Scared my fish is going to drown, please help!

[Nyaro]

I posted a topic earlier about a female betta I bought from the store who had many holes in her fins. Today I put her in a roughly half-gallon tank with tap water, treated with aquasafe, aquarium salt and stress coat (I didn't know if the stress coat does what the aquasafe does, and now i'm kicking myself. Maybe they mixed badly?). She seemed to be stressed afterwards but was still swimming fine.

I have not been able to get her to eat since I bought her Saturday. I think I gave her maybe four pellets today, and though they were right on top of her she had no interest. Then I left for errands and a party and just returned, and she was face-down in the little plant I had provided. Scared she'd gotten stuck, I helped her free only to watch her corkscrew around the tank, sometimes sideways, sometimes upside down, until she settled to the bottom where she stayed.

I know bettas primarily use their lungs. Is there a risk she could drown if she can't make it to the surface. If so, what can I do? I'm guessing it's swim bladder disorder, but since I have never seen her interested in food and she has no bulge I'm afraid she was somehow poisoned. :/

[Nyaro]

Nevermind. I'm pretty certain she just died. She's not moving at all and is floating now where before she wasn't. She doesn't react to outside stimulus (tapping on the tank or poking her). I tried to put her in a shallower container so she could reach air better but I think maybe she had other problems too. (Her belly is gray and the scales there are raised. Dropsy maybe? Though I'm almost 99% sure I didn't see anything like that on her before I left earlier). I'm going to dispose of any supplies directly involved with her (the tank, gravel, and plant) so if she did have something my boys won't get it.

Crud. >.>

[birdielikestomatoes]

If the scales are raised and she's corkscrewing then I'd say it's probably dropsy. Check her gills to see if their moving. When my girl got dropsy she just completely stopped moving, however she was still alive.

Also, you could always salvage the tank by cleaning it with bleach. I've never done that before however many people have, so you could always ask someone else about that.

Hopefully you'll get some more replies. I'm no expert in betta diseases, so I can't really help you much more.

[Silverfang]

I've heard of fish doing that corkscrew spiraling before. I couldn't tell you what it is, or what causes it. But it was fatal. Possibly osmotic shock. I'm afraid I couldn't tell you exactly what.

I don't believe there was anything you could have done. Especially if there was pineconing.

You have my sympathies.

[Nyaro]

No gill movement at all. That's why I'm pretty sure she's a goner. No fin, eye, mouth, or tail movement either. I've looked closely at her with a flashlight four or five times to be sure and examined her for more evidence of what killed her.

She has a patch of paleness near her fin on one side, so I feel like it possibly could've been columnaris as well, if I'm reading the symptoms right. She also seemed to be gasping for breath before the end (and earlier too, when I put her in the tank. I just attributed it to stress, even though I thought it was a bit odd). Though she doesn't have anything on her mouth that I can see (in regards to columnaris). Honestly, I don't know. I've never dealt with any diseases or serious injuries on my bettas before this so I'm not familiar with any of them.

I'm okay with throwing the stuff out. I'd rather be safe than sorry. Thanks for the suggestion though. ^^

EDIT: @Silverfang: It was pretty horrifying to watch, I'm not going to lie. o.o And thank you.

[bowserrip]

yesterday morning I woke up and fed my betta who was very active and as usual happy to see him. he always swam to the surface and would look at me. yesterday morning ive never seen him so active like he was.

I came back home from work yesterday to feed bowser my beloved betta and I didnt see him in the tank so I thought he jumped out of the tank. I looked all over and saw no trace of him. then i called my mother who normally says hi to him and who he recognizes and swims in little circles in excitement when he sees her. my mother didnt know where he was either. then i looked all over his tank and i saw what looked like a small stick stuck in the middle of my spraybar. i pulled out the spraybar and he slid down into my tank lifeless. i picked him up from the bottom and he was gone. no life in him.

i started crying and called my mother back and she said she was sorry.

My betta drowned because he went inside the green eheim 2217 spray bar and he couldnt get out. I kept the spray bar for him attached to the glass with the suction cups it comes with because he liked to rest on it. The entrance to the spraybar is so tiny i never thought he could get in it. but he did and the poor little guy couldnt get out. he got stick in the middle of the eheim 2217 spray bar and drowned yes bettas can and do drown. trust me.

i have an intake pipe and also a separate outtake pipe so the spraybar was just there for him in the tank to rest on in the middle of the back of the tank's glass near the top. i should have known better. i feel so guilty. i never thought he would even try to get inside the spray bar.

i tried to give him the best life i could. i got him from petco he came in a small cup. then i got him a 1/2 gallon container. then i got him a 1 gallon bowl. then i learned everything i could about fish, cycling, aquariums and betta fish thanks to you all and to other forums. 5 months later i got him a 20 gallon rimless ADA aquarium with driftwood and floating wisteria and made him 2 coconut caves. i got him a zoo-med floating log which he liked to sleep in. i ordered him thai plants which are coming tomorrow from the internet and then his tank would have been finally complete but he wont get to see them now. i did my best for him. it breaks my heart. i worked so hard and did so much research to make him happy. i saved up my money to get him a beautiful large tank and everything bettas like and now he's gone.

he only got to enjoy his new tank for 3 weeks. he was so happy. prior to that he was in the 1 gallon bowl for 3 months with twice weekly water changes. i took great care of him for as long as i had him.

It really broke my heart yesterday when i picked him up and he wasnt moving. Im still depressed. he was my pride and joy. a very friendly and wonderful little fish. poor little guy. rest in peace bowser. i will always miss you and love you and im so sorry you had to die like that.


i hope anyone reading this will learn from what happened and not use a small pipe or spray bar in the tank as a place for bettas to rest on unless you make sure both ends are sealed. if you dont, your betta will try to swim in it and drown. :/