VERY bloated betta need help

[fishlover1990]

3 days ago I noticed my betta had a small bulge and was acting very lethargic I automatically assumed I overfed him and planned to do a 3 day fast. I moved him to a 1 gallon hospital tank just to be on the safe side. Well over these 3 days his bulge/bloating has gotten worse not better and he is constipated cause he has not pooped at all. He is in a 1 gallon bare bottom tank so I can watch for poop but nones happened so far. Well today he has started to have some discoloration on the top of his head and the underside of his belly. Given all the symptoms combined I am starting to think he doesn't have sbd or constipation but possibly dropsy. I dosed his hospital tank with aquarium salts and melafix (I have read many different conflicting opinions on it but it's all I have on hand I would have to order any antibiotics online my lfs doesn't carry them) and gave him a Epsom bath for 15 minutes. He tolerated the bath and didn't pass out but he also didn't poop. Originally he was headstanding but has since been floating normally but he is on the bottom of the tank hiding behind the thermometer and won't really move unless its to get air. He is a tough little guy and hanging in there but I'm scared if this is dropsy it would be way to far advanced to try and save him. His scales aren't really pineconing just a tiny bit around the bulge but im guessing that's just cause how bloated he is. I tried to give him a tiny piece of food to see if he would go for it and he just ignored it. His hospital tank is filtered ( I removed the carbon cause I have melafix in it) and heated to 78 ( I can't adjust it it's a automatic 78) what else can I try. Should I do a 100% water change in his hospital tank and use Epsom salt instead of aquarium salt? Like I said above he did get a 15 minute Epsom salt bath today. He can't really swim all that well so I have only about a .5 of water in his hospital tank at the moment. 3 days ago he was perfectly normal swimming and energetic and happy and bubble nesting now he seems like he is on death's door. I plan to continue the fasting for a few more days as well as 1-2 daily Epsom salt baths and daily dosing with melafix. Is there anything else I can or should do for the little guy?

 

[fishlover1990]

Tank size: 6.5 (he is in a 1g hospital tank atm)
tank age: 2 months
pH: on the high side of like 7.5-7.8 ( I bought some ph balance to fix this he isn't in it atm anyways)
ammonia:
nitrite:0
nitrate:0.05
Hardness:75
Alkalinity:170-180
tank temp:78


Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): extreme bloating, lethargy, lack of apatite, lack of swimming, some discoloration
Volume and Frequency of water changes: 2 50% a week

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: I have gravel substrate and I only use water condition and just started adding aquarium salt today

Tank inhabitants: solo male betta

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): none

Exposure to chemicals: none

 

[OliveFish05]

Hi there! I am not very experienced with disease or bettas, but if it WERE constipation, you could give him a small bit of a peeled, boiled pea and see if it made any difference. I don’t know much about dropsy though, I’m sorry.

 

[fishlover1990]

Hi there! I am not very experienced with disease or bettas, but if it WERE constipation, you could give him a small bit of a peeled, boiled pea and see if it made any difference. I don’t know much about dropsy though, I’m sorry.

I did try a little bit of a pea after his epsom salt bath but he was not interested in it at all sadly

 

[fishlover1990]

 

[OliveFish05]

He does not look to be doing well at all I am really not sure. Some more experienced members may know though!

 

[fishlover1990]

He does not look to be doing well at all I am really not sure. Some more experienced members may know though!

I sure hope so it's only day 3 he's been acting like this so hopefully whatever it is we can figure it out and get him treated before it's to late

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

What food do you feed him?

 

[fishlover1990]

What food do you feed him?

I give him aquaeon pellets with the occasional aqueon dehydrated bloodworms as a treat

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Stop with the pellets, get hold of some frozen brine shrimp and daphnia...

Remember that his stomach is about the size of his eye, if you're feeding him more than what can fit in that space then you are overfeeding hum

 

[NannaLou]

My Blue will poop during/after he’s been flaring at the mirror. I’m not sure who mentioned this now but it was something to do with a thread on over-feeding which I was guilty of ?

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Stop the melafix too, its harmful to bettas

 

[fishlover1990]

Stop the melafix too, its harmful to bettas

and replace it with what? or just use epsom salt baths?

 

[fishlover1990]

Stop with the pellets, get hold of some frozen brine shrimp and daphnia...

Remember that his stomach is about the size of his eye, if you're feeding him more than what can fit in that space then you are overfeeding hum

At this point he is definitely not just constipated. I think constipation maybe a side effect of the underlying condition cause I woke up this morning to check on him and he seems worse than yesterday. He has what appears to be a sore or lesion on his side by his belly bulge I don't know if that's a symptom of the sickness or a by product of him laying on gravel etc.

 

[fishlover1990]

My little guy is a fighter and he is still trying but at this point I'm wondering if it's better to put him down? He looks like he is not happy. His gills are moving rapidly like he can't breathe and he hasn't gotten better. what else can I try before euthanasia?