Raised scales on his back??

[Indyfishy]

Our old male, Gorton, is having some issues. He had a small patch of fin rot on the tip of his tail about a month ago, which a treated by dong a 50% water change with stresscoat each day, and a mild aquarium salt dose (about 1/2 a teaspoon per gallon). He has extremely brittle fins, causing them to flake off at the ends, which left a prime spot for rot to set in =/ The rot healed in about a week, but ever since then he's been going down hill a bit. He's become pretty lethargic, and I've noticed that the scales on his back have become raised. I've also noticed that he seems to be having some bouyancy issues, when he swims he sort of tilts to the side. Could this be illness or injury, or just old age?? He will be around 4 years old in the spring.


Housing
What size is your tank? 2.5 gallons
What temperature is your tank? mid to high 70's
Does your tank have a filter? no
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated? Not yet, I'm working on getting heaters for my fish but have had some personal issues in my family and haven't been able to get out to the store just yet. I've been able to go twice, and both times they were out of heaters for this tank size -_- But for now I think he's fine. He's in the kitchen, which is the warmest room in our house as it is directly above the furnace, and his tank is against the wall opposite the laundry room, which is a very hot room at all times.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? top fin betta bits, he won't touch anything else
How often do you feed your betta fish? he is my mom's fish, and she feeds him twice daily, 3 pellets each time. she's cut back on his food a bit since the bouyancy issue started, but it's persisting regardless. His appetite has been good through all of this.

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? twice weekly
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? one 50%, one 100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Stresscoat

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
N/A
Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? The scales on his back are raised, and he appears a bit pale. I think he also appears a bit thinner than normal.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He's been more lethargic than usual, and he's been swimming on his side a little bit. He's also hiding alot.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? I've been noticing the lethargy for about the last 3 weeks or so, but I just noticed the raised scales in the last week.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? no treatment other than stresscoat, I'm just not sure what to do for the poor fella.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Yes, he has had some SBD and constipation issues in the past, and he has a hard time swimming due to a hunch in his back. He also had a case of pop-eye about two years ago.
How old is your fish (approximately)? We got him in April of 2009, and I'm pretty sure he was already nearly a year old by then. I am almost positive that he's pushing 4 years old.

Thank you so much for any help you can provide!!! I know he's very old and will most likely pass away soon, but I just want to be sure that I do everything that is in my power to keep him comfy in his old age.

[Sakura8]

I'm sorry to hear Gorton isn't doing so well, Indy. He's had a long, good life with you and your mom. It sounds like his immune system is a bit compromised because of his age and that may have allowed a bacterial infection to take hold internally, probably from the fin rot. Between his old age and a possible infection, his organs are compromised and affecting his swim bladder. If it's a localized infection near his back, that might account for the raised scales there, as fluid will build up under the scales. :(

For the buoyancy problems, lower the water level as necessary and try 1 tsp of epsom salt per gallon. You can bump it up to 3 tsps if you think he needs it. If you want to try to treat him for a possible infection, I would suggest kanamycin flakes. You can get them online at www.angelsplus.com or you can try to treat him with Jungle Labs Anti-Parasite Medicated pellets. Both will be effective for treating an internal infection. Otherwise, you're doing everything you can for him. He's a lucky fellow to have such a loving owner.

Good luck with him and keep us updated. :)

[Indyfishy]

Thank you so much for your response, Sakura!!! I wondered if he might have an infection, but I thought if he had one that he would be going down hill alot faster than he is considering his age. I'll add some epsom salt to his tank tonight and check on him in the morning. I don't think he'll eat anti-parasite pellets, he's verrrrrryyyy picky, won't even touch bloodworms! As far as antibiotics, I have Maracyn II on hand, but it's the same batch I used from way back when he had pop-eye. I imagine it probably isn't going to work now x_x. I'll have to see if I can get out to the store tomorrow to find something that will work for the little fella.

[Sakura8]

You can always try soaking the anti-parasite pellets in garlic juice. *doubtful* I understand the picky part, I have one too except he only eats bloodworms. If he won't eat medicated food, then I'd recommend either Maracyn II or Kanaplex. Unfortunately, Kanaplex often has to be ordered online. But it's stronger than Maracyn II, packs a pretty big punch.

If it's a localized infection, it may not have reached all his organs yet. But I could (hopefully) be wrong and maybe the raised scales have something to do with his old age. I know their bodies can start to do strange things as they get older, like the caudal and anal fins can start fusing together and stuff like that.

Good luck with him and definitely let me know how things go. I'll be rooting for the little guy!

[Indyfishy]

I'll try to snap a few pictures tomorrow and post them here. I looked at him again and now I'm unsure! I can't tell if the scales are actually raised or if they're just a little 'rough'. His body has definitely gone through some significant changes with age, he used to be very robust but he's gotten quite thin now. Not to mention the deterioration of his fins =( In the mean time, a little epsom salt won't hurt him so I'll see how he does with that. He won't eat garlic, I've tried that before when he went through a period of having no appetite a few months back x_x. Thank you, I'll definitely keep you posted!!!

[Indyfishy]

I took a photo of him, and upon looking at it I don't think the scales are really raised. They just appear sort of "lumpy". So hopefully infection isn't the cause, but I'm going to put some epsom salt in his tank anyways to help with the swim bladder issues.

[Sakura8]

Hmm, I can kind of see what you mean about it looking lumpy. It doesn't look like a localized infection because I think the scales would definitely be raised up. Hopefully, it's just an old betta thing. He's got such cute lips!

[Indyfishy]

haha thank you, i love his big puffy lips too!! =D

[Sakura8]

His lips make him look so tough but I bet he's a big sweetie.