Serious fin rot!!! Emergency!!!!!

[Cadet328]

Alright it's now been almost a week with water changes every other day. His tail and now his top fin are slowly getting shorter and he's beginning to lose some of his color. He's still acting normal. Swimming around, very active. I'm starting to worry for my poor fish now. Help please??

I'm using Prime conditioner and aquarium salt in his water changes. I think I should start using antibiotics... Any suggestions on which ones?

 

[BettaGal]

Alright it's now been almost a week with water changes every other day. His tail and now his top fin are slowly getting shorter and he's beginning to lose some of his color. He's still acting normal. Swimming around, very active. I'm starting to worry for my poor fish now. Help please??

I'm using Prime conditioner and aquarium salt in his water changes. I think I should start using antibiotics... Any suggestions on which ones?

Can you post a picture of him today? Also, what decor is in the tank? It seems strange to me that he's acting normal, but his color is fading.

 

[Cadet328]

I had a very difficult time taking this picture... He would not sit still!!! He used to be a very vibrant red and now he's sort of become a pale red/orange with some odd purple highlights when the light hits him right. The picture doesn't show it well but he's got white fuzz on his tail from the fin rot. He's got two silk plants, a plastic Squidward house to hide in, java fern, and black gravel. I thought I had been making up the color change (you know paranoid mommy and all...) but my mom even made a comment about it this afternoon.

 

[BettaGal]

View attachment 194038

I had a very difficult time taking this picture... He would not sit still!!! He used to be a very vibrant red and now he's sort of become a pale red/orange with some odd purple highlights when the light hits him right. The picture doesn't show it well but he's got white fuzz on his tail from the fin rot. He's got two silk plants, a plastic Squidward house to hide in, java fern, and black gravel. I thought I had been making up the color change (you know paranoid mommy and all...) but my mom even made a comment about it this afternoon.

Ok. It looks to me like his body color is part of what's going on with him. What does it look like to you? Fuzzy, film-like?

The tail looks like bacterial fin rot, which requires an antibiotic. Maracyn I and Maracyn II are good ones, and there's another one that is escaping my brain at this moment.

 

[Berylla]

Bi-furan, but I would try Methylene blue bath in a separate a gallon container with an airstone, changing out the water 80% a day with a redose of the blue. No filter and no heater (hey it's summer!). After 3 days, put him back in his tank that has had an 80% water change and a good vacuum. See if the fins have healed. If not, then use antibiotics. Meth blue and Bifuran can be purchased at Amazon or kensfish.com

 

[Cadet328]

Ok. It looks to me like his body color is part of what's going on with him. What does it look like to you? Fuzzy, film-like?

The tail looks like bacterial fin rot, which requires an antibiotic. Maracyn I and Maracyn II are good ones, and there's another one that is escaping my brain at this moment.

It looks just like its supposed to. I don't notice any fuzziness on his body or anything different from my other betta.. His gills have turned black over the past couple of days though. I forgot to mention that.

 

[BettaGal]

It looks just like its supposed to. I don't notice any fuzziness on his body or anything different from my other betta.. His gills have turned black over the past couple of days though. I forgot to mention that.

AHA!!

Black on the gills means ammonia is too high. Do you have a liquid test kit?

 

[Cadet328]

Ammonia is 0. I check it every other day (day after water change).

I use API master liquid test kit.

Yea I know, ammonia poisoning was my first guess too :/

 

[BettaGal]

Ammonia is 0. I check it every other day (day after water change).

I use API master liquid test kit.

Yea I know, ammonia poisoning was my first guess too :/

No offense, but your betta is making no sense. The only thing I know of that causes black gills is ammonia, which after all that food being added as you suspect, probably would be really high. The fuzzy tail needs an antibiotic, no doubt. The rest of it is baffling me. I'll have to break out the thinking hat for this guy.....

 

[Cadet328]

No offense, but your betta is making no sense. The only thing I know of that causes black gills is ammonia, which after all that food being added as you suspect, probably would be really high. The fuzzy tail needs an antibiotic, no doubt. The rest of it is baffling me. I'll have to break out the thinking hat for this guy.....

You're telling me :| I've had my female for over a year in this 2.5g and NEVER had a problem with her. I moved her into a 10 gallon and then I placed Ira in her old one. But nothing has changed. (After cleaning tank of course) Same toys, same gravel, same water treatment, same food and after two weeks everything started to go down the drain. I'm at a COMPLETE loss at what's going on.

 

[BettaGal]

You're telling me :| I've had my female for over a year in this 2.5g and NEVER had a problem with her. I moved her into a 10 gallon and then I placed Ira in her old one. But nothing has changed. (After cleaning tank of course) Same toys, same gravel, same water treatment, same food and after two weeks everything started to go down the drain. I'm at a COMPLETE loss at what's going on.

I'm consulting a friend. I'm baffled. His color isn't normal color loss. It looks to me like something going on there. Plus the gills. We'll figure it out. Eventually. But we will!!

 

[Cadet328]

Thank you bettagal I really appreciate your help!

Meanwhile, I bought a quarantine tank today (I say quarantine... He lives in the same size tank but with a ghost shrimp. I wanted to use Coppersafe again and knew the copper would kill the shrimp). Ira is now in a bare 2.5g with brand spanking new water (aged 2 days of course) with a filter. In his water is aquarium salt, Coppersafe, 5 drops of pH down, and prime water conditioner. It is Day 1 out of 5 with Maracyn and Maracyn 2 (can be used with filter) meant to treat fin/tail rot and gill disease. If I'm not happy with the results after five days, I'm going to do another 5 day round and also add tetracycline.

Does this sound like a good plan? I'm tired of owning a sick betta.

 

[20GL]

I got some very good advice on AA to give minced garlic to my betta when he had a bacterial infection and some fin rot. I gave him raw, fresh, organic minced garlic every two days for six days in addition to his food (about 2 betta pellet worth). Cleared it right up. But his fin rot was less advanced. Just thought I'd pass on the advice I got since it helped me!

 

[BettaGal]

Thank you bettagal I really appreciate your help!

Meanwhile, I bought a quarantine tank today (I say quarantine... He lives in the same size tank but with a ghost shrimp. I wanted to use Coppersafe again and knew the copper would kill the shrimp). Ira is now in a bare 2.5g with brand spanking new water (aged 2 days of course) with a filter. In his water is aquarium salt, Coppersafe, 5 drops of pH down, and prime water conditioner. It is Day 1 out of 5 with Maracyn and Maracyn 2 (can be used with filter) meant to treat fin/tail rot and gill disease. If I'm not happy with the results after five days, I'm going to do another 5 day round and also add tetracycline.

Does this sound like a good plan? I'm tired of owning a sick betta.[/QUOTE

Don't use pH down. It doesn't work long-term and all it is is acid. A stable pH is much better than "ideal" pH. I have a halfmoon doubletail plakat that lives in water with 7.6+ pH. Yours will be fine in somewhat high levels. Other than that, it looks pretty good to me. I would personally suggest that after the Coppersafe is done, leave Ira there in Coppersafe-less water for a day or two just to make absolute sure you're not transferring copper traces. Watch your salt levels that they don't unintentionally go too high.

 

[Berylla]

Why are you using coppersafe? Are you suspecting ich? Are you using I conjunction with antibiotics?

 

[Cadet328]

I got some very good advice on AA to give minced garlic to my betta when he had a bacterial infection and some fin rot. I gave him raw, fresh, organic minced garlic every two days for six days in addition to his food (about 2 betta pellet worth). Cleared it right up. But his fin rot was less advanced. Just thought I'd pass on the advice I got since it helped me!

Huh that's really interesting thanks! I'll keep that in mine if his ever happens again with less advanced fin rot

And thanks bettagal. Great advice. I'll be sure to stop using pH down in the future...

 

[Cadet328]

Why are you using coppersafe? Are you suspecting ich? Are you using I conjunction with antibiotics?

It's more of a superstition thing ha.... I have always used Coppersafe as a preventative measure. I never added it to his tank because I wanted to add ghost shrimp. Two weeks later half his tail was gone. I know it really doesn't help fin rot, but it makes me feel like I'm truly doing everything in my power to help him get well again. And it certainly doesn't hurt.

I'm adding the Coppersafe only with the water changes; its not added everyday like the antibiotics.

 

[Cadet328]

Update: I've finished the first round of medicine. His fin rot is not getting any better and he is still losing color. He isn't as active as he usually is (slimming slower) and I've tried to show in the picture his head now completely white (used to be partially white).

He hasn't eaten in the last three days. I've always stuck the tip of my finger in the water to let him know its feeding time and he swims up to it and nips it. He now completely ignores my finger. His eyes used to be completely black and now it appears to have a distinct white area around the pupil. He won't eat any food when I drop the food anyway. I'm worried he's possibly gone blind? How do you tell if a fish is blind?

Help

 

[Cadet328]

Ok scratch that.... After much begging, I finally got him to eat. His head color returned a little bit before my roommate's and my eyes, he started swimming more, and his gills have returned to the black color.

Go figure. My roommate is convinced he's a hypochondriac.

So after giving mommy a very big scare he's back to his original state. Color still not as vivid as before he got sick, gills still black, his tail shows very minimal regrowth. I'm going to continue with every other day water changes and start a second round of antibiotics with the tetracycline this time as well as the Maracyn I and II.

 

[BettaGal]

Ok scratch that.... After much begging, I finally got him to eat. His head color returned a little bit before my roommate's and my eyes, he started swimming more, and his gills have returned to the black color.

Go figure. My roommate is convinced he's a hypochondriac.

So after giving mommy a very big scare he's back to his original state. Color still not as vivid as before he got sick, gills still black, his tail shows very minimal regrowth. I'm going to continue with every other day water changes and start a second round of antibiotics with the tetracycline this time as well as the Maracyn I and II.

Sorry it took me so long. Your plan sounds fine to me. His eyes look fine to me in that picture. His color is a little concerning, but it doesn't really point to anything. I currently have a blind corydora catfish. It's very obvious when the fish is blind. Mine will repeatedly run into the walls like it can't tell they're there. If another catfish isn't there with it, it will hide in the corner and not venture out more than maybe two inches. You'll know for sure if he's blind or not.