Fin Rot?

[FuzzyDragon09]

So I think one of my bettas has fin rot. His caudal fin is splitting and dissolving away. I just added aquarium salt to the tank plus the correct dosage of Melafix and Pimafix. If this does not work what sort of fin rot treatment should I use?

I have been looking at medications online but they all use different chemicals and don't really know what to use. I went to this site for a diagnosis: http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/Q&A/fin_disorders.html The fins are not edged in white that I can see but they are being slowly eaten away. This site recommends their products of either  TMP-Sulfa -or-  Sulfa 4 TMP -or-  Neomycin Sulfate -or-  Tetracycline -or-  Nitrofurazone. I went to this site before when I found I had columnaris in the 10 gallon and used API Triple Sulfa in place of the TMP Sulfa or Sulfa 4 TMP this site suggested and it appeared to have worked. API also sells T.C. Tetracycline and wondered which of the two works better. The only issue with this product is that is a packet of power is meant for 10 gallons. How am I supposed to lower the dosage to the right amount for the 2.5? I will be doing my regular water changes tomorrow and will take readings and post them. I would really appreciate some help here! Thanks in advance!

[Zulaab]

Re: Fin Rot?

First thing I would do...

100% water change on your little 2.5g tank.  Clean it out completely.  Let is dry out over night and get it ready for the return of your fish in a day or two.
Your Betta can live in a different tank for a few days without to many problems.

Get a large jar (make sure that its glass jar if you decide you like the jar.)  If you have the means take fish to Charles at Fish Ranch and let him look at it.  He can give you an diagnosis and he will also have what you need to fix your fish :)  That is if you have transportation to his store etc..

API triple sulfa works well for the same issue.  Since this is your second Betta to have problem, you might be wise to treat all your fish for a few days with Methylene Blue (Do this in a separate container since this will blue your silicone for the life of your tank if you put directly into your tank)...   This is a strong anti bacterial agent well used for prevention.

These are things I would do.

[PhishPhreek]

Re: Fin Rot?

Bettafix, Melafix and pimafix are all the same product - Melateuca  CAS#8008-98-8  (tea tree oil) the only difference is the strength.
Pimafix & Melafix 1tsp/10g  bettafix 5tsp/10g     Do not double up on them or excede the recomended dosage as too much can kill your betta.
Bettafix is diluted so you can treat smaller containers.

Fin rot is a bacterial infection.  Sometimes caused by injuries but usually due to poor water quality.  Treat it with antibiotics.
Start by doing 100% water changes every 3rd day. (add new medication with the new water.)

As preventative medication for injuries or For mild cases of fin rot you can use maracin, bettafix or Almond leaves in the water.

For advanced cases you need Ampicillin, chloromycetin (chloramphenicol) or tetracycline preferably mixed in their food
Mix one 250 mg capsules with 25 grams of food, this will be enough to treat dozens of fish
If treated early enough, your fish will recover. Fins/tail will grow back, not exactly the same color and not as long.

[FuzzyDragon09]

Re: Fin Rot?

I checked on my betta this morning and I think his fins have stopped dissolving. They look the same as they did last night. Do I still need to find another medication?

First thing I would do...

100% water change on your little 2.5g tank.  Clean it out completely.  Let is dry out over night and get it ready for the return of your fish in a day or two.
Your Betta can live in a different tank for a few days without to many problems.

Get a large jar (make sure that its glass jar if you decide you like the jar.)  If you have the means take fish to Charles at Fish Ranch and let him look at it.  He can give you an diagnosis and he will also have what you need to fix your fish :)  That is if you have transportation to his store etc..

API triple sulfa works well for the same issue.  Since this is your second Betta to have problem, you might be wise to treat all your fish for a few days with Methylene Blue (Do this in a separate container since this will blue your silicone for the life of your tank if you put directly into your tank)...   This is a strong anti bacterial agent well used for prevention.

These are things I would do.

Hmm. I have two plants (java moss and an Anubias nana) in the 2.5. Will they survive the drying out or would I have to move them? When you say clean it out completely what do you mean? Just remove the water and let it dry or do I need to rinse/clean the gravel and decor? Won't the tank cycle again afterward because the good bacteria died?

I don't really have the time to drive out to the Fish Ranch today.  :?

So the API Triple Sulfa would work? Could I just leave the betta in the tank and treat him with this? I think confused you because it was my the Tiger barbs and my RTS in my 10 gallon that got columnaris months ago. I only mentioned the columnaris because the Triple Sulfa worked and wondered if it would work for this. I have been checking the two other fish to see if they have any signs of the fin rot and I haven't found anything yet.

Bettafix, Melafix and pimafix are all the same product - Melateuca  CAS#8008-98-8  (tea tree oil) the only difference is the strength.
Pimafix & Melafix 1tsp/10g  bettafix 5tsp/10g     Do not double up on them or excede the recomended dosage as too much can kill your betta.
Bettafix is diluted so you can treat smaller containers.

Fin rot is a bacterial infection.  Sometimes caused by injuries but usually due to poor water quality.  Treat it with antibiotics.
Start by doing 100% water changes every 3rd day. (add new medication with the new water.)

As preventative medication for injuries or For mild cases of fin rot you can use maracin, bettafix or Almond leaves in the water.

For advanced cases you need Ampicillin, chloromycetin (chloramphenicol) or tetracycline preferably mixed in their food
Mix one 250 mg capsules with 25 grams of food, this will be enough to treat dozens of fish
If treated early enough, your fish will recover. Fins/tail will grow back, not exactly the same color and not as long.

I looked online and it said that Melafix and Pimafix are from two different trees. It also said that in extreme cases they can be safely used together. I used 1/4 of a teaspoon of each of the products for the 2.5 gal. tank. So too much of this can kill the fish?  :(

I can do 100% water changes every 3rd day. I would just feel better if I could add water back in to save my plants.

Because I have seems so far there is no further rotting of the fins would I need to switch to another medication or will using Bettafix suffice?

So what would you consider advanced cases of fin rot? About a third of his caudal fin rotted away. Basically the soft tissue between the veins(?) rotted away leaving the tip of his tail looking pointy and jagged [does this make sense?]. Can I mix the medicine with flake food? I feed my bettas Omega One Freeze Dried Bloodworms and Omega One Betta Buffet Flakes and try to feed one kind of food one day and the other the next.

[Zulaab]

Re: Fin Rot?

Fuzzy :)  

PhishPhreek is the Betta Master... there is no question.  

I just wanted to make sure that ALL of the tank is cleaned out.  Obvious what you want to do with the plants are to move them to a container with some water in them so they can survive until your tank is cleaned out.  You want to clean everything in the tank to ensure that all the bacteria (which fin rot is) is killed off so that you will not have the sickness come back when the fish is back to normal again.
By letting the tank dry out you ensure that the bacteria that require water to survive die out.   I don't like to use detergents in a tank as I am to leery that it might kill the fish if I miss even the smallest spec.  (just me)

I hope this helps.  Listen to what PP says about Betta care.. he is an walking encyclopedia when it comes to those fish :)

[PhishPhreek]

Re: Fin Rot?

I have never used pimafix.  I was told by another breeder that is was the same as Melafix.  Check the active ingredient just to be sure.
In 2002 I got a shipment of Bettas that were improperly packaged (all in the same bag) and when I received them one was dead and rotting (trapped in the corner of the bag), 2 more were fresh dead (from foul water), and the other 7 were near dead.  I placed the survivers in clean water with melafix and continued to treat them with more melafix everyday as they continued to die off.   I lost them all.  Later I learned that I should have changed the water and not continued to add more melafix.  
Mother Nature is a .  
First you get the test.  Then you learn the lesson.

I would keep your betta in a bare container while treating him.  It just makes it easier.  I like 1g pickle jars.

If what you are doing works, don't do something different.  

I have seen the fins rot off all the way to the body and the body is one big open wound.  But that fish was beond saving.
If the fins are really raggid and less than 1/4" long anywhere, I would consider that a advanced / marginal case.
Some breeders will cut the ragid edges with a razor blade to help the fins grow back evenly.
Yes you can mix the antibiotic with flake food, but he may need to skip a meal or two so that he is really hungry when you feed him the meds.

[PhishPhreek]

Re: Fin Rot?

Fuzzy :)  PhishPhreek is the Betta Master... there is no question.  
 Listen to what PP says about Betta care.. he is an walking encyclopedia when it comes to those fish :)

Thank you Zulaab.
I have been breeding & showing bettas since 1999.  Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.  

[FuzzyDragon09]

Re: Fin Rot?

Fuzzy :)  

PhishPhreek is the Betta Master... there is no question.  

I just wanted to make sure that ALL of the tank is cleaned out.  Obvious what you want to do with the plants are to move them to a container with some water in them so they can survive until your tank is cleaned out.  You want to clean everything in the tank to ensure that all the bacteria (which fin rot is) is killed off so that you will not have the sickness come back when the fish is back to normal again.
By letting the tank dry out you ensure that the bacteria that require water to survive die out.   I don't like to use detergents in a tank as I am to leery that it might kill the fish if I miss even the smallest spec.  (just me)

I hope this helps.  Listen to what PP says about Betta care.. he is an walking encyclopedia when it comes to those fish :)

I found a glass container to use if the betta gets worse. I think I will keep him in the 2.5 gal. tank and see how he progresses. If I see any change for the worse I will move him to the glass container and dry out the tank. He seems to be doing okay for now and I don't want to stress him out too much.

I have never used pimafix.  I was told by another breeder that is was the same as Melafix.  Check the active ingredient just to be sure.
In 2002 I got a shipment of Bettas that were improperly packaged (all in the same bag) and when I received them one was dead and rotting (trapped in the corner of the bag), 2 more were fresh dead (from foul water), and the other 7 were near dead.  I placed the survivors in clean water with melafix and continued to treat them with more melafix everyday as they continued to die off.   I lost them all.  Later I learned that I should have changed the water and not continued to add more melafix.  
Mother Nature is a .  
First you get the test.  Then you learn the lesson.

I would keep your betta in a bare container while treating him.  It just makes it easier.  I like 1g pickle jars.

If what you are doing works, don't do something different.  

I have seen the fins rot off all the way to the body and the body is one big open wound.  But that fish was beyond saving.
If the fins are really raggid and less than 1/4" long anywhere, I would consider that a advanced / marginal case.
Some breeders will cut the ragid edges with a razor blade to help the fins grow back evenly.
Yes you can mix the antibiotic with flake food, but he may need to skip a meal or two so that he is really hungry when you feed him the meds.

That's sad about your bettas. Did you complain to the seller? So I looked at my bottles and the Melafix contains 1.0% of Melaleuca (maybe from Melaleuca alternifolia) and the Pimafix contains 1.0% of Pimenta racemosa. I also looked them up and they are both in the same family Myrtaceae along with clove and allspice. Hey! That explains the nice smell they have! I thought it was familiar.  

According to your definition I don't have an advanced case but will keep watching him to see if he needs a stronger medication. So how do they cut off the fins without the fish moving? Do they give it an anesthesia? I don't care what my betta looks like I was just wondering how they did it. Heck he already had funny looking fins from old wounds that did not heal properly.

Thank you Zulaab.
I have been breeding & showing bettas since 1999.  Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.  

Wow! I was 11.  

Anyways, thanks for the help Masters!  :bsty:

[PhishPhreek]

Re: Fin Rot?

I've never done it, but the way it works is .......  To keep the fish still, anesthesia (clove oil) is delivered to a fish in the water.   Then the fish is removed from the water for surgery.  For surgeries lasting longer than 5 minutes, the fish's skin must be kept moist.  Water w/ anesthetic is pumped over the gills to keep the fish oxygenated and anesthetized.   Anesthesia and Surgery in Fish