Sick Betta, old/dying. Need help

[Derek]

I'm in need of some help here. My betta is probably 2.5 years old now. He lives in a 10G with two nerites and three amanos. I've noticed the last month he started to be lazier than normal, but still excited to eat and see me. Then in the last week I caught the amanos eating his tail. They've since been separated. He is now going down hill. His fins are messed up, this morning he has gone more pale, and just stopped eating this morning. His gills are breathing fairly heavy. No pineconeing that I have noticed. Plenty of almond leaves and places for him to rest,  but I don't know what to do next. He won't eat blood worms or pellets today. What would aquarium salt do? Or other meds? Here are some pictures and my parameters:

• 7.8 pH
• 10-20 ppm Nitrates (prior to 40% WC)
• 0 ppm Nitrite=
• 0 ppm Ammonia
• 360 TDS (10GH)
• 6KH
• 78 F

[KBOzzie59]

25 minutes ago, Derek said:

2.5 years old now

Since you have gotten him or for sure 2.5 total?  Typical average life span is 3'ish years, 5 if it is an over-achiever.  Sadly fish get old and die and there is nothing you can do about it.

[Kirsten]

Poor ol' betta! Yeah, my betta has the same symptoms, though I doubt he's half as old: lethargic, uninterested in food, labored breathing, fins are ragged. So I'm treating what I can see: gill trouble and fin rot. I've moved him into an unlit quarantine tank with his favorite floating log and dosed the water with about 1 tbsp marine salt for every 2 gallons. He's moved around a little since moving him this morning, but still mostly sleeping. No idea if it'll work or not, but I figure it'll give him a fighting chance.

You could try adding some aquarium salt to your tank, but at that level it might start hurting your plants, so you might want to set up a QT if you can.

[Derek]

Just now, KBOzzie59 said:

Since you have gotten him or for sure 2.5 total?  Typical average life span is 3'ish years, 5 if it is an over-achiever.  Sadly fish get old and die and there is nothing you can do about it.

It's more like 2years and 3months since I got him+ 6-12ish months before the petstore brought him in.

[Dwayne Brown]

I would be happy that he lived such a good long life and accept the natural way of things. I would continue feeding him. I dont know how much longer he will eat I know old tetras will eat till they die but apistos stop eating as they get super old