Sick Betta

BettaBum873

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Hill-billy dumping ground, NY
One of my male bettas is usually very active and playful, flaring at everyone and everything. But this morning he was just laying at the bottom of his bowl and he had white fuzz covering one side of his face that wasn't there last night. Now hes still acting very lathargic, hell swim around a bit but mostly hes just resting at the bottom of the tank. Hes still eating and pooping and everything, not breathing heavy. I'm treating him with Bettamax, which is specifically for bettas. It treats bacterial and fungal infections. What do you think he has, am I treating him correctly? Any help would be great. thank you!
 
It sounds like he has columnaris, which is a bacterial infection. I would treat him wiht a stronger antibiotic than bettafix. I know maracyn, kanacyn, eythromyicin, and tetracycline are all supposed to be good. Have you checked his water stats?

Also, add some aquarium salt into his tank, as that can help.

Here is some more info. I am not the writer of this.

Columnaris (a.k.a. Mouth Fungus)

Symptoms:

An infected fish will have off-white to gray cotton-like patches on the head, fins, gills, body and particularly the mouth. In time, these areas will develop into open sores. Gill swelling may occur, gill filaments may stick together and excessive mucus may develop in the gill area. Rapid breathing can be seen. Fins may deteriorate to the point of leaving the fin rays bare. Muscles may be inflamed and capillaries may rupture. Fish, particularly livebearers, may exhibit "shimmying". Infection may be acute (killing an infected fish within hours), or chronic (lingering for several days before eventually killing the fish). As with most diseases, not all symptoms need be present.


Cause:

The bacterium Flexibacter columnaris.


Treatment:

Ensure that your water conditions (e.g., Ammonia, Nitrite, pH, Nitrate levels, and water temp.) are within their proper ranges. If not, perform a water change and/or treat the water accordingly. Recommended medications include: Furanace, Fungus Eliminator, Fungus Cure, Furacyn, Furan-2, Triple Sulfa, E.M. Tablets, Tetracycline, or Potassium Permanganate. Medicated foods are also recommended. Columnaris can be highly infectious and may quickly kill all aquarium inhabitants; therefore, early treatment is essential. All fish, including those not yet showing visible symptoms, as well as the aquarium they inhabit should be treated.
 
If it's columnaris, disinfect everything. Set aside and use instruments only in that tank. Boil what can be boiled, dip/soak in a 10% bleach solution and let air dry whatever else. The air drying will disapate the chlorine, just as aging water does. If you are still nervous about the chlorine keep a bucket of dechlorinated water to dip in after. Keeping a dipping bucket of bleach solution handy to clean stuff is a good idea anyway.
 

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