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Fin Rot

2K views 7 replies 2 participants last post by  jbadgley61580 
#1 ·
Has anyone ever used NeoPlex (by Seachem) to treat fin rot in a Betta? My Betta's fins turned black around the edges the other day and then yesterday began to rapidly disintegrate. Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
We need some more information and a pic.....

How big is the tank, how much and how often are the water changes, water temp, filter, live plants, additives, appetite, how long have you had him and how long has he been sick and have you treated with anything....

I don't use medications so I don't know anything about that product...generally clean dechlorinated water and water changes work well for early stages of fin rot....more severe case usually respond well to a 10day aquarium salt 1tsp/gal and tannins along with 100% daily water changes while in a small QT container floating in a heated tank to maintain a water temp of 76-77F......
 
#3 ·
Thank you for your reply. He's in a Fluval Edge which is just over 6 gallons, with a heater (water temp is 78 degrees) and a filter. I have been doing 25% water changes weekly, I have live plants and driftwood in the tank with him. I've had my fish for a little over a month. He was very sick last week - I believe it may have been ammonia poisoning or some other type of water issue. I bought the Freshwater Master Test Kit and all water levels are normal now. I use Prime as my conditioner. I have been treating him with Pimafix (about 4 days) and Melafix (for 1 day). I looked into a stronger antibiotic because the fin deterioration seemed very rapid. His appetite is very healthy.
 
#4 ·
What are your numbers for-ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH

The 6gal filtered tank running for about a month and so it should be about cycled....the water prams will tell you, however, depending on the number and species of plants and use of Prime (all good by the way) some numbers may be skewed...but in a good way...lol.....

Can you post a pic
Are the fin edges discolored, misshaped, crusty...etc......any behavior changes like lethargy, hiding, flashing...etc.....what kind of food...good that he has a healthy appetite... and you are sure he is not tail biting.......black around the edges don't always mean fin rot...sometimes it is new growth, normal pigment...etc.....a pic would help a lot.....

Careful with too many products added as they can make the fish toxic...also it is better to treat in a small QT container and not the display tank especially with live plants......
 
#6 ·
What are your numbers for-ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH

The 6gal filtered tank running for about a month and so it should be about cycled....the water prams will tell you, however, depending on the number and species of plants and use of Prime (all good by the way) some numbers may be skewed...but in a good way...lol.....

Can you post a pic
Are the fin edges discolored, misshaped, crusty...etc......any behavior changes like lethargy, hiding, flashing...etc.....what kind of food...good that he has a healthy appetite... and you are sure he is not tail biting.......black around the edges don't always mean fin rot...sometimes it is new growth, normal pigment...etc.....a pic would help a lot.....

Careful with too many products added as they can make the fish toxic...also it is better to treat in a small QT container and not the display tank especially with live plants......
Okay - so I just did a partial water change when I got home. I let it filter for a little while and then tested the water. My readings are as follows:

pH: around 6.8
High pH: 7.4m
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 0ppm

His fins are literally disintigrating...I can see bits of them in plants and on the bottom of the tank :-( I'm posting a few pics here so that you can see what's going on. Two days ago they were much fuller and the outer edges turned black...then yesterday they started falling apart. It doesn't look like there has been much more falling out today but I'm afraid that if I don't turn this around, it's going to be a HUGE problem for him. Last week when he was sick, he was laying on his side and on his head at the bottom of the tank, flashing and hiding for hours on end. Long story short, I figured out that his pH was really high and changed the water a bit to bring it down slightly. The guy at the pet store said it was so high that it probably burned his gills (they looked horrible last week - but they've almost totally healed now). I think his fins are the risidual fallout from whatever was wrong with his water last week. He's definitely not biting his tail - I've been looked out for that...there's too much loss for him to reach all of the fins where spots are missing. I've been using PimaFix and Melafix because they are natural products that will not cause harm to the aquarium plants or the pH. They are actually designed to be used together. I am very hesitant in introducting the antibiotic that I bought today. I bought it in case I found myself in a dire situation with no other options (it's supposed to work really well on fin rot). I contacted Seachems today and asked them if it was safe to use on Bettas and they confirmed that it is. Oh and he eats Betta Bio-Gold (a couple of pellets in the Am and a couple in the Pm).
 

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#7 ·
I have never heard about pH burning a fish...I have with ammonia...but not pH......anyway.....looking at his fins he is either tail biting or something in the tank is causing the tail injuries it could even be the water flow from the filter.....

I would QT him in something small that can be floated and treat with salt for 10 days and see if this helps any....

By your numbers you are not cycled but it may also be the plants that use the ammonia before conversion....sometimes with plants you don't see the nitrate reading for a long time if at all....the nitrogen cycle is still happening.....just behind the scene so to speak......
When you QT the Betta for treatment be sure and keep up with the weekly water changes in the display tank.....
Keep us posted....
 
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