[Pleinair4]

I feel horrible! Just noticed this distention on sweet Wave. His pectoral fin was hides it most times, but I should have seen it! Tried to get photos, but he moves quickly.

Can you help?
Thank you!
Wendy

Housing:
How many gallons is your tank? 6

Does it have a filter? Yes

Does it have a heater? Yes

What temperature is your tank? 80 degrees

Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No

Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind?
None

Food:
What food brand do you use? Aqueon

Do you feed flakes or pellets? Pellets
Freeze-dried? No

How often do you feed your Betta? How much?
3 pellets in morning 2 pellets in evening

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? weekly

What percentage of water did you change?
25%

What is the source of your water? tap water treated with seachem

Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? Vacuum substrate

What additives do you use other than conditioner? Stability and Prime. Also Almond Leaves.

What brand of conditioner? Seachem

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.

Ammonia: 0 -.25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0-5.0
pH: 7.2-7.6
Hardness (GH): ?
Alkalinity (KH): ?

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? Yesterday

How has your Betta’s appearance changed?
Looks like a growth or distention on his belly

How has your Betta’s behavior changed?
Not much. He is still swimming around

Is your Betta still eating
Yes.

Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? After seeing the distention, I fasted him for a day and fed him a pea tonight. He ate some.

Does your Betta have any history of being ill?
No

How long have you owned your Betta?
4 months (?)

Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? No

 

[Rose of sharon]

Hi,

Wave is very beautiful!!! Sounds like your set up is good, and your husbandry is good, too.

I would fast him for 3 days, and then instead of feeding him a pea, I would feed him some frozen daphnia. It's a natural laxative for bettas and a great source of nutrition. It's best to feed bettas a varied diet with about 60 to 70% coming from frozen foods and the rest from high quality pellets with little to no fillers. For frozen foods, I recommend the daphnia at least twice a week, and then maybe some frozen brine shrimp. If you get bloodworms, feed them as a treat, not a daily meal. For pellet foods, I recommend Omega One Betta Buffet pellets, Northfin betta pellets, or New Life Spectrum pellets. New Life Spectrum has a food called Thera A+ that is laced with garlic, which is great for the immune system. I find that fish flakes tend to cause bloat, so I always recommend avoiding flakes if possible.

I hope this helps, and I hope that Wave gets back to his normal, perky self!!!

 

[Pleinair4]

Hi,

Wave is very beautiful!!! Sounds like your set up is good, and your husbandry is good, too.

I would fast him for 3 days, and then instead of feeding him a pea, I would feed him some frozen daphnia. It's a natural laxative for bettas and a great source of nutrition. It's best to feed bettas a varied diet with about 60 to 70% coming from frozen foods and the rest from high quality pellets with little to no fillers. For frozen foods, I recommend the daphnia at least twice a week, and then maybe some frozen brine shrimp. If you get bloodworms, feed them as a treat, not a daily meal. For pellet foods, I recommend Omega One Betta Buffet pellets, Northfin betta pellets, or New Life Spectrum pellets. New Life Spectrum has a food called Thera A+ that is laced with garlic, which is great for the immune system. I find that fish flakes tend to cause bloat, so I always recommend avoiding flakes if possible.

I hope this helps, and I hope that Wave gets back to his normal, perky self!!!

Thank you so much!!!

 

[Rose of sharon]

Post an update when you can. I hope he gets better soon!!!

 

[Pleinair4]

Alas, Wave is not getting better. He seems happy. He is eating and even creating a small bubble nest, but his belly is still distended. More so on the left side.

I gave him two epsom salt baths. One two days ago and one tonight. Did get some API General Cure due to the "swollen abdomen" listing on the box, but in reading further, this "swollen abdomen" is due to tapeworms. I am afraid he may have dropsy... any suggestions?
Attached are some newer pictures.

 

[Rose of sharon]

I am afraid that you are right. It does look like fluid retention, probably due to some organ failure. Once the organs start to fail - kidneys or liver - the fish usually succombs to the illness. I am so sorry!!!

If you do a search you will see the same treatments listed on most web sites...kanaplex and epsom salt baths. These may delay his passing, but from the looks of his little body, he probably won't be able to overcome this. So many bettas now are so genetically weak that their immune systems can't fight off much.

I would dose him with aquarium salt in his tank. Aquarium salt helps with osmoregulation processes and gas exchange, along with helping his breathing. Just make sure that you dissolve the aquarium salt completely into some treated, clean tank water before adding it to his tank. Follow the instructions on the package - usually a tablespoon per 5 gallons of water. If you want to try the kanaplex, you can dose that along with the aquarium salt. If you can't find the kanaplex, then you can use Maracyn 2 instead. Both are absorbed into the betta's body.

I would continue to do a daily epsom salt bath, as long as he isn't acting too stressed.

I had one live for another month after the swelling started, and I had one live for two weeks. Each fish is different, so there really is no way to tell how long he still has. I would make him as comfortable as possible. Feed him well. Spend time with him.

And, just in case, I would buy some clove oil, in case you end up needing to euthanize him. You can get it from a pharmacy, or any place that sells essential oils. If he gets to the point where he stops eating, stops swimming, and can't breathe, then I would recommend that he be euthanized.

Again, I am so sorry that he is going through this!!!

 

[Pleinair4]

Thank you for your kind and wise thoughts. I could barely sleep last night worrying about him.
But he is a stalwart fish. I took a video of him tonight. He was swimming around like a teenager! Wish I could post it for you to see.

He is still eating well. He was a bit stressed last night after his epsom salt bath, so I didn't do it tonight to give him a break. I ordered some betta revive. And will try the protocols you suggested.

I believe in miracles and hope that somehow he revives. I'm almost thinking of taking him to work with me in the little 3 gallon tank to be with him more...

 

[Rose of sharon]

I wish you all the best!!! These little fish have a way of just stealing your heart! 💕

For the epsom salt baths, you could try cutting down the amount of epsom salts that you are using to see if that makes a difference. I start with a tablespoon to one gallon of treated and temperature matched tank water. If they poop right away, it's too strong and strssful, so that's when I take them out and try a smaller dose.

Also how you get them out of the tank can be stressful. I don't use a net. I use a plastic cup or disposable plastic contanier that I can put under them under water and scoop them right out. Or sometimes, they will swim right into the cup/container if they are feeling curious.

 

[Pleinair4]

Hi Rose,

I got and administered some KanaPlex, reccomended by a fish store for dropsy. The directions say to repeat every 2 days until the symptoms dissappear, to a max of 3 doses. I have given him 3 doses, but Wave still isn't getting better. It is weird. He is swimming around and still has an appetite, but his distentions have not gone down. It seems bulbous on his left side and distended on his right side.
I attached some pictures. Will try to get better shots. (The third pic is to show how pretty he is...)
I am not sure what to do.

 

[Rose of sharon]

He is a beautiful boy!!! 💕

Wave seems to have a strong will to live, too, which is great!


I would just keep his water as clean as possible, and continue with what you are doing. One round of kanaplex treatment includes the 3 doses. After one round, you can wait a few days to see how he reacts. If you don't see any adverse reactions, then maybe you can try a second round. The thing about kanaplex, as with all antibiotics, is that it will kill off some of the beneficial bacteria in the tank if you are dosing him in the main tank, so you may experience a mini crash with the tank cycle. If that happens, then you will need to do multiple water changes until the cycle catches back up, so you might want to check your water parameters to make sure there isn't a rise in ammonia or nitrite.

I am sending you both good thoughts!!!!! 😊

 

[Pleinair4]

Applied all suggestions and am hopeful, but the distention appears to be expanding. 😔

Bad: He is having trouble swimming and lays on the bottom more.
Good: he is still eating and creating bubbles.

I stopped the epsom salt treatment. He became way too stressed after yesterday's bath.

So sad. I love him so.
I want to be positive and will do anything I can to help him, but don't want him to suffer.

Wendy

 

[Rose of sharon]

So, so sorry!!!

If he gets to the point where he is not moving, not eating, and breathing heavily, then that is no real quality of life. That is when I usually decide to euthanize. It's hard, and understandable if you do not want to do that. You know your fin baby better than anyone.

It's so hard to find healthy bettas now. They are so mass bred and genetically weak that many of them can't shake the least little health problem. That's why it's so much better to find a good breeder, and get your stock from them instead of big chain pet stores, or even some local fish stores that get their stock from the same suppliers.

Still sending you positive thoughts!!!!

 

[Pleinair4]

So, so sorry!!!

If he gets to the point where he is not moving, not eating, and breathing heavily, then that is no real quality of life. That is when I usually decide to euthanize. It's hard, and understandable if you do not want to do that. You know your fin baby better than anyone.

It's so hard to find healthy bettas now. They are so mass bred and genetically weak that many of them can't shake the least little health problem. That's why it's so much better to find a good breeder, and get your stock from them instead of big chain pet stores, or even some local fish stores that get their stock from the same suppliers.

Still sending you positive thoughts!!!!

Thank you!
He is still hanging in there- eating and swimming around, then he has to rest. But he is still so bloated. Praying the medicine will do its magic, but steeling myself for the worst.
... but I believe in miracles! Wave is such a fighter. ❤

Good point about the mass breeders breeding unhealthy bettas. I have had bettas for years and never had so many problems. Thought it might be my husbandry, but maybe not. Trying my best to give these babies the best life possible.

I sure appreciate you. Thank you again for your kindness and wisdom.

 

[Pleinair4]

❤❤❤

 

[Rose of sharon]

❤❤❤

🤗

 

[Rose of sharon]

Thank you!
He is still hanging in there- eating and swimming around, then he has to rest. But he is still so bloated. Praying the medicine will do its magic, but steeling myself for the worst.
... but I believe in miracles! Wave is such a fighter. ❤

Good point about the mass breeders breeding unhealthy bettas. I have had bettas for years and never had so many problems. Thought it might be my husbandry, but maybe not. Trying my best to give these babies the best life possible.

I sure appreciate you. Thank you again for your kindness and wisdom.

Unfortunately, my wisdom has come from heart-breaking experience with big chain store bettas...they get sick even under the best of conditions. It's sad, but their life spans are 3 years at best. I have definitely learned the hard way to buy from breeders if at all possible, and stay away from the 4 dollar fish at petco/petsmart.

Please keep me updated!!!

 

[TropicalFlow3]

im so so sorry wave is not feeling better and\or is getting worse. I truly hoped that wave will get better right away, but it seems it is taking a while. I hope and wish you and Wave the best of luck!! I have been following this thread through the whole time as well. Wave sure seems like he has an amazing will to live!!!

@Rose of sharon I have been wathing this thread, waiting for a moment when i can jump on and help!!!But you have been on the case offering great advice each time!!! Your so awesome for being able to help Wave and his wonderful owner with relenles energy, always putting good and bad news out! THank you

 

[Pleinair4]

Thank you all!

As soon as I think the end is near, he gets a second wind! Hoping he will revive again today.

I got a small bubbler, but it seemed a bit intense for him, so I hust run it when I can be there to monitor.

Should I put him in a hospital tank? I have been treating him in his 6 gal main tank.

 

[TropicalFlow3]

Thank you all!

As soon as I think the end is near, he gets a second wind! Hoping he will revive again today.

I got a small bubbler, but it seemed a bit intense for him, so I hust run it when I can be there to monitor.

Should I put him in a hospital tank? I have been treating him in his 6 gal main tank.

If he's having trouble swimming, then yes you should.

 

[Pleinair4]

Will do tonight when I get home.
Thank you!