External parasite or fungus?

[Sahabo]

Active ingredients is: MALACHITE GREEN LIQUID

Other Ingredients:
COLLOID COMPLEX
PHOSPHORIC ACID
PROTEIN SOLUBOLIZER

 

[An t-iasg]

Oooh - malachite green. Did it stain the silicone in the tank corners? I put that in my very first 5 gallon tank. The stains fade a little after a year or so but my stains never went away on that tank.

I'd do another 25% or so water change and then start the Fungus Eliminator. It doesn't stain the silicone, although I'd quickly wipe up any that happens to spill on the counter.

 

[Zagz]

Agreed. Malachite green can stain but is easily removed from the water column. Do water change and treat with Jungle's med.

 

[Sahabo]

Nope! I didn't turn the silicone green.

Did the water change. Should I take my sponge filter out or leave it in?

PS. You two are THE BEST! I hope that soon I can be as helpful to someone as you have been to me

 

[An t-iasg]

Lucky! I'd put the sponge filter in some tank water in a plastic bag - like a thick Ziploc freezer bag. Put it in the frig and then sprinkle a bit of fish food in the bag every day. This won't be a perfect solution, but it will help preserve some of the bacteria. The Fungus Eliminator will probably harm the good bacteria, so it's best to remove the sponge filter. I did this once when I had a sponge filter. I tested the water in the bag after a week and it was 0 ammonia! Just watch your parameters when you put the sponge filter back in.

 

[Sahabo]

Done! What's the reason behind putting the filter in the frig?

 

[Zagz]

To keep the beneficial bacteria as alive.

 

[Sahabo]

Of course...duh, Heidi

Thanks again...I'll keep you posted on his recovery!

 

[Zagz]

Please do keep us posted. We will be hoping for a good recovery.

 

[Sahabo]

Will the jungle fungus eliminator affect ammonia or nitrite test results?

Even though Corwin is swimming around in yellow medicine water, he doesn't seem to mind The white spot I've mentioned seems to be slowly fading!

 

[An t-iasg]

It didn't seem to affect my test results when I used it. The water is still light enough to get a reading. Wow, good to hear the spot is fading! Keep up the good work!

 

[Sahabo]

Well, it's been exactly 4 days since I did the first treatment of Jungle Fungus Eliminator. Results so far:

The white spot is completely gone now, so I'm assuming it was fungus. The fin rot at the edges seems to be halted, but I'm not seeing any signs of regrowth yet. On the other hand, yesterday I saw a hole in his caudal fin that I don't think was there before.

I did a 25% pwc tonight and did another dose of the med. Since it was the white spot I noticed first, followed by the fin rot, I'm hoping that the fin rot will start to clear up now that the white fungus on his body is gone.

Does anyone know how long it usually takes fish to recover from fin rot caught at early stages?

Also, is it normal for the water to smell funny a few days after adding the meds?

Ammonia levels are good. I'm hoping that all of this doesn't completely mess up my cycle!

 

[An t-iasg]

I'm happy to hear that the white spot is gone! Fin regrowth in bettas often takes some time. It depends how much fin was eroded to begin with. Your betta had mild finrot, plus you medicated him, so you should see that ragged edge begin to heal over now. It may take up to a month to regain the original fin length and color. Hopefully, your betta won't take that long to recover. It didn't look like he had a bad case of finrot from the pics but I'm glad you caught it before it got worse. I have seen small holes in the fins disappear overnight, or very quickly.

IMO, medicines always make the water smell funny. There are some meds I won't use again because I couldn't tolerate the smell.

Keep checking ammonia levels for a week or so. When you get the sponge filter back in the tank, ammonia levels should return to 0 quickly.

 

[Zagz]

I agree, meds always make the water smell funny. I am so happy that the fungal spot is gone. IME fins start out healing fast but then slow down.

 

[Sahabo]

Thanks deb and anne!

This morning the hole I noticed in the caudal fin is closing up and I am seeing a tiny bit of whitish regrowth on edges of fins. It seems that it will be as you said; that healing will be fast, then slow.

I tested the ammonia level of the sponge filter in the fridge today and it is 0!!

His color looks good and he is eating and active.

If this successfully clears up, I will feel that much more confident about my fish-keeping abilities, having overcome the first fish illness!

 

[Zagz]

You've done very well! It is always hard the first illness and to have a success is a great thing. Unfortunately we don't always have success, so the success stories are that much sweeter.

 

[Sahabo]

So tomorrow night the second treatment will be finished. Corwin looks like he is healing up nicely.

Do I need to add activated carbon to remove the jungle fungus meds from the water, or will a large pwc do the trick?

Also, I'm going to be adding the sponge filter back to the tank. It's been sitting in the fridge in old tank water for a full week, feeding on food pellets. Do you recommend just squeezing it out and putting it in the tank? And what about the water its been sitting in...should I throw it down the drain or add it to the tank, too?

Finally, what do you all think about adding aquarium salt to encourage healing? Or is that over kill?

 

[Zagz]

You can do a large pwc. I don't use carbon to remove meds such as the Jungle's. I'm not a fan of aquarium salt myself. Throw the water out from the sponge filter in the fridge. Squeeze out the filter but don't rinse it. Keep an eye on the parameters and you should be just fine.

 

[Sahabo]

Got home today all excited that treatment was almost done and Corwin is on the mend. Only to find new smallish holes in his fin and one place that looks torn up/shredded. I'm so sad about this

It's possible that his fin got caught on one of the evil plastic plants (I removed all of them) that I thought would be okay because they passed the panty hose test! Poor Corwin's tank is almost empty now, but at least its safe. I did see him get stuck once yesterday, so maybe that's what happened here with the regrowth from the finrot being so fragile! Also, he is a really active little guy that likes to zip around the tank a lot.

I'd take a pic but I don't want to stress him. I think despite the new fin damage, I'm going to finish the treatment tomorrow as planned and hopefully super clean water will help him heal. Do you think this is the right course of action?

 

[Zagz]

That is what I would do. He may have snagged himself on something, since he has done so well on healing I'm sure he will regrow that fin in no time.