# white fuzzy stuff around head and fins



## bellajunkie (Feb 21, 2012)

Housing 
What size is your tank? small bowl 
What temperature is your tank? room temperature
Does your tank have a filter? no
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
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? fish flakes
How often do you feed your betta fish? once a day

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? 3 times a week 
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 1/3
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?
none
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
no
Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? He has white fuzz around his head and fins
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? he stays at the bottom and swims occasionally to the top and kind of freaks out, is still eating but very lethargic 
When did you start noticing the symptoms? today
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? dont know what it is 
Does your fish have any history of being ill? no
How old is your fish (approximately) just got him..


I do not know what to do, we just got him and he is already a part of the family!!! Help please!!!!


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## bellajunkie (Feb 21, 2012)

People at Petco said I should come in and get a new one...guess they just don't understand what it is to be a pet owner. Please if anyone knows about this let me know something, I don't want to lose the newest member of my family!!!


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## freemike (Feb 3, 2012)

Sounds like a fungal infection imo. With a small bowl you need to do 100% water changes almost every other day. While he has this condition the water needs to be changed 100% daily. It would be optimal to move him into a larger tank generally recommended 2.5+ gallons. You NEED a heater for normal use. That being said it is hard to accurately and safely heat a small bowl. Here is the procedure for your situation. 
(I would ignore the part about lowering the temp in your situation since you are not heating anyways.)
*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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## bellajunkie (Feb 21, 2012)

Thank you for your response....what ratio of salt would I use if I have to keep him, temporarily, in the small bowl? I appreciate all of your help!!! And with water changes....100&? Will that stress him? Shock? I am a very new fish owner and now realize I should have done more research for this little guy!


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

1 tsp per gallon. You have to know how much water you have in there.

You need to invest in something 2.5g or greater and a heater for long term care.
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=20058


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## freemike (Feb 3, 2012)

Yeah I've currently have mine in a hospital tank doing 100% changes and it freaks him out but he quickly recovers as long as you move them quickly and smooth as possible. You need to make sure you get the new water the same temp as the old water. It's a teaspoon to 1 gallon of water.


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## bellajunkie (Feb 21, 2012)

He's in a small bowl not a tank....I realize that I will have to invest in something bigger for long term, but he is sick now!


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## bellajunkie (Feb 21, 2012)

Thank you!!


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

You are going to have a hard time making him better while he is not in a proper enviornment. That's why getting him into clean/maintained heated water is important.

What is the size of the bowl? What is the temperature of the room he's in? Photos?


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## bellajunkie (Feb 21, 2012)

it's about 75-78 in the room and the bowl is small....and I do not have any pictures but the stuff that's on him looks similar to this.....http://www.flippersandfins.net/flexibacter.htm#


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## bellajunkie (Feb 21, 2012)

If I did this right here is a picture of Captain.....


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

It'll be several degrees colder in the bowl than the room so he is too cold.

Columnaris is an opportunistic infection happens which fish are stressed or their immune systems are compromised.. so up the water changes to daily 100% and you need to figure out how much water your bowl holds to know how much medication to add to the water. If you can show a picture of the full bowl we might be able to help you size it, but I really stress you need to find something 2.5g minimum for him and a good adjustable heater. Marineland Visitherm or Hydor Theo will run you $20 and prolong your fish's life by years along with the proper water cleaning. 25w for 2.5g and 50w for around 5g. You'll also need a good in tank thermometer. Acclimate very slowly setting the heater several degrees below what the temp the bowl is sitting at without a heater then click up slowly one degree until it comes on. I wouldn't warm him above 76 right now while he has columnaris as this is actually one of the conditions which is easier to treat in colder water and warmer water speeds up the disease process.

Go look for Kanaplex and if it cannot be found get Furan-2 by API. You will need to dilute these depending on the size of your setup.


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## bellajunkie (Feb 21, 2012)

Is there anything I can do for him right now, because he is starting to try to make it to the top and cannot  He is really struggling to hold on I think!!!


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

He can't swim to the top? Reduce the water level so he can reach the top, but if he's this bad off I don't know he's going to make it.. You need to get meds fast and make sure the water is clean.. Without even a thermometer you can't know if you're keeping his water temp constant when you change, which you need to and if you're only changing 1/3 of the water every few days then his ammonia may be high too so I'd do a good water change along with the reduction.

How soon can you get the pet store for some meds and supplies?


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## bellajunkie (Feb 21, 2012)

Ok done..should I change his water now or wait until I get the medicine for him tonight?


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## bellajunkie (Feb 21, 2012)

Ok so I got him out of the bowl and now he is just laying on his side and his eyes are glossy!!! What do I clean his bowl with, since I was told you cannot use soap?


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## bellajunkie (Feb 21, 2012)

He seems to be floating mid water and when I touch him he moves, is barely alive.....I fear the worst here


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

I wouldn't do a 100% change right now while he is this sensitive. At most, just do several small changes over the course of the next few hours.. ones that wouldn't require you to remove him.. You can use a turkey baster to do this. Make sure the baster is rinsed extremely well with no residue on it and then dried thoroughly... It's important to get ammonia down if it's built up but ideally I would test the water before starting to change it. Can you get to the pet store and get a drops testing kit for ammonia? How long has he been in that bowl?

Also want to back up.. what kind of dechlorinator are you using? And I'm not sure how you know how much to use if you're not sure how much water he's in..


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## bellajunkie (Feb 21, 2012)

none of that I used some spring water in a small bowl, seems I have made many mistakes in not researching this more carefully


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

What was the source of your spring water? The petco spring water stuff for bettas? This should be ok.

Don't be too hard on yourself. People at pet stores tend to not share accurate advice on keeping bettas.


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## bellajunkie (Feb 21, 2012)

I have had him a total of two days...


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## bellajunkie (Feb 21, 2012)

they sure don't and they don't have much sympathy either, told me to bring him in and exchange...I said I don't want another fish...I wanted this one! He is not moving well at all...the water was from a bottle is what a friend told me. I didn't buy him someone bought him for me and brought me him in a bowl...


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

Well if he has columnaris this quick he was sick to begin with. There is likely some ammonia present but really shouldn't be -that- high levels, unless the pet store sold him in the same bowl he was being kept in or transferred a lot of the old water and then the ammonia may be high. Also you really want to use the same water source for a water change.. sounds like you don't have any water to change his bowl on hand if you're not sure the source.

The spring water that comes in bottles for bettas at petsmart and petco are fine. You don't need to add conditioner. Spring drinking water from the grocery store may not be okay. Lots of it does not have appropriate ph for bettas.


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## bellajunkie (Feb 21, 2012)

RIP Captain Blue Scott 2/21/2012
Thanks for all of your help guys!!


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## freemike (Feb 3, 2012)

So sorry to hear about your lost. If you decide to get another one and you do the research taking care of these guys can be a lot of fun when you have the proper tools to give them the environment they need to not only live but thrive.


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

The guy in my local store told me it was "cheaper to buy another fish" than to treat my sick betta (who recovered beautifully). What a total muppet.

Don't be discouraged. It's not your fault you were given a sick fish, and no information on proper care. But now you have the information you need, and a great place to get advice if you decide to try again.


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## bellajunkie (Feb 21, 2012)

Thanks to all for your kind words and advice. We took Captain back to the store and picked out a different one (a different kind too because they were all out of the blue crowntails) I got a larger bowl, although it is not a gallon ( I know I'll have to replace it as well) and a heater with water conditioner and some medicine just in case! Hoping all goes well!!


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

The heater and water conditioner will make such a huge difference to your new betta. 

If this one becomes ill, though, do check out the various threads here before you medicate, and avoid any meds with -fix on the end as they contain an oil that's potentially harmful to bettas.

I wish you all the best.


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## iceyrose (Feb 17, 2012)

Walmart if there's one in your area holds products with a reasonable price range ...check out there web site. Buying a floating or attachable temmomenter as well as a heater & filter system is a good plan. Make shur the filter & heater are the right size for tank size. Changing the water is the most helpfull thing to ward off illnesses. The bowl size tanks are really not the best for the betta.


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