Please help! New betta gill problem!

[minaraiko]

Hi everyone. Seems like it's one thing after another for me. I just purchased a few new bettas recently. The one in question is a platinum white hmpk. When I got him (5/7/08), I noticed that his right gill was larger than the left. At the time, I thought nothing of it. (Figured maybe he was born that way?) He seemed to be doing well. He was very active, blew bubble nests. Then suddenly after the last wtc (before today's) He stopped blowing bubble nests. I thought maybe he got tired to making them. Then when I get home today (night time and after a wtc earlier in the day) I notice that his gill's swollen and there are things growing in and out of it. There was something hanging from his gill. Can anyone help me id this? I just want some opinions before I started treating.

So some info on the tank. He is temporarily sharing a 2.5 gal cycled tank with two other hmpks. I am doing 50% wtc twice a week. The current parameters (Just tested 5 mins ago)

PH: 7.4-7.6? I tried both the regular and high range. The high range says 7.4 whereas the regular one said 7.6. (I could be reading it wrong though the two blues look similar)
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 20 ppm ( could this be affected by the use of Vita Chem?
Temp: 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

I usually add Vita Chem, BWE, and Prime. I added 1.6 mL of Prazi Pro today as a precaution. I took as many pictures as possible to document the problem. These are the best that I could get. Some are hard kind of fuzzy.

Here is one from the side showing some gunk in his gill.
http://wolfpackisles.8m.net/cgi-bin/i/images/Closeup1.jpg

This next one shows the same gunk and also something attached to the outside of the gill plate.
http://wolfpackisles.8m.net/cgi-bin/i/images/closeup2.jpg

Here you may notice that thing hanging from his gill. It's hard to tell if you don't know to look for it. Also you may notice that the gill is swollen.
http://wolfpackisles.8m.net/cgi-bin/i/images/Closeup3.jpg

In this picture, you will see that something is hanging out of his gill. I only noticed this after feeding some brine shrimp flakes.
http://wolfpackisles.8m.net/cgi-bin/i/images/Closeup4.jpg

You will clearly see the thing hanging from his gill plate here. I'm also concerned about the reddish/orange pigment he is picking up on his face.
http://wolfpackisles.8m.net/cgi-bin/i/images/closeup5.jpg

I finally caught him hanging near the top for a closeup of his gills. The picture is fuzzy, but it almost seems like there are eggs growing in his gill plate.
http://wolfpackisles.8m.net/cgi-bin/i/images/gill2.jpg

Finally a really fuzzy picture, but one that shows just how swollen his gill is.
http://wolfpackisles.8m.net/cgi-bin/i/images/gills.jpg

Please help me! I currently have the following meds on hand: Clout, Jungle Fungus Clear, Jungle Parasite Clear, Hikari Prazi Pro, Hikari Metro +, API General Cure, API Furan-2, Mardel Maracyn Plus, Melafix, and Pimafix.

Also as a side note, can anyone tell me what this wart looking thing on my other betta could be? The betta himself is not bothered by it. I'm just curious. Could it be a problem later?
http://wolfpackisles.8m.net/cgi-bin/i/images/2.jpg

Thanks everyone in advance!

 

[Svetlana]

from what I read before sounds like gill fluke - never had to deal with it, so I can't give any advice except searching and reading on it.

 

[minaraiko]

I had a feeling that might be the case. I've never seen anything like this so i wasn't sure. I'm doing a lot of searching now. Has anyone else had experiences with gill flukes? More advice please? Thanks again!

 

[minaraiko]

Here's an update on the situation. I changed around 80% of the water friday morning and added 1.6 mL of PraziPro to the tank. The infected part of his face seemed more swollen by nightfall and flakes? were falling out of the gill area. Tonight he's still swollen and looks like the stuff that's in his gills are pushing out now. There seems to be an infected area on the other gill plate as well. He tried to flare at his neighbor and it seems that both gill plates will not open. I can see the beard moving though. Is this really bad? He's still quite active. Comes up searching for food and such. Here are a few more pics.

http://wolfpackisles.8m.net/cgi-bin/i/images/face1.jpg
http://wolfpackisles.8m.net/cgi-bin/i/images/face2.jpg
http://wolfpackisles.8m.net/cgi-bin/i/images/face3.jpg
http://wolfpackisles.8m.net/cgi-bin/i/images/face4.jpg
http://wolfpackisles.8m.net/cgi-bin/i/images/face5.jpg
http://wolfpackisles.8m.net/cgi-bin/i/images/face6.jpg

Thanks again for any help.

 

[UpstateNYer]

Hey,

How's your betta doing? Just wondering after reading your thread. You may also want to read up on Indian Almond Leaf (IAL). IAL can be very beneficial for Bettas, it adds tannins to the water and is antimicrobial. It helps put the betta at ease and help reduce stress especially in newly purchased bettas. It helps condition the water so it's more like their natural habitat although it will discolor the water slightly. I doubt it would be of help specifically for gill flukes but would help overall.

Not to point you off-forum, but here's an article on IAL and you can usually find it on forum classifieds and online. The author also has IAL that you may be able to get in a emergency.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Indian-Almond-Leaves-for-Betta-Fish&id=341852

Ric