Disease Treatment

Treatment Tips/Guide for Betta Fish Diseases


•A common sense rule-of-thumb routine when it comes to treating any of the diseases these guys succumb to is to …
•Quarantine the fish (or tank if its a colony tank) & Change the water
•add pinch of aquarium salt
•raise the water temps
•Ketapang Half-Leaves(1Day Min, Max 3 Days Soak Before leaves rot)
•wait and see what happens
You take those first three steps FIRST for three reasons.
1) You want to eliminate or reduce any bad organism populations and
2) You want to create a less hospitable environment for bad organism populations.
3) Commercial treatments can be hard on your fish. Sometimes if the disease doesn’t get them the
treatment will. Which isn’t the desired outcome. So medicating a fish should be a last resort(See Below).
*Besides salt has a therapeutic effect on fish and will give your fish its best chance to recover.*

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•SALT BATHS are effective old remedies for many fish diseases, including Ich.  Add one tablespoon of common salt (sodium chloride) to a gallon of water at the same temperature as the aquarium, place the affected fish in this for five minutes; remove if the fish shows stress.  Use only common salt and NOT iodised salt.

•Stronger salt solutions at four tablespoons of common salt per gallon of water may be used as a swab or dip-bath.  Do not place the fish entirely in this solution strength, but rather wrap the fish in a clean, moist cloth and dab the affected areas with the solution.

•Adding one teaspoon of salt to a gallon of aquarium water makes a bath in which the fish can be kept for longer periods- watch for stress and remove to fresh water of the same temperature, if stress occurs.  The addition of salt to the aquarium water at the rate of one teaspoon per gallon of water is also a useful preventative measure against Ich and Oodinium.  Even concentrations of salt as low as 500 mg/L (0.05% solution) are effective controls for Ich in circulating systems.  There is no harm to bacteria in biological filters at that low concentration of salt .

•EPSOM SALTS can be used to treat constipation in fish.  From the tank, remove half the water to a clean container to which is added epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) at the rate of 1 tablespoon per gallon (this keeps water temperature constant for the initial part of the bath.  Swim the fish in this solution for 1/4 to 1/2 hour or until stress shows or faeces are released. Top the water up in the fish's usual container with dechloraminated water and return the fish to it. Change the water in about an hour to remove any faeces and residual salts. Dispose of the epsom salts solution by pouring it around your citrus trees or onto the garden beds, as it is a good for treating magnesium deficiencies in soils. 

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TREATMENTS

Some Medication you may wanna have/use:

Medication I Owned(Left to right)

API Melafix - (Dangerous to use for labyrinth fishes, may kill betta) Treats Bacterial Infections,repair damaged fins,ulcers, wounds.

Rid-All General Aid -(For Ich(WhiteSpot),tail rot, sore spots,red spots,bleeding veins & fins, bladder problems, constipation) *General Tonic when adding new fish or prevention of diseases.*

Befuran (*the small packet* also known as yellow powder) - Prevents & Cure for internal and external bacterial,fungal,protozal infections.

Ocean-free Super Anti-Internal Parasites(Yellow Bottle) - Treats Internal Parasites

Interpet Anti-Internal Bacteria - Treats Popeye,ulcers, dropsy, emaciation, reddening under skin surface,gills pale, lost of appetite, listlessness and darking of colour, sudden death.

Interpet Methylene Blue - Prevent fungus on fish eggs, treats a variety of external fish diseases(Fin rot etc.), reduce toxic of nitrates in water.

Interpet Anti-Parasite - Treats flicking and rubbing against object, rapid gill movement, red/irritated areas of skins, visible disc or worm-like parasites on skin or fins, maggots parasites on gills.

Ocean Free White Spot Special - Treats White Spots(ICH) (I suspect it has same function as methylene blue). just that its more diluted.

Ocean Free Gill,Fungus,Parasite - Treats Gill diseases, fungus and other parasitic diseases including flukes and anchor worms.

one more.. Epsom Salt(Not in Picture) From Guardian Pharmacy - Acts as a laxative ,Helps to treat Swim Bladder Diseases.

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TREATMENTS: 
Rule Of Thumb: ALWAYS CHECK YOUR MEDICATION DOSAGE BEFORE APPLY

1)For torn fins or scales got bitten off, due to fighting or others

Instructions: use 0.5/1 tea spoon of aquarium salt + half Ketapan leaf and overnight water/ RO water in a big Horlick glass jar or whatever similar amount of water. Then keep it in a quiet place or better a dark place for resting. Feed once every 2 days (to prevent water pollution). (see if brown infection fins scales reduce after 3-5days otherwise it will lead to fin rot).
Methylene Blue or 100% Conditioned water change every 2 days.

2) Velvet (common)
Symptoms: The Betta scratches itself against hard objects, Lethargy, No appetite and rapid weight loss, Difficulty in breathing, Clamped fins , Skin wounds emerge, Skin peels off (in advanced stages)

In its early stages, the Betta rubs against hard objects to shake off parasites. As the disease spreads, the fish becomes inactive, his fins are nearly motionless, his appetite nonexistent, and he may ultimately lose weight and eventually die.

Velvet Prevention
Place new Betta in quarantine for two weeks

Monitor aquarium water quality

Feed your Betta a nutritionally balanced diet

Velvet usually only occurs when there is a poor tank environment. When it hits, it becomes extremely infectious. Placing your new Betta in quarantine for two weeks will significantly diminish the chances of fouling a healthy tank. Remove any fish that appear infected immediately and keep them in quarantine to avoid the spread of the parasite.

Velvet Treatment

1)Keep the water temperature warmer – 82-86 degrees Fahrenheit

2)Dim lights for several days

3)Add the proper aquarium salt – 1 teaspoon for every gallon in the aquarium. Gradually add it over a 3-hour

4) Use Interpet Velvet or commercial malachite green remedy

Since Velvet is extremely contagious and it progresses to advanced stages before it is diagnosed, it is vital to implement treatment measures as soon as possible.

3)White Spot or Ick (uncommon)
Symptoms: looks like white grains of sugar on the body and fins of the fish. It is is caused by a micro-organism (a ciliated protozoan parasite called Ichthyophthirius multifilis or Ich - pronounced "ick" - for short) and it is present in nearly all aquarium water.
Treatment: Ocean Free White Spot(Sgd $1) , treatment products containing malachite green, or methylene blue .

4)Finrot (very common)
Symptoms: Fray Fins, Brown/black Fins(If its white when normal), Tearing Fins.

Treatment: Salt Bath should be used first. Yellow Powder, methylene blue (interpet), melafix(to be use during early stages & Careful dosage).


5)Constipation or Swim Bladder Diseases
Symptoms: Swimming difficulty/ floating/swimming sideways or cannot swim down/ Sliding its belly / no poops
cause by Overfeeding dried food (max 3-4 pellets per serving, max 2 serving/day with minimum 8hrs intervals). 1-2Days in a week No feeding will prevent this.

Treatment: 1) Boiled Pea , Skin it out, pinch and roll into a Pellet, try starving it a day or 2 and then feed it with.(look out the next day or following day for big POOP and he might start blowing bubbles).

2)Or Use Epsom salt (laxative) or anti swim bladder interpet


6) Gill Parasites
Symptoms: Is it exhibiting odd swimming patterns? Is it scratching its body objects in the tank? Are its gills partially opening at all times? It is floating with clamped fins? Or do the gills appear to be red and pumping fast? If you answered yes to any of these, then this is likely one sick fish suffering with gill parasites.
Cause: Parasitic infection. Contagious. The culprits here are either external parasites or gill flukes.

Treatment: 1)a teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon and keeping it that way for 10 days or so can help. Also soak betta food pellets in crushed garlic juice before feeding.

2) Or a product above like Rid-All General Aid or Ocean Free Gill,Fungus and parasites or Interpet Anti Parasites (just remember to remove any carbon in your filters that might absorb the medication before it has a chance to work)
3) Or could just work along with aggressive daily 100% water changes.

7)Dropsy, popping/ protruding scale, bloated

Symptoms: Dropsy is characterized by raised scales and bloated or swollen belly. If you notice the scales sticking out like a pine cone then dropsy is the likely cause.
Bacterial infection. Note that the bacteria causing dropsy is severely contagious. This is another very serious condition that can often be fatal for your fish. Dropsy can be caused by feeding on live foods such as problematic black worms and brine shrimp or by poor water conditions. Be prepared for the worst. (10% chance of survival)
Treatment: (Latest: Yellow Powder + more salt + Anti internal bacteria (Interpet) and Ketapang leaves + epsom salt)

8)Fungus infections

Symptoms: The fungus appears as white cotton-like patches on the mouth, head or body. It usually loses its appetite and it may become lethargic.
Treatment: 1)Do a full water change then add a methylene blue. Change the water after 3 days and add the medication again. Repeat the process until the betta is fully treated.

2)Green medication (malachite green) or Rid-All General Aid or Ocean Free Gill,Fungus and parasites


9)Cloudy eye/ Popeye

Cause: Bacterial infection. Sometimes contagious. This is primarily caused by poor water quality. Maintain good water quality and you won’t have to concern yourself with this condition.

Symptoms: At first you’d notice the eyes are protruding. (either or both of them) But as days pass the look can get too creepy and nasty looking. Truly a bad case of bulging eyes.

Treatment: 1) Anti internal bacteria and salt
2)Or water quality do a full change the water. Then add Penicillin or Ampicillin to the water. These are antibiotic drugs formulated in capsules you can easily find in drug stores. 1 capsule per 10 gal of water. Don’t toss in the capsule itself, silly. You only need add the powder inside it. So open it and sprinkle into the water. Follow these steps every after three days until the eyes have fully recovered.

3)Another alternative is Epsom or aquarium salt. Add that at a rate of a teaspoonful for every five gallons of water.