# Betta Fish Disease - need help identifying/treating



## betta642 (May 11, 2012)

<Moving Thread to this section>
Hi,
Great site! I just found it this morning

I received a distress call from my brother this morning about his Betta fish. He sent me the following pictures. This has been going on for many weeks. A very slow progression that has obviously gotten ridiculously bad. I can't make excuses for not getting more aggressive in the treatment sooner. But we haven't been ignoring it. Our attempts at treatment have been unsuccessful. We've used Maracyn-Oxy and betta revive at different points as well as water changes with aquarium salts (which seem the most common suggestion). The behavior of the fish has been normal-- good appetite, active, not sluggish, very responsive. We're very fond of the fish and are really unsure what to do

Housing 
What size is your tank?

10 gallon tank

What temperature is your tank?
80 degrees

Does your tank have a filter?

Yes.

Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Yes. The filter and aerator are one unit

Is your tank heated?
yes.

What tank mates does your betta fish live with?
Has the tank to himself.

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?

it's called 'betta food'-- it's dried pellets. Whole fish meal. Describes a bunch of different ingredients

How often do you feed your betta fish?

Twice a day. 6-7 pellets. He would clearly eat more often.

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change?

Every couple of weeks

What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?

90% the last two water changes. Did a full change the one previous.

What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

aquarium salts

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
Only ever tested the ammonia which was normal. We do have pretty hard water.


Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
see pictures
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
He's acted happy and healthy for many weeks, despite symptoms. Did have a couple of bad periods-- see below

When did you start noticing the symptoms?
many weeks ago. Started as a small white spot.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
water changes, maracyn oxy, betta revive
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
The fish previously had fin rot-- acted very sluggish and sick. Treated successfully with water changes and the maracyn. Went into another sluggish period month or two ago-- after the appearance of the white nastiness-- but recovered from that fully with water changes (at least behavior wise)

How old is your fish (approximately)?
Don't know for sure. Was an adult when we bought it. But we've had him well over a year.

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I will be hoping for the best!
We very much appreciate your input an help. I'm really at a loss at what to do. The fish just keeps getting gradually worse. I assume I need something far more aggressive than what we've been doing. But if we can't stop the disease progression, it's hard to watch this thing seem to eat our fish alive


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

I think you are now seeing the inside part of your fish. I am sorry for the sickness. He had Fin Rot before, right? Are you sure it was fully healed? If the Rot is finished with the fins, it would next go to the body. I have never before seen this kind of sickness, so forth, I do not know the cure. If your trying aquarium salt, see if it actually worked.


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## cjayBetta (Jan 18, 2011)

:O omgosh, I have never seen that before....


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## betta642 (May 11, 2012)

The aquarium salts clearly aren't working, as we've been using them ever since the first incidence of fin rot. I suppose I could up the concentration. I've just been following the instructions on the carton. 

He appeared to completely recover from the fin rot. His tail and fins started growing back in. I suppose there's a possibility that it remained on one part of his body. But why wouldn't it be affecting the rest of his fins? Sure seems like some other disease. But I don't know.

If I can't find a way to stop this, at what point do I decide to euthanize the poor guy? I hate the thought of it, but at some point, it just seems cruel to watch him be eaten alive.

Are there more potent medications that are worth a try? Maracyn Oxy for instance is basically a chlorine treatment as far as I can tell. 

Anyway, bummed to hear no one else has seen this or has a suggestion for treatment.

AD


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

There is a post on this type of thread that this Blue Betta may have. It is called,
IMPORTANT: Watch for these Disease Signs.
I read it, and it mostly strikes Blue Betta Fish. Read the Symptoms, and if it is what you have, keep on reading.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Hello, I'm very sorry to see your fish in this state.
What you are seeing is an extremely advanced ulcer.
This is usually caused by the fish being cut by something, and bacteria setting in.
Very common in pond fish, your betta probably cut himself on something in the tank.

This is pretty serious. 
The white you are seeing is dead flesh... For pond fish the only solution is to scrape this dead flesh away, as it is blocking the new flesh from returning... Followed by a good bacterial drug.
If you are uncomfortable doing this... Euthanasia may be your only other option.
First, maybe reach out to your local pond community to see if anyone has dealt with this before.

It is normal for an injured fish to act normal.. As this is a flesh wound, it is generally believed that they don't feel what's going on, as a fish's nervous system is much simpler than ours and they don't feel pain like we do.
Hope it works out for you.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Basement Bettas (May 12, 2012)

Never seen one this much of a mess. You will probably lose him. You can try peroxide. Net him and stabilize him in the net.. I have one hand under them and hold them still. Then take a Q-tip dipped in peroxide and dab that mess. Keep dabbing with more peroxied. Do not let it get in gills as will kill him. It should bubble up a bit as big as it is. Then put him in a very clean container of water with a little salt. I'd do daily water changes to keep the water pristine. He will never get that dorsal back but may recover enough to live without that mess on his back. You may notice improvement as you will get most of it.. but if not all gone and he seems able to take it redo the treatment every so often till you kill it all out. The peroxide will burn and scar.. but it will eat up what ever that junk is. I treated a favorite female like this that got fin rot on her dorsal. She lost the dorsal andhad scars.. but was able to get another spawn out of her. Good luck.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Aww, poor guy.


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## AqauaZooMama (Oct 28, 2014)

I got my blue boy from the LFS with a white clump already in his bottom fin, and I noticed it right away but took him home with me regardless. I treated him with aquarium salt and warmer water temps to fight it off and has done well for the last six months, it even disappeared for a bit but now, its back with a vengeance 










Has anyone tried the Peroxide treatment on this kind of thing? is there any other way to help him? I am terrified of taking him out of water and applying the Qtip bc I hate watching them panic  but I also dont want to do nothing and see him fade away before his time...


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## CaptainRaikenJack2 (Oct 31, 2014)

*Euthanization.*

He's clearly dying and in horrible pain, please kill him for his sake.


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