# Finrot or fish fight wounds? (sad pictures) :(



## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

Hey you all. My mom got a fish the other day.She felt bad about how horrible his condition was and wanted to try and help him, or at least make the rest of his life as comfortable as possible.( i told her its not a good idea to give these people money and support their business..yadda yadda..I know her heart was in the right place )
When she came home with this little guy to show me him...all I could do was stare like this::shock::sad::shock::sad:
I had a sad "gut feeling" that he wouldn't make it though the night. In any case, I set up a 1 gallon critter keeper with a little aquarium salt and made sure he was warm. He made it through the night, and day so far...I went to petsmart and got him a 2.5 gallon and I also got him some Erythromycin an have started him on that.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10850834





I have never seen a fish with a wound like this before, and I am curious what you guys think may have caused it? It it that someone put him in with another fish? Or can fin rot get this bad!?

His fins look pretty bad, but in some areas it looks like there may be a little bit of regrowth, 1-2 cm of white fin. He has a huge wound on his side..and a little bit of his bone is exposed. :shock::sad:

I really don't know if he will survive through this, but I am willing to try and make it better if I can. He loves bloodworms, and he is a fast moving little guy when he is feeling up to moving about.


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

He' moving and he's eating - both good signs, IMO. 

I don't really have anything to add but to say good luck with the little guy!!!


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## TwilightNite (Mar 3, 2011)

It is a good thing he is eating and swimming,
do you know what type of Betta he is?
He's really pretty.


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

I believe he is a veiltail. 
He is red with blue/green eyes..my mom named him Emerald.
Today I noticed a little bit of a blue/green shimmer to his color, and I believe he may have had green blue on his fins at one point as well. 
I hope he can pull through this! I lowered the water in his tank half way to make it easier for him to go up for air.


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## Cravenne (Dec 20, 2010)

Seems like you're on the right track. I hope he heals quickly 

Maybe a little cave or something in the tank for him. A small cup even. Just to off a place to hide


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## nmaybyte (Mar 13, 2011)

Doesn't fin rot usually affect more of the body? Also...are those pine needles in your tank? xD I just noticed them. I was like, "Man, that's a funny looking plant."


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

nmaybyte said:


> Doesn't fin rot usually affect more of the body? Also...are those pine needles in your tank? xD I just noticed them. I was like, "Man, that's a funny looking plant."


It is a cabomba furcata plant, It is actually very soft.:lol: 
I wouldn't add anything pointy in there with the poor guy.:lol:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=107

I actually took the cabomba out of his tank and just left the wisteria and the sword plant for now because after I lowered the water it was sort of looking too crowded at the top.I have them in a vase near my window for now.


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

Cravenne said:


> Seems like you're on the right track. I hope he heals quickly
> 
> Maybe a little cave or something in the tank for him. A small cup even. Just to off a place to hide


Thanks, that is a good idea. I will have to look and see what I can find to put in there as a little cave.


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

How about some IAL? Do you have any of that? That might make him feel more comfortable.


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

Lion Mom said:


> How about some IAL? Do you have any of that? That might make him feel more comfortable.


 Where can I get IAL?


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

it's hard to tell in the pic, but it looks like he has mild fin rot, and bites of some sort. if you can get a good pic of him from the side, it'll be easier to tell.

search on ebay. i had a link of a good IAL seller, but i lost it. betta spa has it, too. i've read on here, even decaf green tea bags'll work the same. :3


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

Littlebittyfish said:


> Where can I get IAL?


This is where I got my last batch & I am VERY happy with it:

http://www.catappaleaves.com/Default.aspx


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

Luimeril said:


> it's hard to tell in the pic, but it looks like he has mild fin rot, and bites of some sort. if you can get a good pic of him from the side, it'll be easier to tell.
> 
> search on ebay. i had a link of a good IAL seller, but i lost it. betta spa has it, too. i've read on here, even decaf green tea bags'll work the same. :3


Oh yeah - forgot all about the decaf green tea!!! THAT would be the way to go for now, IMO, since you can get that FAST & the IAL would take over a week from Singapore. 

Good luck!!!


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

i looked for some the other day. hopefully, other stores are better than my local Food Lion. lol i found ONE brand that sold decaf green tea, and the box was about three bucks. Xd sucks, living in the boonies. lol :3 might still get my mom to pick it up for me, since i have Cup and Dante who have ripped fins. ._o


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## BETTACHKALOVE (Nov 22, 2010)

IAL u can order 515-283-0300 MIKE I ordered from them before.


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

Thanks you all.I have normal green tea, but it has caffeine in it.. poor Emerald would get the jitters!:lol:
I may go get some decaf green tea sometime this evening/night..depending on when I get off work today/tonight...:lol: 
Do you know if it is just green tea that works?Can decaf black tea work?
Also, can I use the decaf green tea with the medication he is on already?
:hmm:


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

too many kinds of tea~ @[email protected] i don't know about the others, i just heard green tea. o.o i used IAL with meds before(mostly salt, since i'm pretty anti-med), so i guess it'll work fine.


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

ok, ok.. One last question for the moment..:lol:
I have been doing 100% changes daily to keep his water super clean because he has an open wound.:shock:
Can I still do 100% water changes while using IAL or green tea? Or would that decrease the effectiveness of it?:hmm:


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## BETTACHKALOVE (Nov 22, 2010)

I hope it good idea to use it together. I wish Oldfishlady see this post and help.
May be it better to use medications and 100% water change and when u done then to use IAL or Green tea?

But i read Oldfishlady post she premix IAL in 1gall and let it stay i don't remember how many hours. I did it for my fish but i am using aged water for mine bettas anyway so i let it stay over night. Water will be dark yellowish brown color.I guess u will do it every time when u change him. 

The phone # i wrote that were i ordered IAL should be correct let me know if i did mistake. I ordered from there they mail it to u very fast and it very inexpensive.


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

Alright, I did my best to take some photos of him. He likes to dart around really fast when he sees us coming with the camera..so it is sort of difficult.:lol:


But, here is his "good side"










and here is the hurt side.:-(










I don't know if the medication and aquarium salt is helping much, but I can tell his color is looking alittle better. The green/blue shimmer is more noticeable now.


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

does his wound look fuzzy? if so, i'd PM Oldfishlady. .___. it could be bacteria. i'm not that good about giving bacteria advice.

no, 100% water changes won't decrease the effectiveness. just replace the tea bag after every one. you'll go through alot of tea bags, but it's worth it.

after seeing those, he WAS fought, imo.


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## ParisRose (Apr 25, 2010)

Eeep! Poor guy... I wish there was something I could suggest. Please keep us posted. I hope he makes it.


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## Bettaluver4evr (Jan 21, 2011)

Wow, what a fighter! I definitely believe you are on the right track! Aquarium salt is supposed to help open wounds! But with super clean water, the tea, yummy food, etc, he might pull through! I hope he does, because aside from the wound and his fins, he looks strongm like a fighter!


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

Maybe it's just me, but I think with your loving care & ultra clean water he's going to make it!!! At least I sure hope so!


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## LolaQuigs (Mar 28, 2010)

Is he still hanging in there? I'm not an expert, but it doesn't really look like fin rot to me; it looks more like it was bitten off, no way to know whether it was by him or by another fish. Definitely keep up with the frequent water changes to prevent fin rot. Keep his temp around 77-78 F; bacteria flourish in warmer water.

You can still use IAL or decaf green tea with 100% water changes. I just fill up my clean water bucket right after each water change, add conditioner and IAL, and let it sit out 24 hrs until I'm ready for the next change. I also keep one or two leaves in the tank as well, so they will continue to leech the tannins into the water. 

Good luck!


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

thanks you all! He is still hanging in there! :-D


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

littlebittyfish said:


> thanks you all! He is still hanging in there! :-d


excellent!!!!


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

I noticed this morning he had a little bit of "fuzz" on his sides so I upped the aquarium salt to 1 1/2 tsp. and started him on fungus clear.It is not as noticeable tonight though? I am hoping it isn't columnaris or something.:shock:

anyways, here is a little video I took of him. (nevermind the polly-pocket music...my nephew was jamming out to that song):lol:

View My Video


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## Bettaluver4evr (Jan 21, 2011)

Awwww! Well, aside from the torn fins, he looks fantastic! He's acting so healthy and spunky, and it already looks like there is a bit of growth. Sure hope he makes it.


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

Was thinking about this guy today & was wondering how is he doing? 

MUCH better, I hope!!!!


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

It is hard to tell at times! The white area that was in his open wound is gone, but the wound is about the same size. Now I am not sure if it was bone or just skin/tissue? hmm...Hopefully that is a sign of healing? 


He is still very active and hungry though! I feed him a mix of pellet and flakes (he prefers flakes though..the bettamin variety to be exact!:lol I give him a bloodworm treat every few days or so. I filled the waterline up the rest of the way now. He is happy swimming in 2 gallons.


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## inspiration5505 (Mar 25, 2011)

I ended Up with a betta like that. He lasted a couple days but this was like over christmas or something and I could not get the supplies I needed to care for him.


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

inspiration5505 said:


> I ended Up with a betta like that. He lasted a couple days but this was like over christmas or something and I could not get the supplies I needed to care for him.


Awe, I am sorry for your loss.:-(


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## fleetfish (Jun 29, 2010)

You're doing good with him! I can see some new regrowth on his fins, but you're giving him the TLC he deserves. Poor little fella. You might also try some frozen foods to get some protein and fat in his diet to help grow his fins out and boost his immune system.


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

Active & hungry is a GOOD thing!!! 

The little guy sure is a toughie & I'm pretty sure he is going to pull through.


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## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

LittleBittyFish,

I am going through the same thing as you, with a little baby betta girl who got her anal fin bit off last week (along with side wounds). 

I put her in an espom salt/green tea solution in QT the first day, then switched her QT to fresh conditioned water and Harkari Guppy food (50% protien and 8% fat) several times a day. The pellets are really small and easy for her to eat, and she getting a 100% water change every day. It's only been about 5 days and she already has some regrowth. 

I'm going to leave my girl in QT until she's totally healed and immunity boosted.

Good luck with your betta boy! Sounds like he's well on his way to recovery.


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## FlareThis (Jan 24, 2011)

How's the little guy doing?? He definitely looks like he was in a fight with another betta


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

Have you named him yet? If not, how about "Tuffy"?


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

Well guys…
He passed away this morning.. He went in a way I never would have thought he would have went…

I was getting ready to do water changes this morning on my tanks and when I got to Emerald’s tank he was nowhere to be found. I tore his whole little tank apart to try and find him...He wasn’t in his tank.. Then I noticed him on the ground behind the stand….He somehow managed to jump out of the little hole in the back of the tank (probably 1x2 inches). I never thought he could have managed to do that .. I even left the water line low just incase he tried. He must have jumped a good 3 inches up…I feel awful. I cried when I found him.

He was looking so beautiful. His fins were growing in nicely and his wound had almost completely healed…I feel truly awful…My own negligence …thinking he wouldn’t be able in no way to jump 3 inches is what killed him…. 
I’m so sorry buddy…RIP Emerald.

:-(


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

OMG - I'm so sorry!! That is just AWFUL! 

Don't blame yourself as we all know you did the absolute best possible. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be for some reason. 

Again, I am so sorry!!!!


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## scootshoot (Oct 11, 2010)

Ugh that sucks!


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## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

Oh, I'm so sorry that happened. 

We all try so hard to protect our fish from their natural tendancies... sometimes they manage to do things we'd never expect.

My little red betta female got into her troubles by _jumping_ _into_ a QT container in the main tank, that had another female betta inside. The other fish, already stressed, must have been startled and thought it was being attacked - and attacked the 'invader'.

Most of the little red betta's damage was on her anal fin, which tells me she was at the surface, trying to get back out again while the other fish continued to attack her.

Of course, I was away when it happened, and I felt terrible.

The bettas' curiousity, athletic abilities and aggressive nature work both for and against them... and us, their caretakers. 

You did everything you thought would help, and had a 'blind spot' that (under most normal circumstances) wouldn't have resulted in a fish death.

Now, we'll all be looking at our tanks, and thinking about plugging any holes, remembering what a good job you were doing - helping your fish heal - and how fate dealt a cruel blow. 

*HUGS*


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