Betta growing cotton....

[platylover]

My son got a betta for Christmas and he died about a week after we got him. His body was completely covered in a cottony looking substance. My son was pretty upset, so my wife told him that we had to take him to the doctor. We then got another betta from the LFS and a 2.5 gal mini-bow tank to keep this one in. We have had this one for about a week now and he is starting to show the same cotton.

My questions are...

Is this some kind of fungus?
Am I doing something wrong that is causing this?
How can I cure this so that I don't have to buy another betta to replace this one?

Thanks in advance.

 

[grimlock3000]

The cottonlike growth is usually columnaris which is a body fungus. Since you have had two fish with it, the LFS could likely be doing something to cause the infection to spread from fish to fish... How were the Bettas kept before you bought them?

The biggest cause of columnaris is poor water quality. The best thing I have found to beat it is Kanacyn. I lost multiple fish in my 10g tank due to the cottonlike growth and Kanacyn was the only thing that ever got rid of it for good.

 

[platylover]

Thanks for the quick reply, Grimlock. The bettas are kept in those infamous little cups on a shelf at the fish store.

I put some BettaFix in the tank that is supposed to cure minor fungal infections to hopefully keep this at bay until I can get to the LFS tomorrow.

Thanks again for the quick response and it looks as if I have some research to do on columnaris.

 

[platylover]

Just wanted to update everyone on the condition of Copper, the sick betta. My wife couldn't find any Kanacyn to treat him with, but came home with Manacyn. I have been treating the tank now with this for three days. He spent 2 good days just hanging out at the bottom of the tank and not eating at all. I honestly thought he was not going to make it. When I got home from work yesterday, Copper was up and flaring at Buzz Lightyear, my son's other betta that he and my wife brought home from the LFS earlier this week. It is so awesome to see him swimming around and acting normal.

I also found out that I was totally mistaken about columnaris being a fungus. It is actually a type of bacterial infection. This is a terrible disease and very deadly if not treated promply.

Well, this story has ended in a happy ending thanks to this site and everyone on this site. Thanks again, Grimlock3000 for the quick response and the great advice! I honestly think that without your help, I would have lost Copper.

 

[Allivymar]

Yay! Always good to hear positive news