My Sick Betta.

[mrtiddles]

Ok, I'll give you guys the play by play.

Yesterday, noon. I bought him at the pet store, brought him home intending to use him as one of my starter fish. I spent the appropriate amount of time & energy acclimating him to the new aquarium before introducing him. After a few hours, I finally let him in with the other fish. He spent most of his time at the top, floating wherever the light current would take him. A few times, I thought he was dead from stress, but he always ended up moving around.

Upon noticing his ailment, I started trying to figure out his problem. I was starting to float sideways on occasion, so I took him out of the main tank, got him some new clean water in a 1 gallon tank on his own (the only other tank I have in the house). He seemed to perk up a bit.

I took a close look at him. No signs of Ich or Velvet, but his fins were a bit frayed, so I bought some finrot medication (the mardel M-2 stuff) and gave him the first dose today.

For the last couple hours, he sits at the top of the tank and will float up on his side. Several times I assumed he has succumbed to his fate, but he always perks up and swims around for a bit, then floats.

a). I think he has SBD, so I'm gonna try to get some peas. He's been in this tank with clean water all day and haven't seen one bit of waste, and he was fed this morning, albeit he didn't eat much. Your opinions?

b). Should I continue the finrot medication just to be sure? He hasn't flared one time since I've had him, and his fins constantly look slumped and a touch frayed at the ends, see pic.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Frollickyfish]

I doubt any fin rot would be making him like this but he may have either swim bladder or an internal bacterial infection. Id lower the water level a bit so its easier for him to get to the surface for air and get some anti internal bacteria med for him. Becareful overdosing in such a small tank though.

 

[lilfishie]

do you have a test kit at all, if so we need the levels for ammonia, nitirte and nitrate

 

[mrtiddles]

a). he isn't having trouble getting to the top, he's having trouble getting DOWN.
b). 100% water change in the hospital tank last night.
c). I carefully measured the medicine for fin rot so it shouldn't OD him, but I'm not thinking that the fin rot is the issue, the medicine is, however, a broad spectrum antibiotic, so that should (??) help.
d). He is spending all his time floating now, except if I tap the side of the tank. He's not dead, but he sure acts like it.
e). *crosses fingers*


Ammonia - In between .25 and .5 ppm
Nitrite - .5 ppm
Nitrate - 20 ppm

 

[LauraFrog]

Keep doing water changes, the ammonia would be worrying me a bit at that level. Lower the temperature a bit to reduce your free ammonia.

I know somebody who cured a betta with a dodgy swim bladder using Bettafix. I can't vouch for it because I only saw the betta a few times and I don't know how severe it was, but if everything else fails it's worth trying.

 

[Amunet]

You gotta do water changes to get ammonia and nitrites down to as close to 0 as possible. Are those readings from the tank you originally put him in?
That tank is cycling and is going to need alot more water changes to try to keep the fish in it from being harmed by the cycling process.

As for the betta. How was he in the petstore you got him from? Was he lively? Or was he doing pretty much the same thing?

It probably won't hurt to medicate w/ the antibiotic meds. Might help him if that is what is wrong.

When you feed him the pea... make sure that the chunk is as close to his eye size as possible. If he gobbles it up, give him another similar sized piece. And fast him for a day. Hopefully if he is constipated, the pea will clear him out and you'll see his lil poop on the bottom.

 

[tibby25731]

Good luck. He is one pretty fish! I love his dark body with such bright red fins and tail!

 

[mrtiddles]

Update!

He wouldn't eat the pea because he was floating on his side all the time, and really struggled to get off the surface. He just wasn't interested, and I thought I was gonna lose him.

I went and bought him some Epsom Salt and put a little in his tank overnight, less than the recommended dosage since I was leaving him in for awhile, and when I woke up this morning he was swimming upright, easily all over the tank!

He's still a bit lethargic, and doesn't seem to flare much, but he can actually swim now and ate a few flakes earlier. I'm pretty excited!

Gonna give him another water change and see how he does today, maybe try to get him to flare a bit and see if he can gain his personality back!

 

[Frollickyfish]

Oh well done thats good news

 

[tibby25731]

yay! keep us updated! And try for a new pic now he is swimming well!

 

[mrtiddles]

I'll try to get a pic, he likes to hid in his Roman Column decoration. Sometimes he likes to just lean against the plants at the bottom, he's not "scratching" himself, near as I can tell, just being lethargic. Also, he doesn't flare much. I think he's getting better, but still keeping an eye on him.

Also, had a couple of fry from the Platies today!

This is him resting against the air tube. ??

One of the two Platy fry!

 

[lilfishie]

if he is eating again, then try the pea again see if he'll eat it, if he is still stuggleing to swim, either lower the water level or bring him closer to the surface in a breeder box or similar.
good shot of the platy fry, i find it immpossible to get good pictures of my fry

 

[tibby25731]

My bettas like to rest on plants, on the top of the heater, and the top of the filter! Only when they think I am not looking though Once I notice they are resting, the jump back to life and beg for food!

 

[liz2]

He was probably really stressed out. I have lost Bettas through that. He will probably perk up even more. He sure is purty though!