Could He Have Something Stuck?

[oneponygirl]

It's been almost two weeks now that my one betta has been spitting out his food (you may recall the other thread). I thought the metronidazole was going to work but he had his last treatment yesterday and he still spits out his food.

In a book I was reading over the weekend the author stated the two main reasons for not eating and their treatments (one treatment I've tried - above, the other is pipirazine which I don't have). But he also stated that if they spit the food back out they could have something stuck in their gullet and to check and remove it. Well, how in the heck do I do that? Anybody ever done something like this before? Poor guy, last night he acted starving (which he probably is) and gulped down his food, chewed and then spit it out. This morning he looked at his food and swam away like he just couldn't handle the disappointment.

 

[ScoutCarcer]

What are you feeding him?

 

[oneponygirl]

He was on HGH brand betta pellets and frozen brine shrimp and eating them with no problem until one day he just started spitting everything out. Since then I've tried Hikari BioGold pellets and also frozen bloodworms. All spit out. Someone mentioned it could be internal parasites and to treat with metronidazole, which I did, last dose was yesterday. The day after his first dose I did notice a "white string" coming from his vent but regardless, he still spits out his food. He's also had two near complete water changes (he is in a two gallon tank with UGF) with gravel cleaned since he started doing this, too. There is nothing visually wrong with him and he is otherwise acting normal, a miracle since he has had nothing to eat in nearly two weeks. He is starting to slow down but if I go up to his bowl he perks right up and flares at me and displays. I may price pipirazine at the store tonight, or anything else if anyone has suggestions. I don't have a lot of money but I don't want to give up on him.

 

[BettaMomma]

Hmm.
You said you saw a stringy thing possibly on his gill?

If he were my betta, this is what I would do.
I'd pick up a little pack of Maracyn 2 (Available at PetSmart, PetCo, any lfs, etc.) and give that a try. It will serve a couple of purposes... it will battle a bacterial infection, and it helps fish that refuse to eat get their appetite back.

Do you have access to a store like that to get some Maracyn 2?

 

[black angel]

sounds like an internal bacteria infection. you will need to try a medicated food but all the ones i know are for larger fish. I think you can get a flake food but i cant remember the name sorry.

 

[BettaMomma]

Might be worth a shot, if you can get him to eat it.
Jungle makes some medicated food. I just saw some today.

 

[black angel]

It will be hard with him not being able to swallow it but i had this same problem with my kribs and you just have to keep offering a tiny bit twice a day and hope that some of it finds its way down. I managed to save a couple of my kribs, good luck.

 

[BettaMomma]

Make sure to soak the pellets first - not sure if I told you to try this or not yet, but soak them for 4 or 5 minutes before putting them in.

 

[oneponygirl]

When I got my son up from his nap just now the betta was laying on the bottom but moved when I went up to his tank. I've just started some water in a half gallon bowl with a broad leafed fake plant, once it's to room temp I'll move him and see if he appreciates not having to swim so much to get air.

I have tried soaking the pellets a few times but he doesn't even try to eat those. Just now he tried so hard to eat a pellet, he chewed and chewed and chewed and I thought he was going to get it down but he spit it back out.

So, I should be trying the Maracyn or medicated food (or are they the same thing)? I will be going to the LFS later so I can get whatever is best.

Thanks guys!

p.s. I didn't see a stringy thing on his gill but coming from his vent (pooing it out essentially). That was six days and two metronidazole treatments ago.

 

[BettaMomma]

I'd definitely give the maracyn 2 (get that rather than just plain maracyn) a try.

You can pick up some medicated food too, if you like, but I doubt he will eat them.

 

[oneponygirl]

OK, I had a recommendation to go to a particular LFS and talk to "Bill". Did that and he sent me home with live food (water fleas and a type of worm I don't remember the name of) and an anti-parasite treatment that covers just about everything I've heard of. This is his third day on the stuff (he rejected the live food BTW, but everybody else is enjoying it) and today I noticed that his abdomen is quite swollen and his coloring over it is more grey than usual. For the last four days he has also been a lot more listless, hanging out at the bottom of his tank not moving a fin, just breathing. It takes quite a bit to get him up and about whereas before he was always still flaring at me and very active. I'm doing 25 % water changes daily with the new water also being treated with the anti-parasite (as per package directions). Poor guy. I think after this I'm just going to quit everything and go to just water changes - that is if he makes it through the weekend.

 

[Seahorse]

So it doesn't look like dropsy?

 

[BettaMomma]

If you want to try one more thing, I'd give the maracyn 2 (or tetracycline at this point) a try.

Hope he hangs in there!

 

[oneponygirl]

Seahorse, no it doesn't look like dropsy. It's just his abdomen and his scales don't stick out.

yeah, Bettamomma, I trust your advise and I was actually asking for the Maracyn II but the one store didn't carry it and that's when they told me to go talk to Bill and you know the rest.

He had a round of Tetracycline not too long ago for something else that's why I was wondering if I should just do water changes daily for a while. Poor kid's had so many meds lately. The Maracyn is on my list to try still. I was thinking, he has to run through this med till Saturday. Then give him a few days "off" then if the daily water changes don't help and he's still in a bad way then I'll try it.

Another thing I noticed, his fins look almost leathery now. His tank is on my little boy's dresser, which is tall, so I stand there with my chin on the dresser just staring at him trying to find some spot or blemish or some sort of clue as to what might be wrong with him. All I see is the swollen tummy and leathery looking fins. If I was to see him in someone elses home I would think it was bad water conditions but it couldn't possible be.

 

[Seahorse]

Interesting, hmm.

The only betta I have ever had to get dropsy had a swollen tum for a few days before his scales started sticking out... but since that hasn't happened you should be fine. I probably shouldn't have said anything since he is probably fine, but you can never know I guess.

Yeah, I would give him a few days like you said, after these meds run out, and than try the maracyn as a last resort.

He'll hang in there