I wish to spread awareness about a disease that has struck several times in the recent months. It moves very, very, very fast, often killing within 12-24 hours. Nothing is known about this disease except that it is a bacterial disease that causes rapid and acute tissue necropsy and that it seems to strike blue bettas in particular. Several people are working on identifying this disease, including veterinary student DarkMoon17, but WE NEED YOUR HELP.
If you have a betta who develops the following symptoms or dies, please DO NOT DISPOSE OF THE BODY. It is very important that we have a body to send in for a necropsy. Several people have volunteered to take the bodies to local universities or veterinary clinics near them. All we need you to do is save the body and contact DarkMoon17 or me immediately.
The symptoms of this disease are:
* graphite gray or near black tissue necropsy that spreads from the bottom of the fins upward to the body within hours
* sudden loss of mobility as the swim bladder is affected
* death or conditions so severe that they require euthanasia within 12-24 hours, occasionally as long as 36 hours
The betta will look something like this:
There have been speculations about what it is, including suggestions that it is an acute strain of columnaris, but NOTHING IS KNOWN FOR CERTAIN. PLEASE DO NOT post speculations about what this disease may be unless you have been able to identify the disease through lab work. Such speculations only cause aggressive debate.
Any and all cooperation is much appreciated as we work to identify this disease so we can figure out a way to combat it. Thank you very much.
Well I think its that and I've lost almost a whole aquarium to it..
Blue and some greens got the necrosis version and few of the others got the normal version or the acute one...
BUT One was saved with the use of 2 things together.. methylene blue and API Furan..
Another one was cured with a self surgery.. He's a big ear male, the necrosis started on his "ears" and he just bit it off after a about 15h suffering.. I was planning to cut the infected parts myself to try and save him but he got it before me
Anyway, If anyone has a chance to try the meds I said would be nice.. To know its not a one time deal that I got lucky..
(Whole aquarium = my female community) more then 10 dead, 4 on the way out and 6 almost fully recovered..
I didn't read the whole thread but I saw the word dropsy pop somewhere, One of the girls thats still alive has Dropsy and being treated right now with PP baths and Epsom salt
Hopefully she'll make it.. She a tough one.. My Alpha girl...
Oh dear this sounds EXACTLY like what lettuce got. Unfortunately I've already buried him...but if you guys are still doing the tests, I'll be sure to let other people know.
@Brunch0munchie: it seems like there is a cure.
In one of the previous replies, OP also said use kanamycin. Kanamycin didn't work for me (did a kanamycin + increased salt dose), but it's worth a shot.
But the disease seems to have a very fast onset and death (<24hrs), so I'm not sure if your fish has this mysterious disease
Hi, I have a fish suffering from this 'mystery disease'. He seemed perfectly fine all up until I decided to do a gravel cleaning and took out waaay too much water. My plan had been to only take out a small percentage of the water during the cleaning, replace it with conditioned water, and add some plants I got from Petco. But I took out about 90% and ended up replacing that. The day after the water replacement and addition of new plants he started showing signs of what I thought was fin rot - but within two days his tail was completely gone and it was spreading to his body. I'd say I took pretty good care of him prior - he was in a two gallon tank, with a filter and a single plant, I never really changed the water or cleaned the gravel because I figured he was so small he couldn't possibly make much filth (boy was I wrong), but he still never became ill - I fed him the typical Hikari food pellets, about 4 2x per day (which I recently learned was really too much ) - I had bought him from Petco (in Providence, RI) a couple months ago. Never treated his water with any products except for water conditioner, more details here Don't know if this helps in any way, but I was recommended to post what happened here
OMG. I can't believe the disease is still alive after all these months... and come to think of it, Equinox seems to have strange colors... we should find a cure and a name, I'm thinking we should do it quick, before anyone else's betta is infected!
To be completely honest, this is what I'm scared of losing my boys to. If they go, I want it to be from age, or something that's come up so aggressively that they just can't fight it.
I just can't bbear losing any of them to thise disease. I hope a cure is found soon.
Hi guys, new to the site. I was directed here as one of my bettas appears to have a similar condition as to what others have witnessed.
I'm just going to cut and paste my post from my home forum. Oh, I'm in Australia by the way.
My male Blue HM developed what I thought Fin Rot about two weeks ago. Apart from the shredded fin, he is active and appears healthy.
I water change his tank 20% twice a week, usually during the middle of the day (I work nights) between feedings (morning 3 live black worms, afternoon 2 Hikari betta pellets).
Since the fin rot started, I have been doing a 20% to 40% water change every day, and for the last 5 days I have treating with an anti biotic.
I think it may have started as a small tear in the dorsal fin, that turned grey/white and slowly lengthened, spread and is shredding the dorsal fin.
I have tried photo the damage for people opinion and help. The water is currently yellow from the medication, so he appears as steel blue, but he's a Royal Blue HM.
From your description, it is not the mystery disease. It's moving too slow. It seems like just a case of fin rot, it may also be some mechanical tearing.. You haven't seen anything or have anything in its enclosure that can damage his fins do you?
I agree with Fredster, moving much too slow. But that doesn't change the fact that we're seeing some pretty bad necrosis here. What is the antibiotic you're using?
LL, why aren't you responding to your thread about Dedede?
And I'm sure Sakura knows why they died, she's the expert here on sicknesses no doubt! Dead tissue leads to infection, correct?
LL..no not a failure we are all learning here..and something like a Mystery Disease..is something no one here is prepared for..and apparently..a lot of bettas are at great risk..
Is there a way we can tally how many bettas have been affected by tis aggresive disease..and mabe make a runnin log of symptoms..tail type and date of when it struck..to get a better idea of some variables??
I have a betta that appears to have been struck by this disease. He was fine yesterday, dead today. I am not sure if this is the same disease, but have the body in the fridge just in case. Can someone message me to help me figure out how to confirm?
He's the first non-blue betta to be struck by this, which is a little worrisome. Xiuhcotai, is that pretty much what his coloring was like when he was alive or did he have any more blue to him?
Some blue, yup. First one who wasn't mostly blue. We've had a few with red wash but they still had 98% blue, especially their bodies. I'm concerned because that guy looks like a marble with a red almost cambo body.
Yes that was his color mainly. I only have a couple blues, and this is not the first time the disease has struck here...just first time I thought to take pics for confirmation. I also lost my Flag, a gorgeous full half moon with a perfect spread, best little personality you can imagine. He was teal, red and black with a white edging. So beautiful. I tested all the water parameters when he died, boiled everything fish related, wiped and sanitized till I was sure it was gone.
Then this one died. I jus got him a few days ago. He didn't even have a name yet.
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