[BettasRpeople2]

Housing: 2 gal, heated, not filtered, water changes 50% every day (just finished AQ salt treatment)
Feeding: 1-2 Omega Buffet pellets 2x per day
I just got her (will be 2 weeks on Monday), but when I got her I noticed fuzzy strands on her. So I have just finished a 10 day aquarium salt treatment of 3 tsp/gal. The fuzzies cleared up right away, and she seemed to be doing well. She had started eating and was acting pretty normally. Then last night when I went to feed her, I noticed she was hovering at the surface and seemed to be gasping. She did not respond to me when I opened the lid or to the food. I actually had to touch her to get her to respond to me at all. Today she seemed to be holding her gill covers open about as wide as they will go. She is still hovering at the surface and seems to be breathing hard. I don't really see anything else wrong, so I don't have a clue what is going on with her. Please help!

 

[Oldfishlady]

I would make a 50% water only change now....using double dose dechlorinator....be sure the replacement water temp is fairly close to the tank temp....turn off the light and hold food today....Tomorrow make another 50% with like temp and properly dosed dechlorinator...Offer food and remove any uneaten....

Double check the tank temp with an independent thermometer

Sudden change in behavior- especially related to a recent water change, chemistry change etc....usually is due to a contamination of some type, forgotten or not enough dedhlorinator used, sudden extreme temp change or improper acclimation....

Good luck and keep us posted.....

 

[aqua001]

Are the gills red, purple or bleeding? If so, it might be ammonia poisoning because she is gasping and her gills are flared out. Unfortunately, I do not know the cure for this.

 

[Aus]

Whereabouts on her were the 'fuzzy strands'?

 

[BettasRpeople2]

Thanks OFL, I will do that right now. It did happen with the chemistry change, so I may not have acclimated her slowly enough I suppose. I will follow your instructions, and hopefully she will snap out of it.

Aqua, her gills look pretty normal to me.

Aus, the strands were mostly on her back. It looked kind of like she had gone through a spider web. Many of the others in the store were covered in it, so I started her on salt pretty quickly after I got her home. I thought it best to err on the side of safety given the conditions. She was doing really well until yesterday.

 

[BettasRpeople2]

When I went in to check on her this morning, she was lifeless on the bottom of the tank. I just don't know what happened. Her body is losing color now too, starting at the tummy and spreading. Petco told me when I got her that most of them were sick, but I had hoped to save her. She was doing so well and then wham. I'm baffled. I've lost 3 fish now in as many weeks; maybe I'm cursed. At least my established tanks are fine. My newbies aren't faring well, though. I'm down to 1 of the 4 I bought to add to my sorority. I'm sure glad I was smart enough to QT because I have no idea what these girls are dying from. I know that one got overheated, so at least I can explain that one; although who's to say she would not have done the same thing. The other two both seemed fine and then became lethargic and floated near the top and then died within a day or two. I did not notice the other one gasping like this one, though. I'm very sad. I really hope I don't lose the last one too. She seems to be doing great, but that doesn't seem to mean anything with these girls. I'm at a loss.