My Betta has Fin Rot (pictures)

[AdiApta]

Hi.
My Betta has Fin Rot.
Just started treatment today. At a local fish store, I bought Sentry AQ Mardel Maracyn Two treatment.

I wanted to share pictures of his Fin Rot. I thought his fins were just developing to become more like other Betta fins, but he's a Half-Moon Betta and their fins should not look like this. That's when I had the "AH-HA" moment and concluded it was Fin Rot. I hope I caught it in time!


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1. Size of aquarium (# of gallons) 2.5 gal
2. Is your aquarium setup freshwater or brackish water? Freshwater
3. How long the aquarium has been set up? Set up on August 8, 2009
4. What fish and how many are in the aquarium (species are important to know) One Male Halfmoon Betta
5. Are there live plants in the aquarium? No
6. What temperature is the tank water currently? 80°F (Tetra HT-10 submersible heater).
7. What make/model filter are you using? Aqueon 2.5-5.0 gal Filter
8. Are you using a CO2 unit? No
9. Does your aquarium receive natural sunlight at any given part of the day? Yes, indirect/filtered sun light
10. When did you perform your last water exchange, and how much water was changed? This morning, October 19, 2009, almost 100% water was exchanged.
11. How often do you perform water changes? Weekly 50% water change with use of Aquarium Salt & Aqua Plus tap water Conditioner (I follow water product instructions).
12. How often and what foods do you feed your fish? I alternate everyother day feedings of small amounts of Betta Flake Food, Betta Pellets, or Frozen Blood Worms.
13. What type of lighting are you using and how long is it kept on? One 15 Watt incandescent bulb in the aquaruim hood, kept on for 8-12 hours.
14. What specific concerns bring you here at this time? Fin Rot. My Betta Fish is showing symptoms of Fin Rot.
15. What are your water parameters? Test your pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. I do not have a testing kit at this time.*
16. What test kit are you using and is it liquid or test strips? I do not have a testing kit at this time.*
17. When was the last time you bought a fish and how did they behave while in the pet store tank? Current purchase of a Betta on August 2, 2009 and all the Bettas were in good shape.
*I didn't order a water test kit at the time of new tank purchase. I have ordered an Aquaruim Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit today, I am waiting for delivery.
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BEFORE:


AFTER (now has Fin Rot):

[BakaMandy]

I'd actually recommend you treating him in a hospital tank. Makes water changes easier to keep the water clean and concentrates the medicine. If you can't get one, take out all the decorations and gravel and fill it with 1 gallon of water and it should be good enough :)

did you remember to take the carbon out of the filter?

[AlexXx]

I hate fin rot, its so stubborn, ive been treating desmond and sawyer since the day i got them and they will not heal up :(

I use aquarium salts and mela fix... but not FIX :(

[AdiApta]

Originally Posted by BakaMandy

I'd actually recommend you treating him in a hospital tank. Makes water changes easier to keep the water clean and concentrates the medicine. If you can't get one, take out all the decorations and gravel and fill it with 1 gallon of water and it should be good enough :)

did you remember to take the carbon out of the filter?

Hi. Thank you for responding.

I two tanks, 2.5gal & .5gal. The Mardel Maracyn Two treatment came with powder in pre-measured packets, one pack per 10gal. It's hard for me to divide one of the packs' powder into 4 somewhat equal parts for the 2.5gal tank, because the powder is already measured as such a miniscule amount. So, I can take all the decor & rocks out of the 2.5gal, but I'd fill it with full amount of water to avoid the difficulty of dividing the powder packs any further.
* I am following the Mardel Maracyn Two treatment instructions, but I suspect you are recommending that I concentrate the medication, if so would you elaborate more on your recommendation please.

I have left the carbon filter in the tank filter. The Mardel Maracyn Two treatment instructions said:
"Maintain normal filtration... If an activated carbon filter is more than 6 days old, it may be left in place. However, fresh activated carbon ... may reduce activity of medications and should be removed."
My carbon filter is older than 6 days.

[iheartmyfishies]

Poor baby! Good luck on treatment.

[JamieTron]

I found that this medication worked for my betta, he is still slowly growing his fins back. His fins came off in big chunks though your fish may have an easier time recovering :) good luck! You can try salt baths I hear of other people doing this for fin rot.