Kevin

my betta has really cloudy eyes and he looks like he is struggling to swim and braeth...he was fine earlier...swimming around like normal, but now he looks really bad, i even took him out of his tank and put him in the betta cup w/ water from my other tank...please help asap!!!

BettaBuddy ~ Miley

ok - idk exactly how to help but i will help you as best as i can -------

1. do a water change??

2. has he been eating??

Miley

again i dont really know how to help but i will help as best as i can.

Kevin

did a water change yesterday...and he has been eating...everything was normal until tonight

Kevin

...now he has turned a see-through-red/ brown color

COBettaCouple

are his gills red/purple-ish?

are his fins clamped?

does he have any tiny white spots on him?

is his body curved?

is his stomach bloated?

do his gills on the side stick out?

what's he been eating the past week?

Kevin

gills are a little red, but i think that is their natural color (he is a red/blue ct)
fins aren't clamped
no white spots
not looking from over him, but he has the normal curve on his stomach
no bloating
he is moving the gills in and out and they are going really far out
eating his flakes and peas

nicole

Okay,this sounds serious.Have you done anything different lately? Betta Couple need to get over here and help you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!They propably allready have while I've been typing
Nicole~
Yep thats what happened.Ist thing that comes to my mind with cloudy eyes is water conditions or fungul problems but I'm going to let those who know more help you.Hope your fish gets well soon.

BettaBuddy ~ Miley

Hey - sry i couldnt help you more.... i hope he gets better too!!! Miley

Kevin

thanks...and thanks too nicole also

he is still a pale red/ brown color...his eyes look a little better, but his gills still arent normal, and he is laying at the bottom of the cup

COBettaCouple

well, at least we've eliminated a bunch of nasty illnesses, including fish TB. what are the water parameters in the tank he was in? the color change could be the reaction a lot of reds have to stress.. mickey goes white if we take him out of his tank.

there are some good signs there.. fins unclamped and no bloated, or curved spine.

I'm fairly certain that he's got a bacterial infection. Inactivity, loss of color, frayed fins, bloated body, cloudy eyes, open sores, abscesses, red streaks throughout body, reddening or inflammation of the skin, fins or internal organs, bulging eyes, difficulty breathing.
Here's some links to meds that you can use if you have or can get asap at the fish shop (listed in the order from our top choice down):
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113021 - Triple Sulfa
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113021 - Maracyn-Two
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113021 - Furan-2

Kevin

well, now his fins are clamped...hes just kinda sitting here right beside me, hes floating about half an inch from the bottom...fins clamped to side

COBettaCouple

do you have any of those meds stocked? if you can get him in a tank and treat him with that along with liquid vitamins, if you have any, he can bounce back.. it's harder to notice the internal infections with them since you don't see the poo as much as a lot of fish. If you have anything like novaqua+ or stresscoat to calm him some and could set him up with a little cave or something to sleep in, he could probably use rest to fight it and then get the meds going on him tom.

Kevin

i have some old stuff from a couple years ago when i had my 10 gal. set up
its called neosulfex, its a wide spectrum treatment thing
i'll see if i can find some info on it

Kevin

here is some...will find more in a minute
http://boeing_dude.tripod.com/id48.htm

scroll down...
http://www.bettatalk.com/medication.htm

i cant find true info on it, but it is great for finrot and treating unknown diseases...only problem is that it is around 6-7 yrs old

0morrokh

How come you put him into a cup? He would be much better off in the tank.

Cloudy eyes are generally caused by poor water quality, or they can be caused by a bacterial infection which is again generally, though not always, caused by poor water quality. What are your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings? If your levels are all fine, then it is possible that he could have just been carrying an infection.

Rapid gill movement or heavy breathing can be caused by several things, including poisoning, lack of oxygen, and gill flukes or other parasites. If your water is very clean, then I would suspect parasites and treat with an anti-parasite med such as Jungle Parasite Clear.

Losing color is a sign of stress, probably caused by moving him to a cup.

Hope he gets better. Let us know if any other symptoms develop.

COBettaCouple

yea, i wouldn't use meds that old.. at best they won't have any effect.

Kevin

well, he is doing a lot better now...looks almost normal...not eating yet
my parents say i cant treat him b/c it costs too much money, and they will buy me a new one if he dies

Phloxface

That's cruel! If you can't afford meds I'd advise you not to get another one until you have your own source of income to take care of the fish.
Even a pack of Fungus Clear only costs about $5 or less. Can't your parents give you the money for that if you do some chores or something... an advance on a birthday gift?

I'll never understand parents who buy their kid a pet and then refuse to pay for the pet's needs. : Kids don't often have a large source of income and pets need more than just food. There should be a law against parents like this!

Chief_waterchanger

If you can't get your hands on medications when your fish become ill, you actually did the right thing by keeping the fish isolated from other fish. If it happens again, keep the fish in question isolated completely, and do 50% water changes daily until it gets better.

Chief_waterchanger

Also,

Not to take sides either way, but sometimes parents have a tight budget for their household and things that they deem as not important do not register as needing to interrupt/take away from something else to be taken care of, such as medication for an easily replaceable pet. (that is how alot of people view fish, no I do not agree with it, but it is reality for a lot of people.)

If you have kids try to see their position when they think the world will end if they don't have a certain toy; to them you are the devil incarnate for not providing that. Same sorta situation with the medication, except that it is a live thing.

Dino

Daily 50% water changes are a good way to help fish that are ill.

I have seen it work as well/better than over the counter medicines.

COBettaCouple

that's too bad, i wonder if they understand how much of a real pet a Betta is. how is he today?

0morrokh

That is too bad your parents don't seem to care about your fish. It's one thing to expect kids to help pay for their pets, but it's quite another to refuse to pay for meds when there is a life at stake. Honestly though, it costs about the same to buy a new Betta as it does to get a small box of cheap meds (the tank buddies by Jungle come to mind).

One of my Bettas has been sick, and a while back when I needed money to order him meds I dug weeds out of the lawn for a few hours. Couldn't you offer to do work around the house in exchange for 5 or 10 bucks?

Anyway, that failing, like Dino said 50% water changes never hurt.

Kevin

still doing fine...i have a job...inconsistent at times, but every now and then i get a few hours...headed to colorado tommorrow, so i will do a 50 % water change tommorrow and hope he makes it for a week!

chores...i used to get paid for them, now they just say its part of being a family member...i did most of the clean up after the flood, while my parents "slaved in the kitchen and doing taxes (this was inside, i was outside in 100 degree weather doing hard labor for 6-7 hrs a day

Tazmiche

This is just a thought but how about you suggest to them that you try and sell some of your old stuff on ebay as for one it will free up space at home and if you open a paypal account the cash can build up for panic times like this. It may show them that you are a responsible pet owner and as such you are willing to try anything to keep your pet well.

I for one would be very proud of you if you were my kid for doing the best by your pet!