JFC AND Bettafix isn't working

[BettaxFishxCrazy]

I don't know if I'm being impatient, but it's taking forever for my 2 DT's to recover from fin rot! My CT and VT are getting better so I think I'm going to stop treating them and see how they do. It's been a couple weeks that they've been in medication and my DT's were getting worse with the JFC and they're getting a little better with the Bettafix. My black DT's tail is almost all gone. I've been treating them with Bettafix for 7 days and it says to clean the tank than treat them again for the next 7 days if needed. So maybe I should keep treating them? I bought Melafix a while ago, so maybe I should try that b/c I know it's stronger than Bettafix. How long does it take for their fins to grow back? Please help!

[PinkDiamond]

I'm so sorry that your fishies are fighting fin rot! :( Wish I could offer some advice, but I don't have a lot of experience with JFC or Melafix (though I have used/researched Bettafix), and I've never dealt with aggressive fin rot.

So I'm next to useless, but I wanted to point out one thing - Bettafix and Melafix are the same medication, and as you said, the only difference is that Melafix is stronger. From what I've heard, Melafix is NOT to be used for bettas unless it's at the same, diluted strength as Bettafix. Using anything stronger than that can hurt the bettas. I've also heard about some controversy surrounding the use of Bettafix/diluted Melafix at all, but I won't get into that as people seem to be totally divided on the topic!

Possibly you want to look into Maracyn and/or Maracyn-Two? It says it can be used for fin rot, and from what I know it's a pretty highly regarded antibiotic for fish.

Maracyn:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...fm?pcatid=4838

Maracyn-Two:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...fm?pcatid=4842

Maracyn TC:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=14713

I'm always nervous of adding all kinds of medications, so I'm not recommending you use these based on what I've said. Just maybe look into them a bit and hopefully someone who is more experienced with this can weigh in on what might be best to do?

[SaylorKennedy]

Are you doing salt baths? That seems to help my Chance a lot!

[BettaxFishxCrazy]

No, I haven't been. I don't know how to do them or what to buy. It doesn't stress them out when you have to keep taking them out? Thanks PinkDiamond for the info!

[PinkDiamond]

Thanks PinkDiamond for the info!

You're so welcome! It's awful when the little guys get sick, so I'd love to be able to offer some help!

Here's a link to instructions for salt baths:

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread....ight=salt+bath

I've never done salt baths on my betta, so I can't comment on whether or not being moved in and out of the tank is stressful. I have however used aquarium salt in my bettas tank when he had ripped fins and he seemed to do well with it! Just remember to dissolve the salt fully before adding it to the tank or making a salt bath solution, and when I added it to my fish's tank, I did so gradually to acclimate him to the change. I felt like that would reduce his stress. The salt in itself is supposed to have a soothing effect for the fish, balancing electrolytes for stressed fish, aiding with gill function and preventing some types of bacteria from developing.

Another point to consider, though you may already be onto this - from what I understand, Bettafix/Melafix are only antiseptic, not truly antibiotic. The active ingredient is tea tree oil, almost exactly the same stuff that's in human skincare products (very slightly different formulation for the fish, I'm pretty sure). So if the Betta/Melafix isn't working, that doesn't mean that the fin rot would not respond to a true antibiotic, if you need to move on to strong medications. There are also antibios for fish that will treat different things than what the JFC targets, so it might just be a matter of finding the right meds.

Anyway, hope some of this is useful to you! Hope your boys are recovered super soon!