of the 3 options is best. There are 3 options with it. One takes 1 picture, 1 takes 3, and the other is supposed to save 6 pictures if you press button on the top you use to actually take the picture (I couldn't get that one to work). I tried the button on the top middle with a flower and landscape drawn on it. I also adjusted the sharpness with the circle like thing you spin next to the small screen on the front of the camera. I practiced on my cat who is lying perfectly still on my bed sleeping. I sued to auto setting and then tried it on my sick fish. I also adjusted the Flash Compensation to + or -1.0. It came out extremely dark and fuzzy. ???My picture came out even worse than usual. I assume the flash is on because I saw a flash but I don't really know. I also couldn't figure out how to get to the backlit setting and from the descriptions, I'm still not sure what the 2 close up settings are besides the one where you press the middle button on the top to make the flower appear. Also, what is shutter speed? And how do I know if it is set right for a picture? I just can't seem to get it right...
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Post by goldenpuon on Feb 8, 2009 18:36:50 GMT -5
Still can't get it. I tried more after I last posted and I still couldn't get a good picture of my betta or guppies for that matter. Any tips?
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Post by eve on Feb 8, 2009 18:43:25 GMT -5
Still can't get it. I tried more after I last posted and I still couldn't get a good picture of my betta or guppies for that matter. Any tips? try to hold the camera in an angle, not directly straight to the glass also try to keep the flash upwords, away from the fish, that way the eyes of the fish don't reflect the flash i also like the macro setting very much for taking pics
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Post by goldenpuon on Feb 8, 2009 18:46:33 GMT -5
Thanks, I will try to take pictures at an angle. What is a macro setting? I'm not sure if my camera has one.
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Post by eve on Feb 8, 2009 18:55:48 GMT -5
Thanks, I will try to take pictures at an angle. What is a macro setting? I'm not sure if my camera has one. ok, just looked at your camera and you dont' have it try the protrait or sports setting as well i would just try out every single setting you have and see which is the best setting for your fish
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Post by goldenpuon on Feb 9, 2009 6:16:38 GMT -5
Thanks Eve although I have already tried those settings. U'll keep working on it. So far no luck but I'm not giving up yet.
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Post by goldenpuon on Feb 9, 2009 15:15:37 GMT -5
Water tested Monday, 2/09/09. Water change done 2/07/09. The betta had build a small bubble nest when I did the water change.
Ammonia: 0 Nitrate: almost 0 Nitrite: 0 PH: 6.3 or 6.4 (added buffer, I have tapwater with a low PH) KH: 80 GH: 120 Chlorine: 0
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Post by Carl on Feb 9, 2009 15:58:22 GMT -5
If you are going to add buffers, I would recommend a set amount per certain volume of water changed so as to stay consistant and not give your fish a pH roller coaster. The GH still seems low, especially if the Wonder Shells are being added since these tend to give a false "high" reading, so your number is low for their use. Carl
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Post by goldenpuon on Feb 9, 2009 17:07:11 GMT -5
No wondershells are in that particular container. It is very hard to give a set amount very week. I'll try to figure out what amount works and then add that amount very week.
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Post by Carl on Feb 9, 2009 20:32:26 GMT -5
No wondershells are in that particular container. It is very hard to give a set amount very week. I'll try to figure out what amount works and then add that amount very week. I would recommend using the Wonder Shells I sent you, even a fragment, as this should also improve bowl water quality, especially where not filter is available (in unfiltered containers is often where Wonder shells excel in the difference before and after) Carl
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Post by Suzie Q (Lori) on Feb 11, 2009 10:23:04 GMT -5
Renee...I had a borrowed female that had the same problem. She was from good stock so I don't think this is genetic. Is there any decor/plastic in her tank? Anything that she could have bumped her nose on?
I treated with the meds Carl suggested (for a week I believe) and it went away for a while and came back a few months later. I still don't know what caused it (she was in a spawning tank with a plastic divider) but with the same treatment it went away again. Maybe a bacterial infection?
Good Luck with Dawn...and yes get her tank warm as soon as you can. I might also suggest that in the winter switching to 32oz canning jars. Do 100% water changes daily or every other day but DO NOT wipe out the jars! I use plastic canvas over the top and just dump...the YUCK goes thru but the fish and live plant (java moss) don't. The jars will fit better in your warming tub.
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Post by goldenpuon on Feb 11, 2009 15:37:20 GMT -5
I have a medicated wondershell in for Dawn. I will add part of a regular one. I have been treating with Melafix as well but now instead of white growth on her nose, it is two and looks like a fungus or bacterial infection. Dawn has no decor in her container and I have no idea how she got it. It started with her nose being swollen and going out of the opening. I am thinking since the Melafix is not working to try Fungus Clear (which actually works for bacterial infections that look like a fungus such as cotton wool and mouth fungus).
Dawn also still has the buoyany problem where she is stuck on the bottom of her container.
I will try to get the other fish that was attacked earlier on back to the main tank today as long as she is fully recovered.
On another note, Kittwang is also doing very poorly. She has the bouyancy problem plus she keeps on having problems where she needs to suck air from the surface and he gill covers stick out. I bought Kittwang from the petstore 1 1/2 years ago and she is a pretty old fish. I am not sure if this is some kind of gill damage or part of her problem but i will be adding prime after every water change to see if that will help at all.
And Ellie is also having a buoycany problem that has worsened since I took her out when I first noticed it. I will be putting her back in the main tank (she is not 1 of the 8 bettas in p the 1 gallon containers that are heated) since even though the water level is higher, the heat and familar tank atmosphere will probably make her feel less stressed and recover faster.
While I can not do water changes daily, I am doing water changes twice per week now. I tend to do more than twice per week (about 3-4 times) for Dawn and the others having problems.
Critique is still not eating well but I think he is eating a little. (he is heated).
Suzie, I know you said not to wipe out the containers but gunk builds up inside. I do not wipe out the containers with soap, just a washcloth with water from the fish's container to clean it. If I don't, more of that white stuff and after a while brown diatom algae might take out again. Is it ok to do it this way?
Also, they are not jars but square 1 gallon tupoware containers. What is a heating tub ans plastic canvas? I cannot afford to spend anything on fish right now because I am basically broke and my mom doesn't have enough money to buy me clothes to replace the old ones that are ripping so I have to contribute.
I am running low on ammonia test strips and since it doesn't seem to be a problem (at least in the betta fish's 1 gallon I am testing), I have to stop and focus more on PH, GH, and KH. My family is having a really hard time. Please excuse me if I am not able to buy a lot of things to help my fish. I am trying, I wish I could do more but I am unable to at the moment.
I am not sure what to do at this point with these fish. I hate to see them suffer. My stress level has been over the roof trying to figure out what is wrong and constantly failing...
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Post by goldenpuon on Feb 11, 2009 18:22:47 GMT -5
I put Dawn in the area with the others bettas (in seperate 1 gallons) that is heated. I added some Fungus Clear as well. I also moved Ellie (betta with a less severe bouyancy problem than the others) into the one of my 4 gallon main female betta tanks (which has a heater). The female that was attacked a few weeks back recovered and I put her back in the main betta tank as well. I added regular wondershell to Tomp's container (the betta I am testing for that has low GH, KH, and PH) Sadly, it looks like my oldest betta with the bouyancy problem, Kittwang, is dying. I got her from Petsmart 1 1/2 year ago. I did a water change for her and added pieces of a wondershell to he 1 gallon. She is one of my bettas that has the heater. It didn't seem like it helped though and she started breathing heavily... Sorry if I come off as having a million sick fish. I have almost 15 other bettas that are fine, as well as 10 goldfish and about 50 guppies currently that are also healthy. Anyway, just clarifying so there is no confusion that all of my fish are sick. Also, I know all the names and events are hard to follow. Please bear with me. Sincerely, Renee
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Post by Carl on Feb 11, 2009 19:42:23 GMT -5
You do not need to apologize Renee! Your point about 15, 10, & 50 other fish makes a good point that you may be dealing with fish that are also genetically pre-destined for poor health. This happens in all animals (including humans). Of coarse giving the best care you can is important as well, but there is only so much you can do. I did not realize from your other posts that you had a medicated Wonder Shell in this bowl, normally one medicated is enough to raise the GH, as the most common "complaint" I have received for Wonder Shells of either type is that they raised the GH too much (which is not rue as a GH test kit is not going to differentiate between positively charged calcium ions needed by ALL fish and calcium that is exhausted in these cations (see the Aquarium GH, Calcium ArticleYour number are low considering the use, of Wonder Shells, so the second fragment is a good idea, as this will also help make up for your busyness that does not allow for as many water changes as maybe are needed. As I note in the Aquarium Medications Article that when one medication shows NO effectiveness that this is a clear signal to go with an opposite medication, and since Melafix is primarily gram positive (which represents the minority of aquarium bacterial pathogens in my experience and back up by University of Florida studies), you need to use a gram negative medication. For this Nitrofurazone (Furan 2) would be my first choice based on the symptoms described since this is a primarily gram negative treatment that works best on topical infections. Carl
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Post by goldenpuon on Feb 12, 2009 16:06:43 GMT -5
Actually, I did not have a wondershell in any of my betta's bowls but Critique. The had added wondershells to some of the other prior but they dissolved/ were removed with large water changes. But I did add chunks of wondershells to the containers I mentioned plus one of my 4 gallon female betta tanks.
Dawn seems to be doing better today. She is more active and seems to be starting to have an appetite. I think heating her helped. The white stuff on her is now a small raised area on her nose (I'm unsure if thisis just her scale and nose healing or the white from earlier). Her nose is also barely swollen now. I discontinued the Melafix for her now that she has been treated with Funguis Clear.
On another positive note, Kittwang is no longer on her side and no longer looking like she is dying though her gill covers are out and she keeps swimming up for air. (she has chunk sof a regular wonder shell in there I added yesterday)
However, Critique is doing poorly. Last night when I did a 20% water change for all my bettas (which seemed to stress them more than help) he was very inactive at the bottom. This morning the same plus he was at the top a bit. After school I tested and got a GH off the charts, maybe 600, KH of around 90 (if that was even accurate), and a PH that was inaccurate since I accidently touched the PH part of the strip too many times. I did a 50% water change for him and added nothing but dechlorinator and removed the regular wonder shell which may have caused this. I had a whole small wondershell in there for 3 weeks. I also removed the medicated wondershell since it had been in there a while too and was due to be removed. I am going to be messing with him less since it just seems to end up with him stressing and not eating all over again.
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Post by goldenpuon on Feb 13, 2009 16:01:08 GMT -5
Dawn is continuing to do better and I'm pretty sure she is eating. The white area on her nose is no longer raised and seems to be going away. Kittwang is also doing much better. Criqique is on the bottom not doing well but I'm hoping if I leave him alone and try to mess things too much he will get better.
I think I might have 2 spare air valves. I'm going to try to look for them to get a little air flow in Kittwang, Critique, and Dawn's containers. I'll have to block out the air a little though sicne the pump is made for 5 gallons and the valves don't have adjustments.
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