Melafix did not work, now what

[JD3P]

I made a post a few weeks ago about whether or not my fish has fin rot, here is the post so you can see pics:

http://www.bettafish.com/search.php?searchid=520455

I have been using Melafix now every day since November 17th as instructed, and keeping the water clean. So far the blue striped piece that looked rotten grew back a TINY bit, but now the bottom of his fins are getting more frayed and transparent with small holes -_-

I pretty much went through the entire bottle of melafix, and only have a few days of treatment left with it. It clearly didn't work, and maybe this is being caused by something else. There is so much information online and now I'm stuck. I was considering buying aquarium salt and using that, but than I was also thinking maybe I should try another brand of antibiotics. But I don't want my fish to become immune, have none of it work, and just end up dieing or getting worse. In addition I have been feeding him freeze-dried blood worms on top of his usual pellets (not overfeeding, just mixing it up) to promote healing. So is there anything else I should consider? What has worked for you guys in the past? (Has anyone with a crowntail gone through this and managed to find something that worked?)

[small fry]

MelaFix is not a good treatment for bettas with finrot. It says it is, but it will actually make your betta worse than better.

Don't feed him bloodworms daily! It is bad on a fish's digestive system and their overall health. 3 time a week max.

I don't recomend any other medictaion than daily 100% WC (for non cycled, small tanks). That doesn't mean there aren't any good meds out there, though.

Hope your betta gets better!

[Oldfishlady]

Your link is not working....

How big is the tank, how much and how often are the water changes, filtration, additives besides the melafix, live plants, water temp.....

Can you post a pic...

[Miharu]

Melafix is harmful if used to often, and is not really good for bettas in general. In my experience the best medication is clean water and aquarium salt. Could you post a picture please?

[JD3P]

Thanks everyone for such quick responses.
My tank is 10g, I've been doing 25% water changes with the exception of the other day when I changed the gravel. I have an aqueon filter in for a 10-30 gallon tank, 1 tsp per 10g of Tetra AquaSafe for aquariums. I have a javafern in there, bamboo (leaves above water), and three new small plants from betta bulb package (already sprouted in separate container, so no growth or anything on the bulb itself which could pollute the water), the water temperature is now at 80 bc I've read a higher temp helps them heal. It used to be at 76-78.

*The first pic was taken with flash, the second wasn't which is why his colors look a little different.

Before


Now

[Oldfishlady]

In a 10g filtered tank-one betta and a few plants-25% weekly water changes...most likely not a water quality issue....

IMO the filter may be your problem with the shredded/frayed fin issues...water movement can be really hard on the long delicate fins even baffled.....
Even the substrate can sometimes cause tattered fins...

Until the caused is fixed the fins will have trouble healing and re-growing

[JD3P]

I figured that the filter may have contributed to the damaged lower fins. In his old setup he used to like to go over to it and I noticed he got stuck on it a few times. I even had a stocking around it at one point, but he still was getting stuck to it. But since I rearranged his tank he hasn't been over to it once. I am going to just continue the water changes and keep an eye on him to see if he goes over to the filter in the future. I was wondering if maybe the algae wafers I give my snail could be contributing to this at all. In the past the snail didn't always finish the entire wafer and it sat there for a few days (tank was a little cloudy) I haven't let that happen for a while though. Do you think I should try some aquarium salt for 10 days, or just leave it be? Thanks again

Originally Posted by Oldfishlady

In a 10g filtered tank-one betta and a few plants-25% weekly water changes...most likely not a water quality issue....

IMO the filter may be your problem with the shredded/frayed fin issues...water movement can be really hard on the long delicate fins even baffled.....
Even the substrate can sometimes cause tattered fins...

Until the caused is fixed the fins will have trouble healing and re-growing

[Oldfishlady]

Decaying food can cause ammonia spikes-I would remove the wafer within 12 hours and feed the snail less or not at all...

The intake of the filter can be a problem but so can the overflow of the filter

If you do a 10 day salt treatment I would also QT him in a small container and float it in the heated tank so you can make 100% daily water changes as well-these are also important for healing as well as a high protein diet...small frequent meals but not to the point of bloat (live or frozen is best)