Is it time to euthanize my betta?

[catinthedark]

My betta, Crowley, has become afflicted with hole in the head, which I believe to have been stress induced. I have attempted to treat him in a qt tank for about a month now, and aside from being less lethargic I am not sure I am seeing any improvement. I have had him since September of last year, he was initially in a 2.5 gal and was moved to a divided 10gal by December. There is one other betta in the tank (divided) and two racer nerites. The tank is not planted. My light unfortunately went out about a month and a half ago and unfortunately due to the pandemic I was unable to obtain a replacement for two weeks, which seems to have stressed out the poor guy, he has always been easily stressed and used to tail bite regularly. He hasn’t had an episode of that in a few months, but his fins don’t seem to even grow back anymore, they just seal off around the spots he has bitten. I don’t have current parameters as I am at work but the 10gal has never had any issues and the other betta is perfectly healthy. This tank is spot cleaned for fish/snail poop daily and gets a 30% water change weekly. When I noticed he was acting lethargic and noticed the lesions I moved him to quarantine in the 2.5 gal as that was all I had available. I have been doing at least a 50% water change every other day as I know this small of tank isn’t ideal. I have been medicating with metroplex, at first by dosing the water and when I didn’t see much improvement with that after two weeks I medicated his food. He is picky and doesn’t love this, sometimes I can get him to eat it but he sometimes spits it back out. He has now been in qt for almost a month. He has perked up a bit and will rouse when I walk by the tank, and will eat the non medicated pellets eagerly, but the holes have not diminished and seem to be multiplying. His fins are clamped constantly. I don’t want to continue to add stress and keep him in the small tank if he is potentially beyond the point of recovery. Should I give him more time or is it time to consider euthanasia?

 

[Delapool]

What was the medicated food? Metroplex imo is either hit / miss or better for light infections / infection prevention.

 

[catinthedark]

Just his regular pellets bound with metroplex. I was initially intending to use general cure but it seems to be out of stock everywhere and still is. Not sure what’s going on there. I wasn’t sure what else to do. Everything I have found on HITH suggests metro for treatment, but the suggestions seem to vary quite a bit.

 

[Delapool]

Just his regular pellets bound with metroplex. I was initially intending to use general cure but it seems to be out of stock everywhere and still is. Not sure what’s going on there. I wasn’t sure what else to do. Everything I have found on HITH suggests metro for treatment, but the suggestions seem to vary quite a bit.

Sorry, I had a brain fart and was thinking of melafix/pimafix. I think I’d try a furan 2 / kanaplax treatment just in case a different treatment makes a difference and then possibly stumped (apart from the old salt dip remedy).

 

[catinthedark]

Okay, I will have to see if I can find any. We only have one lfs that isn’t a big box store and he doesn’t carry a whole ton. I have added aquarium salt to his qt but I haven’t done a full on salt dip

 

[Delapool]

It could be worth a try - I did one on an angelfish at well past seawater for 10 minutes I think (was pretty quiet back in tank for a few days but has since come good).

 

[catinthedark]

Good to know! I’ll see if I can find the furan 2/kanaplex and if no luck I’ll give it a try! Thanks!