Betta is lethargic and breathing heavily. Help?

[birdielikestomatoes]

Housing
What size is your tank? 10 gallon
What temperature is your tank? 81 F
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
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? Tank is divided with another female betta on the other side.

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Omega One Betta Buffet Pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? Every other day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Weekly
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 25%-50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? API Tap Water Conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? No.


Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? She has stress stripes. But no other appearance change.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? She is very lethargic, breathing heavily, and yesterday when I went to feed her she didn't eat.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? A few days ago.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? I did a big water change the other day when I noticed her breathing heavily. I haven't done anything else yet. But I plan on getting her into a smaller tank and possibly treating her with some AQ salt.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No.
How old is your fish (approximately)? I will have had her for two years come this February.

[LeoTheLakerBetta]

I would try out the QT in a smaller tank. If her appearance and behavior does not improve, you should try and get a water test. Maybe take it down to Petsmart and see. She could be just stressed from the water change but separate her and see if she gets better over the next day or 2.. Hope she feels better :)

[birdielikestomatoes]

I'm quite worried about her just because she's acting so differently than she usually does. She's usually a giant turd with all her wiggle dances and constant flirting with all sorts of things. But the last few days she just hasn't been doing that.

I now have her in a cup floating in the tank because she was having a hard time getting to the top of the 10g for a breath. I've also gotten a hospital bowl setting up. My heater's being a butt though so I'm letting her stay in the cup until I can confidently say that the heater is working.

I've looked at the disease stickies and none of the symptoms match her. I'm just really worried about her.

As for her being stressed out about the water change...I really doubt it. She usually likes to chase the poo that's getting sucked up. Plus she was acting strange prior to the water change. And Hilda, her tank mate is acting perfectly normal in both breathing and behavior.

[Perseusmom]

I think treating the water with AQ is a good idea but only do that for 10 days. Keep offering her the pellets and take them out if she doesnt eat them. Also getting some Stress coat would help her I think since she seems stressed. I hope she starts to feel better soon !!!

[birdielikestomatoes]

I'm sad to say that Eugeney passed away over night. I still am unsure of what ailed her. Yesterday evening and night she paled drastically, I had hoped that after I acclimated her and finally moved her into the QT bowl that she would start to feel better with the AQ salt.

I wrapped a shirt around the bowl so it would be darker, made a makeshift lid of ziplock baggies that covered most of the top so it would be nice and humid for her, and I bumped the heat up to 82 F. I added a half teaspoon of AQ salt, pre dissolved before it was even put into the bowl.

Was it a disease? Was it just old age catching up quickly? Did I do something wrong?

All I know is right now Hilda is now being treated as if she was just brought home. The 10g will be the last to have it's water changed during a water change session, as I always run the gravel vac and bucket under burning tap water for a few minutes once I've finished.

[ANHEL123]

Sorry for Eugeney. I was thinking if it possible that it could be gill flukes. I would not think that heave breathing and lethargity was due to betta get old.
It also contiguous. If Hilda is acting normal i would move her to smaller container if you can and do 100% changes for about 5 days. If you can keep her in 84*? i would also recommend to add stress coat API or Kardon Fish protection. Stress coat helps to protect fish slime coat and also if you add extra it will excess slime coat and protect from external parasites.
I would take everything out from 10 gall and wash with hot water and tank itself and completely dry it out. It will kill any parasites if it was them. Parasites dies without host. Live plant just put in the water for a few weeks it will kill parasites.

Wash with hot water and dry out any equipment you are using to change her to kill parasites.
If she will show any signs of gasping for air i would treat her with aquarium salt.
Temperature over 84* speed up parasites life cycle and helps them fall faster . This was you don't do any damage to the fish and it prevent from parasites if it was the case.

Also for 10 gall with 2 bettas i would do weekly 50% and 25% . I am going to give you a few links. Check them out it about water changes and cycling from Oldfishlady very helpful .

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=107771

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=115758

[Water]

If your fish isn't eating, it could be dropsy. My fish was experiencing the same things, he sat at the bottom and didn't move only for air. He wasn't eating anything and became very bloated then started to pine cone.. I noticed something was different when he wouldn't eat. You should definitely buy some medication just incase it is dropsy so that you have it on hand. Just change his water 100% every day and add the medication to it. :)

[birdielikestomatoes]

Thank you, Ahnel. I'm a bit wary of taking everything out just because I do know that the tank is cycled...and well cycling is a pain in the butt.

In regards to her having gill flukes, again I don't think it's that. I studied her body with a flashlight and a magnifying glass. (*SOB*) I saw nothing attached to her body, no strange colorations, or sprinkled gold/salt effects, no bloating, no pine coning, no excess slime coat. Her gills were healthy looking, or as healthy as they can look on a dead fish. But they weren't inflamed, sore looking, or had anything attached in or on them.

As I've said many times in this thread, I'm a complete loss.

[birdielikestomatoes]

I also wanted to add that she had pooed sometime before she died and it was also perfectly normal looking.

[ANHEL123]

Yes not sure, but i am pretty sure that not always you can't see gill flukes with naked eye .And also i think a lot of the time you will not be able to see external parasites either, especially if she didn't have it for long time I don't cycle so i don't know anything about cycling ,but if it ok to do 50% water changes for like 4-5 days with vacuuming i think it would help. So if you will take her out of tank at least you will be sure that tank don't have external parasites because they die without host.

And in the hospital tank you can also do more frequent water changes as preventative and i would also put stress coat API, which will prevent from parasites and also help to protect her slime coat. And watch her closely if you see any difference in her behavior , eating habits then you will know something is wrong.
I just was talking to someone who bought sick fish didn't realize it and used the same changing equipment for them and now first betta died and second betta is sick. So i think it always better to be safe than sorry