My betta fish is producing some kind of filmy stuff in the water =(

Question
hello there,

i just bought two betta fish a couple of weeks ago.  they're in separate bowls and noticed that one bowl looked a lot murkier than the other. when i took a closer look, there were these filmy, stringy things in the water. i changed his water immediately (with bottled water) last night and today i noticed that they're back. i also noticed a small round mass on one of his tail fins and looks a little filmy as well. when he swims around, the stuff gets stuck on him but it shakes off as he swims around more. do you know what this could be?

thank you for your time

Answer
Hello Sora-

The white strands you are seeing are probably either a fungus of some sort or a bacterial infection. You'll want to change the water daily (be sure to use a water conditioner before each change) and add a small dose of aquarium salt at each change. This will help to kill off whatever is plaguing your little guy. Also, medicines like Maroxy, Melafix, and Kanacyn will work wonders if you can't kill the infection off with just water changes and salt treatments.

Raising the temperature of the water to about 80 F (use a desk lamp if you don't have a heater) will also help the infection to subside.

Hope this is helpful, and good luck!
-Amber Worman