Hi everyone. A couple months ago i came on here woth my betta obby who started sinking and then died. My other betta roxy has come down with the same thing. Her tank had an ammonia spike and she seemed lethargic and was sinking, so i moved her to obbys old, smaller tank to monitor her and fix the ammonia spike in the other aquarium. I thought she was getting better yesterday, but tonight i checked on her and she was super pale, almost “wheezing” (if a fish can do that) and looked dramatically worse. Shes not pineconing but just really white for a usually clearish fish. I moved her to my bucket so she has shallow water but i did the same for obby and he only lived 3 extra days. He was old though and roxy is much younger, so she’s stronger, but i still dont know how to help her recover. How can I save roxy?
Betta on its last legs
- Thread starter Finn1231
- Start date
Fishboy_Max
Fish Fanatic
If I may ask the basic questions, like a photo of you betta plus the tank she used to live in.
How many times do you do a water change in a month?
How much and how many times do you feed her in a day?
Does she still eat?
Do you have any other fish in the tank?
Is there any live plants in the tank?
It would be helpful for me to know these things so that I can help you.
Thank you.
How many times do you do a water change in a month?
How much and how many times do you feed her in a day?
Does she still eat?
Do you have any other fish in the tank?
Is there any live plants in the tank?
It would be helpful for me to know these things so that I can help you.
Thank you.
Last edited:
The "bad news" is a Betta splendens should live 3 to 7 years. If they have the really inbred, giant fins, 3 might be closer to it, but if they are mobile and didn't come from the farm with a Mycobacter marinum infection slowly undermining them, life can be long.
It's "fish-politically incorrect" to note that a high percentage of store bettas are carrying that slow infection, incurable and the source of many symptoms.
But an internal infection is a lot more likely than an ammonia problem for an air breathing, swamp fish.
It's "fish-politically incorrect" to note that a high percentage of store bettas are carrying that slow infection, incurable and the source of many symptoms.
But an internal infection is a lot more likely than an ammonia problem for an air breathing, swamp fish.
Valkyrie_Lips
Fish Crazy
A cycled aquarium should not have ammonia spikes so I would suggest trying to figure out why it occurred. It sounds like poor water quality might be a contributing factor to her decline. When fish are kept in dirty water their immune systems are lowered and they become targets for opportunistic infections. Once the infection progresses and does major damage to their internal organs that is when you see pineconing or symptoms of dropsy.
What were the exact parameters in the main tank (pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)? How long did you cycle the tank for before adding her? Did you throw away any filter media/replace filter media recently? How often do you do water changes? Do you vacuum the substrate or just change the water? What size is her main tank? I know it's a lot of questions but this information will help us help you figure out why your bettas are becoming sick and if it is linked to water quality. Photos and videos would also be helpful so we can see her condition and behavior.
What were the exact parameters in the main tank (pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)? How long did you cycle the tank for before adding her? Did you throw away any filter media/replace filter media recently? How often do you do water changes? Do you vacuum the substrate or just change the water? What size is her main tank? I know it's a lot of questions but this information will help us help you figure out why your bettas are becoming sick and if it is linked to water quality. Photos and videos would also be helpful so we can see her condition and behavior.
Fishboy_Max
Fish Fanatic
That's sad, my condolences.
So sorry for your loss Finn. I know how it feels
Similar threads
Most reactions
-
519 -
298 -
253 -
234 -
213 -
180 -
167 -
159 -
152 -
141 -
137 -
125 -
106 -
100 -
96