fin rott betta

[livingdeadpaula]

My poor little betta came down with fin rott a couple weeks ago - this has been my first encounter in treating any unhealthy fish, as I'm super new to this!

Anyways, I treated him with Melafix for seven days (yesterday was the last day), and the directions say to stop after seven, but continue if needed. His tail definitely hasn't gotten any WORSE, but it doesn't look 100% healed.

My question: Will it heal on its own if I stop now with the Melafix, or should I "continue if needed" as the directions say?

Thank you!

-Paula

 

[An t-iasg]

Hi Paula,
How did the betta do with the MelaFix? I haven't had good luck with that med on bettas. The main ingredient, melaleuca (sp?) may be harmful to the labyrinth organ of a betta. It seems to be fine for other fish, but it made my betta very lethargic, and I've read that other bettas were not helped either. Some may say that it did ok for their betta, but IMO there are better and safer meds for bettas.

When you say it doesn't look 100% healed, do you mean it isn't as long as it was before? It may take a month or two to regain its length and appearance. Since you already had him in meds for a week, I would not medicate again. If the area doesn't look fuzzy white, or does not have black edges on the fins, just leave it alone for now, and just watch him. If you could describe how the fins look in more detail, that would be good. If he does start to look worse, then we'll try another med. BettaMax is a good med for bettas. Also, what size tank or bowl is he in? Have you checked the ammonia level? Write back with these answers and we'll go from there!

 

[livingdeadpaula]

Hey there An t-iasg,

Eeep, I hadn't heard that MelaFix could be harmful to bettas - but that's good to know.

He's in a 10 gallon tank right now, and I actually just put him in there a few weeks ago - prior to that, he was in a two gallon bowl. At first, I had no idea how and why he'd gotten the fin rott overnight, because he'd been super healthy up until then. I figured it could've been the water...since I'd just put him in the new tank, but everyone kept telling me it was probably just stress.

I havn't checked the ammonia level since I put him in there, and I suppose I really should. I checked the pH and it was normal. As far as his tail, he doesn't have any black edges at all - before I started treating him, all the tips were frayed - now they're a little more rounded, but the tip on the middle fin does look fuzzy white. The very bottom one is still a tad bit frayed - but again, he hasn't gotten worse.

Thanks for you help!!

 

[QTOFFER]

My halfmoon, Moe had a bad case of finrot - half the beautiful tail was gone. I added Melafix daily for the recommended week - at the same time, I increased my 50% water changes from once a week to twice a week. The white edges on the damaged fins soon went away - not sure whether to credit the Melafix or the increased water changes. It's now been four weeks and the fin has not yet grown back, but at least the whitish edge (infection) is gone. I'm still doing bi-weekly water changes.

I would go back to the Melafix only if you notice a whitish edge on the fin. Also, try replacing the water more often. Hopefully this will have the same beneficial result for you as it has for me.

 

[krap101]

anyway did you add any new fish or plants? im wondering if you didnt how it got in there.

and i havent experienced fin rot yet but imo that doesnt look that bad

 

[livingdeadpaula]

Thanks for the advice, QTOFFER - I am going to change his water at least biweekly until I note an improvement. He still has a good bit of "whitish edge" left, so I think I might continue with the Melafix for now. Good luck with your halfmoon!

Krap101 - No, my little betta's always been alone, no new fish or plants. I wish I knew how he got it. He was literally 100% healthy one day, and full of fin rott the next. The majority of the people I've talked to said it was either the water or stress, so I've been changing the water more regularly.

 

[livingdeadpaula]

Thanks for the advice, QTOFFER - I am going to change his water at least biweekly until I note an improvement. He still has a good bit of "whitish edge" left, so I think I might continue with the Melafix for now. Good luck with your halfmoon!

Krap101 - No, my little betta's always been alone, no new fish or plants. I wish I knew how he got it. He was literally 100% healthy one day, and full of fin rott the next. The majority of the people I've talked to said it was either the water or stress, so I've been changing the water more regularly.

 

[Essayons89]

If the water changes don't seem to help or if the tail seems to get worse then switch to using Maracyn and Maracyn 2 for treatment. The Maracyn will kill off the bacteria responsible for the finrot (normally the same bacteria as flex), while the Marayn 2 would treat any secondary infections that may be present.

Great color on your betta BTW.

Bryan

 

[livingdeadpaula]

Thanks so much, Bryan - if the water changes don't help, I'll definitely give Maracyn and Maracyn 2 a try

 

[An t-iasg]

Hi Paula,
How's the betta doing? I agree with Bryan that an antibiotic would be helpful.

I've had good luck with Maracyn and Maracyn II for finrot. My usual choice for an antibiotic is BettaMax or Kanacyn, but I haven't treated recently.

I do think that the meds mentioned above are better for a betta than MelaFix. I wouldn't use MelaFix, or BettaFix, on my bettas. (BettaFix is meant to be used in a bowl, and if you use it in a tank you'd be using up all that little bottle!)

But I know that others, like QTOFFER, have had good luck with MelaFix. I'm not disagreeing with that. My point is that the melaleuca ingredient can be irritating to the labyrinth organ. Just watch the betta for any signs of stress and change the water if that happens, to get the MelaFix/BettaFix out. I'm not trying to tell you what to do , just be aware and be careful. And some bettas may be more resistant than others -- just like us, for example, some people get colds way more frequently than others.

I don't know if it was the MelaFix or the water changes in your case, QTOFFER, but the fact that you have a 15-gallon tank, and did more frequent water changes, probably helped your bettas, that they didn't show stress from the MelaFix. When I used the MelaFix, my betta was in a one-gallon bowl, and I would definitely never use it in that small of a container again.

 

[livingdeadpaula]

Hey there An t-iasg,
The betta seems to be doing the same, but not any worse, and he still seems to be his lively self. He still has the fuzzy white tip going on, however.

I changed about 30% of his water Thursday, and I'm going to continue changing it more regularly as long as his rott continues - and you guys have convinced me - no more Melafix!

I'm going to try treating him with either the Maracyn/Maracyn2, BettaMax, or Kanacyn while continuing the water changes, and hopefully that should help.

And again, thanks so much for your help!

 

[livingdeadpaula]

Hey there An t-iasg,
The betta seems to be doing the same, but not any worse, and he still seems to be his lively self. He still has the fuzzy white tip going on, however.

I changed about 30% of his water Thursday, and I'm going to continue changing it more regularly as long as his rott continues - and you guys have convinced me - no more Melafix!

I'm going to try treating him with either the Maracyn/Maracyn2, BettaMax, or Kanacyn while continuing the water changes, and hopefully that should help.

And again, thanks so much for your help!