Fin Rot on Betta

Um-- I think my new betta might have fin rot. His tail is a little ragged. It doesn't look bad, but it sI a little shredded. Any suggestions? I'll post a pic when I get home from work. He is my office fishy-- don't worry, he is in an aquarium with a heater and filter, not a bowl.

 

You can try bumping up water changes. Extra clean water can really help him heal. If his tail doesn't start to heal, try some meds like Maracyn I and II together to help keep infection at bay. Is the tank cycled?

 

All of my levels are reading A-OK, so I assume it is cycled. The PH is a little high so I think that I am going to do a partial change today. I don't like to use PH chemicals. I am using BettaFix on him right now. How long until I see a change???

 

hows your betta doing? any better yet? I have some fish with fin rot at the mo and the meds seem to have halted it from getting worse, but i'm not seeing signs of repair yet. stick with it! keep us updated...hope he's getting better
Tan

 

Well, I got some new meds-- Ampicillin. He is supposed to eat it, but he wont, so I have to cover his Betta Pellets in it, and then he eats it. He is acting fine, so I don't think that he feels too awful bad. But in 2 more days the meds will be over-- and hopefully he will start to heal soon.

 

Well, I got some new meds-- Ampicillin.  He is supposed to eat it, but he wont, so I have to cover his Betta Pellets in it, and then he eats it.  He is acting fine, so I don't think that he feels too awful bad.  But in 2 more days the meds will be over-- and hopefully he will start to heal soon.

glad to hear he's on the mend. good luck. tan

 

Thanks-- we appreciate it.

 

How is he doing today? Any change in his fins? worse, better, white regrowth? Hope he's showing visible signs of improvement already, that would be great.

 

I can't tell yet. I think he is going t be fine. I guess I just have to wait and see. He eats like a pig, and swims all around- so??

 

I can't tell yet. I think he is going t be fine. I guess I just have to wait and see. He eats like a pig, and swims all around- so??

That's always a good thing. They're tough fighters and I think he's well on his way to restored fins & good health.

 

HI guys. today before I went to school, I notice that my betta Miyavi's finns were starting to decay on his tail. He had that since yesterday and I believe because the past few days, it has been very cold in my place. This morning when I checked the temp, it was already at 67 F. IT was 67 F yesterday and then I did a quick water change to raise it back up. I guess overnight it went back down and I belive it was due to the temps going up and down dramatically. The tank heater is on, but I just don't understand why it does that. Can someone help? He lives in a 2 gallon hex BTW. Since I had him in August of this year, I never had this problem.



Thanks

 

He is undoubtedly stressed. I believe it's near impossible to properly regulate temp in such a small tank. Even if you could up him to a 5 gallon, you have a better chance of having a heater that actually works the way it's supposed to. The small heaters are prone to malfunction, from what I've experienced. And 67 degrees is way too cold for a betta.

I would get a larger tank and a better heater.

Give him some Stresscoat and soak his food in Garlic Guard to help build his immune system.

 

What kind of heater do you have?

 

It's called a minI hydro heater.

Where do I get Garlic guard?

And another thing, This morning after my mom went to work I put blankets on him to go up a little and the temperature were back to around between 80-89 F.. I think the heater is dead..

 

So, you can't adjust the temperature, right? That's never a good thing, in my opinion.

Here's a little tidbit from a review on Amazon:

I bought these for my 2.5gallon killifish tanks. These heaters take up very little space in the small tanks, since they are flat.

But be aware that these heaters don't have temperature controls, so the water temperature will change when the room temperature changes. My tank temperature ranged from 92F to 70F with the heater plugged in from May to December. I had to unplug the heaters on very hot days. It seems that these heater will raise the water temperature in a 2.5gallon thank by 8 to10F over the room temperature.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think this heater is the root of your problem. If it's not going to be consistent, it could be dangerous for your fish. Fish are very sensitive to rapid changes in temperature and pH.

Your lfs might carry Garlic Guard. That's where I got ours.

 

As lynda said, it is very important to have control over the temperature.

 

I mind as well get a better heater and upgrade. MysvI doesn't deserve to be sick like that.. >< I just do aa water change until I get the treatment and things..

 

I think Barbossa has beginning fin rot... pretty mild right now, but I want to fix it asap. Best suggestions? I heard on one website to do a 100% water change, keep temps 76-78F (could be remembering those #s wrong), and add aquarium salt, then keep changing the water and doing the salt treatment for about 7 days. They suggested 100% WCs like every day, though, and the idea of a 100% freaks me out a bit after being on here and people saying it'll get rid of BB, and will basically do more harm than good. :/ What is the best way to get Barbossa's fins healing asap?

I just read something else saying salt is a really bad idea. Ugh. Too many mixed messages.

 

HI and welcome, all my tanks (I have about 8 betta tanks) get a pinch of aquarium salt (not marine and not table salt) every other water change. I change 50% once a week and each tank also has an Indian Almond Leaf (IAL).
It is a known fact that salt does keep fungus away from fish (saltwater fish rarely have fungus) and there are also bacterial and fungal benefits to the IAL.
I have only had bettas for about a year but in that year, I had many issues with my betta. However, after I implemented the IAL and pinch of salt, I have not had any finrot or bacterial infections.
This has worked for me and let me add that I don't like 100% changes-unless the tank is tiny. The good/beneficial bacteria does not concentrate in the water but in the filter and on ornaments. I am assuming your betta has a filter and that is where most of the "good" bacteria lives.
My tanks are 5 gallon tanks and so I change 2.5 gallons once a week-at this time none show any signs of fin rot but if they did, I would amp up the changes as clean water is really the best medicine!
Good luck and treat it early!

 

It's possible the site that recommended 100% water changes was talking about bettas in a bowl, where the lack of cycle/beneficial bacteria would make 100% the best option. If your tank is fully cycled, then I would instead recommend 50-75% water changes. I have not used salt for fin rot so I can't advise on that. The most important thing when dealing with fin rot is to have pristine water conditions, so the daily water changes are the most important thing right now. Depending on the severity of the fin rot you might medicate as well or just give the clean water for a few days to see if it works.

 

It's possible the site that recommended 100% water changes was talking about bettas in a bowl, where the lack of cycle/beneficial bacteria would make 100% the best option. If your tank is fully cycled, then I would instead recommend 50-75% water changes. I have not used salt for fin rot so I can't advise on that. The most important thing when dealing with fin rot is to have pristine water conditions, so the daily water changes are the most important thing right now. Depending on the severity of the fin rot you might medicate as well or just give the clean water for a few days to see if it works.

What kind of medicine should I use if I go down that path?

 

poeticinjustices this has your name all over it

 

For finrot I'm a big fan of pristine water, Garlic Guard (or garlic juice) and Vita-Chem. Garlic Guard and Vita-Chem can be added directly to the tank, as well you can soak the fish food in it also.

100% water changes should not be necessary, but you really want to make sure your ammonia and nitrite levels are 0ppm and try to keep nitrates low.

 

I agree with jdhef - don't medicate if you don't have to. If you've had the betta for awhile and he has been otherwise healthy, just give him what he needs to fight it himself. Garlic, VitaChem, I use all of these things regularly. As well as Kordon's Fish Protector in the water. And my other fish look great and heal quickly.

If, by some chance, this all fails as it did for me, I would probably just start with Paraguard. Mamajin is the one who introduced it to me as a good starting point for treating many diseases, I believe she also uses it in QT. Broad spectrum, supposedly cycle-safe and relatively gentle compared to some of the other meds out there. I'm not against salt either. I asked SeaChem awhile back about mixing salt and Paraguard as I remembered there was some salt in my tank when I started using it. While they don't recommend mixing, there aren't actually dangerous interactions though, if you do use both, they recommend it be done very, very gradually.

SeaChem did tell me one interesting thing about Paraguard - it's a reducing agent like Prime. So care should be taken not to overdose when using them together (or with any other reducing agent like Amquel Plus. I can dig up the e-mail I got from them about it if anyone is interested

Be patient with it. It does take time. But to be really honest, I'm losing my battle with fin rot and, as such, don't know that I'm the best person to advise on treatment. I think it's pretty extraordinary circumstances though, I haven't read any stories of people having issues with fin rot quite like what I'm experiencing, and I think you will probably be okay to amp up his diet, pick up the WCs and maybe add a little salt.

Good luck!

 

We should also rule out water conditions.
Can you post the readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?
Without proper conditions the fins won't heal.

 

Ok, did a 50% wc and added just under 1 tbsp aquarium salt (box suggested 1 rounded tbsp per 5 gal, and it's a 10 gal tank. I wasn't sure how it would react and how Barbossa would react to it, so I only did that small amt. I also have some Triple Sulfa if I think he's not healing w WCs and salt alone. He eats and is active otherwise. I really love this little guy and want to see him heal!! However I did see him go up and investigate it before it dissolved... His fins touched it. Is that ok? I read somewhere it can burn them chemically. :/ Maybe I should dissolve it in the fresh water to be added before I pour it into the tank next time?

In other news, I've spotted him a few times on his hammock. Hehe.

 

HI amdpayne - It's a really good idea to fully dissolve aquarium salt in a bit of tank or fresh, dechlorinated water then slowly mix it in. Salt rocks shouldn't be added directly to an aquarium with fish in it. Keep a watch on the fins.

Bettas and their hammocks - mine just swims over his. won't rest on it anymore since I added floating plants

 

HI amdpayne - It's a really good idea to fully dissolve aquarium salt in a bit of tank or fresh, dechlorinated water then slowly mix it in. Salt rocks shouldn't be added directly to an aquarium with fish in it. Keep a watch on the fins.

Bettas and their hammocks - mine just swims over his. won't rest on it anymore since I added floating plants

Whoops; didn't know this before!! Will keep an eye on it.

Ahh, silly fish. Floating plants must be a nice treat for him!

 

Barbossa seemed to be getting better, but since I had to be away for a few days recently, his caudal fin (is that the very back one? The 'tail'?) seems a little worse. Should I keep going with every other day WCs? Or every day? Or should I begin to medicate..?

For finrot I'm a big fan of pristine water, Garlic Guard (or garlic juice) and Vita-Chem. Garlic Guard and Vita-Chem can be added directly to the tank, as well you can soak the fish food in it also.

100% water changes should not be necessary, but you really want to make sure your ammonia and nitrite levels are 0ppm and try to keep nitrates low.

What does Vita-Chem do for the fish? I know Garlic Guard makes the food more appealing, but he eats just fine without it. Does it do something for him otherwise?

 

Vita Chem is a vitamin for fish, so it will help him heal quicker.

Garlic Guard besides being an appitite stimulant, helps fight infections.

And yes, keep up the water changes. Daily would be twice as good as every other day

 

Ok, will look into both of those. And will amp up the WCs. Thank you!!

 

I have had my betta fish for about 2 months now and his fins have taken a bit of a beating. I had him in the tank while using TTS+ and Stability to cycle my tank, and he had a very mild case of fin rot that I treated with salt. He never fully recovered and then about two weeks ago, things took a turn for the worse. The fin rot has increased severely and no amount of salt baths or water changes will fix it. I just ordered some Furan-2 online and it will get here on Thursday. Any reasons why it has not improved/gotten this bad? I should add that I do have plastic plants...they aren't incredibly sharp, but I will add a picture and you all can tell me if that's the problem. Any help is appreciated

 

Hi, is there anything sharp in that log? or other decoration that he may catch his tail on?

Did you have questions on Furan 2? I can tell you each packet is for 10 gallon and holds 1/4 tsp.

 

does your betta bite his tail? that might be what is happening, have the fins been slowly "melting" away or do you leave the tank & come back a few hours later & there are chunks missing?

 

I don't see any black tips which is a good sign! So I think your salt dips have helped there.

 

No, the logs to not have sharp edges. It seems like they have been melting away, but lately it has been happening a lot faster. What do the black tips mean? There is one area that I think looks kind of burnt or blackish.

My question about the Furan-2 is whether or not I should use it in the actual aquarium. Should I take out the fish and put him in a gallon bowl with the Furan-2 for a couple days?

 

What size tank is the regular one? I think I'd just use that. It would be almost impossible to figure out dosing on a 1 gallon tank.

Black/grey edges just usually indicate pretty bad rot with infection.

 

Okay, I am not seeing that. My tank is 5 gallon so I guess I will just use half the packet. Does that plant I showed a picture of look particularly sharp? I did the nylon sock test and it caught it a couple places but nothing bad at all...I just don't understand how this has progressed so far. The Furan-2 is coming in tomorrow so I can start it soon.

 

I think the Furan 2 will really help unless its just a super stubborn case but lets cross our fingers! Its definitely my go-to med for fin rot.

 

I just got the Furan-2 and am preparing to put it in the tank. Should I take out the ornaments so they don't get stained yellow-green? What should I do with the carbon filter? I was thinking about putting it in a container of old tank water during the treatment. Would this be fine?

Also, I find the directions unclear. I add the packet for 5 gallons, wait 24 hours and add another dose. Wait another 24 hours, do a 25% PWC and do another dose and repeat for 4 total doses. Am I doing a 25% PWC every 24 hours? Wouldn't this lead to an extreme amount of Furan-2 in the water by the 4th dose?