Help please! Mystery illness. Columnaris? Long thread like lent on fin.

[CrimsonPrince]

Tank size: 10 gallon cube - filled halfway - planted tank/plants above and below water line. More description in text below
pH: 6/6.5
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0
kH: 0
gH: 0
tank temp: 78 degrees

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):
grey scales, missing scales, swelling of swim bladder, fin rot/fray, long wispy lent like strings on very tips of fins in a couple of places.

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 1 gallon every 3 to 4 days

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: sponge filter - description in text, bettasafe

Tank inhabitants: betta, small shrimp that came in on plants, small snails

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): none

Exposure to chemicals: recently moved to 5 gallon hospital tank. on last dose of furan - 2 with 1 teaspoon aquarium salt

Digital photo at bottom of page.


I'm new to the forum and have had my Betta Prince for about a year. I inherited him from a friend who treated him very poorly. He was sick when I got him and I nursed him back to health using India leaves, clean good water, really good refrigerated food, aquarium salt.


He lives alone in a planted tank. It's a 10 gallon cube filled halfway with ferns that live above the water line, as he likes to jump and I wanted him to have a dynamic atmosphere. Its very mossy, and has both grass, and a plant that likes to grow above the water line and bloom. It also has an underwater fern attached to a log. He loves swimming around to the back and then comes to the front. Mostly he hangs out where he can swim the easiest without getting hung up in the moss. There are lots of tiny shrimp too that he likes to eat when he can find them. I think they came in on the plants. There are also some young snails.


I have a sponge filter with a tube that waters the ferns and comes back down through the rocks. I change a gallon of water every 3-4 days. I treat it with bettasafe to remove minerals/toxins. He has a heater and the water stays at 78 degrees. I test the water every time I do a water change and it always has great parameters. Ph of 6, 0 KH, 0 GH, 0 Nitrates, 0 Nitrites. I test with strips for a quick check, but have a master kit for testing as well.

I noticed he started to loose some scales when I first put him in the planted tank (I made sure the nitrogen cycle had passed before putting him in). I asked my aquarium supplier and he said it was likely nothing and that if he acted normal, ate normal, and the scales came back, he was fine. Likely an injury from the rocks or something since he was in a new environment.

Well his fins started to look a little frayed and then there was this long wispy threadlike stuff that appeared on just the tips of his fins in only a few places. It really looks like lent or something. Not like the fine hairs associated with fungus. I did a lot of research and it seemed like he had columnaris.

I treated him with a bath of methylene blue and then I moved him to a 5 gallon heated hospital tank and treated him with furan - 2. One full treatment. He seemed better so I moved him back to his planted tank. Any time I move him, I acclimate him in a plastic bag - so there is no risk of temperature shock. When I moved him back to the planted tank, he seemed to swell up for an hour or so then was better. I panicked and tried to research why or how that would happen, but couldn't find anything. He was better for about a month and I saw growth on his fins.

Then recently he started having swim bladder issues, where he swims sideways sometimes. I thought I might be overfeeding him - so I fast him and he gets better. I only feed him 3-4 tiny pellets of TDO chroma boost food.

Then there was evidently some fin loss and scale loss again. One eye seemed a little silvery at the top... then he started darting a little bit. All the while I am checking the water obsessively and everything is testing well! I am continuing with the gallon water changes every three days. Perhaps this is wrong?

I moved him again into the heated 5 gallon hospital tank when he tipped over on his side again and everything seemed to be going downhill rapidly. I started treatment with furan-2 and one teaspoon aquarium salt for the five gallons. He is looking and seems to be feeling better, but that stringy stuff is back! and he is floating funny again. But he is very lively, jumps to try to eat my fingers. I am using an air stone in there right now, but have ordered a little carbon filter, which should arrive today. I have also purchased a book on bettas. Any recommendations for a good book resource?

I am at a loss for what to do.... I have mr peabodys medicated flakes. The whole set of 5 which include: kanamycin, oxytetracycline, metronidazole, praziquantel, fenbendazole. See here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KVCKM0K/?tag=ff0d01-20

I also grabbed a piece of the threadlike stuff from his fin with some fine tweezers and put it in between glass. Any recommendations on how/what to do to look at this microscopically?

Should I treat him with dips? baths?

Any help, advice, observations would be so greatly appreciated. I love my little fish so much and want to see him well and happy. Please ask any questions for anything I need to clarify or didn't include!

I have attached photos. The colors seem strange - but the water is yellow due to the furan - 2 in the hospital tank.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

A bath or dip will be a very nice addition to the treatment he is already getting.

http://www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2009/07/fish-baths.html

These work well for external bacterial infections as well as fungal infections. A little meth blue on the specific site of any sores as well will help the healing process.

 

[CrimsonPrince]

Thanks so much for your reply! I feel a bit daunted by the dips/baths - as netting my fish is always nerve-wracking - he hates the net - and I worry about temp consistency. Any recommendations to make that a smoother process?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Step 1 - Don't use a net. Use a large plastic bowl to corral him. Less stressful for him, as he'll be in water the entire time and easier for you. Use your free hand to kind of herd him into the container. I've used this method with my BN pleco. It works well... and is remarkably easy. The faster it happens, the less stressful for both of you.

Step 2 - And for the temp consistency, use tank water for the dip to make the solution... and then refill the tank while he's in the bath. If you cover the container you are putting him in for the bath, that container can actually be floated at the top of your tank, and the temps will stay almost identical the whole time.

Step 3 - Keep the lights low in the room while you are doing this. Darkness is soothing to the fish. Bright lights is stressful... kind of the same for people.

Step 4 - Stay calm yourself. Put on some relaxing music during the process to help soothe your nerves a bit as well.

 

[CrimsonPrince]

I will give it my best! Thank you so much for the advice - maybe a Tupperware container will work? I'll post an update after!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

A new Tupperware container, not one that's been cleaned with soap.

 

[CrimsonPrince]

I did the dip last night! 25 minutes in 1 liter in a Tupperware container with methylene blue and 1/4 ts aquarium salt. I watched the video on the Fish Bath/dip/swab page and read the instructions thoroughly and followed your steps.

His disposition is about the same this morning as he was yesterday, but I noticed last night the fluff that was still attached to his fin stained blue! It looks to be all gone today, but his abdomen is still swollen. It only swelled up this way after he had been in the Furan - 2 hospital tank for two days. I thought maybe I overfed him again, so didn't feed him yesterday, but he still puffy. I am going to try a blanched pea today.... could this be another sign of further illness? his scales and fins are looking much better. The silvery scales are back to normal. No pine-coning or anything. Could he have developed a swim bladder problem? It seems to come and go.Not sure how to proceed with treatment. Today I would restart the Furan - 2 treatment if I were going to do another dose, but I'm not sure it will help. I also don't want to over-dose him. I have medicated fish flakes I could try perhaps and run the charcoal filter to remove the furan -2?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

As with any antibiotic treatment, it is best to do the full course rather than to stop midway. Stopping can cause more harm than good, as if its is the bacterial infection, the treatment needs to be completed or else you can end up with antibiotic resistant bacteria.

I'd continue the dips twice a day if the little fella is taking to it well. Use this in conjunction with the antibiotic treatment of Furan-2. Complete the full cycle and assess him at the end of the full treatment course.

You could stop the bath at any time if you believe it is overstressing the fish. But, in general, the dips will aid in healing and help oxygen get to the infected areas. The treatment won't be an immediate cure, but the fact that you are seeing some results is encouraging. Now is the time to just maintain what you are doing and give it all a chance to work and let the fish's immune system a chance to catch up and heal up. Its a process.

 

[CrimsonPrince]

Thanks so much for your thoughts. Yes I agree completely with the antibiotics - I've done one full treatment per the packet instructions. You think I should give him another run through? This would be 8 days of treatment with Furan - 2. Two complete courses of the antibiotic.

I'm wondering if it's columnaris though or something else. Does this sound like columnaris? He did not have any fluff anywhere else on his body. Just the fin tips, with fin loss, and scale loss and occasional abdominal swelling.

I will continue with the baths as you've suggested. He wouldn't take a redose until this eve of the Furan-2 - so I will check back to get your thoughts before re-dosing.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

If you have completed a full dose of the antibiotic, you don't need to do a second course. BUT... how is he doing overall?

Columnaris shows itself in a variety of ways.

Going back to your original post: "grey scales, missing scales, swelling of swim bladder, fin rot/fray, long wispy lent like strings on very tips of fins in a couple of places."

Symptoms

• White spots on mouth, edges of scales, and fins
• Cottony growth that eats away at the mouth
• Fins disintegrate beginning at the edges
• 'Saddleback' lesion near the dorsal fin
• Fungus often invades the affected skin
• Rapid gilling in cases where gills are infected

https://www.thespruce.com/columnaris-disease-in-aquarium-fish-1378480


You seem to have mentioned the issues with scales... fins disintegrating... and strings (which could be 'cottony' growth). The grey scales reminded me of the 'saddleback' description.


Swim bladder isn't associated with columnaris, but secondary infections, like swim bladder disease can take advantage of a weakened fish.

If the swelling is considerable, you could add some epsom salt to your dip and that will help draw some of the fluids out of the fish's body.

Epsom salts (Magnesium Sulfate) are useful for baths (I do not recommend even short term use in the main display aquarium) in either fresh or saltwater where internal issues are suspected, including constipation and lack of appetite. This said, Epsom salts are generally not enough alone and other more specific medications will need to be added to the bath (read further in this article, including references/resources).

http://www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2009/07/fish-baths.html

 

[CrimsonPrince]

I am so happy to report the swelling went away! He is swimming normally again and seems much better in general - when just early this morning he was still on his side all bloated!

BUT! That stringy stuff is back. It's now on four places on his fins. It turned blue in the bath then fell off last night, but this morning it was back again before I left for work.

I attached photos of him below. I drew around the fin that is showing the stringy stuff in the first photo.