Topic: Rot

[EowynJane]

I have a male betta in a 1 gallon filtered tank, today I noticed he has what looks to me like the begining of fin rot.  I don't know much about diseases but he has little holes or white spots (can't tell exactly) in the very tip of one of his fins.  There is also a small discoloriation and a tiny part of his top fin is a little transparent.  I've read that doing 100% water changes every day will help this but wouldn't it also cause him a lot of stress?  I have also read that Melafix and Bettafix will stop the rot but won't cure it.  Has anyone had any luck with these getting rid of tail rot?   What is the best way to go with this?  Sorry if this is a basic fish care sort of question but I'm new at this.

[supersixone]

melafix and bettafix contain the same active ingredient (melaleuca), and neither is strong enough to cure or stop rot.  there are antibiotics can can be used to treat rot, though.

 how often do you normally change the water?  keeping the water superclean will help with any disease, but we need to figure out what is wrong before we can treat it.  try to look close, maybe with a flashlight, and see if they are holes or white spots.  if they're white spots, are they raised, like a grain of salt?

[EowynJane]

Ok, I checked with a flash light, I think they are like little pin holes.  I usually do 100% water changes once a week but he went longer this last time.  Are the water changes every day worth a shot?

[dorn27]

Yes, worth a shot, adding a bit of aquarium salt might help as well.  Though they are stressful the benefits of clean water out weigh the down side.

Once a week is probably not often enough for water changes.  I think you need to change the water twice a week or about every 3 days.  As ammonia in such a small container builds rather quickly.  It's the ammonia that weakens the fish and allows for fin rot(and other disease) to take over very easily, so by preventing ammonia in the tank, you also prevent disease.

[EowynJane]

Rock salt from a grocery store is the same as aquarium salt right?  How much would I need in a 1 gallon?