Please save my fish.

[Kashi]

Housing
What size is your tank? 1.5 Gal
What temperature is your tank? 75 degrees roughly.
Does your tank have a filter? Yes, one that came with the tank.
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? None.
Is your tank heated? Yes, the one small one from walmart.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None. He eats them. x)

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? The small brown pellets from Walmart. He did not like the bloodworms.
How often do you feed your betta fish? Lately, hardly at all. Maybe a pellet a day to see what he would do. I was told he was bloated.

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Once a week when it calls.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? All of it... I like to clean the gunk from his gravel.
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? None. I did however, get some ick away that you can also add that I read helps strengthen his fins.

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:
I haven't tested the waters. I always used bottled water or a gallon of water to refill his tank because I didn't trust the tap.

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? He's almost see through...
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He just floats now. I thought he was dead, but when you poke him he has some fin activity, but sits there.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? A few weeks ago, and I was told to fast him. I fasted him for a bit, and fed him maybe one pellet every now and then to keep him going.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? I haven't. I just fasted him.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? None. This is his first serious case.
How old is your fish (approximately)? I would say a year old.


He's so bloated... I thought he was dead. I poked him and he just looks at me pitifully. I feel horrible. I'm afraid it might be too late because I've let it go on for so long. It's my first betta, and he's been with me for a good year now, and we've had good times. I've thought myself to be a good mom to him. Please don't post and say how horrible I've been to my fish please. I understand that I could do more for him. I've tried.

I've enclosed a picture of how serious his case is. He actually swam a little when he saw me with my camera as if to pose. I love my Sexy, and I don't want him to suffer. D:

Just any suggestions will help. I have no petsmart or anything to go to- only a Walmart. I read something about a peeled, cooked pea, but I really doubt he needs that now.

He was blue/red. A beautiful color.

Now...



Please don't bash me. I understand that this does not happen overnight. I understand a lot of things. I love my animals, and I always considered Sexy my own. I just want to know if he is suffering and if there is a chance I could save him... Is it a parasite? I mean, if he is bloated, why would his scales fall off that bad? Just tell me what I can do.

[BlueHaven]

It's okay. You really care about your fish and from what you've wrote you take care of him really well and do the best you can. He loves you for it.
Everyone makes mistakes everynow and then and sometimes fish can get illnesses that are very hard to get rid of, even when you do your best.
I'm not sure what his problem could be, i'm sure someone else can fill that in, but I just wanted to say this because I understand how you feel. I've had this happen to a fish of mine before.
I hope he can get better soon.

Their are test strips you can get from walmart. They don't always show accurate results, but since there is something wrong with your betta, it should show up what the quality of your water is. Not everyone tests their water, some only do it when they see signs of illness or sickness and just go by their behavior. One of the best things you can do though is keep his water clean and keep things calm around him.

[Kashi]

Thanks, Bluehaven, I appreciate it.

I did some research, does this look like a prolonged case of Bacterial Infection?

[1fish2fish]

I'm sorry but it looks like your fish has dropsy. It is a symptom of many different illnesses but at this stage I don't think he can recover from it. It looks to me like his scales have pineconed, am I correct? (They are sticking out instead of laying flat?).

Please don't take this the wrong way but if he were my fish I think I would look into humane euthanasia at this point. I honestly don't think he will bounce back from this :(

[Kashi]

Thanks... and upon closer examination, yes, his scales have pineconed. I had thought they had fallen off.

What is a humane way of putting down a fish? I honestly think I can't do it... I don't want to flush him, either... I think I've pretty much buried my fish when they've died in the past. I don't want him to go on his own either, because I don't know how long it will be.

[Adastra]

Oh dear, it may just be the picture, but he looks like he has dropsy. Do his scales stick out, sort of like a pinecone? If this is the case, your betta is currently in kidney failure and is unfortunately not long for this world. At this stage, there isn't much that can be done other than make him as comfortable as possible--lower the waterline to make it easy for him to reach the top to breathe, make sure the water is warm and clean.

I would say that where you went wrong is with the heating and the water change schedule. You should have cleaned the tank and done 100% water changes every two days in a tank that size--it also seems that your heater is not up to par with keeping the water the right temperature. I'm not saying this to lecture you--it's just important to know what caused the problem so that you can do the very best you can with your next betta.

If you get another, I think it would be better to set yourself up for success and get a larger tank with a higher quality heater. If you like small tanks, I highly recommend the Marineland Eclipse brand--the 3, 5, and up gallon size tanks are large enough to be cycled and safely heated, they're also very durable, light, and well-designed and take up very little space. You should also try to find this heater: http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.co...8&pcatid=11368 or one like it that has an adjustable temperature dial and a thermostat. This will give you control and keep the temperature stable. I highly suggest ordering these products online all at once--you will save a ton of money.

For euthanasia, there is a product you can buy called clove oil or eugenol. You can find it in the dental section of your pharmacy or at GNC--it's an anesthetic designed to alleviate tooth pain. It will put your fish to sleep peacefully. Depending on the concentration of the product you get, there are different dosages--you could probably find them online.

If you can't find clove oil, you can wrap him in a paper towel and crush him in one blow with a blunt object, such as a brick. It sounds horrible, but it is one of the fastest, most merciful deaths.

[Kashi]

Thanks- and yes, I will be much better prepared before getting another Betta. I do want another, but Sexy was kind of just thrown at me while I was at college, and I was unsure of how to take care of him. My boyfriend has a 3 gallon tank with an amazing filter, so I think we'll get a betta together after finding a good filter and such.

[1fish2fish]

There are a few different methods of euthanasia. IMO the most humane is the clove oil and vodka method. This method anesthetizes the fish so it is completely painless. I've never done it myself so I can't tell you exactly how to go about it.

Other methods are less humane for the fish and/or are very hard for an owner to do to their pet.

[Kashi]

I will be making a trip to Walmart now to get the clove oil. Thank you all, for your help. <3

[1fish2fish]

Your welcome and I'm sorry about your fish. He was beautiful. He looks exactly like I crowntail I had that recently passed.