Any Ideas?

[shannanigans]

Hi there! I ws hoping someone would have some insight in to my 8 month old betta's condition. She seems a slightly bloated and a little lethargic, but otherwise normal.

Tanks Specs:
10 gal kept at 74 degrees, w/o heater
8'' bubble bar with filter for 10 gal tank
25-30% water change w/ gravel vaccuum / 7-10 days
dechlorinator and aqarium salt added

Tanks mates:
3 black skirted tetras (who usually leave her alone)
1 albino cory

Food:
TetraColor Tropical Flakes - 1 - 2 times daily
1/2 shrimp pellet - 1 a day

Symptoms:
- grey scales over a slightly bloated belly. Scales are not white, spotted or protruding
- bottom fins are slightly nipped from the tetras, but they typically leave her alone
- bottom fins are reddish near her body but blue at the ends
-hangs out at bottom of the tank alot, but she also swims around, hangs out at the top and eats normally

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62580372@N03/5696207879/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62580372@N03/5696207995/in/photostream/

[SillyCone]

That does seems weird, but I'm not an expert, actually I know less than you do, lol!

But I do hope people help you out, hang in there!

[Canuck Fins]

How frustrating!

Okay, there are a few things I can suggest. For starters, the water is a little cold for a betta. Do you have a thermometer in the tank to know the temp is 74*? Without a heater, your tank will be a couple of degrees less than room temperature. I'd recommend getting a heater; your fish is a tropical fish which means 76* to 82* is going to make your fish a lot more comfortable and a lot more active.

Are you adding salt for any particular reason? A healthy betta doesn't need salt. Using it as a regular tank additive will make it less effective when your fish really does need it.

He is really very bloated. I would start fasting him. Flakes are not a great food source. They are hard to consistently feed the same amount, the nutrition is less and they do foul the water if your fish doesn't eat them all. Also try fasting your fish once a week; I feed mine for 6 days and fast for one.

How long have you had the cory in there? Cories are schooling fish and usually need to be kept in groups of 4-5 or more.

You may need to quarantine your fish, but I'm not very knowledgeable with doing QT treatments.

[shannanigans]

There is a thermometer on the tank, it currently reads 75.

I added some salt in the tank when we added the tetras to tank a few months ago, and then again when we added the cory a few weeks after that. I have not added any since.

I have tried the fasting, but it doesn't seem to work. I will try it again, and get some different food for her.

The cory has been in there since Christmas. He is awesome - he is all over the tank and is super friendly, if a fish can be friendly. His name is Chicken and he hangs out with the betta alot.

[LolaQuigs]

I would return the cory; they really need groups of at least four to be happy, and adding three more would overstock your tank. He may seem ok for now, but they are not solitary fish and will eventually become stressed and lonely. Black skirts also should be in groups of five or more, tetras are happiest and healthiest when they have a decent sized school.

I'd also try to get a heater. While 75 is only a little below the recommnded range, a heater with a thermostat built in will prevent any temperature fluctuations that your room temp might encounter. A stable temperature is extremely important.

To treat the bloating I would fast for three days while beginning an epsom salt treatment. Qt the betta--a small container that can be floated in the larger tank is good. Add 1 tsp of epsom salt (available at the drug store) per gallon of treated water for two days. Then increase this to 2 tsp per gallon for eight days. Make 100% daily water changes throughout treatment. After treatment, I second the suggestion of switching to pellets--it's much easier to know how much you're feeding so you can avoid bloating issues in the future. Generally two or three pellets twice a day is the recommended amount.

[Oldfishlady]

Welcome to the forum and what a lovely Betta....

If she is otherwise acting, eating, pooping and generally appears fine.....I wouldn't worry too much...she looks more fat to me....I would cut back on the amount of food and fast once a week, increase the water changes to 50% with vacuum weekly...with that said...some of the signs and symptoms you posted sound stress related too....you may need to rehome the tetra-they will out grow the tank anyway and replace them with 3 more cory cats.....

With mixed species come feeding challenges too-Bettas tend to over eat and to feed the other species of fish and for them to get enough to eat especially the cory cat the Betta can end up over-eating.......

IMO/E your temp is fine-depending on your location you may or may not need a heater...your goal is to keep a stable water temp that doesn't vary much more that 5-10 degrees between day and night...try to keep it in the upper 70's range...you may find as she gets older that she will need a bit warmer water..

Salt-I would do some back to back 50% water only changes for the next 2 days and get most of it out....you don't need it and it could even be part of the reason for your Bettas edema...hard to say...but you also have cory cats and they don't do well in salt generally...but I have found that they don't seem to mind really small amounts short term

True, cory cats are social fish and do best when kept in larger groups...by keeping only one...it won't drop dead....but you will miss out on all the really neat behavior they can display and when kept as a lone fish they can become more stressed...safety in numbers....instinct to school...its just a matter of time before the stress of being alone gets to him/her.....by keeping a lone cory cat is not much different than keeping a Betta in a cup long term...IMO...needs not being met.....