Euthanize?

[xweeqtx]

Most of you will have already read about my Betta fish, Tyson and my battles with Ich and Fin Rot with him. He's had white spot twice, and this has been treated and defeated both times. Now, he has severe fin rot. The first time I treated it, his fins started growing back and he appeared healthier. Now, after another few treatments his lower fins[Not the pectoral, his anal fins], are almost up to his body. Under his chin and now extending on the full underneath of his body is going grey. I'm afraid there's nothing much left for me to do. And I also fear that once it does reach his body it is going to cause him pain and make him very unhappy.

My thoughts have been led to euthanize him, but I'm afraid to do that as well. He still comes up to the front of the tank when I'm near it and sits there until I leave. His personality is so sweet..

What should I do?

 

[-germ-]

Personal moral judgment really, no idea
Have you got the links to any topics you have made about Tysons illnesses and struggles?
Just so i can have a read through......

 

[betta one]

try ONE drop of bettafix or a LITTLE bit of iodine-less salt i used that on mine and he turned out beautiful!!!

 

[xweeqtx]

Betta-one, I've been treating Tyson for weeks now.

Here's two of the previous topics, I can't find the very first few anymore though.
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=209201
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=209893

 

[-germ-]

Here is the other topic related to this, i think?
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=208472&hl=

Questions;
1) Is the tank filtered?
2) What is he currently being treated with, if anything?
3) How often are you performing water chages?
4) I'm not sure, is he in a community tank, if so what with?
5) There was a suggestion of fungal infection on one of the related threads, did you ever ascertain if there was a fungal infection involved?

 

[xweeqtx]

Questions;
1) Is the tank filtered?
2) What is he currently being treated with, if anything?
3) How often are you performing water chages?
4) I'm not sure, is he in a community tank, if so what with?
5) There was a suggestion of fungal infection on one of the related threads, did you ever ascertain if there was a fungal infection involved?

Yes, the tank is filtered. He has always been in a filtered tank.
Water changes were performed 2-3 times a week(20-30%). Full water change once a month.
When it all started, and during treatment - he was in a 7 gallon tank by himself.
And he was first getting treated with Interpret the first week, then melafix afterwards.

I think the fungal infection you are speaking about was the orange dalmation male that suddenly died? If so, yes, I did believe and still believe it was a fungal infection with him. But his fins started curling and looked all cottony. He died by the next morning, and I'm not sure it was the fungal that killed him. He was in a completely different tank, so no relation to Tyson in that respect. I had only just bought him and had him a day or two before this happened - in the LFS he had been in a tank with cardinal tetra's so my thoughts are led to his fins being nipped whilst in the shop. But as I said, the sudden death doesn't explain this.
Edit: Oh, I forgot that the dalmation was also in the community tank for the first day, as he was very calm. So he could have been nipped there, but not sure.

Now, Tyson is in a divided tank along with my new CT male - who is also being treated just to mend his fins from being in bad conditions(a rescue case). This is also filtered.

 

[l.michelle]

If there is a fungal infection, having him in a divided tank can spread the disease to the other fish

 

[xweeqtx]

No, Tyson has fin rot - but there is no fungus growing. His fins aren't even greying anymore, they're just falling off. Hence the reason I'm asking whether or not it would be best to euthanize him before it gets to his body[is the greying of his body not it already starting to eat away?]. In other words, I don't want him suffering.

 

[-germ-]

Sorry i forgot about this one, what interpet medication (i'm rubbish on meds) did you use? Does it specify it treats the bacteria; flexibacter columnaris?
Any chance his fins are getting caught and torn on/in the filer inlet?
Where is he greying on his body?
Personally i don't agree with euthanisia unless there is no chance of treatment or a serious likelihood of transmission to other fish.
So far i'd try and get to the bottom of the cause of illness, up my water changes and maybe add a breeding trap so the Betta doesn't struggle for oxygen.
But more details are needed for an attempt at an accurate diagnosis.....

 

[xweeqtx]

Sorry i forgot about this one, what interpet medication (i'm rubbish on meds) did you use? Does it specify it treats the bacteria; flexibacter columnaris?
Any chance his fins are getting caught and torn on/in the filer inlet?
Where is he greying on his body?
Personally i don't agree with euthanisia unless there is no chance of treatment or a serious likelihood of transmission to other fish.
So far i'd try and get to the bottom of the cause of illness, up my water changes and maybe add a breeding trap so the Betta doesn't struggle for oxygen.
But more details are needed for an attempt at an accurate diagnosis.....

Interpret Aquarium Treatment 8 - Anti Fungus & Fin Rot [Contains; Phenoxyethanol]
Fin rot(mycobacteria sp.), mouthrot/mouth fungus(flexibacter sp.), and cotton wool disease(saprolengnia sp.)

The greying on his body starts from under his chin/mouth and is gradually spreading underneath across his stomach. He doesn't struggle for oxygen, apart from all of this with his fins and the greying he is perfectly normal. But like I said, his anal fin is almost right at the body.

 

[-germ-]

Have you got a high PH, if you have a tester?
Do you have any suspicious rocks that could be raising your tanks PH?
Do you add any buffers?
Have you bleach cleaned anything placed into the tank recently?

Sorry loads of questions, the symptoms you have only really suggest two options to me;
Columnaris....
or Nutritional Difficiency (what do you feed?)
Although i could easily be missing something or it could be more than one illness. Non PH related questions....
Was the medication in date?
How old is the fish?

I've dragged out one of my weighty fish illness tomes and the other thing that appears to fit is an extremey high PH, hence the baove questions, i've never heard of this and while excellent the book is over 10 years old and may be outdated.
Anyhow, off to the shops i'll check back much later.

 

[xweeqtx]

PH is 6.2

There's only the gravel substrate, plants and a cave in his tank so no rocks to cause a rise..
I never use bleach to clean anything to do with the fish..

I alternate the feeds for them between brine shrimp, bloodworm(live and frozen), pellets and flake. They are fed twice per day. Early morning and late evening.
Medication was bought when the fin rot was first noticed so should be in date(can't find a date on it at all).

 

[-germ-]

Then i'm pretty much stumped, couple of questions you missed;
How old is the fish?
Any chance the fins are getting caught in the filter?
It may just be an extremely virulent strain of one of the bacteria associated with fin-rot....
Sorry!

 

[xweeqtx]

Well, probably nearly a year old. From Dobbies, so most likely to be near that age.
The filter is pretty high up and there's plenty of plants in front of it.

So there's really nothing to be done?

 

[-germ-]

I'd find a medication that treats different strains of bacteria responisble for fin rot, i'm awful at taxonomy but you may look at treatments for those from the genera; Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, Vibrio.

I wouldn't give up personally, but that is up to you. I'm extremely tired atm, maybe other posters could give some better advice but either way i'll get some research done tonight and post a few med reccomendtions tomorrow.