Kumar

[Whiskerz]

So yesterday was water change day for my bettas and everything was great! Until I woke up today to find Kumar looking just a little bit different then usual

This is what he looked like lastnight

Annnnd this is what he looks like today

So I did another water change today and Iam now treating him with Tetracycline Tablets in hopes that he will get better!
I'm guessing he was stressed from flaring at my other betta Poof, cuz Iam an idiot and forgot to put the piece of paper between their tanks It's there now though!
I have only treated one of my bettas with Tetracycline Tablets for Popeye and it worked great. So I'm hoping it works for fin rot as well. It says it treats fin and tail rot but I seem to have bad luck when I try to treat my bettas for it
Has anyone ever used Tetracycline Tablets for fin rot?

 

[shadow]

I've never had fin rot with my bettas. I hope he gets better, good luck!

 

[Whiskerz]

Thanks Shadow, I don't usually have finrot with my bettas either! Infact, I think this is the first time I've actually had finrot with any of my bettas. I have a couple with their tails ripped but they did that themselves and nothing seems to work for them either. Melafix, Bettafix or Salt doesn't work, I've tried all 3 on a couple of my bettas. Salt worked for clamped fins though

 

[BettaMomma]

I have the IDENTICAL story here, except Archie's problems started when I OD'd him on melafix (I DESPISE that stuff now)...

He is almost the exact same color as your boy, too.
I have been giving him very frequent water changes and adding salt and Stress Coat. His fins aren't getting any better so I"m still debating on what to do. I am not going to treat him just yet for finrot because it's more of fin rips and tears than it is finrot. I'll most likely resort to that, though.

Let me know if you try something that seems to work well and I'll do the same!!

 

[Kiarra]

I've never seen finrot progress so rapidly.... Perhaps Kumar just reached back and tried to trim his own tail?

 

[BettaMomma]

I'm pretty sure that's what ARchie did, so i'm betting that's what happened to Kumar, too.

 

[Whiskerz]

Bettamomma - Sorry to hear one of your little guys is having the same problem. It's so frustrating when they have something like this happen to them Iam going to see if these Tetracycline Tablets work and if they do, I will let you know for sure
And I know what you mean about the Melafix, I used it on about 3 bettas in the past and all 3 have died after I used it.


Kiarra - He could've bitten his own tail, but to me it just doesn't look like he did. I have one that bites his own tail. When I first got him he had some of his tail chewed off, and now it's almost gone pretty much. It has grown back a little bit, but then he just chews it off again I don't know why he does it

Here's a pic of the one that chews his tail....
This is what he looked like the day I got him

This is what he looks like now

He's looking very bad and I've tried helping him but nothings working! But if the tablets work for my other guy (Kumar) then I'm going to use them on Cheeko (the red guy) too and maybe it will grow back and hopefully he won't chew it off!

 

[Kiarra]

It could be some kind of stress reaction for Cheeko, or maybe he's just one compulsive little Betta....

Good luck with Kumar. For what it's worth, I've never used any real "medicines" for fin rot. All cases I've had were cured by water changes, aquarium salt, and Blackwater Extract. I only believe in using medication when all other possibilities have been exhausted. It's less expensive and less stressful to the fish overall, and I frequently get much the same results as people using medication. Food for thought?

 

[newfishies]

i have had 2 boys with tails like that. they used to live in a filtered 5 gal, divided with a see-through divider. both of their tails looked like that. i don't know if they chewed their own tails, got at each others or the filter got them, but they got better in separate unfiltered tanks with aquarium salt a little melafix and colloidal silver...

 

[Whiskerz]

Kiarra - I don't think Cheeko is stressed, he seems happy (eating fine, making nests etc.) Both Cheeko and Kumar are in 1 gallon bowls, I do 100% water changes every 4 days, should I start changing Cheeko's (I'm treating Kumars tank right now) water every 2 days instead and add some aquarium salt maybe?

newfishies - I heard that collidal (sp) silver stuff works REALLY well I'd get some of that but I don't have an extra 40 bucks on me

 

[BettaMomma]

1 gallon tanks, really, should be changed out every day or every other day.
It's a rather big pain, but has to be done. I have decided to start something that someone (dang, I can't remember who it was) suggested - use airline tubing and get the actual water out of the tanks every day with that (of course like 85% of the water, enough should be left so the fish can still swim) then replace it. Just do gravel vacuums every 3 or 4 days. We'll see how that goes.

Just be careful, though, if you start doing really frequent water changes you could stress him out more and I really believe that in cases like this, they are chewing their tails and it's because they're stressed out about SOMEthing. Archie's all started when he got OD'd on melafix. He got to not feeling good and he was just beside himself.

See if you can figure out something that's changed, or that obviously perturbs him. Even if it's something that's sitting near his tank that he can't stand to look at. Once our digital camera was sitting next to a tank with the big ol' lens staring in at amos and he couldn't stand it. Took the camera away and he was all better.

 

[Whiskerz]

Just be careful, though, if you start doing really frequent water changes you could stress him out more and I really believe that in cases like this, they are chewing their tails and it's because they're stressed out about SOMEthing.

Thanks Bettamomma

I don't do the water changes every day or every other day because of that reason, as I've been told the exact same thing before.

The only thing beside Cheeko's tank that he'd be able to see is the Shrek movie But I'll make sure he won't be able to see it...just incase.

I heard that their bodies tell them when to stop growing their tails when they're at a comfortable length, is that true? In a way, I think it is. Because I've had Cheeko for a long time and his tail has always been chewed, and when it started growing back he chewed it off again And back when I first brought him home, he was in a spot in my room where he wasn't able to see anything besides the wood of my computer desk and he still chewed it I don't know

 

[Kiarra]

Cheeko's probably just compulsive and can't help himself. Don't worry about it unless it gets infected. To that end, you may want to have aquarium salt in there with him to prevent it from ever getting infected.

 

[Whiskerz]

I usually put salt in with him anyway after I do a water change I might start doing water changes on my 1 gallons every 3 days instead of 4.

Thanks for your help guys

 

[Whiskerz]

Well, the Tetracycline Tablets are working great I'd say! It's been 2 days now and his fin rot is going away fast!
His water is kinda yellow-ish from the meds.

After 2 days: