Hairy Betta?

colematthewmala

colematthewmala

AC Members
Jun 5, 2009
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Three Hills, Alberta, Canada
Well, just last night i was observing my bettas and noticed that they both had a very fine white stringy substance hanging off of them, I have no idea what this is. I turned on the aeration higher and when i woke up the whole filter and corner the filter was in was covered in the stuff. I dod a 100% water change and am now treating them with maroxy, salt and a little bettafix, I also threw in a little maracyn 2. Could you help me? I'm really worried this could turn serious and harm my fish. My fish are acting normale and all, eating fine, have spread out fins and are always alert but i really want to get rid of this problem.:help2:
 
wow I have no clue on this one Im sure the experts will know
 
Can you please post a few pictures... that would help tremendously.
 
i would post pictures but my camera isn't working and i don't think it would get good pictures anyways. Now the hairs are coming out of his nostrils. :(
 
Mmm why are you dumping in meds if you don't have a positive ID on the disease? Maybe a little bit of salt and water changes are the best course of action until you know for sure what it is in my opinion.

If you don't have pics, can you describe it a little better? How long/thick are the strands and how many of them are there? Are the strands moving or are they drifting in the water? Can you maybe borrow a friend's camera?
 
Theredchaser has a valid point. Please refrain from treating your fish unless you are sure of the exact issues. Reckless treatment without proper diagnosis will kill your fish faster than the possible health issue would.

On the other hand, I believe what you are seeing is just biofilm. Assuming my guess is correctly as I believe it may be, then you have no reason to worry about. Get an activated carbon and put in the filter to remove your medicines. Do a water change as well.
 
I suspect if the white fiber-looking thing you saw wasn't wiggling or moving on it's own accord then it probably isn't a parasite. It is possible that your fish was producing an overactive slime coat or possibly showing signs of disease like Flavobacterium columnare or a similar infection. Overactive slime coats are sometimes caused by additives to the water like salt or some water conditioners. Some medications may cause the Betta to produce a heavy slime coat as well. This often appears in the form of fibrous strings and commonly presents themselves near or in the gills. Overactive slime coat doesn't generally cause any problems and will correct itself. Ceasing to add anything that might be contributing like aquarium salt or a new type of water conditioner (StressCoat for example contains Aloe Vera which may contribute to the problem), should help.

Flavobacterium columnare or similar bacterial infections are a bit more serious as they are directly the result of stress and usually poor water quality. They often times present themselves in the form of long fibrous strings as well and tend to gather around the mouth and gills. They may also take the form of short wooly patches on the body. This is often referred to as Flex, Cotton mouth disease, cotton wool disease or by it's former scientific name of Flexibacter columnaris. There are also other bacterial diseases that are similar but require a microscope to diagnose. Flex is usually progressive and symptoms will worsen over time. In addition to the white strings you may notice sluggishness, loss of color, loss of appetite and the grey, white or beige fuzzy patches. If you suspect Flex you should consider antibiotic treatment. To learn more about Flavobacterium columnare visit the Flex page at Nippyfish.net.
 
the disease is clearing up now and their is only a tiny bit of strings. I did a 100% water change and now everything is well under control.
 
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