Bloated Betta

[Mamaschild]

Hi all. Got a little problem and don't know if I can fix it in time.

In my office, we currently don't have heat....don't know why, it's just cold in here. Anyway, I noticed that with the cold moving in, yes, it even get's cold in San Diego last week, their heater ran constantly and it didn't keep the tank any warmer then 74. This morning I brought in a second heater to see if that would fix this little annoyance.

Unfortunately, I think I may have already caused problems for my male Betta, Haley, as he is looking bloated and pale this morning I have added the other heater, but any ideas on helping him get through this? Do you think the temp could have been the culprit? He's been perfectly healthy up to now, I do weekly 50% water changes every Monday, so that's today. He didn't eat this morning, though.

The Ottos and Frogs are fine, at least from what I'm seeing, they are acting normal. The Ottos are fat, and so are the Frogs, and the Frogs met me for their breakfast as usual this morning.

So any ideas? I'm hoping it was the temp, and I'm fixing it by adding another heater, but I REALLY don't want to loose Haley

And for those who want to know, 10g tank, filtered, WELL planted, Ph 7.6, Amm 0, NitrItes 0, NitrAtes below 5, Temp WAS kept at 78-80. Now staying around 74, but will be slowly brought back up with the add'l heater.

And this is the tank, so you can see, too...well, this is what it looked like on 9/15. The plants have grown quite a bit.

 

[WILDER]

I would buy a heater so you can keep the temp stable, try a shelled pea first and some daphnia, might be constipation,can the fish maintain her balance in the water, do scales stick out like a pinecomb, and what do you feed the fish besides flakes.

 

[Mamaschild]

Wilder

"last week, their heater ran constantly and it didn't keep the tank any warmer then 74. This morning I brought in a second heater to see if that would fix this little annoyance."

I feed him Betta-Min flakes and "Packaged" bloodworms a couple times a week. The Frogs get Frog and Tadpole Bites, which the Betta also eats. I keep Duckweed in the tank, because I have 2 Apple Snails growing up in there, so he CAN eat that....don't know if he does?

Swimming doesn't seem to be a problem, but he didn't eat this morning...he did come to me, but then swam into a plant and stayed there. The Ottos are fat and sassy as are the frogs, so??? The main thing that concerns me is he's a DEEP burgandy/blue on his body w/red fins, but this morning, his body is almost grey? And I think if he bloats up any more, his scales WILL be sticking out.

He looked like this on Friday

 

[WILDER]

It beautiful what a shame, it's not looking to good, if you can try the shelled pea, dropsy is incurable as it progresses, but if you catch it early you can treat with antibiotics, good luck.

 

[Mamaschild]

Thanks Wilder, for your responses.

I will bring him some peas in the morning. I've fed them to him before (variety is always good), but with him not eating this morning, I don't know if that will help any I will look into my fishie meds tonight and see what I can find for Antibiotics. Any specific suggestions? And with the Frogs and Ottos, anything I should stay away from? I'm taking the Snails home tonight, so they won't be there.

Sorry, but I've so very rarely had to treat my fish for disease, I really don't know what to use

TIA for your help...again

 

[Mamaschild]

Well, I decided to just bring him home with me. I put him in a 1/2 full, 2.5g w/heat, no filter, and stuff to hide behind/under.

I have a few choices of treatment:
Jungle Parasite Clear
Jungle Ick Clear
Jungle Fungus Clear
Hex-A-Mit
Melafix

What do you suggest? Any or none? If none, What?

He seems more lethargic then he was, so I'm really concerned

 

[f250fisherman]

If it's getting dropsy, then neither of those meds will help. By being bloated...is the stomach bloated, or does the fish look like it has gained weight in the entire body? Look down on the fish from above, use a flashlight, and see if any fins look raised. Sort of like a pinecone. The pineconing is a latter stage, so it might not be showing that bad yet.

 

[Mamaschild]

Well, thanks for trying, but Haley didn't make it through the night I still have no clue what happened. He was fine, swimming around, eating, staring at me for attention, all his normal stuff on Friday.

I still wonder if the heat issue had something to do with it, but I will probably never know. I would have loved to treat him with "something", but I never did get any suggestions for medications Oh well.

 

[turbotiber]

it he was bloated, stpped eating and just hid in places he probably had dropsy. I lost a few fish to that recently and one day they'll be fine flaring and eating and the next they seem depressed and then a few days later they die. Sorry for your loss

Did he have pineconing? If not i don't know what it could have been...

Edited to add: If it was dropsy and he was already bloated and pineconing, medications really don't work at that stage

 

[Mamaschild]

Thanks for the sympathies. I do know about Dropsy, but since I had never had to treat for it, I didn't have a clue what to use....now i know, Myracin or Myracin II (spelling?).

He didn't get the pineconing until late last night, and by then I had kind of given up hope as he was laying around on the bottom. Oh well, RIP little Haley's Comet

 

[WILDER]

how sad sorry for your loss, the last stage is pinecombing with dropsy, I thought you stood a little chance if you used antibiotics, as the scales wasn't protruding outwards yet.