# what is my betta covered in?



## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

currently one of my male bettas are covered in what looks like cob webs. any ideas what it is? 

he also has clamped fins. but all of the males in my 10 gal do. 3 divided. my heater messed up and the stress of the temps got to them i think. also, none of them are eating. but the temp in the tank is currently at 79*. oh, and they're all cupped separately for easy water changes, treatment, and quick access to the surface.

this is just a quick question because i'm about to leave for work. but i'll give more info and a photo once i'm home from work.


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## earthworm88 (Jul 8, 2011)

without seeing the photos, I would venture a guess that it's the slime coat sloughing off. That usually means they don't agree with whatever is in the water that is causing irritation. Usually once you change the water, they tend to improve if it is simply a water chemistry imbalance. 

In more severe cases, it could be an infection. Here is an excerpt taken from DM sticky.
*Body Slime Infection*
•Symptoms: Your betta is covered in a white film. It may just be in a few areas and may rise of the skin a bit. Lethargy, clamped, loss of apetite, may have cloudy eyes.
•Treatment: Body Slime infections or Slime Coat Sloughing are due to bacterial infections. Perform daily 100% water changes. Use 1tsp/gal Aq.Salt for up to 10 days. If that does not work then use API Tetracycline, API Fungus Cure, API Triple Sulfa, OR Jungle’s Lifeguard.


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Have to agree it's slime coating- since all your boys are exhibiting it, and clamped up.. something isn't kosher with them. 

You said all cupped- are they in cups in their own sections? Or just loose in their own sections? 

I have to agree with Earthworm's suggestion.. it's spot on-
I would do a 50% water change and wait 24 hrs to see if that helps, if not then I would recommend the AQ salt treatment as listed above. Sometimes a large water change is enough to remove or lessen the toxins that the fish are having issues with. Even though only one is covered in the coating, since all are clampy then they all are affected.


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

they're each in their own separate cup. the plastic ones they came in when i got them. i've been doing water changes, once a day, 100%, with my same water conditioner and making sure the temp. is EXACTLY the same. my HM and VT are improving. they're moving more and look less stiff. they even look like they want to swim more and get out of the cup. my VT even flared! 

but my CT is just blah.. he doesn't look to have improved any. the other thing is... the water he's in has turned yellow...


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

also, is there any possible way that the heater i had in was poisoning my fish? i don't know how this would work but it's the only thing i've done differently.


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

and i just noticed something else. when he gulps in air from the surface, 2 huge bubbles come out of each side of his gills. :[ whyyy?


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

unfortunately, i just found my CT male, Ryuu, dead.


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## AcrimoniousArbiter (Dec 20, 2011)

Oh no!


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

my poor fishy. :[ i'll always remember his huge bubble nests.


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## earthworm88 (Jul 8, 2011)

I am sorry you have lost Ryuu! I don't really know why the water turned yellow, usually this can be achieved by tannins, decaying of organic matter or high ammonia levels. Hopefully someone who is more knowledgeable can shed some light to this. 

In the meantime, continue to monitor closely your other two. Do you have larger QT to house them considering now they seem more active?

Have you discarded Ryuu's water? For educational purpose if not for anything else, it's best to test that water to know what's in it. Did you check Ryuu's gills? Hopefully Myates or someone else can give you more insights to what's happening. 

Good luck!


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

i don't know either.. the only way i've ever seen a betta's water turn color is when they're dying or dead. and he'd only been in that water for less than 24 hours. and it looked as if tiny bits of his fins were just breaking off. 

i inspected him when i found him. he looked normal besides his slime coat and falling apart fins. well, the one thing i noticed was i think he may have had a SLIGHT bloat in his entire body. when looking at him from the dorsal fin down it looked as though his body was the same width around each part. so, his head was just as wide as his body. i thought maybe i saw a slight pine coning too. 

the other 2 are still improving and eating.


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