# Sol just got what looks like cotton wool by his 2 lower fins, please help!!!



## tfranc (Jan 31, 2011)

Sol is my new betta and he looked great when I got him 4 days ago, but now I see he has cotton wool on the underpart of his body by his two long fins, its nowhere else on his body, just there, he didnt have it yesterday!!!

I have him in a small container because my tank got chipped, i did 100% water changes since I got him, added aquarium salt and melafix to make sure he didnt bring any fungus or bacteria from the petstore, but it seems that did nothing.... now he has cotton like stuff and I dont want him to die, I already lost 2 bettas last week, one from cotton wool, and the other for unknown reason, and Im trying to get my Precioso better from his fin rot, and now I need to make sure Sol stays alive please!!!!

His behavior went from playful to sleeping most of the time, but he still eats pretty well. the temp in his water is around 75-78 deg. please help!!

Thanks


----------



## kfish (Oct 5, 2010)

Hmmm... increase water changes (100% every day). Ditch the Melafix, but keep on with the salt (1 tsp/gallon) for 10 days (no more than 10 days!).

Sure sounds like fungus... Can you post a picture? If you want, get some Jungle Fungus Clear and follow the directions.


----------



## tfranc (Jan 31, 2011)

I do 100% water changes every night to make sure he is clean and add the salt and water conditioner, plus a drop of melafix, I attached the photo, hopefully you can see the hanging cotton thing by his 2 fins.
I will change his water again tonight, and stop using the melafix, problem is im snowed in at the moment and cant make my way to the petstore, i have myacin 2 at home from my other betta, should i use it? 

thanks


----------



## kfish (Oct 5, 2010)

I can't really tell... does it look anything like this? Look at the dorsal (top) fin.

If so, use the Maracyn 2. That's exactly what he needs.


----------



## tfranc (Jan 31, 2011)

yes it does look like that just on the bottom for him and not so bad yet.
so I clean his water again and add the antibiotic, with the salt and water conditioner?


----------



## kfish (Oct 5, 2010)

Yes. Clean the water, add the Maracyn 2, salt, and conditioner. Follow the directions on the Maracyn 2 after that.

Based on your description/the similarity in image he has columnaris. It's not actually a fungus (hence using an antibiotic), but a strand of gram negative bacteria. Maracyn 2 is better, but Jungle Fungus Clear would also get rid of it, as it is kind of a cure-all for fungus and bacterial infections.

Glad you happened to have Maracyn 2!


----------



## tfranc (Jan 31, 2011)

thank you so much!!! yea he is so depressed now... I want him as feisty as before.
Thank you!!!!!!


----------



## kfish (Oct 5, 2010)

Columnaris is very fast acting (as you can tell by how fast it appeared on him!). It's really a good thing you caught it fairly early and are able to treat it immediately.

It's very possible that Sol got it from your previous betta through equipment contamination. It's VERY contagious.

I hope he gets better soon!

EDIT: Addendum.... the bacteria that causes columnaris flourishes in high temperatures. You say your temperature is between 75 and 78... try to keep it closer to 75-76 until he's better. This is one of the few cases where you want your temperature to be on the low side of the acceptable range for a betta.

Even after he's better, you're going to want to continue changing the water very often to prevent reinfection.


----------



## ANHEL123 (Jul 21, 2010)

Guys the Tetracycline API mixed with FUNGUS ELIMINATOR by jungle. worked for me before.Tetracycline treats gram positive and gram negative bacteria.Those mixed together can do the trick.
I treated with that before. It really helped + aquarium salt. The site below give vary good description of fungal and bacterial infection. And how to treat it.
 http://www.flippersandfins.net/flexibacter


----------



## tfranc (Jan 31, 2011)

Thank you, the problem is that im sure he did not catch it from the other since all of the equipment that he is in is completely new so he never shared anything from my previous betta, the worse part is that now im noticing that my 3rd betta named Simba has some cotton like strands on his body that are not very noticeable but still there and im sure they brought it from the store i got them from. At the pets mart I got them almost all of their fish are sick... 
I thought both Sol and Simba were fine, they looked great but now im afraid to loose them  
Thank you for your help, I have started Sol on the antibiotic, and might have to check up on Simba tomorrow in case I need to start him on it as well...

ANHEL123 thanks for the tip, I just have to wait a bit till I can head back to the store to get them the stuff, im kind of stuck in my house until the streets get cleaned so my car can get out of the snow.


----------



## tfranc (Jan 31, 2011)

Thank you everyone for your help, but Sol is gone... RIP my little guy, but thank you for everything!


----------



## kfish (Oct 5, 2010)

I'm so sorry... it's a nasty infection. Such a fast killer. 


Make sure you disinfect well if you plan to get another betta (you can use vinegar - rinse thoroughly after).


----------



## wallywestisthebest333 (Nov 30, 2009)

I'm so sorry about Sol. :[ May he rest in peace!

Also you might want to try cleaning with the canning salt recipe in this thread titled "To Sterilize a Fresh Water Tank" that was posted by Lion Mom. You might try that after your vinegar wash just to be extra safe!

Make sure to wash not only the tank but the filter and all the little bits and pieces in the filter too!

I'd throw out ALL of your filter media too. Even the little screen that's for biological filtration.

It's true that Biological filtration along with some mechanical filtration is all you really need in a tank but you can easily set that up by purchasing a pack of AquaClear Sponges/Foam filter inserts. They're better than the small screens for bio-filtration that most kits come with. The 30 gallon refills work best in my 5 gallon's filter. =] Just stuff your filter full of new sponges and toss everything else. =]

Good luck with your next boy! <3


----------



## microtel29734 (Jun 22, 2014)

C:\Documents and Settings\Hotel\My Documents\Downloads\nemo.JPG C:\Documents and Settings\Hotel\My Documents\Downloads\IMG_20140621_212318317.jpg this is nemo (i didnt name him) and he is our work betta. i think he has some kind of fungal something or other and i can buy some maracyn 2 but i suppose i should also use the aquarium salt. i have a saltwater biocube at my house. will that salt work? if so how much should i use. the tank that he is in isnt even a gallon but the boss wont buy a bigger one.


----------

