Tough fin rot case

[Susan Perpich]

I'v been fighting fin rot since November and it's not getting better. I've tried salt baths, Melafix/primafix, triple sulfa, Furan 2 and fin and body cure by API. I followed the directions, doing multiple rounds as it suggested. It seems like it gets better but then his tail tears or I see black tips. It only seem to be on his tail fin. I attached some pictures . I'm not sure what else to do for him. He has normal behavior, eats well and is happy.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Don’t use Melafix or Pimafix on bettas. The oil in the products can harm their labyrinth organ and could result in death. Good, clean water is your best line of defense. Sometimes this can mean daily water changes until symptoms improve. Do you know what your water parameters are? If you can post them that may help us come up with a solution. Do you gravel clean your substrate. Water quality is the number one cause of fin rot. Overfeeding is also a contributing factor. Let us know what your parameters are ( ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and PH) and we can go from there.

 

[Guppylover3x]

Don’t use Melafix or Pimafix on bettas. The oil in the products can harm their labyrinth organ and could result in death. Good, clean water is your best line of defense. Sometimes this can mean daily water changes until symptoms improve. Do you know what your water parameters are? If you can post them that may help us come up with a solution. Do you gravel your substrate. Water quality is the number one cause of fin rot. Overfeeding is also a contributing factor. Let us know what your parameters are ( ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and PH) and we can go from there.

I agree with Deanasue. Pristine water is the key to keeping healthy fish. Mixing medications is toxic to fish. We need further information on your peramters to advice further. Best of luck.

 

[Susan Perpich]

Someone on a different forum said to mix those two together. I do a 50% water change once a week. Yesterday his PH was 7.5 and all the others were zero. I add stress coat to the water and also add salt. He has a 2.5 gallon tank with a filter and his water temp is 78 degrees. I feed him once a day. I was told his stomach is as big as his eye so I feed him the equivalent to that. I feed him one at a time and make sure he eats it. Do you think it's fin rot or something else? Yes I do have gravel.

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

If the fish's tail has been eroding away since November last year, then it is either poor water quality or a bacterial infection. If you used the medications as directed and the problem is still occurring, it could be a drug resistant bacterial infection.

----------------------
I would stop adding medications (including salt) and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a couple of weeks. If the tails gets worse during that time you can take the fish to a fish vet and get them to take samples of the tail and send it off for testing to find out what species of bacteria is causing the problem.

Alternatively, you can try a Tetracycline/ Doxycycline based anti-biotic and treat him for at least 2 weeks and see if it helps.

Option 3 is to put the fish into a container of Methylene Blue and then move him into a new container with clean water and hope for the best.

----------------------
You should try to vary the fish's diet and include a vitamin supplement and foods with anti-oxidants.
Look for a fish vitamin supplement and add it to his food every day. If you can't find a fish vitamin then get a reptile or bird supplement and use it 6 days a week but do not use it on the 7th day.

You can add juice from orange and purple coloured fruits/ veges to his food. Some good foods to juice include apricots, orange squash, pumpkin, orange and purple carrots and blueberries. These foods can help boost his immune system and might help him fight off the infection.

Sick fish should be fed a varied diet 3-5 times per day so they have lots of nutrients throughout the day and it will help them regain some energy and put on some condition. You can feed him frozen (but defrosted) bloodworms, brineshrimp, daphnia, prawn/ shrimp, fish. You can also feed small live or dry insects like aphids, live brineshrimp & daphnia, small flies, mosquitoes and mozzie larvae, ants and ant eggs. Basically most small non toxic insects that have been caught by hand and are free of chemicals.

 

[FishGuest5123]

How long have you had him? Is his tank cycled? Has it ever shown a nitrate reading. You may want to try the methylene blue dips that Colin mentioned.

 

[Susan Perpich]

I have had him for 6 month and I didn't cycle his tank before I put him in. I bought him without knowing what his requirements were. I found out later when he got sick and I googled it. No, I've never had any bad readings except ammonia once a few months ago. For the fish vitamins is there a certain name brand I should look for? Can I use a powdered vitamin I have for my chameleon and just dust his food with it?

 

[FishGuest5123]

Just because you have no readings doesn’t mean you have a cycled tank. Especially since you are doing large water changes each week. Good chance the tank has never started a cycle. I suspect that may have something to do with the rot. Do you test before doing the water changes?

 

[Susan Perpich]

To be honest I have no idea if the tank is cycled. I thought adding all the medications might affect the cycling process also. I do the testing after I do the water change. What do I need to do to cycle it? Thanks again for everyone's help!

 

[FishGuest5123]

I would read on the nitrogen cycle in the beginner section of the forum. I believe the best bet for you would be to get a small bottle of Safe Start+. It is a bottled bacteria which will help speed things along. Use the entire bottle. It won’t hurt. Don’t do any water changes for a few days. Then you test and see if you have any ammonia starting. If you have over .5ppm then do a 50% water change at that point. You should start to see ammonia go up and then it will drop and nitrites will start. They will go up and once they fall then nitrates will begin developing. Once you have nitrates and o ammonia and nitrites, you are cycled. Then do a water change to get your nitrates below 10 ppm and do water changes whenever nitrates get to 10 or 20ppm. It will be fine to do weekly water changes at that point. What do use for a dechlorinator?

 

[Susan Perpich]

I use API stress coat+. Do I still treat him during the cycling? Should he stay in the tank? Also, how do I know he is healing?

 

[FishGuest5123]

I believe the cycle with take care of things for you. You won’t need meds unless an infection starts up. Tetra Safe Start + is a bottled bacteria that will introduce bacteria into the tank immediately instead of waiting for it to build up. It is entitlrely different from Stress Coat.

 

[Susan Perpich]

Should I still use the stress coat and add salt to his water? I ordered the Tetra Safe Start, vitamins and some higher quality food. I'll get the cycling started asap. Thanks for all the help.

 

[FishGuest5123]

I think with Safe Start you will see your tank cycle very quickly. You may get your ammonia to about.5ppm but don’t let it get any higher. I doubt it will. You may or may not see nitrites at all. Once you get nitrates, then simply do a water change to get the nitrates below 20ppm, better below 10ppm. Your tank is then safe. Good luck. You can continue to use the Stress Coat. Once cycled, I believe that good clean water will take care of the fin rot. I am a believer in a little aquarium salt too for fin rot but others will disagree.

 

[Colin_T]

For the fish vitamins is there a certain name brand I should look for? Can I use a powdered vitamin I have for my chameleon and just dust his food with it?

Different countries have different brands. Use whatever you can find.
You can use the reptile/ chameleon supplement but only use it 6 days a week. Have 1 day per week where you don't use vitamins.