1). Ammonia/NitrIte/NitrAte level? 0 / 0/ 25
2). Amount of time tank has been running? At least 90 days
3). Gallons/liters/size of tank? 10G
4). Frequency of water changes, and how much water is changed each time? Varies, anywhere for 25 % once per week to as much as 40% if needed, i.e. ick or other issues
5). What are the occupants of the tank? 1 single betta
6). Well water/city water and do you treat for chlorine/chloramines? City water, use Seachem’s Prime water treatment
7). What products/chemicals have been used/added to the tank? Approximatey 2 weeks ago Aquari-Sol, for ick, later did major water change and switched to Seachem’s Paraguard, as I found the copper was not removable thru carbon filtration do to something regarding “chelating”
below are excerpts of various posts over the last few days in various forums..... ellipted (?) for the most part as it is too long, but will explain where i am at now:
began using Pimafix, but it did nothing for the tank / fish, so I did a major water change (40%) and switched to Paraguard.
See below for details:
I am new to this site:
Forgive me if this is a mis-post, as I understand most forums, it is protocol not to detract from a thread.
My betta has a very cloudy eye and also what looks like a fungus stuck on his eye(s).... at first it looked as if he has a scaley coating over his eye that is coming off, sort of like if he were wearing a contact and someone sort of peeled half of it back and left it there, bent in the middle at 90 degrees, (i.e. half on half off with the crease smack in the middle.)
After watching him a while, it appears an orange-ish or yellow-is color on the eye(s). One of the eyes appears cloudy, the left one.
Then I noticed he has that fuzzy discoloration on / around his head, but i have noticed it under his jaw since pretty much since we first got hime, so I always thought this was part of his coloration / skin. However, perhaps it is a fungus or something that is spreading?
he also seems to have a bit around the eyes, like on the top front of the left eye for example in the first pic.
I had a friend who knows a lot more about fish than I (and also works at a pet store) look at it, he said it is not pop-eye, but looks like a fungus. Said he uses API Pimafix, antifungal, made from extract from the Indian Bay Tree, because it is made from all natural ingredients.
Bottle says
PimaFix™
Treats fungal infections and both internal and external bacterial infections. Will not adversely affect the biological filter, alter the pH, or discolor water. Safe for reef aquariums and live plants. For use in fresh or salt water. PimaFix has been formulated to work in combination with Melafix to enhance effectiveness against fish diseases
Also, he just got over ICK approximately 10 days ago… Re: Recent ICK, I treated with aquari-sol for two or three days, did a major water change and then used paraguard, as I found out the copper is not easily removed from the tank at least not in that medicine). The ICK cleared up in approximately 4 - 5 days, but I left the tank on 86, so he was in that temp for a total of 10 days, then I gruadually lowered it back down to 79. Actually the tank is now at 80 as I want to keep it at 81 - 82 from now on. I don't expect the ICK would have come back. (But who knows? Anyone?)
last major change was about a week or so ago, then a 15 percent change 2 days ago, did another major water change yesterday (60 - 70 % ) trying to vac out any remnants of littly nasties from the ick.
IT IS HARD TO SEE EVEN WITH THE CLOSE UPS....
I have used 1 teaspoon / 5 ml of API Pimafix now for two days, tonight being the second administration of medicine at approximately 1930 hours, so he has been on the meds for some 29 – 30 hours now, with a re-dose every 24 hours.
Looking at him today (some 30 hours since noticed and treated) he does not look any better.
Will post some pics below.
Should I be using something else? Should I do a water change, though the water is very clear?
Follow the attached link for pics
http://s1013.photobucket.com/albums/af259/michaelg210/
As stated above, switched to Seachem’s Paraguard…After approximately 30 hours, eye looks slightly better, but not the fuzzy stuff around the head / eyes / underside of face / head.
I am thinking perhaps this is not a simple cloudy eye or fungus…. Any suggestions?
Ok, I think / hope / beleive I finally got this figured out, but afraid from what I have read, it is possibly too late.
I am 99 percent sure what he has is known as Columnaris /Flexibacteria it is often mistaken as a fungus and is definitely not good.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/columnaris_disease.php
http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/articles/columnaris.html
http://www.flippersandfins.net/flexibacter.htm
http://aquamaniacs.net/forum/cms_view_article.php?aid=28
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-219600.html
At any rate, instead of increasing the temp, I should be dropping it, to about 75 – 76.
I was wishing to treat with Seachem’s KanaPlex, but no one in town seems to stock it.
I ended up adding tetracycline to the water as this was all I was able to obtain.
pacpac2
If it is columnaris, Kanamycin would be the best choice for an antibiotic. This disease will manifest rapidly and kill the fish within days if not treated quickly. Good luck! It is treatable though, and fish recover well. I think we have all had this problem at some time in our fish hobby life's.
There is so much conflicting information, but the above from pacpac2, which I just found trying to explain this disease, pretty much sums up what I believe after hours and I do mean hours of research.
I am not sure tetracycline is the best way to go, but if I did not start doing something tonight, I fear, it would be too late, best as I understand it.
Tomorrow being Saturday and actually off this weekend, I will again attempt to locate KanaPlex.... or oxytetracycline, (open to suggestions)
I think I should do a 30 % water change and run a carbon filter for a few hours before using KanaPlex, which Seachem says is fine after Paraguard, which is inert after 24 hours, but then there is now the tetracycline.
I will lower the temp, now at 82, down to 80 and then gradually down to 76
I will pray for the best and ask my daughter, who is very upset, to pray.
Hope he makes it unless anyone has any better ideas.
2). Amount of time tank has been running? At least 90 days
3). Gallons/liters/size of tank? 10G
4). Frequency of water changes, and how much water is changed each time? Varies, anywhere for 25 % once per week to as much as 40% if needed, i.e. ick or other issues
5). What are the occupants of the tank? 1 single betta
6). Well water/city water and do you treat for chlorine/chloramines? City water, use Seachem’s Prime water treatment
7). What products/chemicals have been used/added to the tank? Approximatey 2 weeks ago Aquari-Sol, for ick, later did major water change and switched to Seachem’s Paraguard, as I found the copper was not removable thru carbon filtration do to something regarding “chelating”
below are excerpts of various posts over the last few days in various forums..... ellipted (?) for the most part as it is too long, but will explain where i am at now:
began using Pimafix, but it did nothing for the tank / fish, so I did a major water change (40%) and switched to Paraguard.
See below for details:
I am new to this site:
Forgive me if this is a mis-post, as I understand most forums, it is protocol not to detract from a thread.
My betta has a very cloudy eye and also what looks like a fungus stuck on his eye(s).... at first it looked as if he has a scaley coating over his eye that is coming off, sort of like if he were wearing a contact and someone sort of peeled half of it back and left it there, bent in the middle at 90 degrees, (i.e. half on half off with the crease smack in the middle.)
After watching him a while, it appears an orange-ish or yellow-is color on the eye(s). One of the eyes appears cloudy, the left one.
Then I noticed he has that fuzzy discoloration on / around his head, but i have noticed it under his jaw since pretty much since we first got hime, so I always thought this was part of his coloration / skin. However, perhaps it is a fungus or something that is spreading?
he also seems to have a bit around the eyes, like on the top front of the left eye for example in the first pic.
I had a friend who knows a lot more about fish than I (and also works at a pet store) look at it, he said it is not pop-eye, but looks like a fungus. Said he uses API Pimafix, antifungal, made from extract from the Indian Bay Tree, because it is made from all natural ingredients.
Bottle says
PimaFix™
Treats fungal infections and both internal and external bacterial infections. Will not adversely affect the biological filter, alter the pH, or discolor water. Safe for reef aquariums and live plants. For use in fresh or salt water. PimaFix has been formulated to work in combination with Melafix to enhance effectiveness against fish diseases
Also, he just got over ICK approximately 10 days ago… Re: Recent ICK, I treated with aquari-sol for two or three days, did a major water change and then used paraguard, as I found out the copper is not easily removed from the tank at least not in that medicine). The ICK cleared up in approximately 4 - 5 days, but I left the tank on 86, so he was in that temp for a total of 10 days, then I gruadually lowered it back down to 79. Actually the tank is now at 80 as I want to keep it at 81 - 82 from now on. I don't expect the ICK would have come back. (But who knows? Anyone?)
last major change was about a week or so ago, then a 15 percent change 2 days ago, did another major water change yesterday (60 - 70 % ) trying to vac out any remnants of littly nasties from the ick.
IT IS HARD TO SEE EVEN WITH THE CLOSE UPS....
I have used 1 teaspoon / 5 ml of API Pimafix now for two days, tonight being the second administration of medicine at approximately 1930 hours, so he has been on the meds for some 29 – 30 hours now, with a re-dose every 24 hours.
Looking at him today (some 30 hours since noticed and treated) he does not look any better.
Will post some pics below.
Should I be using something else? Should I do a water change, though the water is very clear?
Follow the attached link for pics
http://s1013.photobucket.com/albums/af259/michaelg210/
As stated above, switched to Seachem’s Paraguard…After approximately 30 hours, eye looks slightly better, but not the fuzzy stuff around the head / eyes / underside of face / head.
I am thinking perhaps this is not a simple cloudy eye or fungus…. Any suggestions?
Ok, I think / hope / beleive I finally got this figured out, but afraid from what I have read, it is possibly too late.
I am 99 percent sure what he has is known as Columnaris /Flexibacteria it is often mistaken as a fungus and is definitely not good.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/columnaris_disease.php
http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/articles/columnaris.html
http://www.flippersandfins.net/flexibacter.htm
http://aquamaniacs.net/forum/cms_view_article.php?aid=28
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-219600.html
At any rate, instead of increasing the temp, I should be dropping it, to about 75 – 76.
I was wishing to treat with Seachem’s KanaPlex, but no one in town seems to stock it.
I ended up adding tetracycline to the water as this was all I was able to obtain.
pacpac2
02-18-2010, 10:29 AM
There is so much conflicting information, but the above from pacpac2, which I just found trying to explain this disease, pretty much sums up what I believe after hours and I do mean hours of research.
I am not sure tetracycline is the best way to go, but if I did not start doing something tonight, I fear, it would be too late, best as I understand it.
Tomorrow being Saturday and actually off this weekend, I will again attempt to locate KanaPlex.... or oxytetracycline, (open to suggestions)
I think I should do a 30 % water change and run a carbon filter for a few hours before using KanaPlex, which Seachem says is fine after Paraguard, which is inert after 24 hours, but then there is now the tetracycline.
I will lower the temp, now at 82, down to 80 and then gradually down to 76
I will pray for the best and ask my daughter, who is very upset, to pray.
Hope he makes it unless anyone has any better ideas.
