Please Help My Sick Betta !

[nachofish]

I've had my male betta fish, Nacho, for almost 3 years now. A few weeks ago I noticed his odd behavior, not swimming, lethargic, buoyancy seems a bit off... so I ruled out that he must have swim bladder. (probably because I would feed him his favorite blood worms too much
I've stopped feeding him pellets and worms. So now I lowered the water level of the tank, I've been fasting him for about 4 days, then feeding him a frozen peeled pea. I repeated that process about 3 or 4 times. (the temperature of his tank usually reads 78-82)
Lately it seems like he's just getting worse!
He's not even bothering to swim or look at his food anymore. He just lays almost on his side or stays in the corner of his tank.
It's really depressing and bothering me He use to be such a happy betta, making his cute bubble nests, and greeting me every time I entered the room
I'd really really really appreciate some advice. Thanks.

[bettafishforever22]

I'm sorry if it is depressing for you All I could say is add some aquarium/epsom salt and change the water, just be careful and gentle with the betta. 3 years is a lot, if you bought it from a pet store, the fish must have been 1/2 or 1 years old. So if you add it up, almost 5 years. Aging betta fish don't become TOO excited about getting food or when you come in a room. (Happened to me). If you see scales dropping or fins, this is another sign of an aging fish. I hope this helps, hopefully it's not a disease

[nachofish]

Thank you for the reply!
I've seen some Epsom salt at CVS, is this the type you're referring to?
How much salt should I use?
Should I change the water, add the salt, then place him in the tank? or just add the salt in while he's in the water?
I don't think I've noticed any sort of scales dropping? What would this look like?
He is usually a sort of dark blue color, lately he's been an extra dark blue color.
Sorry for all the questions!

[LittleBlueFishlets]

If his buoyancy is off, I suggest using Epsom salt. (The general rule is: Epsom salt for internal issues, such as bloating, constipation, buoyancy issues. Aquarium salt for external issues.)

The CVS brand should be fine. It should be 100% pure magnesium sulfate. (No dyes, additives or perfumes.)

I suggest trying 1 teaspoon of Epsom salt per gallon, and seeing how he does with that.

There are two ways you can introduce the Epsom salt into his tank.
(1) Predissolve the Epsom salt and SLOWLY add it to his tank (over the course of at least an hour), as if you were doing a partial water change.
(2) Put him in a cup. Dissolve the Epsom salt in his tank, and slowly add the water to his cup (over the course of at least an hour), as if you were doing a regular water change.
Regardless of which method you use, make sure the Epsom salt is completely dissolved. You don't want any crystals remaining.

Also, I don't personally feed my guys peas. I've read a lot of conflicting advice on this forum with regard to giving peas. Some people say it's fine to do. Others say it can cause an internal blockage. So I avoid peas.... Plus, the Epsom salt is a laxative, so it should relieve any bloating and constipation issues.

Are his scales lying flat against his sides? Or do they appear to be raised, kind of like a pinecone looks?

[bettafishforever22]

Yep, littlebluefishlets is mostly right! I agree ^^^

[nachofish]

Sadly, I guess I was too late, when I came home today he had passed away

I know, "He's just a fish"... but he was special to me. Ugh, I really loved him. He was unlike any other betta fish I've ever had!

I really appreciate the replies though. Thank you <3

[sainthogan]

I'm sorry for your loss. And I don't feel that "He's just a fish", in fact, I don't think many people here feel that way, they are our babies.