Betta sick but tank mates are fine

[registereduser]

I bought this betta (the one in my avi) about 5 months ago and he has been the picture of health. I moved him into a 20 gallon along with the cory and oto that he shared the old tank with. After about a month in the 20 gallon I bought another cory and 8 neon tetras to put in with them.

One by one the tetras died, all within 2 weeks time. After the 5th one died I noticed the betta was getting sick. Clamped and color on face faded and he looks kind of swollen. He still eats but I have to keep poking him to make sure he's alive.

The strange thing is the corys and oto are fine! The betta is now in a "hospital tank" with Betta Fix and aquarium salt.

What do you make of this? Are bottom feeders immune to illness carried by other tropicals?

[Sena Hansler]

Is it possible they had NEON TETRA disease? I've heard about it, and I've seen it infect the tetras - and the betta in the tank. It does not seem to affect the fish like bottom feeders, and certain species of fish...

[3l1zabeth]

Sometimes bettafix doesnt help so if you need a different med I reccomend:
*Pimafix
*Melafix
*maracyn-oxy
*maracyn 1+2
And it depends on what sickness the betta has and I am sorry but, I do not know for sure what sickness your betta has.

[Sena Hansler]

Can you get a picture? Face away from the window and take a picture (avoids unwanted shadow)

[Oldfishlady]

Most likely it is stress related and that compromised the immune response.

Good that you moved him to a smaller unfiltered container-I would just do 50% water changes 2-3 times a week, add tannins and good nutrition.

[registereduser]

Originally Posted by Sena Hansler

Is it possible they had NEON TETRA disease? I've heard about it, and I've seen it infect the tetras - and the betta in the tank. It does not seem to affect the fish like bottom feeders, and certain species of fish...

wow that sure sounds like it, the tetras just lost all color and died. Thank you, I will do more research on that!

Originally Posted by 3l1zabeth

Sometimes bettafix doesnt help so if you need a different med I reccomend:
*Pimafix
*Melafix
*maracyn-oxy
*maracyn 1+2
And it depends on what sickness the betta has and I am sorry but, I do not know for sure what sickness your betta has.

thanks, this is my first sick betta

[registereduser]

Originally Posted by Sena Hansler

Can you get a picture? Face away from the window and take a picture (avoids unwanted shadow)

uploading pix now

Originally Posted by Oldfishlady

Most likely it is stress related and that compromised the immune response.

Good that you moved him to a smaller unfiltered container-I would just do 50% water changes 2-3 times a week, add tannins and good nutrition.

I am using water that I am soaking a piece of mopani wood in that has also been treated with Prime, the salt and bettafix.

He is much more active but still swims weird and is clamped up tight. I will get sime kind of live food for him since he stopped eating micro pellets.

I will post some pix next.........

[Sena Hansler]

Try garlic juice too, which'll get him to eat and will help with the mmune system.

[registereduser]

here's a photobucket slideshow of my sicko, can you see it?

http://s1270.photobucket.com/albums/...view=slideshow

here is a before picture:

[registereduser]

in the slideshow it shows him on his side on the surface, he will swim up and down like a corkscrew.