Fin melt.

[Laki]

Okay, so there are not a lot of threads here about fin melt. So I thought here's the starting place. Ludendorff has been home with me for 3 or 4 days and is suffering from this condition. He is in a .5g q-tank on a premixed and measured solution of 1 tsp aq salt + IAL. This tank is not heated, I have yet to figure out how to heat the water in such a small tank. Anyway, he's eating and today I removed the cloth between his and Bowser's tanks for a minute to see what kind of mobility he had with his tail. He doesn't really have any. It's so fused I'm concerned.
What does this condition have in sight for poor Ludey? Are my treatments going to un-fuse his tail so he can swim again? Or will this be something we have to live with?
He is eating floating foods fine. He doesn't know what to do with sinking foods, in fact he ignores them completely.

[LittleBettaFish]

I've seen a couple of people with imported bettas here that have contracted fin melt. This is the glued together type melt, as opposed to the ragged bloody edges of finrot.

The general consesus was to hit it with tri-sulfa or tetracycline as quickly as possible. Apparently potassium permanganate baths work well, but can be stressful on the fish.

[Laki]

Thanks :) Yes, Ludey has glued together fins rather than ragged and torn. However, the very edges are a bit ruffled.
What's tri-sulfa and tricycline? And where would I find it? Is it a purely chemical based treatment? Or holistic? I'd prefer to keep with the holistic but want his quality of life to be improved either way.

[LittleBettaFish]

Unfortunately most holistic approaches really only work on mild cases of injury or fin rot. To be honest, I have never cured anything serious with only salt and IAL alone. Fin melt seems to progress much more aggressively and starts to affect the health of the fish in general.

Tri sulfa and tetracycline are pretty common fish medications, so I'm sure if you ask around at your local LFS they would have some. It's essentially the only type of medication we can buy for fish here in Oz. Aquarium salt is also a good supplement to these medications.

Just make sure as with all medications to use only the recommended dosage and finish the whole course even if you see an improvement, just like any form of antibiotic.

[Sakura8]

API has Triple Sulfa but I'd recommend you start with API Tetracycline first, as it's less likely to shock his system.

[Laki]

Thanks I'll call the store who sold me the poor thing and see if they carry it and see if they'll give me a flippin' discount at least. Sadly, I doubt.

[Laki]

Ugh, Still didn't call the stupid pet store. I'm thinking since his tail was rounded when I bought him that the strange aquarium water they put him in shocked his system, as did the acclimation into his first heated tank. They didn't put him in the water he was living in.. Anyway, Update-
I came home to do a change and his side fins (the clear ones used to swim, not the showy ones) are not stuck anymore! :) My bf removed the towel that was between the tanks while I was at work so the 2 of them were flaring. Both have bubble nests they were guarding.
Ludendorff is floating in the .5g which is floating in the heated 3g. I couldn't figure it out any other way to have him heated!! lol He looks like he might come around!

[Sakura8]

Yay! That's great news. :)