Electricat

My betta hadn't ate much the last 2 days, but I didn't really think much of it. Came home tonight, and he is lying on the bottom, barely moving at all. He has no outward signs of sickness, water is changed regularly, has a small filter, and at 76* presently. I did an immediate 50% or so water change, and added some Prime. I lifted him up to the surface a bit with the net to get some air, but he didn't really seem to care for it, so I let him out. Honestly, I will be incredibly surprised if he isn't dead by morning....I am out of ideas, if anyone has a suggestion, it appears I have nothing to lose at this point.

Lucy

I'm so sorry your betta isn't feeling well.
Did you check your water parameters before changing the water?
How old is he?
You might want to out a tall soft plant in the tank so he can rest near the top.
Keep us up to date.

COBettaCouple

What's his regular diet? It sounds like internal parasites might be the cause and I'd treat him with Clout or Parasite Clear. Also Garlic Guard, a couple drops of organic garlic juice (from minced garlic jars) or a little garlic power mixed well in some treated water added to the water might help. Vita-chem and Fish Protector too if you have them.

If you can float him in a cup in the tank that might help with going up for air. Thawed frozen bloodworms would be the best thing to feed him.

I wish you the best in treating him and hope he'll pull through.

Electricat

I didn't check parameters, I moved my 29g to my new house this week, and used up the last of my test stuff keeping an eye on it. I don't have any good reason to suspect water quality, but obviously I can't know for sure without a test.... Dangit!

I'm not sure of his age, I have had him for about a year and half.

I already have a plant at the surface, which he sometimes sleeps in, but he seems to be more of a bottom sleeper than most bettas. I have him suspended in a net in the tank now, which is keeping him within an inch or so of the surface, so he can breathe more easily if he wants, and I can keep an eye on him.

Diet is freeze dried bloodworms, he refuses to eat anything else I try!

I have some garlic in the cupboard, I will give it a try.

aquarist48

Hello Electricat and Welcome to Fish Lore. Sorry to hear your Betta isn't feeling well. Great advice and tips above.
Best wishes!
Ken

Beth1965

Poor baby betta, how is he this morning?

Electricat

I added some garlic juice to the tank last night. Betta was looking a bit better this morning, at least keeping himself upright. I just came home, and he is looking fairly good!! He is moving around the tank a little, and surfacing for air. Still not moving as much as normal, but much better than lying on his side on the bottom like last night!

I offered some food, he ate one mealworm....although it's far from his usual piggy appetite, I figure at least some interest in food is a good sign.

So......I'm not ready to declare him recovered, but the situation appears to be improving at least. I will get some parasite meds, since that seems the most likely problem, if my stupid work will let me off at a decent time someday soon, I am in the middle of my 4th 16 hr. day in a row.

For everyone who has offered advice and concern, me and fishy THANK YOU, y'all are great!!!

chickadee

Just a small suggestion to maybe help him a bit. His metabolism will be a bit more active if you raise the temperature a degree or two. Actually I try to keep my guys at a temp between 78 and 80 degrees and it helps to keep them more active and their metabolism and digestive processes more stable. If he is needing some help with his appetite that may help him a bit. Sometimes they get a bit plugged up at a lower temperature.

Butterfly

are you feeding him bloodworms or mealworms? Meal worms maybe a little hard to digest(especially while he's under the weather) as they have a exoskeleton that is hard for some fish to digest and pass. Sometimes fasting an ailing fish for a day or two is better than insisting he eat. this helps them clear their systems out. Sounds like he put himself on a fast day
carol

Electricat

I will bump the temp a bit, I was thinking it might be a good idea but wasn't sure.

I mistyped on the worms in that post.....I am feeding bloodworms, not mealworms.

aquarist48

Hello Electricat. I'm glad to hear you're seeing some signs of improvement.
Ken

Electricat

I'm not sure what to make of this...........I bumped up the temp, and treated w/ Parasite Clear. Fishy is still lethargic, and has little to no appetite. I see no external signs of illness or injury. He doesn't look at death's door like I found him the other night, but he is still definately not back to normal. I don't know if I just need to give it time, or if there is something I am missing here? Input welcome and appreciated!

Melissawater

I'm sorry to hear of your betta I wish I could help, but I don't know anything about bettas.

Red1313

Does he appear bloated at all? You could try feeding a pea for constipation...

Meenu

i was thinking the same thing. especially since the freeze-dried bloodworms have a tendency to cause constipation.

jana

Sorry to hear 'bout your betta., pray that he gets well soon.

fishtroy

Hope he's betta (excuse the pun) soon, poor little darling, maybe his lethargy is caused by his age. How old do you think he was when you purchased him? Was he very small or larger? This could be an indicator of his age.
I am also wondering, as crazy as this may sound, what was his personality like before this kicked in? Was he prone to moping and lethargy or was he previously an active and chirpy little character?
I have found sometimes that the bettas can suffer from fishy depression. One of my fish once moped around and his breathing even became a little laboured. I was terribly concerned. Then I discovered that something in our house had been moved and it was obscuring his view of the world around him. Once this was moved he returned to being a happy little fish. Odd things like this can affect bettas. Could something be making him sulky?

aquarist48

Hello Electricat. Your Betta is displaying some signs of constipation. Here is a link you may find helpful:
Aquarium Fish Constipation
Best wishes!
Ken

Electricat

Thanks for the continued responses!! I haven't been on here a couple days, I have satellite internet cause I live in the country, and it has been sketchy during the stormy weather this week.

I was wondering if constipation is the problem, and have been trying feeding peas. He has taken a few very small pieces, but doesn't seem really interested. I think the way they sink so fast doesn't help either, he is used to food that floats that he can check out a bit before snatching it. It does appear he may be just a little bloated. I'll keep trying with the peas, as this seems likely to be the problem. I will read that article after I post here, thanks for the link!

As for his age, I have had him about a year and a half. I suspect that he was fairly young when I got him. He is very slightly larger, and just had a "young fish" look IMO when I got him. Age may be a possibility, but the lethargy seems to have came on too quickly to be attributed to age...plus the laying on the bottom on his side like he was when I first posted seems to me like an acute problem, rather than normal aging.

As for personality...he has usually been pretty active and, for lack of a better word, "cheerful". He lives on the kitchen counter, and likes to watch the goings-on in the kitchen....but now he seems uninterested and inactive compared to the past. I have seen him seem mopey a few times in the past, like when something got set in front of his tank, or I let algae obscure his view. At the present, nothing has been moved, and activity in the kitchen hasn't changed...as far as I can tell, the environment is the same.

I am mostly going to focus on constipation treatment at this point, as it seems to be the best explanation for what I am seeing.

callichma

Have you tried the garlic again? It seemed that you noticed quick improvement when you did that. You can even soak his normal food in the juice to get him to ingest it. Hope he feels better soon.

fishtroy

I hope he picks up soon, having a sulky betta always bothers me, I want to ask him what's wrong so I can make it better.

Lucy

If he won't accept peas, you can try freeze dried daphnia. It floats and is supposed to act the same way as peas.
You can find it in the reptile section of the pet store.

Meenu

Good morning, Lucy - will the freeze-dried daphnia work? I thought all freeze-dried foods caused constipation, but if you think it will help rather than hurt, I'm going to pick some up too. (I have a pea allergy and so those are out)

Thanks!

Lucy

I've used it with good results. Too much freeze dried food might cause constipation. As we know some bettas can tolerate some foods better than others. Freeze dried food have the possibility of swelling in their belly's. You can try to avoid this by soaking it in tank water first.
Personally, I wouldn't make freeze dried foods a staple in their diet, but it does have it's place, imo.

Electricat

An update on the little guy..........over the last couple of days, he has eaten a few tiny pieces of peas soaked in garlic juice. Overall seems uninterested in eating, and very inactive.

I had been thinking that he had been holding his body "crooked" the last few days, but it was hard to tell becuase of the fins and slinkyness of the betta body...but it has gotten more pronounced, he definately has developed a crookedness in the body that he doesn't seem to be able to control. It looks painful, and seems to be making it hard for him to get around. From reading, it appears this can be a result of constipation...any other possibilities??

Also, I saw Epsom salt can be used to treat constipation, but I know salt is generally a bad thing for bettas......any direction on this??

Thanks again, everyone...this is getting really frustrating, and I'm even wonidering if euthenasia is the best option if I don't see improvement soon. It's amazing how attached you can get to a tiny, cold-blooded creature...this is bothering me way more than any other sick fish I have ever had!