Betta

[sweetscraps]

Hello, I'm new here.  My daughter and granddaughter gave me a betta for an anniversary gift. At first I wasn't sure if I even wanted this little guy. I've had him for 9 months and have grown quite fond of him. Now he is sick. he's bloated and somewhat lithargic and pale. I've read some symptoms etc. his scales are not sticking out, so I hope it's not dropsy. Please can anyone help me with this. I really don't want my little guy to die.
 

 

[Sophie]

Can you post pictures?
What do you feed him and how often?
How often do you do water changes, how much is changed and do you siphon the gravel?

 

[Meeresstille]

Is he in a tank with a heater, they need warm water to stay healthy. Is his tank filtered, and how big his his tank?
 
Bettas are carnivorous and oftentimes the food that is being fed to them is too high in plant matter. Bettas easily get intestinal problems like bloating from the wrong foods. Flakes are terrible for Bettas. Betta Pellets are better and frozen and thawed bloodworms are good for them given about twice a week. Soaking dry food first helps too, so it does not expand once inside his belly! I sometimes soak my fish's food in a bit of fresh squeezed garlic juice, it is a immune-system booster and the fish love it!
 
If it is bloat you can try fasting him for a few days and then offer him a small amount of a squished cooked pea. The pea will help his intestines move things along.  

 

[sweetscraps]

I feed him the betta pellets my daughter gave me when she gave him to me. I followed the direction on the package... 2-4 pellets twice a day.  I change his water when it starts looking dirty, but this last time I think I did let it go too long. Now he doesn't want to eat, and he only goes to the top for air.  I've uploaded pictures to my FB. eaiser for me at the moment. I've included a link,  please see my betta there. any input will be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance    
https/www.facebook.com/donna.passmore.sweetscraps/media_set?set=a.10202096864452175.1073741841.1504455873&type=3&uploaded=7

 

[sweetscraps]

He is in a bowl, but he has done just fine for 9 months. His water may be a little cold since he's in an airconditioned room, but until just yesterday he seemed quite happy, although he has bloated a bit after I feed him sometimes.  Plus I do let his fresh water sit for a few days before I change it.

 

[sweetscraps]

Is he in a tank with a heater, they need warm water to stay healthy. Is his tank filtered, and how big his his tank?
 
Bettas are carnivorous and oftentimes the food that is being fed to them is too high in plant matter. Bettas easily get intestinal problems like bloating from the wrong foods. Flakes are terrible for Bettas. Betta Pellets are better and frozen and thawed bloodworms are good for them given about twice a week. Soaking dry food first helps too, so it does not expand once inside his belly! I sometimes soak my fish's food in a bit of fresh squeezed garlic juice, it is a immune-system booster and the fish love it!
 
If it is bloat you can try fasting him for a few days and then offer him a small amount of a squished cooked pea. The pea will help his intestines move things along.  

thank you. I have notice that a lot of people do say feed the peas.  Is that the little round green peas? I will try it if he will eat again.

 

[Meeresstille]

I'm sorry, sweetcraps, I do think it is dropsy! I see two pictures where you can see the beginning of pine-coning, the scales are just a little bit raised and it seems to be just at the underside for now.
 
You could try epsom salt for treatment. But I can only give you very little hope. Usually there are organ problems, damage that in your case may have occurred by living in water with ammonia (fish's waste, tank not filtered) and usually irreversible. The epsom salt treatment MAY help remove the fluid build up! I may be wrong though, so keep an eye on him. Change all of his water daily, try to find a way to keep his bowl warm, if the fluid build up and pine coning worsens you may need to look into a way you feel comfortable to euthanize him! 

 

[sweetscraps]

Thank you. I hope you're wrong but thank you

 

[neutron20]

Changing all the water is hard on the fish, that's not what I would do...
 
quit feeding the fish all together and after day one of no feeding, go and peel a "pea" from your grocery store and give him the inside of it. It really helps with digestion issues betta fish get.
 
STICK TO YOUR USUAL WATER CLEANING HABITS

 

[Sophie]

The scales raised on the stomach region could just be a result of the stomach bloating so much..

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

Changing all the water is hard on the fish, that's not what I would do...
 
quit feeding the fish all together and after day one of no feeding, go and peel a "pea" from your grocery store and give him the inside of it. It really helps with digestion issues betta fish get.
 
STICK TO YOUR USUAL WATER CLEANING HABITS

 
 
She needs to do 100 percent cleaning everyday because too much ammonia is probably what got the fish sick. When you have a sick fish you need the water even cleaner than before.
 
Please do 100% changes at least once a day, peferably when you wake up and when you go to bed.

 

[Sophie]

Changing all the water is hard on the fish, that's not what I would do...
 
quit feeding the fish all together and after day one of no feeding, go and peel a "pea" from your grocery store and give him the inside of it. It really helps with digestion issues betta fish get.
 
STICK TO YOUR USUAL WATER CLEANING HABITS

 
 
Lol..
 
Changing the water when it looks dirty is what, probably once every few weeks? (Quoted from what OP said was her water changing frequency). In short, without a filter, the buildup of toxins in the tank will be phenomenal - these toxins have a huge impact on the fishes immune system, thus as stated by Ellie above, probably what got the fish sick.
Like us as humans, when we get tired and run down, we get sick, our immune system cannot cope if we're not at our best.
 
The stress added by changing the water daily is a sacrifice having to be made or the fish is just going to pass anyway from, whatever the poor little guy is suffering from now.
 
I hope I make sense.. Brain is just pants today, I'd explain more but I really cannot think straight!
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first/
 
 
Give this a read OP - should help explain the importance of filtration and such.

Also do you dechlorinate the water you add when you change the water?

 

[sweetscraps]

thank you all.  I went away for a couple days. I cleand the bowl and tried to feed him a bit of pea before leaving Fri night. Then I left him, and hoped for the best but expected the worst. Sunday evening when I returned, I check him first thing. He's still alive. His scales are raised a little on his belly area. I cleaned his bowl again and tried to feed him a little more pea. I don't know if he has eaten any of the pea. This morning I think he actually looks a little better. I hoping and waiting. When he saw me and came around to my side of the bowl to look at me

  , sooo we'll see 

 

 

.

 

[Wildbetta]

I know it has been a week since you last posted but I hope he is doing a bit better.  I would like to point you to this thread:  http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/423362-betta-splendens-caresheet/    as it will explain the best way to keep your betta healthy.  
 
From your photos, your betta is extremely bloated.  With the small size of the bowl, not enough water changes, and no heat being the reasons your betta is in this position.  That is a very small bowl which would need AT LEAST a 100% water change per day to keep the ammonia level down low enough to keep him somewhat healthy.  It is also too small to reliably heat which is an issue all to itself.  Bettas require a heater to keep the temperature stable at no less than 78F.  When the water is cooler than that, their immune system is compromised.  Another issue of cool water is they tend to have a harder time with digestion since the cooler water slows their metabolism down and they are less active which means they need less food.  I don't personally suggest peas as a laxative.  I suggest frozen daphnia as it is more like what the betta would eat and it works great as a laxative. Just because he has lived for 9 months in that tiny cold bowl does not mean he is happy. Clear water does not mean clean water as dangerous levels of ammonia do not change the way the water looks.  Which is why regular water changes are so important.  I recommend getting a bigger container for your betta so that you can heat it reliably and not have to change the water quite as often.  

 

[sweetscraps]

I know it has been a week since you last posted but I hope he is doing a bit better.  I would like to point you to this thread:  http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/423362-betta-splendens-caresheet/    as it will explain the best way to keep your betta healthy.  
 
From your photos, your betta is extremely bloated.  With the small size of the bowl, not enough water changes, and no heat being the reasons your betta is in this position.  That is a very small bowl which would need AT LEAST a 100% water change per day to keep the ammonia level down low enough to keep him somewhat healthy.  It is also too small to reliably heat which is an issue all to itself.  Bettas require a heater to keep the temperature stable at no less than 78F.  When the water is cooler than that, their immune system is compromised.  Another issue of cool water is they tend to have a harder time with digestion since the cooler water slows their metabolism down and they are less active which means they need less food.  I don't personally suggest peas as a laxative.  I suggest frozen daphnia as it is more like what the betta would eat and it works great as a laxative. Just because he has lived for 9 months in that tiny cold bowl does not mean he is happy. Clear water does not mean clean water as dangerous levels of ammonia do not change the way the water looks.  Which is why regular water changes are so important.  I recommend getting a bigger container for your betta so that you can heat it reliably and not have to change the water quite as often.  

Thank you very much for checking up on me and my fish. He seems to be much better. I got a small 1.5 gallon aquarium with a filter. still gotta get a heater.  He still looks bloated but at least he's acting more normal. and is eating again. I will make sure to keep him clean and not over feed him.