Crowntail With Fin Rot

[vet_student07]

Heya,
I'm a Newbie on the forum, I've never kept a Betta before, and a while ago I decided to get a betta, as I live in a college at the moment and needed a pet, though we're not allowed any on campus (I'm a veterinary science student and have never lived without an animal before)

Anyway; My betta is a crowntail, and when I got him he had a mild case of fin rot; I'd read up on it and had initially tried changing his water every day to treat it, but it started to slowly get worse. I then tried triple sulfa as it was recommended on a number of sites; for a while it seemed as though his fins didn't get worse and didnt get better, but now his tail is definitely getting worse. Note: it is mostly only his upper tail that has been affected, and his pectoral fins also have dark spots on them.

Two days ago I bought tetracycline and melafix, to try something else for him, and as I already mentioned I had already been trying triple sulfa. So my ammunition is aquarium salt, triple sulfa, tetracycline and melafix. My question is, what is the best method of treatment? I was thinking of alternating the treatments, as I've shown below

Day 1: Tetracycline + Melafix
Day 3: Triple sulfa
Day 6: Tetracycline + Melafix
Day 9: Triple Sulfa

etc and keep alternating. I shall assume that fish bacterial diseases can become resistant to antibiotics, so I figured that by alternating these treatments I can get all of them. Also would it be best to make sure there is always 1tsp/gallon of water in with him at all times?

Another issue I've had is with the triple sulfa; I can never get it to dissolve properly, the water is more like a suspension than a solution. is this normal?

Additional information;
- He's kept in a 2.6gallon, unfiltered tank (I do not want to get him a filter, as he HATES, and I mean absolutely HATES any current)

- He has a smooth-leafed aquarium plant (plastic, though a silk one is on its way)

- He has gravel on the bottom of the tank

- He has a cave which he can fit in quite comfortably to hide in (he loves this)

- He's very active, always swims over to you, follows you, takes food from your finger

- at the moment he's getting 25% water changes a day, and the entire tank is cleaned out every few days, to try and keep the water as clean as possible


I apologize for the exceedingly long post, but I love this boy and I'd really like to see him in full health. I've posted some pictures below;

his tank

his fins; as you can see only the top part of his tail is really affected (sorry, not the greatest pictures; I can never get him to flare!)

 

[ReMz]

First and foremost, Welcome. It is always good to see someone that has the best interest of their fish in mind and that has done their research prior to asking idiotic questions .

You've certainly taken some good measures to get things under control. Especially good in a Crown Tail's case from my experience, as the crowns can grow back rather funny if the finrot gets too bad. The top portion of his tail actually appears to be rid of finrot from the picture, so you are certainly doing something right .

A couple things to consider though:
-That DOES look like finrot, but is certainly a very mild case (good news for you)
-Sometimes CT's have dark tips on their crowns naturally that can be deceiving. ...Just keep that in mind since you see him in person and know his history
-There is a possibility that he is a fin nipper - I had a CT that nibbled his fin off twice and then never did it again

Now as far as your treatment.

Melafix is not necessarily a medication, but it does promote fin growth/healing. Don't worry about the melafix right now, as it will not do a thing to "fix" the finrot at this point. Once the finrot is completely gone and under control, you can dose it accordingly for about a week and you should see good results. You can repeat this treatment after a few days if necessary, but the fins will heal naturally.

If i remember correctly, Tetracyline is not as broad spectrum as other treatments and is better suited for internal bacterial infections. However, I may be wrong and I don't have the time right now to look it up (I'm in college as well and should be cramming for an exam in 2 hours ). I prefer to use Maracyn. Maracyn 1 & 2 in conjunction wipe out just about anything, but one of them is specific to fin rot. You can read the package to find out. That is just the product I highly recommend, as I've had fantastic results with it.

On the treatment, you will want to treat according to the package (daily). Just like any other antibiotic for humans, you need to treat a full course of the antibiotic to see full effectiveness. If that treatment does not work, you try another antibiotic. Mixing antibiotics is not recommended. I prefer to treat for 6-7 days as opposed to the usual recommendation on the package of 5 days. This just decreases the chances of a relapse.

Now as far as the filtering goes. A filter is a much better option, because once the tank has cycled, there are not any spikes in ammonia which is very harmful. Without a filter, you are simply removing the ammonia from the tank once it has already reached a certain level. Keeping up with water changes in a tank that size can be very taxing (as I'm sure you are aware ).

There are several ways to lower filter current, or you can use a small sponge filter... as they are suited very well for a tank that size. Placing pantyhose over the filter inlet greatly reduces current. To almost eliminate current underneath the water surface, there is another method using a soda bottle and a bit of ingenuity, but I don't have time right now to dig up the link for you.

This was a bit rushed, so I might have skipped over some things or had a few typos. Apologies if that is the case. Hope that helped! Feel free to ask any additional questions as there are quite a few extremely knowledgeable members here and I'm sure they will chime in anyways.

 

[Honeythorn]

(I do not want to get him a filter, as he HATES, and I mean absolutely HATES any current)

READ ME , I AM USEFUL.


That's a link to how you can make a small filter from a fishfood pot and a few other bits and bobs for very little money. It also produces no current and shouldn't bother the fish at all. Pages 4 and 5 have a good diagram if the pictures aren't clear.

 

[ReMz]

(I do not want to get him a filter, as he HATES, and I mean absolutely HATES any current)

READ ME , I AM USEFUL.


That's a link to how you can make a small filter from a fishfood pot and a few other bits and bobs for very little money. It also produces no current and shouldn't bother the fish at all. Pages 4 and 5 have a good diagram if the pictures aren't clear.

Thats a great DIY Honeythorn. Sponge filters aren't overly expensive if you are not very crafty though

Now that i've finished my exams i can elaborate/clarify a bit more. Or maybe i'm still cross-eyed and loopy and shouldn't be writing atm.

Those crowns that are still dark may just be dead tissue from the finrot that has not fallen off yet. So, keep an eye on that, as it is certainly a possibility that you have cured it.

Out of curiosity, how long did you treat with the Trisulfa? Also, do you know your water stats (ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate)? Sometimes tap water can have fairly high levels of ammonia, and this certainly will not aid in curing the problem. If you do not have a water test kit (very useful), it wouldn't be a bad idea to pick up some jugs of Artesian water (NOT DISTILLED: This is important) and do a few water changes using that. Of course make sure you match the temp of the tank water to the bottled water.

If you want any clarification on cycling, etc... just let me know. I'm not sure of your understanding of some of things I've mentioned, but you seem very competent in your decisions and display of research so far

 

[vet_student07]

Hey guys, thanks for the help Unfortunately I cannot find Maracyn (I saw that as a highly recommended treatment, and had a look a few stores, to no avail) so think I may have to stick to using the meds I have. Would I be best to use the triple sulfa or the tetracycline to treat this? I had originally used the triple sulfa for about 10 or 11 days, and didn't really see much of a change at all. However, I'm not sure if I got a dud batch of triple sulfa, as it never dissolves properly? theres always a large amount of residue, so it looks more like a suspension than a solution, is this normal?

In regard to water parameters and tank cycling, I know them all too well I also keep a kreffts shortnecked turtle whose in a massive tank with a very large canister filter, and I'm constantly checking the nitrites, nitrates and ammonia levels in it. I'll have a look at the link you posted, I enjoy crafty/art type things so might enjoy it

and I hope your exam went well

Thankyou very much again, I really do appreciate it!
-Laura

 

[Syphoniera]

Hey guys, thanks for the help Unfortunately I cannot find Maracyn (I saw that as a highly recommended treatment, and had a look a few stores, to no avail) so think I may have to stick to using the meds I have. Would I be best to use the triple sulfa or the tetracycline to treat this? I had originally used the triple sulfa for about 10 or 11 days, and didn't really see much of a change at all. However, I'm not sure if I got a dud batch of triple sulfa, as it never dissolves properly? theres always a large amount of residue, so it looks more like a suspension than a solution, is this normal?

In regard to water parameters and tank cycling, I know them all too well I also keep a kreffts shortnecked turtle whose in a massive tank with a very large canister filter, and I'm constantly checking the nitrites, nitrates and ammonia levels in it. I'll have a look at the link you posted, I enjoy crafty/art type things so might enjoy it

and I hope your exam went well

Thankyou very much again, I really do appreciate it!
-Laura

Hi, welcome, and hope your fish gets better soon.
Speaking as one who knows nothing, if you can't get Maracyn, have you tried Pimafix?
It's a natural antifungal/antibacterial (Bay Tree extract) on the same line as Melafix, and they often are found to work better in conjunction than separately, probably because of secondary ills cropping up.
It does often seem to work well on finrot, and appears to have cured it (mostly used straight Pimafix, though) in a Betta I bought not long ago.
Just thought I'd mention.

 

[ReMz]

I've never tried Pimafix.... so no input on that, but I have heard pretty good things. Shame you cannot find the Maracyn.

If only I could remember the other treatment recommended to me at a LFS from a reliable source...... I'll get back to you if it pops into my head.

As far as the suspension of the medication, all of them seem to do it to some extent (maracyn included). Usually you can mix it in so it dissolves though. I've noticed with an expired medication that it did float on top of the water excessively. So, it may be possible that you had a bad batch.

Try the Tetracycline, as the Trisulfa may not be effective anymore.

Best of luck with the recovery. He is certainly in good hands.