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Betta with POOP WOUND?

2K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  Snoeflayke 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi friends. I'm new here and I'll like to be able to give you all information you need to help me, so let me know if I'm forgetting any details.
My delta tail betta Marbles, I've had since before November and has been a happy camper in a 1.5gal tank with a little Whisper filter and a nice little heater. But recently he's gotten sick and the way he's been progressing is freaking me out and honestly just nasty. haha
So early last week I noticed he was slightly bloated and his scales were raised a tiny tiny bit. He was also kind of grey/green, acting sick, very lathargic, and not eating. I put him in a hospital tank with a little bit of epsom salt for a day or so until i could get to the actual pet store, not walmart, to get Betta Revive. After a few days of changing his hospital water with epsom salt and Betta Revive, with his heater for comfort, his raised scales went away and his bloat seemed to recede, his color came back and he overall seemed better. The next day, though, it seemed as though he had a patch of shredded scales on his right side about where his intestines would be on the inside and when i scooped him out to transfer him I got a little closer look. To me he looked constipated. Like I could see his waste through his "skin"? I tried to feed him a bit of a pea, not that I had seen him eat any. I had spoke some with an employee from Petco and from the description I gave her of his scale patch she though maybe he had a fungal infection so since like day 2 of his bloat being gone I had added PimaFix to the water. A couple days have gone by since I've been adding the PimaFix and this "patch" turned into what was something protruding off his body. I wanted to take a picture of it today but when he saw my camera he freaked out and a piece of flesh, I'm guessing, came flying off. Before I could get a good look at it, MARBLES ATE IT! GROSS!!! So since earlier today he seems to have some kind of open wound that now pink stuff is coming out of. It occurred to me that it's possibly feces coming out of this "open wound" because I fed him a little while ago and more of it just kept coming out. But idk, would a fish eat his own feces? yeah, gross, he's eating that stuff too...

SOMEONE HELP PLEASE. he's grossing me out to no end. Has my betta ripped himself a new one?

 
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#2 ·
Oh my.. Well first off you got VERY lucky with the dropsy because I never would have done that treatment and dropsy is almost always lethal anyway. At least we know it's entirely bacterial.. which is what I would have guessed anyway. It must have responded to the neomycin and maybe epsom salts.

So I think we need more info: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233


But I'm pretty sure this is all going to apply to you..It really sounds like water quality issues and overfeeding/poor feeding issues.. maybe temp issues..

Bettas need to be kept in 2 gallons minimum. In these twice weekly water changes of 50% and 100% are needed. Bettas kept in 1 gallon containers live an average of about 2 years compared to double that+ in larger containers. The 1 gallon would need 3 weekly water changes of 50%, 50% and 100%, and even then they will be subjected to ammonia.

The 50% changes the betta can be kept in the bowl and use a turkey baster to remove half the water and as much of the debris as possible. For the 100% you need to remove him - scoop him out with a plastic solo type cup and set aside while you thoroughly rinse the bowl and gravel to remove the debris. Then he should be acclimated to the new water by floating for an hour while you slowly add a couple tablespoons of new water to the cup every 10 minutes. When you release him, try to let as little of the old cup water back into the tank as possible. All water changes should use same temp water, matched to running tap using the in tank thermometer and the water needs to be premixed with conditioner before adding it to the betta tank. If you don't already have anything, you can use gallon water jugs from the grocery store - rinsed thoroughly in hot water but no chems.

Most people will tell you that you can't ever fully cycle a less than 5G, despite your filter, and you will alwys need these changes.. you can try, but careful daily monitoring and reliable test kits should be used. This is for something 2.5G. Anything else is pointless, and actually stresses your betta because there is no way for him to get away from the current created from the filter.

Bettas are tropical fish and must be kept at a temp between 76-82, with 78-80 being ideal. The temp must be stable and not be dipping or jumping around. In a 2 gallon you can get an adjustable 25w heater. Any new heater should be tested for 24 hours in similar size container with in tank thermometer to make sure it will hold a constant appropriate temp between 78-80F. Then the betta must be acclimated to higher temp either by floating in a cup inside the main already fully heated tank for an hour, or by adjusting the heater to increase the temperature of the tank no more than a degree per hour and 5 degrees per day.

Flakes aren't good nutritional value, and especially with something this small they muck up the water quickly causing excess ammonia. You should look for a good quality pellets whose first two or three ingredients are whole fish, not fish meal or wheat. He should be fed two small meals a day (how many depends on the pellet you pick up) and one fast day a week.


Right now it is imperative you keep his water really really clean. I would remove the filter and start 50% every other day changes and 100% once a week changes. I would add epsom salt at 1 tsp per gallon, predissolved. Leave it in there for at least 2 weeks. Along with this I would fast for the next week at least and also use an antibiotic like Kanaplex or Triple Sulfa.. I will tell you how to use it when you tell me what you got.
 
#3 · (Edited)
I have been giving him 100% water changes daily right now. I mentioned he has his own heater. I've had betta with dropsy and the unknown before. I'm not new to that. Just poop or something??? coming out of my betta's side???

ALSO I cannot test my betta's water since I've been giving him 100% water changes. But I only feed him a few flakes once a day and then a few pellets once a day that he never eats. BettaMin, TetraBetta, the occasional TetraMin tropical flakes and Tetra dried bloodworms.
 
#4 ·
You mentioned a heater but you didn't give temps or say that it was stable, so I was just being very specific in needs.

100% daily is fine, but make sure you do it as carefully as outlined above or you will only have more problems.

Well, if you read the ingredients you will realize those are all really poor quality pellets and they cause constipation issues. Anything freeze dried must also be thoroughly soaked in a separate cup/container with some treated/bowl water for at least 10 minutes before feeding. Blood worms should only be bed one once a day in replace of pellet meal.
 
#5 ·
In humans, if indeed it is poop coming from it, would be a fistula. They must be surgical resectioned/treated for humans, so I'm not sure what could be done for him. If it doesn't kill him soon, and is essentially functional, I'd assume infection, and worsening constipation/bloat would be a priority concern.

I'd say exceptionally clean water, Epsom salt, and restricted diet would be important and maybe the only way to give him a chance to heal.
 
#6 ·
+1 to everything that's been said.

If this was any other type of animal, I would say, "Vet, STAT!" but we really don't have that option with fish...

It looks and sounds incredibly painful, and if indeed it IS an opening into the digestive tract, may never heal.
 
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