Jump to content

Sick betta - completely stumped as to what is wrong!


Lexibee3
 Share

Recommended Posts

Our betta is sick and we are having a hell of a time trying to figure out what is wrong. 

He shares a 20 gallon filtered and heated tank with one pleco.  They seem to ignore each other.  All water parameters are good.

We noticed him being a bit lethargic about 9 days ago.  We fasted him for 3 days with no improvement.   

Now, he has been moved to a hospital tank.  He stays at the top of the tank, mainly on his side.  Sometimes he is in a curved "c" shape.

His gills appear to be inflamed.  He will gulp for air at the top of the tank on occasion.

His color has faded but he does not appear to be bloated or have pineconing.

Before moving to a hospital tank, we had started a parasitic treatment with no improvement.  

Now that he is in his hospital tank, we have started treating him with Maracyn 2.  Tomorrow will be day 3 of this treatment We have tried to feed him a pea but it sank and he was not able to swim after it.  He was fed some Daphnia today

The oddest thing is that he is still very interested in food and is very eager to eat.  We are just stumped as to what the issue is.  Any ideas?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to hear about your betta. As @xXInkedPhoenixX said, photos or video would be a great addition for help/opinions. When you say he stays at the top of the tank on his side, do you mean that he is floating at the top of the water? Does it seem like he is struggling to stay upright / swim down? This could be a swim bladder problem. Google the symptoms for swim bladder problems and see if that is close to what he is experiencing.
I would advise caution on using lots of meds without knowing exactly what you’re betta has since they can take their toll on his kidneys. I would recommend putting some marine salt in his hospital tank though, for some electrolytes. Maybe 1 tbsp per 2 or 3 gallons, depending on how severe his condition is (2 if he is really not looking good). I have had my bettas in as high a concentration as 1 tbsp per gallon for popeye and serious infections, but you may not need to go there yet. 

Edited by AnimalNerd98
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would check your water parameters inflamed gills can be a sign of ammonia burn I would also add some epsom salt with 1 table spoon for 2 gallons with the maracyn2 your all ready treating with just in case it swim bladder problem 

Edited by Colu
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you all for your feedback.  We don’t think it’s possible it’s ammonia poisoning as all water parameters have been and continue to be normal (i.e., a zero ammonia reading).  SBD was a thought of ours but his lack of bloating and no recovery from a 3 day fast make us more unsure.  If his swim bladder is a part of the issue, there does seem to be another underlying issue based on his behavior and his gills.

see attached picture of the inflamed gills, as well as two links to YouTube videos taken this morning from his quarantine tank showing his behavior.  

Again, thank you for your feedback!  We are desperately trying everything we can think of to help him!   3rd day of Maracyn 2 treatment was this morning.  
 

 

7FA8A8F5-63F8-40CF-9CCA-1A16356B4A6B.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Constapation can put pressure on the swim bladder have you seen him pass anything if you haven't epsom salt acts as muscle relaxant helpful when your fish has constapation some swim bladder problem can be caused by a bacterial infection maracyn 2 will help with that

Edited by Colu
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How long would we keep him in the quarantine  tank after adding epsom salt? From what I’ve read it appears he should be moved out of that after no more than 15 minutes. So back into his primary tank then? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/3/2021 at 6:14 PM, Lexibee3 said:

How long would we keep him in the quarantine  tank after adding epsom salt? From what I’ve read it appears he should be moved out of that after no more than 15 minutes. So back into his primary tank then? 

If your doing epsom salt bath I put in a bucket with salt for no more then 15min 2-3 times a day but  you can add salt directly to his Qarantine tank and leave him in for 1 week I would start by adding 1 table spoon for 5 gallons then increase it over a couple of days to 1 table spoon for 2 gallons remember to only put back in the amount of salt you take out so if you do a 2 gallon water change only put 1table spoon of salt back in 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lexibee3,

     Kanaplex would be another option. It is a broad spectrum treatment, somewhat similar to Maracyn2, but with a different active ingredient. Kanaplex is a very well-regarded med, and may be worth a shot in your case. You can also mix it into food with Seachem Focus, if there is still interest in food. That may be your best bet. While it is usually suggested to rest a fish for a few days between a med switch, sometimes you have to swing for the fences if things are looking dire.

Best of luck. I hope your betta pulls through.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you all for your suggestions!  We gave another salt bath this evening and we plan to do that twice a day to see if there’s any improvement.  Also looking into Kanaplex as a possible follow up to the Maracyn 2 treatment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you everyone. The Maracyn two treatment ended Sunday and we performed a water change. We’ve been doing once daily epsom salt baths and added aquarium salt to his quarantine tank today. Kanaplex should arrive tomorrow, at which time we hope to start treatment. Will keep you posted on any news. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi All, wanted to update on our progress. We have started metroplex and Kanaplex treatment, of which the third dose was today. The medicine appears to have had no detrimental effects. He’s doing a little better, but swim bladder is a definite issue. See video below where it’s bulging out the left side of his body. His appetite is still strong, but we are fasting him for 3 days (last meal was Saturday AM. He did pass a large stool though, so not sure he’s constipated). The tank is also treated with aquarium salt. Thank you all for the advice. Concerned the swim bladder issue might permanent, but he’s a real fighter and is making due as best he can. 
 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Colu, it looks like u indicated earlier in a post that I could use epsom salt in the quarantine tank starting at 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons, instead of doing the baths (which is a lot more work). Is that accurate?  If so we will do a 100% water change on Tuesday and change the salt type. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...