Betta is lethargic and has labored breathing

[Troy328]

Tank Information:

- 20 gallon tank with a male plakat betta (his name is Leo) and a small group of kuhli loaches. I have had Leo for two months and the loaches for two years. I also have some anubias in there and some caves for the loaches. I have a baffled Aqueon Quiet Flow filter and a Aqueon heater.

- pH is 7.6-7.8

- Ammonia is 0

- Nitrite is 0

- Nitrate is also 0 (was around 5ppm when I first added him, not sure when it became 0 to be honest)

- Temperature is 76 F

 

Background Information:

Leo is a dragonscale plakat betta that I've had for two months now. However, I have noticed a very worrying decline in his activity level and his willingness to eat. about two weeks ago, he started laying on plant leaves a little more frequently, which I took as a sign that perhaps he was getting more comfortable with his habitat. Then, however, he started eating less. Even then, I didn't think much of it, bettas are sometimes picky, right?

 

I considered the possibility he was getting too much of the loaches' food at night and that he was simply not hungry or had overeaten. I also considered that maybe his dragonsale genes were covering his eye and making it harder to actually see his food (apparently that is a thing.) I was continuing to get him to eat at least 1-2 betta pellets per day, except skip days, but it takes a long time for him to eat or be fully interested in the food. I have tried switching brands and that has not helped. I have also tried fasting him for potential digestive issues from eating too much loach food and that hasn't worked either.

 

Current Situation:

Leo over the past few days has gotten worse. Instead of of laying on leaves and being just a bit lethargic/lazy, he now floats at the top near corners or behind the heater. It seems like sometimes he has labored breathing. The problem is I haven't noticed anything visually wrong about him besides this. No ick, no velvet, no bloating, no tumors, no white tufts, no injuries, not even fin rot. I am getting very concerned. The kuhli loaches seem fine (when I get to see them, that is, but it is very normal for them to hide, so they seem fine) I bought a new heater recently, about to install it, to hopefully raise his tank temperature up from the 76 to 80-82. The lower temperature is the only thing I can determine that might be causing the lethargy, but I don't understand why he's not eating much or floating at the top despite having nothing else wrong with him, at least from what I can see.

 

What could be the problem? What else can I do to help, besides raise the temperature? Is it possible there is something internal like parasites?Which medicines should I have on hand, and are there any I should start now? Are my low nitrates to blame? Is it possible he has some type of blockage or swim bladder issue without showing any bloating or any other visual signs?

 

Sorry for so many questions, I just want to do what's right for him and get to the bottom of this!

- Troy

[Troy328]

I am attaching some pictures for reference, to show that there is no change (unless I'm missing something). The first one is what he's doing right now, and the others were taken before the floating-at-the-surface behavior started. He may look a little different, but it's mostly because of the way the light is hitting him based on where he is in the tank.

[RyanU]

I recently just brought home a betta that wasn't doing well. Acting the same as yours. I would get the temp up to 80. Also I would treat him with meds. Either API general cure or what I used Tetra Life Guard(same as general cure just docent manufacturers) also add some aquarium salt. 1 tablespoon for 2 gallons. 

Hope he pulls through

[Troy328]

4 minutes ago, RyanU said:

I recently just brought home a betta that wasn't doing well. Acting the same as yours. I would get the temp up to 80. Also I would treat him with meds. Either API general cure or what I used Tetra Life Guard(same as general cure just docent manufacturers) also add some aquarium salt. 1 tablespoon for 2 gallons. 

Hope he pulls through

Thanks for the advice! Sorry to hear about your betta too, did your betta end up turning around and getting better?

Also, do you think I could treat the whole tank with those medicines, including the loaches? I'd prefer to not move Leo if I don't have to, and I don't currently have a hospital tank set up. I also figure that if Leo has something wrong, it might be worth treating the whole tank just in case the loaches have it too and I just can't tell?

[RyanU]

Thanks for asking. Yes he did pull though. It took a couple days on the meds for him to come around. If you use the life guard I would pull the fish. Life guard is not suitable for scaleless fish which i think loaches are considered. Also the salt probably would not be a good thing.  I'm not sure about general cure as I have never used it. 

 

But to be safe I would say if you can make a quick hospital tank that would be best

[RyanU]

Here is a link to a video from Aquariumcoop for a quick hospital tank set up

 

[sudofish]

You might also have to keep trying different food unfortunately. You may have an especially picky betta. Has it ever had frozen bloodworms? I think most fish can't resist those. If he eats that then at least you know he can and will eat. Then I'd look at something like new life spectrum betta pellets and hikari daphnia. Daphnia is good for the digestive system. I'm no expert on using meds and such but RyanU's advice seems sound. I'm sure others will chime in eventually.

[Troy328]

11 minutes ago, RyanU said:

Here is a link to a video from Aquariumcoop for a quick hospital tank set up

 

 

Thank you so much for all of the advice and help! I think I have a 10 gallon lying around in the basement, so I think that will work. I just need a filter for it. How much filter media should I take out of my current filter to keep things going in the hospital without screwing with my main tank? Or if I were to set up a sponge filter in the hospital, how could I bring over bacteria? I guess I could use quick start? I am thinking I will also fill the hospital tank with some water from my main tank to keep things consistent as well.

 

1 minute ago, sudofish said:

You might also have to keep trying different food unfortunately. You may have an especially picky betta. Has it ever had frozen bloodworms? I think most fish can't resist those. If he eats that then at least you know he can and will eat. Then I'd look at something like new life spectrum betta pellets and hikari daphnia. Daphnia is good for the digestive system. I'm no expert on using meds and such but RyanU's advice seems sound. I'm sure others will chime in eventually.

Yeah, I have been looking for some good daphnia-based foods at my local fish stores and petcos but haven't found any yet in person. He was initially eating Omega One Betta Buffet Pellets and Fluval Bug Bites. Once he slowed down eating I switched to Hikari Betta Bio-Gold (which is what the fish store was feeding him) which he has been able to eat 1-2 of each day at least, but it takes him effort and he seems uninterested. Sometimes he spits it out and sometimes he will actually miss the food, like he will try to bite it but miss, and then gives up. Takes some effort to get him to eat. He will still sometimes eat Bug Bites but he jas given up on Omega One despite loving them at first.

[Troy328]

I'm going to be leaving for the pet store in a little over an hour to pick up a new filter for the hospital tank and some medicines. Does anyone else have any recommendations to chime in with concerning Tetra Life Guard vs API General Cure? I did some research and it looks like they treat similar things, but actually use different ingredients.

 

Also, does anyone have any advice on how to use aquarium salt? I've never actually had to use it before. And how do I know if I'm getting the right kind of salt? Is there a brand I should look for?

[RyanU]

API makes the aquarium salt and to use it i just took a tablespoon and added 1 per 2 gallons along with the meds.

[quikv6]

The salt would be a good idea, and should be helpful. I would ramp up to the level RyanU suggested, but I wouldn't do it instantly, if he is coming from an environment with no salt at all.

If you're putting him in a 10 gallon, I'd say start with 1 Tablespoon per 5 gallons initially. (2 TBSP). Then you can always add 2 more a day later, effectively doubling the ratio...and getting to the recommended level. Sometimes going from no salt to medicinal level of salt instantly can be jarring.

Remember, salt doesn't evaporate, and would only be removed during a waterchange....so keep good track of what level in in the hospital tank, and how much you need to add in after a waterchange to maintain your ratio.

[Troy328]

Thanks for the continued advice, everyone. I'm getting a 10 gallon hospital tank set up tonight and hopefully by sticking the heater in overnight it will get up to 80 and be ready for him tomorrow.

the closest dedicated fish store was closed today, the two petcos I visited in the area were not excepting debit cards today and I only had eight bucks on me, and then the pet smart didn't have aquarium salt or any of the things I needed. So I had to settle for Walmart versions! Surprisingly, they had Tetra Lifeguard when none of the other pet stores did (I can't tell if that's a good or bad thing) and I was able to get some aquarium salt (not API but hopefully it will work all the same?). It suggests 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons much like quikv6 suggested.

 

I'm still feeling a little iffy on this tetra lifeguard stuff, but I wanted to grab it anyways. There is a warning on the back about how it is not good to use for new aquarium setups which I'm a bit worried about because technically that's what the hospital will be? I might just start with the aquarium salt tomorrow and hope for the best and then use the lifeguard stuff if that doesn't work.

[RyanU]

I was worried about that too being that my tank was freshly cycled. It didn't harm anything and I never saw ammonia spikes from it killing my bacteria. But technically if you are just setting up the tank there won't be any bacteria to kill of. 

[quikv6]

Just be sure to monitor ammonia, feed as lightly as possible, and be ready to water change (and replace removed salt) when necessary. I am unfamiliar with the waterchange requirements/directions to lifeguard.

Good luck!

[RyanU]

@Troy328 how is everything going with Leo?

[Troy328]

6 hours ago, RyanU said:

@Troy328 how is everything going with Leo?

 

Very unfortunate news, actually. Leo passed away overnight.

 

I set up his hospital tank Tuesday night, and moved him into it Wednesday/yesterday. He seemed to take the adjustment pretty well, and he actually seemed to perk up a little bit, acting a little bit more like his usual self. I went to sleep last night feeling optimistic. When I woke up this morning and checked on him though, he was already at peace.

 

Thank you to everyone who tried to help me with giving him care. I didn't have Leo for too long, but he made a very strong impact on me. It's sad to lose him so soon, but at least I was able to try, and I loved him the entire way. I'm attaching some of my favorite pictures of him to this in order to honor him. R.I.P. Leo 🐠🌈🐉

[sudofish]

So sorry. I was following this hoping he would recover.

[quikv6]

I'm sorry. Losing a friend is the hard part of fishkeeping.

[RyanU]

Sorry for your loss. I was routing for him. 

[heidigirl99]

I’m so sorry for your loss.