Emergency: Betta with Parasites? Open wound getting worse.

[Mkm817]

Hello everyone! So I have been struggling with one of my tanks since I first got it running. A few weeks ago I noticed small bumps on my bettas fins. They went away for a little while then came back. I noticed he also started to have trouble eating and his fins are a little bit clamped. I treated with aquarium salt (2 tbsp in my 6 gallon) and am not seeing any improvement. I also noticed how he has a bump forming above his tail, which now looks like an open wound. No one was able to help identify the bumps on the fins, so I figured aquarium salt would be a general help. I’ll attach pics of everything, but I really really need advice. I don’t know what to use to treat. I have ~20 red cherry shrimp and 3 nerites in the tank as well as my betta. I’m going to attach a filled out copy of the emergency chart too.

Tank
What is the water volume of the tank? 6 gallon
How long has the tank been running? 7 months
Does it have a filter? Yes
Does it have a heater? Yes
What is the water temperature? 79.8
What is the entire stocking of this tank? Male betta, ~20 red cherry shrimp, three nerite snails

Maintenance
How often do you change the water? Once a week
How much of the water do you change? 30% (2 gallons)
What do you use to treat your water? I use RO water and salty shrimp mineral to add minerals
Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? I use a gravel vacuum

*Parameters - Very Important
Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? Yes
What do you use to test the water? API test kit (drops)
What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
pH: 7.2-7.4

Feeding
How often do you feed your fish? Twice a day (12 hours apart)
How much do you feed your fish? When feeding pellets I do 3 pellets per feeding. When doing frozen blood worms I do as much as they eat in 2 minutes (usually just a few good sized worms)
What brand of food do you feed your fish? Omega one frozen blood worms (not everyday, more of a treat) and omega one pellets
Do you feed frozen or freeze-dried foods?
Frozen and pellets
Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this fish? 6 months
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? 3-4 weeks (very mild at first)
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? Small bumps on fins, trouble eating, open wound, clamped fins
Have you started any treatment for the illness? Yes, I have done one aquarium salt treatment for 6 days.
Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? No
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? Yes, he’s been having trouble eating, his fins are tattered, and his fins look a little clamped.

Explain your emergency situation in detail.
(Included above)

 

[DebClem]

You have a parasites.

 

[Mkm817]

You have a parasites.

I have kanaplex, would that be a good to use? And do I need to get rid of all of the salt before using it?

 

[DebClem]

Keep the salt almost all aquariums need it some more than others. As for kanaplex I am not familiar with it. If it covers a variety of parasites it should work
Just looked up kanaplex and it is an antibiotic. You need something for parasites. I use parasite remedy by imagitarium. It may not be available in your area so look fore something that covers a broad range of parasites
Just looked up kanaplex and it is an antibiotic. You need something for parasites. I use parasite remedy by imagitarium. It may not be available in your area so look fore something that covers a broad range of parasites

 

[Mkm817]

Keep the salt almost all aquariums need it some more than others. As for kanaplex I am not familiar with it. If it covers a variety of parasites it should work

I guess kanaplex doesn’t treat parasites, more of just bacterial and fungal infections. Are there any suggestions you have for a medicine to treats parasites?

 

[Diane 007]

How did you cycle the tank? You are showing 0 for nitrates?

 

[Mkm817]

How did you cycle the tank? You are showing 0 for nitrates?

My tanks always have around 5 ppm of nitrates right after the cycle, then when I add fish it always shows none on the test. It’s something ive always been curious about and asked others but I’m not sure why.

How did you cycle the tank? You are showing 0 for nitrates?

I cycled it by adding live plants and fish food for around a month until it cycled.

 

[Mkm817]

Hello! So from my last post I have a very in depth description of what’s happening with my betta. I have been using Parasite remedy for two treatments now, and still have 1 tbsp of salt in my 6 gallon aquarium. That being said, this open wound he has has only gotten worse and I’m very concerned. You cant tell from the pics, but it is starting to look very deep. Is there anything else I could be doing to help? He has bumps on his fins, clamped fins, trouble eating and he is in a tank with RCS and 3 nerite snails.

 

[BigManAquatics]

I am not seeing a pic

 

[Mkm817]

I am not seeing a pic

 

[Mkm817]

Hello! I posted yesterday with a lot of the details of what is happening with my betta and the emergency template filled out, but to sum it up, my betta had bumps on his fins, loss of appetite, and a tiny cut above his tail. I’ve been treating with parasite remedy and 1 tbsp of aquarium salt for my 6 gallon. I forgot to attach pictures to my last post, but it has gotten even worse over the past day. I really really need help. What would be the best way to stop this cut from getting bigger, and is it the parasites that are causing it to grow? Two of the pics are from yesterday and two are from today. I’m very worried about him and not sure what to do. I have noticed that after 3/6 treatments of parasite remedy his eating has improved, but this cut just keeps getting worse.

 

[Cinabar]

What kind of parasite are you suspecting? At first glance it looks more like a bacterial infection to me.

 

[pagoda]

What ornaments/rocks are there in the aquarium?

If you have any ornaments/rocks in there with him, I would suggest that you use a finger and feel every single edge for sharpness cos that looks almost like he has been going into, out of or through something and caught his upper body and made it sore...repeating that over time would make it look very raw and remain open.

If you find sharp or rough edges...bear in mind his body is not as tough as your finger...remove the offending item and use a nailfile to smooth it down.

Daily water changes of 50% will, in time, heal things...albeit leaving a scar.

I would be more inclined to check whats in the aquarium with the positioning of that injury, before diving for the medications tbh as medications that might not be needed can do way more harm than good.

 

[Mkm817]

What kind of parasite are you suspecting? At first glance it looks more like a bacterial infection to me.

I’m not really sure what parasite. On the first forum I posted about the whole thing people were saying it seemed like he had a parasite. I’ll attach some pictures of the bumps he has on his fins. I have kanaplex, should I use that if it is bacterial?

What ornaments/rocks are there in the aquarium?

If you have any ornaments/rocks in there with him, I would suggest that you use a finger and feel every single edge for sharpness cos that looks almost like he has been going into, out of or through something and caught his upper body and made it sore...repeating that over time would make it look very raw and remain open.

If you find sharp or rough edges...bear in mind his body is not as tough as your finger...remove the offending item and use a nailfile to smooth it down.

Daily water changes of 50% will, in time, heal things...albeit leaving a scar.

I would be more inclined to check whats in the aquarium with the positioning of that injury, before diving for the medications tbh as medications that might not be needed can do way more harm than good.

All that is in the tank is live plants and a smooth piece of miopia wood. This is what the cut looked like 5 days ago. Before the cut, he had a bump on his tail but still had scales over it.

 

[Coradee]

Several threads have been merged. Members can help you best if they have all the information in one place & can see what‘s already been advised.