Allie

Yesterday I noticed Jewel my darker colored betta was really swollen in her belly. She has been full of eggs(or so I thought) since I got her a few months ago. She looks awful this morning! Her belly looks as tho it about to bust open. She is just sitting on the bottom of her tank, very weak. From my experience when they have a swollen belly/bloat they don't survive.
All I have to say is I am NOT getting another betta. Especially from that lfs. I have my male who has had continuous fin rot since I bought him.
I am really sick of losing my betta.
Needless to say I am pretty upset right now.

Chief_waterchanger

Sorry to hear that about your female.

With the male, I do not understand why it has continuous fin rot. Unless you aren't treating long enough to get rid of the bacteria that eats away at the fins, then you should be rid of it, unless it is something about your water conditions that could be causing it.

Happen to have a picture of the female?

armadillo

Hi Allie. I am sorry you are having so much trouble with your bettas. I hope she feels better soon.

Ross, you know, there are many cases of male bettas with recurring finrot, with perfect water conditions and while medicating long enough. It could also be down to bad stock, or the fish being irreversibly weakened by past bad conditions, couldn't it?

Allie

I will try to get a picture later on. My bf is still in bed (worked late) and the betta tanks are in the bedroom.
I followed the instructions to a T with all the treatments (triple sulfa, em tablets, fungus cure0 I have tried. The only thing that seems to help with growth is the fin protection stuff & daily water changes and low flow filter or none at all.
Do you mean euthanize my male He really doesn't seem sick, just the fins get better than break off.

Allie

Thanks. I hope she can make it thru this...but my hopes aren't high.

armadillo

No, I think Ross means rid of the finrot, not the male.

Allie

Oh lol.

Allie

Oh yeah...he has been in 3 different tank since I got him. Would that make a difference? I keep changing the 10gs so I can disinfect the ones he was in before.

armadillo

I don't know. I mean it's really a rock and a hard place. Sure it's better for them to have stability, but then again, when do you disinfect the tanks, then.

Chief_waterchanger

Armadillo may be right. Low quality fish sometimes may = low immune system which would sometimes = increased disease. Perhaps that male just has a particular weakness to finrot.

Was just trying to understand, wasn't meaning to get rid of the male by any means.

Allie

Waah!!! you guys she is dying I can tell the way she is breathing. She looks like her fins frayed. My heart is breaking...I really have an attachment to her. This sucks!!!

Well the way they treat their betta at this lfs, definitely is a problem. I should tell them, that in the past 1.5 years I have had 7 betta who all died of some sort of disease.
Nigel I had for a year but he was my first betta...he had all kinds of problems which I treated him for many times. He must have been a stronger guy.

capekate

Hi Allie
I am so sorry to hear about your betta. Its very sad to see them like that and not be able to help. We get so attached to our fish, especially the bettas with their wonderful personalities. Im sure you have done everything you can for her, and now just keeping her in her tank where she is comfortable and secure is all you can do now.
~ kate

Allie

Thanks Kate. I don't think she'll make it thru the day.
I'd really like to know what I am doing wrong with betta? They are the only fish besides male angelfish we've had a lot of trouble keeping. I am thinking it's gotta be the lfs they came from to begin with.

capekate

It could be Allie, its so hard to tell. Are you getting healthy ones from the LFS or are you getting rescues that you are trying to save? I have four bettas and started out with five so only lost one in the last 8 months. They have to be one of the easiest fish to keep, other than the fin rot and that can take a toll on them. I also have angel fish, bought two in july and still have them.
Its the other fish that I have lost repeatedly, the playties, mollies, tiger barbs ... the list can go on and on.... And I thought THEY were supposed to be the easiest fish to keep!
Other than the LFS selling sick or weak ones, its possible that where you are getting them, they just are not changing water etc etc ...and producing sick/weak fish. And if its not that, maybe its time to review what your routine is with the Bettas? And try to figure out if there is something missing? I know that you are a great fish mommy by all your posts and do great with the cichlids..
So what can it be? Temp*? feeding routine ?... water changes...? PH?
I can understand your frustration, like I mentioned, I have lost so many fish it does get discouraging....
~ kate

Allie

The temp, ph and water are always consistent. 80-81, 7.4 and we do a lot of water changes on all of our tanks. Feeding usually about 3-4 pellets twice a day or a few flakes.
I do know that this lfs gets all their fish orders in from China...the same place every time.
It also seems like this particular store treats it's more expensive fish a tad better. They bring in a lot of great quality oddities & Africans...but their angelfish & betta quality is terrible. To keep one black angelfish I went thru 2 others who died within the time to get a refund. It's ridiculous.
It's one of the reasons we/my boyfriend are/is opening a fish store in 2 years. We will have our own breeding facility...and get wild caught fish to breed with. My boyfriend has his "plan" for the fish business...as soon as he is finished with business school....it will all come into place.

capekate

Hi Allie
thinking that those poor betta's are shipped all the way from China and the conditions in transit in those tiny bags is just awful. No wonder so many get sick, fin rot and are weak. I assumed that your water conditions were great and I know you take great care of your fish and have the knowledge as well for the upkeep of them. Good luck with the plans on opening a fish store. It sounds like a great business plan!

~ kate

0morrokh

I think it's definately possible the reason for the sickness is the place you get your Bettas at. since starting tropical fishkeeping I have bought a group of livebearers 4 times. Once from Petco, twice from Petsmart, and once from my good lfs. The Gups I got from Petsmart were fine for a while and then came down with tuberculosis. The Platys from Petco were constantly sickly, and finally died when they caught TB from the Gups. I recently bought some variatus from Petsmart. They came down with gill flukes and I've tried a number of different things, but the flukes won't go away. Now one of them is dying of either TB or whirling disease and I suspect another to have the beginnings of whichever disease it is. The Platys I got from my lfs also came with a slight fluke infection. However, they recovered from it very quickly--most of them I didn't even have to medicate, just needed a couple salt baths. They are now healthy and thriving. My lfs is the only place that takes good care of their fish and gets better quality stock, so it is obvious to me that health and disease resistance has a very direct relationship to what kind of store you get the fish at.

I am very sorry to hear about your female. Is she still bloated? You could try giving her an epsom bath, which helps to draw out the fluids.

I bet your fish store will be great. I wish more hobbiests would open their own stores so I wouldn't be forced to shop at places like Petco/smart.

Allie

She is bloated and has been pretty much the whole time I have had her. I was looking thru my new betta book...they showed a betta with a tumor. It looks exactly like poor Jewel. I had male betta who had the same problem last year.