# Betta friends come hither! I need help diagnosing and treating (pics inc).



## FRIENDLYFISHIES (Aug 7, 2012)

I posted in general as I thought maybe more betta friends and fish friends in general would see it and help me asap. 

Moonie, or Pho Phan which ever you remember him by is having some real issues. 

So ive been posting off and on about Pho Phan my double tail halfmoon bettas tail and fins..wondering if it was fin rot or nipping...well im guessing it was fin rot and if im on the right track id say its advanced unless its something different. Yesterday AM his dorsal fin appeared to be melting away in strings and it looked like there was white fuzz specs on what was remaining. Now this AM he has a fairly good sized white patch on his rear right hand side but on his body...I cant tell for sure, it doesnt look fuzzy just white. Hes still active and eating and it does not appear to be getting worse today. I would like to know what it is and how to treat it?? 


As of yesterday AM he has been in a hospital tank with almost a tablespoon of AQ salt, stress coat, heater and IAL *indian almond leaves*
He will be getting a 100% water change this afternoon. 

My other big fear is if my other betta's will catch it if its catchy! I have been careful but their tanks are side by side so when I do my water changes im positive water goes in the other tanks. As a precaution ive been adding a tiny bit of AQ salt to their tanks and my plakat will be switching tanks either today or tomorrow (to a 5 gal). 

Please help me diagnose and treat Pho Phan! (and the other tanks if necessary)

The other meds asside from AQ salt that I have are premafix, melafix, coppersafe, maracyn oxy, parashield, jungle fungus fizz tabs. I wouldnt dare use these until I found out from you guys if I should or not as I know meds can be harmful to bettas especially the pemafix and melafix, they can damage the labyrinth organ (which makes it possible for bettas to breath surface air)...but if im diagnosing and treating wrong id like to change what im doing ASAP before anything gets worse. 

Also I dont think its itch, but I dont know asside from flukes what itch might look like..he hasnt shown any symptoms of darting/rubbing/flashing and breathing seems fine. 

Before hospital tank
Housing -
What size is your tank? 3 gal
What temperature is your tank? 78-80
Does your tank have a filter? yes it was baffled
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated? yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? abubias/java

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? omega 1
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2 pellets once daily

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? 50% every other day
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? stress coat

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
pH: 8.0-8.2
Hardness: ?
Alkalinity: ?

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? loss of dorsal fin, white patch, maybe fungus?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? a bit lethargic but still curious and hungry
When did you start noticing the symptoms? If it turns out to be rot its been about 1 month if its something else, yesterday AM
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? yesterday AM- Hospital tank, 1.5 gal, tbsp AQ salt, 100% water change, stress coat, heat, IAL 
Does your fish have any history of being ill? no he was perfect when I got him at the petstore! 
How old is your fish (approximately)? 1 yr +


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## FRIENDLYFISHIES (Aug 7, 2012)

any thoughts/ideas?


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## kcrunch (Aug 17, 2012)

Dont waste time trying to diagnose the ailment, get some mela-fix it will assist with external and internal bacterial type infections. I would also treat the main tank as well seeing as thats where his major time was spent.

I read some where that tying to diagnose the problem instead of attempting cure can cause you more stock loss and is regrettable after looking back


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## FRIENDLYFISHIES (Aug 7, 2012)

Should I do the melafix or the maracyn? Maracyn seem to cover fin/tail rot and discoloration on the body and I think it may be gentler on the betta? or should I just stick with the melafix? I dont know how he'll like the air stone, but its worth a try. Can I use it along with the AQ salt?


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

I treated my betta once with bettafix which is a less powerful version of melafix I believe. I used it alongside with aquarium salt so I think that should work out for you as well (medicine and salt mix). I kept the surface agitaded by having the filter drip watr into the hospital tank from high up.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

Do not use any of the "fixs". They are snake oil. Try some broad spectrum antibiotic.


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## FRIENDLYFISHIES (Aug 7, 2012)

Do you have any names for product bettaman? I wouldn't know what to look for?


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## FRIENDLYFISHIES (Aug 7, 2012)

Bettaguy how long did you treat for? What was the outcome? I dont think my store carries it :/


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

the fixes are tea tree oil. A natural antiseptic, but an oily one, so you can hurt a betta if the dose is too high. Some betta people won't use them or will use only a partial dose.


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

The thing is my betta turned out not to have fin rot (according to people judging the pictures I uploaded). I had him in the hospital tank with it for a week though at the recommended dose with aquarium salt and no harm was done. I just posted it to say that it wont harm your betta. If you live in america its easy to order online, but maybe you should get a medicine that other people now will work on a betta instead of one that wont harm your betta but might not treat it. On the box it says that it heals damaged skin and fins, your betta looks to have some sort of fungus as well. I don't know how to treat that, sorry. I hope he gets better.


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

This is what my betta looked like. I thought he had it because the fins were brown on the tips. People said it was a minor case of finrot if a case at all. He doesn't have the tips anymore so maybe the treatment of aquarium salt and bettafix did work


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## kcrunch (Aug 17, 2012)

No fake fixes by the time you continue to do noting or misdiagnose and mistreat the problem it will only get worse. I am telling you dont wait you will only lose the current fish you have and also make the environment for any future hosts bad. You cant keep playing around if you have an illness that is or can be treated. Do some research, these meds I recommend are great products and come highly recommended by aquarist in the hobby for a very long time. AQ salt will only prevent or slow a fresh water borne infection but it will not treat it. An internal issue will not or may not show until the fish in is very ill repair and on its death-bed which is what you are trying to avoid. It is ver rare that only one fish is infected treat the main tank as well as the fish showing signs of illness.


mela-fix
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.


Pima-fix
Medications

Treats fungal infections and both internal and external bacterial infections. 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. PimaFix has been formulated to work in combination with Melafix to enhance effectiveness against fish diseases.


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

Aquarium salt is a great addition. Even if it only slows down the process of the infection that gives you more time to treat it. I would also strongly advice against using medication in the bettas tank. I would advice to move him into a hospital tank even if the medicine is safe for plants as you want a clean environment.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

You never treat the main tank except in a few rare exceptions. A little aquarium salt is good to keep in with bettas at all times. Betta guy, if you look at how to treat fin rot, the main thing people will tell you is clean and warm water. I am guessing your betta had both of those during its case of fin rot. Those alone are often enough to treat fin rot. The fixs are snake oil, and have never successfully treated fin rot with my bettas even when I used melafix. I would treat fin rot with methylene blue and lots of light. I put my betta by the window, and 8 hours later, his fin rot had disappeared completely. Loha, have you ever heard the word sarcasm? If you haven't noticed, I use it a lot when people annoy me.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

lohachata said:


> hmmmmmmmm...do i really annoy you....or are you annoyed because you really don't know as much as you pretend to know....


Sounds like you think you know a thing or two, maybe even three if your lucky. I don't know what your problem is, but I bet it's hard to pronounce. For the record, I may not have kept bettas very long, but at least I know enough to be able to help with the basics and a ways up.


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## FRIENDLYFISHIES (Aug 7, 2012)

boys boys ...its all okay...everyone treats differently and has experience with all kinds of things when it comes to fish and different types. I know when it comes to bettas their are diff methods than typical fish but I know you can techinically use the fix's, they can be harmful but like loha said you can use an airstone...however it is def more risky for bettas..thats why i was asking what I could use to treat if I need to but didnt want to make a mistake of diagnosing wrong and treating incorrectly. I was pretty jumpy at first as I could put a finger on what he had and thought maybe someone had delt with something similiar. 

As far as an update goes. Pho Phan *knock on wood* appears to be doing fantastic and im crossing my fingers it continues going this well  

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the help. No need to fuss  you all have something great to bring to the table.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

finrot is often a fish specific illness as are pop-eye and cloudy eye. Unless you have multiple affected fish, the main tank should get clean water, but treat the fish in hospital tank. For Ich, columnaris and other really contagious illnesses, I would either treat the whole tank or treat the fish in QT and bleach the main tank.

It does seem like bettas seem esp. prone to fin issues.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

Jemma ; i apologize for my actions.i really should know better..i will make sure to not let this happen again..


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