That fish is always sick! I wish I knew what to do for him! I saw a little mouth fungus on him, so I put him in the hospital bowl with some anti-fungus meds. He did fine all yesterday. I wake up this morning, and the mouth fingus is gone, but his back and head is COVERED with stringy, cottony fungus! Is there anything I can do for him besides the anti-fungus meds?
ARRRRRGH!!!!!!!!!!!
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Elisabeth83
Fish Herder
Sounds like it might be columnaris which isn't a fungus it's actually a bacterial infection. Where are you located? If your in the states I'm not sure what medications there are. I hope someone else comes along soon to help you.
if it were columnaris, though, wouldn't the other two bettas have it? I have Sakana in a tank with two other bettas (divided, of course) and they are both fine. 
Also, The meds I am using say they treat body fungus... isn't that the same thing as columnaris? If not, then what meds do I need? All I have onhand is melafix, coppersafe, and this stuff.
Also, The meds I am using say they treat body fungus... isn't that the same thing as columnaris? If not, then what meds do I need? All I have onhand is melafix, coppersafe, and this stuff.
Okay... this is weird. I just looked in at him, and the white cottony stuff is gone. He has a little piece in his tail, but that's it. I think it just fell off of him, because I can see it at the bottom of the bowl. I'm going to change the water... should I put a little salt in it? and should I keep going with the Anti-Fungus?
mouth fungus is columnaris, which is dumb because it isn't fungus. Fungus meds might not work. Unfortunately, if it is columnaris i dunno how to help you, as I have never treated it successfully. Try maracyn, if you have it on hand, and some salt. DO NOT RAISE THE TEMP, lower it to 70 something SLOWLY as columnaris gets worse in hot temps.
Good luck!
Good luck!
OrkyBetta said:
That could explain the problem... my room is very hot right now, summer in the midwest with no AC and living on the 4th floor means I am struggling to keep the temps down to 82.
I'm afraid to float ice cubes... I don't want to shock the poor guy. This will take some thinking. 
Synirr
"No one is a failure unless you try"
Columnaris thrives in stagnant water, so adding a bubble stone if there isn't one already should help. I've had success treating it with Maracyn, Maracyn 2, and Bettafix, so one of those ought to work for you.
Poor little Sakana... I changed out the water in his bowl this evening... put some more anti-fungus in it and a small bit of salt... the temp is as low as I can get it without putting ice in the bowl. which I'm afraid would lower it too much. I shined a light on him, and there's a lot more white stuff on him than I thought. and somehow, just within the last couple of hours, he's developed what I can only think could be constipation. He's SO swollen, and he's struggling to swim... he just kinda floats on his side and then tries to swim some more until he gets tired. Even if I knew what to try for him, I couldn't get anything until tomorrow, and I'm afraid that by then it will be too late. It breaks my heart to see him struggling to swim........ 
It breaks my heart to see him struggling to swim........ Andie
Fish Addict
Gah I'm so sorry That sounds like whatever it was that hit Fysh and Ariel a few years back- I never did diagnose it myself, I just went running to the woman at the LFS 
)
It started on the mouth but progressed to cover the body and fins as well- looked like long thin sheets of cotton fluff. I wish to high Heaven I could remember the treatment that saved Fysh- he was actually my longest lived betta (outlived three others) and I was still comparatively clueless when he came down with that, but the wonderful woman at the LFS recommended- gah I can't be a hundred percent sure but I think it was Methylene blue. I bought a bottle and dosed them both, and though I lost Ariel (he was much more covered with it than Fysh) Fysh survived.
(I just looked up his symptoms online and the closest thing I can find is 'cotton wool disease', aka columnaris)
This information comes from the diseases section of MajesticBettas.com
Cotton Wool Disease
Symptoms: Cottony growth on the fins, mouth, and skin.
Causes: Fungal infections that occur in stress or weaken bettas resulting from shipping, malnutrition, or poor water condition. Cotton Wool Disease is the most common killer of adult bettas.
Treatment: Methylene Blue, Murcurochrome, or Argyrol.
ETA: I also found information on it here
That sounds like whatever it was that hit Fysh and Ariel a few years back- I never did diagnose it myself, I just went running to the woman at the LFS )It started on the mouth but progressed to cover the body and fins as well- looked like long thin sheets of cotton fluff. I wish to high Heaven I could remember the treatment that saved Fysh- he was actually my longest lived betta (outlived three others) and I was still comparatively clueless when he came down with that, but the wonderful woman at the LFS recommended- gah I can't be a hundred percent sure but I think it was Methylene blue. I bought a bottle and dosed them both, and though I lost Ariel (he was much more covered with it than Fysh) Fysh survived.
(I just looked up his symptoms online and the closest thing I can find is 'cotton wool disease', aka columnaris)
This information comes from the diseases section of MajesticBettas.com
Cotton Wool Disease
Symptoms: Cottony growth on the fins, mouth, and skin.
Causes: Fungal infections that occur in stress or weaken bettas resulting from shipping, malnutrition, or poor water condition. Cotton Wool Disease is the most common killer of adult bettas.
Treatment: Methylene Blue, Murcurochrome, or Argyrol.
ETA: I also found information on it here
Well, I bought some Maracyn, which says specifically that it treats columnaris.
His constipation is better... there's a HUGE piece of poo at the bottom of his bowl, and he's swimming fine again.
Wierd thing: I just changed his water last night, and when I got back it was EXTREMELY cloudy. What could be causing it to cloud up so fast?!?
His constipation is better... there's a HUGE piece of poo at the bottom of his bowl, and he's swimming fine again.
Wierd thing: I just changed his water last night, and when I got back it was EXTREMELY cloudy. What could be causing it to cloud up so fast?!?
Synirr said:
well, not when the water was cloudy. However, I changed the water a few hours ago and put in the maracyn. He is already much better! He only has a little on his head and a small spot on his tail now, and he is much more active. He's definitely ready to be out of that tiny half gallon bowl, poor little guy! But, I'm keeping him in it until I'm sure the columnaris is gone. I'm just so glad he's better! He still has those tears in his anal fin and tail, though they are slowly healing. I put a small bit of bettafix in the water for that.
Thanks for all the help, everyone!!!
Andie
Fish Addict
I'm so glad to hear he's improving; I hope it keeps up! 
ugh, bad news. You remember the flaky epidermis thread? Well, it kind of looks like Sakana is developing that now. I added some coppersafe to his water... I hope that takes care of it. Any other ideas besides the coppersafe? I would do a salt bath, but I'm so scared it would stress him too much... he's already pretty stressed.
I added some coppersafe to his water... I hope that takes care of it. Any other ideas besides the coppersafe? I would do a salt bath, but I'm so scared it would stress him too much... he's already pretty stressed. Similar threads
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