Hi everyone,
I need help please. My betta has a cottony fungus and I am struggling with it. I will have to test water parameters when I get back, as I have to leave now, but I thought I would get started with this.
Basics: 5 gallon tank, sponge filter, heater, weekly 30-50% water changes. Betta is currently only inhabitant.
First, it began with a thread I called Crowntail fins ok? So if you need more back story than I can type here quickly, you could check there.
1. Months ago, I noticed my Crowntail's fins looking a bit kinked, but he seemed otherwise happy and healthy. I gave his tank a good clean and started adding aquarium salt as a regular thing. There was a bit of an algae problem, so I really scrubbed at the algae and tried to get it all out. I had a gravel vac at the office (where the tank was), but it was terrible, so I mostly just stirred gravel and scooped out water.
2. I moved the tank to my house when I was off for the month of July. I drained it almost completely, but left enough water to cover the gravel. The filter went in a bucket of tank water to keep it protected. Was all set back up within an hour. I did filled the tank several times (with dechlorinated water) to try to get the gravel cleaner. It felt like it had a lot of crud in it. Didn't add as much salt because I added some rams horns and some java ferns.
3. Noticed a bit of white cottony fuzz on one piece of his tail fins. Set up his old 3 gallon bowl with a couple gallons of water and a heater. Moved him in with both salt and betta revive. Kept him there for three full days, doing daily water changes. Tore down his tank, kept filter in tank water, kept gravel in tank water, but stirred and stirred and scooped and scooped until finally the gravel stopped looking cruddy. Scrubbed any sign of algae out of the tank. The snails were gone, by the way. My thought when they died was that the salt killed them, even though I had read that they could be ok with small amounts.
4. After three full days in the hospital tank with revive, I moved him back to his own tank. Got a good look at him under the light and the fuzz was all gone.
5. Two days later (just now), I turned on his light and it's back and much worse. It is now affecting several of his tail strips.
Through all of this, his water parameters have looked good. There are traces of ammonia, but this is true of all my tanks right no because there are traces of ammonia in the city water. The LFS says it should be fine and nobody else seems to be sick. Someone did suggest that I swap out his water for bottled water, but I am not sure I can afford 5 gallons of bottled water a shot, especially if I have to do extra water changes for a bit to beat this. The ammonia issue with the city water has been going on for months.
I should clarify... By looking good, I mean that his nitrates are at about 5, his nitrites are 0 and the ammonia is 0.1. His tank temp is steady at 78.
I always match the temp of his water when I do water changes. I use Prime with every change. And when I moved him from his tank to the hospital one, I used drip acclimation.
Hospital tank is prepping now. I have to run, but will be back in a couple of hours. I will start moving him then.
Any ideas?
I need help please. My betta has a cottony fungus and I am struggling with it. I will have to test water parameters when I get back, as I have to leave now, but I thought I would get started with this.
Basics: 5 gallon tank, sponge filter, heater, weekly 30-50% water changes. Betta is currently only inhabitant.
First, it began with a thread I called Crowntail fins ok? So if you need more back story than I can type here quickly, you could check there.
1. Months ago, I noticed my Crowntail's fins looking a bit kinked, but he seemed otherwise happy and healthy. I gave his tank a good clean and started adding aquarium salt as a regular thing. There was a bit of an algae problem, so I really scrubbed at the algae and tried to get it all out. I had a gravel vac at the office (where the tank was), but it was terrible, so I mostly just stirred gravel and scooped out water.
2. I moved the tank to my house when I was off for the month of July. I drained it almost completely, but left enough water to cover the gravel. The filter went in a bucket of tank water to keep it protected. Was all set back up within an hour. I did filled the tank several times (with dechlorinated water) to try to get the gravel cleaner. It felt like it had a lot of crud in it. Didn't add as much salt because I added some rams horns and some java ferns.
3. Noticed a bit of white cottony fuzz on one piece of his tail fins. Set up his old 3 gallon bowl with a couple gallons of water and a heater. Moved him in with both salt and betta revive. Kept him there for three full days, doing daily water changes. Tore down his tank, kept filter in tank water, kept gravel in tank water, but stirred and stirred and scooped and scooped until finally the gravel stopped looking cruddy. Scrubbed any sign of algae out of the tank. The snails were gone, by the way. My thought when they died was that the salt killed them, even though I had read that they could be ok with small amounts.
4. After three full days in the hospital tank with revive, I moved him back to his own tank. Got a good look at him under the light and the fuzz was all gone.
5. Two days later (just now), I turned on his light and it's back and much worse. It is now affecting several of his tail strips.
Through all of this, his water parameters have looked good. There are traces of ammonia, but this is true of all my tanks right no because there are traces of ammonia in the city water. The LFS says it should be fine and nobody else seems to be sick. Someone did suggest that I swap out his water for bottled water, but I am not sure I can afford 5 gallons of bottled water a shot, especially if I have to do extra water changes for a bit to beat this. The ammonia issue with the city water has been going on for months.
I should clarify... By looking good, I mean that his nitrates are at about 5, his nitrites are 0 and the ammonia is 0.1. His tank temp is steady at 78.
I always match the temp of his water when I do water changes. I use Prime with every change. And when I moved him from his tank to the hospital one, I used drip acclimation.
Hospital tank is prepping now. I have to run, but will be back in a couple of hours. I will start moving him then.
Any ideas?