Lethargic Betta

[kinglumber]

So Benny here decided that he wanted to be even lazier than he had been. I'm not sure if he was depressed or stressed, but he wasn't flaring for the mirror I put next to the tank. I went to Petco (only closeby store for fishies) and explained my situation, someone in the fish department told me to try Betta Revive and see if it helped, and to check forums, because people have probably encountered something similar before (I already had been searching before, but spent some more time after looking). I tried the Revive last night and figured I'd see what happened in the morning. When I awoke this morning I find that he is seriously bloated, and keeping himself from rising by staying under the filter or grass. I fear it might have been the Revive to cause it but I'm unsure. After going through those helpful stickies, I thought it may be dropsy, sbd, or maybe constipation. His eyes were not swollen nor were his scales popping out. I ruled out dropsy with that. When I preformed a 100% water change this afternoon (put him in a little bowl) and washed the tank and stones and plants, I saw him poop in the small bowl, so I ruled out constipation.

The data below is from after the 100% water change. Before hand when the symtoms first started to appear the pH was ~7 and the temp was about 80*F. He was still a bit bloated when I put him back into the tank, but in the time it has taken me to test the water and write this message the bloat has gone down, his color has returned some, and he's swimming around almost nonstop. haha Needless to say I'm happy to see him acting normal, and now this message is almost un-needed. Though I'm going to take this opportunity to see ask a few questions.

Have any of you more experienced members seen anything like this?
I was going to get something to regulate the pH, Benny seems to be doing alright with it being a bit high, but I don't how if being in a more basic water for long periods of time will be bad for him.
I also have Tetra All-In-One Treatment tablets, but when I was at Petco, the guy said he didn't care for tablets only for the reason of the liquid will mix with the water much faster, and go to work faster. Opinions?
I have some pics of when he was in the bowl for the water change and bloated, and I can take some of him now if its helpful.

Thanks for helpin out a Fish n00b.




Housing
2 gallon
76*F - heated
Tetra 3i filter w/ air pump
Lives alone

Food
Wardley Betta Food Pellets
I feed him 3 pellets once a day. I also have freeze dried bloodworms.

Maintenance
I do ~20-25% water changes every 2-3 days. I did a 50% and 100% in the last week.
I add aquarium salt and water conditioner to the water when doing water changes.

Water Parameters
Nitrate:~0
Nitrite:~0
Hardness:~
Chlorine:~0
Alkalinity:~180
pH:~7.8
Ammonia:

Symptoms/Treatment
Appearance change: spots on face with color loss/grey colored patches
Behavior change: laying more, not moving much
Notice of symptoms: color loss a few days ago
Treatment of fish? How? gave some Betta Revive last night
History of sickness? no
Age of fish: not completely sure, got a week ago

[kinglumber]

I don't see anything to edit posts, so I'll post a second. I feed him 6 days a week, today I.. starved, I guess is the right term, him. Not sure if that helped any.

[callistra]

So he bloated up with the medication and came back down when you took him off? Betta Revive is not a good med as it is one of those "treat it all" things when you don't know what's wrong.

What conditioner do you use and how much. Why are you adding aquarium salt and how much salt?

What is the ammonia level? That's what you really need to keep your eye on since you're not cycling at all.

I would be keeping the tank a good 78-79 and the 80 is good for sick fish.

7.8 ph is fine. I do not suggest using anything to mess with ph and bettas can acclimate to a wide range of ph but the swinging will kill them.

pics would be helpful. I think he probably does need meds but I would like to see photos first and you really need to check your ammonia levels. Do you have another aquarium store other than petco? They don't actually sell real meds. Worth it to check yellowpages.com searching for 'aquariums'.

Is he still lethargic? Is he eating? What do his poops look like and how often does he go? I don't know anything about this brand of pellet.. never heard of it or seen it in a store.. what are the first 3 ingredients?

[kinglumber]

Originally Posted by callistra

So he bloated up with the medication and came back down when you took him off? Betta Revive is not a good med as it is one of those "treat it all" things when you don't know what's wrong.

What conditioner do you use and how much. Why are you adding aquarium salt and how much salt?

What is the ammonia level? That's what you really need to keep your eye on since you're not cycling at all.

I would be keeping the tank a good 78-79 and the 80 is good for sick fish.

7.8 ph is fine. I do not suggest using anything to mess with ph and bettas can acclimate to a wide range of ph but the swinging will kill them.

pics would be helpful. I think he probably does need meds but I would like to see photos first and you really need to check your ammonia levels. Do you have another aquarium store other than petco? They don't actually sell real meds. Worth it to check yellowpages.com searching for 'aquariums'.

Is he still lethargic? Is he eating? What do his poops look like and how often does he go? I don't know anything about this brand of pellet.. never heard of it or seen it in a store.. what are the first 3 ingredients?

Yes to the bloating. After the water change the bloat went down. I would rather not use a "treat-it-all" medicine either, I've been looking for somewhere nearby that I can get proper medicine for specific sicknesses. Unfortunately the nearest stores that specialize in fish or are more fish orientated are at least a 40 minute drive.
Wardley Watercare Chlor Out, for the conditioner, 3 drops per gallon. I read that its good to add AQ salt when doing water changes, 1/2 tsp per gallon.
I have to get an ammonia test kit, as I dont have one.
He hasn't been lethargic since the water change. He was eating before, today is the skip day, so he didn't eat. I'm not always around the tank but I would say he poops often, once a day maybe? They green, a continuous line that turns back on itself, like a "u".
The first 3 ingredients are fish meal, wheat flour, and corn gluten meal.

The first picture is from before he got sick, the second and third are of when he was in the bowl while I did a water change, and the last two were just taken of him in the tank. My apologies if the pictures don't come out well, all I have is the camera on my phone.
The swollen and whiteness of his stomach are no longer there as seen, but his head still has those grey patches.