Please help my betta

[captmicha]

ToddorBurt has been rather lethargic, not showing as much interest in food as usual and I noticed a white patch near his caudal fin. It's hard to explain, maybe resembles a callous?

I have no idea how to get a good picture of a fish and I've really, really tried but the best I could do was this video. It shows his complete body because his coloring is off also. Pale in the front.

I have him in a ten gallon and it's split in half with a divider b/c I'm temporarily housing another fish on the other side. He's been sharing the tank for a long time now and was quarantined before he went in with ToddOrBurt so I don't think he caught it from him and the other fish is fine.

B/c it's split in half, the filter is too strong, it doesn't flow through the separator enough so the currents are strong on the side it's on so I had to take it out. I have an aerator in there now.

I've been using Melafix but I'm not sure that's working. Is it a bacterial infection and how do I treat it?

And when should I change the water again?

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v165/captmicha/Pets/

[Nolapete]

I can't really tell what it is from the video. I would use Pimafix and Melafix together to cover bacterial and fungal. It doesn't look parasitic that I can tell.

[captmicha]

How can I get a better picture? Take him out of the water for a few secs?

[Nolapete]

I wouldn't risk damaging him by taking him out. If you have a small mirror, you can place it by his tank to get him to think it was another male. This might cause him to display enough that his dorsal doesn't cover it up.

[palmbreeze]

How long have you been using Melafix? agree to use both Melafix and Primafix together for a week then do a water change. Do a good water change before you start dosing both of the meds. These two meds usually clear up anything.

Is there anything in the aquarium he could hurt himself on? Something he could get stuck in? Does any other fish live in the aquarium besides the two?

[Featherfin]

careful with melafix and pimafix. in large enough quantities, its lethal to anabantids (labyrinth fishes) for some reason. thats why they have bettafix, too.

[palmbreeze]

I have used both meds on my bettas. Just be really careful on dosing amounts. Follow directions exactly from the bottle. You can get a measure syringe from the petstore.

[NinjaPirate]

Generally recommended to half-dose those meds for a betta.

If the clump of white looks fuzzy, it's a fungal infection. Otherwise it's bacterial. You can combine fungus meds (MarOxy) with mela/prima to cover all bases.

[jm1212]

always keep the water clean with weekly water changes. this is even more essential when they fish is sick, injured, or both. you are also going to need to make sure that the meds dont become to concentrated in the water. this can be deadly for any fish, not just bettas.