One Dead, Other Acting the Same

[jessiepbg]

Housing
What size is your tank? 3 gal
What temperature is your tank? 80 F
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? 4/day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? 2x week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50%, 100% every other week
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Prime

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Was bloated, now looks fine, but skinny
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Lethargic, not eating
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Was acting odd 1 week ago, shortly after my crowntail in an identical setup died. The symptoms are really similar to the crowntail.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Dropped the water level to about 4 inches so he could get to air easier.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Was really lethargic for a month or two after I got him, found out he needed a higher temp.
How old is your fish (approximately)? Bought full grown from petco 8 months ago.

I just lost my crowntail a week ago, he was spending a lot of time just sitting at the bottom of the tank, not at all like his usual spazzy self. My surviving fish is starting to do the same sort of thing. He also has been swimming around fine for a while, then stopping and just sinking to the bottom of the tank. He keeps his mouth a little open while he's doing it and while he's sitting at the bottom of the tank. He looked a little bloated an hour or so ago, and I had read somewhere that you can use a mirror to make them flare and poop. He flared up and was feisty for a while, but I never saw him poop. After that, he didn't look bloated any more. I had put food in for him a couple hours ago, before he started to look bloated, but he didn't eat it, so I pulled it back out. I lowered the water level to about 4-5" since he didn't seem to want to stay near the top of the tank. Normally if he's tired, he sleeps on top of the heater, but tonight he's either at the bottom of the tank with his mouth open or in his little terracotta pot. His gills are moving a little, but it doesn't look like he's gasping like ammonia poisoning. Is there anything I can do for him?

[Sakura8]

I'm sorry about Perry. :( Sounds like maybe an internal bacterial infection. Often, when a betta gets an internal problem, we don't know about it until they start showing serious physical symptoms like dropsy. Unfortunately, by the time it reaches the dropsy stage, it's too late. It makes diagnosing and treating a lot harder.

First, if you have live plants or tankmates with Samuel, it's best to QT him in his own small tank. Put him in 3 tsps of epsom salt per gallon. This should encourage him to pass something. Now for treating the actual infection.

Your best bet is to try and coax him into eating. If he will eat, treating him with Jungle Labs Anti-Parasite Medicated Pellets OR pellets that have been soaked with Seachem Kanaplex is the way to go because the best way to treat an internal problem is to get the medicine internally. If he absolutely won't eat, then Maracyn II is your next best bet.

I hope this helps you. Good luck and keep us updated. :)

[jessiepbg]

I put the epsom salt in with him last night and now he's acting pretty much normal again. How long should I keep it up and should I be doing 100% daily water changes along with it? I thought that they didn't sell the anti-parasite pellets any more, but I'll check Petsmart/Petco anyway today.

The sick one isn't Samuel, it's my newest one that I picked up in February and keep by himself in a little 3 gallon. Samuel hasn't had an ounce of trouble since I moved him into the 10 gallon last December. I wish I had room to stick all my bettas in 10 gals with buddies, it seems to keep them healthier and happier. I think I'd go broke though.

Thanks for the suggestions!

[jessiepbg]

Awesome, the guy at Petsmart I always talk to had some in the back for store use. I'll feed those when I get home tonight.

[Sakura8]

Ah. Haha, didn't see the new guy in the siggy so I just assumed it was Samuel. For the epsom salt treatment, keep him in it for at least a week. If he's in anything smaller than 1 gallon, do a 100% change at least every other day and redose the salt. Good luck with the pellets. You may need to crush them into smaller pieces or soak them in garlic first. Get fresh garlic, chop it up and add some to a little bit of tank water. Then soak the pellets in that mix for a short time before feeding.