Unusual Betta Illness?

[Ellowen-Deeowen]

Hi,

I've owned a Betta for about 6 months. Several weeks ago I noticed that the area around my Betta's left pectoral fin seemed to have a little white around the base of it, possibly Ick, but the Betta didn't have any other spots and wasn't darting around or doing anything unusual so I thought I might be imagining things. However, the area kept getting whiter, seemed to be spreading north, and a few white dots appeared elsewhere. Therefore, I treated him with Jungle's Ick Clear for several days. The other spots disappeared, but the white-ish area around his fin remained. He has a thin line of yellowish-white around the base of his pectoral fin (not on the fin itself) and a line of yellowish-white under one layer of scales running north from the fin. It doesn't really fit any of the descriptions in the Fish Disease Guides I've looked at. Kind of looks like a thin line of dry Elmer's Glue around the base of the fin and under the row of scales. There are no other dots, it isn't 'fuzzy', and unless they're very small I don't see any individual parasites. Is this scar tissue from the Ick? Is it something else? I did another water change three days ago, treated the water on the first day with Coppersafe and have been treating the water with Maracyn and Maracyn II each day since. However, instead of seeming to get better, he is now doing an occasional mad dash around the tank, which he *didn't* do before I started the latest round of treatment. WhaddaIdo?!

Thanks, Bruce

 

[jacblades]

im not sure that its a good idea to use all of those medicines. if you could post a picture, it would help.

 

[Ellowen-Deeowen]

Unfortunately I don't have the capability (or tech savvy) to post a photo. I did a water change between the 3 days of Jungle Ick treatment and the antibiotics and then took a couple of days break before the new round of treatment. According to the inserts and the clerk at Aquatropics Coppersafe, Maracyn & Maracyn-Two can be used concurrently. I simply treated the water with Coppersafe on the first day (no further doses) and have been using 1/3 of each Maracyn tablet each day since. (It's a 3 gallon tank.) However, we're on the 4th day and I see no improvement at all. Actually, as I mentioned earlier he is now darting around the tank, which he wasn't doing before treatment. I am worried about overmedicating, but as I don't know what's wrong I'm trying a 'shotgun' approach. Shouldn't the Ick treatment and Coppersafe have 'nuked' any little parasites or do you think I'm going the wrong route with the antibiotics. I'm open for any advice.

 

[jacblades]

well-im still not sure what your betta has but i would stop using all of the medicines if he is darting around. maybe you could give him a few days break and then use bettaMAX (not to be confused with the bottle of poo known as bettaFIX). it has a soothing effect on them and is made just for them. bettaMAX is the only medicine i use with my bettas because it seems to do the trick every time.

 

[White Whale]

Is it white cottony stuff or salty spots that appear on his skin? If it's the salty spots (ick), I'd use QuICK Cure and raise the temperature of the tank to 82-84F. It's pretty fast. I haven't found a good cure for fungus, but QuICK Cure got rid of ich in less than a week.