My Betta, Fishy is in a 2gallon cube with thriving live plants, 9watt light, and small HOB filter adjusted for low flow and filled with bio balls along with the filter insert. Water is heated to 76-78*. Water used is 12 step filtered RO water treated with Kent liquid RO right
We've had him for a bit over 2 years now... rescued from a craft store. He was already quite a large adult so I don't know how old he is really... probably at least 2.5 if not 3 years.
He has swim bladder problems if he eats too much so he gets a tetrabetta pellet every couple of days or so and Hikari freeze dried blood worms every other non pellet day.
He gets a 50% water change weekly (I have a spare heater so I preheat his fresh new water to prevent temperature shock).
Recently he's become slightly pale in color and a bit less active... he still swims around and interacts with us... eats aggressively and sometimes flares a little. No where near as much as he used to though. He used to flare and dance in front of his filter all evening. He does spend more time resting in his plants or near the bottom though. He doesn't clamp his fins.. but he doesn't flap them about when he's resting.
I noticed at first one gill slightly out.. like he was partially flaring.. but it stayed like that all the time. That was a week or so ago. Now both gills are swollen. They aren't off color or anything though. I noticed that yesterday and so I did a full water change (50% then refill then rechange and refill and repeat) and treated with marycin plus and maracide.
Today I noticed he's started to pinecone just a little bit. It's very slight... mostly around his gills/belly. It's not full on dropsy yet.(I had a badis dropsy once... literally a pine cone with fins).
Otherwise he shows no other signs of illness. I just fed him and he was quite active.. dancing around, watching me... attacking his food. Now he is hovering about the front of the tank watching me and if he sees me move or wave at him he dances about.
Is it possible that the mild dropsy is caused by old age? I know when people get old things start to fail without any disease (bacterial or whatnot) as cause. What about the swollen gills though?
Thanks for any help
a picture of Fishy in his younger days... 2 years ago
We've had him for a bit over 2 years now... rescued from a craft store. He was already quite a large adult so I don't know how old he is really... probably at least 2.5 if not 3 years.
He has swim bladder problems if he eats too much so he gets a tetrabetta pellet every couple of days or so and Hikari freeze dried blood worms every other non pellet day.
He gets a 50% water change weekly (I have a spare heater so I preheat his fresh new water to prevent temperature shock).
Recently he's become slightly pale in color and a bit less active... he still swims around and interacts with us... eats aggressively and sometimes flares a little. No where near as much as he used to though. He used to flare and dance in front of his filter all evening. He does spend more time resting in his plants or near the bottom though. He doesn't clamp his fins.. but he doesn't flap them about when he's resting.
I noticed at first one gill slightly out.. like he was partially flaring.. but it stayed like that all the time. That was a week or so ago. Now both gills are swollen. They aren't off color or anything though. I noticed that yesterday and so I did a full water change (50% then refill then rechange and refill and repeat) and treated with marycin plus and maracide.
Today I noticed he's started to pinecone just a little bit. It's very slight... mostly around his gills/belly. It's not full on dropsy yet.(I had a badis dropsy once... literally a pine cone with fins).
Otherwise he shows no other signs of illness. I just fed him and he was quite active.. dancing around, watching me... attacking his food. Now he is hovering about the front of the tank watching me and if he sees me move or wave at him he dances about.
Is it possible that the mild dropsy is caused by old age? I know when people get old things start to fail without any disease (bacterial or whatnot) as cause. What about the swollen gills though?
Thanks for any help
a picture of Fishy in his younger days... 2 years ago