I have a sick and bloated betta fish

[Sergio]

Need help on my 11 month old boy. He lives in a 2.5g tank with a sponge filter. I change like 50-60% of his water every 6-7 days.

He's always been fine, active & eats a lot. 
Yesterday when I woke up I noticed him sick, uncomfy, breathing more than usual and with a big belly. Very sudden. He usually has a slightly bigger than average belly when he eats, so I thought maybe he ate more than needed...

I always feed him like 8 small betta bug bites per day and I always soak them for 5 minutes before giving it to him. I always watch his belly as he eats.

Now for the 1st time ever he doesn't even want to eat... today will be 2 days without eating, since I fasted him yesterday. Now I'm scared, cause my last fish who was 2 years old, died like this, I fasted him for day 1 and then didn't want to eat more.

I have Kanaplex on hand and also a 1g/.75g hospital tank. What should I do? How much of the spoon should I put in a small 1g tank? Should I let the fish there at all times until he finish the medications (7 days max) or would that be dangerous? Should I change water daily and how much? Wouldn't that eliminate the Kanapex and its effectiveness? Thanks.

P.S. I added some pics. The first pics were in his 2.5 tank and the last ones in his 1g tank.

Edited February 1, 2023 by Sergio

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Oh dear @Sergio, I'm very sorry to have to say that it very much looks like Dropsy to me. As evidenced by the "pineconing" when they are bloated and their scales are coming off their body, this is a telltale sign typically IME. Also the way his body is bloated is exactly how my Betta, Kimono manifested Dropsy as well. There are "treatments" but the thing is dropsy isn't so much a disease in my understanding as a sign of many other failures like organ failure which medication won't fix but may only prolong life and if they aren't eating/pooping and swimming about it's not a lot of quality there. 

I don't like to be the bearer of bad news. I could be wrong, it's always good to get more opinions. @Colu @Odd Duck? Is it what I think it is friends?

[Sergio]

On 1/31/2023 at 10:42 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Oh dear @Sergio, I'm very sorry to have to say that it very much looks like Dropsy to me. As evidenced by the "pineconing" when they are bloated and their scales are coming off their body, this is a telltale sign typically IME. Also the way his body is bloated is exactly how my Betta, Kimono manifested Dropsy as well. There are "treatments" but the thing is dropsy isn't so much a disease in my understanding as a sign of many other failures like organ failure which medication won't fix but may only prolong life and if they aren't eating/pooping and swimming about it's not a lot of quality there. 

I don't like to be the bearer of bad news. I could be wrong, it's always good to get more opinions. @Colu @Odd Duck? Is it what I think it is friends?

Thanks! I still will try Kanaplex. Hopefully it is not dropsy and just some not so bad infection/parasite or constipation/overfed...

How could he get it all of the sudden?! Seemed more like he was constipated or something. He was fine like 4-5 days ago. I don't understand. I did change the water 5 days ago, but that's something I do all the time, ever 6-7 days.

He's really gasping for air on top of a small plant in my 1g hospital tank. He has his mouth constantly almost out of the water and breathing...

I'm waiting to see how should I medicated with Kanaplex. Maybe 1/5 of the spoon in the tank?

Edited February 1, 2023 by Sergio

[Sergio]

These are even more recent pics, like from 30 minutes ago. He stays in that plant with his mouth almost out of the water gasping for air.

I'm hoping the pinecone is just from typical reaction from bloating and not bc it has dropsy... from the side his pineconing doesn't look bad. From top is noticeable. I'm just hoping it is not and he can heal. Hasn't eaten today. And yesterday I fasted him thinking it was just overfed/constipated. So 2 days without eating now.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Of course if you feel it's worth it do try. 

I'm still drawing from my own experience Sergio- my Betta was exactly like yours and would barely eat then not at all. Salt soaks did not help (which I tried for bloating, it only went down a little). The meds I tried also did not work (but I didn't try Kanaplex) it was a steep downhill once his pineconing occured maybe a week possibly a bit more. It's probably not all of the sudden, if he has something like organ failure or even a tumor they can get bloated quickly and it was going on in the background and something you'd not know about. If you have any daphnia and feel it might still be constipation you can try feeding him that (freeze dried ok). I've rarely had a Betta not accept a bloodworm- try that too if you can. In the meantime research Dropsy and we'll await opinions of others. 

***Add an airstone

[Colu]

It doesn't look good what I would do is  add aquarium salt 1 table spoon for 2 gallon that will help to reduce the fluid buildup dose the tank with kanaplex that a good antibiotic treatment as it treats kidney infection that can cause fluid buildup if you can get him to eat I would add metroplex to food feeding a small amount twice a day for upto 3 weeks depending of how he is progressing as metroplex treats aeromonas that can cause some of the symptoms associated with Dropys if you have weighing scale I would weigh one level scoop of kanaplex for example if a scoops weighs ways 5 grams dose with 3 gram of kanaplex @Sergio 

Edited February 1, 2023 by Colu

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

(for Betta I'd skip the Garlic it can cause organ issues)

[Odd Duck]

I’m sorry, but I agree with @xXInkedPhoenixX, thus looks like dropsy which is actually a symptom, not the disease.  @xXInkedPhoenixXand @Coluhave given solid advice.  Get aquarium salt in the water, Kanaplex in the water, get Metroplex (or other generic Metronidazole med) in the food if you can get him to eat, in the water if he won’t eat.  It’s worth trying Epsom salt soaks.  Put one tablespoon per gallon of dechlorinated or tank water, soak for 10-15 minutes daily then back to the tank.  You can mix the whole gallon and use a smaller amount for the soaks.

Even with all these treatments it’s a very long shot to expect him to recover from dropsy.  It’s extremely difficult to get fish well by the time whatever disease process is present has advanced to the point where dropsy is apparent.

i would also skip the garlic initially, but if he won’t eat the medicated food any other way, go ahead and mix it in.  You will have nothing to lose at that point by trying it.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@Sergio any update on your poor Betta?

[Sergio]

On 2/6/2023 at 6:58 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

@Sergio any update on your poor Betta?

I'm so sorry I haven't posted any update, but I wasn't feeling good after I lost him. He passed away. This was my 2nd fish ever and I thought he was gonna last more than my last one. My 1st boy lived 2 years and this one 1 year. While I suffered more with the 1st one, I feel so heartbroken for this 1, because he deserved to live more. I want all my fishes to live at least 2 years or more, since people say the average is 2-3 years.

 

This boy was so beautiful. I loved his personality so much. At least I know he lived happily while he was healthy. It was so sudden... at first I thought it was swim bladder disease and nothing more serious. I still cry to this day. Lost him on Feb. 1. You guys might not know how attached I get to my fish and how much love I give them every day, I interact with them all the time, which is why I suffer so much sadness when I lose them. They are my companions. I always have 1 fish at a time and now I can't live without them, cause seeing an empty tank breaks my heart...

 

Both of my fishes died on the same day I started treating them with Kanaplex on the hospital tank. Within a few hours. But I think both times they might have been far too gone... I don't think it was Kanaplex. Kanaplex is supposed to save them. And I don't overdose.

 

Anyway, I have a new boy and I'm praying he can live 2 or 3 years at least.

 

Thanks for the help to everyone who replied!

I buried him on the same plant pot 🪴 I buried my first one, so they stay close to me 🐟🐟👼🏻👼🏻

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Aww @Sergio I totally feel for you and understand how attached we can get to fish, especially fish like Betta who have such individual personalities that we interact with them more than other fish like neons for example. Just know that sadly this does happen with Betta- they are more difficult fish to keep than the industry would have us believe. They are bred for looks and not health this is to their (and our) detriment. I had the exact same experience with one of my Betta who wasn't with me for a year too. I've had others die for no known reason, which for a while had me swearing them off forever. That didn't last long and now because of my experiences I walk on egg shells around my Betta worrying about every little behavior/eating/appearance change I see. 

You did the best you could and as has been stated the symptoms you saw were an indication that whatever caused the decline was past the point of treatment and/or may never have been treatable. Your fish was happy and cared for while you had them, take some comfort in that. That's better than a lot of pet fish can wish for. 

[Theplatymaster]

On 2/7/2023 at 9:21 AM, Sergio said:

 

Anyway, I have a new boy and I'm praying he can live 2 or 3 years at least.

if its in the same tank im hoping you dissinfected it. Diseases can lay dormant in gravel for a while.

[Sergio]

On 2/7/2023 at 11:05 AM, Theplatymaster said:

if its in the same tank im hoping you dissinfected it. Diseases can lay dormant in gravel for a while.

Yes! I always clean everything well with tap water. All decos, gravel, plants, filter, tank, etc.

Edited February 8, 2023 by Sergio

[Sergio]

On 2/7/2023 at 11:03 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Aww @Sergio I totally feel for you and understand how attached we can get to fish, especially fish like Betta who have such individual personalities that we interact with them more than other fish like neons for example. Just know that sadly this does happen with Betta- they are more difficult fish to keep than the industry would have us believe. They are bred for looks and not health this is to their (and our) detriment. I had the exact same experience with one of my Betta who wasn't with me for a year too. I've had others die for no known reason, which for a while had me swearing them off forever. That didn't last long and now because of my experiences I walk on egg shells around my Betta worrying about every little behavior/eating/appearance change I see. 

You did the best you could and as has been stated the symptoms you saw were an indication that whatever caused the decline was past the point of treatment and/or may never have been treatable. Your fish was happy and cared for while you had them, take some comfort in that. That's better than a lot of pet fish can wish for. 

True! So sad they have such a short span of life, generally 2-3 years, but it is what it is. Ofc some can live 4-5 more I've heard, but it's not very common. Thanks!

Here are my 3 boys, 2 are little angels. My 1st one who died in 2022, my 2nd one who died in 2023 and my new one which is both pics of the bottom.

Coby was silver and red.

Soni was blue

Boni is white/beige.

All delta males. I just fell in love with delta males since my 1st one... My 1st one was named Coby, so I decided to name them all kinda like him too, with 4 letters and similar sound. Coby was because I got him right after Kobe Bryant died, my fav basketball player since I was a kid. Then Soni because he was blue like Sonic. Then Boni because this is the year of the bunny/rabbit in Chinese/Lunar new year (also my year, I'm a bunny in Lunar new year).

I honestly miss them so much and start crying every time I think of them, like right now 🥺

[Cyndi]

Hi Sergio, I'm so sorry about the loss of your pet betta. We never know how old they are when we get them from the store - maybe he was older than you thought?  I was also thinking of two other scenarios: Do you have a heater? Even though they can live at cooler temps, my bettas do consistently better at least 79 -80 degrees. And the other thing is, could you possibly get a 5 gallon tank for him? It will be easier to keep a consistent temp and water parameters. I've kept a betta in a 2.5 gallon and it was a challenge (And come to think of it, that betta died prematurely).

You obviously love your Fish Friends and I wish you all the best. It always hurts to lose fish - especially when you don't know why - Best of Luck to you!

Cyndi

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

On 2/8/2023 at 2:33 AM, Sergio said:

Here are my 3 boys, 2 are little angels. My 1st one who died in 2022, my 2nd one who died in 2023 and my new one which is both pics of the bottom.

They are beautiful @Sergio, thanks for sharing your memories!

[Sergio]

On 2/8/2023 at 9:02 AM, Cyndi said:

Hi Sergio, I'm so sorry about the loss of your pet betta. We never know how old they are when we get them from the store - maybe he was older than you thought?  I was also thinking of two other scenarios: Do you have a heater? Even though they can live at cooler temps, my bettas do consistently better at least 79 -80 degrees. And the other thing is, could you possibly get a 5 gallon tank for him? It will be easier to keep a consistent temp and water parameters. I've kept a betta in a 2.5 gallon and it was a challenge (And come to think of it, that betta died prematurely).

You obviously love your Fish Friends and I wish you all the best. It always hurts to lose fish - especially when you don't know why - Best of Luck to you!

Cyndi

I don't have a heater cause they scare me, plus I also live in the Caribbean where it's hot most of the year. His temperature is always around 80, 78-82, even in the winter. I've seen it 76 a few times, but out of 365 days, like 360 days is 78-83.

 

I've been wanting a 5g, but I haven't been able to buy it for a couple of reasons. Maybe one day.