# Help! White strings on crowntail's fins - fungus?



## Starfish1 (Dec 9, 2012)

Hi, does anyone have any experience with white stringy looking things on betta's fins? 

I'm having a tough time with my bettas lately, just lost a girl to what I think started as a bacterial infection during a power outage?? (different tank) and learned that even 75 degree room is a bit too cold for a betta, so I bought them all heaters last week. My crowntail looked just fine until I put his heater in, I have been watching them all VERY carefully the last 2 weeks. Put the heater between 78-80 degrees and a week later he has white strings hanging from his fins that weren't there before. His tail looks like it has gotten shorter but there are no dark areas or red areas anywhere. (his tail and fins are white). I did a search on here and found a thread that said it could be a fungus which thrives in warm water so I turned his heater down to 77 degrees, and there are larger white strings today. He doesn't seem to notice that anything is wrong. 

I do have Tetra fungus guard here which on the label shows the same ingredients as Jungle fungus clear. But I wanted to check with other posters to see if this is definitely a fungus before I treat him. 

Also, I should start daily water changes, right? And keep the water temp around 75-76? 

Housing 
What size is your tank? *3 gallon*
What temperature is your tank? *76-77 degrees*, *was 78-80* *before I turned it down yesterday *
Does your tank have a filter? *No*
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? *No, but I have one I can use if I start medication.*
Is your tank heated? *Yes*
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? *none*

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? *flakes, pellets, freeze dried bloodworms*
How often do you feed your betta fish? *every day w/ one day a week fast*

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? *every 5 days*
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? *about 80%*
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? *Prime, 1/2 tsp aquarium salt per gallon*

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia: *I just did a water change when I noticed this, so I didn't check* *what the parameters were when this started happening!*
Nitrite: 
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? *white strings hanging from his fins, tail getting shorter but no dark or red areas, just strings* 
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? *not at all, he doesn't notice*
When did you start noticing the symptoms? *last night*
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? *turned heat down to 77 after reading it could be a fungus that thrives in warm water. *
Does your fish have any history of being ill? *no*
How old is your fish (approximately)? *6 mos


*


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## shellieca (Jul 12, 2012)

A pic would be helpful. Are they strings or are his fins shredded?


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## Starfish1 (Dec 9, 2012)

Finally figured out how to attach a picture!  They're the whitish/gray looking strings attached on the end of his fins. The gray part is not his fins and any black you see is his coloring. The fins are white with a dusting of black throughout the fin.


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

It looks like he's shedding his slime coat to me.. Water problem.

A 3 gallon without a filter needs 2 water changes a week - one 50% and one 100%. The 100% should include a thorough rinsing of the gravel and all other things in the tank.

Are you using a thermometer to monitor the temperature? Heaters are inaccurate and you must rely on an in tank thermometer to know the actual temp: http://www.amazon.com/Marina-Floati...1356805509&sr=8-1&keywords=marina+thermometer You also can't just pop it in and turn it up. The rapid temperature fluctuations are extremely hard on fish.. that alone could cause this. You should always give a new heater a 24 hour test run in a separate tank with thermometer to make sure it's not going to overheat and it's going to keep a steady temp. After that you must acclimate your bettas slowly.. no more than a degree or two per hour an no more than 5 degrees per day.

Your guy is skinny! What pellets are you feeding and how many is he getting per day ?I would stop feeding the flakes. I would feed the blood worms no more than once a week as a treat. Any freeze dried foods need a thorough soaking in a cup with some tank or otherwise dechlorinated water at least 10 minutes to avoid constipation. Good thing you're doing the fast day.

Do you usually put AQ in his tank or are you just doing that now? You can only use AQ up to 10 days or else you can harm your fish and even cause organ failure. If that's just habit I'd do a 100% water change now to get rid of it.

ETA:I see the thermometer now, that's good. The rest still applies. Let us know.


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## Starfish1 (Dec 9, 2012)

yes, i tested all my heaters in a spare 3 gallon for a day each before putting any of them in with my bettas. they each have their own thermometer and i check them several times a day. the heaters have a BIG orange light when they're on so i can see if they are shutting off or not. i started them at the lowest setting and slowly turned them up over a day or two. 
i feed them NLS pellets and they only get bloodworms once a week and then they fast the day after. what's wrong with flakes? i've had bettas who ate nothing but flakes and never had any problems before? i always look at their little bellies before feeding them to make sure they don't look like they need an extra fasting day. 
this betta has kind of a weird shape, he's very long and thin shaped. i usually feed 2 or 3 pellets, i can try more but i get worried about overfeeding and swim bladder disorder. i've noticed some bettas can eat more than others without getting a full looking stomach. 
i have always put aquarium salt in because i read on betta talk that it helps prevent diseases. what does everyone else do as far as aquarium salt goes? 

what do you mean by shedding his slime coat? i've never heard of that before.. anyone else seen this on their betta?


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## Starfish1 (Dec 9, 2012)

Callistra, I Have a question on the kanaplex. I have only had one sick fish, which i think was due to the power outage/temp drop, but I want to order some meds to have on hand in case this ever happens again. I had been using tetracycline but as you said bettas tend not to like it very much, and my fish had a bad reaction. So i was thinking of ordering that kanaplex to have in case of emergency. Do they react better to this? 

Also, update on my betta, i did his water change and it looks like just from the water moving around some of the nasty stuff came off and i lowered his temp to 78. I decided to do some salt for 10 days (or less if needed) After reading that you can treat mild fin rot with it. So far so good, gonna do another water change before bed and do them daily till he gets better. I did check his water quality after 3 days and ammonia nitrate and nitrite were all at 0 so that was good.


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

NLS Betta requires a minimum of 5 pellets a day due to their small size. I feed 6-8 to my boys with one fast day a week. I split them up into at least 2 but sometimes even 3 smaller feedings. He looks malnourished to me and since I know your feeding habits now I'd say that's quite likely.

The flakes have a 3 fold problem in my eyes.. one you just plain can't keep all of it from falling to the bottom of the tank. Some of them dissolve. Some of them fall and get pinched in between the gravel. And all of this just leads to an increase in ammonia and makes the water quality harder to maintain. The other thing I don't like about them is their tendency to cause constipation issues. Some bettas can eat them fine and have no problems, but some even a small pinch and you've got a big problem. The third thing I don't like is all the fillers and artificial colors that are in them. None that I know of are made with 2 or more sources of whole fish, like the NLS and other good pellets are.

Little full/slightly round stomachs right after eating is normal. That's not swim bladder or constipation issues. 

Aquarium salt use over long period of time can cause organ failure. It also means that when you get a real infection you can't use it as a treatment option because any bacteria present in the tank will already be resistant. Most fish keepers only use it to help with an actual current infection and only for 10 days at a time. I would do a 100% water change without the AQ.. he's already been on it too long. All that extra salt can also cause an increase in slime coat and he may just be shedding the excess.

How do you acclimate your fish after a water change? Do you use a thermometer to make sure the new water is the same temp as the old water? I've seen fish do this after a large water change when they weren't acclimated properly too.

My fish don't even bat an eye with the Kanaplex in their tanks. They don't stress at all.


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## Starfish1 (Dec 9, 2012)

Actually he's been exactly the same size since I got him and when I first saw him I thought wow he has an odd shape! He's only been with me for two months I think? He has a very long body and i think that makes him look long and skinny but he's really a normal size. He is in no way malnourished! 

6-8 pellets was what I fed to my giant betta and sometimes she even looked a little full. Any more than 3 and some of mine start to look not rounded but overly full. I think it's best to pay attention to how their belly looks and if it's too flat, feed them more and if its way too rounded, do an extra fast day. Not all bettas are the same body size, some have very long fins but are tiny, others are bigger. Not all bettas need the exact same number of flakes or pellets, they are all different. Some need more frequent smaller meals and some can do fine with a few bloodworms and not have a problem. I've had bettas for 7 years and i'm on number 14 in my lifetime so i can tell when they look full or when they look too flat in the belly. None of my bettas are malnourished, that's for sure! 

Yes of course I put the same temp water in their tanks! And yes, thermometer. I would never put my bettas in freezing cold tap water! 

I will do some more research on the aquarium salt. Some sites say add it every time and you'll never have a sick fish. Others say only use it when necessary. I personally have never had a problem with it and have used it with all my bettas for the past 7 years. there are times when they get a break from it if I forget to add it in. 

When i feed flakes they eat them all right away so none fall to the floor. I feed them omega one betta buffet flakes which have 3 whole fish sources.


ETA: I think i know what you are talking about, the first picture cuts off so you can only see his tail, so if his whole body were the size of his tail, yes that would look skinny. When you're looking at him look at the second picture and you can see his size is normal he just has a small tail area.


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

Feeding 3 normal sized pellets like Omega One, Aqueon, Hikari, etc is fine. But these NLS are half that size and if you're only feeding 2-3 you're under feeding for sure. That's like giving about 1 regular size pellet a day. Yeah, they can live on that but they'll be malnourished. It seems like you're mistaking a nice round full belly with stuffing your betta. You don't have to take my word for it.. lots of discussion across the internet in various fish forums about how much people feed.

Anyway, don't want to debate with you on stuff, just sharing info. Do with it what you wish. You ask for help but every time I share info you say you know better than I do soo.. I don't know what to say.


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## Starfish1 (Dec 9, 2012)

I think my bettas are smaller bred than your bettas. Most of mine have mouths that are too small to even eat larger pellets like tetra min i would have to crush those. I've seen larger walmart or pet store bettas that could most definitively eat 5 pellets. My two crowntails came to me full grown from online and are a lot smaller, and will get constipated if they eat that amount. 

There is no possible way you could tell me, without being in my house and feeding them and then see how each of their 6 bellies look after they eat. It would be impossible.


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## Starfish1 (Dec 9, 2012)

Just reread your last line, must have missed that.. All is asked was if anyone had seen white strings on their bettas, and yes, i do know better how their bellies look after they eat because i am the one who has been feeding them for the past year!


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

O.O sorry to interrupt. 

Are you feeding your fish just pellets? Because if they haven't grown at all, you might try adding a frozen food (either brine shrimp or glassworms) to their diet two or three times a week. It's possible your fish are just small, and the best way to find out really is to add some good ol' fashioned as-close-to-live-as-possible protein to their diet.  I know that the NLS pellets are AMAZING (totally my favorite pellets for my bettas) but frozen food is the best as far as nutrients, and the closest you can get to a betta's natural diet without going live. And you're right about you being the best to tell if you're feeding them the right amount, because you get to see them every day. 

And as far as your stringies, it may or may not be a fungus. If you can put him in a nice comfy hospital tank (a 1 gallon if you have one, with a filter, heater, and a light) with a proper dose of AQ salt, and some stress coat for a couple days, you should be able to tell 100% either way (because it'll either get worse -in which case its a fungus- or go away and get better). The best thing I've learned to do if a betta is showing signs of any kind of sickness is to QT him with fresh water and the AQ salt and keep an eye out, because until you know for sure, you don't want to medicate, because you don't want to incorrectly medicate him and/or weaken his immune system more.


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## Starfish1 (Dec 9, 2012)

Thanks, fishehgobloop! I've never tried any frozen foods before. I think they are just a small breed, any of mine from online overseas are smaller and my petstore bettas are much bigger. And seem like they can eat much more! When the online ones got here they had very long fins so i'm assuming they're full grown? Anyway, they each eat different amts but they all get fed till they have a nice rounded belly. They'd probably just LOVE me if i came home with frozen foods!

I did his water change and kept him in his 3 gallon, no gravel right now, heater, and put salt in. he looks better today, some of the stringy things have come off. i'm gonna do another water change in a few minutes. I've never tried using aquarium salt as a treatment but i am doing that this time because like you said, i don't want to treat him with the wrong thing and make it worse. 

thanks for you help


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## Fishehgobloop (Aug 13, 2011)

not a problem. I hope he makes a full, speedy recovery, and I hope he likes his frozen yummies. Let me know if there is anything else I can offer to help.


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## Starfish1 (Dec 9, 2012)

will do, thanks!


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## SoftSpringGreen (Jul 1, 2014)

My fish Iridescent has the same thing and He seems to only get when the water is cold or is stressed. All I do is put warm water and it comes right off.


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