How do I know when a fish is dying of old age?

[Oldfishlady]

When you are dealing with tumors-not much you can do except make the fish comfy....sometimes the tumor will grow to the point that is cause problems for the fish as far as swimming, eating...etc....and when this happens it is usually best to euthanize- but only if the fish is suffering and all treatments have failed...not a lot can be done for tumors....

Usually tumor develop as the fish ages, some genetic factor and environmental factor, immunity, sex...they can be benign or malignant...internal or external...

If you think it may be internal-usual sign/symptoms- asymmetrical in appearance...meaning one side is bigger than the other, usually will continue to poop with constipation they will not poop, sometimes appetite is affected sometimes not....S/S-vary with size, growth rate of the tumor and what organ it is affecting

[turtle10]

It is just strange because it looks like there used to be a tumor, but then it went away..

[flib]

The symptoms seem to fit that description.

[Oldfishlady]

Tumor usually don't resolve on their own-they may stop growing or slow....if it was external it may have been Lymphocystis-this is viral in nature and usually not fatal they will burst and resolve-often returning-

Internal-with sudden resolve-it may have been either constipation or impacted duct-once relieved the pressure on the stomach and/or swim bladder will decrease in size

[flib]

He's still not getting better, he's barely eating at all. =[
He's pretty much spending his whole life laying on his plants without eating.
Is it time to euthanize him or should we continue to search for an answer?

[turtle10]

I am so sorry to say this, but if it was my fish I would start preparing to let him go. He seems like he has been suffering for a long time :(

I am so sorry about your little guy, we are all here for you. Just keep him nice and cozy until you decide to let him go.

[flib]

She going to try cleaning his tank completely and cleaning it even more before giving up on him.

Another thing I've noticed is he has a hard time staying afloat. He has to flap his fins really hard to swim upwards and falls down pretty quickly. Does this mean anything?

[bettamaniac]

Originally Posted by JKfish

Well, a year isn't exactly old, seeing as they can live 5 or so years. How large is your friends tank, is it heated to tropical temperatures, how often does she do water changes, and how frequently/what does she feed her betta?

If its a petstore betta it was probably already a year old anyway. So it was probably about 2 years old and some bettas only live 2 years while others live 5 it just depends on the betta.

[turtle10]

Originally Posted by flib

She going to try cleaning his tank completely and cleaning it even more before giving up on him.

Another thing I've noticed is he has a hard time staying afloat. He has to flap his fins really hard to swim upwards and falls down pretty quickly. Does this mean anything?

That isn't a good sign either :(

All I can recommend is lower the water level a few inches to make it easier for him to breathe. Also make sure the water is heated to make him as comfy as he can be.

[flib]

Yeah, we already decided to water lower and his heater keeps him at a nice comfy 78-80.