Please help...my female betta is VERY sick

[Maureen McAuliffe]

My Betta fish has popeye and has been lethargic for days. She spends half her time on her side and all around her mouth has turned whitish. I had her on Bettafix, and now she has completed 4 days of erythromycin. Today the popeye became 100% worse. She also hasn't eaten in 6 days. Her water parameters were perfect according to Petsmart. I originally thought that she had swim bladder because she visibly looked like her stomach was engorged and had became lethargic and was not eating. Within a couple days she went to the bathroom at least twice. She was in a community tank with several tetras, but I moved her to a quarantine tank with fresh clean water. I have 1 other betta that I noticed fin rot on, and she seems to be feeling and looking better after the erythromycin treatment. However, Blue just seems worse. Her popeye apparently wasn't that bad before because when I woke up this morning it was huge. All advice is appreciated

 

[JuiceBox52]

I can't say much about popeye but petsmart test are often just test strips that are usually not correct, and the staff usually don't know what the different readings mean so they just assume that 0 is always the best reading for every test (speaking from personal experience) I really hope your betta gets better!

 

[FishGuest5123]

Can we please get a pic? Complete the erythromycin treatment. Also place her in Epsom salt bath 3 times a day. Use dechlorinated water which is same temp as QT tank water. Add 1 teaspoon of Epsom salt and leave her in for 5 minutes. Be sure salt is dissolved before adding fish. Then place her back in QT. Again, you can do this 3 times a day. If erythromycin does not work then try Seachem Kanaplex and Furan-2 together as directed on packages. These steps have worked for a couple of times. Once treatment is complete do weekly water changes of 75%. Please keep us posted. You

 

[Maureen McAuliffe]

Thank you So So much for replying and caring. I thought that when I was writing the post. However the test strips have 5 or 6 things tested for and they weren't even remotely off color, and I have 7 different tetras, 1 zebra loach, and 3 panda Cory's in there and they are great....but then again my other Betta was showing signs of fin rot. It is still a fairly new tank...maybe 6 months. Perhaps the 2nd Betta...from the mail...that I didn't quarantine. Heart wrenching because my blue is looking so bad that she may pass tonight, and she was my baby I am dying.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Did you cycle your tank?

 

[seangee]

Bettas are not community fish and should not be kept in the same tank as tetras or loaches. It may be a water quality issue as suggested, but she may be having her fins (and even eye) nipped by the other fish. It is lso possible that she is just stressed bu all the active fish in the tank.