My betta has fungus infections...

[RandomGuy]

ok.. about last time he was not sick i found out he just had color pigmentation.. but this time it is FUNGUS!! .. i treated him with bettafix for 2 days now.. just sitting and hoping the little dude will be fine.. im open to suggestions, anyone?

-Me

 

[QTOFFER]

First, how big is the betta's tank and how often do you change the water? Have you measured the ammonia and nitrates?

Are you sure it is fungus (actually caused by a bacterial infection) and not ich? Bacterial body fungus looks like patchy cottony growths while ich looks like grains of salt. Is the fish eating and swimming about, or does he look and act really sick?

BettaFIX is great for preventing secondary infections caused by minor bumps and scrapes.
For a full blown infection, I would recommend BettaMAX, a true antibiotic. If you have a heater in the tank, you should turn it down a few degrees to slow bacterial growth.

 

[RandomGuy]

i have a 2gallon tank for my betta, i did not get him the heater yet, nor do i have the kit to measure the ammonia and nitrates... yea it is fungus its actually on his mouth now... feeling bad.. fish is not really swimming, but he eats .. a little too much, he has a bulgy stomach. im currently putting him on a diet :? . it has been 3 days since the cottony substance started to appear on his body and now got to his mouth..

 

[QTOFFER]

Well it's a good sign he's eating, but it sounds like the poor guy is sick.

My two bettas are greedy little pigs. I was told to only give them two or three of those tiny pellets twice a day or they would bloat up and get constipated.
That may have happened to your greedy little pig. You could try not feeding him for a few days and then giving him a partially cooked pea with the skin removed. It's supposed to be a great laxative and a cure for bloating.

I would go with the bettaMax and do 50% water changes once a week if you have a filter and twice a week if you don't. Best treatment for body fungus is antibiotics and lots of fresh, clean water. Is the betta alone? You should probably move any other tank inhabitants if you are going to use bettamax.

Hope your betta gets better!

 

[Menagerie]

I second the pea idea! I have incorporated peas into my all my fishes' diets!

 

[QTOFFER]

I second the pea idea! I have incorporated peas into my all my fishes' diets!

How many peas per tank and how often?

 

[RandomGuy]

lol i cant find any peas for the time being, but the cottony patch decreased its size by humm arond 10% and he's swimming around (looking better than yesterday). i'll get him peas tomorrow as well as a heater in the near future. thanks again for the advice

 

[sofia]

arggg i hate columnaris...i lost one of my favourite betta fish to that a couple of days ago....perhaps you should try using "kenacyn" it should treat bacterial and fungal infections

 

[Menagerie]

How many peas per tank and how often?

For my large cichlids, I peel about 30+ peas for the 14 fish in there. For the community fish (about 25 fish), I put in about 10 pea halves and see how quickly they are eaten, then add more if needed. I do this whenever I have peas as a side dish, so it ends up being about once a week. I do not feed any other food on pea night. If there are peas left over on the bottom of the tank--they are usually gone by morning--with two plecos and 13 cory cats--it all gets eaten!

 

[QTOFFER]

Thanks, Menagerie!
I'll try feeding peas once a week to insure that everybody stays 'regular'.