Somethings Wrong with my Betta

I always hate reading the "sick betta" threads because I want to help but am not good at diagnosis. I think it could be bacterial infection or a tumor with secondary infections. You might want to try switching him to medicated food to help fight off any bacterial ailment. As for treating the tank, if he's the only inhabitant, at least you won't have to worry about inverts or other fish but some medications may impact your filter bacteria. If you haven't yet, check out the stickies at the top of the Freshwater Illness and Disease forum ... in particular the Disease Guide and the Treatments info.

It is really hard to tell someone what is wrong with their fish, but it looks like pop-eye or something of that nature. I would go to the LPS and get a broad range bacterial medication. Also remember when you use those medications it causes the tank to recycle so watch for ammonia and nitrite spikes.

what are the medicinal components of that medication? i've never seen it or heard of it before.

skewtles, do try feeding your fish only medicated food even if he has to go hungry until he'll eat it. The reason being, antibiotics for the tank may help to eliminate external bacteria but may not do anything for an internal infection. (That's what I understand from some previous reading on the subject.)

Also, like Wendy mentioned earlier, take care when treating the tank as some antibiotics can knock out beneficial bacteria. I have not been able to find much online about Fishmox or amocycillan in aquariums so don't know if that will hurt your filter's BB.

If you want to try a tank treatment, you might want to try Seachem's Paraguard instead of Fish Mox. Paraguard is effective against external bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites — and it won't hurt filter bacteria. Although it is not officially plant- or invert-safe, I've used it with fish, plants, snails and shrimp with no ill effects. I have not used it with a betta — but an LFS near me does Paraguard baths with all of their incoming stock with zero problems. (A bath is a stronger concentration for a short period of time. Remove your betta and some of his tank water to a small container and follow the instructions on the label for dosing and duration. I think it's up to one hour, as long as the fish shows no sign of distress. Then he goes back into the tank, and you dispose of the treated water. Do not pour it into the tank.)

Hope this helps.

My first inclination upon reading the beginning of your thread was to tell you to forget the fish and take care of yourself. After reading the rest I'm at a loss for words. I don't know you from Adam but I know a bit about struggling with health issues. I don't know if the advice given to me by a specialist is appropriate but I'm going to give it anyways. He basically told me that the quality of life is more important than quantity and I guess this applies to both you and your fish (not sure how quality applies to a fish) but if this is the beginning of a battle I'm sure you will figure it out. I urge you to stay positive and not take anything for granted. I wish you a speedy recovery and hopefully this is only a stumbling block that you can look back on and know you faced it like a gladiator. Good luck and Godspede you back to health.

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