Help!

[fuman_chica]

I don't know what is wrong with my girl. She got sick about two months ago. I went in to feed the fish and looked in the tank and about half of her anal fin was just GONE! Then the next day she had an open sore on her belly.

Pictures to help...

This is what she looked like when I got her:

Right around 3 weeks later she looked like this:

^her right side

^her left side

She got a bit better after I started putting BettaFix it. I started putting it in the day after she had the open sore, because I couldn't find it anywhere in our stores. But she started looking a bit better. Then with in a week or so of starting to look better, a half circle was missing out of her tail. I kept up with the BettaFix for about 3 weeks and it didn't seem to be doing anything. And she lost one of ventrals too.

So for the last month or so I have been putting Melafix in with EVERY water change, which I do water changes every 2-5 days. So, with every water change she gets: dechlorinater, salt, stress coat, and Melafix. And that happens every 2 to 5 days. 100% water changes.

Well, today when I was doing the water change I noticed that one of her side fins (the ones that they use to steer from what I understand) is compleatly gone. She only has one now. Okay, so now she has less than half of her anal fin, there are chunks missing out of her tail, she has one ventral, and now only one side fin.

These pictures are from today.
Her right side:

Her left side:

Okay, so a wrap up, she got sick about two months ago. I started putting BettaFix in with every water change (all my water changes for bettas are done every 2-5 days, they get 100% water changes, salt and dechlorinater are added at EVERY water change). After about 3 weeks of being on BettaFix I got some Melafix and started putting her on that. She's been on that for about a month, probably more. I've still been doing 100% water changes every 2 to 5 days. Dechlorinater, salt, stress coat, and Melafix has been going in with her at every water change.

I also rinse out her tank (and all the other betta tanks) with really hot water at every water change. Then I rerinse it with cool water to make the container room tempature. Then I aclimate her (I scoop her up in her cup before dumping her old water) by putting her cup in the water for 10-25 minutes.

I really need to know if there is anything else I can do? Am I doing everything I can??

And the big question is, do you think it is time to euthenize her?

She swims around like normal. She is very fast (even without all of her fins). She always comes to the edge of her tank to greet me when i come in the room. She eats more than some of the boys do. And other than her appearence, she seems happy. But I have no clue if she is in pain. I would think she would be, but she doesn't act like it.

If she is acting normal, as in how she did before she got sick, should I wait to euthenize her, or should I look at it as she has been sick for two months now, and she isn't getting better. She is just missing more of her fins.


I'm trying to think if I've left anything out. I guess if I did, I can always come back. Oh, and I figured that if you need more pictures to see what you might think is wrong with her (I assumed finrot when it first happened, but I was told it was just a bactrial infection about a month ago) you can go to my photobucket album to see more pictures of her. You can also watch the video in the subfolder in that folder the link takes you to. But please be respectful and don't go through my other albums. Thank you.


Well, I guess that is it for now. PLEASE help if you can!!! I asked about it here when it first happened and all I got was people telling me that I need to use dechlorniater. I've been keeping fish for over 3 years now...I know that. I always use it.

Thanks,
Tansy

 

[RandomWiktor]

Do you go to UB? I think I've seen you there. This reminds me of when my fish, Jaser, got water mold. He got pale, patchy, and clamped, and he started losing massive chunks of fin and developing body sores. I believe if you go to UB's disease board, there is a sticky topic on it. The fellow from National Fish Pharmacy had some good advice on treating it; BettaMomma has at least been able to stop the progression, though no one seems able to 100% cure it. My litte fella had to be PTS, but he had many other health problems when I took him in, and I think they prevented him from ever recovering fully.
Good luck - I hope you can find out what it is and get your girl back into a better state of health. My suggestion for now, if possible, would be a fitting GelTek anti-bacterial food (if she'll eat it), a bubbler since most aquatic bacteria hate oxygen, and a broad-spectrum anti-biotic. I keep hearing things about formalin and malachite green for water mold, but it never worked for me... I believe high doses of M2 are also supposed to help.

 

[starrynightxxi]

that looks to me like a case of fin rot that's advanced to body rot, meaning she needs treatment far beyond the capabilities of melafic or bettafix or pimafix. I've never had a case so severe so i don't know the exact medications, but a search for "body rot" should help you. don't euthanize her as long as she appears to be healthy and happy otherwise.

good luck

 

[fuman_chica]

Thank you two. I'll see what I can find medicine wise around here. There isn't a large variety and I don't have a credit card to buy stuff online.

Thanks RandomWiktor about that artical on UB. I read it the first time I had been to that site. It doesn't really give me a whole lot more that I can do besides what you said, and what I've been doing already.

I guess unless I can find the meds she needs, I'll just keep using the Melafix.


And she didn't have any signs of finrot before she got sick. She litterally just lost her fins over night. I always look closely at all of my fish when I feed them. She didn't have any problems one night, the next day when I went to feed her, half of her anal fin was missing.


OH!!! And she ISN'T missing her side fin. She must have just had it pressed against her body the whole time I was taking her picture. I don't know why she would have had it pressed against her for so long (it took me more than 20 minutes to get the pictures) but when I went in to check on her an hour ago, they were both there. So that is the only explination I can come up with.

Thank you two again.