What's Exactly Wrong With My Betta Fish?

I had my betta fish for a little over a year now. His name is Kon. He was very healthy all the way through---always very energetic as if he never rested.

Just a little over two weeks ago, we found that he has a bloated stomach. Immediately, we thought it was constipation. We began to fast him, and we fed him green peas as well. He rejected it at first but eventually ate it. Despite having a bloated stomach, he has no loss of appetite and is still very energetic. He still has a very bloated stomach, but also very much of an appetite. Yes, we fed him one pellet or so in the end because we already fasted him for a week and we're afraid that constipation is actually not the issue now. We also tried it to see if he has lost his appetite or not. He swims up to us still very eagerly when he sees us approaching, probably thought there's food.

However, the bloating is not getting better. Worse, it finally seems to start to weigh him down. He is resting more on the bottom now, despite eager to swim up still when he sees us, but it's like the stomach is too heavy for him and he is now sinking more. It's very worrisome. During this time, I was doing my research.

It is worth noting that the bloating appeared to be a little uneven, and seems to swell more on one side than the other.

Dropsy popped up, however, it didn't seem to be the case--unless it's more or less a time problem and soon those symptoms will show up (I desperately hope not.) He did not have a loss of color, and he did not look like a pine cone, no scales protruded from him. Only his stomach is swollen, not the rest of his body. Yes, the swollen area seemed pale compares to the rest of his dark body, assuming it's from the bloat (?)

MalawI bloat also appeared on my search list. It seemed to fit my betta fish's description, the idea that it's a bit uneven, and that the fish would appear fine and healthy except for the bloat until it's too far gone. However, this disease usually started off with a loss of appetite first, which does not apply to my fish. But the possibility still lingers.

I am really concerned as to what disease or infection might really be the cause of my fish's bloated stomach right now.

He lives in a 2 gallons tank (with increasing space in my house, would be replaced with a much bigger one) with proper filter device and a water temperature of 79 degrees. There is no biological decorations in his tank, only fake plants, stones, etc. A new complete water change has just been done, conditioned and dechlorinated, ammonia level 0, as of the current situation.

I am hoping if anyone would be able to tell what Kon is exactly going through; if he still has hope, or is he too far gone once he's already showing a little lack of energy? What is the disease, and exactly how am I supposed to treat him? Should I give him an Epsom Salt bath first? If so, how much salt should it be?

My other betta had constipation before, and he got better within just 3 days of fasting. Now that this one lingered so long, I no longer think that's the case.

I would appreciate any help right now, I'm very worried about my fish.

I have to, unfortunately, leave home a bit, so pictures might not be available until tomorrow night. But, if requested, I'll upload it as soon as I can.

Thank you so much in advance!

 

Could you try uploading those pictures again? They aren't working.

 

I'm sorry, but those picture files weren't intended. I would do my best to upload the pictures by tomorrow, once I reached home. Are there any ideas of what might be going on with my fish so far?

 

Has he been pooping regularly? If you don't know, that's fine- it's sometimes hard to tell, but if he eats the pea and poops, then eats the pellet and poops, you can pretty well rule out constipation.

And just so we understand, in the last two weeks he's had one shelled pea and one pellet, is that correct? That will be helpful to know when we see those pictures. (And there's no kindhearted grandmother, child, or housekeeper there who might be sneaking him food, is there?)

 

Um I just learned from my sister that she secretly fed him three pellets last night while I'm gone because she couldn't bear him fasting two weeks with just one pellet and one pea...Which...I am mad about.

But even with fasting, his bloat did not get better. In fact, it seemed to be a little worse.

In fact, I realized it may be dropsy, not completely sure yet.

It is hard to tell from the eyes alone. I was taking a picture and zooming in to see that his scales seemed to be getting a little protruded.

I moved him to a smaller tank yesterday while doing the complete water change just to be able to observe him better. It is not as serious as some dropsy state I see yet. Do I still have hope??

I am going to have a salt bath for him now.

 

I honestly don't know if he's going to make it, but I'd be prepared for the worst. On the other hand, I've seen two fish here in the last year in worse shape than he, both of which I didn't think had any chance, both of which pulled through.

The problem is what we're looking at are the symptoms, not the disease, and there are different diseases that can cause the symptoms, some of which are survivable, some not.

I would suggest giving him an Epsom Salt bath, making sure that you're using pure Epsom Salts with no fragrances or dyes.

Monitor him for any signs of pooping, and don't give him _any_ food if he's not pooping.

 

I'm replying to this thread right now as I watch him wiggle about in the Epsom salt bath before sinking to the bottom again. When I changed his water completely, I did find some poop, I'm wondering if it's from the first pea he ate, but the bloating never got better.

The thing is I'm concerned on whether or not his slight protruding of scales is due to the bloating of his stomach that causes the scales to stick a bit out, or if it's dropsy. I'm prepared for the worse. However, I would like to add the dropsy medicine, Maracyn/Minocycline for him if he's really undergoing the disease. I know I shouldn't rush, since it's not exactly clear, but I also want to treat him ahead...I won't for now and would just stick with Epsom salt bath.

I have never exactly done an Epsom salt bath before though, and did some research. I don't want to risk too much--so far, I brought him to one and let him swim around in it for 12 minutes, before I placed him back into his tank. He immediately seemed to lose some of his energy when returning back home. I may have made a mistake, should I let him slowly get used to his original environment first instead of suddenly changing from salt bath to his regular water?

What I read from what I found online is that Epsom salt bath should be done only for 10-15 minutes once or twice a day. I'm planning to have him undergo it twice for the weekend...Is this okay?

Also, how much Epsom salt should I exactly add? I read that it's one teaspoon per gallon, which is the size of his smaller tank for salt bath right now. However I reduced the amount just to be safe on my first try...

Am lacking a lot of experience in terms of fish illness. I apologize for all these questions.

 

Pineconing of the scales occurs with dropsy *because* of the bloat. It's not a symptom of its own, rather it's the natural course of a fish being so bloated.

Dropsy itself is a symptom, not a disease. Dropsy is essentially organ failure. Usually this is caused by bacteria, but unless your fish had prior symptoms, we have no way of knowing what might be causing it.

You may consider treating him with kanamycin, which is an antibacterial medication. Epsom salt baths may help make him more comfortable during treatment, and if you see a reduction in the bloat with this one, you may want to continue them.

 

Thank you for your input about dropsy! I should've known.

Is kanamycin the better medicine to be taking so far under his current state right now? He is not yet going through clamped fins, or loss of appetite, etc. Hoping to make him better instead of turning him worse, despite knowing how fatal the disease could be. Should I use what you recommended instead of Maracyn, which I learned is also treated for Dropsy? I apologize for the questions, just want to make sure since I lack understandings on all these medications--it is my first time dealing with dropsy...

For the Epsom salt, instead of doing just 10-15 min salt baths twice a day, should I also just include some in his original tank in which he's staying at so he can be in it all day? Will that prove to have more negative effects?

 

Thank you for your input about dropsy! I should've known.

Is kanamycin the better medicine to be taking so far under his current state right now? He is not yet going through clamped fins, or loss of appetite, etc. Hoping to make him better instead of turning him worse, despite knowing how fatal the disease could be. Should I use what you recommended instead of Maracyn, which I learned is also treated for Dropsy? I apologize for the questions, just want to make sure since I lack understandings on all these medications--it is my first time dealing with dropsy...

For the Epsom salt, instead of doing just 10-15 min salt baths twice a day, should I also just include some in his original tank in which he's staying at so he can be in it all day? Will that prove to have more negative effects?

Kanamycin is generally considered to be the most advanced drug for the treatment of internal infections that's commonly available for fish, and I think most would here would say it would give your little guy a better chance than Maracyn would. One of the names it's sold under is Seachem Kanaplex.

He shouldn't be in Epsom Salt full time- just dips. We're all pulling for the little guy.

 

Try this maybe paired with some E.M. Erythromycin

 

Thank you CaliforniaL33!I would certainly be getting the medicines soon. I'm wishing the best for him too.

As for aspiration...I've heard of the method before. But I'm certainly not a professional at this, and I don't have the confidence that I can do it well enough without messing up and wounding him instead. Thank you nonetheless for the advice!

After two salt baths and a 70% daily water change for two days, Kon seems to regain the energy he'd lost a couple days ago. He's swimming to the surface more often, wiggling a bit more and floating near the top or in the middle out of his own will (doesn't seem to be forced to stay on top, since he actively swims down) but only when we're around him. Other than that he still wiggles around on the bottom more and digging his head into the gravels. When he lays on the bottom he's no longer lop-sided. However, his evolution to become a pine cone didn't seem to stop yet, so yes, I would be getting him the medication, seeing it appears to be necessary still.

 

Thank you CaliforniaL33!I would certainly be getting the medicines soon. I'm wishing the best for him too.

As for aspiration...I've heard of the method before. But I'm certainly not a professional at this, and I don't have the confidence that I can do it well enough without messing up and wounding him instead. Thank you nonetheless for the advice!

After two salt baths and a 70% daily water change for two days, Kon seems to regain the energy he'd lost a couple days ago. He's swimming to the surface more often, wiggling a bit more and floating near the top or in the middle out of his own will (doesn't seem to be forced to stay on top, since he actively swims down) but only when we're around him. Other than that he still wiggles around on the bottom more and digging his head into the gravels. When he lays on the bottom he's no longer lop-sided. However, his evolution to become a pine cone didn't seem to stop yet, so yes, I would be getting him the medication, seeing it appears to be necessary still.

Honestly, I think that while aspiration would be something you'd want to entrust to a vet. It doesn't look like a DIY job. You get the anesthesia wrong, or get the needle a millimeter wrong and... Besides, when two people present different ideas about what should be done, I tend to go with experience, and junebug has that in spades.

 

The sooner you treat with the right medication, the better your chance of curing the fish. I'd treat with kanamycin and do a full treatment.

 

Just a quick update that my fish did return back to health--he got better from Epsom salt alone and did not need kanamycin in the end, he is now swimming actively with the bloat gone. Thank you everyone for your help!