As the fin rot heals, I've got a question

So, there's this one place on one of Ricktavious' fin that looks like it's trying to heal, but it is baggy/stretched out and transparent and a very, very thin layer. He did have a hole in his fin in this area. The hole does appear to be filled by now, but considering the transparency, it is hard to tell. Does this sound normal?

 

I'm as sure as I can without a pic that it is normal.. it sounds like regrowth.. it often starts out transparent and the color will follow.

 

That's what I was almost sure of........do I need to keep medicating with the triple sulfa until it looks 100% healed?

 

i'd do 2 courses of it unless it looked real bad.

 

Sounds normal to me... The color should show up on the clear fins within a couple days, unless that area was clear before (like parts of Romeo's fins are normally transparent). Make sure you keep up on his water changes and he should be fine.

 

Hey guys, thanks for the answers. The one thing that makes me a bit confused isn't neccesarily the transparent part (which, is improving BTW), but how the tissue is baggy, like it's been stretched out or something. It's never been like that before. Whatever it is, doesn't seem to bother him.

 

The stretchy looking stuff is dead tissue. That's what the parts of Rocky's fins looked like too just before they fell off.

 

Here are some pics of Cujo recovering from fin rot. You can see at the end of his tail how the fin looks different from what is closer to his body. This is what I imagine when you say 'stretchy.' If this is the case then it is just how the new growth is coming in when it starts to get some color and I would disagree with it being dead tissue. I hope the meds are working for him, and his rot is halted...

 

The stretchy tissue I'm talking about doesn't look like that. It's semi-transparent and looks like it's rotting or melting. It's flimsy and balloon-like. That tissue is dead or dying and will fall off.

 

Here are some pics of Cujo recovering from fin rot. You can see at the end of his tail how the fin looks different from what is closer to his body. This is what I imagine when you say 'stretchy.' If this is the case then it is just how the new growth is coming in when it starts to get some color and I would disagree with it being dead tissue. I hope the meds are working for him, and his rot is halted...

Jendayi...................Cujo is looking really great............congratulations!!! Val

 

Aww thank you so much! But those pics were from the beginning of July, and he relapsed and lost all of the new growth plus a lot more. I was so hopeful that the triple sulfa had it beat, and he went for about three weeks with just daily water changes and vita chem. So at least he had a short break in between rounds of meds... He's been on ampicillin for almost 2 weeks now and I'm afraid to take him off of it, as usual. He responds so well and heals so fast while he's on the meds, but then it all goes to **** when he comes off again.

Sorry Rick - I don't want to discourage you! Cujo has been an extremely difficult case to cure. I think you will have a lot more luck than me lol...

 

The stretchy tissue I'm talking about doesn't look like that. It's semi-transparent and looks like it's rotting or melting. It's flimsy and balloon-like. That tissue is dead or dying and will fall off.

Yes, that is it......and this has continued even through the medication ??? He is still swimming, active, eating, and making (or trying to, anyways) bubble nests. Is this a cause for concern? What could I give to help everything grow the way it should? Vita-chem perhaps?

 

Definitely.. we have 2 big bottles of the vitachem in our fish cabinet and love the stuff.. it's done amazing work on healing lost finnage with the bettas and seems to have improved the overall health of all of our fish.

 

The stretchy tissue I'm talking about doesn't look like that. It's semi-transparent and looks like it's rotting or melting. It's flimsy and balloon-like. That tissue is dead or dying and will fall off.

What can I expect to happen when the tissue falls off? Will regular treatment and a healthy diet promote it to grow back? How long is the "standard" recovery time (though, one thing I've learned for sure here, there is no such thing as "standard" when it comes to bettas )? Thank you.

 

Vitamins will helps it grow back faster. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months! It takes a lot of patience.

 

He's got some vitamins and a few other things that should help coming in for him.

Of course, a big concern is, will he be comfortable and still be happy?

 

yes.. they can be happy little fish while a fin heals.. our little female Sweetie was a happy girl when she was missing a pectoral fin and most of her analfin. Clean water, food and a lot of attention from us is what I think makes them happy, then the treatment you're doing will take care of restoring his fins.

 

yes.. they can be happy little fish while a fin heals.. our little female Sweetie was a happy girl when she was missing a pectoral fin and most of her analfin. Clean water, food and a lot of attention from us is what I think makes them happy, then the treatment you're doing will take care of restoring his fins.

That's great to hear.....he still seems to be very happy in his tank and his fin loss is not as much a % as Sweetie had. Just can't wait for that order I placed at the drfostersmith site to get here so everything can heal ASAP!

 

yes.. they can be happy little fish while a fin heals.. our little female Sweetie was a happy girl when she was missing a pectoral fin and most of her analfin. Clean water, food and a lot of attention from us is what I think makes them happy, then the treatment you're doing will take care of restoring his fins.

That's great to hear.....he still seems to be very happy in his tank and his fin loss is not as much a % as Sweetie had. Just can't wait for that order I placed at the drfostersmith site to get here so everything can heal ASAP!

lol.. we're always looking forward to the next order too.. got one yesterday and placing a new order tonight. I think fin loss bothers us more than them in a way.. they're such little tough guys. Even our special needs Betta Teddy Bear takes his disability in stride and is a happy Betta with his tank setup just right for him now.

 

Mine don't seem to realize when they are having bad fin days. They seem just as active and mischievous as ever. I'm glad it doesn't really bother them too much since mine seem to be chronic with it.

 

Mine don't seem to realize when they are having bad fin days. They seem just as active and mischievous as ever. I'm glad it doesn't really bother them too much since mine seem to be chronic with it.

yea.. and they love any extra fuss we make over them.

 

Hmmmmm....if it doesn't bother them, maybe it's all just an elaborate scheme for more attention It's great to hear that he'll still be the same little guy!

 

Mine don't seem to realize when they are having bad fin days. They seem just as active and mischievous as ever. I'm glad it doesn't really bother them too much since mine seem to be chronic with it.

I agree 100%. Seems Storm doesn't go for too long without some little hole or tear here and there; and Neptune blows a bit of fin every now and then. But they never act "sick" and in fact seem to relish in the attention, so you could be onto something, Rick. The only time since Storm rose from the dead that I have seen him a little disgusted with me and gave me the evil eye, was when I recently had him on a course of Maracyn TC tetracycline, which turned his water a rusty colour and made this icky foam on the top of the water. But when I spent time with him, fed him, he just sucked in the attention., and I knew he forgave me, however momentarily!!!

His water has since been changed and is once more pristine, and tho one hole is now a little slit in the middle of the tail he just carries on. After 3 days off meds, I started him on Maracyn plus today, along with Vita Chem and Kordon's "Fish Protector" which has echinacea in it. On the bright side, It gives us both more interactive time and always a laugh!

Don't give up and try not to get too frustrated...if all else appears normal, your fish will still be happy and fun to have.
Treasure every minute and every smile he brings.............cuz they seem to have an unending supply!!

Val

 

Now that is almost poetic, it is so beautiful to think of. Yes, they do have an unending supply. Nate is still fighting a bad fin day after day after day after month, and he is entirely unaware of his ungainly appearance. He does the betta dance for me two times or more a day and seems to be one of the happiest bettas I have.

Thank you for the brightness that brought to my life.

Rose

 

LOL.. our little Angel has played sick fishie before when she felt neglected during the weekend of the betta show. you had a little betta that put on an act too, didn't you Rose?