Half-Moon Tail Beta

Question

Phillip   QUESTION: I have a Half Moon Tail Beta that I bought about a month ago. It came to my attention that he had small pinpricks in his fins, which I dismissed initially, but then realized it was fin rot. I first started to put anti-bacterial drops in his water, and when that didn't work I bought a specialized medicinal drops for fin rot. I continued the treatment for seven days, and on the last day, his fin rot had advanced quickly. It had gone from tiny little tears at the tips of his fins to 1/4" tears on his bottom fin. I went to the store I bought him from and asked their advice. They sold me a basic fungal treatment, and each packet of powder is for 10 gallons. My beta is in a 2 1/2 gallon tank. I put him in clean unmedicated water for a day, and then I added 1/4 of the packet to his tank with new water. The treatment is for 48 hours, then add another dose, wait another 48 hours, and then do a 25% water change. I noticed when I first started the newest medication, his scales were flaking off a bit. Today I added the second dose, and I've noticed that my beta is resting on the bottom more, and in a few instances, rests with his head down. He has also been swimming toward the bottom corners of the tank, and it almost seems like he's trying to fit his head between the marbles on the bottom. Is it swimming bladder disorder? Or am I being paranoid? Thank you for taking the time to answer my question.

ANSWER: Briana,

Sorry to here Phillip isn't feeling well. He is a beautiful Betta. You mention he is in a 2.5 gallon tank and I see a lot of plant with him. If you want all that in there, I would get him a bigger tank. I think a 5 gallon would be great for him and all his belongings. What you haven't mentioned is a heater. Betta's need their water to be at least 82 degrees. If not, the get lethargic and sit at the bottom of the tank not swimming or eating. As soon as you put one in there you will see a big difference in him. You also didn't mention if the fin rot has healed. If not, the heater will help out with that as well. I usually stick with one medication because sometimes, using more that one can hurt the fish. If the picture is an after picture then he actually looks pretty good. I think that once the heater is in and the water temp goes up you will see him become a lot more active.

If after you do that and he still isn't getting better, let me know and we can try other things.

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QUESTION: Thank you for your input. I put a small filter on his tank to create some water movement. It's not too strong, and its only on one side of the tank, and he has stopped hanging around the bottom and floating at weird angles. I do have a heater, it just wasn't on; I've turned it on, but the fin rot has worsened. Now he has many large slits in his bottom and tail fins. Can I use regular freshwater salts for him? I hate putting more medication in the water, and another place I asked said there was nothing more I could do, and that I would have to euthanize him. I really love my fish, and I don't think I could bring myself to do that. Is there anything else I can do to cure fin rot that has been developing for over two weeks?

Thank you again

ANSWER: Briana,

Glad he has the heater on. Let it slowly rise to 82 degrees. I will tel you how I treat fin rot when any of my 11 adult Betta's get that problem.

Salt water bath:

Find something that will hold 1 gallon of water. Add to the conditioned water 1.5 teaspoons of aquarium salt. make sure it is dissolved completely be for adding to the water. if not, it will burn him. Add Phillip to that water for no more than 5 mins. Make sure you stay with him and watch in case somethings goes wrong and you have to remove him. While in that water, set up another container with 2/3 his tank water to 1/3 the salt bath. When the 5 minutes are up, transfer Phillip to the second container. He will shim in that one for 15 minutes. While he is in there clean out his tank. When I have a hospital tank, there is no gravel its just the fish and his heater. Add to his tank, Bettafix. It helps with damaged fins. I think we should try this medication because it heals damaged fins, and I also don't like to add a lot of medications to my fish. ok, after the 15 minutes are up, transfer Phillip back to his tank. When I have to do this, they take the salt bath 5 times a day. I can't see Phillip, so just try it and if he tolerates it then do it as often as you can, but no more than 5 times a day. Keep Phillip in a quiet area, and let him try to heal.

Where this treatment is not a guarantee, it does work more often than not for me, and it won;t hurt him because there is no medication. I have had that problem a few times, and have one going through it right now. It is a slow process, and I hope that this helps him get through.

Please, don't hesitate to ask anything else. I am very interested on your fish and would like to know how he is doing.

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QUESTION: Thanks for your advice,
I actually combined it with some other tips I was given.
So here's the set-up now:
I have Phillip in half a gallon of conditioned tap water with 1/4 teaspoon. I
change his water every day. In the cleaning, I scrub the small plastic tank
down completely and run almost boiling water over it. Then I wash the
thermometer and heater the same way. I feed him 3-4 pellets of TopFin Betta
Bits. I've stopped medication for the past week and a half/ two weeks to clear
out his system.
While cleaning out the water, I noticed there have been whitish floaty bits in
the water, almost like chunky cobwebs. Is that a sign of recovery? Or should I
be concerned? It's been present for about two or three days, and I noticed it's
coming off of his fins.
Thanks again!

Answer
Briana,

I hope he is not sitting in the half gallon with salt all the time. The salt is not something that should be used in his water all the time. If it is, the chances of salt helping you with other ailments goes down every day. In a half gallon bowl, your Betta is under new stress and you might fix one problem but another will arise. It sounds like now you have saprolegnia, which is a bacteria brought on by too much uneaten food and/or waste. Since he is only in half a gallon, i am hoping that you are doing water changes everyday. Unfortunately, until he is in a bigger tank, fighting these problems will be a continual thing. He is in a half gallon with a heater, which makes it a half gallon no more. Now he has less water to swim in. Sorry if i sound repetitive, but he needs a larger hospital tank.