Beautiful Betta With The Most Awful Fin Rot

[pammy172]

Our beautiful betta Tyson has developed the most horrendous case of what I beleive to be fin rot.

He is currently in isolation but was in the Orb which has zero ammonia, zero nitrite and 10 - 20 ppm nitrate. 35 l orb shared with 5 tetras. They all get on really well.

Was absolutely horrified to find him on Monday afternoon with what lookedlike tears to his fins. Two hours earlier he had been fine. i took out what I thought might have ripped his fins, an ornament, and kept an eye on him. Only a couple of hours later and his condition had worsened. Yesterday morning he had worsened with bits of his fins and tail literally dropping off and he was clearly poorly. So we set up the isolation tank with clean wtaer, using Seachem Prime to decholrinate and protect for ammonia and nitrite, put him someplants in to snuggle, no filter to keep the water still, and set the heat for 28degrees. Added Interpet no 8 anti fungus and fin rot. Today so much of his plumage has gone. He's not at all well and the speed if the attack is devastating. The tetras are fine.

He rushes to the surface to gulp air and will fly around the tank, not rubbing etc, but will then lie or hang motionless.

Is there anything more I can do please?

I'm just so gutted. He's such a lovely lovely boy.

 

[stang1]

So sorry to hear about Tyson.
Keeping your water stats at the right levels will help with healing his fins. The Interpet med will take two or three days before it has any effect, so bear with it. You've done the right thing by isolating him as I have a feeling that your Neons could have played a bigger part in his ripped fins.
All you can do is keep an eye on him to see if it worsens and wait for the meds to do their job.
Do you have a pic?

 

[pammy172]

Thank you for your reply - very much appreciated.

Here's a couple of pics of then and now. Although the then are a few weeks ago - it is how he looked on Sunday. Monday morning his fins looked a little odd, pale and weaker. Today - well you can see. He is very pale too.

Then

now

So sorry to hear about Tyson.
Keeping your water stats at the right levels will help with healing his fins. The Interpet med will take two or three days before it has any effect, so bear with it. You've done the right thing by isolating him as I have a feeling that your Neons could have played a bigger part in his ripped fins.
All you can do is keep an eye on him to see if it worsens and wait for the meds to do their job.
Do you have a pic?

 

[stang1]

Bless him, he is in bad shape.
Keep up with the meds and let us know how you get on.

 

[pammy172]

The speed of the attack has shocked us. I will let you know how he goesl - am trying to be optimistic and praying for the little guy. He is such a sweetie and such a character - doesn't look much the thug that we lovingly call him now does he

We've never seen the tetras having a go or going anywhere near him. They tend to stay well clear entertaining themselves in the plants and toys in the Orb. Once the big tank is cycled they're going in there so Tyson, if he makes it, can have the Orb all to himself which was always the plan.

I think he's been stressed a bit but not shown it as we did move him into the hospital tank a couple of weeks ago while we nursed a dwarf Gourami that Tyson bullied. The Dwarfie didn't make it, but Tyson loved the isolation tank building us a lovely bubble nest bless. I don't think he liked going back into the Orb as the filtration is incredibly effective even though we try and impede the current. He's just not settled as well going back, although he did seem perfectly happy in there before.

 

[stang1]

A lot of fish tend to wait until night time before they start having a nip. With the Betta taking time to have a rest now and again, he would be an ideal target.
One concern I do have, is what looks like white patches on his body and fins. I'm not sure if it is some sort of bacterial infection. Hopefully, someone else may give you a better idea.

 

[pammy172]

A lot of fish tend to wait until night time before they start having a nip. With the Betta taking time to have a rest now and again, he would be an ideal target.
One concern I do have, is what looks like white patches on his body and fins. I'm not sure if it is some sort of bacterial infection. Hopefully, someone else may give you a better idea.

They're spots on the tank - not Tyson. He is grey under his chin and gills - but no spots.

 

[stang1]

Sorry, looked like he had white patches on his fins and athe the front and end of his body.

 

[WILDER]

You need aeratiion when using meds, so are you using an airstone.
What med are you using is it the anti fungus and finrot med by interpets. If so I don't rate the med much.
Grey patches can be parasites to bacterial.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing.
Does he dart around the tank.
Also to boost his immune system I would soak his food in garlic juice.

 

[pammy172]

You need aeratiion when using meds, so are you using an airstone.
What med are you using is it the anti fungus and finrot med by interpets. If so I don't rate the med much.
Grey patches can be parasites to bacterial.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing.
Does he dart around the tank.
Also to boost his immune system I would soak his food in garlic juice.

thanks for this.

Didn't know about the aeration - will sort that!

It is the med you say - what else would you recommend? I did read on an american site about using penicillin. Now, naughty I know - but I have some from when I had a chest infection a year ago. But how to use and doseage I have no idea.

Flicking and rubbing haven't seen it - just the odd dart around the tank - which I know is not usual.

Will try soaking a bit of prawn in some garlic paste.

Thanks again.

 

[WILDER]

Yes you need aeration as med reduce 02 in the water.
You can use antibiotics in issolation but they will wipe the benefical bacteria out in the filter.
But you are not using a filter so that dosn't really matter.
What's the name of the antibiotic. Are they tablets or capsule form.

Darting can mean the fish is dying, bad water quality, stray voltage, over dose of meds, toxins in the water, parasites, ph shock.

 

[pammy172]

I have Amoxicillin in capsule form 250g.

 

[WILDER]

I had that antibiotic perscribed before christmas for a chest infection.
You can use 250mg as I have in the past.
I would open the capsule and maybe just use half of it for now.
Just stir the powder into a jug of tank water still it disolves. Then add to his tank.
You will need an airstone for aeration.

You will need to remove the other med by a water change and running some black carbon.
Or can you do full water changes with betta's. If so match ph and temp.

You can use antibiotics in there food.
You just add a small mount of the powder though.
You soak flakes in egg white then add the powder then roll the flakes up with the powder inside, then put it fridge to harden off.

 

[WILDER]

I think I would just add the med to water as it easier.
I forgotten now how often you treat when you use it in the food.

Taken from the tropical fish forum med list.

Fish-mox by Thomas Labratories
Amoxicillin just for fish, especially effective against bacterial gill diseases

Take a look here you can use 250mg but I would be tempted to use half dose for now.
Also it treats finrot.

[URL="http/www.agri-med.com/site/255063/page/605990"]http/www.agri-med.com/site/255063/page/605990[/URL]

Description Price
Ampicillin(Fish-Cillin) 250mg x 100ct
Fish Cillin, Ampicillin 250 mg, is for the control of some common bacterial diseases of fish. Effective against fin and tail rot and flexibacter infections.

 

[pammy172]

That's great - many thanks. I'll sort all that out for him tomorrow. Just done a 50% water change as a trace of ammonia was showing - so taken clean water out of the Orb. We'll do a full change tomorrow, if there's any ideas how do we do that without stressing Tyson too much I'd love to hear them. I'm thinking of taking water from the Orb again and putting the lad into a bag and floating him to acclimatise while we clean his tank, then just setting him free with amoxycillin and airstone plus plants and his castle.