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Help! White Patch on Betta

2K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  purelex 
#1 ·
I've had this betta for almost 2 years in a Fluval Chi 5 gallon heated filtered well cared for tank. Water parameters are good other than cyanobacteria I can't get rid of no matter what. Can anyone please identify this white cottony patch on his fin/body? And also recommend meds....I don't have carbon in my filter either. Thankyou!!
 

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#2 ·
We are looking at the white in front of the anal fin yeah?

That can either be bacterial or fungal, so antibiotics may or may not work. Personally, I'm not one who goes too far out of my way, if a fish gets sick, so I don't really know what to tell you. But you have 2 choices.

You can spend the money and take the fish to a vet who will be able to positively ID the problem and recommend proper treatment. If I had a fish that I really, really, really wanted to try and save, this is what I would do.

The other option is the online diagnosis. You trust our best guesses, which may or may not be unanimous. You trust our recommended treatment, which probably won't be unanimous. And you hope for the best. And you keep trying different things until you find one that works, or the fish dies.

Vet option is clearly more expensive at face value, but if you have a resilient fish that survives several failed medications, the cost of those meds can add up, as does time and the likelihood that that money will be spent in vain.

I have no idea how much a vet would charge, but you can make a few phone calls and find out. Might actually be reasonable.

As far as option 2, my best guess is as good as yours. Fungal or bacterial..... pick one and treat for it. There are two kinds of antibiotics - gram negative and gram positive. Pretty sure they have both as one medication so unless a little research indicates one or the other I would use them both.
 
#4 ·
Maybe. It's not something I've ever used so it's not something I think about. I wouldn't say salt is any more or less likely to work than anything else, but I could certainly be wrong. This isn't an area I'm particularly strong in.
 
#5 ·
Bettas tolerate salt treatments well and that's one of the things I've used for fin rot in the past with great success. I recommend a hospital tank or something along those lines, especially if you have snails or live plants, or you can try a dip instead (although it will be more stressful). I've seen anywhere from 1 tsp to 1 tbsp per gallon recommended, depending on severity (more for dips).

I've also heard of people having good luck with Jungle's Fungus Clear which you can find cheaply at Walmarts ($4 or so for something like 8 treatments per tablet, 1 tablet treats 10 gallons). It has nitrofurazone in it which can treat both bacterial and fungal infections. It says it's safe for snails and plants, also.

Lastly, a site I have referenced in the past which seems to have a lot of good info is: Fish Baths, Dips, Swabs; Including Coral; For Disease, Ammonia, Treatment

YMMV, though!
 
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