[Discusluv]

A salt bath treatment consists of a continuous low dose of salt added directly to aquarium. With this you would add 1 tsp aquarium/non-iodized salt per gallon for 10 days. Make sure to dissolve the salt first in a cup of aquarium water before adding to aquarium so that the Betta is not burned by direct contact with salt.

Each time do a water change ( daily is best) add back amount of salt taken out. For instance, if do a 50% water change, add back 1/2 dose per gallon of salt.

If you are seeing rapid changes in fins from rot then I would go right to the salt treatment. Or, if the changes to fins have been over time and you want to try water changes first- that's fine too. If do water changes alone, do so for 5 days and if no improvement then go to salt treatment.

Salt is very therapeutic for Bettafish, much more so than for many other species we keep in aquarium-- so it will not harm, only benefit.

 

[Discusluv]

I figured a bath would be brief like a dip, in a quarantine; I didn't know it was done inside the tank itself. I'm worried my plants will suffer if I dose the tank directly, but then, I can always get more plants--there's only one of my betta.


A lower dose, prolonged exposure to salt is considered a bath. It can be anywhere from 24 hours to 10 days. Depends on why using treatment.


#1. How many water changes a day? Can I do a 50% water change daily or do I need to do two 25% water changes spread out?
One water change daily is fine. 25% is minimum ( say if you were busy that day) but 50% daily is optimal. What you are trying to do here is to lower the organics in water column so that the uptake of medication is maximized for the fish.
#2. I do the salt bath once a day, correct? I was thinking right after a water change--I would reduce the dosage based on the amount of water removed, as you said.
Actually, the salt bath is continuous, but you will be doing water changes daily so you need to add back salt for the amount you take out each day through water changes.
I just performed a 50% water change so I'll add the salt now. The fin rot was very sudden and progressed over night to the pictures above, so I definitely would like to act fast and prevent it from getting to his body.

I think this is smart. Better safe than sorry.

I added some text directly under your questions in italics.

 

[Discusluv]

Will activated carbon affect the usefulness of the aquarium salt? I can remove the carbon if it does.

No, its fine to leave carbon in.

 

[Discusluv]

@Discusluv Once ten days have passed, how often should the water change and salt baths be?

Edit: I realized I messed up the salt calculations. Instead of 5 tsp for my 5 gallon, I initially dosed with 1 Tbs/3 tsp, underdosing the salt bath. Every time I did a daily 50% water change, I put in 0.5 Tbs/1.5 tsp instead of 2.5 tsp.

A few days into the treatment his fins stopped getting worse, and the red lining has gone away.

Do I dose (at the accurate dosage) and add on a few more days?

Good to hear your Betta on the mend. Do the salt bath for 10 days total- the days when used the insufficient amount of salt can be included in this total because you have seen improvement despite that.
Then, change water as often as necessary to keep nitrates under 20ppm.

 

[Discusluv]

Neither Epsom salt or melafix is going to fix this situation. He has an internal secondary bacterial infection. This is indicated by the listlessness, weakness.
Treat with kanamycin asap.

 

[Discusluv]

Im sorry to hear that.

First of all- no terrible fish-keeper here. We learn as we go.
Was the fin rot first or the swim-bladder? Either could have weakened the fish and contributed to the other. But, there is an underlying condition that brought about both. Most likely environmental stress. Water quality being the biggest culprit. Overfeeding or not feeding appropriate diet the second.

Was this fish alone for along time? If lately added new fish to his tank or if have another tank with a new fish-- could be chance of cross-contamination- possibly internal parasite (in case of swim-bladder). Internal parasites have a tendency to contribute to secondary bacterial infection of the swim bladder.

But, we are not sure here if that is the case.

The best way to keep fish healthy is regular weekly water changes of 25-75% depending on bio-load.
Healthy diet with high quality food.

 

[Discusluv]

@Discusluv I forgot to mention, there is one nerite snail in the 5 gallon, a tankmate of the late betta. Now the sole occupant of the 5 gallon. At one point (more than a month ago I think) I did put in two amano shrimp, hoping the betta wouldn't pick on them, but they disappeared overnight. I've practically dismantled the tank and never found them or any remains.

I tested parameters of the 5 gallon last night, and they were pretty good. Couldn't test TDS like I normally do because the meter broke.

Nitrate: 10 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
GH: 8.4
Chlorine: 0
KH: 2.24
pH: 7.2
Ammonia: 0
Temperature: 78.8

One thing I did notice the night before with my betta, after the salt dip, was that it looked like he had very tiny little short white stubble on his head. Nothing fuzzy or moldy looking, nor sparse. It kind of made me think of skin interaction with water. Still had it when I pulled him out today. It didn't look like any kind of worms, or anything alive really. Is this any cause for alarm?

No, its fine. It was probably just shedding of mucus from salt dip.