Bloated, Lethargic and Not Eating

[radtastic]

Hi guys, I'm new. :) I've been wandering around the forums ever since I got my new crowntail betta a few months ago.

Sadly, he has a problem.

I'm completely sure I've been overfeeding him, and he's been bloated for almost a week. He's also got yet another fungal infection which I'm treating with Jungle's Fungus Clear. I'm on day 5 just in case he has Drospy, or something else I can't identify.

A few days go he'd either be staying under the filter (which scares me badly, so I turned if off completely) or laying somewhere at the bottom of the tank. Since I turned the filter off this morning, he's started floating at the top of the tank, resting on a silk plant I have.

He's in a 2.5G tank, without a heater, which I plan to buy sometime soon. I thought our house would be warm enough (usually 73 degrees downstairs, so about 75 upstairs where he is), but I'm not sure that's working. I want him to get better!

Also, he won't eat. At first I thought he was just constipated because he would still swim around, so I fasted him for 2 days, but he barely eats a thing. The bloat hasn't changed at all, and I feel like I'm just waiting for him to turn into a pinecone and die. :( I've never really had any luck with fish, but I want him to live! I will not give up until he dies!

But does anyone know what I should do?

[JamieTron]

Could you post a photo of the bloat? It may be constipation or it could be something like dropsy like you have.

If it is dropsy, it is not always a doom sentence you will just have to make special changes for you fish. My female Xena I have for 3 years has dropsy and she has been living with it for 5 months now. It's a nasty looking condition but she still eats and greets me, she just sits on the bottom a lot.

OK so assuming at them moment you do have a constipation/swim bladder disease problem

You may have to fast him for more then 2 days, he will be fine, just a little hungry, he could still be constipated it sometimes takes a while to expel the compaction so I have heard. Dramaqueen has said feeding daphina can help speed up the process after a few days of fasting if you have any. I would do a complete water change, keep the environment top notch to help reduce any stress that could be slowing down recovery.

When he is floating is he trying to swim around but cannot keep balance? or is he just floating still and hardly any movement. Since he is floating you don't have to worry about him having lack of oxygen, which is one less worry. If he is constipated and having trouble swimming it could have effected his swim bladder and that is why he is floating.

[radtastic]

I just got home and found him laying on his side at the bottom of the tank. He did move, thankfully, to go get air and literally fell back down to the bottom of the tank. He looks even worse now; won't even move.

I don't have a working camera at the moment, but he really only looks like he's swallowed half a marble. The scales around the bloat stick out funny and are not blue like the rest of his body but slightly yellow.

I'm worried about doing a water change, since he does have some kind of fungal infection that goes away with Fungus Clear, but since it's come back again, if he does live I don't want to have to treat him for a third time.

Still, I have a feeling I should just put the poor guy out of his misery. :(

[radtastic]

Well, I didn't want to say he was pineconing when he wasn't, but I'm pretty sure he is. Especially around his poor bloated stomach. :(

If this is Dropsy, I guess I can euthanize him. I don't want him to suffer anymore, the poor thing. I'm thinking about changing his water, but at the same time I don't want to stress him out anymore than I have to. It's just so sad. Somehow he managed to lay up against a plant and the filter, and stay's right up at the surface of the water looking sad.

It's kinda crazy how I can't take care of a darn fish for more than 6 months. Somehow, I always kill them all, and my little sister (7 years old) can keep Wal-Mart goldfish in a bowl for 3 years. I should take the hint huh? lol

[damo2904]

If he has bloated stomach, spikey scales, not eating, floating at the top....it's dropsey! Not alot you can do. Best thing is to look up pictures on net of siamese with dropsey & if you decide yourself it is, then do what u feels best. There isn't a cure for dropsey that i know of. Sorry.

[radtastic]

Yea, that's what I was afraid of. :( But I'm gonna make sure to look around first.

But I have a question. I hear constipation can have the same symptoms, but would it make him so devoid of energy? I just don't want to put him down if there's any other way. Still, it does look like early Dropsy. :(

[JamieTron]

The constipation can have similar symptoms but causing his scales to raise...that seems unlikely. It sounds like dropsy. My girl who has it live by me moving her to my small quarantine tank and making it her home, I lowered the water level really low so she can get oxygen and air, she can't swim well. Like I said above she's been alive for 5 months now with it.

[Romad]

So sorry to hear about your sick fish. Keep him as warm and comfortable as possible. I would do water partial water changes every other day to keep the water clean too.

Hope he makes it. Crossing my fingers for you.

[radtastic]

Thanks for your help guys. Sadly, he was dead when I woke up. :(

I had given him a water change last night, and put the filter back in to get rid of all his yucky meds. I cleaned the tank super well, because I just had a feeling he wasn't going to make it. I hope I made him comfortable. I didn't want him to die in medicine. Blugh.

RIP Spock, you were the most beautiful crowntail betta I have ever seen. Too bad when I told you "live long and prosper" it didn't work to well. I'm going to miss your massive bubble nests.

[BettaxFishxCrazy]

I'm so sorry! :( I'm sure you made him as comfortable as you could. Now he'll be in fishy heaven. :)