HELP-Betta with curved spine, can't get off bottom of tank

[AutomnR]

I got him last Thursday, he was sitting upright on his tail in his cup, I'm hoping to help him be able to swim properly and if not then be able to accommodate his disability.

Looking online I believe he may have a bacterial infection - Bacterial Infection - Bettaboxx

My question is: Based on his symptoms and the videos and pictures I've attached, does he seem to possibly have a bacterial infection causing swim bladder issues, TB, scoliosis, or something else completely? I'm afraid to medicate unnecessarily or for the wrong thing. But time is of the essence.

Tank
What is the water volume of the tank? Around 1 gallon in a tote with only 3 or so inches of water
How long has the tank been running? Since I got him on Thursday
Does it have a filter? No, water is too shallow, though I found a small filter that's at petco I am buying to say to see if it's small enough
Does it have a heater? Yes
What is the water temperature? 82
What is the entire stocking of this tank? (Please list all fish and inverts.) Nothing but him

Maintenance
How often do you change the water? Daily to every other day
How much of the water do you change? About halg
What do you use to treat your water? Seachem prime
Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? No substrate

*Parameters - Very Important
Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? No, it is a hospital tank set up quickly for him
What do you use to test the water? Api master test kit
What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
pH: honestly not sure. I will check this evening

Feeding
How often do you feed your fish? I didnt feed for 2 days, and finally got him to eat this morning, will try again this evening
How much do you feed your fish? He only ate a few tiny pieces of bloodworms, wouldnt eat soaked dried daphnia
What brand of food do you feed your fish? San Francisco bay brand? I think.
Do you feed frozen? Yes
Do you feed freeze-dried foods? Tried, wasnt interested

Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this fish? Since last thursday
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? Before I got him, the reason i got him
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? Can't get off the bottom,
Have you started any treatment for the illness? No. Just clean warm water
Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? Yes.
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? His fins seem more clamped in the last day or so, and he appears to have a white sheen on his body.

Explain your emergency situation in detail.
His issues:
1- He seems to have a white film on his body. I can't tell if he is pineconing, please this video to help identify this -

https://imgur.com/a/iydsds2

2- He sits on his tail with his upper body up right. He cannot get his body off the bottom, he has to extend his body fully to get to the surface, which is why I lowered the water level as much as I could.
3- His body looks like it curves downward from the middle of his spine to the end. But when I look from above it looks curved to the side.
4- When he stays still instead of staying upright his body starts to turn sideways.
5- Looking over videos since Thursday, it seems his tail is more clamped now.

It looks like he has stress stripes down his body as well. He doesn't seem bloated. He does move fairly fast through his tank though. He lays against the suction cups of the heater.

The setup has silk plant stems and leafs, I cut them off the base and put 3 sets in there, he swims under and lays on them, a catappa leaf, a rectangle plastic container turned on its side, a betta hammock leaf, a heater, and an air stone.

If this is a permanent disability then this cant be his permanent setup. Since he swims directly against the bottom of the tank, would have a bare bottom tank be better than having sand? If sand is safe I would make slopes for him to get to shallower water. Regardless there will be live and silk plants for him to lay on and hide under.

https://imgur.com/a/b4hTidD

 

[Ksway]

You need a proper Betta setup that is the issue.you need a filter for these fish and 1 gallon is not a fish tank. The fish is dieing due to inadequate set up and dirt water. It isn't the fault of a disease

You need a proper Betta setup that is the issue.you need a filter for these fish and 1 gallon is not a fish tank. The fish is dieing due to inadequate set up and dirt water. It isn't the fault of a disease

You also need to cycle an aquarium before adding fish

 

[mattgirl]

The first thing i would do for this fish or really any fish is give it some places it can hide under. I would get him in a proper tank with plants, either real or silk. soft plastic would work too. Right now and probably for most of his life he has not had any quiet time to get used to his surroundings. He has sat in a cup of water exposed to all the activity around him. And then every now and then someone would pick him up, stare at him, set him down and walk away.. He is in more water now but he is still exposed to all the activity around him.

Get him in a better home and then give him some quiet time. Hopefully, if it's not too late for him. he will get brave enough to actually explore his new home.

 

[AutomnR]

You need a proper Betta setup that is the issue.you need a filter for these fish and 1 gallon is not a fish tank. The fish is dieing due to inadequate set up and dirt water. It isn't the fault of a disease

You also need to cycle an aquarium before adding fish

If you took the time to read my entire post you would have read that I got him in this condition, he had been in Petco like this for at least a week. He is in such little water because HE CAN NOT get himself off the bottom to breathe air at the surface. With as shallow as the water is to allow him to breathe there is no room for a filter, I mentioned I found one that might be small enough and will be buying it today. I test my water every single day and do a 50% water change. All of my other bettas have a proper 5 gallon set up with 2 filters each and a heater. He is NOT in dirty water, it is pristine. The only reason he does not have a proper set up is because HE CANT GET TO THE SURFACE. I am trying to figure out what is causing this so I can get him into a proper set up. I will not allow him to not be able to get to the surface. The fish was dying before I purchased him, I am hoping to get some honest feedback after my entire post is read.

The first thing i would do for this fish or really any fish is give it some places it can hide under. I would get him in a proper tank with plants, either real or silk. soft plastic would work too. Right now and probably for most of his life he has not had any quiet time to get used to his surroundings. He has sat in a cup of water exposed to all the activity around him. And then every now and then someone would pick him up, stare at him, set him down and walk away.. He is in more water now but he is still exposed to all the activity around him.

Get him in a better home and then give him some quiet time. Hopefully, if it's not too late for him. he will get brave enough to actually explore his new home.

He has silk plants as seen in my pictures and videos and mentioned in my post, he lays on and hides under them. He is definitely brave enough to explore, he zooms around the bottom under and over his plants, dragging his tail and back end. The problem with a proper set up is he is unable to get to the surface to breathe. I have the water as shallow as I can, after watching him use so much effort to extend his body and push off the bottom with his tail to get to the surface. All my other bettas have a proper set up. He is in a room with the door closed and absolutely no activity going on around him unless I go in to take care of him or my other fish. There is an air stone in there to give him oxygen in the water, as mentioned I will be buying a tiny filter I found online and hope it Is small enough. I am trying to figure out why he is have issues swimming., if it is related to a bacterial infection or what.

 

[mattgirl]

Poor little guy does seem to be in very bad shape. I do understand why the water level is so low. My main point was giving him quiet time. If his actions are due to fear instead of an actual illness quiet time often helps. Not just quiet but also blocked off from view. I would cover the top and 3 sides of the container he is in.

 

[Ksway]

If you took the time to read my entire post you would have read that I got him in this condition, he had been in Petco like this for at least a week. He is in such little water because HE CAN NOT get himself off the bottom to breathe air at the surface. With as shallow as the water is to allow him to breathe there is no room for a filter, I mentioned I found one that might be small enough and will be buying it today. I test my water every single day and do a 50% water change. All of my other bettas have a proper 5 gallon set up with 2 filters each and a heater. He is NOT in dirty water, it is pristine. The only reason he does not have a proper set up is because HE CANT GET TO THE SURFACE. I am trying to figure out what is causing this so I can get him into a proper set up. I will not allow him to not be able to get to the surface. The fish was dying before I purchased him, I am hoping to get some honest feedback after my entire post is read.


He has silk plants as seen in my pictures and videos and mentioned in my post, he lays on and hides under them. He is definitely brave enough to explore, he zooms around the bottom under and over his plants, dragging his tail and back end. The problem with a proper set up is he is unable to get to the surface to breathe. I have the water as shallow as I can, after watching him use so much effort to extend his body and push off the bottom with his tail to get to the surface. All my other bettas have a proper set up. He is in a room with the door closed and absolutely no activity going on around him unless I go in to take care of him or my other fish. There is an air stone in there to give him oxygen in the water, as mentioned I will be buying a tiny filter I found online and hope it Is small enough. I am trying to figure out why he is have issues swimming., if it is related to a bacterial infection or what.

I read your entire post mate, that doesn't change the fact fish still need a cycled aquarium and a "hospital tank" isn't a food container with a half an inch of water in it. Bettas DO NOT ONLY BREATH AIR THE TAKE OXYGEN OUT OF THE WATER HE DOESNT HAVE TO GET TO THE SURFACE!

 

[AutomnR]

I read your entire post mate, that doesn't change the fact fish still need a cycled aquarium and a "hospital tank" isn't a food container with a half an inch of water in it. Bettas DO NOT ONLY BREATH AIR THE TAKE OXYGEN OUT OF THE WATER HE DOESNT HAVE TO GET TO THE SURFACE!

This guy can not get to the surface, I had more water in it initially and watched him struggle to get his mouth to the surface to breathe, pushing his hardest off the bottom using his tail. I understand that they don't just breathe at the surface, but if he can not get to the surface to breathe occasionally he WILL SUFFOCATE! So you suggest putting him in a tank with deeper water and him not be able to get to the surface to breathe? I honestly do not know what to do. I understand he needs a full tank and a proper set up, more than happy to provide that once he is able to swim better/properly, but there is an underlying issue as to why he can't swim properly, he drags his body across the bottom. I am trying to figure out why has been sitting on his tail unable to properly swim for weeks. He is in a 16inX13in container, which is more surface area to swim than a 5 gallon, with roughly 3 to 4 inches of water. Everyone of my other bettas has a proper set up and a cycled tank. He was an impulse buy because I had seen him over a week before I got him in the same condition and I could not let him die in that cup, I did not have a cycled tank. Would you suggest using water from a cycled tank for him? I need help to figure out my next step not to get bashed for the set up, he has a heater, air stone, silk plants, and I will be buying a small filter today hoping it fits. I know what a betta needs to thrive and plan on providing that, but he can not be in a deep tank right now.

Poor little guy does seem to be in very bad shape. I do understand why the water level is so low. My main point was giving him quiet time. If his actions are due to fear instead of an actual illness quiet time often helps. Not just quiet but also blocked off from view. I would cover the top and 3 sides of the container he is in.

3 sides of the container are cover with a towel to help keep the water temp stable. I don't want to cover the entire top because it has holes, but I will put a towel or something over most of the top. What concerns me is his entire body is cover in a whitish fuzzy looking film, but there is no fuzz, it is just his scales. From what I've read it may be indicative of a bacterial infection but with him already being in such poor shape I do not want to give him medicine for the wrong thing and it lower his immune system more. I have had him since last thursday.

 

[mattgirl]

3 sides of the container are cover with a towel to help keep the water temp stable. I don't want to cover the entire top because it has holes, but I will put a towel or something over most of the top. What concerns me is his entire body is cover in a whitish fuzzy looking film, but there is no fuzz, it is just his scales. From what I've read it may be indicative of a bacterial infection but with him already being in such poor shape I do not want to give him medicine for the wrong thing and it lower his immune system more. I have had him since last thursday.

If you are not doing so already you may want to consider adding some aquarium salt to his water. Most folks think this is an old fashioned outdated thing to do but just because it has been done for many years doesn't make it a bad thing. If it is a bacterial issue it may very well help.

This site goes into a bit of detail on adding/using it. Aquarium Salt For Bettas (FAQ) - Betta Care Fish Guide

 

[AutomnR]

If you are not doing so already you may want to consider adding some aquarium salt to his water. Most folks think this is an old fashioned outdated thing to do but just because it has been done for many years doesn't make it a bad thing. If it is a bacterial issue it may very well help.

This site goes into a bit of detail on adding/using it. Aquarium Salt For Bettas (FAQ) - Betta Care Fish Guide

Thank you for your help and advice. I am not currently using salt or any other medications. My LFS, not a chain store, had advised against using aquarium salt and had said epsom is easier on the fish, do you know if this holds true by chance? I have read and heard so much conflicting info about aquarium/epsom salt use on fish. I want to stress him out as little as possible.

 

[mattgirl]

Thank you for your help and advice. I am not currently using salt or any other medications. My LFS, not a chain store, had advised against using aquarium salt and had said epsom is easier on the fish, do you know if this holds true by chance? I have read and heard so much conflicting info about aquarium/epsom salt use on fish. I want to stress him out as little as possible.

Epsom salt baths have been known to help bloated fish. This isn't what we are seeing in this little guy so no epsom baths for him. If I was dealing with what you are dealing with I would be comfortable adding salt. I would actually be more comfortable doing this than I would be of adding some of the meds. on the market.

I wouldn't add the full amount right away though. I would build up to it. Determine exactly how much water is in the tank he is in and add salt accordingly. I would want to end up with a tablespoon of it in 5 gallons of water.

The site I linked to tells us how to do salt baths in a separate container. Since this little guy seems to be in bad shape the salt bath might be the best route to start out with. Once done I would still have a low dose of it in his tank at least until he gets much better.