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Please help me save my Betta!?!?!?

1K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  BETTACHKALOVE 
#1 ·
I have a blue betta fish named Zuko and we have owned him for about a year. We have been keeping him in a ten gallon filtered, 78 degree heated tank. He has been a very active and healthy fish until about a month ago, when he had been laying at the bottom of his tank. He couldn't swim to the top, not even to eat. He had early signs of fin rot and pop eye. We put him into a smaller container so that we could treat him, and we bought an air bubbler for his tank as well and in no time he was back to normal. (about two or three days.) we changed the water in his ten gallon tank and slowly got him back into it. Everything was fine for about a week. Then he was stuck floating at the top with a bulge on his side and wasn't eating.. We did research and thought that he was constipated so we fed him a piece of a pea and a few daphnia and he took a huge poo and the bulge slowly went completely away, but he continued to float at the top. we had read that it may take some time for him to regain buoyancy, so we gave him a few days and now I really think he may be dying. The bulge on his side is really HUGE now and super pronounced. He was floating practically out of the water and buckled basically in half. he was eating for a little bit and then stopped completely. He is getting so pale and now he gets sucked up into the filter. we put a little net thing up so he could stay in one place, but i think it made him worse because once we took him out of it he sank to the bottom and is currently still at the bottom face first. we have checked the ph levels and they are fine. we have tried aquarium salt, specifically to treat him we had used pimafix and melafix first and after that maracyn two. We don't know what to do and we really love him and dont want him to die. please if anyone has any ideas im willing to try anything that could save him so he doesnt have to suffer anymore. thanks for reading and if you respond thanks for your input.

http://s1075.photobucket.com/albums/w433/ashled223/

^^these are four pictures i took three days ago when we knew he was just getting worse of the ridiculously huge bulge and he was so pale. please help.
 
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#2 ·
Sorry your Betta isn't well, sadly it sounds like he may be aging out and not a lot we can do, however, we don't want to give up either.....

What I would recommend now is Epsom salt (not aquarium salt) and tannins if you have some while in a small QT container covered with plastic veggie wrap to retain heat/humidity for the labyrinth organ.

Premix some treatment water in a 1gal jug of dechlorinated water Add Epsom salt 3tsp/gal and tannin source-either IAL (1 large crushed) or dried Oak leaf (20 crushed)-let this steep for 30min...Shake well before use...

Using this premixed treatment water make 25% water changes every 15min for 1 hour today.

The small temporary cup some Bettas are sold in work great for a QT container for treatment-but anything small will work that can be floated in the heated tank to maintain temp in the 76-77F range

He needs to stay in this QT in the treatment water for the duration of the treatment of 14 days....lights out for the first 24h

Tomorrow start 50% daily water changes using the premixed treatment water

If you added tannins this water should look darker every day...the longer the premixed tannins steep the more tannins released the darker the water the more the Betta like it.

Nutrition-good quality varied diet fed in small frequent meals-hold food for the first 24h....if you have access to mosquito larva offer a few rinsed for one meal a day to stimulate feeding response and boost protein intake.

If he seems to be suffering...you need to do what is right by him.....

Good luck and keep us posted.....
 
#8 ·
so we bought the leaves and the epsom salt and treated the water and added them to his container once we let it sit. then we let it float in his heated tank did the no light for the first 24 hours. he had started to appear to be getting better but it hadnt been long enough to tell. unfortunately we woke up this morning and he had passed on. we are all upset about it. do you have any ideas of what it couldve been?
 
#10 ·
unfortunately we woke up this morning and he had passed on. we are all upset about it. do you have any ideas of what it couldve been?
Guess would be internal parasites or a bacteria that was internal. he appears a bit thin so even if eating it may not have nouirished him if he had a parasite load.. kinda like in dogs and horses. Sorry for your loss..
 
#9 ·
Ashley, I am very sorry for your loss. You will probably never know what all afflicted Zuko, and as OFL remarked, there may not have been much that could be done. Fish diseases are perplexing and frustrating to try to treat. I have had a lot of bettas over the years, and a couple lived for 2-3 years, while others perished after two weeks. I have read that once they manifest disease they likely will not live another six months, and when mine have gotten sick it has usually been a matter of weeks. They are big-hearted friends, and we love them--and they love us. I have found in my own experience that it is a good idea to adopt another fish after mine dies, and relatively soon; of course, everyone is different in these matters.
 
#11 ·
So sorry AshleyD223

I read a lot of post on this forum and i do have 8 bettas. I do a lot of water changes for my tanks. I do 50% and 100% a week. So far i don't have any problem with most of them. I did have one betta sick long time ago and i actually brought him from work.

I do read a lot of post's and ZubinBetta you are right no matter what people do/how right they do with 74* or 78-80* temperature they get sick. I always compare them to people . Two people who will eat the same food and do the same activities one still will get sick and another one absolutely healthy.

The only one thing i am not agree what people do for bettas it 25% water changes. Sorry if anyone not agree with me. But it my opinion. When i see people saying i will do 25% changes especially for smaller tanks like 5-10 gall i always think fish will get sick. So i never recommend anyone to do 25% even on 10 gall.

I do recommend 50% and 100% water changes. Since i have good experience with that for 5 years. And i do know a lot of people who does the same .....
 
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