# Fin Rot HELP!!!!



## DTetras2

I just bought my first HM and found that he developed FIN ROT on his tail!!!!! How do I cure it? He looks so sad and he doesn't move much!


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## Pandapop

My bettas have had fin-rot from time to time, and it's pretty easy to cure if you catch it in the early stages. It can be VERY deadly, if not treated.

Make sure you change the water in your bettas tank! Clean water is necessary. Depending on the size of your tank (which I'm assuming is anywhere from 5g or less), you'll need to do daily or weekly water changes to keep your fish healthy. Bettas are easily prone to develop fin-rot.

As for a medication, my personal favorite is Melafix. 
API's information on Melafix:

_"Heals open wounds & abrasions, treats fin and tail rot, eye cloud, mouth fungus and promotes regrowth of damaged fin rays & tissue. Will not adversely affect the biological filter, alter the pH, or discolor water. Safe for reef aquariums and live plants. For use in fresh or salt water."_

And it does exactly that.
You should be able to purchase this from just about any local fish or pet store.

Another thing you could do is add a little bit of aquarium salt to the tank water. This will help the healing process, as well as reduce the stress of having an illness on your betta. Salt alone will not cure fin-rot, however. It just helps in the meantime. 

Some other products you could try are:

Jungle Labs - Jungle Fungus Tablets
Maracyn I and II
Methylblue
Tetracycline

I've never used any of the above medications, other than Melafix... so I don't have any information to give you on how they work.


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## funlad3

Didn't I hear one of you Betta pros say that Melafix kills Bettas? Just asking...


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## sbetsy

Wow - really? I was under the impression that melafix was a pretty innocuous medication. I've had problems with other medicines with my fish, but never any problem with melafix. I don't keep bettas though. I have loaches, angels, tetras, raspboras, pleco, etc.


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## Pandapop

Since when does Melafix kill bettas? 
I've been using it for a long time, and it works wonders.


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## emc7

melafix is oily, so it can be bad for the air-breathing labyrinth organ when the fish gulps air at the surface. People say use a half dose or use bettafix instead.


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## Chard56

*Melafix and Bettafix*

I have used it in the past and my Bettas died shortly after treatment. I don't trust it enough to try it half dose. There was a discussion on Yahoo answers and a couple different forums and a lot of people said that medication killed their Bettas. I use salt and tetracycline. I've used ampicylin with poor results. Jungle fungus guard works after a while if you catch it early. I had a big Copper CT in the back row on a shelf of 50 or so and while feeding I noticed he didn't come up to eat. I pulled his 3 litre bottle up and he was covered head to toe (or tail) with white wispy fungus. I treated him with a half teaspoon of salt and sprinkled a little tetracycline in the water. The next day the fungus just sloughed off along with the tips of his fins. He still hasn't grown the tips back all the way but I spawned him with a Gold CT female 2 weeks ago and wouldn't have been able to with some other medication.


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## Pandapop

That's really strange... I've been using Melafix for a long time, as I mentioned before. In fact, Melafix is what saved my SDT Betta "Mushu" from severe fin-rot. He almost literally had no fins left. Melafix cured that, and he's got his full length back... although his fins are a whitish/clear color where the rust-red used to be. But, that happens when fish recover from fin-rot. 

During a huge betta fight in my 20g High almost a year ago (NEVER use Tom's Betta Dividers! NEVER.), three of my bettas were bit up by the others, and developed a fungus around the wounds. Pimafix cured that. That day was catastrophic...


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## Bettawhisperer

Melafix is very toxic to Betta. I would never use it but if you do them use a very small dose of it.


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## funlad3

Well, I'm glad I caught this then!


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## DTetras2

Well, I tried a method I read online saying to "paint" hydrogen peroxide on the fins with the fin rot and it deffinitely seems to be helping My betta's moving around a lot more, his colors are more vibrant, and he's actually eating (which he wasn't doing before)! He'll only eat freeze-dried bloodworms, but I feel that when he's completely healed, he'll start eating flakefood Another question, where do you get indian almond leaves because I hear that really calms down new bettas Here's the link I got this information from, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!!
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/146760/how_to_cure_fin_or_tail_rot_on_your.html


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## Flare

I'm glad he's feeling better! I've found that the best treatment for finrot is simply clean water, epsom salt (1tsp/gallon), some indian almond leaves/oak leaves/black water extract/betta spa (whatever is easiest for you to obtain, and a high protien diet. 

The clean water and salt help to fight off infection and prevent new infections, the leaves help to boost the immune system and the high protien diet assists in new tail growth! Good luck!


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## BettaFriend

I hope we now all know that MelaFix, BettaFix, PrimaFix, and anything else ending with Fix, or with the active ingrediant melaleuca shouldn't be used as treatment to bettas. As it can be very harmful and doesn't help sever cases of anything. For Finrot treatment, use water changes.


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