# Fuzzy Mold/Fungus on Tail



## Henderson (Jun 27, 2012)

Just looked in my Betta's tank and he now has some sort of fungus (?) growing on his tail and his top fin. Its black with white fluff around it an I'm kind of worried.

A few days agao I went to take him out of his tank so I could clean it and he got stuck in the net and breathed air for a few more seconds than he should. I put him back in his dirty tank and left him in the dark to calm down. I waited for a few days to clean the tank and when I put him back he seemed slow and hid from all movement, which is odd for him because as soon as something moves he's right there...I dont know if that has anything to do with whatever is growing on him or not. Also, he just sits there, moving nothing, not even his fins. I keep thinking he's dead but then when I try and poke him he moves away.

Awhile back I had thought he had tail rot but it turned out that he was just nibbling his tail. But now I've read about advanced tail rot and can't get it off my mind. 

I dont want to see another one of my betta's die because so far I have lost two out of four...


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## kyasarin5 (Aug 8, 2012)

Please fill out this form. Thanks! http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233


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## kyasarin5 (Aug 8, 2012)

Depending on the size of the tank he is in I would suggest a hospital tank so you can keep his water clean and treat him easier with medication.


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## Henderson (Jun 27, 2012)

Housing 
What size is your tank? *Unknown (Following picture is it) *








What temperature is your tank? *72 degrees
*Does your tank have a filter? *No
*Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? *Open lid
*Is your tank heated? No
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? *None
*
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? *Flakes and Freeze Dried Worms
*How often do you feed your betta fish? *Once a day, mainly flakes*

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? *Every week, unless water becomes too cloudy*
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? *All*
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? *Betta Plus (I believe thats the name anyway)*

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? *No, but the Betta Plus should be neutralizing the water*
,
Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? *Pale in colour, no longer bright blue (Pale blue and faded brown instead of black)*
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? *No longer comes to great anyone who leans over the tank, stays on the bottom (seemingly dead), slow. Fungus like fluff on the tail and starting to appear on the top fin. Fin and tail closed instead of spread out while swimming*
When did you start noticing the symptoms? *Earlier today, around noon. No sign before when I fed him in the morning*
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? *No, but if possible I'd like to*
Does your fish have any history of being ill? *No, but he did nibble off bits of his tail about a month or two ago*
How old is your fish (approximately)? *I've had him for atleats 4 -5 months, how long he sat in the pet store however is unknown to me*


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## MSG (May 8, 2012)

Beautiful looking tank. I can't believe it's 2 gallons. 8"x8"x8"

Your betta definitely has fungus, so you need to neutralize the stuff before it eats the rest of his tail. The fungus probably developed because you didn't do enough water changes.

You will need to use a heater to bring the water up to 78-80 degrees.

Breathing air is not going to harm the betta as long as it's not kept out of water for more than 1 minute or so. I had an incident with my betta getting stuck in an ornament, I had propped the decoration out of water for about a minute while I was gathering tools to free it.

Do you have any aquarium salt/100% kosher salt in the house?


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## Henderson (Jun 27, 2012)

I believe I have some kosher...I have never treated anything like this before, since I am new to anything disease like with Betta's. Is there anything inparticular (medicine and what not) that I can use to treat him? I'm thinking of going to the pet store tomorrow in search for anything to help him...that is if it hasn't eaten him by then, since it appeared so quickly.


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## MSG (May 8, 2012)

*Check these links. 
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=73332
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=73333

This is what I think you have.....

From *DarkMoon17
*
"True Fungal Infections*
•Symptoms: White cottony like patches on its body or head, Lethargic, Not eating, Clamped Fins, Pale Colors
•Treatment: Conservative: Lower temperature below 76* F and treat with Aq.Salt at 1 tsp/gal. Increase water changes to 100% daily. Replace accurate amount of salt following water changes. Never continue salt treatments for more than 10 days. Medication: If Conservative treatment is ineffective after 10 days or you see the fungus spread rapidly during the course of conservative treatment, move to medication. Add “Fungus Eliminator” by Jungle, API Erythromycin, API Fungus Cure, API Triple Sulfa, OR Mardel’s Maracyn II. Change water every day and add a new dose of the same medication. Continue until all fungus has disappeared. "


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## Henderson (Jun 27, 2012)

Thank you and I'm just worried all the change in cleaning the tank so much and the salt will in a way shock him because everything I've been told so far about Betta's and just fish in general is that too many changes at once like that freak them out o.o


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

I agree, his sickness won't be about exposure to air for a minute. Bettas have lived for hours out of water in moist environments. 

And yes, this looks like a true fungus. Upping the water changes is better for the fish than not enough water changes - ammonia is toxic in itself, it also runs your fish's health down and makes them more likely to get a disease. 

Flakes leave a mess in the tank as there's always a little that isn't eaten and falls to the bottom, which is probably the cause of the cloudiness. Try changing to a good quality pellet, there's less waste that way and uneaten pellets are way easier to remove. 

True fungus likes waste food, and likes to grow on fins that are already edged in dead tissue due to injury, toxin exposure or disease. If your fish shows any ongoing sign of being ill after you treat the fungal issue (like lethargy, appetite loss, fin rot, bloat, eye problems), get some broad spectrum or gram negative antibiotic and treat for bacterial infection which is usually what the true fungus likes to co-exist with. 

Nets aren't great for bettas, as they can tear delicate fins. Try catching him in a small container instead. This will help in acclimating him back into the new tank water as you can float him to adjust the temp and add a little new water the old in his container to help adjust to new chemistry. 

The other thing that will make your fish ill in the long run is uneven/too cold temperature. A heater is a necessary piece of equipment in keeping tropical fish.

For a 2 gallon unfiltered tank with no plants, I'd be changing that at least 50% once a week plus 100% once a week, perhaps more.

But you're right in not wanting to shock him, so you should increase the changes slowly and make sure to acclimate him properly before adding him back to the tank. 

Once he's feeling better, see if you can get a lid for the tank, too. Bettas are great at jumping out of their tanks.


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## Henderson (Jun 27, 2012)

I've tried pellets before he got sick and he refused to eat them, i think because they were hard.
I rarely use the net but that day I just couldn't get him in to the container I usually scoop him out in and spending an hour doing that is kind of a long time..
Seeing as my tank is only small I am unable to have a heater in it because then the water will be warmed up too much.
Im honestly thinking on giving up with Betta for awhile once the two I have now are gone because I have absolutely no luck with them and everytime I need to know something i just get confused because everyone tells you something different.

But thank you for your advice


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## Henderson (Jun 27, 2012)

Just before I left to go to the pet store I checked my fish and found him dead...Thank you both for your advice. I guess I know now what to do if my last fish gets sick...


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## Henderson (Jun 27, 2012)

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?p=1198739#post1198739


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## Coppermoon (May 8, 2012)

Wow...sorry to read this.

I do have a question though...did his tail have an "old" look to it. Really hard to explain...

IF so, he had columnaris...I have been dealing with this crap for months now. There are different strains and they DO kill.

I have to use salt on a daily basis to keep it at bay.


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