WHY ME?? I think my guy has SBD, but i don't know! =[

[DarthMaul]

i am having the WORST luck with bettas lately. If this guy dies on me, will be 6 in 3 weeks and will be the death of my love for bettas. I have fasted this guy for 2 days and NOW he is BLOATED.. like REALLY REALLY bloated!! He also can not stay up right. He flops over to one side and then thrashes to get upright and can not swim down at all. He hovers under the surface of the water and also has a long string hanging from his top fin ( i think it is actually part of his fin b/c its not white or fuzzy like columnaris, its actually the same color as the fin). I feel so bad for him, he looks like he is suffering and i kind of hope mother nature takes over and ends his suffering stress. I just do NOT get how is bloated after being fasted for 2 days. i THOUGHT fasting was good for bettas??? Now here is the tank conditions so i dont get asked 20,000 questions:

Temp: 78 Water changes: 100% every 2 days. ALL water lvls are fine. Has not been fed in 2 days. Bought from a pet store on monday. None of his gravel, plants or other things where exposed to any chemicals just steaming hot water. plants passed panty hose test. tank size is 2.5 gal by himself.
I AM SO MAD RIGHT NOW! I have a friend at USF who has had a betta in her COLD dorm in a bowl that is a decoration bowl not even made for fish and that fish is lucky to have a water change once a week and she has had this guy since august! and he is happy as a pig in slop. I give my bettas optimal conditions and they ALL die on me =[ well the last 3 weeks they have! FRUSTRATED beyond belief

Here is a pic of what he looks like:

well when this one dies, i am DONE with bettas for GOOD, well unless my friend decides to buy me another one out of pity ( that's how i got this guy )

[doggyhog]

Fasting is good for bettas. Some bettas just have problems with SBD. I know Dramaqueen had one guy with SBD and he had it for 7 months or something. Try feeding him so daphnia.

Sorry about your little guy, but he'll probably recover.

[DarthMaul]

what is daphia? and he looks so miserable like this, i hate seeing this! I have had the WORST luck with bettas in the past 3 weeks, its ridiculous. Back when i was not educated, i had bettas live for 2-3 yrs. Now that i am more educated, i have bettas live 1-3 weeks!! Just saying... not speculation or pointing fingers, please NO ONE take this wrong way and have me banned it again. Just seems odd that now that i spoil my bettas and give them prime conditions, they all die! :( Like i said, i hope mother nature kicks in, this is no one to live and has to be stressing the crap out of my poor guy.

[DarthMaul]

and what if he doesnt? that means death right? =[, would not surprise me. I just lost my ENTIRE sorority last week at the same time!

[dramaqueen]

I am so sorry about your bad luck with bettas. I wish I had some answers for you but I don't. What you're going through has happened to other people, one person in particular who has left the forum. She never did figure out what happened to all her fish. It may have been something in her water that was beyond her control and nothing to do with how often she changed the water, what conditioner she used, etc. Like I said, I wish I had some answers for you but I don't.

[DarthMaul]

so that's the, the end? their is no hope/way to treat for SBD? figures.....

[dramaqueen]

You can try daphnia if he'll eat it.

[DarthMaul]

and what is that? and what if he doesnt? is that it? He is a goner? WHY DID THIS HAPPEN? please anyone, SOMETHING.. what caused my guy to go from normal to bloated like that??

[DarthMaul]

is their NO cure for this? If not and he is a goner, what is a humane way to put him out so he does not have to suffer anymore? I just do not know what to do. I am so sick of losing bettas! Like i said, back when i was uneducated, i NEVER lost bettas like this...what on earth is going on??? Bad pet store, sick to begin with? WHAT? will anyone tell how to treat for SBD or if their is anyway to help him through this?

[doggyhog]

I would say he was sick to begin with..

I really don't think there is a need to euthanize him, when a fish has SBD, they aren't really really suffering, and they usually have a good life anyways.