[RussellTheShihTzu]

I did some research and stringy brown poop is usually a sign of constipation. If you can get frozen Daphnia that is the best thing to use. Try to get him flare for a minute or two 2-3 x per day. As he is alone, you can treat him in-tank: One teaspoon Epsom Salts per five gallons. Dissolve one teaspoon in a gallon of water. Remove a gallon from his tank and replace with the treated ES water.

When doing water changes, only replace ES with what you took out. If you remove 2.5 gallons, use 1/2 teaspoon when you add new water. One gallon is a bit less than 1/4 teaspoon. Keep him in this for two or three weeks or when he has normal poop. Sometimes that after just a few days.

If he is bloated it is so slight that the above is much preferable to a bath which is very stressful for Betta as compromised fish as is yours and can do more harm than good.

He looks like that all the time. His stomach is still fairly bloated, which isn’t helping that difference look any better. His poop is brown and occasionally stringy. Also, are you sure I should feed him that much? It seems like a lot, and like it might make him bloat more. He’s pineconing a little bit more. I do have him on kanaplex though and I’m probably going to do an Epsom salt bath

If he looks like that all of the time then he's been nutritionally deprived for quite a while and is slowly starving. Starvation causes kidney and other organ failure and eventually the body shuts down to conserve energy. Bluntly put: If you don't work to get weight on him he will die. Frozen Bloodworms are what he needs.

Edit: Slightly raised scales, especially when on one side, can indicate an internal tumor. So even if the scales go down keep an eye on that area. And keep IAL or Rooibos in his tank 24/7 should that lump burst. We have members who had the tumor/cyst obvious for a year before it ruptured.

 

[ambrosiaandmore]

That’s really good to know about feeding him. I fed him 3 times yesterday, and he ate it all so I will continue to do that. Though, he was struggling to swim this morning and struggled to eat. Should I continue with the kanaplex?

 

[YogisMom]

Thank you so much for all this great advice!! You’re really helping me out. Sorry for the blurry pictures, he does not want to sit still
*his pineconing is down a bit today, so it’s hard to see in the pics

Hi!
You are very welcome! I am so sorry he is not feeling well.

So, I personally do not see pineconing today but I did with your first pics, so this is a good sign if they are not as bad today. i have a few questions that may be helpful figuring out what’s going on with him.

The red area where he has lost scales near his gill, you said he was born with this? Do you happen to have a photo of him when you first got him? Does it change ever or look worse now that he’s fallen ill? After that ammonia spike, did it worsen?

Does he ever make quick movements or rub up against things in his tank? Like he’s itchy and scratching himself on decor or your substrate? I’m wondering if he may have a parasite.

Have you tried the flashlight test for Velvet? If not, with lights turned off in his tank and the room he is in (if possible) you shine a flashlight on his scales and fins and look for a gold dust.

Is he eating for you today? How is his behavior and attitude overall?

I really think those leaves/tea will be beneficial for him to use from now on. He appears to have some fin damage or rot and they will help heal this.

I think you should continue the Kanaplex since we both see a reduction in the scales. I would absolutely grab some frozen food for him. He does look very thin and I think what you see as bloat is just him being out of proportion due to some malnourishment.

For the Prime, it’s an excellent water conditioner so there’s no need to use any others with it! Its also good to have for an emergency ammonia or nitrite spike. Always do a water change if you see any funky parameter issues though and I will find this helpful graph on here you can refer to and pos

I also see you’ve used chemicals to lower the Ph in the past. I would avoid these. Domestic bettas can handle a wide range of Ph as long as it stays consistent. So if your tap remains around 7.5, that’s fine. Bettas do not like swings in Ph and are very sensitive to it. So consistency is your goal. So as long as your tap stays in the 7.5 range, he is more than fine. That’s perfect.

So, let us know how he’s feeling today, add the tea if you can, and let’s see if we can get him feeling back to himself. In the meantime, if you could just add a pic of him when you got him and maybe about 2 months after for some comparisons, it will give us a better idea if something else may be going on too.

Thanks so much! I will fetch that graph now.

 

[ambrosiaandmore]

So he is definitely struggling to swim. He’s been his leaf hammock near the surface a lot now. I am currently at school, so I can’t do anything rn, but once I get home I am going to do the water change, add the Epsom salt and next dose of kanaplex, and Im also going to look for IAL or rooibos tea. Is there anything else I should do for him?

 

[YogisMom]

I actually missed @RussellTheShihTzu message before your reply, so I apologize if my questions were redundant since she’s come up with a good plan.

I would focus on finishing treatment exactly as instructed with the Kanaplex and Epsom Salt.

Follow that up as instructed with carbon and water change to remove the medication (sorry I don’t completely remember the Kanaplex treatment protocol).

I would keep his water dark with tannins moving forward. After you use your carbon to remove the medication, you’ll need to remove it again and discard because it will remove the tannins from his water.

Let’s hope he will eat the frozen food and pellets well for you. Keep an eye on his poop.

I do think he may have a tumor on his side/gill area. This is something you’ll want to keep a close eye on. If you see fuzzy cottony growths or bleeding, let us know. Also, if anything else develops or changes with it, let us know.

The very best thing you can do is make sure you keep up with water changes and keep his water very deep dark with tannins. I would even aim to do two 25% water changes a week at least while he’s ill. If I were you, I’d prepare a big pot of tea and store in jars for future uses. It’ll save you time to try to yield as much as you can at once. You’ll need a good amount of it to keep his water dark.

When you feed him, you may want to shut your filter off for a few minutes to keep the food from flying around. It will be easier for you to see if any fall and remove them. Just don’t forget to turn the filter back on after. I also feed one pellet or worm/shrimp at a time instead of throwing them in at once. That way you can see if he’s interested to start and again, make it easier to remove any uneaten ones.

Keep an eye on your parameters of course, too. The goal is to provide him with the nourishment and clean environment he needs, prevent and heal any scale and fin issues and keep our fingers crossed he starts to feel better very soon.

Keep us posted on any changes, good or bad.

 

[YogisMom]

One more tip regarding Frozen Daphnia. This can get messy. What I do is take a small cup and add a little bit of tank water and a 1/4 of a cube or if it’s a flat pack, maybe a pinky sized amount of it. Add that to the water in the cup and let it melt for about 5 mins or so. Then I take a pipette or a syringe and pull some of the food into it and squirt a tiny amount into his tank maybe 0.1-0.2 ml where he can see it. You’ll see it looks dusty (prob not the right word) but this is why I prefer the filter off. He should go right for it. After he eats that, squirt a tiny bit more and so on. A betta should have a nice round belly after they eat. On your lil guy, it will look like a fat belly because he’s so thin. This should help him poop if he’s constipated.

But moving forward, I would grab some frozen bloodworms. They are very fattening and he needs this. As mentioned before, he’s suffered from the lack of nutrition and the main goal is to fatten him up.

Good alternatives or additions to his diet are North Fin Betta Bits and Fluval Bug Bites (my bettas love the small Tropical formula). You can find them both on Amazon - along with some great Indian almond leaves. If you need help finding some really big good ones, let me know. My chain stores all carry the Bug Bites.

 

[ambrosiaandmore]

I actually missed @RussellTheShihTzu message before your reply, so I apologize if my questions were redundant since she’s come up with a good plan.

I would focus on finishing treatment exactly as instructed with the Kanaplex and Epsom Salt.

Follow that up as instructed with carbon and water change to remove the medication (sorry I don’t completely remember the Kanaplex treatment protocol).

I would keep his water dark with tannins moving forward. After you use your carbon to remove the medication, you’ll need to remove it again and discard because it will remove the tannins from his water.

Let’s hope he will eat the frozen food and pellets well for you. Keep an eye on his poop.

I do think he may have a tumor on his side/gill area. This is something you’ll want to keep a close eye on. If you see fuzzy cottony growths or bleeding, let us know. Also, if anything else develops or changes with it, let us know.

The very best thing you can do is make sure you keep up with water changes and keep his water very deep dark with tannins. I would even aim to do two 25% water changes a week at least while he’s ill. If I were you, I’d prepare a big pot of tea and store in jars for future uses. It’ll save you time to try to yield as much as you can at once. You’ll need a good amount of it to keep his water dark.

When you feed him, you may want to shut your filter off for a few minutes to keep the food from flying around. It will be easier for you to see if any fall and remove them. Just don’t forget to turn the filter back on after. I also feed one pellet or worm/shrimp at a time instead of throwing them in at once. That way you can see if he’s interested to start and again, make it easier to remove any uneaten ones.

Keep an eye on your parameters of course, too. The goal is to provide him with the nourishment and clean environment he needs, prevent and heal any scale and fin issues and keep our fingers crossed he starts to feel better very soon.

Keep us posted on any changes, good or bad.

Thank you!! Should I replace the discarded filter with another carbon filter? I don’t know how that would work if they remove the tannins

 

[ambrosiaandmore]

Hi!
You are very welcome! I am so sorry he is not feeling well.

So, I personally do not see pineconing today but I did with your first pics, so this is a good sign if they are not as bad today. i have a few questions that may be helpful figuring out what’s going on with him.

The red area where he has lost scales near his gill, you said he was born with this? Do you happen to have a photo of him when you first got him? Does it change ever or look worse now that he’s fallen ill? After that ammonia spike, did it worsen?

Does he ever make quick movements or rub up against things in his tank? Like he’s itchy and scratching himself on decor or your substrate? I’m wondering if he may have a parasite.

Have you tried the flashlight test for Velvet? If not, with lights turned off in his tank and the room he is in (if possible) you shine a flashlight on his scales and fins and look for a gold dust.

Is he eating for you today? How is his behavior and attitude overall?

I really think those leaves/tea will be beneficial for him to use from now on. He appears to have some fin damage or rot and they will help heal this.

I think you should continue the Kanaplex since we both see a reduction in the scales. I would absolutely grab some frozen food for him. He does look very thin and I think what you see as bloat is just him being out of proportion due to some malnourishment.

For the Prime, it’s an excellent water conditioner so there’s no need to use any others with it! Its also good to have for an emergency ammonia or nitrite spike. Always do a water change if you see any funky parameter issues though and I will find this helpful graph on here you can refer to and pos

I also see you’ve used chemicals to lower the Ph in the past. I would avoid these. Domestic bettas can handle a wide range of Ph as long as it stays consistent. So if your tap remains around 7.5, that’s fine. Bettas do not like swings in Ph and are very sensitive to it. So consistency is your goal. So as long as your tap stays in the 7.5 range, he is more than fine. That’s perfect.

So, let us know how he’s feeling today, add the tea if you can, and let’s see if we can get him feeling back to himself. In the meantime, if you could just add a pic of him when you got him and maybe about 2 months after for some comparisons, it will give us a better idea if something else may be going on too.

Thanks so much! I will fetch that graph now.

I actually missed @RussellTheShihTzu message before your reply, so I apologize if my questions were redundant since she’s come up with a good plan.

I would focus on finishing treatment exactly as instructed with the Kanaplex and Epsom Salt.

Follow that up as instructed with carbon and water change to remove the medication (sorry I don’t completely remember the Kanaplex treatment protocol).

I would keep his water dark with tannins moving forward. After you use your carbon to remove the medication, you’ll need to remove it again and discard because it will remove the tannins from his water.

Let’s hope he will eat the frozen food and pellets well for you. Keep an eye on his poop.

I do think he may have a tumor on his side/gill area. This is something you’ll want to keep a close eye on. If you see fuzzy cottony growths or bleeding, let us know. Also, if anything else develops or changes with it, let us know.

The very best thing you can do is make sure you keep up with water changes and keep his water very deep dark with tannins. I would even aim to do two 25% water changes a week at least while he’s ill. If I were you, I’d prepare a big pot of tea and store in jars for future uses. It’ll save you time to try to yield as much as you can at once. You’ll need a good amount of it to keep his water dark.

When you feed him, you may want to shut your filter off for a few minutes to keep the food from flying around. It will be easier for you to see if any fall and remove them. Just don’t forget to turn the filter back on after. I also feed one pellet or worm/shrimp at a time instead of throwing them in at once. That way you can see if he’s interested to start and again, make it easier to remove any uneaten ones.

Keep an eye on your parameters of course, too. The goal is to provide him with the nourishment and clean environment he needs, prevent and heal any scale and fin issues and keep our fingers crossed he starts to feel better very soon.

Keep us posted on any changes, good or bad.

Hi!
You are very welcome! I am so sorry he is not feeling well.

So, I personally do not see pineconing today but I did with your first pics, so this is a good sign if they are not as bad today. i have a few questions that may be helpful figuring out what’s going on with him.

The red area where he has lost scales near his gill, you said he was born with this? Do you happen to have a photo of him when you first got him? Does it change ever or look worse now that he’s fallen ill? After that ammonia spike, did it worsen?

Does he ever make quick movements or rub up against things in his tank? Like he’s itchy and scratching himself on decor or your substrate? I’m wondering if he may have a parasite.

Have you tried the flashlight test for Velvet? If not, with lights turned off in his tank and the room he is in (if possible) you shine a flashlight on his scales and fins and look for a gold dust.

Is he eating for you today? How is his behavior and attitude overall?

I really think those leaves/tea will be beneficial for him to use from now on. He appears to have some fin damage or rot and they will help heal this.

I think you should continue the Kanaplex since we both see a reduction in the scales. I would absolutely grab some frozen food for him. He does look very thin and I think what you see as bloat is just him being out of proportion due to some malnourishment.

For the Prime, it’s an excellent water conditioner so there’s no need to use any others with it! Its also good to have for an emergency ammonia or nitrite spike. Always do a water change if you see any funky parameter issues though and I will find this helpful graph on here you can refer to and pos

I also see you’ve used chemicals to lower the Ph in the past. I would avoid these. Domestic bettas can handle a wide range of Ph as long as it stays consistent. So if your tap remains around 7.5, that’s fine. Bettas do not like swings in Ph and are very sensitive to it. So consistency is your goal. So as long as your tap stays in the 7.5 range, he is more than fine. That’s perfect.

So, let us know how he’s feeling today, add the tea if you can, and let’s see if we can get him feeling back to himself. In the meantime, if you could just add a pic of him when you got him and maybe about 2 months after for some comparisons, it will give us a better idea if something else may be going on too.

Thanks so much! I will fetch that graph now.

I did look at him with a flashlight (a lot of the pics I posted are him under the light) and I didn’t notice anything, but I will check again when I get home. He has not been rubbing himself against anything. And the ammonia spike did cause it to look worse. He is struggling to stay at the surface currently, so he’s been chilling on his leaf hammock. I’m going to buy some tannin stuff today and that Seachem prime. I have also discontinued using that pH reducer
The pictures start from the day I got him up until earlier this month

 

[YogisMom]

Thank you!! Should I replace the discarded filter with another carbon filter? I don’t know how that would work if they remove the tannins

If it’s just a bag of carbon, I’m not sure if they are ok to use after removing meds. To be honest, I’ve never used carbon in my fish tanks. It’s not a necessity.

I think moving forward you won’t need to use any carbon because it will remove the tannins from the leaves/tea and he’ll need to remain in this tannins most likely for the rest of his life.

His tumor has the possibility of bursting or becoming infected so you are actually helping to prevent any future bacterial or fungus problems since it has amazing antibacterial, fungal and calming properties. They will also help his fins and scales heal.

So, the only reason to use carbon or have on hand is to remove meds. After I would toss it. Do you use any other forms of media in your filter?

 

[YogisMom]

I did look at him with a flashlight (a lot of the pics I posted are him under the light) and I didn’t notice anything, but I will check again when I get home. He has not been rubbing himself against anything. And the ammonia spike did cause it to look worse. He is struggling to stay at the surface currently, so he’s been chilling on his leaf hammock. I’m going to buy some tannin stuff today and that Seachem prime. I have also discontinued using that pH reducer
The pictures start from the day I got him up until earlier this month

What a cutie. It looks like he may be blind. Would you say he had that ammonia spike around October?

 

[YogisMom]

Is he breathing rapidly at all?

 

[YogisMom]

I think regardless of what is currently going on with him, you are doing whatever you can right now.

Unfortunately, he is very ill and may have suffered from that ammonia spike. It also looks as if he may have had something going on when you bought him last August. He had some fin damage and that red area is suspicious since it looks like his scales were eroding and they’ve gotten progressively worse over time. I can not tell if it is a tumor, but I’m inclined to think there is something internal going on. He may have been kept in unsanitary conditions before you brought him home.

I think for now, finish treatment, flush his tank from the meds with the carbon and recommended water change amount. Remove the carbon. You will need to keep his water very dark to let those tannins do their thing. I personally would increase your water changes to at least twice a week. And I would do one 25% and one 50% per week.

Keep a very very close eye on the tank parameters. If you see any ammonia or nitrites (there is no safe amount for him - you want these at 0). Nitrates I’d say under 10. Do an immediate water change if these levels rise at all. You can dose Prime at 5 times the recommended dose to detoxify but he really needs clean water.

Pluck out any uneaten food he misses as this can cause an ammonia spike.

I’m hoping this helps. I’m just at a loss what to think for certain but if he appears to be suffering, keep us posted. As for the swimming issues, he may have Swim Bladder Disorder. The Epsom Salt should help him, I hope. He does look blind to me.

Did you cycle your tank? I apologize if I already asked you this. I am not sure, but some antibiotics can crash your cycle. To be safe, I would initiate another nitrogen cycle by adding a beneficial bacteria (Seachem Stability is great) with the Prime at instructed dosages. There is a link under Betta Care with a tutorial on cycling his tank with him in it. It will explain the process. You will be doing a fish-in cycle. This will prevent any future ammonia spikes and is very important.


I know the moderators are watching this thread and will jump in if they feel there anything to correct me on or add, but I’m just not sure what else to advise on helping him.

 

[YogisMom]

And if the carbon is the only form of filter media in there, I would add a coarse sponge and or some filter stones such as Seachem Matrix. This will give your filter an area to grow the beneficial bacteria on.

 

[ambrosiaandmore]

Hi!
You are very welcome! I am so sorry he is not feeling well.

So, I personally do not see pineconing today but I did with your first pics, so this is a good sign if they are not as bad today. i have a few questions that may be helpful figuring out what’s going on with him.

The red area where he has lost scales near his gill, you said he was born with this? Do you happen to have a photo of him when you first got him? Does it change ever or look worse now that he’s fallen ill? After that ammonia spike, did it worsen?

Does he ever make quick movements or rub up against things in his tank? Like he’s itchy and scratching himself on decor or your substrate? I’m wondering if he may have a parasite.

Have you tried the flashlight test for Velvet? If not, with lights turned off in his tank and the room he is in (if possible) you shine a flashlight on his scales and fins and look for a gold dust.

Is he eating for you today? How is his behavior and attitude overall?

I really think those leaves/tea will be beneficial for him to use from now on. He appears to have some fin damage or rot and they will help heal this.

I think you should continue the Kanaplex since we both see a reduction in the scales. I would absolutely grab some frozen food for him. He does look very thin and I think what you see as bloat is just him being out of proportion due to some malnourishment.

For the Prime, it’s an excellent water conditioner so there’s no need to use any others with it! Its also good to have for an emergency ammonia or nitrite spike. Always do a water change if you see any funky parameter issues though and I will find this helpful graph on here you can refer to and pos

I also see you’ve used chemicals to lower the Ph in the past. I would avoid these. Domestic bettas can handle a wide range of Ph as long as it stays consistent. So if your tap remains around 7.5, that’s fine. Bettas do not like swings in Ph and are very sensitive to it. So consistency is your goal. So as long as your tap stays in the 7.5 range, he is more than fine. That’s perfect.

So, let us know how he’s feeling today, add the tea if you can, and let’s see if we can get him feeling back to himself. In the meantime, if you could just add a pic of him when you got him and maybe about 2 months after for some comparisons, it will give us a better idea if something else may be going on too.

Thanks so much! I will fetch that graph now.

Update: he has definitely been scratching. His scales are looking pretty rough, and I actually think one fell off. I just double checked if he has the gold dusting associated with velvet, but Im not really seeing anything

 

[ambrosiaandmore]

Hi!
You are very welcome! I am so sorry he is not feeling well.

So, I personally do not see pineconing today but I did with your first pics, so this is a good sign if they are not as bad today. i have a few questions that may be helpful figuring out what’s going on with him.

The red area where he has lost scales near his gill, you said he was born with this? Do you happen to have a photo of him when you first got him? Does it change ever or look worse now that he’s fallen ill? After that ammonia spike, did it worsen?

Does he ever make quick movements or rub up against things in his tank? Like he’s itchy and scratching himself on decor or your substrate? I’m wondering if he may have a parasite.

Have you tried the flashlight test for Velvet? If not, with lights turned off in his tank and the room he is in (if possible) you shine a flashlight on his scales and fins and look for a gold dust.

Is he eating for you today? How is his behavior and attitude overall?

I really think those leaves/tea will be beneficial for him to use from now on. He appears to have some fin damage or rot and they will help heal this.

I think you should continue the Kanaplex since we both see a reduction in the scales. I would absolutely grab some frozen food for him. He does look very thin and I think what you see as bloat is just him being out of proportion due to some malnourishment.

For the Prime, it’s an excellent water conditioner so there’s no need to use any others with it! Its also good to have for an emergency ammonia or nitrite spike. Always do a water change if you see any funky parameter issues though and I will find this helpful graph on here you can refer to and pos

I also see you’ve used chemicals to lower the Ph in the past. I would avoid these. Domestic bettas can handle a wide range of Ph as long as it stays consistent. So if your tap remains around 7.5, that’s fine. Bettas do not like swings in Ph and are very sensitive to it. So consistency is your goal. So as long as your tap stays in the 7.5 range, he is more than fine. That’s perfect.

So, let us know how he’s feeling today, add the tea if you can, and let’s see if we can get him feeling back to himself. In the meantime, if you could just add a pic of him when you got him and maybe about 2 months after for some comparisons, it will give us a better idea if something else may be going on too.

Thanks so much! I will fetch that graph now.

 

[ambrosiaandmore]

What a cutie. It looks like he may be blind. Would you say he had that ammonia spike around October?

Yes probably around then. I have thought he may be blind, but he seems to see perfectly fine. Aside from the current situation, he has always been able to aim for his food and eat it, and has never had problems navigating the tank

 

[ambrosiaandmore]

I think regardless of what is currently going on with him, you are doing whatever you can right now.

Unfortunately, he is very ill and may have suffered from that ammonia spike. It also looks as if he may have had something going on when you bought him last August. He had some fin damage and that red area is suspicious since it looks like his scales were eroding and they’ve gotten progressively worse over time. I can not tell if it is a tumor, but I’m inclined to think there is something internal going on. He may have been kept in unsanitary conditions before you brought him home.

I think for now, finish treatment, flush his tank from the meds with the carbon and recommended water change amount. Remove the carbon. You will need to keep his water very dark to let those tannins do their thing. I personally would increase your water changes to at least twice a week. And I would do one 25% and one 50% per week.

Keep a very very close eye on the tank parameters. If you see any ammonia or nitrites (there is no safe amount for him - you want these at 0). Nitrates I’d say under 10. Do an immediate water change if these levels rise at all. You can dose Prime at 5 times the recommended dose to detoxify but he really needs clean water.

Pluck out any uneaten food he misses as this can cause an ammonia spike.

I’m hoping this helps. I’m just at a loss what to think for certain but if he appears to be suffering, keep us posted. As for the swimming issues, he may have Swim Bladder Disorder. The Epsom Salt should help him, I hope. He does look blind to me.

Did you cycle your tank? I apologize if I already asked you this. I am not sure, but some antibiotics can crash your cycle. To be safe, I would initiate another nitrogen cycle by adding a beneficial bacteria (Seachem Stability is great) with the Prime at instructed dosages. There is a link under Betta Care with a tutorial on cycling his tank with him in it. It will explain the process. You will be doing a fish-in cycle. This will prevent any future ammonia spikes and is very important.


I know the moderators are watching this thread and will jump in if they feel there anything to correct me on or add, but I’m just not sure what else to advise on helping him.

I did cycle his tank before I got him

 

[ambrosiaandmore]

Is he breathing rapidly at all?

He was taking more frequent breaths earlier

 

[BettaloverSara]

It is my opinion that he has an internal tumour that looks pretty close to rupturing. Unfortunately, there is no cure for a tumour and I am worried that ES baths and Kanaplex are causing him extra stress not benefit. If it were my fish I would stop the ES baths, complete the full round of kanaplex and see what happens naturally. If it is a cyst or infection you should see some improvement from the kanaplex but I don't think that is what is happening here. Keep the water very clean and have IAL in there for when/if it ruptures.

 

[ambrosiaandmore]

It is my opinion that he has an internal tumour that looks pretty close to rupturing. Unfortunately, there is no cure for a tumour and I am worried that ES baths and Kanaplex are causing him extra stress not benefit. If it were my fish I would stop the ES baths, complete the full round of kanaplex and see what happens naturally. If it is a cyst or infection you should see some improvement from the kanaplex but I don't think that is what is happening here. Keep the water very clean and have IAL in there for when/if it ruptures.

Thank you! He is still struggling to swim, which leads me to believe something may be going on with his swim bladder, so I added that Epsom salt last night. I did also put some IAL tea in there. I’ll see how he’s doing after school today