hooxeii

My crowntail, Kefentse, has been acting under the weather since last week. He initially seemed bloated, but wasn't pineconing, so I thought might be constipated. Friday, before I left for home, he seemed more like his normal self. I came back today to find him somewhat lethargic and generally sad-looking. Normally he swims all around his tank and is constantly watching me.

He's planted himself under his favorite plant and kinda just sitting there. He no longer seems bloated, but he does seem a little bit like he may have swim bladder disorder. I didn't notice his floaty behavior until after he ate, so...hopefully I haven't made it worse. He ate his food with relish, and I just changed the water.

Strangely, he seems to have scratched his head on something. I don't know what it would have been, but it's a distinct mark. He was also rubbing on one of his decorations. I'm worried it might be ICH in its precursory stages.

What should I do?

TedsTank

Rubbing himself on things can be a sign of several things...first and formost is to check your water parameters....ammonia etc, can cause the fish to flash.

hooxeii

Just tested the ammonia, big fat zero. Plus I just did a partial water change. I don't own any other test kits...

He's acting a tiny bit perkier now...

I've not changed the filter media in a long time, could that be part of the problem?

Elodea

Don't change the filter media, or it might start a mini-cycle and finish the poor betta off.

Instead, after you do a water change, take out the filter media and swish it around in the old, dechlorinated water to avoid killing the beneficial bacteria.

Best of luck to you and Kefentse!

Etcetera

You should get a more complete test kit, such as the API master kit. Testing for ammonia alone simply does not cut it. Nitrites and high levels of nitrate can build up and be just as dangerous. The kit will only cost about $25.

hooxeii

I've actually seen some nitrite/nitrate kits in my local stores, just never bought them. I'm on a very limited budget, so I've not bought the master test kit. If I'm really concerned about the water, I take it to the LFS and they test it for me free of charge. I'm probably going to have them test it because Kefentse's feeling under the weather, but I won't be able to make it out there until tomorrow afternoon at the soonest.

It could just be me, but his swim bladder seems visibly inflated...other than that, and the cut, he has no outward symptoms. His color is not bad (he's not pale, that is), and there's no visible bleeding. His fins look normal too, though he's holding them closer to his body than normal so it's hard to get an extensive look.

It's his behavior that's got me so worried. He seems really out of it. He was hiding behind the filter and staying close to the top. He's clamping his fins and hardly noticing me. Usually he gets excited whenever I get close to the tank

This all started last week around Wednesday. He started acting a tiny bit off. I haven't done anything drastically different than I've ever done with him, and I've been doing small partial water changes in his tank every other day. His tank water is normal temperature, and his diet hasn't changed. I'm at a loss as to what could have started this...I suppose he could have become constipated and it bothered his swim bladder?

Etcetera

Interesting. What do you feed him and how long has the tank been established? Does he still have the wound you previously described, and has it changed in appearance or texture? Perhaps he was spooked and ran into something, and the wound is becoming infected. An internal infection would make an irritated swim bladder worse, but from the information given, one cannot diagnose infection. I would keep the water around 80 degrees, keep it as clean as possible, and though it is controversial on this board, I would add aquarium salt. It will discourage harmful microbes and it will expedite healing, in my experience it has helped quite a bit with the tail biters I've had.

Furallicah

Aquarium salt if used remember it stays in the water and is only removed with water changes so you dont have to keep dosing the water.

Etcetera

Er, if you're changing water, you're removing the dissolved salts in the water column, so those would have to be replaced. You shouldn't "top off" with extra salts, because when you lose water due to evaporation, the salt stays behind. I think that's what you mean.

Furallicah

Lol...I should of put a little more detail into that. My bad

hooxeii

He gets 1-2 pellets per day and once or twice a week I feed him bloodworms. He has never had a problem with SBD or constipation before, and I've had him since september. That's when the tank was established.

I've seen infected wounds on fish, and it doesn't really -look- infected, but obviously that doesn't mean it isn't. He didn't have the wound when he began to act ill, so I'm not sure if the wound is even related to his behavior at all. It could have made things worse, I'm sure...

I added stress coat to the water and will be keeping the temp as consistant as possible. He only has one of those cheap, non-adjustable heaters, so I may try to find a second one to keep him warm. He normally gets water changes every other day, but now I'll be doing it every day. As stated before, I'm probably going to take the water and get it tested. I'll do that before tomorrow's water change.

Should I fast him? He seemed interested in food today, but you know how fish are.

Etcetera

If you have reason to believe he is constipated, fasting is a good idea.

Tigerfishy

I really wish you the very best for Kefentse (I don't want to hear about any more fatalities, I've had enough lol!). If he is still interested in food, it's a good sign, my Neptune had similar symptoms BUT just stopped eating everything full stop.

Please keep us updated, he will do fine. They do have a habit of really milking it when they are a little unwell.

aquarist48

Hello Hooxeii,

Sorry to hear that your Betta isn't feeling up to par.
Best wishes coming your way!
Ken

hooxeii

Honestly, the way he was acting last night, I thought I'd wake up to him gone. Luckily, though, my gut feeling was wrong. He seemed to be in the same state he was in yesterday at first, but after a few moments of my being up and moving around in the room, he started to perk up.

He's noticing me more now and responding to me, even begging a little. I've not fed him yet, and to be honest, I'm not sure I should because he could still be having digestive issues. I think I may steal some peas from the dining hall and give him a bit of one if I feed him anything. I'll also be getting his water tested as soon as my classes are done for the day. The water test will at least help narrow down the list of potential triggers for this bout of illness.

His scratch seems no worse, but to be safe I'll still be doing daily water changes with stress coat in addition to the usual amquel.

He seems a lot perkier this morning, so that's a good sign. Still not himself, but much better. He spent the whole night resting on the top of his filter (it's a corner one) and I think the rest helped him a great deal.

critter_fritter79

I am so glad to hear he is still fighting to get better! Good luck and I hope he gets better fast!

hooxeii

Hehe, he got his first ever bite of pea today and boy did he like it! Actually, all of the fish got their first ever taste of pea today and couldn't get enough!

Lily is currently swimming around with a too-large piece I dropped in for the cory cat. She can't possibly fit in in her mouth, but she's slowly working it down to her size. It is quite possibly the most hilarious thing I've ever seen.

The verdict on the water is that there's nothing wrong...no tested levels of anything bad. The store even used the liquid test, and nothing. So...who knows?

fishtroy

Glad to hear he is improving! Stay strong Kefentse! I am wishing you well little guy!

hooxeii

I think the problem may be related to the temperature of his water after all. His heater may have stopped working, or it may not be enough to compensate for the heat loss the tank is experiencing. I'm not sure which it is, but I went ahead and bought a second small heater and put it in. Hopefully it will help...

Tigerfishy

Glad to hear he is doing better, usually they love the peas. Mars once got a bit too big for him too and would not let go and almost choked until he realised that in his own tank, no-one could steal it lol! It's fun to watch them dive about for the pieces.
Hopefully this heater solves the problem, sounds like he was milking it a bit after all!!