HELP PLEASE!!!!

[waterbaby73]

My daughter has a old betta over 4yrs old. She is gone for week and he suddenly developed this white layer around his head, looks like fluffy white stuff, it is below his neck as well. WHAT IS THIS and HOW DO I TREAT IT?.
Thank you

[waterbaby73]

PS he is also just hanging at the bottom of tank not swimming, just sitting there.

[mel_20_20]

Is he gasping? Does it look like cotton? I'm a newbie myself, but I'm sure someone will help with answers. From some of the posts I've seen, it sounds like it could be a fungus.
If it is, I know there are medicines for that....

He's really pretty old for a Beta. Sounds like you and your daughter have really taken care of him. I'm going to do some searching for answers, but I'm sure someone with more experience will come along pretty soon to help. Hang on!

[waterbaby73]

Hi i've been searching too...I changed out water, washed gravel, treated with salt and an ich/ fungal medicine, raised temp slightly, afraid to put heater in with him as she has kept in a small aquarium, and basically kept like a gold fish. Tank looks like it will hold about a gallon maybe a bit less. Kind of strange though, it looks like it is shedding, in fact some has come off since all this was done, and he is moving around a bit more, but that could be cause he's mad at me now. After basically sitting there eyeball to eyeball with him it looks like he is shedding, the gunk is detaching? it goes from one side of his mouth, then over his back under his throat. HE goes to surface gets a breathe? then goes back down. However I just noted that Rasputia ( His name) is hanging around and slowly swimming about instead of hanging on bottom. Don't have a clue as I have never had fish that have had this, or been sick. so any help is very welcomed.

[waterbaby73]

PS Thanks ffor the support :)

[mel_20_20]

You're welcome, wish I was more help. He sounds better, though.

[mel_20_20]

bump

[mel_20_20]

In case you don't know yet, when you, or anyone making posts in your thread, type "bump" in the message box, it moves your thread back to the top of the forum. I did that so your thread it will be more visible, and hopefully someone will see it and be able to help more than I can.

I have to go to sleep now, but I hope your Beta will be OK. I'll check the forum in the AM to see how things are.

[waterbaby73]

Awww what a sweety TY so much, and no I didn't know, Learn something new everyday.
Well I am very relieved to say I must have done something right because the stuff is falling off YIPIEEEE! Needles to saw if fish actually shed/molt ect, and this is what he was doing I am SO emabaressed! Course I honestly thought it was reptiles that shedded. ( my sorry attempt at humor)Chuckling a bit.
In all seriousness though, if someone out here knows what it was that ailed Rasputia, and what of the things I did was of the most benificial please tell me. He is acting almost normal swimming around. Weird thing is I hang out with this guy quite a bit, and I swear I saw not a sign of this as of last night, I fed this morning, but I was more like sleep walking, prior to leaving for turkey day gathering.....and the above is what I returned home to this eve.

[brentling]

Sometimes a fish will produce extra amounts of their slime coating when under stress. When the stress is removed, sometimes the slime coating sloughs off, like you are describing. He is NOT shedding his skin like a reptile, but is most likely sloughing off the extra slime coating. I am interested to know what may have caused the stress to begin with. Has there been any changes in his environment (before you changed water, washed gravel ,etc.)? Was there a recent overfeeding? Cold snap in the room? Horrible loud noises? Painting the walls in his room? Bug spray? Anything different that you can think of? Also, is the water change, gravel cleaning, etc. what you normally do for maintenance? What sort of water conditioner/dechlor do you use when changing water? What is the normal maintenance for Rasputia? Sorry for all of the questions, but usually an established fish will not show these sorts of things without cause. The most common issue would be ammonia spiking due to overfeeding or overly ambitious gravel cleaning. It is usually not good to scrub the gravel with any kind of frequency as beneficial bacteria live in the gravel which helps to keep ammonia in check and keep the water healthy. Usually, after a full out "power scrub" of the gravel and a bit of extra food, it takes 2 days to a week and ammonia spikes, causing problems like you describe.

Four years old is VERY old for a Betta, so y'all have obviously been doing something right. In my experience, Betta splendens make excellent, hardy pets for folks who (for whatever reason-and there are many) can't have a full blown aquarium. They are very hardy, can thrive in a small container and require little special care. Feed them properly, keep their home relatively clean, and keep the cats away and they are good to go! :) I hope that your fish was just stressed. It is very rare for Bettas to get sick just out of the blue. The only disease issues I have ever seen with this species is in a community tank when their fins get chewed on by other fish and bacterial infections may set in. Most likely, the medication you used was NOT what helped the fish. It was most likely the water change, if my guess is correct and you had an ammonia spike.

[KarlTh]

Sounds like columnaris to me.

[waterbaby73]

OOPS yes I made a big mistake then, and stressed him i think. The other day his tank looked dirty, I believe I over fed him, so i changed alot of his water out cuz it was really yucky. i forgot to put his mirror back in. it also could be my daughter has never had a heater on him and where we live now, there are tempteture differences, so i'll be popping out this morning to get him one. after alot of reading and whatnot I have realized that they are NOT at all like goldfish in their keeping. Thank you for the help. I'm a bit relieved. Shame on me!!:(

[waterbaby73]

his regular maintinence is she changes his water about every month, adds to when it a bit low. I will hazard a guess the major factor would be temp change, or water. she (my daughter) just moved back home from the city, where they have chlorine in water system, back to country where we have well water. I'm not sure if she if/what she added in city, but i know when she lived at home she never had to add anything to his water. We have been having some rather drastic temp changes in house due to winter coming and having wood stove. So i think as i mentioned earlier is to get him a heater, and see it helps. I hope so to be honest rasputia is closer to five than 4, she's had him for four years and he was pretty well formed when she brought him home. from what I've read they are not fully plumed until about a year, and he was like i said well plumed.

[justahannah]

Sounds like columnaris to me as well...it's a bacterial infection that's often mistaken for a fungus. Worth a google to compare pics and symptoms to your betta, it can be very aggressive and I lost a betta to it some months ago after not properly quarantining new tank mates. Good luck!

[mel_20_20]

I hope it's not columnaris, but here is a link that has images of a beta with it. How is he today? I hope he's still doing OK.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.flippersandfins.net/Images/Flex2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.flippersandfins.net/flexibacter.htm&usg=__wmWQY-bDokEWhc7HMPVqy6DbNZU=&h=315&w=481&sz=44&hl=en&start=6&um=1&tbnid=Q1M9Fm6cmDaJ7M:&tbnh=84&tbnw=129&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcolumnaris%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3 D1T4GGLF_enUS280US283%26sa%3DN

[evelyn80]

when u say kept like goldfish u mean in a bowl right? that is also not appropriate as they grow quite large and get stunted in most bowls and die from it. does his bowl have a filter of any sort? a heater is also necasarry as he is a tropical fish. this sounds like columnaris to me though

[finsNfur]

I hope he continues to get better, a heater would be good. It's great that he's lived so long, and has you to keep him healthy and happy. :thm:

[waterbaby73]

As to Rasputia's tank he had one of those tall cube looking aquariums, with a airstone and rocks and plants. Sadly no Rasputia after a long life passed away last night. Thank you all for trying to help me with him.

[svf]

Well, it sounds like Rasputia had a very long and happy life with you and your daughter! I am sorry to hear of his passing, but 4 years is quite old for a little fish!
Hope that you continue to enjoy keeping fish - you obviously have a knack for it.

[waterbaby73]

thank you.....

[mel_20_20]

:( I'm so very sorry... I really feel your pain at heart... I worried about him and thought about him a lot since your last posts. One thing I do know.... he had a wonderful life to have lived so long.

So many of his kind live short sad lives without someone like you and your daughter to love and care for them. I'm sure that everything you did to try to help him before you went out of town, made him more comfortable and made his passing easier.

When you feel better, please go find another little beta to love and care for. He will be the most fortunate beta ever, to have two people like you and your daughter, to enjoy his little life then with you in your home; his new home.

[finsNfur]

I am so sorry! Yes, he definitely had a long and happy life, four years is a really long life for a betta. And I agree, one day another betta would be very lucky to have you to love and care for him.

[waterbaby73]

Thank you both so much.....

[mel_20_20]

:) You are most welcome...:hang:Hang in there.

[Mokomon]

I'm so sorry :(

[DebbyS]

Though as everyone agrees you did very well with your betta, another forum to hang out on is http://www.ultimatebettas.com This forum you're on now is terrific, but UB specializes in bettas and might have ideas for your next greatful little buddy.

[cam191919]

you said there was a mirror in his tank, this could have been the cause of the stress as he would think that the "rival" betta in the mirror was constantly challenging him to a fight