Need opinions my betta is sick

[rileyz]

Tank

What is the water volume of the tank? 5 gallons

How long has the tank been running? 8 months. Used stuff from his old tank to help cycle it

Does it have a filter? Yes

Does it have a heater? Yes

What is the water temperature? 78 F

What is the entire stocking of this tank? (Please list all fish and inverts.) one betta, one rabbit snail, and one nerite snail that is smaller than the tip of a pinky

Maintenance

How often do you change the water? Every 1-2 weeks

How much of the water do you change? 25-50%

What do you use to treat your water? Imagitarium water conditioner

Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? Use a siphon to suck up debris from gravel

*Parameters - Very Important

Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? Yes

What do you use to test the water? API master kit

What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.

Ammonia: 0

Nitrite: 0

Nitrate: between 10-20 ppm

pH: 8

Feeding

How often do you feed your fish? Daily

How much do you feed your fish? Around 3-5 pellets depending on the side

What brand of food do you feed your fish? Fluval bug bites for bettas

Do you feed frozen? Not regularly

Do you feed freeze-dried foods? Very rarely

Illness & Symptoms

How long have you had this fish? Coming up on 2 years of having him, but he is around 3 years old

How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? Around 3 weeks ago

In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? First I noticed part of his fin was missing. But it was a clean cut, not like fin rot. He is breathing much heavier and laying around the tank. Appears to be lethargic. He also looks bloated, but it's hard to tell if it is bloat or if his back half has gotten skinnier.

Have you started any treatment for the illness? I put aquarium salt and catappa leaves in the tank. I treated him with Imagitarium Bacterial Infection Remedy, but after that did not change his behavior I started Artemis 5 days ago. he appears to be getting worse, so I started herbtana this morning, and will be dosing it 12 hours apart from the Artemis.

Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? Not specifically, but I got him from someone who kept him in a 1.35 gallon with no filter, no heater, and they barely did water changes. He was with them for 6 months.

How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? He's lethargic. He is either bloated or is losing weight in his back half. His fins also seem to be getting worse.

Explain your emergency situation in detail.

(Please give a clear explanation of what is going on, include details from the beginning of the illness leading up to now)

I noticed part of his fin was missing, but it looked like a clean cut as opposed to fin rot. He is lethargic, his appetite is irregular, and he is losing weight. I worry he does not have much time left. My grandparents are taking care of him for the weekend because I am out of town and they are not very tech savvy so I can't get them to take a good photo. My photos are a week old and I feel like he looks different even since I took those

 

[Rose of Sharon]

Hi, and welcome to Fishlore!

So sorry that your betta is not doing well!

It would be very helpful to know if there is any pineconing of his scales. When you look down on him from above, are his scales sticking out?

Bloat can be caused by a few different things. He could have an internal bacterial infection, or an internal tumor. I wouldn't suspect parasites unless something new has been added to the tank, but this is just a guess without more info. If his scales are sticking out a bit, that could be due to organ failure, which would account for the fluid retention. Once the organs begin to fail, it is just about impossible to get them working properly again.

Once you get home, and can attach a pic or two, that might be helpful. If you can get a pic or two from above, and from the side, that would be great.

If he is bloated, lethargic, not eating, and has trouble breathing, then unfortunately, the best thing to do might be to euthanize. Since he is 3 years old, that is about the average life span of bettas today, especially those that were bought from big chain pet stores. He is definitely a senior citizen betta, if that makes sense.

If you want to continue to treat him, then make him as comfortable as possible. If you can lower the water level, and add something towards the top of the tank for him to lay on (a plant or betta bed) so he can get air without having to swim all the way up to the top of the tank, that might help ease him a little.

Wish I had better news for you. You have done a great job with him, since he started out in a rough situation, and he has made it to 3 years old!

 

[rileyz]

Hi, and welcome to Fishlore!

So sorry that your betta is not doing well!

It would be very helpful to know if there is any pineconing of his scales. When you look down on him from above, are his scales sticking out?

Bloat can be caused by a few different things. He could have an internal bacterial infection, or an internal tumor. I wouldn't suspect parasites unless something new has been added to the tank, but this is just a guess without more info. If his scales are sticking out a bit, that could be due to organ failure, which would account for the fluid retention. Once the organs begin to fail, it is just about impossible to get them working properly again.

Once you get home, and can attach a pic or two, that might be helpful. If you can get a pic or two from above, and from the side, that would be great.

If he is bloated, lethargic, not eating, and has trouble breathing, then unfortunately, the best thing to do might be to euthanize. Since he is 3 years old, that is about the average life span of bettas today, especially those that were bought from big chain pet stores. He is definitely a senior citizen betta, if that makes sense.

If you want to continue to treat him, then make him as comfortable as possible. If you can lower the water level, and add something towards the top of the tank for him to lay on (a plant or betta bed) so he can get air without having to swim all the way up to the top of the tank, that might help ease him a little.

Wish I had better news for you. You have done a great job with him, since he started out in a rough situation, and he has made it to 3 years old!

Thank you!!! Yes I get home today so I will attach some photos then. My grandparents said he is eating pretty well, I have them doing his pellets and some frozen. I have been trying to look for the pineconing, but I am not sure if I should look for it being all over him or just in one area

 

[sunflower430]

Pineconing will be scales all over sticking up. He will look spikey from the top instead of smooth and flat. So he looks like a pinecone. You can search picture examples.

 

[Rose of Sharon]

If there is one part of his body that is swollen, pay special attention to that area when looking from above. I am attaching a pic of one of my females that developed dropsy. This is an extreme example, but you can see how bloated/swollen she was, and you can see how the scales are sticking out.

 

[rileyz]

If there is one part of his body that is swollen, pay special attention to that area when looking from above. I am attaching a pic of one of my females that developed dropsy. This is an extreme example, but you can see how bloated/swollen she was, and you can see how the scales are sticking out.

Thank you this helps a lot!! When I saw him I kind of felt like his scales might have been raised in a certain spot, but it was not all over at all

 

[Rose of Sharon]

The scales can be raised on one side, if the bloat/tumor/issue is on that one side. But the cause is the same....fluid retention due to internal organ failure or internal tumor pressing against that one side.

The female in the pic started out with the problem on one side, and then it eventually extended to the other as well.

 

[rileyz]

Here are some photos.. I honestly feel like he may look a little bit better but I am not totally sure.

 

[Rose of Sharon]

He looks good in the first pic, but the 2nd and 3rd you can really see that bulge. If he isn't retaining fluid, then that could be a tumor, and there is nothing that can be done for that. Just keep him comfortable and warm, and feed him really good quality food if he will eat, and keep his water super pristine. He really is a pretty boy!

 

[rileyz]

Thank you!! I saw that adding aquarium salt will help with fluid retention so I did that a while ago, but I haven't noticed a change. Some angles it looks like it's a big bulge but from above I feel like it really isn't noticeable.

 

[sunflower430]

My big fin betta boy had bulges in that area... I think it was an enlarged swim bladder to help with his buoyancy due to all the fin weight. It was normal for my guy and he lived a normal lifespan (~3 year). Can see it good here. Your guy's bump maybe is a bit farther forward so maybe not the same... but if he's still eating and getting around relatively decently I'd say just ride it out and keep his water clean. They are going to slow down activity wise with age. If you don't already have it, some places for him to lounge near the surface will also make him more comfortable.

 

[Rose of Sharon]

Thank you!! I saw that adding aquarium salt will help with fluid retention so I did that a while ago, but I haven't noticed a change. Some angles it looks like it's a big bulge but from above I feel like it really isn't noticeable.

The aquarium salt helps with the osmotic processes, so gas exchange, water in...water out, etc. You know your betta boy better than anyone else, so you will be able to tell quickly if things change, or new symptoms appear.

Hope he is well, and stays well!

 

[rileyz]

Tank

What is the water volume of the tank? 5 gallons

How long has the tank been running? 8 months. Used stuff from his old tank to help cycle it

Does it have a filter? Yes

Does it have a heater? Yes

What is the water temperature? 78 F

What is the entire stocking of this tank? (Please list all fish and inverts.) one betta, one rabbit snail, and one nerite snail that is smaller than the tip of a pinky

Maintenance

How often do you change the water? Every 1-2 weeks

How much of the water do you change? 25-50%

What do you use to treat your water? Imagitarium water conditioner

Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? Use a siphon to suck up debris from gravel

*Parameters - Very Important

Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? Yes

What do you use to test the water? API master kit

What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.

Ammonia: 0

Nitrite: 0

Nitrate: between 10-20 ppm

pH: 8

Feeding

How often do you feed your fish? Daily

How much do you feed your fish? Around 3-5 pellets depending on the side

What brand of food do you feed your fish? Fluval bug bites for bettas

Do you feed frozen? Not regularly

Do you feed freeze-dried foods? Very rarely

Illness & Symptoms

How long have you had this fish? Coming up on 2 years of having him, but he is around 3 years old

How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? Around 3 weeks ago

In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? First I noticed part of his fin was missing. But it was a clean cut, not like fin rot. He is breathing much heavier and laying around the tank. Appears to be lethargic. He also looks bloated, but it's hard to tell if it is bloat or if his back half has gotten skinnier.

Have you started any treatment for the illness? I put aquarium salt and catappa leaves in the tank. I treated him with Imagitarium Bacterial Infection Remedy, but after that did not change his behavior I started Artemis 5 days ago. he appears to be getting worse, so I started herbtana this morning, and will be dosing it 12 hours apart from the Artemis.

Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? Not specifically, but I got him from someone who kept him in a 1.35 gallon with no filter, no heater, and they barely did water changes. He was with them for 6 months.

How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? He's lethargic. He is either bloated or is losing weight in his back half. His fins also seem to be getting worse.

Explain your emergency situation in detail.

(Please give a clear explanation of what is going on, include details from the beginning of the illness leading up to now)

I noticed part of his fin was missing, but it looked like a clean cut as opposed to fin rot. He is lethargic, his appetite is irregular, and he is losing weight. I worry he does not have much time left. My grandparents are taking care of him for the weekend because I am out of town and they are not very tech savvy so I can't get them to take a good photo. My photos are a week old and I feel like he looks different even since I took those

Update. Bloating is worse. I think in trying to get him to eat, we ended up overfeeding him. We are stopping feeding for 5 days, did a big water change and decreased the amount of water he is in, and turned the temperature up to 82. Still adding aquarium salt with water changes. Really hope this helps

 

[Rose of Sharon]

Sorry to hear that the bloat is worse.

The aquarium salt will help up to a point, especially with his breathing.

 

[rileyz]

Sorry to hear that the bloat is worse.

The aquarium salt will help up to a point, especially with his breathing.

I don't think he is going to make it... I just am at a loss on what to do but I feel like he is too far gone with the swim bladder disease.

 

[Rose of Sharon]

So sorry!!! As you could see in that pic that I attached, I have been where you are...several times. It can be heart wrenching. If he gets to the point where he is really struggling to breathe, doesn't eat, doesn't move around much, then it might be time to euthanize. At that point, there is no quality of life left, unfortunately.

I use clove oil to euthanize. You can get it from a pharmacy, or from a store that sells essential oils. If you need help with directions, there are many posts here about it, or I can help. Just ask.

If you don't think that you can do that, then lower the water level, and keep him warm. If he will eat, then feed him. Don't fast him. That won't help at all.

Really sorry about this...he is such a beautiful boy!

 

[rileyz]

So sorry!!! As you could see in that pic that I attached, I have been where you are...several times. It can be heart wrenching. If he gets to the point where he is really struggling to breathe, doesn't eat, doesn't move around much, then it might be time to euthanize. At that point, there is no quality of life left, unfortunately.

I use clove oil to euthanize. You can get it from a pharmacy, or from a store that sells essential oils. If you need help with directions, there are many posts here about it, or I can help. Just ask.

If you don't think that you can do that, then lower the water level, and keep him warm. If he will eat, then feed him. Don't fast him. That won't help at all.

Really sorry about this...he is such a beautiful boy!

Thank you for all of your help.... I really really appreciate it. I fed him some daphnia yesterday but it is so small so he did not get a lot. We fed him one blood worm this morning, and are going to try to feed him again later. I am going to try to do smaller more frequent feedings as opposed to one big one.