Betta won't eat or swim??

[mlasater]

Hello everyone,

My fish, MJ, is about 3 years old and lives in a 2.5 gallon tank that is heated to 76 degrees. I do water changes weekly and try to keep it nice and clean. He normally eats about 2-4 little pellets per day, which I thought was a pretty good appetite. Then all of a sudden he lost interest in his food. Also, he has stopped swimming around. He just lays in his plant and sleeps all day.

I thought he might be constipated from all that he normally eats so I tried to feed him a piece of a pea and it immediately sunk to the bottom. He only eats food if it is RIGHT in front of him. I swear he's blind sometimes because I have to make him follow my finger to his food all the time lol.

I'm really worried so if anyone can offer some advice I would really appreciate it.

Thanks,
Morgan

[Bladezero]

Need a picture of him, but it sounds like the effects of age. ( Sometimes they can live 5+ years so don't think it's age related yet)

Are there any other symptoms?
Any changes in his surroundings?

[mlasater]

No changes at all. Everything in his tank is the same and he's been eating the same food his entire life.

[mlasater]

Originally Posted by Bladezero

Need a picture of him, but it sounds like the effects of age. ( Sometimes they can live 5+ years so don't think it's age related yet)

Are there any other symptoms?
Any changes in his surroundings?

Okay I went to do a water change today and saw this. His abdomen area is swollen. His tail and fins look the same though in case you are wondering. I could never get them to heal up really well. They've always looked a little greasy and frail. But that's another problem.

Just in case any one is wondering, the pictures were taken while he was in a bowl, not his tank.

[Bladezero]

I think he's starting to pine cone..
Question is why, Aquarium salt might help him abit..
But need someone more experienced then me to pin point as to why..

[dbooknook]

Originally Posted by Bladezero

I think he's starting to pine cone..
Question is why, Aquarium salt might help him abit..
But need someone more experienced then me to pin point as to why..

I agree, I can see some pineconing, I can't help you with that problem(I have not experienced it yet).

[vaw103]

It definitely looks like Dropsy to me. Here's a link that should help you out!
http://www.aboutfishonline.com/articles/dropsy.html

Good luck!

[mlasater]

Okay MJ is actually doing a little better since this morning. I did an epsom salt soak and his swelling went down a lot. He's a bit more active as well. I think it really helped him.

I went out to get some medication for him as well. I got Lifeguard and Maracyn. I put a half of a pellet in his water and let it dissolve. The guy at the store told me to soak his food in the Maracyn and then let him eat it, but I'm not sure if I should fast him or not. I think this whole episode started because of constipation. And also the packaging for the Maracyn says to put the liquid directly in the water, so I'm not sure if the guy in the store knew what he was talking about.

If anyone knows if it's okay to use epsom salt while treating with another medicine (Lifeguard), please let me know. I don't know if I should continue the soaks.

Any more advice is welcome. Thanks to everyone that has already helped. I really hope my little guy will pull through. He's a fighter!

[Bladezero]

I wouldn't trust sellers in shops.. I used to work for a few years in the biggest pc shop network in Israel.. About 2% of the whole network(over 1k workers) actually knew what they were selling and about 1% knew anything about it that wasn't written in the description.

About soaking, honestly don't know if its good or not but if the packaging says so, must be for a reason..

I know aquarium salt shouldn't be used with meds but not sure about epsom..

The epsom salt was for his swelling, the lifeguard is for the cause.
I think you should use the line above as a guide to what to do..

If the swelling is down to a safe level and there is no pineconing stop the epsom IMO :)