Betta seen betta days

[JanDW]

Rats, turns out this is the most powerful explosive I have around the house:



Unless you are vegan, I think you should maybe reconsider calling my attitude flippant? See, I'm am treating the fish and spending way more time than I can rationally justify on trying to get them better. The suffering inflicted by eating animal products surely outweighs any harm done by a joke. If you are vegan, you can absolutely call my attitude flippant. I'll admit you're ethically superior to me. I'll take it in stride and will take solace in having edible food to eat.

Please don't take that too seriously. Thanks for following up, I appreciate it!

Hmmm… my impression was that people suggested columnaris because of the white film perceived on Remco (the betta), which was actually a camera artifact.
Are there other reasons that point strongly towards columnaris?

A week after going topsy-turvy, I've moved the rasboras back last night. They've since regained color, not fully, but a clear improvement. I understand that's not necessarily the end of it and I did get some clove oil for when it goes wrong.

I think I'll move Remco (betta) to the 5 gallon tank. There's a berried neocaridina shrimp in there. I was hoping to get a shrimp colony going, but I think he shouldn't be with the rasboras. The plants have grown in pretty well, so maybe they can stay out of reach.

Thanks again!

 

[NoodleCats]

Rats, turns out this is the most powerful explosive I have around the house:

View attachment 232612

Unless you are vegan, I think you should maybe reconsider calling my attitude flippant? See, I'm am treating the fish and spending way more time than I can rationally justify on trying to get them better. The suffering inflicted by eating animal products surely outweighs any harm done by a joke. If you are vegan, you can absolutely call my attitude flippant. I'll admit you're ethically superior to me. I'll take it in stride and will take solace in having edible food to eat.

Please don't take that too seriously. Thanks for following up, I appreciate it!

Hmmm… my impression was that people suggested columnaris because of the white film perceived on Remco (the betta), which was actually a camera artifact.
Are there other reasons that point strongly towards columnaris?

A week after going topsy-turvy, I've moved the rasboras back last night. They've since regained color, not fully, but a clear improvement. I understand that's not necessarily the end of it and I did get some clove oil for when it goes wrong.

I think I'll move Remco (betta) to the 5 gallon tank. There's a berried neocaridina shrimp in there. I was hoping to get a shrimp colony going, but I think he shouldn't be with the rasboras. The plants have grown in pretty well, so maybe they can stay out of reach.

Thanks again!

What makes me lean columnaris is that I've had this very same thing happen with a betta. Fins curled together as if glued together. It shows a grey coating in camera lighting, not necessarily fully by eye either.

Columnaris can also affect internal organs, such as swim bladder which controls buoyancy in fish.

It's a bacteria that's usually always present in our water naturally, but if a fish is stressed for whatever reason (new home, change of parameters, high ammonia/nitrite/nitrate, crowding, lack of hygiene of the tanks, wrong temperatures, stressful tankmates, injury, parasites, etc) it weakens their immune system and columnaris takes advantage. It can strike hard and fast or creep up slow. Sometimes fish die from it without any apparent symptoms outwardly too.


Bettas are prone to fin injury due to their long fins and often poor genetics. Some even nip their own fins due to being too heavy. Thus risking infection easily.


Something to look at many factors with, as columnaris is often a secondary cause.

Of course, there are many other bacterial infections that can mimic columnaris, but I've had experience of this very same condition happen and it was indeed columnaris. That fish eventually recovered, however, and lived another year.

 

[JanDW]

It's a bacteria that's usually always present in our water naturally, but if a fish is stressed for whatever reason (new home, change of parameters, high ammonia/nitrite/nitrate, crowding, lack of hygiene of the tanks, wrong temperatures, stressful tankmates, injury, parasites, etc) it weakens their immune system and columnaris takes advantage. It can strike hard and fast or creep up slow. Sometimes fish die from it without any apparent symptoms outwardly too

Interesting, thank you. It was shocking to me that both the betta and rasboras got affected in such a short time. I came across this video and it has made me wonder if it could have contributed to this. I'd been adding liquid fertilizer weekly for a while as they weren't doing so well. Needless to day, I've since stopped adding it, the plants look pretty good now anyway.

Things sure appear good today in comparison to last week. If I can't see it, I guess I'm not going to worry about it, I'll take that as it comes.

The betta is also out of the hospital tank, and moved in with one (previously?) berried neocaridina shrimp in the 5 gallon tank . Hasn't eaten her yet, I believe. Attaboy. What a gentleman. His fins are looking so much better, and he's active.

The 3 rasboras back in the 10 gallon tank have regained the color in their wedges and can still tell up from down. I think I'll wait a few weeks or a month until I bring Remco in the tank with them. Part of me is hoping he's on his way to become lord of the shrimp now.

The rasboras should be in a bigger shoal anyway, maybe I'll keep 6 in the 10 gallon tank.
Though I think I might quarantine them for 4 weeks when I do. Heh.

Out of curiosity, how did you eventually manage conclude it was indeed columnaris?

 

[NoodleCats]

Interesting, thank you. It was shocking to me that both the betta and rasboras got affected in such a short time. I came across this video and it has made me wonder if it could have contributed to this. I'd been adding liquid fertilizer weekly for a while as they weren't doing so well. Needless to day, I've since stopped adding it, the plants look pretty good now anyway.

Things sure appear good today in comparison to last week. If I can't see it, I guess I'm not going to worry about it, I'll take that as it comes.

The betta is also out of the hospital tank, and moved in with one (previously?) berried neocaridina shrimp in the 5 gallon tank . Hasn't eaten her yet, I believe. Attaboy. What a gentleman. His fins are looking so much better, and he's active.

The 3 rasboras back in the 10 gallon tank have regained the color in their wedges and can still tell up from down. I think I'll wait a few weeks or a month until I bring Remco in the tank with them. Part of me is hoping he's on his way to become lord of the shrimp now.

The rasboras should be in a bigger shoal anyway, maybe I'll keep 6 in the 10 gallon tank.
Though I think I might quarantine them for 4 weeks when I do. Heh.

Out of curiosity, how did you eventually manage conclude it was indeed columnaris?

Showed classic signs of it and eventually turned into the fuzzy form of it. Very stubborn to general antibiotics, had to get my hands on kanamycin for it to clear up. It can be notoriously stubborn as most antibiotics are not effective against it.


It's plausible the fertilizer could be too much for the amount/type of plants, driving nitrates higher than the fish would like. That could very well stress fish.

You can attempt to half dose instead, or adjust it accordingly. A lot of fertilizer mixes are a generalized dosage, sometimes aquariums need more, sometimes less. Monitor the nitrates within 7 days of dosing. Ideally water change on the 7th day as well, make sure nitrates stay below 20ppm for the fish.

If you are staying in the 5-10ppm nitrate range while using fertilizer, you are doing good and shouldn't need to add more nitrogen (if there's plant nutrition deficiencies still, you can boost some of the other nutrients by getting individual bottles. Example, I have a couple tanks that have plants that need extra potassium, so I dose the usual fertilizer plus potassium on the side to meet their needs)

If you find it's still too much, you can also search for fertilizer that doesn't contain nitrogen if your nitrates are high. High nitrates though should be addressed using water changes (unless you have nitrates present in your tap water too) and assessing stock levels as well.

Many factors, and not all one size fits all.

 

[JanDW]

My fish are still doing well—I moved the betta back in with the rasboras a few days back.

I was using API Leaf Zone and API CO2 Booster, which constains soluble potash and chelated iron, but actually no nitrogen I think. My nitrates have been very low, as in, mostly non-existent, which I attribute to the stem and loating plants. I guess that wouldn't have been a source for the bacteria to feed on then. Oh well, a bit of mystery.

Speaking of mysteries, I found two dragonfly larvae in my 5 gallon tank, just after the betta was moved in there. I was able to capture them. That was baffeling, I have a resurrection jar (leaf matter + pond water) 10 feet away, that could contain them, but how on earth would they get from the jar to the tank? Unless they were already in there.

Not a dull moment with an aquarium.

Thanks for the response.

 

[NoodleCats]

My fish are still doing well—I moved the betta back in with the rasboras a few days back.

I was using API Leaf Zone and API CO2 Booster, which constains soluble potash and chelated iron, but actually no nitrogen I think. My nitrates have been very low, as in, mostly non-existent, which I attribute to the stem and loating plants. I guess that wouldn't have been a source for the bacteria to feed on then. Oh well, a bit of mystery.

Speaking of mysteries, I found two dragonfly larvae in my 5 gallon tank, just after the betta was moved in there. I was able to capture them. That was baffeling, I have a resurrection jar (leaf matter + pond water) 10 feet away, that could contain them, but how on earth would they get from the jar to the tank? Unless they were already in there.

Not a dull moment with an aquarium.

Thanks for the response.

Good to hear he's doing better!

The larvae could have come in as eggs on plants, or if there's access to inside your home never know, the eggs could have been laid in your tank.