Strange Strangulating Fungal Problem

My oldest female betta, Sushi, has had what I thought to be a benign viral cyst that would actually change places on her face, for about 2 or 3 months now. The day before yesterday, though, it looked like it had exploded!!!

I thought one of the other female bettas had bitten it and that it was on open wound. So, in she went into the medicine tank complete with a tiny bit of salt and melaflix.

It turned into a cottony, stringy fungal infection that conglomerated on her "throat" between her lower gills.

She was fine untilt tonight - she keeps on breathing over and over from the surface every 6 or 7 seconds, and although the main fungal clod has lessened in size, she has strings of stuff hanging from the rays of her fins.

I'd hate to lose her! She has personality, is a giant, and is white with red spots on her fins!

I don't know what to do, though. Her water is warm and clean and not over-medicated.

Maybe chickadee is right, and melaflix and pimafix ARE bad for labyrinth fish!


Now she can't swim upright. I guess I'm going to loser her :-[

help please

thanks

Ashley

 

The first thing to do would be to put her in a cup with clean treated water and clean your hospital tank out to get rid of the salt and melafix. Then fill the hospital tank with clean treated water and (if you have it) add the amount of novaqua+ for how much water is in the tank. Then put her back in the hospital tank and treat her with some stronger meds given her current health. Maracyn & Maracyn-2 would be what i'd go with for her, Fungus Clear might be too weak but would be an alternative if you can't get the Maracyn & Maracyn-2.

Does the hospital tank have an airstone in it? Does it have a filter?

 

My female Whisper had the exact same thing. It started with a bump or cyst on her chin and it was there for a few weeks with seemingly no problem. Then one morning she was very sick and laying on the bottom. Her gills were sticking out and she had strings of fungus coming out of her gills. She died a few hours later. :'(
All you can do is treat for fungus with Maracyn-Two or Fungus Clear and hope for the best. My girl didn't live long enough to have the meds help her. The fungus in her gills suffocated her. I hope your fish does better.

 

Unofortunately, she died. I do believe it was the Melafix, though. When it hit me, I immediately put her in the big tank in a breeder. I know that might have caused shock...but even afterwards, she was still trying to jump out of the tank. After she started lying on her side not moving, I took her out with the above-mentioned cup and she died it in.


What a strange disease, without the complications of Melaflix!!

Phlox, did any of your other fish get it?

 

No, and she was in a divided tank with another female, Karma. I treated Karma with one course of Maracyn-Two just in case because she was showing stress stripes but she seemed well otherwise. She's still very healthy now.
If you had her in the same tank with other fish you might want to do a good gravel vac and water change and maybe treat for 5 days with Maracyn-two as a preventative. Fungus is contagious.

 

I'm glad Karma stayed healthy. It's a shame that a warning isn't on the melafix bottles - it makes me a lot less likely to buy other products they make.