New Betta...sick Or Stressed Out?

[meeshelle]

I bought two bettas, a VT and a CT at a Petsmart yesterday for xmas gifts. The VT is doing great, but the CT won't eat anything and seems to have tiny pinprick holes in his bottom fin. I'm guessing he did this flaring too much? He also doesn't swim very much except kind of frantically when anything comes to close to his jar. I'm keeping him in a plain jar with aged water for now because I'm not sure if he is sick or not. (I bought both of these guys early just in case they died or something). What can I do to destress him a little? I've read that some bettas just take a long time to get used to a new place so...

 

[Cdarmychi]

do they have hiding places? some bettas just cant de-stress until they have a good hiding place. try getting a plant and sticking it in there....real or fake doesnt matter. the fins are often tattered when you first get them, especially from the petstore like that....

and I just going to add this in for my own peace of mind, bettas should not be kept in a jar or little bowl or glass, they need a tank with a filter and heated water, no matter what the store said. They just want to sell you a fish, they dont care how it lives. Also, please be ready in case they dont want the fish. Its a good idead to be willing to keep any pet you buy as a gift for someone else...just in case.

That said, I wish you the best of luck, and I hope the little guys calm down soon.

 

[halfmoonbetta]

Try a small piece of indian almond leaf, or blackwater extract. Put him in a quiet place for a couple of days.

 

[Syphoniera]

Hi, Meeshelle, and welcome!

Until someone like LauraFrog shows up with accurate and detailed questions/advice, I'll stick my nose in, if only so that you know people are taking your concern seriously.
If you can't get hold of the black water ingredients, you might consider adding a few grains of aquarium salt to his change water, or a smidge of Melafix - if that might possibly be incipient tail rot, the faster it heals the better, and a few pin holes from previous exposures should heal rapidly in a healthy betta.
Points were already made above about warmth, room, stress levels and providing shelter, but I was wondering if you were using dechlor, as chloramine and various other chemicals/metals won't age out of water the way chlorine eventually will.
Fish are so nervewracking sometimes, aren't they, as they can't tell you if anything's wrong...

 

[meeshelle]

Its been almost three days and he won't even eat bloodworms. Also I'm afraid he might have swimbladder or something else, as he is acting really strangly. I think I'm going to get another tank and keep this one, as I don't feel comfortable giving him to someone who has never had a fish. I'm going to the petstore to find another betta that is healthier (hopefully). I did put a few grains of aquarium salt in his temporary home last night, but I haven't put anything else in there. I'm going to condition the water when I move him into a bigger tank with a nice plant for him to hide in. I just have one other betta...he's a gorgeous red CT, who hid for a few days in his plant for a few days when I first got him. Is there anything besides a boiled pea I can do for swimbladder? He just floats near the top of his water most of the time, except when I take the lid off to try to tempt him with bloodworms...then he sort of thrashes around a bit. His bottom fin constantly looks like he is flaring, so maybe he is stretching it out too much.

 

[Cdarmychi]

Have you tried just regular pellets? If you just been trying to tempt him with bloodworms and peas, he might not know that its food....I have one boy who wont touch anythin but pellets. I really recommend that you declor the water, depending on where you live, there could be something in the water, especially since its winter, that could be harming him. And just in case you have them next to each other, move one jar away from the other. Sometimes males will get so stressed out seeing another one that go "funny". It doesnt sound like thats the case here, but its worth a try. Try raising the water temp, sometimes that does wonders.

when you offered the pea., how did you do it? try squishing it up, then breaking it into betta sized pieces with your thumbnail. or, if you tried that and it didn't work, put it on a toothpick and stick it in the water. Im not familiar with anything else you can use, other then medications.

I dug out my book, and it suggests fungus eliminator by jungle as a remedy. (that is availible in the USA) Or neoplex, by seachem. thats a broad spectrum antibiotic. But keep in mind, meds should be a last resort...I dont like using meds, personally, unless it is absolutely needed.

Good luck, and merry christmas

 

[meeshelle]

Have you tried just regular pellets? If you just been trying to tempt him with bloodworms and peas, he might not know that its food....I have one boy who wont touch anythin but pellets. I really recommend that you declor the water, depending on where you live, there could be something in the water, especially since its winter, that could be harming him. And just in case you have them next to each other, move one jar away from the other. Sometimes males will get so stressed out seeing another one that go "funny". It doesnt sound like thats the case here, but its worth a try. Try raising the water temp, sometimes that does wonders.

when you offered the pea., how did you do it? try squishing it up, then breaking it into betta sized pieces with your thumbnail. or, if you tried that and it didn't work, put it on a toothpick and stick it in the water. Im not familiar with anything else you can use, other then medications.

I dug out my book, and it suggests fungus eliminator by jungle as a remedy. (that is availible in the USA) Or neoplex, by seachem. thats a broad spectrum antibiotic. But keep in mind, meds should be a last resort...I dont like using meds, personally, unless it is absolutely needed.

Good luck, and merry christmas

Yeah I tried pellets, he just ignored them so I took them out after 5 minutes. I actually haven't tried peas yet. I'm going to wait until regular feeding time tonight so the others won't get jealous. And no, none of the fish are next to one another. The VT is so mellow, he didn't flair even when he was right next to the new CT (he flaired, so I'm guessing he can't be that sick). My red guy...Spaz...is so agressive that the others are nowhere near him. I'll treat the water...should I take him out first? I always do that when I'm doing water changes without the fish in the water so I'm not sure if it will hurt him if I treat it while he is in the water.

 

[Cdarmychi]

i may have misunderstood you there....but you need to leave to fish in the tank/jar and treat him there... if your asking whether or not the actuall duming of meds into the water hurts him, not at all

 

[meeshelle]

No I meant to treat the water for chlorine, etc. not treat the fish. I am getting a 1 gallon hospital tank ready for him now until I can get a bigger tank for him.

 

[Cdarmychi]

oh no...you can condition the water with him in there...from your posts its sounds like you use the "put fish in cup, empty out the tank, and refill method of water changes...am i right?

if you do, please continue reading....if not, please disregard the following....

Doing a waterchange that way never truly cycles your tank. if the tank never cycles, then the water levels will never be optimal for your fish, due to the lack of benificial bacterial build-up in the filter (or if there is no filter, you can still partially cycle a tank using the gravel as a source of bacterial storage...

Other ppl has said that much better then I seem to be doing...hopefully one of them will save me from myself and say it much better....

 

[meeshelle]

Oh my gosh I am so worried now. He hasn't shown any signs of getting better...still won't eat and he stays at the top of his water at the edge of his bowl. I put him in a bigger bowl with a plant and some marbles to see if he was just stressed out. I came home from Christmas at my family's house tonight and he is just sitting there at the surface of the water at the very edge of his bowl. His belly is also really swollen and pale in color. He's normally a dark red and blue and his belly looks like a pale orange. His scales aren't sticking out like a pinecone, but the look a little raised on his belly. I'm not sure if it is dropsy or a bacterial infection or constipation. If he was constipated would he just sit there and not swim? What should I do I'm freaking out! I'm giving him an epsom salt bath and tommorrow going to the pet store to get an antibacterial med.

 

[Syphoniera]

Meeshelle, you so have my sympathy - it sounds terrifying.
Glad you're trying the Epsom salts, but I hope you're mixing those directly in water added to his tank - not stressing him by taking him out for an exterior bath?
If you haven't yet tried him on some tiny bits of pea, maybe see if he'll eat some?
Most of us here feed them weekly to our bettas, as they usually love them so much, and as they're so good for clearing out the tummy.
If he isn't being heated, is there any way of getting him warmer, like at least 78F, preferably working up to 80F if poss?
Makes a world of difference, although, of course, any temp. change has to be worked up to gradually, as I'm sure you know.
If there've been chlorine/choramine or other toxins previously in his water, he may be poisoned/suffering liver damage - the Epsom salts should help with that, as will the heat, and the regular clean water changes.
I so hope he'll be OK - it may sound horrible to say, since I know how terrible this is for you as well, but thank Gawd he developed this with you, rather than someone who's never had fish.
The very best of luck, and please keep us posted.
With any luck, an expert will show up any time with some miraculous piece of advice to save the day...

 

[meeshelle]

Well I got some Maracyn 2 yesterday morning and gave him a dose, but he died last night. I feel horrible, like I should have done something else. But he was acting funny every since I brought him home. I'm so bad about picking the pretty ones and not really really making sure they are acting healthy. I think I'm not going to buy bettas from pet stores anymore. Later this year I might order a really nice one from a breeder. My other betta got a nice 5 gallon tank for christmas though. He's acclimating in his little bag right now and looking mad cause he's in a tiny bag...just sitting there looking longingly at his plant lol. Funny little fish.

 

[newfishy]

he most likely was ill when you got him, however leaving him in a jar would not have helped either.

 

[OpalineAqua]

Try a small piece of indian almond leaf, or blackwater extract. Put him in a quiet place for a couple of days.

I agree. Or add some sea salt to his water(a tiny bit) Make sure he has hiding places ex: a flower pot