My betta has a bacterial infection. Why is salt making him gasp?

Question

I’m worried about betta 1 weekago I spoke to someone about my betta cause I putapleco in his tank and the pleco gave him a bacterial infection cause it got sick. I was told to get this treatment to put in the water which seems to be doing some what well. Yesterday I went into petco and showed a worker what the fish look like and the worker immediately freaked out and said that the fish is doing very bad and told me to add aquarium salt. I did as told but once put the salt he began breathing hard. Pet's info: Fish | Betta | Male

Angel Alvarado, LVT · Accepted Answer

He does look very stressed. You can tell by the clamped fins and loss of color. There is also evidence of fin rot. The product pictured may aid in treatment of minor infections, but at this point, your little guy may need antibiotics. The cornerstone of treatment and recovery of any infection in fish is clean water. Use a home test kit or submit a water sample to test water chemistry. The local Petco may do this for free or for a small fee. Water chemistry can affect quality which can lead to stress and illness. Aim for an absence (0 ppm) of ammonia and nitrites with nitrates at 20 ppm or less. Perform partial water changes (no more than 30% total volume) every few days to stabilize chemistry and/or to improve water quality. Use only conditioned water that is temperature matched to prevent further stress or shock. Bettas do best between 78 F and 80 F. Also, turn down the filter flow, if possible, to the lowest setting. Bettas prefer slow moving water. The plain aquarium salt pictured can be used, but you mustn't use too much. Generally, a teaspoon of salt per gallon of water is recommended. Thoroughly dissolve it in a cup or two of tank water and gently pour it in. When performing water changes, treat only the amount of water being replaced with salt or you will overload the tank. If you used more than this amount initially, perform a 50% water change. Treat with salt for no more than 14 days at a time. Reassess fin condition after 2 weeks. Perform partial water changes as described above to reduce salinity afterwards. To treat infection consider an "all in one" treatment, such as LifeGuard (by Tetra). Find it in the Aquarium section at the local Petco. Follow label directions carefully and remove the carbon filter insert during treatment if indicated. The salt and antibiotic can be used in conjunction. During this time, discontinue the infection remedy treatment.

My betta has a bacterial infection. Why is salt making him gasp?

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