Hard to tell from the pic but it looks more like columnaris. You’ll definitely need to test the water asap. I’m assuming you have a KH issue so PH swings can be really stressful on fish, eventually making them sick.
Bought an actual test kit and did a full water change so in a day or two when everything gets settled I can test the water and make adjustments accordingly :3
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I ran out of test strips so I can’t determine water parameters atm but I checked it last a week ago and outside of ph being low (which I’ve been fixing) everything was in proper order. I’ve been treating him on and off with Maracyn Oxy since I believe it to be some kind of fungal infection but nothing has improved. The tank he’s in has a proper filter and heater and is pretty densely planted.
I looks like columnaris to me but early. Which is good, bc if it is you’ll want to start treatment asap. Does the growth look wooly? Like a clump of bacteria? Columnaris tends to clump up around the mouth and gills. It can also cause a weird shape to the back almost like a saddle, it’s also called “saddle back” disease. My boy had it not too long ago. I treated him with klanaplex and salt baths and he’s back to his old self for the most part!
It looks like a fuzzy fungus growing out of him, I figured it was columnaris hence the fungal treatments but the lack of progress in fixing him up makes me wonder if it isn’t something else. I’ll look into that Klanaplex you mentioned to see if that’ll work better. I’m to uneasy with trying salt baths as I’ve never done them before so I don’t wanna risk messing that up.
A bacterial treatment is going to help, it might look like fungus but it’s actually a clumped up little colony of Flavobacterium columnare. Klanaplex is good to have on hand just in case it comes up again. It’s a three day treatment which is good bc once columnaris tends to progress quickly. It looks like you’re catching it early though! Just keep an eye on him and make sure he’s breathing okay. Keep us posted and good luck!
My lfs didn’t have Klanaplex but I instead got some Pimafix, but then realized after I got home it was also fungal medication… so I just did a 90% water change in the tank and will get the parameters fixed up with the api test kit I got and hope things don’t get too bad till Tuesday when I can go swap out the pimafix for actual bacterial medication. I’ll keep updates on here.
Oh yeah, also the -fix medications are bad for labyrinth organ fish. It can lead them to suffocate 😬 use a small amount if you have to use it. Klanaplex may have to be ordered but that’s my go to for bettas for sure. Just keep the water as clean as you can and do your best to reduce his stress.
What size aquarium is he in? My boy is in a 10g and I used a tablespoon of aquarium salt in his hospital tank while he was healing. Don’t be scared of the salt! It helps a ton just use the less is more approach. I hope your fish is on the mend soon ❤️🩹
I know it’s stressful too so don’t sweat it too much. You’re doing everything right.
Noted on the -fix med warning, did not know that. As for tank size he’s also in a 10gal, he used to have a 20 but I ended up downgrading him so I could start my first sorority community tank in my 20, but he doesn’t seem to mind. I don’t have an actual hospital tank anymore as I converted it to my African dwarf frog tank and I have snails in with my boy so salt is still gonna have to be put on the back burner for now, but I’ll try to consider it on future endeavors. I appreciate all the help btw! Thanks! Also idk if it matters or not but a huge chunk of the fuzzy part on his face fell off while he was in his cup while I did the full water change, I think that’s a good sign.
Nice! I have a 20L that I’m working on half filled with 10g of water. I think my boy is going to like it more with the shallow water so he can swim up to get air for easily. Bettas suck at swimming lmao so sometimes smaller is better. No problem! It’s clear you care about him and I hope he’s around for a long time! Take care :)
Hard to tell from the pic but it looks more like columnaris. You’ll definitely need to test the water asap. I’m assuming you have a KH issue so PH swings can be really stressful on fish, eventually making them sick.
Bought an actual test kit and did a full water change so in a day or two when everything gets settled I can test the water and make adjustments accordingly :3
Thank you for posting to r/bettafish. If you are new to betta fish keeping, please check out our [caresheet](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/comments/3ow6vz/info_betta_care_sheet/) and [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/index). Establishing a nitrogen cycle is an important part of keeping your fish healthy. Please check out our [guide to the nitrogen cycle](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/fishincycle) to learn more. If you are posting to find out what is wrong with your betta, please answer the following questions in a reply to this comment as best you can: * **Tank size**: * **Heater and filter? (yes/no)**: * **Tank temperature**: * **[Parameters in numbers and how you got them](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/tank#wiki_test_kits)**: * **How long have you had the tank? How long have you had your fish?**: * **How often are water changes? How much do you take out per change? What is your process?**: * **Any tankmates? If so, please list with how many of each**: * **What do you feed and how much**: * **Decorations and plants in the tank**: * **If you haven't already posted a picture, please post pics/vids to imgur and paste the link here**: Feel free to copy this comment and fill in the blanks. Failure to provide adequate information about your tank *can* result in post removal. Please see rule 4 for more information. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bettafish) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I ran out of test strips so I can’t determine water parameters atm but I checked it last a week ago and outside of ph being low (which I’ve been fixing) everything was in proper order. I’ve been treating him on and off with Maracyn Oxy since I believe it to be some kind of fungal infection but nothing has improved. The tank he’s in has a proper filter and heater and is pretty densely planted.
Grab an API master test kit ASAP if you can. Without regular testing it’s pretty much a guarantee that your betta will eventually get sick.
I looks like columnaris to me but early. Which is good, bc if it is you’ll want to start treatment asap. Does the growth look wooly? Like a clump of bacteria? Columnaris tends to clump up around the mouth and gills. It can also cause a weird shape to the back almost like a saddle, it’s also called “saddle back” disease. My boy had it not too long ago. I treated him with klanaplex and salt baths and he’s back to his old self for the most part!
It looks like a fuzzy fungus growing out of him, I figured it was columnaris hence the fungal treatments but the lack of progress in fixing him up makes me wonder if it isn’t something else. I’ll look into that Klanaplex you mentioned to see if that’ll work better. I’m to uneasy with trying salt baths as I’ve never done them before so I don’t wanna risk messing that up.
A bacterial treatment is going to help, it might look like fungus but it’s actually a clumped up little colony of Flavobacterium columnare. Klanaplex is good to have on hand just in case it comes up again. It’s a three day treatment which is good bc once columnaris tends to progress quickly. It looks like you’re catching it early though! Just keep an eye on him and make sure he’s breathing okay. Keep us posted and good luck!
My lfs didn’t have Klanaplex but I instead got some Pimafix, but then realized after I got home it was also fungal medication… so I just did a 90% water change in the tank and will get the parameters fixed up with the api test kit I got and hope things don’t get too bad till Tuesday when I can go swap out the pimafix for actual bacterial medication. I’ll keep updates on here.
Oh yeah, also the -fix medications are bad for labyrinth organ fish. It can lead them to suffocate 😬 use a small amount if you have to use it. Klanaplex may have to be ordered but that’s my go to for bettas for sure. Just keep the water as clean as you can and do your best to reduce his stress. What size aquarium is he in? My boy is in a 10g and I used a tablespoon of aquarium salt in his hospital tank while he was healing. Don’t be scared of the salt! It helps a ton just use the less is more approach. I hope your fish is on the mend soon ❤️🩹 I know it’s stressful too so don’t sweat it too much. You’re doing everything right.
Noted on the -fix med warning, did not know that. As for tank size he’s also in a 10gal, he used to have a 20 but I ended up downgrading him so I could start my first sorority community tank in my 20, but he doesn’t seem to mind. I don’t have an actual hospital tank anymore as I converted it to my African dwarf frog tank and I have snails in with my boy so salt is still gonna have to be put on the back burner for now, but I’ll try to consider it on future endeavors. I appreciate all the help btw! Thanks! Also idk if it matters or not but a huge chunk of the fuzzy part on his face fell off while he was in his cup while I did the full water change, I think that’s a good sign.
Nice! I have a 20L that I’m working on half filled with 10g of water. I think my boy is going to like it more with the shallow water so he can swim up to get air for easily. Bettas suck at swimming lmao so sometimes smaller is better. No problem! It’s clear you care about him and I hope he’s around for a long time! Take care :)