Very Strange Septicemia Problem...

[victorybear]

Hey guys. I have a really strange dilemma here. First off, let me say that I keep my 10 gal tank really clean, and free of ammonia/nitrite/nitrate. Despite this though, my Betta came down with fin rot. As soon as I noticed this, I began treating him with Maracyn 2. This seemed to stop the fin rot, but shortly after I began treating, he got a bad case of septicemia. I was told that Maracyn 2 worked well for this in addition, so I continued treating for about 5 days. It did not go away however. I went to my LFS and they recommended kanamycin, which is supposed to be stronger. They also recommended treating him in a bowl and doing daily water changes, since it's easier to keep the water clean. I went ahead and did this, and it's now been about a month and I still see no improvement (isn't it supposed to clear up in a week?) The parts of the fin that aren't streaked with red have grown back completely, but the rest is still in tatters. He's still very lively and eating well, but I'm kind of at a loss about what to do next. Any advice?

Side note: No matter how clean I've kept the tank and bowl, I've noticed these white, mucus-like blobs (I'm guessing bacteria?) floating around in the water. They look very similar to the gloopy stuff you see in those Tetra SafeStart bottles. Before the whole septicemia incident, I even saw my guy eat one of them before I could take it out. What is this stuff and is it bad?

 

[bae1994]

could he be biting his tail when your not looking eg out of that room not saying its not disease just didnt know if you had taken that int consideration

 

[victorybear]

could he be biting his tail when your not looking eg out of that room not saying its not disease just didnt know if you had taken that int consideration

I was thinking that may be part of it, but I don't think so. The tattered fin length and shape haven't changed for the past couple of weeks. His tail is really streaky with red as well, and I assumed fin nipping wouldn't have that result.

 

[victorybear]

It's been roughly another week with no improvement. Over the past couple days, I've been thinking more about what may have caused this septicemia problem, and why it isn't going away. Could it be the tap water itself? I've been treating the water liberally with Amquel+, so the water should be clean and well conditioned. However, I've been storing the water I use in a huge metal pot on the stove so I can heat the water to the right temp more easily. Could the metal somehow be affecting the water quality? Since I began considering this, I have thoroughly cleaned one of my plastic buckets, attached an extra water heater inside, and've begun conditioning a new batch of water for his next water change. Could this possibly be a solution? Anybody? Bueller?

 

[victorybear]

Update: still having the same issues. I've included some photos of my guy below. Sorry they're kind of crappy...

There's a black streak I thought would clear up after the fin rot was cured, but it looks like it could be getting worse. Any ideas what it is?

Again, he's active and eating well, and I've been very careful about keeping his water clean. Any more input?