Illness Passed from Locally Caught Fish

Yoshiko!, originally uploaded by Fabiz Rabbit©.

Q: EW wrote,

I am in quite a stand still with what is wrong with my betta and I do not want to lose him! A few days ago I noticed a "film" if you will on my fish. I did a complete water change, and the symptoms went away and the fish resumed it's happy behavior. Last night I noticed a bit of the film had returned. When I woke up this morning the fish had gotten much worse! The film is white in color with a cottony, lacy texture that has consumed it's entire body, focusing mainly on the body and not so much of the fins. There are no ulcers, sores, lesions or wounds on the fish, just this film that has consumed him! I fear that I have little time to correct this before I lose him. I looked up some things before I went to bed, and then again this morning, but am still at a loss as to what it may be. Do you have any idea? Any information you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

A: A filmy coating on a fish is usually one of two things; a bacterial infection like Favobacterium columnare which can be life threatening if left untreated or an overactive slime coat, which isn't usually very dangerous but may signal some sort of irritation. An overactive slime coat may be the result of adding aquarium salt to the water or possibly even be caused by the type of water conditioner you are using.

To read up on Flavobacterium columnare visit the treatment page on the Nippyfish website.

Also, let me know a bit about your cleaning regimen and tank set up so we can narrow down the cause. Here is the list of questions that will help me to understand better what is happening in your tank. You can find these questions in the future by viewing the HELP TEXT link or by clicking the "READ ME" link on the Blog. Answer them as best as you can and definitely take a look at the treatment page for Flavobacterium columnare.

1. What is your tank size?

2. Have you tested for ammonia- what were the results?

3. Have you tested for nitrite- what were the results?

4. Have you tested for nitrate- what were the results?

5. Have you tested for pH- what were the results?

6. What temperature is your tank?

7. How often do you perform water changes, how much water do you change?

8. What water additives are you using (please include any conditioners,
salt or medications)

9. What type of food are you feeding, how often and how much?
10. What kind of tank mates, when were they added?

11. Is your tank planted?

12. What are the symptoms, when did they begin and is there anything
else
we should know?



EW Follow-up:

Thank you so much for answering so quickly Christie. The tank that I have him in is a one gallon that came with a light and a little filter. There are no other tank mates, just him. I do have a live plant in there with him. The reason that he got this infection was because I was stupid and put a tiny crawfish that I had found in a river in with him. Needless to say, the crawfish died shortly after and within a few hours I had noticed this infection. I use bottled spring water with a dab of stress coat for his water, and it get's changed every Saturday. I've never had any problems with this method, and have been doing it with my betta that I have in my office at work for the past two years. SO I know it was my mistake for putting in the crawfish. It is a bacterial infection and I went to the store and bought "Betta fix" it has made all of the fuzz fall off of him, and he seems to be doing better then he was. I think now is just a matter of time for him to recover, so the good news is, I think I caught it just in time. Whichever infection this was, it was very fast working in regards to killing a fish. To be sure, I bleached (diluted) everything associated with his tank ie rocks, filter, tank, net last night and have laid it out in the sun for the day just to make sure if any residue is still present that it will be broken down before I set it back up. As stated before, I do believe that he will be fine, but once again, thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly.

Nippyfish Reply:

Thanks for the follow-up. I have to agree, adding the wild crawfish likely introduced some sort of nasty bug to your Betta tank. Most Bettas found at local fish stores have been domestically bred for generations and just don't have the ability to fight off bacteria from foreign waterways. If the Bettafix is working for you, which it sounds like it is, then go ahead and continue to use it until all signs of the infection are gone.

I'm glad to hear you fish is doing better and thanks for writing in.

Betta Changes Color

Betta Close Up, originally uploaded by sammorrowphotography.

Q: CL wrote,

I have a Betta, my first fish. He is in a three gallon tank that has a filter and light. It's the Eclipse System Tank and has a replaceable carbon filter. I feed him freeze dried blood worms. I see that after looking at your blog that is not good and I am changing that to frozen. He is a beautiful deep purplish blue with a black velvet head. Well, until two days ago. I noticed his top fin feathers changed to white then seem to get bigger and looked rather lavender but still edged in white. His black head first started getting golden rings around his eyes. Now today his head looks like it has reddish spots almost like he rubbed it off. I put in Betta Fix last night in his tank. After looking over your blog I am not sure I doing the right thing. He swims, begs for food and seems happy but he is looking rather shabby. I also read in your blog to take out the carbon filter before treating the water but I didn't do that because I didn't know until today that I should have done that. Will that hurt him more? (I was also overfeeding him) Someone said maybe he was conditioning.

Your blog has helped me in so many ways. It is wonderful and I sure thank you for your time and caring.

A: Thanks for writing in. Looking at the photos and description you provided I can't tell for certain that anything is really wrong. The whitish/purple coloration on the fins and red coloring on the head could certainly be indicative of natural coloration. It's very common for a Betta's coloration to change shortly after you bring him home. When the fish goes from cold dirty water at the store and is placed in a clean warm environment their true colors begin to intensify in their vibrancy and often the change can be quite drastic. I have observed this color change happen anywhere from the first couple of days up to a month or more after arrival. As Bettas age, their color changes as well so you may notice even more surprises over the next year. When the fish reaches the end of his natural life you may again notice the color changing but this time it will become dull and faded.

Just to be on the safe side, I recommend doing the usual water tests just to make sure there isn't anything off. It's good to do them regularly anyway, especially when the tank is just getting established. The most important tests for your set up are ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, gh and kh. For more information on water parameters visit: All About Water

To touch on your feeding question, frozen blood worms are a great source of food but alone they don't make a complete and balanced diet. The freeze dried ones aren't all bad but they can cause constipation if overfed and tend to hold in water. Just be careful to only feed a couple at a time and soak them in a cup of tank water for 10 minutes or so before feeding. You may want to mix in a couple of other types of food just to make sure your Betta is getting a good variety. For food ideas check out the Feeding page on Nippyfish.net.

Thanks for your email and congratulations on your first Betta.



Photos provided by original emailer

Proper Disposal of Aquarium Fish

Oscar fish., originally uploaded by Nekominn.

In the grand scheme of things many fish have a relatively short lifespan and as sad as it is eventually we will be faced with the loss of our dear little pet. For todays article I'm going to discuss appropriate means to dispose of the body. For many hobbyists, the loss of a fish brings up a variety of emotions including grief and frustration. In my opinion these emotions are valid and important to discuss but are better addressed in a separate article which I will cover shortly. For now, I'm going to focus on just the removal of the animal.

When you suspect your fish has died you want to be sure is that he is truly gone. Breathing often becomes quite labored so give yourself a moment to observe him closely making sure the gills or mouth aren't moving at all. Never dispose of a live fish. If your fish is sick but still alive then you should consider treatment or euthanization. For assistance making that decision read: Euthanizing Aquarium Fish on main Nippyfish.net website. A common myth about fish is that when they die they go "belly up" and float along the water's surface. This can occur due to gas build up within the body but more often the fish will fall to the tank bottom or become attached to the filter intake. If the latter is the case, unplug the filter to remove the body. If you use a net to remove the fish keep it separate from other equipment and don't use it in other aquariums until it has been sanitized. This is particularly important if your fish died from a communicable disease like a bacterial infection, virus or parasite. Nets can either be boiled (watch for melting plastic) or cleaned in a diluted bleach solution and rinsed and dried well.

Most people believe that flushing is the simplest and most acceptable method for fish disposal. After all, who hasn't seen that episode of the Cosby Show when Rudy's Goldfish dies and the whole family attends a toilet bowl service? What the average fish keeper doesn't realize is that flushing is not only dangerous for the environment but it is illegal. That's right, flushing a fish down the toilet risks introducing potential pathogens into the watershed and is a major no-no in the hobby. Of course the risk of being caught is very low but as aquarists it is our duty to act responsibly and to protect the very waterways that support the plants and animals we hold dear. Bottom line, never flush a fish.

The other major option you want to avoid is feeding your dead fish to a larger fish. While this is a common and acceptable method for culling deformed or unneeded fish, it is not recommended for fish that have contracted a disease or have already died. You don't want to risk infecting healthy animals.

Depending on your personal views of death there are other options. For many, myself included, throwing the fish away with the trash is a safer and simple alternative to flushing. It seems harsh, and I admit I felt a little strange about it the first few times, but ultimately I became comfortable with this method. It's best for those who subscribe to the ideology that this is just a body and the sweet little fishy personality that wiggled at the glass for me everyday is no longer present but swimming happily in the big pond in the sky.

If you have a composting area at your home this is also a viable option. This way the nutrients from your fish make their way back into the land. It's a circle of life thing and brings peace of mind to a lot of people.

Similarly, backyard burials are also very common with fish hobbyists. This is obviously a little more time consuming but is often the most emotionally sensitive method and incorporates that "back to the earth" ideology. This can also be a good tool for parents to use to discuss death with their children, though let me be clear that I know plenty of fish parents who bury their fish as much for their own sense of closure. What a lot of mammal lovers don't understand is that many fish become part of the family as much as any dog or cat. If you are going to bury your fish do it in a part of the yard unlikely to be disturbed later and far away from waterways including ponds, lakes, streams and rivers. Dig a hole at least 2 feet (60 cm) deep, deeper for large fish, and compact well. Dogs, raccoons and other animals have very sensitive noses and you don't want want them to dig up little Finny in the middle of the night. If you want to wrap the fish in something, I suggest newspaper, cheese cloth or other easily biodegradable materials.

I realize, of course, that people handle the death of their fish differently. Some feel very real grief while others take it as an unfortunate part of the hobby. However you feel about it, remember that fish keepers have a responsibility to each other and our Earth, maybe even more so than most because so many of our actions effect it directly. Please consider these alternatives to flushing the next time you are faced with the loss of your aquarium fish.

Flavobacterium columnare (Cotton Wool Disease)

Tito, originally uploaded by guerogrande.

Q: AS wrote,

Hey. I have been in a dilemma over this problem for a whole week. My Betta fish lives in a rather big fish bowl with plastic plant. Recently, the tips of his fins have begun turning white and has two strands of whitish substance stuck to the fins. It started probably a week ago. My tank is of a nice temperature of 28 to 29 degrees and i add vitamins and necessary aquarium fish minerals. I feed the fish thrice a day, one pellet each. I have added fungal medicine for fin rot, cotton wool disease just two days ago but I don't see any improvement in him. He still eats like a pig, but he is a little lethargic and does not blow bubble nests anymore. I bought the fish two weeks ago at a trade fair and changes his water every three days. HELP!

A: Hi, thanks for writing in. Often when we see white stringy strands on Betta fins we can surmise that a bacterial infection has taken hold. We often assume the infection is caused by Flavobacterium columnare (Cotton Wool Disease), a gram negative bacterium that in appearance looks like a fungus. Without basic laboratory equipment we can not be completely sure if this is the diagnosis but it is a fair educated guess to go on. The common symptoms of a Flavobacterium columnare infection are stringy or fuzzy patches on the body or fins, usually white, gray or beige in color. It is common for infected fish to become lethargic, suffer appetite loss, dull in coloration, and stop blowing bubble nests. If left untreated, the bacteria often spreads and may eventually lead to death.

The cause of these infections is usually poor water quality and without fixing the source of the problem fish tend to suffer from reoccurring illnesses. So the two major steps in treating any fish illness is to first determine and correct the cause and then treat the disease. Fish are most susceptible to disease within the first two weeks in a new environment. Since your fish became ill about a week after bringing him home, it's fair to assume the change in environment is to blame and not necessarily the way you care for your Betta. Even if the new tank is clean and stable, the water parameters (ph, temperature, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, gh and kh) may be different from what they were at the store. These changes can stress the fish leading to various diseases of which Flavobacterium columnare is one of the most common. Another observation I made based on your email is the water temperature. 28C - 29C [82F - 84F] is a little on the warm side and perfect for these bacteria. Flavobacterium columnare can present itself in a variety of water conditions but outbreaks tend to occur most often in the spring and summer as temperatures rise. Lowering the heat to a stable temperature between 24C - 26C [76F - 79F] may help and is still warm enough for your Betta. I also strongly encourage you to test your water regularly using inexpensive test kits sold at any aquarium store. Remember, the water parameters that effect fish are completely invisible and have no smell or color. Even if your water appears crystal clear, the tests will show you what you can't see on your own.

So that's how you can fix the source of the problem. To treat Flavobacterium columnare you will need a wide spectrum antibiotic that specifically targets gram-negative bacteria. If the infection is severe or spreading, treating with a combination of gram-negative and gram-positive antibiotics can help stave off both the initial and secondary infections. I like to use a combination of Mardel's Maracyn and Maracyn-Two. Depending on the country you live in you'll need to find a similar medication designed to treat this illness. When you begin a course of antibiotics be sure to follow the dosing carefully and finish the entire recommended course. It may take several days before symptoms subside and a second full course of antibiotics may be necessary. Be sure to remove any chemical filtration like activated carbon before treatment if you have a filter running in your bowl.

Click for more information on treating Flavobacterium columnare.

PH Crashes: The Roll of Carbonate Hardness (KH)

Ghost shrimp close up, originally uploaded by octopus.gallery.

Q: CR wrote,

I have a general aquarium question I hope you can help me with. I recently had what I think is a pH crash that quickly killed off my ghost shrimp and several small catfish. I can't figure out what lead to this and would like to know how to avoid it from happening again.

A: When pH fluctuates in a short amount of time it can be very stressful to fish and especially so when it goes from basic (above 7.0) to acidic (below 7.0). When the pH falls like this we call it a pH crash. If it falls fast and hard enough it can lead to mass casualties. To avoid pH crashes we need to understand what keeps the pH stable under good conditions. Carbonate hardness (kh) is the measure of bicarbonate and carbonate ions in the water and when sufficient, will buffer the pH, keeping it stable. This is why we often refer to carbonate hardness as buffering capacity.

In simple terms, if your carbonate hardness (kh) is adequate your pH will be stable. To determine your kh a simple test kit can be purchased at any local fish store.


0 - 50 ppm very low
50 - 100 ppm low
100 - 200 ppm moderate
200 - 400 ppm high



If you find that your kh levels are very low you may want to add buffers to the water. Avoid the temptation to change the pH level directly with pH-Up, pH-Down or pH-Neutral. These products will cause your pH to fluctuate quickly and won't solve the problem of inadequate buffering capacity. These quick fluctuations could lead to additional casualties. Adding natural buffers like baking soda to your water will raise your carbonate hardness and help to stabilize your pH. Though baking soda is readily available and inexpensive, some fish hobbyists prefer to buy a buffering agent from their fish store. They're quite a bit more expensive than baking soda but do the job. If you prefer to buy buffers from a fish supply store, I recommend Kordon's Dry AmQuel Plus Buffers. It's a two-for-one in that it acts as both a water conditioner and a buffering agent.

To understand more about pH and it's role in our aquarium visit Adjusting Aquarium pH Level from Nippyfish: A Betta Blog.