Betta Fish Sick with Ich and Fin Rot... Please Help!

[RhettM]

Hi there,

I recently purchased a betta fish and unfortunately within a week of getting the fish I noticed that it had contracted ich. I have been treating the ich for the past week with and a half with some results using medication and just noticed that my fish is now showing severe signs of fin rot. He is floating to the top of the water and can has trouble moving about. I currently have him in a 3 gallon tank with a heater set to around 80 degrees and I am running a filter without the carbon filtration pad inside (as suggested by the ich medication). Do you have any suggestions as to what I can be doing better or which of the diseases is more important to treat? Thanks in advance!

 

[Stefan3289]

First, what is the medication you were using and how long. Typically with ich most would recommend trying the heat and salt method before going to medication.
Second, do you have an air pump in there? He is likely at the surface because the medication makes him get less oxygen from the water.
Third, at least from that picture it does not look like he has severe fin rot, but if he does it is likely from the stress of both the ich and the medication rather than a secondary infection. What I’ve noticed with fin rot is if it was bacterial, there would be a thick white lining on the areas affected which I don’t see. Check the water parameters and try to have them as close to perfect as you can will help him fight off fin rot. Let me know if you have more questions

 

[GaryE]

Don't worry about aeration as he is a surface air breather.

If you assume, sensibly that he had Ich when you bought him, then the parasite has had a free lunch for a week, and he will be weakened by it. If Ich is not treated immediately, it is a killer. If you missed it (easily done) it may be too late.

Forum members disagree, but malachite green is the best first line med. Heat and salt is slow, and a Betta is a heat lover anyway. You're in the US, so you use fahreneheit. You can crank the tank about 85 to weaken the Ich, and a Betta won't be bothered. It should already be in the 78-80 range, so it isn't a huge jump. Since his inner ear is used for breathing, heat will not harm him as it will many other species. The species evolved in low oxygen waters.

When we don't catch Ich right away, the fish is killed by the parasite. Then we blame the meds, which we put in too late. Use the meds when you see the first cyst, and it's nothing to clear up. Sadly, we always learn this the hard way. I don't think he has fin rot. He is just beaten up by the parasites.