Poorly betta.

[Stevie]

Hi all,

My betta seems to be a bit poorly. His tail and anal fin are a bit tatterd, he also has a very small lump on his right flank, just infront of his tail fin. Other then that he is eating and moving fine.

Any Ideas what it is and if/how should I treat it?


Here is a pic. Sorry its blury, I never seen a betta that swam so much. Should give you an idea of fin damage and the lump is just in fron of the tail fin.

 

[Pure]

Fin rot is pretty common and not always but is normally a sign of less then great water quality. Treat it with melifix, you may need to mix it with primafix if the melifix alone doesn't help. Also increase your water changes even if the tank is clean.

As for the lump..Sorry not much help there, I've never seen that on any of my fish before.

 

[Stevie]

Somhow I knew you would reply Pure *cough* spammer! *cough* j/k *crazysmil

Yeah I think I'll go for that mettafix. To be honest I dont have test kit at the moment as funds are low (I know, I know) but I do water changes every week and the water is always cristal clear......

 

[Stevie]

Update.

So, I got that melifix (fecking 12.95 rip off *%$^%$£") Anyhow, I have treated the tank for 7 days and just did a water change. I cant really see any change in his fins. Whats my next move?

 

[IDunnoWhy]

So, I got that melifix (fecking 12.95 rip off *%$^%$£") Anyhow, I have treated the tank for 7 days and just did a water change. I cant really see any change in his fins. Whats my next move?

You may not see a noticeable change in fins after just 7 days, IME my old Bettas could take much longer that that to regrow fins, also probably depends on which betta you have, Crowntail, Veintail etc. I'd keep treating, if anything the Melafix will help keep the fins clear of "rot".

Also, I've always used a "thinner" mix of Melafix for my Bettas, the full concentration can harm them (Or so I've been told...)

 

[MissFishy]

Melafix is all natural and shouldn't harm any fish. As was stated above, you may want to try some pimafix as well. Fins won't begin to regrow within a week. Are they still receding? From what I can see in the picture, it seems like he's been chewing on his own fins. Is there something that could be stressing him out? As for the bump, I've seen this on many bettas (if it's the same thing), and it's just a bone sticking out. However, if it is only on one side, I would watch closely and see if anything else develops.

By the way...melafix (the medium bottle) is only $6.95 at my local petsmart.

 

[Stevie]

Yeah well thats why its called rip off Ireland! lol*SICK*

Anyhow, no change this end. Thanks for the info, will keep you posted.

 

[homebunnyj]

Stevie, is your fish in a filtered tank or a bowl? Whichever, it would help to keep it scrupulously clean while he's healing up. Clean a bowl thoroughly at least weekly, with a partial water change every couple days (yeah, I know you're a student and therefore very busy). For a filtered tank, be sure to vacuum the gravel extremely thoroughly when you do your weekly wc; and do a partial wc midweek. I find it helpful to put ornaments or plants all on the bottom to discourage mine from dragging those lovely fins on the bottom when he wants to rest. It really does help avoid finrot.

It will take time. If the condition is progressing despite the melafix, you may have a fungal condition instead of bacterial, in which case you'd need pimafix. However, the melafix will come in handy later and it does last a long time.

This brings me to another point: Melafix can indeed burn the betta's labyrinth organ. It is the same thing as bettafix, made specifically for bettas, but melafix is five times stronger than bettafix. Simply do a bit of math to figure out the correct dosage. You may find that your betta is a bit more comfortable with the weaker dose. Here's a good explanation of melafix, bettafix, and pimafix: MelaFix vs. BettaFix - Tropical Fish Forums . It does take a good while to treat bettas with finrot.

Here's a page with really good pics of betta diseases symptoms to help you diagnose: betta diseases . HTH, I go there first to diagnose betta problems. Let us know how it goes.