Fin rot or something else?

[corneliusmom]

Hello,

Two weeks ago I noticed that my boy Leopold started showing signs of fin rot. I have been doing daily 40% water changes and adding tannins in the form of rooibos tea bags for a week, but he does not seem to improve. I think he might be losing some pigmentation on his body. His behavior has now become concerning as well. He is lethargic, barely eats, doesn't move much except for some erratic spurts, barely flares (used to all the time) and hides in his cave, which he has never done before. Sometimes, I feel like he is breathing too hard, as I can see his mouth move. I am not sure what is wrong with him or what I can do to help him.

 

[Colin_T]

How long has the tank been set up for?
How long have you had the fish for?

What is the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH of the water?
What sort of filter is on the aquarium?
How often and how do you clean the filter?
What sort of filter media/ materials are in the filter?

How often do you do water changes and how much do you change?
Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?
Do you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the aquarium?

How long has he been off his food?
What do you normally feed him and how often do you feed him?
What does his poop look like (coloured or white)?

Post a video of him trying to eat (or ignoring food) and showing his breathing?
Upload videos to YouTube, then copy & paste the link here.
If you use a mobile phone to film the fish, hold the phone horizontally (landscape mode) so the footage fills the entire screen and doesn't have black bars on either end.

 

[corneliusmom]

Hey @Colin_T

I’ve had the tank for about a year and the fish since May.

Ammonia 0 ppm, Nitrite 0 ppm, Nitrate almost 0 ppm, pH 8.2
It’s a sponge filter which I clean about once a month by squeezing it out in vacuumed out tank water. There is no media besides the sponge.

I do weekly 25% water changes and gravel vac. I always dechlorinate.

He hasn’t fully stopped eating, but it’s been about a week that he’s eating less and less. I feed him Northfin Betta Bits, frozen bloodworms, and a frozen food medley of daphnia, mysis shrimp and brine shrimp (with some additives like seaweed etc). I feed him twice a day normally. His poop is coloured.

I will post a video when I get home.

 

[Colin_T]

You can try doing bigger water changes. I like 75% water changes because they dilute disease organisms more effectively than smaller water changes. Apart from that you seem to be doing everything right. This would suggest a possible disease is causing the problem.

When fish go off their food and do a stringy white poop, it's an internal protozoan infection and Metronidazole is the medication of choice.

When fish go off their food in general, it is usually water quality related (not in your case tho), or they are sick from something major. I would say he has an infection and a broad spectrum medication (something that treats bacteria and fungus) is needed.

Do a big clean before adding any medication. Wipe the inside of the glass down. Clean the filter. Do a huge (75-90%) water change and gravel clean the substrate. then add some medication.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

 

[corneliusmom]

Hey @Colin_T

Thanks again. Would something like Seachem PolyGuard work well as a broad-spectrum medicine?

I have been able to get some videos. Here he is ignoring food (frozen bloodworms).

https://imgur.com/a/psRdhtp

Here is an example of weird behaviour for him. He has been super jittery and overreactive, when he's usually very curious and brave. I tried feeding him again so approached the water with my tweezers. He got so scared he fled and got stuck, which stressed me because I'm not sure he would have been able to free himself on his own.

https://imgur.com/a/Jt47UBY

Here is an example of his heavy breathing.

https://imgur.com/a/S9uhgtT

Thanks again for all the great advice!

 

[corneliusmom]

Update: he seems to be doing worse and is particularly skittish and overreactive. He was lying in his 'betta hammock' (a tumbler lid with a suction cup glued to it that I keep near the top) and I tried to approach with a bloodworm; he sprung up and fled to the other side of the tank as fast as he could, fluttering erratically and bumping into glass/decor on the way. He seems to have very little energy and uses it all on outbursts like this that are overreactive and uncoordinated in their movements.

 

[Colin_T]

When he panics and takes off it could be he is frightened by sudden movements. Bettas normally live under floating plants so they are protected from attacks from above the water. You don't have any floating plants and he might be thinking you are a bird about to get him. This is probably more likely if he has problems with his eyesight. If he is losing his eyesight then he will be more likely to get spooked by sudden movements or big shadows, although there's no light above the tank so shadows shouldn't be an issue.

Poor eyesight doesn't stop them feeding though and he completely ignores the food and that is a concern, and he is breathing a bit more than he should be. The Seachem PolyGuard is a broad spectrum medication and might help. Just do a big water change and clean the filter and substrate before using it.

 

[corneliusmom]

Thanks @Colin_T I'll look into PolyGuard