# strange fungus



## BlackWolf1489 (Nov 29, 2007)

My mother's betta that she affectionately calls "Tuckatwo" is not doing well. We have always called him the "four-hundred-pound goldfish of a nuclear powerplant" because he is so large. His favorite thing to do is wrap himself around the aquarium heater, then run over to the divider and challenge my female, Mrs. Church.
We recently came home from vacation, and when I went upstairs to check on the bettas, I noticed that Tuckatwo had some kind of strange fungus growing in his gill flap. They fungus is white and fuzzy looking and has not yet spread to other parts of his body. I immediately isolated him last night in warm water that I had treated with fixer. This morning I noticed that he was laying at the bottom of the isolation tank, gasping for breath. He is now in a shallow dish that has about and inch or two of water in it. He lays on his side and occasionally raises his head to take a breath, but I'm affraid he may be dying. I have no idea what the fungus is that is sapping all of his energy. My main tank has been thoroughly cleaned and the filter has been replaced today to prevent anymore sickness in the community. 
Tuckatwo's color is normal, and I have been giving him a couple of drops of BettaFix Remedy every six hours. He seems to be getting a little stronger, but I am still worried. Would someone please give me a clue as to what is going on?!


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## Flashygrrl (Jan 18, 2008)

Any new fish before you went on vacation?


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## BlackWolf1489 (Nov 29, 2007)

No new fish were introduced before I went on vacation.


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## stephenmontero (Mar 15, 2008)

do u leave those vaction feeders in there for the fish cause those arnt the best thing


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## BlackWolf1489 (Nov 29, 2007)

We had a pet-sitter come in to take care of my dog, who is almost 13 and has epilepsy, and to take care of the fish. I never use vacation feeders because I have read terrible things about them...


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## BlackWolf1489 (Nov 29, 2007)

Update:
Tuckatwo is suprisingly still alive and the fungus is shrinking a little. He still is not eating but he is not longer laying on his side.


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## okiemavis (Nov 10, 2007)

I'm glad to hear he's doing ok. Could you read the link below and give us some more information? It will really help us make a diagnosis. Also, a photo will help a lot.

http://www.fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=882


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## BlackWolf1489 (Nov 29, 2007)

Tuckatwo is not living in the tank anymore but I do have him isolated in a regular fish bowl that I keep warm with a heating pad that is wrapped in a towel. The water temp is currently 80 F and the pH is 7.0. I do not keep taps on CO2 content because bettas breath from the atmosphere.

Tuckatwo is a lot stronger today than he had been for the past couple of days. He was living in a cereal bowl on a heating pad during that time so that it would keep him from becomming exhausted when he tried to get air.


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## okiemavis (Nov 10, 2007)

Make sure you're doing daily water changes so that there is no buildup of ammonia and nitrites.


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## BlackWolf1489 (Nov 29, 2007)

Unfortunately after being sick for over a week, Tuckatwo passed away yesterday afternoon.


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## teh13371 (Dec 10, 2007)

I apologize for the loss of your goldfish, Tuckatoo.


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