Blind Betta Advice

[flippajh]

I've had Morris for a while now, and been on here with updates, however I have a bit of a problem and was just after some advice.

Tank stats of today are Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 40, water temp 26/79, 25 litre tank with live plants.

I have added a couple of recent pictures of him. He has a terribly swollen belly, he rarely moves, either lying on the floor of the tank or resting on a leaf near the surface. He's never moved a lot with being blind, just waiting for the next meal to come to him, but recently however, he's lying on his side as the swelling is so large, he's still having a bit of a forage for food, but seems to give up quite quickly and then just rolls on his side and lies there. He's not gasping at all and his fins are full, when I've had sick betta's before they've got very clamped fins and seem to be struggling to breath.

Just wondered if anyone had seen anything like this and what they think it might be or anything I can do to help. I just think about the old quality of life issue and wonder if I should do the kindest thing for him, but don't want to do it if anyone can think of anything. It's been like this for about 3 days now, no change at all.





Thanks

Philippa

 

[betta fish]

Hi, he looks like he may be suffering from constipation which can cause problems with the swim bladder hence not being able to keep his balance and swim properly, perhaps try to see if he will eat a bit of pea and give him an epsom salt bath, I wouldn't feed him for a few days to see if the swelling goes down this should make it easier for him to swim, keep an eye on his scales to make sure they don't start protruding as these symptoms can also be the onset of dropsy, how old is the little guy? seems older bettas are more prone to constipation.

 

[Mauricia]

I agree, I think from the position of the bulge it might be constipation. I would put him in a breeding net right away if he's having trouble swimming, that way it won't be hard for him to get air. If you don't have on, you can come up with some creative way to help him sit up near the surface... tall plant driftwood, etc.
Don't feed him anything other than pea until he improves. If he won't eat pea, try daphnia as that's a laxative as well. I'm pretty sure brine shrimp if also laxative but hopefully someone else can confirm that.

 

[loraxchick]

hi there-
it certainly seems as though that is constipation which is causing a swimbladder issue. youve gotten some good advice above. i will just add some information for you.
breeding net or lowering the water level are great ideas to make it easier for him to breathe from the surface. do NOT feed him for several days. in the meantime feed a bit of a cooked deshelled pea cut up into pieces. Keep an eye out for his poop (make sure he is going to the toilet).
epsom salts are AMAZING for treating severe constipation. they are very cheap and widely available at any pharmacy or other place where they sell medicines. the ingredient in epsom salt is magnesium sulfate (do not use aquarium/marine salt...it will make it worse).
you have two options for treatment. if there are not "salt sensitive" fish in his tank you can treat the tank with the epsom salt. add 1 tablespoon/ 5 gal (remember that salt will stay behind as water evaporates, so if you either top off the tank or do a waterchange, only redose the amount that you are adding back in-not a whole other dose for the tank).
if you are uncomfortable doing this, you can find a container and dose 1 tablespoon/gal (more concentrated) and give him a "bath" for up to 30 minutes 2X a day. continue this bath treatment for up to one week-until the bloating goes down, he has a big poo or he is becomming stressed by the treatment.
it is important to keep his water clean as the stress from his "condition" at the moment may lead the way for other nasties to take hold. constipation is easily treated so dont worry yet! i know he looks pathetic, but likely will make a full recovery.
once the issue is sorted, soak his food until it is soft before you feed him. and only feed as much food as would fit in his eyeball(thats how big their stomachs are). and skip feeding days often.
hopefully that is helpful and he will soon make a complete recovery
best of luck to you both!!!
cheers.

 

[flippajh]

Thanks for all the replies, his tank mates are one otto, (haven't been able to keep more than this one alive), who I can transfer to my other tank, and 3 endlers, oh and one cherry shrimp, so hope they'll be ok with the epsom salts.

Will get some on my way home today, I will treat the whole tank and make sure I up my water changes to keep the water uber clean.

I have difficulty feeding him as he's blind and with the whole instability thing he hasn't been able to get to his usual spot in the tank to feed. He won't take anything from the surface or mid water, he will only pick up off the tank floor, so am not even sure how well he's been feeding over the past few days, I think I may need to get him into a separate container and do the treatment and feed him the pea in the container, then I can make sure he's definitely getting it.

Thanks again

P

 

[loraxchick]

it is always best to treat sick fish in a separate container. just make sure you can keep the water temp stable and warm. no need for a filter if you do waterchanges everyday (which, again, you should be doing just to keep the water tip top). bare bottom is best for many reasons, especially to see if he is pooing, which is very important.
so try the epsom salts (they work wonders). if no improvement in 4-5 days, let us know..there are other remedies (and not medicines either) that we (or should i say you could try.
best of luck!
cheers