So everything's been going great with my betta, Carla. But just this morning I noticed a little white spot on one of her pelvic fins. I'm 99.9% sure it's ich. She's acting perfectly normal still, so hopefully it won't get much worse. I know that all I have to do is make the water warmer to kill the parasite, but the thing is, my heater isn't adjustable... It just keeps the water like 5 degrees warmer than room temperature. So I've opened up the windows in my room, opened up the blinds to let the sun in, and then I made about a 25% water change with water that was warmer than the tank water. However, the water probably still won't get up much higher than 80 degrees. Any more advice? Thanks
Is the white spot really bright? There can be other causes for spots on fins, is all. If it's ich - you'll know pretty soon by more spots (probably lots) and your fish scratching/darting at objects and maybe even having trouble breathing.
If you can't get the heat up high enough for the heat and salt method (86F) then just get some ich cure when you're --sure--- it's ich. Don't medicate him unless you are sure! The medication doesn't need heat to work. I'd change the water out 100% daily, and remix new medicine with it, to flush all the parasites cysts out of the tank.
Is the white spot really bright? There can be other causes for spots on fins, is all. If it's ich - you'll know pretty soon by more spots (probably lots) and your fish scratching/darting at objects and maybe even having trouble breathing.
If you can't get the heat up high enough for the heat and salt method (86F) then just get some ich cure when you're --sure--- it's ich. Don't medicate him unless you are sure! The medication doesn't need heat to work. I'd change the water out 100% daily, and remix new medicine with it, to flush all the parasites cysts out of the tank.
The white spot does not appear to be really bright. It looks like a very small, stringy white ball that is stuck to her fin.
So I should just wait and see what happens? And you're saying if it doesn't spread then it's more than likely not ich?
Okay, well I just checked on her since a few hours ago, and it appears the white spot on her fin is gone, however it's slightly harder to tell because the lighting in my room isn't the best because it's night, so I will update this in the morning.
Ich spots can and do fall off, as the spot is a cyst in which the parasite lives until it's ready to move to the next part of its life cycle.
Even while observing, do daily water changes/gravel vacs just to help minimise parasites, in case.
If the spots come back with a vengeance, that would be ich.
If they don't, it was something else.
It went away after I did a 100% water change, and after I did another 100% water change a day or two later, it came back, but it wasn't any worse. It actually looks a little better. Still on the same fin. I looked up what fungus infections look like and it looks very similar to that, but the thing is, I read that fungus infections only occur while a fish is already sick, but she has been perfectly healthy, and still is, aside from this very small white stringy substance.
Okay, I'm starting to get a little worried. She's still acting perfectly fine, but the white stuff is starting to get a little worse. It's long and stringy, and it's hanging off of her fins and her tail. I don't want to start any treatment in case I'm wrong about what it is so any help would be great
It could be her slime coat shedding - I've never had that happen, so would prefer someone experienced with it to answer. I hope this is what it is!
If the stringy stuff looks fuzzy or cottony, it's probably saprolegnia, a true fungus that is opportunistic (sapro's the fuzzy white mold which grows on uneaten food, etc) and tends to attack only already-infected tissue (it eats dead tissue, not living tissue like columnaris).
In my experience, it can mask a case of fin rot, as it eats the rotten fin really quickly, leaving it looking clean so the fin has a chance to even repair a bit before the rot takes over again.. and the bacteria causing the rot can go unnoticed for a long time. Fatally so, in the case of my betta.
I'd not worry so much about the sapro right away as that is much slower-moving than fin rot, but treat for fin rot to get rid of the underlying infection so the sapro has nothing to eat. Give your fish a few days' break - then smack the fungus with something for -true- fungus (NOT the stuff sold as 'fungus cure' which is actually for bacteria..)
I'd never heard of slime coat shedding before but I do hope that's what this is... Is this something that happens when they are young? Because she is pretty young, got her as a baby from petco, she still has probably a few more months before she's full grown...
It doesn't seem to be fuzzy at all. A couple days ago it was hanging off her tail and dorsal fin, and I carefully pulled it off while I kept her distracted with my finger. There was a little bit on one of her pectoral fins but that's gone now. It hasn't come back to her tail or dorsal fin or pectoral fins. Now there's only a little bit on her two pelvic fins. The stuff kinda looks like fish poop but it's white and a little longer.
I started salt treatment because I didn't know what else to do.
It really doesn't seem to be bothering her at all. She's had it on and off for around 4 days or so. The only thing that's different is that she doesn't seem to be flaring as much as she used to, but that could be because she's not being quite as active as I've made the water slightly colder because I read that's what you do for fungal infections... Right?
EDIT: I have a feeling she is just shedding her slime coat... I just did a quick google search, looked at pictures and read about it and it looks very very similar to what I saw
Last edited by cjschmelzer909; 08-09-2012 at 10:34 AM.
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