# Help with Merlin!!



## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

When I got out of the shower today, I was looking over all my babies. And when I looked at Merlin, I noticed that he had spider web looking things hanging from his bottom fins. I don't know what it is and I don't want anything to be wrong with him. Anyone know what this is and can help me?? Please and thanks for any advice.


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

Well I was doing some stuff looking this up. I can't find an absolute diagnosis. I'm treating him with Melafix right now. And I'm going to walmart later, I just dont know if I should get something for ich, parasite meds or bacteria meds. help please!


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## fishyinpa (Dec 25, 2008)

Hmm...i dunno about that one! Hope hes okay..ill search around see if i can find anything...


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Do you use a water conditioner with aloe vera in it? I had white stuff hanging off of my first betta and when I switched water conditioners, the problem went away.


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## fishyinpa (Dec 25, 2008)

Oh,didnt think of that one. I have seen swirling stuff in my unfiltered tank,is that the aloe vera lol?


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Yeah, its whitish, swirly stuff. I used to use Stresscoat as my conditioner but it made the swirly stuff so I switched to Aquasafe. (sorry' Mr Vampire! lol)


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## fishyinpa (Dec 25, 2008)

Interesting lol. I use amquel and novaqua,im pretty sure novaqua has aloe in it. Ah well.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

If you've had no problem then I wouldn't worry about it.


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

I didn't think of conditioner...I have TetraAqua Aquasafe..


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

So I dunno. I guess I'll keep an eye on it. He's got the white web looking things and where they're connected to his fins, the part of his fin is white too. Ugh. This bothers me.


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## AngelicScars (May 5, 2009)

I have no idea what it could be, I hope he'll be okay!


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

Well I picked up Jungle Lifeguard All in one treatment. 
It's says
-Attacks a broad range of external fish diseases
-Convenient pre measured tablets
-Extremely effective against fungus and Ick
I'm crossing my fingers that it works.

And I know this is off subject, but I bought stuff to make my own dividers, and next week when I'm done treating Merlin, I'll being doing some fish rearranging. I'm putting Aqua and Blue in the same tank, with my clear Petsmart divider, so they can see eachother and Blue will hopefully start back up with his bubblenest. And I'm gonna put Merlin and Fishy together with my homemade divider, so they can barely see eachother. Merlin and Fishy are the only two who flare and have attitude problems, so that's why I'm gonna use the divider so they won't see so much of eachother. 
Anywho, I'm getting off for a few so I can go clean up Merlin's tank and start treating him. ttyl guys.


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## neenjar (Jun 19, 2009)

it is not ich. ich looks like salt crystals. if is is not just junk picked up form the tank white stringy things are usually fungal. Here is hoping is is just tank junk!

Be careful with melafix, do not use full doses. It has been shown to harm some (not all) anabantids, which is why they came out with bettafix, which is the same thing with a lower dose of tea tree oil. Merlin may be fine with it, but some air breathers can not tolerate the stronger melafix.


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

well I don't have Melafix in there anymore. And when I used it with Blue and Fishy, I used less than recommended. But I have the Jungle Lifeguard all in one treatment in now. It says it also is used as a preventive, so if he has even anything, hopefully it will be gone in a few days. And if not, all is well.


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## ashleyALE (Jul 1, 2008)

once i noticed one of my new fish had slimy stuff coming off of him and i decided it was his slime coat. i had read that they can sort of 'lose' their slime coat when they get stressed. it was really weird. it was when he was still in his petstore cup and he had just endured the ride home from the store and all. i figured it was enough to stress him out even more on top of living in a tiny cup at a pet store.


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## LiyahsGrandma (May 29, 2009)

Hope your Fish is ookay Vikki


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

Thanks Liyah.
That's interesting Ashley, I've never heard of that. I guess if it goes away then comes back it may be that. Hmm.


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## 3bangdoos (May 27, 2009)

I hope and pray Merlin gets better soon.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Me too!


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## ashleyALE (Jul 1, 2008)

i hope he gets better!


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## Luchi (May 20, 2009)

Hope Merlin gets better! :]


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

Thanks you guys! =D
Makes me feel better. He still seems to have the white stuff, but I'm working on it. Probably gonna go get some bacterial meds soon if this isn't working. But I'm hoping he'll be just fine. 
He's still energetic and eating, well he like attacks his pellets before he eats them, but he still eats. He doesn't seem affected by it, like he's normal, I just don't like that hanging from him. Because if it is columnaris, the advanced stages dont look pretty. *sigh*


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## 3bangdoos (May 27, 2009)

Vikki81207 said:


> Thanks you guys! =D
> Makes me feel better. He still seems to have the white stuff, but I'm working on it. Probably gonna go get some bacterial meds soon if this isn't working. But I'm hoping he'll be just fine.
> He's still energetic and eating, well he like attacks his pellets before he eats them, but he still eats. He doesn't seem affected by it, like he's normal, I just don't like that hanging from him. Because if it is columnaris, the advanced stages dont look pretty. *sigh*


Any chance you could post some pics, just to see if someone who could have been in the same boat could offer assistance?


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

I could but there's such a small amount right now, you cant see it. I tried taking pics. I guess you could say it's not progressing & it goes away during the day...but it's back in the morning when I wake up. Here's the page I was looking at that made my conclusion its columnaris.

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/columnaris.htm

Alot of it is similar. 










here's what somones betta looked like in the advanced stage. Yucky


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## 3bangdoos (May 27, 2009)

Vikki81207 said:


> I could but there's such a small amount right now, you cant see it. I tried taking pics. I guess you could say it's not progressing & it goes away during the day...but it's back in the morning when I wake up. Here's the page I was looking at that made my conclusion its columnaris.
> 
> http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/columnaris.htm
> 
> ...


WHOA!! You had me have my heart in my mouth with that pix; I thought that was Merlin!! Thank goodness for little mercies!! I would hate to see anyone's fish in THAT stage


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

Yeah that's why I'm treating him now. It's so scary to know that if I hadn't noticed, Merlin would be looking like that soon.


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

Kay so I got API eryhtomycin today and I'm gonna treat Merlin with that and Betta fix. I'm also giving everyone but Aqua a salt bath. So I'll keep everyone updated.


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## Luchi (May 20, 2009)

Good luck! The salt bath really stopped the progression of my fish's illness. Hope you have great results. GO MERLIN!!!


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## neenjar (Jun 19, 2009)

Best luck on the treatment. I'd say keep us posted, but we already know you will!

Definitely start with the salt bath, they do wonders most if the time, especially when caught early. I think you nailed the diagnosis if that is what it looks like.

Wishing Merlin a speedy recovery! he is far to pretty to be sick.


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

Okay, so I did the salt bath and they seem fine. Merlin's a little shook up from being moved so much, but he'll be okay.
Well I found out what caused Merlin to get sick. First off it started with the stress from being shipped. Then I ended up putting him in a tank split with Blue....and I guess that USA fish and Thailand fish have different immunities. So he somehow caught it from being with Blue. Ugh. So Merlin has to be in his own tank, so I've got him in the 1 gallon now, until I can get a bigger tank. 
But on the bright side, I've got an extra side in a ten gallon...I can get another betta if I want, lol. I might get another female, dunno. Anywho, I'm about to get offa here. Going camping tonight. Leaving my babies all night is going to kill me. *sigh* ttyl guys.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I know how you feel. I left mine for 2 weeks! lol


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

Gahd, I couldn't do that.


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

Okay, so I gave him his first dose of erthromycin today, and he seems okay. He's stressed, so he's a little pale, but other than that he's doing fine. The columnaris already looks cleared up. So I'm happy about that. But I had a huge scare today...
I was giving Merlin and Fishy a salt bath before I administered more meds into their tanks, and when I was transferring Fishy from his net to his bowl, instead of going into his bowl he jumped to the floor. I freaked. I tryed to grab him as gently as I could and put him in the salt bath. He seems okay now, but he was really shaken up by it, well we both were. I was so terrified I came so freaking close to crying. Ugh. No more salt baths and transfering with nets for Fishy.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Oh my gosh, that IS a big scare! I'm glad Fishy is ok.


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## neenjar (Jun 19, 2009)

Glad to hear Merlin is doing better and that Fishy made it out of the ordeal ok!


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

Thanks guys, means alot. I'm so happy he's fine too. He's back to his normal self, swimming, flaring at Blue, swimming, seeing me, flaring at Blue. lol.


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## The Amazonian Trio (May 24, 2009)

Vikki81207 said:


> I was giving Merlin and Fishy a salt bath before I administered more meds into their tanks, and when I was transferring Fishy from his net to his bowl, instead of going into his bowl he jumped to the floor. I freaked. I tryed to grab him as gently as I could and put him in the salt bath. He seems okay now, but he was really shaken up by it, well we both were. I was so terrified I came so freaking close to crying. Ugh. No more salt baths and transfering with nets for Fishy.


I'm glad you have a happy ending. 
I had the same thing happen to me while I was changing Geshia's tank once. I was releived when I put her in her clean tank and she recovered quickly. She had lept out of her cup I contained her in while I cleaned her tank and she wiggled into a hiding place. I'm lucky when I found her because tips of her fins got dried and injured. Now I say that she _used _to be a crowntail. She's living a happy healty life now and I now place a deep bowl filled with water under the cups incase the fish try to jump out again.


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

Yeah cups from now on here too.


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## ifish (Apr 30, 2009)

i use aqua plus by nutrafin


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## dr2b (May 31, 2009)

Glad Merlin is doing better & Fishy is ok!


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

New update:
Merlin's fins looked fine today. His coloring is a little off around his face, working on making that better. Not too bad now. I actually did tank changes today, I put Merlin in his ten gallon tank all by himself again. And put Aqua back in the one gallon. Merlin seems alot happier today. =D
So now I'm in a good mood. Everyone seems fine. Fishy still has a hole in his fin, but I'm doing salt water and changes, so he should be good eventually. So now I have 4 happy fishies! yay!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm glad to hear they are all doing well. YAY!!


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

Thanks!


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

YAY!!! lol


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## nimblebobo (Jun 28, 2009)

has he been eating and acting usual?


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

Yup, he's eating and swimming around. he's even trying to flare at blue, even though he's in another tank. It looks like he lost a scale, and I'm treating him with aquarium salt. He get's one more dose of the erythromycin tomorrow. But other than that, he's great!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Good!!


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

Another update on Merlin and everyone:
Merlin is doing awesome. I put the rest of the erythromycin in today. Was kinda cute because Merlin started chasing it and tried to eat it, till he realized it wasn't food. lol. But he let me get a few pics of him today, yay.
I decided when I saw Fishy's fins not getting better, starting to get transclusent, or whatever it is when you can see through them... So I put him in the one gallon vase originally bought for him. Because I guess that aquarium salt water is good. I'm doing the one teaspoon of aquarium salt in one gallon, changing 100% daily. So hopefully I see some fin improvement. His fins are getting really long and beautiful btw, try to get some pics later.
Blue and Aqua are great, nothing wrong with them. =D


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

Well not much to update on, lol. I used the rest of the erythromycin a few days ago, used the rest of those tabs today. He looks great. He's got a bubblenest going. He's super active, let me get a few pics of him yesterday. I'm so happy he's better. He's got some white stuff still on one part of a fin, but hopefully it'll be okay in a few days, just keeping an eye on that. I still have Fishy in the gallon vase, changing his water every afternoon around 12. He doesn't like being taken out of his home every day...
Moved Aqua's tank up with the boys, I'll put pics up Saturday. She seemed stressed, her stripes went away and her gills looked weird. Looks like she needs a new airstone. And as soon as I put her up next to the boys, her stripes came back. I really want to get that heater that only makes the water go up a few degrees and put her in that 3 gallon bowl I was using. I feel she needs a bigger home, even though shes so tiny.
Anywho, done blabbing, lol.


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## neenjar (Jun 19, 2009)

Glad to hear Merlin has bounced back to good health and that fishy has some color back.

Hydor makes the heaters, they are available at petco for about $15 or so. Some petsmarts carry them too,or you can always order online!


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

kay thanks!! I'm deff looking into getting one.


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

Okay so, Merlin's stuff came back. I decided that since when he was in the one gallon, it went away...I put him back in it. So I guess the one gallon will be his home for a while. He doesn't like it, at all. But I should have money in a month or so and I'll get him something a bit bigger. 
Fishy is still in the vase....annnddd I was staring at Blue yesterday and guess what? Found a couple holes! He just never flares out, but I put him in a tank with Aqua yesterday & he flared, saw the holes. So I put him in that 3 gallon bowl, but only put in a gallon and a half of water to treat him. Changing his water everyday. Ugh. Anywho, that's what's going on now.


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