Bulging bellies and seeing a hollowness down the spine tend to point to internal parasites. Metronidazole is good but is needs to be in the food to get inside. If you are seeing a patch or two of a dense short fuzz he probably has columnaris. That stuff is a bit#h. Some versions kill quick, others just weaken over time. It gets in internal and affects organs and messes up gills as well. I'd get some food with the metro or get the med itself and add a little to thawed blood worms and try to get him to eat that.
Going without a heater or frequent water changes for a long time could just have made him a bit run down.. and maybe he wasn't kept in great conditions in the store, either.. so it might just all be catching up with him.
Keep his water warm and very, very clean with smaller, frequent water changes so it won't stress him out. Don't poke him to get him to move - sick fish like being left alone, and being a quiet place (not near people all day) might help him get some rest. He may have a bacterial issue or ongoing problems due to the ammonia build up he would have gotten in under 2L of water and not enough changes. He may not get better right away, and if he doesn't improve in the clean, warm water after a week or two, you may need to medicate him with a proper antibiotic.
Don't worry about the not eating, bettas can go for a long time without food, especially when ill. You could try tempting him with something tasty, like live food.. His appetite will come back when he feels better. If he's still bloating badly after being treated for bacteria, it could be parasites. Give him a break between medications, though, they're pretty harsh on the fish.
Good on you for upgrading the tank, and I hope your little guy gets better.
Going without a heater or frequent water changes for a long time could just have made him a bit run down.. and maybe he wasn't kept in great conditions in the store, either.. so it might just all be catching up with him.
Keep his water warm and very, very clean with smaller, frequent water changes so it won't stress him out. Don't poke him to get him to move - sick fish like being left alone, and being a quiet place (not near people all day) might help him get some rest. He may have a bacterial issue or ongoing problems due to the ammonia build up he would have gotten in under 2L of water and not enough changes. He may not get better right away, and if he doesn't improve in the clean, warm water after a week or two, you may need to medicate him with a proper antibiotic.
Don't worry about the not eating, bettas can go for a long time without food, especially when ill. You could try tempting him with something tasty, like live food.. His appetite will come back when he feels better. If he's still bloating badly after being treated for bacteria, it could be parasites. Give him a break between medications, though, they're pretty harsh on the fish.
Good on you for upgrading the tank, and I hope your little guy gets better.
He stays only at the surface of the water and every few seconds takes a gulp of air with his mouth. The area around his gills looks red and swollen and it seems like he is struggling to breath.
That's very likely either bad water conditions (ammonia/nitrate poisoning) or some parasite like gill flukes.. I'm betting on parasites, since you've improved his conditions, and 'cause of the bloating. I'm not expert at diseases though, so maybe someone has a alternate suggestion. But I'd be thinking, parasites. You can get treatments for that.. another poster recently had a good experience with Tetra parasite guard. Her fish had similar symptoms:
Thanks, I will buy that today and try it. Hopefully it'll help him out
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aus
That's very likely either bad water conditions (ammonia/nitrate poisoning) or some parasite like gill flukes.. I'm betting on parasites, since you've improved his conditions, and 'cause of the bloating. I'm not expert at diseases though, so maybe someone has a alternate suggestion. But I'd be thinking, parasites. You can get treatments for that.. another poster recently had a good experience with Tetra parasite guard. Her fish had similar symptoms:
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
Similar Threads
