Jungle Fungus Clear overdose for betta?!

[Rissa]

Hello,
Can anyone please help me? My betta has been struggling for weeks with what I guess is fin or body rot. His top fin is completely gone and it’s eaten into his back. I have tried every medication out there and nothing seems to help!
Well, I put him on Jungle Fungus Clear and put in the amount for 3 gallons (his tank is either 2.5 or 3 gal, not sure- I bought it from someone else.) I followed instructions on box and everything was fine until 4 days later I did a 25% water change and added a second dose LIKE IT SAYS ON THE BOX. BIG MISTAKE.. 12 hours later he was gray and lying on the bottom panting. I feel so awful. I knew something didn’t seem right about adding a second dose of medicine when there was still med in there! I changed his water immediately and put the filter back in to get all the meds out. It’s been about 36 hours now and he’s still lying on the bottom. He’s alive but obviously not doing well. Is he going to pull out of it or did the overdose cause damage that he won’t recover from? I’m really sad and upset that I caused this.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Need pics and short video of fish asap. If the video is too large post it on YouTube and post the link here

 

[JuiceBox52]

@Colin_T

 

[Colin_T]

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a couple of weeks.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Cross your fingers and hope he makes it.

Fish can recover from chemical poisoning but it depends on how much damage was done to the fish. If the fish was exposed to a really high level of chemicals, its liver and other organs could be severely damaged and unable to recover.

-------------------
If you have to use chemicals, and they should only be used as a last resort, make sure you keep a filter and airstone in the tank. And do a huge water change (80-90%) and gravel clean the substrate before re-treating the tank.

 

[Rissa]

Need pics and short video of fish asap. If the video is too large post it on YouTube and post the link here

Thanks.. I’m pretty sure there’s no way he can pull out of this. I’m going to have to put him out of his misery. He’s still on the bottom not moving unless I nudge him with the net. There’s no video because he’s not moving.

 

[Rissa]

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a couple of weeks.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Cross your fingers and hope he makes it.

Fish can recover from chemical poisoning but it depends on how much damage was done to the fish. If the fish was exposed to a really high level of chemicals, its liver and other organs could be severely damaged and unable to recover.

-------------------
If you have to use chemicals, and they should only be used as a last resort, make sure you keep a filter and airstone in the tank. And do a huge water change (80-90%) and gravel clean the substrate before re-treating the tank.

Thanks.. well nothing was helping his fin rot, absolutely nothing. I had tried aquarium salt and started with the natural stuff and moved on to medication as nothing was helping. I still don’t know what I should have done or what was causing his fin rot (if that’s what it was)! I had him for a year and a half with no problems! I don’t trust the instructions any more, that’s for sure. How long should I give him to possibly recover before I put him out of his misery?

 

[Colin_T]

if there's no improvement after a day then euthanise

 

[Rissa]

He passed away.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a couple of weeks.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Cross your fingers and hope he makes it.

Fish can recover from chemical poisoning but it depends on how much damage was done to the fish. If the fish was exposed to a really high level of chemicals, its liver and other organs could be severely damaged and unable to recover.

-------------------
If you have to use chemicals, and they should only be used as a last resort, make sure you keep a filter and airstone in the tank. And do a huge water change (80-90%) and gravel clean the substrate before re-treating the tank.

So why do they put the wrong information on the medicine package? Do they want your fish to die?

 

[JuiceBox52]

He passed away.

So why do they put the wrong information on the medicine package? Do they want your fish to die?

I honestly don't know. It makes me mad. Also bettafix, melafix and primafix is deadly to bettas quite often. It has oil that rests on the surface of the water and when the betta (or other labyrinth fish) goes to the surface to breath it coats the labyrinth organ and can suffocate them. And "stress coat" products with aloe vera damage the fish's gills over time....its all about the money

 

[Colin_T]

Most aquarium medications are designed to be used in aquariums with aeration and filtration. These help break the chemicals down a bit quicker and mix it through the water better.

Most aquarium medications are also poisonous chemicals and there is a fine line between treating the fish and poisoning it. You only need to add 1 or 2 drops more than recommended and you can wipe out a tank. This is why you need to work out exactly how much water is in an aquarium before adding chemicals.

Never accept an aquarium as being x amount of litres/ gallons until you have actually worked out the volume. Most tanks in the US are sold as x gallons but in reality they hold less water than that because the substrate and ornaments displace some water, and the tank is not normally filled to the very top.

----------------
The following is what you should do before adding chemicals to a tank. Try to use chemicals as a last resort and make sure you know what you are treating before putting poisons in the tank.

Before you treat the tank, do the following things.
Work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.
When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "FishForum.net Calculator" under "Useful Links" at the bottom of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

Remove carbon from the filter before treating or it will adsorb the medication and stop it working.

Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate. The water changes and gravel cleaning will reduce the number of disease organisms in the water and provide a cleaner environment for the fish to recover in.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks. However, if the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it. Wash filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use them. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn.

Increase surface turbulence/ aeration when using medications because they reduce the dissolved oxygen in the water.

-----------------
The following link has information about what to do if your fish get sick. It's long and boring but worth a read when you have some spare time.

What to do if your fish gets sick

If your fish ever looks sick or unwell, then the following steps might help. Test the Water and Clean the Tank. Test the water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH and write the results down in numbers. Check it for general hardness (GH) and carbonate hardness (KH) too if you can, but...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Rissa]

Most aquarium medications are designed to be used in aquariums with aeration and filtration. These help break the chemicals down a bit quicker and mix it through the water better.

Most aquarium medications are also poisonous chemicals and there is a fine line between treating the fish and poisoning it. You only need to add 1 or 2 drops more than recommended and you can wipe out a tank. This is why you need to work out exactly how much water is in an aquarium before adding chemicals.

Never accept an aquarium as being x amount of litres/ gallons until you have actually worked out the volume. Most tanks in the US are sold as x gallons but in reality they hold less water than that because the substrate and ornaments displace some water, and the tank is not normally filled to the very top.

----------------
The following is what you should do before adding chemicals to a tank. Try to use chemicals as a last resort and make sure you know what you are treating before putting poisons in the tank.

Before you treat the tank, do the following things.
Work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.
When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "FishForum.net Calculator" under "Useful Links" at the bottom of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

Remove carbon from the filter before treating or it will adsorb the medication and stop it working.

Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate. The water changes and gravel cleaning will reduce the number of disease organisms in the water and provide a cleaner environment for the fish to recover in.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks. However, if the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it. Wash filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use them. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn.

Increase surface turbulence/ aeration when using medications because they reduce the dissolved oxygen in the water.

-----------------
The following link has information about what to do if your fish get sick. It's long and boring but worth a read when you have some spare time.

What to do if your fish gets sick

If your fish ever looks sick or unwell, then the following steps might help. Test the Water and Clean the Tank. Test the water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH and write the results down in numbers. Check it for general hardness (GH) and carbonate hardness (KH) too if you can, but...

www.fishforums.net

Thanks.. when you say clean the filter, I have the filter cartridges that I replace every couple weeks. So I just take a cartridge out when I put in medicine and put a new one in when I’m done. Is there more to it than that? I’d like to send you some pictures of what my fish looked like and see if you could tell me what was wrong? If you don’t mind. I obviously overdosed him. I didn’t realize the medicine was so potent. He was fine with the first round but the second dose was too much. I just didn’t know who to ask.. I searched online but that didn’t help me either. I feel really bad about it. Thanks for your help.

 

[Rissa]

I honestly don't know. It makes me mad. Also bettafix, melafix and primafix is deadly to bettas quite often. It has oil that rests on the surface of the water and when the betta (or other labyrinth fish) goes to the surface to breath it coats the labyrinth organ and can suffocate them. And "stress coat" products with aloe vera damage the fish's gills over time....its all about the money

Yeah I had tried those already at the beginning but he survived those. I am very much an amateur at fish. I took him after someone left him behind. I definitely have more experience now, but i wish I could have saved him.

 

[Colin_T]

... when you say clean the filter, I have the filter cartridges that I replace every couple weeks. So I just take a cartridge out when I put in medicine and put a new one in when I’m done. Is there more to it than that?

Find a sponge that fits into your filter and add that. Keep the old cartridge in the filter for 2 months with the sponge so the sponge can develop the good bacteria that helps keep the water clean. After the sponge has been in the filter with the cartridge for 2 months, you can throw the cartridge away and don't bother replacing it. Keep the sponge in the filter.

Cartridges are a gimmick from the manufacturers. They get you to buy a new cartridge every month or so and they make money from it. Meanwhile you are removing the beneficial filter bacteria that is on the cartridge and screwing up the filter cycle.

----------------
Sponges will last 10+ years and can be cleaned and re-used. To clean a sponge, get a bucket of water from the tank and squeeze the sponge out in the bucket of tank water. When the sponge is clean, squeeze it out in a second bucket of tank water. Then put the sponge in the tank. Tip the buckets of dirty water onto the garden/ lawn.

You can clean the filter pads/ cartridges in a bucket of tank water too but they start to fall apart after a few cleans.

Wash the filter case and impellor assembly under tap water and set the filter back up with the sponge. Fill the filter with tank water and turn it on.

------
The impellor assembly is the grey/ black magnet with 3 or 4 plastic blades on one end. There is usually a steel or ceramic shaft/ rod running through the middle of the impellor and a rubber grommet on each end. There is sometimes a small plastic washed next to each rubber grommet.

The rubber grommets come off along with the washer (if it has them). The steel shaft will come out of the impellor magnet. Wash them under tap water, being careful not to lose the grommet or washer down the drain. Put it back together and put it back in the filter.

---------------------
It looks like a type of fungus but not the common Saprolegnia (fluffy white) fungus. It's usually caused by rough handling and poor water quality, dirty conditions and cold water.

 

[vanalisa]

I'm sorry that happened. I've made a few mistakes with bad outcomes. I've learned from them. Because of the mistakes I now research beforehand. For example, I bought 2 carnivorous fish without knowing it and had to get special food and worried every feeding time. Well, one made it. Anyway, finding TFF has been a great help. I sympathize with you.

 

[Rissa]

Find a sponge that fits into your filter and add that. Keep the old cartridge in the filter for 2 months with the sponge so the sponge can develop the good bacteria that helps keep the water clean. After the sponge has been in the filter with the cartridge for 2 months, you can throw the cartridge away and don't bother replacing it. Keep the sponge in the filter.

Cartridges are a gimmick from the manufacturers. They get you to buy a new cartridge every month or so and they make money from it. Meanwhile you are removing the beneficial filter bacteria that is on the cartridge and screwing up the filter cycle.

----------------
Sponges will last 10+ years and can be cleaned and re-used. To clean a sponge, get a bucket of water from the tank and squeeze the sponge out in the bucket of tank water. When the sponge is clean, squeeze it out in a second bucket of tank water. Then put the sponge in the tank. Tip the buckets of dirty water onto the garden/ lawn.

You can clean the filter pads/ cartridges in a bucket of tank water too but they start to fall apart after a few cleans.

Wash the filter case and impellor assembly under tap water and set the filter back up with the sponge. Fill the filter with tank water and turn it on.

------
The impellor assembly is the grey/ black magnet with 3 or 4 plastic blades on one end. There is usually a steel or ceramic shaft/ rod running through the middle of the impellor and a rubber grommet on each end. There is sometimes a small plastic washed next to each rubber grommet.

The rubber grommets come off along with the washer (if it has them). The steel shaft will come out of the impellor magnet. Wash them under tap water, being careful not to lose the grommet or washer down the drain. Put it back together and put it back in the filter.

---------------------
It looks like a type of fungus but not the common Saprolegnia (fluffy white) fungus. It's usually caused by rough handling and poor water quality, dirty conditions and cold water.

Ok thanks for the info.. but the cartridge has the activated carbon that filters the water. How does the water stay clean without it? I didn’t know you could put a sponge in there.
As for the fish, he had a heater in his tank and I did partial water changes about once a week. When I first acquired him about a year and a half ago, he didn’t have a heater and his water didn’t get changed as often as I did now. He was kept at school as a classroom pet and I brought him home when the year was over. I never handled him at all. For the life of me, I can’t understand why he survived through some rough times (almost starved to death when the previous teacher left him at school for a week with no food), but took ill now when he was being taken better care of. Maybe the cumulative stress wore him down. Thank you..