Disease and Treatment
HOME BETTA CARE FISH DISEASE LINKS
We're not vets and therefore not experts. This disease and treatment section is going to be short and brief with some general indicators to look for and some possible treatments. There are some good sites around that show pictures and explain things in greater detail but once again they're indicators only. More times than not you can work out what is affecting your fish but as they say "if problems persist please see a doctor". If you go to the Disease links page above I have listed some sites that look into the disease / treatment aspect in greater detail.
Betta Diseases
Velvet
Ich (White Spot)
Pop-eye
Fin and Tail rot
Parasitic
Dropsy
Constipation -- Ok it's not a disease, it's generally not fatal but it can be painful and can generally be treated.
Betta Medicines
The medications listed below are only those we have used and ones that have worked for us. They are by no means the "be all and end all" of betta medication and there will be others around and probably under different names.
Melafix is an all-natural medication derived from the leaves of "Melaleuca," the scientific name for a species of the tea tree. We use it for the less serious cases of fin damage, bite wounds and early stages of fin rot and have had good results with it.
Pimafix is a natural medication made from Pimenta racemosa (West Indian Bay) oil. Treats fungal infections and both internal and external bacterial infections. It has also been formulated to work in combination with MelaFix to enhance effectiveness against fish diseases.
** In our opinion both products are good for the mild cases of disease and fin damage. They are more for the recovery stage and very minor cases. If the problem is severe or the above two products do not appear to work soon then you will have to look at the hard guns for a treatment. With Bettas a health problem left for too long is often too late. **
Multi Purpose Remedy or Multi-Cure is a wide spectrum medication designed to treat White Spot, Fungal diseases, Fin and Tail rot and Velvet. The active ingredients are Methylene Blue, Acriflavine and Malachite Green. This treatment will turn your water green. It works on most things which is why it's called a multi cure I guess and it is generally the first medication we use when the natural remedies don't work or the disease is beyond being a mild case. This medication will ruin any biological filtration.
Ickaway treats White spot and has the same ingredients as Mutli-Cure but without the Methylene Blue. This will ruin any biological filtration.
Promethyasul is a broad spectrum medication for bacterial, fungal and parasitic diseases. The active ingredients are Mafenide Hydrochloride, Aminacrine Hydrochloride and Malachite Green. It will turn the water blue but it works. And works well. To date this product has treated all but the absolute worst cases of disease in our bettas. This will ruin any biological filtration.
Triple Sulfa is a broad broad spectrum antibacterial medication containing Sulfadiazine, Sulfadimidine and Sulfamerazine. It is used to treat Fin and Tail rot and other bacterial infections. It will also not hurt biological filters.
Anti Parasite tablets -- there are various brands that aid in the control of most coperoda including anchorworm, fish lice & gill flukes. One of the active ingredients is Praziquantel. Most anti-parasite medications shouldn't affect the biological filtration but read the instructions to make sure.
Myxazin is a broad spectrum bactericide made by "Waterlife" that lowers the count of harmful bacteria in aquarium water. It is helpful in the treating of Fin and Tail rot and other bacterial infections and will also help to control Pop-eye disease, Cloudy Eyes and Mouth Fungus. It is also biodegradable which means it won't adversely affect your filtration system.
"Waterlife" also produce other products such as: Sterazin to control gill and body parasites and Protozin to control protozoan and fungal infections e.g Whitespot, Fungus and Velvet.
Tetracycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that usually comes in tablet form. It treats Fin and Tail Rot, Popeye, Gill Disease and other infections and will generally work very quickly. The water will go a brown colour. This will ruin any biological filtration.
Other medications: There are many out there. You can find ones that treat disease specific problems and there are many out there with different names and different ingredients. I would suggest having a supply of medication to treat most of the ailments. The most common ones being Fin and Tail rot, Whitespot, Pop-eye and in young fry, Velvet.
** Do not over medicate and do not use medication just for the sake of it. You will either kill the fish or simply make the bacteria, parasites etc more resistant to the active ingredients in the medication and therefore it won't be as effective. If one medication doesn't appear to work then try another but it's usually advisable to wait a short period before changing and certainly don't mix medications unless it specifically says they can be used together. Melafix and Pimafix can be safely used together and in a lot of cases Melafix can be added with other medications but not all and I don't recommend doing it unless you know it is safe.**
Other treatments:
Salt Bath:
Epsom Salt:
Betadine (Iodine):