I've been dealing with my betta's tail fin issues for a while now. Initially, he was in a 5-gal cycled tank, but his fin started looking ragged. I tried aquarium salt and water changes, but no luck. He was still eating and swimming, though. I ended up using Fungus Cure.
I had a 10-gal tank cycled for about 1-2 months, tested the water frequently, and did partial water changes. pH was 7.6, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, and nitrate 5. GH and KH were both 6. I moved him to the new tank, but within a few days, he became lethargic, and his fin looked worse - smooth where it fell off.
I then moved him to a 2.5-gal tank, started Kanaplex, and added Jungle Cure. He developed white around his mouth, like he drank milk. I've given him two doses of Kanaplex so far, with the third dose scheduled for tomorrow. I've also been adding Seachem Prime on the in-between days, as the tank is only 2-gal full. I've rigged a sponge filter with an air stone inside and do 50% water changes every other day before adding Kanaplex. I redosed the Jungle Cure during the water change yesterday.
Despite all this, I haven't seen any improvement. He stays at the bottom of the tank, like he's about to fall over. When I put my hand in the water, he swims spastically for a second or two before dropping back down. Needless to say, he isn't eating - hasn't eaten in about a week. The heater is set to 78F. I've bought Betta Revive, but I'm not sure if I should switch medications or wait.
Is my betta sick due to bacteria or fungal infection?
Re: Is my betta sick due to bacteria or fungal infection?
I'm worried about the mix of medications in the water, it's not a good idea to combine them as it can be toxic for the fish. The white around the mouth area, I think it's excess mucus caused by the chemicals in the water.
How much aquarium salt did you use initially? Normally, I'd recommend using a higher dose of salt for fin rot, about 1-2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres of water, and doing large daily water changes, around 75%, for a week or two.
I'm not a fan of using antibiotics unless absolutely necessary, they can contribute to drug-resistant bacteria that's hard to fight. If the infection is resistant, it's tough to save the fish. I'd suggest stopping the medications and doing 75% daily water changes for a couple of weeks. Let's see how the betta responds in a week, and if needed, we can try a higher dose of salt if you used less than 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres.
How much aquarium salt did you use initially? Normally, I'd recommend using a higher dose of salt for fin rot, about 1-2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres of water, and doing large daily water changes, around 75%, for a week or two.
I'm not a fan of using antibiotics unless absolutely necessary, they can contribute to drug-resistant bacteria that's hard to fight. If the infection is resistant, it's tough to save the fish. I'd suggest stopping the medications and doing 75% daily water changes for a couple of weeks. Let's see how the betta responds in a week, and if needed, we can try a higher dose of salt if you used less than 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres.
Re: Is my betta sick due to bacteria or fungal infection?
I appreciate your input. I was using API Jungle Fungus Clear, which is Nitrifurazone, and I've since found out it's safe to use with Kanaplex. I was only using a teaspoon of aquarium salt in my 5-gallon tank, so that's less than a tablespoon. Considering the situation, I'm thinking of moving him back to the 5-gallon tank. Since it's not cycled, that wouldn't make a difference, but at least he could stay in his tank during water changes, which would be much less stressful for him. I've been trying to get him to eat, but he hasn't had anything in a week. I even tried frozen brine shrimp since they sink, but he didn't show any interest in those or his usual Hikari pellets.coltin wrote: ↑Thu May 08, 2025 5:17 pm I'm worried about the mix of medications in the water, it's not a good idea to combine them as it can be toxic for the fish. The white around the mouth area, I think it's excess mucus caused by the chemicals in the water.
How much aquarium salt did you use initially? Normally, I'd recommend using a higher dose of salt for fin rot, about 1-2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres of water, and doing large daily water changes, around 75%, for a week or two.
I'm not a fan of using antibiotics unless absolutely necessary, they can contribute to drug-resistant bacteria that's hard to fight. If the infection is resistant, it's tough to save the fish. I'd suggest stopping the medications and doing 75% daily water changes for a couple of weeks. Let's see how the betta responds in a week, and if needed, we can try a higher dose of salt if you used less than 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres.
Re: Is my betta sick due to bacteria or fungal infection?
Using Salt for Fish Health Issues
I've been reading up on using salt to treat fish diseases and it's interesting to note that for some ailments, you can use salt instead of chemical-based medications. Salt, or sodium chloride, is relatively safe and is often used in the aquaculture industry to treat food fish for diseases. It's been successfully used to treat minor fungal and bacterial infections, as well as external protozoan infections. However, it won't treat whitespot or Velvet, but it will treat most other types of protozoan infections in freshwater fishes.
When adding salt to the aquarium, you can use rock salt or swimming pool salt at a dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there's no improvement after 48 hours, you can double the dose rate to 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres. For certain species like livebearers, goldfish, or rainbowfish, you can double the dose rate initially, but be cautious with species from soft water like tetras or Bettas.
Keep the salt level consistent for at least 2 weeks, but no longer than 4 weeks to avoid kidney damage. Fish from soft water are more prone to kidney damage when exposed to high salt levels for an extended period. However, this isn't an issue with salt-tolerant species like livebearers or rainbowfish.
The good news is that salt won't affect beneficial filter bacteria, but higher dose rates can impact some plants and snails. Lower dose rates, on the other hand, are safe for fish, plants, shrimp, and snails.
After treatment, it's essential to dilute the salt out of the tank slowly to avoid stressing the fish. Start with 10% daily water changes using fresh, dechlorinated water for a week, followed by 20% daily water changes for another week. You can then do bigger water changes.
When doing water changes during salt treatment, make sure to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank to maintain a stable salt level and minimize stress on the fish. When adding salt, dissolve it in a small bucket of tank water and slowly pour it into the tank near the filter outlet over a couple of minutes.
I've been reading up on using salt to treat fish diseases and it's interesting to note that for some ailments, you can use salt instead of chemical-based medications. Salt, or sodium chloride, is relatively safe and is often used in the aquaculture industry to treat food fish for diseases. It's been successfully used to treat minor fungal and bacterial infections, as well as external protozoan infections. However, it won't treat whitespot or Velvet, but it will treat most other types of protozoan infections in freshwater fishes.
When adding salt to the aquarium, you can use rock salt or swimming pool salt at a dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there's no improvement after 48 hours, you can double the dose rate to 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres. For certain species like livebearers, goldfish, or rainbowfish, you can double the dose rate initially, but be cautious with species from soft water like tetras or Bettas.
Keep the salt level consistent for at least 2 weeks, but no longer than 4 weeks to avoid kidney damage. Fish from soft water are more prone to kidney damage when exposed to high salt levels for an extended period. However, this isn't an issue with salt-tolerant species like livebearers or rainbowfish.
The good news is that salt won't affect beneficial filter bacteria, but higher dose rates can impact some plants and snails. Lower dose rates, on the other hand, are safe for fish, plants, shrimp, and snails.
After treatment, it's essential to dilute the salt out of the tank slowly to avoid stressing the fish. Start with 10% daily water changes using fresh, dechlorinated water for a week, followed by 20% daily water changes for another week. You can then do bigger water changes.
When doing water changes during salt treatment, make sure to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank to maintain a stable salt level and minimize stress on the fish. When adding salt, dissolve it in a small bucket of tank water and slowly pour it into the tank near the filter outlet over a couple of minutes.
Re: Is my betta sick due to bacteria or fungal infection?
SALT
I've been reading up on using salt to treat fish health issues. It seems that salt is relatively safe and can be used to treat minor fungal and bacterial infections, as well as external protozoan infections. However, it won't treat whitespot or Velvet.
You can add rock salt or swimming pool salt to the aquarium at a dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there's no improvement after 48 hours, you can double the dose rate. But be careful, as high levels of salt for extended periods can cause kidney damage in fish from soft water, like bettas.
The salt won't affect beneficial filter bacteria, but high doses can affect some plants and snails. After treatment, you'll need to do a series of water changes to dilute the salt out of the tank slowly.
I've stopped the medication and started doing 75% water changes, and I've added aquarium salt. However, my betta is still sitting on the bottom of the tank, and when he swims, he's pointed face down and has a hard time staying upright. I'm worried it might be swim bladder involvement. Should I have done an Epsom salt bath initially? The white around his mouth has mostly gone away, but I really want to help him if I can.
I've been reading up on using salt to treat fish health issues. It seems that salt is relatively safe and can be used to treat minor fungal and bacterial infections, as well as external protozoan infections. However, it won't treat whitespot or Velvet.
You can add rock salt or swimming pool salt to the aquarium at a dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there's no improvement after 48 hours, you can double the dose rate. But be careful, as high levels of salt for extended periods can cause kidney damage in fish from soft water, like bettas.
The salt won't affect beneficial filter bacteria, but high doses can affect some plants and snails. After treatment, you'll need to do a series of water changes to dilute the salt out of the tank slowly.
I've stopped the medication and started doing 75% water changes, and I've added aquarium salt. However, my betta is still sitting on the bottom of the tank, and when he swims, he's pointed face down and has a hard time staying upright. I'm worried it might be swim bladder involvement. Should I have done an Epsom salt bath initially? The white around his mouth has mostly gone away, but I really want to help him if I can.
Re: Is my betta sick due to bacteria or fungal infection?
Epsom salt baths aren't really effective in treating diseases caused by microscopic organisms, they're more about drawing out fluid from the fish. I wouldn't think it would've made a huge difference in this case.
As for the swim bladder issue, I'm not convinced that's what's going on here. It's possible, but I think it's more likely he's just really ill and needs some time to recover. Keep doing those massive water changes and adding the aquarium salt, and let's see how he goes over the next few days.
As for the swim bladder issue, I'm not convinced that's what's going on here. It's possible, but I think it's more likely he's just really ill and needs some time to recover. Keep doing those massive water changes and adding the aquarium salt, and let's see how he goes over the next few days.
Re: Is my betta sick due to bacteria or fungal infection?
I've taken a few pictures of him, which I'll share. He can't sit at the bottom of the tank like he used to - now his nose touches the gravel and the rest of his body floats upward. The only time he moves is when I do water changes, and even then it's just spastic swimming before he sinks back down, often off balance and listing to one side before ending up face down in the gravel.
Re: Is my betta sick due to bacteria or fungal infection?
It seems like your betta's issue could be related to air in the intestine or a swim bladder problem. When fish stop swimming and float up to the surface, it's often one of these two causes. Air in the intestine is pretty common and usually happens when they eat dry food from the surface and swallow some air along with it. This air then travels through their intestine and eventually gets released.
To figure out if this is the case, you could try switching to frozen or live foods for a week and see if the issue persists. If it does, it might be a swim bladder problem, which unfortunately doesn't have a cure.
To figure out if this is the case, you could try switching to frozen or live foods for a week and see if the issue persists. If it does, it might be a swim bladder problem, which unfortunately doesn't have a cure.
Re: Is my betta sick due to bacteria or fungal infection?
I'm getting really worried about my betta. He still won't eat, it's been almost 2 weeks now. I've tried pellets and frozen brine shrimp, but nothing's working. I'm not sure what to do at this point. Should I try an epsom salt bath to see if that helps, or just keep doing the water changes and waiting to see if he gets better? I really don't want to give up on him, but I also don't want him to suffer if there's no hope.coltin wrote: ↑Thu May 08, 2025 5:17 pm I'm worried about the mix of medications in the water, it's not a good idea to combine them as it can be toxic for the fish. The white around the mouth area, I think it's excess mucus caused by the chemicals in the water.
How much aquarium salt did you use initially? Normally, I'd recommend using a higher dose of salt for fin rot, about 1-2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres of water, and doing large daily water changes, around 75%, for a week or two.
I'm not a fan of using antibiotics unless absolutely necessary, they can contribute to drug-resistant bacteria that's hard to fight. If the infection is resistant, it's tough to save the fish. I'd suggest stopping the medications and doing 75% daily water changes for a couple of weeks. Let's see how the betta responds in a week, and if needed, we can try a higher dose of salt if you used less than 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres.