Sick Bettas

[sandig]

Hi everyone

First a little backround....I had a bad Betta day yesterday (as you can see on the Betta Board). I have a 10 gal sorority tank that is 3 days old that I cycled with Bio Spira. It has 3 females and 2 Corys. I had been testing the water with dip strips that test ph, water hardness, NitrAte, NitrIte and alkalinity. Yesterday one female started showing signs of stress with clamped fins but had no other physical signs. The other 2 girls were acting fine but showing horizontal stripes. (I should mention all 3 get along really well so I don't think the stripes are from aggression). I took a water sample to the fish store and found out my NitrIte level was at .50 (getting into the unsafe range) All other levels were in the safe range. I isolated the girl with the clamped fins and put aquarium salt, aquarisol and melafix in the water. Then last night her tail fins were full of cotton fungus. I treated her bowl and the whole 10 gal with Jungle Fungus Clear. When I treated the 10 gal for fungus none of the girls showed any signs of fungus. Now the girls in the 10 gal are showing a tiny bit of fungus and more stress after the treatment.

When I used the Jungle Clear on a previous occasion with a male, the fungus started to fall off him within an hour. It has been a whole night and the fungus is not falling off the girls. Is it working or does it take longer with some fish?

I am going to isolate all 3 females to get them into safer water and retreat their new bowls.

Also, should I worry about the NitrIte level?

Thanks so much
Sandi

 

[WILDER]

Is the fluffy fungus just on the tails or the body as well.

 

[sandig]

It is on the tail and back end of my cream girl and on the top fin of my red girl. Blue has no fungus but is lying on the bottom. I just got some gal containers to relocate them into.

Should I use more jungle fungus clear or switch to maroxy?

Thanks so much
Sandi

 

[WILDER]

What's your present water stats, it sounds like it could be columnaris as they have been stressed.
http/www.flippersandfins.net/flexibacter.htm

 

[sandig]

What a great article...you may be right. My water levels are:
amonia 0.25
nitrite 0.50
ph 8.4
nitrate 21

The nitrite is the problem. I used Bio Spira to cycle my tank. I added the Corys first to the tank about 11 or 12 hours after putting Bio spira in my tank. I then put in the Betta girls about 4 hours later. If I didn't put in the Bio Spira the nitrite would be a lot worse so I think it must have helped some.

The girls are in isolation jars with tetracycline and maroxy. The Corys do not appear to be sick, I will have to check them out tonight because they are not very active during the day. I treated the 10 gal tank with Jungle Fungus Clear yesterday. Will I need to do anything else to treat the tank if it is the bacteria you mentioned?

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sandi

 

[WILDER]

If other fish are not affected, just carry on with water changes, to keep the nitrites down, good luck.