[xXbrokencrownXx]

Hi all,

I wanted to ask you about my friend's betta (that I'm watching for the summer) and my own.

first hers:
He's an HM thats been showing signs of swim bladder disease, so we put him on ES for a week to see if he'd get better. That was about 3 weeks ago, and he's improved a little, but not much. He's still laying on his side and hanging around at the bottom of the tank. I've lowered his water so that he can breathe easier.
Just now, i did a water change, and i noticed that once i put his heater back in the tank, it gives off something thats bluish in the water. Im not sure if it has to do with the heater or just something else in the water, but I've taken out that heater and put in a newer one. Here's his info:

Housing
What size is your tank? 2 gal
What temperature is your tank? ~78 degrees
Does your tank have a filter? no
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated? yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Aqueon Betta Food
How often do you feed your betta fish? 3 pellets 1-2x a day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? 1-2 times 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? Water Conditioner

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? He's a bit bloated, but otherwise the same
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? not as active, sits at the bottom and breathes heavily.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? 3-4 weeks ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? 1 week of ES treatment
Does your fish have any history of being ill? none
How old is your fish (approximately)? ~ 2 years

Then theres my HM, who had tail rot. I've been trying to cure it, but its been nasty, and his tail is now the size of a PKs. Im not sure if hes been biting it, but hes been acting normally and the rots seemed to have stopped even though the tail has a bit of a darker outline. I've never seen parts of his tail in the tank so i assumed hes been biting it.
Aanyways, I had an earlier post on here about him, and I gave him a 5 day treatment with Maracyn. I really dont think it did much then just stress him out. Here's his info:

Housing
What size is your tank? 1-1.5 not sure
What temperature is your tank? 72
Does your tank have a filter? no
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? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Aqueon Betta food
How often do you feed your betta fish? 3 pellets 1-2 times a day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? 2x 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? Water conditioner

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? his tail is tiny
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? no change, still pretty active
When did you start noticing the symptoms? 2 months ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? with AS, then with Maracyn
Does your fish have any history of being ill? nope
How old is your fish (approximately)? ~1

I can provide pictures if its easier for you all, just let me know please.

 

[Sena Hansler]

First betta: Was the salt dissolved before adding?
Did you do a water change EVERY day?
Did you replace the salt that was taken out during water changes?
How much EPSOM salt did you use per gallon?

Second betta:
The water changes are sufficient for the size of tank... If you can, cehck with how many cups of water can fit in your tank. That gives you a rough standing (16 cups per gallon).

Can you get a picture up of both bettas? That would help a great deal!!

 

[xXbrokencrownXx]

First betta: Was the salt dissolved before adding?
Did you do a water change EVERY day?
Did you replace the salt that was taken out during water changes?
How much EPSOM salt did you use per gallon?

Second betta:
The water changes are sufficient for the size of tank... If you can, cehck with how many cups of water can fit in your tank. That gives you a rough standing (16 cups per gallon).

Can you get a picture up of both bettas? That would help a great deal!!

I dont think the salt was dissolved... but she did change the fish's water every day. She also did full water changes i believe, and it was only like a pinch.

Sorry for the late response! Here are some pictures. It does seem as though for the first betta, it was the heater that was leaking.... though i took it out and he still acts funky... here are the pictures. Friend's betta is the black one, mine is the blue one.

 

[Sena Hansler]

The first two pictures, tell me biting.

The last two pictures tell me biting and fin rot. You'll need to make sure to keep up with proper water change for the size of tank, adding conditionr of course. You can also add IALs (indian almond leaves or dried oak leaves) which help condition the water and bettas love it.

As for SBD, a rounded belly, sometimes the betta "coughs" bubbles and lays on their side or has bouyancy problems. It's 1-3 teaspoons per gallon or a tablespoon per gallon, DISSOLVED before added, for 10 days. When the SBD disappearts continue treatment for 3 more days.

 

[Silverfang]

IT could be tail biting, but I'm thinking he almost looks burned. You said the heater was leaking, was it a top fin one? I have heard a couple of cases of those heaters leaking and causing burn like damage. Clean water, high protein food. Those are the main things I Can recommend.

 

[xXbrokencrownXx]

Well... the black one i wasnt really worried about his tail... it has always been like that. Im more worried about the fact that he cant swim all that great anymore. He just lays on the bottom. and it was a marina heater, I changed it for mine and he seemed to perk up.

As for the blue betta, I am worreid about his tail. It seemed to have stopped shrinking, but he's also becoming less active as well....