Ashpo
- #1
Hello hello! I hate to be one of THOSE people who posts in fish disease as their first post, but I wanted some 2nd and 3rd opinions as I've never had a problem like this before. I'm not a newbie betta or fish keeper, mostly have been self taught and have always wound up in this forum (and some others) lurking and reading about something or another. Sorry for HUGE wall of text, I'm going to try to be as detailed as possible, pics down below.
So I've been having a slow creeping fin rot problem with one of my female bettas. Her 2.5 gal filter was fully cycled (have the apI master kit) fishless cycled beforehand. 77F stable +/- 1 degree, my water's ph doesn't fluctuate much even after gassing out or the fish living in it, stays right near 7ish. It started showing up as slightly raggedy fins maybe 2 months ago? Started seeing in her top fin first. I don't have any pictures from when her fins were perfect. I'll admit I wasn't vacuuming the gravel out like I should, I was just doing half water changes weekly with prime and the nitrates would barely register even then (yes I shake the heck out of solution 2). Then found to my HORROR that the suction cups on the small world filter were flaking. so:
-Tore down all the gravel, took out filter, bleached everything out, and just left a silk plant and house and started keeping the water very clean (full change every 2 days) with bettafix added. No improvement after a few weeks, fins still shrinking. Bottom fin started to show rot.
-decided to treat with HikarI Betta Revive in floating container for 7 days. Daily nearly full water changes. No improvement. Left her in clean tank, possibly with a pinch of salt for...I'd say 5 or 6 days?
-Got frustrated and got maracyn 2 (prob around march 23?). Mardels website advised that you premix 10 parts of solution to get 10x 1 gallon measurements of medicine (now premixing just sounds like bad advice but I didn't think anything of it at the time) and dosed daily for 5 days. I'm pretty sure I did a couple of 25% water changes inbetween, right before I dosed fresh meds.
-still no improvement/change so got maracyn 1 and dosed together with maracyn 2 for 5 days, total 10 days. still no improvement, so flushed tank out and left water fresh on 4/6 (cant remember if I added salt). Cleaning water and scrubbing tank down under sink every other to 2 days approx. I left her in clean water no meds for longer this time.
-Got Kanaplex and some minI catappa leaves from Sungrow in the mail since my store doesn't carry just in case, was teetering between dosing furan 2 or kanaplex. after a couple of days and finally getting worried that this rot is going to get too close to her body dosed first dose of kana for 2.5 gals. That was 4/15.
4/17 performed 25% water change and dosed fresh kana. According to seachem after 48 hrs kana isn't effective in the water anymore so figured a fresh water change wouldnt hurt.
CURRENTLY She's due for her 3rd kanaplex dose, acting completely normal, very healthy appetite, still jumping for her food but I haven't seen any change in her fins. My question is...do I keep going? Can I dose furan and kana together this time? then dose her to furan only? does she need a break since kana's hard on the fish if overused? Do I throw some of these minI catappa leaves in the tank? The tank needs a good full scrubbing again, the water is a bit cloudy and there's some clear fuzz growing on the airline and airstone I have going in there. Can I do this safely at this time with one dose to go?
I can pickup things like triple sulfa, fungus cure, maracyn oxy, maracyn plus easily. Methylene blue I know where to get but its a bit out of the way. I want to do right by her, she was already rescued once before by bettafix and clean water alone.
First day of kanaplex, potato pic:

Currently no change:

So I've been having a slow creeping fin rot problem with one of my female bettas. Her 2.5 gal filter was fully cycled (have the apI master kit) fishless cycled beforehand. 77F stable +/- 1 degree, my water's ph doesn't fluctuate much even after gassing out or the fish living in it, stays right near 7ish. It started showing up as slightly raggedy fins maybe 2 months ago? Started seeing in her top fin first. I don't have any pictures from when her fins were perfect. I'll admit I wasn't vacuuming the gravel out like I should, I was just doing half water changes weekly with prime and the nitrates would barely register even then (yes I shake the heck out of solution 2). Then found to my HORROR that the suction cups on the small world filter were flaking. so:
-Tore down all the gravel, took out filter, bleached everything out, and just left a silk plant and house and started keeping the water very clean (full change every 2 days) with bettafix added. No improvement after a few weeks, fins still shrinking. Bottom fin started to show rot.
-decided to treat with HikarI Betta Revive in floating container for 7 days. Daily nearly full water changes. No improvement. Left her in clean tank, possibly with a pinch of salt for...I'd say 5 or 6 days?
-Got frustrated and got maracyn 2 (prob around march 23?). Mardels website advised that you premix 10 parts of solution to get 10x 1 gallon measurements of medicine (now premixing just sounds like bad advice but I didn't think anything of it at the time) and dosed daily for 5 days. I'm pretty sure I did a couple of 25% water changes inbetween, right before I dosed fresh meds.
-still no improvement/change so got maracyn 1 and dosed together with maracyn 2 for 5 days, total 10 days. still no improvement, so flushed tank out and left water fresh on 4/6 (cant remember if I added salt). Cleaning water and scrubbing tank down under sink every other to 2 days approx. I left her in clean water no meds for longer this time.
-Got Kanaplex and some minI catappa leaves from Sungrow in the mail since my store doesn't carry just in case, was teetering between dosing furan 2 or kanaplex. after a couple of days and finally getting worried that this rot is going to get too close to her body dosed first dose of kana for 2.5 gals. That was 4/15.
4/17 performed 25% water change and dosed fresh kana. According to seachem after 48 hrs kana isn't effective in the water anymore so figured a fresh water change wouldnt hurt.
CURRENTLY She's due for her 3rd kanaplex dose, acting completely normal, very healthy appetite, still jumping for her food but I haven't seen any change in her fins. My question is...do I keep going? Can I dose furan and kana together this time? then dose her to furan only? does she need a break since kana's hard on the fish if overused? Do I throw some of these minI catappa leaves in the tank? The tank needs a good full scrubbing again, the water is a bit cloudy and there's some clear fuzz growing on the airline and airstone I have going in there. Can I do this safely at this time with one dose to go?
I can pickup things like triple sulfa, fungus cure, maracyn oxy, maracyn plus easily. Methylene blue I know where to get but its a bit out of the way. I want to do right by her, she was already rescued once before by bettafix and clean water alone.
First day of kanaplex, potato pic:

Currently no change:
