Help - Sick Betta

[lis]

I've had Ronnie for nearly 2 years in a community tank and I've had no problems at all with him until last night.

I came home from work to find him lying on his side at the corner of the tank. When I tried to net him to put him in a floating breeding trap so he is closer to the surface for air, he sped up to the surface and took a gulp of air then sank back down to the bottom.

I now have him in the breeding trap where I've tried to feed him and he's not interested. I noticed this morning that one of his gills is out as if he's been flaring and he is lying on the bottom of the trap not doing anything. He still comes up for air periodically.

The last water change was Wednesday night and all readings are normal. I have not introduced any new fish to the tank for the last 3 months.

Can anyone help as I don't want to lose him?

 

[martypants16]

Hi there,
Sorry i cant help but i have EXACTLY the same problem as of last night.
My betta has been in a tank a year, with no tankmates added for at least 6 months, regular water changes are done, last one on sunday and all has been well up to last night.....
Now he sits on the bottom, or in the plants all the time just coming up for air, and he sits slightly tilted over to one side. He has no marks on him at all, just possibly breathing a bit heavier than normal.
Hope someone can help us both , i would hate to lose him..

 

[red-devil0602]

Bettas do this from time to time as they get depressed believe it or not , try feeding him some live food, add some indian almond leaf to his water, with him been over 2 it my just be old age sorry to say, please keep us updated on this little guy

 

[ILM]

If his fins aren't clamped, it could be old age. As males get old, their fins become more of hindrance and weigh them down. So they tend to move less and, if there are plants close to the surface, they'll nest in the plants so they don't have very far to go for air. But old bettas still eat so I'd worry about that. Make sure he doesn't have anything wrong with his mouth and throat areas. Keep them warm (make sure the water temp stays at a steady 80F degrees--oldsters get cold easily, keep their tank clean. I'd move the betta into a separate tank so the other fish don't start to pick on him--fish tend to get abusive and brutal when they sense an incapacitated fish. Also, if you are feeding them pellets or dry food, you might want to consider changing to live or frozen (meaty) fish foods so his food is less filler and more protein. And just prepare yourself. Their aging process goes so much faster (then ours) and they do die.

 

[martypants16]

My betta i got a year ago, so i hope with him the age is not an issue, but it does worry me that after being active and tame for so long he just suddenly exhibits this listless behaviour.
Will be keeping a close eye on him. He does eat, but does not do much else, though i will still try some mozzy larvae later and see what happens then..

 

[red-devil0602]

My betta i got a year ago, so i hope with him the age is not an issue, but it does worry me that after being active and tame for so long he just suddenly exhibits this listless behaviour.
Will be keeping a close eye on him. He does eat, but does not do much else, though i will still try some mozzy larvae later and see what happens then..

He may just be depressed then, try him on the live food see if that picks him up, is there any chance he can be moved to a tank of his own as some bettas prefer it, or if you have a small hospital tank i could send you some indian almond leaf to see if that works

 

[ILM]

How old was he when you got him? If he was full grown, he was probably already a year old or older, plus the year he's been with you--that's getting up there for a betta. But if you keep him clean and warm and well fed (might want to try feeding him smaller meals more often--the ol' digestive sys won't have to work so hard), he could keep going for a while yet.

 

[martypants16]

I think he was full grown when i got him ( i had little fish experience then and cant be sure) because he has not grown much.
I just have to keep an eye on him, he has led a charmed and happy life so far and long may it continue !!
by the way, he feeds from my fingers, is this common with bettas??

 

[lis]

Thanks for your advise.

I won't be home from work for another few hours so I'll check on him then and let you all know how he's doing - but I am preparing myself that it is more than likely old age.

Lis

 

[liz2]

I think he was full grown when i got him ( i had little fish experience then and cant be sure) because he has not grown much.
I just have to keep an eye on him, he has led a charmed and happy life so far and long may it continue !!
by the way, he feeds from my fingers, is this common with bettas??

I hope he is ok..my newest betta feeds from your fingers..he hurts though he is quite vicious...fingers crossed for yours.

 

[RandomWiktor]

The protruding gill and decreased apetite seems like a red flag to me. Protruding gills can be caused by parasites (unlikely if you've had him this long, unless you've introduced other fish to the tank recently?) or gill disease. Do his gills look at all inflammed? Anything hanging from them? How is his breathing, labored or normal?
If this is just old age, he might do best in his own tank, preferably something wide, long, and shallow with minimal current. If you could isolate him, add some salt and IAL, and raise the temp to around 80, you could see if he perks up.

 

[lis]

He perked up on Friday evening and I thought that was him on the mend but unfortunately Ronnie passed away on Sat morning.

Lis

 

[Joby]

So sorry to hear that Lis

 

[martypants16]

Yes sorry to hear that, its as bad losing a fish as it is losing a dog or a cat, not easy.

 

[joey]

How do you know if you have a sick betta::