(Feels a little bit ironic to be posting in this section myself, but I'm a bit stumped and am looking for some opinions)
Last Wednesday (5/6) my betta Polaris was totally fine. On Thursday when I woke up, she was holding her spine crooked... And hasn't straightened out since.
I'll give more details at the end of the form, but after a few days of observation I'm starting to think she injured herself on the filter's intake and I am not sure how to help her heal if that's the case.
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Housing:
How many gallons is your tank? 10gal (Hospital tank: 1g)
Does it have a filter? Yes, HOB (Hospital tank: No)
Does it have a heater? Yes
What temperature is your tank? 80*F
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? No
Food:
What food brand do you use? Omega One, NLS, frozen bloodworms
Do you feed flakes or pellets? OO Flakes & NLS Pellets
Freeze-dried? No
How often do you feed your Betta? How much? Typically 1x daily, either a small pinch of flakes, about 3-5 pellets, or a few bloodworms. Since 4/24 I started feeding her 2x a day to encourage growth.
Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? Once weekly, bumped up to twice weekly when I increased her feedings. (Hospital tank: daily)
What percentage of water did you change? 20-30% (Hospital tank: 50%)
What is the source of your water? Tap
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? Siphon, tank is bare-bottom
What additives do you use? What brand of conditioner? Prime conditioner
Water Parameters:
What are your water parameters? Please give exact numbers. If tested by pet store please get exact numbers. "Fine" or "Safe" won't help us help you. Important: Test your water
before the regular water change; not after one.
I've got some major egg on my face because... I don't really know. My last test kit expired a while ago and I haven't had the money to replace it. (Thankfully, I was able to borrow some and now have a kit on the way!) Also I panicked, and did a large water change before thinking to set some aside to have tested at a store.
Ammonia: 0ppm according to Seachem Ammonia Alert
Nitrite: "0" (According to a urinalysis test strip... Not willing to commit to its accuracy)
Nitrate: n/a
pH: Approx 6.5 (Again, urinalysis test strip)
Hardness (GH): n/a
Alkalinity (KH): n/a
Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? Thursday (May 7th)
How has your Betta’s appearance changed? Her spine is held crooked side-to-side, and she has some trouble staying horizontal- her tail drifts upwards. The rest of her body seems fine, no discoloration or damaged scales, fins intact & unclamped. Possibly there is or was some swelling on her side, it's hard to tell for sure.
How has your Betta’s behavior changed? Thursday she was hiding and lethargic, but since then she has been acting like her usual self.
Is your Betta still eating? I decided to fast her in hopes she was just constipated, but when offered a pellet yesterday she happily ate it.
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how?
Thursday: Immediately dosed tank with 1mL Prime. Flubbed what I was doing and she ended up getting 100% clean water in the hospital tank. Main tank had a 60% change. Gave an Epsom dip at 1 Tbs/g for three hours, then 1 tsp/g Epsom in the hospital tank. Fed in morning but interrupted her before she ate much. No poop.
Friday: Epsom 1tsp/gal, 50% water change. Fasted. No poop.
Saturday: Epson 1tsp/gal, 50% water change. Fasted. Passed a small amount of poop, normal colored & shaped.
Sunday: Epsom 1tsp/gal, 50% water change. Fed a pellet. No poop.
Monday (Today): Epsom decreased to 1/2 tsp/g after 50% water change. Haven't fed yet. No poop so far.
Does your Betta have any history of being ill? I have been concerned about slow growth-
thread here- because she was purchased as a "baby" and has stayed small. Otherwise no.
How long have you owned your Betta? Since Jan 3rd, so just about five months.
Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? No
Thursday:
Monday (Today):
(I apologize that it's so hard to see her fins & individual scales, but they do look undamaged to me)
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So here's what I have been thinking as far as possible explanations go:
- An immediate concern was possible Nitrite/Nitrate poisoning, so I dosed the tank with Prime and did a large water change even though she didn't seem to have other symptoms.
- Because I have been feeding her extra I thought she may have been constipated and it was putting pressure on her organs, so I used Epsom as a laxative (and to help the tail floating) and fasted her. However, she hasn't seemed bloated to me- a bit pudgy, but not swollen- and after pooping the curve is still there.
- On the flipside, scoliosis from malnutrition seems unlikely since I was feeding her twice a day, and the curve showed up suddenly.
- I don't think Mycobacteria/Tuberculosis is likely because she is showing no other symptoms, and her spine is curved side to side instead of vertically. But I am keeping an eye out for signs and making sure to be extra careful about cross-contamination with my other tanks, since TB is such a vicious disease.
- I also think it's unlikely to be internal parasites putting pressure on her organs, because when she did poop it was normal in appearance and she doesn't seem either bloated or emaciated. Similarly, as far as I can tell she doesn't seem to have any other symptoms that suggest a bacterial or viral infection causing internal pressure.
- A tumor is technically possible, but the curvature showed up literally overnight with no build-up of symptoms so I'm not sure how likely it actually is.
- Which leaves me thinking this is the result of physical damage, presumably from getting stuck to the filter's intake or wedging herself into a hole in her decor. Her spine doesn't seem to be broken, and she is still able to move her tail at least somewhat when she swims. But her body doesn't seem swollen like she was hurt, her skin/scales are unbroken, and her fins are all intact.
I just really don't know for certain, which is why I'm posting for ideas here. Is there a possible explanation I've missed?
And if it
is the result of damage... Does anyone have suggestions for how to help her heal, other than clean water & good food? I'm planning to start feeding her again tonight since fasting hasn't seemed to do much, and will keep her in the hospital tank at least until the end of the week so there's no current for her to fight against.
Going forward if no one has specific treatment ideas, I guess I'll just see how she does against the filter's current and possibly switch from HOB to a sponge or box filter. If the amount of space in her 10g seems to be too hard for her to navigate I have a smaller 2.5g I can downgrade her to, though I don't really
want to.
