My betta's had this weird growth on her side for over a month and it's taken a turn for the worse. At first, it was white, but now it's got a brownish tint with black edges - and other scales are starting to look the same in other areas. She's still eating normally, no color loss, no fin damage. I'm stumped on how to treat it since I have no idea what it is. I've tried Furan 2, didn't work. I do use aquarium salt, though. I'm at a loss here, please help.
Water parameters:
Nitrate 0 mg/L
Nitrite 0
pH 7.5
KH 120
GH 180
Can anyone identify this?
Re: Can anyone identify this?
Can you tell if the growth on your betta's side is raised or flat?
Re: Can anyone identify this?
I'm thinking it might be a bacterial infection, worth considering. You've already tried Furan-2, but maybe it's worth another shot or trying a different antibiotic treatment.
Re: Can anyone identify this?
I already gave API Furan-2 a shot, did two rounds of treatment back to back, but unfortunately, the spot's still there. I'm thinking of trying it again once I'm done with the fungus treatment I've got her on now.
Re: Can anyone identify this?
I wouldn't recommend using Furan-2 again, it didn't work the first time and it's unlikely to work now. It's possible that your betta has either a fungal or bacterial infection. Fungal infections can appear as white and fluffy, but some types can live in the skin, making them harder to identify. Bacterial infections are usually red, but slow-growing bacteria can erode the skin and surrounding tissue.
Can you tell me a bit more about your tank and fish? How long have you had her for? What's your water change schedule like - how often do you do them and how much water do you change at a time? Do you clean the gravel when you do water changes? And do you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the tank?
What kind of filter are you using? How often do you clean it and how do you do it? What's the ammonia level in your tank? Have you added anything new to the tank in the two weeks leading up to this issue? And how much salt have you been adding to the tank? You mentioned using a fungal treatment - what is it?
I'd recommend doing a 75% water change and cleaning the gravel every day for two weeks. Make sure to wipe down the inside of the tank before doing this, and use dechlorinated water for the changes. If you haven't cleaned the filter in the last two weeks, give it a good clean - just wash the media in a bucket of tank water and reuse it.
If you're not already using it, you could try adding rock salt or aquarium salt to the tank at a dose rate of 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres of water. Keep the salt level like this for at least two weeks, but no longer than four weeks to avoid kidney damage. After two weeks of using salt, do a 20% water change each day for a week using fresh, dechlorinated water to slowly dilute the salt out of the tank.
Can you tell me a bit more about your tank and fish? How long have you had her for? What's your water change schedule like - how often do you do them and how much water do you change at a time? Do you clean the gravel when you do water changes? And do you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the tank?
What kind of filter are you using? How often do you clean it and how do you do it? What's the ammonia level in your tank? Have you added anything new to the tank in the two weeks leading up to this issue? And how much salt have you been adding to the tank? You mentioned using a fungal treatment - what is it?
I'd recommend doing a 75% water change and cleaning the gravel every day for two weeks. Make sure to wipe down the inside of the tank before doing this, and use dechlorinated water for the changes. If you haven't cleaned the filter in the last two weeks, give it a good clean - just wash the media in a bucket of tank water and reuse it.
If you're not already using it, you could try adding rock salt or aquarium salt to the tank at a dose rate of 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres of water. Keep the salt level like this for at least two weeks, but no longer than four weeks to avoid kidney damage. After two weeks of using salt, do a 20% water change each day for a week using fresh, dechlorinated water to slowly dilute the salt out of the tank.