The fin rot won't go away!

[Saucy]

My wonderful DT from BC Betta just can't get over his fin rot. It seems that every time I give him a water change it gets WORSE. He's currently in a 2.5 gallon tank with a heater set around 80. I change the water once a week, but I'm going to get him a sponge filter tomorrow just to keep the water cleaner between them.

I've tried salt, Melafix, JFE tabs, Maracyn 2 and nothing works. His tails look so awful I don't know if he'll ever be the same. I'm trying some colloidal right now, but as it's been, I doubt that'll work either.

Here's what he looked like before:

And now...:

Please help... I just don't know what to do anymore.

 

[red-devil0602]

i think you need to do a water change alot more than 1 a week, i would do daily WC's good luck with the silver i heard it is really good

Fin & Tail rot treatments
Neosulfex
Ampicillex
Mela-Fix
Tetracycline

Remove objects in bowl that could tear fins

 

[Bettabelieveit]

Daily changes is gonna stress him way out, he's a sensative fish as it is, give the silver a chance.

and he's not tearing them on anything either, not too much in the tank, just a silk plant or two (I believe)

it didn't really look it, but do is there a chance he's biting?

 

[red-devil0602]

surely only once a week will let bacteria keep building up and keep the fin rot going

 

[Saucy]

It's easy to say changing the water more will help, but every time I DO clean the water, it starts getting a lot worse right away. That's what I'm talking about. And there is NO possible way I can change the water every day seeing as I can't even use my own tap water.

Also, he has a recurring swim bladder problem, so if I did to water changes every day, the stress from that would make his swim bladder act up and prevent him from swimming right until I stopped.

I did get him a sponge filter, so I'm hoping that will help a little. I'm still going to be doing water changes once a week, though. Is the filter going to take out the silver??

It's not biting. There's the reddish-black at the end of his tail that's THE sign of rot. And I don't use plastic plants or anything that could be ripping his tail...

Someone else please help!!!

 

[Synirr]

Oh no!! I'm sorry to hear this is happening to you and your boy!! I've had this kind of thing happen with a few of my bettas before and it eventually turned into bodyrot... it's absolutely maddening because you feel so helpless

In a case like this, I'd try the Maracyn and Maracyn 2 together, and double the dose recommended. I've doubled the dose with no ill side-effects (besides clouded water) many times in the past, so it should be ok. Once you've given them a full round of an antibiotic like Maracyn without results, often times the bacteria will become resistant to it (bacteria evolve fast as lightning) so it takes a higher dose or stronger medication to kill them off. If you're not adding salt to his water, start doing so. Colloidal silver would also help, if you can get some.

I strongly, strongly recommend daily water changes. Maybe use some airline tubing to syphon the water out so it's less stressful for him and will cause less damage to the fins, but I think that changing the water as often as possible is absolutely essential. A dose of Maracyn is no longer effective after 24 hours, so change the water right before you add another dose each day. I know you say that water changes make his fins worse, but if you don't keep his water crystal clear this finrot could very very easily become bodyrot and kill him. I only stress this point because I've seen it happen to my own fish and I don't want you to have to see him waste away.

If none of this works, my very last resort is always a high dosage of Melafix. It can be dangerous to give bettas a full dose, much less a high one, but when it's life-or-death sometimes it can work wonders. It will either kill them or heal them, so only use it when you have no other options left. Good luck, and I really hope your boy can beat this thing. I'm rooting for him!

 

[Saucy]

We have regrowth!!! OMG, I'm so excited!!! *bows to the colloidal silver bottle* It is the magic juice!! Now I'm going to put the sponge filter in his tank and keep his water sparkly clean. It also cured my little Kirsten's reverse swim bladder problem. Oh man, BEST investment of my life. Go get some now!!

 

[Saucy]

Ooops, repost.

 

[Synirr]

That's AWESOME, I'm so happy to hear it!
I think I'll order me some colloidal "just incase"

 

[red-devil0602]

congrats, i ordered some last week

 

[BettaMomma]

2 things quick - PLEASE DON'T EVER give a fish more medication than is the recommended dosage. A lot of fish can't handle the regular dosage of MelaFix - don't EVER EVER give them more than the bottle says. It can, and does, burn delicate tissues and an overdose could be deadly, or worse - cause them pain, torment and disfigurement for the rest of their lives. (As I have mentioned I already have 2 boys suffering from the after effects of MF, used at the recommended dosage)...

And with dosing Maracyn and Maracyn 2, don't ever double the dosage. Especially when you're using them concurrently. Overdosing on any medication is highly dangerous to the fish and won't benefit them in any way.

Saucy - I have to say that I think he's biting his tail cuz he's irritated about something, then the infection sets in quickly after. If he were my fish, I'd keep on doing what you're doing, but I'd change out his water about every 3 days - and give him colloidal and clean water.

Glad to hear he's doing better.

 

[Saucy]

Yeah, I'm gonna give him a change today, then again on Saturday. Hopefully his little filter will help things out, too... and at least give him something to do during the day. He likes checking it out and attacking the bubbles.

I <3 colloidal... oh man. SO good.

BM - I really hope Bo isn't a freak! I keep watching him and have never seen him do it. He just swims around or lays on the bottom most of the time... *sigh* Guess we'll just see.

 

[Synirr]

2 things quick - PLEASE DON'T EVER give a fish more medication than is the recommended dosage. A lot of fish can't handle the regular dosage of MelaFix - don't EVER EVER give them more than the bottle says. It can, and does, burn delicate tissues and an overdose could be deadly, or worse - cause them pain, torment and disfigurement for the rest of their lives. (As I have mentioned I already have 2 boys suffering from the after effects of MF, used at the recommended dosage)...

And with dosing Maracyn and Maracyn 2, don't ever double the dosage. Especially when you're using them concurrently. Overdosing on any medication is highly dangerous to the fish and won't benefit them in any way.

For once in my life, I think I'm going to have to disagree with you BM

An overdose could be deady, yes, but sometimes there are situations where not resorting to drastic measures will be deadly. Overdosing on Maracyn is a lot safer than overdosing on Melafix... and as I mentioned, if bacteria have lived through one full course of treatment, they become resistant to the antibiotic and actually may require a higher dose or stronger medicine to be killed off. Since Maracyn is just about the strongest aquatic antibiotic out there, giving a higher dose is a good option in such a case. Overdosing on a medication can benefit a desperately ill fish, believe me; I have seen it many a time in the past.

Yes, it's dangerous, and yes, it should be avoided when at all possible, but drastic times call for drastic measures. Perhaps I was a little too hasty in recommending it in this case, but I've had to watch two bettas literally rot away in the past after they didn't respond to medication, so I'm sure you can see where I'm coming from.