Every betta in my tank SICK!

[seaecho]

Is it possible for nearly every betta in my sorority to have dropsy at the same time? Yesterday I noticed one was bloated and lying on the bottom, so I put her in a breeder and didn't feed her, thinking she was constipated. This morning I get up, and one by one, all the others started to act the same way. There are only two that don't appear sick as of right now. (I have nine in my sorority).

I thought my tank was cycled a long time ago. I went thru the nitrogen cycle about two years ago. But my API Master kit is several years old, and it is showing .25 ammonia, 0 Nitrite and 5 nitrates. So that is another mystery. Looks like either the test kit is no longer viable, or I lost my cycle! Two more bettas are now bloated and everyone is listless and most are hiding. I think I see very faint pine-coning on two of them. Everyone was fine yesterday until the first one got sick! Very active too.

I gave an epsom salt bath to the one I captured last night. The others I can't catch. What to do? I have filter, heater, temp is 80. My harlequin rasbora that is also in there and my two balloon mollies are all acting completely normal. I have ordered another API Master test kit on ebay, as none of the stores around here have them--just the strips, which I know are inaccurate. They are in a 20L tank. Please help!

 

[Colin_T]

How long has the tank been set up?
How often do you do water changes and how much water do you change?
Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?
Have you added anything new to the tank in the last 2 weeks?
How long have you had the fish for?
Did you get all the Bettas at the same time?
How many fish do you have in the tank?
Is the tank only 20 litres?

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0.25ppm ammonia can be from food you put in the tank a few hours ago, sick or dead fish, dead plant or anything that breaks down in the water.

Test kits and medications should be kept in a cool dark place to maximise their shelf life. Heat and sunlight destroys them quicker. I kept mine in a plastic icecream bucket in the bottom of the fridge.

*NB* Keep kits away from children and animals because they have some poisonous chemicals in them.

*NB* Wash hands with soapy water after using medications and test kits and working in the tank.

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It sounds like the Bettas have an internal bacterial infection. It could be from poor quality food (something they ate recently), or a dirty tank/ filter, or Tuberculosis (TB).

You can try doing a 75% water change and gravel cleaning the substrate each day for a week. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks.

You might want to try anti-biotics, although they generally won't save the ones that are already ballooned up. and if it's TB there is nothing you can do about it.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Mine all bloated but also had fuzz covering their faces. Lost 11 females to columnaris. So sad!

 

[seaecho]

I've had TB in my tanks before. I even caught it myself. But it never hit all my fish at once. Maybe one fish and then it would be months until another got sick.

The tank has been set up about 2 years
Water changes once a week, about 40-50%
Yes, gravel is siphoned with every water change
Only thing new added to tank is fish in the last few weeks. I've gotten one or two at a time for the last few weeks.
No, didn't get all bettas at the same time.
I have 9 bettas, 1 harlequin rasbora and two balloon mollies in that tank.
And the tank is 20 gallons long.

So I guess the TB is rearing it's ugly head again? I was so afraid of that. I thought it was gone. I went a very long time with no sick fish. I am just devastated. I am already attached to these fish. I tried different antibiotics last time, to no avail. Couldn't save anyone. Spent a fortune trying to save them.

Question: I left a container of thawed frozen brine shrimp out overnight, and fed it the next day, without thinking. It had been out over 24 hours. Could that have caused this?

 

[FishGuest5123]

Hmmm...may have something to do with it. Fast them and see what happens. Colin???

 

[Colin_T]

I don't think it's TB because you didn't get all the female Bettas from the same place at the same time. If they had all come from the same place 2 years ago, then they might have it. But I had a similar experience to you with one fish dying and a few weeks/ months later, another would die from it.

This is either from the new fish you introduced during the last 2 weeks, or the frozen food that was left out, my guess is the frozen food.

Most frozen fish food is contaminated with bacteria and as long as it remains frozen, the bacteria remain dormant and in low numbers. But if you leave it out for any length of time, the bacteria wake up and start to multiply and you end up with poisonous food.

Question: I left a container of thawed frozen brine shrimp out overnight, and fed it the next day, without thinking. It had been out over 24 hours. Could that have caused this?

YES.

If it is food poisoning then anti-biotics might help, but they will probably knock your filter about so monitor ammonia and nitrite levels for the next few weeks and reduce feeding and do daily water changes.

 

[seaecho]

Well, I don't know if that's good or bad news, but I will follow your suggestions, Colin. Thank you so much! I do have antibiotics. Fish Bendazole (Metro and Fenben) and also Tetracycline. I sure hope this saves at least some of them. I'm just heartbroken.

 

[Colin_T]

For everyone reading this. Always use fresh food for the fish and if you have frozen fish food that has been defrosted and left out for more than an hour, throw it away and do not give it to the fish or any other animal.

 

[FishGuest5123]

My vet friend actually suspected some frozen blood worms that I had of being the source of the columnaris in my tank. I quit using all frozen foods.