# Saprolegnia or Columnaris



## Arthur’s mom (Nov 11, 2020)

Hi everyone,

I posted about four months ago about my betta Arthur. He seemed to be having swim bladder issues and his top fin disappeared. We’ve since moved him from a 2.5 gallon tank to a 6.8 gallon tank (he seems to like it), stopped using distilled water and started using conditioned tap water, went from doing 100% water changes every week to 50% water changes every week, added nine new plants to help keep the tank healthy, and started feeding him higher quality food.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t really eat anything except freeze-dried bloodworms, he still seems to struggle with moving anywhere except the bottom of the tank, and has developed what seems like saprolegnia or columnaris. It seems to have developed pretty quickly over the past two days. He is five days into a melafix treatment for what we had assumed to be fin rot, but he doesn’t seem to be benefiting from it.

I would really appreciate your help in identifying the issue (bacterial or fungal) so I can start to treat him.

Here is the form:

Housing:
How many gallons is your tank? 6.8
Does it have a filter? Yes
Does it have a heater? Yes
What temperature is your tank? 76-78
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? No

Food:
What food brand do you use? North Fin (pellets) Omega One (freeze dried bloodworms) San Francisco Bay (frozen bloodworms and mysis shrimp)
Do you feed flakes or pellets? Freeze-dried? He pretty much only eats the freeze dried bloodworms, but we try to feed him the other foods.
How often do you feed your Betta? How much? We feed him twice a day (freeze dried bloodworms) and haven’t had any luck with other foods.

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? Weekly
What percentage of water did you change? 50%
What is the source of your water? Tap with conditioner
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? Agitate the substrate and siphon the water
What additives do you use? What brand of conditioner? Imagitarium

Water Parameters:

(I don’t have test strips at the moment, but last time I checked ((about a month ago)) everything was normal)
Ammonia:
Nitrite: 0-5
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness (GH):
Alkalinity (KH):

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? Two days ago
How has your Betta’s appearance changed? Yes, cottony white ball on his depleted top fin as well as glossy white patch under his chin
How has your Betta’s behavior changed? Likes the tank change, but still struggles to swim
Is your Betta still eating? Freeze dried bloodworms only
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? Five days into melafix
Does your Betta have any history of being ill?has been ill for about a year
How long have you owned your Betta? Three years
Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? No


----------



## Rana (Apr 27, 2013)

The infection on his dorsal fin might be a true fungus, since they usually only attack already-dead tissue, but it may also be a bacteria since it can be hard to tell them apart without lab equipment. I do not think it's Columnaris specifically, which presents itself quite differently.

I can't quite tell from your post, but it sounds like the dorsal fin "vanished" quickly, rather than slowly getting shorter? If so, that indicates that your betta physically tore the fin, either on something in his tank like decor or the filter, or he bit the fin off. Because his other fins look to be in good shape from what I can see in your pictures, I feel like fin rot is not the main cause of his missing dorsal, or of the infection he has.

Personally, I like to do low-tech treatments when possible, so I would start off with a salt dip to "knock back" the infection since it's so close to his body already. However, this can be very stressful for the betta, so only do this if you think he is strong enough. To do a dip make a mixture of 1g tank water and 1 Tablespoon AQ Salt, and using a net dip your betta into this mixture for about 30 seconds before returning him to the main tank. He might wiggle around a bit and that's fine, but if he's seriously thrashing then take him out of the dip immediately. You can repeat this after a day if the fuzz hasn't fallen off by then, but if a second dip doesn't work then it's time to try something else.

To make it less stressful if he is quite weak you can cut the amount of salt in half, however this may not be effective enough to kill the infection so you will have to use your judgement.

Another option if you are comfortable holding your betta still is to net him, and wipe the fuzzy area directly with some hydrogen peroxide (standard household 3% strength) on a cotton swab. Return him to the tank as soon as you are finished swabbing, this should only take a couple of seconds so he won't be harmed by being out of the water. The reason I suggest swabbing instead of doing a dip for this is there's some evidence that labyrinth-breathing fish like bettas are sensitive to too much HP in their water, so to get enough HP on the infected area it's actually less stressful on him to be swabbed even if it seems more "aggressive" from our point of view.

If you are lucky, once the majority of the fuzz has been removed his immune system will be enough to keep the wound clean as he heals. To help support this happening I would add tannins to his tank, from either Indian Almond Leaves or Rooibos tea, which have mild antiseptic properties and can help him fight off the infection. A low amount of AQ salt in his tank for a week would also not be a bad idea, I would start with 1/2 teaspoon per gallon and increase it to 1 tsp if you don't see improvement after a day or two. (If you have live plants, check first that they are not sensitive to salt)

In addition I'd suggest changing 25% of his water three times a week for a while instead of your usual weekly 50% change, this will keep the water extra clean without stressing him with a big change, and will help lower the chances of the infection getting worse.

I am not a fan of Mela/Betta-fix, so personally I wouldn't bother to continue using it. However you _can_ keep using it if you want, it won't interfere with the treatments I've suggested.


----------



## Arthur’s mom (Nov 11, 2020)

Rana said:


> The infection on his dorsal fin might be a true fungus, since they usually only attack already-dead tissue, but it may also be a bacteria since it can be hard to tell them apart without lab equipment. I do not think it's Columnaris specifically, which presents itself quite differently.
> 
> I can't quite tell from your post, but it sounds like the dorsal fin "vanished" quickly, rather than slowly getting shorter? If so, that indicates that your betta physically tore the fin, either on something in his tank like decor or the filter, or he bit the fin off. Because his other fins look to be in good shape from what I can see in your pictures, I feel like fin rot is not the main cause of his missing dorsal, or of the infection he has.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for your help. We will try to do the swab today (it seems a bit more reliable and less taxing on him). We will also start adding tannins and AQ salt to the tank. Is it okay if they’re done at the same time? And should I wait at all after swabbing or can I add those in right away? I’m going to start doing 25% water changes, but I’m not sure how to leave him in there while I do it. We use conditioned tap water and it will not be the same temp as his tank when I put it in. Will that affect him? Or will he be okay since it’s only 25%?
It’s very weird that his fin just appeared to be missing one day. He used to rest on his filter intake, so I’m thinking that might be the cause, but I never found his fin. Will it grow back or do we just have to hope that it heals enough to scar up and not get infected?
Is it a problem that he’s only eating freeze-dried bloodworms? I know they don’t have much nutritional value, but that’s all he’ll eat. Any ideas on how to fix that?
Thank you again for all of your help! I really appreciate it. Hopefully he’ll start feeling better soon!


----------



## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

I agree with everything Rana has said but wanted to give a little extra insight
When I had a similar situation I also did a swab. I used a container with deeper sides and a wash rag soaked in aquarium water to lay my fish on to protect her slime coat. I did one part porixide one part water 50/50 and a q tip to swab. Don’t be surprised when you see a deep wound where the fuzz is. My female healed within days and the ulcer was big. Unfortunately within two weeks she had a new spot did another swab, added salt, changed water every two days, then another spot appears on her fin. Moved her to a bare bottomed hospital tank and started treating with furan 2. The swabs would take care of the fungus but whatever she had kept coming back no matter what I did. She ended up pineconing and I had to euthanize her. After my own research I came to the conclusion she had columnaris. It is actually really hard to see it in its first stages and will eventually look like fungus. Ive added seachem kanaplex to my fish med box In case this ever happens again. The treatment recommended for columnaris is a full dose of furan 2 AND kanaplex together. Columnaris is a gram-negative bacteria. Most antibiotics we use in the hobby are not very effective in the water and are better used by actually ingesting it. Kanaplex is an exception as it is readily absorbed through the skin and gills. 
as a side note: some antibiotics are not effective at all in hard water. The high amounts of minerals in hard water will completely neutralize the antibiotic. Fun fact I picked up while browsing vet articles haha.


----------



## Arthur’s mom (Nov 11, 2020)

X skully X said:


> I agree with everything Rana has said but wanted to give a little extra insight
> When I had a similar situation I also did a swab. I used a container with deeper sides and a wash rag soaked in aquarium water to lay my fish on to protect her slime coat. I did one part porixide one part water 50/50 and a q tip to swab. Don’t be surprised when you see a deep wound where the fuzz is. My female healed within days and the ulcer was big. Unfortunately within two weeks she had a new spot did another swab, added salt, changed water every two days, then another spot appears on her fin. Moved her to a bare bottomed hospital tank and started treating with furan 2. The swabs would take care of the fungus but whatever she had kept coming back no matter what I did. She ended up pineconing and I had to euthanize her. After my own research I came to the conclusion she had columnaris. It is actually really hard to see it in its first stages and will eventually look like fungus. Ive added seachem kanaplex to my fish med box In case this ever happens again. The treatment recommended for columnaris is a full dose of furan 2 AND kanaplex together. Columnaris is a gram-negative bacteria. Most antibiotics we use in the hobby are not very effective in the water and are better used by actually ingesting it. Kanaplex is an exception as it is readily absorbed through the skin and gills.
> as a side note: some antibiotics are not effective at all in hard water. The high amounts of minerals in hard water will completely neutralize the antibiotic. Fun fact I picked up while browsing vet articles haha.


Thank you for clarifying and sharing your story. This helps a lot. I think where I’m struggling now is whether I should treat him for a fungal infection or a bacterial infection. Can I do both? I feel like that would overwhelm him...


----------



## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

It depends on what medication you plan to use together. Thankfully a lot of hobbists have used meds together with success but the companies that make meds can’t tell you if it will work together if they are different brands. They only test their own brands.


----------



## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

I believe anything with malachite blue or green will work on fungus. For instance Ich-X is used to treat ich but has malachite green in it so is effective against fungus meds are weird lol


----------



## Arthur’s mom (Nov 11, 2020)

X skully X said:


> It depends on what medication you plan to use together. Thankfully a lot of hobbists have used meds together with success but the companies that make meds can’t tell you if it will work together if they are different brands. They only test their own brands.


The plan would be to do the swab on his wound and do the Furan 2 and kanaplex treatment, hoping to take care of a fungus and/or a bacterial infection


----------



## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

The swab will definitely take care of the fungus fuzz. I would use the lowest treatment strength of aquarium salt as well. It will help with osmotic regulation ( That’s gonna be a fun google search term) with an open wound like that you run the risk of your fish becoming water logged they can’t regulate water coming in or out which causes bloating, organ failure, pineconing and whatever other term people use for that. I can never remember the proper salt doses I’ll see if I can paste the article I use for that here.


----------



## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

Aquarium Salt: How to Use It Properly for Treating Sick Fish


Should aquarium salt be used in freshwater tanks? After years of testing, we believe salt is one of the best, all-encompassing fish medicines on the market




www.aquariumcoop.com


----------



## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

I sincerely wish you the best of luck and sending good vibes your way!


----------



## Arthur’s mom (Nov 11, 2020)

X skully X said:


> I sincerely wish you the best of luck and sending good vibes your way!


Thank you so much!!!


----------



## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

Hello @Arthur’s mom. How are things going? Did he pull through? I’ve been thinking about you this week I hope everything is going good 🤞🏻


----------



## Arthur’s mom (Nov 11, 2020)

Thank you for checking in! I went to several aquarium/pet stores to get supplies and I ended up at a local aquarium shop (that has been around for decades) and talked to the owner. Since Arthur is a little over three years old, the man suggested that we do a salt treatment, keep the tank warm, and do frequent 25% changes. ie: he’s old, so just keep him comfortable. We did a salt treatment and it worked like a charm! The cotton ball went away and left string-like structures of his fin. He’s been way more social and has been eating and swimming a lot more. It’s been a little over a week now and the cotton is slowly coming back, but we will do a water change today, add more salt, and hope that clears it up. Thank you for checking in and thank you for all of your help!


----------



## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

I’m glad you’re still trucking along! Thanks for responding back!


----------



## Arthur’s mom (Nov 11, 2020)

X skully X said:


> I’m glad you’re still trucking along! Thanks for responding back!


Hi X skully X. I hope you’re well. You were so helpful in our troubles before, I thought I’d reach out for your help again. We have been performing regular water changes and Arthur has been eating really well. About two days ago, I noticed that his fin rot on his top fin was moving down into his body (progressing very quickly, as he had looked normal for him the day before). We added more aquarium salt and checked all of the levels. Everything looked normal. This morning I woke up and he is pineconing. I think this is his end (we’ve been expecting this and have been treating him as if he has been in hospice lately). He is over three years old, so we don’t want to do anything that would cause him more stress. Should we let nature take its course? Should we do something so that he doesn’t suffer for a lot longer? Thank you for your thoughts. Your guidance was very comforting before.


----------



## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

I haven’t personally been able to cure a fish once it has started pineconing. A few other members have been able to stop to pineconing with Epsom salt baths but I’m not sure if they ever came back with an update either. I’m really sorry things have ended up this way for Arthur. He has had his ups and downs yeah? If he is still eating and doing ok despite the pineconing I would wait and see what how he is tomorrow. I’ll come check back with you in the morning.


----------



## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

Good morning @Arthur’s mom. How are things going today?


----------



## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

Here is the video I followed when I felt it was time to euthanize my female betta. The girl who does this channel breeds and raises bettas. She is very knowledgeable and cares deeply for her pets.


----------

