Re - occuring Fin rot? (Getting Angry Here)

[Saltypuppy]

Ohhh I may just need to save up the money. Man I didn't want keeping betta to be so much money. I just like the fish and wanted to keep on around. I have spent so much money now its insane. I almost want to stop. :[ love the fish, but so much fustration....

[dkpate]

This is a good price too, shipping is $5.99, so it comes out to $25.18. They ship really fast too.
Aquarium Water Testing: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit

[dkpate]

Originally Posted by Saltypuppy

They have this one... and this one....
Walmart.com: Tetra Laborett Master Aquarium Water Test Kit: Fish

Walmart.com: Freshwater Master Test Kit: Fish

The second one is the API kit, but you can get it for the same price at the site I posted. I just like Foster & Smith, plus they send you a coupon book.

[siva]

Originally Posted by Saltypuppy

Ohhh I may just need to save up the money. Man I didn't want keeping betta to be so much money. I just like the fish and wanted to keep on around. I have spent so much money now its insane. I almost want to stop. :[ love the fish, but so much fustration....

The test kit may seem like a lot up front, but if you are only running a couple tanks it's going to last you so long. Even then, you'll run out of the ammo and nitrate tests first and can replace them seperately. I would consider this a must have for keeping any aquatic pet. Right up there with the tank and the filter.

[Saltypuppy]

Well I may hit walmart to see if I can get one and not have to worry about shipping. If not I will order from Foster and Smith.

[dkpate]

They won't have the whole kit, they only have individual tests.

[siva]

My walmart doesn't have any kind of liquid kits in store, only strips.

[Saltypuppy]

Darn. Alright I will have order offline then.

[Vice]

Saltpuppy: I'm on day 2 of treating my little guy with Multi Cure. Tanks bright green but he's not scratching and I think there may be a little bit of regrowth on his tail. Not sure what the brand name is in the US but the main ingredients are Malachite Green, Methylene Blue and Acriflavine. I'm also using a bit of aquarium salt. I'll let you know if it's a miracle cure. One thing ... don't know if anyone else has already suggested it but I'm having the same issue as you in that my water readings are all fine but he's got pretty agressive fin and tail rot. My theory is that he may be injuring himself on somthing in the tank and thats when the fungus or bacteria set in. Mine's a really active little guy and does a lot of playing with his statue, fighting with the water pump and sleeping up against the filter which sucks his fins through (God only knows why) so just thinking that might be something to look at. Maybe we both have self-harming bettas?

[Saltypuppy]

Ya please do tell me if it works. He just got worse today and I just did a water change yesterday.

[Vice]

****. It's so frustrating isn't it? Not much to report I'm afraid. The fin rot isn't getting any worse at the moment but I'm guessing it will take a while to really see any improvement regrowth wise. The dosage for my tank is 2ml so I'll do a 50% water change and add another 1ml and some more salt tomorrow. I've also cranked up his heater to 28 degrees C (it's fluctuating between 25 and 26 at the moment) so I'll keep you posted. How is your guy acting? Mine's still happy as a clam temperament wise. Dancing around chasing bubbles and eatting like a little pig. If he wastn't litteraly missing half his fins I'd think he was fine.

[Saltypuppy]

Mine is fine. He swims around eats fine and is estatic to see me when I go over to the tank. I am going to treat with my meds just do get the bad crap out of the water. Not nessacarily to cure him. I just want to kill the bacteria/ fungus in the water. Than I am going to just keep trying the water changes.

[adadkins1]

Mine is still the same, he will do good for so long then relapse and recover. Repeat. Hopefully he will get over it sometime.

Saltypuppy, the only thing that I see wrong is that you have been dosing med for a long time. This can be highly problematic because the meds are just like with humans. If you keep using medicines on people, sooner or later the "bug" is going to become resistant to the meds. On top of this, clean water does not cause stress or any other side effect that medicines could. Have you ever laid off the meds for a week? What was his reaction? I just don't want you to end up with a drug resistant strain...that is if it isn't already resistant.

[Batt4Christ]

Originally Posted by Vice

Saltpuppy: I'm on day 2 of treating my little guy with Multi Cure. Tanks bright green but he's not scratching and I think there may be a little bit of regrowth on his tail. Not sure what the brand name is in the US but the main ingredients are Malachite Green, Methylene Blue and Acriflavine. I'm also using a bit of aquarium salt. I'll let you know if it's a miracle cure. One thing ... don't know if anyone else has already suggested it but I'm having the same issue as you in that my water readings are all fine but he's got pretty agressive fin and tail rot. My theory is that he may be injuring himself on somthing in the tank and thats when the fungus or bacteria set in. Mine's a really active little guy and does a lot of playing with his statue, fighting with the water pump and sleeping up against the filter which sucks his fins through (God only knows why) so just thinking that might be something to look at. Maybe we both have self-harming bettas?

Hey Vice- those are th three "old faithful" aquarium/aquaculture drugs. Been around a long time!

[Saltypuppy]

Originally Posted by adadkins1

Mine is still the same, he will do good for so long then relapse and recover. Repeat. Hopefully he will get over it sometime.

Saltypuppy, the only thing that I see wrong is that you have been dosing med for a long time. This can be highly problematic because the meds are just like with humans. If you keep using medicines on people, sooner or later the "bug" is going to become resistant to the meds. On top of this, clean water does not cause stress or any other side effect that medicines could. Have you ever laid off the meds for a week? What was his reaction? I just don't want you to end up with a drug resistant strain...that is if it isn't already resistant.

Oh for sure. I don't really use meds. I used Melafix once before and it worked. Than he was healing for a couple months... really slow. but Healing. Than he got bad so I decided to use it again when I had this forum up. he has been off the Mela for a week and he is just getting worse even with the clean water. So I am kinda at a loss of what to do. This stuff is a therapudic method, not saying it won't cause stress. I guess at this point I just want to kill whatever is making the fin rot come back.

[Vice]

Ok so up to day 4 of treating with Multi Cure, aquarium salt and 1/5 of the recommended dose of MelaFix. I did a 50% water change yesterday and just added half of all the meds I added the first time to the new water. I'm gonna keep doing this for 9 days (changing 50% of water and re-dosing every 3 days). Then I'll give him a week off the meds but still use the MelaFix and salt to help with re-growth. I'm pretty sure it's working. He's def. not getting any worse and he's not clamping his fins as much or scratching. I'll keep you updated on his progress.

Don't know if it helps Saltypuppy, but when I spoke to my local aquarium they said that although MelaFix is good as a preventative and to aid healing from injuries etc. it probably won't be enough to kill the fungal / bacterial infection. That's why I started him on the Multi Cure.

When I've finished using the meds I'm also planning on adding an Anubis plant to improve water quality (he's got silk plants at the moment). Does anyone know if I can still use the MelaFix and salt after I introduce the plant or will they damage it?

[Shadey]

Both should be okay for plants. Melafix = melaleuca = tea tree oil, basically. And the salt ought to be alright since you're not using a ton of it long term or anything.

Good luck!

[siva]

No, I would definitely avoid adding plants until salt treatment is over.

Using multi cure, melafix and salt at the same time is not a good idea. Mixing too many treatments at once will usually do more harm than good. Also keep in mind afer 11 days the fish is suffering organ damage from the salt. I never keep salt in a tank for long than that unless I absolutely have to. A stronger treatment should be used once salt and melafix have been ineffective, so they should no longer be in the tank.

Saltypuppy - This is what I would do if these were my fish: If you've done a few pwc's since your nitrates tested high a short time ago, they should be in control by now. As long as the bettas aren't getting worse, I would continue to do two 50% water changes a week for the next month to keep the water prestine. If at the end of one month in perfect conditions, they show no re-growth, and you still feel certain they aren't nipping at themselves, I would begin a melafix and pimafix combo treatment. If that doesn't work, it's probably time to get a perscription for tetracycline.

[adadkins1]

+1 siva

I do not advocate the use of meds with any illness unless it is severe or cannot be remedied naturally. I am just keeping my bettas water pristine and I may add salt if it re occurs. I know how upsetting it is to watch him lose half of his fin, but meds are obvioulsy not the answer. I used Maracyn 2 when my betta first got fin rot and if it has come back, that just shows that sometimes patience is needed to cure a disease.

[Saltypuppy]

Originally Posted by siva

No, I would definitely avoid adding plants until salt treatment is over.

Using multi cure, melafix and salt at the same time is not a good idea. Mixing too many treatments at once will usually do more harm than good. Also keep in mind afer 11 days the fish is suffering organ damage from the salt. I never keep salt in a tank for long than that unless I absolutely have to. A stronger treatment should be used once salt and melafix have been ineffective, so they should no longer be in the tank.

Saltypuppy - This is what I would do if these were my fish: If you've done a few pwc's since your nitrates tested high a short time ago, they should be in control by now. As long as the bettas aren't getting worse, I would continue to do two 50% water changes a week for the next month to keep the water prestine. If at the end of one month in perfect conditions, they show no re-growth, and you still feel certain they aren't nipping at themselves, I would begin a melafix and pimafix combo treatment. If that doesn't work, it's probably time to get a perscription for tetracycline.

Yup thats what I planned on. What if he does heal but than gets damaged again? Since thats what keeps happening...