Advanced Fin Rot on new boy

[LionCalie]

May 12th I bought a handsome yellow double tail whom I named Kifer at an IBC show auction. 3 days after getting him home, Kifer showed obvious signs of fin rot. Here is the picture:



I'm sure the whole experience was very stressful on him, which I'm guessing lowered his immune system. Looking back at the pics I took of him at the show, I can see the tips of his fins were already turning red, as you can see in this picture:



It has been a while since I've had a Betta with fin rot, so I'm making this thread for guidence and also because his fin rot has advanced very rapidly.

Housing
What size is your tank? 2.5 gallon
What temperature is your tank? 83 F
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? NLS Betta Formula as the staple
How often do you feed your betta fish? Daily

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Usually twice a week, but have been doing daily or every other day changes because of the fin rot
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 100% and thoroughly wash everything
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Usually Prime, but switched to Stess Coat+ due to the fin rot

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? Yes, have tested

Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 0 ppm
pH: 7.4
Hardness: 2
Alkalinity: 2

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Started with his caudal receading with bright red bloody edging. Progressed rapidly and now his top caudal lobe is down to the base
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Behavior has stayed pretty consistent. He is actve and eating well. He is stressed easily, so his hospital tank is in my bathroom where it is dark and quiet
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Looking back, I believe he had the fin rot starting before I even bought him. Symptoms really progressed after the 3rd day of him being home
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? I started with conservative treatment; raised the temp, added IAL and salt at 1 tsp per gallon. Didn't seem to help any so I did 2 full rounds of t.c. tetracycline. The bloody fins went away, but his fins were still deteriorating. Kept him in clean water for a few days without meds or salt, just warm clean water. Started to get a little worse so I decided to try Jungle Fungus Cure which he has been in for a few days now
Does your fish have any history of being ill? He is a new fish, so I don't know
How old is your fish (approximately)? Under 1 year, maybe around 6 months old?

Here is an updated picture:

[Sena Hansler]

Wow. Even under ideal conditions the fin rot spread. It COULD be stress related... Do you remove him for water changes? Try not to. This may help. A cave and some fabric plants can also help.

AQUARIUM SALT dissolved before adding - you can go up to 3 teaspoons per gallon, water change EVERY DAY. I usually add a teaspoon at a time, slowly increasing to avoid shock. It will help the rot, and it will help his immune system. However, I'm not used to rot like this, however to me it looks like it was chewed or split (flaring too much, stress, plants, etc)

[LionCalie]

I do remove him for water changes, because I do 100% changes. He has always had access to a hiding place and lots of plant coverage. IMO, we are past the point of salt treatment. I already tried the conservative route. It has progressed into advanced fin rot so quickly, it is time to bring the big guns out.

It was suggested to me today that I try Neoplex by Seachem. It is a broad spectrum antibiotic for Fungal and Bacterial infections. I have no experience using it, but the person who suggested it had success using it to treat advanced fin rot. I just ordered some online, it should be here in a few days.

[Tikibirds]

I'm wondering if maybe he has been snacking on his fins?

[Sena Hansler]

That's what it looks like to me. Some bettas do some heavy duty severe damage like THAT. I'm used to seeing black, grey, brown edges for fin rot, as when my yellow boy bit it went red, or if his fins were torn it went red.

[LionCalie]

I really do not think this is a case of tail biting because:

1. There is discoloration on his fins
2. They aren't clean cuts, his fins are shaggy looking
3. He cannot physically turn and chew his own tail down to the base
4. I have never witnessed him chewing on his fins

Here is a video, which shows a lot more than the pictures do - http://s572.photobucket.com/albums/s...t=7af1ae6c.mp4

[Sena Hansler]

El Dorado did a shabby bite job. Raggy/clean cut have nothing to do with it. AND I never caught him biting. My Shiloh has chewed his tail down to the base, when it was growing back... it's possible.

But, since you say it's fin rot, what is it from? If not from water quality, then stress-related.

[LionCalie]

Usually when you have a tail biter the missing chunks will be more clean cut and typically without discoloration. That is one of the biggest ways you can differentiate between fin rot and fin loss. I'm sure there are exceptions though, I just don't feel like Kifer is one of them.

Like I said, I believe the fin rot was already starting to develop when he was at the show. You can see the redness on the tips of his top caudal lobe (2nd pic in my first post), which just so happens to be the fin with the worst damage. If he was tail biting, why only focus on the top caudal lobe? He had to be shipped to the show, was judged and on display, then there was the auction.

Technically, anything that weakens the fish's immune system can lead to a bacterial infection.

[bahamut285]

Originally Posted by Sena Hansler

But, since you say it's fin rot, what is it from? If not from water quality, then stress-related.

Ever think about bacteria or fungus? They can present regardless of water quality. If it is advanced fin rot obviously "good water quality" isn't just going to make it go away. Judging from the video he seems to act fairly stress free to me.

Considering how long and how often LionCalie posts on this forum, I figure she'd only post if she were in dire need of medical assistance, rather than needing somebody to affirm something simple to cure like common fin rot or ich.

Conservative treatment obviously did nothing and neither did a full round of tetracycline, so I don't think upping the salt is going to help at this point. It has probably turned into a tetracycline resistant strain of bacteria (if it is indeed bacteria) so you will need a stronger antibiotic to take it out.

I wish you luck with the Neoplex treatment. If that doesn't work then perhaps try API's Erythromycin? It's also an antibiotic

[dramaqueen]

I was told by a very knowledgeable member that you can use tetracycline for advanced finrot. There was something else he recommended but it escapes my mind at the moment.