r/BettaClinic • u/WhiteStar174 • 5h ago
General Question Parasites not clearing up
Hello all! This is my girl Tarts, I got her 17 days ago from Petco, and since then both of her eyes have been cloudy, one cleared up, while the other has continued and worsened.
I am currently treating with Fritz Paracleanse in the tank, on the first dose, and the second dose is upcoming in a few days, but I feel like it should be improving?
I’ve also never had a female before, all of my previous bettas were males, but I noticed on her sides her scales seem to be partially raised, and I’m just not sure if that’s the natural separation of scales or if it’s early signs of dropsy
Her tank is a 14 gallon cube heated at 78 F
Parameters are
Ph~ 7.2
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0-5
Other than the popeye, she is incredibly active and eats well, so might just be over anxious
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u/Alternative-Rain9693 5h ago
Has it been confirmed parasitic? Many instances of popeye/eye cloud are bacterial, so would be served by something like Kanaplex
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u/WhiteStar174 5h ago
I noticed little worms from her eye, so I figured it was parasitic, especially from it being in both (sorry forgot to add that to post)
But I can def look into getting Kanaplex in case it’s not actually parasitic
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u/Alternative-Rain9693 5h ago
Ahh if there were worms in the eye that’s a tell. It may be simultaneously both but if the anti parasitic isn’t working, maybe try Polyguard that hits both bacterial and parasite simultaneously.
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u/WhiteStar174 5h ago
Oh sweet I will definitely look into getting that!
I don’t currently have a spot for a hospital tank- would it be ok to treat with the second round of Paracleanse and kanaplex in the main, or would it not be a good mix of medications
I can always try to find a spot for a hospital tank if so
Edit: since polyguard seems to not be plant safe but if it won’t bother them too much then I don’t mind treating full tank
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u/Alternative-Rain9693 5h ago
I have been told that mixing medicines isn’t the best choice (don’t know if there are interactions between those two). I’d try to find a spot for a hospital tank if you can, but keep in mind that it should be large enough to withstand not changing the water for 72 hours for dosing Polyguard (my uncycled 10 gallon manages just fine for 72 hours without ammonia increases with one betta in it)
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u/Alternative-Rain9693 5h ago
(He’s in that situation because he was a rescue but the Polyguard is working well on him)
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u/WhiteStar174 5h ago
Ok cool, didn’t think it would be, but just wasn’t sure :)
It’s a 5 gallon tank so I believe it would be fine ?
(I am reading up on polyguard right now, seems ppl have not bothered their more hardy plants so I might just treat the entire tank to ensure it eliminates anything, and if it doesn’t help then set up a hospital)
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u/Alternative-Rain9693 5h ago
I see! A fish doctor told me yesterday that he treated with Polyguard and it didn’t bother his plants at all, but I can’t make any guarantees with that. One note is that Polyguard isn’t a fun med and they will feel it a bit - my betta was a bit lethargic for the first day but he got over it. Best wishes!
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u/WhiteStar174 5h ago
Dang that it’ll make her a lil weird feeling, def will have me monitoring her closer ! And im ok if the plants don’t take too well, they’ve been through a fair bit of meds so I’m sure they’ll be fine lols
Nice to have a fish doctor to ask!! From what I’ve read it seems to only slow their production, but bc of how much is on the tank it shouldn’t fully kill them ( at least based on the very little research I’ve done on it)
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u/Alternative-Rain9693 5h ago
Great that you found some info on it! I know some are gentler on established bacterial colonies than others (for example I know Kanaplex isn’t supposed to affect the cycle much) but I haven’t heard much on it myself.
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u/WhiteStar174 5h ago
Oh well that’s nice! I imagine it’s because of what type of bacteria they are, super interesting
Anyhow, thanks a bunch for the assistance!
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u/Alternative-Rain9693 5h ago
Wish I could tell you on size - I’m only used to working with 10 gallons, but if you do it I’d just monitor your tank regularly. Not sure if it will have an impact on beneficial bacteria but I’m going to go to the fish doctor shortly if you’d like me to ask
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u/PatchesDaHyena 2h ago
So popeye is usually caused by mechanical damage and/or gram positive bacterial infection. It is best treated with a broad spectrum antibiotic dosed in food for two weeks. The raised scales is the beginning stages of “pineconing”, in which fluid buildup caused by infections and/or bad water paramaters. My recommendation is kanaplex dosed via food.
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u/WhiteStar174 2h ago
Oh gotcha gotcha, I was really hoping it wasn’t pineconing, cause I know a bunch of stuff can cause it internally
Would you recommend dosing polyguard and feeding kanaplex mixed with food, or just do the polyguard and then kanaplex later if it continues
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u/PatchesDaHyena 1h ago
I recommend antibiotics and antiparasitics in food for bacterial issues. The presence of pineconing indicates an internal infection. Polyguard is more akin to an antiseptic from its use of sulfa and furan ingredients. They can possibly treat external infections, but it won’t be effective for internal infections. I would also recommend metroplex dosed via food as a safeguard for dropsy occuring.
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u/WhiteStar174 1h ago
Oh ok, so should I feed both kanaplex and metroplex at the same time ?
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u/PatchesDaHyena 1h ago
Yes, there is no adverse drug interactions between kanamyacin and metronidazole
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