Betta fungus not working from jungle clear! Can’t tell to stop meds to rest or change water early.

[MarblemMooEclipse]

I need assistance if my betta is improving and if I need to stop or change treatment. So far he has almost 12 days of the Jungle Fungus Clear (12th day will be this Monday 3/18). I have a 5gal so I would break the tab in half and do the water change as instructed and the white fuzz has left his tail but he became less active, staying at the bottom, bloated with signs of dropsy and another fuzz developed on his tail instead and looks like it’s growing. Not eating much either and I usually give a few pellets a day to not over feed. I read about salt baths and epsom salt helps help with signs of dropsy and that kanaplex can help with the symptoms too. I gave the max 3 doses of kanaplex so far this week (3rd dose was today) as instructions show and he has had an airstone since the first day of the kanaplex. Yesterday I gave him first dose of metroplex in case it was parasitic. I gave him three epsom salt baths so far (one a day) and I have seen his color return and he is way less bloated. He has slightly raised scales and he still lays at the bottom or on a plant. The fuzz on his tail disappeared but then came back and are bigger now.Pics are from last night and today so you can see clearly how much more of the fuzz came out overnight. Water parameters still show normal. Last dose of kanaplex was this morning. When I did water changed for meds I did closer to around 30%.

A week before I did any medication I had just changed his water and noticed his fins not as wide as usual. Once I noticed the white fuzz on tail is when I started treatment. His water parameters before the meds was pretty bad. Ever since I started the meds, he has had clear water parameters. And I change every four days for the jungle fungus clear. His epsom salt baths were in separate containers from the main tank.

I usually keep an indian almond leaf. Since starting the meds, I took the carbon out of filter and I added a second almond leaf.

Tank size: 5 gallon Heater and filter? (yes/no): yes. Tank temperature: 80. I use a heater and thermometer. Parameters in numbers and how you got them: using API Freshwater Master test kit. Ammonia 0 ppm nitrate 0ppm nitrite 0ppm ph 7.4-7.6 How long have you had the tank? How long have you had your fish?: the tank has been about a year and 5 months. I’ve had my betta since December 2022. How often are water changes? How much do you take out per change? What is your process?: Water changes are about 25% every 2-3 weeks with a combination of tap water and distilled water. Using API Stress Coat and API Quick Start. Filter is due for change once a month and I take out the carbon when I do meds. Any tankmates? If so, please list with how many of each: one black racer snail. What do you feed and how much: few pellets a day and some mixed treats of daphnia and bloodworm. If he seems chubby I skip a day. Decorations and plants in the tank: silk plants and plastic plants with no sharp edges. One cave doll

 

[wayfareranima]

How did things go?

 

[MarblemMooEclipse]

I need assistance if my betta is improving and if I need to stop or change treatment. So far he has almost 12 days of the Jungle Fungus Clear (12th day will be this Monday 3/18). I have a 5gal so I would break the tab in half and do the water change as instructed and the white fuzz has left his tail but he became less active, staying at the bottom, bloated with signs of dropsy and another fuzz developed on his tail instead and looks like it’s growing. Not eating much either and I usually give a few pellets a day to not over feed. I read about salt baths and epsom salt helps help with signs of dropsy and that kanaplex can help with the symptoms too. I gave the max 3 doses of kanaplex so far this week (3rd dose was today) as instructions show and he has had an airstone since the first day of the kanaplex. Yesterday I gave him first dose of metroplex in case it was parasitic. I gave him three epsom salt baths so far (one a day) and I have seen his color return and he is way less bloated. He has slightly raised scales and he still lays at the bottom or on a plant. The fuzz on his tail disappeared but then came back and are bigger now.Pics are from last night and today so you can see clearly how much more of the fuzz came out overnight. Water parameters still show normal. Last dose of kanaplex was this morning. When I did water changed for meds I did closer to around 30%.

A week before I did any medication I had just changed his water and noticed his fins not as wide as usual. Once I noticed the white fuzz on tail is when I started treatment. His water parameters before the meds was pretty bad. Ever since I started the meds, he has had clear water parameters. And I change every four days for the jungle fungus clear. His epsom salt baths were in separate containers from the main tank.

I usually keep an indian almond leaf. Since starting the meds, I took the carbon out of filter and I added a second almond leaf.

Tank size: 5 gallon Heater and filter? (yes/no): yes. Tank temperature: 80. I use a heater and thermometer. Parameters in numbers and how you got them: using API Freshwater Master test kit. Ammonia 0 ppm nitrate 0ppm nitrite 0ppm ph 7.4-7.6 How long have you had the tank? How long have you had your fish?: the tank has been about a year and 5 months. I’ve had my betta since December 2022. How often are water changes? How much do you take out per change? What is your process?: Water changes are about 25% every 2-3 weeks with a combination of tap water and distilled water. Using API Stress Coat and API Quick Start. Filter is due for change once a month and I take out the carbon when I do meds. Any tankmates? If so, please list with how many of each: one black racer snail. What do you feed and how much: few pellets a day and some mixed treats of daphnia and bloodworm. If he seems chubby I skip a day. Decorations and plants in the tank: silk plants and plastic plants with no sharp edges. One cave doll

Update: I have been giving betta food soaked in Vita-chem every other day and the other days would be water changes and salt baths. I do see the food missing in th morning and I doubt the snail is eating them so I'm hopeful betta is eating them. He has been still lingering at the bottom but breathing and I find him in different parts of the tank floor throughout the day. Today, there was the water change/salt bath and I noticed no fuzz on the tail but now fuzz in one of the front fins. I can't update on scales today because of the angles from what I can see.
So hes not his normal self but still alive and breathing so I'm trying to be hopeful. Sunday is when I intend to restart the Kanaplex.

 

[wayfareranima]

Just checking in. Bettas are pretty resilient.

 

[MarblemMooEclipse]

Just checking in. Bettas are pretty resilient.

That's what I'm hoping for! I was gonna update today on the progress too so thanks for the check-in! I'll continue this treatment and give another update if it's working. Concerned with the slight fuzz now on the other fin but wishing it'll go away with this treatment plan.

 

[wayfareranima]

Can add a small amount of sea salt, like a teaspoon, but be mindful of accumulation, salt doesn’t evaporate, needs to be removed, do slow water changes with airline, daily. What temp is the tank?

 

[wayfareranima]

Salt baths always seemed stressful for everyone involved.

 

[MarblemMooEclipse]

I have gotten comfortable with the epsom salt baths every other day this week. I do it in two separate containers (salt bath and recovery bath). The tank stays at 80% with the heater. What is an airline water change?
I did notice today he moved his head more and I checked again tonight on the scales for dropsy, they are still slightly raised.

 

[Essjay]

Epsom salt baths are to try and cure dropsy as they draw fluid from the body. You need ordinary salt for fungus, and it needs to be added to the tank not a bath. The second post in this link gives the amount of salt to use.

What to do if your fish gets sick

If your fish ever looks sick or unwell, then the following steps might help. Test the Water and Clean the Tank. Test the water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH and write the results down in numbers. Check it for general hardness (GH) and carbonate hardness (KH) too if you can, but...

www.fishforums.net

An air line water change means a water change using air line tubing to remove the water, because this tubing is narrower than a typical aquarium siphon the water flows more slowly through it. I've used it on tanks with fry so they don't get sucked up by a strong current.

 

[MarblemMooEclipse]

Yes I did use that to help with signs of Dropsy and initially that's why I had all the other meds for the fungus. I read the post now and I see that would be the aquarium salt route strictly for the fungus in the case of my fish. SO my concern/question: I had given him a total of 6 epsom baths. Three in a row last week then one every other day this week. Bettas can't have more than 10 salt baths or soak in it more than 10 days. How many days should I leave the aquarium salt in the tank? I'm guessing with the history of baths, I cannot have it stay for 10 full days.

Ohhhh! It sounds similar to what I use because my siphon isn't that strong and not electric. It's very basic. This is what mine looks like: https://www.amazon.com/Umisun-Manua...-71-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9idGY&th=1
I have stones in the tank so I do need some slight power to pick up the waste. If it's okay, I can still use it for daily water changes. Should I do a 10% daily removal?

 

[Essjay]

What is in the tank water now? Any form of medication? If there is you need to do a few large (50% or more) to remove the other medication before adding salt as meds and salt should not be used together. If there's no medication, you can add it straight away. Make sure it's pure salt, no additives like in table or cooking salt. Aquarium salt such as API make is pure salt, though it's expensive.

Salt should be added at the rate of 1 heaped tablespoon/15 ml spoon per 4.4 gallons/20 litres. Take a bit of water out of the tank into a container, dissolve the salt in that then slowly pour the salty water back into the tank, preferably into the water flowing out of the filter so it gets mixed in quickly.
Leave the salt in the tank for at least 2 weeks, up to 4 weeks - but if the fish becomes distressed, do a water change immediately. You can do weekly water changes while the salt is in the water, but add more salt to the new water at the same dose rate which will keep the concentration in the tank water the same.
After treatment has finished, do weekly water changes with just water - no salt, just water conditioner. This will dilute the salt in the tank slowly till there's none left.

 

[MarblemMooEclipse]

What is in the tank water now? Any form of medication? If there is you need to do a few large (50% or more) to remove the other medication before adding salt as meds and salt should not be used together. If there's no medication, you can add it straight away. Make sure it's pure salt, no additives like in table or cooking salt. Aquarium salt such as API make is pure salt, though it's expensive.

Salt should be added at the rate of 1 heaped tablespoon/15 ml spoon per 4.4 gallons/20 litres. Take a bit of water out of the tank into a container, dissolve the salt in that then slowly pour the salty water back into the tank, preferably into the water flowing out of the filter so it gets mixed in quickly.
Leave the salt in the tank for at least 2 weeks, up to 4 weeks - but if the fish becomes distressed, do a water change immediately. You can do weekly water changes while the salt is in the water, but add more salt to the new water at the same dose rate which will keep the concentration in the tank water the same.
After treatment has finished, do weekly water changes with just water - no salt, just water conditioner. This will dilute the salt in the tank slowly till there's none left.

Right now nothing. I stopped the Medications Sunday and did 50% water changes that night and the next day then did 30% changes every other day. I have a box of API Aquarium salt.
Your earlier post said 1tsp so should it be 1tsp or 1tbsp? It's 5gal tank. I'm confused if I would be doing daily water changes or weekly water changes from your other post.

 

[Essjay]

I said 1 tablespoon which is the same as a 15 ml spoon, depending on what kind of measuring spoons you use.

With things like substrate and decor taking up space, a 5 gallon tank won't have 5 gallons water in there so just 1 tablespoon or 15 ml spoonful, whichever measuring spoons you have.

Once the salt is in, just do your usual water change regime, which for most people is once a week. If you usually do water changes more often than once a week, that's fine as well. When you do the water changes during the treatment, you'll remove some salt along with the water so you need to add more back. Say you remove 2 gallons at a water change and put 2 gallons water back in, you'd need to add enough salt to treat 2 gallons to the water before you put it in the tank, so in this example you would add just less than half a tablespoon of salt to the new water.
Once treatment is finished, which should be between 2 and 4 weeks, you usual water changes with no salt added to the new water will slowly remove the salt.

There's no need to do daily water changes, do them as often as you usually do them.

 

[MarblemMooEclipse]

Ok so he is not in critical condition to need frequent changes anymore? And for now with the salt doing its magic, I dont need to worry about adding Kanaplex this week. Thank you btw, I'll get the Aquarium salt set up now with 1 heaped TBSP. I was afraid from his history of epsom salt baths, it would impact the time for aquarium salt in the tank.

 

[MarblemMooEclipse]

I just added the dissolved 1tbsp aquarium salt to the tank now!