Betta fin rot not going away

Hi All, Well this is what Matisse looks like. Still no change in behaviour and appetite but his fins are just looking so terrible. Ive treated him once with tetra general tonic which killed one of my plants. Ive been adding rooibos teabags to the water too. I clean his tank every week religiously. He is the only fish in the tank. Is he just always going to have this problem? I have aquarium salt but Im reluctant to use it because of mixed comments about it, plus the plants will have to be removed. Im also not sure that it will stop it from happening in the future. What is causing this? Is he bored? Should I get more plants, or other fish? I have some dwarf cories waiting at the pet shop, i didnt want to get them until he is better but maybe I should?

 

why are you so worried about the salt?

 

Hi @Bambithegirl

This is typical sticky fin. Even Daro Anti Fungus will cure him. Crown tails are prone to get sticky fin/ fungus on the fins. The older they get the worse it gets. Sorry. pH should be between 6.5 to 8.0, ammonia 0ppm, NO3 25ppm or less. Regular small WC's are better than large weekly one's. No carbon in filters, normal sponge filters are the best. Use meds as directed. You can try metro from Seachem as well, it's a broad spectrum anti-biotic.

 

Also remember water temperature is very important, in many cases too cold water is the cause of fins rotting away and this has happened to me in the past. Keep temperature between 26-28 degrees Celsius. Hope it helps!

 

Hi. How long have you been using the rooibos tea? It takes some time to start working. I would not add any new fish fir now. @Altum helped me some time ago with diseases in a friends tank and he knows a lot more them my self. Can you comment here @Altum

 

Get Betta !

umm @dash just came in from another late night fish call-out , you double tagged me so no way out of this one for me..

Charles has it! Listen to the man, he's kept and bred some nice Betta to cover many points of concern.
Although a note about Metronidazole, it is primarily anti-protozoal, and effective against anaerobic bacterial infections. So it cannot be seen as BROAD SPECTRUM Antibiotic in any way.

Catch22 is right about the temperature range, it's ok from 24 up, just not wild differences and fluctuations!
Things mentioned above will contribute to helping Betta with tatty, damaged, infected fins..

if you are worried about plants, so prioritise importance if you decide to treat.
[ plants CAN be removed, regrown or cropped if needed]

@Bambithegirl
Verify :
Mature filter.
Prefiltered tap water, or a decent ageing process, possibly including a good tapwater conditioner..eg AquaSafe, Prime, AquaPlus etc
Get the tests, and measurements in order to discount them as causes for concern..
Soft to medium-hardness
Warmish water
No other threats?

Aquarium SALT: You may use it, it has a few beneficial effects, mildly antibacterial, detoxifies nitrite, assists in osmotic pressure and stress reduction
Good dose to Start with 0.5g/L
No reason why you cannot use the same meds you had before, for minimum one week

On the other hand, if [within 48hours of beginning with salt] no ragged, new, infective fin damage occurs while you salt treat , then you may not need medication.
If no improvement, then ADD the meds you have as well, it works more often than not.

What I've outlined should work in MOST CASES.
I routinely handle health and well-being of hundreds of Betta weekly, so often contend with "problems", and have to be quick to identify and treat them.

I'd like to think I have become better with Betta, with time:amuse:

So good luck, with Matisse..and thanks to your tasa friends for their usual decent advice

 

Thanks so much Altum. My temp is constant at about 26 degrees. I completely cycled my tank before adding matisse (this took about 40 days!). I use tetra aquasafe with every water change. I have a corner filter. No carbon but I used carbon last week to remove residue meds. The PH is around 7, ammonia and nitrites 0 and nitrates about 10ppm.

So should I use the tetra general tonic once more (this time I will remove the plants) or should I start with salt? If I add the salt, is it once off? I have no idea about treating with salt.

His fins often heal a bit, and quite quickly but then I just notice a new spot.

I think I will try Charle's suggestion for meds and go from there.

Do you think its likely that his fins will ever heal completely? or will this now be recurring?

Thank you ALL so much for your great advice and guidance. From me and Matisse

 

Thanks Catch 22, its usually around 26-27 degrees

 

Dash Ive only ever put one bag of rooibos in the tank to float for a few hours then take it out. Is that the right way?

 

Thanks Charles. I think my water parameters are good. I posted them above. My tank is a 30L and I do about 60% WC once a week. Would you recommend that I rather do two smaller water changes? I will definitely try the anti fungus, and hope it helps. Thanks for your advice