A hard decision

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What to do regarding advanced finrot + lumps?

  • Continue treatment as outlined

    Votes: 2 16.7%
  • Continue treatment but with different meds (post suggestions)

    Votes: 6 50.0%
  • Admit defeat and put him out of his misery

    Votes: 4 33.3%

  • Total voters
    12
  • Poll closed .

bazil323

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May 1, 2008
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I'm treating a betta with pretty advanced fin rot and possibly some other illness. You can find the details of how I got the guy and some pics in this thread I posted under Anabantoids.

Anyway, I've been treating him with Fungus Clear tabs by Jungle Labs since either 2/21 or 2/22, which makes it either day 15 or 16. The only change is that he seems to be gaining some much needed weight, but his fins don't seem to be getting any better. The lump in his belly fin up near his body seems to have slightly opened into a white-gray lump like the one in his tail. I'm not sure what these lumps are, and I'm just not sure how to proceed now.

I've been keeping him in 10g (tank is a 16g tall, footprint 12x12 inch) at 80F and changing 4g at least every 4 days (the number of days recommended to repeat dose of Fungus Clear). He is still eating vigorously and seems to swim pretty well, if at times a little clumsy in his turns. So, I'm not quite ready to give up on him and euthanize, but I'm also concerned that he hasn't shown much improvement besides gaining a little weight from better food and regular feedings.
 

LeahK

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Jul 5, 2007
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I checked out the pics in your link--that bump sure looks bad. But if he's eating and moving around ok, I wouldn't euthanize either.

Here is a great, very informative site about antibiotics:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumMedication2.html

They seem to recommend kanamycin as very effective, especially for systematic infections. It is also compatible with the nitrofurazone you're already using, but if it were me, I'd probably do a water change and switch from one to the other.

I would also increase the size of the water changes--and the frequency, if the medication dosing instructions will allow it. I quarantined a betta in a 10 gallon for severe fin rot once. Like you, I started out with Fungus Clear and used it for about 10 days. Nothing happened, so I switched to a Maracyn 1 and 2 combo. I treated for two rounds. Still, nothing happened--his fins were deteriorating, and there were bloody red streaks. Finally, I just moved him back to his home tank and started doing BIG daily water changes--about 85% every day. Within 3 or 4 days, things started to turn around. The red streaks disappeared, and I began to see new fin growth. Now, he had been medicated for over three weeks at that point, so I can't say that it was the water changes alone--but that's definitely what seemed to make the difference in the end.

Anyway, good luck with him!
 

bazil323

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I'm thinking about switching the meds after a 100% water change. I had done 2 water changes in 2 days, and that time I simply redosed the complete dose. The recommendations are to dose 1 tab per 10g and then you can redose after 4 days and 25% water change. I had been doing 40% WCs (4/10), but I had just being doing the 1 tab since the total gallons were 10g. I'm not sure if I should have done a larger dose since I had removed more water (hence more meds from first dose) with each change?

I'll have to look for Kanamycin, but I think I'd have to order it. I know that I can get Maracyn 1 and 2, but I heard they are not effective against advanced/severe infections but are good with minor ones. I can also get API Tetracycline, Erythromycin, and Triple Sulfa. I know there are some other meds, but I can't remember what else off the top of my head.
 

bazil323

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I almost forgot: I seem to have lost the power cord to recharge my camera, so I can't get decent pics. There are some pics in the thread I posted in the first post, as I said, which were taken with my phone. They're pretty crappy, but you can definitely see how thin he was and the bump in his tail. I can try for some more pics with the phone, but I doubt I'll get any decent ones because of where he is now and the larger tank (was in bowl for original pics when I first got him from the friend).
 

Turbosaurus

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Dec 26, 2008
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If you are SURE its fungus? becasue fin and tail rot is not the same as fungus.
If its fungus (fungus is actually furry) Continue treating until its gone, keep up with your water changes, feed sparingly and don't give up as long as he's eating and breathing normally. Once you're done with the fungus (once its gone, you can stop treating immidiately) you can address the other things if they are still there.

IME- and I have a lot of it- clean clean water, ie lots of water changes are the best cure for everything that ails ya (if ya a fish). Especially if its just fin rot. A little melafix can help too if you have some handy.
 

LeahK

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Jul 5, 2007
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Anyway, I've been treating him with Fungus Clear tabs by Jungle Labs....
If you are SURE its fungus? becasue fin and tail rot is not the same as fungus.
If its fungus (fungus is actually furry)....
The stuff the OP is using--the name is Fungus Clear, but it's actually an antibiotic. It contains nitrofurazone. I don't know why they call it Fungus Clear--my guess is that Jungle Labs is banking on the fact that so many people associate the fuzzy stuff caused by bacterial infections like columnaris with fungus....
But "Fungus Clear" would actually be ineffective against a true fungus :screwy:
 
Last edited:

bazil323

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Actually, it says it's good for bacterial and fungal infections per their website. and the package. The active ingredients are listed as Nitrofurazone, Furazolidone, and potassium dichromate.

And no, I'm not sure it's fungus. I was, in fact, leaning towards bacterial, but I really don't know. I did decide to go ahead and order Seachem's KanaPlex (kanamycin) and NeoPlex which is a broad-spectrum antibiotic and Seachem's Focus which is an antibiotic polymer and can be mixed with other meds to make fish eat them and treat internal infections.

They should be here by the weekend, but I'm not sure which to use or in combination or what. I've been blessed with pretty healthy fish, so I'm no so experienced with treating and diagnosing.

Oh, and an update on his condition. I took a good long look at him. I think his gill may be sticking out past the gill cover on one side, but it may have just been dark red edging on the gill cover. On the other side, there seem to be 2 pinkish vertical streaks, may be his coloring or may be symptom, on the side of his face and the front part of his gill cover. Also, the bump on his belly fin actually extends up onto his body as well a little bit, which I hadn't noticed before.
 

LeahK

AC Members
Jul 5, 2007
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Actually, it says it's good for bacterial and fungal infections per their website. and the package. The active ingredients are listed as Nitrofurazone, Furazolidone, and potassium dichromate.
That's good to know. I used it before, but I got it because I needed the nitrofurazone for fin rot. But, yeah, potassium dichromate is fungicidal.

I'm hoping the Kanaplex works for him. It sounds like you have a good plan.
 

Tay690

Addicted to Loaches
Feb 5, 2009
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Go Kanaplex go! that stuff works wonders honestly
 
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