Please help, SBD or??

[demonr6]

Hi guys, I have been battling what I think is SBD and constipation for over a week now. We found him floating sideways in his tank. I immediately quarantined him and he has been in a med tank since then and he gets daily water changes while this is going on. By the looks of it, is appears to be SBD and constipation. A couple of days ago he did poop but it looks like his belly is still bloated. He sits along the top of the tank and struggles at times, then there are times he tries to be really active but he just can't right himself. I moved his leaf into the med tank so he can rest on it and he does from time to time.

He has not eaten since this occurred so we can say at least a week fasting. I tried the pea method a number of times and he wants no part of it. Almost every other day we have attempted this with no luck and believe me it is a pain trying to get that pea to him. He gets daily water changes to keep the water clean. I caved in and tried the Epsom salt bath the day before yesterday and no luck.

I am at wits end and do not know what to do for the little guy to get him better. I would really appreciate any help because my wife and I hate seeing him like this. I posted recent pics from a couple of days ago on a recent post. I notice he has a curve to him now all the time too, not sure it that is a direct result of the SBD or is it a sign of something worse? I stockpiled Maracyn Two in case we need to go that route but not sure how long to go with that treatment or how often to do water changes. Please help, any suggestions at this point are welcome as I am obsessing over this.

I have pics taken the day before yesterday, the difference today is now he appears to have a curved spine to boot.

He was in a 1.5g tank, no tank mates. His water was 25% changed weekly. We fed him pellets and freeze dried bloodworms. I will admit that he was being way, way overfed. I already had a chat with my wife as she was giving him a freaking 15 course meal and a buffet to wash it down. I was sticking the tank and everything was fine although the pH was much higher than I would have liked.

Again, any help is sorely needed and comments, suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time.

[Creat]

I had a guy that looked just like that I raised the temperature to 80* or warmer and started a epsom treatment with 1 tsp/gallon and then raised it up to 2 tsp/gallon over 24 hrs with 100% water changes everyday he got better almost immediately. Covering the top of the container with plastic wrap helps his labyrinth organ too. And you can you tannins if you have access to them. However I have had fish where it took longer to go away, and one a rescued that has a permanent issue. Thats my best information I can give you. Hope he gets better!

[demonr6]

We tried that over the weekend but no luck so far. He has been through three Epsom salt baths, one on Sunday morning, another in the evening and then again this morning but no such luck. We tried feeding him Friday night and even Saturday before the water change and Epsom salt bath and he is absolutely not interested although Friday night he did eat just a minute amount of frozen brine shrimp. He won't touch the pea either so that is another losing attempt. He is still feisty and does what he can to avoid being caught and he has periods where he is really active but he is still bloated which concerns me. I bought medicated food as well by the way and tried that, not interested either. I am beginning to wonder if he is beyond help now? He just sits there floating on his side or at times he floats himself onto the leaf we put in there for him to rest on, or he even jams himself between the leaf and tank to float upright. The curved position he is always in really concerns me too. Is the organ that is affected cause him to be in that position? Other than that, the only other outward thing I notice is the color, he is more plae but that could be due to stress from the water changes/Epsom bath. I am completely stumped. The last thing I want is for him to be experiencing something else and I am not able to get him the proper medication if needed.

[Oldfishlady]

You need to try the Epsom salt treatment not the bath-leave him in the epsom salt 2tsp/gal 24 hour changing 100% of the water daily

Pre-mix the Epsom salt in a 1gal jug and use this water for the 100% daily water changes-sometimes it can take 3-4 day in this Epsom salt 2tsp/gal water before you see any improvement-the duct is most likely inflamed and it need time for the swelling to go down-this can be caused by overfeeding and/or too cold dry air above the water that can cause labyrinth organ problems-covering the top with plastic veggie wrap to maintain a warm humid environment can help this

Place him in a small QT container that can be floated in the heated tank (attached so it doesn't sink) cover the top with plastic veggie wrap and use the 2tsp/gal pre-mixed Epsom salt water (Not aquarium salt) for the 100% daily water changes...if you have tannins to add from either naturally dried and fallen from the tree Oak leaf (10-12 crushed) or Indian almond leaf or blackwater extract or decaf green tea to add to the pre-mixed epsom salt treatment water all the better-the longer it steeps the more tannins released the darker it will become the better the Betta will like it

Time is the key-it can take several days to a week-but a full 10 days is needed and depending on how bad and the root cause the treatment may need to be repeated.....

Good luck and keep us posted...

[demonr6]

Thank you for that, I will try that today. This sounds funny but Decaf green tea, we are talking tea bags right? That may be my only option for tannins.

[Oldfishlady]

Tea bags..usually just one-add it to the pre-mixed 1gal jug of dechlorinated water along with the Epsom salt 2tsp/gal-let it steep for at least an hour before use...shake well and use this water for the daily water changes-pre-mixing the treatment water help to make the daily water changes and correct dosage easier-make sure the water temp of the treatment water is within a couple of degrees between the QT fish water so you don't shock him....I will sometimes float an extra QT container of treatment water in the heated tank for an hour before I am going to change the water so it come to temp and just net the Betta and drop in the fresh treatment water-cover with the plastic wrap and then clean out the other QT container to be ready to use the next day...I usually attach the QT to the tank with duct tape...works well for me.....
Also hold food for the first 3 days of treatment and them offer half feedings twice a day.

[demonr6]

I am floating his med tank plus the other (Epsom salt) in a larger heated tank to keep the temps the same when moving him around. I can just swap him into the new medicated water when it is ready. He has not eaten in over a week and has shown no interest. Tried the pea already a number of times and no luck, he backs away from it actually. He was eating all the way leading up to this incident. He's been getting daily water changes since we found him this way over ten days ago. The Epsom water route will be the next step for me.. I really hope I can pull him through this. My wife is super attached to this guy, he has tons of character and we would hate to lose him.

[Oldfishlady]

Good plan...hope he gets better for you...do you know about how old he is or how long you have had him and who you got him from....sadly, this species is not long lived and when they get sick it tends to shorten their lifespan some as well....don't give up.....I have pulled lots of Bettas through this even the older guys from folks that bring me their sick fish.....sometimes they just need more time to recover and to get the immune response to kick in....don't worry about food/feeding at this point...once he start to feel better his appetite will come back....dark quiet place to recover can be helpful as well.....good luck and keep us posted....

[demonr6]

I have a 1.5 cube shape Tetra tank that I used in the past that I converted to a medplex. I have water and a tank heater in there. I can float two of the round containers they keep the Bettas in at the store plus his rectangular med tank as well. I had to play with the temp control on the heater to get it to heat the containers to 80 degrees but it works sweet. It has a tank cover as well so I can cover all of my necessities with this.

Good thing I did not throw it out when I picked up his replacement tank. It has been on a fishless cycle since that day we found him in bad sorts so at least when he pulls through this his new home will be ready to go. I am not sure how he will take to the ghost shrimp, or they will take to him.. but we will cross that bridge when the time comes.

Thanks again for your help, I really appreciate it!!