Sick Betta - At A Loss As To What The Problem Is!

[PrairieSunflower]

I will give you a full history in case that helps to shed some light on what the problem might be...
 
Tank:
 
-10 gallon
-filtered (I have placed the filter in such a way as to make a gentle current)
-82 F
-anubius nanas, moss balls, amazong swords
-the tank had been cycled for 2 years prior to it becoming my betta's tank
-tank stats have been stable for as long as I've had my betta, even when I had to replace one of the two sponges in his filter quite a few months back the stats remained stable
-I do 50% water changes weekly, dechlorinated, temperature matched.
 
 
Tankmate:  1 horned nerrite
 
Riley's history:
 
-I've had Riley for 1 year.  He was bought online from a breeder and had amazingly good health up until recently. 
-Early on he got a bit of fin stuck on the filter and it tore.  I fixed the filter so it wouldn't happen again and his fin healed without incident (just didn't heal in the same shape as before).
-Only in the last few months he has suffered a cloudy eye (or eye injury) twice, same spot exactly on the one eye.  Both times I was able to heal it within a week using more frequent water changes. 
-Then he got a tiny patch of fungus on his dorsal and I was able to heal that quickly using a bit of salt.
-He has also, in this time, been off and on lethargic and resting more than is normal even for a lazy betta.
-He has never had any other symptom.
-So, I posted about these problems and no one could pinpoint the problem and with good water stats we decided that there had to be something in his tank and antibiotics seemed the best way to go.  His course of antibiotics finished yesterday and I did a large water change today.
 
Current condition:
 
Today he is the most lethargic he has ever been.  He has not eaten today and has never ever not been interested in food before.  When he comes up for air he has a short swim around the tank and then goes back to the bottom.  Appearance wise, he mostly looks normal, his color is perfect, his eyes are clear (that little bit that looks like a spot on his eye is from the camera, not really there), his fins are in good condition EXCEPT his has a very small bit of fin rot... it appeared before the antibiotics and did not respond as I expected it would, at the same time it has not gotten worse at all either.
 
Well, I think that is everything.  I feel like he is going downhill now and I haven't the foggiest idea what the problem is or how to proceed.
 
Some pictures this morning...
 
 
Resting... that spot in his eye is a shine from the camera not a mark on him.

 
I put an arrow to point to the small portion that has fin rot... it his that little bit shorter than the rest.  That long jagged bit is part that got caught way back in the filter and grew back completely differently.

 
 

 

[betta fish]

He may just be old, how old was he when you got him? I usually can't keep bettas for more than a year before they come down with something then they get dropsy

my water is hard though so this maybe the reason as bettas are more soft water fish, this year with my new betta I am using softened water to see if it increases lifespan, in the first pic is that green cyano on the rocks? maybe the antib's knocked out some tank bacteria? not sure but cyano usually shows up when the water quality is amiss, I've had it once but can't remember what the issue was will need to read up on it.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

When I bought him I used an online growth chart to estimate his age at approximately 4-5 months.  He did continue to grow a little bit after I got him.... so that would make him about 1 1/2 years.

For the rocks, those ones aren't real rocks, they are the formed and painted aquarium arch that is quite popular.

I will test my water again tomorrow as I have just done a huge water changed this morning so it wouldn't be fully accurate at the moment.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

The duckweed I ordered last week arrived and I've added it to the tank.  While he came out to investigate I managed to persuade him to eat a blood worm.  He seems to be coming up a bit more often now though his tail looks a bit clamped and he is still unwell.

 

[Meeresstille]

It makes me so sad to read about him still being unwell. That he accepted a bloodworm may be a sign that he is starting to get better though.
 
In my experience with humans (elderly or very ill) on antibiotics I've found that they feel very tired for quite some time, and need a few days after they've finished their course of antibiotics to get back to feeling stronger again. 
Hopefully that's what is needed for Riley just now, just a little bit of time for him to get over the treatment. Possibly he has the bad luck of having a poor genetic make-up and will always be more susceptible to illnesses?

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I hope you're right and he will come around in a few days.  He was absolutely strong as anything until this little string of problems hit.

 

[AmandaN]

It seems that maybe age is playing a factor here. I have had betta fish live pretty long and do exactly what you are speaking of as parameters. It really does suck to have to say good bye. My fish Rocky started with a dilution of colors and really had a long down road spiral of his death. I almost wish I would of just put him down myself because I fear he maybe was in a tiny bit of pain. But it was difficult because I felt like I was going to fix him of some disease or virus I could get rid of.. I am leaning towards just old age since your fish is still eating. That probably means he is still mentally there but his body might just be going out on him due to age.

 

[WILDER]

Bless Him.
What was the name of the antibiotic you used. How long did you use it for?
 
Soak his food in garlic juice to stimulate his appetite.

 

[BerryAttack]

think it can be something internal that was carried with the plants?
try feeding him something live. when ever (does not happen much) one of my fish stops eating when i'm treating for something i pop in some mosquito larva and boom back to eating normally. 
my new fav med is methylene blue, treats everything that i have issues with. could give it a try see how it goes.
 
all the best though.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I have been treating him with Myxazin, and I was treating him with 5ml a day for 5 days as the bottle said.
 
Anyway... had a happy sight this morning.  Before the light was even on Riley was swimming around and hasn't stopped swimming yet (it has been nearly an hour that his tank light has been on).  He is completely differently than yesterday.  Riley was even swimming across the spout at the top of the filter and put great enthusiasm into finding his food amongst the duckweed (might get him a feeding ring when it multiplies so he has a spot to find it easier... he enjoyed it anyway).
 
Two pictures from a few minutes ago.
 

 

[WILDER]

Bless Him.
Glad to hear he's a lot better. 
Nice to see him back to normal in the pictures.
 
Myxazin by waterlife isn't an antibiotic. It just an external bacteria medication.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Oh, something I read online said it was. 

 

[WILDER]

No. Maracyn is an antibiotic but only available in the US.
In the uk we can't get antibiotics. There only available by a vet.
 
This is information is taken from the waterlife website.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics (e.g. Streptomycin, Penicillin, Neomycin, Furanace, etc.) should never be used in an established aquasystem for the following reasons: (1) many antibiotics destroy the helpful nitrifying bacteria in the filtration system as well as the disease causing bacteria. This speedily results in a huge ammonia/nitrite level which kills fish quicker than the disease would have done. None of Waterlife Research Industries Ltd`s products, when used as directed, harms beneficial nitrifying bacteria in anyway.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I think there needs to be a topic about that as it is all over the internet that it is an antibiotic so I think likely a lot of people are being mislead.
 
Do you suppose Riley is over whatever he had?  He is STILL swimming around and hasn't swam with this much energy in awhile.

 

[WILDER]

It does treat bacteria but only externally. A bit like antiseptic. 
There anti internal bacteria medication by interpet. But that does not wipe the good bacteria out in the
filter either so I doubt that a real antibiotic.
 
Seen as he's improved I would see how he goes.
I've used antibiotics and it has saved fish lives. But I had other tanks to take mature filter sponges from once the medication was removed from the tank.
The antibiotics I used were what I had left from a perscription prescribed by a doctor.