Poor Fishy Boris. What's Wrong?

His behavior ranges from listless to catatonic. He ate bloodworms this morning, his first interest in food for a couple of days. When I fed him this morning, he showed more action than I've seen in three or four days.

Since I got home from work yesterday (and the wife reports on this, too), except for this morning he has hung out in one exact spot. See the picture.

I'm trying not to be distressed, but it's not easy. I'm quite attached and I hate to think that he's suffering.

Has your betta ever exhibited these behaviors? Do you have any idea what could be wrong?

Water, checked last night - 0, 0, 0; currently 78.8F. Last water change about ten days ago.

 

When did you get him? Could be getting old maybe? Can you get a better photo of the fins?

 

CanadianFishFan, I got him a little more than two months ago. He was a Petsmart dastardly little cup farm rescue. Here's a picture.

 

hmm keep a close eye on him

 

Anyone else? I really need some help.]

 

Size of tank?
Is it cycled? (0,0,0 usually means very heavily planted, just did a water change, or not cycled)
Has anything outside or inside the tank changed recently?
I would suggest weekly water changes, I know it's a good habit to pick up and can get the fish into a sort of cleaning cycle.

 

Size of tank?
Is it cycled? (0,0,0 usually means very heavily planted, just did a water change, or not cycled)
Has anything outside or inside the tank changed recently?
I would suggest weekly water changes, I know it's a good habit to pick up and can get the fish into a sort of cleaning cycle.

Gala Five gallons. It is cycled. I don't know why there are no nitrates. I had to do a fish-in cycle, and it took forever with just the one fish. Yes, there was a big change. I took out half the plants (long story). I might add new plants today.

I know it's hard when everyone is asking for help with sick fish. But we ask because we know this community can help.

 

It's not that we don't want to help it's just there are so many disease out there for example does he appear to have salt on him gold dust? Is his poop white and stringy? Does he have white fuzz on him? Are his fins ragged? Does he appear bloated? Or skinny? Does he have a bruise or cut? Does he have a tumor?

 

So sorry to hear about him, I think he's just getting old. He looks ok but I understand your worry, how much blood worms did he eat? At least 3 blood worms a week will keep him alive. Sometimes near the end of their life (I know that sounds grI'm but he just looks old) they may not eat as much as most bettas. His fins look ok, if he gets skinnier and you can see bones, feed more food vary soon! Btw make sure you siphon the tank regularly.

 

He doesn't look old to me. Old Bettas typically get a hunch in their back and their eyes start to get cloudy from cataracts. I'm not sure what's wrong but I don't think it's age.

 

It's not that we don't want to help it's just there are so many disease out there for example does he appear to have salt on him gold dust? Is his poop white and stringy? Does he have white fuzz on him? Are his fins ragged? Does he appear bloated? Or skinny? Does he have a bruise or cut? Does he have a tumor?

Thank you for this, Iverg1. I'll take your questions and examine him closely. I don't think he has any of these, but I'll check.

 

So sorry to hear about him, I think he's just getting old. He looks ok but I understand your worry, how much blood worms did he eat? At least 3 blood worms a week will keep him alive. Sometimes near the end of their life (I know that sounds grI'm but he just looks old) they may not eat as much as most bettas. His fins look ok, if he gets skinnier and you can see bones, feed more food vary soon! Btw make sure you siphon the tank regularly.

He ate the equivalent of one worm, maybe less. Thanks for your comment about siphoning. I've been doing it every two weeks; seems I ought to make it every week.

By the way, Betta10522, welcome. It's a nice place here.

 

Have you tried soaking his food in garlic to try improve his appetite? Maybe that might get him more interested

 

Try getting a food that releases a natural feeding response in the water, I use that when some of my fish don't pay attention to the bloodworms

 

He's being a teenager. Won't eat anything I offer. He was accepting nothing but bloodworms for about three days (fed sparingly), but this morning he spit out his breakfast of half a worm. Last night I brought home mysis shrimp. He'd never had them. He spit them out, too.

Some of you have suggested soaking his food in garlic juice. I tried that a few weeks ago when he started rejecting pellets. He still wouldn't eat them. This morning I'll make him some shrimp scampi.

I'm open to other suggestions. (I'm still not ready for live food, but I'll suck it up if he continues to refuse other food.)

Boris's refusal to eat is causing a fair amount of food waste in the bottom of this five-gallon planted tank. Can I get a bottom feeder, with assurance that they won't attack each other? If so, what should I get?

Thanks, folks!

Thanks, folks!

I forgot to post this photo. He's still not himself, but he's better (except for refusing to eat). He's enjoying his new plants.

 

There aren't many bottom feeders that would fit in a 5g. You should just get a gravel vac & do some laps around the tank.

Have you considered it may be internal parasites? Is his poop white?
Hope he makes a recovery

 

There aren't many bottom feeders that would fit in a 5g. You should just get a gravel vac & do some laps around the tank.

Have you considered it may be internal parasites? Is his poop white?
Hope he makes a recovery

Hi, Discus-Tang. I have a gravel vac, but it's weak. I'll have to get a bigger one and hope it doesn't take up my whole water change amount in 10 seconds.

Thanks!

Have you considered it may be internal parasites? Is his poop white?
Hope he makes a recovery

I've never seen him poop. If it's white, would I be able to see it against my fine black gravel?

 

I've never seen him poop. If it's white, would I be able to see it against my fine black gravel?

I suppose.

 

If you're considering live foods, grindal worms are super easy, just wet their substrate with dechlorinated water and feed dog kibble as a staple food with other grainy/startchy foods. But perhaps there is also something wrong with him? Rejecting food sounds not normal, especially bloodworms.

 

use a turkey baster to suck up any uneaten food on the bottom. try feeding him once every other day and see if he'll eat then.

 

Fishy Boris Karloff hasn’t eaten anything in almost two weeks.

He hovers at the water line. His fins are clamped. His scales stand out just a tiny bit – not pineconing, and he’s not bloated at all. His appearance hasn’t changed. No holes in the head, no tumors, no bloat, nothing.

He seems weak – in fact, he used to surf near the filter. He seemed to enjoy being near the bubbles. Now he doesn’t go to the side of the tank where the filter is. The only motion he performs now is with his pectoral fins. The exception is when he goes to the bottom or to a plant to sit – but he just sinks; he does not swim down. Plant-sitting is rare anymore; he’s either at the water line or on the substrate. He’s not on his side, either floating or sitting.

He often hangs out with his head inside his food ring. That used to give me hope, but I’ve stopped trying to feed him when he’s there. He had become increasingly finicky, rejecting first his pellets, eating just bloodworms, until I tried Tetra “Betta Crisps” – crunchy little flakes. He liked those for a couple of days, then rejected them. He never even touched the regular flakes. I tried soaking everything in garlic; he didn’t react. Finally, he rejected a bloodworm, and I thought, oh, s***. Last week I brought home mysis shrimp. He didn’t care.

Fishy Boris was a happy, lively little kid. He’d come to see me when I’d walk into the room. He knows my face and my voice but doesn’t react anymore to either. He rarely comes to the glass when I put my face down. When he does, he just hovers and looks at me. He’d dance when I fluttered a colorful bandana at the glass; he followed my fingers; he investigated the different things I put outside the aquarium to try to interest him. He doesn’t care about colors or things anymore. No more dancing or playing.

I’ve written every symptom I can think of. Does anyone have any experience with this kind of lethargy, indifference, weakness, and not eating?

Help, please.

 

These may seem like stupid questions but bare with me ok. I am here to help.

Is the tank cycled?
What are the current parameters?
Is the tank heated, if so what is the temperature?

And I have an idea of what it could be, I could be wrong but try this

Turn off all the lights in the room and the tank and shine a blue flashlight on him.
Does he have a weird coppery coloured dust on him? If not that's good. If so tell me immediately and I will try my best to help.

 

If there is a PetSmart near you, go get a vial of live flightless fruit flies. If he doesn't eat them, I don't know what to say.

He doesn't look like an old fish but how old is he?

 

If there is a PetSmart near you, go get a vial of live flightless fruit flies. If he doesn't eat them, I don't know what to say.

He doesn't look like an old fish but how old is he?

Thanks for the food advice. I'll try that. I don't know how old he is. He's a PetSmart dastardly little cup rescue; I bought him on April 14 of this year. He hasn't grown any since then, leading me to believe he was an adult when I got him.

These may seem like stupid questions but bare with me ok. I am here to help.

Is the tank cycled?
What are the current parameters?
Is the tank heated, if so what is the temperature?

And I have an idea of what it could be, I could be wrong but try this

Turn off all the lights in the room and the tank and shine a blue flashlight on him.
Does he have a weird coppery coloured dust on him? If not that's good. If so tell me immediately and I will try my best to help.

It is cycled. Last I checked (last Friday) I got 0, 0, 0. (I always get zero nitrates. I don't know why.) Ph is 8. His tank is heated to about 79F.

By blue flashlight do you mean a blacklight? I have one of those. I'll try your suggestion when I get off work. Thanks, Freak.

 

It is cycled. Last I checked (last Friday) I got 0, 0, 0. (I always get zero nitrates. I don't know why.) Ph is 8. His tank is heated to about 79F.

By blue flashlight do you mean a blacklight? I have one of those. I'll try your suggestion when I get off work. Thanks, Freak.

No not a backlight just not a yellow light. A blue colored flashlight or the flashlight on your phone (most are blue) will work.
The yellow doesn't work aswell.

Your welcome, your parameters are great actually so try that and we will go from there after

 

Fishy Boris seems to be rallying. He has come to the glass to look at me a few times today, and he did a fair amount of wiggling as I turned a Diet Cherry 7-Up can round and round in front of him. Apparently he digs pink. He's so cute, so wonderful!

I put some salt in his tank. We'll see how he is in the morning.

Oh, yeah - I think he ate part of a mysis shrimp! I dropped one in, right in front of him (serendipity). He sucked it right in, chewed a second, and spit out three pieces of mutilated shrimp. He had to have swallowed some, no?

Now, I'm panicking about holes in the head. Please look at the picture. I know the big one is a nostril (I hope - do fish have them?), but there are these things in front of his eye. Please tell me I'm paranoid.

PS Do you think I might get more comments if I didn't write novels?

 

Calling betta squad Fanatic Rtessy Gypsy13

Yes fish have nostrils I slightly freaked out after seeing my fish's nostrils thinking he had hole in head
That's okay if be eats a shrimp I find it adds variety and more nutrients to their diet
I don't know about the comments but can you post some more pictures if able(bettas are slippery little guys or that's just mine)and read your ammonia,nitrite,nitrate levels please

 

Yes fish do have nostrils. The other holes (I think I'm looking at them?) don't look like hith, but to me look like sensory organs.

Edit: See them now, just had to zoom in. Still think it's sensory organs. But just in case, treat with Metroplex. It's a gentle medication that isn't easily overdosed and should help with hith if it is. If it isn't, the medication won't hurt.

 

Repolie has been added on the betta squad

 

Calling betta squad Fanatic Rtessy Gypsy13

Yes fish have nostrils I slightly freaked out after seeing my fish's nostrils thinking he had hole in head
That's okay if be eats a shrimp I find it adds variety and more nutrients to their diet
I don't know about the comments but can you post some more pictures if able(bettas are slippery little guys or that's just mine)and read your ammonia,nitrite,nitrate levels please

Thanks for calling in the Betta Squad, Iverg1, and for your thoughts.

I just tested. As usual, it tests 0, 0, 0. It's been that way since it cycled. The pH is 8.2. that's three usual, too.

Here are a few more pics of Fishy Boris Karloff. The first is from the day I got him out of little cup ****, April 14. The other three are since he's been sick. Looking through my gallery shows me that he started showing symptoms on June 28.

Edit: See them now, just had to zoom in. Still think it's sensory organs. But just in case, treat with Metroplex. It's a gentle medication that isn't easily overdosed and should help with hith if it is. If it isn't, the medication won't hurt.

Thank you, Repolie. I was wondering about medicine but didn't want to take a chance on it until I heard from some folks with experience.

I just noticed something. From my gallery, I see he started getting sick on June 28. This picture is from June 27, the day I introduced the colorful rings and the terra cotta pot. Coincidence? What do you think? (I took them both out shortly after he got sick.)

 

Thank you, Repolie. I was wondering about medicine but didn't want to take a chance on it until I heard from some folks with experience.

I just noticed something. From my gallery, I see he started getting sick on June 28. This picture is from June 27, the day I introduced the colorful rings and the terra cotta pot. Coincidence? What do you think? (I took them both out shortly after he got sick.)

What do you mean by him getting sick? The hinth?

 

What do you mean by him getting sick? The hinth?

Ah, no, not the hith. I just grasped at that because I saw those spots by his eye. No, here's what's been going on.

He'd become finicky about his food. He'd had pellets since I bright him home from dastardly Petsmart, supplemented with bloodworms. Suddenly he was rejecting the pellets. I tried flakes - he didn't even sniff at them. I tried TetraPro Betta Crisps. He ate those for a couple of days, then spit them out. By now he was having only bloodworms, about half a worm once or twice a day. Then one day he spit out the worm, and I started getting scared. Except for some molecules of mysis shrimp today, he hasn't eaten since.

Along with not eating, on June 28 I noticed he was parked at the water line, fins clamped, immovable. Plus, for such a lively, wiggly, curious and interested fish, he's been practically catatonic.

I fretted and posted here, hoping for advice and ideas. Got some of both, mostly about foods to try (including soaking everything in garlic juice - didn't work). Now to try live food. Going to my LFS for brine shrimp tomorrow.

I've had some additional advice in the last couple of days, such as to use meds, salt, and Indian almond leaves. Although I understand the latter two are mostly for stress and comfort, he now has some salt and a leaf in there. He'll have the meds tomorrow, and hopefully he'll snack on brine shrimp.

Now I wonder this: could he have gotten sick because of a terra cotta vase thing I put in his tank?* The next day, he started spitting out his food and hanging at the water line. What do you think?

* It was a brand new thing that I ordered from Amazon, which apparently got it from China. I scrubbed it, and soaked it for a day. I thought that was good enough, but what do I know?

 

Yeah those look like sensory pits to to me as well.
As for the pot making him sick, it very well could have. Since you don't know who handled it or what they had on their hands it could have leached out, even after soaking. Perhaps a bleach dip would be more effective?

 

Perhaps a bleach dip would be more effective?

If I ever try terra cotta again, I'll try that. As for right now, I think I'll try a nice ceramic mug.

 

Ah, no, not the hith. I just grasped at that because I saw those spots by his eye and lost my s***. No, here's what's been going on.

He'd become finicky about his food. He'd had pellets since I bright him home from dastardly Petsmart, supplemented with bloodworms. Suddenly he was rejecting the pellets. I tried flakes - he didn't even sniff at them. I tried TetraPro Betta Crisps. He ate those for a couple of days, then spit them out. By now he was having only bloodworms, about half a worm once or twice a day. Then one day he spit out the worm, and I started getting scared. Except for some molecules of mysis shrimp today, he hasn't eaten since.

Along with not eating, on June 28 I noticed he was parked at the water line, fins clamped, immovable. Plus, for such a lively, wiggly, curious and interested fish, he's been practically catatonic.

I fretted and posted here, hoping for advice and ideas. Got some of both, mostly about foods to try (including soaking everything in garlic juice - didn't work). Now to try live food. Going to my LFS for brine shrimp tomorrow.

I've had some additional advice in the last couple of days, such as to use meds, salt, and Indian almond leaves. Although I understand the latter two are mostly for stress and comfort, he now has some salt and a leaf in there. He'll have the meds tomorrow, and hopefully he'll snack on brine shrimp.

Now I wonder this: could he have gotten sick because of a terra cotta vase thing I put in his tank?* The next day, he started spitting out his food and hanging at the water line. What do you think?

* It was a brand new thing that I ordered from Amazon, which apparently got it from China. I scrubbed it, and soaked it for a day. I thought that was good enough, but what do I know?

I would say he potentially did get sick ftom the terracotta pot because it might have some heavy metals. Most things come from China and over there, there's a higher chance of them adding things to the pot for cheaper production or something. As for him not eating, I would crush up all his dry foods into bits and mix with some tank water to form a paste, roll into pellets, let dry and see if he'll eat it because it's a new flavour of food or try New Life Spectrum pellets, the Bug Bites for tropical fish or grindal worms if you can get your hands on it. I wouldn't do a bleach dip because the clay of the terracotta is very porous and it tends to absorb things and retain them.

 

I don’t think he has holes in his head, definitely sensory pit organs.

 

It doesn’t sound like HITH. The terracotta pot is porous so it could’ve been subjected to any number of poisons. The plastic rings if made in China could leech lead among other things. Salt helps gill function, slime coat preservation, prevents fungal and bacterial infection. Methylene blue is a good bath to give to counteract many poisons. It’s a disinfectant as well. Also helps weakened cells get necessary oxygen. Super clean warm water, don’t dose with salt for more than ten days, make sure your water conditioner removes heavy metals. You might want to try feeding daphnia if you can get it. It’s small and bettas usually love them. Keep us posted?

 

Boris is definitely feeling better.

When I got home tonight, I took the container of bloodworms to his tank, ready to have a come-to-Jesus meeting with him. I plucked a worm out of the little cup I keep them in, and drummed my fingers on the dresser where his tank sits (that's the food signal). He was on the bottom, chilling in the jungle, and that fish jumped up and shimmied himself to the surface so fast I thought he'd fly right out. It was wonderful to see!

He "stood" in the water, practically vertical, while watching to see where my fingers would go. He got in just the right spot, and as I dangled the worm just at the surface, he grabbed it. He chewed for all he was worth, and didn't spit out a molecule.

Here he sits at the top of the jungle, smug in his post-prandial bliss. I love this silly fish.

Thanks to all of you for your care and advice. I think Boris will be just fine.

(I know his gills look red, but it's a trick of the lighting or the camera. His gills are ok.)

 

Yay Boris! So glad to here he’s feeling better

 

lol these always sacred me. They do have Nostrils and they are CUTE!!!! But they do also have sensory pores. Some bettas its hard to see them and others they are very clear.

 

Ahhh, beautiful Boris.

 

Keep us posted?

I will, Gypsy, and I thank you for your advice and good information. I've taken it all to heart. I love this silly little fish and I will always take such good care of him that he will know, somewhere in his fishy heart, that I love him. (And if you're wondering, after what I just wrote: yeah, it's been an emotional day!)

My LFS doesn't have daphnia!

 

I will, Gypsy, and I thank you for your advice and good information. I've taken it all to heart. I love this silly little fish and I will always take such good care of him that he will know, somewhere in his fishy heart, that I love him. (And if you're wondering, after what I just wrote: yeah, it's been an emotional day!)

My LFS doesn't have daphnia!

I don’t know what is wrong with LFS anymore. Can’t ever find anything. Brine shrimp?

 

I don’t know what is wrong with LFS anymore. Can’t ever find anything. Brine shrimp?

They do have brine shrimp, but every time I call to see if they've sold out yet, they have.

Is daphnia sold live or frozen? I've only looked for frozen (seems they have everything but).

 

They do have brine shrimp, but every time I call to see if they've sold out yet, they have.

Is daphnia sold live or frozen? I've only looked for frozen (seems they have everything but).

My LFS has live on hand all the time.