# Red Streaks? Tailbiting? What's going on?



## ChelseaK (Oct 23, 2010)

Housing 
What size is your tank? 10 Gallons
What temperature is your tank? 78*
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? Yes
Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? 1 (split with one betta)

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? 1-2 times a day

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? Weekly
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 25 % (100% monthly)
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? API Stress COat

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: slightly less than 20
pH: 7.8
Hardness: Hard
Alkalinity: High

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? It appears that me may have started biting his tail, but there is red (almost like blood) in sections wear his tail has potentially been bit. Clamped fins. 
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? VERY lethargic but stays towards the top of the tank. I've never seen him move so slow. 
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Yesterday
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? I have him floating in a quarantine bowl in his tank. I put in some Aquarium salt as well as a drop of "Quick Fix" for the fin damage. I'm not sure what else should be done, or what exactly is wrong, thus why I'm posting.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? This is his first illness, and I hope we can pull through it! He is my first home-spawned breeding male and I was planning on starting conditioning today 
How old is your fish (approximately)? About 6 months

I tried to get some pictures of the redness I was talking about. I'm not sure if this the same red streak disease that I've read is caused by parasites, but I'm treating the tank for parasites right now. 

All help is appreciated! Thanks for your time.


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## MistersMom (Aug 9, 2011)

if i was intelligent i could help you, but im clueless and very sorry... Quickcure is for ick parasites and fin rot, you may wonna try that, if you want to...


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## ChelseaK (Oct 23, 2010)

I guess that is what i used. I called it Quick fix, but it's quick cure, haha. Thanks though! 

And you're not clueless, it just takes more experience to know these things, and neither I nor you have had these experiences yet to know how to deal with them, that's all.


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## MistersMom (Aug 9, 2011)

LOL, yeah. i hope he gets better...


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## ChelseaK (Oct 23, 2010)

thanks.


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## ChelseaK (Oct 23, 2010)

bump  

Any ideas? Today, Uno is not resting as vertical as he was yesterday but he was resting towards the bottom of the bowl and did not want to eat. He is still lethargic.


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## ChelseaK (Oct 23, 2010)

Uno died today  I still would like to figure out what was wrong with him so I can avoid it in the future. If anyone has any ideas I appreciate it.


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## MistersMom (Aug 9, 2011)

I'm SO sorry :"(


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## ChelseaK (Oct 23, 2010)

I haven't been able to save any fish so far showing these symptoms, so I was kind of expecting it, but it is still sad.


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## Indyfishy (May 31, 2010)

I'm so sorry you lost your fish =( with the red streaks, it looks like he had septicemia, which is an internal bacterial infection.


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## MistersMom (Aug 9, 2011)

my fishy died today too, so don't worry...


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Is it possible to cure septicemia? I have a fish with a faint red line across his body like a vein. He seems totally fine, but seeing this worries me...

I'm very sorry for the loss of your fish.  I've lost two in the past fortnight.


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## Indyfishy (May 31, 2010)

Yes it is possible to cure septicemia with antibiotics like Maracyn II, but i don't think your fish has septicemia, all bettas have a vein that runs straight down their bodies, it's just more noticeable on some fish =)


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Phew, that's a relief! Thanks!


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## ChelseaK (Oct 23, 2010)

Is my other fish in the split tank likely to be infected and just not showing signs yet? How is it contracted?


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## Indyfishy (May 31, 2010)

Looking at the Betta Fish Disease and Treatment Part 2 thread, it says:

*Septicemia(Red Streaks)
*•Symptoms: Bloody red streaks across the body and/or fins, lethargic, loss of apetite, clamped, gasping for air, bloated, ulcers.
•Treatment: Septicemia is caused by an internal bacterial infection. From what I’ve read, it can be due to compromised digestion as a result of rapid drops in temperature. Since Nitrite poisoning can also cause red streaks, check for that first. I do not know if it can be treated conservatively as I have never tried. Though it is not contagious, isolate sick fish. Perform daily 100% water changes. Treat with API Tetracycline, API Erythromiacin, Mardel’s Maracyn II OR Jungle’s Fungus Clear/Eliminator. If you are treating with something that does not contain Metronidoxole then combine the treatment with Jungle’s Anti-Parasite pellets. During treatment, use 1tsp/gal Aq.Salt and Stress Coat (as directed on bottle) to help prevent secondary infections.


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## youlovegnats (Feb 23, 2011)

A note on QuICK cure/QuICK Fix.... look at the name guys, quICK <-- 
It's not a treatment for fin rot...it's for Ick only. 
I'm sorry your little boy died Chelsea!  I found this out. It doesn't seem to be contagious, which is good. 


"Septicemia is an infection located in the bloodstream. It can occur when an open wound gets infected or as a result of consuming bacteria through food. It can present itself in many ways, some of which are more obvious then others. Commonly, septicemia will occur as a result of an injury or open wound. Just as it’s important that we keep our cuts clean when we injure ourselves, it is equally important to keep a fish’s water clean when they are injured. If your fish becomes wounded (hurts itself, or fights with another fish) make sure you increase your water changes and keep toxins at bay by testing ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels.
Fish may also acquire symptoms by eating foods infected with bacteria. To reduce the chances of sepsis caused by food bourn pathogens use caution when feeding live and frozen foods. Only buy live foods like blackworms and tubifex worms from a reputable source and take care of them by washing them well daily. Consider growing your own cultures as an alternative to buying live foods. If you keep frozen foods, never refreeze them after they thaw and throw away any thawed food after one day.
Septicemia will often present itself as redness under the scales any where on the body. It can be concentrated in one area or appear throughout. It may appear more visible around the face. The discoloration is often impossible to detect in dark or red colored fish. Open wounds should be pinkish and usually heal quickly. A wound that is grey, black or fuzzy or has discoloration around the wound site might be infected and antibiotic treatment should be started. Septicemia sometimes shows up as a secondary infection to Popeye, an infection that leads to the bulging of one or both eyes. On occasion, it may lead to Dropsy. Other symptoms may also present themselves in the form of sluggishness, loss of appetite, clamped fins or color loss. Observe your fish daily so you can learn to recognize his normal behavior and be able to tell if he is acting out of sorts.


Usually when treating fish illnesses I recommend antibiotics be used sparingly but in the case of septicemia, I strongly suggest starting with them. The bacteria in the blood can quickly overcome a fish and antibiotic treatment is usually the quickest and most effective method for treatment. Most aquarium antibiotics are designed to dissolve in the tank water where they are absorbed by the fish, but because this is an internal bacterial infection this type is often ineffective. I recommend a medicated fish food like Jungle Anti-Bacteria Medicated Fish Food. I have also successfully treated septicemia by soaking pellets in a concentrated mixture of Mardel’s Maracyn & Maracyn-Two. I chop up the amount I would use to treat the tank, add a few drops of water and soak a few pellets for 10 minutes. I then feed the fish and add the pre-measured mixture to the tank as directed. This method isn’t fool proof, for one, there is no way to measure exactly how much of the antibiotic they are consuming. All I can say is it worked well for my betta. Loss of appetite can commonly afflict fish with an infection so it’s important to medicate as soon as possible while the fish is still eating. If the fish will no longer eat, then the standard method of adding the antibiotic to the tank should be employed. Because the average hobbyist has no way of determining the type of bacteria that has infected the fish, I suggest a combination of wide spectrum antibiotics that treat both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Some effective medications include,
Mardel’s Maracyn and Maracyn-Two in combination
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals’ Triple Sulfa
Kanamycin Sulfate is also very effective, especially for fish that won’t eat." 


link = http://nippyfish.net/sick-betta/septicemia-infection/


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## ChelseaK (Oct 23, 2010)

Thank you SOO much for all the info! I really appreciate it. I still can't exactly pinpoint what happened to Uno though, but he may have had a wound I didn't know about. I often check temperatures and I didn't ever see any changes, but that doesn't mean there weren't any. He also hasn't had anything but pellets for a long time, and all the other fish eat the same thing, I haven't noticed any symptoms in them, yet that is. I'm glad it's not contagious but I just wish I knew exactly how he contracted his illness..

Thanks so much for the help!!


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## youlovegnats (Feb 23, 2011)

^_^ I'm glad I could help. 
You mentioned that his fins were shredding right? Maybe he had an open blood vessel from his fins and then it got infected that way? 
It's definitely not impossible. 
Again, I'm so sorry for your loss!


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## ChelseaK (Oct 23, 2010)

It must work fast then! That's scary. Thank you again!


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