Betta Fish Forum banner

WHAT is THIS?!

3K views 85 replies 14 participants last post by  LittleBlueFishlets 
#1 ·
THIS was not there LAST NIGHT when I changed 50% of his water. It was not there this morning when I fed him and admired him. It was not there this afternoon. Suddenly it is there. Grey, he has never had grey on his body ever. Please help.
is this fin rot? all his fins look so ragged all of the sudden. I don't understand! I keep my fish in impeccable conditions!

5 gallons
filtered
heated
no tank mates
80 degrees
stress coat plus conditioner
omega one betta buffet pellets

he has been lethargic as of late but i thought it was because he wasn't eating enough. he is always hungry and I was only feeding him 3 or 4 pellets twice a day. he's 3.75 inches long. i discovered he should be eating more so i just today started feeding him more and he's perked up. been swimming back and forth, flaring at esmeralda. the usual. he still did take a couple of naps but I thought that was normal. He has always been beautiful. show quality if VTs were allowed. Perfect, very full fins. all of the sudden they are ragged and turning green to grey to black.

What do i do? what is this?@!
 

Attachments

See less See more
3
#27 · (Edited)
#28 ·
Jexx, has the gray progressed at all since we last talked? If it hasn't, you are probably in the clear. With the so-called mystery disease, the gray progresses rapidly; it can literally cover the entire tail fin in a matter of hours. If the spot hasn't gotten any bigger, then you have a bit of fin rot. AQ salt for now but if that doesn't help, try one of the meds LittleBlue suggested; Furan-2 is one of the better meds for fin rot. However, I have noticed it is becoming harder to find so suitable substitutes are the Jungle Fungus Clear, which also contains the antibiotic nitrofurazone but may be hard to dose in small tanks; or API Triple Sulfa if you are not allergic to sulfa medications.
 
#31 ·
the last pic i posted was of him in a cup acclimatizing to the qt. it has spread minimally. the major thing I noticed was beads of blood coming from his tail when aq salt water was added to his cup. once he was used to the water and I released him, he swam around for a long time exploring. when I left him at midnight, he had found a leaf to rest on. I desperately want to check but I don't want to wake him up if he is sleeping..
 
#32 ·
it warms my heart to know that he might be ok.
 
#33 ·
I used a flash light to check on him. I scared the crap out of him but it has not spread up his tail!!! it has stayed !!!
 
#35 ·
Thank you Agility4fun. Thank you everyone for your help and concern. Sakura8, thank you for answering me so late at night! Littlebluefishlets, thank you for all the info! JadaBlu, Tikibirds, Blue Fish, tngirl92, XxxXnoodleXxxX, MattsBettas, Artemis, and Snoeflayke, thank you for responding and helping. You are all wonderful and you have no idea how much I appreciate all the help everyone here offers. This morning I checked on Galileo and it has not spread. The edges of his tail that were green and grey are now black and clearly rotting off. He is no longer bleeding though and it is not spreading any further. He wouldn't eat this morning. I think that has more to do with him being mad at me for cupping him and putting him in a hospital tank away from his Esmeralda. After I have a shower I am going to petsmart to buy the antibiotics. I know finrot can be treated with just salt but because it appeared so suddenly and severely I think I will treat it strongly to ensure it does not spread. What ever caused the infection was mean :( I wish I knew what it was. His home is a 5 gallon cycled tank and I clean it twice a week. well, hopefully he can return to his home soon.
 
#36 ·
SO glad to hear it isn't spreading. That's a really good sign. Get him his meds and give him some TLC. I know it may sound silly, but make sure you give him really dim light. When a betta is sick, I've noticed they seem very light sensitive, so keeping it dim and letting the poor guys sleep does them a lot of good. It seems the old saying "it's when you sleep that you heal" applies to bettas.

Also, just keep yourself together. Seems, again, silly, but if you get bent out of shape then you can't take care of him as well. My little Cass is really sick and I pulled out an old celtic cross necklace I almost forgot I had, and, even though I'm not religious, I set it on her tank. Sometimes you just have to have some sort of faith.

Keep us all posted. I really hope the saucy bugger has in it him to fight this off! <3
 
#37 ·
Saucy bugger is right. I managed to get him Bi-furan. he is in a 5 gallon sterilite container with nothing but a heater and his big leafy silk plant. This morning he would not eat at all he was just laying on his plant. The rot had not spread up, just the pieces that were grey had melted off. When I got home from Big Al's (petsmart did not have what i needed) I did a 100% waterchange. while he was in his cup i noticed his tail was bleeding all along the edge where the rot had melted off. I dosed the new water with the bi-furan and took an hour to acclimatize him to it. When I had dumped out the old water, there was chunks of his tail in it :'( It was so awful! But once he was in the medicated water he started exploring again and watching everything I did. he even ate 6 pellets and had a huge poop lol. I think he is going to be ok. He just looks sooo awful. I hope it heals soon. It looks so painful :(
 
#38 ·
He sounds like he's fighting the thing with righteous fury. He and Cass would get along great. >:D Neither of them see giving up as an option! \m/
 
#39 ·
Its true! Its almost like he has no idea he is even sick. For sure he and Cass would get along, but she would have to fight Esmeralda for him and Esmeralda is pretty spunky!
 
#40 ·
I'm SOOO glad he's still fighting!! I thought for sure after yesterday that I'd come home from work to find out that your sweet boy was gone, and it was going to be so sad. :(

He's such a trooper!! If he can survive this, then I think he deserves some sort of betta memorial, lol! ;)

Can you get any kanamycin/kanaplex? Just in case? From what I understand that's the strongest stuff there is, just in case the bi-furan is only able to hold it at bay, maybe the kanaplex could actually kill it. (of course we're all very much hoping and praying and believing that the bi-furan is totally going to kick the gray crap's butt and take names in the process!) ;)

Here's a link to it online if you need one:
http://www.amazon.com/Seachem-KanaP...=UTF8&qid=1365648942&sr=8-2&keywords=kanaplex
 
#41 ·
Well all the grey is gone. Just destroyed bleeding tail or what's left of it. No additional rot since starting bi furan. Hoping morning brings even better news. I can't get kanaplex locally, would have to order. I'll look into it tomorrow. It would be good to have just in cas e
 
#42 ·
Bifuran is a good medication too though with nitrafurazone, the same antibiotic in API Furan-2. It's a very good medication for topical infections. Continue with the medication for the rest of its course and then a second course to be on the safe side. Don't stop the medication even if you see improvement, as doing so could result in the bacteria coming back more resistant.
 
#43 ·
Galileo is a true fighter! I'm so happy he's doing better now! Hopefully he will be back in shape at the end of the treatment. Continue the medication as Sakura explained and keep him in low light. I also noticed this really helps. His little body will rest more, exactly what he needs along with the medication.

Wishing you good luck :)
 
#44 ·
Sakura8, thank you for answering me so late at night! Littlebluefishlets, thank you for all the info! JadaBlu, Tikibirds, Blue Fish, tngirl92, XxxXnoodleXxxX, MattsBettas, Artemis, and Snoeflayke, thank you for responding and helping.
I am literally up all night :blueyay: Glad he is on the mend
 
#45 ·
Morning: Lethargy. He just wants to rest on the bottom of the tank. He does swim up for air and when I approached the tank and removed the lid he swam up to see me. He ate 2 pellets and tried to eat a third but it came back up. He went back to the bottom to rest. His fins are not clamped and he is not bloated or anything. His coloring is good and it seems as though he is not losing any more of his tail. The half he has left he may keep! The ends do not seem to be bleeding any more and no more discoloration has appeared. I am aging some water (too many bubbles) right now and at noon I will change out his water and re-dose. It really helps me to log on and see your replies. I feel a bit better knowing you all are here with me. In real life I feel so alone dealing with Galileo's sickness because no one around me knows fish. My children are too young, my husband just isn't interested and my mother in law (God love her) is interested but just doesn't get it. You all are my saving grace. Thank you!
 
#47 ·
Thank you. I agree it is methodical. All the measuring and testing and mixing and examining. I feel like a scientist.
 
#48 ·
Ok did 100% water change. 3.5 gallons of water treated with 3 ml of stress coat+ and 4 ml BiFuran. Temp holding at 80. He was not interested in eating but he is swimming around exploring again. Tail looks good. I can even see a small amount of clear regrowth already. This boy is a champion. He is getting used to being cupped for the water changes. This is the first time he's ever had to be cupped since I got him 5 months ago. He looks so silly in the cup though because he is so big. He can barely move in it. He is happy once he is back in the tank. I took a picture so you all can see how he is doing. The water is green because the BiFuran tints the water. He likes it though lol.
 

Attachments

#50 ·
me too. I can breath a LITTLE easier now. I am still super scared but it sure makes a difference to not see rotting fin. It hurts to see that chunk of tail missing though. I have hopes it will grow back and he'll be even more beautiful!
 
#52 ·
Just imagine the stories he'll have to tell to Esmeralda when he gets back to his regular home! He'll show off his war wounds, and she'll be so in awe...

I'm so happy he's doing alright!
I think we all have a tendency to panic about myco now...
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top