Ok ive read up on this loads and this IS what killed them all i know it!
When I was living in Toronto some years ago, I was having a serious
problem with unexplained betta deaths, They were dropping like flies, most
with no aparent symptoms except that they would not eat. All other species,
some in community tanks with the bettas, we fine.
The University of Kitchener had a policy of researching animal diseases
for commercial breeders of any kind of animal at no cost. .. and they
agreed to look into this for me. They were particularly interested in it as
it was species-specific.
I took affected specimens up to them for research purposes, and asked if
they thought it could be caused by the hexamita protozoa. They assured me
that was impossible as hexamita was "always secondary".. .. saying the
primary infection here had to be bacterial. They did quite an exhaustive
study, complete with microphographic analyses of tissue samples from
different parts of the digestive system, and concluded, much to their own
surprise, that the PRIMARY infection was, in fact, the hexamita, with
secondary bacterial infections present. They concluded that this was the
same disease as "hole in the head disease". .. and recommended nitrofurazone
as a cure. This was because not only did it have the necessary
anti-protozoan activity, but also it could be absorbed directly into the
tissues without the fish having to ingest it which was, of course, a
problem as the primary symptom was complete loss of appetite.
There were at that time no Aquarium medications available with larger
doses of nitrofurazone. .. so I got my first supply from a local cichlid
breeder and importer who said he was constantly giving his fish a preventive
dose of this, as he found it to be such a common problem with cichlids as
well. Other species seem not to be so affected.
After I medicated all my fish (250 mg per 10 gal) I did lose a few more.
.. and then it all stopped. It seems some already had suffered a fatal level
of internal damage. I figure. .. if the cure works, . .than probably the
diagnosis was correct.
The University later sent me a copy of a very detailed article that they
published in the Journal of Vetinary Medicine about this case. I suspect
this could have been what later resulted in the additional of a number of
Nitrofurazone based medications in the Aquarium Pharmaceticals industry.
I mentioned before that there has been evidence that the main underlying cause of disease in bettas is the hex protozoan. Even fish that show other disease pathogens have hexamita as the underlying cause of their disease.
Metronidazole is a good medication, but it's most effective if it's ingested. Unfortunately, a betta infected with hexamita usually stops eating. Nitrofurazone absorbs through the body tissue of fish, so is effective in treating bettas with hex who have stopped eating.
Nitrofurazone is effective for treating hexamita in bettas at 25mg per gallon of water. If there's any suspicion of a bacterial infection, you can use an antibiotic in conjunction with the NF. ALSO - if you suspect external parasites in addition to the hex, either Life Bearer, Quick Cure, or Methylene Blue is safe to add to the treatment.
I don't give disease treatment advice - it makes me mad when people ask and then say 'oh, I don't want to do that...' or 'oh, I think they're just constipated and I'm going to feed them a pea.' Well, I got this advice from Linda Olson, and guess what? - ever since I started working from this assumption it has DRAMATICALLY cut down on my betta deaths!
It's hard to see the initial stages of hexamita, but if your fish becomes listless and is reluctant to eat, YOU NEED TO TREAT THEM! Do a 100% water change, and break out your meds!
this is copied from this link!hexamita
you guys need too know!!
When I was living in Toronto some years ago, I was having a serious
problem with unexplained betta deaths, They were dropping like flies, most
with no aparent symptoms except that they would not eat. All other species,
some in community tanks with the bettas, we fine.
The University of Kitchener had a policy of researching animal diseases
for commercial breeders of any kind of animal at no cost. .. and they
agreed to look into this for me. They were particularly interested in it as
it was species-specific.
I took affected specimens up to them for research purposes, and asked if
they thought it could be caused by the hexamita protozoa. They assured me
that was impossible as hexamita was "always secondary".. .. saying the
primary infection here had to be bacterial. They did quite an exhaustive
study, complete with microphographic analyses of tissue samples from
different parts of the digestive system, and concluded, much to their own
surprise, that the PRIMARY infection was, in fact, the hexamita, with
secondary bacterial infections present. They concluded that this was the
same disease as "hole in the head disease". .. and recommended nitrofurazone
as a cure. This was because not only did it have the necessary
anti-protozoan activity, but also it could be absorbed directly into the
tissues without the fish having to ingest it which was, of course, a
problem as the primary symptom was complete loss of appetite.
There were at that time no Aquarium medications available with larger
doses of nitrofurazone. .. so I got my first supply from a local cichlid
breeder and importer who said he was constantly giving his fish a preventive
dose of this, as he found it to be such a common problem with cichlids as
well. Other species seem not to be so affected.
After I medicated all my fish (250 mg per 10 gal) I did lose a few more.
.. and then it all stopped. It seems some already had suffered a fatal level
of internal damage. I figure. .. if the cure works, . .than probably the
diagnosis was correct.
The University later sent me a copy of a very detailed article that they
published in the Journal of Vetinary Medicine about this case. I suspect
this could have been what later resulted in the additional of a number of
Nitrofurazone based medications in the Aquarium Pharmaceticals industry.
I mentioned before that there has been evidence that the main underlying cause of disease in bettas is the hex protozoan. Even fish that show other disease pathogens have hexamita as the underlying cause of their disease.
Metronidazole is a good medication, but it's most effective if it's ingested. Unfortunately, a betta infected with hexamita usually stops eating. Nitrofurazone absorbs through the body tissue of fish, so is effective in treating bettas with hex who have stopped eating.
Nitrofurazone is effective for treating hexamita in bettas at 25mg per gallon of water. If there's any suspicion of a bacterial infection, you can use an antibiotic in conjunction with the NF. ALSO - if you suspect external parasites in addition to the hex, either Life Bearer, Quick Cure, or Methylene Blue is safe to add to the treatment.
I don't give disease treatment advice - it makes me mad when people ask and then say 'oh, I don't want to do that...' or 'oh, I think they're just constipated and I'm going to feed them a pea.' Well, I got this advice from Linda Olson, and guess what? - ever since I started working from this assumption it has DRAMATICALLY cut down on my betta deaths!
It's hard to see the initial stages of hexamita, but if your fish becomes listless and is reluctant to eat, YOU NEED TO TREAT THEM! Do a 100% water change, and break out your meds!
this is copied from this link!hexamita
you guys need too know!!
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