Old Age?? Something Worse???

[Indyfishy]

My betta, Vincent, isn't looking so good these days. I've had him for over two years, and i would guess that he's about 3 years old. He has developed a large grey patch on his anal fin that his one or two pin sized holes in it. He has a large bulge behind his pectoral fins. I can't tell if it's his belly that is bloated or something else =/. This has been going on for the past 2 months i believe. He seems to be getting a bit thin aswell. However, he's acting like he feels fine. He eats like a pig and he's pretty active. Could this just be old age, or something else?? I'll attempt to post a picture at the bottom of this post.

Housing
What size is your tank? 2.5 gallons
What temperature is your tank? high seventies
Does your tank have a filter? yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?no
Is your tank heated? no
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? no tank mates
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Top Fin Color Enhancing Betta bits, and Freeze Dried Blood Worms.
How often do you feed your betta fish? 3-4 pellets 6 days a week, and 3 blood worms once a week.
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? about once a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Top Fin Betta Water Conditioner
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:N/A
Nitrite: N/A
Nitrate: N/A
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? bulge of some sort behind his pectoral fins, large grey patch on his anal fin, looking a bit thin, and his colors seem dull.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? No changes in behavior
When did you start noticing the symptoms? About two months ago, maybe even a little before that.
Have you started treating your fish? I haven't.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Nope, he's never been sick actually O_O.
How old is your fish (approximately)? I think he's about 3 years old.


I hope this picture shows up, it's the best one i have. He hates the camera, so he's extremely difficult to photograph . This picture is from about a month ago. you can see the grey patch on his anal fin, and the bulge behind his pectorals. His colors are duller now and he's looking thinner than he does in this picture.

[Indyfishy]

I just changed his water and he's looking much much worse. he didn't look this bad even a week ago. It's like he's wasting away, i don't know what to do, somebody please help me!!! I just took a few pictures, i hope they show up!

You can really see how thin he is in this one, and the big grey patch on his anal fin really stand out.




You can see the bulge behind his pectoral in this one.


Please, someone help me help him. I know he's old and that he's probably not going to live much longer anyway, but he's my little buddy and i want to do anything i can to make him feel better.

[Adrienne]

awww, this is heartbreaking! I don't know enough to give you any sort of advice but I just wanted to say good luck and I hope he pulls through!

[JKfish]

in that 2.5, you ought to be doing 2 50% and one 100% a week, once/if he gets better.

IMO, it could be old age, but the grey patch and the bulge seem suspicious. Has the patch spread at all, and is the bulge only one side?

[Indyfishy]

Thank you Adrienne, that's really sweet!!! I hope he pulls through too!!!!

Originally Posted by JKfish

in that 2.5, you ought to be doing 2 50% and one 100% a week, once/if he gets better.

IMO, it could be old age, but the grey patch and the bulge seem suspicious. Has the patch spread at all, and is the bulge only one side?

JKfish, thank you for the reply! Unfortunately, I have a chronic illness that makes frequent water changes physically hard for me to do, but i will definitely try to do them as often as i can!
As for the patch, its definitely larger than it was when it first appeared, but it doesn't seem to be spreading. It looks like the fin itself has lost color in that spot and it seems thinner than the rest of his fins.
The bulge seems to be on the left side of his body, just behind his pectoral. there's no pineconing or anything, but the lump is pretty large =/.

[Oldfishlady]

Welcome to the forum and sorry your lovely fella isn't well.....

Sadly, it looks age related and not a lot you can do except make him comfy....In a 2.5gal with a filter- twice weekly 50% water changes should maintain water quality and the current care you have been providing has kept him alive and in good health for a long time......so don't blame yourself for what is going on with your fella.......we just can't do much about age....lol...it happens to all of us....and with your current health issues I wouldn't do the 100% since you have a filter and maybe the 50% twice weekly will help you out.....you may even want to add Epsom salt 1tsp/gal to his tank-this can help ease the swelling some-but I suspect that may be tumor related and not much can be done......I wouldn't stress him with a QT setup either...just add the Epsom salt 1tsp/gal dissolved in a cup of tank water or dechlorinated water and slowly add to the tank over 20-30 min and if you have tannins from either IAL or dried oak leaf to add to the tank....the tannin will help too......don't give up on him as anything can happen but if he seems to be suffering do what is right by him.......

[Punki]

Aw Poor little guy. I dont have anything helpful to say but i hope he pulls through! He looks so worn down and tired :(

[Indyfishy]

OldFishLady, thank you soooo much for your help. I'll keep a close eye on him and try to come up with a better water changing schedule that works for me and for him too. He's been a great little friend, and i'll be making sure that his remaining time with me is comfortable. I don't have any IAL or oak leaves, but i do have some epsom salt and i will add some of that to his tank tonight. So far, he seems like he's feeling alright, but if he takes a turn for the worst i'll try to make the right decision.

Punki, thank you, i hope he pulls through too!

[ellie2]

I hope he gets better :( thats tough. I have a chronic illness too and my fish keeps me company along with my cats and dogs haha but I have gotten pretty attached to him as well. I really hope he pulls through. :(

[Indyfishy]

Pets are such good therapy for people with illnesses, i swear my fish and my dogs have been about the best medicine for me. Especially my bettas, since they are totally my responsibility. I have two, and Vincent was the first. I got him from Petsmart before I got sick, and when i did get sick it was impossible to keep up with all the water changes. But i tried my hardest and it was always so rewarding when i had finished the job =). He's lived through alot with me, and I hope he hangs around for atleast a little while longer.