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I have a betta named Monkey, short for Mungkon (the Thai word for Dragon because he came from Thailand even though he's not a Dragon betta), and he has a SEVERE case of fin rot. He's a pet store bought fish, and he had minimal fin rot when I got him even though I didn't know it (I was a newbie to fish care- this is my first and only fish as of current). So I took him home with a 2.5 gallon cheapo Top fin glass tank and some plants and decor, and read up everything on the Net about betta care (stupidly I figured I could just buy a betta and do my reading later not BEFOREHAND). I figured he had fin rot and treated him with AQ salt, and when that didn't work I got out the big guns and gave him some API tetracycline, every other day 100% water changes like always. The rot stopped after a week; the fins never healed. Back to weekly 100% water changes. I bought an Aqueon Mini Bow 2.5 gal for him, and new decor, and tested it with pantyhose.
So now he has fin rot AGAIN, and it's been going for about two weeks now. I gave him tetracycline as recommended, this time following exactly what they said on the package (dose again every 24 hours, but each 48 hours do a 25% water change with it, nothing else). It's not working, and even coupled with the 1 tsp of salt I always put in his tank it's getting worse. It's almost right down to his body- it's really weird, it's going down in big gashes on the anals and dorsals but tiny nips on the upper caudal edges. He's always had black fin edges (he's brilliant blue-green with red fins and black tips), but I'm pretty sure that it's natural because it's edged even where there's no sign of the rot. The rot itself is not blackened. My SeaChem ammonia alert thing says the ammonia is less than .02 ppm, but I don't know how much I trust it. The filter is off because API says the carbon will take out the meds, and I don't know how to get the carbon out. I don't think salt or salt baths will help at this point. Please please help! I can't have a dead betta on my conscience!
Also will he ever regrow his fins? It looks really bad...
Housing
What size is your tank? 2.5 gal (Aqueon Mini Bow)
What temperature is your tank? No idea
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? No (I use the light which brings up the temp a bit, sometimes to about room temperature, and I use my finger to test it daily, IDK if that's a good idea)
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? His decor
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Aqueon betta food pellets, bizarrely he hates bloodworms
How often do you feed your betta fish? 3-4 pellets each time I feed him, which is once when I get up in the morning and once when I get back home from classes
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Normally weekly, but now every other day
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? Normally I did 100%, but now it's 25% following API tetracycline dosing instrux
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Top Fin betta water conditioner (I'm actually going to buy Prime today because it's almost out) and 1 tsp API aquarium salt (the water is 2 gallons)
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
Ammonia: <.02 ppm
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH: about 7.4
Hardness:
Alkalinity:
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Huge gashes on the dorsal and anal fins, nips and nicks on the edges of the caudals, mostly the upper lobe (he's a DTHM)
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He tends to be a little more lethargic, and he seems to hang out more on the bottom now and he may be scratching on the smooth pebbles at the bottom (store bought gravel), I'm not sure, but that only began today and before then he acted normal, flaring and blowing big bubble nests behind the filter so they don't get swept away.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? 2 weeks ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Tetracycline + AQ salt
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Milder case of fin rot few months ago
How old is your fish (approximately)? a year? a year 1/2? pet store betta
Thx for answering in advance, jewelqueen17
So now he has fin rot AGAIN, and it's been going for about two weeks now. I gave him tetracycline as recommended, this time following exactly what they said on the package (dose again every 24 hours, but each 48 hours do a 25% water change with it, nothing else). It's not working, and even coupled with the 1 tsp of salt I always put in his tank it's getting worse. It's almost right down to his body- it's really weird, it's going down in big gashes on the anals and dorsals but tiny nips on the upper caudal edges. He's always had black fin edges (he's brilliant blue-green with red fins and black tips), but I'm pretty sure that it's natural because it's edged even where there's no sign of the rot. The rot itself is not blackened. My SeaChem ammonia alert thing says the ammonia is less than .02 ppm, but I don't know how much I trust it. The filter is off because API says the carbon will take out the meds, and I don't know how to get the carbon out. I don't think salt or salt baths will help at this point. Please please help! I can't have a dead betta on my conscience!
Also will he ever regrow his fins? It looks really bad...
Housing
What size is your tank? 2.5 gal (Aqueon Mini Bow)
What temperature is your tank? No idea
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? No (I use the light which brings up the temp a bit, sometimes to about room temperature, and I use my finger to test it daily, IDK if that's a good idea)
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? His decor
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Aqueon betta food pellets, bizarrely he hates bloodworms
How often do you feed your betta fish? 3-4 pellets each time I feed him, which is once when I get up in the morning and once when I get back home from classes
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Normally weekly, but now every other day
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? Normally I did 100%, but now it's 25% following API tetracycline dosing instrux
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Top Fin betta water conditioner (I'm actually going to buy Prime today because it's almost out) and 1 tsp API aquarium salt (the water is 2 gallons)
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
Ammonia: <.02 ppm
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH: about 7.4
Hardness:
Alkalinity:
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Huge gashes on the dorsal and anal fins, nips and nicks on the edges of the caudals, mostly the upper lobe (he's a DTHM)
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He tends to be a little more lethargic, and he seems to hang out more on the bottom now and he may be scratching on the smooth pebbles at the bottom (store bought gravel), I'm not sure, but that only began today and before then he acted normal, flaring and blowing big bubble nests behind the filter so they don't get swept away.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? 2 weeks ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Tetracycline + AQ salt
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Milder case of fin rot few months ago
How old is your fish (approximately)? a year? a year 1/2? pet store betta
Thx for answering in advance, jewelqueen17
