IMPORANT: Watch For These Disease Signs

[bettafishgirl]

So it's been identified? Excellent! So when a fish gets this, how do we cure it? Or do we even know this yet.

[LittleBlueFishlets]

Bettafish -

I suggest you read Coppermoon's and Betta Basement's posts (earlier in this thread) regarding Mycobacteria. The posts provide a lot of information.

Basement Betta also started another thread about Mycobacteria. You can view it by clicking here.

Full information, including the fact that there is no "cure," is described in this excellent article, which available online: Mycobacterial Infections in Fish.

[Little Leaf]

Originally Posted by LittleBlueFishlets

Little Leaf - Are you asking if there are videos of a fish with Myco? There aren't any 'significant' symptoms that would show up in a video.

The disease affects the internal organs first, so there are no visible symptoms. The fish might be a little lethargic. It may be slightly bloated.....

As the 'end' approaches, it may develop skin lesions. It may develop additional bloating, or "dropsy" type symptoms. At the very end, its fins may turn gray or black. But not all fish will have the same symptoms. And even if the symptoms are displayed, they may not be very noticeable. (For example, the article I read said that some fish develop skin lesions, but others do not.)

(P.S. I don't think that either King Dedede or Rose have this. I think they are just suffering from being in an overcrowded tank. I know that your parents won't let you move the fish, so this is not your fault. But I think their symptoms are caused by the stress of being in that tank. I don't think they have Myco.)

What's a lesion? also, I was asking for the video because I wanted to see how the swim bladder was affected (as if it's sliding or stuck on the surface)

[Scottyhorse]

Okay, I have a suggestion and a question mixed into one. I've read every page of this. And I am wondering, can this live in saltwater? I know the saltwater fish keepers will dip fish in freshwater to kill bacteria and such. If I read correctly, I read that almost all fish carry this, but it stays dormant? Well what if we dipped all new fish in saltwater, and cleaned all the equipment in saltwater? Not sure if this would work or not, but if it would I would do it. I have one betta right now who is black, red and blue. (Crowntail) I would like to get another betta or two, but I would like to learn more about this before I buy anything else.

Also, should we stop buying bettas at petsmart/petco and buy from Thai breeders? I would like to avoid this as much as possible. I probably won't buy anymore blue bettas.

[Coppermoon]

So far it is not curable. I know a breeder that also has a background in microbiology is actually looking to find a cure...or at least something to stop the spread early on.

Salt will not kill it. It has a thick waxy cell wall like human TB (which is probably why it is called Fish TB...but per the lab I used...it is NOT TB).

[Scottyhorse]

So this can live in marine conditions? Wow.

[JefferyAndMilo]

Is this only affecting blue males or can it be in all the colors?

[LittleBlueFishlets]

Mycobacteria infects many species of fish, not just bettas. It affects all colors of bettas.

Here is a good article: Mycobacterial Infections in Fish https://srac.tamu.edu/index.cfm/even...Sheet/.../231/

[AyalaCookiejar]

There's also different strains. Not all fish with Mycos even develop this rapid fin deterioration. There's so many different symptoms of this disease that its really almost impossible to identify unless the bodies are sent in for testing.

I'll also point out that there must be something else that can cause these symptoms because I have seen two members here with fish whose fins deteriorated rapidly like this and they actually fully recovered and their fins grew back completely.

Mycos has no cure so I highly doubt that that was caused by it. I know the one fish developed it right after a water change so it might've been an issue with the water?

But then again, Mycos is also a wasting disease that develops over a long period of time and can be carried by a fish for years before killing them.

[ddicioccio]

I had this happen to one on my guys. I had a really bad run of bad luck buying what appeared to be healthy Betta's, only to have them stop eating, and eventually die. Back to the point I didn't see this article until after I had disposed of the one who's head turned Black.
My wife has a red one that is starting to show signs, very lethargic, and
he is starting to turn black on top of his head. If he does die, what should
I do about getting him be checked for this disease? How should I package
him, and where should I send him?

Thanks