Please help! Betta going to explode and die!!

[sunlight]

i was wondering if you was doing 3 tsp/gall of the epsom salt with every other day water changes?
I would feed him and also see what color and shape his poop. If you take gravel out of his tank it will be easier for you to see his poop . A lot of time if he would have internal parasites he will have white, clear stringy wormy like poo or brownish with clear ends.

I hope he will get better, but next time if you will decide to rescue another betta don't use salt on regular basis it not prevent from anything but do more damage to the kidneys and it will make his immune system resistant to the salt when you need to use it.
Also i think if he is eating you should keep feeding him. But 6 pellets ,i think you wrote that you fed him before, too much to consume in one time. Usually it really better to pleat and feed 2-3 x 2 times a day. So i think you can start feeding him one pellet in the morning and one at night and keep give him daphnia.

I am wondering if it can be tumor since he is not getting lethargic and his poo is normal? Not sure if it would be internal parasites or internal bacteria he probably would be more lethargic? Not sure how long it usually takes those symptoms onset.

[Oldfishlady]

Sadly, he may not get better-especially if it is a tumor, fatty liver or other internal issues. Sometimes all we can do is ease the symptoms and if the Betta seems to be suffering we need to do what is right by them.

Oak leaves-I use about 6 different species from the native Oak trees in my area without issue-The only difference I have seen with the different species-is the color of the tannins-all seem to work the same.

Did you find any live mosquito larva...

To understand-he has a change in behavior now-He is no longer responsive to you, stopped eating and more lethargic-correct...
Any buoyancy issues and you have him in the half gallon unfiltered tank in Epsom salt 3tsp/gal-temp in the 76-78F range and changing the water with premixed Epsom salt water every other day 50% correct.

[Luimeril]

;3;
this is the same thing that happened to my Cup. he got better, after nearly a month, but then couldn't swim at all, and just got worse and worse until he finally passes away.
sadly, i agree with OFL on this one. make him as comfortable as you can.

[CTBettaLover]

Originally Posted by Oldfishlady

Did you find any live mosquito larva...

No, but I bought frozen brine shrimp. Ive done some research and found that carnivore feed such as brine shrimp or daphnia are almost all water unlike pellets and will help a bloated fish pass whatever is stopping him up.

I saw him poop today. It was long (~1 inch) and brown with white on the end and hung from him by some sort of string like thing that I couldn't see even with a flashlight and my 20/20 vision. Maybe he ate a hair of mine that got in his tank? Doubtful though.

I fed him the thawed frozen brine shrimp this afternoon. He gobbled it up happily and searched the bottom of his tank for more for an additional 10 minutes. I gave him as much as about half the size of a pea. I assumed that would be okay since the shrimp wont swell in his belly like pellets do.

To understand-he has a change in behavior now-He is no longer responsive to you, stopped eating and more lethargic-correct...
Any buoyancy issues and you have him in the half gallon unfiltered tank in Epsom salt 3tsp/gal-temp in the 76-78F range and changing the water with premixed Epsom salt water every other day 50% correct.

The change in behavior is very slight. He is a bit more lethargic aka slower movement and more relaxing on his hammock. He still moves around his tank with no issues. He doesn't seem to be having any swim bladder problems yet. He easily changes depths. He is still just as responsive to me as always.

I have been changing 50% of his half gallon QT every day (except yesterday) using gallon jugs of conditioned water treated with 3 tsp magnesium sulfate each. He does not have a heater in his QT but the temp stays around 76-78f without it. Does it sound like Im going about this the right way? Also, I don't think it is a tumor because it came out of nowhere, his poo isnt the normal cinnamon bun shape, and he has had bloating problems before. I think he may have parasites because of the poo I saw this morning.

[sunlight]

i am wondering if he might have internal parasites?

[Oldfishlady]

White fecal matter doesn't always mean internal parasites-it can also mean stress, food changes, chemicals. The absents of white fecal matter isn't always of sign of the absents of internal parasites either. Not all internal parasites cause white, stringy fecal matter.

Fish always have parasites-their immune response and regular shedding of the parasites help to keep them controlled and asymptomatic. Since we keep our Betta in a closed system it is our job to keep them controlled by making regular water changes and providing proper nutrition.

The behavior you describe sounds like normal male Betta behavior to me.

[Greekalphabet]

How is your fish doing?

[CTBettaLover]

Hello Greekalphabet! Thanks for your concern. My little Stanley is still in his half gallon QT. He has been getting 50%+ water changes daily, sometimes skipping a day when I do not have time. His water is a solution of Stress Coat, 3tsp/gal MgSO4 (epsom salt), ~15-20 crushed oak leaves/gal, and ~1/20 tablet parasite guard every other day, sometimes going 2 days between doses.

He has not shown much change of any kind. He just seems bored in his tiny little tank. I feel bad because I want him to be happy but I dont want to put him in the NOW community tank where he will be stressed by the new fish and the quick swimming of the corys. I hope my molly doesn't see the tank as his domain now and pick on my betta when I put him back in there. Maybe I should remove the molly first? I just dont know. This is slightly irrelevant anyway because I still don't know if my betta will recover.

He had a long poop today and still looked like a very thing string( like a hair ) with feces on it. I cannot figure out why it looks that way. I just hope the parasite guard is working. His stomach hasnt been getting bigger from what I can tell. I may just be getting used to it. It isn't shrinking any at all either. Any ideas anyone? OFL?

[sunlight]

what color his poo is?

[aokashi]

it's stated above....long stingy and white at the end