Betta Pineconing, No Other Symptoms

I have a betta who is by himself in a 10 gallon planted aquarium. I purchased him from Petco in January, and his only issue so far has been some odd looking fins that never change in appearance, so I have been assuming that he had fin rot at some point or another before I got him and the fins just healed improperly.

When I was feeding him yesterday, I kept thinking I saw raised scales. Sometimes it looked like they were raised, sometimes not, so I thought maybe it was just the way he was bending himself that was making his scales sit oddly.

Today I took pictures of him, and even though I can only see it from certain angles, I'm pretty sure this looks like pineconing:






However, he isn't showing any other signs of being sick, so I'm not sure what to treat for. He is swimming around his tank like normal, he viciously attacked his pellets for supper just like he always does, and he was moving around trying to get a better look at my phone while I was trying to get pictures of him. I thought pineconing could be a sign of more than one thing, so if he's not showing any other symptoms, how would I know what to try to treat for? I do have epsom salts on hand if that would help, but I have no idea how to use them for fish, and I don't know if that would help him or not.

Poor timing, as well, since I am leaving on a trip next week Wednesday and will be gone for almost a week. If I need medicine I would have to order, it would probably not arrive until I am out of town.

 

Pinconing means a betta has dropsy. It's often when gram negative bacteria attacks the kidneys or liver making it so the fish retains fluid causing them to bloat. Usually gram negative bacteria is harmless, but it'll attack when your betta has a compromised immune system. Don't know why he's not showing any other symptoms, but you should start treating using Kanaplex or Maracyn 2. During the time he has not gotten treatment, the dropsy may worsen and take a toll on his life. Are you close to any petstores (the one you got him from)? Can you try look look for any medication from any local pet/fish stores? Can you have a family member or friend come over to care for him and add in medication during the time you're away?

 

The dropsy is very early.
Good job catching it.

Now, meds will help with the healing process.
You can also use Epsom salt when he becomes extremely bloated.

 

Ugh, I was afraid it would be something like this. Thanks for the responses!

I will have to hit Petco tomorrow morning and see what I can find. Hopefully they carry at least one of those medicines in-store, though I don't see them listed on their website. I can also try checking my LFS, though the thick layer of dust on most of the bottles of various aquarium chemicals makes me a bit leery of them. Are either of the medicines something I can treat his tank with, or would I have to set up a quarantine tank? He has no tankmates, but I do have live plants in the tank. Is there an advantage to using one of the mentioned medications over the other, in case the store has both?

Someone will be coming over to take care of my three tanks and cat, so as long as the medication doesn't require her to do anything super complicated, there shouldn't be a problem.

I wish I knew what caused him to have a compromised immune system... I know that chain store bettas sold in cups aren't typically super healthy, but this is too long after I bought him to blame it on the pet store. I'd better do a water test to make sure there isn't a problem.

 

Ugh, I was afraid it would be something like this. Thanks for the responses!

I will have to hit Petco tomorrow morning and see what I can find. Hopefully they carry at least one of those medicines in-store, though I don't see them listed on their website. I can also try checking my LFS, though the thick layer of dust on most of the bottles of various aquarium chemicals makes me a bit leery of them. Are either of the medicines something I can treat his tank with, or would I have to set up a quarantine tank? He has no tankmates, but I do have live plants in the tank. Is there an advantage to using one of the mentioned medications over the other, in case the store has both?

Someone will be coming over to take care of my three tanks and cat, so as long as the medication doesn't require her to do anything super complicated, there shouldn't be a problem.

I wish I knew what caused him to have a compromised immune system... I know that chain store bettas sold in cups aren't typically super healthy, but this is too long after I bought him to blame it on the pet store. I'd better do a water test to make sure there isn't a problem.

Both medications are known to be safe for plants, Kanaplex may hurt tanks that are established for less than 3 months and Maracyn 2 will kill your cycle. So it's probably best to move him to a hospital tank. I think Kanaplex is better because it's from a more well known brand (=more common) and because it can easily be absorbed by the fish through the gills or mixed into the food (with another product called Focus to help the medication stay on the food) and fed directly to him. The directions are also simple. 1 leveled scoop for every 5 gallons every 2 days for a total of 3 doses. Goodluck!

 

Both medications are known to be safe for plants, Kanaplex may hurt tanks that are established for less than 3 months and Maracyn 2 will kill your cycle. So it's probably best to move him to a hospital tank. I think Kanaplex is better because it's from a more well known brand (=more common) and because it can easily be absorbed by the fish through the gills or mixed into the food (with another product called Focus to help the medication stay on the food) and fed directly to him. The directions are also simple. 1 leveled scoop for every 5 gallons every 2 days for a total of 3 doses. Goodluck!

Hi, I'm having some issues with a betta fish of my own, and couldn't figure out the best place to post my queries. Would you be able to help me? I left my betta fish in the care of a friend for 5 months (in an unfiltered 5-6 gallon tank) while I studied abroad, and came back to a very unhappy looking betta with clamped fins, fin rot and some weird coloring (he is pale, no longer a shiny "dragonscale", and has weird colored patches on fins). I have pictures sporadically from July 3rd to today, which is the period I have been observing him, and I have attached them beginning with the older pics and ending with today.

Since I have been back, I tried a few things to fix what I believed to be fungus and fin rot. First I scrubbed the tank down, did a 100% change, and removed all scratchy plastic plants. Next, did used a half dose of aquarium salt in the tank (75% change 1-2 days later). The fish reacted poorly to this, he wouldn't move immediately after I did the change. I knew he was probably just uncomfortable and unused to the salt, so after about a day and a half (he was fine by then) I did another 75% change and removed all the salt and instead put in API fungus cure, making sure to under-dose (if my water looks green, that's why). Poor squishy perked up at first. After the 2 recommended doses, I took out as much of the medicine as I could (75% change).

After that, I went to the store and bought a filter and heater, which are now in the tank. He seems to like being near the heater, which is to be expected. I know he should have had these things from the beginning, but I figured he was in a temperature controlled room and would be fine. When I left, he was healthy and happy. Throughout all of this, Squishy has not lost his appetite, but he hangs out at the bottom of his tank and looks quite miserable

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated, I just want him to get better.

 

Hi, I'm having some issues with a betta fish of my own, and couldn't figure out the best place to post my queries. Would you be able to help me? I left my betta fish in the care of a friend for 5 months (in an unfiltered 5-6 gallon tank) while I studied abroad, and came back to a very unhappy looking betta with clamped fins, fin rot and some weird coloring (he is pale, no longer a shiny "dragonscale", and has weird colored patches on fins). I have pictures sporadically from July 3rd to today, which is the period I have been observing him, and I have attached them beginning with the older pics and ending with today.

Since I have been back, I tried a few things to fix what I believed to be fungus and fin rot. First I scrubbed the tank down, did a 100% change, and removed all scratchy plastic plants. Next, did used a half dose of aquarium salt in the tank (75% change 1-2 days later). The fish reacted poorly to this, he wouldn't move immediately after I did the change. I knew he was probably just uncomfortable and unused to the salt, so after about a day and a half (he was fine by then) I did another 75% change and removed all the salt and instead put in API fungus cure, making sure to under-dose (if my water looks green, that's why). Poor squishy perked up at first. After the 2 recommended doses, I took out as much of the medicine as I could (75% change).

After that, I went to the store and bought a filter and heater, which are now in the tank. He seems to like being near the heater, which is to be expected. I know he should have had these things from the beginning, but I figured he was in a temperature controlled room and would be fine. When I left, he was healthy and happy. Throughout all of this, Squishy has not lost his appetite, but he hangs out at the bottom of his tank and looks quite miserable

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated, I just want him to get better.

Oh, and I should also mention I keep him in spring water, and all of my parameters are fine, but I'm a little too high on the alkaline side. I just tested yesterday, and am looking at ways to fix this for next water change.

 

Oh, and I should also mention I keep him in spring water, and all of my parameters are fine, but I'm a little too high on the alkaline side. I just tested yesterday, and am looking at ways to fix this for next water change.

Hi, we can help you if you can start a thread of your own in the betta section. Each problem should have their own threads so it doesn't get confusing of which one's which and it's too messy trying to solve 2 problems at the same time in one thread. When you start a thread, just @(user name) me and I'll be able to help you.

Edit: Here's the link to the betta forum section and the post new thread is just underneath the betta breeding section Betta Fish

 

Ok, an update on my betta now that I'm back from my trip:

I ordered Kanaplex from Amazon, since they were offering a free 30 day trial of Amazon Prime for free expedited shipping. (Seriously, why don't pet stores carry actual medicines, since when you need them, you typically need them fast?) It arrived shortly before I left, and I decided to treat the tank just to make sure I got whatever is causing this out of the tank. I put in the first dose and left instructions with the person taking care of my pets while I was away.

Unfortunately, she misunderstood the instructions and put an extra dose in on the day I was going to be getting home, so my betta got four doses instead of three. I have carbon back in his filter, though his filter is baffled to keep the flow down, so hopefully there is still enough flow through the carbon to remove the medicine.

The problem is, he looks worse than when I left, so I am not sure if the extra dose hurt him, or if the medicine didn't solve the problem. His pineconing is now pretty severe, his gills are starting to stick out to the sides, and although he still goes after his food, it is with less vigor, and sometimes he spits the pellets back out, which he never really did before. Also alarming is that his fins and tail are much shorter, when they were fine when I left. I can't get a good picture from the side due to an algae buildup, but you can see it a bit in the second picture:




I'm not sure what to do for him at this point. The fins getting that bad so quickly seems awfully fast for fin rot, and I just checked his parameters: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates (with maybe a tiny hint of orange if the light hits it right, but just above zero if anything.) So, it shouldn't be a water quality issue. Is it possible he started tail biting from the stress of being sick?

Is there anything else I can do at this point?

 

The overdose in Kanaplex could damage his kidneys even more + the dropsy could make him go into kidney failiure. The surviving kidney parts from the dropsy could have a chance to comeback, but if put under strain, could be overwhelmed and die. He probably gotten fin rot because of his compromised immune system from dropsy, which gives a chance for opportunistic bacteria to attack. Even if your parameters are good, you'll still need to do partial water changes to lower the amount of gram negative bacteria. We test the water to not poison the fish, but to also keep it at levels where the fish isn't stressed and get sick from the stress of the parameters. I'm sorry but I think he isn't going to make it.

 

I just realized I never made a post on how this turned out. Unfortunately, he didn't pull through. I gave him an Epsom salt bath, but it did not seem to have any effect at all, and once his behavior started to change, he went downhill rapidly. Since there were no spikes in his water parameters and nothing had been moved or added to his tank, I wish I knew what could have caused him to get dropsy in the first place.

Now, the big question is if the tank is safe for new inhabitants. I did a large water change and vacuumed the gravel some, (though not very thoroughly, since it is a planted tank), but I hope I don't have to do another complete tear-down of this tank. (I already had to do that when the guppies I had been keeping in this tank previously had camallanus worms.) Is there anything I should be worried about for new tank inhabitants, or since dropsy is caused by bacteria typically present in the water anyway, am I safe to restock? I am strongly considering doing an invertebrate tank this time around with snails and shrimp instead of fish, so is there anything that could be a problem for non-fish?