So my male betta fish has been suffering from fin rot for around a month and now it's progressing into something else. At first he had the obvious black edges on his tail, which I, due to my lack of experience, thought was just his colouration. After figuring out that it was in fact fin rot, we ruled out the cause to be low tank temperature as the heater that we had in the tank was too weak for our cold bedroom. I added a reptile heat mat to the side of the tank as thats all that I had on hand, and we were planning to get him a new tank + equipment soon anyway. I also added an almond leaf. This didn't seem to stop the fin rot and at some point his tail also got ripped up, so now it is literally split in two and missing a small section. We have now bought him a new tank and a much better heater so the temperature is now 27c. The bigger issue arose on the same day that we moved him. Under a much better, new light, I noticed that he had a small cloudy/white patch on his tail. It doesn't look fuzzy, it looks almost like a thin layer of PVA glue. It's barely noticeable and only visible when the light catches it just right. We urgently moved him in a separate tank, with just a filter and heater, and I added interpet anti fungus and fit rot medicine. This seemed to almost kill him. I definitely followed the instructions correctly, so it wasn't an overdose. He immediately threw up his food and started hiding in one corner. That was last night. This morning he was barely moving and was just floating face up in one corner, no interest in food. Halfway through the day I decided to abort the treatment and just change his water. That seemed to help almost instantly as his appetite returned immediately and he started swimming around a bit more, but not as much as he usually would. Those white patches are still there and his fins look almost as if someone pinched them and rolled them between their fingers. I'm really worried about those white patches so can someone please give me any idea as to what they might be and what to do about them and his fin rot. Is it columnaris? Is it still just fin rot? What are the next steps aside from salting the water and adding more almond leaves. Thankyou
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Housing:
How many gallons is your tank?
8 gallons
Does it have a filter?
Yes
Does it have a heater?
Yes
What temperature is your tank?
27c
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
No
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind?
Yes. Ember tetras, khuli loaches, dwarf sucker catfish
Food:
What food brand do you use?
Hikari betta bio-gold
Do you feed flakes or pellets?
Pellets and the occasional blood worm
Freeze-dried?
No
How often do you feed your Betta? How much?
Once a day, a small pinch. Around 5 - 6 pellets
Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change?
Once weekly
What percentage of water did you change? 50%
What is the source of your water?
Tap water
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water?
Both water change and gravel vac
What additives do you use other than conditioner? What brand of conditioner?
No other additives, just Tetra Aqua Safe
Water Parameters:
What are your water parameters? Please give exact numbers. If tested by pet store please get exact numbers. "Fine" or "Safe" won't help us help you. Important: Test your water before the regular water change; not after one.
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 30 ppm
pH: 7.2
Hardness (GH): N/A
Alkalinity (KH): N/A
Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms?
Fin rot began about a month ago, white patches appeared a few days ago
How has your Betta’s appearance changed?
Aside from the obvious fin rot, white/cloudy patches appeared on his tail that are mostly only visible when the light catches them at the right angle.
How has your Betta’s behavior changed?
No severe change in behavior, although i did see him resting more often maybe
Is your Betta still eating?
Yes
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how?
In his own quarantine tank now, tried interpet anti fungal and fin rot but had to abort treatment, will try salt and almond leaves next.
Does your Betta have any history of being ill?
No
How long have you owned your Betta?
About 3 months
Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased?
No
Housing:
How many gallons is your tank?
8 gallons
Does it have a filter?
Yes
Does it have a heater?
Yes
What temperature is your tank?
27c
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
No
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind?
Yes. Ember tetras, khuli loaches, dwarf sucker catfish
Food:
What food brand do you use?
Hikari betta bio-gold
Do you feed flakes or pellets?
Pellets and the occasional blood worm
Freeze-dried?
No
How often do you feed your Betta? How much?
Once a day, a small pinch. Around 5 - 6 pellets
Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change?
Once weekly
What percentage of water did you change? 50%
What is the source of your water?
Tap water
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water?
Both water change and gravel vac
What additives do you use other than conditioner? What brand of conditioner?
No other additives, just Tetra Aqua Safe
Water Parameters:
What are your water parameters? Please give exact numbers. If tested by pet store please get exact numbers. "Fine" or "Safe" won't help us help you. Important: Test your water before the regular water change; not after one.
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 30 ppm
pH: 7.2
Hardness (GH): N/A
Alkalinity (KH): N/A
Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms?
Fin rot began about a month ago, white patches appeared a few days ago
How has your Betta’s appearance changed?
Aside from the obvious fin rot, white/cloudy patches appeared on his tail that are mostly only visible when the light catches them at the right angle.
How has your Betta’s behavior changed?
No severe change in behavior, although i did see him resting more often maybe
Is your Betta still eating?
Yes
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how?
In his own quarantine tank now, tried interpet anti fungal and fin rot but had to abort treatment, will try salt and almond leaves next.
Does your Betta have any history of being ill?
No
How long have you owned your Betta?
About 3 months
Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased?
No
