Sick Beta

Question
Hi Jaymie-

This is a follow up to a recent question I had asked about my Beta who had developed an infected wound on his side. I took your advice and removed the other fish from the tank and stopped feeding him for a couple of days. I stopped the anti fungal med and started him on Maracyn and Maracyn 2. He's on his 3rd day of the antibiotic. I have also added aquarium salt to the tank.

The fungus reappeared as soon as I stopped the anti fungal and he has stopped eating altogether. He has also started laying at the bottom of the tank and breathing rapidly. The water chemistry and temp are fine. I did a 25% water change just before starting the antibiotic. Is there anything else that you can think of that I can do?

-Jason

Answer
Jason, I would add an air stone to his tank to help put oxygen into the water. As for the medication, sometimes it take a few days for the medication to start working. If he has a filter, don't forget to remove the carbon. The 2 medications you are using are both gram negative and gram positive which should help him out. Any medication you add will effect the fish in some way. If you think the meds are too strong, you can cut the dosage in half. When you go from one medication to another, it take a little longer to start working. You can try salt water baths. I do those and it usually fixes the problem. I never use medication in any of my tanks. If I run into a problem, I use salt and it fixes them right up. If you need help with the salt water bath just let me know.