Bad Fin Rot + Fungus?

[tommyq]

Hi folks, hope all is going well. My crowntail seems to have a bad case of fin rot. His left side fin seems to be almost gone and he can only swim with the other side, it's sad to see him struggling but he's a fighter. I started him on tetracycline yesterday. I wanted to make sure to get him something that would treat a variety of illnesses just because he hasnt been eating well the past week or so and I have no faith in the shop we bought him at. He's in a 2 gallon tank right now and we're giving him the right ratio of tetracycline but he seems to also have a little white cottoney patch by his messed up fin, which worries me and leads me to my questions. Thanks in advance for your insights, I really appreciate the help.

- How many days should I continue the tetracycline? The box says 4, I think I'll go with that, but is it something I should continue until I see a change or is that dangerous?

- Should I be treating him with something else for what seems to be the fungus patch? Is the tetracycline enough, and if not should I be using something else in addition to or in place of what I'm doing now? Dont want to overmedicate but I want to treat the little guy as aggressive as we can so that he gets better.

Thanks again!

Tom

[dramaqueen]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I think just the tetracycliine and clean water will be enough.It treats internal and external bacterial infections so it should be enough. As far as how many days goes, I'd go with what it says on the box.

[ScuitoAmi150]

To add to what dramaqueen said, add some Aquarium Salt (I am now a firm believer in that stuff - helped my fish cheer up)

[kelly528]

You most definitely do not want to overmedicate him. Keep his water clean (just make sure the medication ratio stays consistent) and make sure it is warm enough (78 is probably a good temp for a bacterial infection). IME, proper & consistent dosage is super important for staving off an infection. The cotton is a bacteria and the TC should be fine for treatment.

Finish the course of Tetracycline and barring that I would move to a super broad-spectrum treatment like the Maracyn & Maracyn 2 combo. It treats both gram positive and gram negative bacteria as well.


To increase his appetite I strongly recommend you consider frozen foods. Not only are they more tempting, they make an awesome supplement to your guy's diet. Although bettas will go for weeks without food, h really needs to keep his strength up. Hikari makes awesome bloodworms (very sanitary) in blister pack format. Very convenient and full of vitamins.