Help Please!

[tabbycat89]

My female betta Donna has suddenly developed 2 white patches, one on each side, symmetrical to each other. I've never noticed them before, maybe they have always been there but I dont think so. They don't look "cottony" but I dont know what they are. I have her in the same tank as (with a divider) as Dwight, should I put her in a seperate bowl? Is this some type of fungus or what?

 

[lilacamy931]

I am no good with diagnosis, it may help others if you can get a picture of some sort?

It could be as easy as her colour maturing, though if it is sudden there may be something more dire. Try to get a pic for someone to diagnos for you if possible. Hang in there

 

[jasminekiddell]

i dont know much about betta fish, i have alot to learn, but in my opinion i dont think a disease would have printed symetrically on each side.
Is donna acting normal apart from this?
just keep an eye on her if she seems her per usual self then i woudlnt worry.

 

[tabbycat89]

i'm trying to add a pic but it's not working. . .

 

[Galanta]

I haven't figured out how to post pics either. Could be your photo is over 100KB. What u can do for sure is post it on a site like flickr.com and then provide a link.

 

[jasminekiddell]

Use www.imageshack.us then you get your browse your photo ( makesure the size underneath is 'website and emails size' and then you have a long code ]copy paste it and at the start of it put .
This isnt a code but will look something like this e.ge

 

[silverrabbit]

Columnaris can present as a symmetrical "saddle" type pattern on a fish. I've not had experience with Columnaris, but you need to treat with meds asap.

 

[tabbycat89]

i am going to bring my camera in with the picture of her to petsmart. i know they are not the best especially with fish but it's the only option i have left right now.

 

[tabbycat89]

Ok I went to Petsmart and got anti-fungal stuff, it says on the back that fungus starts with isolated pale or white patches on the skin, which is what Donna has. So I got this stuff thats supposed to fix it, its kind of a cure-all type thing for fungus, cotton mouth disease, body slime, eye cloud, and fin and tail rot. The brand is API, the active ingredients are 3 mg Victoria Green B and 30 mg Acriflavine per packet, and I used 2 packets. Not only did it not work AT ALL but it turned the entire tank green. Donna and Dwight share a tank with a divider, so I just put it in both as a type of preventative thing. And now Dwight isnt eating. I dont know what to do. Should I keep adding this stuff?

 

[jasminekiddell]

When i treated my tankw ith white spot my tank was a solid blue for about a day then it faded lol, and it shoudl say on the bottle/packet about the doses doesnt sound like this has instrucations, check the bottle and packet see if you see any visible instructions, for example with the white spot i was to add it the day i decide to do it, then the fourth day after then a week after that.

 

[betta fish]

Hi, where abouts on her are the white patches? if they are on her gills or sides and are vertical they are perfectly normal although it would be helpful to get a pic to be sure, what colour is she? I take it she is well in herself? I would not continue with the meds if it isn't working and the other fish isn't happy, ideally any treatment should be done in a seperate isolation tank.
Here is a pic of one of my fish with the vertical barring that can show up, it's not the best example but can give you an idea, 5 faint lines along her side, can your girl see your male? because if so she may just be ready to breed, hence the barring up.

 

[tabbycat89]

Hi, where abouts on her are the white patches? if they are on her gills or sides and are vertical they are perfectly normal although it would be helpful to get a pic to be sure, what colour is she? I take it she is well in herself? I would not continue with the meds if it isn't working and the other fish isn't happy, ideally any treatment should be done in a seperate isolation tank.
Here is a pic of one of my fish with the vertical barring that can show up, View attachment 57118it's not the best example but can give you an idea, 5 faint lines along her side, can your girl see your male? because if so she may just be ready to breed, hence the barring up.

well it definitely isnt the barring thing....you can tell it is something that is like growing on the outside...and now it is on the tips of her fins too. i guess i'm gonna put her in a seperate bowl then go from there. She seems fine is as curious and energetic as normal.

 

[tabbycat89]

http/farm3.static.flickr.com/2540/371857...ed5ac2ce7_m.jpg

 

[Galanta]

Dear tabbycat89,

Good on posting a photo, but this is not detailed enough to be able to see what exactly the patch looks like.

I strongly recommend taking the best close-up you can get and posting on the Emergency Forum. Post your picture; describe exactly what the patch looks like and detail the exact actions your have taken so far (post details on your water readings as well as they will ask about that). Note - if you do not have any means of posting a good photo, go ahead and at least post a request for help with the best possible description of what it looks like. Columnaris for example can spread pretty fast and can be deadly, so I would not waste any time.

I am no expert, but in fixing up my friend's Betta (done with help from the Emergency forum) I have learned that there are two different kinds of infections which will cause white fuzzy patches. One of them can be a fungus and the other things is called "columnaris". Columnaris looks like white "mold" but it is actually bacteria, which links together into "columns" - hence the name. Bacterial medication will NOT kill fungus and fungus medication will NOT handle columnaris.

When posting give specifics of which medication you have tried so far and how exactly you have used it. For example, medications need to be dosed correctly and most of them require daily application (read instructions carefully) as the potency of them wears out within about 24 hours of having been disolved in water. I.e. even if you put in the correct amount of medication for your 10 gal tank on Monday and the instructions say to use it for 5 days, it normally means that you have to add the same required amount DAILY for 5 days in a row. If you did not do that, but only waited 5 days, then you can't actually truly state that it "did not work" as basically the fish was medicated for 24 hours and then just spent the remaining 4 days in colored water that did not do anything to him.

Also some medications require taking out the carbon filter as it otherwise just cancels out the medication.

Also - on ANY medication you buy from LFS make sure you stress that you are treating a Betta fish. Bettas are more sensitive to some medications than other fish and in certain cases need to have the dosage reduced, so make sure you tell them you are going to use it in a Betta tank and see if they have any special instructions to add.

So my advice is :

a) Post IMMEDIATELY on the emergency forum with as many pics and details as possible.

b) Read the instructions on the fungus medication you got very carefully and make sure you are applying it exactly as stated WHILE you wait for directions from the emergency forum - though they are normally VERY fast, so you could try to wait a few hours and see if they will direct you to use a different medication that you currently have. But if you do not hear back, by all means at least try using what you have for a full course. If no change at all within 3 days or so you should definitely look into switching to bacterial medication instead - i.e. Maracyn