Does My Betta Have Fin Rot?

[zophie]

Hey,

I have a problem. You see, a few months ago, my friend got this betta, and she treated it horribly. It was so sad. So anyway, I gave her 50$, and saved the betta. I named him Victory. He had ich, but its all clear now, but there is two things that our still worrying me....
#1. On his quite pink body, there is a greyish tinge. Not on his fins, just his body.
#2. The tips of his fins our white. I read somewhere that this was a sighn of fin rot, but I just want to check.

And last of all, what should I do All my other betta's have been completely healthy, becuase I gt them from top-notch breeders. But V ictory is from petsmart, so I don't think he is a very healthy fish....
please, help!!!

 

[BethK]

$50 for a betta

Finrot will have a black or red edging to the fins. White edging would usually mean a regrowth in finage.

Keep his water clean on a 1 - 2 day basis, 30% water change and keep an eye on him.

 

[Oscar Betta]

If he has finrot you can also try giving him Melafix. It worked for me but some people say it doesen't for them.

 

[BethK]

You can also try giving him Melafix. It worked for me but some people say it doesen't for them.

I wouldn't bother with that, there have been more side effects than good with that stuff. Intrepid anti fungus and finrot is better to use.

 

[Lacuna]

A picture would really help to ascertain if he's ill or not. I wouldn't use any meds unless you're sure he's ill. Otherwise just keep his water clean like others have said.

 

[stang1]

Agree with Lacuna, don't medicate until you know for sure what is wrong.
If you can get a pic up, someone should be able to tell you whether it is finrot or not.

 

[Oscar Betta]

You can also try giving him Melafix. It worked for me but some people say it doesen't for them.

I wouldn't bother with that, there have been more side effects than good with that stuff. Intrepid anti fungus and finrot is better to use.

Yeah, that's what I meant by some people not having it work for them.

 

[Baldy]

You can also try giving him Melafix. It worked for me but some people say it doesen't for them.

I wouldn't bother with that, there have been more side effects than good with that stuff. Intrepid anti fungus and finrot is better to use.

Yeah, that's what I meant by some people not having it work for them.

don't use melafix as it affects their breathing as the oil coats their labyrinth organ (or so i have heard). a better product is Bettafix by the same crowd.

 

[Anna Robinson]

don't use melafix as it affects their breathing as the oil coats their labyrinth organ (or so i have heard). a better product is Bettafix by the same crowd.

Bettafix and Melafix are exactly the same thing. Bettafix is Melafix diluted in the bottle to make dosing easier in small volumes of water, but the final dose in the aquarium water is exactly the same.

Neither product adversely affects Bettas either, although I appreciate there are some people who will never believe that.

 

[LaVidaBoring]

Bettafix and Melafix are exactly the same thing. Bettafix is Melafix diluted in the bottle to make dosing easier in small volumes of water, but the final dose in the aquarium water is exactly the same.

Neither product adversely affects Bettas either, although I appreciate there are some people who will never believe that.

But do these meds actually work as advertized? I haven't seen much evidence in Melafix/Bettafix's favor, and at least one poster on another board looked in research literature to see if there were any studies supporting using tea tree oil (active ingredient in these meds) to heal fish infections, and couldn't find any. IMHO, best just to medicate with the tried & true stuff-- antibiotics & antifungals.

 

[stang1]

Bettafix and Melafix are exactly the same thing. Bettafix is Melafix diluted in the bottle to make dosing easier in small volumes of water, but the final dose in the aquarium water is exactly the same.

Neither product adversely affects Bettas either, although I appreciate there are some people who will never believe that.

But do these meds actually work as advertized? I haven't seen much evidence in Melafix/Bettafix's favor, and at least one poster on another board looked in research literature to see if there were any studies supporting using tea tree oil (active ingredient in these meds) to heal fish infections, and couldn't find any. IMHO, best just to medicate with the tried & true stuff-- antibiotics & antifungals.

I've used both Melafix and Pimafix with no problems and good end results. A lot of people seem to have had problems but I'm not sure why. I've never had any qualms using it and would quite happily continue to do so if the need arises.

 

[Anna Robinson]

But do these meds actually work as advertized? I haven't seen much evidence in Melafix/Bettafix's favor, and at least one poster on another board looked in research literature to see if there were any studies supporting using tea tree oil (active ingredient in these meds) to heal fish infections, and couldn't find any. IMHO, best just to medicate with the tried & true stuff-- antibiotics & antifungals.

There is a fair amount of independent evidence about the general anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory effects of Melaleuca, e.g. Carson et al (2006), Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree) oil: a review of antimicrobial and other medicinal properties, Clinical Microbiology Reviews 19 (1): 50–62., the full text of which you can get online. There is also independent evidence of the inhibitory effects of Pimenta extracts against fungus on fish. But I agree, I think it would be very helpful if API were to publish some of their own data on this. At the moment it doesn't seem to be a priority for them.

There are things to be said both for antibiotics in fish treatments, and against them. I don't think it's a case of one or the other.