Need help to point out what this is

[PandaBetta]

Hi everyone
My betta benzen has gotten sick right now and I'm currently on vacation. My brother is the one taking care of him but I'm having trouble pointing out what this is. I called them and told him to remove him from my main tank to treat him with aquarium salt until I figure out what this is and how to treat it... Any help will be apriciate it. Thank you in advance

Is that dar area next to his face

[callistra]

I am missing what's wrong.. sorry.. I see gray on his fins reaching to his body.. is that normal?

[Silverfang]

I'm worried that is the so called mystery disease. How quickly did the black pigmentation come on?

Has he had trouble with fin rot in the past? His dorsal fin looks pretty chewed up. And the way that charcoal grey colour has appeared leads me to think the worst.

I'll point some of our more well versed folks this way, they might have a better idea on what this may be.

But right now I'd ask the time frame on symptom onset, and if that he needs to be strictly quarantined, just in case.

[Kithy]

"the dark area next to his face" I assume you mean the darker blue?

[PandaBetta]

Originally Posted by Silverfang

I'm worried that is the so called mystery disease. How quickly did the black pigmentation come on?

Has he had trouble with fin rot in the past? His dorsal fin looks pretty chewed up. And the way that charcoal grey colour has appeared leads me to think the worst.

I'll point some of our more well versed folks this way, they might have a better idea on what this may be.

But right now I'd ask the time frame on symptom onset, and if that he needs to be strictly quarantined, just in case.

My brother noticed it this morning unfortunally I was on vacation :,,,,(

WITH GREAT PAIN IN MY HEART MY BROTHER JUST INFORMED ME THAT MY BETTA BENZEN JUST PASSED AWAY!!!

[Kithy]

Oh no. I am so sorry :<

[Silverfang]

are there any other fish in the tank? It does sound like the mystery disease, which was confirmed as a form of myco. From what I understand it is always terminal, highly contagious, and there is no way to sanitize after it.

[Sakura8]

I am so sorry, Panda. It sounds as if your betta got an acute case of our mystery disease, which has since been identified as mycobacteria. I would recommend you remove all your fish from your 40 gal and do as close to a 100% water change as possible. There really is no way to sanitize the tank, as Silverfang said, because you would severely damage your cycle. If you were willing, you could bleach the tank and then jumpstart your cycle using a bacterial additive but that might be too much work.

While I don't think this form of mycobacteria has attacked any other species aside from bettas, I would suggest you keep a very close eye on your gouramis because they are close relatives of bettas.

So sorry for your loss. :(

[MadameDesu]

I'm so sorry to be reading about this! Will be keeping you in my thoughts, Panda!

[PandaBetta]

Thank you all for those kind words he was my favorite betta and I'm going to really miss him :(

My brother hasn't noticed anything unusual with the other fish but told him to keep a close eye on the tank for the next 24 hours.

What makes me more sad is that I've been on vacation for two week alredy and I still have a week left AND What is worse that I wasn't there to do something about it :,,(