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Suspected parasite and treatment question(s)...

2K views 24 replies 4 participants last post by  Jeff72 
#1 ·
One of my female Bettas in my divided tank recently starting getting these little fuzzy things on her fins that I suspected might be a case of Velvet or other parasite. She was still very active and eating well, but I got worried about this being a possible parasite so I went ahead and treated the whole tank with Parasite Clear from Jungle Labs.

I only did one treatment and after 48 hours I did a massive water change because the Betta in question really didn't like the medication in the water; I think it stressed her out bigtime as she spent the majority of her time near the surface of the water and motionless when the meds where being used. The meds didn't seem to bother the other female that is on the other side of the divider, but then again, I think the female that I suspected has the parasite ended up getting more of a concentration of the meds because of the tank divider.

So, now the Betta in question looks to be a little more lively but seems like she is now bloated and has somewhat of a decreased appetite. It also appears that there is a good amount of waste material on the bottom of her side of the tank. I am worried about this bloated look and whether or not she did have a parasite and more importantly... if it was cleared with the meds.

Can anyone give me any suggestions as to why she is like this after the medicine being used and more importantly, what I should do next?
 
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#2 ·
Sorry you are having problems...got a few questions......

How big is the divided tank, water temp, how much and how often are the regular water changes, filtration, live plants, how long have you had the Betta, what kind of medication and how much did you use, how was her appetite before the treatment?

Right now I would QT and start 100% daily water changes on her.
 
#3 ·
How big is the divided tank
10 Gallons

water temp
82 Degrees

how much and how often are the regular water changes
Well, since it has a filter on it, I have been doing 50% weekly water changes but it is also a fairly new setup so if the ammonia levels go up I end up doing a water change more often than once a week.

filtration, live plants
Yes, I have a HOB filter and no live plants.

how long have you had the Betta
I have had both of them for about a month now.

what kind of medication and how much did you use
I pointed this out in my original post above. I used Parasite Clear from Jungle Labs and I only did one treatment, which was a single tablet.

how was her appetite before the treatment?
Her appetite before the treatment was great. I just noticed the fuzzy stuff on her fins and thought it might be some kind of parasite and got worried and thought I should do a treatment.

Right now I would QT and start 100% daily water changes on her.
I really don't have a way to quarantine her unless I put her in a separate bowl that won't have heat or filtration in it. Should I still do this anyways?
 
#4 ·
Are the fuzzy white things still on her? and you are sure it is not ich?

Yes, I would still QT her-if you bought her in one of those cups they work great to use for QT-attach it inside your 10g so you can maintain the temp-make sure and attach it so it doesn't accidentally sink......I would then start a daily 100% water changes on her with Epsom salt 1tsp/gal(not aquarium salt) for 10 days-fast for 3 days then offer half feedings every other day....hopefully this is not a system shut down-the Epsom salt will help with the bloat

It sounds like you have a good handle on your water quality and needs-however, more water changes the better especially in a cycling tank.....was she okay or healthy when you got her a month ago?
 
#5 ·
Are the fuzzy white things still on her? and you are sure it is not ich?
I don't still notice the white things on her and I am not 100% sure that it wasn't Ich. It could have been.

Yes, I would still QT her-if you bought her in one of those cups they work great to use for QT-attach it inside your 10g so you can maintain the temp-make sure and attach it so it doesn't accidentally sink......I would then start a daily 100% water changes on her with Epsom salt 1tsp/gal(not aquarium salt) for 10 days-fast for 3 days then offer half feedings every other day....hopefully this is not a system shut down-the Epsom salt will help with the bloat
I don't feed her much as it is. Even when I was feeding her on a regular schedule, she was getting 3-4 pellets a day. Since this issue has arisen, I no longer feed her every day.

It sounds like you have a good handle on your water quality and needs-however, more water changes the better especially in a cycling tank.....was she okay or healthy when you got her a month ago?
She seemed like she was okay. She had a really good appetite and was very active. She is predominately blue in color and I have noticed since this whole ordeal that the majority of her body color is now grey. Her fins are still blue though. Not sure if this means anything.
 
#6 ·
There are a couple of other things that I noticed with my female Betta that I wanted to point out. Firstly, I am currently doing the Epsom Salt treatment as was suggested above and I am floating the container she came in inside of my heated tank that I was keeping her in originally in order to make sure she is in heated water.

I have also noticed that her eyes are popping out more than normal. This other thing is very difficult to describe and it might be related to her bloat, but I am not sure. If you look at her from above especially, it looks like her scales are sticking out somewhat so in a way it gives her kind of a "spikey" appearance to her skin that wasn't like that before.

Any more input as to what I might be dealing with?
 
#7 ·
That is too bad...sounds like dropsy or system shut down and not much you can do for that...you can try a broad spectrum antibiotic but once the symptom of dropsy shows up the damage is past repair...the Epsom salt treatment can help with the symptom and help make her comfy but no cure once the kidneys shut down-sometimes the best thing to do is to humanly euthanize if she seems to be suffering-but don't give up too soon.....

I have only saved a couple of fish once they started to pine cone and this was related to being egg bound and what I did I will not recommend a hobbyist do especially on an open forum.
 
#8 ·
Dang, that sucks.

That means she must have had some kind of parasite when I purchased her.

What do you recommend that I do at this point? Just keep up the 100% daily water changes and Epsom Salt treatment and watch her?

I have fasted her for a couple of days so I am not sure what her appetite is like at this point.
 
#9 ·
It was most likely related to internal bacterial and not parasite-this often happens from poor care from before you got her and not related to anything you did or could have done...this is also sometimes seen with freshwater fish kept in long term sodium chlorine or aquarium salt as well...kidney damage.....

That is about all you can do is stay up with the water changes and Epsom salt for the symptoms to make her comfy-
 
#10 ·
Unfortunately, the Parasite Clear would not have helped your fish in this case. Parasite Clear contains ingredients (praziquantel, metronidazole, levamisole, etc) that are for eliminating and helping the fish pass parasites in the intestinal tract. This would not be effective for treating any external parasites like ich, velvet, chilodonella, etc.

I don't think your fish had any kind of infestation, though. What you saw was likely one of two possible things, one being saprolegnia--a fungus that often appears on the fin as a secondary infection.

Fungi are pretty rare in aquaria, they move slowly and they only infect fish that are severely immuno-compromised. This means that there was something internal going on which left the fish open to fungal infection. Who knows, it may have been internal parasites since you found so much waste in the tank--the waste was a result of her passing the worms in her intestinal tract.

It is also possible that the fish was infected with bacteria from the beginning. Bacteria is often mistaken for fungus because it's fuzzy, and looks similar to mold you might see on an old strawberry. It moves very quickly, and the fish can be incapacitated in hours, and die in only a couple days, typically.

Sorry for your loss, unfortunately there really isn't much that can be done for dropsied fish. Hopefully this experience has taught you a bit more about how to treat the symptoms you see in your fish. In the future, I encourage you to look up the general use of the active ingredients listed on any medication you intend to use. This should help make sure that you're using the right medication to treat the problem.
 
#11 ·
Bacteria is often mistaken for fungus because it's fuzzy, and looks similar to mold you might see on an old strawberry. It moves very quickly, and the fish can be incapacitated in hours, and die in only a couple days, typically.
That's exactly what it looked like. What medication should I have used instead? She still seems to be eating because I tried to feed her a pellet and she readily took it. Although, she continues to have the "dropsied" look as I described above though.
 
#12 · (Edited)
A broad spectrum antibiotic would probably be best if you think that it is actually bacteria, beyond a reasonable doubt. Most bacteria that infect fish are gram negative, so it's best to start with an antibiotic that is meant to treat gram negative infections, or one that covers both gram negative, and gram positive infections.

Before purchasing or using any kind of over the counter antibiotic, I highly recommend reading this article: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa084 since it will give you a better understanding of how antibiotics work, the risks involved, and how to use them in a responsible manner. It's easy to misuse them, so a bit of prior research can be very helpful.

As for your poor female, at this point it would be best to do whatever you can to make her comfortable. A bit of epsom salt may help reduce some of the fluid building up under her scales, however, it's unlikely that she will recover from this point.
 
#13 ·
As for your poor female, at this point it would be best to do whatever you can to make her comfortable. A bit of epsom salt may help reduce some of the fluid building up under her scales, however, it's unlikely that she will recover from this point.
I continue to switch her containers everyday, thereby doing a 100% water change and I am using a gallon jug of spring water that I dissolved the Epsom Salt it. She doesn't appear to be doing either better or worse, quite honestly. She seems to be in a holding pattern. Her color hasn't returned and she is still slightly bloated and pine-coning but her appetite still seems to be okay considering the circumstances. So, I wish there was something more I could do for her. It seems like she declined so quickly to the state she is in now.

I have gotten to the point where I am really hesitant to purchase fish from a big chain store (in this case Petco) and I think my situation here is a perfect example of why. These places take horrible care of their fish and often times when you buy a fish from them you are bringing home an animal that is already loaded with parasites and will end up costing a whole lot more than you paid for it to get it healthy, if it even survives.
 
#14 ·
Very true. I try not to support pet stores whenever possible, by adopting bettas from other fish owners through craiglist, the local aquarium society, freecycle, etc. I'm pretty surprised that she's still eating and whatnot, it is definitely a good sign and she is showing you her will to live--so I would not euthanize her unless she stops eating and continues to deteriorate. If you think she is strong enough, you could try a broad spectrum antibiotic, but be aware that antibiotics take a lot out of such a small animal, and often the treatment can be enough to push a sick animal over the edge.
 
#15 ·
If you think she is strong enough, you could try a broad spectrum antibiotic, but be aware that antibiotics take a lot out of such a small animal, and often the treatment can be enough to push a sick animal over the edge.
Can you recommend a specific antibiotic (perhaps with link?) that I could try, since you are familiar with my particular situation now?
 
#16 ·
I would go with a gram-negative antibiotic like API's Triple Sulfa, Mardel's Maracyn-Two, or Seachem's Kanaplex. If you haven't already, I urge you to read through the article I posted previously about how antibiotics work, the risks, and how to use them responsibly. Said article also contains more information on what specific brands do.
 
#17 ·
I bookmarked the article that you gave to me and I read the first part of it, but I will definitely finish it before I start any of these antibiotics that you recommended. It's also unlikely that I will be able to find any of those recommendations around here, even at fish stores, so I will most likely have to mailorder the one I decide to get.
 
#18 ·
You should be able to find them at any fish store. I usually go to my local Petsmart, they keep them on the shelves near the water conditioners and pH balancers etc. I would try there first and see if you can save on the shipping cost/time.

The cost isn't usually bad either, the prices around here range from 5$-20$ depending on the number of doses and the type of medication.
 
#19 ·
Of the three you recommended, I think I am liking the Seachem one the best. Despite what the article says, in YOUR opinion, what is more effective... an Oral Dose or a Bath Dose? If the former, how in the world would you do that with the small amount of food we give to Bettas in the first place? Not to mention how tiny the pellets are...
 
#20 ·
Update:

Today I purchased an antibiotic. I couldn't find the Seachem anywhere around here so instead I got Mardel's Maracyn Two.

For the treatment I moved the healthy female out of the tank and put her temporarily back in the container she came in. I then removed the divider, did a massive water change on the tank (10 gal) and medicated it per the instructions on the package (2 packets for the first treatment). I then put my sick female Betta in the medicated tank and I am letting her have the whole thing for the duration of the treatment.

As with the majority of these medications, the directions are somewhat vague and could be a lot more specific. So, I am wondering if someone can help me in that regard. This is supposed to be a 5 day treatment regimen and after the 2 packets on the first day, it says to add a packet for days 2-5. Now, does that mean that I add one packet on day 2, one more on day 3, one more on day 4, etc. OR does it mean to only add ONE packet for the remaining 2-5 days of treatment? I really wish these manufacturers would be more clear about this stuff, especially when dealing with a life/death situation with our fish.

It also says nothing about water changes in the midst of all of this or if they are necessary or not. I did take out the filter cartridge from the HOB filter on the tank but kept the filter running.

I also can't figure out what the active ingredient is in this medicine in order to look at the website that was suggested to me above.

Can anyone make any recommendations pertaining to the questions I have above?
 
#21 · (Edited)
The dosage is one packet per day for days 2-5, they also recommend a 25% change after the 5th day. As for daily changes, I do them daily just before I medicate since the fresh clean water helps healing as much if not more than the medicine.

On the back of the box under indications it will hint at this. They say "No water changes, pH or temperature adjustments necessary...maintain normal filtration and air."

If you read inside they say that chemical sponges need to be removed but if your carbon is 6+ days old it can stay, though you should change it after the treatment.

The active ingredient is 10 mg minocycline activity in each packet. It says this on the back of the box under the warning.
 
#22 ·
The dosage is one packet per day for days 2-5, they also recommend a 25% change after the 5th day. As for daily changes, I do them daily just before I medicate since the fresh clean water helps healing as much if not more than the medicine.
Do you do the recommended amount of 25% each day before medication or something different?

Since I have a 10 gal tank and a filter, I am wondering if it would be necessary to do this many water changes. If it were a smaller tank, for sure but with 10 gallons as well as temporary fasting, I wouldn't think the water quality would become very compromised.
 
#23 ·
I usually do 50% or more each day before medicating but that's because I have a small tank.

How much you change is up to you though I'm sure others will have good suggestions for a daily change amount. I've never used a 10 gal as a hospital tank so I can't comment. I can only point at the box where it says you don't NEED to change your schedule.

I personally would go with daily 10-25% changes just because fresh clean water is the best thing for a sick fish usually.
 
#24 ·
The only reason that I went with my 10 gallon is because the medication instruction are given based on a 10 gallon tank. Plus, I have the heater in the tank as well as filtration. I would have liked to medicate in the smaller container that I was doing the Epsom Salt baths in, but I don't have a clue as to the amount of medication that would need to be added to that small of a container. I would think the margin of error would be really high in this case. At least for me anyways.

I will definitely keep in mind your 10-25% recommendation. I am most interested in seeing how she does after about 24 hours. I think that will probably tell me whether she will respond to this treatment at all.
 
#25 ·
Well, I am sad to report that my sick female didn't make it. She passed away overnight. At first it seemed like she was responding well to the medication, then she just suddenly took a turn for the worse and never recovered.

I would like to thank everyone that responded to this thread trying to help me out. I really appreciate it. I still have my other female but I don't think I will be buying Bettas at a pet store anymore. It's too much of a "crap shoot" as to what you are getting. Most are kept in horrible conditions and by the time you get them home, the damage has already been done and it's just a matter of time before they pass away.

In any event, thanks again everyone.
 
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